Here's another memory chapter. I know my time and ages are screwed, so just bear with me unless what I'm suggesting is actually so ridiculous, then review and let me know. And there are factors in this chapter that I'm not sure are accurate either... Cuz I did as much research as I could but I couldn't seem to find the proper answers so I had to make do with what I've got. Hope you like the chapter anyways.

Disclaimer: Me? Own Naruto? Who am I kidding?

Memory VIII: Geijutsu

"A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the doer or giver."

After our family moved into Iwa, I never got to stay there for long either. Okaa-san and Otou-san would often bring me away from the village to train me. They planned on enrolling me into the ninja academy later this year though.

Training was fun but tiring, and while I enjoyed burning things up and creating explosions, it also meant that I had less time for playing with Hana-chan. I had yet to meet that blond onii-san from before too. I mean, I did see him once or twice, but that was when he was busy with some other business, so I never got to say hi.

One day, Hana-chan came to join me in training! Apparently, her parents also wanted her to start training before entering the academy too! So I got to play with her and I have concluded that Hana-chan is evil! No matter how much I try to outsmart her, she somehow manages to counterattack! And her plants are the most resilient weeds I've ever encountered!

Hana-chan mostly uses vines to attack. They can grow really big thorns, and they get part of their energy from the sun, so that means she doesn't need as much chakra to use them! Sometimes she uses Venus flytraps, which have sharper teeth than a plant should have. And her plants seem to take so long to burn and die! Even after I blow off a vine, it just regrows itself!

After playing with Hana-chan a lot, I began to learn how to kill her plants more effectively though, such as blowing up it's roots instead of it's vines. Sending a stream of fire down the throat of her Venus flytrap works pretty well too. And the explosion is much bigger and much more satisfying. After that, Hana-chan learned how to control dead plants too...

Apparently, after our parents talked to us about the nature of our chakra, i found out out that Hana-chan's ability to control plants is some special thing that her paternal grandmother developed from the wood release. So it was sorta like a 'fake' 'kekkai genkai'? My explosion release came from Otou-san who's part Kumo and part Iwa. And I got my fire and lightning chakra from Okaa-san. Cool right?

I couldn't wait to show all these new stuff I've learnt to the blonde onii-san... Until I suddenly realized that it would be very embarrassing to tell him that I forgot his name... I considered asking my parents about it, but I wasn't sure if they'd ask too many questions. I didn't want them to know how many times I've sneaked out of the house to meet him. And I wasn't sure if they'd know him either, since they aren't exactly Iwa shinobi. But I didn't know who else to ask... Perhaps some random Iwa nin? The best bet would be to ask the Tsuchikage... But that's kinda... Scary... And I don't think the kage would want to bother answering such a trivial question to a kid like me... I bet he's really busy with other stuff... That's more important than my question.

The day before my birthday party (we were celebrating earlier cuz Hana-chan needed to leave Iwa the next night) I began to get reeeally emo. Hana-chan kept saying I looked like I had wilted or something and tried to cheer me up by 'watering' me... Then when the presents arrived, I got this huge parcel full of fruit candy from Hana-chan's okaa-san and I kept myself occupied by stuffing myself with candied apples until my parents got quite worried... Did I overdo it? The candy was delicious... Though the last prezzie was the best.

One hour after all the presents had arrived on my birthday itself, just as we were about to have cake, Hana-chan found a small bundle at the door, when she had gone out to admire some weird poisonous looking fungus in the garden. The bundle was smaller than my palm and just nice for me to hold in one hand. When I undid the strings tying it, the brown wrapping paper opened up to reveal... A clay whistle in the shape of a small cute fat bird! There was a note attached to it, that said: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AKIRAI. -D

"Who's D?" asked Hana-chan, then stared at me. "Why are you making such a funny face?"

"I can't decide if I want to laugh and cheer and cartwheel, or if I want to scream and curse him for not writing his full name!" I complained. It was so nice of him to give me such a cute and lovely prezzie, and it meant that he hasn't forgotten me! But if only he had written his full name, especially now that I have forgotten his name!

Hana-chan gave me a weird look. "Who?"

"An onii-san who taught me a lot of stuff and I forgot his name!" I wailed. "He's got blonde hair, darker than yours, and slanted blue eyes. And he's... One head plus taller than me?"

"Uh... I don't think I know him..." Hana-chan replied. Pity. Well I guess it's my fault for not remembering his name, but still...!

I enjoyed the rest of my birthday after that. And the bird whistle was really good too! I found two tiny holes of different sizes on its back and I could blow four different notes with them! I wondered how long he took to make the whistle... It must have been really hard to make. Then Hana-chan showed me how to make a grass whistle. I could get more notes out of it, but it had a different sound of course. And I still preferred the clay whistle.

Then Hana-chan left that night, right after the birthday party, cuz her parents needed to go overseas for some mission and she was supposed to stay with her grandma. I didn't know why she couldn't have stayed with me. It would have been more fun, and we could train together, and my parents could look after the both of us. Besides, Otou-San know's Hana-chan's mother, right? They're good friends right? So her parents should trust us enough to let Hana-chan stay with us right? Hmph.

