DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any related titles

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any related titles.

Hey! Here's chapter 2! My first chapter was kinda confusing, so sorry. I promise that he main plot is revealed in the next few chapters. So please… R and R! XD

Chapter 2

"The winner is Tataharu Hanasaki!" the announcer roared, but was drowned out by the crowd's fanatical cheering. "This is her fifth win today! Tataharu-san is on a roll, just as powerful as ever! Again, as this year's returning favorite, plenty of bets have been placed in her favor! Don't let us down Tataharu-san!"

Bloody and smiling, Hanasaki stepped off the field. Hiro had been right; this was the perfect way to get over the stress of a mission. She walked to the competitors viewing chamber to treat her wounds and rest before her final battle. As she entered, her student, Kokimaru Sangi, jumped to attention and ran over to her to treat her wounds.

"Wow, Hanasaki-sempi! You should be jounin! Those other chunins didn't have a chance against you! You'll definitely win your division again this year!" Sangi cooed happily. He continued to sing her praises while she watched the next battle, a bored expression on her face. Sangi carefully began to wipe her opponent's blood off of her face and tied a bandage around her left wrist. Her green blouse was died with red splotches, and her blue skirt and pants were thread bare and worn. She hadn't changed since she had returned. Hana had taken off her jacket before she went on, so as not to hinder herself. Sighing, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, Sangi was still patching her up. He stuck a couple of band-aids on some minor cuts on her face and reached towards the blood soaked bandages on her right arm. Then, just a his fingers brushed the bandages…

Slap

The sound of flesh hitting flesh caused everyone in the room to look up in surprise. Hanasaki was standing over Sangi, hand in the air, glowering at the floor, while Sangi remained kneeling, hand to his now red cheek, his face one of shock and surprise. Hana had never hit him before.

"Don't you ever touch that arm again! Ever! I've told you before to stay away from it!" Hana growled at him in a whisper. She grabbed his shoulders for emphasis and looked in to his eyes. He turned away. Hana looked up and found the whole room watching her. Embarrassed, she grabbed some clean bandages from Sangi's medical kit and walked out of the room muttering, "I'll just change hem myself."

Fujikawa Natamo sauntered over to Sangi, admiring his sandy brown hair. When she was directly behind him she cast a disdainful glance at the door Hanasaki had left through. "Gosh, Sangi-kun!" She yelled sympathetically, so the whole room could hear. "I don't get how some one like you, some one from such a noble family, ends up with the worst sempi ever! She a violent, poor little…"

"NO! Don't insult Hanasaki-sempi! She is a great and powerful teacher!" Sangi had sprung to his feet and was facing Natamo with anger on his face. The blond haired girl took a step back, surprised by this reaction. "Hanasaki-sempi is brave and strong and intelligent! She is an example for everyone! I would do anything for her! Anything! It was my own fault for not remembering that I'm not to touch her right arm! Really! Hanasaki-sempi understands me! We understand each other!" His face was flushed red with passion, his light blue eyes shinning with devotion. Natamo took another step back, startled. Suddenly Sangi felt a hand on his head.

"Thanks Sangi, I owe you." Hana ruffled his hair and Sangi gave her a warm smile of forgiveness. Hana bent down and looked him in the eyes. "But really, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have overreacted. Ok, little student of mine?" He nodded again, and she sat down relieved. "Hey!" She cried, sitting up in a flash. " Didn't you promise your friend you would watch her battle? I think it's up next!"

"You're right! I said I would watch from the stadium! Can I go?" he asked. Hana nodded and he ran off to find a seat before the match began.

Hanasaki went over to the couch and finished patching herself up. Sangi was a medical ninja prodigy, but had trouble with anything else, so she was toughening him up. He wasn't allowed to use his medical ninjutsu in the Battles, but could do everything short of it. And when he did it was a pretty good job. Wincing briefly as she tightened her last bandage she sat back and let out an exhausted sigh. Suddenly there was a shadow blocking her light, and looking up, she saw Natamo glaring down at her with a condescending sneer.

