Chapter 35

An Ace in the Hole: The Toad Sage Returns!

Amaririsu Yūhi was quite the naïve girl. Quite naïve indeed. Out of all her little Leaf pals, Kabuto worried her keen eye might actually see through his little charade as if it were a genjutsu. The rest were easy pickings. Too egotistical to suspect a dangerous enemy masquerading as a weakling. Too oblivious and ignorant to the reality of shinobi life due to their pampered upbringings. Not Amaririsu Yūhi. To her superiors she was a unique, prodigious talent, bursting at the seams with rare potential few in a generation possessed. To Kabuto she was an unpredictable variable he had to adjust his calculations for.

Like Sasuke Uchiha, Amaririsu Yūhi experienced death and betrayal as a mere child. In that, they three were alike. Comparable to siblings, even. Death and betrayal bound them together closer than the Leaf's ridiculous Will of Fire, as did the interest of Orochimaru in their exceptional talents.

Amaririsu Yūhi differed greatly from Sasuke Uchiha, however; on a personal level, Kabuto preferred her amicable attitude over the boy's silent arrogance. She walked on his intellectual plane, which would have made her a pleasant conversational partner over experiments and intelligence gathering. She also did not let hatred blind her the same way Sasuke allowed it to narrow his vision from the bigger picture. Through Kakashi Hatake and Kurenai Yūhi, Amaririsu gained the wisdom to keep her vision unimpaired by something as childish as Sasuke's desperate need to avenge a Clan long gone.

That's why he was chosen, Kabuto thought. Lord Orochimaru can use Sasuke's childish impulse for revenge to control him.

Amaririsu was not infallible, of course. Kidnap one of her precious people and she would bend to Orochimaru's whim as if bowing her head to her precious Hokage. Connections were weaknesses to be exploited by enemies—a lesson she evidently had yet to learn. But why go waste so much effort choosing a target, kidnapping them, killing them without her knowledge and then using unscrupulous methods to break her willpower down to become a hateful servant when Sasuke was already a puppet waiting for someone to attach chakra strings to? They were on a timetable, after all. They couldn't risk too many distractions.

Mizuki's betrayal of the Leaf happened right before her eyes as well. Unbeknownst to the Leaf higher-ups, he was yet another of Orochimaru's pawns; a sacrificial pawn not even worth being called a pawn, in Kabuto's humble opinion. The overconfident failure, he couldn't even do the simplest job. Trick Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Sealing, frame him and escape with the Scroll back to Orochimaru. Instead he played around and ended up defeated by a young kunoichi who only earned her headband earlier that day.

Kabuto snorted, amused by Mizuki's pathetic loss. Only a fool underestimates a child of Uchiha and Nara blood. Mizuki got what he deserved in the end—locked up in one of the Leaf's secret prisons separated from the Village itself. How humiliating must it be for him to live knowing he failed Orochimaru because of a young girl. Hmph. How unfortunate for you, Mizuki.

Alas, despite her experiences, Amaririsu Yūhi hadn't seen through his façade one bit. She eyed him suspiciously, watched his mannerisms, dissected every tiny detail from the inflection of his voice to the motivations in his eyes. She's good, I'll give her that. Eyes and voice couldn't be so easily faked as mannerisms. Still, he had been at this game a lot longer than her; in the end all it took was a kind face, a smile and a Leaf headband for her to lower her guard.

An amateur's mistake. He sighed. "It can't be helped. You're still only a child, after all," he spoke out loud. "You haven't been a shinobi nearly long enough to know the truth: No one can be trusted. Enemies are everywhere, and all harbor ambitions for power. They're ruthless. Always ready to betray their so-called comrades for a taste of greatness. Although you have experienced that, you think the Leaf is so good and innocent."

The child didn't respond. She couldn't. The anesthesia from the surgery left her unconscious to the world around her, unaware of the dangerous shadow lurking in her room, closing in to pull her into eternal darkness.

"But there's a darkness in this Village just beneath the surface. Hidden from the sunlight you all crave standing in. It hasn't sniffed you out yet, but its eyes are everywhere. You better be careful. One wrong step and you'll attract its attention."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up and examined her. Her arms rested on top of the sterile white sheet covering her small body. Gone was the mesh long sleeve and tank top, replaced by a simple black shirt, allowing him to see in full detail the several scars lining the left arm. Such extensive damage. Those aren't the wounds of any blade; they're distinct, and the patterns are erratic. A Lightning Style jutsu. He smirked maliciously, not at her. He felt sympathy for her. Kakashi, his lips twisted cruelly. How does it feel to be responsible for her pain? And you call yourself her teacher, her protector.

His eyes flitted over to the bandana laid out on the tabletop next to her then to the scar over her left eye, the malicious smirk falling for neutral features once more. The scar from a day she'll never escape. It's like a Curse Mark, and will haunt her until her final breath.

Red irritation and light swelling around the left forearm caught his eye. Hm. Seems her opponent poisoned her in the preliminary rounds. He wondered if she won. Poisons were quite dangerous; the average shinobi, without medical help, was more likely to die than win a fight after it entered their system. Yet there was an even longer fresh cut near it. Had she tried to get the poison out of her system by opening the wound?

From what I learned during the Forest of Death, I wouldn't doubt it. She isn't skittish about blood, and her pain tolerance is higher than the average shinobi.

If she did try to get the poison out, that was some quick thinking in the moment. Based on the swelling and irritation existing hours after initial exposure, he could assume a few poisons were the culprit—all were fast acting and unbelievably painful.

Still, he didn't much care for a closer inspection on those wounds. His eyes were drawn to the right shoulder and the fresh bandages covering it. No doubt the Leaf surgeons fixed up the deep stab wound quite nicely. She's lucky for Mimi Inuzuka's intervention. Orochimaru intended to permanently weaken her; render her incapable of ever posing a threat to his plans, yet the Crows of the Leaf and the mutt interfered; even a genius of Orochimaru's caliber couldn't have anticipated those events.

Now they were here. Her an unresponsive corpse-to-be, him feeling pity for the poor thing. So young. So naïve. Had she not gained the attention of superior shinobi, she may have one day become one herself. What a waste of aspiring talent.

Strewn across the cold tile floor were the corpses of two members of the Leaf Anbu. They were meant to protect her from the likes of him. Of course they underestimated him. Why wouldn't they? He was just a weak spy, right? Unfit for real battles. Kabuto chuckled. Honestly, if they wanted to protect her from him or Orochimaru, they needed more than two measly Anbu agents.

Oh well. I won't complain about them making my task easier.

Orochimaru's orders couldn't be ignored. He wanted her out of the way, and so she had to die. "It's not your fault. This is the curse of our prodigious talents. It snatches the attention of people like Orochimaru, and once he sets his eyes on something, there's no stopping him from getting what he wants. Killing you is a mercy. If you only knew what he had in store for your pal Sasuke, you would understand."

She wouldn't even feel it. It'd be like passing away in a dream.

Kabuto pulled out his kunai; a sharp blade with a curved end. Stalking closer to the child, he raised the blade and prepared his strike. The Sound shinobi spun around and held his blade in front of him in defense of an attack. No attack came, yet the door he closed sat open.

"Hmph," he snorted. "I knew you wouldn't be far behind, Kurenai. Mother Bears don't stray far from their cubs."

