Sasuke's POV:
We had been planning quietly. Orochimaru, Kabuto, and I had stopped in the clearing while we had planned. We had been talking until we felt someone else enter the clearing. We all turned to look at the person. It was a woman. She had long black silky hair, soft brown eyes, creamy skin, a lovely figure, a stubborn chin, and luscious lips. We starred at her a moment. She was very pretty. She looked to be my age. I thought I wouldn't mind her as a wife to help me restore my clan. She also starred back at us. She gaped at me a moment. Then she got ready to fight.
"Who are you?" Kabuto asked.
"Kagome." She said.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I'm traveling to Kohona when I accidentally ran into you guys. That's all Sasuke."
We all blinked at her.
"You know me?" I asked.
"Not really. I just know a few things about You, Kabuto, and Orochimaru. But I do know enough."
We all looked at her suspiciously.
"Before we do anything I have to know this; Are you an Uchiha?" She asked me.
I blinked.
"Yes."
"Are you the last one?" She asked.
I growled.
"No. My murderous brother is still alive. He killed the rest of our clan but left me alive."
"So you are Itachi's brother."
I tensed at the way she said my brothers name in a familiar way. We all took fighting positions.
"You know my brother?" I asked.
"Yes. He trained me."
Now we all gaped at her. Then I laughed.
"He wouldn't train a weak woman like you. He wouldn't train anyone."
"Well he did train me. Leader asked him to."
Orochimaru hissed.
"You are Akatsuki?" He asked.
"Yes, and Orochimaru, you have something I want."
Orochimaru laughed and held up a hand with a ring on a finger.
"You mean this ring."
"Yes." Was all Kagome said.
We looked at each other for a moment. No one moved.
"So are you going to take it?" Orochimaru taunted.
Kagome looked us over.
"I don't know. I don't really want to fight, I'm busy."
"What do you want with Kohona?" I asked.
"I want to meet Naruto. I heard a lot about him."
'You want the demon in him." I said bluntly.
"I guess that too."
"What village are you from?" Kabuto asked.
Kagome blinked.
"I'm not from any village. I was just trained by Itachi and the others."
I watched her. She seemed to be deciding whether or not to fight.
"Are you going to just stand there or will you fight us?" I asked.
"I haven't decided." She sighed. "It had been such a nice day too."
She looked up at the clouds and watched them for a minute. She reminded me of Shikamaru for a minute. Then she looked back at us.
"I guess I'll fight."
I smirked. I wanted to fight her. I wanted to see how well Itachi had trained her. We got ready. She grabbed a scroll from her backpack before we could even blink.
"I will not go easy or hold back so I expect you to fight all out too." She said.
I blinked. Her voice was serious and had an edge to it. Her soft eyes had turned hard and her mouth set in a grim line. She dropped her backpack on the ground and got ready. Orochimaru and Kabuto looked at me, then stood back and waited, letting me fight by myself. Kagome glanced at them. Then she whipped her scroll open. She threw the empty scroll aside when she had her weapon in hand. We all blinked at the long scythe.
"Come Sasuke show me how strong the little brother is."
I scowled.
"I have learned from past experience that no mater how evil the older is he is the one with the most honour and strength. The younger always turns out to be the temperamental, weak one."
I growled. She wasn't just taunting me; she was telling me what she knew to be facts. I determined to prove her the little brother was stronger. We both shot forwards. I had a short sword in my hands. I had pulled it from its sheath as soon as she had brought the scythe out. Out weapons crashed. I was at a disadvantage with such a small sword but I also had my sharingan. We both jumped back. I lunged in again but she spun her scythe just a blur swirling around her. I jumped back, but still go a knick. I glared at the woman. She looked absolutely blank. Then she pulled out a short sword I hadn't seen at her waist. She gently put her scythe by her bag and straightened again. We rushed forwards and our blades locked. Our faces inches apart. I smiled at her.
"So, when my brother trained you did he train you at night in his bed too?" I asked. "Do you enjoy sleeping with that murderer?"
She scowled.
"Did you enjoy sleeping with four eyes and the pale snake?"
I growled. I saw Kabuto start to fume and almost start at us. Orochimaru stopped him. He seemed amused at her taunts.
"I have never slept with them, but I'm guessing you and Itachi have hit it off lots of times."
"Itachi is more respectable then that. He is a lot more handsome then you too."
She smirked as I glared. We finally broke apart. I stood ready as Kagome rushed at me. I braced but she ran past me. I blinked and looked behind me. She was right in front of Orochimaru. Kabuto and Orochimaru had time to gap once. Then Kagome nailed Kabuto in the stomach. I heard a couple of cracks, and winced. He had at least three broken ribs. He flew back and crashed into a tree. He slumped to the ground unconscious.
Orochimaru scowled and got ready. Kagome ran at him with an evil grin. Orochimaru got ready to attack but stopped. His eyes widened as another Kagome dropped behind him, knocking him out. The one behind him disappeared in a poof of smoke. I blinked. I wondered when she had made the shadow clone. Then Kagome crouched down by Orochimaru. She pulled the ring off his finger and put it on her own finger. She smiled and turned back to me. She smiled at me. I blinked. Her smile was really friendly and warm.
"Well I got what I want. I don't need to fight you anymore. And I'm sorry about taunting you. I know you haven't slept with four eyes. I can feel your purity. You haven't slept with anyone yet."
I gaped. A moment ago we had been trying to kill one another, now she was smiling, apologizing, and acting as if we were friends. She frowned slightly and walked up to me. I didn't feel any danger from her so I let her walk up to me. She looked at the cut on my chest where her scythe had hit me. She put her hand against it and healing chakra ran into me. The cut healed instantly. I shivered at her touch. It sent electricity up my spin. I blinked. Her one touch had done that. She smiled at me.
"There all better."
Then she stepped past me and put the scythe back in the scroll. Her short sword was already in its sheath. She put the scroll in her bag and looked around.
"Do you want me to heal the other two?" She asked.
