Tsuki ran and ran until she reached the training grounds in record time. Slightly panting, she came to a halt in the middle of the grounds and with her hands on her knees; she tried to calm down her heartbeat as long as catching her breath.

Suddenly, her ears twitched as she heard footsteps coming closer and closer to where she was standing.


Seconds later, she was tackled by something to the ground and she rolled a few time before landing on all four. She dug her long nails on the earth and glared at her attacker, which was none other than an adult canine with a wolfish appearance. He had black fur with a white underside. He was missing his left ear and wore an eye patch over his right eye.

The canine shoed his teeth while a heavy growl escaped his lips. Tsuki's ears quickly stuck at her skull and showing her sharp fangs, she growled back. A starring contest started between them but it was quickly over as the canine attacked first. Tsuki was caught off guard and before she knew it, the canine had stuck her at the ground. His white paws were on top of her shoulders and his sharp teeth mouth was inches away from the young girl's head. Anyone in her place would have been terrified but not Tsuki, she was used to it after all. She quickly raised her hands and tried to push the canine's mouth away from her face while at the same time leaving an animalistic growl.

"Enough" a strict female voice was heard and the canine let go of the white-haired genie. Wiping the saliva that came from the canine's mouth, Tsuki stood up and glared at the wolf/dog before turning her attention to the female that was now standing next to her. She had long, spiky, untamed brown hair, vertical slit-like pupils, elongated canine teeth and nails. She also had two red fangs on her cheeks well as markings over her eyes and a dark shade of purple lipstick. She wore the standard chunin attire and she was giving a very strict aura. "That's what happens when you are late pup," she said as she folded her hands in front of her chest.

"It wasn't my fault. Kakashi sensei was the one who didn't tell me that you would train me until 5 minutes ago" Tsuki replied as she also folded her hands in front of her tiny chest.

"Doesn't matter and don't care. Next time do not be late but I give you that pup, you have balls"

"Thank you and why?" she lifted an eyebrow.

"Not a lot of people are brave enough to glare at Kuromaru or even have the guts to go against him" she motioned for the canine next to him.

"Well, not a lot of people are like me"

"So, I have heard. Growing up with the fire pack, am I right pup?"

"It's Tsuki and yea- wait, how do you know about it?"

"Pup, almost every jounin knows about it. Was quite the commission that day. Anyway, Kakashi asked me to train you. Therefore, I expect from you to listen to me, be on time and don't you ever interrupt me" she said in a strict tone.

"Deal, so what is your name? From the mark on your cheeks and the canine next to you, I assume you are a member of the Inuzuka clan correct?"

"I see you have done your research and yes, you are correct. My name is Tsume but now, it is not the time for that. We have training to do. So, who is your opponent?"

"Kankuro, member of the sand squad… he is a puppeteer and quite skilled if you ask me"

"Skilled or no, when I am finished with you will not matter. So, get in your position because we are going to train on your taijutsu mostly and we are not going to hold back" Tsume said and Tsuki gulped before getting in position.


Hours passed and the sun had started to set down while painting the sky with a beautiful colour combination of red, orange, pink and yellow. At the training ground, Tsuki had been training without a single stop with her new sensei. Right now, she collapsed on her knees. Her limbs felt heavy and she was out of breath. Her clothes were covered in dirt along with her skin. Scratches and bruises were at her hands, face and legs.

In front of her, stood Tsume and Kuromaru, also slightly panting but in far better condition.

"Okay pup. That's enough for today, you did better than I expected" Tsume said as she helped Tsuki to stand.

'*pant* thank you"

"Are you hungry?"

On cue, Tsuki's stomach made a loud noise that was sure to have been heard at least a mile away. Blushing furiously, Tsuki looked the other way while Tsume chuckled at her behaviour. "A little" she replied but her stomach complained again, this time louder.

"That is no little to me. So, come on, pup. My treat since you did quite good today but don't get used to it" Tsume said her somehow sweet voice quickly turning cold and strict at the last sentence.

"Yes ma'am" the wolf girl replied as they started to walk towards Tsume's house.


It didn't take the trio a lot to arrive at Tsume's house. It was a two-storey wooden house on the outskirts of the village. Tsuki looked in awe at the beautiful fields filled with flowers and the many trees that were surrounding the house. It was a perfect house, close to nature and unlike her apartment; it was giving a calmer, family warmth aura.

"Impressed?" Tsume asked as she noticed that Tsuki had stopped and was looking around her, tail wagging left and right.

"Yeah, it is so beautiful, so calm, so… home", the white-haired genin said as memories of the small village, she and her mother sued to leave flashed into her mind.

Her amazed expression quickly changed to a nostalgic one and her ears felt flat. Her tail stopped wagging and her shoulder dropped slightly once she realised that there had been 8, almost 9 years since she lost her mother and the dark memories of that faithful night still haunted her until today.

