Obligatory Disclaimer: The series Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto; I only own my OCs, picture, and this story.

Chapter 38: Unfamiliar Frontiers

We began our trek through the forests of Fire Country, the gates and walls of Konoha becoming a speck in the distance until that too was swallowed by the trees.

It was amazing to see Riku move expertly from one branch to another, and he seemed to enjoy himself greatly as he kept pace with our entourage. It was equally impressive considering how high we were in the trees, which grew taller as we traveled towards Kusa. From what I remembered from my geography lessons, plus its importance in the war against Iwagakure, Grass Country was lush with forests of all kinds as its name implied. I could only assume the flora would get even more ridiculous as we moved closer. The variations would be small considering it bordered the Land of Fire, however I still felt myself getting a bit excited at the prospect of finding varieties I had never seen before.

If only I were with better company.

Orochimaru was at the head of the pack, Anko chattering away to him just behind, while I took the midpoint with Shichirou lagging at the rear. I kept an eye on the boy, seeing how he incrementally lagged behind as the hours passed until our sensei called for a break. We dropped down into a clearing, Riku panting cheerfully as he trotted up to my side.

"Be ready to head out within half an hour," the sannin ordered before taking a seat at the base of a tree, seeming to fall into a state of meditation- a façade of peace.

I pulled my canteen from my pack as Shichirou plopped onto the ground nearby while Anko began to heckle him for being so tired. Combing a hand through Riku's short fur, I pulled off his gear, making sure the non-stop running and jumping hadn't chaffed him. Smiling slightly at his bright chakra bubbling against my palm and dodging his hanging tongue, I pulled his bowl from his pack and filled it, the clearing filling with his messy slurping as I checked him for sore muscles.

I then reached for the connection, finding Miki in the trees above us.

'Are you alright Miki?'

There was no answer as usual and I sighed, stretching my limbs. I located her easily enough with my byakugan, perched on a high branch on the edge of my vision. She seemed to be okay physically, if at least the slightest bit ruffled from the long flight. Her void-like eyes were staring me down between the leaves and branches and the slightest bit of irritation trickled across our line before she looked away.

'I'm fine. I'm not a child.'

Her irritation grew as my own disbelief traveled back to her and I 'closed' the link, leaving it partially open like a door just so I could keep tabs. I couldn't help my own irritation from sprouting. It wasn't as though I asked to be a babysitter, though I was too a child- technically. Maybe she was mad that I had scolded her earlier? Whatever it was, I had no time to dwell on it; I had enough to deal with.

Anko finished her heckling session of our male teammate as I took a seat, plopping herself in front of me as I drank from my canteen. Her ochre eyes traveled from me to Riku who was stretched out on the grass behind me.

"I've been meaning to ask ya, what's with the ninken?"

"He's my partner," I answered plainly, looking over the canine who was lounging peacefully, though one ear was raised attentively.

"Well, I figured that," she huffed. In my peripheral, I spied Shichirou doing a poor job of eavesdropping as he roused himself from the ground and began rummaging through his pack.

"I mean, what's a Hyūga doing with a ninken? It's not in you guys' usual skillset, right?"

Her eyes took on a critical sheen and I sighed internally. It wasn't like I could make up a lie and leave as I normally would, usually coming up with some clan matter I had to take care of; those unaffiliated with clans never really questioned it. Stuck on this mission, there would be no shrugging off her inquires if I wanted to get through it with my sanity in check.

"You are aware that I was without a proper team prior to my reassignment? My shishou decided this would be the best course of action."

And I would be forever grateful to her for it.

"But he's an Inuzuka ninken, isn't he? Normal dogs don't get this big!"

She gestured wildly at the hound and I turned to look at him. She did have a point. He was only four years old and yet he rose a good foot above my solid four-foot self. If Kiba was able to ride Akamaru after the time skip, being a teen, I wondered how much bigger Riku could get.

"I have connections," I shrugged.

A disbelieving expression crossed her face before she pouted.

"Ya know, I remember Shun-chan saying something interesting about you," Anko began, stretching languidly, her eyes shining with an unusual focus. "That you were a 'prized mutt' of the Hyūga."

My face retained its passiveness, as my mind was taken to a memory a few winters back. A snowy day and Noburu's foot flying out of nowhere and towards Shun's face. My clanmate had thrown a slew of insults at me much to my annoyance, though I hadn't taken the high road in that interaction if I remembered correctly. I had almost forgotten that the blue eyed genin wasn't the only one to interrupt our one-sided dispute. I stared at Anko, waiting for her to continue.

