Hey guys~ sorry I haven't updated in a while. But! I have finally finished the next chapter so here it is! Enjoy! And please REVIEW! I want to know if you guys like the story or not. Feedback helps A LOT. And many thanks to those that have given me feedback and reviewed. ^^
Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter 10
Tzzzchh!
"Taichou (1). Area C is clear. No disturbances witnessed." A voice buzzed out of a speaker.
The owner of the person leaped off the tree branch with another chakra-pumped jump, her porcelain hawk mask glinting off the small stream of sunlight peeking through the trees.
"Roger that. Meet back up at Point A." Yuuki ordered, pressing the speaker.
"Affirmative, taichou."
On the next branch, Yuuki pivoted with unmatched grace and headed back in the opposite direction she was headed earlier. Within five minutes, she reached a small clearing where a group of ANBU were standing, cloaks around their shoulders. Yuuki dropped down with finesse and faced her team.
"Report."
"No suspicious movements or person about. There are teams of gennin entering with some political representatives from neighboring villages and countries." The ANBU to Yuuki's right said.
"I checked the perimeter of the village. Nothing seems to be amiss." The next ANBU reported.
"But that would only mean there is something amiss." A new voice sounded to the groups right.
The three ANBU surrounding Yuuki quickly took out their weapons. But Yuuki, having recognized the voice, stayed still.
There, to the right of the clearing appeared another group of ANBU. Two members of the group sat lazily in the tree while two other ones were on the ground. The one that spoke sported the traditional red sash around his waist, signaling his rank as ANBU captain.
"Raven." Yuuki greeted, smirking behind her Hawk mask.
"Hawk."
"What have you got?"
"Same. Everything has been quiet…too quiet…even for me…"
"Hm. Now that is something worth worrying…" Yuuki walked over to a tree and leaned against it.
"What are your orders, taichou." Yuuki's teammates turned towards her.
Fingering her own red sash around her waist, she pondered for a bit more before answering. "Continue your normal patrols around the village. But be more observant to what's happening around you. We can't let anything slip up, especially around this time. There is too much at stake now that the Chuunin Exams are commencing soon. The safety of the village is top priority. If you find anything suspicious, find either Raven-taichou, myself, or Hokage-sama. Understood?"
"Hai! Taichou!" The three ANBU saluted before disappearing.
Itachi looked to his members as well. "Work with Hawk-taichou's team."
"Hai, taichou." And they too disappeared.
"Itachi. We should report back to Hokage-sama and update him on the situation." Yuuki said, turning to her husband. (A/N: by this point in time, Itachi and Yuuki have already married.)
"Aa."
The two bounded off, heading towards the gates of Konoha. They weren't too far into the forest, but far enough that the gate cannot be seen unless closer. As they were travelling, Itachi all of a sudden stopped and held out his arm, signaling Yuuki to stop as well.
"What is it…?" Yuuki asked, but tensing already.
"Shh."
The wind blew softly through the trees, rustling the leaves with its gentle caress. Itachi then grabbed Yuuki and leaped away just as a series of senbon needles thunked deep into the branch of the tree they were just standing on. Yuuki's eyes widened behind her mask and sucked in a breath, creating a slight hissing sound.
"Nani - !"
They landed on a tree behind them and unsheathed their katanas. Before them, two figures stepped out of the shadows of the trees. One was cloaked and standing behind the first person. The two ANBU captains tensed immediately at the sight of the first person.
"…That black hair…pale skin…and gold eyes…" Yuuki sneered as she gripped her katana tighter.
"Orochimaru…" Itachi hissed.
"My, my. If it isn't the two lovebirdsss…" Orochimaru chuckled. "Out patrolling are we? Now what is the point in that when I'm here…?"
"Obviously to keep psychos like you away from Konoha!" Yuuki growled.
"Tsk tsk, Yuuki-chan. You ssshould reflect on your mannersss." Orochimaru grinned.
"Why are you here, Orochimaru. You have been banned from Konoha and just showing your face gets you an instant sentence of death." Itachi said as he stepped in front of Yuuki.
"Why, to visit my old home, of courssse. It hasss come to my attention that Konoha isss in possession of some interesssting…treasuresss…"
Yuuki narrowed her eyes at Orochimaru. Having tired of his beat-around-the-bush attitude, she pulled out kunai and threw it at the snake bastard. But her weapons were only blocked and deflected by the cloaked person behind Orochimaru.
"Now, now, Yuuki-chan. Patience is a virtue. You will get our chance to fight sssoon enough…" Orochimaru hissed.
"Enough of your games, you bastard! Why are you here! What did you come for! Or better yet, why don't I just cut off that damn face of yours first, then ask questions!" Yuuki growled, leaping from where she stood.
"Yuuki! Wait!" Itachi tried to stop her but failed.
Orochimaru's grin widened, but didn't move from his spot. Instead, the cloaked person stopped Yuuki's oncoming katana with their own kunai.
"Tch! Having your lackeys fight your battles for you now?" Yuuki snarled behind the mask.
