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tl34lt12: There's still a few more chapters before we get actual rangers... (Spoiler Alert)... Chunin Exams are a Villain's worst Nightmare.

AN: We decided to incorporate an OC into the main story to help drive it forward. She will not take the place of Naruto and the rest, but will play a decent sized role as she is essentially Kakashi's story continued. I love the idea of Kakashi's legacy being continued, even if he isn't there to do so himself. Thankfully Einjeru Hatake, my co-conspirator agreed to let me use her character, and we went to town to try to bring you something awesome. That said... Will Einjeru be a ranger? Maybe. ;) . Will Einjeru lead the team... No plans on that for now. Heck. We might even let Sakura lead the team for all you know. Bwahahahaha.

-Shinobi

AN: Shinobi Gatana... Please stop Teasing our readers. It's not very nice...

-Einjeru

Says the woman who likes Cliffhangers...

-Shinobi

You do know I hold the morphers currently right? I will hold off until the Land of Snow Arc.

-Einjeru

Oi! Be reasonable.

-Shinobi

Einjeru chuckles darkly while taking the morphers to a more secure location.. and says, "Spirits will be unleashed... in due time..."

A CLIFFHANGER BEFORE THE CHAPTER EVEN STARTS? REALLY?!

-Shinobi

Brutality and Healing Part 2: Bonds & Puppy Romance

It didn't take long for Einjeru to get to the tea shop, where she ordered some chamomile tea to calm her nerves. Her mom looked on, concerned that she may have damaged any relationship they could possibly have.

Seeing the look in her mom's eye, Einjeru sighed. "Mom… If you're blaming yourself solely on what just happened… then don't. I felt like this was going to come to a head if not now then later. I'm not sure how to feel right now… I lost my teammates and the ones that were supposed to help me through it emotionally were more concerned about my income from said mission…"

"Einjeru, I…"

"Let me finish. I need to get this out or I will never be able to. I was destroyed; everything was hurting both physically and mentally. You guys basically made yourselves unavailable to my hurt and were more concerned about everything else. Had I carried this baggage on a high ranking mission, I probably wouldn't have come back from it. I wanted nothing more than to cry out in pain when I came home, and it was worse when my biological father passed!"

Einjeru almost broke the tea cup before catching herself. "I was beyond distraught hearing what I did. His students were taking it better than I did and I barely knew him! Yet you two were more concerned about my mission pay again! Four big holes in my heart and neither of you helped to fill them! I was hurting…"

Her mother sighed. "I know, and as a parent I should've known better, but Okami was squandering our money on every possible thing. I was more concerned with our survival than your strife, and in the end I realize that was the worst thing I could do." She was noticeably stress-eating some matcha cake.

"I understand wanting to get away from it, I really do Einjeru… However, it would be most appreciated if you would drop by and maybe lend a hand?"

Einjeru was hesitant, but laid down some conditions. Due to R.J. making the stipulation that her rent was working at the pizza shop, she would devote half of her mission earnings to her mom. "Alright mom but on two conditions: One; the money that I give you does not touch Okami's hands. Two; anything left over from taking care of the house, use it on yourself. I can see you haven't indulged in sweets in forever… Maybe take a trip to the hot springs part of the village?"

"That sounds lovely; I haven't been to a hot spring since before I was married."

Einjeru got a hopeful look on her face. "Maybe dump Okami on the curb?"

Her mom gave a chuckle at that. "Oh Einjeru, as much as I'd like to, it'd be impossible. In the land of Steam, when you're married, the bond is unbreakable. If I were to do that I'd be disowned."

"But mom, this is the land of fire and didn't you tell me once that they were going to disown you anyway because he was a member of the yakuza?"

"Yes, but it didn't stop them from acknowledging the wealth he had, despite it. I was wooed by his words and stuck by the hope that he would go back to that charming handsome man he was almost 13 years ago."

Einjeru looked at her tea and saw the reflection of a bruised and battered 5 year old before the wind blew and revealed her actual reflection. "8 years ago, my world was changed due to being beaten senseless for bringing home a perfect test score. I knew from there I was going to need to be strong to at least bear it. Most parents would be happy for their child doing so well… It also taught me to just be quiet sometimes because when I yelped in pain, he only hit me harder…"

Her mom stared in disbelief. "But I never even saw a bruise on you. How?"

"The wonders of medical ninjutsu and people who are well versed in medicine… Cleaned me up and made it seem like I ran into the door or something of that variety… You still want to hold on to that hope?"

"Einjeru, if I had known better, I would have separated for a while." Her pained expression on top of a bruised face forced Einjeru into a vulnerable state.

