After the Orochimaru incident, I have been training everyday till I almost pass out. Ai, Kenji and Haruto have been helping me train. Shikaru got Fuguka to put me under a genjutsu of Orochimaru while I trained with him.
"Aimi-chan, I'll be putting you under a genjutsu randomly while we train," said Fuguka. I nodded and we begun the training. In the beginning it went well, I deflected some shuriken and kunai, until I saw a silhouette in the distance. It was Orochimaru, just standing there. I froze up and got hit with three shuriken.
"AIMI!" yelled Fuguka and rushed towards me. I pulled out the shuriken and started healing myself.
"I'm fine, don't worry! I just froze up for a bit... Let's just continue," I said and brushed myself off. Fuguka had a worried look before his eyes sharpened and nodded.
After that day, I went home. I was tired and mentally exhausted. I forced myself to take a shower and went straight to bed. I heard some soft pitter patter outside my door, and felt it was Naruto. He knocked on the door.
"Nee-chan?" I heard Naruto call.
"Come in," I said and turned in my bed to face the door. In entered Naruto with a tray of food.
"Mom said to bring you food," he said as he placed the food on the bedside table and crawled into my bed to give me hug.
"Thanks Naruto-kun," I said and hugged him. He squeezed me tightly.
That's how two weeks went by. I could now continue training without freezing up, when I randomly saw Orochimaru standing in the distance.
"We'll now try with Orochimaru randomly popping up near you and trying to touch you. Think you can handle it?" asked Fuguka worried.
"Probably not, but I don't want to cower in fear," I answered. He nodded and we trained. This time Orochimaru would pop up near me and try to touch me. I screamed when a finger brushed me and started hyperventilating. Shisui was immediately at my side.
"AIMI! Listen to my voice! You're okay, he's not there! You are okay. You are okay." said Shisui as he hugged me. He kept repeating 'you are okay' over and over again until I could breathe normally again. I cried, and after crying for a bit, I stopped. I felt tired and fell asleep in Shisui's arms.
I was laying on the grass in the Uchiha compound with Shisui by my side, sleeping and holding my hand. I smiled and fell asleep again. This practice went on for 10 days.
"So Aimi-hime. Seems like you have quickly gotten used to 'Orochimaru' while training," said Shigure. I nodded with a big smile.
"Yep!" I exclaimed proudly.
"Any nightmares or dreams you would like to talk about?" Shigure asked.
"Nope! I don't have any nightmares about Orochimaru anymore!" I said with a gleam in my eyes.
"Really? I'm happy to hear that," said Shigure with a smile, "Well then, this will be the last session we have together. It was a pleasure and an honor to help you, Aimi-chan."
"Thank you so much for helping me, Shigure-san, I couldn't have asked for a better psychiatrist," I said and bowed.
"Hopefully we will see each other, not in sessions, but outside," said Shigure and patted my hair. I smiled and nodded.
Now I could finally go on missions again. After all this training and help, I have definitely improved. In the beginning, I would freeze up, get scared and get panic attacks. But after a while, I started to be able to handle being in front of Orochimaru again. It took me a month to get back on my feet, but I'm allowed to travel out again, after clearing me ready for duty.
:-D
After getting cleared for duty, it was just in time for my birthday! It's mid April, so the weather is great! The flowers are blooming beautifully in the park, so I often summon my butterflies so they can get some delicious nectar.
"Aimi-chan! Happy birthday!" yelled Naomi while waving both arms. Tagging along with her is Shiana.
"Thank you! What brings you here?" I asked.
"I heard rumors in the clan that you are ready for duty again! I'm so happy for you! I was so worried you would be scarred for life!" said Naomi as she hugged me tightly while crying.
"Yeah, we were all worried about you since the whole Orochimaru incident. But I knew you could toughen through it," said Shiana while ruffling my hair.
"Yeah, I didn't want my ninja career to end at age 10!" I said while smiling.
"So, any big plans for your birthday?" asked Shiana.
