Chapter One

Academy

Hanabi – 10
Konohamaru – 11

"Keep up Udon!"

"Yeah, c'mon!"

"Wait up you guys!"

Laughter filled the air in the center of the Leaf as the troublesome three tore through it. Townsfolk looked at them with some disdain, but none would dare to question the going-on's of the Honorable Grandson. None except one.

"Oi—Konohamaru! Get down from there!"

"Oh, Naruto…"

As the three received a scolding from a certain blond-haired troublemaker himself, off into the distance, two sisters watched.

"Why do you like him so much, elder sister?"

"Wh-what? Hanabi, shhh."

Hanabi couldn't stop her eyes from rolling in the back of her head. Hinata waved her hands frantically in front of her face and Hanabi simply shook her head, looking back at the group.

Hanabi had spent the latter half of her short ten years as a diplomat with very few experiences at a childhood. Seeing three kids who could have possibly been her peers, so full of life and carefree, struck something in her.

"I want to attend the academy."

"Ah?" Hinata looked down at her little sister in surprise, the red immediately receding from her cheeks as the topic changed. Hanabi tore her eyes from the trio to look at her with determination. Hinata tilted her head thoughtfully. "For how long you have felt this way?"

"Just right now." Hanabi shrugged, glancing at the floral arrangement outside of Yamanaka's flowers and absently brushing her fingers over the petals. Hinata smiled briefly before dropping into a frown.

"I see." She nodded in understanding. "We could perhaps approach father about it, if you like?"

"Really?" she asked, hope in her eyes as Hinata carefully pulled a flower from an arrangement.

"How much is this, Ino?" Hinata called into the store as she held up the lone flower. Hanabi watched with excitement as Hinata paid for the flower and tucked it into the smaller girl's hair, then offered her elbow. "Yes. Let's see if he's busy now."

"No."

That went about as well as Hanabi could have guessed. She knew it was a pipe dream to think her father would let her become a shinobi. She did not show her disappointment, however, she was trained better than that. She simply nodded her head in understanding.

"Hanabi, would you allow me to speak to father privately?" Hinata asked sweetly, causing Hanabi to perk an eyebrow, as did Hiashi. Simply, she nodded and made her leave, wondering what her sister would be up to.

"Father, perhaps it would be beneficial for Hanabi to have some sort of classic academy training?"

"Hinata, this is none of your concern."

"I understand, father. I simply want what is best for the clan."

"What is best for the clan is Hanabi continue her training here, in the Hyūga compound, and continue embarking on diplomatic assignments."

"I'm sure the academy would make exceptions for her to leave on political assignments."

"My decision is final. She cannot be distracted by shinobi training at this time."

"But father, you are a jōnin of the Leaf, are you not?"

…

"And so are many of our clan, main and branch families. I think it would be in the clan's best interest if she at least be familiar with Leaf shinobi training. How is she to interact with the other clans of the village that are led by shinobi if she cannot carry a shinobi title herself?"

…

"You are excused, daughter."

Hanabi bolted to the other side of the hall, frantically smoothing out her kimono as she attempted to act casual. Hinata quietly exited their father's study, glancing straight towards Hanabi with a little smile as she approached. Hanabi looked up with expectant eyebrows raised, trying to look innocent.

"You don't have to pretend you didn't hear our conversation, Hanabi."

Hanabi let out a defeated puff of air, crossing her arms. "How do you expect me not to try to listen?"

"As the future clan leader, you'll need to learn to show some restraint."

With a wink, Hinata left Hanabi with her thoughts.

Hiashi wondered if for what Hinata lacked in strength, she made up for with negotiation skill—diplomacy, even.

Over the next few days, when Hanabi had free time, she tended to spend it in the midst of the village, with or without her sister, but always with at least one Hyūga guard in tow, and sometimes Natsu. Every day, she pretended to be shopping, or people watching. But she was really keeping an eye out for that trio, the ones who made the most noise, the ones who caused the most trouble.

For some reason, she delighted in watching them. Something about their carefree demeanor brought her excitement.

Today, the third's grandson and the girl were arguing while the other boy frustratedly tried to break them up. She wondered what they were arguing about. After a few moments, an older man approached and grabbed the two by the scruffs of their collars, pulling them apart. She smirked inwardly until a Hyūga guard tapped her gently on the shoulder.

"Lady Hanabi, your father is requesting you."

Upon return, Hanabi felt something inside of her bubbling. Completely torn on whether she wanted to hear what he had to say, she half hoped it was about her request to join the academy, half hoped it wasn't.

Once she entered his study, she bowed deeply for her father before resting on her knees.

"Hanabi…I've considered your…request."

"Thank you, father," she replied, instinctively, despite the lack of information.

"I think it may be beneficial for you to attend the academy."

Really?

Searching for words, Hanabi faltered. "O-oh?"

"I have spoken with the head of the Academy. They will make exception for you to be absent when diplomatic assignments are required. You will begin tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Indeed."

"Thank you, father."

"Demonstrate the Hyūga skill, Hanabi."

"I will."

The next day, Hanabi kept a cool demeanor as she entered the academy front doors, despite the deafening whispers.

"Wait, isn't that the Hyūga heiress?"

"She doesn't have that x on her head…"

"She's in the academy? Has she always been here?"

She took a seat in the very front row without sparing any of the whispering children a glance. Flexing her fingers, she sat straight up and clasped her hands together, looking as poised as a Hyūga should. The whispering gradually died down as an adult entered the room. Must have been their sensei, she figured. He scrambled with some papers on his desk as everyone fell into hushed silence, which is when he finally raised his head to scan the room, eyes landing on Hanabi. She looked back at him, maintaining an expressionless face.

"Ah! You must be Hanabi." He stepped forward.

"Yep, knew it…that is the heiress."

"Class, this is Hanabi Hyūga." He motioned for her to stand up, which she obeyed, turning to the class. She used the opportunity to size them up. For whatever reason, she felt a tad…intimidated. "And I am Akio, your sensei for class."

