.:One Month Later:.
"Aren't you excited?!"
'Going back to that hell hole?... Sure... ecstatic...'
"Oh come on you love them just as much as I do!"
'...They make me want to attack the village again...'
"Not on my watch!"
'Oh, you're going to stop me?...'
"I'm an Uzumaki! My sealing skills are awesome!" '....'
"See! You can't even deny it!"
'...Why are you so annoying.....?'
—————
"Sakura, hurry up! She could be here any minute now!" Naruto ran through the streets as Sakura tried to keep up behind him.
"How do you know she's even coming back now?! She never said anything about coming back today!" Sakura huffed as Naruto kept getting farther away.
"I just know it!" he smiled back as he went further up ahead. The blonde ran as fast as he could to the village gates with a large smile plastered on his face, ready to greet his little sister. As the closer he got, he noticed two figures at the gates.
"Hey! Kakashi-sensei! Hinata!" he waved at the two with a bright smile.
"H-Hello Naruto...!" Hinata gave her usual soft smile.
"Haaa...Haaa..." Sakura panted as she made her way to the three.
"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto looked at the two in confusion.
"Waiting for (Y/n)," Kakashi looked out onto the road that leads out of the village.
"Don't... tell me... you... also got... a hunch...." the pinkette struggled to catch her breath as she questioned with skepticism.
"Actually... It is just a hunch," Kakashi smiled down at her.
"Not... you too... Hinata..." she sighed in disbelief.
"T-There's just a feeling we got about her coming back," the Hyuuga too gave a smile.
The sound of patting made Sakura's head jerk up to the gates. "Is that...?" she squinted her eyes to try and see the road up ahead.
"(YYYYY/NNN)!!" The three watched as Naruto took off running. In front of him, he saw his little sister running with a big smile on her face. "NA-RU-TO!!!" the two siblings shared a big hug as an exaggerated amount of tears flowed from their eyes.
"What took you so long, dattebayo!?" the blonde's words could barely be heard through the sound of his sobs.
"I missed you, nii-chan!!" her words nearly masked by the crying that came from the two.
"Nii-chan...?" Sakura mumbled loud enough for Kakashi and Hinata to hear, causing them to jump a bit.
"Isn't it a nice today? I mean look at those fluffy clo---" "(Y/n)...! Y-You're hurt!!" Kakashi tried to change the subject until Naruto's yelling caused the three to dart their gaze towards the two.
"(Y/n)!" the Jounin ran towards the girl without hesitation as Hinata and Sakura stood shocked. As they all looked at (Y/n), they noticed the multiple wounds and bruises on her body. "What happened?!" Kakashi stood wide-eyed.
"O-Oh these? I was just ambushed on my way here by a group of ninjas... But I'm fine! Don't worry!" she gave a bright smile behind her mask. "Liar, now let's go," her father picked her up, making her rest on his back. "See you at the hospital!" Kakashi smiled at Naruto.
"W-Wait!" (Y/n) exclaimed making the silver-haired man stop. "Naru, Hinata tends to get lost easily, especially on her way to the hospital. Do me a favor and take her by the hand, will ya?" she whispered as a mischievous smile curved her hidden lips.
"Eh... Why me?" he looked at his sister in confusion.
"Do it and I'll treat you to ramen for a month," her smile wore off.
"Alright, we'll see you at the hospital!!" Naruto yelled as he ran towards the two girls.
Kakashi looked back at the injured girl and raised an eyebrow. "Does she really get lost?..." he asked skeptically.
"Of course not! Tracking and locating is her specialty! She can't get lost even if she tried!" the small Hatake smiled at her plan. A small chuckle escaped the male's lips. "I can't help it...! They're meant for each other, I know it!" (Y/n) smiled as she looked back at her brother. There she saw him holding the Hyuuga's hand as her face was beaming red. 'I just know it...' She gave a nod to her father. "Alright let's go!" she said as a puff of smoke engulfed the two Hatakes.
—————
"Are you ready?"
"Yup! Don't hold back on me okay!"
"Are you sure...? You still have quite a ways to catch up to me... Shouldn't I hold back just a bit?"
"Well I know you're WAAAAY stronger but if I don't challenge myself like this how am I supposed to get better?"
"You have a point but..."
"Now come on! Hit me with your best shot!" "You'll die..."
"Oi! Don't doubt my skills!!"
"A small potato like you can't have THAT MUCH skill~..."
"Watch it...."
"I mean, at the level you're at, you can't possibly expect to be strong enough to protect others~..."
"I said watch it..."
"Especially your brother... He'll make fun of the short and small potato you are~"
"...YOU BETTER RUN, BOY!!!"
—————
"Geez, who did you run into.... Did you annoy somebody that much?" Sakura scolded at the girl who was covered in bandages.
"Hey, I was distracted and they caught me by surprise...." the small Hatake mumbled.
"Why were you distracted...?" Hinata's soft voice spoke up.
"Hmph, I bet she was too busy fooling around..." the pinkette mumbled.
"I'd like to see you fight against 10 chuunin seeing as how you TOTALLY passed the last exams," (Y/n) furrowed her eyebrows as she looked out the window.
