Made of Fail

Chapter Six
New Me

Tarantu lived in relative comfort – she lived with the Kazekage's children in their wing of the manor as their attendant, and had her own room with a soft yet firm futon in one corner of the room with the softest blankets and covers. The window next to the futon was large and gave a perfect view out onto the landscape. Her closet was filled with cute outfits for every occasion in every climate, from the freezing cold of the far north and far south to the blistering heat of the desert. She had a bathroom leading out of her bedroom with crisp, clean mirrors, a metal sink, and a shower/tub combo with luxurious shampoos and conditioners, body lotions, razors, and fluffy, white towels that were soft to the touch. She had everything she could need.

But Tarantu was lonely.

Ever since she'd gone out living in the wild two years ago, she'd gotten used to sleeping in the cold and huddling with Romi and Sara to share body heat (Romi was literally her space heater). She'd gotten used to sleeping alone again, but it was a strange experience compared to before. Even spending two years in this new world, she still sometimes woke up not knowing where she was and panicking for a minute before remembering. She'd remember the intricacies of her home world compared to the plain lines of this cartoon one and become nostalgic. Even living in a desert itself was a new experience.

So she combated it the only way she knew how – she visited her adopted children by night.

It started out with only Gaara. He was so used to not sleeping that he'd still stay up all night, and it took heavy meditation plus Tarantu's rubbing his back and tucking him in to finally get to sleep. Once he did fall asleep, Tarantu would run her hands through his rough hair and simply stare at him in wonder. This boy looked upon her as his mother – she was the most important figure in his life. It was such a new concept for her that she'd be struck dumb by such simple things as the moonlight streaking across his sleeping cheek. Then, when she remembered where she was, she'd kiss the 'Love' mark on his forehead and retreat to her room to go to sleep.

When Temari had begun to see her as her mother, she'd gone to her as well. The fact that she now had two children calling her 'mother' was made apparent during these times, as she went from one room to the other to check on her 'children'. She read them both bedtime stories – not the cheesy ones with the 'happily ever after' endings, Temari hated those (she read them to Gaara though; he loved them). Instead, she had to work her mind to come up with new stories, mainly using ones from her previous life. They seemed to love those, the ones about her childhood.

Then Kankurō became her son as well, and she learned to adapt to his favored bedtime treatment. Although he didn't say it outright, he loved reading poetry. The way the words dashed across a page could create complex wisps of images and scenes fascinated him, as he was normally a simpler, logical person. During the day, he was tough and belligerent, but at night he became a softer person, perhaps due to his tiredness.

All three of them became her children, and the ache in her heart lessened when she was with them. She loved them with all her heart – their differing personalities, their individual quirks – she loved them all.

But Tarantu was still lonely.

At night, her problems seemed to become clearer without her daily distractions getting in the way. Although she didn't show it to the others in the household, there was a gaping hole in her heart from when she was torn from her family without even a chance to say goodbye. She'd never see them again.

In a way, it was almost intangible, the pain of losing such an anchor in her life. She guessed it was true, you never know what you had 'til it was gone. She had had a loving family, and although they got on her nerves sometimes, they were a part of her. It was like losing a limb, but not in a physical way – more mental. It was that feeling someone would get if he suddenly got blindfolded and wasn't able to see where he was going – it was an empty, primal feeling.

Stifling a sigh, Tarantu dipped her brush in her inkwell and began to write.

Imōto –

So you've gotten to Konoha, huh? I bet it's really green there. We're in the middle of the wet season here, and the plants are thriving – I'm thinking of starting a small herbal garden, or maybe get a small desert tree (maybe a desert willow – those are pretty) to practice bonsai. Of course, that'd be a big hassle during the dry season, but perhaps if I ration the water…

Of course, with the wet season, the ground has become quite a bit muddy – Gaara loves it, though, since it gives him a chance to practice his suiton jutsu without worrying about water shortages. Even though we're on an oasis, water can get short. It hasn't gotten bad enough for me to get put on water runs, but everyone's predicting a very dry season coming up, so maybe I'll get my chance.

