After six days of hard but careful work, Hitomi mastered the Water Clone Jutsu. After that, creating a fog thick enough for the Hiding in the Mist Technique was child play. She was very good at it when she had enough water around. The hard part would be trying to navigate through the mist, to walk through it in perfect silence. She respected Momochi Zabuza far more now that she knew how difficult that was, since it was the basis of the assassination technique he was renowned for.
She presently had two D-ranked and one C-ranked elemental techniques in her arsenal. It was far more than any student outside the Fellowship and even inside the group only Sasuke surpassed her, with all the Fire Release jutsus his clan had taught him. He had started working on the Wyvern in Flight Technique a few days earlier; that jutsu was almost B-ranked, according to the scroll from the Uchiha lands where they had found it described and explained. The boy had been essential to Hitomi's training regimen, since he had gone through something similar before her. Fire and Water Release couldn't be more different, but some tips worked with all elemental affinities.
When Shinku arrived at his daughter's house one evening just before dinner, he found the two children training in the garden. Hitomi was trying to create and manage two clones at the same time while Sasuke spit fire at regular intervals, attempting to shape the long and thin flames so they looked like wyverns. It was way harder to create something approaching a real animal form. In the Previous World, wyvern didn't exist – but here, they didn't exist anymore.
Around Hitomi's pool, he saw something that surprised and impressed him: a thick patch of mist covered the grass, as thick and dense as the girl had been able to create, and he could see her five felines moving inside it. From time to time, a quicker movement than the rest saw two of them meet, and he heard hissing and spitting when that happened. Obviously, his granddaughter had taken the instructions she had received from Tsurī very seriously. His own familiar, Aotsuki, leader of the Hikari clan cats, would be very pleased.
"Grandfather?" she asked with a respectful bow of the head.
He focused on her rather than her cats. He really liked the spark of intelligence, cunning even, gleaming in her red eyes at all times, and liked the way her calm demeanour made her look non-threatening. Those attributes would be unquestionably useful when she was ready to take part in her own missions. He smiled and walked towards the pool where she was still standing, the water reaching her knees. She didn't seem cold, which meant she had her chakra cycling through her whole body to keep it warm. One day, she would be able to do it automatically, but he was already very satisfied, knowing full well that most Genin couldn't do it even when they stood still and focused.
"I'm here to tell you and your companions that the time has come for them to go back to the spiritual world. You will not be able to summon them for two weeks, as their mentors will use that time to test each of their new and improved skills extensively. After that, they will be available to you as you see fit, of course.
Hitomi flinched and lowered her gaze to the ground. Of course, she had been aware the moment was growing close, but she didn't want to say goodbye. Even knowing they would come back, be with her soon, she ached at the idea of not having them around, be it for one day, two weeks, or longer. They had become an important part of her life, from their weight on the blankets when she was waiting to fall asleep to the training sessions where they pushed her to grow better and better. Her eyes couldn't hide how lost she was as she looked at them – they had left the mist to rub against her legs, frightened of water no more. Hoshihi was the tallest; he could reach above her knee with his head.
"Don't worry, Lady Summoner," Sunaarashi and Hokori exclaimed. "You won't even have time to miss us before we're back. Work hard and make sure we can hunt fish from the river, alright?"
Hitomi simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak without dissolving into ugly sobs. She left the pool and knelt on the grass, her cats soon surrounding her to press their lean bodies against her. She brushed a caress against each of their backs, trying to fight the ache tearing her heart apart. Her grandfather had stepped back to allow her space: when it was time, he sliced his thumb open and composed the hand seals to summon Tsurī.
The tricolour cat licked her shoulder then nodded at her summoner. "Shinku-kun. You called me for the apprentices, didn't you?"
"Yes, Tsurī-sama. They spent each day of their stay here with Hitomi-chan, exactly like we had asked them to."
"Good. Children, say your goodbyes, we're leaving. Aotsuki got me a pigeon and I don't want someone to take it from me."
Kurokumo, obedient as always, stepped in front of Hitomi and rubbed one last time against her legs. "Goodbye, Lady Summoner. You'll see, we'll be back soon."
After each of her cats had said their farewell to her, they disappeared, escorted to the spiritual world by the strict but benevolent care their elder provided them. Hitomi stayed still for a few moments, her eyes staring at the place where they had been just a minute before. Finally, she shook her head and went back to the pool, ignoring the tears that wanted to run down her cheeks.
