Chapter 38

Day of Surprises: A Message Sheathed in Shadows

A calm breeze rolled across training ground three, the silence of the field broken only by the sounds of a spar, the occasional explosion and the click of shogi pieces being placed. And then…

"Checkmate," Amari's clone declared.

Genma grunted in shock, grimacing at the sudden and definitive end of their game. He stood no chance of winning. Then again, only Nara's possessed the potential to defeat other Nara's in the game of shogi.

The older shinobi shut his eyes, the grimace departing for a nostalgic grin. "Heh! Well, this is reminiscent of the old days. I don't know why I always let you and your mother talk me into this game. I never win." Genma shrugged. "Oh well. We'll have to play poker sometime. If you share her talent for shogi, you'll probably share her terrible luck at cards," he chuckled.

"Ah, so that's where I get it from," the real Amari noted, curiously glancing up from her work to the Jōnin sitting adjacent to her.

"Heh, yeah. Your mother played poker like it was a battle, using the chips as tactical bluffs to hide her inadequate forces. Subterfuge works well in the shinobi world, but in poker? Raising the stakes and taking risky bets when the cards are down is rarely rewarded." The senbon between his teeth flicked up as he aimed a grin her way. "How about I teach you? Up for a round of poker?"

She smirked. "Isn't it your duty to prevent a young and innocent child from falling into one of the Three Shinobi Prohibitions?"

The Three Shinobi Prohibitions: Alcohol, women and money—money, apparently, led to the abuse of the other two or gambling it away in games like poker.

"I'll leave that to your guardians," he waved her tease off nonchalantly. "Kurenai will warn you about drinking and gambling when you're old enough. On the woman front, well, you'll be one yourself one day. That prohibition is more about…" Genma trailed off.

"More about what, Genma-sensei?"

He cleared his throat awkwardly and flashed a nervous looking smile. "Ah, nothing, forget I said it."

His non-answer actually answered her question, ironically enough. Amari's skin heated up, her cheeks tinting pink at the internalized conclusions made. Conclusions which elicited strange sensations from her adolescent body. Awkward…

"Uh, anyway," Genma continued awkwardly, "Shikaku and Asuma are the ones to talk to if you want to learn about wooing women." He really wasn't helping her embarrassment. "Don't talk to Kakashi. His idea of advice is to shove Make-Out Paradise into your hands, pat you on your head and tell you to figure it out." The laugh in Genma's voice broke the awkward air strangling them and coaxed a giggle out of the Nara. Neither was aware of their simultaneous internal sighs of relief. "Otherwise, Kurenai or Yoshino can tell you how to handle men."

"And you?" she asked curiously.

Genma brought his hand to his chin in thought. "Hm. Well, you can consider me like…the babysitting friend of your uncle who allows you to stay up as late as you want and eat sweets for dinner." He shrugged casually. "Just don't expect too much leeway. If you end up corrupted by any of the Three Shinobi Prohibitions, not only will Kurenai and Yoshino make it impossible for me to eat solid food, but your mother will make the afterlife a cycle of never ending, spontaneous torment worse than any hell imaginable for me."

"Hmhmhm," she hummed amusedly.

"So, poker?"

"I'm not gambling my hard earned money against you. We've already established I would lose all ten fingers and my life if we put them on the line in any card game."

"Who said we had to gamble? We'll just have a friendly game."

"Friendly. Right," she drawled, tone dry as the desert. "What you mean is you want to thrash me because of my inherited bad luck."

"Never said I didn't," he retorted, grinning with that senbon still between his teeth.

Amari rolled her eye. "Persistent and troublesome adult. Fine. You and my clone can play a game of poker, but I have to get back to training."

She returned her onyx eye back to the small, rectangular tan paper containing half-finished intricate fūinjutsu markings. It lay beneath a kunai used to pin it in place. Picking up her ink and brush, Amari continued on from where she left off on the work Genma assigned to her. It wasn't intense sparring, but this was important work nonetheless.

As she focused on fūinjutsu, four other clones of Amari used the training field to their advantage. One practiced a jutsu she copied from Hironori—Earth Style: Mud Wall. Eventually I'll need to work at Wind Style: Gale Palm, she thought. Eventually, but not during her three weeks of training before the finals. There just wasn't enough time to gain more than a fifty-fifty shot at the jutsu actually working, and that success didn't guarantee it being even remotely effective.

Earth Style she could do. It wouldn't be easy, as she already learned, but it could provide a defensive jutsu to her arsenal. Ultimate Defense: Dragon Shield wasn't a viable defense or functional jutsu yet. It was imperfect. By chakra requirement alone a single use left her out of commission. Then there was the recoil damage. Even if she wasn't exhausted, blocking powerful moves damaged her. Mimi knew it too. Her opponent would exploit those weaknesses against her if she used it and earn an easier victory.

Earth Style: Mud Wall didn't carry those same imperfections. It wasn't as powerful, or Amari's wasn't anyways, but that had less to do with the jutsu itself and more to do with her ability to perform it. In these weeks before the finals she planned to work hard to harden the walls to withstand more damage. I need more strategic pieces in my arsenal instead of giant power moves. Gaining at least one defensive jutsu should help my performance and my team.

The second clone sparred with Sakura a safe distance away from the gathered group. It wasn't a substitute for physical training; no amount of Shadow Clone training could keep her in top form. This clone was specifically for Sakura's sake. But she couldn't skirt her own training, which left her doing all physical training early in the morning, when the sun still hadn't peeked above the horizon. The weighted seals went back on for laps and sprints on the training field, as well as her strength training exercises. The seals came off for her stretches and Shadow training. Once those were done she sparred against two clones to simulate battle against Mimi.

So far the fatigue of her extreme training was bearable. The aches and pains reminded her daily of the razor edge she tiptoed on. I already spent one week wearing a sling and knee brace. I'd rather not spend anymore.

Her third clone meditated in a seated position on the surface of the water. Chakra control training. Nothing more, nothing less. Unlike the Water Walking Technique, which required a shinobi to channel chakra only to the soles of their feet and consistently adjust output to the shifting water beneath them, this training required the clone to channel her chakra to every point that touched the water. The consistent adjustments remained, but it had to be done in more places, requiring the clone to be mindful of each point and the chakra output there. Otherwise the clone sank or plummeted like a heavy rock into the river.

Which she had. Multiple times, embarrassingly enough.

Besides the obvious goal of increasing her proficiency at chakra control, the main objective was to make the act of channeling chakra to any point on her body an unconscious ability. Mimi's Water Nature, by element alone, was superior to her Fire Style. Her use of scrolls containing water placed Amari in a position where she either walked on the surface unconsciously, or ended up diverting too much attention to the act, leaving herself open for an attack—just like she did in their first fight.

Amari learned from their first fight. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

The meditation training was working out. However, beyond the main objective lingered a secondary purpose. Amari enjoyed meditation. It helped calm the storm of her mind when it reached tornado levels of whirlwinds, but mediation in of itself was one way to build up spiritual energy. Over time, of course. One or two days of meditation wouldn't do much. This was the long-term game she had to play, in the same way she had to stay physically fit to build up her physical energy.

Together, those two energies created more powerful chakra. More powerful chakra meant more strength to use against her enemies, thus lowering the possibility of ever ending up in the dreaded hospital again. And if her chakra became more powerful, Nature alone wouldn't decide who was stronger between her Fire and Mimi's Water.

While the clone meditated she considered different possibilities to fix her Ultimate Defense, hoping to at least overcome one of its consequences: the toll on her chakra or the recoil. Nothing had come to mind yet. But as long as she didn't give up, one day she could fix it and make it mirror its name. Eventually.

Finally, the last clone kept Genma busy with shogi, and now poker. Glancing up at the pair, Amari frowned. She knew her tells. Whatever her cards were, the game wouldn't end well for her.

Through these games, and through him teaching her, they were able to get to know one another better. She liked him. His laid back presence calmed her, and his casual attitude a battle couldn't steal from him brightened her day. The senbon he chewed on wasn't just for show. He could spit it out as a projectile to pierce an inch into a wooden dummy, whose bark was thicker than the fragile human flesh they all were born with. I'm not surprised. He's a Hokage Guard, just like Mama was.

He was also one of her mother's closest friends from what she learned. For him to know her when she was a drooling baby—it's not like I could help it! Anyway, for Genma to see her as a baby meant her mother trusted him enough to be within arms distance of her child. If that didn't make him trustworthy Amari wasn't sure what could.