"Well, I was thrown outside by Kushina and Yuuki. Seems like they wanted to prepare my birthday party, so I have to wait in the park until they are ready," I said as I watched the butterflies eat.
"Hm, maybe that's why..." drawled Shiana as she held her head with her hand on her chin.
"You said something?" I asked.
"Oh, it's nothing important. Well then, we'll hang out with you! Must be boring being out here alone," said Shiana as she laid down on the grass.
"Yeah! We'll keep you company! Listen to this! Atsuki-kun keeps trying to romance Haruhi, but he just keeps failing!"
.
.
.
When dinner time started to near, my mom appeared.
"Mom!" I said as I hugged her.
"Hello sweetie. I came here to pick you and your friends up. Your birthday party is ready now," she said as she petted my head.
"Really?! Oh I can't wait!" I said while jumping up and down. We headed to the Uzumaki compound, where I felt many chakra signatures. As we walked inside the Uzumaki banquet hall, I gasped. The kazekage and his children, the tsuchikage and his men, Itsuki, grandpa Umi and Chikao, Hiruzen, Tsunade and Jiraya, and all my friends and family were here. The clan heads and their children along with the council were here, even Danzo.
"AIMI! I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE BACK AGAIN!" Akira and Akio tackled me to the ground, when I walked up to them.
"Yeah, it's been hard keeping Akira under control since you've been gone," said Shinji, pushing up his glasses.
"I'm glad my cute genin is back on her feet. Here's your birthday present. From your team to you," said Benjiro as he handed me a present. I wrapped it open and it was some beautiful white kimono with butterflies patterns sewed into it.
"It's beautiful! Thanks guys!" I said and hugged my team.
"Here Aimi-chan," said Kabuto. It was a small box and when I opened it, it was butterfly and moth themed playing cards and hairclips.
"This is lovely! Thank you so much Kabuto-kun!" I said and hugged him.
"You're welcome," said Kabuto as he hugged me back.
"Aimi-chan. This is from all of us in the Uchiha clan," said Sasuke. I opened the present, and it was beautiful jewelry that is butterfly themed.
"This is so beautiful! Thank you!" I said and hugged Sasuke tightly. He hugged me back with a small smile.
"Is that a smile I see on the always serious Sasuke?" teased Shisui. Sasuke quickly left my hug and stomped away.
"NO! I, ugh, leave me alone! You're so annoying," complained Sasuke to Shisui as he ran over to Itachi. I chuckled and said my thanks to the Uchiha family. Then I felt a tapping on my back, I turned and saw Ino there.
"Come with me! Your gift is outside!" exclaimed Ino as she dragged me outside. "Aimi-chan! This is from the Yamanaka clan!" exclaimed Ino. There were many beautiful flowers planted in the Uzumaki compound.
"This is amazing! Thank you!" I said and hugged Ino, and thanked the rest of the Yamanaka family.
"This is from the Akimichi clan," said Choji, as he handed me a scroll with food names on it.
I squealed and hugged him, "Thank you so much!" I said and went over to thank the rest of the Akimichi family.
"Mah, here you go troublesome birthday girl," said Shikamaru and handed me rare books on medicine, herbs and plants.
"Thank you, my tired Nara," I said and ruffled his hair. He grumbled and muttered something under his breath, while we went over to his family. I thanked the rest of the Nara family for the gift.
"This is from the Aburame clan," said Shino. He gave me books on moths and butterflies, as well as butterfly and moth themed bookmarks.
"I love it so much! Thank you!" I said and hugged Shino. I followed him over to his parents and I said my thanks.
"This is from the Hyuga clan," said Hinata. It was some expensive cosmetics and hair products.
"Thank you! I'll be sure to use it sparingly!" I said and hugged Hinata. I thanked the Hyuga family.
"Here you go nee-chan! This is from the Uzumaki clan!" said Naruto. It was a beautiful and silky smooth kimono with the Uzumaki crest.
"Thank you so much!" I said and hugged Naruto. I went over and hugged my parents, Minato and Kushina.