I blinked. She had just offered to heal the enemy. She had also offered it when they would wake up angry and want to kill. I shook my head. I didn't want to have to fight her again, and I didn't want the others to kill her. She smiled at me again.
"I must be going now."
She reached down for her bag. I walked towards her. She blinked at me and stood back up. Once she was straight I shot forwards. She squeaked as I pinned her against the tree behind her. She opened her mouth to say something but I stopped her by kissing her. She gasped and I slipped my tongue in. A moan escaped her. I grinned inwardly. My whole body shivered with pleasure. I was aware of her body pushed against mine and her warm mouth. My mouth ravished hers. She didn't do anything. She just stood frozen. I enjoyed the kiss till I had to break for air. Then I broke it gasping.
"I can't blame my brother if he did take you to bed now." I said breathlessly.
I jumped back and rested a hand on Kabuto and Orochimaru.
"You're mine now. I'll kill any who touch you." I said.
Kagome blinked at me. She still looked to be in shock.
"Just wait, I'll come get you."
Then I flickered away with the other two.
Kagome's POV:
I stood perfectly still. I barely breathed for five minutes after Sasuke had kissed me. I couldn't deny that some of me liked the kiss. I just stood starring off into space. I still couldn't believe he had kissed me. After about another ten minutes I picked my back pack up and shot through the trees. As I did I scowled. He had said I was his and he would kill any who touched me. I scowled even more. He was like Koga but colder.
What was it with guys and being so possessive? Who said I wanted to be his? I shook my head. It didn't matter. I most likely wouldn't see him again. I sighed and continued on my way. I looked at my ring finger. I liked the Akatsuki ring. It was a deep red and when the light hit it you could see wisps of black. It was polished like glass and felt completely smooth. After a while I finally sighed and thought of other things.
I ran for about four hours before I finally pulled out my map again. It was about dinner time. I looked at the map and smiled. It seemed I was getting very close to Kohona. Most likely only an hour left. I slipped my map back into my bag and continued running. After about fifty minutes I slowed. I could sense the presence of a lot of people. I guessed I was very close by now. I walked down a small dirt road. I followed it for a couple of minutes before a large gate came in view. I gaped. It was a huge wall with a large gate on it. 'At least the town is protected.' I thought.
As I got closer to the gate I saw guards on the wall and some by the gate. As soon as I had arrived the guards asked for my papers. Luckily my father had thought of this and given me some fake ones. He had said they wouldn't even be able to tell the difference between real papers and the fakes. The guards examined them closely. Then they looked at me suspiciously. I smiled at the guards. They immediately smiled back and the mood lightened a bit. They pointed out the Hokage's tower when I asked.
I bowed and took my papers back before walking off. I needed to see the Hokage first and see if I could become a Kohona ninja. It was part of my plan. If I could get close to Naruto then it would make it so much easier to capture him. And I didn't want to just walk around the place. Besides if I didn't become a ninja then I couldn't really be counted as a missing nin. I walked up the large building and talked to the guards.
They smiled at me and led me to the top office. I followed and smiled at them. I had found out my smile made people relax. They knocked on the door and one went in. A moment later he came out and shooed me in. As soon as I stepped in they shut the door. I looked around. It was a large office. There were large windows, shelves, and a desk. A woman sat behind the desk covered in papers. She had blonde hair and looked to be about thirty, but I could sense she was older. She clasped her hands and looked at me.
"How may I help you? I heard you needed to talk to me."
"Yes I have a request Hokage-sama."
"A request?"
"Yes. I wish to become a Kohona ninja. I was never past of any other ninja village. I lived outside a village with my father but my father knew lots about ninja's and trained me. I decided I wanted to be a ninja and came straight here." I smiled softly.
Tsunade's POV:
I squinted at the woman in front of me. She didn't seem to be a threat but she was strong. Stronger then most. The guards had brought her here and hadn't seemed cautious of her at all. They had been friendly. She had a good personality as far as I could tell and her smile made me trust her. She seemed actually quite friendly, trustworthy, and nice. And that was just from hearing her talk once and seeing her smile. So she made a very good impression.
"It is a large request."
She seemed to wilt a bit.
"Oh. If you can't do that then that's okay. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
She bowed and turned to leave.
"I never said it wasn't possible."
She turned to me and her eyes seemed to light up. I almost smiled. She seemed eager.
"So I can become a ninja?"
"I have to ask you a few questions first."
"Okay."
"Name?"
"Higurashi Kagome."
"Where did you used to live?"
"Outside a village past the village hidden in the star."
"Why did you choose Kohona?"
"Because my father suggested it. He said it was a large village and had a nice Hokage and everyone was friendly and nice."
"Why do you want to become a ninja?"
"So I can help others."
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"Do you know how to use any weapons?"
"Yes. I am a master of the bow, scythe, sword, knife, spear, staff, and axe."
My eyes widened slightly but I quickly schooled my face.
"Do you have any other family besides your father?"
She wilted again.
"No."
"Were they killed?"
"No but I left them to live with my father. I had to choose. Either always stay with them or live with my father and become a ninja. I choose my father, and the training of a ninja."
I thought a moment.
"Do you know ninja history?"
"Yes. I was taught all the main parts of most of the villages and all of the details of Kohona, Suna, and the villages hidden in the stone, and mist."
"Do you work well with partners?"
"Yes. I like to work with others better then working by myself. And I love to travel."
I studied her a moment. She didn't seem to be lying.
"I wish to test you before I make a decision."
She nodded. I stood up.
"Shizune!"
The door opened and a dark brown haired woman walked in.
"Yes Tsunade-sama?"
"Get Sakura, Tenten, Naruto, Gai, and Kakashi."
"Hai."
She quickly walked out. I pulled a chair out.
"Please sit."
"Thank you." She said kindly.
I smiled. I knew I was already warming up to her.
"What kind of ninja abilities do you have?" I asked.
"Well I'm pretty good at taijutsu, I know genjutsu, and Ninjutsu. I also have good medic abilities."
I looked at her then nodded.
"So did you have a good journey here?"
"Yes. It was very nice, except when I ran into a boy my age. He had spiky black hair and red eyes."