When they first met eyes at her uncle's home, the same recognition she noticed when she first met Shikaku flickered in his eyes. It was a look that read as, "How? How are you here, alive? Itachi killed everyone. We mourned you. But here you are. Alive and well. How? How?"

Either way, Genma was a pretty cool guy. In their short time together Amari earned herself a gold star in his book. It had been an accident; a slip of the tongue she hadn't been able to stop. But could anyone blame her? When she learned his Genin team consisted of himself, Might Guy and Ebisu, her mouth just started moving as if possessed.

"You were stuck on a team with the Power of Youth and the Closet Pervert? How did you ever manage to stay sane?" She hadn't meant to throw the closet pervert under the bus like that. It was an honest mistake. But the ripples from it were instantaneous.

Genma grinned as only a friend could when gaining the upper hand—evilly.

"Say Amari, why do you call Ebisu a closet pervert? Just out of curiosity."

Curiosity? Definitely not. She could see through his lies even without dōjutsu, but her mouth acted on its own as the gears in her brain jammed. How could he be sane? And normal? He had Might Guy, Might Guy for a teammate. The man had all the energy and attention span of a squirrel overdosing on sugar, as an adult! What had he been like as a teenager?

She was terrified of the answer.

And then there was Ebisu, the Closet Pervert. They were all men, or boys back then. That's where it had to start. He didn't just wake up one morning as an adult, point his finger to the sky as he grinned at a new revelation, deciding at that moment: "You know what; I'm going to be a secret pervert!"

How did Genma survive? How did he stay normal? These questions jammed her brain and left her in a place where she wasn't sure if she knew what was real anymore. Was everything she knew about him an illusion? In this jarred state, Amari handed over precious Intel to Genma on her brief encounter with Ebisu. Bloody nose and gawking in horrified pleasure all included. This information was deadly, and Genma snatched it up for a future ambush no shinobi could survive.

Ebisu's reaction must have been godly levels of hilarious. Genma's face nearly split apart as his grin tried to reach his ears. It left her wary. Frightened his façade of sanity would fall and reveal the true Genma behind the laid back illusion.

"Genma-sensei, why are you grinning like some sort of evil villain whose grand plan worked without a hitch?"

"Oh, no reason. Ebisu and I were just…catching up."

A blatant lie but one she let slide. Genma was still very much sane. The relief that gave her could bring peace to the entire shinobi world forever if the feeling could be transferred to others.

Still, having Genma around and hearing him mention her biological mother kept throwing her off. In a good way, she supposed. Through even the tiniest mentions she learned more about the woman; similarities they had—like their terrible luck at card games and obsessive need to be punctual—came to light, as well as learning more of her strength, abilities and the friends she had. She learned of the people her mother counted on during her life who were now people Amari counted on. The love she held for their home, and how much she cherished her daughter.

How much she cherished her.

It hurt to hear those details. It really did. But in the hurt, there was tangible love and comfort she could reach out and grab hold of. Even if Amaririsu was different than Haya, their mother's love hadn't changed because of a simple name discrepancy. Just as her cousin's spirit stood by her side always, her mother's love never left her.

That simple knowledge soothed an old wound on her heart. A wound from the orphanage from when Amaririsu the orphan came to believe her family stopped loving her, or had never loved her to begin with. The salve for the wound embraced her as her mother would have, holding her tightly and warmly, promising in a quiet whisper only she could hear that even though they were apart now, her love was always there with her. All she had to do was look deep inside herself and she would feel it.

She did.

Unlike the tug-of-war in her heart over who Amaririsu and Haya would become when she regained her other half, the love she felt from her biological mother changed nothing between her and Kurenai. It never would. They were forever entwined together by the warm love she bestowed upon the lonely, lost child she owed nothing to. Kurenai didn't have to do anything for her. She didn't have to take her in. She didn't have to treat her kindly. She didn't have to adopt her or love her. Kurenai chose to do all of that.

"And I would do it all over again for the same hunch. I told you then and I will tell you now: You don't have to repay anything, Amari. Being your guardian and adopting you were the best decisions I've ever made. You will never need to thank me, little one. Never. You are my child and I love you."

Amari shut her eyes to stave off her tears, breathing in two deep breaths to regain control over her emotions. I love you too, she whispered in the safety of her mind.

No one saw her wipe away the tear that escaped.

Amari's dictionary wasn't vast enough to put into a few words the feelings of her heart when Kurenai adopted her, when she went from just Amaririsu to Amaririsu Yūhi. It…It was like finally coming home after years of forced separation. Amaririsu was just an orphan girl who lost her friends. Amaririsu didn't have anyone left to love. No family to speak of. No one to squish her like the creamy center of a stuffed cookie when she climbed into bed. No one to hold her when all she wanted to do was cry.

Amaririsu didn't belong anywhere.

Amaririsu Yūhi had a home. A family. Someone who loved her and cared if she lived or died. Amaririsu Yūhi didn't have to sleep in her bed alone, wondering what the point of living even was when the only life she ever had, the only people she ever loved, were taken from her. Amaririsu Yūhi had a purpose, a reason to live, and that made the burden she carried just a bit easier, because Kurenai was there to pick her up and hold her close when her legs collapsed. And so was her cousin Shika, her uncle and aunt Shikaku and Yoshino, Team Seven, Iruka and others who supported her.

Even if she were to regain all of her memories she would never see Kurenai as anything less than her mother. She earned the title.

"Your mother…She never would have wanted you to experience what you have, but I think—no, I know she would be happy you have Kurenai," Shikaku had told her.

I'm happy I have her, too.

Shikaku had shown up off and on throughout the last two weeks to check in on her training. The bemused smile on his face when he first saw five Amari's all doing separate tasks sent her into giggles.

"You are your mother's daughter, 'Risu."

"Hey, what's that mean?"

"It means you're a troublesome workaholic." He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed deeply. "Be careful with this, 'Risu. Training with Shadow Clones is dangerous."

"I'm always careful."

"Uh-huh. Is that why you had surgery? Because you were careful?"

"Hey! That wasn't completely my fault!" she tried to argue, hoping, praying, he didn't know the intimate details of her injuries.

Her prayers went unanswered.

"Kurenai told me your leg injury was self-inflicted, 'Risu," he chastised.

"I-…Troublesome adults."

His concerns, and Kurenai's, were valid. She could still vividly recall her "death" at the hands of Kakashi's Lightning Blade. The excruciating pain, the chill of death closing in, the weighted emotions and final thoughts of that clone… It and her own intense experience left a deep and nasty scar on her psyche she hadn't been able to shake off.

Amari could remain ignorant to her clone's experiences if she tried, or even pick out individual moments of their "life" she needed, like picking different flavors of ice cream while ignoring the flavors she didn't like. But in this situation, where she needed every moment of their experiences, caution was absolutely necessary. If her clones worked themselves to the brink, the backlash on Amari could be irreversible—possibly even fatal.

This intense training wasn't solely based on a need to catch up on lost time, though. To learn the technique Genma would teach her—which she still hadn't been told the name of—she first had to increase her fūinjutsu knowledge. She wouldn't learn it within the month, Kakashi and Genma confirmed that, but she couldn't wait on it. Their technique wasn't for the finals; it was for the safety of her team and their future.

She couldn't ignore it.

At least I have Mom and Genma-sensei to help me. With their guidance she didn't have to stumble around blindly, kicking her shin against coffee tables she couldn't see or walking face first into walls. Real knowledge couldn't be handed over, though. It had to be earned, and they were making her work for it every step of the way.

Good, Amari thought. I wouldn't want this to be easy. Patience and her intelligence were her allies. Now was the chance to use them. I have to learn to walk before I can run.

Fūinjutsu came with a lot of walking. Then again, if it wasn't so complex then everyone would use it, and that would probably be bad if Orochimaru's Seals were anything to go by. Knowledge was power when it came to fūinjutsu. The more knowledge you possessed, the greater the Seal you could create, the more power you could wield. It was…kind of frightening when she thought about it.

Ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu could be deflected, sensed, dispelled and overcome by sheer might or technique. Fūinjutsu could be anything as simple as a storage scroll and paper bomb to the Curse Mark. Its purposes were as varied as the amount of fauna in the world. Defensive, offensive, supplementary, and there weren't cut and dry answers to overcome or defend against them. If there was, Sasuke's mark could be fully removed instead of merely contained.

