◦•●◉✿ Take A Deep Breath ✿◉●•◦
Asuma Sarutobi.
The night was quite loud for Keiko, so when the shinobi finally stopped yelling at four in the morning she sighed in relief.
"Well, that's fine. I don't sleep much either way." She slid out of her bed, grabbing her black headband and strapping it to her left arm.
"I wonder if Naruto passed..." She muttered as she leaves her apartment with her casual outfit of black pants along with a red and black hoodie that had the Uchiha crest on it.
She walked out the complex and towards the hokage building.
Keiko took a deep breath, happy for the silence that was given as the only sound were children preparing for school or the academy.
For once a smile found its way to her face without the cause being her yellow haired friend. Her slightly blurry vision brightens as the sunlight shines her path towards the large and open building in the village.
Climbing the stairs, and passing by smiling assistants and staff who worked in the said building.
She informed the woman behind the desk of her meeting with the old man. The blue haired woman smiles and nods for the girl to go. As she follows the woman's instructions she also feels her gaze at the back of her shirt.
'People really do not know how to mind their business, do they?'
She grunts, knocking on the door and hearing many muffled voices suddenly stop.
"Come in." She opens the door with a small frown on her face and making eye contact with the hokage.
"What brings you here, Keiko?" She doesn't reply, her eyes quickly scanning the people in the room before closing in annoyance. She let's out a huff and walks towards the man, instantly stopping as two people jump in front her.
"What is it you ANBU want? I am a shinobi of the leaf, I wouldn't hurt the hokage. You, on the other hand, I wont mind breaking a few bones, you're annoying me." The hokage frowns while telling the ANBU to retreat
"But sir-!"
"She is a shinobi of the leaf! Your comrade!" The ANBU glare at the girl behind their mask before jumping away.
"Hn." She pulls out a letter from her pocket and hands it to the hokage. He takes it with a raised eyebrow and opens it.
"Why are you returning the money I gave you? And adding a few bills?" She places her hands in her pockets.
"It's been seven and a half years since that incident." A few jounins raise their eyebrows, wondering what she was speaking about.
The hokage's eyes sadden in reminiscence and guilt.
"And although I don't respect nor disrespect you-"
"Hey! Be respectful to the Sandaime!" She turns around, staring straight into the random jounins green eyes.
She directs her chakra and killing intent towards the man causing him to tense.
"Shut up."
Turning back to the hokage and ignoring the frightened jounin.
"Please don't do that Keiko. Your chakra is quite terrifying." Her eye twitches and she reluctantly obeys the hokage but continues speaking.
"As I was saying before being interrupted by some imbecile. My father quite enjoyed your presence in our house and you defended us when we disbanded from the clan. Take it as a token of thanks or whatever you want to call it. Besides, being the rightful heiress to the Uchiha clan and inheriting half of the clans money has left me quite wealthy so I do not require your help for payment."
The hokage places his pipe down with a small smile.
"Is this your way of saying your growing fond of me?"
"Hn. Don't get full of yourself." He barely manages to hide his smirk when he sees the almost invisible blush on her face.
"Of course not." He chuckles.
"Is that all you have come for?" She shakes her head, pulling papers out from her ninja pouch.
"These are the details on the next clan meeting for the Uchiha. Forgive me, I am not able to attend it this week." Hiruzen grabs the paper, skimming over it.
"Your not investing in the tools this week?"
"No, I will not. That is explained later but I rather not speak of that in a room with a bunch of idiotic jounin." Chorus of 'Hey!' or 'Brat!' are heard, though the hokage's chuckle silences them all.
"I understand your father told you to be prideful, but please do try to be respectful to your elders and senpai's please." He clears his throat.
"Very well. I will inform the others of your absence. Please, introduce yourself to the jounin in the room." She stares at him, silently refusing though his eyes told her it was an order from him.
"Hn." She turns around, staring into their eyes that would intimidate any normal child. Her gaze falls onto one man and she bows her head to him, causing some of the others to gape.
"Asuma. Always an honor to see you." He chuckles and removes his cigar, placing a hand on her head.
"I missed you too, Keiko." She glares at his hand threateningly.
"Not. The. Hair." He sweatdropps, removing his hand as her glare instantly ceases.
She looks at the rest of the people in the room, her gaze falling on a masked man and a female with red eyes along with a green spandex wearing man.
Her position shifts into a slightly defensive and cautious one, a few people only noticing it.
"Relax Keiko. They have no intention of harming you, they are your comrades after all."
"They are known across the lands. It is only natural that I am cautious." The silver haired man stares at her piercing his onyx eyes through her own intimidatingly.
Keiko would be lying if she said he hadn't intimidated her (Only slightly though). It annoyed her greatly, that this man out of all the men and women she had met through her years of travelling, would be one of three that intimidated her.
"Erm." The clearing of a throat causes the two of them to break their staring contest.
"Keiko. Your Sharingan." She blinks and suddenly the famous eyes had disappeared.
She bows her head towards the strongest man in the village.
"Forgive me, Sandaime-Sama." He nods with a sigh.
"Shouldn't you be at the academy?"
"I don't necessarily enjoy being in the same room as snot-nosed kids."
"Is Naruto one of those kids?"