"If you want someone to play with you, Yuuki-dono, I will be more than happy to oblige." The cloaked person said.
'Disgusting…' Yuuki jumped back to where Itachi was.
"Oh dear. You should keep a better leasssh on you wife, Itachi-kun. She could hurt sssomeone." Orochimaru smiled.
"Hn. I don't need to hear that from you." Itachi glared.
"It's a wonder the children are doing well under your care. They need a…better guardian it seems in order to fully utilize their potential…" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with something that caused a cold shiver to run down both the ANBU captains' spine.
"What would you want with the children…!" Yuuki hissed, fear for the children's welfare skyrocketing.
"Little Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan, and Hinata-chan hold untapped potential. Each the cream of the crop from their respective clansss. To leave sssuch…power…untouched would be sssuch a…wasste…" Orochimaru licked his lips at the thought of possessing such power.
"You bastard! Don't you dare go near the children!" Yuuki screamed.
"Matte…What does the Hyuuga heiress have that has caught you attention…" Itachi asked, suspiciously.
Sure, Hinata possesses the Byakuugan, but what would cause Orochimaru to go after her out of the entire clan?
Orochimaru stared at the two before smiling. "You don't know…"
Itachi's eyes narrowed.
"Hahaha! The great Uchiha Itachi is oblivious of the secretsss being kept hidden by your dear village! But no matter, you will find out sooner or later…" Orochimaru cackled.
"Enough. I tire of your mindless babbling." Itachi said.
He leaped for Orochimaru as Orochimaru's follower moved to block him. But Yuuki foretold that was going to happen and moved to keep the cloaked person occupied while Itachi dealt with Orochimaru. Itachi brought down his katana but Orochimaru dodged and jumped back to another tree as the one he was standing on was smashed to splinters by Itachi.
"It ssseems our presence is no longer wanted. Come. We leave." Orochimaru ordered as he disappeared by melting into the tree.
But his voice echoed around the two ANBU with one last message. "But be warned, Itachi, Yuuki. I will have the children. They ssshall be mine…"
"TO HELL THEY WILL BE!" Yuuki shouted back.
"Yuuki. We need to go report to Hokage-sama. He needs to know that Orochimaru has shown himself. We also need to check on the children." Itachi said.
"Tch!" Yuuki jumped off, followed by Itachi as they raced to the Hokage tower.
After reporting to the Hokage, they returned home only to find the children asleep in the living room together. Apparently, Hinata decided to sleep over and the four of them were snuggled under blankets. Itachi took Sasuke and Naruto to their rooms while Yuuki took Hinata and Sakura to Sakura's room. After tucking them in, the two changed out of their ANBU uniforms before turning into the night. But it was not a peaceful sleep as they tossed and turned, worried for what was to come.
Next morning
Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto woke up to the wonderful smell of breakfast wafting into their rooms and got up to get ready for a day of training. When they got into the kitchen, the table was littered with plates full of eggs, bacon, sausages, and pancakes.
"FOOD!" Naruto shouted, as he ran to the table and sat before stuffing his face.
"Ohayo, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, and Hinata-chan!" Yuuki greeted.
"Ohayo, nee-sama!" Three out of the four greeted back.
"Ohmgayo, neh-kan!" Naruto shouted with a full mouth, bits flying out.
Some of those bits flew at Sasuke and stuck to his hair.
"Gross, dobe! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Sasuke snarled as he used a napkin to get rid of the Naruto-saliva-filled crumbs off his hair as he sat next to Itachi and the girls sat across from Naruto and Sasuke.
"Ohayo! Nii-sama!" Sakura greeted Itachi.
"Ohayo."
"Eat up kids! Today is going to be a long day! You're going to need your strength!" Yuuki smiled.
"Yatta! Training! Are you going to teach us some cool new moves?" Naruto shouted as he slammed his plate down after licking it clean.
"Haha. You'll see!" Yuuki winked.
When everyone was done with lunch, the kids went to change out of their sleeping yukatas into their training clothing.
"Hinata-chan. You can wear some of my training clothing since you slept over." Sakura smiled.
"Ah arigatou, Sakura-chan." Hinata smiled back.
Their training outfits consisted of a v-neck black t-shirt with mesh underneath that reached a little past their elbows. They wore fitting black ¾ pants with their weapons pouch strapped onto their right thighs. The boys wore a simple loose black t-shirt and ¾ baggy black pants with their weapons pouch strapped onto their right thighs.
"Follow me." Itachi said as he starting walking down the hall of the compound.
The four followed obediently in silence. The hallway was long and before they knew it, they were standing in front of two sliding shoji doors. Sakura recognized the room immediately being as that she spent most of her time there.
"The compound library…? I thought we were going to go train…?" She asked.
"We are. We're going to train your minds." Itachi stated.
"What? Reading? I had enough of that at the Academy!" Naruto complained.
"But Naruto-kun. If Kakashi-sempai hasn't told you already, the first part of the exam has always been a written exam." Yuuki said.
"Naaaani?"
"Hn. No wonder we're here…Dobe will definitely fail…" Sasuke muttered.
