The voyage to Kirigakure took a few days, and seemed even longer than that. I spent most of my days hiding in my room and at night I would meet Neji on the top deck and we would talk and look out over the water.
"Look, Neji, Dolphins!" I said, delighted. It was our last night on the boat and we were standing together, holding hands.
"It means we're getting closer to land," He said, watching the blue-grey creatures jumping out of the water, "There are sea turtles, too."
I leaned closer to the edge and peered out over the water. Three green sea turtles were gliding through the water.
"Wow!" I cried, delighted. I bent even closer to get a better luck. I let out a shriek as I slipped. I braced myself for the impact of cold water and was surprised when I didn't hit it. I opened my eyes to see that Neji had grabbed me right before I fell into the water. I was now dangling dangerously close to the water.
"You're alright. I've got you," He said difficultly, pulling me up with both hands. The next thing I knew I was sprawled safely on the deck, panting heavily.
"You're a magnet for disaster, Hoshi," Neji said, helping me to my feet.
"I know. Thank you, Neji. I think it would have hurt to fall in that water. It's cold," I said quietly.
"It was nothing, Hoshi, I would've done it for anyone-"
I broke of his sentence with a hug which startled him. I laughed and kissed him.
"Thank you," I whispered in his ear. He blushed faintly and I giggled before kissing him again.
The next morning we arrived in Kirigakure. I followed my companions off the boat and laughed when they were surprised because of the heavy mist.
"Is it always this misty?" Naruto asked, looking around.
"Well it is called the Village Hidden in the Mist, Naruto," I said to him.
"You kids should let us show you were the village is. You'll never find it in this mist unless you know where it is," Said one of the boat-workers. He was a creepy-looking guy with a grungy beard who looked like he might be a mass murderer.
"No thanks, I know where the village is," I said coolly.
"You've been there before?" Asked the man skeptically.
"A few times."
"You don't look familiar…" He said suspiciously.
"Looks can be deceiving," I replied. I led me friends into the mist, leaving the creepy guy behind to wonder who I was. I wasn't worried about him. He'd never figure out who I was.
I led everyone on unseen paths in the mist that I knew were there. Shishi had taught me all the paths when I was little. I noticed that Neji was using his Byakugan consistently.
"What are you doing, Neji?" I asked him.
"I don't like not knowing whether or not someone is coming. My Byakugan can penetrate even the thickest of fogs," He replied absently.
"That's amazing…But it's not fog," I said after a moment.
"What?"
"It's mist. It comes off of the lakes and marshes around here. Can't you see them?" I inquired.
"Of course. I just didn't know there was a difference between fog and mist," He replied.
"Well if you grow up here- …wait a minute. Quiet. Someone's coming," I whispered.
"What, how can you tell?" Naruto whispered back. I pointed to my ears to indicate I could hear the approacher.
"Greetings, From Kirigakure. Are you the ninja from Konohagakure?" Called a somewhat familiar voice. It was my old sensei, Shishi.
"Yes, we are the ninja from Konohagakure," Neji called back. Shishi emerged from the mist and became visible to us. His long, black hair was tied behind his back and his bright blue eyes surveyed us all thoroughly.
"My name is Shishi Kuni. I'm here to show you to the village and take you to the Mizukage," Shishi said to us.
"Your guidance is welcome, Shishi Kuni. I am Neji Hyuuga, and these are my companions: Naruto Uzumaki, Hoshi, Kiba, and my sister, Yumi," Neji said to my old sensei.
"Follow me, please," Said Shishi without so much as a second glance at me. We all followed Shishi through hidden paths that I could have found with my eyes closed. When we got to the village, the mist cleared and we could see the beauty of Kirigakure. Lakes served as training fields and many ninja were out practicing or simply swimming. None of them were as fast as I was, for none of them knew the secrets of the currents that only my sensei could teach.
Shishi led us to the house of the Mizukage. We entered to find he was sitting at his desk, eating a bowl of rice and talking to the man in charge of all the ninja from Kirigakure, Sungato Meno.
"Ah, these must be the ninja from Konohagakure," Said the Mizukage.
"Yes. They are Neji Hyuuga, Naruto Uzumaki, Hoshi, Kiba, and Yumi," Said Shishi, pointing to us each in turn.