First she learned to create her own Storage Seals. Genma called it a "fundamental." Amari hadn't figured out why yet. Storage Seals allowed her to seal away and unseal an unlimited number of items into a scroll—such as the shogi board and deck of cards. With these seals she could carry more without cluttering her ninja tool box, ninja pouch and pack on missions. But how did it play into the eventual technique? How did storing items into a different space-time work as a fundamental?

Amari shrugged. I'm sure it'll make sense at some point.

Probably.

She had the Storage Seal and Unsealing Technique down already. Next up was creating paper bombs from scratch. It wasn't enough to buy them and use them on her own; she needed to learn the intricacies behind how they were made, how to make them capable of detonating whenever she pleased and, eventually, be able to create them in the midst of battle on any surface without an ink brush.

"Try not to blow yourself up," had been one piece of advice Genma offered.

It took more time to figure out paper bombs, specifically remote detonation. Most of the first ones she crafted either ended up blowing nothing up, which was embarrassing, or blowing up without consent—thankfully after she threw them at a target.

Fūinjutsu proved a worthy adversary. Even though she could create two different Seals now, the kunoichi had barely even scratched the surface of fūinjutsu. This was all kid stuff. Baby steps towards the eventual extreme challenge Kakashi warned her of. Sooner rather than later the difficulty curve would spike higher than Hokage Mountain and leave her feeling less bored and far more puzzled and frustrated.

I'll be shocked if I'm told the name of the technique by the end of the month. For baby steps, these last two Seals took me two weeks to get down. And they want me to learn something extremely advanced that Kakashi-sensei can't do?

Oh, this was going to be such a drag.

Amari sighed through her nose and finished off the explosion seal on her paper bomb. She tied it to a kunai then tossed it at the poor burnt target dummy. When everyone was out of the blast radius, she created the Snake handseal and remotely detonated it, breaking the silence of the training field with a loud explosion; none of the shinobi appeared to even notice it.

Even as the shockwave of energy reverberated in their chests, shaking their bones and startling their hearts, nobody halted their activities or glanced over. Sakura and her sparring clone kept trading blows, the meditating clone didn't open her eyes, her Earth Style practicing clone panted heavily and Genma eyed all the current revealed cards on the grass strategically, while the clone he played squinted and tried to gauge her chances.

They were low. She could tell.

Amari felt the wave of heat brush against her skin and nodded to herself. One hundred percent success every time now. And now I never have to spend money on paper bombs unless I feel lazy.

Efficient and cost effective.

Suddenly the Earth Style clone dispelled. Not a second later the one playing cards followed. As their experiences overcame the original, mild exhaustion tugged at her mind and body, weighing down her limbs and eyelids. To hell with more work. She wanted a nap.

"Heh, I'll assume that means you fold," Genma said cheekily.

She glanced over at the cards he set down and the revealed cards between them. The correct terms for what he had were lost on her, but Amari knew one thing with certainty.

"I'm never gambling in card games," she sighed.

Why did she even agree to play a game she couldn't win even with her life at stake? Because Mama used to with him, and it's fun for both of us, her tired mind informed.

Amari covered her mouth to hide a yawn. Oh boy. Where was a pillow and blanket when she wanted them? Maybe she should store an extra pillow and blanket in a storage scroll. Or a sleeping bag? Anytime people bored her or she felt tired she could unseal it, zip it up around her and fall over for sleep. Hehe, that would be funny.

"How are you holding up, Amari?" Genma asked.

"Okay," she answered through her yawn. "Once those last two dispel I'll be done for the day."

He nodded, his features set in a serious expression. "I figured. You've done well balancing this Shadow Clone training, but keep in mind your limitations. You don't want to be dead on your feet when the finals come around."

"I know. I just…" Her eye drifted to the empty space where the Earth Style clone had been. The areas of earth she shifted were clear, as were the brittle chunks of collapsed walls. "I really need to get that jutsu to be more solid. As it is now, it won't be much of a defense against Mimi's Water Style. My Fire Style is strong, but her Water Style naturally is stronger. By Nature and her greater experience. At long range I can use my speed to avoid damage normally, but Aoko will complicate that, and I'll have no chance at matching her clone for clone. Water Clones simply don't require as much chakra as Shadow Clones. This one move isn't going to make it any easier, but I'd feel better having it as one of the pieces I can use."

"You've got your head in the right place." Amari yawned again, long and eye watering. "But your body's having trouble keeping up. Tomorrow you'll only use two clones. One for Sakura, the other for whatever you want to focus on. Try to take it easier in the mornings if you can, at least for a day or two, to give your body time to recover."

"I will."

Or I'll try to. She was a troublesome workaholic, after all. Just like Mama.

"Good. Come seal your shogi board and cards away then show me your progress on the Explosion Seal."

The request annoyed Amari. She could feel a vein bulge in her forehead at the sight of his cocky smirk. "But I jus—" Argh, troublesome adult planned this! He intentionally waited for her to blow up her recent tag to watch her work through the entire process.

She pushed herself onto her feet with a groan and walked over to the brown-haired ninja. Pulling out a small scroll from her ninja pouch, Amari unrolled it and sealed the items away into their marked locations one at a time. It was like sticking them into a storage closet only she could enter and leave. To the naked eye they simply were there one moment then gone the next.

Genma gave her an approving nod. "Good work. Now let's see your work with the Explosion Seal."

Amari rolled her scroll shut and placed it back into pouch, yawning as she returned to her original work area. Sheesh, I'm tired.

She drew out her Explosion Seal, tied it to a kunai then tossed it back to the poor dummy she used as a target. As soon as they were out of range of the explosion, she detonated it, creating yet another explosive shockwave across the training ground. The warmth felt strangely good against her tired body. She didn't know why.

"Nice work, Amari. You're moving at a good pace."

"What's next?" she asked curiously.

There was no guarantee Genma would still have a lot of time to train her after the finals were over. His other responsibilities might keep him away, and missions for her team would resume. This was the perfect time to learn as much as she could uninterrupted.

"Hmm." Genma scratched his chin in thought. "A Concussion Seal will be best."

"Concussion?" she repeated in confusion. She hadn't ever heard of such a thing.

Genma nodded and rolled the senbon around in his mouth. "Yeah. Explosions are easy to create. Even a faulty paper bomb can blow up, but creating a tag that has a similar area of effect, yet doesn't physically harm an enemy is a lot harder. Concussion Seals are like invisible explosions. None of the fire, but all of the noise, you know?"

"Hmm. The sound could be used to distract enemies away from your position, simulating a trap going off or even a battle to draw their attention away from a location or away from an injured team."

"Exactly, but a Concussion Seal has an offensive capability as well. Anyone who is caught in the radius has their five senses disrupted. Sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing are all rendered temporarily useless." Genma's features turned serious. "And just like a paper bomb, if you're not careful, you will receive the same effects if you're caught in the radius. These Seals cannot distinguish between allies and enemies. It's up to you to use them wisely."

"Okay."

Genma's gaze shot to the distance, suspicion narrowing his eyes at whatever caught his sight. Curious, Amari turned to follow the direction of his stare. At first she saw nothing. Tree leaves sprouting from the sturdy and aged tree branches covered the horizon, a few scattered thin clouds lined the blue sky with streaks of white, birds traveled to or from their nests, chirping noisily but not annoyingly. Nature at its finest.

Then she saw it. A medium sized hawk flying in circular patterns far closer to the tree line than any trained messenger bird would. Flying that low risked an enemy stealing valuable Intel. It wouldn't have been inherently suspicious if it were only a bird; this bird, however, had a small carrying pack on it.

Suddenly the hawk changed its trajectory straight for her. Genma rested his hand on her shoulder, shifting her to move back a step as he moved in front of her. His eyes narrowed dangerously and the senbon in his mouth shifted into place for an offensive strike.

"Sakura! Stop for a moment. We may have trouble," he told her, voice serious but calm as the river flowing nearby. The clone and Sakura stopped, partially confused but panting lightly from their intense spar. "Amari, quick, use your Byakugan to check the pack."

Byakugan! Her left eyes vision went from darkness to inverted black and white. The dōjutsu, like the eyes of a hawk, honed in on the distant target, penetrating through the leather pack to see the object contained within. "It's carrying a message. I can't make out the details as it moves, but I don't see any fūinjutsu or sense any chakra coming from it."

