As promised, I finally uploaded a chapter on time.

( JYEAH )

DISCLAIMER: iRAYUMi does NOT own Naruto, she owns only the OCs

Naruto looked up from the paper he was writing. The door to his office was being opened. He smiled, recognizing the chakra signature. In the doorway was the all-too-familiar figure of Uchiha Shiki, with his daughter, Uzumaki Natsuki. He ushered them in and waited patiently for everyone to fill the room. His sharp, cobalt blue eyes, of course, did not miss out the dark-haired girl at the end of the group. He smiled his famous Uzumaki smile and had a slow glance around the room. His eyes then rested on the newest of the group, Uchiha Saki.

"Is there something, Hokage-sama?" she asked, politely.

"Ne, Saki-chan. You don't need to be so formal with me; I am, after all, your father's good friend. Anything's fine."

He dismissed the 'Hokage-sama' issue quickly and continued to shuffle his papers. He opened drawer after drawer, apparently looking for something. Natsuki turned up at his side to help but was turned away with a flick of his hand. She was visibly disappointed but obeyed and moved to her previous position between Shiki and Rin.

At about the same time, Naruto's eyes lit up. He gave the yellowed paper he was holding a good stare before placing it face up on his desk. He gave the young shinobi in front of him a sweeping glance and smiled at them. When his eyes rested on Saki, he motioned her to move forward. Saki did as she was told and looked him straight in the eye. He pushed the document on his table forward and flipped it so that the young Uchiha could read the contents. After reading them, she nodded slowly.

"This," he began, "is the letter from Godaime Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, requesting your promotion of rank to jounin. I believe you are familiar with it?"

She nodded and glanced at the paper again. The looks on everyone else's faces were all shocked. They were, for the second time today, speechless. Shiki was the one who was probably the most shocked. He looked as if he had gotten a heart attack and would collapse soon. His faced had paled considerably from loss of blood.

"I, am unsure of adhering to his request though he is a very good personal friend of mine because I have not seen your," he paused, emphasizing, "Most recent abilities."

Saki nodded and looked into the Rokudaime's eyes. She knew she was in for something when she saw the glint in his eye. He then turned to the jounin who was on his right and whispered something in his ear. The jounin's eyes widened considerably and left to perform the task Rokudaime had delegated to him.

"Sit down Saki," he said, motioning to the chair in front of him. Looking at the other people in his office, he silently handed a scroll each to Shiki and Yuji, stating that it was their next mission. They bowed and left his office without further delay. Shiki honestly didn't want to leave his sister but knew the Hokage wanted to discuss something really important with her.

'A jounin huh? I really can't say that I didn't expect this; maybe just that it was too soon.'

Back in Rokudaime's office…

"Saki, I understand that you have been away from Konohagakure for a very, very long time. To what may I owe your absence?"

Saki kept quiet and stared at the floor.

"Saki? It is my duty as Hokage and as your godfather to protect you. Tell me what happened."

Saki considered. It was true that Naruto meant no harm. He just wanted to help.

'But wouldn't Naruto-sama be hurt if I told him why?'

Saki shook her head. No way in hell was she going to tell him. He sensed this but nodded anyway. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled that famous Naruto smile of his, "well, you are like your dad in more ways than one huh?"

She just nodded dumbly and looked up into his cobalt blue eyes. His expression changed suddenly to one of dire graveness. The jounin who left earlier had returned with a scroll and passed it to the Rokudaime. He unfurled the scroll and examined it to ensure that it was the correct document and nodded, looking at Saki.

Once again, addressing her, he said "Saki, I need you to go through some formal testing to allow you to become a Konohagakure jounin. Now, because Godaime Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, is a good friend of mine and he recommended you, I have reduced the number of tests that you will need to go through. Therefore, just because you got recommended dosen't mean you get the position. Everyone who wants to be a jounin needs a recommendation anyway, just that since yours was from Gaara, I pulled a few strings. All in all, you will still need to fight for it."

She nodded and accepted the document from Naruto and got up to leave the office. When she left, Naruto smiled and mused.

"She really is like Sasuke."

Saki went straight home to further examine the document. When she did reach home, she found her aniki, Uchiha Ryuu at home. She cocked an eyebrow, as if questioning his presence in the house. Ryuu just smiled and looked at her in the eye.

"I have no missions today. Hyuuga-sama told me to get a day off."

Saki nodded and went straight to her room and sat cross-legged on her bed. She looked to her right where Shiki's bed was placed. She noted that he wasn't there and felt as though there was a presence missing. She frowned and got up and headed for the chest of drawers on the left side of the room. Her chest of drawers. She opened drawer after drawer and realised that it was the exact same way she had left it and none of its contents were disturbed. Even her clothes, after six years, were still there. It was all coated in a thick layer of dust.