"Welcome. We are glad lady Tsunade lent you to us to get rid of this pesky problem who has been attacking travelers on our roads. We are at war right now and all of our ninja are training endlessly. Even the hunter-ninja have been called from their regular duties. We really didn't have anyone to spare to go take care of the rogue ninja," the Mizukage said.
"We'll try our best," Neji said to him.
"Shishi can show you all where you'll be staying tonight and tomorrow he can take you to the road where the rouge ninja was last spotted. After that you're on your own," Said the Mizukage.
Shishi led us away from the Mizukage's house and to a small house that was sort of like an apartment.
"I'll be here at dawn to show you where the rogue ninja was last spotted," Shishi said, then he left.
"Man, I could've killed that Mizukage guy! Actin' like Kirigakure has better ninja than Konohagakure," Naruto growled, his fists clenched.
"Kirigakure does have better ninja than Konohagakure. …and I wouldn't say that too loud about the Mizukage. He's one of the most respected men in the village, including Sun," I retorted.
"Hey, you're supposed to be on our side! Besides, there's no way you could beat me in a battle," Naruto proclaimed.
"I'm a poor example. I was only raised in Kirigakure, not born here. Just wait until you see the real ninja practicing," I replied as we walked into the house.
There were only two rooms in the apartment so it seemed logical for the boys to get one room and Yumi and I got the other. Unfortunately, it was not practical and Neji soon came into my room and Yumi made her way to the boys room. A mattress in the middle of the floor was the only thing that served as a bed and Neji lay down with me.
"Your old sensei didn't seem very happy," Neji commented as we lay there.
"I think he's being punished for losing me," I replied quietly. At that moment the door opened and Naruto stood there with a blanket in one hand and a pillow in the other.
"Kiba and Yumi took over my room. I'm gonna bunk on the couch," He said, thoroughly disgusted.
"Have fun with that," I said coolly. Naruto grunted and shut the door behind him.
The next morning, before dawn, I went in to awaken Yumi and Kiba. They were snuggled up close together with Akamaru and Barlow curled up at their feet. Truthfully, they were really cute and I didn't want to wake them up, but I knew if Neji saw them he wouldn't like it.
"Psst! Wake up you guys!" I hissed into the room. Yumi opened one blue eye and glanced at me groggily.
"Five more minutes," She grumbled, burying her face in Kiba's chest.
"Not five more anything! Neji will be in here if you don't get up and I don't think you want him to see you like this," I said warningly.
"Like what? We're just sleeping!" Exclaimed Kiba, waking up.
"Yeah, but it doesn't look that way," I responded. I flipped on the light switch and they both covered their eyes against the brightness.
"Rise and shine," I said loudly. They both groaned and drug themselves out of bed.
Feeling very pleased with myself I went into the kitchen where Neji sat, drinking tea with a very disgruntled Naruto. I walked silently over to Neji and he handed me a cup of tea. I kissed his cheek lightly and I sat down beside him.
"Shishi will be here soon," He said as I began to drink my tea. Yumi and Kiba walked in just then, not looking pleased with me for waking them up. Neji surveyed them silently and I could tell he disapproved by the way his teeth clenched ever so slightly, but he didn't say anything.
A knock on the door interrupted the awkward silence that issued as Kiba fixed a cup of tea for Yumi and himself. I opened the door to find Shishi standing there, looking more than slightly depressed. His eyes had dark circles beneath them and his hair had lost it's shinny look that it'd had before I left Kirigakure.
"Wow, you don't look so good," Said Naruto from where he sat at the table. I saw Neji step on his foot very discreetly for being rude.
"Well, I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately," Replied Shishi as I let him inside.
"Why not?" Naruto asked, not at all discouraged by Neji's reprimand.
"…One of my students disappeared a few weeks ago, Naoshi Uchiha. I can't help but feel it was my fault that she left," He said quietly.
"Why would it be your fault?" I asked without looking at him.
"I pushed her too hard. She was… different than the others. Not weaker, exactly, but she got exhausted too easily. She also had a very high threshold for pain. …and now the Hunter-ninja are looking for her because she's considered a traitor to Kirigakure," Shishi said worriedly.
"I thought the Hunter-ninja were fighting in the war," Neji said calmly.
"Well yes…there is that. I still can't help but worry. What if something happened to her and it's my fault? I would feel so awful…" Shishi moaned. I felt bad that Shishi was so worried about me, but I couldn't say anything.
"I think if she is as capable a ninja as you claim, nothing will happen to Naoshi," Yumi said reassuringly to Shishi. Shishi simply nodded miserably.