"This is from the Haruno family. It's not much but I hope you'll like it," said Sakura. It was a small Sakura tree in a pot.
"Thank you! I love it," I said and hugged her, and then went over and said thanks to her parents.
"Aimi-nee-chan! This is from the land of sand!" said Gaara and Rada unsealed something. There were many beautiful vases that were butterfly and moth themed.
"Oh my god I love it! Thank you!" I said and hugged Gaara.
"Do you like it? It was my idea to give you butterflies and moth vases!" said Temari as she hugged me.
"Really? "Thank you Temari-chan!" I said.
"Temari is really good at giving gifts!" said Kankuro. Gaara nodded in agreement. I walked away and went over to Onoki and his men.
"This is from the land of stones," said Onoki. It was a tea sets in butterfly and moth themes.
"Thank you, Onoki-ojii-san!" I said and hugged him.
"Aimi-chan. This is from the land of steel," said Umi. It was a brand new camera that was butterfly themed.
"Thank you so much Ojii-san!" I said and hugged him.
"Now everyone. When Aimi-chan blows out her candles, we'll all say happy birthday together," said my dad, "Ready? 3, 2, 1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" everyone said as I blew out my candles.
:-D
I was walking home when I saw Itachi parting ways with a girl, and when she was out of sight, I suddenly heard, "Come on out Aimi-chan," said Itachi.
"You caught me," I said while giggling, "So... Who was that girl? If my information gathering is correct she's Izumi... Right?" I said while poking Itachi's cheek with a big grin. He groaned and pushed my hand away.
"Yes. This is the reason I didn't want to tell you or the others," said Itachi with a heavy sigh.
"I know. Don't worry, I won't tell the others. I'm good at keeping secrets," I said with a wink, "but I get even better at keeping it a secret if I get some dango, from time to time," Itachi smiled and shook his head. We then went over and got some dango.
:-D
"Good morning team 1. This will be your mission. You have to escort and protect a young noble girl home to the land of stone. Her name is Arisu Minamoto. She's a few years older than you. She'll be ready at the gates in two hours. Also, I have put an extra ninja to protect Aimi-chan," said Minato as he handed the scroll to Benjiro.
"Understood," we all said in unison. I quickly hugged Minato goodbye and went home to pack. I was the first to get ready and waited at the gates.
"Excuse me, may you be one of the ninjas that'll be escorting me home?" said a beautiful voice. I turned around and saw an elegant young girl, with black hair and purple eyes, with tan skin.
"Yes, I'll be one of the ninjas escorting you. I'm Aimi Uzumaki, it's a pleasure to meet you" I said and bowed.
"My, how adorable. I'm Arisu Minamoto. It's an honor to meet the heir to the once fallen Uzumaki clan. Your mother and father are quite incredible, rebuilding the Uzumaki clan," she said with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Minamoto-sama. It makes me happy that a high ranking noble such as yourself pays so much attention to the Uzumaki clan," I said.
"Well of course I would be interested in the clans in Konoha! Especially yours, since your Hokage married an Uzumaki. Oh and call me Arisu," said Arisu.
"Well then, you can call me Aimi," I said. Like that, she and I chatted until Benjiro and the rest showed up. Suddenly I saw a person, in all green, running really fast towards us. He landed in front of us, and took my hands in his.
"WHAT A YOUTHFUL PERSON! JUST AS I EXPECTED! YOU MUST BE THE ONE TO HAVE HELPED MAKE MY RIVAL LESS GLOOMY!" he yelled.
"Oh, um, hello, I'm Aimi Uzumaki, what's your name?" I asked. He held my hands closer to his chest.
"I'm Maito Gai! Kakashi's eternal rival! I finally get to meet the infamous Aimi-chan!" he exclaimed.
"Infamous?" I asked.
"You're quite popular! I can feel that Kakashi is at ease when he talks about the Uzumaki clan!" explained Maito Gai.
"Ah, well, I think I heard Kakashi talk about you as well, Gai-san," I said. He gasped and put his face closer to mine.
