Note: I don't really have much of an upload schedule planned for this story, though I have about 25,000 words already written and ready to go so I'll probably release a new chapter once or twice a week so I can pace myself. I feel like the next couple of chapters will clear up some confusion about Kana's relationship with Neji, since a few people have already inboxed me about it. They are not even remotely romantically involved, their relationship is more like that of close siblings. I felt it would have been too easy to allow her to have a romance like that, and I'm not a big fan of the childhood lovers trope, so don't read too much into their closeness.

A gale rolled through the fifth training ground. Kana leaned her head back and felt the wind brush against her skin and through her hair; around her, leaves bumped against each other and branches bowed in the direction of the breeze. She leaned her head back and looked up at the clear sky through the squirming trees through the holes of her mask. While it wasn't necessary for her to wear her Anbu uniform in a situation like this, she wanted the genin to be aware that today she was facing them as a member of Konoha's Anbu Black Ops. Not a childhood friend.

"They're approaching the clearing," Guy said through the earpiece attached to her neck, "Ready?" Kana pushed the button on the collar and gave a thumbs up to her partner, who was sitting only a few dozen meters away in a tree. "All set on my end. You nervous to fight Lee?"

The genin were too close for him to give a verbal response, so Guy merely shook his head. She knew he was lying, the man hated actually harming Lee and with the exams starting in just a few hours she knew he was anxious to see how he would hold his own against strong opponents.

With them already being aware of their location, the two jonin had an advantage over Guy's pupils; judging by how they constantly looked over their shoulders, they had no idea where they were so far. That wasn't going to last long, not with Neji's Byakugan. Kana stood up on the branch she had been lounging on and jumped back a few trees as the team suddenly split up and ran into different directions. What were they doing? They had grown exponentially since graduating the academy but did they really think they were capable of taking down the pair in one-on-one combat?

'No, wait…'

She saw that Neji and Tenten had curved paths, with Lee only appearing to be taking Guy on his own. Kana knew that Neji had already pointed out her location, so why completely ignore her…?

To trick her into rushing in to take them off guard; with Neji's Byakugan he would be able to tell when she was approaching so they could turn on her, like a reverse surprise attack. Smart. Kana smiled as she saw Tenten throw a kunai with a paper bomb in various trees as she ran. Traps. Kana heard the poof of her shadow clone being formed next to her. Neji wouldn't be able to tell her shadow clone from herself, but she didn't want to bother with trying to trick them; she dashed off of the tree branch and sprinted towards the group as they engaged their sensei. Her clone began to follow Tenten, stopping only long enough to use her chakra to disable the traps.

The shinobi threw a set of shuriken at her biggest threat, Neji, who grabbed a kunai as he spun around to deflect them. Just as Kana expected him to. Knowing he wouldn't need it any longer, Neji threw the kunai at his new opponent and charged at her. Kana activated her Kurogan and watched the world around her transform into a white, grey and blue world where the humans morphed into phantom-looking figures made of chakra. Her own black chakra flowed through her hands and out of the tenketsu in her hands as she dashed backwards, sliding to a stop on the forest floor. Neji seemed to be unaware of the fact she was separating him from the group, throwing out a palm in his first attack. Kana side stepped the attack and grabbed his arm, kicking out her leg to strike his side.

He used his free hand to grab her own leg, and Kana used the momentum to swing her body up and deliver a kick to the back of his head. The kick connected with his skull before he had a moment to think, sending him reeling. He hadn't even hit the ground before Kana flipped her wrist and sent a burst of chakra at his right kidney.

She saw the boy's chakra move to his upper arm and exit his tenketsu, twisting his body and swiping his arm up to block the attack. Huh, she wasn't aware he knew how to project that much chakra yet. Kana made sure to make a note of that new piece of information as she rushed towards her opponent, who used his other hand to perform a handspring up from the ground in a smooth save.

Not smooth enough.

Kana threw out a more controlled stream of chakra that looped around Neji's ankle and dragged him down; he clumsily hit the ground, one leg in the air, as Kana threw her other hand out in an attack directed at his chest. She jumped up just in time to avoid a jab directed at her leg. Kana had to let go of Neji's leg as she twirled over him and redirected her attack to his left it didn't have the same force she intended to deliver, her attack landed right on point and Kana felt the pressure of her weight combined with the force of her chakra dislocate his shoulder.

