I walked to our usual meeting spot only to find that none of my teammates were there. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Where the hell are they? I decided to go ask the Hokage about my team's whereabouts. The Hokage...now that I think about it, I haven't seen her since that time at the hospital with Sasuke.
When I arrived at the door of her office, I hesitated to knock. Finally, after a while of standing there, I lightly hit my fist against the door.
"Come in," I heard a female voice call out. I took a deep breath and walked in. I bowed my head in respect.
"Hello, Lady Hokage. I am Hotaru Hamasaki and I would like to know the whereabouts of my team, Team 7," I said and she gasped. I looked up, my head tilted at her widened eyes.
"So you're Hotaru, huh?" she asked, looking down. I nodded slowly.
"Yes, I am...is something wrong?" I asked and she looked up.
"Before she died, Michi-" she started to say but I glared at her menacingly.
"I would rather you not talk about her," I mumbled and she frowned.
"Please let me finish speaking, thank you. Michi told me a lot about you, like the fact that you were training under her for a few months. I also understand that you were training to be a medical Ninja," she started and I sighed.
"That doesn't matter anymore. Why are you telling me this anyways?" I asked with a slightly annoyed tone.
"She asked me, as her closest friend, to protect you. With her last breath, she told me to protect you and to tell you that she loved you like her own daughter," she whispered. I looked down, my hands balling into fists.
Orochimaru...why'd you take her away? I looked up, a fake smile on my face.
"Your duty as Hokage is to protect the village, not me, but I appreciate the offer," I told her and she narrowed her eyes at me. She only sighed.
"Can you answer my previous question about my team though?" I asked impatiently.
"They're out on a mission to the Land of Tea and will be gone for a few days, maybe weeks. You won't be joining them," she told me and I gave her a confused look.
"Why can't I?"
"You're going to be training under me for the time being," she replied with a smirk. I shook my head.
"No thank you, I humbly decline your offer," I replied nervously. Her smile faltered.
"It's not an option, Hotaru. Unfortunately for you, Michi left me with a task that I will not fail to complete. If you won't let me protect you, at least let me teach you how to protect yourself," she said and I sighed.
"Fine," I mumbled reluctantly. She closed her eyes and gave a small, triumphant smile.
"Good. Right now, I have a lot of work to do as new Hokage, but I can train with you during my breaks. I'll have Shizune take over when the time comes. For now, if you don't mind, I'll send you on a few simple D-ranked missions so you stay in the village and are at my reach. Sound good?" she explained and I nodded.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," I complied. She gave me my mission, so I bowed my head as a way of saying "goodbye" and exited the room. I completed the three D-ranked missions in approximately 2 hours. When I finished them, I reported back to Tsunade.
"Lady Hokage, I have finished my missions successfully," I reported, and she nodded.
"Good. Right about now is the time for my 'break' and Shizune will take over. Let's go," she said with a smirk. She opened a window behind her and waved her hand, gesturing for me to follow, before jumping out. I sweat-dropped at this action, but followed after her. Once I caught up to her and we were running side by side, she turned to face me.
"Where is it that you usually train?" she questioned.
"The Hamasaki training grounds. Very few people use it since most members of my clan are older. I'll lead you to it," I responded. A few minutes later, we were at my favorite training spot. Tsunade looked around it with her arms crossed and finally nodded.
"This is a good, hidden area, I like it. Well, let's begin. To start off, give me an overall description of your abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and fighting style," she said. I put my hand on my chin in thought.
"Well, I like more close range fighting, and I'm pretty strong in ninjutsu. I have to improve my taijutsu and genjutsu, but they're not terrible. I have the Hoshigan which improves my medical ninjutsu, which I know some of, and I can use Star Style. I also have good control of my hair, I can use Water and Lightning Nature, and I have summonings," I explained briefly and she nodded slowly.
"I see...by what you're telling me, you really aren't well-suited to be a medical ninja," she concluded and I frowned.
"Why not?" I asked.