"Akio-sensei." She bowed towards him, before facing the class. "I am honored to be a part of your class."

"Great!" Akio clapped his hands, signaling her dismissal to return to her seat. She felt relieved to have the spotlight off of her now, and gladly sat.

The first part of the day was nothing short of interesting to Hanabi. She didn't realize how little she knew outside of her clan about shinobi training. Genjutsu was something that wasn't touched on much in Hyūga training, except on how to avoid it or see through it. The primary focus was Taijutsu, their own secret Palm techniques, and Ninjutsu. She was surprised to find out she didn't even know what her chakra nature was. She was excited to find out.

During the lunch period, she rolled her eyes when she noted a Hyūga guard standing in the shadows next to the main building, one she recognized as Tadashi, one of their stronger guards. Hinata never had this level of guard, so why did Hanabi need it?

"Oi, you're the Hyūga princess, right?" A voice called as she picked through her bento alone on the ground, near a group of training dummies. She looked up with a bored expression.

"I prefer not to be called that," she said, plainly. Two girls were approaching with sinister grins on their faces.

"What's a princess doing, trying to become a kunoichi?" The other emphasized the non-preferred nickname, both stopping to stand over her with arms folded.

"I just told you I prefer not to be called that." Hanabi sighed, setting her bento to the side as she lifted to her feet.

"And I don't really give a damn what you prefer," she snickered, reaching out to give a hard tap on Hanabi's forehead. Reflexively, Hanabi caught the hand and twisted the girl's arm until she was spun around, arm locked behind her. Within the second, Hanabi had her tumbling forward onto the ground.

"Hey! What the hell?" the other girl yelped, lunging towards Hanabi. Hanabi ducked to avoid the fist coming towards her, byakugan activating as she shoved her palm into her gut, closing a single chakra point. The girl let out a painful groan as she doubled over, clenching the spot. "SHIT! What did you-"

"Light treatment will take care of that. I only sealed one." As the veins around her eyes relaxed, her tone of voice indicated that she was bored of the interaction, though her heart was racing. Not a moment later and the Hyūga guard she had noted earlier was standing in front of her, blocking the view of the two girls.

"Hey! What in-What's-" Akio's voice carried over as he jogged towards the debacle, looking warily up at the Hyūga guard. "Y-you didn't hurt these girls, did you?"

"No, I did," Hanabi said, coolly, stepping from behind Tadashi. Akio frowned, glancing between the four figures in front of them.

"Your students should show more respect." Tadashi's voice was low and serious.

"U-uhm-"

"I apologize, Akio-sensei." Hanabi bowed, realizing the strange predicament this man must feel he's in. "They instigated it, but I suppose I could have been gentler." Something tugged at her mind, the urge to make a joke about the Gentle Fist but chose to push it back.

"Alright, well—we'll discuss this…later. Let's get you two to the nurse's office." Akio's voice was strained as he helped up the girl who had a chakra point sealed and the other girl managed to pull herself up as well. The one with the twisted arm shot Hanabi a nasty look, but when Hanabi returned with a sly smile, her eyes instantly widened, and she turned away.

"Are you alright, Lady Hanabi?" Tadashi asked, turning towards her now that the three were gone. She shrugged as she fell back down on her bottom, resuming her bento.

"Yep."

Just as Konohamaru noticed the girls ganging up on the new Hyūga girl, he was shocked to find her instantly incapacitating them.

"Oh, damn." Moegi choked out as they watched the confrontation.

"Who is she?" Udon asked, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Konohamaru's jaw went slack when a bright flash of white chakra emanated from her palm against the other girl's abdomen, immediately bringing her down. He stepped forward, blinking as he listened to her.

"Light treatment will take care of that. I only sealed one."

Ouch. This girl was no joke.

"Oh, here comes Akio-sensei," Moegi whispered, pointing towards the panicked man approaching.

"No, I did."

Konohamaru laughed. Gotta respect owning up to it. As the interaction finished up and she sat down to continue eating, he continued watching, absolutely infatuated with her. When she briefly looked up to lock eyes with him, he couldn't contain the silly grin he was giving her. When she promptly looked away, back into her bento, he turned to his friends. "She's cool."

He had looked at her. He had smiled at her. And suddenly, she realized just how not normal she really was. She couldn't even muster a return smile, her instinct to remain cool and poised too great.

The rest of the day, her head was filled with anxiety and worry. Why did she want to do this? To be a kid, like the other kids. To make friends. But she was a Hyūga , what did she need friends for? She needed to become a respectable shinobi, to honor her clan. Friends would just get in the way. This was her childhood. So that's what she told herself.

Then, Akio had asked for her to stay when class dismissed. He looked towards the Hyūga guard and asked him as well. In the back of her mind, she was worried she was going to be kicked out for hurting other students. Upon being granted permission, he ushered the two outside to a small training ground. He silently handed her three shuriken and three kunai.

"Hanabi, do you think you can hit those targets?" he asked, glancing at them before focusing on her. She stared down at the weapons for a good moment before nodding, putting a foot forward. True to her word, she sunk every one of them square in the head, and for good measure, pulled a spare one from her robe and threw it into the stomach of the dummy. Akio stared, wide eyed. "Do you know what your chakra release is?"

"I…do not," Hanabi admitted, looking downward. Akio grinned at this, finally—something this girl didn't know.

"Let's change that. Here." Akio pulled out an unassuming square of paper and held it towards her. "Focus a little chakra in your palm and send it into the paper."

"What?" Hanabi couldn't help but question the method, looking down at her palms. Akio smiled.

"Based on what happens to the paper, we'll find out what your primary release is."

Hanabi didn't quite understand, but still did as he said anyway. She frowned when the paper went limp, looking damp. Akio laughed boisterously, holding the paper up in the light as it dripped with water.

"Water! Your primary release is water—and so is mine." Akio grinned down at her as if he was proud. Wide-eyed, she stared at the soaked paper.

Water type?