The hawk beat its wings as it closed in on the ground, slowing its speed and hopping across the grass to a full stop. For a brief second they simply stared at each other. Its dark-brown eyes looking directly into her onyx, the thin membrane she considered a third eyelid blinking as it tilted its head at her. Eventually it appeared to sigh in exasperation at what Amari dared to guess was her ignorance. It then let out a piercing cry and turned its back to her, twisting its head to essentially point its beak as well as it could to the pack.

"I think…it's for me?" How strange. She deactivated her Byakugan and took cautious steps towards the bird. When it did not attempt to fly away, and again pecked at its back impatiently, Amari crouched down, opened the pack and pulled the folded up paper from it. Still feeling extremely cautious, she unfolded the letter slowly, expecting an anvil to drop onto her head or for the paper to blow up in her face.

Nothing happened. Only neat and pretty handwriting greeted her.

Amari,

Hello, it's Haku. I hope this letter finds you in good health.

"Haku?" she gasped, bewildered. The hawk hopped closer and started nudging her leg repeatedly, impatiently even.

Before I continue I must first tell you about this hawk. He is a special messenger bird trained to attune to your chakra. If he hasn't done so already, all you have to do is channel a little chakra into your hand and let him rest his head into your palm. He will handle the rest.

Ah, so that's why he was nudging her impatiently. Amari reached the palm of her hand out with some of her chakra channeled to it, not enough for the naked eye to see. A green chakra shroud enveloped the hawk for a moment, and then the shroud turned an icy blue before vanishing. Must be the color of Haku's chakra.

The hawk belted out another cry and hopped from the ground to her right shoulder, claiming his perch without even bothering to ask. First crows, now a hawk. I'm going to look like some crazy old bird whispering hermit at this rate. "You poop on me and we're going to have a serious issue," she warned the bird.

She swore he scoffed at her, affronted by the warning.

I have not thought of a name for him yet. Maybe you will be able to. Because of his training he will stay within range of you until you give him another message to return to me. Don't feel rushed. He and I can wait if you are busy.

She smiled fondly. Polite as always.

"Who is it from?" Genma queried.

"Haku," she answered without blinking.

"Right, Haku. How could I forget," he replied sarcastically. "Is he your boyfriend or something?"

"Bo- boyfriend?!" Amari sputtered, blushing at the insinuation as she spun to face the man. "Wha- No! I mean, it's not like he isn't nice or anything. He'd probably make someone a really good boyfriend. He's kind and compassionate and gentle. Sweet too." And cute. And she was rambling, much to her horror. Damn! Stop it mouth! Stop it! Stop before you say something mortifying! Again!

Genma smirked at her. "Take a breath, Amari. If you like him, you like him. If you don't, you don't. Not my business to pry."

Then why did it sound like he was going to gossip about it to her uncle or Kakashi or her mother?

"So, who is he? Where'd you meet?"

"…Er, sorry, forgot you don't know the name." She turned to look back at the letter. Also to hide her blush. Stupid mouth. Stupid brain. "He's a friend from the Land of Waves. This hawk is some kind of special messenger bird capable of attuning to our chakra. I suppose it's sort of like a personal messenger bird that only travels between two people, finding them regardless of where they are in the world because of our chakra. How'd you find me, then?" she asked to the bird. The hawk cried into her ear. Amari flinched. "Sheesh. Why did I ask it to answer a question when it can't speak?"

"Huh, I've heard of the species before," Genma said. "They're said to be extremely intelligent, capable of understanding their master's commands and never betraying them. I doubt it'll go anywhere until you send it off."

"Yeah, the letter mentioned that. I guess that means I'm done training for the day so I can buy a suitable shelter for him." Feathers smacked against her face. Genma, Sakura and her clone didn't even bother to hide their laughter. "It's not like I knew you were coming!" she tried to argue. Feathers assaulted her face again. "You have an attitude problem!" Another smack. "All right, all right! I'm sorry, sheesh! Troublesome bird."

Great. Where were the Crows of the Leaf when she needed them? At least they didn't assault her for no reason or have his attitude problem. Amari dispelled her last two clones and took in their experiences. A new wave of exhaustion slammed against her at Body Flicker speeds, bringing out yet another long and tired yawn as her body slouched slightly. "Sorry, Sakura. I'm wiped."

"Don't worry about it, Amari. Your clone worked me pretty har—"

"Hey Forehead!"

As if the nickname flipped a switch, a vein bulged on Sakura's forehead at the sound of Ino's arrival. Amari tried not to grimace. It wasn't that she didn't want to help Ino. She was just way too tired to deal with her ego right now.

"Well would you look at that. Ino-pig came to train!" she shot back.

Their bickering started in record time. In her exhausted state, it was even more annoying than usual. Genma and the hawk sweatdropped simultaneously.

"Uh, hey Amari, are these two friends or enemies?" Genma asked.

Amari sighed deeply. Defeated already by the simple question. "You know, Genma-sensei, I've been asking myself that same question since the day we met." She shook her head. "I don't think I'll ever understand them."

"Think you have enough left in the tank to handle this? Whatever this is?"

Another yawn, even longer than the last and tear worthy. "Just enough." Amari moved her hand from covering her mouth to rubbing the back of her head. "It's going to be a drag, though."

Genma ruffled her hair affectionately. "Good work today, Amari. Make sure you get some rest, and don't work so hard in the morning tomorrow. Your body needs time to recover."

She could feel it. "See you tomorrow, Genma-sensei." With a quiet sigh, Amari trudged forward on tired legs towards her two fellow kunoichi. Genma disappeared on the breeze, unseen and without sound. Laser beams shot from Ino and Sakura's eyes, or that's what it looked like to her tired mind.

Despite being steadily restrained by ropes of exhaustion, Amari couldn't stop the excited feeling in her heart over hearing from Haku. The letter was certified proof he and Zabuza were still alive out there somewhere. And with this hawk they now had a way to keep in contact with one another no matter how far apart they might be.

Of course, this also did mean she was communicating with rogue ninjas, who were technically criminals on the run. Which meant keeping this secret. Honestly, though, could any shinobi call themselves a saint in this world? They were all trained killers. Trained to fulfill their missions and defend their Villages from enemies no matter what.

The cold truth: Amari, Team Seven, her peers, they were all child soldiers. Raised by a military power for the future protection of their home. In an essence, all Sensei's and students were pairs of Zabuza's and Haku's. A teacher who had seen the horrors of the shinobi world, who had lost and killed plenty, teaching young, innocent children to follow the way of the shinobi.

As Zabuza pointed out, the Leaf was nowhere near as rough and full of bloodshed as his childhood had been, but all it would take to change that was war or a mission where she would have to become a shinobi and take a life.

We've grown up in peace. Because of that we retain most of the innocence of children, unlike Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza. It could change at any moment, though. Amari sighed tiredly. But that's why I have my nindo, right Cousin? To stop myself from becoming an emotionless tool.

Haku may have been able to become a shinobi if necessary, but he retained his kindness, his compassion. Their hearts were alike in their aversion to killing. It was one of the threads that helped them to connect on that mist covered bridge, where pieces of their hearts were sacrificed for something more. A bond they refused to give up.

Unfortunately, Haku's a rogue ninja and I possess two eyes people desire to steal as much as I desire ice cream. Oh, ice cream sounded so good right now. For now we'll have to keep fighting. But maybe someday in the future we'll find our own peace. Maybe…

"Forehead!"

"Pig!"

"Forehead!"

"Pig!"

Amari and the hawk's head moved back and forth at the childish argument. This was going beyond sheer annoyance to high levels of irritation.

"Billboard brow!

"Ugly!"

"Why you!"

"ENOUGH!" Amari shouted forcefully. Scraps of her dwindling energy went behind that shout to put the argument to bed. It did not alleviate the headache she had coming on. "Do you two realize how childish you sound? Calling names like a bunch of spoiled brats? Seriously?" The exasperation she felt went into every aspect of her being, from voice to body language.

Her onyx eye shifted its annoyed glare to her teammate. "Sakura, you told her you were done with the bickering. Unless you two want to do it as some sort of fun, teasing banter, where neither of you are actually arguing, be done with it. Permanently. As I said, I have no issue if you two just do it for fun." As long as I'm not around to hear it. "But this," she motioned between the two, "isn't for fun. It's the same routine from the Academy. Don't backtrack," Amari stated firmly.

