The Following Morning…
Karan woke up at sunrise still lying on the floor. She got up and started the kettle for some tea while she meditated focusing on her chakra… bringing it in and out. Once the kettle started whistling signaling that her water was done she brewed herself some green tea and enjoyed a light egg omelet for breakfast.
She was about to head out to the library when there was a knock at her door. Karan opened the door and saw Kakashi and Yamato standing at the door.
"Morning." Karan said.
"Yo." Kakashi said.
"Tsunade-sama has summoned us to her office." Yamato said.
"Good timing I was just about to head out." Karan said slipping on her last shoe before closing up the apartment.
The three of them walked to the hokage's office. Kakashi reading his book and Yamato just looking at the floor as they walked looking at Karan out of the corner of his eye every once in a while.
"Everything okay?" Karan said.
"Hm?" Kakashi said playing it off.
"Why do you ask?" Yamato asked.
"You two look like something's bothering you. It feels like you're walking me to my execution." She said and they just stared at her.
"It was a tough mission." Kakashi said. "Nothing to worry about."
"Okay." Karan said as they kept walking. Once they got to the Hokage's office they waited outside as the two elderly council members left with Koharu and Homura giving Karan a harsh glare as they walked past her
"Kakashi, Yamato, Karan, you can come in now." Shizune said.
They walked in and Tsunade stayed behind her desk. She was obviously furious by the way her eyebrows were furrowed and how she was cracking her knuckled.
"Morning?" Karan greeted hoping that wouldn't set her off.
"I have the report Ibiki and Inoichi gave me of your meeting." Tsunade said. "And everything you've said is true which leaves us with just one thing left to figure out. What to do with you? My advisors think you're a threat to the village. Are you a threat?"
"I don't have any grudges against anyone here." Karan said.
"Not even Danzo or the council?" Tsunade said and Karan paused for a minute trying to put her thoughts together.
"I think what they did is horrible and they deserve to pay for what they've done but everyone eventually reaps what they sow and it's not my place to judge. The only person that does deserve to judge them would be Itachi's brother Sasuke but he doesn't know and I promised Itachi I wouldn't tell him. As for the village, sensei was willing to give up everything for this place and if I tried anything against it then his sacrifice would have been for nothing and he didn't deserve that." Karan said.
"We cannot simply allow outsiders to roam around the village freely. The rules are very clear. So I'm offering you a compromise. You can stay in Konoha and in exchange you will become a Konoha Shinobi." Tsunade said pulling out a headband and putting it on the edge of the desk.
"You want me to work for you?" Karan asked surprised.
"It'll prove your loyalty to the village and in exchange you will be allowed to reside in the village, be paid fair wages for any missions you complete, have access to the Shinobi library and we'll help you recover what you lost." She said.
"Will I have to report to Danzo?" She asked.
"No you'll report directly to me." Tsunade said.
"That sounds like a fair deal." Karan said. "I accept."
"Good effective immediately you are assigned to Team Kakashi. You'll report to him or Yamato. You'll wear this headband whenever you are on duty and will have to take exams to determine your ranking." Tsunade said. "Until then you're all dismissed."
Karan was about to walk out when…
"Karan?" Tsunade said tapping her desk. "You're forgetting something."
"Oh right." Karan said going to pick it up. "Thank you."
With that they all walked out.
"Guess this means I should probably start training… I've really been slacking off." Karan said.
"I doubt that." Yamato said remembering how she and her brother practically took them all on without breaking a sweat.
"This is for you." Kakashi said handing Karan an envelope with her Shinobi Identification as well as a map.
"These are all of the training areas you can use if they're free." Yamato said.
"Hmm…" Karan said looking through the map
"Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto shouted running towards them. "Kakashi Sensei! I'm ready for my training."
"Training?" Kakashi said not bothering to look at his student as he kept his eye on his book completely aloof. "Oh right. Guess now's a good seeing as we have a new team member."
"New team member?" Naruto said confused before he noticed the headband and envelope in Karan's hands. "You!?"
"As of ten minutes ago." Karan said casually as she felt her dragon mark pulse.
"It'll be good for building teamwork." Kakashi said. "Let's go."
With that they followed Kakashi to a remote training ground outside of the village. From there Kakashi went on to explain that to create a new Jutsu that could compete with Sasuke he was going to master a change in chakra nature.
"Wait Sasuke uses Fire style and lightning style." Naruto said confused. "Does that mean he has two natures."
"Could be or could be that he just learned more than one." Karan said.
"Huh?" Naruto said confused.
"Everyone's born with one chakra nature but it is possible to learn to change the nature of your chakra to another one." She elaborated.