"Shut up, teme!"
"You have until lunchtime to finish reading all the books." Itachi said as he turned away.
"You guys should get started. There's a lot of books and scrolls in the compound library." Yuuki smiled. "I'll come get you when lunch is served. I expect you to have read everything because I'll be testing you to see if you did."
With that, she followed Itachi down the hall where they came from and left the four kids to stare at their retreating backs.
"You have got to be kidding me! Reading for training?" Naruto whined as he slid open the doors.
In the room there were shelves and shelves of books and scrolls. It was the equivalent of heaven to the girls. But to the boys, well…not so much.
Sakura and Hinata immediately walked up to a bookcase and picked out something to read while Naruto and Sasuke literally dragged their feet to the offending bounded scraps of paper. After hours of eyes roaming over old paper full of writing, Yuuki came to get them for lunch. Upon opening the shoji doors, she was greeted with the sight of Sakura with an open book in her hands as she read while Sasuke had his head on her lap, a book open on his face, blocking the streaming sunlight from the windows. To the side was Hinata snuggled on Naruto's lap while reading a book as Naruto snoozed off in a plush chair, arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
Smiling softly, Yuuki clapped her hands loudly twice, catching the children's attention.
"Lunch is served." Yuuki smiled.
At the word "lunch", Naruto instantly perked up and got up, forgetting Hinata was in his lap.
"FOOD!"
"Eep!" Hinata squealed as she slid off Naruto and fell on the floor with a thud.
Hinata glared up at Naruto as he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Ahaha. Sorry, Hinata-chan."
Naruto reached down and grabbed her hands and pulled her up. He then dusted off any dirt on her as took her hand in his. Sakura just shook her head at Naruto, put the book down, and gently shook Sasuke awake. When the four were ready, they followed Yuuki as they went to the kitchen.
"Eat up. You'll need all the energy you can get for the upcoming training after lunch." Itachi said as they came into the dining room and took their respective seats.
"Itadakimasu!" The four said happily as they dug into the feast in front of them.
"So, did you kids have fun reading?" Yuuki smiled.
"Well, I've read most of the compound's documents already. But there were a few that were new." Sakura said between bites.
"Your compound's records are amazing! There were so many things that can't be found in the Hyuuga compound's library." Hinata smiled.
"Hn. They were just a bunch theories and words." Sasuke retorted.
"Myeh! Bwe nee rhel twainin!" Naruto shouted, food flying out of his mouth. –Yeah! We need real training!-
"Naruto-kun…" Yuuki sweat-dropped as Sasuke angrily wiped pieces of rice and tempura off his face.
"The mind is a powerful force. To train the body, one must train the mind first. And to train the mind, one needs information on all aspects in order to see the bigger picture in different perspectives. As shinobi, it is required of you to have sufficient knowledge on your surroundings when on missions so that you make the right decisions, increasing the possibility of success of the said mission." Itachi lectured.
The boys quieted immediately after Itachi's lecture. They knew not to talk back to him and thus absorbed his words like sponges. The girls giggled to the side and lunch continued without further complaint from the boys.
Placing his chopsticks down, Itachi got up. "Come."
The four kids got up and followed him to the dojo with Yuuki bringing up the rear.
"We will split into two groups. Sasuke. Naruto. You two are with me. Yuuki will take the girls." Itachi instructed.
"Wait, why do the girls have to train with Yuuki-nee?" Naruto asked, not liking the fact Hinata will not be training with him.
"What, don't want to be separated from her, lover-boy?" Sasuke smirked.
"S-shut up! I didn't mean it like that!" Naruto said before snapping to Hinata after he realized what he shouted. "I-I mean…! H-Hinata-chan! Don't take it wrong! I would love to train with you! And my feelings for you are pure!" Naruto stuttered.
Hinata's face got brighter and brighter as she covered her face. Sakura giggled at the young couples' antics.
"Enough, Naruto! The girls will be training with Yuuki because only she can teach them how to train as kunoichi. They have certain skills only a female can teach them. Unless you want to learn from Yuuki as well…" Itachi left the thought open.
"WE'RE NOT GAY!" Naruto and Sasuke shouted at the older male.
"Then it is settled. Yuuki." Itachi looked at his wife.
Yuuki nodded and turned to the girls. "Well, let's get started."
The rest of the afternoon, the older couple trained the kids in every subject – ninjutsu, taijutsu, doujutsu, genjutsu, and even elemental jutsus. With the boys, Itachi instructed them on their forms, speed, and strength.
-With the Boys-
"Naruto, you can't just swing your katana randomly and hope to his something. You need to focus on your form more and invision the katana as an extension of your body. It's not just a sharp weapon. It's a part of your arm." Itachi pointed out as Naruto and Sasuke sparred.
"Yeah, dobe. The way you're swinging your sword makes you look like the monkey you are." Sasuke smirked as sweat dripped down his chin as he blocked another blow.
"Shut. UP. TEME!" Naruto bit out, putting more strength into his strikes.
