Disclaimer: Naruto and all related characters belong to Shonen Jump.
The sun was setting on the Hidden Leaf Village, a long day at last coming to an end. The majority of the village itself was quiet, the citizens who called it their home preparing to turn in for the evening. However, for the community of shinobi who lived their lives in service to the Hidden Leaf, it was merely just the beginning.
The shinobi were all assembled at the arena, the finals of the Chunin Exams having come to an close. Row after row of ninja adorned the balconies, all of them looking down at those who had proven their skills time and time again, whether it was in the classroom or the Forest of Death.
One such shinobi in the crowd of onlookers was Anko Mitarashi. Clad in a tan uniform, a white cloak hanging from her shoulders, the jonin was watching and waiting with nervous anticipation. Her gaze was focused exclusively on those who stood below in the arena itself. The young genin were tired and exhausted, having given there all in the battles that had taken place.
Three such genin were Anko's greatest concern, however. They were Shikadai Nara, Inojin Yamanaka and Chocho Akimichi. The trio was the next generation of three of the Hidden Leaf's most respected clans, as well as the latest in a long line of Ino-Shika-Cho teams, continuing a tradition that had been passed down for years. To the Hidden Leaf Village they were a sign of the future, but to Anko Mitarashi it was another matter altogether. The trio of aspiring shinobi were Team Eleven, the cell that had been placed under Anko's care and tutelage.
"Team Eleven," a voice suddenly boomed across the arena. "Step forward."
Anko watched as her students did just that, moving away from their fellow shinobi. It was at last their time to learn if they had succeeded in moving up the ranks of the Hidden Leaf. Anko, meanwhile, simply turned her gaze upwards towards the main balcony, her eyes settling on the group of shinobi who stood there.
The Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, was at the forefront, dressed in the ceremonial robe befitting such an event. Beside him was his wife, Hinata of the venerable Hyuga clan, and encircling them both was the Hokage's council, containing the likes of Sakura Haruno and Shikamara Nara.
Seeing the a Hokage surrounded by those who were considered not his advisers but his equals was not something Anko was used to, but she knew better than to expect anything less from Naruto Uzumaki. The man's greatest strength was not his individual power, but his ability to form bonds.
Still, it was also taking Anko time to grow accustomed to the wave of change that was sweeping over not only the Hidden Leaf Village, but the world itself. The times were moving on and now the jonin was sitting back and watching as the next generation of shinobi were assuming their destined fates.
"'They call it the Forest of Death and soon enough you're going to find out why!' Do your worst! You're not going to scare me away! I can handle anything!"
The boost from times long since passed played across Anko's memory, the jonin unable to suppress a slight grin. The tough guy wasn't all talk after all.
"Shikadai Nara, Inojin Yamanaka, Chocho Akimichi," the Seventh Hokage began to say, "you do your clans proud."
Anko could not help it. A slight chuckle escaped from her, the jonin bringing a hand up over her mouth to best stifle herself. Anko took notice a few shinobi staring at her with minor contempt, no doubt feeling she was disrespecting the Hokage, but she was not worried. To the average shinobi, Naruto was simply acting as a Hokage should, but to someone who had conversed with the hyperactive ninja in the past, hearing him speak so sternly was a little hard to completely take seriously.
"Sorry, sorry," Anko whispered as she waved a hand towards the irritated ninja. "My bad."
The jonin could see that her fellow ninja were not impressed with her actions still. Realizing that, Anko straightened her body up, forcing a stone cold expression across her face.
"My sincerest apologies for my moment of mirth. I shall show our beloved Hokage the proper respect." The shinobi finally averted their gaze away from Anko, allowing the kunoichi to sigh in relief. Sheesh, everybody is so high strung.
All the while, Naruto's voice continued to echo across the arena. Anko turned her own attentions back to what he had to say, the jonin unwilling to miss it for the world.
"You three have displayed exemplary teamwork," the Hokage continued, "not unheard of among your families, but you have surpassed even those who came before you. That is why I wish to inform you that it is this council's decision that you have earned the rank of chunin."
Anko could see slight smiles creeping across the faces of both Shikadai and Inojin, the jonin knowing it was the best she could hope from the two boys. Neither was much for expressing themselves too greatly. However, Chocho was much more likely to wear her emotions on her sleeves. It was no surprise, then, that she was clearly overjoyed by the news. The young girl's face came alive with a beaming smile, her eyes lighting up.
Then, quite suddenly, Chocho looked into the stands, as if searching for her teacher. She caught sight of Anko only seconds later, their eyes locking up. Anko returned her student's smile with one of her own, tilting her head and shutting her eyes for a moment as she did so.
You've all earned this...We.. we all have. Anko Mitarashi knew that this was all she wanted, to help build up the future. That I can do for them what he did for me...
Anko's eyes closed slightly then, her thoughts becoming dark in nature. The whole situation she was experiencing was new to her, yet still she was being overwhelmed by a case of deja vu. There was just one thing, one person, missing to complete that sensation.
"Anko."
The purple haired jonin felt her breath get caught her in throat, forcing her to exhale slowly. "Lord Oro-"
Anko turned then, finding herself face to face with the masked Kakashi Hatake.
"Lord Hatake," the jonin said, mentally berating herself for what she had nearly said.
"Even as the Hokage I did not wish to be referred to as such," the man said with a sigh. "Oh well... I just wished to congratulate you, Anko."
"This isn't my day in the sun," the jonin replied. "It's Ino-Shika-Cho's."
"Perhaps," Kakashi began to say, "but their success is yours too. You trained them well."
"Oh," Anko said with a smirk, "Then I suppose that makes you the best team leader of all time, considering how Team Seven's up there in the Hokage's balcony."