Was this some sort of interrogation on behalf of her own curiosity or was there something more nefarious, ala her favorite person in the world? Not that Orochimaru didn't already know my situation- probably more than I did if my mother's reaction to my reassignment were to be believed.

"What's up with that, huh? Shun-chan never explained."

She had probably hounded him just like she was hounding me right now. I was only slightly surprised he hadn't continued to badmouth me to his teammates. Then again, clan matters were a private thing- issues weren't to be discussed with outsiders, even if I was considered one by my own clan.

I really didn't have to explain anything to her but maybe this was an opportunity in disguise. Although I had reasons to not trust her, her idol worship of the snake sannin for one, there was no point in me not being friendly with her. You know, if you ignored all the times she had inadvertently put my life at risk.

Though that was par for the course with most of my friendships.

Besides, in canon, after seeing and experiencing his true nature, Anko had made it her goal to bring him to justice. In my terror and mistrust of Orochimaru, I had also shuffled her and Shichirou into the 'those who can't be trusted' category. Despite them a, being children, and b, in the same situation as I was. Pawns in an evil man's schemes, potential experiments. I wasn't more important- I was just a bigger target.

And despite that, I had been rather distant to them. Not at all myself.

I leaned back against my canine companion and weighed my options. I could just avoid the questions as usual, but that would keep things the same as always. I suppose there would be no harm in trying 'friendship no jutsu'- seemingly the most powerful move in this universe.

"My father is of the Branch Family of the Hyūga, but I was 'adopted' into the Main Family, most likely due to my mother's lineage as a Senju and the granddaughter of the Shodaime. At least that's what I think. I've never been told why."

Anko's and Shichirou's eyes blinked at me silently for a moment, absorbing the information before their eyes went wide almost comically.

"You're a Senju!?" They gasped. I shrugged; we were about as rare as a unicorn at this point, so I guess it was warranted.

The other kunoichi was the first to recover, squinting at me as she leaned into my personal space.

"Doesn't that mean you're like a princess or something?" Her eyes twinkled at the prospect but I could only shrug again in response.

"I am not aware of the political ramifications in relation to the village but I am the prospective heiress of the Hyūga and that's more than enough for me."

I really, truly did not need anything else to upend my already crazy life. Shichirou came closer but stayed a respectable distance away, though his eyes shone with an interest I hadn't seen before.

"What's it like being a descendant of Hashirama-sama? Though I guess since you're the Hyūga heiress, you don't have much contact with that side of your family."

"That would be correct," I nodded, keeping my visit to the Senju manor and the Suzuki clan to myself. "I've been being trained to lead the clan since I turned three."

That was apparently also gasp-worthy. Their eyes went wide again, though they both took on critical sheens, probably equating my prodigy status to my Senju bloodline.

In retrospect, it was unsurprising considering how secretive our society was because, you know, ninja; I had only touched the tip of the iceberg on the Senju side of my lineage. I hadn't put much thought into the fact that my great grandfather was the Hashirama. Other than what Aunt Yumi had told me, I didn't remember much about him from my previous life.

I had more grievances against the man than not since his genetics had gotten me into more trouble than I cared for. Then again, that also meant that I had Mito Uzumaki's DNA within me as well, something I hadn't thought about until now. I had to do some more research once I got home.

"It was like you were born to be a ninja," Shichirou said in awe, while Anko nodded in agreement, delayed as her expression became a bit more indiscernible.

I could only shrug again, rising to my feet with a stretch, a quote from a long-forgotten life coming to the forefront of my mind as I began to reequip Riku's gear. Something about the consequences of life not being important, rather 'it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are'.

What a weird thing to remember.

"Although I am grateful for my ancestors' achievements, it is up to me to work towards my own goals. I have to start from the scratch like everybody else."

Being the great granddaughter of renowned ninjas meant nothing when my clan members could easily knock me to the dirt. It hadn't helped when I almost died on my first mission. It wouldn't matter if I died on this mission or any other. I would make great achievements, even if only personal, by the power I developed, no one else. They would instead be goalposts I'd hope to pass. To make my dreams a reality.

Feeling a renewed sense of self, I didn't find myself shaking as Orochimaru's eyes met mine, stomach untremblingly as he smiled self-assuredly.

"Let's head out."

