"What is she thinking?!"

"She's crazy!"

"She's going to get herself killed!"

I already knew all that. These two were at Kage level, but that wasn't about to deter me from what I was about to do. I was already half-way there anyway. When I felt myself hit the limit of my jump, I threw all my weight down towards the middle of the barrier. I could almost hear Orochimaru laughing at me. I gathered up just the right amount of chakra in my right hand as I performed the correct hand signs.

And...

"Katon: Taiyo tama jutsu!"

Fire style; sun sphere jutsu is a technique only I can perform. Since I was born with the kekkei genkai for both the Sharingan and the Byakugan, I was born with an unusual amount of chakra so I could use both for extended periods of time. My chakra, I discovered only a month after my joining the ANBU, was a fire type, so I managed to create an extremely powerful fire technique based on my style of chakra. It's basically an extremely powerful ball of fire about the size of a fly hovering just above my fingers. Thanks to my Byakugan, I'm able to control my chakra just right to condense my chakra to such a small size.

With so much chakra condensed, it's basically a miniature sun, and it packs a powerful punch.

It hits the barrier and breaks the barrier, but only momentarily to get me onto the battle field. While I had been in the air, Orochimaru had summoned the first two Hokage's back from the dead. So I found myself in the middle of a Kage battle.

"Well," said Orochimaru, "you managed to get in. For that I commend you, but because of that, you're low on chakra."

I was nearly out. I don't usually use that jutsu all willy nilly like that, but I could not just sit and watch my world crumble to pieces.

"That maybe so, but you don't know me, and I have more then one trick up my sleeve," I said. Orochimaru just smirked at my words.

"Allow me to call your bluff," he said. "We'll let the Hokage's fight it out, and you and I can fight it out."

I had been on a few pretty hostile missions up to this point, but this scared me out of my wits. I just had to hope that I was good enough to at least put up a decent fight. The two Hokages just rushed past me. I focused what chakra I had on my Byakugan while my Sharingan faded. I would need my Byakugan for my next technique.

Orochimaru made a few hand signs when he threw back his head and opened his mouth. A snake came out and opened its mouth to reveal a sword. He brought up his hand and pulled the sword out before closing his mouth. At this point I was disgusted.

"Okay, that's just weird and disgusting," I said. "Has that snake been there that whole time?" Orochimaru just grinned wickedly at me, and charged at me. I ducked under the blow of his sword and made a few hand signs of my own before reaching for his arm. My hand grasped air as he dodged it.

"I don't know what jutsu you're about to use, but I can assure you, I won't let it work on me," he said. I was running out of time and chakra. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to decide what to do. I needed to be able to see the tenketsu points with my Byakugan, but I needed my Sharingan to predict his next move. I opened my eyes with both activated. I charged at him, my legs heavy with stress.

He whipped his sword out ready to slice it into me. I dodged it and reached for his arm once more. His muscles began to move, and I could see where he was about to head. I reached for where his arm would land by the time his arm got there and...

"Sabaka no jutsu!" Within just a few moments, I felt his cold, dark chakra spill into my fingers and up my arm. A chill went down my spine, but I did not let it show as I held onto his arm with all the might I had as I began to drain his chakra into me. He brought his sword down at me but then stopped when he looked into my left eye through the mask, and immediately I realized my mistake.

"Sharingan..." he whispered. I let go and jumped back. His cold glare remained on my left eye. "Remove your mask!" He shouted at me. I silently refused as I had enough of his chakra to use for combat. He had plenty more then what I had taken, I knew that, but I wasn't here to kill him, just keep him from killing the Third.

"Remove your mask, Uchiha!" He shouted again. I slipped out a shuriken and threw it at him with all my might. He knocked them away with his sword. He lunged at me, determined to remove my mask.

Startled and frightened, like I had been the whole time, I staggered back with a kunai in hand. Snakes shot form his sleeve and bit down on my arm holding the kunai. He reached for my mask, and I leaned back and brought up my foot to meet with his face, which it did. He flew back from the blow, the snakes going with him along with a chunk of my arm.

It hurt like all hell, but I clenched my teeth as I attempted to endure. I looked to see how the Third was holding out. It did not look good for either of us. I saw Orochimaru tackle from behind me. I spun out with my fist when he disappeared, to the untrained eye anyway. I could see his every move with my Sharingan. I pulled my kunai out and ran at him. He seemed to expect this as he countered by running at me in return.

I pulled my kunai at him and he ducked around it and reached for my mask. I guess I had been a little slow because he got a hold of it as I pulled my head back. With the snap, it came off and fell to the ground.

I was mad. I focused all my chakra to my left eye as I glared at him. He had a smug smirk on his face as he studied me.

"Well, well, a half Uchiha, half Hyuuga, who would have thought?" he said laughingly. I was so mad. I wanted him to burn, just burn and die... burn and die... burn and die...

Amaretsu...

I felt something wet and sticky drip down my cheek as I watched a black flame ignite at Orochimaru's feet. I have never seen such a horrified look on anyones face. I did not want to kill no matter how much he deserved it. Killing someone just was not in me. I could not face life knowing I had destroyed another person.