No answer. Only unnerving silence and a distinct lack of presence from the Genjutsu Master. Kabuto's eyes flicked around the room, seeking out the presence of the enemy. This would be a tough fight. According to his Intel, Kurenai was only a few steps behind Itachi's genjutsu prowess, lacking only the Sharingan and the level of genius Itachi possessed. Still, even if she wasn't Itachi Uchiha, Kabuto knew he had to be careful. Genjutsu of her level wouldn't be undone by a single release. He would be fighting through layers of genjutsu if he didn't act fast.

"Hide in the shadows all you like. I still have all the cards in my favor." He moved his blade towards the throat of Amari. "Show yourself or she dies!" he offered the ultimatum with a sadistic smile on his face.

"How foolish to believe you hold all the cards."

Kabuto stiffened at the voice behind him. That voice did not belong to Kurenai Yūhi. He snapped around and jumped back a step, eyes widening at the sight of four crows perched on the hospital bed. He hadn't even sensed them enter, and yet…

"It can't be helped. You're only a child, after all."

A bead of nervous sweat trailed down his cheek. This isn't good.

"And Kabuto, when you move to kill Dearest Amaririsu, stay alert. It would seem she is under the protection of the Crows of the Leaf. You would do well to avoid a confrontation with them; otherwise you'll meet an untimely end. And that would be…disappointing for someone of your exceptional talents."

Kabuto heeded his master's warning, prepared for every possible delay and setback, yet he believed he would be able to sense their presence. I was careless. Kurenai would have been tough alone; these crows complicated matters significantly. And this feeling he had just by staring at the leader of the crows… She's exuding high levels of killing intent. His hand trembled without his consent. Just who is this child to you?

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Hmhmhm," the crow hummed in amusement. "You are quite frightened, Kabuto Yakushi. I can sense it." He did his best to hide his surprise at the knowledge of his name. "How do I know you? It is the next question you wish to ask, is it not, puppet of Orochimaru?"

The Crow's eyes glinted with mirth over his growing anxiety. "When you learned of our presence from your master, did you never question where we were in the final days of the Exam? Surely we wouldn't leave Young Amari's side after Orochimaru of the Sannin attacked her team."

Of course, he thought, gritting his teeth as he realized her point. "You allowed me to get close to them to gather Intel on me."

"A wise conclusion, young man."

Damn it, Kabuto cursed. I didn't regroup with Lord Orochimaru until after the Forest of Death. Had I known of their presence before, I would have used other means to gather Intel on Team Seven instead of the direct approach. He swallowed hard. Every move I've made has furthered their Intel beyond my own. This…This is why they're legends.

"Terrified?" she asked rhetorically. In her black eyes he could see she knew the answer. "Good. Good. You should be, puppet of Orochimaru. For blood will be shed today, only it will not be Young Amari's blood. It will be yours."

From the tile floor around him, tree branches sprang forth, coiling around his limbs and ensnaring him to a large tree. Kabuto's eyes bulged as he struggled to break free. Is this the First Hokage's Kekkei Genkai? But how?!

"You're finished, kid."

That was Kurenai Yūhi.

Kabuto never saw her, though. Flower petals covered his skin. Then, as if taken by a breeze, they started to fall off, starting at his fingers. But his fleshy fingers did not reveal themselves. His body had turned into flower petals. Every petal that fell off was like having his skin peeled back by a potato peeler. All he could do was scream until darkness consumed him.

Kurenai knelt down next to the prone form of the ash-haired shinobi known as Kabuto; she gripped her kunai tightly and kept it at the ready for a possible counterattack. To take down two of the Anbu without alerting the entire hospital…

This kid is no joke.

Few shinobi could pull this off so cleanly. Fewer of his young age. Victory seemed absolute; the genjutsu she used on him had taken down far more powerful enemies than him, yet to let her guard down for even a second meant certain death for her and her daughter. The two Anbu learned that the hard way. She wouldn't allow him a single opening. Orochimaru and his puppets touched one hair too many on Amari's head; they would not touch another.

This was the end of the line for Kabuto Yakushi.

Then it happened; like a light being shut off in the room, his chakra signature vanished completely. His body, and the bodies of the two Anbu, remained on the undamaged, cold hospital floor, lifeless. Yet the presence of Kabuto she sensed moments before no longer existed—the embers of his chakra extinguished by cold death.

What? Kurenai reached to his neck and checked his pulse. Nothing. Not a single beat left in the corpse. Immediately Kurenai started to piece together the mystery. It couldn't have been the genjutsu; the power behind it wasn't nearly enough to kill him. Which only left one real possibility…

"The Dead Soul Jutsu," she muttered. The technique temporarily reanimated a corpse through the use of chakra, and based on the identical appearance to the user, Kurenai had no doubt he used plastic surgery to create the perfect decoy. "Being the son of a Captain in the Medic Corps has its advantages."

The real Kabuto must be close by. She knew where without using her Sensory Abilities. "So, his real goal was Sasuke all along," she said, turning her head back towards the door. "Coming here was a diversion to split us up."

Unfortunately for Kabuto, Kakashi and her suspected as much when she sensed the similar chakra signatures coming from both rooms. The Copy Ninja was already there to handle him.

"In a manner of speaking," the Crow spoke. Kurenai nearly forgot they were there. She raised her red eyes to see the leader still perched on the bed above her—only the leader. Her companions had faded back into the shadows where even a Sensor Type couldn't feel them. "A far more likely conclusion is this: His goal was to eliminate Young Amari and capture Sasuke simultaneously, but his real body would be used to kidnap Sasuke on the chance you or I interfered here."

Kurenai hummed and stood up. She couldn't doubt the possibility. Kabuto made it clear he suspected her arrival as an eventuality.

"Mother Bears don't stray far from their cubs."

His decoy only had a taste of how sharp the Mother Bears claws could be. Should he ever personally try to touch her daughter again, he would find himself mauled by a very protective Mother Bear until all that remained was a disfigured corpse no one could identify.

The Crow cast one last glance to Amari then turned to leave out the window she entered.

"I don't know who you are, but thank you for protecting Amari from Orochimaru," Kurenai said, bowing her head to the Crow in gratitude.

The Crow hopped from the bed to the windowsill and stopped. "It is I who must thank you, Lady Kurenai," the Crow's soothing voice was softer. "When this child you owed nothing to lost everything she knew, it was not I who emerged from the shadows to raise her up and guide her. It was you. You owed her nothing, yet you gave her everything she ever wanted: A home. Love. Family. Guidance. Everything I was meant to protect, but failed to. You trained her and taught her how to stand on her feet again. Through your love and guidance, Young Haya regained her strength and stands tall once more, carrying the very best of her Clans and family in her heart.

"Be proud. Raise your head. She has become an excellent kunoichi and retains her purity because of you, for which you have my eternal gratitude."

"I…" Kurenai stumbled for words.

"Hm," the Crow hummed humorously. "I suspect you have many questions. Who am I, how do I know Young Haya, why do my agents and I protect her, where have we been all this time, perhaps even curiosity of our personal history."

"I do."

"Soon, Lady Kurenai, you will both see much more of me and come to know me by name." She turned her head to look back at the Genjutsu Master. "Until then, fair winds and farewell."