Because you're finally coming into your own.

Sakura lowered her eyes in regret. Point made, her annoyed onyx eye flitted to Ino, who looked as willful and arrogant as ever. "Number one rule of training with me: Leave your ego at home. If you just want to bicker with Sakura or me instead of actually training, find a different trainer. I have zero tolerance for this."

Ino huffed in indignation and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't start acting high and mighty because I came for your help. You've always tried to be like an overbearing adult, even back in the Academy. So don't talk to me about an ego."

Ughhhh. She's arguing and I just want to sleep, Amari groaned internally. Tempting her brain with the reward of a large bowl of ice cream, she steeled herself to finish this resolutely in one move.

"Listen Ino, I'm not acting high and mighty." Even though I know I can crush you. "I'm glad you came to improve yourself, and I will do my best to help you because I want you to be stronger. For the sake of your life and the sake of your team." Amari's tired features shifted for severe seriousness. "However, I'm within my rights to tell you that you weren't focused on being a strong kunoichi, not fully."

"See? There you go again—"

"Ino, enough," Sakura cut off her friend, stern in voice but soft in her eyes. "Don't argue. Just hear her out. Nothing she says is to be callous or cut you down or make you feel inferior. Amari's right. She is within her rights to tell us both we weren't focused on being strong kunoichi. We weren't, Ino. And that's okay because we're here now, prepared to change for the sake of our teams and for ourselves."

Ino grit her teeth and tried to find an argument against the blue-haired kunoichi who had surpassed them. The kunoichi who had worked hard to become someone the boys and the girls of their class looked up to. The kunoichi all four Leaf Sensei's watched so intensely in her preliminary fight, not because of their personal involvement in her life, but because she and Hisashi fought as true shinobi instead of kids. The kunoichi who could be called a kunoichi while Ino could not. Not after what she had seen. And it left her envious and feeling terrible about herself.

Sakura resting her hand on the blonde's shoulder halted it all. The argument at her tongue. The flaring ego. The intense jealousy flickering in her light blue eyes that festered the unwarranted anger for the Nara girl. "Please. I don't want us to fight anymore." Those words softened up her old friend. "And I don't want you to fight with Amari either. You saw Amari's fight with Hisashi. You saw how incredible she is; the skill, the speed, the strength, the intelligence. Give yourself a chance to listen and learn."

Amari watched the exchange between former friends silently. She hoped they could one day fully mend that bridge. But that wasn't in her hands; it was in theirs.

"Okay. Fine. I'll hear her out. That's why I came here," Ino agreed.

Amari didn't wait a beat. She was tired. "Mind Transfer Jutsu alone isn't enough to survive on." Ino didn't argue. She took the criticism with an agreeing nod. "Neither is relying on Shika and Chōji to pull the weight of the team." This time a flinch at the pinpointed strike. "You're beautiful, Ino, even with shorter hair. And I'm sure you'll be even prettier as an adult. Truly. I mean that. But beauty won't save you in the field. Beauty alone doesn't win a person's heart, either.

"You want to surpass Sakura? You want to surpass your father? To stand as a proud kunoichi of the Leaf? Apply yourself to becoming stronger in every aspect of your life. Work on your ninjutsu with your team and taijutsu when you can. Ask Mr. Yamanaka for guidance on new ninjutsu, ask Shika about tactics he hasn't tried yet and see if you can help him make them reality, even if it means nagging him. Because that's what it's going to take. You have to work at this. I can give you guidance and advice, I can train you into the ground, but if you don't apply yourself, if you don't actively try to get stronger, you won't see any results."

Ino remained silent for a long moment. Then…

"All right, fine. If that's what it takes then I'll do it!"

Amari nodded. She has the spirit and the motivation. That's a good step. "Good. I'm done training for today. Come around tomorrow with Sakura and we'll get started."

If I can even get out of bed tomorrow, she thought.

Ino turned a prideful grin towards Sakura. "Be ready to be surpassed by me, Sakura!"

Sakura snorted and raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "On your diet? You'll be lucky to last ten minutes of training with Amari tomorrow."

The point of a metal nail screeched across glass somewhere far away in the world, yet Amari still heard it. There was that word again. Diet. How she loathed it and everything it stood for. She slapped her hand to her forehead, groaning in exhausted exasperation. "I totally forgot you did that too. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"Hey! Sakura is on a diet too!" Ino argued. Her light blue eyes flitted back over to her old friend, examining the beginnings of muscle development on the kunoichi. Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute. You're not—"

"Remember when I mentioned my lack of conditioning in our fight? It wasn't just a reference to my lack of stamina. My diet contributed heavily to my lack of energy. I was still new to it at that point, and the Forest of Death wasn't exactly kind to my team." Sakura jabbed her thumb at Amari. "Amari has never dieted. To keep up with her I had to start eating right."

The Yamanaka's hands slapped her own cheeks as she looked between the pair as if really seeing them for the first time. "How are you two in such good shape without dieting?!"

Amari's face buried further into her palm. Even the hawk buried his head into its wing. Finally they agreed on something. "Ohhh, tomorrow is going to be such a dragggg," she groaned. How could these girls voluntarily starve themselves? If diets are what people found attractive, she would end up a proud, bird whispering hermit. "My mother doesn't diet either."

The comment came out as a test.

"Whaaattt?! But Kurenai-sensei is so beautiful!" she shrieked.

Ino passed it spectacularly. Which was bad.

"Ino…I…" Where did she even begin? "…I'll write you up a meal plan like I did for Sakura. Even if it is a big, stupid drag." Amari sighed. "Listen, dieting can work for some people and give them results, like losing weight. But dieting isn't a long-term commitment. It's a temporary solution, and few are really healthy for you, especially for shinobi. You probably cut out important foods out of your diet because of it, which explains why you're so skinny."

The Yamanaka glared. "You say that like an insult."

"Ino, you're starving yourself to try to remain attractive because of some ideal form of beauty you've been told by others to uphold. It's ridiculous," Amari stated with finality. "Do you think Lady Tsunade dieted or do you think she fed her body with the proper nutrition while working out to keep in shape as a shinobi?"

"Err…Well…"

Amari put her hand up. "Stop. Just…stop. I'll get you a basic meal plan and exercise routine to help you increase your physical conditioning. We'll discuss it in detail later." Her hand returned to her side as she looked between the two kunoichi. "What I'm about to say goes for both of you: If the person you're attracted to doesn't love you for who you are, and they only care for how you look, they don't love you. If your superficial image is more important to them because they care how others will perceive them, they don't love you. If you have to starve yourself or gorge on more food than necessary all to get them to see you as attractive, they don't love you. Stop wasting your time trying to look how they want you to and be the best version of yourself, because the kind of love you're currently chasing is hollow and a waste of time."

And she was too tired to deal with this any further. She looked pleadingly to her teammate. "Sakura, can you start talking to Ino about this? Birdy here probably needs food and I doubt he wants to stay on my shoulder all day."

The bird let out a cry of agreement.

"You bet, Amari." She grabbed Ino by the arm and dragged her away. "Come on, Ino. The first step of getting you off that diet is having a bowl of ramen."

"Ramen?!" she shrieked.

Amari didn't have the energy to debate the magnificent delicacy that was Ichiraku Ramen. On heavy legs she headed back into the main portion of Konoha in search of a pet store that sold a bird cage to house the hawk. Should she ever not have the time to immediately send a message back to Haku, she wanted the hawk to have a place he could call home to sleep in outside of the elements.

I should try to come up with a name for him. I don't want to call him Mr. Bird or birdy any longer than I have to. She eyed the bird suspiciously. He'll probably smack me with his wing again.

Did Haku have these problems?

As Amari made her way through the shopping district of Konoha she pondered on different names, asking the bird for approval now and then, receiving a shake of the head or a wing slap depending on its disapproval level. There were many wing slaps.

"How about Kaito?" she asked on her walk.

Silence followed.

A wing did not hit her in the face either. Overall a good sign, but still too soon to celebrate.

The bird appeared contemplative over the offered name. Eventually it cried out in what Amari believed was agreement, frightening some of the civilians around them. "Well Kaito, I'm happy to have you here." Another sharp cry that pierced her ear.