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly, a bit of a blush appearing over the top of his mask. "Well, that is..." The silver haired man coughed a bit, trying to clear his throat. "You should be very proud of your students."
"Oh, I am," Anko said as she looked back down at them. "I just wish..."
The jonin's shoulders sunk slightly. She knew she should have been overjoyed and nothing more, but in the back of her mind one thing continued to repeat over and over.
"But that was all the Infinite Tsukuyomi was, an unobtainable fantasy."
"You know they're just going to make us work harder now. What a drag..."
Chocho Akimichi could hear the defeatist attitude her teammate was known for, but the kunoichi had no intent of letting it get to her. "Oh come on, Shikadai!" she exclaimed as she pointed right at him. "I see the corner of your lips curled up. Don't act like you're not happy about this!"
Chocho turned away from her teammates then, catching sight of Anko once more. It left the young shinobi speechless. Whereas just moments before the older woman had been smiling from ear to ear, now she had a melancholy look on her face.
"Anko-sensei?"
Time passed, night having completely overtaken the Hidden Leaf Village. Anko Mitarashi knew she should have turned in for some much needed rest, or at least spoke with her team and their parents, but she had been unable to do any of it.
Instead the jonin had made her way to the outskirts of the village. It had not taken her long to find what she was after and now Anko stood before a small monument carved from white marble. To anyone else it would be simple decoration, but to the jonin in question it was an unmarked grave.
"Lord Orochimaru..."
It had been years, but Anko remembered it so very well. Tradition decreed that any and all rogue shinobi were to have their bodies desecrated and destroyed so that no enemy forces could use whatever genetic information they could find to their advantage. It was obvious what had to be done with Orochimaru's stolen body. The power of the White Snake, the cellular data of the First Hokage, it was all too dangerous to leave alone. The lifeless Zetsu bodies that Orochimaru had stockpiled had all been destroyed and only his own had remained.
However, Anko had resisted, both Naruto and Sakura willing to back her up. In the end a compromise had been made, the Sannin buried with few possessing the knowledge of it. Only Anko, Team Seven, Kakashi Hatake and Tsunade were privy to it all.
"It's been a big day," Anko whispered, her breath slow and steady as she did so. The jonin knew better than to expect a response, the reality of her situation at the forefront of her mind, but she could not stop herself from continuing. "My little team of upstarts just got promoted. The exams really put them through hell, but... you know, strength through adversity and all that. You should have seen the look on their faces when the Hokage promoted them. You should have been there..."
Water began to form around the jonin's eyes, her teeth coming together. Sorrow and rage began to chip away at her thoughts, leaving her mind on the brink. Her eyes began to widen as she began to scream.
"You should have been there!"
Anko collapsed to her knees, tears beginning to stain her face as she continued to stare at Orochimaru's headstone. The jonin's lower lip trembled as she fought to reign her emotions back in.
"Now look what you've gone and made me do," she said, her voice uneven. "The leader of Team Eleven can't be acting like this. I have to be strong. That's what you wanted in the end, right?"
"Anko-sensei?"
Anko heard the sound of her name and slowly the jonin looked over her shoulder, Chocho Akimichi coming into sight. The newly promoted chunin was simply standing underneath the moonlight, concern evident in her eyes.
"Chocho, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be celebrating with your family?"
"Not everyone's there," the young kunoichi answered. "Why aren't you there?"
Anko did not know what to say. She looked away for a moment, trying to collect herself. "I'm sorry, Chocho, it's just..."
"Does this monument mean something to you? Is that why you're crying?"
Damn it. Anko did not like for one moment that one of her own had caught her in such a moment of weakness. "No," she said, trying to sound strong and confident. "It..."
Anko's head lowered even as she stood up.
"Yes, it does mean something to me," Anko finally said as she looked at Chocho. "Someone is buried here, buried away with all the bad and the good."
"Huh?" Chocho said, confused by her teacher's statement.
"Don't worry about it." Anko began to walk towards Chocho, reaching into a pouch on her belt as she did so. "Now then, in honor of your graduating to the rank of a chunin, I have a gift for you."
Chocho watched as her teacher brought her right hand out from beneath her cloak, a necklace of sorts in her hand. "Anko-sensei?"
"I know it doesn't look like much," Anko said as she lowered the necklace over Chocho's head and left it to settle around her neck, "but this was a gift my sensei gave me upon my first successful mission. Now I, in turn, entrust it to you."
"I... thank you, Anko-sensei." Chocho's face lit up in response to Anko's words, Anko returning the grin in response despite her own tears. Then, however, Chocho spoke once more. "But... all this training, all this effort? What's the point?"
Anko's newly formed smile faded then, unsure of what her student was getting at.
"I mean... the world's at peace," Chocho said. "All the villages get along, no one's causing any trouble. It's all so boring, you know?"
"An unmoving windmill isn't fun to watch, huh?"
"Umm, what?"
Anko knelt down in front of Chocho, placing a hand on each of her shoulders. "I know what you're saying, but you're wrong. The wind doesn't stop blowing just because things are peaceful. It just changes direction, that's all."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
Anko stood then, speaking once more. "Now come on, let's go get some dango, maybe some anmitsu, and join up with your family!"
"All right!" Chocho then took off, running back towards the village. She turned then, realizing that her teacher had not moved yet. "Anko-sensei?"
Anko turned her gaze back towards the marble headstone once more, her thoughts becoming lost for a brief moment. I wish you could have understood that, but...
Anko suddenly took notice of movement around the base of the monument. The grass was parting, as if giving way for something. The jonin walked over slowly, watching as whatever small creature made its leave. Anko crouched down then, looking at the bottom of the monument.
What she found was the discarded skin of a white snake, the creature having no doubt used the hard marble to help shed its skin. Anko felt her lips tremble again for a moment before they at last curled back into a smile.
