AN.

AND HERE IS THE DOUBLE POST!

WARNINGS: A LOT OF POV SHIFTS. Each POV shift is 3rd person omnipotent type, which means that all thoughts and ideas are available to the reader except Tokina, since she's strictly 1st person view. Each POV shift is also a time skip. ALSO I'm sure there's this line about mediocrity and please don't over analyze it. As I said before, this was pre-made and edited so...yeah.

I'm not depressed/bummed out anymore I swear.

"I am so relieved that your back." Akane sighed as she ate her beef stew. Obito nodded like an old man, letting his rice scatter on the table, prompting to Rin reflexively scold him. Tokuma waved his hands and garbled, demanding for attention. Her daughter gave her a sheepish smile and muttered a small, "Me too, mom." as she sipped her beef stew.

Akane missed that sheepish smile.

Those months have been the darkest of her life. She buried herself in work, training Rin and caring for Tokuma and Obito when he was around, which he was frequently. Tokina and Tokuma is her only real family now and she refused to give them up. The Hokage wouldn't even offer her child's whereabouts to her! She knew she was chunin and an adult but she was a mother! What did she get when she questioned him?

A sigh and an "I'm sorry."

That is not going to cut it.

Rin and Obito were obviously worried for her those months. They really did not show it but they were, some more than others. Rin wasn't afraid of addressing the situation yet Obito tried to mask it with his jolly attitude. It was refreshing but guilt-tripping all the same. The fact that she had to rely on a child for strength speaks volumes about her vulnerability. Four months is a really long mission but at the same time, the two children knew she would come stumbling home like she always did after. It kind of shamed her that, the fact that the mother didn't even believe Akane wanted to believe them; she tried so hard.

Well, her mistake has been corrected now.

They were right.

She did come stumbling home.

Albeit, not as "complete" as she was before. It would be called stupidity if you expected a person would return to your household with a smile and a promise of eternal happiness, yet she will stand by her daughter as she picked up her broken pieces. Maybe she'll hand those shards for her while she picks up her own.

It was a strange thought but it still had the promise of bonding with her.

"Glad to be back." She replied, sipping her broth. The children began talking animatedly on what she did on those four months. She was mostly defensive and tried to hide something but whenever she saw that patient smile and the content in her eyes that the Hyūga mother has never seen before. There was warmth in her eyes that was never there before. She thought, for that long moment, that her daughter would be just fine.

Never in her whole life did she think that she could be so utterly wrong about something.

As they were finishing their stew, they began doing the mundane clean-up that accompanied with the celebratory dinner. She gathered the dishes in the table in a quick succession while Obito took a washcloth and Rin taking a broom. Akane returned Tokuma to his crib where he instantly slept the moment his head touched the soft fabric of his people. She saw Tokina helping with the gathering of dishes. She thanked her child with a smile and the latter did the same.

Akane did not comment on how fidgety she was as Tokina quickened her step as if to avoid a dangerous enemy.

She turned the sink on.

There was a subsequent sound of breaking dishes followed with an alarmed "'Kina-chan, are you okay?" by Obito.

"I'm fine," she responded, Akane imagining her daughter turning to Obito with that sheepish smile she was known for and a tilt of head, a habit that seemed to have been passed on.

She knew that her daughter was lying. She could tell by how her fingers twitched and how her form turned rigid for a second. Tokina muttered a "I'll sweep, don't worry." before rushing outside, not where they keep the cleaning utensils. They heard the door open and close, the people who were left in the house all turned to Akane despite them wanting nothing more than to run off and make sure that their long-lost friend was okay.

"If she says she is okay, then she is okay." She convincingly said to herself, yet the children seemed to take that as an answer.

Akane washed the feeling of her failing as a mother off with the grime and left over soup. She knew that she wasn't okay but what was she doing now? She was lying because she was tired of dealing with all this...drama. it might seem selfish of her but all she wanted was to be happy with her family members and she vowed that she will give Tokina justice but is it really selfish of her to let the tiring mother, who has been worrying about her daughter's life while she was on both of her duties, where both of them needed her utmost attention? Was she doing the right thing? Tokina never asked for help and when she did, Akane was willing to help her one hundred percent.

Tokina will get through this.

She has to.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going out..." Rin called from her home. She wondered why she even bothered since those two never actually paid any attention to her. It was ironic that the business that saved them from poverty so their daughter would live a happy life would be the reason it deprived her of parental affection. If she was bitter, she would have laughed at the absurdity of it all.

She was grateful for the riches her parents gave her when they do notice her. She just wished that she got more hugs and kisses than dolls and dresses that she doesn't even use that much. The brown haired girl waited for a grunt or a sound of acknowledgement from both of them. They were probably doing their taxes or trying to find a new, fashionable design that would appeal to civilians and shinobi alike.

She waited a five full seconds before walking out the door, like she normally does every day. She slipped off her newly bought slippers and into more, unfashionable yet comfortable ones she uses for kunoichi use.