"Which is great, because I have just the jutsu to teach you."

"You'll…personally teach me a jutsu?" Hanabi asked in earnest, looking up shyly at the man. He nodded vigorously.

"Yep! Call it innocent curiosity." He shrugged, waving her towards the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. "Alright, watch my fingers. I'll go slow."

Hanabi looked with concentration as Akio weaved the sign of the dog, then slowly pulled his hand apart to create something like a waterfall between them. Her eyes blew wide at the show—a waterfall from nothing? She was mesmerized by the sparkling water falling from between his hands before he pushed his hands back together, drying up the waterfall. Akio looked down at her bewildered expression and seemed to feel a silly sense of pride. It had been a while since a student was so impressed by him. "Now go on, you try."

Hanabi gulped before turning away from Akio and Tadashi and concentrated on her fingers. Slowly, she weaved the same hand sign, and was surprised to find her hands wet—there was a gentle stream of water pouring from between them. For whatever reason, she attempted to catch the water, which broke the jutsu.

"Wow!" Akio hollered, eyes following the last drops of water to the ground. "Hanabi, that was great! You didn't even need the fountain."

"The fountain?" Hanabi questioned, staring at her damp hands.

"Usually, water users can only produce water from their chakra after some training, we like to start with a water source nearby. But you didn't pull any water from the fountain!" He gestured to the fountain and Hanabi followed her eyes to it, then back at her hands. Akio looked happy, but Tadashi, stoic as always, looked a bit tenser than usual.

Finally, she nodded, clasping her hands behind her back. "That…was something. I had no idea I was capable of that."

"It's really impressive, actually," Akio interjected, noting the strained look on the Hyūga guard's features, "for your age and lack of academic training. Well, I think I've seen enough." He nodded, giving Hanabi a gentle pat on the head. "Go rest up. I might have something interesting to tell you tomorrow."

Hanabi couldn't relax.

She created water.

From her hands.

And Akio might have something interesting to tell her tomorrow. What could it be?

And she had injured two girls.

Her first day.

After dinner, which was only attended by Hanabi and Hinata that day, her father had requested her in his study. Anxiety gripped her as she entered, ready to be told she was being withdrawn from the academy for her behavior. That's all he could be wanting to talk to her about, after all.

"Father." She bowed before settling down on her knees. He peered up at her briefly before pushing aside his materials.

"An eventful first day, I've been told." His icy tone struck her.

This is it. He's going to tell her she won't be returning tomorrow.

"It sounds to me that you demonstrated Hyūga skill."

What?

"Tadashi explained to me—" Hanabi glanced up to see her guard for the day was standing next to the doorway, stoic, "—that not only did you incapacitate a threat, you impressed your sensei with your water release technique."

Hanabi felt paralyzed. Was this truly happening?

"Curious to know what your secondary nature might be." He leaned back briefly. "Your sensei, Akio, is recommending you skip to the next grade."

Next grade?

"The next grade is due for their genin exams by the end of this year. This means in as little as 3 months, you could be promoted to genin." She continued to be stunned into silence under his normally hardened gaze, that looked something like prideful at that moment. The prideful look didn't last, however, before he cleared his throat expectantly. "Speak, Hanabi."

"Oh-I am…honored. Thank you, father."

"Ensure you express your gratitude to your sensei, as well," Hiashi added, glancing towards Tadashi, then back at Hanabi. "You are excused."

If she had felt anxious the previous day, she felt absolutely panicked today. Entering the academy in the middle of the year was already an attention-catching move. Skipping a grade, the very next day was practically begging for interest. But Hanabi was a Hyūga , and Hyūga knew how to remain calm, cool, and collected. On the outside, at least.

The whispers returned as she entered a classroom full of kids who were just a bit older than her for the most part. All eyes were on her, including those eyes. Those blue eyes that had caught hers yesterday during lunch. Those eyes of the unruly Honorable Grandson. She glanced over his face to find him with a chip-toothed, crooked grin once more.

"Alright, settle down," Iruka called over the class as Hanabi took the only seat available, towards the middle. Iruka scanned the class and smiled Hanabi's way, waving her up. "Hanabi, come on up!" Hanabi reluctantly got up despite having just sat down and found herself in the familiar place of being in front of a huge group of strange kids. She bit her lips together as she turned to face the class. "Class, this is Hanabi Hyūga."

"Hey Hanabi!" She darted her eyes to that blue-eyed boy once more, who was waving dramatically. The girl next to him rolled her eyes. Hanabi felt like her face was becoming…hotter?

"Hanabi, I'm Iruka. I actually had your sister some years ago." Hanabi looked up at this comment, tilting her head thoughtfully. "She was quite talented. I'm sure you won't disappoint—well, I know you won't." He winked down at her as her face heated further, glancing back at the class who were grumbling. "Alright, alright." He waved his hands as she bowed, returning to her seat. "Let's get started."

Lunch wasn't much better that day. The stares and whispers continued, now from the class from yesterday and her current class. The girls she had injured were on the far side of the field, glaring at her. She sat in the same spot as yesterday, her Hyūga guard, Tadashi, on standby, and began her lunch. Then, those familiar blue eyes were suddenly in front of her, upside down—right in front of her. So close!

"Hey, Hanabi!"

She cursed herself for flinching away. She was a Hyūga, Hyūga don't get startled.

That grin seemed to be plastered permanently on his face despite being entirely too close for comfort, standing behind her, bent over to meet his face to hers. Within an instant, he was being pulled back by the scruff of his neck by Tadashi, to his chagrin, incoherent 'hey's and 'get off of me!'s. "That's more than close enough to Lady Hanabi."

"Oh, Lady Hanabi huh?" he asked, tilting his head at her as the man released him on his feet, straightening himself out and rubbing his palms together. "So it's true, you're the heiress."

"Yes. If that bothers you, I suggest you leave," she snapped, turning her head away from him. It was becoming annoying to be constantly questioned. She figured she would endure some scrutiny, but this was more than she thought she'd encounter by the second half of her second day.

