Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

The Transformation Jutsu

My heart was pounding so fast so hard that it hurt. But I couldn't breathe too loud or make any noise at all. Father said to hide. And hiding meant not being found. "Hisao", a quiet voice called Father's name. It didn't sound friendly. More like…, the voice didn't have any feelings at all. With my arms and legs shaking, I forced myself to peak around the tree trunk I was tucked behind. Father stood on the path in front of our house; the wood cart behind him. I was suppressing my chakra just like Father had taught me to. It was not something I liked to do. It always gave me a headache. And Father said I did not have a whole lot, so suppressing it did not make much of a difference. But he had said to hide…

In front of Father stood two men. They were wearing matching black cloaks with red clouds on them and matching hats. One was taller than the other, with blue skin. It was the shorter one who had said Father's name; staring at him from under the brim of his hat with red eyes.

Snickering, the blue-skinned man asked, "Relative of yours, Itachi?" He asked that question like it was a joke. I did not understand. Why would that be funny? Besides, the only family Father had was me, Itsuki, and Mother. Father said so himself.

The other man, this Itachi, did not answer. He did not blink; never looking away from Father. Father balled his hands into fists. "Itachi, you traitor", Father growled; sounding not like himself at all. "If Fugaku-Sama could see how far you've fallen-"

Whatever Father was going to say got cut off by the shorter of the two strangers. "Hisao, after all this time…. And you never returned to the village. You always were a coward". It felt like there was ice inside of me as the intensity in the air became thicker. A shiver shot up my spine. Village? What village?

The front door to our house creaked open, and I watched as Mother took one step outside; Itsuki peering over her shoulder. "Hisao!", Mother called fearfully. "What's going on? Who are these men? And where's-"

"Stay inside!" Father barked before Mother could finish. Mother developed an unhappy frown on her face. She often got the same expression whenever Father yelled at her. But this time she was scared enough to listen. Stepping back, she shut the door; taking herself and Itsuki out of the scene.

The blue man started snickering again. "Looks like your clansmen had time to revive your clan, Itachi".

"The boy is not mine. Leave them be", Father order in the voice that always made me sit up straighter. But it did not have the same effect on the two strangers.

The blue-skinned man folded his arms across his chest and said to Itachi. "We have time. If you want to finish what you started".

Sighing loud enough that I was able to hear it from my hiding spot, Itachi said, "I fear that I must". With a flick of his wrist two shurikens appeared in his hand; held between his fingers. Where was he carrying those? In his sleeve?

Father tensed as he widened his stance for a deeper defensive position. I bit my lip to keep from making any sounds. My eyes were starting to feel wet. But I could not cry. Crying was only tolerated if you broke a bone. Father turned his head in the direction of where my hiding spot was; revealing to me red eyes like the man holding the shurikens. But… Father's eyes were black. Like mine. Why…Why did they change? Red. It was all I could see. All I could focus on. Until, Father mouthed one word, "Run".

Her eyelids felt heavier than they should be. Manami noticed as she tried to keep herself from falling asleep at her desk. Manami had gone to bed late, and it had taken longer than normal to fall asleep since she was in a new place listening to new sounds; primarily Naruto's snoring. And then to have a dream like that. Though, it was more of a memory than anything else. One Manami did not freely choose to recall. But now that she had dreamt about it, the memory was on the forefront of Manami's mind. Red eyes. Red eyes. Red eyes.

"Hey! Where were you this morning?" Kouta asked as he took his seat next to her; his face flushed from whatever activity he and the others had been doing before the start of the school day. Kouta had waited for her so they could walk together; as they had gotten into the habit of doing. But eventually, he had to leave without her if he was going to make it in time. Then he hadn't seen her in the schoolyard and thought that Manami might not have come to school at all. But then, here she was; sitting in the classroom and looking like his dad after he came home from a long mission.

So, Tsume hadn't told him. Manami thought as she looked at the Inuzuka; refusing to let it hurt. Raising one hand to rub at her eyes, Manami answered, "The Hokage said I could not stay with Tsume-san anymore".

"What? Why?" Kouta asked with a frown. He liked having someone in the compound he could play with… well, a two-legged someone he could play with. All his other cousins were either too young or already fully initiated ninjas.

But Manami didn't have an answer for him. So, she shrugged as Shouhei, Akio, and Ryo filled in the row of seats in front of them. It wasn't like anything had been explained to her. All that had been said was that she was supposed to live with Naruto. It was just like Naruto's teacher, Kakashi, and how Naruto didn't want to talk about his red eye. Red eye. Red eye.

