Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter 3 - Amaya's Test

"What kind of test will it be…. Ummmm?" Sakura faltered.

"My name's Amaya Kato. I was a Jonin here in Konoha, but I've been gone for a few years. As for the nature of the test…. Well, it'll be different for each of you."

"Different how?" Sakura asked.

"Just different. The only test you should worry about is your own. Now, let's begin."

Amaya began to form hand seals, faster than the eye could follow. The silver-haired nin frowned. How could she be using jutsu? After what had been done to her…. Kakashi resisted the urge to use his Sharingan; there was no reason for his students to know about it just yet. He had no idea what Amaya was doing, but the jutsu was beginning to work. The eyes of his students began to droop with sleep, finally closing as Amaya performed the last seal. Her eyes closed as well and Kakashi was left awake. He lifted his headband, revealing his Sharingan. Threads of Amaya's chakra entered the Genin's foreheads, muddling and tangling their chakra. It was some kind of genjutsu, this much he knew, but what his students were seeing, Kakashi had no idea.


Sakura slowly opened her eyes and blinked. A strange forest surrounded her and trees towered above her, letting only small amounts of light penetrate the gloom underneath the canopy. Amaya stepped from the shadows and laid a hand on the kunoichi's shoulder. The girl jumped, clumsily fumbling for a kunai.

"If I was the enemy, you'd be dead," Amaya told her.

"You scared me! Where are we? I don't recognize this forest," Sakura asked, her curiosity overcoming her fright.

"Where we are doesn't matter. Follow me." The auburn-haired woman commanded and Sakura did as the older woman said, falling into step behind her.

The two walked in silence until Sakura spoke up. "So what's my test going to be?"

Amaya smiled a little. "Your test won't come for many years. Today I'm showing you what you can achieve if you let go of what holds you back."

They entered a clearing and Sakura gasped. She saw herself, much older, holding hands with a man wearing a tight-fitting, green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and a zipped-up flak jacket. Two brown-haired children chased one another while their parents watched. One child, a girl, tripped and began to cry. The older Sakura rushed over to the girl, scoped her up in her arms, and talked softly until the child stopped crying.

The younger Sakura gazed at Amaya, her eyes wide. "What...what is this? Who's that man?"

"You've seen him around the village. You've just never noticed him. As for what this is…. Well, it's your future…. If you want it to be."

The world faded to white, leaving only the happy family visible. Sakura caught one last glance of the blissfully content look on her older counterpart's face before her eyes closed against her will.


Naruto impatiently stamped his foot. When was his test going to begin so he could prove he had what it took to become Hokage? And where was that lady? He grew tired of waiting, so picked a direction and started walking into the dimly-lit forest around him. Amaya trailed behind the orange-clad Genin, warmly remembering the canary yellow outfit she'd worn when she was his age. It had looked nice but got her into more trouble than it was worth. Still, she missed it. The gaudy fabric had marked her as an individual.

Amaya shunshined in front of the boy, making him jump. "If I was the enemy, you'd be dead."

"Yeah, whatever. Can we just get this test over with? I bought some new flavors of ramen yesterday and I want to get home. Woah…. Where are we?" Naruto stopped and stared at the trees around him, as if noticing them for the first time.

"Where we are doesn't matter. Follow me."

As they walked, Amaya asked the Genin what he thought of his team. Naruto loudly proclaimed that he hated Sasuke, loved Sakura, and wanted to beat the crap out of Kakashi. The last one made her smile and she said she remembered some days where she'd wanted to do the very same. Naruto asked how she knew Kakashi-sensei and Amaya answered that she'd lived in the village years ago. He asked why Kakashi wore a mask. She answered truthfully that she didn't know.

When the pair reached their destination, the boy's questions ceased. They gazed down on Konoha, the village teeming with people going about their lives. Naruto started down the slope to the village, but Amaya stopped him, instead turning his attention to their left. His eyes grew wide, just as Sakura's had. An older Naruto, in the white haori of the Hokage, carried a blond-haired boy on his back while a raven-haired woman with white-blue eyes laid her head on his shoulder.

"Is that...my future?" Naruto whispered.

"It could be." Amaya glanced at the blond. Such fire in his eyes…. The same as Minato. "Do you hate the Nine-Tails?"

Naruto clutched at his stomach where the seal would appear, though he had no idea of the significance of his action. "Yes. It's the reason I've been so alone my whole life. Everyone looks down on me, hates me, because of this...thing inside me. How can I have a future with the Fox inside me?"

"The Fox can be your greatest ally or your worst enemy. It's all in perception." The world around the family faded to white, and as Naruto's eyes closed, he heard Amaya's last whispered words. "You're not a monster, Naruto. Keep this image close at heart and remember that."


Sasuke knew if he waited long enough she'd come to him, so he leaned against a tree and ignored the strange forest around him. Amaya stepped from the shadows, unknowingly proving him right. A smug smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The auburn-haired woman noted this with a bit of disdain. She didn't care for his arrogance, but everyone deserved a chance at redemption.