"Oh, no, not at all. Y'know, my grandpa was—"

"Lord Third, I'm aware." She shot her eyes back up at him, squinting. "Honorable Grandson."

"HA!" he barked, hands on his stomach as he let laughter fall out of him. That lack of nervousness. The confidence. "Yep, that's me. But you can call me Konohamaru, or Lord Seventh. Either way."

She observed him. This carefree nature was so foreign to her. How could the grandson of someone so important be so…playful? Didn't he have any sort of decorum? "Konohamaru…what is it you want from me?"

"Came to see if you wanted to have lunch with me and my friends!" He pointed towards the two she always saw him with, sitting at one of the little outdoor tables with their bento's. She glanced from them to Tadashi, then back at Konohamaru. He chuckled, holding a hand out towards her. "It's not a trick, promise."

Finally, she nodded, relaxing a bit, though did not take his hand. She got to her feet and nodded at Tadashi before following Konohamaru to the duo, both of whom looked up curiously at her.

"Guys, you know Hanabi." He gestured towards her, earning a sour look from the girl. "And Hanabi, that's Udon and that's Moegi."

"Pleasure." She gave them a short bow before situating herself next to Moegi, Konohamaru taking her right side.

"So Hanabi, kind of a late entrance, huh?" Moegi asked good-naturedly. Hanabi unlidded her bento and pondered how to answer.

"Eh, let's not grill her." Konohamaru waved his hand. "What I wanna know is, what was that sick move you used on that girl yesterday?!"

Strangely, she felt her cheeks heat up. Oh...oh, is this blushing? Like elder sister is always doing? Oh no.

"That was impressive," Udon chimed in, Moegi nodding along.

"It's a Hyūga clan jutsu…" she breathed out, poking at her rice.

"Is that why your eyes got all veiny?" Moegi inquired, tilting her head. Hanabi pressed her lips in a line briefly before answering.

"Yes. It allows me to see chakra points and close them."

"Whoa!" Udon gasped, eyes blowing wide. "Permanently?!"

"No." Hanabi shook her head, looking up at the boy and cringing a bit at the line of snot slowly dripping from his right nostril. "Not unless they're all closed. Then they…"

"Lady Hanabi…" Tadashi spoke warningly from a short distance.

"I know, I know." Hanabi waved her hand without looking up at him. Konohamaru shot her a questioning look. "He's just making sure I don't reveal too much."

"Oh, right. Hyūga are pretty secretive, huh?" Moegi asked, to which Hanabi nodded solemnly.

"Well, whatever it was, it was awesome. You looked cool doing it!" Konohamaru gestured at his eyes, as if straining them. "The byakugan, right?"

Finally, she let a smile betray her as she nodded once more.

"Too bad you don't have anything cool like that, Konohamaru," Moegi teased, causing him to grimace.

"Neither do you! Quit actin' like you're better than me!"

"Ugh…" Udon sighed, looking into his bento as the two began a squabble.

With the attention off of her, Hanabi finally relaxed. Maybe she could get used to this.

Sometimes she sat by herself, sometimes she sat with Konohamaru and his friends. It depended on the day. But she was fairly sure she had successfully made friends, and with who else than the one who inspired her to join the academy in the first place? They made good company, and they made her laugh. Konohamaru was a character for sure, and Moegi was always ready to rile him up. Udon acted as the more neutral participant, placating them when things got too heated. But they were fun to be around. She couldn't really gauge their skill. Until now.

Anxiety filled the room as Iruka stepped through the entrance, holding a clipboard and writing something down. It was uncharacteristically quiet—even Konohamaru was behaving.

"Okay class, you know what day it is. Time to show how your hard work has paid off."

One by one, students were called up to perform their own individual clone techniques. Most chose to clone Iruka, as it was one of the most recognizable faces. Moegi did, quite well, too. Udon's wasn't quite as good, but it was passing. Then Konohamaru threw everyone off guard by cloning Naruto Uzumaki, and to her surprise, it was what she believed to be nearly identical. Iruka had gotten a kick out of it, too.

When it was Hanabi's turn, she had been debating who she should clone. She hadn't spent that much time with Iruka yet, but wanted to do someone he would recognize. So when her name was called, she made a split decision.

Ram – Snake – Tiger

Appearing before a shocked Iruka was a small, genin Hinata next to Hanabi. His eyes blew wide as he leaned down to inspect her.

"Wow, Hanabi." He smiled, observing the little details—the headband around the neck, the pale sweater, he could even swear the hair was the exact right length of her graduation to genin. "That's pretty spot on. Impressive to be able to do a clone of someone from the past!"

"Who's she supposed to be?!" Konohamaru hollered. Hanabi, looking like a young Hinata, turned to him.

"Hinata Hyūga, my sister."

"And the voice!" Iruka hollered, noting the tiny, meek imitation. "Well done, Hanabi."

With a quiet poof, the little Hinata disappeared and left Hanabi by herself. She had to prevent herself from essentially skipping to her desk with how light she felt. Genuinely proud of herself.

As the students wrapped up, chatter began picking up once more, and Iruka called for calm. "Alright, you'll see your grades posted by five o'clock tonight. I'll see you all tomorrow."

As Hanabi shuffled out with the rest of the class, Tadashi trailing a bit behind, she heard her name called. She looked back to find Konohamaru jogging to catch up.

"Hey, uh—since we gotta come back in a couple hours to see our grades, you wanna come with us to the dango shop?"

Hanabi raised her eyebrows at this offer.

Go to a dango shop? With someone other than her family? With…friends?

She looked up at Tadashi who had an eyebrow perked. She blinked twice at him, and with a sigh, he nodded. "I'll inform Lord Hiashi. Please be careful, Lady Hanabi."

"Ah, don't worry. We'll take care of her!" Konohamaru slapped his hand against the man's forearm, causing him to tense briefly before turning to leave. "Hey guys! She's coming!"

"Oh, that's great!" Moegi offered a smile as she and Udon caught up with them.