"I'm sorry mom… I wish there was more I was capable of doing…"

Einjeru couldn't finish her sentence before her mom's breath caught in her throat. "I know honey, but I need to go."

Before Einjeru could ask what the suddenness was, she turned to the direction her mom was facing. 'Of course he'd come here…' She got a begrudging look upon her face. "I see… I need to get going myself. I need to get some training in before it gets too late." Waving her mom farewell, she disappeared leaving a leaf behind.

At the Inuzuka compound, Kiba was chasing the puppies around as a punishment for overestimating his training. A black pup with a silver underbelly was causing him the most trouble. "Get over here you!"

Just outside, Einjeru hears Kiba yelling and chuckles, walking in. She pinged her chakra and called out. "Shiruba!" In turn the pup ran to her and sat in front of her, tail wagging.

Kiba comes over. "How did you do that? I couldn't get her to settle to save my life."

"First of all, she's mine. Second of all, if you're supposed to be an alpha, you assert your authority from moment one. She doesn't acknowledge you as such."

The other puppies come over and sit as well. This made Kiba bristle for a moment. "How are you able to do that?!"

"What? Having the puppies sit without having to do a thing?"

He resisted the urge to growl at her. "Yes, that?"

"I don't know." Einjeru was genuinely confused at the Inuzuka pups sitting for her. Kiba's mom comes and laughs at the sight.

"It only happens when another relative who has superior control comes along. However, the last relative that I knew outside the clan was Kakashi Hatake."

Einjeru cringed slightly. "Well that explains why you were so willing to let me keep her here…"

"I can smell it kid. You're definitely his brat and a better alpha than Kiba is making himself out to be. I can only figure you're to train and strengthen your bond with your pup, right?"

"That would correct… Mrs. Inuzuka."

"Call me Tsume. We are related."

"O-ok…" She picks up Shiruba and carries her to the training grounds before being told to hold up.

"We can train with you to ensure you understand the finer aspects of having a ninja hound in battle. You've already established a strong bond with her as she comes on your command."

"That would be good." She looks to Kiba and shrugs. "I guess we're distant cousins…"

"Whatever, I'll show that I'm a more competent dog handler than you!"

"Then I wish you luck with those pups."

Kiba turns to see them running around again and groans.

Tsume gestures Einjeru to follow her into the compound. "You know kid, you do have family. We're pack oriented around here, and you don't have to feel like you're imposing."

"I know; it's just a lot to take in considering I was adopted by a civilian family."

Tsume snorted at that. "Lord Third should have known better… Shinobi born children are not good fits for civilian families as you've probably discovered."

Einjeru looked down at Shiruba and sighed. "I've known for years, but there wasn't much I could do. If I'd known…"

"You'd have come around sooner? Should've, would've, could've kid. Those words are synonymous with our line of work. We could've done this, or we should've done that, or if I would've done this…" Tsume heaved a big sigh. "Everything could be different, right?"

If Einjeru knew any better, she would have felt like Tsume aged some. "Yes… those thoughts come to mind every day."

Tsume nods. "Either way, I arranged for you to spend some time with Hana when you next came by. She'll help you in strengthening the chakra within your pup."

"Is she a vet of some sort?"

"Yes and a damn good one. She's more than happy to help. We're coming up on her training area now."

They turn into a sterile room and see Hana with two dogs. The dogs turn and end up sitting.

"I must have something wrong with me for dogs to just sit like this." Einjeru sweat-drops and sighs.

Tsume heaves a hearty laugh. "You just exude strength to them. Don't worry about it. I'll leave you two to it."

As Tsume leaves, Einjeru just sets Shiruba down and looks at Hana.

At the training grounds near JKP, Naruto sat in a meditative pose, showing visible signs of frustration. His eyes open as he groans. "Damn it! Why can't I get this?! I've gotten everything else you've taught, but I'm stuck with this one!"

R.J. looks on and sighs. He is right. It is taking longer for him to get this… But then his animal spirit used to be something that was meant to be sealed in a person… But then again, it was its own entity. I need him to realize that, but it would help to motivate him as well.

Tapping a finger to his face, a metaphysical light bulb went off, allowing him to explain to Naruto and motivate him simultaneously. "If you find a way to get along with your friend Kurama and can summon his power in the form of an external avatar, or physical form, I'll give you 2 days off to train in Ninja arts, make a new Ramen flavored pizza in your honor, and even buy you 3 bowls of Ichiraku ramen... We need our future Hokage to be well fed too don't we?"

