She's The Girl All The Bad Guys Want

Orochimaru's Experiment

Chapter 25

Sometimes, when their team would all go to the Hokage's office for mission assignments, Akita would take her time looking over the board. She had noticed early on that is wasn't just missions posted in the area. Announcements that weren't classified were often posted, as well as job listing for shinobi who might be looking to take a break from active duty. One announcement in particular had caught her eye, and she managed to get an appointment to see the Hokage.

"Akita! Come in!" Hiruzen called with cheer. She hesitated for a moment, quite nervous, but stepped into his office all the same. "How are you? I hope there's no hard feelings about our... last discussion." Hiruzen finished putting some paperwork away and then turned to face Akita as she stood across his desk.

"No, you were just doing your job," Akita said waving off when he sent for an evaluation a month ago. "Besides, you were right to do so." Hiruzen smiled at her, pleased and proud.

"Where is Maya? She's not with you today."

"She went ahead to team training. I felt that I would rather talk to you alone. I actually had a couple questions about one of the postings I saw on the message board."

"Normally, your sensei makes the choices about what missions to send the team on Akita." Hiruzen wore an amused smirk.

"Yes," Akita nodded slowly, "but this isn't about a mission. And, I think we can agree that I can't seem to do anything normally. I've always gotta go about it a bit different." She paused as Hiruzen chuckled. "No, this is about a notice I saw. About the chunnin exams? In Suna, four months from now."

"Yes. A few of our teams will be going. However, Kakashi has said your team isn't ready. The team is too fresh to be considered for promotion."

"Yes!" Akita quickly interjected. "The team is too fresh. But I'm not." She pointed to herself and shook her head. "I've been running missions for nine months. During peace times, the recommended time as a genin is a year, but only six months is required to be eligible for the exam. Sir, I want to test in Suna in four months."

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, chin on his interlaced fingers. "Akita, you don't have a team to test with."

Akita smirked as she pulled out a folder. "Well, Lord Hokage, there's precident." Hiruzen couldn't help closing his eyes as she dropped the file on his desk. After everything she had pulled over the past couple years, he had learned that when Akita said there was precident then she was going to have several valid arguments and it would be harder to deny her whatever her request was. "Mitarashi Anko, who you personally assigned as my caretaker, was taken on as an apprentice and was therefore allowed to test solo for her chunin exam. Yuhi Kurenai also went solo just after the last war ended, since her teammates had been killed and she had no one else to test with. There's several more names that I was able to find when I went through old public records, which I'm sure you're aware of since you are the Hokage. My point is that, you can't tell me that I am required to have a team to test. Going solo for the test is uncommon, but not unheard of and it certainly isn't against the rules of the exam."

Hiruzen glanced at the file she dropped on his desk as she finished speaking, but didn't pick it up. He already knew everything in that file was true. He even knew that there were more shinobi in the records that had tested solo over the years. Before the second war, it wasn't actually that uncommon to break up teams and send solo shinobi to test if the rest of the team wasn't ready. Hiruzen suspected the only reason Akita hadn't brought that up was because she hadn't found it. Yet. "Akita, it is true that it's not against the rules, but Konoha prefers to send teams."

"Then we're still gonna have problems when the team goes to test. There's no rules against solo testers, but there are rules about how many can be on a team. The cap is three, not counting ninkin like Maya. If I stay a gennin and wait for the team to be ready, then we'll be over the limit for a team. We'd still have to split somehow." Akita was exasperated. The team wouldn't be able to stay together and she didn't want to wait another six months for the rest of them to be ready.

Hiruzen gave her a hard look before answering. "I will speak to Kakashi later today. If he agrees, I will allow you to take the exam in Suna." Akita left his office with an excited smile as she ran to meet her team.

The team wasn't surprised that she was late to training. She had told the team yesterday that she had a meeting with the Hokage before she could be at training today. Since they were in the middle of a drill, and she didn't want to interrupt, Akita went straight to stand next to Kakashi.

"Nice of you to join us, Akita. How did your meeting go?" Kakashi said lazily with his nose in his book.

"I..." Akita sighed and looked up at Kakashi. "I asked to take the chunin exam in Suna, Sensei. It's coming in four months. I'm ready sensei and, if you'll also tell the Hokage that I'm ready, he said he'll let me. The team can't test with more than three people anyway so, why not?" Kakashi glanced down at her over the top of his book.

"You think you're ready?" Kakashi asked. Akita nodded. "Well, I can't say I am opposed. You have been working with us for some time now, been out of the academy for almost a year, and your skill set is certainly ready for chunin level." Akita practically glowed under under his praise. "However," and she wilted as Kakashi continued, "I wonder about your team work. Chunin are regularly put in position of team leaders for lower ranking missions. You don't get along well with your current team. How can I trust myself to recommend you for leadership over another?"