"The place we go to is kind of a hole in the wall, but it's really good," Udon added as the four walked towards the shopping district.

"What's your favorite flavor?" Konohamaru asked, tilting his head down at her, "I bet they have it."

"Uhm—banana," she replied, reluctantly, wondering if that was strange to others. She looked up to find Konohamaru looking a bit flushed before his grin returned.

"Really? Mine too! Covered in chocolate." He laughed, nudging her elbow to follow him around a corner.

"Chocolate?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. He nodded.

"What, you've never tried it? You have to."

"We're not really allowed sweets…except on special occasions…"

"This is a special occasion!" Moegi threw her hands out, showcasing nothing. Hanabi bit her lips together contemplatively, glancing around for Tadashi.

"Maybe."

"Live a little!" Konohamaru teased, steering her towards what really did look like a hole in the wall. It was brightly lit and colorfully decorated, but incredibly tiny, with only one table that looked like it could seat two and a half people.

One by one, they ordered, and once receiving their dango, huddled into the space provided. She found herself right up against Moegi, which was apparently funny to her. "Usually, I get my own space on this side and those two are the ones squished together."

"I'm sorry, I could stand-"

"No!" Moegi yanked the sleeve of her robe to pull her back down with a kind smile.

"Cheers!" The four tapped their skewers together before starting.

"Here, try it." Konohamaru shoved his towards Hanabi's face, which she eyed reluctantly. He chuckled. "Open up!"

"Weirdo." Moegi rolled her eyes as Konohamaru wiggled the skewer in her face. That weird, hot sensation crept over Hanabi's cheeks once more as she opened her lips, letting him feed her. She wondered what father would think if he witnessed this. She hoped Tadashi hadn't caught up with them yet.

Then, she closed her mouth and bit into the chocolate covered banana dango. The taste of chocolate hit first, which she was of course familiar with, but rarely got to have. Then it mixed with her favorite taste of banana, and—wow. It was better than she could have guessed. As she slowly chewed, Konohamaru looked at her expectantly with a smile. "Good, huh?"

Yes. It was good.

"Here." He set the skewer on her plate. "I'll go get another."

"No—it's okay!"

"My treat, for my friend!" He winked before getting up.

"That Konohamaru is too pushy for his own good," Moegi grumbled, not paying attention to the red overtaking Hanabi's face.

My friend.

So it was official. She had friends.

The four walked around the shopping district, a calmer demeanor over them as Tadashi trailed behind, having caught up shortly after they finished their dango. She received a chiding for going to a shadier part of town, but he ultimately let it go and said he might let it slip his mind when reporting to father. They browsed some of the stands before Moegi stopped at a small accessory stand, causing Hanabi to halt as well.

"What, you girls gonna look at jewelry?" Udon rolled his eyes as he looked back.

"It's accessories, Udon! Gods," Moegi huffed. "What do you think about these hair ties, Hanabi?"

Hanabi leaned over to inspect the set she was pointing out. It was four ribbons, all a deep red with whisps of yellow threaded through them. She looked at them thoughtfully. "They're rather beautiful."

"You ever think of putting your hair in ponytails?" Moegi asked, glancing at her then back at the hair ties. Hanabi's eyebrows drew together in thought as Moegi inquired about the hair ties. A moment later, she exchanged currency for the set, then handed two to Hanabi. "To remember today! Here." Moegi reached over to gather the front left half of Hanabi's hair and tied it with one of the ribbons, then repeated the same action on the other side. Hanabi flinched only a bit as Moegi tied up her hair. Once she finished, she pulled Hanabi in front of a mirror on the stands and Hanabi observed herself. "Like it?"

She looked at herself to see her face being framed by the two pony tails, the red and yellow ribbon dangling from the ends. The colors complimented her darker brown hair, and contrasted her pale, violet eyes. In some way, it did look nice. She liked the colors. She filed that away for later.

"Yes." Hanabi finally smiled, looking up at the other girl. "Thank you, Moegi."

"No sweat." Moegi smirked, steering her towards where the boys had ended up. "Let's catch up to them. It's almost five!"

On their way, Moegi had switched her ponytail holders for the ribbons, which Udon had pointed out their matching sets. Konohamaru teased them for being "twins" but reassured Hanabi it looked good, much to her embarrassment. A few minutes until five, they reached the board where their grades would be posted, finding a few other students lingering about as well. They parked themselves under a nearby tree and chatted happily until Iruka was found walking out.

"Iruka-sensei!" Konohamaru yelled out, shooting to his feet to bolt towards the man. Iruka heaved a sigh.

"Oh no you don't!" Iruka held the paper out of Konohamaru's reach above his head. "Have some patience, Konohamaru!"

"Aghh!" Konohamaru's exaggerated whine actually drew a small chuckle from Hanabi as she joined Moegi and Udon in walking towards the board. "Fine!"

With the other students, they waited as Iruka pinned several papers to the board, then turned to face the eager students. He smiled before stepping out of the way. "Congratulations to all who passed."

Immediately, Konohamaru was in front of the board first. Hanabi chose to linger, waiting for the crowd to dissipate.

"Damn Hanabi!" Konohamaru hollered, looking back with his finger on the paper. "You got the best grade!"

Hanabi froze, eyes wide as she looked at him, that chipped tooth grin. He went back to looking at the board and she mulled over his words, nearly missing his next words—"I got the second best! Aw man, if you hadn't come around, I would've been number one!"

The best grade?

This wasn't because of her status, was it?

Was her clone actually that good?

"Looks like we're all genin now," Udon mused as the crowd dissipated, rejoining Hanabi, who looked spaced out. "You okay, Hanabi?"

"Oh…yes." Hanabi shook her head, contrary to her words, and straightened out. "Just, happy is all."

"I bet." Moegi smirked, bumping her elbow into Hanabi's before looking at Udon. "Where'd you place, Udon?"

"I don't want to talk about it…" Udon grumbled. Hanabi felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up and find Tadashi leering down at her.