As she raised her hands to create Water Clones – she was still struggling to control more than one at a time and was training by making them throw kunai to various targets in the garden – Shinku stepped towards her. "I understand your sorrow, Hitomi-chan, I went through it too once. The separation is as important as the six months you spent together. It reminds you that you can function alone as well as you did with them. They will benefit from the time they spend in the spiritual world, learn skills that are specific to their species, and you will be able to train freely, without fearing to hurt them. Those cats need to become your allies, or even your friends, but it's not your job to protect them."
Averting her gaze, Hitomi nodded reluctantly. Oh, she knew he was right. A lot of shinobi saw their summons as mere tools. But she had spent six months training, playing, failing, winning by their side. She couldn't see them as just an addition to her arsenal. Without answering, she formed the hand seals for her technique and managed to create three perfect copies of herself from the water, sending them to throw kunai on their targets. She would be satisfied once each of her clones would be able to throw twenty of them accurately as she was working on her shadow jutsu.
When Hinata saw her coming alone in the classroom the next day, she hugged her without a word, her hands rubbing comforting circles against her back. The Hyūga heiress had spent a lot of time around the five cats who had followed her girlfriend like miniature shadows, seen their bond strengthening day after day.
Hitomi had spent most of the evening curled up on the couch, writing to Gaara and Ensui. She had exchanged with Temari too: the older girl had signed the Weasel Contract, and formed a very deep bond with her familiar, so much so that the weasel in question demanded to be able to see her at least once a week in the physical world. Hitomi was glad to read that she wasn't the only one going through such sorrow, that her friend had been through something similar and had handled it. If Temari could do it, so did she.
During the following days, Hitomi saw herself focus even more on training. She fulfilled each task she was given by her teachers with a dedication her peers couldn't help but admire, their behaviour even adapting to hers. They were more determined, more involved, and the whole class's atmosphere shifted because of it. Even the teachers followed the subconscious trend.
Or maybe they did so because the final exam was to happen very soon. After all, this particular class gathered children from all of Konoha's major clans, a jinchūriki, and Hitomi herself, who had to be noted because of her Nara father and because she was the Yūhi clan's last hope to come back to its former position of power. They had never been a major clan, but they had been invaluable to win wars. This generation bore on its shoulders all the hopes of grandeur Konohagakure could possibly have and they fully intended on honouring each of them.
Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru and Hitomi didn't bother with hiding deep in the Nara territory to train anymore. If the Nara heir was often seen with his future teammates, he also took the time to spar with her, with taijutsu and shadows only. Because of that, they could each work on their own fighting style relative to those two skills: he liked keeping the opponent away from him with his shadows, while Hitomi sought close combat to throw her adversaries off-balance with hers.
It had taken her years of disjointed training between her other obligations to come up with that fighting style, to be able to catch someone's shadow with hers quick enough to use it in a taijutsu spar. She just caught it for an instant, barely enough to shift her opponent's stance, then released them and tried to exploit the unbalance to force through their defence. That fighting style was particularly effective against adversaries who were slower than she was. For the faster ones, she could still use the Shadow Binding Jutsu in a more classical way.
It was becoming more and more common for sixth grade students to train brazenly, in the outside courtyard of the Academy or in empty classrooms when they didn't have access to proper training grounds – some couldn't wait for their forehead protector just to get that little advantage. Hitomi and her friends had seen it from their upperclassmen during the former years, and now it was their turn.
The day before the exam, Hitomi invited Shikamaru over for the night. The two children had never stopped playing shōgi at least once a week, but they rarely spent time together without their other friends around outside of that. After telling her mother about their guest, she took her cousin to her bedroom and immediately started setting the shōgi board up. They had both gotten so much better over the years – and yet, neither of them was able to beat Shikaku still.
"So… You and Hinata, hm?" he asked with the shadow of a smile. He was really starting to look like his father, and to behave like him as well. Did he even notice? She doubted it: Shikamaru was incredibly observant, but he had a big blind spot about himself.
Hitomi nodded as she considered her options to cover her knight, threatened by her opponent. Neither she nor Hinata had wanted to keep their relationship a secret amongst the Fellowship: they trusted their friends not to go repeat it to any Hyūga who could in turn tell Hiashi, Hinata's father, about it. The patriarch was so conservative he would be better suited in a fuckin museum – and Hitomi didn't dare thinking about his reaction if he learned his daughter and heir wasn't heterosexual. "Yup," she finally answered. "Surprised?"