Tsume's stern face quickly softened and slightly felt sad for the young girl. She didn't know her exact story, only that she had grown up with the wolves but she could imagine what must have been for her, not to grow up with a real family or worst, be separated from them.

They both snapped back to reality as the barking of three different canines was heard and seconds later, three giant ninken came towards them. Kuromaru quickly stood in front of the young wolf girl and gave a warning growl that caused the trio to stop at their trucks but not stop growling at the newcomer.

"Oh, it's you! We were wondering where were you" a woman, who was standing at the entrance, said.

She had long brown hair, which she wore in a ponytail with two locks of hair to frame her face over her large, black eyes. She also wore a light shade of lipstick and had the traditional fang-like tattoos of the Inuzuka clan on both of her cheeks. For clothes, she was wearing the beige Konoha medic uniform and she didn't seem to be much older than Tsuki. She had a smile on her face and unlike Tsume, she was giving a more warming and welcoming aura.

"Tsuki, this is my elder daughter Hana. Hana, this is Kakashi's student, Tsuki" Tsume introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Hana said as she took a few steps and was now in front of them.

"The pleasure is all mine" Tsuki replied as she remembered her manners. She was ready to take a step forward but stopped when the trio growled at her.

"Oh sorry about them. These are the Three Haimaru Brothers" she said and pointed at the triplets. They had grey fur, white undersides and short ears but to Tsuki's eyes, they were quite beautiful.

"All three of them?" the wolf girl asked surprised as she brought her hand forward and let the brothers smell it.

"Yeah and sorry about the hostile invasion. They usually are not like that"

"It's okay. Being part wolf has its drawbacks when it comes to certain ninken" the wolf girl explained said as she finally was able to pet their furry heads.

"I see, well, come on in. Food is ready" Hana said and they all made their way towards the house.

Tsuki looked around amazed at how simple but at the same time how welcoming, the wooden house was. Her ears twitched as she heard movement from the upper floor and seconds later, footsteps on the stairs.

"Oh ma, you are finally home! We have-" Kiba said but stopped in the middle of the stairs when he spotted Tsuki right next to him.

"Hi K-Kiba", Tsuki replied and cursed herself for stuttering while a faint blush found its way on her cheeks, simply because Kiba was without a shirt on.

"T-Tsuki… h-hey" the young Inuzuka replied, his cheeks also a deep red while standing frozen on the stairs.

"Kiba! How dare you walk around the house like that?! I didn't raise you like that, go up and change!" Tsume suddenly shouted as she threw a book at the brown-haired boy. In seconds, Kiba had disappeared upstairs, scared of his own life while Tsuki chuckled at the sudden outburst. The red on her cheeks quickly faded but the image of the shirtless boy stayed in her mind, imprinted. "You know Kiba?" the older woman asked, snapping the young girl from her thoughts.

"Yeah, he was from the first I met when I came here. We even sat together for a little at the day we were placed into teams"

"Yeah, Tsuki was the new girl I told you about" Kiba suddenly said as he walked down the stairs, a white T-shirt and black shorts with Akamaru on his head.

"I see, well then. We can discuss more as we eat" Hana said as they all made their way towards the small but cosy kitchen before sitting around the wooden table.

Tsume sat on the head of the table with Hana on her left and Kiba on his right while Tsuki sat next to Kiba. The food was already on the table and Tsuki started to drool at the sight of roasted pork and the variety of meat that was in front of her. In seconds, they all started to devour the food more like animals than humans while slightly discussing some things. It made her feel even more like home, screw the manners and started to eat in a similar way. The freshly cooked meat felt nice in her belly after days of fish and fruits, her eyes eyeing all the foods and trying to decide what she should eat next. Her tail wagged without stopping, her ears up and a smile of happiness was on her face.

"So, Tsuki what brings you here?" Kiba asked as he gave part of roasted pork to Akamaru.

"Well, your mother trains me for the finals" she replied and Kiba almost chocked on his food.

"Really? Then ma, you are very lucky"

"And why is that?" Tsume asked.

"You should have seen her at the preliminaries. Got she was amazing. She fought that sound ninja that was using sound waves and could literally make your ears bleed. She even transformed partially into a wolf and then she used this trick with her crows"

"Crows?" Hana asked as the specific word got her attention.

"Yeah, she summoned so many of them and when the sound ninja tried to hit Tsuki, she dissolved into crows and disappeared from our sight. Then, the crows started to attack her opponent and you could barely see where Tsuki was. It was pretty amazing"

Dissolved into crows and use them during a fight. It's impossible unless Hana thought and looked at Tsuki who had turned red as a tomato from the comments.

"It was nothing really. Your fight was better and by the way, how is your nose?" Tsuki asked.

"Don't worry, it's back to normal but Kami, please do not make me pass through that again"

"You were lucky. In the forest, we ate only a roasted fish and some berries. Imagine if he had eaten something else" they both shivered at the thought of the smell.

"Yeah well, I may have lost from Naruto but that doesn't mean that is going to happen again. Akamaru and I have already started training, right boy?" Kiba said and Akamaru barked.