Little did R.J. know, this kicked Naruto into high gear with him saying, "That sounds like the deal of the century!"

Kurama, within the mindscape, chuckles and fights the urge to roll his eyes. It's going to take a miracle to get me to find that perfect cohesion, but this brat… He may earn my respect and… dare I say… a true Friendship… and not the forced one Ashura attempted to push on us. Perhaps that is what is holding me back... that it was all but forced upon me... even if by a family member, it took away my choice... again... It's something to consider.'

In the pizza parlor, Anko comes in boisterously and sees Sakura working, thinking how Sakura was a little too dainty for her tastes. Even with how far she had come in training, Anko wanted Sakura to be even tougher. "Hey Pinkie! Come with me!"

Sakura jumped slightly before following quietly. "Anko sensei?"

"Quiet, just listen to me. You've come a ways since you've started training under me, but it's not enough brat! I want you to be tougher than the boys, tougher than me…"

"I have a question. R.J. kind of brought someone new into the fold. She's already a chunin."

"Oh? What's her name? How old is she?" Anko was shameless when it came to asking about things like that."

"She's actually 12, and her name is Einjeru."

Anko smirked, thinking of maybe using her as motivation. "Last name?"

Sakura sweat dropped 'Well, it could be worse. They'll probably end up meeting anyways…' "Well, she's actually related to Kakashi sensei… Her last name is Hatake."

Anko nearly tripped over herself. "And the brat is a chunin. I should have known. Either way, how strong would you gauge her?" Asking Sakura this was Anko's way of determining Sakura's self-confidence and observation skills.

"Well, I'd say her strength lies in her lithe figure and she seems to be the ninjutsu specialist gauging from the feel of her chakra. I'd say she's constantly working on her control. Emotionally, she's fragile, but she's good at hiding it."

"Fragile? You make it sound like she told you her life's story."

"She kind of did, but we didn't pry too much. We went and pranked her step-parents' house."

"And you guys weren't caught? I'm impressed. As I've said before, we want to work on strengthening your chakra reserves and your body in general. If this Einjeru is as you say, she does a lot of running as part of her regimen. Have you heard of using chakra to augment your strikes?"

"Yes, but I heard applying it is difficult."

"I believe that will be a good skill for you to have. After all, Tsunade of the legendary sannin is famous for it. So let's get to work brat!"

"Yes sensei!"

Some hours will go by before Sakura starts to collapse from near chakra exhaustion. Anko, grabs her, impressed by the show of determination. 'Brat, you'll catch up to all of them before you know it. I guess I was being somewhat nosy, but you can never trust someone you just met right from the get go… Kakashi was a good shinobi though guarded, but losing your teammates could do that. I wonder what happened to this brat that caused Sakura to gauge her like that.'

Bringing Sakura back to the pizza parlor, she sees Sasuke and Haku leaving. Coming in, she notices Naruto behind the counter and someone new handling the seating and taking orders. Seeing the black hair and that she was somewhat younger looking, Anko figured who it was. 'Kid must catch on to things fast to be working with such efficiency…'

At the Uchiha compound, Haku starts to help Sasuke in channeling chakra into the one handed signs. After weeks of just perfecting them without it, Sasuke was getting a bit antsy. Haku was a relatively patient but strict teacher. He would not move forward in training until everything was perfect.

"Why are you so determined to kill your brother?" He figured he'd ask that with his current train of thought. 'He's determined to rush through…'

Sasuke had a little malice in his eyes that someone would question him, on top of the impatience. "He killed off my entire clan, made me relive that horror for 72 hours. Why wouldn't I want to kill him?"

Haku hid the saddened look in his eye. 'Anko should at least know of this. His progress is great among his peers aside from Team 7, but I cannot allow him to push forward without everything being perfected. He'd only injure himself. I couldn't… Even if it means he degrades himself in my eyes by throwing a tantrum and bruising his ego.'

Sasuke sighs. "I'm sorry… With everything that I… encountered today, I'm just really trying to get strong quick."

Haku was surprised. "I assume it has to do with our newbie?"

Sasuke gives a clipped sigh. "She had to move in upstairs and when we went to help her and heard her step-parents arguing, we heard some… hits land." He seemed uncomfortable as if he had been the one to experience it. He thought about why it affected him on this level.

Haku was surprised by this side of Sasuke. "It wasn't her, was it?"

Shaking his head, Sasuke stops trying to channel chakra. "Her stepmom, had a bruise on her face and Einjeru looked like she was trying to keep her temper reigned in. Personally, he wouldn't be standing if it were mine. I hate to admit it, but she actually has something on me, self-control."