"Really?! Oh please do tell! What did he say? Wha-" before he could continue, Benjiro came and pulled him away.
"Alright, Gai-san, that's enough," Said Benjiro.
"Benjiro-san! It's a pleasure working with you again!" said Maito Gai.
"I also look forward to working with you again, but maybe you could be more considerate of my students. Your energy can be a bit much for people who just met you," said Benjiro and let him go.
"Oh yes, of course! Thank you for the reminder, Benjiro-san!" Gai then turned to me and bowed deeply, "My apologies Uzumaki-san! I didn't mean to overwhelm you!"
"You're forgiven, and please call me Aimi," I said.
"Alright! Aimi-chan, I have a feeling we'll be great friends!" exclaimed Gai.
"Me too. I look forward to this mission with you," I said. Gai beamed and smiled brightly.
"I have a good feeling about this escort," said Arisu while laughing.
After a bit, Shinji, Akira and Akio showed up.
"Well then, Minamoto-sama, we'll be traveling slowly to the land of stones and making stops at inns. We have warm food in storage seals, so you don't have to worry about food. Ready to go?" asked Benjiro.
"I'm ready. And everyone, please call me Arisu." said Arisu.
We then headed out with a carriage. There was a man who took care of the horses, a lady in waiting for Arisu and a butler.
"I'm Riza, Arisu's lady in waiting," said the black haired and black eyes woman.
"I'm Dai, Arisu's butler," said the tall and dark skinned man.
"Now that we all have introduced ourselves, let's get going!" said Arisu excitedly.
Like that we traveled together peacefully to the land of stones.
"Hello, is it possible to have two rooms next to each other?" asked Benjiro. The woman looked up from her magazine and blushed.
"Oh, um let me check," she said and checked some papers, "Yes, here we go! Room 8 and 10 are free and they are right next to each other.
I had the last watch over Arisu. Around 7 in the morning, Arisu woke up.
"What a beautiful sunrise," said Arisu and walked over to me, as I was standing by the window. We both enjoyed it until we heard someone huff loudly. We looked at each other confused and then looked outside the window. We saw Gai running around on his hands?
"Impressive..." we both said at the same time. We looked at each other and giggled. Riza is awake and is now with Arisu in the bathroom. After getting ready she went over to me.
"So... You like muscles too?" asked Arisu with a raised eyebrow. I was taken aback by the question, and then started blushing.
"Well, I do like muscles," I said and brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear.
"Mhm. Then you'll like the men in Iwagakure," said Arisu with a smile. I blushed even more and hid my face behind my hands. The rest woke up and we got ready to continue traveling.
"So, got any other places you wanted to visit?" asked Akira as we ate dinner.
"Yes, actually. I always wanted to visit many other hidden villages, like the land of waves. But that village hasn't been peaceful with their Kage, so I can only hope that in the future, it'll become more peaceful," said Arisu.
"Yeah me too. It's really sad with all that is happening there," I said as I finished the food.
"Agreed," said everyone.
We have now crossed the borders to the land of stones and were traveling along a stoney hill, when Shinji signaled that enemies were approaching. I felt someone was crawling near me and I got ready to attack. They quickly made a spike from under me, but I quickly jumped away and stood in front of Arisu.
"Arisu, when I give this signal," I said, showing a rock and roll hand sign, "You make a run for it with Riza and Dai. Shinji will help lead you away… Got it?" I said and she nodded. An enemy ran towards her, and I quickly took out two kunai in each hand coated with paralysis poison.
"Come on little girl. What cha going to do, hit me?" he said and laughed, taunting me by putting down his defense.
"Not really my style," I said and grazed him with my kunai. He snorted and started taunting me. I kept grazing him with my kunai and after a while, his right leg was paralyzed. He fell to the ground.
"You bitch!" he growled and made a jutsu. It was earth clones, and they both kicked me. One kicked me first on the side of my head and then the other kicked me in the stomach. I hadn't noticed I was so close to the cliff, and I was unconscious when I fell down into a river.
