Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Maybe if I'd posted more frequently?

Chapter 10

Rin was surprised, to say the least, to meet Minato-sensei when she got out of her house in the morning. It's not every day the prospective Hokage finds the time to meet with chūnin, even if they were his students.

"Good morning, sensei!" She blurted out.

"Good morning, Rin", he answered, ruffling her hair. "You're awfully riled up this morning."

"Hey, the future Hokage just ambushed me at my doorstep! Who would react calmly to that?"

As soon as the question left her mouth, she groaned inwardly. There was one very, very obvious answer, one she of all people should have accounted for.

"Kakashi", Minato-sensei said, and laughed. His was a loud, open laugh. It made one want to laugh too. "Anyways, what are you doing with Hinote's chakra inside you?" He raised an eyebrow.

He knew. Of course he did. Sneaking this past Minato-sensei had been a pipe dream. His bingo book entry made it clear he was one of the greatest combat shinobi ever to grace Konoha, and a fūinjutsu master rivaled by few, but all that sometimes made one forget he was also a very acute sensor... a mistake most enemies made only once.

"It's- we've been- I-" She stumbled, feeling her cheeks flush.

"Rin, have you been experimenting on yourself? You know better", sensei admonished.

"But sensei, I can do this! Can't you see it? I've found a way to contain it, keep it from causing damage. We could use this to find a way to help her!"

"I know you want to help", he said, "But think about how Hinote will feel if this hurts you in any way. I don't doubt your abilities. You're my student, after all. I just worry you're being a bit reckless. You won't be able to help anyone if you get yourself hurt. Remember, as a medic-nin, you need to care for your health as well."

She wasn't quite a medic-nin—she took front line missions, and trained in combat ninjutsu—but she was the closest thing her team had to one, and she did know the tenets passed down by Tsunade-hime. Still...

"I need to do something, sensei! I can't just leave it alone and do nothing! Not again..."

She lowered her head. It felt so frustrating, being so limited in how she could help her teammates, her friends. Ninja died in war. She knew that. And yet, when she'd been the one to get captured, leaving her friend to die because she hadn't been able to do anything but cut his eye out while he lay there. She felt her own eyes becoming moist, and sensei wrapped her in a hug.

"This isn't just about Hinote, is it? Rin. Don't beat yourself up. You're a great ninja. Never tell yourself otherwise. You've done a lot, both for Hinote and for the village as a whole."

Yes, she'd helped, but it wasn't enough. She needed to do more. Hinote-chan was such a precocious girl, sometimes Rin couldn't believe she was still a toddler. Yet she was four. And at four, she lived wrapped in clothing, afraid of touching anyone. And there's nothing I can do. Such a great medic I make.

After my daily bukijutsu drills, Guy-san asked me if I'd race him to the dango shop. I was quick to accept. Though I didn't have Itachi-nii's sweet tooth, I was still quite fond of his favorite food.

This particular shop (to which Guy-san beat me soundly) was located behind the Uchiha compound, and in my mind I could already see Itachi-nii stopping by for dango after school.

There was a single girl there. She had the looks of a tween, or what passed for one among ninja. She had violet hair and brown eyes, and she wore a fishnet shirt, which looked a bit funny coupled with her mouth stuffed full of dango.

"What do we have here? Fresh meat!" She managed to exclaim through a veritable dozen of dango, eyeing me hungrily. "You got a student already, Guy? I thought you needed to make jōnin for that!"

"It's never too early to cultivate the flames of youth!" Answered Guy-san. "Why Mitarashi-san, you're welcome to join me and Hinote-chan in our youthful training!" Mitarashi? Really? Such a cheap pun.

"Oh! So you're Hinote-chan! I've heard lots about you from my teacher. He says you're 'quite a gifted sapling', which is reeeeally high praise, coming from him. Oh! By the way, I'm Mitarashi Anko." Groan. "Let's get along!"

And with that, she took to the roofs with a jump, disappearing soon after. Which left the question: who was this mysterious shinobi with an interest on me, a random toddler? Should I be worried?

"Who is Mitarashi-san's teacher, Guy-sensei?" Guy-san was partial to being addressed as "teacher". He was probably itching to make jōnin and get his own team.

"You have a keen eye, Disciple-chan! Mitarashi-san is an apprentice to none other than Orochimaru-sama, of the Sannin! To catch his notice is... notable." He seemed a bit less enthusiastic at that last part.

Him again? I had met the man not once, but twice, in the last few weeks, and now had stumbled into his disciple, to whom he had apparently talked about me enough that she remembered my name. For one known as the most withdrawn among the three, he was popping up way too frequently.

There wasn't much I could do about it, however, and thus far all my interactions with the legendary shinobi had been amicable, though creepy. Which meant this was dango time!

Once back home, I delved into my studies. Itachi-nii was supposed to start school in just over a year from now, and I was determined to follow. As an Uchiha (even an exiled one), I needed to get good grades, and my survival knowledge was lacking.

I'd never been one for hiking, or botany for that matter (not that botany from my previous world would have helped much), so I had to start from zero. I couldn't do actual survival training before the academy, so reading up on the plants and animals of the Fire Country was the best I could do.

There was a lot to learn, too: Konoha and its surroundings had interesting fauna and flora—the Forest of Death alone boasted seven species of venomous snakes, plus three different types of constrictors.

Then there was the flora: poisonous leaves, berries, barks, and barbs abounded, but what most interested me was the Konoha Wasp Berry, a venomous tree which stung nearby animals who rustled it with its long vines, so as to fertilize the soil around it.

I wonder if I can learn some poison use skills… It was highly unlikely that I would be given any practical training on it at the moment, but I could research it. One more subject to add to the list.

"The list", as it were, was growing faster than I could study, which was wholly unavoidable—there was just too much to learn in this world, if I was to make the mark. As otou-san often said, an Uchiha must always excel.

"I did it!" A very excited young man exclaimed in a cave, somewhere. I've just about gotten used to this body… Just a bit more… I'll be able to meet you guys in just a bit more… Rin… Kakashi…!

"You did quite well… Yet, can you take a dump? Eh?"

"Shut up, Guruguru."

A/N: Sorry for disappearing! Life is tough, adulting is hard. This one is short (and cliffhangery), but I have Chapter 11 mostly written and should post it next week or so. I also already know what to do with 12, so I'm on a roll!

Reviews are very very welcome, especially on my characterization.