The Crow flew off without another word.

When Kurenai regrouped with Kakashi, she learned Kabuto had managed to escape by temporarily stopping his heart to hide as one of the two dead Anbu's in Sasuke's room. In total, the kid killed four Anbu without raising an alarm. Although they had successfully protected the children, both Jōnin came to the same conclusion: They had to become stronger. With someone like Kabuto around and Orochimaru targeting Sasuke and Amari, both shinobi had to kick it up a notch to keep these two and the Village safe.

They will not touch you again, little one. I promise.

Mimi trudged through a secluded, sterile white hall of the hospital, blue eyes downcast and hands stuffed into her sweater pockets. She felt cold. Hollow. Clinically dead even though her heart still pumped dully in her chest. None of her usual energy remained. No embers lingered among the ashes for her to grab hold of to reinvigorate herself. Even the ashes had cooled, submerging her into the cold depths of a dark ocean, where no light ever reached and the pressure crushed any hope of survival out of her.

Over her time on Team Guy, Lee and Tenten had become bright fires in her life. She swore to protect them, to heal them from any injury and keep them walking ahead on their chosen paths. She owed it to them for the happiness and light they brought to her life when she was so sure only her family could ever accept her. They inspired her to become a better person. Their kindness helped her to put the mask away and find joy in life again, just like her parents would have wanted her to.

Because of them and her family she learned to smile, grin and laugh heartily again. Yet the dark clouds blocked out the light of the sun, plunging her back into familiar darkness she didn't miss one bit. The Sand shinobi in their cruelty leapt at the chance to extinguish their flames, sneering as they sadistically stole the fires in their hearts.

I…I couldn't do anything.

No matter what, Lee's injuries were bound to be bad after his fight; that was the price of opening five of the eight Inner Gates to fight Gaara. What Gaara did to him at the end, though…

"His career as a shinobi is over."

Mimi missed a breath and her heart skipped a beat. She could still hear Lee's cry of agony as Gaara's sand crushed his leg and arm, but it wasn't nearly as loud as the sound of her heart shattering like a mirror when she watched her friend, despite all the internal damage the Fifth Gate put on his body, despite having his arm and leg crushed, despite being unconscious, still stand up to keep fighting, all to prove to everyone that he was a splendid ninja.

Lee…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Even medic-nins with more skill and experience than her couldn't perform the necessary surgery. The risks were too great. Without someone of Lady Tsunade's skill, Lee would die on the table without ever realizing his dream…and without the surgery his career was over. The one thing that mattered to Lee, the thing that motivated him and gave him purpose in this vast world was being robbed from him, and there wasn't a damn thing Mimi could do.

I couldn't even help Hinata. All she could do for the shy Hyūga girl was keep her stable long enough for real medic-nins to save her. All of her training, all of the hours spent studying and she couldn't even fix Neji's cruel attack. What's the point of a medic-nin who can't even heal her friends and comrades?

Tenten's injuries weren't severe compared to everyone else, but the loss to Temari did far worse to her mental state.

"Mimi…Remember when I managed to beat Guy-sensei with one leg and arm tied together behind his back? I was…I was so embarrassed when he forced me to sit on his feet as he walked on his hands through the Village, but I was also really glad. I had finally found my specialty. I tried for so long to be an exact copy of Lady Tsunade because she was my hero. I didn't have her physical strength, or her chakra control to use Medical Ninjutsu.

"I…I was jealous of your abilities for a long time. You were so far ahead of me and so much closer than I ever could be to following in Lady Tsunade's footsteps. I was happy to see you get better, but every time you did, I felt like I was falling farther and farther behind."

Those words hurt Mimi more than she could admit. She hurt Tenten. She made her feel worthless because she was chasing the same dream…only Tenten didn't have her talent with Medical Ninjutsu or a specialty of her own at the time. It was all unintentional, and she always tried to encourage Tenten to keep trying, yet she never saw the pain in her friend's eyes with every success she had.

"I even tried to stop Lee from fighting Neji because I started to believe we weren't geniuses like you and Neji. I was so sure hard work wasn't enough to match people with natural talent. Yet…Lee never gave up, and you kept trying to push me to follow my dream. You two inspired me to not to give up, and because of that I found something I was good at.

"Even though it was embarrassing sitting on Guy-sensei's feet with you and Lee walking beside us, you three were all so supportive of my new skills. You three told me I didn't need to be Lady Tsunade to become a legend; I could be the legendary ninja tool specialist. The very first one. I was so happy."

Mimi stopped walking and clenched her hands into fists, teeth gnashing together. A different fire was lighting inside of her. Not bright. Not full of warmth, but hot and painful. Flames as crimson as blood flickered to life; not smoke but poisonous gas rose from the flames and fed into her respiratory system.

"A ninja tool specialist…Who was I trying to kid. I put up a fight, but against real talent, I'm just…average. I'm nothing special like you and Neji."

The quiet hospital was disrupted by the dull thud of a fist colliding against a wall. Mimi inhaled deep breaths of rage, every breath filling her lungs with more and more of the poison. Her entire body began to quiver as the crimson flames began to intensify. How dare that Sand kunoichi make Tenten feel that way!

"Don't you dare put yourself down like that!" Mimi grabbed Tenten by her shoulders. "You can't let this single loss ruin all the hard work you've done! You are special Tenten. You're our ninja tool specialist and you're gonna become a legendary kunoichi. All we have to do is train more."

"Mimi…" Tears welled in her friend's eyes.

"You're not giving up. I'll train with you by using long distance ninjutsu until you can beat me without a handicap. And I'm going to fix Lee too. I'm the kunoichi who's gonna surpass Lady Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu prowess after all. So don't you quit on me. We're gonna get stronger and we're gonna get Lee back on his feet in no time. Trust me."

The tears spilled over and her friend buried her face in Mimi's chest as she embraced her tightly. "I- I won't give up! I promise!"

Mimi wrapped an arm around her and rubbed circles on her back, tears welled in her own eyes. She hated seeing people close to her cry. It stung her heart awfully, but she refused to cry. Her pride wouldn't allow it. "I'm gonna make this right. I swear."

Mimi slammed her fist against the wall again as two hot tears burned down her cheeks from all the volatile emotions exploding within her. The crimson flames exploded into an inferno and turned her pupils to slits. "Aoko, we're gonna fix everything. And we're gonna gut those bastards for what they did to Lee and Tenten!" she growled, vicious and full of rage.

"If that is your wish, then we will see it done. I'll be at your side. Always," her companion rumbled.

"Thank you."

Three Days Later

Doctors were troublesome, Amari decided. Apparently she had a month to train for the finals, where she would be facing the toughest competitors of the Exams, and the doctors outright forbade her from participating in all types of physical training for an entire week. The way they ordered it felt more like they were forbidding her from entering the adult section of a bookstore, going so far to tell her mother every single troublesome detail until Amari was shrinking under her red gaze.

If there had been any chance for leniency, it died a horrifying death via genjutsu in that moment. The whole meeting was a drag. Sure, they only wanted to ensure she healed properly with no further complications, but this was a huge event she had to train for. Everyone else would have an extra week of training on her, perhaps creating a gigantic ravine of power between her and them. This wasn't the time for rest. This was a time to kick it up another level and get stronger!