Sakura quickly opened her mouth to retort but found herself at a lost for words. "Hmph!" she pouted looking in the opposite direction.
"Say, where did you go?" Naruto sat at the foot of the bed as he faced his sister who sat on the other side.
"O-Oh, I went to train with a lady who lived away from the village," explained vaguely as a bead of sweat rolled down her cheek in nervousness.
"Oh-oh! Is she strong!?" the blonde was fully intrigued by her story.
"Ya, super strong," she nodded in confirmation.
'You are such a terrible liar...' '
Well, I didn't think they would ask!'
'And if they find out?'
'I'd probably be thrown into interrogation with Inoichi and then they'll throw me into jail with ANBU ninjas guarding every inch...'
'Doesn't sound too difficult to get out of... I take over and we're free in a matter of minutes...'
'The Fourth Hokage didn't die for nothing... There's no way I'm letting you take over...'
'Fine, I don't need your permission. Let your guard down for one second and you'll regret it'
'Oh~ I'm SOOOOOOO scared!~'
'...You should be...'
'Oh come on Kura! You wouldn't take over! You love me!'
'Yeah... sure.... lets put it like that...'
"(Y/n)!"
The small Hatake jumped as Naruto yelled aloud. "Did ya hear me?!" he had an annoyed expression plastered onto his face.
"S-Sorry Naru... I kinda got lo--" "(Y/n)-sama!!" she said sheepishly until Tenara came bursting through the door. (Y/n) quickly averted her gaze away from the nurse.
"I was so worried when I heard about wha--!" Tenara swiftly walked towards the girl until Kakashi extended his arm.
"She's... not feeling well," he said in a low voice noticing (Y/n)'s discomfort.
"O-Oh... Sorry for barging in like that," the nurse nervously laughed as she made her way to the door. "T-Tenara," (Y/n) spoke up, not looking at the woman. Tenara quickly turned around as her ears perked up.
"How... was Sasuke when he left the hospital?..." she had trouble getting out the words, the reason unknown to her.
"Oh! Sasuke-kun kind of left before he was officially discharged from the hospital... But I've been dropping by every day to make sure nothing's wrong!"
A bright smile lit up her face. Slowly, a mischievous smirk curved the small Hatake's lips, hidden by the mask she wore. "YOU DID WHAT?!" Sakura bursts as she clenched her fists.
"U-uh...!" the nurse began to back up into the wall in fear as the pinkette neared.
Soon, Tenara ran out the door fearing for her life as Sakura chased after her. "Running won't help you now!!!" the genin's distant voice echoed through the hall of the hospital as crashes could be heard throughout.
"You are an evil little girl..." Kakashi sighed.
"Hehe, gotta have a little fun every now and then, Papa!" (Y/n) jumped off the bed as she spoke.
The small Hatake began to walk out the room only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder, their grip getting tighter. Her head darted around, her eyes meeting with cold, dull, yellow eyes. Their eyes sent waves of dread throughout her body. Her eyes wandered frantically trying to look at anything else, hoping this would be over soon. The tall figure loomed over her. No features were visible on the person. The only things she could see were those yellow eyes and their wide and sinister grin. Her entire body was shaking with fear she's never felt before.
"You..." their deep voice rang in the now empty and dark room. "You... You are the only one.... The first one in a millennium.... We will be able to see Mother soon..." a deep laugh echoed. "The time will soon arrive when you will come to me... And we can revive Mother together..."
The girl's eyes widened in fear. "N-No!! Get away!!"
She slapped their hand off of her shoulder. (Y/n) began to step back, trying to get away from the figure, only making her trip on her own feet. A creature slowly walked toward the girl, extending their hand out towards her. "(Y/n)..." it's deep, distorted voice called.
"Get away....!" she closed her eyes in fear as it approached. "(Y/n)" Footsteps were growing closer.
"I said go away!!"
"(Y/n)!"
The girl's eyes shot open, tears blurring her vision. Her father held both of her shoulders tightly looking down at her. Her eyes darted around her surroundings. She was in the hospital room again, sitting in the hospital bed. She wasn't wearing her normal clothes, it was a hospital gown.
"W-What happened?" her eyes looked on in confusion.
"We're not sure... we heard screaming from the hallways and when we went to go check out what all the commotion was about... you were on the floor passed out" Sakura spoke up from behind the jounin, knowing he couldn't say it. As Kakashi moved, she noticed the other people in the room with her. Hinata stood at the foot of her bed, Sakura was standing next to her, and Kakashi and Naruto stood beside each other next to the bed.
The small Hatake looked out the window, her eyes meeting with a red sky. "I've been asleep for the whole day...?" she said as her eyes widened in surprise at the sunset.
Naruto's eyebrows curved. "The whole day?... And night!" he waved his hands exaggeratedly.
It was then she realized what she looked at was a sunrise instead. "W-Wait... The Finals are today?!" she jumped out from under the blankets.
"There's no way you're enting the finals like this! Right Kakashi-sensei!?" Sakura spoke aloud.