"I shouldn't be telling you all this. Come. You have a rogue ninja to find," He said quickly.
Shishi led us to the beginning of one of the hidden paths in the mists.
"Now, it may be difficult for you to find your way, but if you keep your eyes pointed downward you can see the road," He said when we stopped. We all looked down to see the dirt road that could barely be seen through the mist.
"We'll be fine," I assured him. Shishi smiled slightly before walking in the direction from which we'd come.
"come on, guys, lets go," I said, leading them down the path. My friends followed without dispute and, though I couldn't see anything, I felt Neji take my hand in his reassuringly.
"Keep an eye out with your Byakugan," I said quietly.
"I am."
I kept my Sharingan activated, but I could see no Chakra other than what was emanating from my skin.
"Ahead and to the left. What do you see?" Neji whispered to me. I squinted, using my Sharingan, and saw what I thought was a tree.
"A tree?" I inquired.
"No."
"Not a tree?"
"An illusion. It's pure Chakra energy," Neji replied.
"Then where is the-"
My sentence was broken off as something slammed hard into my back, knocking me to the ground. I was sprawled on the ground with the wind knocked out of me.
"Hoshi!" Neji shouted. There was a loud thud as Neji punched my attacker dead in the nose. From what I could see, which wasn't much, my attacker leapt back onto his feet. Instead of attacking Neji he came at me. His face was covered with a mask and he wore all black clothes.
"You, girl, what is your name?" Demanded the attacker. I didn't respond. I couldn't respond, because I couldn't breathe.
"Who are you? Where are you from? Answer me!" Shouted the attacker.
"Leave her alone! She can't breathe, much less answer your questions!" Neji said fiercely as he slammed into my attacker again. This time he kept him pinned to the ground and I was able to gather enough strength to get up and help restrain my attacker. He caught a glimpse of my face as I struggled with him and the attacker froze.
"You! You are the one I have been searching for! Your name- Is it Naoshi Uchiha?" He demanded. The fact that he knew my name startled me.
"Naoshi Uchiha is long gone. That person no longer exists. I am Hoshi, of Konohagakure," I replied coolly.
"But you were once Naoshi Uchiha. The girl with purple eyes and black hair," He proclaimed, attempting to sit up. Neji held him down forcefully.
"How could you possibly know her eyes are purple? My Genjutsu is flawless," He growled. The attacker freed one of his arms and pulled off his mask, revealing two red eyes, each with three tomoe.
"I have Sharingan, you idiot," Said the attacker. I grabbed his freed hand and forced it down again especially hard since I did not like the fact that he called Neji an idiot.
"Who are you? There are only three of the Uchiha clan left and you are not one of them," I said angrily, but confused at the same time.
"you were once Naoshi Uchiha," Repeated my attacker, "You were once my sister."
His response hit me like a blow to the head and I could do nothing but stare at him.
"There's no way you're her brother," Yumi said, staring blankly at the ninja.
"Hoshi, didn't you say your mother was pregnant when she…disappeared?" Neji asked quietly. I nodded numbly and sat down on the ground with a quiet thud, releasing the boy.
"My name is Mashi Uchiha," Said the boy, sitting up now that we had released him.
"What do you think Hoshi? Is he your bother?" Neji asked, taking my hand gently. I took a deep breath and tried to think rationally.
"Well, he looks to be about the right age…and he does resemble my father," I said slowly.
"Nando. And our mother's name was Yoshi," Mashi inputted quickly.
"I think…I think he is my brother," I admitted.
"Told ya so!" Mashi said triumphantly, brushing his hair back behind his ears.
"Well, if you are my brother, then my parents…our parents are still-?"
"No. They are dead. They died a few years ago when the hunter-ninja found them. They did desert Konohagakure, after all," Mashi replied quietly.
"Konohagakure?" I asked, confused.
"That's where you were born, sis. Before I was born," He said with a smile.
"But…why? Why did they leave me?" I asked. I tried to keep my voice from breaking.
"I can't answer that question, Naoshi," He answered gravely.
"You must call me Hoshi. There are hunter-ninja after me as well," I said stiffly.
"Of course, Hoshi."
"Why have you been attacking travelers?"
"Looking for you."
"Why?"
"Well you're my sister! I guess I just wanted to meet you," He said sheepishly. For the first time I saw him for what he truly was- just a little kid. An orphan, like myself. If he was looking for someone to take care of him, he'd come to the wrong place.
