Chapter 1

I blocked him out well. After about a month, I had almost completely forgotten. I became the second ninja ever in my family, my father being the first, and made many friends.

But one day when I was twelve, and I became Team 9 with Aika and Katsu, a memory of my childhood floated to the surface.

I was sitting next to Gaara, telling him my dreams. "I'm going to become one of the greatest ninja ever!" I had cried. Gaara looked at me. "For who? Konoha of Suna?" he asked. I had pondered it for a little bit, and then, "Both!" He smiled. "I'll stick with Suna."

I smiled, Well, Gaara, I'm halfway done with that. How are you doing?

She got up, and followed her teammates into a courtyard, where their sensei, a dark woman with long black hair and clothes, and red streaks touching the bottom of her eyes and ending at her jawbone, was waiting.

She walked over to us, and smiled.

"Hey there. I'm Chie, and I guess I'm going to be your sensei for a while."

"You think?" said Aika.

She turned to look at Aika, and said,

"Your Aika, right? I've heard a lot about you. Like, how your one of the lowest in your class in genjutsu."

Aika reddened, and a boy walking by said softly "Oooooooh. Burn!"

But our sensei didn't flinch. My admiration for her grew larger, and I smiled.

"So, what do we do first?" I asked.

Chie grinned,

"Well, I always found that you work better with people who like you, so I always take my students out to eat on the first day. Who's up for dango?"

I looked at Aika, eyebrows raised. I could tell she knew that I was thinking I like this woman!

So, that's how we started our four-man team.

We learned more about each other than we would have if we had known each other since birth.

For instance, Katsu was a boy that rarely talked, since he had witnessed both of his parent's death, like me. He had lost his voice, and spoke only when utterly necessary. For example, when Katsu said about ten words one day while we were on a mission, we got in a horrible fight and Aika almost died. We now take too many words from him as a warning.

Aika was, as Chie-sensei said, she was at the bottom in the class in genjutsu. She rarely showed her real power, giant whirlwinds of powerful chakra, unless she's in mortal peril.

But Chie-sensei was amazing. She was agile and could move great distances without making a sound.

And then came Chie's surprising speech.

She walked up to us one day, and said,

"The chuunin exams are coming up, and I volunteered you all for it."

She said it so nonchalantly that I thought she was joking. I started snorting, and then saw Chie-sensei's face.

"Wait, you're serious?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Oh, man, you've gotta be kidding!" said Aika, "We're only rookies!"

But Chie looked at Katsu.

"What do you think?" she asked.

I knew the answer. Katsu was the one to act first, and think later.

Katsu struggled to answer, until he finally managed a word: "Yes."

I sighed.

"Well, if Katsu's going to join," I said, "then guess I'm in."

I was secretly hoping that I could find some rock ninja, so I could give them a piece of my mind. I looked at Aika, who groaned.

"Well, I don't know," she said, "I still think it might be too dangerous."

"Well," said Chie, "If you change your mind, then here."

She handed us forms for the exams, and began to walk away.

"Wait," I called after her, "no practice?"

She turned, grinning.

"Nah, I'll give you today to convince Aika."

I looked at Aika.

"Okay, then," I said.

She groaned, but I forced her down, and began to badger her, Katsu nodding the whole time.

In the end, she agreed to seriously think about it.

She's going to do it.