I froze.
"You mean Sasuke?" I asked.
She blinked.
"Yes he said that was his name."
"What did he do?'
"Well I accidentally ran into him. He just glared at me and then left. He wasn't very nice. But he didn't threaten me or anything. Why? Do you know him?"
"He used to be a Kohona ninja, but then he left and joined sound. He is dangerous. You are lucky."
She nodded.
"He seemed too distracted to hurt me. He took off quite quickly."
I nodded. Suddenly I heard feet running towards the room. The door flew open and Naruto and the others stepped in.
"What is it old lady?!" He asked.
Kagome's POV:
The people ran in and the boy yelled out.
"What is it old lady?!"
Next thing I knew a chair flew over my head and smashed into him. I blinked.
"I told you not to call me that!" Tsunade yelled.
I blinked. Then I smiled slightly. I had heard that Tsunade had a temper. She seemed to get back under control again though, quickly. I looked at the new people. The one hit by the chair had blonde spiky hair, blue eyes, and wore an orange and black outfit. I smiled. Pein had explained what Naruto looked like and told me he was energetic and obnoxious. I agreed now.
Then behind him was a girl with bright pink hair. She wore a medic skirt and had bright green eyes. This was Sakura. There was a man with silver hair and a mask covering his face and one eye. He was the copy ninja Kakashi. Then there was a man with really bushy eyebrows and black hair in a green jump suit. He was Gai, the green beast of Kohona. Finally there was a girl with brown hair in buns. She wore a couple scrolls. This was Tenten the weapon master. I was glad the guys at Akatsuki had told me about these people. I looked them over. Naruto shot up throwing the chair to the side. Then they all seemed to see me.
"Who is that?" Naruto asked.
He seemed curious. I stood up and bowed slightly.
"Hello, my name is Kagome."
"Hi. My name is Sakura, this is Naruto, Kakashi, Gai, and Tenten." The pink haired girl smiled.
"I need your guys help to test Kagome here." Tsunade interrupted.
They all blinked.
"Kagome wishes to become a Kohona ninja but I need to test her skills first."
They all blinked again then slowly nodded. Tsunade quickly headed out the door. We all followed closely. I stayed near the back though. We followed Tsunade to the roof of the building which was quite large and clear. When we arrive Tsunade lined us up and stepped in front of us.
"We will test her with a series of short battles. Okay?"
"Hai." We all said.
Tsunade motioned me forwards. She also pulled Gai forwards.
"Only a taijutsu match. Got it?"
"Hai." We said.
Gai and I got in positions.
"Don't worry. I won't hurt you!" He said giving a large smile and a thumbs-up.
"Uh…okay." I said.
Tsunade smiled and told us to begin. Gai shot forwards, his smile gone and his eye serious. I waited till he was right in front of me before side stepping and lashing out with my foot. It connected with his side. He flew back, but did a flip and landed on his feet. He shot forwards again. This time I stood still and waited for his attack. He jumped into a kick. I blocked and grabbed his leg. He twisted and tried to punch but I caught his fist in my palm. I threw him off to the side. I scowled slightly. He wasn't fighting full out.
"Gai, fight full out." Tsunade said calmly from the side.
I had known he was going quite easy on me because Itachi had told me that most people couldn't even block Gai's attacks let alone counter them. He had told me that Gai could go so fast he was a blur. I waited. Gai nodded to Tsunade and shot forwards again. This time he was a blur. I smirked. This was now a real fight. I waited till he was on top of me again. I acted like I didn't see him. Then I spun lashing out with my foot. It connected again, sending him back but I wasn't finished.
I ran up beside his still flying body and kicked him in the side so he shot off in a new direction and a little higher. Then I jumped up above him. I brought my foot down. I hit him squarely in the gut. His eyes bulged and I felt bones crack. He coifed up some blood and made a huge dent in the roof. He was unconscious a second later. I jumped back and waited. I looked up at the others. They were gaping, even Tsunade. I also noticed two others just by the door. Their eyes were wide too. I cleared my throat and they seemed to snap out of their surprise.
"Do you want me to heal him? He has some broken bones."
There eyes widened again but Tsunade nodded. I walked back to Gai and crouched down. Blue chakra gathered around my hand and I healed Gai's ribs. Then I brought him back to consciousness. He wiped some blood from the side of his mouth and sat up. He slowly stood and walked back to Tsunade.
Tsunade's POV:
Gai walked back over to me. We were still all shocked. Kagome had beaten our Taijutsu master in a taijutsu match in less then a minute. She had also broken bones. I now at least knew she was an excellent taijutsu user and had medic abilities. Gai walked over to us. He stopped in front of me. He was waiting for me to reprimand him.
"That was good Gai. She was just better then you." I said.
He sighed sadly and stood beside me. I had noticed that Kurenai and Asuma had come up. They slowly walked forwards.
"Who is that?" Kurenai asked.
"If she beat Gai she's good." Asuma said.
"This is Kagome. She wishes to become a Kohona ninja. We are testing her." I said.
They just nodded.
"Actually I'd like Kurenai to fight her now."
Kurenai blinked then nodded. She stepped forwards and watched Kagome cautiously. Kagome smiled and bowed slightly. Kurenai seemed to lighten and also bowed slightly. I smiled softly. Kagome's smiled melted tension no mater what and gave a very good impression. Kurenai and Kagome both got ready. When I signalled the start Kurenai did rapid hand signs. Suddenly roots cracked through the roof. Kagome looked around quickly. She was completely surrounded. The roots grew until they were huge. They branched off and grew flowers. It was like we were in a sea of vines.
We were inside so we could see still. A large root wrapped around Kagome's legs. She blinked then also did some hand signs. The roots let go and went for Kurenai. We all blinked. We knew this was a genjutsu. Kagome had some how turned Kurenai's own genjutsu against her. Kurenai's eyes widened once before roots twirled around her. They constricted around her. Her arms were pinned uselessly to her side. She tried to move but the roots just got tighter. She gasped as they tightened. Even if it was a genjutsu it could still give pain.
