Kaiya never thought she'd get this far. The first stage of the exams was rather easy. Along with a dozen of other people somewhat older than her were requested on Training Grounds 7 at five in the morning.

It happened all the time that a seventeen or eighteen year old would try and become jonin so it wasn't really unusual, but some candidates took an interest, just like many others, in Kaiya as she was the infamous' copycat, Kakashi Hatake. To be fair with them, the idea that the silver-haired man had a daughter would be fascinating to many people and Kaiya didn't blame them, but she expected that, in the three years that she was gone, people would just learn go come along with it. For all she guessed, people were yearning for interesting things to happen and to be talked about.

In the first stage, people were put in one-versus-one combats. The stakes were simple- the ones who lost or gave up were eliminated. When Kaiya's turn finally came around, There were eight people left in total. She was matched with a tall, 19 year old boy named Yuto Takahashi, with pale blond hair and a confident look. As they waited for the fight to start, Kaiya's eyes flickered to the forest nearby, sensing a presence.

She located it quickly and realised it was the same spirit as when she got tested by Anko-san- the same green suit, short dark hair and mustache. The man had a painfully similar look to Guy-sensei. Suddenly, another presence appeared next to Guy's doppelganger. This one, while still very familiar, was invisible. It was the ghost in her home.

'And... go.' the proctor said, announcing the start of their fight.

'Let the show get started.' Yuto murmured under his breath. 'Blade of Wind!'

She didn't see this jutsu before, but Kaiya was positive that she couldn't counter the jutsu. She needed defense.

'Earth release: Mud wall!'

A wall of mud rised from the ground before getting destroyed to bits by the sharp wave of wind. Well, the wall did it's job and kept Kaiya unharmed. Before she could even react, she felt someone appear behind her. She grabbed a kunai from her bag and, as she turned around, she stretched the hand holding the silver kunai. Unluckily for her, Yuto grabbed her immediately by her wrists, blocking her hands from doing anything. Kaiya puffed, amused.

'You fool.' She said, quietly.

Kaiya dropped the kunai and grabbed the boy's arms. The boy's confusion helped her plan as she took a good grip on the boy's hands and pulled forth. The boy lost balance, allowing Kaiya to jump in the air and, after putting a foot on his stomach, she hit the boy's chin with her other foot, pushing him away on his back. The boy hit the ground with a loud thud! and, before he knew it, the girl was sitting with a kunai at his neck. Various people acclaimed in surprise.

'Earth Release: Snake vines.' Kaiya said.

As she activated the jutsu, vines rised from the ground, curling around Yuto's limbs. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke emerged, only for Kaiya to realise that her victim wasn't a person, but a log. Some giggles could be heard from the public as comments of the sort of How embarassing! and How did she not see through that?, or even Isn't she a Hatake, though? How can she risk her family's name like that? . Kaiya gritted her teeth. Not now.

Kaiya turned around quickly and just in time: Yuto landed another attack. He now seemed to change his tactic and move to taijutsu, as he stopped using jutsus. He attempted landing a few fists, all dodged by Kaiya with ease. Kaiya put her palms against Yuto's fists as he attempted an attack, blocking him. She smirked as he tried to escape, she turned her hands around, making his hands make a near 360° rotation. Well, it was enough to twist his wrists. Although in great pain, the boy bit his lip and kept resistance.

He pulled away and took a few steps back. It became very clear that he could hardly use his hands anymore without being in more excruciating pain. It was an obvious sign of alarm, but as sure as hell that he won't give up now. He worked too hard.

'Don't be a coward! Come and fight.' Kaiya said, ready to attack.

'With what?' Yuto mocked. 'A dog?'

The crowd exploded in laughter. They all knew she was related to the Inuzuka, and they knew a bit of her Shapeshifting Kekkei Genkai as well. At that moment, Kaiya felt her patience coming to an end.

She took six kunais and threw them to Yuto, one by one. The first one flew right next to Kaiya's next, only to be hit by the second kunai, making it go around his neck and fly back to Kaiya. The movement repeated with the rest of the kunais. Five kunais fell in various places close behind Yuto, and the sixth next to Kaiya. The boy puffed in amusement, but he turned back serious quickly. Although she missed some attacks, he realised that she wasn't stupid nor weak. He was simply shaper.