The kids are doing well – Kankurō's six now, getting very good at his puppetry, and he's working on making his own, but he's also found a taijutsu style that suits him, so that's a good sign. I've also begun to teach him some genjutsu. Gaara's five now, his seal is holding up well, and his sand techniques are as good as ever – Shūkaku's helping him out. They've got a good partnership. His taijutsu's improving slowly but surely, and he and Temari have been practicing fūton jutsu together.

Speaking of Temari, she seems to have been getting a bit restless lately – more than usual, I mean. I've been teaching her taijutsu and how to correctly use her battle fans (those scrolls Sara gave me work wonders), and her ninjutsu arsenal is growing, but lately she's been showing an interest in doing more 'normal kid' things. She's eight now and still has no idea as to what normal kids do for fun. I don't know what they've been teaching in the Academy, but maybe she's learned something there that's shaken her up a bit. I'm going to talk to her about it.

Yashamaru-sempai's been training me into the ground lately! My chakra control is pretty damn good by this point, at least, and I'm able to suspend items in midair before throwing them – all without touching them! He's proven to be a very good instructor.

Oh, I almost forgot: Gaara's got a new dream – he wants to be Kazekage someday. Heard that anywhere before? :)

I've got to finish up now, though, since the day is starting and I'm ready to roll. I want to visit soon (or maybe you could visit me, I'm not too picky), so mark a space on your calendar!

Ja ne –

Your 'Nē-chan

She dried it with a mild fūton jutsu and put it in an envelope. Normally she wouldn't be so frank and open in easily-intercepted letters, but this wasn't going to be intercepted. With a grin, she dropped the letter onto a piece of parchment and watched in satisfaction as it dropped through as though it were air before disappearing. It would be brought directly to her little sister.

Kuro was feeling terrific. Haku had finally met up with his parents, who'd emigrated from Mizu no Kuni to escape the prejudice against kekkei genkai wielders. Kasumi, Haku's mother, was invited to begin her clan anew, since she was a kekkei genkai-wielding member of the community. She'd agreed, and so the Yuki clan was active once more. Haku was going to enroll in the Academy, and Haruo restarted his farm in Konoha.

Kimimaro was going to enroll in the Academy as well – in Haku's class – and had been sent a letter similar to Kasumi's, which stated that once he became a chūnin-level ninja, he'd be able to become a clan head and restart the Kaguya clan in Konoha. At his age, he didn't really care, but realized that it would give him a lot of political sway, so he began training harder than ever to become a clan head and learn politics.

Jūgo didn't want to join the Academy, stating that he'd rather live peacefully. Kuro had convinced him, however, to continue training anyway, if only to control his 'wild side' so he wouldn't hurt someone precious to him.

Fū's status as a jinchūriki was kept secret from all but the Hokage, and she, like Kimimaro and Haku, wanted to join the Academy. She wanted to be on a team with her friends, and as such wanted to be placed in a class with them. Of course, they all had to prove they were at the same level in order to be in the same class, but the trio had that figured out.

Kuro's only child that officially took her name so far was Fū, since Kimimaro and Jūgo, as kekkei genkai-wielders, weren't allowed to take another name (even though Jūgo didn't exactly, um, have one). That didn't stop her from adopting them anyway, though, and all three were now her children – and if all went well, Naruto would be adopted by her as well.

Speaking of Naruto, they'd picked him up to absorb him into their group for the rest of the day. He'd been eager to play with Fū again, and was ecstatic to meet Kimimaro and Jūgo (Haku was spending time with his parents). He was still awkward and loud, but Kuro hoped that with a family, he'd calm down.

At the moment, Kuro was playing with the four children, keeping a close eye on all of them while also cutting loose and having fun. She let her hair down instead of putting it in a ponytail like she usually did which made her hair fly behind her like a flag as she ran and laughed. This made many people do a double-take, as though they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Kuro didn't notice. She was oblivious like that.

With a grin nearly splitting her face, Kuro laughed loudly, making even more people double-take. Still not noticing, she chased after the four children. They were playing 'tag' and she was 'it'. She quickly tagged Kimimaro, who became 'it' and, with a long-suffering sigh, began to chase his family.