Suddenly the roots around Kurenai, which had previously had red flowers that Kurenai's roots always had, had changed. The flowers turned from red blossoms to blue and silver lilies. They looked beautiful. Kagome did more hand signs, and the roots turned to vines. I gaped as I realized what she was doing. First she had taken over Kurenai's genjutsu then she had slowly started to change it. Now it was her genjutsu. The vines still snaked up Kurenai. Suddenly the vines were no longer vines. I saw scales and fangs.
I gasped. They had changed to snakes. I looked at Kurenai. She really didn't like snakes. Her eyes widened. The snake around her lifted its head to look into her eyes. Its tongue darted around. It's piercing gold eyes looked the woman over and the tongue smelled her. Kurenai was fighting but the snake had her. Kurenai bit her lip and the snake loosened slightly but not enough for her to move. Suddenly it hissed and squeezed even tighter. Kurenai gasped for air which she couldn't get. Then with one last squeeze she fell unconscious.
The snake and vines all disappeared and we were once again back on roof top. Kagome walked over to Kurenai and brought her back to consciousness. Kurenai blinked then slowly stood up and hurried back to us. I watched Kagome. She was a very good ninja. I had just one more test.
"Tenten, you're up." I said.
They all blinked at me.
"What?" Tenten asked.
"I want you to fight her with weapons. Be careful."
I said the last part quietly. She slowly nodded and stepped forwards. She looked slightly nervous. Once again Kagome smiled and Tenten relaxed. Kagome pulled scrolls from her bag and stepped forwards. Everyone was watching very, very closely. I told them to begin. Tenten pulled out two long swords. Kagome pulled out a wicked looking scythe. It looked like one the grim reaper would hold. Tenten shivered once but only I noticed. Then Kagome shot forwards. Tenten brought her swords up just in time. I noticed that even if Tenten hadn't blocked the scythe wouldn't have hit her.
I released a breath. It seemed Kagome wasn't trying to kill her. Kagome jumped back and spun. Her scythe twirled and glinted in the sun. Tenten brought her swords up in a block but was still pushed back. Then before she could so anything Kagome was there in the blink of an eye with her blade against Tenten's throat. Everyone tensed. Kagome pulled away and smiled. We all let out sighs of relief. Then Kagome put her scythe away. She waited and Tenten walked back to us. I looked at her to make sure she was all right then I looked back to Kagome. She was waiting patiently.
"I think we are done the testing." I said.
They all nodded. I motioned Kagome forwards. She stepped up to me.
"I accept you as a Kohona ninja.
Kagome's eyes lit up and she smiled. I pulled a headband from my pocket and handed it to her. She gently took it. She tied it around her left arm and waited.
"You will be part of Kakashi's team. That means Sakura and Naruto are your partners."
'There I killed two birds with one stone. I got her in a group and I got Naruto and Sakura a new partner to replace Sasuke.' I thought. Kagome looked excited. Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto looked at Kagome closely. She smiled at them and they smiled back.
"Where can I stay?" Kagome asked.
"You can stay in the apartment next to Naruto if you want." I said.
She nodded.
"Kurenai, Gai, Asuma, and Tenten, you may leave. Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, and Kagome I want you to come with me."
"Hai." Everyone chorused.
Then the ones dismissed shot off and the rest followed me back to my office. When we entered I sat behind my desk and the others stopped in front of me. I grabbed some keys from my drawer and threw them to Kagome. She caught them easily.
"Those are the keys to your apartment."
She nodded.
"Well that is all I have to say. You may leave. Naruto can show you around."
Naruto and Kagome nodded and Naruto grabbed Kagome and dragged her away. Kakashi and Sakura stayed though. I looked up at them. When I was sure Kagome was out of ear shot I spoke.
"I want you guys to keep an eye on her. She may be a spy. I doubt it. She doesn't seem like the spying type, but still watch her. If she does anything suspicious tell me."
They both nodded.
"Train with her too. I want to know how she progresses."
They nodded again.
"That is it. You may leave."
They both bowed and walked out together. I sighed. We got a new strong ninja but I wished I knew if she was trust worthy. She seemed nice and I didn't think she had lied when I had asked her the questions but there was a difference between lying and not telling the whole truth. I sighed again. Hopefully she wouldn't be another Sasuke. She was strong, stronger then Sasuke most likely. I looked out my window, down at the streets. I saw Naruto, Kagome, Kakashi, and Sakura walking away. I sighed once more and turned back to my paper work.
Kakashi's POV:
Once Sakura and I had been dismissed we headed down the stairs.
"So do you think we can trust Kagome?" Sakura asked suddenly.
"She seems nice. Tsunade is right, I don't think she is a spy but we can't be too careful." I said. "She beat Gai, Tenten, and Kurenai like they were nothing so we have to watch her."
Sakura nodded and we both walked out of the building. We saw Naruto talking to Kagome just a few feet away.
"Seems Naruto has already warmed up to her." I said.
"Naruto could warm up to anyone in a second." Sakura snorted.
I smiled slightly. We both walked over to the pair. Kagome smiled at us. Her smile made me trust her. I didn't know why but it was such a nice smile. We both smiled back.
"We have to introduce Kagome to everyone!" Naruto said.
I saw Kagome grin at him.
"Why don't we get something to eat first?" She asked. "I've travelling all day and I'm hungry."
Then it hit me. I gaped. Kagome had beaten the three even after she had been travelling all day. I quickly blanked my face though.
"Do you like ramen?" Naruto asked.
"I love ramen!" Kagome grinned.
"Then Ramen it is!" Naruto yelled walking off.
Sakura and I sighed then followed the two. Naruto led us to the ramen place and we all sat down and ordered. Kagome and Naruto got ramen at the same time.
"Hooray!" They both said digging in.
Sakura and I raised an eyebrow and grinned. It seemed Kagome was a lot like Naruto. The two finished their first bowl before Sakura or even got ours. They each ordered a second bowl and ate while talking. We found out that Kagome was from outside a village a long ways away and had been trained by her father. She had come here because she had wanted to be a full fledge ninja. We all got to know each other as we ate the ramen. When we had finally finished we all paid and stood up.