She smiled at the duo and returned back to the feat, enjoying the good company and not paying attention to the way his older sister was looking at her. At last, the young woman cleared her throat and turned to the wolf girl. "Tsuki right?" she asked and the said girl nodded. "From what Kiba told us, you seem to be quite experienced in battles. May I ask how?"

She swallowed and wiped the barbeque sauce from her lips with a napkin. "Oh! Well, I grew up with the wolf pack and they taught me a few things but I had a sensei who taught me everything I knew and helped me reach where I am today, well sort of"

"I see, and where is that sensei of yours?" Tsume asked next, exchanging a faint look with her daughter.

"Well, I... Don't' know really. He left 5 years ago but I am sure he will be back" Tsuki said in an attempt to hide the sadness in her voice but failed, her ears giving away her emotions.

Kiba noticed this and immediately stood up, drawing everyone's attention and wanting to help his friend. 2 Well, Tsuki is getting late. Do you want me to escort you home, you know for the company" he offered while rubbing the back of his neck.

"I would love that" she smiled and also stood up.

Kiba grabbed his jacket and the duo, with Akamaru on Kiba's head, exited the house, not seeing noticing the suspicious looks Tsume and Hana had.

"Don't you think-"

"It must be. I mean, they are too many coincidences" Hana said, interrupting her mother.

"Perhaps but I doubt she had anything or knows anything about it. I mean, she was only 7 when it happened"

"But still, no one knew that He had a student and wasn't he too young?"

"We both know that he was a prodigy and from Tsuki's training today and Kiba's description of the battle, it is obvious that he had given her a lot of attention back there" Tsume concluded before leaving out a sigh. "I say we leave it. She is still young and Kiba with Akamaru seem to trust her enough. I will also keep an eye on her during training and if I see anything suspicious, I will inform the Hokage.

"Okay, and the duo may trust him but the triplets didn't… and we both know that it was something else than her 'half-wolf part'"


Meanwhile, Kiba, Akamaru and Tsuki had been walking the peaceful and almost empty roads of Konoha. The sun had set a long time ago and had given his place to the moon and the stars to light the earth. Tsuki and Kiba were walking but none of them was talking. Slightly feeling awkward about what happened, Kiba was wondering if he should speak first or not. Taking a deep breath, decided that it should be him.

"Tsuki"

"Hm?"

"I am sorry if they brought you back sad memories about your sensei. I really didn't intend them to go that far"

She smiled gently, her hand brushing next to his, her tail moving slightly. "It's okay. Whatever happened in the past, stays in the past and I actually liked it. You see… *sigh* I never had a family to eat with, talk about different things and even embarrass me. I mean, I had my mother when I was younger but after her, was the wolf pack and well, as caring as they were… there is a big difference between wolves and humans"

"Yeah " he nodded, understanding and not wanting to ask any more details that might affect her mood.

"Anyway, may I ask something?"

"Sure, go ahead," Kiba said, feeling more relieved now that he had taken it out fo his chest.

"Is your mum, so… well…"

"Strict, general, wants to kill you and shows no mercy?" he asked and she nodded. "Yeah, she is like that all the time. I am surprised he didn't yell at me for eating too fast or you know, with better manners since we had a guest"

*chuckles* It's okay. As you saw, I didn't have manners either and man, she is a real demon during training" she cracked her back in emphasis and the duo chuckled, the mood fixing immediately.

"I guess she is, well what can we do about it. At least her training is effective, trust me"

"I do. In fact, even if I don't win, after all that training I am sure I will be able to punch sensei on the face and knock him unconscious. I mean it and before you say anything; I am sure I will find a reason for it"

They both laughed so hard they had to stop, their hands holding their stomachs. Once it was over, they looked at each other with a smile and Tsuki blushed as to how close they were. Her eyes adverted to the side and it was then she noticed they were in front of the block of flats she was residing in.

"Well, I guess it's a good night?" Kiba asked, again being the first to talk.

"Yeah, but it was fun today and maybe I can ask your mother to train together perhaps?"

"That would be nice… I mean, yeah why not" he quickly corrected, his cheeks red.

"Okay then, good night Kiba," Tsuki said and pecked his cheek before entering the building but stopped she remembered something. "And tell Hana that the food was amazing!"

"I will!" Kiba shouted back and with a smile and a blush, as Tsuki started to climb the stairs towards her apartment.

Once she was out of his vision, he left out a sigh and stood by the entrance for a completely good minute. He didn't know why but something was pulling her towards Tsuki but when he was around her, he would somehow lose it. He could be cocky, sarcastic and even a bully. With quite an ego and pride that he admitted that he had but when he was around Tsuki, he could not feel as he couldn't move and of course, couldn't talk. It was confusing to him but he knew that sooner or later would find the answer, especially since she would see her more often.

Leaving out a sigh and zipping his jacket higher, Kiba started to walk towards his house while the whole scenario that happened today replayed in his mind.