"Learn to balance your offense and defense. Don't just keep to one. To be able to attack and defend at the same time would take skills. And such skills will prove useful in the exams." Itachi said.
"Hn. Hai, onii-sama." Sasuke said as he jumped away from Naruto.
Crouching into a fighting stance he created to suit his personality, Sasuke pulled out his second katana. Legs spread wide to support his weight, Sasuke held each lethal weapon in one hand. He crossed his arms and faced the sharp part of the blade outward.
"Come on, dobe." Sasuke smirked.
Seeing as Sasuke pulled out his other katana, Naruto decided to get serious as well and pulled out his other weapon – a tanto. Taking up the smaller, double-edged sword, Naruto held the ivory handle in his left hand as the blade rested along his arm.
"Let's do this." Naruto smirked as he raced towards Sasuke.
-With the Girls-
"What is the one thing girls have an advantage in over guys?" Yuuki asked as she smiled at the girls.
"Uhhh…intelligence?" Sakura smirked.
"Patience…?" Hinata asked, remember the day Naruto decided to run into a street fight without thinking only to come back out with a black eye from all the chaos.
"It's flexibility!" Yuuki stated. "Yes, it is required that all shinobi and kunoichi should be fluid in their movements, but for kunoichi, flexibility is more natural to us. I have set up elaborate traps in the field outside the dojo. Your job is to get through these traps without setting a single one off. You are not allowed to disable any traps – only to avoid them. This exercise will sharpen your awareness and flexibility at the same time."
Walking out of the dojo and stepping down from the porch, Yuuki led the girls to the field just outside of the dojo. Everything seemed as if it was normal – no wires, no giant logs hanging, nothing.
"Each time you set a trap off, I will blindfold you two and create a new set of traps. We will move on once you are able to go through at least one set of traps without triggering anything." Yuuki instructed.
"START!"
-With the Boys-
BOOM! CRASH!
The three boys looked up from their training towards the field.
"What was that?" Sasuke asked as he wiped the sweat off his brow.
"That is nothing for you to worry about. The girls are merely training." Itachi said as he dove at Sasuke, kunai flying straight down in a strike.
Sasuke quickly brought his sword him in a block.
"H-hinata-chan…" Naruto looked torn between going to check on the girls and helping Sasuke.
"Focus on your own traning, Naruto. If you leave Sasuke here alone, you fail in teamwork. There is a reason why you are put in groups of three. If you and Sasuke cannot tune your minds as one, forget about tuning your minds during the exam with three people." Itachi glared at Naruto.
Gulping, Naruto quickly rushed to give Sasuke backup, swiping at Itachi so that he would free Sasuke. Once Sasuke had his weapons free, he gave Naruto a glance. In turn, Naruto nodded as he dashed off. Taking out a handful of kunai, Naruto flung it at Itachi, who blocked all of them. But this was expected. Naruto used the kunai as a distraction as he quickly swung both his swords, scissoring Itachi in. But Itachi pulled out another kunai and blocked both swords. All of a sudden, Itachi felt a presence behind him. Turning his head slightly, he saw Sasuke appear, sword in hand, about to strike. Lifting a leg, Itachi kicked Naruto in the stomach, pushing him away and thus freeing his arms, and spun on his heels to block Sasuke's incoming attacks. Once Sasuke's sword was occupied, Itachi used his strength to fling the sword out of Sasuke's hand before kicking him in the stomach as well. Both boys glared from the floor as Itachi assessed them in his mind.
"…Very good. Let's move onto the next subject. Elemental jutsus."
Sasuke and Naruto laughed as the fist-bumped each other before helping each other up.
-With the Girls-
"Onee-sama…pant pant...How…pant…was that…" Sakura wheezed as she leaned against Hinata, who could only stare at Yuuki.
Yuuki looked at the field. There were burn marks, craters, and scratches from the previous sets of traps. However, other than that, no traps were triggered this time.
"Very good. We shall move on to the next thing." Yuuki smiled softly at them.
"Yes!" Sakura smiled.
"What would that be, Yuuki-sama?" Hinata asked.
"Hinata-chan, what did I say about calling me that?" Yuuki smiled as she pinched Hinata's cheeks.
"I-Itai! I-I mean, Y-Yuuki-nee-sama!" Hinata stuttered.
"Sigh…I guess that's as good as I can get out of you for now…" Yuuki laughed.
"So what's next, nee-sama?" Sakura asked, always the eager one.
"Next, we will work on stealth. As a kunoichi, it is ideal that you keep a fit but light body. This is also where your flexibility will come in. But this time, we will work with the boys on this." Yuuki smirked. "Come."
Yuuki walked back into the dojo, followed by the girls.
-Normal POV-
Sasuke and Naruto were sprawled on the floor panting and drenched in sweat, as they rested. The elemental training took a lot more out of them than they expected.