Yes, Sara mused as she watched them with Hiruzen through his crystal ball. They were settling in nicely.

Tarantu kept up with her friend's life through her letters, hanging onto them like a lifeline. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she was in a downward spiral, but she kept the thought as far away from the front of her mind as possible. No one else had noticed – as far as she knew, anyway.

Sara had turned up. She knew, even though she hadn't been there, about her near-breakdown. Without saying a word, she put a hand on Tarantu's forehead and the two disappeared silently.

Suddenly, Tarantu opened her eyes and gasped. She wasn't in the Naruto-verse anymore. The detail, the lack of black outlines…

She was home.

Tarantu fell and began to sob.

Tarantu – now Tallant – spent hours just crying and being tearfully reunited with her family. She told them everything that happened, and while she could tell they didn't believe her at first, one jutsu was all it took to get their trust in what she'd done. When Sara informed her that it was time to go, the goodbye was just as tearful as the hello. But now, at least, she had a two-way mirror with which she could connect with her family.

She returned to Suna immediately after she left, with the sun and everything else in the exact same place. Without a word, but leaving a kind smile in her wake, Sara disappeared and Tarantu put the mirror in a secure scroll before stuffing it in her drawer.

Her downward spiral had stopped, and she was now whole again.

Kuro was at the Ninja Academy, waiting in the office with Fū and Kimimaro. Haku was sitting in between his parents. The trio was attempting to get into the Academy. A man with brown hair pulled up into a ponytail and a straight scar across his nose led them into the office. "The principal is out today," he said kindly. "So I'll be doing your intakes. My name is Umino Iruka. May I ask your names?"

Kasumi smiled and introduced her family first. "I am Yuki Kasumi from the Yuki clan. This is my husband, Haruo, and my son, Haku, who inherited my kekkei genkai – we have the ability to use Ice Release techniques." Iruka seemed interested in this and wrote it down before turning to Kuro.

"I'm Yin Kuro Tsukiakari," she said, and Iruka blinked. The girl in front of him used the masculine pronoun form, 'ore'. And the markings on her face looked exactly like Uzumaki Naruto's… He shook this off as she continued. "This is my daughter, Yin Fū," she gestured to the green-haired girl in front of her, "and my son, Kaguya Kimimaro. They're both adopted, and Kimimaro has the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai, which allows him to use his bones as weapons."

This interested Iruka even more. Two new kekkei genkai wielders being introduced to Konoha… He had to be dreaming. "And Fū-chan?"

"No kekkei genkai, but a special…affinity for jutsu using insects." Okay, now that made it sound like she was a long-lost Aburame. If the idea wasn't so ridiculous, he might've considered it. "Oh, that's interesting," he said with a kind smile toward Fū. "There are only three requirements to enter the Ninja Academy," he said, now directed towards everyone. "The first is that you must love the village and hope to help preserve peace and prosperity. The second is that you must have a mind that will not yield, able to endure hard training and work, and the third is that you must be healthy in mind and body. If these conditions are met, your admission to the Academy will be granted."

He finished his speech and was met by silence. The first to speak was Fū. "That's it?" she asked. "That's easy. I got friends here, and I made goals here. I love the village if 'Kā-chan does, and she does! It's better than Taki, anyway. The second's easy, too. I spent most o' my life not 'yielding' and was able to survive on my own 'til 'Kā-chan came for me. And I'm healthy in mind and body. 'Kā-chan makes sure o' that. I eat all o' my veggies and train all the time. And my mind's always sharp. So I'm gonna go ta this Academy!"

Haku agreed to this. "This place is far better than Mizu ever was. People here love kekkei genkai, not fear them. I love Konoha, and I want to help make it even greater than it already is. I'm healthy in mind and body thanks to the training regimen Kuro onē-san, Zabuza onī-san, and Sara onē-san put me through. My mind will not yield, since I have gone through so much stress in the past year and I have yet to crack. I believe I will be able to excel in this Academy."