"Do you have a place to live? Someone to take care of you?" I asked Mashi.
"Yes. I'm living with my sensei in Sunagakure," He said quietly.
"Good. Go home, kid. I don't know why you came here. I'm not Naoshi Uchiha anymore," I said coldly. I turned my back on his shocked, sad face and I walked back towards Kirigakure. My friend followed only because they couldn't have found their ay back otherwise, but they all stared at me in silent disapproval, all except Neji who refused to look at me, but still held my hand firmly within his own.
When we got back to Kirigakure I went into my room, shut the door, and sat down on the mattress. The door was reopened moments later by Neji. He said nothing, but sat down cross-legged beside me.
"I shouldn't have been so mean to him," I admitted with a sigh.
"Perhaps not. …But I think I can understand. Mashi represents a part of your past. The life you were forced to leave behind," Neji replied slowly.
"And the only conclusion I can come to is that my parents abandoned me. If not for Mashi, then because I did something wrong. My parents abandoned me, my Aunt and Uncle sent me away, my grandmother died, and I was sent to Shishi. None of those people really wanted me," I said, trying not to sound sad, but my voice broke at the end.
"I want you Hoshi. We all want you in Konohagakure with us. I…I need you in Konohagakure with me," he said squeezing my hand gently. I knew if Yumi were here she'd interpret that the 'wrong way' because she has a perverted mind, but I knew he didn't mean it that way.
"What do you mean?" I asked, slightly confused.
"You bring out the best in me, Hoshi. When I'm around you I can't help but smile. Your beautiful awkwardness makes me laugh, like when we you fell out of the tree when we first met. Even Yumi was surprised then when I did not reprimand you for your lack of Chakra control. I was laughing on the inside, after I made sure you were okay," Neji said. I looked away, embarrassed and surprised at his sincerity. I wanted to tell him I felt the same way. I wanted to say I thought I loved him. …but I didn't know what to say. What he had said was more like poetry than spoken words. Anything that I had to say paled in comparison. Then again I'd never been good at all the icky love stuff anyway.
"You've left me out on a limb here, Neji. What you said was beautiful and now…I don't know what to say," I said quietly. He laughed softly and pulled me closer to him.
"You don't have to say anything. Just promise you won't leave me," He whispered in my ear.
"I won't if you won't," I replied.
"I will never leave you," He promised.
We were silent for a long time and I was enjoying his company. Then he spoke.
"Now, Hoshi, I would like to say something. You might not like it, but mull it over and you'll find it's true," He said quietly.
"Is this one of those 'destiny' things" I asked curiously.
"Am I really that predictable?" He asked with a slight smirk.
"Just say whatever it is," I replied, smiling.
"Well, Hoshi, what you said to Mashi a while ago- about you not being Naoshi Uchiha anymore? That's not true. You may not look like her or act like her, but on the inside you still are. It is who you were born to be. Deny it all you want, but if you look deep enough you'll find it's true."
Neji had given me a lot to think about, so I went for a walk around Kirigakure. I wandered aimlessly around the training fields and the other various lakes. I wondered what he had meant about me being Naoshi Uchiha on the inside, but I didn't dwell on it too much. He had said that he wanted me…that he needed me. I had never been wanted or needed by anyone before and just the memory of him saying that made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.
I found myself watching the training of a young boy whom I didn't recognize. He looked to be about 10 years old and he was being trained by Sungato. His training was intense, but he was a strong kid. They noticed me watching and walked over.
"Hello," Said the little boy pleasantly.
"Hi. My name's Hoshi," I said to him.
"My name's Kenai," He replied.
"Well, Hoshi…what advice does the village of Konohagakure have to offer," said Sun with a smirk.
"I can't speak on the behalf of my village, but Kenai seems like a very capable ninja. He looks so young…but so strong," I said, letting my impression show.
"Thank you. I'm only 9 years old and I can beat my father in a fight," Kenai said proudly.
"But you're not strong enough. That's why you've got to keep training!" Sun said strictly.
"Is Kenai your son?" I asked, mildly interested.
"Yep, though you couldn't hardly tell it from appearance or behavior," Sun replied, scowling at Kenai. I had known Sun for years and I thought he was being way to tough on his son. He'd never been that tough with any of his students. I wanted to know why he was he so tough on the little guy.