"No training, Amari. Yes, I know, I'm a troublesome adult, but you're not out of the woods yet with these injuries. You need to, and will, give your body the time it needs to recover properly."

Amari knew her mother and the doctors had her wellbeing in mind. It just really sucked to be benched, especially when she was set to face Mimi in the final round of the first set of matches. The person she wanted to fight most, who already walked ahead of Amari by several long strides, was going to be training harder than ever for the finals.

What little ego Amari had wanted to claim it was for her sake, but the Nara knew better than to believe it. Mimi would be training harder, not for their fight, but to crush Amari quickly and then take all of her rage out on Temari—who the winner of their fight would have to face no matter what due to the way the tournament chart was set up.

Sakura told her everything about the final two rounds of the preliminaries, as well as the way the finals were set up. Before her fight with Hisashi, Temari cruelly hurt Tenten because her inflated ego was bruised. After it, Gaara critically injured Lee by crushing his arm and leg with his sand techniques, and he would have killed him if Guy did not intervene.

This was no longer about a promotion or the finals to Mimi. It was about doing everything possible to destroy those who hurt the people close to her. Amari hadn't even seen Mimi since the preliminaries to gauge her attitude but she knew those words to be true.

I would feel the same way.

The tournament chart, dictating the order of the fights, started the first round with Naruto fighting Neji. In the second round Sasuke would fight Gaara, Shino followed in the third against Kankurō and Shikamaru had Dosu in the fourth. With the odd number of combatants, Temari's position left her waiting for whoever won the final round between the two Leaf kunoichi's.

She was a piece of meat being hung over an alligator enclosure at feeding time. Mimi smelled the blood of the live meal hanging over her head, and knew the best way to get to it was by using Amari as a stepping stool to reach it. If she thinks I'm just going to let her pass me by, then she has another thing coming.

This was their chance to finally face each other one on one. Amari had been waiting eagerly for the chance to fight her again without interruptions or others to get between them. Amari couldn't ignore it or let it pass her by like a shooting star across the night sky. She was going to train even harder than before and snatch this opportunity while it was in front of her.

After all, a Nara and Uchiha never wasted opportunities.

At least they let me leave the hospital, Amari conceded. Her right arm ended up back in a cloth sling, and her right knee had a black brace around it under her shorts, but it was better than being cooped up in the hospital. Hospitals were a drag.

As soon as the week of waiting was over, she would jump back into physical training with even more fervor than usual. Sakura volunteered to be her sparring partner so they both could keep improving their skills. Apparently even Ino was considering joining them. Amari didn't mind. Her dream was to become a sensei anyway, so why not start learning now? Whether or not the Yamanaka would appear at all still hung in the air on a precarious edge. Ego, of course. Also not Amari's problem. It was in Ino's hands to choose if her ego was worth getting surpassed by Sakura.

Her first stop of the day, after checking out of the hospital, had been meeting Kakashi at their usual meeting spot—the bridge with the two Torii's. He was, surprisingly, on time for once.

"Are you feeling okay, Sensei? You're not late today," she had quipped.

"Being late is a matter of perspective. I arrive exactly when I mean to."

"With an excuse about being late?"

"Heh, good point."

The pair spoke of his plans to train Sasuke. Amari had assumed as much. Unlike her, Sasuke needed Kakashi to train him for Gaara. From what she heard of Lee's and Gaara's fight, the Sand shinobi was on a level of tough her teammate wasn't prepared for. Lee's incredible speed kept him safe from Gaara's sand for most of the fight, making it impossible for his sand shield to protect him or for his attacks to grab Lee.

Quite frankly, Sasuke wasn't nearly as fast in reaction speed or physically as Lee or Amari were. He desperately needed to fix that in this month and learn a ninjutsu that could defeat Gaara, because taijutsu alone wasn't going to cut it. While Mimi wasn't a pushover—her strength and skill were superior to Amari's—she wouldn't kill Amari either. Gaara would kill Sasuke without blinking.

Had she or Naruto been chosen to fight Gaara instead of Sasuke, Amari had no doubt Kakashi would be taking them away from the Village to train. Since that didn't happen, Kakashi lined up two trainers for her; one she knew, the other someone she had yet to meet.

"I spoke to Shikaku. He wants to train you another Clan technique tomorrow and hear about those Shadow Dragons you used. He sounded intrigued. When you aren't training with him, you'll be training with another shinobi. He isn't someone you know, but I'll let Shikaku provide introductions. He's the one who will be teaching you the jutsu I mentioned during the preliminaries."

"Oh? How come you can't teach me it?"

"I only know of the technique. I don't possess the skill to use it, but I believe, given time, you will. We do not expect you to learn this in a month. It's not meant to help you win your match. This technique is meant to help you escape the likes of Orochimaru on the chance I or another Jōnin can't reach you in time." Kakashi's eye left her and stared at the concrete bridge, troubled and uncomfortable. "He let you four live. Without the Crows, you'd have lost your Sharingan, maybe even your life. Had he decided neither of you were worth his Curse Mark, he may have killed all four of you, and there wouldn't have been anything you could do to stop him."

"…I know."

Kakashi shook his head. "There's no telling when he plans to strike again, but he will. That is absolute. He left the Curse Mark on Sasuke for a reason, and it's not a diversion from a real goal. It's a part of his overall scheme." Her sensei sighed deeply. "Hopefully you guys won't need this technique anytime soon. Should all go well, you guys won't ever have to fight him again. In the meantime, I want you to give this technique your best try, Amari. Even when it gets frustrating and you feel like you're never going to be able to do it, keep trying. The reward is well worth it."

"Come on, Sensei," she giggled and smiled at him, "you know I never give up no matter how troublesome something is. That's why I ended up in the hospital, remember?"

Kakashi chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Good point. Though let's try to make your trips there less frequent."

"I know I know. I already got that lecture from Mom. Don't need a repeat."

After learning he contained Sasuke's mark and that Naruto's new trainer took care of his problem, Amari informed him of her plan to teach Naruto about the Byakugan blind spot. He agreed but warned her to not push herself physically.

I know more about Neji's fighting style and Byakugan than anyone else who isn't his teammate or a Hyūga. He needs every edge he can get to beat that jerk.

The pair departed after a final farewell.

"I don't know if I can do anything to help with Sasuke's training, but if you need me—"

"I'll come find you." Kakashi eye smiled at her. "Don't worry."

So began her journey to find Naruto. Rather than starting in the Village, she went to the training fields and outskirts in search for him. Along the way she thought of the memory of her family awakened during her match with Hisashi. Their voices still whispered in her ears, calling to her, asking her to remember their faces and names once more. She tried. She closed her eyes and reached out into the shadows of lost memories, seeking out the parents and cousin she wanted and feared remembering. Past memories brushed against the tips of her fingers like an old box hidden in her attic, always out of reach because someone else placed it there, beyond her arm length and out of visual sight.

Cousin, Mama, Papa…I miss you, she whispered affectionately in the safety of her mind. I can feel the ghosts of our bonds in my heart. I'm…I'm afraid of remembering you three, though. I get cold inside. I begin to feel…empty, like a bowl without ice cream in it. It's…it's really going to hurt, isn't it? Remembering you three? Those gaps I've lived with in my memory will become holes in my heart, shattering it into pieces because I'm still here…and you're not anymore.