It was almost graduation, so she needs to work hard like Obito and Tokina. Rin was so happy when Obito's grades rose up suddenly in those months where Tokina disappeared. She was a bit sad that the Uchiha didn't need her as much as before but she was happy nonetheless. He was close to achieving his dream with this simple step and together, they're going to save the world and bring peace to all nations!

Tokina, however...

She wanted to believe that she was okay but, according to her text books and her common sense, it was easy to tell that she isn't. She didn't know it was possible for someone to become even more blasé, indifferent and silent. She cracked a joke once or twice and smiled whenever the two did something that normally amused her but that was it. It just felt so forced and felt like she was just playing a part. Her eyes seemed darker than before but she knew she was telling the truth whenever she said "I'll be fine as long as you guys are with me." Although her long lost friend put up a good revere, she saw the little signs whenever she lied to herself. She was a good liar, before; she knew that sometimes the normally polite Hyūga would fool even her own mom when she needed it!

That was before,

Now she's breaking and Rin wants to keep her from breaking any further.

With these thoughts continuously in her mind, she found herself in front of the academy with the other students. She put on a smile and encouraged herself for a good day and a good future like she always does. Rin took one step into the building and immediately noticed a strange woman with clothing she could recognize as the uniform of the Konoha's Medic-Corps led by Tsunade. She blinked at the mysterious woman before focusing on going back to class. The woman immediately saw her and called her out.

"Excuse me, are you Nohara Rin?" The woman with soft green eyes and blonde hair said in a gentle voice. Rin didn't answer immediately, knowing that any stranger that knows your name is easily suspicious. That was one of the lessons Akane-san taught to her.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to be late for class, Ms...?" Rin spoke in an apologetic matter. The gentle voiced woman smiled at her, easily picking up to what she was doing. "Yakushi Nonō, vice-leader of the Medic-Corps."

Rin looked flabbergasted while Nonō thought she was cute.

She'll make a fine addition. Nonō could feel it.

Guess they really shouldn't question the Hokage's instincts.

I've been called to the Hokage's office after a week of doing nothing but worrying, which was never a good sign.

I walked out of my house, prepared a familiar purple butterfly while walking to the Hokage Tower.

With nothing with bad thoughts,

Which is I had the butterfly.

It would be a major waste of ammo.

Maybe he found me knowing the whole "I know where my team is placed" titbit suspicious, as he should. That was a major fucking slip on my part. Jesus fucking Christ, I really need to learn how to say the right things at the right time. Why couldn't I just say what I needed to say and be done with it? Fuck! If this one mistake jeopardizes Rin and Obito's life, it'll be on MY hands.

And the genjutsu?

Don't get me started on that genjutsu!

FUCK!

This is the thing about feelings; they make you say things that you aren't supposed to say.

Sometimes you just want to lock those fuckers up just because they interfere with your logical thinking. Duh, Tokina, he's the fucking Hokage, of course he'll spot it. Maybe it wasn't that. Maybe he sensed that desperation and thought it was suspicious. Tsk! I didn't need to deal with this! I need this to work perfectly! Mediocrity was bad enough, now the threat of it would lead to my downfall...

Again,

That was the whole reason of me dying in the first place. The irritating thing called mediocrity. It was hard to not be stupid yet not be prodigious at the same time. You strive and strive yet what the hell happens? You can pass the college you want to go into yet you wouldn't make the final cut. You can get good grades but you would never be good enough to get recognized because only the smart get the praise that we deserve. It was painful because, unlike ones who fail totally, dream of the big dreams, natively thinking that we would finally grasp it but our own weight drags us down.

...Well not anymore.

I'm going to save those who are important to me. I won't let this weight be a hindrance. I'll use it as a leverage to reach for the stars!

"May I ask if you have an appointment?"

That professional voice snapped my attention to it. I raised my head and found myself in front of the same secretary that I would consult if I needed to go on a mission. He raised his eyebrow, tapping his pen and waiting for my answer.

Fuck,

I had an anime moment again.

"Um, I have an...appointment with the Hokage? Well, not appointment but more like he called me?" I blurted out, looking at him straight at him in the eye. He looked at me for a second before sighing and flipping through his log book, muttering an "It seems so..." He scribbled something in the book and gazed up at me and said a quick "You know what to do."

I nodded and went up the stairs.

I couldn't help but pray to God that I at least wouldn't be executed for treason.

It was the day of their graduation.

Obito couldn't be any happier than he is now!

Well, Rin could be beside him but she graduated earlier than the rest of the batch since the Medic-Corps got her. Don't get him wrong, he was happy for his cru...friend, almost ecstatic, really but he couldn't feel a little bit lonely when he grabbed the forehead protect he has been yearning for so long from the desk that he absolutely detested and went back to his usually seat near the window but didn't find Rin next to him, smiling and praising him like she used to. The normally joyous Uchiha shook his head to get out of the dark spiral—or as he liked to call it, the Uchiha funk —he was putting himself through. Rin will go to a bunch of places, helping soldiers and villages to become the best medic ninja ever while he was going to be the best Hokage and Tokina is going to be his right hand man...or woman rather.

That was also kinda disappointing. Since Tokina was chunin, which meant that neither of his two friends are at the same team as he is. To be fair, Tokina did come back from a long mission so it should be fine for her to take a break for a few weeks, even if that meant slowing down the process of her becoming his right hand woman.