They were going to have to work on volume control.

During her unsuccessful search Amari came upon her mother. By chance or fate, who could say? She wore her shinobi attire and stood outside of a dango shop, her back turned towards her daughter. "Hey Mom!" Amari greeted cheerfully as she approached.

Kurenai turned around, a warm smile on her lips. "Amari, how was…" Her mother paused and tilted her head at the bird on her shoulder. Her red eyes examined him thoroughly, but what conclusion she reached, Amari wasn't sure. "Why is there a hawk on your shoulder?"

"Oh, Kaito kind of just came into my life. He's a messenger bird sent from Haku."

Kurenai, unlike Genma, recognized the name and nodded. "I see. How did he find you?"

Kaito let out another cry and pecked lightly at her forehead. "Hey! Don't be mean! It's an honest question!" she tried to debate, never once suspecting he was attempting to answer. "And that's the answer I got when I asked. He'll stick around until I send a letter with him back."

"Are you heading home to do that now?"

"No," Amari shook her head. "First I have to find a store that sells a bird cage so he has a shelter out of the elements." The Nara rubbed the back of her head. "Problem is I have no idea where to find one, and I'm really tired from training. I'm not even sure how long we've been walking around for. It's a bit troublesome."

Kaito nodded in agreement.

"Allow me to give you some direction then." Kurenai lifted her chin in the direction Amari had been walking in before finding her. "Continue that way to the second intersection then turn left. The pet store will be on your right after a short walk."

The young girl beamed. "Thank you, Mom. Saved us the trouble of stumbling around." She turned to leave but stopped when she realized she hadn't figured out what her mother was doing. "By the way, are you meeting Asuma-sensei here for a date or stopping by for a snack?"

Kurenai blushed and glanced away. Two fingers then prodded Amari's forehead. "I'm meeting Anko here, little one." Her blush darkened and her eyes scurried away again. "But Asuma will be stopping by for dinner tonight."

Aha! If she possessed the energy, she might have declared it out loud. However, fortunately for Kurenai, Amari only poked her in the forehead and giggled. "You don't have to act so bashful. I, for one, approve of your relationship."

"Little one," Kurenai chastised weakly, still blushing.

The sight provided a single burst of energy. An ember she ignited for the sake of glorious teasing. "Don't worry. I'll give you two alone time after dinner." This caused her mother to blush further and her jaw to fall as she tried to argue. "Bye Mom! Love you!" Amari took off giggling.

That one had been worth the wait.

Kurenai's mouth hung open, cheeks tinting as red as her eyes, as she watched her daughter's giggling form retreating away. The sentiment Amari alluded to was quite nice of her, but it was also too mature and forward thinking for a twelve year old, especially in the context of the innuendo she was making.

When had her daughter even started making innuendos of that kind? The only one Kurenai could recall was during the preliminary rounds over "reforming" the Uchiha Clan.

She's growing up right before my eyes, she realized.

Every passing year, every new mission, every new battle matured her little one just a bit more. Sooner rather than later she wouldn't be so little anymore. Her body would grow and mature from that of a girl to a teenager, and then eventually a woman in her own right. The tiny frame of the little girl who used to curl up against her and fall asleep, who she carried on her shoulders or piggybacked when she trained too hard, who had to physically look up to her, whose little arms always hugged around her belly because of her short stature inevitably would become a troublesome adult.

Kurenai's eyes softened as she watched the little girl with the hawk on her shoulder, snapshotting the moment into her memory while she could. Eventually it would be the back of a taller woman, more mature and shaped by the years ahead of her as a shinobi. Amari would always be her little one, but Kurenai swore then and there to savor every last day, week, month and year she had left of the child who still had to physically look up to her. Whose little arms always hugged around her belly because of her short stature, who still curled up against her on the couch when she read a book in her downtime.

Because one day…one day she wouldn't be so little anymore. One day she would be a woman, an elite kunoichi who didn't need protection from a dangerous world anymore, because she acted as a guardian for the next generation. One day…

"Hey Kurenai!" The Genjutsu Master turned to face her approaching friend, who already had an empty stick of dango clutched between her teeth and a boisterous grin on her face. "Sorry I'm late. There was a little dango stall I ran into on the way and, well, I couldn't resist stopping by," she laughed sheepishly. Anko noticed the softened expression on her face and tilted her head in confusion and concern. "Huh? What's up? You look kinda emotional. Everything all right?"

Kurenai smiled faintly and nodded, looking back towards the head of wild blue hair and purple tank top. "I'll be okay. I was…thinking of the future, I suppose." A future she found equally exciting and sad.

Anko's eyes tracked to the same target of her attention. She cocked an eyebrow up. "Shortcake? Why would you be…" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh right, her name is Amaririsu Yūhi. You never mentioned the kid you adopted was Shikaku's niece."

"It must have slipped my mind. Why Shortcake?" Kurenai asked, chuckling at the nickname.

"Because it fits her." Anko shrugged as if it were obvious. Kurenai chuckled and let it be. Her friend, however, fell into a contemplative silence, her light brown eyes falling from Kurenai to the ground between them. "…We met the night before the preliminary rounds. Kakashi got a message from her about Orochimaru. Since her team experienced his attack firsthand, we wanted to get as much information from her as possible, hopefully to get an idea of what he was after."

"Mm. I heard about that from Shikaku when he informed me of the Crows of the Leaf. It can't have been easy for you to take her information at face value. The Crows of the Leaf were a legend to me until recently as well."

"Soon, Lady Kurenai, you will both see much more of me and come to know me by name."

A legend she waited patiently to meet again.

Anko nodded absently. "Yeah. You've got an interesting kid, Kurenai. She volunteered to cross the continent on an A-rank mission to help her team."

Kurenai grimaced. "That's definitely my little one," she sighed.

"When I questioned if she might have any loyalties to Itachi, she said something that really stuck with me. Said she owed Lord Third and the woman who gave her a home, family and love more than she could ever repay given a hundred lives. Then told me I could question her information but not her loyalty to Konoha."

"I once thought I could repay everything I would ever owe you. I still have a mental record of everything I've ever cost you, but I know now that even given a hundred lives, I can never repay you for the love you've given me. I was just some orphan, not even your child, your responsibility or your problem, and you took me in on a hunch. I owe you everything."

Those familiar words tugged at her heartstrings.

"The conviction she had behind those words," Anko grinned nostalgically, "I could tell right then and there whoever that woman was, Shortcake cherished her enough to tell a superior as politely as she could to go to hell, damn the consequences. Means you're special to her, and as far as I care, that's enough to make her a good kid." The boisterous kunoichi laughed sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Can't say I made a good impression on your daughter, but I suppose she made a good one on me. Impressive fight, too."

Kurenai smiled, grateful for her friend's kind words. "Don't be too hard on yourself. If Amari learned about the mark, I have no doubt she understands your reasons for doubting her. After all, holding a grudge against you over a misunderstanding would just be too troublesome."

Anko gave a hearty laugh. "In that case I guess I'll have to give Shortcake a second chance at a better impression!" The kunoichi pumped a fist into the air. "Now let's get some dango!"

She never lacks energy.

Amari collapsed into her desk chair when she finally finished her shower, depleted of the last of her energy. But her hair was clean, as was the rest of her. That was a win worthy of her current sluggish state. Replacing her sweaty clothes was her fuchsia V-neck and clean black shorts that were slightly shorter than knee-length. Her bandana no longer covered her eye or her forehead, now tied loosely around her left wrist, and her ninja headband laid folded up elsewhere in her room.

She stared absently out the open window above her desk, seeing the blue sky without really seeing it. Her mind was stuck in a struggle to gather up the motivation to stop slouching further and further into her chair. Bad posture helped no one, and it wouldn't get her last duty of the day done. Usually she wouldn't need an internal pep talk, but she was tired, and tired Nara's didn't like doing anything. Tired Nara's liked to nap.

I'm not going to let Haku's letter wait. Or force Kaito to linger any longer than he wants to. She glanced to the right side of her desk, now occupied by a large bird cage with its tall metal door wide open. It wouldn't be a prison for Kaito; he could stay and go freely, and also could handle his business outside, as was the agreement they made. The hawk rested within, sleeping from what she could tell.

Okay, since Kaito is a bird of prey he'll hunt his own food. Quite frankly, I can't bring myself to feed him live animals. The mere thought of feeding any small animal to him made her feel nauseous. Circle of life was one thing, but to take innocent animals and purposefully feed them to anything… Amari shuddered.