Haku was impressed that Sasuke was willing to admit a weakness like that. "You can always change that. Self-control can be learned. Let's go through an example. If your brother was standing here right now, what would you do?"

"Charge in recklessly, using everything that I know to kill him."

"Wrong. He'd kill you on the spot. Another question; have you experienced the loss of someone precious aside from your clan and perhaps Kakashi?"

"No. What are you leading to?"

"Sometimes loss of someone can cause loss of self-control. I'm willing to bet that self-control of hers would go out the window if her mother was killed before her eyes." Haku knew that feeling, but knew his mother wanted him to survive. "My mother was killed before my eyes… By my father. Before he could kill me, my Kekkei Genkai reacted, killing him first…"

Sasuke knew what Haku was saying. "Are you saying she may react violently?"

"Possibly, in my case it was for my survival. She may just keep it together for others, or she may just commit bloody murder."

It became silent before they decided to go back to work.

Upon returning, Haku and Sasuke see the closed sign and everyone cleaning up. They come in and start to assist before R.J. came into the room with a pleased smile on his face.

"Alright, now that everyone is back and the store is clean, let's go get something to eat because I'm sure you guys don't want pizza after just cleaning up everything."

"I vote Ichirakus!" Naruto was giddy about his favorite food.

"You always eat ramen, but it's somewhere nearby, so I'm game." Sasuke figured not to push the boat since there's no convincing Naruto.

"Come on Naruto, is there anything else?" Sakura really didn't want to clog up her pores and beseeched Naruto to try anything else.

Haku was indifferent to the conversation and Einjeru said something that completely turned the tide of the conversation. "I'd like to try some… I never had Ichiraku's before…"

It was like a record scratched in Naruto's head. "Now we have to go! Ramen is the food of the gods!"

Einjeru had a look of pity on her face towards everyone else. "Sorry everyone. I didn't mean to charge him up like this."

R.J. nods. "It's alright, I promised him ramen anyways. Away we go then?"

To everyone's assent, the doors were locked and away they went to Naruto's favorite place of patronage.

Walking in, they sat down to hear a, 'Welcome!' as well as seeing the smiling faces of Ayame and Teuchi Ichiraku.

R.J. ushered them to sit first while taking a seat at the end. 'I should ask for help from them to create the new ramen pizza for Naruto. He loves this place from the way he acts.'

Teuchi looks at R.J. and recognizes the man that created the shop he's in competition with. Ayame gives him a smile and reads the specials off after Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke ordered their usuals. Einjeru and Haku listen along with R.J.

Haku orders first, hearing something that reminded him of his mother. "I shall have a miso ramen, extra vegetables please."

Einjeru orders next, not exactly sure what was good. "I'll take a tonkotsu ramen please."

R.J. smiles and orders a miso ramen. Looking at the others, he sees a bunch of cubs that are growing into their fangs, and taking a look at Ayame, he allowed a small blush to grace his face.

Teuchi notices and gets a stern look in his eye before setting out the ramen. Everyone blesses the food and digs in.

"This is really good. I can see why Naruto raves about it so." Einjeru slurps her ramen with such gusto, it takes everyone aback. Seeing this, she shrinks back. "Uhhh…"

Naruto grins. "Of course it is! Ramen is the food of the gods!"

Sasuke shakes his head. "I doubt that would be the case for the Shinigami…"

Almost everyone that was present in the hokage's office that day paled, thinking about the fact that they were acquainted with the god of death.

R.J. even though was paying attention to the conversation, silently, yet contentedly ate his noodle dish. He also thought he was being sly, taking peeks at Ayame.

Einjeru, somehow reading the room, decides to drag the others off somewhere, leaving R.J. to front the bill/get to know Ayame.

Teuchi comes up to notice empty bowls and places, and R.J. just enjoying his food. 'Those kids must have sensed the emotion in the air or were just hyper… I have to admit, this R.J. fellow isn't bad, most competitors would spit in your food and walk off. Although, his eyes are on Ayame, and as a father… My pride won't just allow me to let him see her… He needs to prove himself worthy…' He allows a smile to grace his face at the potential of a man being there for Ayame when the inevitable happens.

Naruto as they were walking, wouldn't stop pestering Einjeru about her first experience. "Come on, tell me. What did you think?"

"Drop it Naruto. You don't need my approval for something you like. Can't we have a peaceful walk?"

Sasuke sighs. "She's right dobe. Let her digest, as the rest of us are."

Sakura nods in agreement, before the group hears a scream.

Naruto recognizes the voice immediately. Hyuuga Hinata.

To Be Continued...

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