"That sucks", Kouta said as he slumped in the back of his seat. "You were just starting to become fun", he complained. But Manami wasn't really listening; her thoughts had pulled her from the present. Unknowingly, she grabbed the whistle hanging around her neck. Manami hadn't taken it off since Tsume had given it to her. "Whatever the reason is, it wasn't because Tsume-Sama didn't like you", Kouta commented once he saw what Manami was holding onto.

That broke Manami free of her thoughts, and she turned her head to look at Kouta.

Signaling to Kouta that he should elaborate. "That whistle's an Inuzuka thing. You wouldn't have one if Tsume-Sama didn't like you". Kouta explained as he moved his hand to pull out his own whistle on a chain that had been hidden by his shirt, pulling it away from himself for Manami to get a good look at it. "See? I have one too".

That made things a little better. Manami thought as she gripped her whistle tighter. Tsume had been telling the truth that it wasn't Manami's fault that she couldn't stay with her. Before Kouta could say anything else, or before Manami could ask him any questions, their attention was called to the front of the room. "Alright everyone", Iruka said; bringing all other conversations to an end. Manami was a little jealous looking at him. Iruka had been up as late as she had. Maybe even later, since she didn't know when he left the ramen stand. But Iruka didn't look tired at all. "Today, we will be reviewing what we have learned about chakra. Now, who can tell me…" And Manami settled down for another lecture her father had taught her a long time ago.

Until Iruka-Sensei started talking about something Manami had never heard of. "Now, let's review the transformation jutsu. Who would like to demonstrate?" Iruka-Sensei asked as he directed a relaxed smile around the room.

Transformation jutsu? What is that? For the first time in class, Manami sat up straight and put all of her attention on the front of the room. Finally, her thoughts were free of the mysterious red eye and everything her new guardian wasn't telling her. It gave Manami a shock that there was an academy-level jutsu that she didn't know. Since joining the academy, everything the class was learning were things Manami had been taught between the ages five and six. Her father had made sure of it.

From the front row, Izumi raised her hand, and Iruka-Sensei was prompt on calling her to join him at the front of the room. With her back to the class, Izumi raises her arms so her elbows are sticking straight out; probably forming hand signs. But which ones? Manami asked herself; feeling a bit agitated. There was no way there was a low-level jutsu she didn't know. Maybe they just had a different name of the jutsu in Konoha.

Hand signs complete, Izumi muttered, "transform" before a puff of smoke appeared. Once it cleared, another Iruka-Sensei stood in the place Izumi had been. Manami held her breath. So, that was the transformation jutsu. The name fit. But… but Manami didn't know it. And here she had thought her father had taught her more than the academy would ever be able to.

A few seconds later Izumi returned to her original form. "Good work", Iruka-Sensei said with a nod of approval. Beaming under the praise, Izumi returned to her seat; high-fiving her friends as she went. Meanwhile, Iruka-Sensei scans her class; looking for a victim.

Manami looked away from him. Not me. Please, do not pick me, she thought. But it didn't work.

"Manami", he called.

Manami cringed. Ever since Manami had punched Izumi, Iruka-Sensei has been paying more attention to the new girl. Her grace period was officially over and now Iruka frequently called on her in class; making her participate and ensuring she was listening to his lessons. If Manami had to, she'd describe the extra attention as annoying. Standing slowly, Manami started for the front of the room; ignoring Kouta cheering her on. She needed to tell Iruka-Sensei that she didn't know this transformation jutsu. But what if Izumi found out that Manami didn't know a jutsu she was reviewing? Showing weakness was not allowed. Her father had been strict about that. But now, Manami was being confronted by it, and it was unclear to the girl what her father would have wanted her to do in this situation.

Manami came to stop in front of Iruka-Sensei. It felt like every one of her classmates were staring at her as she tried to speak softly, "Iruka-Sensei, I do not know the transformation jutsu". Losing her nerve, Manami redirected her eyes to stare at her feet. Her father would have been so disappointed. "My father did not have time to teach it to me".

"No problem", Iruka-Sensei said. Manami flinched at how loud he projected; looking up at him with panic. The whole class can hear him! "I can teach you right now". Iruka-Sensei smiled at Manami with what he thought was a considerate and friendly expression. Manami interpreted it as something different. Something soft and pitying. She hated that smile.

Behind Manami, she heard the class break out in whispers. "She doesn't know the transformation jutsu?"

"But It's so easy".

"That's a first-year jutsu".