"The rule to be a medical ninja is this: don't fight on the front lines, you have to live in order to heal your teammates. Your job is not to fight but to heal, so your close combat abilities are a no go," she replied and my frown deepened.
"But almost all of my clan members are medical Ninja because of the Hoshigan's abilities," I retaliated.
"You're right, but they also have their hair used to protect and defend and Star Style for long range combat. Michi was always more of a midrange fighter, which is why she never became a medical ninja, even though she knew the basics of medical ninjutsu. If you want to become a medical ninja, you can't be a close range fighter, understand?" she yelled.
I looked down. "Yes, Milady," I mumbled. She sighed heavily.
"Look, the only way you can be a medical ninja and fight on the front lines is to have this thing," she said much more softly and pointed at her forehead. There was a little purple diamond in the center.
"What is it for?" I asked and she smirked.
"This right here is where I have a mass amount of chakra reserve. It enables me to use the 100 Healings Jutsu where I can heal my wounds at a rapid pace and heal others as well. That is the only way you can be a medical ninja and fight on the front lines at the same time," she explained.
"Can you teach me that Jutsu?" I asked and she sighed.
"To be honest with you, Hotaru, I don't think becoming a medical ninja is much of your style. Even if you are able to perform this Jutsu, it takes years to collect enough chakra and use it. Plus, once you use the Jutsu, you have to start the process of collecting chakra all over again," she told me and I looked down.
"Damnit," I mumbled. "If I can't be a medical ninja, what are you going to teach me?"
"I can do much more than do medical ninjutsu. I am an expert at taijutsu. Watch and learn," she replied with a smirk. I watched as her hands became balled up in fists and we're surrounded with a thick coat of chakra. She punched the ground and created a crater. I jumped back, an impressed look on my face.
"Cool," I muttered in awe. Tsunade smirked.
"This seems to be more your style, isn't it?" she asked and I nodded.
"I can create something similar called Crystal Fists. It's not as strong, but it protects my hands," I told her.
"Show me."
I made three quick hand signs.
"Star Style: Crystal Fists," I whispered to myself and blocks of blue crystal surrounded my hands. They weren't extremely thick or heavy, but it was enough that it protects my hands and does some damage. Tsunade slowly nodded.
"I see...well, surrounded your hands in chakra will be much easier and will help with other Jutsus. Plus, it helps your chakra control," she said and I nodded. I made the crystal disappear from my hands and we started training for around an hour. By then, I was able to create a small crater in the ground, but it was nothing compared to Tsunade's.
I was all mad and grumpy at the fact that I couldn't master it, but Tsunade smiled. "You're doing great. Your progress is phenomenal. It takes most people two days to achieve what you have in an hour," she praised and I blushed slightly.
"Thanks," I replied shyly.
"This was a good training session. I have to go back to the office before Shizune kills me. I'll see you tomorrow at the same time, okay? Make sure to keep training," she said, waved goodbye and poofed away.
-time skip to a week later-
I've been training with Tsunade for the past week and I've almost fully mastered her taijutsu technique. The only problem I had was making sure my hand was safe. I tended to hit my hand against the object instead of just my chakra like it's supposed to, created many injuries for me.
During one occasion, I broke my knuckles, but Tsunade quickly healed me. We eventually came up with a solution, which was an idea similar to Crystal Fists. Instead of having the thick crystals that was potentially block my chakra from having an affect at all, I created a thin layer of crystal around my hands that acted like a glove. It was so thin, it was flexible, but it definitely helped prevent any injuries. It also regenerated on its own, so if it cracked, it would materialize itself.
A week had passed since my team left and I was wondering when they would come back. Currently, I was walked to Tsunade's office to report the result of my D-ranked mission and start training with her. I walked in without knocking, a habit I got used to since we started training together. When I walked in, I was surprised to see Naruto.
"Naruto," I greeted, the surprise in my tone crystal clear. He turned around.
"Hotaru," he greeted back.
"So you came back...when did you get back? Where are the others?" I asked.