"Meet here in the morning tomorrow at nine!" Naruto yelled.
"Why?' We all asked.
"Because we have to show Kagome around, and it's too late right now." He said.
We all nodded. Then Sakura and I headed off to our own places while Kagome and Naruto walked off.
Kagome's POV:
I followed Naruto as he led the way to his apartment. He seemed really nice. He didn't seem to have merged with the demon and it wasn't appearing to take over. When we arrived I looked around. It was a normal apartment. He led me up the stairs to the top floor. He looked at my key and pointed out a room. Then he showed me where his room was.
"If you need anything just come over.' He said.
I smiled.
"Thank you Naruto." I said.
I gave him a peck on the cheek and headed into my room. I saw him standing there bright red as I shut my door. I looked around my room. It had one large room with two doors. The first led to a small bathroom and the second led to a small room. The large room had a kitchen and living room. There was already a table, chairs, couch, carpet, and a couple shelves. The room had a bed, fully made, a dresser, and a nightstand. The bathroom had everything a normal bathroom would have. The living room and bedroom also had two large windows.
I smiled. It seemed that they kept this place ready for someone who came with nothing and were planning to stay. I quickly unpacked my bags. When that was done I quickly did a clean. When everything was as clean as it could be I yawned and walked into my room. I set my watch on the nightstand and quickly got changed into pyjamas. Then I flopped into my bed and pulled out the 'Come Come Paradise'. After a while I set my book down and looked at my watch. It was about ten o'clock. I smiled and burrowed into my bed.
.--.
I woke up with the sun falling on my face. I slowly opened my eyes and sat up. It looked beautiful outside. I yawned once and jumped up. I made my bed and had a quick shower before I got dressed. Then I strapped on my weapon pouches and one scroll, and then I slipped my small red book into a pouch and walked into the living room. I scowled. I didn't have any food or tea. The cupboards did hold a tea pot, plates, bowls, cups, spoons, forks, knives, chopsticks, pots, pants, and other utensils. I sighed. I would have to go shopping. I looked at my clock. It was about seven o'clock, so I had two hours until we had to meet the others.
I walked back to my room and grabbed my wallet. Pein had given me some money. He had told me that I might be there a while so he had given money for my food and such. He also told me it was my allowance for all the years he had been away and unable to pay. I opened it and gaped at the money inside. I finally closed it and grinned. He had given me enough to last a long time. I stuffed my wallet into my pocket and locked the door before I headed out. It was a wonderful day. The sun was shining and some people were already outside. I walked up to an old woman and smiled at her. She smiled back.
"May I help you deary?" She asked kindly.
"Can you tell me where a grocery store is?" I asked.
"You're new?"
I nodded.
'"Well welcome to Kohona. The grocery store is five blocks away. Just take a right and head down the road."
"Thank you."
She waved as I walked off. I followed her directions and easily found the grocery store. I bought tea and other foods. When I finally left the little store I had two bags weighing down each hand. I hummed as I walked down the road. Everyone greeted you as you passed. I smiled and nodded back. It was a nice village. It was cheerful and friendly. I could like it here. I sighed. But I wouldn't fit in. Itachi had told me most of the laws, and I disagreed with to many. I liked places that didn't have too many rules. I shrugged. I would stay here until I needed to leave. I slowed down as I neared a flower shop. I stopped and looked at all the flowers with a small smile. I loved flowers. I liked to watch Rin pick flowers to. My smile disappeared as I thought of Rin. I missed her and would most likely never see her again.
"May I help you?" Someone asked.
I looked up to see a girl my age. She had blonde hair in a ponytail with some bangs covering one eye. She looked like Deidara.
"No. I'm just looking."
"Oh. Are you from around here? I've never seen you before." She said.
"I just moved here yesterday." I said.
"Really? My name is Ino, what's yours?"
"Kagome."
"Well Kagome I hope you like it here. Oh, here."
She handed me a blue flower. I blinked and took it.
"It's a welcoming present. That flower represents happy beginnings."
I smiled. It was beautiful.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"INO!" Someone called.
"COMING MOM!" She called back.
She waved and trotted into the store. I smiled at the flower and continued on my way. When I had reached my apartment I unlocked the door and walked in. I set my bags down and ran to the cupboard. I grabbed a tall glass and filled it with water. I set the flower in it and set it on my table. I smiled and quickly unpacked my bags. When that was finished it was eight fifteen. I decided to go see if Naruto was awake. I walked out of my room and to his door. I knocked once. I didn't get an answer. I tried again but still no answer. So I just walked in.
I grinned. Naruto was lying on a bed. He was completely stretched out. His pyjamas were twisted and he had a funny sleeping cap on. I looked around his room and raised an eyebrow. It was a mess. I noticed that ramen cups covered the table. He seemed to really like ramen. He was snoring. I smiled and started to clean up. I was very quiet and he didn't even stir. At eight thirty, fifteen minutes later, I had cleaned up almost the whole place. Then I walked up to Naruto. I shook his shoulder slightly. He just snorted. I grinned and leaned down near his ear.
"Naruto, someone is stealing al your ramen." I whispered.
He sat straight up and jumped from bed. He looked around quickly then he blinked.
"This isn't my house."
I grinned.
"This is your house when it's clean."
He turned to me and smiled.
"Oh, hi Kagome."
"Good morning Naruto. Now hurry up. We only have half an hour."
He nodded. Then he looked around again.
"Thanks for cleaning."
"You're welcome, now hurry."
He nodded and bounded into his bathroom. I heard the water running and started to make his bed. Fifteen minutes later he came out of the bathroom dry and full dressed. He threw his pyjamas on the bed and grinned.
"Let's go."
He ran out of the room. I followed more slowly. He locked his door and hopped down the stairs. Once outside he almost took off running.
"We have fifteen minutes Naruto." I said.
"I know."
Then he started to run.
"I'll meet you there slow poke."