Kimimaro was the last to speak. But finally, he did. "I don't yet know if I love anything at the moment. I do, however, know that I love Okā-san. She gave me a purpose and was the only person who did so. If she loves Konoha, I will. I will not let her down. I don't yet know if my mental state can be considered 'normal' considering my upbringing, but I know I am of sound mind and body." There was silence after this, and Kuro hugged Kimimaro close to her, running her fingers through his hair. "Musuko…"

An awkward silence settled over the group, which was interrupted by Iruka clearing his throat. "Well," he said. "I believe that you'd all be fit to enter, but since we usually don't get admissions for older children, I'd like to see their abilities so far so we can put them in the correct educational group." This helped diffuse some of the awkwardness, and the group gladly stepped outside.

Kimimaro was asked to go first – Iruka wanted to spar with him to see how good he was. When he gave the signal to go, Kimimaro wasted no time in bringing his arms up and silently firing the tips of his finger bones at the man, who, in his surprise, was just barely able to dodge them.

Iruka, now fully aware that Kimimaro was stronger than the average child his age, began to take the spar more seriously. He fell into a defensive stance and waited for him to attack. Kimimaro, seeing this, went on the offensive and made bone armor to cover his lower arms and the back of his hands. Due to his inexperience, he couldn't keep it up for very long, but he was going to give it his all and see how good he really was.

As Kimimaro attacked him with a flurry of punches and kicks which were easily blocked, Iruka's analytical mind assessed Kimimaro's work. He was actually very good for his age, and although Iruka had felt and survived much harder, his attacks were nothing to sneeze at. He was probably just above the level of the number one rookie in the older class. Not enough to give him a challenge, but good enough to actually make him do something.

Having decided that he'd assessed the boy's attacks correctly, Iruka decided to go on the offensive and see how good his blocking was. Kimimaro actually had a pretty good defense, but it looked heavy and hard to move when he used it – he covered his entire body with bone armor. Signaling an end to the activities, he ran Kimimaro through a number of other exercises, including kunai throwing, genjutsu, ninjutsu, and stealth. His aim was above average, although it still needed work. He could easily figure out he was in a genjutsu and was able to dispel them, but he had no practice in making them. His ninjutsu was, other than his bone-using jutsu, Academy-level, although his stealth was quite good and he knew some more advanced techniques, such as water-walking and tree-climbing.

Next up was Haku. He was quite nervous, but took a deep breath, bowed to Iruka, and fell into his Arctic Tern Taijutsu. Iruka quickly assessed it – Haku stood tall, leaning forward slightly, and kept his arms cocked back. Then he rushed at him.

It was a taijutsu style that, once again, Iruka had never seen before. The effeminate boy would flitter around him like a fairy, attacking with sharp strikes and a few dive-bombs. Haku was more agile than Kimimaro, but his hits were much softer – even so, the boy seemed to know exactly where to hit to cause the most damage. With that thought, Iruka went on the offensive and watched as the boy easily dodged all of his strikes.

As the test continued, he found that Haku didn't know how to handle kunai or shuriken. Instead, the boy took out senbon needles and began to throw them at the human-shaped target with deadly accuracy. Iruka raised a brow at this. All the spots he'd hit were high-lethality areas – he must've been trained in human anatomy at some point.

Haku excelled at the genjutsu portion of the test, being able to do more genjutsu than the average chūnin. His ninjutsu were average-level Kiri-style, so that was a bit of a shocker, and his stealth was also good for his age. He also knew water-walking and tree-climbing. He'd still need some work, but he'd be a very good accuracy fighter if he had the appropriate training.

The last one up was Fū. She, unlike the others, sported a giant, confident grin. "I'm glad I'm last," she said. "Now I can really show off!" On the sidelines, Kuro shook her head. "Don't be overconfident," she muttered as she rolled her eyes with a smile. Iruka smiled at this, too.

"Alright," he said with a sigh. "Let's begin." As soon as the words left his mouth, the five-year-old girl quickly dashed forward and slugged him – thankfully she was pulling her punches, but either way the blow knocked Iruka several meters away, onto his back. He was slowly able to get back up. "Well," he said weakly. "I think you cracked a few ribs there." He winced. She had average form, but he was not expecting that amount of strength from the thin little girl.