"You carry hatred in your heart, young Uchiha. Senseless hatred." Sasuke remained impassive, so she continued. "What if I told you that your brother, Itachi, didn't kill your clan?"

Sasuke folded his arms. "I'd say you're lying. I know he did. He made me watch."

"That wasn't Itachi." She folded her arms in return.

"You don't know the first thing about my brother," the Uchiha said, becoming irritated at this woman who thought she knew Itachi.

She shifted her weight, annoyed by his refusal to even consider her words. "He graduated from the Academy at seven and awakened his Sharingan at eight."

"Everybody knows that." The raven-haired Genin stared through the woman who so far had spouted nothing but common knowledge and lies.

Amaya hesitated, noticing Sasuke wasn't paying any attention to her. She closed the small gap between them and poked him on the forehead. "Hey, listen to me."

The surprise on Sasuke's face was genuine and Amaya didn't quite understand what she'd done, but she rolled with it. "I have your attention?"

The young Uchiha nodded mutely. She really did know Itachi, but that didn't mean she was telling the truth. He would listen to what she had to say, though. The truth could come later.

The auburn-haired woman continued. "As I was saying, Itachi didn't kill your clan. For your safety, that's all I can tell you at the moment. When I take my findings to the Hokage, then you'll learn the whole story."

Despite himself, Sasuke found himself believing this woman. "My brother... If he didn't, then why'd he leave the village?"

"Because he wanted to protect you. He loves you very much and it was hard for him to leave," Amaya said as she laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Thanks for telling me." Sasuke's mind reeled at the implications. And to think just a few minutes ago, he'd still wanted to kill his older brother, had hated him for what he'd done, hated him for leaving. He prayed to any god listening that she wasn't lying, that this hope blooming in his heart wouldn't turn to flame and devour him inside out. When the young Uchiha spoke again, his voice was quiet, his manner subdued. "What about my test?"

"Follow me."

The pair walked for a time in silence until they reached a clearing. Amaya gestured for Sasuke to go ahead. With an un-Sasuke-like hesitancy, the young Uchiha entered the clearing and saw a building, a weapons shop he recognized. Moving closer, Sasuke looked through a window which displayed kunai, katanas, and other weaponry. He saw himself, older and taller, standing behind the counter. As if in a dream, he watched as a young boy, a Genin, approached the counter, his arms full. Sasuke couldn't hear their voices, but knew what they were saying.

His older self raised an eyebrow. "You sure you can afford those?" Indeed, the boy's ragged clothing gave him an appearance that didn't give the impression of wealth.

Out of nowhere, a red-haired woman appeared, smacking Sasuke on the back of the head. "Don't be rude to the customers. I'm sorry about that. Here, have this on us." The woman smiled sweetly, handing the boy two extra sets of kunai once he'd paid.

The boy left, vanishing as he exited the store. Sasuke turned his attention back to himself and the woman.

"Why'd you hit me, Masami?" older Sasuke complained, rubbing his sore head.

Masami put her hands on her hips, her green eyes flashing. "You deserved it, being mean to that boy."

"Well, he didn't look like he could pay. We don't run a charity," Sasuke said with exasperation.

"That doesn't mean you say anything. Sasuke, I love you, but you still don't seem to understand the way you look down on people."

The older Uchiha cast his eyes to the floor. "I'm trying, dear. You know I am. Old habits die hard. You get the idea in your head that people are beneath you at the age I did and it's hard not to think that way."

Masami smiled sympathetically and kissed his forehead. "I know. But I'm here for you. Don't forget that. And besides, I can always knock you down a peg or two if you need it." A mischievous smile tugged at her mouth and Sasuke, smiling back, kissed her.

The younger Sasuke turned away, his mind not quite able to process all he'd seen and heard. Amaya waited for him at the edge of the clearing, waiting to see what kind of impression her jutsu was making on the Genin. To her satisfaction, Sasuke seemed subdued, almost humble.

The Genin gazed at her, unable to speak at first, but eventually found his voice. "What I saw...Was that my future?"

"It could be."

The Uchiha nodded slowly. "I think I'd like that."

"Your arrogance drives people away and clouds your mind, Sasuke. Friends, having people you care about, doesn't make you weak. Those bonds can give you strength when you have none. Once you stop seeing everyone as unworthy of your time, you'll be amazed at how strong you grow." With that, Amaya released the jutsu, returning to her own mind, letting the image of older Sasuke and the red-haired woman linger in the raven-haired boy's mind.


Kakashi watched Amaya and his students open their eyes and right away he could see something was different about the three young Genin. No one spoke, not even Naruto. The silence stretched on until the Jonin finally broke it. "That's all for today. Tomorrow Team 7 gets its first mission."

The three Genin nodded, absorbed in their own thoughts. They gathered their things and went their separate ways. Kakashi turned to Amaya once the Genin were gone. "What did you do?"

"Planted seeds of doubt."