"We got back last night, and Sakura's at the hospital with Sasuke," he replied, making my eyes widen.
"He's in the hospital? I have to go see him," I said frantically and tried to run out of the room, but Tsunade appeared in front of me.
"Not so fast, I need to speak with you about something important," she said and I groaned.
"Can't it wait? I have to see my teammate," I pleaded and she shook her head.
"Naruto, you can go. Hotaru, stay," she commanded and let Naruto slip by and leave. I sighed heavily.
"What do you want?" I whined and she grabbed me lightly by the arm.
"We need to speak somewhere else where others are waiting for us," she said and dragged me to another room in the Hokage building. The door opened to reveal Ibiki, Anko, Genma, Kotetsu, Izumo, and other Chunin who I recall were proctors or helpers in the Chunin Exams. In the center of the room stood Shikamaru. Tsunade sat on a seat in the front of the room.
I stood next to Shikamaru and crossed my arms, patiently waiting for her to say something.
"To be honest with you, I don't know what to do. With the final exam being suspended, it was the opinion of many that none of the students should pass this time around, and that includes you two. However, I hear that the Third Hokage had nothing but the highest praise for your matches. It seems he meant to recommend you two to be Chunin.
"In fact, all those who observed the fights and your proctors felt the same. So in this case, my opinion doesn't really matter. From this day forth, I hope you will strive to achieve a level of excellence worthy of that headband. Congratulations. As of this moment, you both stand as Chunin," Tsunade said and my eyes widened. I bowed my head and nodded.
"I will," I said, almost breathlessly. Shikamaru seemed as surprised as I was. We were handed our new green jackets. I slipped it on and noticed how loose it was. I shrugged and walked out of the Hokage building. As soon as I did, I looked down. This jacket and promotion to Chunin is all for nothing...
I jumped from building to building to avoid the traffic of people in order to get to the hospital quicker. When I arrived, I quickly went up to the receptionist's desk.
"What room is Sasuke Uchiha in?" I asked and she looked down at a chart.
"Room 303," she replied and I ran upstairs without even thanking her. My mind was blank, the only thing on my mind was Sasuke and whether he was alright or not. I felt like if I didn't see him soon enough, I would lose him and never see him ever again. 303, 303.
Finally!
When I opened the door, it was empty. There were smashed apples and shattered plates on the ground. I looked around, a confused expression on my face. I noticed an open window and I jumped out, climbing up to the roof.
"Rasengan!"
"Chidori!"
My eyes widened and I quickened my pace. When I got up there, I saw Naruto aiming a ball of chakra at Sasuke while Sasuke aimed Chidori at Naruto. I glared at the both of them, jumped in between them, and grabbed their wrists with my hair. I flung them to the opposite sides of each other, causing them to strike two water barrels.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?! Are you out of your minds using those Jutsus on each other?" I yelled. Sasuke only grunted and jumped back and left. I sighed heavily and Kakashi appeared.
"I'll handle this, Hotaru. You've done enough already," he said, and I grunted. I jumped down and left the others, my hands stuffed in my pockets. I walked around aimlessly, until I noticed a figure sitting by a tree. I squinted my eyes at the person and got closer.
"Sasuke?" I asked when I was a few feet ahead of him. He didn't even acknowledge me, his head still faced the ground. I sat down next to him and sighed heavily.
"Guess what? I was promoted to Chunin, but that doesn't really matter, does it?" I asked and Sasuke only grunted. I looked up at the sky. "I can't stay in this village for now. Everything feels empty here, and my purpose can't be completed here," I continued.
He continued to ignore me, so I sighed and stood up. "See you around," I mumbled and jumped away, not bothering to try to talk to him any longer. I walked home slowly and flopped onto my couch when I arrived. I pulled out a kunai and examined it closely, admiring the shininess of the weapon.
Soon enough, I heard my stomach rumble so I got up and quickly made something to eat. I hadn't cooked in so long, Michi had been cooking for me for months. The food I made now tasted bland compared to what she made. Once I finished eating, I went out to the training fields to obviously train. The sun was going down, but I decided to make the best out of the time of sunlight left.