Eyes tiredly roaming across her desk, she observed Haku's letter in front of her, a blank sheet of paper and pencil next to it, ready to be used by the crashing kunoichi. On her left side were Team Seven's official photo and the picture of her mother and herself.

Amari smiled warmly at their team photo. It hadn't even been that long ago, not really, but it was beginning to feel like years had passed since the photo was taken. Since they all fought Kakashi for bells and failed to work as a team to retrieve them. Back then she didn't have the scars on her arm. She hadn't known the flaws of her purpose or seen her own hypocrisies for what they were.

Shinobi life moved quickly. Perhaps too quickly. Any deeper philosophical examination on the subject, however, would have to wait for a rainy day. She didn't have the energy for it.

In the picture Kakashi bent down to their height and eye smiled at the camera; his hands pressed on the top of Sasuke's and Naruto's heads since the pair were on the ends. They didn't look all too pleased, mostly because they had been arguing with one another prior to and Kakashi's action forced them into frame together. Yet another change since then. Next to Naruto was Amari, her right hand snuck around her back to clutch her left arm as she smiled happily. Sakura was between her and Sasuke smiling gleefully.

Team Seven in its entirety. Hopefully fate would be kind enough to never sever their team.

Between the photos shimmered Haku's crystalized flower, the crystalline blue sparkled in the sunlight, appearing as magnificent and flawless as the day he gave it to her. She brushed her finger across the cool petals and thought of the connection this flower symbolized; the same connection Kaito provided a way to strengthen over the coming years.

Kaito was proof Haku hadn't forgotten her. He still felt bound by the same connection she held in her heart. The connection forged from shared pain in battle, and then shared happiness as friends.

All right, enough stalling. Time to finish his letter. She picked up Haku's letter to continue reading from where she had left off.

I am grateful for Zabuza providing this chance to write to you, although I must admit I'm not quite sure where to begin or what to write. This is another new experience for me, but I hope over time I will get better and the words I want to say will come easier. For now I would like to thank you once more for saving my life. In time I hope I will be able to repay your kindness.

Amari crossed her legs under her, shoulders still slouched.

Zabuza and I have traveled a long way from the Land of Waves, though I dare not say where for your safety and our own. Should anyone ever take these messages from you, I would not want to place you in a position where you are withholding valuable information on the location of two rogue ninjas. However, I want you to know we are safe to alleviate any concerns you may hold.

It did. Relief flooded her as she audibly sighed. Even if their safety was only temporary, at least they were alive and well.

On our travels we have heard rumors about the Chūnin Exams. Congratulations on reaching the final rounds. I wish you, Naruto and Sasuke the best of luck in your fights. I'm sure you three will give your opponents the fights of their lives.

Anyway, forgive me for not asking immediately, but how are you? Are you in good health? How have your injuries recovered? I sincerely hope you've not experienced any complications. Have you remained true to your nindo? How are Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi? I imagine the five of you have grown stronger since our battle as a team and individually.

There was a break in his writing. Marks that showed he tried to start writing again but decided against the chosen word or question. Then it started again.

There is much I would like to ask you and say, but I fear I'm having trouble putting these words to paper. Forgive me.

Please take care, Amari. For yourself, your team, and for me. For those who care about you, the world would be a lot dimmer without you in it. Of that I am certain.

Haku

A bright and warm blush colored her cheeks at the resoluteness behind his statement. The familiar warm fuzziness came back, but she quickly pushed it from her mind and picked up her own pencil, sliding her empty paper in front of her with Haku's in reading distance.

Haku,

I'm really happy to hear from you. I've thought a lot about the Land of Waves, wondering about you two and if you guys were still safe. Knowing you are is a huge relief. Give the old man my thanks for granting us the ability to keep in contact with one another. He really is a big softy on the inside.

She hoped Haku read that to him. She could already hear his irritated growl.

After some deliberation and approval from the bird I've started to call him Kaito. He seems to like it, although he also acts a bit cocky. Did he ever slap you with his wings? He's done it to me when I ask him a question he doesn't find intelligent. Otherwise he's been nice. As I write he's sleeping peacefully next to me.

Don't worry so much. This is a new experience for me too. We can stumble through our awkwardness together! And this time without a troublesome old man eavesdropping. I'm looking forward to the day when we all meet up again. Who knows, maybe one day you guys won't have to be rogue shinobi anymore. You'll be able to go home to the Land of Water and not fear death. I think you two deserve that chance.

She looked to Haku's letter and read over it again, looking for the questions she missed or statements she could bounce off of. When she read over his wish to repay her she put her pencil back to paper.

You do not need to repay me Haku, and neither does Zabuza. I mean that. You two are absolved of any debt you believe you owe. If that isn't good enough then consider your crystalized flower and kindness all the repayment needed. Both I hold dear to me, so please don't believe you are indebted to me. Zabuza giving us a way to remain in contact works as repayment as well.

Anyways, the Exams have been a huge drag. Some…bad stuff happened during the second part. Because of it I ended up needing surgery, which I'll tell you now to avoid at all costs. It's really troublesome. Sakura was unfortunately knocked out in the preliminary rounds in a double knockout, but ever since our battle in the Land of Waves she's worked hard to become stronger. I've been training her, and I'll be training one of her friends starting tomorrow. I'm very impressed by her growth. She's faster, stronger and more confident. She even defended me and the boys when we were all wounded.

Thank you for the wish of luck and congratulations. I'll pass the message onto the others.

Besides a few rough spots, everything has been well here. I recovered with no complications from all of my injuries, those in the Land of Waves and those from my surgery. It'd have been a drag if I hadn't, but I would have made it work. I'm stubborn like that.

Kakashi-sensei is training Sasuke for the finals. Naruto has a special trainer I don't think I'm supposed to talk about. He's in good hands. Mostly. As long as he doesn't pick up some of his new teacher's undesirable qualities.

Maybe she should check in on them again and ensure Master Jiraiya remembered her warning. Eh, if he doesn't heed my first warning, I'll just make them both pay for it over time.

Unbeknownst to Amari, Master Jiraiya and Naruto shuddered in terror for a reason they weren't quite sure of.

Amari returned her pencil to paper.

As a group and individually we've grown a lot. Sasuke isn't so broody anymore. Surprising, I know, but it is true. He's starting to open up a little bit, which is more than I ever thought, but the second phase of the Exams really brought us all together. Going through hell kind of does that, I guess.

As I said before, Sakura is taking her training very seriously. Before our battles, she was too focused on what I suppose all girls of my generation were obsessed by: being skinny and trying to be pretty for someone else's sake. She was intelligent, but unable to bring forth that intelligence in the heat of combat. And she kept shutting her damn eyes in the middle of a fight. Now, though, she's really becoming more like the kunoichi she wants to be.

It'll take a little more time for her to catch up, but she will. I believe in her.

Naruto is still the ball of energy with knuckleheaded tendencies, but he's our knucklehead. He keeps getting stronger and stronger and really impressed everyone in the preliminaries. Kakashi-sensei is still awesome and doing his best to help us become great shinobi.

As for me, I'm still working hard to reach my dream. Sticking to my nindo and doing my best to overcome my flaws and internal struggles. Somedays are better than others, but I'll keep fighting. That's my ninja way, after all.

Amari frowned when she noticed she was at the end of the paper. Damn.

I'm really happy to have heard from you. Good luck with everything, stay safe and please take care of yourselves. Finding out from Kaito you got hurt or killed would be a real drag.

So don't be troublesome, Haku.

Amari

After proof reading her letter a few times Amari folded it up, helped Kaito get his messenger pack back on and tucked it away safely into it. "Are you sure you want to go now? You can rest longer if you'd like," she offered. Kaito shook his head. Amari pet him gently. "Okay. Have a good flight, Kaito. And be safe." He let out a cry and took off out her window. She watched him fly until he was out of sight. "Safe travels, Kaito."

Amari cleaned up her desk, closed her window then headed out and up onto the roof to watch clouds. Also to nap.

A few hours later her mother returned home and nudged her awake. "Let's get you inside, little one. You can nap on the couch," she said, voice gentle and slightly amused. Amari didn't argue. She piggybacked on her mother's back into the house and settled onto the couch after she set her down. A pillow and blanket were gifted to her as she laid there. "Sleep," her mother's soothing voice coaxed, pressing a light kiss on her temple.