"I don't think you're giving Kenai enough credit. I'll bet he could beat any ninja from Konohagakure," I said to Sun.
"Oh yeah? Well I'll take you up on that bet. I want Kenai to battle that big guy that came with you into the Mizukage's office," He replied.
"Which big guy?" I asked, thinking immediately of Neji, who was the tallest out of all of us; Kiba who was the strongest of us; and Naruto, who was pretty much just big around the middle from eating so much.
"I dunno, the big one. And let's keep this on the down-low," Sun said impatiently.
"The one with the silver eyes?" I inquired, also growing impatient with his irrationality.
"No!" He said in a voice that sounded like he was insulting my sort-of boyfriend…but he wouldn't be dumb enough to do that would he?
"The one that had the red things on his face…the dog-boy," Sun said arrogantly.
"Alright, Sun, you're on," I said angrily, "Kenai versus Kiba at sunrise tomorrow!"
"Good. We'll meet at the Hazy Pond tomorrow morning," He said with a wicked grin.
"The…Hazy Pond?!" I yelped.
"Yes. That's not a problem, is it Hoshi? That's where most battles in this town are held. You wouldn't know that, being from Konugkure?" He said snootily. It sounded like he was implying something he couldn't possibly know to be true. He couldn't know who I really was…could he? An impatient cough interrupted my thoughts and I was reminded suddenly of my position.
"It's Konohagakure!" I spat at him for getting the name wrong, "and I'll see you at sunrise."
I stomped away from the training field, leaving behind Sun, who looked smug; and Kenai, who looked confused. I turned a corner down the street and ran slam into Neji.
"Ah, Hoshi. There you are. What have you been doing?…you look angry," Neji remarked when he saw it was me. It was then that I realized what I'd done. I'd made a promise to someone that Kiba would crush their kid without even consulting him! I'd gotten so caught up in the heat of the fight that I forgot that I should ask Kiba first. God, I was such an idiot!
"Hoshi? You look like you're having a solo conversation there," Neji said with a faint smile.
"I…I think I just did something very stupid," I said blankly.
"What?" He asked, bewildered.
"well, I caught up with Sun, who's like the head ninja of Kirigakure…"
I told Neji the entirety of what happened and tried to describe it accurately.
"…So you agreed for Kiba to beat the snot out of a nine-year-old?" He asked disbelievingly when I'd told him everything.
"Yep," I said, feeling completely horrible, "And the worst part is, the place he mentioned- the Hazy Pond? It's against the rules of Kirigakure to even go near that place!"
"Why?" Neji asked me.
"The mist there is absolutely impossible to see through. You can't hear anything because there are frogs there and bugs that chirp constantly. Hazy Pond is more like a marsh that's almost completely gone so it's not really mist- it's haze," I said promptly.
"Well…Hoshi, why on Earth didn't you say something?" He asked blankly.
"Because if I was from Konohagakure I wouldn't know that. I'd be easily fooled into thinking that it was the place that all battles were held in Kirigakure," I explained.
"I see. Well, all we can do now is ask Kiba and hope he will do it," Neji said.
I walked back to the house with Neji, keeping my head down. He was angry with me, I could tell, but he wasn't going to say anything. We walked into the house and I went down the hall to Yumi's room. I knocked twice and there was no answer.
"Yumi? You in here?" I called and knocked again. There was still no answer, so I opened the door. Big mistake.
Kiba and Yumi were there, sitting on the bed. They were locked at the lips, kissing passionately. Her hands were clenched in his hair and he was clutching the front of her shirt.
"Hey, Hey! Do I have to spray water on you two to keep you from going at it like that?" I said, clapping my hands to get their attention. They sprang apart and both staggered backwards.
"Don't tell Neji!" Yumi pleaded immediately. I didn't have to say anything because at that moment Neji appeared behind me.
"Don't tell me wha-?" His question broke off as he looked at Yumi and Kiba's slightly indisposed appearance. Her hair was sticking out wildly and the front of his shirt still had wrinkles in it. Neji's face hardened, he closed his eyes, and walked out of the room. Yumi and Kiba both blushed and I hurried after Neji.
"Where are you going?" I asked, following him out of the house.
"To pretend I'm blind," He said, covering his eyes.
"Trust me, it'd be worse for you if you saw what I just saw," I said as I caught up with him.
"What did you see?"