Then he was gone. I smiled. He was running to get ramen. I just knew it. I walked more slowly down the street taking everything in. Suddenly a large dog ran up to me. He sat in front of me and tipped his head. I crouched beside him and petted him softly. He started to wag his tail and pant, leaning into my hand. I smiled.
"You are a fine dog aren't you?"
He barked agreement.
"Akamaru!" A voice yelled.
The dog barked.
"So your name is Akamaru?" I asked.
The dog nodded. Suddenly a boy ran up. He was wearing a black coat and he had two red stripes on his face.
"Sorry about that." He said to me. "Akamaru you shouldn't just run off and make strangers pet you." He told the dog.
The dog just snorted and let me continue to pet him.
"That's okay. I like him." I said. "He is very strong, loyal and well trained."
The boy smiled.
"Are you a ninja?" I asked.
"Yeah. My name is Inuzuka Kiba, and that's Akamaru."
"Nice to meet you, my name is Kagome."
"It seems Akamaru likes you."
Akamaru was making soft growling noises as I scratched his ear.
"He is lovely."
"You have a dog?" Kiba asked.
"No."
"Well we have to go. We promised to meet Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi at the ramen place." Kiba said.
"Oh! I'm heading there now."
"Well then we can all go together."
I smiled and nodded. We started to walk off chatting about animals. As we neared the ramen place we heard yelling. We arrived exactly on time and to see Naruto get thrown into a wall by Ino and Sakura. A girl with long black hair and light violet eyes was standing off to the side looking between the girls and Naruto. She just stood there as Naruto sat up.
"Naruto, you shouldn't make Hinata embarrassed like that!" The girls yelled.
"He didn't embarrass me." The girl said quietly.
"What did you do Naruto?" Kiba asked.
"All I did was kiss her. Then she turned bright red. And finally the two girls attacked me." He grumbled.
I grinned. Suddenly they spotted me.
"Hi Kagome." Naruto, Sakura, and Ino all said.
Then they all blinked at one another.
"You know Kagome?" Kiba, Ino, Sakura, and Naruto all asked at the same time.
I grinned.
"I met Ino at the flower shop, I met Kiba when I petted Akamaru, and I met Sakura and Naruto with Tsunade."
"She's our new partner." Naruto said.
"So you're a ninja?" Kiba and Ino asked.
We all nodded. Then Naruto walked up to the black haired girl who blushed as he wrapped his arms around her waist. I smiled. I was taking a wild guess and guessing she was his girlfriend. He chatted to her as he sat down at the ramen bar and ordered. We all smiled and also sat down. I noticed Kakashi wasn't here yet but the others didn't think it a big enough deal to point out so I shrugged it off. As we ordered and ate we all talked. After a while another boy found us. He had a large green coat with a hood and he wore small black shades. He looked at me.
"This is Shino. He is Hinata's and my partner. Our leader is Kurenai-sensei." Kiba said.
As if on cue Kurenai walked up. She looked at her team then at me. I smiled at her. She looked back with a blank face.
"I want a rematch sometime." She said.
Her team's eyes widened along with Ino's.
"You beat Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked before I could answer.
We both nodded. I saw more people heading for us. One was a fat kid with a red outfit. He was eating a bag of chips. Beside him was Asuma. And beside Asuma was a boy with a green vest. He had brown hair pulled into a pony tail and looked bored. They stopped in front of us. The two boys looked at me.
"This is Kagome, she's Sakura's and Naruto's new partner." Ino said. "Kagome this is Choji and Shikamaru, Asuma-sensei is our leader."
I smiled at them. Asuma looked at me closely. I looked at Shikamaru. The shadows around him seemed to like him. He also had an intelligent look in his eyes. He may look bored and lazy but I could easily tell he was intelligent. I nodded to the two. They seemed to be studying me too.
"All you have to meet is Tenten's team now." Sakura said. "Speak of the devil."
Tenten was walking towards us dragging a boy with long brown hair. He had light grey eyes that looked like Hinata's. I guessed they were from the same clan; The Hyugas. From the opposite direction, came two clouds of dust. They both stopped near us at the same time as Tenten and the boy. The clouds of dust were Gai and a boy that looked almost exactly like him.
"Hello everyone." Tenten said.
We all nodded.
"Neji, lee, this is Kagome, she's Naruto and Sakura's partner." Tenten said. "Kagome this is Lee and Neji they are on my team under Gai-sensei."
I nodded.
"Neji is Hinata's cousin." Naruto said while still eating.
"Nice to meet you all."
"Kagome, you still haven't agreed to my request." Kurenai said.
"Oh, I would like to have a rematch sometime."
"I would like to face you again too." Gai said with a smile.
I raised an eyebrow. Not too much seem to faze this guy.
"What!?" Ino, Choji, Neji, Shikamaru, Lee, Shino, Kiba, and Hinata all asked at the same time.
"She beat Gai-sensei, and Kurenai sensei?" Neji asked.
"Yes. She also beat Tenten." Sakura said.
Everyone turned to her.
"Even after she had travelled all day."
They all gaped at me. I got a bit nervous at their stares and started to fidget.
"Come on you guys are making her nervous." Kakashi said from behind everyone.
"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura yelled.
"Sorry, I got lost on the path of life."
I felt my mouth twitch in amusement as the other two sighed. When I had finished my ramen Lee was right in my face.
"Want to race?" he asked.
Everyone waited for my answer.
"Uh…okay?"
He smiled.
"I'll set up my clones at the check points." Naruto said.
He did a couple hand signs and a whole bunch of Naruto's shot off.
"So where do we go?" I asked.
"Once around Kohona. Just follow the wall. You may go on the roof tops." Lee said excitedly.
"Oh okay. I see you are wearing weights, will you take them off?"
He nodded eagerly. Then he pulled them off handing them to Gai.
"May I take mine off too?" I asked.
They all blinked at me then nodded. Itachi had made me wear weights telling me they strengthened me and taught me speed. I hadn't complained. I pulled the ones on my legs and arms off handing them to Sakura who told me she would hold them. She gaped at them in her hand. Then she set them down. She grabbed one of mine and one of Lee's weighing the in her hand. She looked at me with wide eyes.