:-D
I woke up a bit later on the ground, wrapped in bandages. I sat up clumsily and saw something blue, broad and tall.
"Thank you for saving me," I said and started healing myself. He stood there staring at me for a bit.
"Something wrong?" I ask.
"Aren't you, you know?" he hinted at his face. I tilt my head in confusion.
"I'm what?" I ask.
"Afraid?" he ask.
"Why would I be afraid? Do I have a reason to be afraid?" I ask.
"Well usually people are afraid of me," he said.
"Because you're blue?" I said, "That's racist." He snorted and started laughing.
"No cause I look like a shark," he said and bared his teeth.
"Oh... That's… Still... racist?" I questioned. He stifles a laugh.
"Now you've got me curious. Why aren't you afraid?" he asks.
"Cause I don't judge a person by their looks," I said with a smile. He seemed taken aback by it, but gave me a smile.
"I'm Kisame Hoshigaki," he said as he held out a hand to me. I took it and he pulled me up.
"I'm Aimi Uzumaki. A pleasure," I said and bowed lightly.
"A clan heir?" he asked.
"That noticeable?" I said with an awkward smile.
"Yeah," he said and laughed.
"I should probably contact my team and tell them that I'm okay, and that they should head to a nearby town. Is there any way I can repay you?" I asked.
"Let's just say, you owe me one," he said and patted my head.
"You got it," I said and held out my hand for a handshake. We shook hands, but suddenly heard a person rush towards us.
"AIMI-CHAN!" I heard Gai scream.
"GAI-SAN! OVER HERE!" I said and waved my arms. The green beast quickly made his way to me.
"AIMI-CHAN! I SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY!" he said while hugging me. He stopped hugging me when he saw Kisame.
"This is Kisame Hoshigaki, he saved me from drowning," I said. Gai went over to Kisame and… Bowed.
"Thank you for helping us. We won't forget this kindness," said Gai. He then went over to me and turned his back to and then kneeled down.
"Come on Aimi-chan. I'll carry you," he said. I went on his back and was about to leave when he stopped. "Come on man. You deserve a good meal after all that. Aimi-chans food is the best!" said Gai and smiled. Kisame stiffened up and looked at me. I nodded and he went and got his things without complaining. We ran to the place that the rest were.
"Aimi-chan! You're okay!" said Arisu. She looked behind me and her eyes widened. I looked behind and saw that Kisame was standing a bit behind awkwardly. "That's… Kisame Hoshigaki… Right?" she said with her eyes shining. I looked at her a bit confused but nodded. She quickly went over to him with a notebook and pencil.
"I'm Arisu Minamoto. I'm a big fan of yours, Kisame Hoshigaki! Can I have your autograph?" she asked, bowing with her arms outstretched with her notebook and pencil held out. Kisame looked a bit confused, but gave her an autograph anyway.
"Thank you so much!" she said and went back to her handmaiden squealing.
"Is she always like this?" asked Kisame as he stood next to me.
"No, she's usually down to earth and elegant," I said, baffled. He nodded.
"Oi, Aimi-chan! We are ready to eat!" yelled Akira while waving.
"Come on! Let's go eat!" I said and dragged Kisame over to the table set up. That's how we spend a lovely evening, eating together and having fun. Kisame slowly warmed up to us and got more comfortable around us. We parted ways in the morning.
:-D
"We are here," said Arisu. We reached a big compound with a giant brick wall surrounding it. "Come on in! The least I can do is serve you dinner at least once." she said and showed us inside to the dinner room. There we were greeted by her father, Haruhiro.
"Thank you for safely escorting my lovely daughter Arisu. I knew this alliance with Konoha was the right choice," he said as we all ate.
"I agree father," said Arisu, "I can finally safely travel and see the world! It was so lovely to see Konoha! Father, we have to visit when the chunin exam is held there!" she said with excitement. Her father chuckles and pat her hair.
"If that's what my dear daughter wants, then so be it," he said with a smile. After that we went home, and I promised that I would send her letters, at least once a month.