Well, he wasn't sharp enough for the last move. Kaiya raised her hand and rested it on what it looked to be thin air. It wasn't. Yuto squinted his eyes a little, only to take in a surprised breath as the thing that the girl's hand rested on shined in sun's light. It wasn't air, but a very thin metal thread. Kaiya let her fingers curl around the thread, and spinned the thread two times around her index finger.

Yuto felt a light pressure around his neck, giving him a sensation of choking. The light pressure soon appeared around his arms and legs. Kaiya took a good grip on the thread, before pulling. It was then that Yuto realised what she was doing- she trapped him with something as simple as thread. This time, though, his body wasn't a bunshin or replacememt this time. His hands were stuck. He couldn't save himself. He bit his lip. No.

'I retreat.' Yuto said.

A few surprised mumbles could be heard, but Yuto didn't care. If he were to lose, he wanted to do it by his own hand.

'Are you sure?' The proctor asked. It happened sometimes that one of the participants to quit, but the protocol was to make sure they were sure.

Yuto nodded.

'Alright then,' The proctor sighed as he pulled out a list with their names, 'so be it. Takahashi Yuto, out. You can watch the rest of the matches if you wish, or you're free to leave. The winner is Kobayashi Kaiya.'

Kaiya smiled as she freed Yuto.

'Nice fight, Yuto-san.' She said optimistically.

One thing she learned from her team was how one gains nothing from acting sour. Besides, she won! She could at least act decent and nice towards Yuto, now that the match was over.

Yuto mumbled something as he shook the last threads off his legs before taking his leave. Kaiya took her kunais and threads back and returned to the group.

'Such decency, though.' A shinobi in the group told the other. 'You know how Kakashi-san was like when he was a kid? She's nothing like him.'

'She's seventeen. Kakashi-san wasn't so cocky when he was her age, either.' Someone next to the first shinobi answered.

As the proctor announced the next match, a tall woman in her mid-20's turned to Kaiya with a smile.

'Kaiya, was it? Congratulations on the match. You did well.'

'Thank you, ma'am.' Kaiya responded. 'Although, it doesn't really feel like winning. Yuto-san quitted just before I could finish the match.'

The woman chuckled.

'It's funny how you adress to your opponent with -san, but it shows your respect. Anyhow, don't stress much about this- you won, and he chose to leave this fight. This is how it is, it happens sometimes.'

Kaiya nodded, in agreement. 'I see.'

The woman looked at the girl, in thought.

'I've did this exam before.' She said. 'This part is only to get rid of the weaklings. The real test is about to come.'

Kaiya raised her eyebrows in surprise. 'Is that so?'

'Yep.' The woman nodded. 'By the way, my name's Akane.'

'Nice to meet you. I suppose... you already know my name.'

'Welcome back, everyone. I happy to see you all.' The proctor greeted, politely. 'If you made it this far, it means your ready for the second and final part of this exam.'

It was a late noon and they were standing in front of a circular, stone building in the woods, not too far away from the training grounds.

'Alright, boys and girls.' The proctor said, catching everyone's attention. 'Here's what you have to do. Everyone will enter the building and you'll have to be in survival mode until you find the other exit. Any questions?'

Nobody said nothing.

'Good.' The proctor said as he walked to the building's door and opened. 'Then, please enter.'

Everyone entered the room quietly and, as soon as the door behind them closed, it became clear that stuff will become more complicated than expected. It was pitch black, and the ground wasn't necessarily plain. In fact, it was like a maze. To be fair with herself, Kaiya doubted that her eyes would get used to the darkness, as not even the slightest bit of light entered the room.

People started spreading around the room, leaving Kaiya and Akane behind.

'I guess we're on our own now.' Kaiya whispered. 'Good luck, Akane.'

And with that, Kaiya left, trying to get a plan. After what seemed to be hours of running without end in the pitch black, Kaiya stopped on one of the boulders, smelling an awful odour that reminded her of the smell of hunt back at home in the Kobayashi clan. She created a small fire and it took a moment for her to fully process what layed in front of her.

On the ground, the corpse of a shinobi layed cold. The cause of death was obvious- a deep, large stab through the stomach was enough to finish the person. Kaiya felt her heart miss a beat or two. The odour filled Kaiya's nose and she felt how her head became light as a memory flickered through her mind.