"Of course not." She snarls as another kind and smug smile makes it's way to the hokage's face.
"Well, he's there now so please go before Iruka here is angered further." She blinks, searching the room for the brown haired man.
Her eyes narrow onto his form and he looks at her blankly.
"Iruka." She bows, having noticed the slight chakra change on his back.
"When did you get injured? And why is Narutos chakra on you?" His eyes widen and he looks at the hokage for help.
"That's confidential, Keiko. Don't worry about it. Iruka, in fact, helped Naruto. You are dismissed." She nods, placing her hands into the ram sign and teleporting away.
A few of the jounin let out a sigh of relief at her disappearance.
"How youthful!" Guy yells, breaking the tension in the room.
"What are you talking about, Gai? She sounds like a brat." Another jounin snarls causing the hokage to frown.
"Please do not disrespect her."
"But sir-"
"She may come off as rude, but if you get to know her you will understand that is not the case. In fact, she's quite protective of her loved ones." Their doubtful eyes cause him to sigh.
"She's on one of your teams, and judging by this meeting today, I was sure of it before but now i'm absolutely positive of who her sensei is going to be. Whoever her sensei is, I want you to get to know her away from her teammates and be as stern as you must." They nod, some wondering why a shinobi with the three tomoe sharingan would need a sensei.
'What am I going to do with you, Keiko?'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Where have you been, Keiko!?"
"I was busy, Forgive me." Naruto grins.
"Don't worry! I graduated, ttebayo! See!?" She smiles while nodding.
"How did you know I would graduate!?"
"I simply believed in you." Naruto grins once again, happy he had such an amazing friend.
A sudden rumbling causes the two speaking friends to turn their head to the door as a blur of blonde and pink fight through the door.
"I win Ino-pig!"
"Oh, Puh-lease! My foot was at least a tenth of an inch ahead of yours!" Keiko sighs, taking a seat on her desk and placing her feet on it not caring if it was seen as disrespectful.
"H-Hey, Sakura-Chan-"
"Move it!" She pushes the young boy, causing him to almost hit the floor had it not been for the fore finger and thumb that clung onto the back of his shirt.
"Thanks, Keiko-Chan!" She nods, calming herself down.
Keiko ignored the others shouting at her blonde haired friend, slowly getting annoyed but able to hide her annoyance.
"You're so dead, Naruto!" She hears the familiar pink haired female say causing her to open her eyes and sit up.
She glances at the group of females throwing their fists at her friend and just before they collide with his face, it was as if time froze.
She slowly walked in front of Naruto and grabbed two fists. Once she has the two fists in her grip everything resumed.
"NARUTO-! W-What...?!" Everyone gapes at their new classmate, wondering how she had gotten in front of them. Before they can ask though, she snaps her onyx eyes open with a glare that shook them to their cores.
"What the hell do you think you're doing to Naruto?"
"N-Nothing!" Two girls squeak as their fists start to redden from her grip.
"Oh? Because what I see is you pigs trying to injure my friend."
"Keiko...It's okay! They were just joking, right?" He looks at the girls who were nodding their heads frantically. She rose her head and nose in the air slightly, as if looking down on them before releasing their fists.
"I may not look like I don't listen, but getting angered over a boy is disgusting. I'll say this now." Her glare intensifies.
"Quit being a shinobi, you worthless brats. If you think you're going to simply live freely when you're on missions, think again."
"K-Keiko...That was kind of rude..." She looks back at the boy, her eyes softening instantly at the sight of his blue orbs.
"Forgive me, my friend. But you must understand I only speak the truth, have I ever lied to you?" He shakes his head.
"Exactly." She turns back to the girls, bowing her head.
"Forgive me, I am in no place to lecture you as I am not your sensei." See? She did know respect.
"Tch." Keiko clicks her tongue and places her hands on top of her throbbing eyes.
"Damn...!" Naruto looks at her in concern.
"What's wrong?!" She peaks her eyes open, looking at his slightly blurry figure.
"What? I'm fine. Lets-"
"Everyone! Please sit down!"
"-Sit down...."
◦•●◉✿✿◉●•◦
"She's back." Asuma says as they watch the raven haired girl place her feet on the desk and rest her eyes. The hokage sighs and watches her stiff figure seemingly 'rest' in class, when in truth she was always on guard.
"They're...Kissing?" Kurenai giggles at the two before composing herself. They watch as the girls yell and charge at Naruto, thrusting their fists forwards only for them to be caught.
"What...The hell? She didn't even move!" Asuma exclaimed, wondering how the young heiress had managed to get there without moving.
"Did you see anything, lord hokage...?" The elder man shakes his head with wide eyes, picking up the pipe he had dropped.
"She indeed did not move."
"Teleportation jutsu?" One suggested only for another to disagree.
"I don't think so..."
"Is she actually apologizing? Maybe she isn't so bad, huh..." Kurenai says, looking at the girl who bowed and apologized to the shaking girls.
Kakashi's one eye narrows at her form as she rubs her eyes with her hands causing the hokage and his eyes to widen as they glance at each other.
'Could it be...?!'
Maybe she had a reason for being so prideful? Maybe she had every right to be prideful?
He would just have to wait and see.
Chapter End~
(Edited May 14, 2021)