"Lady Hanabi, it's time."

"Ah, right." Hanabi nodded in understanding, turning back to her…friends. "I have to go home now."

"Aw, man. No celebration?" Konohamaru teased, that twinkle in his eye directed at Tadashi now. Tadashi kept quiet, lips pressed in a thin line. "Well, see you tomorrow, Hanabi."

"When we get to see what our teams are!" Moegi added, excitedly.

"Goodnight!" Udon waved as Hanabi turned on her heel.

She paused before joining Tadashi, biting her lips together. She turned back around before the trio could leave.

"Thank you guys," she called out, causing all three to turn back to her, "for…today. It was really fun." Hanabi forced out, the gratitude in her voice feeling foreign.

"No problem!" Konohamaru's lopsided grin returned. Moegi and Udon nodded in agreement, the former pointing up at the new ribbons in her hair. "We should do it again."

"Maybe," Hanabi breathed, glancing at Tadashi who kept a neutral expression. "See you tomorrow."

The next day, the buzz in the classroom was electric as little groups of students speculated on their team placements. Hanabi felt extra anxious for the fact that she had made exactly three friends, and a team consisted of three. It wasn't her place to hope to be placed with some of them, as it seemed they went back a long way, but she still did. Hope, that is.

So once she settled in her seat near her three friends, she struggled to smile.

"I hope I'm on a team with you, Hanabi," Moegi said, sticking her tongue out at the two boys. Hanabi managed a weak upturn of her lips. "Wouldn't it be great to be on an all-girls team?"

"Tch, you know you'd miss us," Konohamaru teased, to which Moegi shrugged her shoulders, though Konohamaru was looking towards Hanabi. "I'd like to see that byakugan in action again!"

"That would be pretty cool," Udon conceded. Hanabi shook her head before turning to face the front of the classroom when Iruka cleared his throat. Silence fell—it was almost eerie. It was almost never this silent in the classroom. Clearly, every single student was taking this seriously.

"Alrighty. Ready to hear your assignments?"

"YES!" Konohamaru hollered, earning a chuckle from Iruka.

Iruka began listing teams and students, and there was a lot of cheering, and a lot of complaining. Many were happy, and many were unhappy.

Then—

"Team 12 – Konohamaru Sarutobi."

Her heart lifted. Konohamaru.

"Moegi Kazamatsuri."

Moegi! Konohamaru let out a loud snort as Moegi rolled her eyes as far back into her head as she could get them. Hanabi listened with wide ears and wide eyes and—

"Udon Ise."

Oh.

Right.

Right.

"Wow, who would've guessed we three ended up together?" Udon asked pointedly, glancing at his friends. Hanabi kept her gaze locked forward, unwilling to show any sort of disappointment.

Hyūga didn't show disappointment. They showed resolve.

"Aww..." Moegi sighed, resting her chin on her palm. Konohamaru was uncharacteristically silent, but Hanabi didn't look back. Another team was announced, until only three students were left. Hanabi glanced around, realizing she hadn't kept track of who had been called.

"Team 15—Eiji Inuzuka, Hanabi Hyūga, Jun Kasai."

Hanabi shot her eyes around, willing herself to remember who was who. The Inuzuka was easy enough, she had a pup in her jacket and bright red fang markings, looking mischievous with mid length, messy brown hair and sharp eyes—she reminded her of her sisters' teammate. Jun was harder to locate, but eventually found another boy across the way waving meekly. He had bright, pink hair and bright, yellow globes for eyes that immediately screamed 'please don't hurt me.'

"Oh, Eiji! I always liked her," Konohamaru whispered encouragingly to Hanabi.

"And Jun is sweet," Moegi offered, tilting her head down at Hanabi.

Still, she didn't speak.

"With that out of the way, you'll break for a few minutes, then meet back to await your jōnin sensei."

As Iruka dismissed the newly promoted genin, many broke into their groups. Hanabi wasn't sure how to proceed when she lifted from her seat, but her choice was made for her by the lively voice of Eiji Inuzuka.

"Oi! Hyūga!"

"Go meet your teammates." Moegi gave her a sympathetic smile, squeezing her elbow. "Don't worry. This isn't the end of our friendship."

"Yeah, we'll just be spending less time together," Udon added, albeit unhelpfully. Konohamaru shoved himself in front of Udon, grabbing Hanabi by the shoulders with a strained smile.

"Think of it as: absence makes the heart grow fonder!"

She wondered where she heard that term before.

"I'll see you guys around," Hanabi responded, gently pulling Konohamaru's resisting hands from her shoulders.

"Yeah, you will," Konohamaru said, confidently. "You can't escape us that easily."

"Go on." Udon gestured towards the approaching Inuzuka.

"Hey teammate!" Eiji threw her heavy arm around Hanabi, entirely too familiar already. "Let's go get that Jun, eh?"

Thankfully, she found her teammates agreeable. Eiji was energetic, an absolute fireball of energy that Konohamaru couldn't even match. She had a temper but was equally hilarious and brave. Hanabi admired that. Jun, on the other hand, was silent and observant, but incredibly kind. He immediately complimented Hanabi on the ribbons in her hair, and the embroidery on Eiji's coat. Their lunch together was quite pleasant, but Hanabi couldn't help but continuously glance back at her friends.

Friends.

These could be her friends, too, right?

Summoned back to the classroom, the students broke into their respective teams now. Konohamaru offered her a reassuring grin from across the room as she sat next to her new team, awaiting the sensei's arrival. Within minutes, their sensei had appeared, the first of all the teams—

"Team 15?" A bored looking, black haired, pony tailed, sharp eyed woman drawled. She had thick strands of hair framing her face, which donned high cheekbones and thin lips. She looked down at a slip of paper in her hand briefly before looking back up. "Eiji, Hanabi, Jun?"

"That's us!" Eiji, the voice of the team evidently, grabbed her two teammates by the elbows and yanked them with her, her little pup (named Yorimaru, Hanabi learned) barking happily as they approached the woman.