Well, at least I got the whistle to keep me entertained after she left. I planned on finding the blonde onii-San and thanking him for the prezzie, but I reeeally didn't want to ask a random shinobi about him. I did, though, after hesitating and delaying it for a few days, and I finally made my search for him on my birthday itself.

When I went to help Okaa-san look for a new lock for my bedroom door (Hana-chan had spoilt it when she grew moss and whatnot began to all over and into it... Cuz she saw a little speck of moss and thought she'd help it grow), I headed to the Kage building. I figured I'd be able to find at least one shinobi there and the shinobi could tell me what the blonde onii-san's name is and how I could find him.

I was either very lucky or unlucky. The first shinobi I saw knew who I was talking about when I told him, "I'm looking for a guy around one head taller than me. Maybe around thirteen or fourteen years old? Blonde hair? Blue eyes? In the Explosion Corps? Likes clay and art and-"

"Him?" the shinobi exclaimed, then frowned at me. "Why are you looking for him?"

"Uh... I wanna thank him for not forgetting my birthday and thank him? Except that I've forgotten his name..."

"He's quite well-known for being so young yet powerful, you know. But... I don't think you should be looking for him now... This isn't quite a good time... Especially since..."

"Why not? He gave me a prezzie a few days ago. And I need to thank him."

"A present?! Is it made of clay?"

"Huh?" I was confused. The shinobi was confusing, and I suspect he was being confusing on purpose. "Yes, why?"

But then someone else called the shinobi away and I got a feeling he wanted to get away from answering my questions as fast as possible. So in the end... I didn't even get that blonde onii-san's name!

When I got home, I got a huge scolding cuz I forgot to find a new lock for my bedroom door. So Okaa-san went to get a locksmith herself, and grounded me! Of course I could still sneak out of the house if I... only knew how to pick a lock. And this was all Hana-chan's fault. Why? Not because she spoilt the lock, but because she grew a bloody thistle patch under my window and I couldn't escape through the window either! Blasting the lock or the door down wasn't an option, cuz the damage would be obvious. And blasting anything, even the thistle patch, would involve sound, which would alert my parents. If only I could create a silent explosion... Sigh.

Later that day, my parents left the house for some business. I heard the main door close. And I was still stuck in my room! Just for forgetting to buy a lock! Well, I guess this isn't the first time I got distracted on an errand... But how am I supposed to restock my candy supply when I'm grounded? And how am I supposed to find that blonde onii-san?

All of a sudden, I heard an explosion. It didn't sound really near, but I was curious. Could that be onii-san or some other nin from the Explosion Corps? I stuck my head out of the window and saw another explosion. It was amazing, like fireworks.

Taking advantage of the loud explosions, I made my own small ones and reduced the overgrown thistle patch under my window to dust. No one noticed the sound of my explosions when there were noisier ones made by someone else. Then I proceeded to climb out of the window.

Once out of the house, I ran out onto the streets where some people were also gathered, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on. It was a good thing I was still a small child and could slip through the crowd easily.

I followed the sound of the explosions until I was out of the village. Luckily, I didn't bump into Okaa-san or Otou-san on the way. In fact, no one seemed to care that I was leaving the village. Everyone around me was doing the same, trying to get a better view of what was going on. But I'd be grounded forever if they knew what I was doing. And I soon found out how dangerous the whole situation was, when I found out why there were explosions erupting near the village.

Brilliant explosions of light and fire, brighter than any I've ever seen before, flashing in the sky like shooting stars. There were shouts and screams, mostly drowned out by the sound of the explosions in the sky. Then I saw them. Okaa-san and Otou-san. They were quite far away-just two spots in a distance, amongst several other ninja, but I could easily recognize the wavy golden-brown hair of Otou-san and the spiky black hair of Okaa-san no matter how far away they are. My eyesight was one of the best around since I required it to perform the best pranks possible.

The ninjas were chasing someone across the tall rocks that surrounded the village. But I couldn't tell if it was the enemy or them that waa making those explosions... But I should've see it coming. No one makes explosions as beautiful as... Him.

Just as I saw them fall, small explosions erupting around them, just as I found myself screaming and struggling against the people holding me back, I saw the black, white and gold figure turn around to survey his handiwork. Black was the color of his clothes, white was the color of his clay, and gold was the color of his hair. I stared at him as another explosion erupted, lighting up the fiery sky. A glimpse of blue as our eyes met. Then he was gone.

Angry shouts and cries fill the air as the shinobi escaped. Someone brought me home some time later and I fell asleep as soon as I crawled into bed. A funeral was held a few days later, then I was brought to the Tsuchikage as the will was read. One week later, my things were packed and a nin from Konoha came to fetch me. I left Iwa feeling nothing. After all, all that was left was a house and an empty house is not a home. Far from it.