Amari's heavy eyelids slid shut again and her breathing evened out. Sleep claimed her almost immediately. This was the cost of her extreme training. Hours of the evening remained, yet she lacked a single drop of energy to expend. She slept with a sore body. A body that reached its physical limitations.

She didn't hear Asuma arrive or hear the two adults speaking in hushed whispers in the kitchen on any and all subjects that came to mind. She missed out on prime teasing ammunition as the couple shared in affectionate gestures and intimate kisses. A fact which the couple remained grateful for.

Amari's teasing left them both blushing on a consistent basis.

What finally stirred the sleeping child from her slumber was the scent of glorious food caressing her sense of smell. She groggily got up, covering her mouth as she yawned and tried not to stumble over on the flat, unobstructed stretch of floor between her and the kitchen.

"Hey, Asuma-sensei," she yawned.

The man greeted her with a nod and a smile. "Hey, Amari. Training hard, I see."

"Mmhm," she hummed as she sat at the table.

"Don't expect too much conversation from her, Asuma," Kurenai said, an affectionate smile on her face as she set Amari's plate in front of her. Her mother patted her head. "She's on autopilot. Aware, but only capable of handling one task at a time."

She wasn't wrong. Amari ate her food at a sluggish pace, eyes shutting fully for stretches of seconds as she ate before opening again. When her plate was finally cleaned off, the child stood up and nearly fell over as she ran into her mother. Kurenai stopped her from falling then picked up the barely functioning child. "Let's get you to bed." Amari didn't argue. She hugged her arms around her mother and shut her eyes again. "Promise me you'll take it easy tomorrow. You've pushed the Shadow Clone training too far, little one."

"Promise," she whispered.

Her bed and pillows greeted her for the final time that night. "Sleep well, little one. I love you."

"Mm. Love you."

Amari fell into her slumber quickly. She couldn't recall any dreams she may have had for those first hours of the night, but she could remember with full frightening clarity the sound of a familiar voice speaking to her from the recesses of her mind.

"Haya. It's time."

The genjutsu sucked her into her mindscape before she could jolt awake. It revealed to her a journey she had to undertake into her past life to regain the inheritance left for her. And with the fading of the genjutsu, she once again found herself on that mist covered bridge where cries of agony and crackles of lightning haunted her.

She did not wake on her own.

Kurenai's eyes slowly opened, looking across her bed, past the nightstand and alarm clock to the wall beyond it at the shadows. Something wasn't right. The air felt tense. Ripe with chakra.

"Asuma?" she whispered.

"I feel it too."

Kurenai worked the grogginess from her mind, hand slowly moving towards the nightstand where a kunai waited for her. The fog of sleep clouded her Sensory Abilities as much as it clouded her eyes. She couldn't pinpoint the source, not yet.

Then she felt it. Chakra surged from her daughter, and with it an agony filled scream. It jolted her entire body awake, pumping it full of adrenaline.

In an instant Kurenai was on her feet, rushing through her home in her nightdress, a kunai in hand and Asuma not far behind. She charged into her daughter's open room, flicking on the light to ensure nothing could hide from her. There were no other presences she could sense, but it paid to be extra cautious.

When her eyes landed on her daughter, she realized it wasn't an enemy she could kill. Her daughter's breathing was haggard, her eyes squinted shut as she curled up on her right side, back turned to the arriving adults, clenching her tensed left arm in her right hand. Green chakra covered her body in a barely visible and unstable shroud.

"Amari!" Kurenai rushed to her bedside, placing the kunai out of the way as she moved to pull her daughter from the darkness of her nightmares. As her hand touched her daughter's shoulder, covered by a sweat soaked shirt, Amari bolted upright with a startled cry. Both of her dōjutsu's activated; one red and lavender eye actively searched the room for hostiles.

She wasn't awake, Kurenai examined. She was still asleep.

How intense had the nightmare been?

Gently, she placed her hand back on her daughter's shoulder, concern and comfort taking over her features. "Little one, you're okay. You're home. Safe." Amari's breathing didn't settle, but her chakra shroud dispersed and her dōjutsu's deactivated. Tears welled in her eyes. She lifted her left hand in front of her eyes; it trembled viciously.

Kurenai did the only thing she could do. She slowly guided the hand away and pulled her daughter into a warm embrace, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head and rubbing circles across her back. "You're safe now. I promise. You're home. With me and Asuma. Nothing is going to hurt you now, okay?"

"My- my arm," she whimpered.

"I know. But the pain will pass and you will be okay, Amari. Look at me. You are safe. I'm here. You're not in the Land of Waves and your arm is healed. There is no blood. There are no open wounds. You are okay."

Amari nodded and buried her tear streaked face into Kurenai's chest.

"I'll go get her some water and some tissues," Asuma said.

"Thank you." She appreciated the gesture and the moment of privacy he was giving them.

Kurenai held her daughter, letting her nuzzle in close and cry all the tears she needed to. Although one day her little one wouldn't be so little, and she would become an elite shinobi who no longer needed her protection, that day wasn't today. Today her little one was still a child, her child who still needed the comfort and protection of her parent when these horrible nightmares became too much to bear.

"Mom?"

"I'm here, little one."

"I love you," she whispered hoarsely, vulnerably.

Tears pricked at Kurenai's eyes. She held her daughter tighter and shut her eyes, two glistening tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love you too," she whispered back.

Asuma returned but didn't intrude or speak up. He leaned against the doorframe, waiting for the appropriate moment to speak up.

"…I saw Itachi in my dreams," her daughter informed quietly, sniffling. "He showed me places in the Uchiha District. I think one was my old family home; the other was a hill overlooking a river. I'm supposed to go there to find my inheritance, he said. Then it faded away and…the nightmare took its place."

Kurenai hummed. Asuma cleared his throat. "I've got the water and tissues, if you want some."

Amari nodded into her chest and Kurenai waved him over silently. The genjutsu invaded her dreams then, she thought. She didn't like it, especially if it vindictively pushed her into this recurring nightmare. For it to show her what could be her old family home and a place where her inheritance waited…What did it mean? What was Itachi's genjutsu guiding her towards? What could her inheritance be?

Kurenai and Asuma remained in Amari's room, the mother of the pair comforting her daughter while Asuma did his best to be supportive for both. Kurenai appreciated it. Seeing her daughter like this, knowing there was nothing she could do to take it away, it broke her heart.

Eventually Amari's left arm no longer appeared stiff and she calmed down significantly. "I…I think I'll be okay," Amari said after blowing her nose for a final time.

"You sure? There's no rush, Amari," Asuma reassured.

Her daughter gave a small nod. "I think so. I don't…I don't appear any different, do I?"

The genjutsu hasn't changed me, has it? It was the question that went unspoken.

"I don't sense anything wrong with you…except." Kurenai pursed her lips in mock thought.

Amari took the bait. "Except wha—"

Kurenai poked her in the forehead, earning a soft giggle from her little shadow. "Nope. You're still you," Kurenai smiled.

Amari lowered her eyes. "Sorry for interrupting your sleep."

The red eyed Jōnin shook her head and pulled the young girl back into a hug. "Don't apologize, little one. You have nothing to apologize for." She pressed another kiss to her head. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to come get me."

"I know. I'm…I'm going to try to get to sleep again." She squeezed Kurenai tightly. "Love you, Mom. Thank you for always coming. You too, Asuma-sensei."

"I love you too."

"Hang tough, Amari. You'll get through this."

Kurenai squeezed her daughter one last time then left her bed, grabbing her kunai, the tissues and ushering herself and Asuma out. Before she shut the light off, she said, "If you need anything, little one, anything at all, don't hesitate to come get me."

"I won't. Love you."

"I love you."

She exited the room and, after throwing away the used tissues, followed Asuma back to her bedroom. She put her kunai knife back and sat down on the edge of her bed, too troubled to lie back down just yet. Were her nightmares naturally getting worse? Or was this a rare occasion? Kurenai was worried.

"You know she's going to want to go find what the genjutsu showed her," her boyfriend said quietly.

She nodded. Another thought on her mind. "I…have much to think about."

Asuma wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back towards him. "It can wait until morning. Right now you need to sleep just like she does."

Deciding he was right, Kurenai cuddled back up against him.

She would figure something out.