Amari's hands began to tremble. It's enough right now to have you in spirit with me, always, but I don't know if it will be when I remember your faces, your smiles or the happiness we once had. Will I- will I even be able to move on? I've…I've only been able to walk forward because there was nothing left behind me. But what happens when my past returns? Will I be able to keep walking forward, traveling farther away from all of you? Or do I turn back, leaving behind what has made Amaririsu who she is to become Haya once more? Who…who will I be when Haya's world collides with Amaririsu's?

As the anxiety started to take hold, Amari recalled powerful words of her sensei.

"No matter how much it hurts, know that you will not have to shoulder the burden alone. This team, Kurenai, even lazy Shikamaru will be here to support you when or if that day ever comes. Never forget that."

She wouldn't.

Amari finally found Naruto's chakra near a riverbank on the outskirts of the Village, far away from the densely populated center. A tranquil stream passed through the area, shrubbery and scattered trees concealed his chosen training grounds with a small forest a short jaunt away; adjacent to his location was a tall waterfall, quiet from a distance but no doubt crashing loudly into the stream below it. With Naruto was another man; a man who had long white hair and powerful chakra.

Whoever he is, he's incredibly strong.

Amari hopped up onto a tree branch to analyze the situation. She rested her left hand against the rough bark of the tree trunk and knelt onto her left knee, eyes scanning over the area from beyond their line of sight and ability to sense her. Naruto appeared to be training hard. At this distance, though, she couldn't tell what jutsu he was working on. No matter, she'd find out soon enough.

Through her Byakugan eye she could see his attempts to build chakra in large amounts, and within his chakra network the red and blue chakra flowed normally once more. Her eye moved from her friend to his trainer, who crouched nearby, spying through a dense bit of shrubbery with a binocular telescope on a bunch of civilian women playing in the water next to the waterfall. Women, she might add, who wore swimwear and clearly came out here to enjoy themselves without some pervert spying on them.

Whoever he is, he corrected what Orochimaru did. I should thank him for that. Her right eye squinted in irritation. But he's peeping on those women down there.

Amari was grateful, yet she also wanted to bash him along the head for being a pervert. It was a strange concoction of emotions. Her sensei read pervy books in public. He giggled, too, which always weirded her out. But at least he kept his perversion to himself. Kakashi didn't go around spying on women in as little clothing as possible. He met their eyes with respect. Never had she caught him trying to sneak a peek at their chest or butts.

This lecherous pervert was on a different level of perversion. Unlike the closet pervert Ebisu, this guy didn't even try to hide it. Probably held pride in his perversion, too.

And he's training Naruto. The man needed a warning from Amaririsu Yūhi, one he would never forget so long as he lived within vicinity of her.

She stood up as Naruto let out a frustrated shout and began pointing and yelling at the other ninja. Well, here's hoping I can convince them both to let me teach him something. But first…

Jiraiya's cheeks burned hot enough to cook eggs; his lips split in a wide, lecherous smile as he watched the three gorgeous young ladies playing in the water. Oh yes, this was an excellent place to do his research for his next novel! These three ladies provided the perfect material and inspiration he desperately required to get through his writers block.

"And you're just sitting their peeping on women!" the brat ranted and raved about…something.

Who cared? The kid would work his way through it, and Jiraiya would tag along more often if this was how training with him was going to be. Pretty ladies, perfect scenery and… "Ohohoho! Perfect!"

Plenty of research would be finished by the end of today!

To be fair, he hadn't intended to stumble into the kid so soon. Sure, he did want to eventually do the whole face to face meeting and give him some training, but he hoped to complete his research for his new book first. One must have priorities, and Jiraiya had his—oh, so voluptuous, so fit, and those legs! He expertly wiped the fresh blood from his nose and chuckled quietly. Anyway, he had his ducks in a row already. Research and ladies first. Training a Genin second.

It couldn't be helped. Meeting the kid happened too soon, so he would have to multi-task. This was the curse of the writer, to always be thinking of the project at hand and new ideas for novels yet to be written regardless of what was going on. Jiraiya learned to tap into the well of inspiration the muses had gifted him with through his research. Taking the time to research always plowed through his writers block faster than an Akimichi plowing through a barbecue buffet.

Still, his sacred research, his illustrious time spent around the half-naked muses as they poured onto him wisdom few men dared to seek, had been interrupted at the bathhouse. What…wisdom he gained wasn't even enough for a single paragraph.

They just had to go and interrupt, didn't they?

They was an inclusion of both Ebisu and Naruto.

Upon returning to the Leaf on a lead after a certain organization, he took time to check on the boy to ensure he was getting some decent training done. The kid was apparently in the finals against some Hyūga prodigy. He'd need to take this month seriously if he hoped to actually win. Ebisu, he figured, was a good match for the kid. Fundamentals were one of Naruto's weakest areas from what he heard. Most shinobi overlooked the importance of them—Jiraiya sure had, for a time.

Ebisu specialized in training elite shinobi. It was his specialty, in the same way baby-faced Ibiki specialized in torture. Naruto would need to put away his pride and accept the help offered, then he would be able to learn a lot from Ebisu. It took some doing, but Ebisu finally got the stubborn kid to shut his mouth and listen—a tremendous feat to be sure.

Satisfied, Jiraiya headed off to seek the guidance of his half-naked muses, for he could hear their siren cries, their tantalizing promises of inspiration too much for him to ignore. What no man could have anticipated was Ebisu's training accidently tracing his path to the bathhouse, although for not nearly the same noble purposes as Jiraiya's. Ebisu planned for Naruto to practice the Water Walking Technique on the scalding hot water spring outside of the bathhouse.

In hindsight it was an obvious destination. Ebisu clearly wanted to work on Naruto's poor chakra control. By having him practice on a boiling hot spring, Naruto either learned fast or turned into a boiled toad. Frankly, chakra control was a mandatory objective for the kid. There was no nice way to put it: Naruto's control was severely lacking. Climbing trees without being attacked was one thing; controlling your chakra on shifting waters as you face an overwhelming enemy was an entirely different achievement.

To his credit, the Toad Sage could tell the kid had been working on it. He made mentions of a girl named Amari to the Special Jōnin and the lessons she taught him. Some of the things Naruto spoke of surprised the Toad Sage. Tree Climbing and Water Walking Techniques he understood a Genin understanding, but Yin and Yang Release? Nature and Shape Transformation? Most kids had no idea what those words even meant.

By his voice, Jiraiya could sense a lot of familiarity between Naruto and the girl. Friends or comrades. For some those were as opposite as Yin and Yang were; he had yet to figure out where they fell on the spectrum.

After knocking out Ebisu for interrupting his research, and subsequently being coerced into training Naruto by the kid himself, Jiraiya took the time to dig up Intel on the rest of Kakashi's team. Quite the group he has. Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Amaririsu Yūhi.

Now Jiraiya was the curious kind of person. When something wasn't life threatening, he liked to learn the answers to his questions on his own instead of being handed the answer. It made learning the information more rewarding. He knew of the Yūhi's, knew Kurenai's father and of the woman herself. Their red eyes were a dominant gene and did not match the child's onyx eye. And the picture he saw of Amaririsu, something about her struck him as familiar. As if seeing an old acquaintance after many long years.

