I have a twin?!
Haruto and the others went on many missions, and the four of them awaited the Chuunin Exams, which were quickly approaching. When they heard that they would be allowed to participate that year, they were pleased. They each prepared to leave for the exam, which would be held in Konoha that year. Temari alone noticed a certain change in Haruto and Gaara's demeanor towards one another. They had been acting strangely for over half a year, and it bothered Temari.
They left for the exam, unaware that something sinister was at work. It took less than a week to reach the village; Gaara and Haruto wandered around for a little while, exploring. When Haruto caught up with Temari and Kankuro, her mood changed. She became annoyed with Kankuro, who had a cadet from the local ninja academy in his hand. Apparently the boy had bumped into Kankuro, which annoyed him. She was about to intervene when she noticed one of the Genin who was on the ground. Something about the boy seemed familiar, but she didn't know why.
"Kankuro! Put the kid down now!" growled Haruto.
"Make me."
"Temari, your fan please." WHAP!
"Ow! Haru, what was that for?!" griped Kankuro, who dropped the boy.
"That was for being an ass," replied Haruto annoyed; Temari got a good laugh from that. Gaara arrived shortly after; they all left to meet up with their teacher. The Genin from earlier was on Haruto's mind all the way back.
"Hey Sakura, did you see that girl who saved Konohamaru?" asked Naruto.
"Yeah, what about her?"
"Didn't she seem familiar to you?"
"You're imagining things Naruto," said Sasuke.
"No seriously! She seemed really familiar for some reason!" protested Naruto.
"Hello guys! I got lost on the path of life," said Kakashi.
"LAIR! WOULD IT KILL YOU TO EVEN PRETEND TO BE SORRY?!" roared Sakura and Naruto in unison. After a chat with their sensei, who recommended them for the Exams, Naruto approached Kakashi and asked, "Kakashi-sensei! There's something I need to talk to you about!"
"Oh? What about?"
Naruto described the scene the day before, and about the girl who helped Konohamaru out. Kakashi listened, and when he heard the girl's description, something immediately came to mind.
"So what exactly is the problem, Naruto?" said Kakashi.
"It's just that that girl seemed really familiar to me, and I don't remember meeting her before!"
"It was probably your imagination Naruto."
"But!"
Kakashi vanished before Naruto could protest. He headed to the Hokage tower to speak with the village leader.
"Hokage-sama, it seems something interesting happened yesterday…"
"Go on."
"It seems Naruto and Konohamaru ran into four Sand Genin. The thing is, one of them seemed familiar to him."
"I don't see what is so important."
"He had never met the girl before. And the description he gave…it made me wonder if his sister has returned."
"What?! You mean there's a good chance Haruto Uzamaki is back?!" said Hokage in shock.
"Seems that way. What should we do?"
"Hmm…find this Sand Genin and get a better description of her. If it is Haruto, bring him in here as soon as possible."
"I understand, Lord Hokage."
It didn't take long for him to locate Haru. He took one look at her and knew that the girl was very likely Naruto's long lost twin! He vanished and found Naruto with ease.
"Naruto, you need to come with me," said Kakashi."What for Kakashi-sensei?"
"The Hokage needs to talk to you about the girl from yesterday."
"You mean the one that looked familiar? Why?"
"You'll find out if you come with me."
Naruto followed Kakashi to the tower. When he got there, Kakashi waited outside as the Hokage told Naruto something that he'd been holding back on for nearly thirteen years.
"Naruto, the day you were born, something happened. Something that no one has told you about before."
"I know, I know! The Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed inside me!"
"That happened afterwards."
"Huh?!"
"You see, you weren't the only one born that day."
"So?"
"A girl was born at least a minute before you," the Hokage said carefully.
"I still don't…"
"Naruto, Kakashi told me about the girl you saw yesterday."
"Will you get to the point already?!"
"That girl that was born before you…was your twin sister, Haruto."
"WHAT! I HAVE A TWIN SISTER?!"
"Yes."
"Why didn't anyone tell me about her before?!"
"Because the next day, she disappeared from the village completely. We didn't know what happened to her; we decided it would be better if you didn't know about her at all."
"I can't believe it…I had a sister and never knew…"
"When you saw that girl yesterday, you mentioned that she seemed familiar to you, even though you've never met."
"Yeah…"
"There's a good chance she may be your sister, Haruto."
"Why? Why didn't you tell me before now?!"
"I didn't want to raise your hopes up. We didn't know where she went, and so we couldn't very well bring her back."
"Was that why you wanted to see me?"
"Yes. You may go now," said the Hokage.
Naruto exited the room, and turned towards his sensei.
"Kakashi-sensei, did you know about me having a twin?"
"Everyone who was around at the time knew. All the Jonin were sent searching for her the day she vanished. But I had forgotten all about it until you mentioned something."
"I still can't believe it…I had a sister all this time and never knew!"
"Naruto, don't get your hopes up that the girl from earlier is your twin. The only reason Lord Hokage even brought it up was because there was a good chance that it is her! So don't confront her or tell the others about this until we know for sure, okay?"
"Is there any way for me to tell it's really her?"
"Believe it or not, there is. Even though she was born before you, she inherited the same whisker-like marks on her face. If that girl has those, then she may very well be your sister."
"But her face is covered! How can I…?"
"We'll find out soon enough. Who knows, maybe she recognized you and will confront you or something…"
Naruto walked home, still stunned by the news that he had a twin. He filled out the application the best he could before he went to bed early. He woke up, ready to participate in the Chuunin Exam!
The second encounter with the girl was at the first part of the exam; she was with Gaara and the others. He held back the urge to confront her, even though he desperately wanted to know the truth. The first exam came and went without notice. It was during the second exam that he finally learned the truth!
"Haruto, there's something you should know about where you came from…" said her sensei.
"What is it?"
"You were adopted."
"I know. Mom told me years ago."
"The Sand village isn't your birth place," he continued.
"What're you saying?! Do you mean I'm not…?"
"You are a Sand Genin. You just weren't born there. You were taken from your original village after you were born and brought to ours."
"What was my birth village?"
"This village."
"You mean I was originally a Leaf ninja? Why didn't anyone tell me before?!"
"Because we didn't think you'd recognize anything. If we had known, then you may not have been sent on this mission. Your memories could very well jeopardize what we're about to do!"
"I am a member of the Black Ops. I was raised in the Sand village and hold NO sentimental ties to Konoha," Haruto said coldly.
"There is something else. When you were brought to the village, we left behind your twin."
"I have a twin?!"
"Yes…you have a brother. We do not know his name, and you are forbidden to seek him out. You are a Sand shinobi first!" he said firmly.
"I understand, Sensei."