Jun...

Corpse...

Murder...

For a second, Kaiya came to her senses as she felt someone approaching from behind her. She destroyed the fire as fast as she could and attempted to escape, only for her body to weaken along with her mind. She jumped in the air successfully, but as soon as she was about to land, everything seemed to spin around, before she blacked out.

Kaiya's eyes opened slowly as she tried to figure out her current location and what happened. It was still pitch black and- The jonin exams.

Kaiya jumped on her feet, trying to regain balance. As soon as she did, it became clear how, when she passed out, she fell between the boulders. As far as she could tell, she had no wounds. Everyone must've thought she was already dead. She jumped back on a boulder and ripped a bit from her blouse, before lighting it on fire. She was close to an exit and, as far as she could tell, she was all alone in the room. She closed the fire and hurried to the exit. She pushed the door open, and it was then that she realised how much she needed to take a deep breath of fresh air.

She regained composure and noticed how by the time she got out, it was the middle of the night. Shit! Hopefully, the next jonin exams were coming soon.

She made her way down the training grounds and the Konoha's streets, when someone familiar called for her.

'Hey kid!'

Kaiya turned around slightly alarmed, but relaxed immediately. A middle-age woman with spiky long brown hair and red triangles on her cheeks looked at her worryingly.

'Aunt Tsume!' Kaiya exclaimed, relieved. 'Hi. We haven't talked in awhile. How are you?'

Tsume smiled with a sigh of relief as she walked closer to Kaiya. She had many nieces and nephews, yet Kaiya managed to be one of her favourites, if not her favourite. The girl was sharp and they were like-minded, plus the fact that she was her favourite sister's daughter. To be fair, people hardly liked her other sister, Ichika.

'We didn't talk for some time, that's true. Anyhow, I'm fine so don't worry about me.' Tsume chuckled as she ruffled Kaiya's hair. 'Kiba heard something about you taking part in the Jonin exams. The thing ended hours ago, but you never came! I was worried sick. What happened?'

Kaiya puffed out is somewhat disappointment.

'I fainted. I saw a corpse and... and the smell of it! It remembered me of Jun and... I don't know. I'm sorry.'

Tsume sighed.

'Don't apologize, kid. I heard what happened to your brother, your mother told me at the funeral. It was a tragic event, especially for you. Can't imagine the pain.'

Kaiya smiled bitterly. 'It hurt alot. Still does, sometimes.'

'I'm glad you're fine, though.'

Another smile grew on Kaiya as Tsume pulled her into a bear hug.

'I know... you people don't really like physical affection. It's kinda bullshit in some ways, but I know for a fact that it's keeping it safe- I grew up there too so I think I would know. I hope you don't mind.'

'I don't.' Kaiya assured as she rested her head on the woman's shoulder. 'It's fine for me. I think... I think I needed it.'

The woman breathed out slowly as she rubbed the girl's back. Even if she's talented, even if she's Chūunin, Jonin or ANBU or Hokage, she's still only 17. She's still a kid who needs guidance and love. She just happened to be born under some unpleasant circumstances, and to live a series of unfortunate events. And now... she's trying to get back on track.

'You're a good kid, Kaiya, you hear me?' Tsume said, quietly, 'I just want you to know that I'm proud of you and if you ever need help, advice or anything, I'll be here for you. Ok?'

Kaiya nodded as she felt her eyes start stinging. 'Yeah.'

Tsume puffed in amusement as she pulled Kaiya from the hug by her shoulders. 'There, there. No need to get emotional. You should head home now, and tommorrow, we'll have a talk with Lady Hokage. I'm sure she'll understand.'

Kaiya smiled. 'Thank you, Aunt Tsume.'

'A'right. Good night, then. Take care!'

Tsume turned around and walked away slowly into the night, leaving Kaiya alone with her own thoughts. Although she knew of her presence there, she never visited Aunt Tsume when she first came to Konoha all those years ago. Kaiya didn't understand why, now thinking about it. Tsume was quite strict but loving mother. If she just went to her, she probably wouldn't have missed on a healthy lifestyle as much as she did.

Weird, Kaiya thought as she shook her head. She turned around quietly and continued the path to her home.