"Stop!" I cried as the flame suddenly died down. Suddenly, my vision blurred and my world went black.

*

"The first thing to return to me was my sense of smell. It was that restricting clean scent that makes you feel dirty, no matter how much you shower. Well, that's how I always felt when I was in the hospital. Next I could sense a hard uncomfortable bed underneath me. My eyes fluttered open and I was greeted with an unusual sight. Instead of masks to greet me, I could actually see everyone's face. They were all jounin, but what really surprised me was who was sitting on my bed. His silver hair was pushed to the side, and his lazy eye was peering into one of those perverted books he was always reading. I had only heard of him and had seen him from a distance.

"Kakashi-sempai?"

He snapped the book shut and looked over at me. With only one eye to see, it was hard to read his expression. Though that probably only meant there was no expression to read.

"Welcome back to the world of the living," he said.

"What happened?" I moaned. I was tired, but I wanted to know what happened.

"Well, it was discovered that you were an Uchiha, so you can't be hiding anymore. Hyuuga clan leader wants to have a word with you, and Orochimaru escaped."

"What about the Third?"

"He died trying to protect you. You had fainted, and Orochimaru was going to kill you, but the Third got to him first," said Kakashi. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.

"This was found on the Hokage's desk," he said as he placed it on the desk. "It's a letter to you. No one's read it. Now, since you're no longer an ANBU, the jounin council have discussed it, we have decided to make you a jounin." My eyes widened.

"What?"

"You held your own against a Sanin, you've deserved it," he said. I was not sure about all this new information. It was almost over whelming. The man who had taken me in when my mother was dieing was gone. I looked over the letter and sat up.

"Anyway, we'll leave you alone, but there are some ANBU guarding the door," he said as he stood up. The other jounin followed him out, but I did not notice. I really did not care. I slowly reached for the envelope holding the Third's letter to me. I opened it carefully and started reading it.

In those few moments I learned some terrible secrets about my Uchiha heritage. However, my mission remained the same.

Since I had entered the ANBU, I was preparing for my ultimate mission. If something happened to Sasuke, I was to be the one to take out Itachi.

Dear Tsukiko,

This letter holds the truth to your heritage of the Uchiha clan. You must never reveal any of this to anybody under any circumstances...

*

Today was the day of the funeral. Everyone was dressed in black to mourn the loss of the Hokage. My heart was aching, but I had to go see the Hyuuga clan leader today. He wanted to know who my mother was to see which branch I belonged to. I was not, however, about to be classified. I wasn't just a Hyuuga after all.

I entered the Hyuuga estate. Everyone was staring at me like I had grown a second head. The first person I ran into was my powerful cousin, Neji. He had a blank look on his face. I smiled at him but his expression didn't change.

"Hey, Neji, I saw your fight with Naruto," I said. "I'm sure that was quite a surprise." I'm not sure why but I thought I saw a smile grace his lips as I continued on my way to the main house. I opened the door and pulled out of my shoes before stepping inside. The next person I met was Hinata. She smiled when she saw me.

"Hey Hinata," I said. The air in this house was constricting me. Maybe I was more Uchiha then I was Hyuuga.

"Hello," she said softly with a bow.

"Okay, no formalities! I maybe part Hyuuga, but I simply can't stand this!" I said was I waved my hands in the air. I stepped into the main room where Hiashi of the Hyuuga was waiting for me.

"So you're the half-breed," he said.

"Well, uh, yeah," I said as I sat down on my knees. "Although the term half-breed is kind of degrading. How about the Uchiha with the Byakugan eye."

"Who was your mother?" he asked.

"Your younger sister, Nanami," I replied a little more respectfully.

"Nanami, I should have known," he said. "She was always a little rebellious."

"Can I just say I know how she feels?" I replied. "I hope the Uchiha weren't the same way."

"Who was your father?"

"I don't know, I was never told," I replied.

"All right, you are dismissed," he said. "Hinata will show you where your room will be."

"Huh?"

"I'm accepting you into the Hyuuga clan," he said. Before I knew it, I was on my feet.

"What?"

"Um, Tsukiko-san, th-this way," whispered Hinata. My eyes were wide.

"Am I being punked?" I joked as I followed her down the hallway. The Hyuuga were accepting me? This had to be a dream. Was it because I had fought Orochimaru and had survived the ordeal.

I pondered this all the way to the funeral, but my thoughts immediately flew away when I saw Naruto on his way to the funeral as well. Along with him were two of his friends. A girl with pink hair and the one and only Sasuke stepping along the cobblestone walk way. I followed them silently. I had been a little jovial at the Hyuuga household, but the honest truth was that I was truly sorrowful over the loss of the Third. He had died to save me. Perhaps he would have died anyway, but at that moment, it felt like my fault.

As I placed my flower down, I peered at his picture with tears running down my face.

"I'm sorry."

*

Well, that went better then I thought it would... I think... What do you think? Review please!