"Not really. I have been wondering for a while if you were going to figure out that you liked each other or not. For a genius, you're pretty slow, uh?"
"I may be slow, dearest cousin, but I am the one with a girlfriend, aren't I?" On those words, she decided to act and placed her dragon king in the way of his gold general. She answered his vaguely annoyed scowl with a grin, then the game could resume, interspersed here and there by jokes and playful banter. It was part of the things she liked so much about Shikamaru: with him, no need to fill each second of silence, but if she wanted to talk, be it about complex, intimate problems or about the latest gossip, he was there and eager to participate.
The following day, when the two children arrived at the Academy, Hitomi was incredibly calm and focused. She perceived the tension around her but didn't react to it, even dissipating it for some of her friends, the ones who were particularly receptive to her influence. In six years, Hitomi had slowly but surely become a leader amongst her peers, and even the students who weren't part of the Fellowship reluctantly looked up to her.
The day started with two hours of written tests, which were done in barely twenty minutes for Hitomi. With her memory, she just needed to blink to find the information she needed, somewhere in her Library. She spent the remaining time staring at her friends, noting amongst other signs the way Chōji flinched when he got to the second page – and his discreet sigh of relief when he realised he knew the answer to the complicated question.
Then came the genjutsu test. The students were put under a harmless illusion and had to free themselves from it. Students didn't learn any genjutsu technique during their Academy time, since most of them required far too mature a mind for a twelve years old child. The students were graded on the quickness with which they broke the illusion. With Kurenai as a mother, Hitomi could only excel in that test.
After a short break, students walked to the gymnasium for their throwing weapons test. Three children at a time, they aligned in front of the targets and demonstrated their mastery in that field. Sasuke, Naruto and Hitomi were far above average in that exercise: all three of them had worked very hard, the Uchiha and his sister to support their blond friend in his own training, and it had been worth it. They were the only students able to use three types of throwing weapons accurately, each with their favourite: Sasuke loved the shuriken, Naruto was more at ease with the kunai, and Hitomi's small, thin hands were perfect for the senbon.
Finally, the students were allowed to have their lunch break. Most of them were exhausted and famished, freed from part of the stress that had blocked those signals from reaching their brains. Chōji had brought enough food for everyone, and they had all decided to add their own bento to the mix for a true feast. When they were summoned to the Academy's training ground by their teachers, they were all more at peace.
The taijutsu test made them fight against Mizuki-sensei for three minutes in a circle six meters wide. Weapons were forbidden, of course. In that circle, Mizuki had an advantage with his long limbs, but he would restrain himself, fight at Genin level, so his students would have a real chance to stay in the circle during the whole time if they were good enough. Three minutes granted the student a top mark, but a minute and a half were enough to pass the exam. Hitomi watched, calm and collected, as a few students failed. She was proud when her friends handled themselves against the teacher – Sasuke even fighting for the whole three minutes.
And then it was her turn. She stepped in the circle perfectly calm, each of her movements pondered and collected. She crouched slightly, her feet solidly grounded and her arms up in a guard position, just like Ensui had taught her, then waited. As soon as Iruka gave the signal, she stepped to her right to dodge Mizuki's extended arm, her open hand hitting him right at the centre of the chest. He coughed with the strength of the impact as she sneaked under his arm and got behind him, out of reach. The fight continued in that way, the girl targeting the teacher's weaknesses then dodging with as minimalist a move as she could when he retaliated. She wouldn't have been able to handle herself much longer, not with the way breathing burned her lungs and the slight tremors in her muscles when Iruka whistled the end of the three minutes. At least, if Mizuki turned traitor and she had to fight him, she would have more weapons at her disposal.
The ninjutsu test came last. The students were called in a room one by one and had to demonstrate one of the techniques they had learned during their time at the Academy. This year, the subject was cloning, just like in the canon. Hitomi wasn't worried at all. Not only did she master the basic technique taught in class, but she also had two variants in her arsenal and could show them to the examiners for bonus points. When Iruka announced the subject, she met Naruto's eyes and answered his confident grin with one of her own. He wasn't worried either. He had got the confirmation that the Shadow Clone was an acceptable technique for the exam months ago. After all, it was way harder to master than the typical clone technique for most people.