"Aki? Akirai?" I blinked and saw a girl standing at the gates of Konoha as we reached the village after a week of traveling. Pale blonde hair, almost white in the sun. Emerald green eyes, the color of new leaves. A small smile.

"I'm Hanaha, remember?" she said again, her smile fading. Oh. Hana-chan.

When she saw that I recognized her, she grinned again and before I knew it, she was hugging me. For a moment, my mind went blank, then kick-started again.

"H-Hana-chan? Hana-chan?! You're wet!" I exclaimed, suddenly feeling quite bewildered as I felt cold water seep into my clothes and touch my shoulder. Hana-chan looked up, seemingly as bewildered as I am. Her face was wet.

"H-H-Hana-chan! You're crying! Oh kami, don't cry! Why are you crying? Hana-chan is crying! What-Hana-chan?" I exclaimed when she burst into laughter, tears still streaming down her face. She was crying! Hana-chan didn't seem like the kind of girl to cry! And she was crying and now she's laughing? What's going on?

"Welcome to Konoha, Akirai! Your new home!" Hana-chan announced and flung her hands wide open. I stared at her, then at the shinobi still standing next to us, watching us with no expression. I stared at the village behind her, then back at her again. Then I grinned, the smile feeling slightly foreign but comfortable on my face after weeks of not using it.

"Hana-chan? You're living here too?" I asked. She nodded.

"Come, there's a cool candy shop I want you to see!" she replied. Candy? Why, I haven't had candy in long time!

"What are you waiting for? Lead the way!" I yelled gleefully and ran into the village, with her following closely behind. Then we found our way blocked by the shinobi who was with me. He seemed kinda amused for some reason.

"Not so fast, girls. Ryuusei Akirai, I still need to bring you to the Hokage first. You can get your candy later," he said. So the three of us (Hana-chan tagged along) went to see the Hokage.

Konoha looked quite different from Iwa. There were so many trees and the buildings looked different too. Somehow, the place seemed so much more vibrant than Iwa. Maybe it was the colors, but I think the atmosphere seemed slightly different too.

"You seem to have gotten over it quite quickly," Hana-chan commented as we walked to the apartment I was going to share with her. Huh? I gave a blank look and she merely shook her head and sighed.

"What?" I demanded.

"Never mind," she laughed and we went on our merry way.

I got used to life in Konoha. I joined the Academy soon after I arrived. Then Akuma-chan, whom I learnt was actually called Chizuki, came too. She nearly killed me after I said '-chan' for the third time. Many things happened. There was the Uchiha massacre. Then I heard of how the blond-onii-san returned to Iwa to bomb and destroy some of it's buildings. I learnt that the blonde-onii-san became a missing-nin because he stole a kinjutsu that allowed him to make his clay art explode.

"I heard it gives him mouths on his hands, and he can mold clay in them," I told Hana-chan and Chii-kun. Just then, the mouth of a Venus flytrap snapped shut. We stared at the plant that looked as disgusted as a plant could be.

"So he infuses chakra into the clay with those mouths?" Hana-chan asked with a frown.

"I don't know. I think so," I replied. It was Chii-kun who gave me the idea of molding blood into my clay for the same effect. Not as effective, but it worked! I could use explosive clay too!

You're not mad at him? Yami-san, Chii-kun's demon asked as she licked one of my blood-clay creations.

I thought about it. I was still sad that Okaa-san and Otou-San were gone. But I wasn't lonely. I had Chii-kun and Hana-chan around. Even Yami-san was friendly... Sometimes. But most importantly...

"You can't bring them back from the dead, can you?" I asked Yami-san. She stared at me owlishly. Then she frowned.

It is not impossible but near it. You can try... I don't think your parents will be very pleased with you though, Yami replied, a grin slowly stretching across her face. It was how happy she looked that made me conclude that it would be a very bad idea to bring back the dead.

"Well, if I can't change anything, what's the use of getting angry with him?" I asked. The demon shrugged.

Revenge?

I pouted. "But the blonde onii-san was so nice to me!"

"You're just biased, aren't you?" asked Chii-kun. "I won't question your thinking though, since revenge is really a waste of time."

"You're too lazy," Hana-chan commented.

"Says the person who sleeps ten hours a day," Chii-kun retorted.

"Honestly though, this guy stole a kinjutsu, killed your parents, became a missing-nin, became a terrorist, and you still admire him?" Hana-chan asked. Okay, when she put it that way, it seemed like there was something seriously wrong with my mind. Evidently, it would seem like I like him better than I love my parents, which is not true. But...

"He's nice. End of story," I said irritably. Both Hana-chan and Chii-kun grunted like Uchihas (yea, hn all you like, you can't change my mind) and gave me a what-the-hell look.

The topic was dropped after that. I still kept the whistle he secretly gave me at my birthday party. And I continued to make explosive clay creations, hoping that I could be as pro as him one day. And each time my blood-clay explodes beautifully, I remember my fateful birthday and the morbid birthday present I got.

Alright, that's all for now~ Coming right up the start of the final exam chapter! Please review and let me know what you think of my story so far~ Ja