Saki gingerly lifted one of her old blouses and held it against her body, musing at how small she must've been when she was younger. She then folded it and placed it back in the drawer. She opened another drawer and the next thing she removed was an old test paper from the Academy and felt her features breaking out into a smirk. The first test when she beat Hyuuga Yuji. Ah, sweet memory. She remembered everything; his shocked look, his red face, his everlasting grudge. Laughing once more, she placed the test paper back into her drawer.

She then closed it and moved on onto the next drawer. Opening it, she took out her old kunai pouch and examined the contents. Her kunai were still in good condition and could still be thrown. She tried aiming one at a target on the wall where Shiki and her drew on long ago and smirked when she heard the sound of the kunai puncturing the wall. Satisfied, she removed a few kunai from the pouch and placed them in her current pouch. She also went to the target and removed the kunai, placing it in her pouch. She then took out a few shuriken and caressed the sharp edges. She went from blade to blade and at the fourth, a thin red line appeared on her finger. Blood oozed out and she sucked it. She then went to Shiki's chest of drawers and opened the first one, fully knowing that he kept a first aid kit there.

'That's because, I don't ever want Saki-chan to get hurt! I want to protect Saki-chan.'

Shaking her head free of the memory, she opened the drawer slowly and gingerly took out the kit. She took out a bandage and antiseptic. After 'fixing' her finger, she returned everything and went back to her drawer. She replaced the shuriken, realising that they were not sharp enough to suit their purpose. She then rummaged through the few remaining contents, taking out an old cloth hitai-ate. She noted the symbol carved on the metal and felt that it was whispering to her. Stroking the calm, cold metal, her mind began to wander.

The symbol stared back at her blatantly. She placed the hitai-ate back in the drawer and left her room, armed with her few weapons. Before she left her house, she looked at Ryuu, as if to get his acknowledgement. He nodded and she left and headed towards the Rokudaime's office.

"Ne, Saki-chan?"

Saki turned her head and was immediately met by a mop of pink hair. It enveloped her in a whirlwind and only managed to catch sight of a pair of startling emerald eyes. The person finally let go of her and smiled warmly. The pure white of her gleaming teeth matched her enchanting smile.

"Do you remember me?"

Saki nodded, uncertainly. She did have a faint recollection of the woman who was looking back expectantly at her. She noted that she was wearing a surgical apron and had gloves on her hands.

"It's me silly, Sakura-san. Remember? Rin's mother?"

She paused and nodded, this time much more certain as she felt the memories rushing back through her head. After a full moment, she smiled at Sakura and returned her hug.

"Mom, where are you? We need to do that operation now!" a voice called out.

A boy of about fourteen walked out, a clipboard in his hands. He was too, dressed in an apron and wearing latex gloves. He turned his head in the direction of the woman whom he had referred to as 'mom' and took in the detail of the young girl hugging his mother. He cocked an eyebrow, being what he would've usually done. He was, after all, a man of very few words.

"It's been a while now hasn't it? Saki-chan."

Said girl looked up and at the moment she saw the boy. She glomped him with a hug, tears streaming from her eyes. She looked up and met the calm, comforting bright green eyes that could've belonged to none but him. He ran a hand through his spiky silver hair and that was how she had always remembered him. She was just so happy.

"Obito-nii"

He cracked a smile and placed his arms around her, hugging her closer. Sakura meanwhile watched the whole scene from where she was standing and felt her features going into a state of shock. Never did she expect her son to have, of all people, a soft-spot for Uchiha Saki. She also did not expect the daughter of Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke to care for someone and to cry so openly.

'Maybe she just isn't completely like Sasuke.'

Her face brightened up at the prospect and walked back into the hospital, humming to herself.

That very night, Saki sat underneath the stars and stared at each one in the sky. She contemplated about how life had been going on for her and a sudden realisation hit her. It hit her how much she loved Konohagakure and its inhabitants. How she loved the way Obito would be sarcastic to her but she knew he meant every word he said. How she loved the way Rin and Shiki would quarrel because of the smallest of things. How Natsuki would always try to be the peacemaker. How Yuji always challenged her, all those sparring matches she won. How Naruto-san's eyes would sparkle whenever he was up to something. Most of all, she loved how each and every citizen of Konohagakure showed their love for each other in their own, twisted ways.

'Okaa-san, how I wish you were here…'

She wiped the tears on her face and looked up once more. Staring at the stars, her memory jolted back once more to the hitai-ate she held in her hand recently in the day. She remembered the design engraved on the cold, unforgiving metal. It was the symbol of a star.

'Hoshigakure.'

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