"Listen you bitch, don't ever hurt my wonderful Sangi again! I don't know what you did to brainwash him, but everyone else can see right through you! If you wanna' end up as a practice dummy at the academy, just piss me off again!" She scoffed at Hana patronizingly.

"Oh? So I am to believe that a mere genin like you could beat me up me, a powerful chunin? Yeah right. And why on earth would I waste time brainwashing him? Really you are such a stupid girl. Now go away you little brat." Hana scoffed in reply, leaning back to take a brief nap before the next match.

Natamo was furious. "You really are as bad as they say! A violent, heartless, egotistical bitch! But what else can be expected from a common little street rat with more attitude than actual skill!" She fumed.

"Yeah." Hana whispered, staring at the ground. A dark shadow has eclipsed her fine features giving her an almost demonic look. "Yeah that's me. A common street rat who didn't deserve to become a ninja." Hana stared at Fujikawa. "Yes, but you are far worse than me; you, a rich little know-it-all from a noble family with a big sister attitude. You think because your family has money and 'prestige' you can go around spitting on any lowlife she wants. Well listen up kid, people like you make me sick." She seemed to growl he words now more than speak them.

"I'm all talk? What about you? Life isn't all D and C Rank missions; comrades die, you lose people, you kill people you don't want to. So don't you ever tell me what I am you high class-bitch!" Hana was yelling by now, on her feet glowering at the appalled Fujikawa.

"You're crazy." Fujikawa sneered as she turned on her heel, heading towards her lackeys, all of whom would wait with baited breath for her every word.

Angry and upset, Hana sank down on to the couch as cheers from the crowd erupted signifying the end of the match. She hoped Sangi's friend had won. Against her will, Fujikawa's words continued to haunt her, reminding the kunoichi of her academy days.

"That's Hanasaki; she's so old to be just starting!" "She'll never be any good." "What a loser!" "She's 10? Why was she even accepted?" Those comments and more bombarded her as she took her seat in the academy for the first time. It had been nice of him, Hiromata Nonami-sensei, to give her a place here but she wasn't sure she belonged. Even after the graduation test of the past had been abolished very few students could pass the rigorous tests required to graduate. She would be so much older than all the other kids in her class. Most of them were 6 or 7. She wasn't even sure she had much power in her. After all a brat like her didn't deserve any great power.

"Alright now class. Who can explain to me how the chakra system works?" Nonami-sensei asked. Most of the kids raised their hand, but Hana just shrunk down in her seat. He scanned the class room and saw her. He smiled. "How about you Hanasaki-san?" he inquired. Her? How was she supposed to know that?

"I'm sorry sensei, but I don't know." She muttered embarrassed. The other kids snickered at her behind their hands.

"Oh, I'm sure you do. Here, come up to the front." he called. Slowly and dispassionately Hana made her way down the row. Out of the corner of her eye she watched someone ball something up and throw it at her. Instinct took over and she jumped to avoid it and it flew safely over her head. Wait, over? She looked up and realized she was looking down! She was on the ceiling! Caught off guard she lost her concentration and fell.

Everyone one else was just as surprised as her, so there was no laughter as she came tumbling down with a crash on he floor. As she awkwardly got to her feet someone began to clap.

"Very good demonstration of chakra control Hanasaki, very well done!" Nonami-sensei cheered as he beamed proudly at her. "You can return to your seat. And I would like to have a quick word with you after class. Now, for the rest of you, the chakra system…" he quickly launched into a brief review of the chakra system and chakra. Taking her seat in the back of the class she sunk even lower in her chair, scared and confused.

"Hanasaki, do you know why I offered you a spot here at the academy?" It was after class and she and Nonami-sensei were talking.

"No sir"

"Really, no idea at all?"

"Really! Please sir, what's going on, what's this all about?"