She smiled weakly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah… Maybe I should'a warned ya. I'm super-strong." Iruka mirrored her smile as Haku quickly ran up to him and began using a healing jutsu on his ribs after unzipping his flak jacket. "You should be fine," he said softly as he removed his hands from the man's chest area. "I'd recommend avoiding strenuous activities for the moment, though. I remember the first time Fū-chan hit me."

Iruka, still a bit in shock at the fact that he'd just gotten his ass handed to him by a five-year-old and the fact that a nine-year-old was able to do a healing jutsu to fix him, nodded. "Arigatō," he said gratefully, feeling his ribs underneath his vest.

He stood up and smiled at Fū. "Well, I didn't really get your defensive skills, but if they're anywhere near as good as your offence, I don't think I need to see them." He continued to write down Fū's abilities as she continued through the test. Her aim was below average – it seemed as though she was really more suited for close-range combat – and her genjutsu skills were non-existent. Even so, she was able to dispel them easily. Her ninjutsu skills were…interesting, to say the least. She had a very unique ninjutsu style, but they were very low-level. Her stealth was actually very good, better than Kimimaro's, and she, like the others, also knew water-walking and tree-climbing.

He finished up his observations and smiled at the waiting parents and children. "Actually," he informed them, "I think that they'll be able to graduate with this year's class."

Tarantu's one hundred-eighty degree mood shift didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the household. Her smiles grew bigger, she was calmer, and she didn't look as though she were about to have a mental breakdown any minute. Of course, they didn't say anything. As long as she was feeling better, they didn't need to do so, anyway.

Yashamaru was proud of her – at the rate she was going, she'd be able to take the Chūnin Exams soon. Even though Suna had much higher standards for their ninja, she'd definitely be able to make it. Ever since her change in attitude, she'd been learning and training faster and harder than ever. The kids were also relieved about her transformation.

She'd readily exchanged letters with Romi – now apparently 'Kuro' – but refrained from saying anything about her family or the mirror to her friend.

At the moment, Tarantu was standing in the Kazekage's office at attention. The two were alone. "Tarantu," he said. "Yashamaru has been keeping me updated on your progress, and I believe you are ready to take the Chūnin Examination." Tarantu, learned enough in politics to feel that he hadn't yet finished, stayed silent. There was a long pause in which she resisted the urge to wipe her sweaty palms on something. Even after all this time, the man angered her – angered and frightened her.

Even so, she still knew enough not to encourage his wrath – if she did, who would look after her three beautiful children?

A part of her mind was morbidly amused at how she'd taken her superior's children from him – she, who didn't even feel as though she belonged in this strange, new world, who probably wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place, had earned the love of three children who didn't even love their own father. She, the trio's unofficial mother.

The silence was broken when the Kazekage once again spoke.

"For the duration of these exams, you will be filling an empty space on one of our other genin teams. You shall be the acting team leader during these exams, and you are to let them know that dissent will not be accepted. Use force if necessary." The Kazekage's chair, which had been facing the window behind his desk, overlooking his village, suddenly swiveled around, showing his stern, disapproving face – the face that Kankurō always hated that he'd inherited – and spoke once more, his voice chilled.

"Failure will not be tolerated. You shall showcase the might of Sunagakure no Sato." Tarantu met the man's steel-like gaze calmly. "Hai, Kazekage-sama." The man swiveled his chair back towards the window and Tarantu, knowing she'd been dismissed, bowed low and exited the room.

Yashamaru had discussed the details of the Exam – that he was allowed to discuss, anyway – with Tarantu. Her teammates would be Gīchi and Maiko, a boy and a girl – their third teammate, Reiko, had died on a mission due to their own carelessness. Gīchi was bloodthirsty, but cold and calm, while Maiko was cruel and had a volatile temper. Since Tarantu had no careless mistakes under her belt and was the strongest out of all of them, she was to lead them.

This worried her. How exactly was she going to lead them? She was the antithesis of what a Suna kunoichi should be – soft, innocent, and more of a healer than a true fighter. Perhaps… Perhaps the Kazekage was testing her… But why would he do that during the Exams? Didn't he want to showcase Suna's might? Testing someone during the Exams, as ironic as it may seem, was not done – and definitely not done by Suna.