Manami's shoulders slumped as their words rang in her ears. "Quiet", Iruka-Sensei called out before he returned his focus on his newest student. "To do the transformation jutsu, you need to imagine what you want to change into. For your first attempt, it's best to use someone or something that you can see. So, I want you to try to transform into me. Then you'll need to form the ram hand sign and concentrate on spreading your chakra throughout your whole body".

Manami forced herself to take a deep breath; still feeling like everyone was staring at her. At least the jutsu sounded easy. It couldn't be more difficult than the replacement jutsu. Manami gave herself one moment to wish that her father had taught her this jutsu before she formed the ram sign. Taking in Iruka-Sensei's appearance, Manami starting building up her chakra and spreading it throughout her body; from her toes to her fingertips. She knew her chakra was responding to her directions when her whole body started to tingle. When Manami felt that she had built up enough, she whispered, "transform". A thin layer of smoke covered her. Just like it had with Izumi.

Other than the feeling of her chakra at work, Manami didn't feel any different. So, she didn't know if anything about her had changed until the smoke cleared and laughter erupted. The sound startled Manami, as her face burned. She didn't need a mirror to know that she must have done something wrong. And wrong it was. Manami's first attempt at the transformation jutsu made a copy of Iruka that was child-sized with girly attributes. As quickly as she could, Manami dispelled her chakra; canceling the jutsu. "Settle down", Iruka-Sensei order; his voice taking on a sterner air. "That was a good first attempt, Manami", he tried to assure the girl. "You just need to imagine your subject more". But… Manami thought she had been.

"How can she be in our class when she can't even do the transformation jutsu?" Izumi's gleeful voice cut through all the other noise in the classroom. Manami balled her hands into fists. "She should drop down a year". Causing a fresh wave of childish giggles to fill the room.

"Izumi!" Iruka-Sensei yelled unhappily as Manami dropped her chin to her chest and allowed her hair to cover her face. She spun on her heels without Iruka noticing. "That's not how we talk to each other in this class". Iruka kept his focus on Izumi long enough for the girl to clearly read the disapproval on his face. "Now, Manami", he said in a gentler voice. But when he looked back at where Manami had been standing, she was gone. Having already made it back to her seat. "Ummm….." Iruka vocalized as Manami plopped down next to Kouta, who gave her shoulder a hard pat in solidarity. "You can try again later", he said; deciding to let it go.

The trees flew by in green blurs as team Kakashi leaped from branch to branch. This wasn't the sort of mission they were expecting to receive, but now that it had been assigned, they were anxious to get started. Naruto was in the lead; driving the team forward to get to the sand village as quickly as possible. "Hang in there, Gaara", he grumbled to himself; irritated that he couldn't run any faster and that the allied village was so far away. When Naruto got his hands on those pesky Akatsuki members, he'd teach them not to mess with his important people.

"Naruto!", Sakura called from behind where she was keeping pace with Kakashi. "Stop running ahead. We need to stay in formation".

"But-" Naruto called over his shoulder to disagree. But he didn't finish; knowing she was right. A sudden thought washed over him that caused him to halt on the next tree branch.

Almost making Sakura run into him. Luckily she was able to jump over him at the last moment. Now on the branch in front of Naruto, she turned around. "Naruto!" She growled in complaint as Kakashi came to a stop on the same tree branch as Sakura. It was the slightly panicked expression on the blonde's face that had her reframing from yelling at him.

"I forgot to tell Manami", Naruto admitted as he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of Konoha. The kid was going to be fine, right? Old lady Tsunade had said he'd still be sent on missions. Surely, that meant Manami would know he wouldn't be around all the time.

Sakura slapped a hand to her forehead. Her teammate hadn't even been responsible for the girl longer than a day and he was already dropping the ball.

Naruto thought over this morning. He had made sure both of them woke up in time. The kid hadn't wanted to eat any instant noodles for breakfast, so he sent her to school. Had he said anything about getting a mission? Naruto couldn't remember. But Manami knew he was a ninja. So, she'd just know, right? Naruto's thoughts started to speed up the longer he worried. He hadn't left her any money for food. What if Manami refused to eat because she didn't like his instant ramen? Would she really be that picky? The Apartment! Had he locked the door when he left that morning? Manami didn't have a key. How was she going to get inside?

"Don't worry", Kakashi called; breaking Naruto out of his thoughts. He waited until the blonde was looking at him before continuing. "I took care of it", he assured his two students with a smile they couldn't see behind his mask. However, neither Sakura nor Naruto were put at ease by his assurance.