"Yumi and Kiba, locked in a passionate kiss-"
"No wait, I don't want to hear it!" He said, locking his hands over his ears. I smiled and fell silent. He uncovered his ears and we walked into the living room.
"I don't want to say anything because Yumi's been good about not saying anything about the other day when she caught us…" Neji said as we walked past Naruto who was laying on the sofa.
"I don't think Yumi cares that she caught us kissing," I said, recalling her carefree attitude. I smiled and Neji blushed as we both remembered the night.
"Okay, ya'll are totally grossing me out! I'm trying to sleep!" Naruto complained. He grabbed his pillow and left the room. Neji and I both laughed, mutually pleased that we had grossed-out Naruto.
"You want me to fight a kid?!" Kiba demanded when I told him a while later.
"He's a strong kid, Kiba. You might not be able to beat him," I said seriously.
"He'll crush that kid!" Yumi said, mortified.
"It was an accident. I didn't mean to get us into all this," I said, hanging my head.
"All what exactly?" Yumi asked.
"Well, you see, I sort of agreed to let the battle take place at the Hazy Pond," I muttered quietly.
"What's a Hazy Pond?" Kiba asked.
After explaining what the Hazy Pond was, Kiba didn't look so worried.
"So, it's just a little foggy?" He asked with a grin.
"No. It's not fog. It's haze," I said coolly.
"Is all of Kirigakure so obsessive about getting the names of gaseous substances right, or is it just you?" Neji asked me with a faint smile.
"So the air is a little thick. So what?" Kiba asked with a shrug.
"No. Remember the mist on the roads? -that's a 'little thick' …the haze over the Hazy Pond is about ten times worse. It was forbidden by a town that trains in mist as thick as pea soup," I said. Everyone looked at each other a bit perplexed.
"Well, guess I really don't have a choice but to fight this kid," Kiba said a little reluctantly.
"Good. I'm telling you he's a strong kid! You'll need to get some rest tonight. Kenai will be difficult for you to beat," I said quietly.
"Well, if I need to rest you might want to keep Yumi out of my room," Kiba said jokingly.
"Hey! No fair! He's only nine-years-old, you and Akamaru can take him out with one hit!" Yumi protested quickly.
"I was only joking, Yumi," He said with a smile, "I wasn't really going to kick you out of my room."
Shish brought us food later on and thanked us for ridding the village of the rogue ninja. I supposed my brother was gone for good. We ate rice and dumplings and again I noticed Neji watching me intently.
"What?" I asked, looking at him.
"Your arm. You still have not regained the full use of it?" Neji asked, nodding to my left hand. The bandages had been removed a few days ago and now only a nasty-looking scar remained of my battle with Tenten.
"It's getting better," I replied quietly.
"Hoshi, you're dropping rice all over yourself and you've been trying to grab that same dumpling for the past five minutes," He said exasperatedly. I looked down at my clothes which were covered with rice and then looked to the dumpling on my plate. I held my chopsticks together and stabbed the dumpling straight through the middle and carried it to my mouth.
"I'm fine," I said defensively to Neji, "I can still eat."
"What about the rice?" He asked with a faint smile. I stared intently at the new challenge. Rice couldn't be speared with chopsticks…but maybe I could eat with my right hand?
I took the chopsticks in my right hand and tried to lift up the rice. It worked only slightly better than my left.
"There, see? I can do it!" I said triumphantly through a mouthful of rice.
"Yes, I can see it. Close your mouth while you're chewing please," Neji said quietly. I closed my mouth and swallowed.
"Sorry," I said sheepishly and he smiled.
Later that night as we lay in bed, trying to sleep, Neji rolled over to face me.
"What's wrong, Hoshi?" He asked, slightly groggily. His voice startled me. I had thought him to be asleep.
"Nothing….I'm just a little worried is all," I replied quietly.
"About the little boy?"
"About Kiba and Kenai. It's difficult to battle in the Hazy Pond…I don't want either of them to get hurt."
"I'm sure they'll be fine. If they fall in we can pull them out," He responded, still sounded groggy.
"How? It's hazy!"
"Sharingan and Byakugan can see through anything," He replied. Then he fell asleep again. Comforted by his words, I, too, went to sleep.
The next morning Naruto, Neji, Yumi, Kiba, Akamaru, and myself all met Shishi and Kenai at the Hazy Pond.
"I didn't know you were bringing all of Konohagakure with you," Shishi grumbled as I walked over to him.