Itachi had given them each a square piece of paper. They were told to release a bit of chakra into the paper to determine what their element was. Naruto's paper was sliced in perfect halves, indicating his element was wind. Sasuke's paper was burnt to a crisp, meaning his element was fire. Then for the next hour or so, they spent the time trying to manipulate their chakra enough to perform high-leveled elemental jutsus. Let's just say, it ended up with Naruto nearly blowing the dojo down and Sasuke catching Naruto's butt on fire.
"Hello boys."
The boys looked up to see Yuuki standing in front of them with Sakura and Hinata on the side, looking on in worry.
"Koi, are they tired out?" Yuuki asked.
"What do you think…?" Itachi said.
"Hm. Then let's start on the stealth exercise." Yuuki smiled, her eyes shining mischievously – something that put the kids on edge.
"Stealth is the most basic skill. If you cannot hide your presence on missions, you will not only put yourself in danger, but your team as well." Itachi said.
"What you four will be doing is this. Boys, we will blindfold you for one hour. During that hour, you girls must try to sneak up on the boys. If they catch you, it's game over – you lose. Within that hour, if you are caught or if you have successfully sneaked up on the boys, we will switch and do it again. And for losing, you will have to do a penalty." Yuuki explained.
"What's the penalty…?" Naruto asked suspiciously.
"For each round, the loser will have to eat one of these onigiri." Yuuki smiled as she revealed a tray of rice wrapped in seaweed.
"That doesn't sound so bad…" Hinata muttered.
"Hn. Then you do not know her well enough yet…" Sasuke muttered darkly as he stared at the offending rice balls. "Knowing nee-sama, there's something…wrong…with those onigiri…"
"Very good, Sasuke-kun. Each onigiri is stuffed with random things. And they aren't good things either." Yuuki smirked. "The loser will have to pick one onigiri that is stuffed with a surprise and eat. Failing to complete the penalty results in them having to eat two instead of one."
"What's in there…" Sakura asked.
"Well, if I tell you, it won't be a surprise, now would it?" Yuuki smiled serenely.
"Ugh! I'm not gonna eat some randomly stuffed onigiri! I mean, who knows what's in there!" Naruto shouted.
"Then, don't. lose." Itachi smirked.
Itachi walked up to Sasuke and Naruto and pulled out two black sashes. He then proceeded to tie a sash over each of the boys' eyes, successfully blindfolding them. Having lost their sense of sight, the boys wobbled a little on their feet, trying to regain their balance.
"Okay girls. You have one hour to try and sneak up on them. START!" Yuuki shouted.
And that's how they spent the rest of the day. In the end, Sasuke showed superb skills in awareness and stealth. Each round, except for one, he was able to catch Sakura before she could touch him and he would always be able to sneak up on her when she was blindfolded. But as for the penalty, he ate all the onigiri Sakura was to eat for punishment. Sakura didn't mind losing to Sasuke, knowing how good he was at this.
Naruto, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Hinata was able to sneak up on Naruto multiple times, being the silent person she is. And being the loud one he is, he was never able to sneak up on her much. Her senses were much more attuned than his and was able to hear even the slightest shift in the air and thus, was able to catch Naruto.
"Okay, let's call it a day." Yuuki clapped her hands.
Sakura and Hinata pulled off their blindfolds.
"It's getting dark and Itachi has finished preparing dinner. Take a bath before headlining to dinner. Then get some sleep. You're going to need it for tomorrow when the exam finally starts." Yuuki smiled.
The four started heading to the separate hot springs to relax their tired bodies before heading to dinner.
"Hinata-chan. I would like to speak to you for a minute." Yuuki called out to Hinata.
Hinata look at Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto for a bit. Sasuke and Sakura only shrugged, not sure what this was about. Naruto gave her hand a reassuring squeeze to calm her nerves. Hinata smiled back, her eyes promising to tell them about it later.
As the three walked ahead, Hinata turned to Yuuki.
"Is there something wrong, Yuuki-nee-sama?" Hinata asked, slightly nervous.
"Oh, don't worry. You aren't in any trouble or anything. I just want to talk to you for a bit. Come. Sit." Yuuki said as she kneeled on a cushion at the side of the dojo.
Hinata walked over and took her place across Yuuki.
"Hinata…What do you remember of your…mother…?" Yuuki asked carefully, her face showing no expressions.
Confused, Hinata replied, "N-not much…I mean she passed away when I was four, so I probably won't even remember her face if there weren't pictures in the house. I knew she was a great kunoichi…"
'Sigh…this makes it even harder…' Yuuki frowned. She hated being the bearer of bad news. No matter what the situation.
"Hinata… There is something I must tell you. It may not sound very nice, but it's the truth." Yuuki started.
"I understand." Hinata said, straightening up.
"I'm sure Naruto-kun has told you about…his secret…" Yuuki referred to the kyuubi trapped inside Naruto.
"Yes…" Hinata said sadly as she stared at her hands.