Digging deeper, he learned quite the interesting twist to Amaririsu Yūhi's origins—she was not a Yūhi by blood. Kurenai adopted an orphan Amaririsu after finding her alone, holding onto a dead friend she hadn't been able to save close to an orphanage near the Leaf. Okay, so maybe he had to ask Kakashi about the girl. His digging without help came back emptier than his pockets after a night with the ladies. No information existed around her origins, which only intrigued him further.

"Amari is descended of the Nara Clan and Uchiha Clan."

Jiraiya couldn't hide his shock at that. Most Uchiha wouldn't dream of having a partner outside of the Clan. It was practically sacrilegious. Inter-Clan marriages usually happened for political purposes only. Otherwise the Uchiha preferred their bloodline to be pure, untainted by any Clan they believed was lesser than theirs—which happened to be all of them to the hardliners.

"Huh, an Uchiha and a Nara. That's quite the combination."

Why did it feel so familiar? Why did it create an itch on his brain he couldn't reach and scratch?

Still, this Amaririsu did her best to help Naruto understand the concepts and importance of chakra control. Naruto had two distinct problems—three if you included his impatience. First was his very large chakra supply. The larger the supply, the harder it was to control every drop of chakra. Second wasn't anything to do with his skills or his chakra supply.

Despite staring at such gorgeous women and their lovely…

"Hehehe!" the Toad Sage giggled. Incredible!

Despite that, he felt his features turn serious. The tampered Seal on Naruto's stomach disrupted his chakra heavily; crude in its creation, so very similar to Orochimaru's heart. By using the Five Pronged Seal Release, Jiraiya was able to remove it and rid him of his chakra disruption. Soon after Naruto could walk on water.

Those events happened over the last two days. Now he had the knucklehead working on the Summoning Jutsu. His attempts were…frustrating. The kid wasn't slacking. He was putting a lot of effort into learning the jutsu, but he was summoning tadpoles instead of frogs.

Tadpoles.

If he had managed to summon a small frog, Jiraiya wouldn't be so upset. But tadpoles?

How the gallant Jiraiya's protégés had fallen.

Naruto simply couldn't access the large chakra supply of the Nine-Tailed Fox that was needed to perform this jutsu—Jiraiya's main objective in teaching him. If Naruto was going to survive in the future, he had to be able to access the Nine-Tailed Fox chakra without allowing it to take him over.

There was still time before anything of that magnitude as far as he knew, and in that time he was going to take the boy under his wing. Jiraiya sighed and lowered his telescope. His mind was getting a bit ahead of itself. They were only on the third day of training. He would figure out all of those things when he wasn't in the middle of his research.

He felt a larger surge of chakra than what Naruto had been pulling off so far behind him. Hm? Had the kid finally got a frog to appear?

"So, have you gotten it down yet?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder.

There was no frog, but there was no tadpole either. There was a girl standing with her back to Jiraiya, right arm in a cloth sling and a knee brace underneath her black shorts. She wore a loose fuchsia top a few sizes too big for her small frame and a normal mesh long sleeve underneath. The pointer and middle finger of her left hand were planted on Naruto's forehead.

"Amari?" Naruto questioned the sudden appearance.

"Looks like you've been busy, Naruto."

Blue hair flowed with the coming of a breeze, naturally wild and untamed. Her posture was straight despite the sling. Pride. Confidence. An Uchiha through and through.

She's quick, Jiraiya noted. Her short stature didn't limit her speed at all. If she ever hits a growth spurt, longer legs will give her even greater speed.

An affectionate grin tugged onto Naruto's face. "Hehehe! You bet I have! We both have to train so we can meet in the final rounds of the Chūnin Exams!" He took in the sling and brace a moment later. "Oh, hey, are you still going to be able to train? The surgery and poison isn't going to take you out of the Exams, are they?"

Genuine concern. Seems these two were closer to friends than comrades.

"Nope, I'm still in. Just have to wear these stupid things and not train for a few more days then I'll be back to training. It's all a drag, really, but it can't be helped. Already got a lecture from Mom and a warning from Kakashi-sensei to not train. Troublesome adults."

I wonder what she's doing here. He wanted to get to the bottom of it quickly and assess the girl. If she could become a powerful ally for Naruto when she was older then he wanted to find that out now. As Amaririsu grew older, her Sharingan—when or if she unlocked it—would become more powerful. Because of what was locked away in Naruto that would make her a powerful ally or a dangerous enemy.

He intended to keep a close eye on which she turned into.

Jiraiya took on a sarcastic tone and let his lips curl up into smirk. "Hey kid." Naruto looked around Amari to him. "Next time you summon a girl, try to make her a little older or like that Sexy Jutsu of yours. Okay?"

The boy of the duo growled in frustration. Then his features shifted again from frustration to fearful and slightly amused. Jiraiya noticed the slight twitch in the Uchiha, though he wasn't sure what to make of it yet.

"Naruto, who is this pervert peeping on women as they play in swimwear?" Her voice was steady, yet it alone sent an unnatural chill sprinting down Jiraiya's spine.

"Pervy Sage? I don't know. He calls himself a Mountain Toad Sage. Master Jiraiya or something."

"Master Jiraiya huh?" He nodded to the girl. "Jiraiya, as in of the Sannin?"

So unlike my new pupil, she actually recognizes my name. Maybe he should take her under his wing instead.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Wow."

She sounded equally impressed and in disbelief due to the current circumstance she found him in. Jiraiya had to admit, it wasn't a great first impression. Naruto's Sexy Jutsu proved he wasn't bothered by a little perversion. He was a boy and on the verge of being a teenager. Jiraiya remembered how he was at that age; obviously the kid had an interest in getting a closer look at the finer gender. Amaririsu, however, was a member of said finer gender who wouldn't find his research amusing or shrug it off so easily.

"Hold on, so you're telling me Pervy Sage is one of the Legendary Sannin?" She nodded this time. The blond furrowed his brow, a disbelieving frown forming on his face. "The guy who authors those pervy books Kakashi-sensei reads is also as strong as Orochimaru? You've gotta be kidding me! How is that even possible?!"

"He authored Make-Out Paradise and Make-Out Violence?"

Another chill bolted down his spine hearing that tone. The tone that haunted his dreams for months after Tsunade caught him peeping on her…and beat him to the first and only near death experience he ever had. Oh no, he worried. I have to get this conversation as far away from my research as possible.

"Yeah and he calls peeping research."

"All right, that's enough about me and my research." He stood up and began walking towards the two. "So, who are you young la—"

"Research?" Amari repeated the word, her distaste dripping off the word. "Master Jiraiya, while I respect your strength, legend and what you did for Naruto…"

Her words brought him to an abrupt halt. Jiraiya furrowed his brow. How does she know about that? Without looking at the seal on his stomach, this girl somehow knew he had fixed it.

"If you turn Naruto into a huge pervert and he starts doing the Sexy Jutsu more often…"

She turned her head to look at him over her right shoulder. One red eye met his and then the area around him grew dark. Genjutsu, he realized immediately. His worst skill. Jiraiya's body moved on its own, being forced into a seat, strapped in and turned around to face a clone standing utterly still. Above him was a giant Amaririsu Yūhi, blue hair spread out behind her as multiple dragon heads and necks whipping about.