"You're weights are at least as heavy as lee's." She said.
Now everyone's eyes also widened. They quickly shook off the thoughts and Lee and I lined up. Sakura cleared her throat and stood between us.
"Three, Two, One, Go!"
We both shot of, almost a blur. We heard cheers but quickly out ran them. I ran beside lee until we reached the wall and I high fived the first Naruto. With my sharp eyesight that I had got from my miko powers I saw the next Naruto. I shot off past Lee planning to win this race. I looked back at him and smiled once. We had been on the ground but as I came to a busy street I jumped up to the roof. I ran straight for the cheering Naruto clone. I high fived him too and scouted out the next clone.
I saw him and shot off. I noticed lee had also jumped to the roof tops now. As he high fived the one Naruto I had already passed the next one. I continued on this way and continually increased the distance between Lee and I. When I reached the last Naruto he clapped me on the back as I shot for the finish line. I could see the others cheering. As I crossed the finish line I slowed. I stopped and looked back. Lee was still heading for u sat full speed. When he had passed the finish line and stopped, they all congratulated us. They seemed amazed that I had won but told Lee that I had a speed even he couldn't beat. I watched them as they all talked. I knew that Kakashi was right beside me. We both stood off to the side in silence.
"So how did you get so fast?" He asked.
"Training."
"A lot of it?"
"Years."
He nodded. He glanced at me again.
"You aren't a spy are you?"
'That was blunt.' I thought. I turned to face him. I waited till he looked me right in the eye.
"I am not a spy for another village. I never belonged to another village. This is the first ninja village I have ever been at." I said calmly but seriously.
He watched me a moment. Then he nodded. Then he looked at everyone else.
"I have to go see Tsunade. I'll see you all later."
I nodded.
"Tell her I said hi."
He nodded and shot off. I watched him leave then sighed. It was a nice village but I had the feeling I wouldn't be here for long. I sighed again. As everyone sort of wandered off, Sakura and Naruto wandered over to me. I smiled at them.
"That race was awesome! You whooped fuzzy brows." Naruto grinned.
I had to grin back.
"Where is Kakashi?" Sakura asked. "I saw him over here last."
I smirked inwardly. She was observant. That would be a problem.
"He went to talk with Tsunade." I said.
They both nodded.
"Now what?" Naruto asked.
"We could train." Sakura said.
"But with out Kakashi it's boring. You don't know anything new." He whined.
"Well you could show your moves off to Kagome." Sakura said with a grin in my direction.
I nodded.
"Yeah Naruto. I would love to see how strong you are." I said clasping my hands by my cheek.
Naruto stuck his chest out and walked off calling to us.
"Well let's go then."
We grinned at one another before we followed. We followed him to the training grounds where he stopped and grinned.
"What move should I show you?" He asked.
"Show me your strongest attack." I said.
He grinned and stuck out a hand while making a shadow clone. The shadow clone started to move his hands around and I saw chakra swirl in Naruto's hand. I blinked he wasn't using any hand signs. I looked at the blue swirling chakra closely.
"So you gather chakra in your hand and make it spin opposite ways while keeping it in the shape of a tight sphere?" I asked.
"Correct. You are very observant."
We all looked up at the white haired man as he walked up to us. He smiled and turned to me.
"What you said was true. That attack is called the Rasengan."
I smiled. I knew this man was Jiraya one of the great Sannin.
"Could I learn it Jiraya–sama?" I asked.
They all blinked at me.
"How do you know my name?' he asked.
"You are one of the great Sannin everyone knows your name." I said with a brilliant smile.
He smiled back and looked proud. Naruto rolled his eyes and Sakura sighed.
"Yes you could learn. May I ask if you are Kagome, the girl who beat Gai, Tenten, and Kurenai in fights and Lee in a race?" He asked.
I nodded.
"Then you could probably learn quite easily." He said.
I grinned and stuck my and out. I had already seen how it was done and I knew how to control chakra so I tried. My chakra started to swirl then spun a bit out of control and was no longer visible as a sphere. Jiraya grinned.
"Well you got some of it down. All you need to do is keep it in a sphere shape."
I nodded. This was going to take some practicing. Then suddenly another thought popped into my head. I stopped and pulled the red book from my pouch. Naruto blinked.
"Don't tell me you are going to pull a Kakashi and read a book while you train." He whined.
"No I won't train while I read I want Jiraya to sign my book."
They all blinked. Then Sakura and Naruto gasped.
"Don't tell us that is 'Come Come Paradise'!" They yelled.
"Yes it is."
They stood gaping as Jiraya grinned.
"So you like it?" he asked.
"Yes. It is a good book, even if it is perverted."
He grinned even more and pulled out a pen, grabbing the book. He signed inside the cover and handed it back.
"I have the brand new one too if you are interested."
I grinned and nodded. Suddenly Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke. He waved at Jiraya.
"I heard you have a new book."
Jiraya grinned.
"Yes. I was just about to get one for Kagome, do you want one too?"
He nodded eagerly then suddenly stopped and blinked at me and the book in my hand. Then he smiled.
"You like them too? I knew I liked you."
I grinned. Naruto and Sakura had stopped gaping and were now looking just surprised. I grinned at them.
"Don't tell me you haven't read them." I said.
"Of course not." Sakura snorted. "Right Naruto?"
"Well….." Naruto said scratching the back of his head.
I grinned. I had seen the books in his room while cleaning.
"Naruto has the whole collection too." I said.
Now Kakashi and Jiraya grinned at him and Sakura gaped.
"Are you all perverted and mad?" She asked.
"Most surely." I said.
Sakura started to laugh now.
"Well I'll go get you each one of my new books. Better start to practice too Kagome if you want to learn the move."
Then he disappeared. We quickly pushed the mater of the book aside.
"So what did you talk to Tsunade about?" I asked Kakashi.
"She wants us to go on a mission tomorrow. She said Sasuke was spotted and we decided to go try and find him."