When she was called, after all the other students, Hitomi stepped inside the room without the slightest apprehension, be it for herself or her friends. She stood proud in the centre of the room, her back straight and her arms relaxed along her flanks, waiting for her teachers to give her orders. Iruka was the one to speak, a deeply satisfied grin on his lips. "Hitomi-san, I know you're the one we should thank for the astounding results your year group got during this exam, but also during the past six weeks. Please, do your comrades the honours by showing us how good you are."
The praise made Hitomi smile. She didn't blush, didn't avert her eyes with a shy look on her face, simply accepting the congratulations from her teacher for what they were: the recognition of six years of hard work, which would finally pay off that day. She formed the Cross Hand Seal, and two solid clones appeared at her right and left. Perfectly synchronized, the two clones and their master summoned a Water Clone each. It was a bit risky, but Hitomi had enough chakra to manage it, and to manage the cost of her five copies and herself each creating a standard, E-ranked clone, which made them twelve identical girls in the small room.
"Well, I didn't expect that," Iruka said with a playful grin. "Congratulations, Hitomi. Starting today, you're a shinobi from Konoha." On those words, the teacher stepped around his desk and handed her a forehead protector with a respectful bow. She took it with both hands, as one should in such circumstances, then stared at it, incredibly proud to be there, to have achieved that. When she was able to wrap her mind around it all, she tied the forehead protector at its rightful place, on her head.
"Thank you for the knowledge you offered me, Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei," she said with a deep bow. She left the classroom with her head held high, a faint smile on her lips, leaving her clones to dissipate in her wake. Only when she was alone in the corridor did she allow her body to slouch against a wall and an exhausted sigh to escape her lips. The chain of techniques had taken its toll on her reserves with the demanding edge she had been expecting. She had wanted to impress them and had done so, but there was always a price to pay.
When her dizzy spell passed, she decided it was time to go to the Academy's courtyard, for the last time as a student. She wondered if she would be one of those shinobi who came back every chance they got, this time to teach rather than learn. In a way, she hoped for it, but what precious knowledge could she even give the new generation without putting the lives of the children at risk? She still needed to grow up before she even thought about the future. For now, she could only focus on the next obstacle in her way, and the different ways she could go around it or knock it down.
"Hitomi!"
The young girl's head snapped in the direction of the voice. Kurenai, Sasuke, and Naruto in tears were waving at her. Beaming in pride, she ran to them. The two boys were wearing their new forehead protectors – she was so incredibly relieved she had been able to spare Naruto, to protect him against one of the ordeals he had been confronted with in the canon.
"Hitomi," the blonde said with a quivering voice, "your mom said I'm coming to live with you now, that she has filled the papers at the orphanage and I just have to go back there once to get my stuff then never again." His eyes shone with unshed tears, his hands fidgeting nervously with the hem of his obnoxious orange jacket.
Hitomi had a moment of stupor, then a giant smile appeared on her lips, so wide it hurt a bit. She hugged Naruto, allowing him to crush her with his arms in return. "Welcome to the family, Naruto," she whispered in his ear. "Mom, does that mean we're moving out?"
"Yeah," the woman answered, a hand brushing against Sasuke's back when he stepped towards his two friends and now siblings. He didn't join the hug, but she was happy to see that he didn't shy away from the public manifestation of affection. "I made an offer on the house next to Shikaku's and it was accepted yesterday. We're starting to move the furniture tomorrow, so we can make the best of the weekend. Monday, you'll be busy little Genin and I'll have a team of my own, so we'd better be done with it before that."
Those words only made Naruto hug Hitomi tighter, which in turn made her feel lightheaded. She understood the storm of feelings that was falling on him right that moment, the fight in his mind to wrap it around the idea that it was over, that he wasn't alone anymore, that, for the first time for as long as he could remember and even longer than that, he had a family. When he finally released her, she patted his shoulder gently with a side glance to Sasuke. He looked rather satisfied about the whole thing – the little smirk on his lips was more telling than he thought. As for Hitomi, she was trying to evaluate the thousand ways the canon had just been fucked, and failing.
"I'm very proud of you three," Kurenai beamed. "You have worked hard for the last six years, and look at you now. It was all worth it. Akimichi Chōza is throwing a feast and party for your little group. We're gonna go home, change, and tonight I'm counting on you to have fun. Sounds good?"
Obedient and glowing with pride, the three children nodded and followed her home. Home for all four of them, finally.