Neji cried out in pain, and Kana's heart went out to him. He pushed himself back and into a crouching position even as his arm hung limp – pain was written all over his face and Kana did what she could to ignore her concern as she closed the distance between them for another attack. The problem with their attack types is that blocking Neji's attack would result in him hitting a chakra point, and if Neji blocked hers then the force of the chakra could break whatever it hit. The end result was a fight that was very akin to a dance, with the two of them side stepping and spinning around each other to avoid being touched at all costs.

Kana dropped back under Neji's swipe and twisted to attack his hip. The boy jumped to the side and Kana's fingertips tore through his shorts – as the chakra licked Neji's skin she heard him grunt in pain and knew that he'd most likely need to be treated for burns later. As she spun back into place Neji was back on his feet, breathing harder than before. The pain of his shoulder and the burn on his leg was started to take their toll. Somewhere in the distance she heard the poof of her shadow clone finally being taken out as well as a grunt from what sounded like Lee. Good. They were still fighting.

Kana jumped back a few meters and made the appropriate hand signs for her next attack. Just as she had expected him to, Neji sprinted towards her in an attempt to hit her before she landed. "Dancing Flower Jutsu!" She threw her hands to the side and, in doing so, shot out seven balls of black chakra that curved around and flew at Neji from both sides and the front. Kana landed as he began to dodge her attack, which gave her just enough time to launch herself forward. She grabbed Neji by the throat and squeezed before he could react. Her other hand grabbed his good arm as they fell to the ground together, his look of shock turning to horror as her grip tightened around his throat and he felt Kana begin to drain his chakra.

"Lee!"

In the distance she Tenten's cry as she assumed Lee received a heavy blow from Guy. She didn't take her eyes off of Neji, but used her Kurogan to watch Guy take Tenten one-on-one now that Lee was down for the count. Neji was too weak to fight by this point so she dismounted him and removed her hands.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked worriedly, "Does it hurt too much?"

While he struggled to get his breathing under control, Neji was able to reach out and squeeze her thigh reassuringly. "I'm okay," he assured her, "Go help-"

Guy's booming laugh echoed through the forest, startling Kana and Neji both. Too exhausted to use his Byakugan, Neji propped himself up and struggled to see what happened. Apparently, Lee wasn't actually knocked out like she had assumed. He… he actually played dead long enough for Guy to stop paying attention to him; Guy removed the row of kunai that had him pinned to a tree. She assumed Tenten pinned him there while Lee snuck up from behind to grab the bell. She smiled at their success and turned back to her injured friend; slipping her hand into her pouch, Kana felt around for her bandages and healing ointment. She didn't normally bring these things with her but felt it would be appropriate for the situation. "You're sure you're okay?"

Neji gave her a gentle smile but looked disappointed, "Be honest," he said softly, "Did you go easy on me?"

The kunoichi bit her lip and was glad he couldn't see past her mask as she applied ointment to the burned area on his thigh. "How could you tell?" she asked.

He clenched his teeth as the antibiotic ointment came in contact with the burn, though she knew his grimace was from her confirming his suspicions. "I have watched you spar with other jonin with ferocity… I didn't see that today."

As Kana taped a bandage over the burn she sighed. "I'm sorry, Neji. I-"

"Just go help Guy."

"Wow, Neji, you've seen better days."

Guy, Lee, Tenten and Kana made their way back to Neji, who had propped himself up on a tree trunk by the end of the test. Lee and Tenten weren't able to fight both Guy and Kana to get her bell within the two hour time limit, so they failed the test. The pain that had flashed across Neji's face was replaced with his trademark aloof expression. Lee punched his fist into the air and gave Kana a look of approval, "I would expect nothing less of a skilled kunoichi such as Kana! Good job!" He noticed the dark shade of Kana's hair and his look turned to one of concern. "Is Neji alright?"

"Yeah, just a small burn and a dislocated shoulder," Kana responded solemnly – they knew how close she and Neji were and there was no point in pretending she wasn't upset. Why did she suggest this? "Guy, if you could, I need help fixing his shoulder."

Guy made some sort of joke but Kana didn't pay attention. She only focused on starting the Mystical Palm Technique, the extent of her medical ninjutsu knowledge; her hands trembled slightly as Guy knelt down next to the teenager and picked up his injured arm. Her breath hitched as Neji's shoulder made a crunching sound as it was pushed back into place, his groan of pain resonating in her ears. Her hands glowed green and she placed them over the joint, eyes focused on his face as it slowly relaxed as the pain ebbed away.

"Are you going to explain why you dropped by like this, or are you just going to eat the leftovers from last night?"