So what could it be? Why?

Tarantu pushed the thoughts out of her head. It wouldn't do to worry over the man's reasons – she had to meet her team. Yashamaru led her around a bend and onto the training ground she'd stayed at her first night in Suna, back when she and Kuro had been together.

Her first impression of the team… She didn't like them. Gīchi had dark brown hair and tanned skin with beady black eyes, and he wore a white poncho that most of the sand-dwellers wore. He had a blank expression on his face, but his eyes were full of malice. Maiko looked exceedingly smug and sat against a rock, idly playing with a dangerous-looking dagger. She had short blonde hair in a spiky ponytail with arrogant green eyes and tan skin.

At their arrival, the two looked up and eyed them calmly, Maiko with oozing arrogance and Gīchi with a hint of bloodlust. The two immediately humbled, however, when they recognized Yashamaru – he wasn't an elite jōnin for nothing. The man survived Gaara on a daily basis!

"Maiko, Gīchi," Yashamaru said coldly – it always intrigued Tarantu how he could change like that – "this is your new teammate, Yōsabaku no Tarantu." Maiko's eyes flashed. "She's got a title already?" she asked, jealousy tinting her voice. Yashamaru ignored this and continued to speak. "She is to be your team leader for the Chūnin Exams coming up. Kazekage-sama has decided to forgive your past transgressions and allow you to participate." His voice grew even colder. "Failure will not be tolerated.

"The Chūnin Exams start in July – the date has not yet been officially decided – and will be held here in Suna. Do not disappoint. Kazekage-sama will be most…displeased." The color drained out of the two's faces, and Yashamaru turned to Tarantu with a smile. "Dinner will be at seven. Do not be late – Gaara-sama refuses to eat unless you're there." Tarantu giggled, relishing in the shock coming from her temporary teammates' faces. "I'll be there, don't worry. I'll see you later, Yashamaru-sempai."

"Ja ne, Tarantu-kōhai." As Yashamaru left, Tarantu turned to her teammates with a smile. "Well, now that the introductions out of the way, who's up for a little…spar?"

The two paled at the thought of someone who hung around the Gaara sparring with them, making Tarantu's smile grow. "Shall we?"

Maiko and Gīchi, working together, were just barely unable to bring Tarantu down. She stood over the two of them, panting, as they lay on the ground, nearly out from exhaustion, before she frowned. 'Is this really the extent of my power?' she thought. 'At the risk of sounding like Sasuke, I should be better than this…' And she should have been. It was only because of her demon blood that she was able to outlast the two, and only then, it was not by much. The two, despite their weaknesses, worked extremely well together. Despite her accomplishments, Suna had very high standards and she was, altogether, just at about chūnin level.

With a shrug, Tarantu glanced at the sun. It was, by its position, about seven o'clock. Shit. "I'm gonna be late for dinner! Good work, guys, eleven o'clock tomorrow, same place!" With that, she disappeared with a shunshin and left the two staring, dumbfounded at her.

'She's not human…'

Suna, unlike Konoha, didn't wait until the last minute to tell their teams that the Chūnin Exams were coming up. Instead, they prepared the teams months in advance, so as to train them up – and only the teams they were absolutely certain would get through were nominated. To participate in the Exams as a Suna ninja, one needed to be solidly at chūnin level. And Tarantu, while unassuming and modest, was definitely at chūnin level – she'd been trained by the best. After all, only the best could be Gaara's personal minder.

Of course, her training was not yet done – training was never done. To be a Suna ninja, one must never slack off in his duties or training. The Kazekage mused on this as he drank his steaming tea (he always liked tea after a hard day's work – especially with a hint of honey). The girl was exceedingly innocent, having never even taken another life, and yet she showed herself to be quite capable. He sometimes watched her secretly during her training with Yashamaru, and he was quite approving of her improvement.

She had amazing chakra control, and showed great promise as a medic-nin – even though it was a field not many went into, as Suna wasn't the type to deal with them. Even so, the field was growing since the number of their troops went down and each soldier became more valuable. And while she still preferred to heal rather than fight, she wasn't above hurting someone if the situation called for it.

