Hasuka awoke to a sharp pain resounding through her head. Bringing her hands up to hold it, a soft "Ugh..." was muttered. She felt better physically than before but mentally she couldn't form a concrete thought. It wasn't just that though. She felt drained in a way that she hadn't before, no not drained, draining.
"Well, well, Miss erm, Hasuka, was it?" A voice calls out to her. Finally opening her eyes, she looks around, memories flooding back to her. Her first instinct is to flee, but now, when she needed it, the realization that her movements her groggy, sloppy even, was not the most welcome thought.
"Newly made Chunin, yes?" At her nod he continued. "So first of all, care to explain why your Chunin certificate of authentication does not match your visage?" That made her snap up, taking in her surroundings much more effectively.
"The team led by Kakashi brought you in last night, so, if you'll be so kind, we have a couple of questions for you. Firstly, real name, as no Hasuka Iryou is in the Sunagakure records other than suddenly popping up now."
"My name is Hasuka," she replies emphatically.
"Okay, next question, why were you acting as an envoy for those three?"
"Because I was told to," Hasuka explains, thinking that this was a safe answer to tell the truth about.
"Thirdly, who told you to?"
"My parents"
"And they are...?"
"Um..."
"Make sure to tell the truth, Hasuka. Your cooperation could allow for your release."
"You would let me go during a war?" She debated, not believing him for a second.
"Sure! Anything you want!"
"Umm..."
"Yes...?"
"I don't think that they would want me to tell you."
"Well if you don't prefer the easy method, there are other ways of making children like you talk," he sneers with a too-cheery grin.
"Uh..."
Running out of delaying tactics, Hasuka thought of what she could do, which wasn't much. Her energy, in minute amounts, was draining and wasn't restoring.
So she did something from what was most recent in her memory, the Chunin Exams. Connecting what energy she had to his was difficult and she shuddered at the feeling. There seemed to be a barrier around her, but it wasn't keeping in all her energy.
"What are you-"
"Taming Technique: Energy Extraction," she muttered, pulling strongly on what connection she had.
With a 'pop' the light weights that she hadn't realized on her arms and legs snapped off, not equipped to handle incoming chakra. The man slipped to the ground, unconscious as to refill his supply. The only door in the room, hidden behind the visage of the questioner, was locked from the outside.
After several tries on the handle and searching for another exit, Hasuka decided that smashing her way out would be the best course of action. So, with her newly acquired access store of energy, she focused it into her hand and broke through the door.
The dust that the explosion created made it hard to see until it cleared but she didn't care, rushing out and up a set of many stairs and semi-empty halls to the surface. From the sight of the first person, she transformed into the guise of her captor, even if it certainly wasn't perfect.
Luckily, no one stopped her as she paced through the halls until she dropped the jutsu, forming her former look with blue hair. One problem getting captured brought up was now she had no weapons. Her hair sticks were gone, along with the kunai.
Walking out of the building, she paused, not believing her luck. Obito, who was closest to her, turned in her direction and she panicked dashing out of his sight, but not quick enough. "Rin," he asked his teammate. "Does that look like Hasuka to you?"
Kakashi and Rin both turned backwards to look and sure enough, there she was, sprinting down the street. Obito started running after her, followed quickly by Rin and Kakashi who easily outpaced them.
Removing the tantou from his holster, Kakashi shoots a blast of lightning through it in her general direction. Her momentary pause at the feeling was enough for him to close the gap. With another bolt shot right in front of her, she stopped completely, moving to change directions, but it was too late.
Seeing the blade slide in front of her neck, she glanced back at Kakashi's nearing teammates. With a sigh, she released the jutsu, knowing that she was beaten. "So are you going to kill me this time or imprison me again?" She asked sarcastically.
"If you wanted death so badly, you wouldn't have escaped in the first place. This time we're going to the Hokage." He replies coldly.
To any passing person in the daylight they must have looked positively ridiculous.
Kakashi never removed the tantou from her neck until the Hokage had allowed them entry into his office. Obito held the door open while Rin followed along behind them into the study. Standing before him, Hasuka thought how old but he seemed to look.
Kakashi, upon removing the sword, remained behind her where as Rin and Obito fell into place on either side. "Sir, this is the hostage from Sunagakure we brought back. We captured her trying to escape from interrogation."
The Third Hokage gazed at her appraisingly and Hasuka had the feeling that he was looking into her soul. Thinking for a moment, he made his decision, tossing a strange looking kunai above the doorframe.
"Minato," he greets the yellow-haired newcomer. "You have a new addition to your team."
"What do you mean?" He asks, confused.
"Exactly what I said."
"But who is joining, oh. Wait how did you-"
"Do you recognize the girl?" The Hokage interrupts.
The man named Minato paused before answering, "No, I haven't seen her before." Hasuka was slightly confused. He seemed to recognize her slightly, if his pause was any indication, but the moment passed as quickly as it came.
"Then are we settled?" He asked, a slight bit of hopefulness in his voice.
"Uh, yes, but may I ask why?"
"She has just escaped from interrogation and sending her back to Sunagakure would not be well-advised. Since your team has managed to contain her twice now, they seem the most likely candidates to watch over her."
"I understand Lord Third, thank you."