Kana looked up from the bowl of rum balls she had been eating absentmindedly. Kakashi kneeled before her with a kind look in his eye, "I also don't think you can actually get drunk off of those. Kurenai likes them strong, but only about two cups of rum go into the recipe." He took the bowl out of her lap and placed it onto his coffee table, replacing it with a reassuring hand. "You wanna talk about what's wrong?"

"I hurt Neji today," she started, "I held back, but I still... Ripped his arm from its socket. The entire bell test was over in a few minutes at best." Her green eyes rose to meet his gaze, "What if he doesn't make it through the Chunin Exams?"

Kakashi sighed and reached up with his other hand to play with the end of her now black braid, "Neji will do fine, sweetheart," he said gently, "He's one of the most skilled shinobi I've seen in years. He's smart, too." He moved from his kneeling position to sit next to Kana on the sofa, facing her so that one leg was propped up against the back of the sofa and one leg was hanging off the edge, "You were promoted to jonin at age 9. You've been in Anbu for 7 years and wield a very unique variant of your kekkei genkai. Even I have trouble fighting you, even though I'm ten years your senior and have the Sharingan."

She could still hear the sound of Neji's shoulder popping.

"Neji is going to be facing other genin with his teammates. I have no doubt in my mind that they'll make it."

In her heart she knew that Kakashi was right. Neji was an extremely skilled shinobi, she was just better. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread in her stomach as the second stage of the exams drew closer, though. Her eyes watched Kakashi's fingers remove her hair tie and loosen her lightening braid. Her hair fell over her face as his fingers moved up the braid and wiggled to shake the braid out.

"I always liked your hair," Kakashi said softly, "It's so exotic, though I imagine it sucks to be unable to hide your emotions from others."

"Kakashi, why do you always tell people you've never passed a student?" Kana raised her eyes to meet his and it was clear that she had caught her old friend off guard. For a moment he just stared at her and the sight was like this bizarre phenomenon that she would miss if she blinked; his thin lips were slightly parted, mimicking his widened eyes. He regained his composure quickly, though, and his brow furrowed as he organized his thoughts. "Well, honestly, it's because I never officially passed you myself," he responded, "I was still in Anbu. I mean, sure, I acted as a stand-in jonin-sensei for a majority of your training as a genin, but the Hokage was the one that put you into the Chunin Exam, you know that. Why are you asking this?"

The kunoichi looked at the nearly-empty bowl of rum balls. "Would you... Would you have passed me, though, if you had been given a say?"

A long sigh escaped his lips and Kakashi scratched the back of his head with the hand that wasn't still entangled in her hair, "No."

Kana looked down at the hands she held in her lap. "Oh."

Her disappointment must have read in her face, and her hair, because Kakashi sighed again before running a large hand through his hair. She felt her friend's arm slip around her shoulders and pull her into an unfamiliar hug. Kakashi spelled like cinnamon and musk, with a hint of rum from the single rum ball he ate earlier before the girl had commandeered the lot of them. His cheek pressed against the side of her head as she repositioned her body so that she sat between his legs. Kana didn't wrap her arms around him like he did with her, but she could hear the sound of his steady heartbeat through his t-shirt. For such a stoic man to suddenly show affection like this… It certainly caught her off guard – she was used to this kind of thing from Kotetsu and Guy, because those two were big balls of warm emotions, but the sudden intimacy from Kakashi almost felt unnatural.

One of his hands worked itself into the network of Kana's hair, and she tried to remind herself that the entire reason he became a jonin-sensei was so that he could experience this kind of humanity again. She allowed some of the stiffness in her shoulders to melt away in the hold. This new team of his was changing him. "You were so young," he muttered, "I didn't want to see you scarred by the shinobi life so early on… Like myself." The arm around her waist tightened, "You were never given a chance at having a real childhood. If you had been older, though, I would have passed you without a doubt." Kakashi pulled back and tilted Kana's face up so she locked eye contact with him, "You are a fantastic shinobi, and I'm proud to have been your teacher even if it was only for a little while."

Kana couldn't think of a response. She just blinked up at him, suddenly feeling exhausted. "I think those rum balls got me drunk, Kashi," she breathed.

The man laughed and shook his head before he stood up from the couch, "Yeah I probably should have stopped you earlier, sorry about that. Let's get you to bed."

Everything after that sentence was a blur. Kana vaguely remembered being picked up by the man and carried to the only bedroom in the apartment. She asked something about him staying with her, but remembered falling asleep alone.

"Are you nervous?"

Neji glanced up at his friend from wrapping his arm and Kana could see the dark circles under his eyes from a rough night. She could tell he didn't sleep well, if at all. "I will be fine, Kana."