"Ah, aren't you all cute?" The woman smirked; arms folded as she leaned on the frame of the doorway. "I'm Tora Nara, your jōnin-sensei. Come."

As they followed her out of the academy towards the official training grounds, Jun chimed in, "from the Nara clan?"

"Well, yeah. Tora Nara," Tora chuckled, glancing at the young man behind her. "What about it?"

"Well, you're considered geniuses, right?" Jun asked shyly, causing Tora to snort obnoxiously.

"I heard the same!" Eiji added, jogging towards the older woman, then turning into a backwards jog to become face to face with their new sensei. "You guys can possess people and are like, super smart, right?"

"Sure, why not." Tora decided to concede, a lazy smile on her lips. "Troublesome lot you are, hm?"

"I think you have no idea." Eiji grinned, fangs popping from under her lips. Tora couldn't help the smile staying on her lips. Hanabi watched with interest as her new team interacted.

"Nothing to say, Hyūga princess?" Tora called coolly without looking behind her. Hanabi frowned.

"I don't like that nickname," Hanabi responded, looking away. Tora chuckled quietly.

"Well, then, my test will determine whether I continue to call you it anymore," Tora spoke casually, as if this was common knowledge. All three shot her a look of confusion.

"Your test?" Jun asked, weakly.

"A test! Damnit, I'm tired of tests!" Eiji complained loudly, throwing her hands over her face as Yorimaru whined in agreement.

"A test…" Hanabi whispered to no one but herself, scanning the ground in front of her. "Sensei, where are we going?"

"The training grounds, of course," Tora replied simply.

"This isn't the way," Hanabi commented, eyebrows drawing together in concern. She was fairly familiar with the way to the grounds from her time accompanying her sister. Jun immediately looked towards her, eyes widening at the revelation.

"Sensei?" Jun asked, reluctantly while Eiji looked at both incredulously.

"Wait, are you guys for real?" The three stopped to look at each other.

"No, actually, this is the way," Jun suddenly responded, looking up at the other two. Hanabi and Eiji exchanged a look. Jun offered a comforting smile, and neither noticed Tora had also looked back at the two at the same time. "I recognize it."

"Eh…" Eiji narrowed her eyes, but suddenly brightened up. "Well, if Jun says so, huh?"

"Hmm…" Hanabi hummed, looking behind her.

Wait. Where…

"Tora-sensei," Hanabi called, jogging towards the older woman, who looked at her with tired eyes. "Well-where is my guard? Tadashi?"

"Ah," Tora chuckled, waving a hand, "I met with your father this morning. We agreed that now that you are officially a shinobi, you don't need a constant guard."

"Oh." Hanabi swallowed. She didn't know why it made her so deeply uncomfortable to realize Tadashi was no longer there…no longer dutifully guarding her from harm's way. Whether she could handle it by herself or not.

"Alright with you, princess?" Tora teased, earning a clenched jaw from Hanabi as she slowed her pace to hang back with Eiji, who dutifully looked forward.

"I'm not so sure we're heading to the training grounds, Eiji," Hanabi whispered quietly without looking towards Eiji. Eiji snorted.

"Nah, this is the way. I know it."

"You didn't earlier?"

"Just realized." Eiji offered a reassuring smile, similar to the one Jun had, and suddenly, Hanabi realized both Tora and Jun were looking to their respective rights with the same smile, Eiji's absent of the fangs.

"Wait…" Hanabi whispered, staring intently at her sensei. "Wait!"

"What's wrong, princess?" Three harmonious voices were directed at her as all three stopped in their tracks to look at her, the exact same facial expressions, exact same lazy stances, exact same…smirk.

"Is this…shadow possession?" Hanabi asked, quietly, examining all three before glancing downwards, seeing two thin lines of shadows shooting out towards her two new teammates from her new sensei.

Oh no.

"Aw, you figured it out." The quiet mocking from all three hit a nerve. "My own special brand of it."

She lunged towards the older Nara but was swiftly snatched by her two teammates.

"Not quick enough?" both Eiji and Jun mocked in unison as they held her arms.

Quickly, she activated her byakugan and focused chakra in her palms, straining to twist them into her teammates chests. She was only successful with her stronger arm, her right, and knocked Jun backwards, releasing him from the jutsu. He fell to his hands and knees with a wet cough.

"JUN!" she hollered, struggling against Eiji's grip. "Avoid her shadows! She can possess you if she catches you in one!"

"W-we need to get to a clearing!" Jun cried as he bolted towards Hanabi.

"GO!" Hanabi yelled back as she focused chakra in her right palm, about to strike Eiji with full force, but hesitated.

This was her new teammate. Eiji. A bright, smiley young girl, who didn't choose this—to be possessed. She couldn't use her full strength on her.

"Jun, go! I'll catch up!" she finally yelled out before Jun could get too close. Jun looked at her with concerned eyes as a white flash of chakra emitted from her palm, knocking Eiji back. With that, Jun turned and immediately bolted eastward. Finally, Hanabi was released, but not without guilt. "Eiji!"

"FUCK!" Eiji coughed out, bent over as Yorimaru barked in her ear from the top of her head, trying to snap her back to reality.

"I-I'm sorry!" Hanabi pleaded, running towards her, but caught a glimpse of a line of shadow shooting towards her. Focusing chakra in the heels of her feet, she launched upwards to avoid it. She gulped as the shadow successfully reattached to Eiji, blankness overcoming her face. Hanabi gritted her teeth as she leapt away, quietly whispering, "I'm sorry, Eiji."

She sought out Jun in the thicket of forest they had been led into. It was a good plan, she had to concede, leading them towards the Nara forests. Shadows were inescapable there. Activating her byakugan, she scanned for Jun until she located his chakra signature, and immediately began leaping for it. Once he was in view, she debated whether to call for him. Choosing to double check, she hung back on a tree above him, and determined he was in a significant enough clearing and had no shadows attached to him.