She remembered that day. It was the day of their graduation from the academy. All the adults had looked at Naruto in scorn and hatred when they saw the hitae-ate that was tied to his forehead. And Naruto seemed to know what those glares meant and looked down sadly before walking away. Hinata had followed him and offered her company. They spent house just sitting and leaning against each other in the forest of the training grounds. That was when naruto had told her about the kyuubi sealed within him. And Hinata hated it. She hated how the older generation of the village treated him. He was not a demon. He was Naruto. A sweet boy who only wanted to be loved. And she hated how it is causing him so much pain and suffering. It was on that day as well where she vowed to protect his innocent heart and to help him achieve his dreams to become Hokage – to be recognized for who he was.
"There is an organization called the Akatsuki that are after Naruto because of that secret." Yuuki said grimly.
Hinata gasped and her hands fisted in her lap, bringing up her head sharply and staring at Yuuki in horror.
Seeing Hinata's fear, Yuuki raised a hand to calm her. "Fear not for we will NEVER let anything happen to Naruto-kun."
Hinata relaxed only a fraction at hearing this.
"What this has to do with you is that your relationship with Naruto is not a secret. They will target you once this little info has reached them. I want to warn you of the dangers ahead of time." Yuuki said.
Hinata realized immediately where Yuuki was heading with this conversation. Glaring at the older woman, Hinata seethed, furious that Yuuki would even think that of her.
"I. WILL. NOT. LEAVE. NARUTO-KUN." Hinata bit out, putting all her strength in those words.
Yuuki stared at Hinata, scrutinizing her, trying to find the truth in those words. Five minutes of silence passed before a serene smile spread on her face.
"I know you won't, Hinata-chan. Forgive me, but I had to let you know of the dangers that you will now face being in contact with our family…" Yuuki smiled.
"Now, for the real subject. Your mother. I have just received a scroll from a meeting with the Hokage giving me permission to reveal this information to you. Your mother was a part of ANBU. She was the captain of squad three. On her last mission, she was to infiltrate a base that belonged to a man named Orochimaru. I'm sure you have heard of him."
"Yes, one of the great Legendary Sannin." Hinata replied.
"Well, your mother's mission was to steal a scroll from him that pertained information on the Akatsuki. You see, at one point, he was a part of the organization. But from what our intel gathered, he deflected from them and stole many things. The scroll being one of them. With the scroll, we would be able to know where the Akatsuki are and who is in the organization. Your mother was successful. However, her and her team were ambushed by the Akatsuki, who were aware of their mission. Your mother was able to successfully hide the scroll, but died in action. To this day, the whereabouts of the scroll are still unknown. However, it was recently discovered that your mother was able to send a message."
"To who…?"
"Your father."
Hinata's eyes widened. Why hasn't her father told her this? That her mother was involved in something so big and now her father?
"Now, only your father knows where the scroll is. The hokage has ordered him to reveal the message, but Hiashi-dono said he couldn't because he no longer had the message with him anymore. When asked about this, Hiashi-dono stated…" Yuuki paused here, unsure whether or not to continue for the safety of Hinata's sanity.
"Go on, Yuuki-nee-sama…" Hinata said.
"Sigh…Hiashi-dono said he…He has imprinted the Akatsuki's scroll's whereabouts on your body…" Yuuki sighed.
Hinata froze, eyes widened.
"B-but…how is that possible? There's no writing or anything of the sort on me!" Hinata panicked.
"Calm down, Hinata. I never said the location was written with words. It was a picture. Tell me, Hinata, do you have any strange birthmarks on you…?" Yuuki asked.
Hinata's eyes widened even more. Her hand instantly reached for her left shoulderblade. Yuuki saw the movement.
"Let me see."
Hinata hesitated before turning around and pulling down the black shirt, revealing her left shoulder. There, a birthmark the size of a small postcard, was present. It looked like four symbols linked to each other. From what Yuuki could tell, there was a cloud, a flower, flowing water, and strange tree. Having seen enough, Yuuki patted Hinata, signaling for her to pull her shirt back up.
"From what I can tell, they are clues to where the Akatsuki scroll is. They look like some sort of landmark. And the way your father placed these symbols on you were in the form of a seal. Here is what we will do. Tomorrow morning, before you four are headed off to the exam, I will perform a ritual. What the ritual will do is separate the seal into four. One part for each of you. That way, the scroll's secret will be divided. If an enemy were to see your seal, they won't know the exact location without the other seals. And the enemy will not be aware that there are four parts. This will give us more time to decode the symbols before the enemy figures anything out."
"But I don't want to put the others in danger! From what you have told me, Yuuki-nee-sama, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, and Naruto-kun are in danger already! If we do this, it would only put them in more danger!" Hinata worried.
"Don't worry about us, Hinata-chan! We can take care of you AND ourselves!"
Hinata turned her head sharply to see Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura leaning against the dojo's doorway.
"N-naruto-kun…" Hinata stuttered, tears gathering in her eyes.
"I was wondering when you three were going to show yourselves…" Yuuki sighed, knowing they were eavesdropping this entire time.
"Yeah, Hinata-chan. We're friends! Of course we would want to carry this burden with you." Sakura smiled.
"Hn. We're in danger from Akatsuki already. And having these seals is basically having a trump card up our sleeves." Sasuke smirked.