Oh well, he thought, trying to hype himself up. I bet this team is going to be fun, anyway! He was finally a ninja. A step forward to becoming the greatest Hokage in the Leaf!

He waited for his name to be called by Bitch-sensei.

He waited...

And waited...

And waited some more...

He waited until he was the last person in the fucking classroom. Obito glared at Bitch-sensei, sending the last trio off to who-knows-where, as if his eyes would make time move faster or convince the stupid teacher to just fucking pick him already.

...he was sure the Sharingan can do one of those two things...

It was probably the speeding of time.

Uchiha is the coolest clan, so it must be that.

"Uchiha Obito..." The man he had a relationship of mutual hate for muttered his name and scoffed when he realized who it was. The Inuzuka let the tension build just so that his last student that managed to scrape off the title "dead-last" could suffer under him one last time. He waited for the Uchiha to groan in frustration before voicing out his orders. "Rooftop, now."

Obito spluttered.

"What the hell kind of order is that?!"

The Inuzuka glared and snarled.

"It's the kind of order that will make me revoke your forehead protector if you don't move your ass this instant!"

Obito remained in his seat for a few seconds out of spite and slowly trudged his way to the rooftop.

Hmph, stupid Bitch-sensei, thinking that he's always going to be scared of him. Well not anymore! Uchiha Obito is a certified ninja now! He's going to save princesses, damsels in distress, end the war and bring peace to Konoha. Look out, world, a new shinobi is standing before you right here, right now and his name is Uchiha Obito!

"Yeah!" He exclaimed, letting all his energy go through that one action as he burst through the door, a bored, silver-haired kid that was leaning on the railing gazed up from his book and raised an eyebrow while the blonde man in a chunin vest widened his eyes in surprise next to him. He immediately turned red and sheepish. How lame! Burying the shame and humiliation, and avoiding spluttering and saying things that he might later regret, he took a closer examination of his team. That tall guy was obviously his new Sensei and that silver-haired kid with a face that looked so utterly punchable was...

No!

"What are you doing here?!" He pointed at Bakashi's irritating face. The sullen boy sneered through the mask before mock-rubbing his ears clean. "Not so loud. It's 12:00pm. You'll disrupt the peace." He obnoxiously claimed, rubbing his ears irritating Obito.

Minato sighed inwardly. Two seconds in and they're already fighting. He had his hopes up when they seemed to recognize each other until they started exchanging blows. Team work could either make or break the team if they lacked it and one major aspect of teamwork actually liking your teammates. It was optional but it is recommended and made things way easier.

"Now, now, you two. This is the first day of being a team and youre already fighting." Namikaze Minato chastised with patient tone. The two boys stopped snarling (what the…?) at each other, took a glance at their cheerful sensei and crossed their arms, looking at everything except at each other. It was mostly Obito who was snarling while Kakashi just emitted a low sound at the back of his throat. He hoped that the third wouldn't be as difficult. She did have a reputation to be a good teammate from what he heard and what he experienced but she might be...problematic according to the Hokage.

Speaking of the girl...where was she?

"Hey, uh, sensei?" Obito piped up. "Is it just us or is there a third guy coming? Bit...Dog-sensei didn't really announce your names so..." He scratched his cheek with a little blush as he voiced out Minato's own thoughts.

"Ah, well, I'm Namikaze Minato and this here-" He put his hand on Kakashi's head as an arm rest; the boy did a little 'oopmh' but remained silent for the most part. "-is Hatake Kakashi. It seems you two have met."

The shared sneer and aura of dislike told him he was right in the worst way. He has a lot to work on if he wants to make sure these two want to survive in the same cell, huh? "As for our third member, I actually don't know where she is. She's late." He admitted, watching a purple butterfly flutter around, coming from nowhere.

As if on cue, a dark chocolate haired girl opened the door. She might have looked proper and clean but the vibe she was giving off said that she just woke up from a nap. She blinked her diluted eyes, opening them back to see focused and cold again before focusing. Was she on a genjutsu or something?

She took out a piece of paper and unfolded it in front of them. "Um...Hokage-sama just told me to come here." The Hyūga with the trademark lavender eye informed them, holding out the paper that said 'Go to the School's Rooftop for further instructions'

"So...what's the mission exactly?"

AN.

I have fulfilled 1/3 promised double posts! Anyway, I owe you guys two more double post weeks so stayed tuned for that. Special thanks to all the people that left me wonderful messages in the reviews (even if I said to just PM me but the thought is still VERY VERY VERY appreciated) and the tracks "I am Lapis Lazuli", "Mirror Gem" "Mirror Match" and everything and anything that involves Lapis Lazuli from SU. Before, Neji and Hinata was my muse but they kinda died out so my new muse is Lapis Lazuli since she reminds me of Tokina so much (especially in the later episodes of the show). Anyway, remember to drink a lot of water and ENJOY LIFE :) (I can't remember if I put an "enjoy life" in chapter 25 but just think that the AN for 25 and 26 is the same :D )