"The Uchiha's chakra nature is fire but Sasuke learned lightning so he could use chidori." Kakashi explained.
"What about Captain Yamato's wood style?" he said confused.
"That's different. It's a kekkei genkai." Yamato said. "It's a combination of two elements. Earth and water."
Yamato then proceeded to demonstrate both natured by creating a waterfall.
"And you can combine the jutsus right. Like you and that other guy did in the forest." Naruto said.
"Right. Certain natures complement each other. Like fire and wind, water and lightning." Karan said flexing her arm uncomfortably.
"Now we need to find out your nature. This is special chakra paper." Kakashi said handing one to Naruto and demonstrating how it worked. "Just push your chakra into it and it'll burn if it's fire, get wet if it's water, get dirty if its earth, get cut in half if it's wind and crinkle if it's lightning."
"Can I have more than one?" Naruto asked.
"If you have a kekkei genkai." Yamato said.
"Or through special circumstances." Karan added.
"Special circumstances?" Naruto said and Kakashi looked at her skeptically.
"Well my chakra nature was originally just fire." Karan said taking a paper and putting her chakra through it only for it to be sliced in half as it burned at the same way. "After a linking ritual I had both fire and wind."
"But you'll probably just have the one." Kakashi said. "Give it a try."
Naruto did and the paper sliced in half.
"Wind." Kakashi said not at all surprised. "Great then time to get started. Grab a leaf for each one of your clones."
"How many clones?" Naruto asked.
"Uh… about that many." Kakashi said pointing at a tree and then Naruto created almost a hundred clones.
"Whoa." Karan said looking at all of them.
"Oi Naruto!" Yamato complained as he got set up.
"And for you." Kakashi said handing her a scroll. "All basic formations every shinobi should have memorized."
"I am great at memorization." Karan said taking it and jumping onto a tree branch to do some light reading. It was all pretty basic stuff and very similar to what Karan learned in her time with the Akatsuki and in Kandrakar. She still learned it all anyway. Her arm was starting to bug her. And it wasn't something Kakashi missed.
"Uh Karan?" Naruto asked.
"Hmm?" Karam hummed in response.
"I was wondering if you could tell me about any tricks that could help me? I can't cut the stupid leaf." He said.
"Uh let's see." Karan said picking a leaf holding it between her two fingers and sliced the leaf in half before flexing her wrist. "You just imagine a pinwheel. Turning and turning, you want your chakra to take that shape and move it?"
Naruto looked deep in thought and tried it but it wouldn't work.
"Uh!" He groaned frustrated as Karan's wrist started pulsing and she put her hand over it.
"Actually I think you'll learn better from the person who taught me. He's better at explaining it." Karan said jumping down from the tree. "And I think he wants to talk anyway."
"Who's he?" Naruto asked.
Karan bit her thumb before quickly forming handsigns and slamming her hand onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu." Karan called out. There was a puff of smoke and a small dragon with white and sky blue scales that was as tall as Karan's knees appeared.
"About time." Sora said.
"Sorry, I've been busy." Karan said putting her hand down so Sora could climb up her arm to her shoulder.
"You were supposed to check in days ago sis." Sora said. "I called."
"I know." She said. "And like I said, I've been a bit busy with things here."
"This tiny lizard taught you wind jutsu?" Naruto said unimpressed.
"Tiny? Lizard?!" Sora said turning to the blonde boy.
"Sora…" Karan warned before he jumped off of her shoulder and started flying around circling up in the air as he started growing bigger and bigger until he was taller than the Hokage mountain and he crashed down shaking the entire surrounding forest and scaring off all the birds in the area.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TINY LIZARD PIPSQUEAK!" Sora roared making the ground shake.
"Ahhh!" Naruto screamed terrified.
"Sora." Karan said walking in front of Naruto. "Be nice. They don't have dragons here remember? He didn't know you existed or that you keep yourself small to blend in better… isn't that right Naruto?"
"Y-yeah, I'm sorry Mr. Dragon." Naruto said staying behind Karan.
"Hmm, I guess that's understandable." Sora said before he started shrinking down so he was only slightly taller than Karan.
"In the future let's not upset the dragons, okay?" Karan said gently patting Naruto's shoulder.
"Yeah." Naruto said nodding.
"So why'd you finally call me?" Sora said now that he was a lot more calm.
"I was wondering if you could help Naruto here with changing his chakra nature?" Karan asked.
"Wind Nature huh?" Sora asked. "What are you trying to do?"
"Cut a leaf?" Naruto said.
"The basics." Sora said as he started explaining to Naruto the basics as Karan started making her way back to her spot just as the dragon was distracted his tail wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. "You're not getting away that easily. We need to talk."