"Minna (3)…" Hinata smiled as Naruto came to gather her in his arms and Sakura and Sasuke stood next to them.
"So it is decided. Tomorrow, we will perform the required ritual." Itachi said as he stepped into the hall.
"Now that that's taken care of, you four hurry and take your baths! Then we'll have a nice big dinner and go to sleep!" Yuuki smiled.
The kids laughed and headed off, hearts light despite knowing the dark and gloomy future ahead of them.
'Those kids are strong…they'll make it…' Yuuki smiled as she hugged Itachi, who in turn wrapped his arms around her lovingly.
-Chuunin Exams Day 1-
The big day finally came. Everyone was getting ready for the exam to come. Seeing as today was the day of the exam, Hinata had slept over since there would be no training with her father in the morning. While Sasuke and Naruto got ready in their own room, Sakura and Hinata got ready in Sakura's room. Instead of wearing what they usually wore, the kids changed into something more fit for the tasks to come. And seeing as Hinata slept over, she borrowed some of Sakura's clothes.
Sasuke wore a black high-collared shirt and black shorts. He had bandages wrapped around his arms down to his knuckles. His two katanas were strapped to his back in a criss-cross fashion. His weapons pouch was strapped onto his right leg. There were bandages that wrapped around his legs down to his ankles. Finishing off the look, Sasuke tied his hitae-ate on his forehead.
Naruto decided to wear a simple fitting black t-shirt. His katana was strapped on his back with the handle sticking up from his left shoulder and his tanto hanging against his right hip. He wore black baggy pants that will then be tucked into his black sandals. A weapons pouch was strapped onto his right thigh.
Sakura wore a black, v-necked tank top. Underneath, she wore bandages to bind her chest. On her arms, she had black fingerless gloves with metal plates on that reached a bit past her elbow. She then put on a black skirt that reached mid-thigh. Bandages covered her thighs underneath. Around her hips was a belt with her medical and weapons pouch. There were also small slots where she placed certain scrolls. Her katana was then strapped onto her back with the hilt resting behind her right shoulder. She then tied her hitae-ate on her head like a headband, keeping the long, waist-length hair back and her side-swept bangs neat.
Hinata wore an off-the-shoulder black shirt with long sleeves held up by a thin strap on her shoulders. The sleeves reached past her hands, hiding the black fingerless gloves with metal plates. Underneath the sleeves, she hid kunais in small pockets. She then wore black spandex shorts that reached her mid-thigh. Strapped onto her right thigh was her weapons pouch. She then clicked on a belt/holder around her waist. They held a pair of sais, one resting against each hip, that were given to her by her father. Apparently, they had belonged to her mother. She then finished her look with her hitae-ate being tied around her neck.
When they were finished dressing, they went to the kitchen for breakfast where Yuuki and Itachi wished them good luck. They promised to visit them during the lunch break of the first part of the exam later that day.
The four walked out the door after putting on their sandals (boots for Sakura) and headed to the academy where the first part of the exam were to be held.
"Chya! I am so ready to kick some BUTT! Naruto shouted as he walked ahead of the group.
Sakura giggled as she walked beside Sasuke who only smirked in agreement.
"N-naruto-kun…" Hinata sweat-dropped at his excitement.
"Oh! Don't you have to meet your team too, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked.
"Ah! I forgot! I'll see you guys later! And thanks for the clothes, Sakura-chan!" Hinata thanksed as she headed off.
"Don't worry about it! I told you they suited you better than me!" Sakura shouted after her. Hinata only smiled and waved back before really disappearing from their sight.
"Well, are you boys ready?" Sakura smirked.
"Hn." Sasuke smirked back.
"Let's go, dattebayo!" Naruto fist pumped.
Thus Team Seven headed towards the academy and upon their arrival, they found Kakashi waiting for them at the gates.
"Well, it's nice to see you guys so…united…" Kakashi remarked, looking at their outfits.
"Hey, what's wrong with that?" Naruto scoffed.
"Black gives us a better chance to stay unnoticed." Sasuke muttered.
"Plus isn't it cute?" Sakura giggled.
"Sigh. Anyways…you are to go to the third floor, room 301. That's where the first part of the exam will be held. Good luck. I know you will do well. Be careful and I will see later." Kakashi said as he poofed away.
The three sweat-dropped at their sensei's…unenthusiastic farewell. Shrugging, they walked into the academy. Upon reaching the third floor, Sakura instantly stopped.
"Hm? What is it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke stared at her, waiting for an explanation.
"Something's not right…Didn't we just walk up only two flights of stairs? This shouldn't be the third floor…" Sakura muttered.
"What are you talking about. We walked up THREE flights of stairs…" Naruto scratched his head.
"…Hakkyougan…" Sakura looked around their surroundings, confirming the situation. "It's a genjutsu. This is only the second floor."
Her kekkai genkai still activated, Sakura walked ahead of them towards the stairs.
"The genjustu ends around the stairs. I'm guessing it's only this floor that's affected, wanting to weed out the teams already." Sakura observed.
"Hn."