"I'm working on that." Akita nodded, agreeing with his assessment. "I know I've struggled with working with others. I'm talking to Kiki and we're working on helping me bond with people. I've been trying with Naruto and I'm... I think I'm going to try with Sakura and some of the other girls from my class soon. I am trying, sensei. And I can't stay a gennin forever." Kakashi lowered the book and gave his student a hard look, before leaning over with a smile and ruffling her hair.

"I agree. I'll tell the Hokage that I approve of you going to the chunin exams."

"The chunin exams?" Anko forgot to close the fridge as she turned around cheering. "That's fantastic, brat! When?"

"Four months, in Sunagakure," Akita told her as she sat at the table, amused as Anko tried to make dinner.

"Well, damn! Want me to give you some extra training? Suna is a lot different from Konoha," She took a pan out from the cupboard and started throwing stuff into it while it sat on the stove.

"I wouldn't mind some extra training, but I also know Kakashi-sensei and Kiki want me to work on bonding. So, I guess I need to keep some of my time open for... making friends," Akita shrugged and rested her head in her hands on the table. "It's weird, trying to reconnect with them. I haven't really had friends for awhile."

"Where were you after training today?" Anko asked. Akita had only just gotten home about fifteen minutes ago.

"I went to see Kiba and Akamaru. He was happy to see me. So was Tsume," Akita said as she traced imaginary doodles on the table. "It was easy with them, like we never stopped hanging out."

"Good friendships are strong. You are both shinobi, and sometimes shinobi go months without seeing each other if they're on missions. You and Kiba must have a strong bond, even if you don't realize it," Anko said as she started laying meat in the pan, now that it was finally hot.

"You think I have a bond with him?"

"Sure. You'll figure it out for yourself eventually."

Akita sat up and smiled at Anko. "So what are you making?"

"Fried pork chops. And you are going to eat it this time, not sneak it to Maya!" Anko ordered while waving the tongs at her. Maya laughed as she slinked out from under the table. "Yeah, I knew then and I knew you were gonna try again now!"

"I can't help it. Sometimes I just don't have an appetite," Akita said as she pet Maya. Anko stared at her for a moment before going back to the frying pan.

"You should talk to Kiki about that."

"What's Kiki gonna do?" Akita asked with a laugh. "We can't fix my appetite by talking about it."

"What, you've never gotten hungry talking about a good steak?" The room was filled with laughter from all three ladies. "But I'm serious. Call it a hunch, but I think Kiki might be able to help you get your appetite back." Akita paused.

"You think, in addition to all of the other shit I have to work on, that I'm depressed."

"Depression is a logical assumption, Akita," Anko said cautiously. "And it fits with everything else. No parents, no friends, no connections, and your only source of consistent companionship has been Maya. I admit, even I have been a little flaky on you. I tend to get called away for missions, so I can't always be there when you need someone. Plus all the trauma you had to go through, it would make sense if you were depressed."Akita glared at Anko's back before getting up from the table. When Anko turned with plates of food, she saw Akita heading for her bedroom. "Where are you going?!"

"I can't eat. I'm not hungry, I'm depressed." And then Akita slammed the door. Anko set the plates down on the table and glared at the wood.

"She'll eat later. I'll make sure of it. If you'll set my plate down here, I'll eat now and then I'll talk to her after. That will give her plenty of time to breathe," Maya said.

"I shouldn't have said anything," Anko berrated herself as she put Maya's plate on the floor.

"No, it's good. But she's twelve. You have to remember that. Teenagers don't like hearing that there is something wrong with them. No one does," Maya said before biting into the meat.

"I'm sure she doesn't want to see me tonight. You'll look after her?" Anko asked.

"I always do."

AN: Well... That chapter did not go anywhere I was expecting. Seriously. I am not really happy with it either, but it refused to go anywhere else. Clearly the characters have been in the mood lately for serious discussions. I may have created the characters, but they certainly took on a life of their own.

So, firstly, Akita might have depression. I feel like I should remind you that depression is a serious thing and it takes many forms. Some have it much more severe than others. If you think you might be dealing with some personal stuff, or if you might need some help, please please PLEASE talk to someone. A close friend, a trusted family member, or a mental health professional. I've dealt with depression before and have spoken to counselors and therapists. There is no shame in it.

I've got nothing else to add. No shoutouts, since no one new has subscribed since the last chapter. Have a good two weeks.

Matane!