"Course we do." Karan said as Sora let her go and finished explaining everything to Naruto.
"Got it. Thank you!" Naruto said running off to join the rest of his clones.
"You have some explaining to do." Sora said. "And you can start by explaining where Kaien is?"
"Uh well…" Karan said explaining everything to him. Including how Kaien had sided with Madara and how she was now a shinobi of Konoha.
"That idiot." Sora said.
"Yeah but he did what he thought he had to do." Karan said.
"You're really defending him right now?" Sora said.
"No but he's desperate and I understand why he did it. Doesn't mean he's not an idiot." Karan said.
"It explains why he hasn't answered Midori's calls." Sora said.
"He probably won't anytime soon." Karan said.
"What about you? What are you doing?" He asked.
"Training, doing research see if I can find any leads on who our thief might be." She said.
"Training huh. It's been a while since I've had a good spar." Sora said.
"Wait you mean right now?" Karan said.
"Your Taijutsu could be better." He said.
"All right then." Karan said activating her Sharingan. "Let's do it."
With that the two started dashing around each other. Throwing punches and kicks at each other at speeds that could barely be followed by regular eyes.
"Senpai?" Yamato asked.
"I can barely keep up." Kakashi said watching them with his Sharingan watching as Sora hit Karan with his tail and she swung around using the momentum to add more force to her kick and land a hit before he landed a hit spending her flying into the waterfall.
"Ah!" Karan groaned pulling herself up and making another run for it.
It took a few hours before Sora and Karan had to stop to catch their breaths.
"Call it a draw?" Karan offered.
"Yeah." Sora said finally falling forward and laying on the ground
Karan deactivated her sharingan and took a seat. "So how are things going back home?"
"The Oronians decided to stand down and they went home. Apparently they're having problems a home." Sora said. "Change of leadership."
"About time." Karan said.
"We're rebuilding. It's slow but looks like we finally caught a break." Sora said.
"After ten years, it's long overdue." She said.
"Wonder how long it'll last." Sora said. "So who's the guy?"
"What guy?" Karan said.
"Spikey grey hair with the mask?" Sora said. "Hasn't taken his eyes off you the entire time even though he's pretending to read a book?"
"Kakashi. He's a Ninja. don't really know much about him." Karan said and Sora gave her a look. "I did just get here."
"Hmm." Sora said. "Summon me when you can. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Karan said.
"You need training. You've been slacking off." He said before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Karan picked herself up and looked at the time almost sunset.
She headed back to her spot and picked up her things.
"I'm heading back to the village, unless you need me?" Karan asked.
"We've got things here." Kakashi said waving her off. "Going home?"
"Library. I'm going to cram in a few hours of research before calling it a day." She said. "later."
With that she shushined back to the village.
Karan got back to her apartment for a quick bite before heading back to the library. After a few more hours of no luck she called it a night for the first time actually sleeping on the mattress from exhaustion.
The following morning Karan woke up and turned to look at the leaf headband on her nightstand. She stood up and picked it up. She looked in the mirror and tried putting it on. It felt strange.
"Yo!" Kakashi said before freezing at the sight.
"Hey." Karan said taking it off and putting it down. "Everything okay?"
"We have a mission." He said.
"That was fast." Karan said. "I'll be ready in five."
With that she took a quick shower and got dressed grabbing her things and her headband which she chose to wear around her neck instead before locking up. She and Kakashi headed to the hokage's office.
"Kakashi, Karan." Tsunade said noticing the headband around her neck. "How's Naruto's training going?"
"It's going well. Using his shadow clones to speed up his training is working though it does tire him out. Karan's guidance has also helped him get past the first stage." Kakashi said.
"He managed to cut the leaf?" Karan said impressed that he managed to do it in a day.
"Hai." Kakashi said.
"That's good. I wouldn't have interrupted his training but I'm sending Team Yamato on a mission and you two as well. We're short staffed at the moment since most of our shinobi are out looking for leads on the Akatsuki so I'm sending you two on a mission. There's an outpost on the border of Takigakure that just sent a report of sightings of two men with black cloaks with red clouds. It's a simple recon mission. We want you to follow up and see if you can pick up their trail. Your goal is not to confront them but just to observe gather intel on their movements." Tsunade said. "You are to leave immediately, dismissed."
With that they were off.
"Go grab anything you might need, we'll meet at the main gate in half an hour." Kakashi said before they went their separate ways. Karan when to her apartment and grabbed all of the supplies and weapons she could carry in her pack. She locked up and shunshined to the gate getting there at the exact time Kakashi did.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Yeah." Karan said before he nodded and they ran off.