As I was training, I heard rustling in the trees around me. I furrowed my eyebrows and held my guard up, two kunai in hand. I reached into my weapon pouch to grab a few shuriken to throw. As if on cue, four people appeared from the trees, three guys, one girl. They all looked strange and wore the same attire, which all had a striking resemblance to Orochimaru's clothes. They also wore the Sound Village headband.
These must be some of Orochimaru's henchmen! I threw the shuriken at the fight of them, and they all smirked. They dodged the tools easily, as expected, and two came at me. One has like six arms and the other had two heads, all of which creeped me the hell out. I twisted multi-arm dude's arm and pushed him toward twin head. I jumped up and threw a kunai at twin head. It seemed like he was hit, but appeared beside me moments later.
I landed a few feet away from him and held out my hands, creating a ball of water in one and a ball of lightning in the other. I put the two together rather easily and shot it at twin head who was in front of me. I flipped backwards as multi-arms swung at me. My hair grabbed onto two of his arms (one of each side) and flung him toward twin head.
I turned to the other two, fat guy and the bitchy one. The bitch ran at me full force, and I jumped up to avoid her. I weaved hand signs and shot needles out of my finger tips, which penetrated her body. Then, I turned to fat guy and crouched down below him. I swung my leg, causing him to trip and fall. When I looked over again, I noticed pieces of wood lying in their places. I frowned.
Damnit, Substitution...
"You're not that bad, at least you're better than that Uchiha kid," multi-arm guy remarked from behind me. I turned my head and glared at the four of them. I jumped up and weaved my hands together again.
Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!
I shot water out of my mouth in the shape of a dragon and made more hand signs.
Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon Jutsu!
I shot out another dragon from my mouth, this time made of lightning. It electrocuted the four, but substitutions remained, again. I growled in anger.
"This is getting aggravating!" I yelled out, turning my head in multiple directions to find the four. Multi-arms came from behind me and grabbed me in a head lock. I grunted and tried to kick him away, but was interrupted when twin head appeared in front of me.
"Do," he said, and pain immediately shot through me. I grunted and my body was flung back, but only landed against multi-arm.
"Re," he continued, and I coughed up blood. I retaliated by activating my Hoshigan. I kicked twin head in the balls and did the same to multi-arms. I jumped back and wiped the blood dripping from my lips. Before I could attack them again, fat dude jumped on me, crushing my body. I screamed out in pain and he rolled off me. I panted heavily, taking deep breaths as I glared at the four who only smirked widely at me.
"What do you want with me?" I asked angrily.
"Orochimaru wants you to come with us. Join him and gain power, what do you say?" the bitch asked and my eyes widened. Orochimaru wants me to go to HIM? This makes my purpose so much easier. I'll be able to get stronger and I won't have to search far and wide to kill him, he'd be right there! I smirked and stood up slowly.
"I accept. I'll pack my things and leave with you at midnight," I told them and they smirked widely.
"You accepted quickly, I'll say that much," the bitch remarked and the four disappeared. I quickly summoned Momo to heal my injuries.
"Milady! What happened to you?" she asked as soon as the smoke cleared. I shrugged.
"It's nothing. Can you please heal me?" I asked and she nodded.
"Of course," she replied. As she healed me, I sighed heavily.
"You know who killed Michi, right?" I asked. She stopped healing me for a moment.
"I assume it's the same man that murdered Kyo," she whispered darkly. My eyes widened.
"Orochimaru killed Kyo?!" I yelled out. Momo nodded.
"Yes, he refused to go back knowing that Milady Michi was in danger, so he fought for her until he died," she sighed. I scowled and looked down as Momo started healing me again.
"Can you help me get back at him?" I asked. She stopped again.
"Back at who?"
"Orochimaru."
There was a long pause of silence and no one said a word. "I will, yes." I smiled a minuscule smile, knowing I had her full support. When she finished healing me, I thanked her and sent her back.