She pushed herself off of the door she was leaning on and walked across the room to sit on the edge of the bed next to Neji. "Look, about the bell exercise… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, or intentionally hold myself back, I-"

"I understand," Neji cut her off. Having finished wrapping his arm, he reached up and put his hand on her shoulder, "I wouldn't want to hurt you, either, Kana. And if you hadn't held back I probably would have been seriously injured, meaning I wouldn't have been ready for the Chunin Exams."

She closed her eyes, relieved.

"Just promise me that when I start my training for the third stage you won't hold back."

Kana smiled and nodded, "I promise. I'll put in a leave request to the Hokage to personally oversee your training." She clapped his shoulder for emphasis, "Sound good?"

Neji gave a halfhearted chuckle but she could see that the idea made him happy; Guy was a phenomenal teacher, but she knew that he would be busy with Lee and Tenten. Kana was very familiar with the Hyuga ways and, while never having been a jonin-sensei, knew she would teach her friend well.

They glanced over at the clock next to Neji's bed and the lighthearted mood instantaneously dissipated; Kana could see anxiety brewing behind his stoic demeanor so she removed her hand from his shoulder and stood up. The second stage started in just two hours and he needed to meet with the rest of his squad before they made their way to the forest. She turned towards the bed as Neji stood up and gave him the best smile she could muster, though Neji only rolled his eyes. "I don't need your hair to tell me that you don't really mean that smile," he said, "You might as well not even bother."

Kana sighed and just pulled her friend into a tight hug. She could feel his heartbeat racing even through her Anbu getup and his jacket. "Never let your guard down," she whispered, voice shaking, "Stay with Lee and Tenten. Don't trust anyone in there that isn't them. People in there will try to kill you, and they're just as dangerous as the forest itself. Remember to drink water, and-"

"I know, Kana," he mumbled, "You don't need to remind me of such trivial things."

She buried her face into her friend's shoulder before they broke their embrace. Neji looked calm, almost serene – she wondered how someone as emotional as she was made it into the Anbu while Neji, a genin only a year out of the academy, managed to keep cool and composed while entering the hardest test of his life so far.

"Be safe," she breathed.

Neji didn't say anything as Kana pulled her mask over her face and forced herself to walk around Neji to his open bedroom window. As she climbed through she looked back at Neji, but he was already walking through his door. She took a deep breath and shut the window behind her.

Kotetsu was leaning against the wall as she exited, arms folded across his chest as he stared at her with an amused expression, "You know, you're pretty soft for someone that's supposed to be cold and ruthless." Unsure of what she was supposed to say, Kana remained silent as the jumped the wall that separated the Hyuga compound from the rest of the district. The man seemed to mistake her silence for offense, though, and he reached out to pat her back reassuringly. "Hey, I'm joking. Look, I heard bit about this kid and he's supposed to be some genius, right? You don't need to worry about a genius that was taught taijutsu from Guy."

"You heard most of that from me, moron," she snapped, instantly regretting it. Kana sighed and stopped in the street to rub her neck as her friend looked over at her. "I'm sorry, I…"

She heard him sigh and turn on his heel to walk back to her. She lifted her head to find reassuring eyes looking down at her in kindness. "It's fine, you're worried about him and I get that. But I really did hear some good things about the kid so I'm sure this test will be a breeze for him." Kotetsu put both of his hands on her upper arms. "Do you have time to get some breakfast? I'm going to hit up that pancake house with Izumo before heading to the training ground."

The sign of affection caused some people around them to stare and rubberneck as they walked by – what he said earlier wasn't too far from the truth from how a majority of the villagers perceived her. The Anbu were revered as cold, calculating, heartless killers that did what the other shinobi couldn't. While some of that was true, she wondered if they realized that members of Konoha's elite were still human. Either way, Kana broke eye contact to look down at his hold on her. "You know that the entire point of our masks is to protect our identity so people can't harm our loved ones, right? This kinda defeats the purpose, don't you think?"

"Loved ones, you say?" A mischievous glint appeared in his eye and Kana truly appreciated her friend's ability to diffuse tension with his natural charm. She chuckled and gently pushed the grinning man back so they could keep walking. "Sorry," she said, "I don't have a lot of time before I have to meet up with my squad. We're being stationed in the tower for the duration of stage two, and I want to stop at a convenience store to pick up food. Besides," she smirked, "You and I both know you're just going to drink a gallon of syrup."

Kotetsu scoffed, well aware of how his friends failed to approve of his intense appreciation of syrup. The pair said their goodbyes and parted at the fork in the road.