Students were filing out of the academy at the end of the day. Manami hung in the back with her head down as she followed Kouta and the other boys out into the schoolyard. Iruka-Sensei hadn't called on her the rest of the school day, but the damage had already been done. Manami still couldn't believe it. How could she not know a jutsu that everyone else in the class did? Now everyone was going to think that she was stupid or… or weak. And Manami didn't know what she should do about it.

"Anyone up for a game of freeze tag?" Akio asked as he looked around at his friends. His dad was away on a mission and his mom would be working late with her genin students. So, if he couldn't get anyone to play with him, his only option would be homework. And anything would be better than that.

"Sorry, man", Kouta said. "I got chores".

"Me too", Shouhei chimed in. "Maybe tomorrow".

Akio turned towards Ryo; hope dancing in his eyes. But Ryo shrugged and stated honestly and simply, "I don't want to".

For half a second, Akio visibly deflated before he remembered the newest member of their group. Spinning around, his eyes landed on Manami. "What about you?" He asked, pulling the girl out of her thoughts. "It doesn't have to be freeze tag", he offered; desperate at this point.

Manami looked up at the dark-red-headed spikey-haired boy. She shrugged but not with the same nonchalant ease as Ryo. Until yesterday, if Kouta had chores that meant she did too. But now that she wasn't living with the Inuzukas anymore, Manami supposed that meant she didn't have anything to do after school. And Naruto hadn't given her a time to be back when he told her to go to school that morning….

But before she could accept Akio's offer, Ryo interjected. "Hey, Manami. I think someone is looking for you". He said, jabbing a thumb in the direction of where the schoolyard connected with the street.

Standing at the entrance was one tall man decked out in green spandex. He had his hands cupped around his mouth to help his voice carry as he called out "Manami! Manami!"

For the second time that day, Manami's face burned. It was that man from the training field! The older one. Gai something. What was he doing here? Why was he looking for her? Self-preservation had Manami inching closer and closer to her friends until she was burying her face in Ryo's back with Kouta and Shouhei standing on either side of him; acting as additional shields. Only Akio didn't serve a purpose as he stared at the eccentric jonin. "Oh, I know him! He's friends with my dad", Akio exclaimed as he raised his arm and started to wave his hand excitedly in the air. "Hiya Gai-san! Over here".

Before anyone could point out to Akio that he wasn't helping matters, the green beast of Konoha was standing in front of the group of children; beaming like he was the sponsor of a toothpaste brand. Shouhei, Ryo, and Kouta had their mouths hanging open. So fast! Only Akio and Manami weren't affected. Akio because he was used to it, and Manami because she had refused to come out of her hiding spot. "Happy youthful day, Akio-Kun" Gai greeted the boy. "I'm looking for a girl about your age. Do you know someone named Manami?"

"Yeah", Akio was quick to answer, not reading the looks his friends were sending him at all. "She's right here". He said before pulling the only girl in their group out from behind Ryo.

"Ah", Gai exclaimed. "You're already friends. How youthful". He squatted so he was at eye level with the academy students; ignoring the looks he was getting from the other students on their way home. How long ago was it that Lee was this size? Gai missed those days. So, much youth. Gai locked eyes with Manami as he took in her flushed face. It must have been a lively day of training at the academy he noted. "It's good to see you again, Manami-chan. I've been asked to tell you that Naruto-Kun has been deployed on a mission and won't be back for some time".

Gai spoke fast. So, it took a few seconds for Manami to understand everything that had come out of his mouth. But when she did, Manami nodded once. Okay. It wasn't like there was anything she could do about it. Did that mean she was on her own? Or was she supposed to go back to Tsume's? She was okay with that. Really.

But Gai wasn't done that. "But worry not, I will look after you until Naruto-Kun comes home". Manami's stomach dropped. "It'll be fun! So, how about we and all your friends train together and I'll show you the wonders of being a splendid ninja".

Akio's eyes were sparkling. This was so much cooler than freeze tag! "I'm in!" He announced; earning another smile from Gai.

But he was the only one excited by the offer. "I'm out", said Ryo as he walked off without a second thought.

Casting apologetic eyes in Manami's direction, Kouta gave the same answer as he did before. "I have chores".

Placing a hand on Manami's shoulder, Shouhei said in a soft voice, "good luck", before he ran after Ryo.

When Gai was left with Just Akio and Manami he gave them a thumbs up to match his wide smile. "Let's go!" Manami was ready for this day to be over.