For a brief moment, his memory played a trick on him, turning the blue of her hair red, reminding him of a frightening woman he once knew.

The giant Amari cracked her knuckles, eyes blood red—the very definition of terror. As he sat there, gulping in fear and doing his best not to cry out in horror, the giant Amari proceeded to pummel the other him into the ground until he wasn't even recognizable by his handsome looks or white hair. All that remained of the gallant Jiraiya was a smear on her knuckles.

Everything returned to normal suddenly. Jiraiya felt sweat bead on his forehead as he gulped in fear, the chill shooting up and down his spine like an electrical circuit. Her red eye was solid onyx again, but in it he could see the other him still being crushed over and over again, for all eternity.

"I hope we understand each other," she said tersely.

Jiraiya gulped again and nodded rapidly.

Both kids broke out into a fit of giggles and laughter at his expense, the little brats.

"You should have seen your face, Pervy Sage!" Naruto cackled.

Why do I always meet the violent girls? The complaint became a rather sad whine. Jiraiya exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. What I'd give to have a few minutes with a nice, pretty young woman. One without a quick temper or prone to violence.

"Your skill with Genjutsu is impressive, kid. I'll give you that," he said instead.

This time Amaririsu smiled at him. She turned and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Master Jiraiya." He regarded her carefully. Just like her picture, she wore a purple bandana over her left eye. Was she emulating Kakashi like that kid on Guy's team? Or was there more to it than that?

I can sense a power behind it. He wondered what it could be.

"I'm Amaririsu Yūhi."

"Yūhi, huh? I don't recall Kurenai having a child. You also hold the Sharingan."

She nodded to his unspoken question. "I was adopted by her." Upfront and honest there. Could she tell he knew the answers already? Or did she see no sense hiding information from him? Amaririsu looked over her shoulder to Naruto. "You helped Naruto by undoing what Orochimaru did."

There it was again. Knowledge she shouldn't have without seeing the sealing work. Could her Sharingan see the two chakras so keenly? It has three tomoes. And her genjutsu was impressive. How strong is her visual prowess, I wonder. Is she anywhere near Itachi's level or Kakashi's yet?

More questions he would seek the answers to in time.

She turned back to him wearing a serious expression. "You've earned some of my trust. My father was an Uchiha and my mother a Nara. I do not know how I survived the massacre. I woke up in an orphanage outside of the village and then was relocated here after…I screwed up."

Amaririsu's features fell in sorrow. He felt for the girl. Losing a friend was never easy, especially when they died in your arms. She carries a burden of guilt with her. Jiraiya understood that, too.

"Either way, I came here, graduated and was put on Team Seven with Naruto. I'm actually here because there is something I need to teach him." Jiraiya raised one of his eyebrows in question. The look left her uncomfortable, eye falling to her toes. So, there was a limit on what she would tell him. "It's…honestly something only I can teach. There is a way for me to teach him without him having to stop training if you'd both be willing to hear me out."

The Uchiha took a step to the side to look them. Both nodded. Jiraiya mostly wanted to see what this girl planned to teach the kid and how she planned to teach him without stopping his training.

"Naruto, have you ever noticed when your Shadow Clones dispel that everything they go through you experience?"

So she knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu as well. She definitely had the chakra for it from what he could tell, although it was nowhere near as much chakra Naruto had within him.

The boy brought his hand to his chin in thought. "I can't really remember. Most of the time I use them we're too busy fighting that I don't really notice anything different."

The kunoichi sighed. "Okay, create a clone." They both created clones simultaneously. She turned to her clone. "Take him far enough away that we won't hear you. Tell him something then dispel yourselves."

They nodded and walked off, the blond of the duo resting his hands behind his head as he strolled along. Interesting plan, Jiraiya thought as he watched the two clones walk away. By using a Clone, Naruto will be able to continue the training I have him doing all the while learning what she wants to teach him.

I'll also be able to find out what she plans to teach him. He was curious. There was an array of things he did not know about the girl, things he wanted to learn for Naruto's safety. Again he felt the itch on his brain, bothering him as he tried to mentally scratch it to remember why she felt so familiar. I swear I've seen her face before. Everything about Amari's facial structure and proud posture prodded the pervert. The only thing missing in this puzzle was that out of reach itch he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Asking her would be useless since she didn't seem to trust him fully. She gave him the short version of her past, and that was fine. Eventually he would find out if she hung around Naruto a lot, and maybe the kid would tell him. All it would take would be a few jokes about liking her to get his loud mouth flapping.

The two clones in the distance dispelled and Amari let her gaze fall onto her teammate. The exchange of information is instantaneous for her. Naruto didn't react at first, clearly unused to paying attention to this particular detail of the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Then his eyes bulged. "You're going to teach me Neji's weakness." Excitement filled the boy. "Whoa, that is so cool! Is this how you learn so fast Amari?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "No. I've only started doing this recently, and even then I have to be really careful. The mental and physical fatigue could do serious harm to me if I use too many clones at the same time. I also don't have your reserves. But you have to promise me you won't use this as some sort of way to cheat out of hard work. Even with your amount of chakra, you could seriously hurt yourself. This perk of the Shadow Clone Jutsu can turn into a setback easily if you're not careful."

"I promise, Amari."

"Good," Amari nodded. "Okay, create another clone and I'll take him with me. If it becomes too strenuous, dispel it immediately. Okay?"

"Don't worry, kid. I'll keep a close eye on him," Jiraiya said.

While part of her seemed to want to nod and believe him, the corner of her lip turned up into a smirk. "Somehow I think you're research will get in the way." Jiraiya's head fell in defeat. "I also like to make sure he understands for when he doesn't have someone looking after him."

Her plan was a good one, he begrudgingly admitted, although turning his research into the butt end of another joke wasn't great.

Naruto created a clone then sent it off with Amari to go train in a more private area.

Of course to be inconspicuous about wanting to see what they were doing, Jiraiya returned to his research. Or he tried to. When he pulled out his binocular telescope to find his pretty muses, all he found was another Amari; she sat crossed legged on the surface of the water, alone, her red eye piercing right into his telescope.

Jiraiya wailed in terror and fell back onto his butt, scooting back and away from the bush as if seeing Tsunade charging right for him. The terror vanished for indignant rage. That little trickster! She distracted me from my research and had a Shadow Clone go scare the ladies off!

How could she be so inconsiderate?! Didn't she realize the importance of his research to write best-selling novels like Make-Out Paradise? No, of course she didn't. She was still too young to understand the true literary depth of his books. And you know what, she was probably too much of a prude too! But she wouldn't be able to stop him. No way! He was Master Jiraiya of the Sannin! He wasn't some little pervert. He was a big one!

After swearing an oath to finish his research no matter what, Jiraiya temporarily departed from the original Naruto on the excuse of ensuring his clone wasn't causing too much noise to disrupt the ladies below. The ladies who Amaririsu Yūhi scared off. Little twerp. But Naruto didn't need to know his real goals.