Even so…the Kazekage was curious. The girl had refused to take a life yet, and while she'd been able to get away with it so far, she would still need to finally do it.

And the Exams were the perfect place to make her finally make the plunge. There were people there who'd actually try to kill her, and wouldn't stop until they themselves were dead. She'd be forced to finally kill. Of course, the Kazekage knew she could do it – he'd never had nominated her for the Exams had he not been. He knew that she wouldn't break. But it was up to her to take the final plunge. He couldn't make her kill – to do so would most definitely break her; he'd seen it happen enough times to know that that wasn't the way to go.

Heaving a sigh, the man stretched his neck to the side, hearing a few satisfying 'pops' and put the last of his paperwork in his 'finished' pile before calling someone in to file the paperwork correctly and finally going back to his house.

Yes…Tarantu would rise to his challenges. He was sure of it.

Kuro grinned as she skipped through the village, her long brown tresses flowing behind her. She'd gotten more used to letting it flow freely rather than put it up in a ponytail now that she actually lived in a village and not on the run. She'd also changed her outfit to a black and white happi coat with the sleeves ripped off along with black nin-pants with bandages wrapped around her ankles and the bottoms of her pants. She still, however, went barefoot.

"I've got a loverly bunch of coconuts," she sang loudly. "There they are standing in a row. Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head! Ya give 'em a twist, a flick o' the wrist, that's what the showman said!" Humming the tune, she continued to skip through the town, dodging and weaving through the crowd until she was finally free of the masses and was able to run straight to her home – Training Area Forty-Four. Charging chakra to her legs and jumping onto the top of the fence, wincing at the hot metal, having gathered heat throughout the day, and jumped off into the trees, jumping through the thick branches for maybe ten minutes before going underneath one of the gargantuan limbs and disappearing into a hole at the crotch.

Contrasting sharply with the ominous environment outside, the inside of the tree was small and homey, with very Spartan furnishings. In once corner was a small counter with a small, but intricate seal carved onto it – the kitchen counter/refrigerator. In another corner was a messy desk, covered with papers and scrolls – that was Kuro's 'office'. In the third corner was a large, blanket-covered mat – the bedroom – and in the fourth corner, there was a table covered with art supplies and kids' toys.

Yep. It wasn't much, but it was home.

Kuro grinned as she greeted her three children with hugs and kisses – Jūgo seemed to especially like being hugged – before heading over to her desk and beginning to compulsively clean. Having OCD had its perks, and being able to ward off stress by organizing her things was one of them… Actually, it was really just the only perk.

Soon, her desk was completely clean and the scrolls that originally covered it were neatly organized in a small bookshelf she'd made from a henged kage bunshin – it would have to do until she got enough money to get a real one – layered neatly on top of each other in a zigzag pattern. The papers she had on her desk were neatly stacked beside it in neat piles (she'd have to get a file cabinet, too…) and her pencils were standing in a tin can she'd found on the side of the road and cleaned. Finally finished, she sat and began to work on her seal-work.

Taking a paintbrush from the tin can and dipping it into the inkwell, she paused for a minute, thinking about what the hell exactly she was going to do – she was never good at thinking much – and after drawing a blank, she sighed and began to sketch out an idea for a chakra containment seal – one that would be irremovable unless unlocked, and one that would actually hold the user's chakra. It would, if applied correctly, seal away about half of the user's chakra, thus leaving them with only half to use. In a real fight, it would be useless unless she got close enough to transfer the seal onto them, but the real reason she made it was for people with giant chakra reserves and little control. That way, with less chakra to use, the control would get better. It would also be a terrific training tool, and one that could raise chakra levels too – the smaller the chakra reserves are, the easier it is to expand them.

With a grin, she continued to work on her project.

Then an ANBU materialized in her tree.

A/N: Yeah, I'm a bitch. People who don't like the fact that I've redone this because the other one was cuter, don't worry! This'll get way cuter than that one as time goes on! Trust me; I've got this under control. Kuro's antics will get more and more amusing, and she'll meet Kakashi soon. He won't know what hit him.