"It's safe, Hanabi. Promise." Her face contorted with confusion at his beckoning, but she chose to join him regardless. He had a modest smile on his face despite not looking up at her. "I'm also a sensory type. I can sense individual chakra."

"Oh," Hanabi said, flatly, tilting her head down at the boy. "That's…good."

"For these circumstances, yes," Jun sighed, shoulders sagging. "Any ideas?"

"She took over Eiji again." Hanabi frowned, folding her arms as she continued to scan for the older woman's chakra, as well as Eiji's. It was the most seriously she had had to use her dōjutsu.

"Hm. What about Yorimaru?" Jun inquired, glancing around.

"I assume she took the dog over as well?" Hanabi guessed, albeit haphazardly. Jun shook his head.

"Maybe not. What if Yorimaru evaded? He is a nin dog, after all."

Hanabi pondered the words. Though her inherent knowledge of the Inuzuka was limited, she trusted Jun to know for whatever reason. Perhaps jutsu's affected humans and dogs differently? She nodded.

"Let's see if he can help us."

A half hour later, Hanabi sensed Yorimaru's small chakra signature in the thicket of leaves. They immediately launched towards him until they reached his location, a relieved whine coming from the pup.

"Hey…" Jun hummed, kneeling before the pup as it hesitantly walked towards them, seemingly eyeing them. Perhaps nin dogs were perceptive enough to look out for shadow possession jutsu. Hanabi was fairly sure, based on what she knew of Hinata's teammate, Kiba. Akamaru seemed sharper than his master at times. As Yorimaru reached Jun's fingertips, welcoming the sweet touch, Jun leaned in slowly. "What's going on with Eiji?"

Hanabi watched with bafflement as Jun seemingly listened to the dog. Listened? He was directing his ear towards the pups head as if to listen better, though the pup made no noise. Suddenly, Jun got to his feet and looked at Hanabi.

"Yorimaru is right. We need to lure them out."

"You can understand him?"

"I think so."

"Huh," Hanabi hummed, decidedly believing her teammate.

Quickly, they devised a plan, and headed out.

"This-this is bad." Hanabi's voice came out in a panicked cry as Yorimaru whimpered weakly underneath her grip. "Yorimaru! Yorimaru!"

Jun watched carefully from a nearby tree branch as Hanabi did her best acting. Suddenly, Tora appeared next to him with a mischievous smirk on her face. "Good try." Then, with a puff, Jun disappeared as her shadow attempted to overcome him. "Clone?"

Similarly, she had Eiji assaulting Hanabi, but similarly, Hanabi disappeared with a puff of smoke as the possessed girl tried to strike her. "No!"

Within moments, Jun and Hanabi were grabbing Eiji, forcing her so far out of reach of the shadow possession justsu that it was impossible to be taken again.

"Shit!" Eiji cried the moment the shadow loosened it's grip on her, Yorimaru on their heels. "Yorimaru! Are you okay?" Immediately, Eiji cradled the tiny grey pup in her arms, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, boy…"

"Eiji, focus." Hanabi's sharp voice cut in, surprising both the teammates, but both seemed to understand immediately. "We need to get to a clearing, now."

"Towards the mountains?" Jun chimed in quietly. Both looked at him and nodded resolutely.

"The mountains."

Were team tests usually this long? Hanabi had no idea as they embarked on their sixth hour of travel. A jōnin sensei Nara was no joke, and none of the three were about to underestimate their new sensei's ability.

Midday, they finally reached the top of a mountain that was so far up, they couldn't make anything vertical out in the least. That's when they finally relaxed.

"Alright. Let's wait for her," Hanabi breathed, kneeling on the dirt to catch her breath. The other two followed suit.

"Shit. Almost out of water…" Eiji whined as she shook her canteen, the familiar swish of an all too low amount of liquid emitted.

"Me too…" Jun added with a frown, shaking his canteen. Hanabi huffed, looking side to side.

"Have you drank anything, Hanabi?" Eiji asked, noting her lack of a pack.

"I'm fine." Stubborn.

"You're not," Eiji pressed

"I am," Hanabi pressed back.

"Hanabi." Jun's kind voice draped their bickering in honey. "Please, take the last of mine."

"No—I can'-"

"And mine."

"No!"

"Yes!" Eiji shoved her canteen into Hanabi's chest. "If you're weak, you're useless to us."

Those words rolled in her head. Curious. They both reminded her of her father, but felt very distant from his sentiment.

With a taut frown, she accepted the water.

As Hanabi continuously scanned their area, she awaited Tora's arrival. It felt too slow. Perhaps too calculated. Perhaps it was, as she sensed a faint pulse from her.

Jun must have as well, as he immediately chirped, "I sense her."

"Get ready."

The three, plus Yorimaru readied into battle stances, not seeing much else they could do against the shadow user. Within moments, they were being assaulted by shadows, thin lines, thick lines, hands, fists, fingers, fingertips. They each managed to dodge while also advancing on Tora, until finally, all of the shadows stopped, just in time for all three new genin to be right in front of her, ready to strike.

"Aah," Tora yawned, reaching her hands towards the sky in a stretch. "Well done."

"Eh?" Eiji questioned, leaning back.

"Wanted to see your ability to strategize," she responded nonchalantly, turning on her heel to start a quiet trek. "Didn't disappoint."

"What?!" Hanabi yelled incredulously, feeling her blood boil at the way she seemed so…casual about this. So casual about this difficult test she had just forced them into. Tora did not look back, instead continued.

"You passed, Hanabi," she called over her shoulder, "I'll call you whatever you want."

Hanabi's cheeks flushed at the gesture, staring down her new sensei. Then, Eiji—

"How about white eyed lamb?" she snickered, and Hanabi felt an overwhelming need to hit her.

"Huh." Tora chuckled, shaking her head. "My little lamb."

"No-!" Hanabi hollered, clutching her fists.

"Oh—" Jun sighed, head hanging.

A team they were. For better or for worse.

Team 15. Art by Lesya7.