"We're Konoha, Creepy Old Dude. If you want one of us, you get all of us," Yumi said hotly. Inwardly I applauded her and reminded myself to complement her on her response later.
"Yumi, Be nice," Kiba said to her, but he couldn't help smiling.
"Well right now, he's the only Kenoba I'm worried about," Sun said, pointing to Kiba.
"It's Konoha! Get it right, or you'll be walking with a permanent limp!" Yumi growled threateningly.
"Did we come here to battle, or to make idle threats?" Sun retorted. Kiba and I both grabbed Yumi's arm just in time to stop her from launching herself at the old man.
"Easy, Space Cadet. Do you need to go back to the house?" Neji asked her seriously. She took a few deep breaths and relaxed slightly.
"Naw. I'm good," Yumi said calmly.
We all looked out over the pond. Thick, yellow haze floated above the foul-smelling water and mud.
"do we really have to battle in that?" Kenai asked Sun, disgusted.
"Shut up!" Sun said, slapping Kenai across the face. Kenai let out a surprised yelp and fell to the ground. Sun looked revolted.
"Hey!" I shouted, knocking Sun's hand away as he tried to slap Kenai again. Sun stood up tall and said nothing.
The battle started with Kenai and Kiba at opposite ends of the pond. They could barely be seen with the naked eye so Neji and I reverted to using our Bloodline traits. Using my Sharingan I was able to follow them quite easily and predict the moves they were going to use. Akamaru stood loyally beside Kiba and little Kenai stood alone. I could see Kenai's hands forming the hand seals and I wasn't surprised when he used Mokuton, a sort of jutsu that combined Earth and water-based Chakra. I watched as a tree that glowed with Chakra energy sprung out of the ground. Kiba was blind to his movements as Kenai leapt onto the tree and got closer to him. I observed as Kenai used a sort of taijutsu called Ferocious Fist. He knocked Kiba to the ground, and if Kenai had been a little bigger he might've broken a few bones.
"This is going to be an interesting battle," I whispered to Neji as Kiba got back on his feet.
The battle lasted for a little more than an hour until Kiba finally called it quits.
"I can't beat this kid…and I can't see or smell a damned thing! Where's the exit?" Kiba called out to us.
"Hold on a moment, Kiba, I'll come find you," I said, glad that he had forfeited…it meant that I was right. Using my Sharingan I was able to find Kiba and Akamaru through the haze by locating their Chakra levels. I also found Kenai, who couldn't see good either.
"That was some pretty cool jutsu," Kiba said to Kenai.
"Thank you. I liked the way you and your dog did that two-headed thing. It was wicked awesome," Kenai said enthusiastically as I led them through the haze. I was glad Kiba was being a good sport about not being able to beat the kid. He looked pretty beat up, but he was smiling.
"Double Headed Wolf," Kiba corrected automatically.
"Yeah! I wish I had a dog," Kenai said mournfully. Sun snatched Kenai as soon as we emerged from the haze.
"Look at you! You're filthy!" Sun said to him.
"But he won!" I exclaimed.
"So what? Beating some dude from Konohagakure doesn't make him a ninja master!" sun growled. At that moment I felt something rush past me and turned to see Yumi grab Kiba in a hug.
"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, looking him over.
"Just a little bruised…I might need someone to help nurse me back to health," He whispered in her ear, but I heard it.
"Ew! Kiba, I can hear you!" I complained.
"What did he say?" Neji asked, inserting himself into the conversation.
"Nothing!" Said Yumi, Kiba, and myself simultaneously. The look on Neji's face made us all burst out laughing.
Our laughter was interrupted by the sound of heavy approaching footsteps. We all jumped slightly as the Mizukage, Shishi, and another large man walked out of the mist.
"Sungato Meno! We've been looking everywhere for you- …What's going on here?" The Mizukage asked, looking from Kenai to Kiba.
"Just a friendly debate," Sun said reassuringly.
"In the Hazy Pond? That's against the law of Kirigakure!" Said the Mizukage.
"She made the bet," Sun said, pointing to me.
"Sun told me this was the regular battling place!" I said, my eyes open wide in false surprise.
"She's excused because she's an outsider. You on the other hand-" The Mizukage began.
"She's not from Konohagakure! Her name isn't Hoshi- It's Naoshi Uchiha, from Kirigakure!" Sun shouted. He reached out and somehow grabbed my disguise jutsu. It fell away, revealing the real me.