It seemed my act of opening up had broken the dam that was milquetoast Shichirou into a chatterbox. The genin was apparently a huge history buff and the mention of the First Hokage had him listing off the man's greatest accomplishments and even smaller, more obscure factoids that I was sure only Aunt Yumi could verify.

This continued through our trek into Grass Country solidifying the fact that the Abe boy was a complete nerd and we seemed to form a bond. I couldn't say the same between Anko and I, who seemed to stick to Orochimaru's side more often than not and was a bit snider with her commentary with jabs at Shichirou's and I's newfound camaraderie.

It was on our fifth night out that she finally revealed what was going on in her head- several days later than I expected.

After Orochimaru had dismissed us, giving us our goal of reaching the borders of the other hidden village by mid-afternoon tomorrow. Riku and I had made short work of placing barrier seal tags around the perimeter of our camp and I went about rolling out my bedroll. Anko had the task of building the fire that would cook the meal Shichirou and Orochimaru were hunting for us. Miki was watching from above with her unsubtle indifference and Anko was uncharacteristically quiet.

The other kunoichi had her back to me as the fire started its meager blaze and I took a seat on my bedroll, letting my chakra cycle through my body, relieving the soreness from the day's trek. Things had gone well so far, though that was to be expected- we weren't taking the beaten path. We hadn't run into any other humans, civilian or otherwise, though Miki would catch a caravan or two during our move from her view in the sky. Mostly displaced peoples, homes likely decimated by the war. I couldn't imagine the terror or the heartbreak, to be displaced in such a dangerous world. Another reminder of despite how crazy to this life was, I was lucky. I had been given an opportunity to gain power to fend off those things that could destroy me.

Even if I had to deal with a snake man with ambitions of immortality.

I was pulled from my thoughts as a rock came flying at my head and I leaned to the side, letting it hit the tree behind me, giving a snickering Anko a flat stare.

"Thought I got you that time," she shrugged lightly before shuffling over to her own bed roll across the campfire from mine.

These little inconveniences had increased in frequency since our first day out and I could assume that the monotony of leaves and branches had gotten to her. I usually didn't respond to her shenanigans, but I could tell it was something deeper than that this time.

"You know, I am sure we have evolved as a species that we can communicate more effectively than throwing stuff at each other," I sighed, taking slight joy from her surprise. "Was there something you wanted to discuss?"

Her ochre eyes met mine over the flames of the low fire and another pout crossed her face, but it fell into something more serious. The quiet remained, only mildly disturbed by the muted crackling of the embers. Anko stared at me with a hard expression before she shot up from her bedroll and, with an unnecessary leap over the flames, stood in front of me. I continued to look at her with indifference; despite the fact her fists were shaking. In anger or something else, I couldn't tell.

She stared down at me, face unmoving. I raised a brow, letting it disappear into my bangs, though both shot up as she pointed a finger at my face.

"From this moment on, you are my rival!" she declared, setting her other fist to her side as if solidifying her proclamation.

I blinked and let my face fall.

"And what, pray tell, has this come from?" I asked, leaning back to better see her face and avoid the way her finger got closer to my forehead.

She smiled down at me, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked off into the forest, the campfire reflecting off her eyes aptly.

"I'm not going to be outshone by a child- even if you're some superpowered princess."

That got another brow raise.

"If it makes you feel better," I shrugged, a little smile spreading across my face as Riku moved to settle close against my side, eying the purple haired girl suspiciously. "Though I'm no princess, I'm an heiress."

"Same difference," Anko pouted. "You could at least be more excited about it."

I stared up at her evenly. "If it's about the attention I'm getting from sensei, know that it's not my intention nor desire."

I'd rather be hit by the Jūken.

"And secondly, I don't plan on staying in your 'way' for long- possibly only until the conclusion of the chūnin exams."

That caused her to frown more.

"Then why are you even here?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm sure Shun-chan will recover by the chūnin exams, then we wouldn't even need you."

That stung. More than I expected, but then again what did I expect?

"That is something you will have to take up with your sensei. He saw me as a fitting replacement. I had no choice in the matter," I said and turned away to take stock of my inventory and Riku's gear.

I already knew I didn't belong- I was used to it at this point. Even in this instance, I was both a replacement for a Hyūga and a prime experiment for the snake sannin. And as haughty as it sounded, I didn't see Anko as anything other than a temporary teammate and even that was too strong of a term, as she had done little more than harass me.