We all nodded and I smiled outwardly. I cursed inwardly though. If we found Sasuke my cover would be blown.
"We leave the day after tomorrow." Kakashi said.
I looked at the others. Naruto had an evil grin on his face and Sakura had a look that said I'm-going-to-kick-his-ass-and-drag-him-back. I smiled. They really did like Sasuke. Then Kakashi cleared his throat.
"And Sakura and I have an announcement to make."
Sakura smiled softly at him and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he did the same pulling her close.
"She and I are dating."
Naruto's eyes looked ready to fall out and his jaw was lying on the ground. I giggled and clapped. Since I had first seen them together I could tell they liked one another. Naruto stood gaping for about ten minutes. I dragged him off as the two started talk. Then Kakashi pulled his mask off and I grinned. He was really handsome. Kakashi leaned over Sakura and I turned away giving them some privacy. Naruto was in a total daze from the shock. We left them standing by the trees and walked to the entrance of the Training grounds where we couldn't see them. I let Naruto stand there in the daze as I leaned against the wall and waited for Jiraya.
"Hey guys."
I turned too looked at Hinata, Neji, Ino, and Lee coming towards us. They stopped and smiled at me. Then Hinata walked up to Naruto who was still dazed. They all blinked at him. Hinata kissed him on the cheek but he still didn't respond.
"What is wrong with him?" Neji asked.
"And where is my cherry blossom of youth?" Lee asked looking around.
I giggled effectively drawing there attention to me.
"Ignore Naruto. He is just in shock."
"What shocked him?" Ino asked.
"Oh… he might have been shocked when Kakashi pulled his mask off and kissed Sakura."
They stood for a minute. Finally their brains comprehended what I had just said. They all gaped.
"You mean forehead girl is dating mask man?" Ino asked quietly.
I grinned and nodded.
"I have lost the battle over the cherry blossom of youth!" Lee said sinking to his knees.
Hinata was still gaping along with her cousin.
"What's going on?" Jiraya asked as he stepped from around the corner.
Naruto was slowly waking from his daze while the others were silent. He looked at them then back to me.
"Did I miss something?"
"Kakashi just kissed Sakura!" Naruto yelled, now fully out of his stupor.
Jiraya started to gap. I giggled. I saw Kakashi and Sakura walking over to us. Kakashi's mask was back on. Sakura was holding his arm and looking very pleased. As they stopped everyone stared gaping at them. Kakashi scratched the back of his head and Sakura raised an eyebrow. Finally Ino spoke up.
"I thought you liked Sasuke." She said.
I was listening closely.
"I used too. Then he left and I sent my feelings for him along with him." She said.
I sighed inwardly. No one to chase Sasuke and keep him busy meant he would still be busy chasing me. I smiled at Kakashi and Sakura. They smiled back. Slowly everyone moved off and started to train. Sakura tried to comfort Lee, who was crouched by the wall in a gloom. Jiraya gave Naruto, Kakashi, and I the books and then left. I tucked it in my pouch and started to try to practice the Rasengan. All day we trained. At sunset I was exhausted. I had used a lot of my chakra. I waved good bye and stumbled home. I drank some tea and had a small dinner. Then I had a quick shower before changing and crawling into bed. I sighed in content as I drifted off.
.--.
I woke up slowly and looked at my clock. It said it was noon. I blinked then smiled. I had slept in for the first time in three years. I yawned. I had needed the sleep. I had most of my chakra back. I pulled my self from bed and walked to the bathroom. I had a nice hot shower, then I walked to my kitchen. I made tea and threw together a big lunch. I hadn't ate much yesterday and hadn't had anything today and my stomach was saying it was really hungry. I ate a lot and then drank almost a whole pot of tea.
When I was full I sighed happily and decided to jog. I stood up and grabbed an I-pod from my room. I hooked it to my belt and flicked it on. Then I locked my door and ran out the door. I waved to the woman who had gave me directions and continued to jog. I didn't pay attention to the time, I just jogged, occasionally picking up the speed. I had my weights on but I was so used to them I didn't really notice the hundred pounds. It was lighter then my yellow back pack had been. I smiled and hummed along to the song.
While I jogged I also organized my thoughts and plans. I wasn't really paying attention. I was able to dodge people and obstacles and waved to those who waved. I don't know how long it had been but suddenly Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto were in front of me. I slowed down and stopped, also turning my I-pod off. I noticed I was back at my apartment. I thought that I couldn't have been jogging that long. The three looked at me closely.
"Are you okay Kagome?" They asked.
"Why?" I blinked.
"Well we thought you would be near exhaustion. The woman says you have ran past here to many times to count and that you have been running for about seven hours." Sakura said.
The woman waved to me again. I blinked.
"Seven hours?" I asked stupidly.
Naruto gaped.
"How long did you think you had been running for?" He asked.
"Only about an hour."
Kakashi chuckled and Naruto gaped. Sakura walked up to me and examined me with her medic abilities. She smiled after wards.
"Well you are very fit. You are barely breathing hard and you only have a little perspiration." She said.
"Are you wearing your weights?" Kakashi asked.
I nodded. Naruto gaped even more and Sakura raised an eyebrow. Then they all grinned.
"Well at least we have a strong team mate." Naruto laughed.
I felt a little bad. I wouldn't be their team mate soon. I would be their enemy
"We wanted to remind you that we have a mission tomorrow." Kakashi said.
"Yeah. So be at the front gates at nine." Naruto said.
Then Kakashi and Sakura walked off together. I noticed they were both headed for the same destination. I smiled and Naruto sighed. Then the two of us headed back into the apartment. I waved and headed to my room. I had had a good seven hour run. During that time the rest of my chakra had come back and I was ready for the mission. I walked into my room and opened my cupboard. I had once again skipped lunch. I made some dinner and tea. When it was ready I sat at the table and ate, while looking out the window at the last rays of light.
When the sun was gone I got up and cleaned up while packing everything I had brought. I doubted I would come back. I sighed and slipped into the shower. I had a quick shower before I hopped into bed. I easily fell into slumber.
.--.