"Good luck Minato, thank for your agreement."
Seeming to teleport away, he disappeared before their eyes, leaving behind a shocked audience.
"Wait, so I'm staying here? I'm joining them?" Hasuka asked incredulously.
"Yes," the Hokage answered, amused.
"But I can't stay here! I have a team back home that need me!"
"And I'm weary of this war so my decision stands," he replies easily.
"What if I run away?"
"Well your team has been given orders to stop you if you try," the Hokage explains. "Also, what if your team doesn't want you back?"
"Of course they would want me back!" Hasuka denies, bewildered.
"Are you sure...?"
The stress that he put on the question made her stop her rebuttal and think about it. Asoka would rather wish that her spot be filled with their cousin, Emoda might, but he was still wary around her, even with their beginning friendship.
Her parents would probably accept her back, but the more she thought, the more distressed she became. She had failed her first mission, an easy task that didn't require much effort other than keeping an extra key open. Would they really take her back after a failure like that?
Even Garoma, her pet, her friend, her teacher, wanted nothing to do with her anymore. From all angles, it didn't look like there was much left of her there to return to. Hasuka made up her mind. "Okay," she decides, bowing before the Third.
Rising from the position, she unties the forehead protector at her waist and holds it out to him. "If I'm cutting all ties to Suna, then I have no need for this."
Not even giving it a glance he replies, "Keep it, you still aspire to be a medic-nin don't you?"
Hasuka grips the cloth and metal, forcing her eyes to stop watering. "I'll keep it, but I no longer have a desire to be a healer."
"No?" He asks, genuinely surprised. "Are you sure?" This time Hasuka refused to be swayed by his words.
"Yes, I'm sure. I'll use my talents in a more useful way for battle."
"As you wish."
Their audience with the Hokage finished, Hasuka realized that she had no idea where she was going to live. "Wait just a moment, I forgot to ask him something..." she explains quickly, already turning around to head back inside.
"Not so fast," Kakashi mutters, a little pissed off with the situation. "We're coming with you."
Grumbling quietly to herself, the four-man squad makes their way back inside and enters the room once more.
"Sorry to bother you Hokage-sama, but, um...where exactly am I going to stay while I live here?"
"Hm...I suppose you could stay with a teammate." At the horrified looks on their faces me chuckles to himself and instead shuffles around the piles of papers on his desk. "No...instead we'll have you use an empty apartment. It isn't anything exciting but the tenant before you has passed on."
"Oh..." Hasuka mutters, a little apprehensive.
"Let's see, someone could probably show you, but it's straight out and take your first left, from there your third right should put you onto the street and...ah yes, the building would be on your right. Here's all that you should need..." He explains, writing out the paperwork.
"Hand this to the landlord and you shouldn't have any problems other than a monthly fee."
"And how will I be able to pay that?"
"Well missions of course. Even during a war, there is still a small amount of money to be had for Ninja who put in service."
"Would it be too much trouble to have my weapons back?" She added hopefully.
The Third chuckled at her expression before pointing at a large chest located next to his desk.
"They should be in there."
"Thank you again Hokage-sama," she thanks, bowing once more.
"Goodbye Hasuka," he dismisses them.
In a very different reality from his sister's, Akino had almost gotten him. If he had been a second quicker, the Yellow Flash would have been his, but alas, he was not. In the meantime, until the yellow hair reappeared on the battlefield, Akino chose to rest. Choosing a comfy tree, he watched the ensuing battle with boredom. Some time to think wasn't always a bad thing.
War was fun at first, the thrill of battle and blood had begun to wear off on the teen, leaving only sighs and dulling his senses. He reflected a moment on if he should throw in the towel, move on to something more exciting. Fighting was great and all, don't get him wrong, it just wasn't doing anything for him.
Seeing the strikingly bright hair rejoin the enemy ranks, he released another sigh and dropped from his perch. He would continue until his master told him to stop or he died, he really didn't care which. Either way he would finally be done with the same battle day after day.
"Asuka..." Emoda wailed, not holding back his tears. His brother, he-he was dead. It was all because of her, Hasuka. The doctors had said as much. If the wound had been allowed to heal from the inside out. He could have been saved, but no, she thought that she knew what she was doing when she trapped all of the blood underneath the skin.
She was no medic, the belt she wore was a cruel lie. Hasuka had almost killed him, now Asuka was dead. Drying his tears, he vowed before his dead brother's body that he would get his revenge. Asuka had never liked the girl, for a reason that he now understood. Emoda rushed quickly from the hospital, searching for where Hasuka would live.
He vaguely remembered the address that they had been given in the beginning, so when he reached the house that he thought it was, he was thankful that her parents opened the door. "Is Hasuka here by any chance?" He asked, perhaps a little too hopefully.
"No," her father replied. "She is out on a mission right now, in fact she should be returning in the next few days."
"Oh, what kind of mission?"
"She is escorting a Konohagakure team who came to watch the Chunin Exams safely to the Land of Fire. Why?"
"I wanted to personally tell her that Asuka has died as of this morning."
"Oh my God," her mother gasps, joining in the conversation.
"Yes, so I will take my leave of you now, please let me know when she returns."
"Of course, dear."