When he finally found them, Jiraiya hid himself in a bush to watch, listen and learn everything he could. In an open clearing among the trees stood a clone of the girl, staring up at the clouds in the sky while Amaririsu and Naruto stood a few feet away from her. Both Amaririsu's had their hair tied back by a hairband in the classic Nara fashion. Her bandana didn't seem to be covering her eye anymore, though he couldn't see for sure from his position.

"Now remember what I taught you. Neji will have trained to keep you out of his blind spot and won't make it as easy as I have so far."

"All it takes is for him to turn his head and body a little to see me, right?" Naruto asked.

"Right. You don't want to foolishly flaunt your knowledge or waste an opportunity knowing this could give by attacking at it too soon. For all his skill, he can't get around the Byakugan blind spot and that infuriates him. Don't let this small advantage give you a big head, though. He's good. There's no denying it."

"But his arrogance blinds him?"

Amari nodded. "Yes. In battle and out of it." She rested her hand on his shoulder. "I know you'll beat him and prove what he says about failures remaining failures wrong. You've done it so far and you'll continue to do it. I'm only sorry I can't be there fighting side by side with you."

This kid's loyalty to Naruto is strong. Jiraiya had harbored considerable doubts at first, but the more he saw of them, the more he could see their bond. Granted, she was still an Uchiha and he would watch her carefully because of what her eye could do to Naruto, but for now he was willing to believe she had no ill intentions for the kid.

"You can count on me, Amari! I'll show that jerk, believe it."

She chuckled and lowered her hand from his shoulder. "I know you will. I believe in you Naruto. Always have and always will." The boy tackle hugged her. Once they detached from one another she dipped her head in the direction of her clone. "Now try again. Your match will be a drag either way, but the least I can do is teach you this."

From where the Sannin was watching, he could only see the right side of her face yet the way her hair was, the earrings, the happy smirk finally triggered the image of who she reminded him of.

Behind her, the image of a Nara he once knew appeared with a similar appearance to the child. Finally he could remember who it was.

Miyako Nara. Made Anbu Captain at the age of thirteen and continued from there to become feared for her intelligence, larger chakra reserves than the average Nara and her exceptional skill with Shadow Techniques—some which were as feared as the woman herself. When Shikaku rose through the ranks, she and her Anbu squad became his main intelligence team. Jiraiya's face became serious as he watched the girl instead of Naruto. She was reassigned when the Fourth Hokage was in power as one of the four in his Guard Platoon alongside Raidō Namiashi, Genma Shiranui, and Iwashi Tatami.

Her intellect and her motivation clearly were passed on to her daughter. And Miyako's husband, he was one of the few Uchiha before the massacre I would have trusted with my life. His intense stare remained on the girl as she continued to coach Naruto—the left side of her face never coming into view. Hmm. She said her mother was a Nara and her father an Uchiha, but there was something in her eyes. A distant look. Does she remember them?

The simple fact that she had survived the massacre without anyone knowing how—including herself—was enough to question how much of her own history she knew.

For ten minutes he watched them, remembering scarce details of the parents who defended the Leaf long ago. In all of those ten minutes she never once moved from her spot, leaving him only to see the right side of her face.

"Hey Amari, is Kakashi-sensei or Kurenai-sensei going to be training you?" Naruto asked her during a break between his strikes against the clone.

"Hm? Oh, no. Kakashi-sensei is busy with Sasuke, my Mom has to train Shino and Asuma-sensei is with Shika. Poor guy. I heard from my Mom that Asuma-sensei is going to be really tough on him."

"Wait, so you won't have anyone to help you train?" The boy seemed offended by the notion of his teammate not having someone to help her train.

Amari chuckled. "No, I do. Uncle Shikaku wants to train me another Nara Clan jutsu, and Kakashi-sensei set up another trainer for me. I plan to go see Uncle Shikaku tomorrow, see if I can train a little without agitating my wounds."

"Do you ever wonder if you're really related to him or Shikamaru or even Sasuke?"

"More often than you might think. But even if they aren't, I'll always consider him my uncle, and Shika my cousin and Sasuke my clan-brother." She shrugged. "They and you guys are the only family I have now. Even if I ever do remember my past family, I'll still love you guys as family."

So, you haven't told her Shikaku. Or do you not see the similarities between her and your niece? It seemed unlikely. Shikaku had never met his true brother; the young man had been born eighteen years before Shikaku, only to die a year after his mother gave birth to Shikaku. His wife was the one to raise Miyako. Together Shikaku and Miyako grew up as brother and sister through bond but uncle and niece through blood. Shikaku must have seen the similarities between his niece and his great niece; the resemblance between Amari and her parents was painstakingly obvious when one knew what to look for.

Everything from her expression filled eye and wild hair to small things like the shape of her eyes, the structure of her face and her long eyelashes. With her hair up in the Nara fashion, the long strands brushing across her upper back, she resembled her mother. With it, the wild untamed mess free of all restraints, she resembled her father.

A kunai suddenly flew out of her hand aimed right at Jiraiya. He wailed wordlessly in panic and fell onto his butt, scrambling back to the best of his ability.

It landed in the grass…right between his legs.

The kids began laughing hysterically at his horror stricken features while the Nara inconspicuously pulled her bandana back over her left eye—something he had not seen once during his entire time watching.

Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief. She also has her mother's sense of humor, if you can call it that. Sheesh. There was just no doubt about who her parents were now. Miyako had renowned Sensory Abilities; I can't say I'm surprised she caught onto my presence.

"Hey Pervy Sage, stop trying to peep on Amari!"

Oh, that was one line too far. To accuse him of peeping on a child, how dare Naruto! Jiraiya fully admitted to being a pervert—he was a proud pervert, after all—but he would never peep on a child! Never. In fact, if he ever saw a man or woman performing such a reprehensible and immoral act, he would slay them where they stood.

"I wasn't peeping, you insolent brat!" he roared. "I was doing research!" The word left his mouth before he could really think of the implications of what the word meant to the two. When he saw the vein bulge on Amari's forehead and her face turn red in fury, he tried to amend his statement. "Wait! Not that kind of research! I was- AAAH!"

Kunai, shuriken and even senbon flew at him in remarkable speed he would congratulate if he didn't have to get up, run and dive over a downed tree to hide.

Unfortunately, one hit their mark.

"OWWW!" the Sannin cried out. The point of a senbon pierced into his big rump without remorse. He knew immediately sitting was going to be painful for a few days.

She has her father's aim too.

Jiraiya gripped the senbon and pulled it out quickly. "Yeow!" He got into a low crouch then peeked over the downed tree. What he saw barreling right at him made his eyes bulge and his jaw drop as a horrified scream echoed out of him.

A large fire ball was moving right at him, and if he hadn't known better he would have thought he could see the fury filled face of Amari inside of it, snarling at him as she prepared to send him to the afterlife. Hastily he Body Flickered all the way back to where the real Naruto was practicing, landing right on his wounded butt without a care.

Naruto looked to him in confusion. "Uh, hey Pervy Sage. What's going on?"

He sighed heavily and stared up at the blue sky above him. "Do yourself a favor kid: Don't ever get on her bad side. Sheesh."

"Geez, Pervy Sage. You should try learning to talk to women instead of peeping on them all the time. Maybe then you wouldn't get your butt kicked by them."

Jiraiya wanted to argue, really he did, but for once he was beginning to think the kid was onto something.