"Your power. Very few people ever posses so much chakra on their own, much less the…" he broke off here appearing to contemplate something. "Well, let's just say you have immense power and potential. I watched you for a week before offering you a spot here." He turned towards the window, the orange sunset framing him and giving him an angelic look. "Do you know why I did?" Again she shook her head.

Hiro sighed. "Because you emit a constant flow of chakra out of your body because you have too much to contain. We had received reports of a chakra disturbance in the village. It was you." He turned around to look at her. He gave her an encouraging smile. "You have more potential than any of these students, or even me. So I don't want you to doubt your presence here." He was entirely serious.

Hana was stunned. Power, her? No, it was just a joke, a cruel joke. The incident in class had been a fluke, nothing more; a street rat didn't have power, or deserve anything good. No one like her at all deserved to hear such kind words from such a kind sensei! She didn't belong her, sensei was wrong! She wasn't supposed-

"Hana!" A voice broke her thought and she became aware of the world around her once more. Nonami-sensei was kneeling in front of her, grasping her shoulders. She suddenly realized her hands felt wet and looked down and saw blood tricking out of her clenched fits. She released her grasp and cringed as the pain hit her.

Suddenly Nonami-sensei was wrapping her hands in bandages. "Do you remember you parents?" he asked, trying to change the topic.

Hana snorted. "Yeah right. My first memory is of Hiso-basama. She died in the coo. My parents were probably street filth just like me." She turned and looked him in the eye. And this stupid little joke, that I have power, I don't buy it at all. It's no funny so if I can go…"She winced suddenly, stopping mid-sentence. Hiro had tightened the bandage extra hard. Now he looked at her, eyes serious.

"Don't you ever tell your self that, that you're not worthy of being here! Never! I offered you a place her in sincerity, and because you truly could become a very powerful ninja! I believe in you. I wouldn't bother with all this if it was some kind of cruel prank. If I simply wanted to control your power for you I could have sealed it, but I want you to control you own power. I know you can do something with it, something good." He smiled at her. "You have one person who believes in you, so now all you have to do is believe in your self." He plopped his hand down on her head, ruffling her hair. "Besides, I can't give up on a cute student of mine!" Hana looked away pouting.

'He believes in me, he really does!' she thought to herself as a calm warmth spread through her. A small smile crept on to her face as she repeated it to her self once more. 'He really does.'

"Hanasaki-sempi! Hanasaki-san, Hana-chan, Hana!" Someone was shaking her, disrupting her dream. Groggily she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and saw Sangi standing there, concern splattered on his face. "Hanasaki-sempi, you're final battle is up next! Come on! You have to wake up! The last Jounin battle is almost over! Come on!" Sangi was already holding her gear, restocked and refreshed, and her summoning scrolls in his other hand.

"Ok, Ok, I'm up. What took you so long to wake me up?" Hana inquired as she let out a yawn and began to stretch. Sangi glared at her.

"I tried! You sleep like a rock! I was yelling your name for five minutes straight! I don't know how your not killed in your sleep while on a mission." He complained.

"I can sense a threat, not little twerps like you!" she teased in return. "Now hand over my gear, I gotta make this one a show." Sangi carefully handed her weapons to her, and she tied them on. "Ok, kiddo, see you on the winners platform!" the kunoichi called happily.

She had been looking forward to this fight all day. She had almost known who she would be facing in her final match, and was glad her prediction came true. Her opponent was her long term rival, and she was ready to kick her ass once again this year.

As she stepped out onto the field, the crowd went wild. The arena was littered with blood and debris, and the lake in the corner of it was stained violet with the blood of the losers. Standing on the other side was her opponent and long time rival, Misako Shinta. Her amber eyes burned with anticipation when she spotted Hanasaki. She smiled and her dark skin and raven hair glowed with their eagerness to jump into battle. The announcer had introduced them and had begun the count down.

"…three…two…one! Fight!" He was drowned out as the crowd roared and cheered fanatically.

Cling

Two kunai rang out as they collided in the middle of the field. The battle had begun.