Though I had to remind myself that she was only a child and I didn't know her story but it wasn't in my interest to learn more at this juncture. I just had to get through this team assignment, pass the chūnin exams and get away from Orochimaru. That was my focus for the time being.

Before Anko could speak, the sound of Shichirou's huffing entered in the clearing, carrying his catch and I strode confidently past her to help, even as the snake man emerged from the dark.

True to Orochimaru's estimations, we made it to Kusagakure by mid-afternoon, even with a detour caused by Anko trying to lose me in the tall grass fields that rose way higher than my miniature frame- but with my byakugan, Riku's nose, and Miki's eyes, her prank was destined to fail. I could tell from the instant the grass started to give way that we were at our destination. The atmosphere changed as well and in preparation I dismissed Miki so my reserves could properly replenish themselves, much to her chagrin.

Though the country itself had been invaded by Iwagakure, Kusa itself didn't look any worse for wear, at least on the outside. Well, they were rumored to be skilled in diplomacy and may have prevented the most damage possible, though it seemed they had traded external problems for internal ones as there was a notable tension in the air that signified they hadn't gotten through it completely unscathed.

Orochimaru's presence seemed to only increase the tension of the two guards on duty at the gates, who looked over our passports and licenses warily before allowing us entry. One brave soul who introduced himself as Saburo, a messy haired brunet, led the way to the village head's tower. Like Konoha, Kusa had a fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics by past world standards, though on a much smaller scale. Their buildings rose high towards a particularly blue sky and eyes were all on us as we were escorted to the main building which rose above the rest.

There was a guardedness, a weight to everyone we passed and for good reason. We were foreign ninja after all, from the village who had just claimed victory in the war and were coming to visit their leader. With the added bonus of having one of our most infamous ninjas, a legendary sannin no less, hero of the Second Shinobi War was also much cause for wariness. Especially with what Iwagakure had pulled, they had to be worried about their own autonomy, particularly being at their worst due to the very recent conclusion of the war.

The three of us were quiet as we followed Orochimaru and Saburo up several flight of stairs, until another pair of guards stopped us at the double doors. The Kusa jōnin guard talked to the others who continued to give us scrutinizing looks even as Saburo explained the situation.

It didn't take much longer than that for us to stand in front of the leader of Kusagakure. He was a tall man, standing even with Orochimaru and I'd say he was just as slender as the sannin. The most striking feature was his eyes, light purple with concentric circles around a pale pupil, paired with long white hair which was tied into a low ponytail.

His peculiar eyes were warm as they looked over us, though those who I assumed were his advisers looked less than pleased with our presence. The air was thick with a tension that didn't show on their leader's face.

"Welcome ninja of Konohagakure to our humble village," he began. "I am Ryūnosuke, leader of Kusagakure. Thank you for coming all this way."

"The pleasure is ours," Orochimaru said suavely with a flourishing bow, ignoring the frowns and spikes in chakra from the advisers as he approached, handing over the sealed scroll which he produced from one long sleeve.

The sannin backed away respectfully to stand with us. "Konohagakure would like to present our formal letter of alliance between our two villages."

The white-haired man nodded graciously and knowingly, placing it upon the wide desk that sat behind him, presumably for later perusal with his advisors.

"You'll have to allow us a few days' council before we sign, though taking account our previous correspondence, I'm sure we won't have any issues."

The men around him, if minutely, become even more stone faced.

"Of course," Orochimaru intoned. "This is not something to be thoughtlessly discussed."

Ryūnosuke nodded graciously.

"I have made arrangements for your stay while we discuss the articles of this agreement. We thank you for your patience."

As Orochimaru thanked him for his hospitality and we turned to exit, I didn't miss the lingering looks I received as I trailed behind an excitable Anko and nervous Shichirou, as if the men had just noticed my presence but I didn't dare look back. I didn't want to bring myself more attention than necessary, especially to some other villages political drama.

As long as they signed the treaty, we'd be back home before I knew it.

Author's Notes

Posted: August 12th, 2021

Hey.

Many thanks to everyone who has stuck around this long. (Holy shit, this has been going on for a while). Life's been a bit of a hassle, as seen by the lack of updates but I'm still here. I was rereading through all the chapters I had written and hated every single one, so I decided to take time away from it and realized that it wasn't all that bad; I was just being hard on myself for no reason. Besides, this is all just for fun and shouldn't be taken too seriously anyways.

Oh, and the quote Junko remembered was from Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back, if any of you caught that.

Until next time, be patient with yourselves and take care.