Their attention was then broken by a loud smack. The sound came from the left, where a hallway was. They saw a large group of people around the doors of a room. There was a kid in a…green spandex suit…lying on the floor. Obviously the sound was of him getting punched in the face. In front of the classroom's doors were two guards. From the looks of it, they were Jounins.
"I'm telling you! Turn back now before you fail!" One of the guards said.
A girl rushed to the kid in green, helping him up.
"What's your problem! We only want to take the stupid Chuunin Exams! So move!" The girl shouted.
She wore a pink Chinese-styled shirt and baggy pants. Her brown hair was tied up into two buns.
"And I said to get lost! You weaklings will never pass the test! So don't waste your time and mine!" the other guard sneered.
"Nani?" the girl shouted.
Getting frustrated, the guard moved to hit her but was blocked by someone grabbing the guard's fist.
"Tsk, tsk. Didn't your parents ever teach you it's rude to lay a hand on a girl?"
"What the - ! Who the hell are you?" the guard shouted.
Sakura smirked and tightened her hand. An audible crack was heard from the guard's hand.
"Augh!" the guard flinched.
Seeing his partner in distress, the other guard moved to step in only to be stopped by two kunais at his neck. Naruto and Sasuke stood on each side of the other guard, kunai poised and ready to strike if he were to come and closer to Sakura.
"Weren't you listening to her?" Sasuke glared, Sharingan blazing red.
"You don't lay your hands on a girl, you asshole!" Naruto seethed.
"O-okay!" the guard said.
"Hmph. You two are suppose to be grownups yet you treat children this way!" Sakura pouted. "Besides, this isn't even the correct room. It's only the second floor."
The crowd of gennin started murmuring and muttering amongst themselves.
"Like Sakura said. This floor is under a genjutsu." Sasuke muttered.
"And how would you know?" A boy said all of a sudden, walking to the girl in pink and boy in green.
From the looks of it, they were of the same team. Naruto's eyes immediately widened.
'Isn't that…Hinata-chan's cousin…? What was his name again…?' Naruto thought.
"Hmph, how rude. I just obviously saved your teammates and revealed the truth to you and you dare to give us attitude?" Sakura glared. "I'm glad Hinata-chan isn't like you, Hyuuga. So cold and infuriating."
"What did you just say to me…?" The boy with long brown hair and pale lavender eyes sneered.
He moved to attack Sakura, but Sasuke saw this coming, knowing Sakura's temper, and moved to block the older boy's kick. But before they could make any contact, a green blur dashed in between them and stopped both attacks.
'What the - !' all three members of team seven thought.
The boy in green had mysteriously healed with no scratch evident from the last skirmish had blocked both attacks.
"Lee! We were suppose to keep a low profile!" The girl in buns seethed.
'Hn. So they are not what they seem…' Sasuke thought.
"But Tenten!" Lee said before turning to Sakura.
Blinking, Sakura got a bad feeling about this. 'Why is he looking at me like that…?'
The boy in green rushed up to her and grabbed her hands. Sasuke's eyes widened like saucers.
"My beautiful flower! I am known as Rock Lee, the beautiful beast of Konoha! It would be my honor to protect your for all eternity! Please allow me to be your boyfriend!" the boy shouted at her.
Sakura went blank at his sudden…confession. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked like he was going to murder someone.
"Ummm…I am very…flattered…Lee-san. But I'm sorry, I'm already engaged…" Sakura chuckled nervously. 'OH MY GOD! PLEASE LET GO OF MY HAND!'
"What? Who is it that has taken your heart already?" Lee shouted.
"I did." Sasuke barked as he walked up to them.
He snatched Sakura's hand away from the offending person. He then proceeded to wrap his arm around her waist protectively while glaring at the one who dared to touch what was his.
"I see I have gained yet another rival in life besides my dear teammate, Neji!" Lee shouted as fire burned in his eyes.
Naruto only stared in amusement as Sasuke practically hissed in anger. Deciding to end this before it got worse, Naruto walked up to his teammates.
"Let's go you guys. Don't want to be late for the exam." Naruto chuckled at Sasuke's bad mood.
"Hn." Sasuke glared at Lee as he guided Sakura away.
Sakura only chuckled at Sasuke's antics.
"Wait."
The three turned around. It was the Hyuuga that had called out.
"Who are you…?"
The three smiled at each other before answering simultaneously.
"We are Team Seven."
They then walked off towards the stairs to the third floor. At the end of the hallway was the true room where the first part of the exam was taken. The three looked at each other before taking a deep breath and opening the doors.
What awaits them behind those doors…?
(1) Taichou – captain
(2) Tanto – Japanese short sword; double-edged knife/dagger
(3) Minna – Everyone
Whoo! I made it a bit longer than usual to make up for the lack of updating. Hope you guys enjoyed it! Again PLEASE REVIEW! Honestly your feedbacks mean a lot and I take any suggestions seriously. It just makes my day when I read the reviews and encourages me to update faster. So please please PLEASE review! Thanks to those that have reviewed. Especially the regular reviewers!
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