"I'm afraid not... (Y/n)..." Kakashi called making (Y/n)'s head darted to the side. "You're not enting the finals..." his voice became stern.
"W-What...? Why?!" she furrowed her eyebrows as she raised her voice in annoyment. "You're in no condition to fight. I'm not up for debate. You aren't going."
Tension filled the room as the three genin stared at the two Hatakes. "Hmph..." (Y/n) sat back down; a long silence following. "...Yeah right...."
Before anybody knew it, the girl jumped from her bed. She placed both arms in front of her face as she was in the air, soon colliding with the window, sending pieces of shattered glass everywhere. "(Y/n)!" Naruto yelled as the four ran to the window. They looked down to where the girl should have been but she was nowhere to be seen.
—————
(Y/n) stood in the middle of the training grounds. She had her bag full of scrolls on her side and her holster strapped to her right leg. Targets were scattered around the entire outskirts of the clearing. The smallest bit of chakra was infused within every target.
"Ready...." a smooth voice rang beside her.
She stood there with her eyes closed, concentrating on every target. '100 targets... 38 North... 26 East... 29 West... 17 South...' Her eyes shot open as she quickly took out multiple kunai. Faster than the eye could see, (Y/n) swiftly moved around the clear field, landing one kunai in the middle of every target she passed. Within seconds, she was done.
"10 seconds... Impressive...." The same smooth voice approached the girl who sat on the ground panting.
Her eyes opened as she pulled down her mask, revealing her smile. "A great Uchiha slightly praising me? I'm honored," a sarcastic tone escaped her lips.
"Well then treasure this rare moment. I don't hand these out, you know," (Y/n) turned around to see Itachi taking off his cloak as he sat next to her.
"So, the finals are today?" Itachi said as he laid back putting his hands behind his head.
"Yup! And with the training you gave me, I'll pass without breaking a sweat!" a big grin shaped her features. "But... About that genjutsu..." (Y/n) trailed off.
"Like I said before, only use that genjutsu as a last resort. It will tire you after one use. Suppressing Orochimaru's curse mark isn't making it easier on your body either... But you can't submit to it either... That snake will try to make you use the curse mark... I can only say this so many times but not enough.... DON'T EVER... go to Orochimaru..." Itachi placed both hands on her shoulders.
"Don't worry Ita'... I won't....!" she gave a big reassuring smile to the Uchiha.
"Good," he ruffled her hair making her laugh.
"(Y/n)!!" A familiar voice yelled. Before anybody could react, Sakura came running out of the forest, faster than ever.
"Why do you always run out of the hospital like th--!" she was about to scold her teammate until her eyes landed the male that stood net to her. "W-Who's that...?" She raised her eyebrows as (Y/n) and Itachi stood frozen in shock.
"If we don't move.... She can't see us..." (Y/n) stood still while Itachi deadpanned at the girl. "Say... You look familiar.... You kind of remind me of... Sasuke...!" Sakura pointed her finger in the air in realization.
"Oi, Ita'... Do it..." the girl whispered signaling to the Akatsuki member. Itachi placed his hand behind him as he made a short sequence of seals. Before Sakura could even comprehend what was going on, she fell face first onto the ground.
"What's in the genjutsu?" the small Hatake said as she tapped the unconscious girl with her foot.
"She's that girl you complained about, right? Right now Sasuke should be taking her out on a date..." the Uchiha sighed.
"Then you could be an uncle soon!" she joked making Itachi shiver at the thought.
"No, he would never go for a girl like that... She's too... naive..."
(Y/n) looked over in confusion. "Naive, but you've never actually had a conversation with her. What makes you say that?"(Y/n) questioned as she sat next to Sakura.
"True, but that doesn't mean I've never seen her," Itachi began to say, "After I left the village, I came back every once in a while to check up on Sasuke but most of the time I saw him, he was always crowded with girls. There were always different faces but that pinky was the only face that appeared everytime. I heard her say many things about them getting married and living a happy and peaceful life or sometimes she would talk to herself saying how she could just run away with him and not have a single problem. People with that mentality tend to get killed first... I just hope she changes soon... before she dies on a mission."
(Y/n) looked down at her teammate with a soft smile. "There's no way she's gonna die... I can't let Sasuke's future wife die, then he won't talk to me at all!" A small giggle escaped her lips but her bright face soon faded. "Wait.... nevermind..." the girl flinched at the thought of Sasuke.
"Nevermind?" Itachi raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Remember Tenara, the nurse from a month ago? Yep, she's been visiting Sasuke since I left and if I've learned anything from Icha Icha, those things usually escalate to something else,"(Y/n) trailed off.
"Wait... Icha Icha?" The male grew even more confused.
"Oh! It's these weird books Papa reads! I think I still have the copy...." (Y/n) said as she began to through her bag. "Yup, still do!" she took out a bundle of pages handing them to Itachi. He began to read with a confused expression. The girl soon noticed his face grow red.
"K-Kakashi let's you read these...?" he choked on his own words.
"He doesn't stop me," (Y/n) shrugged her shoulders as she took the manuscript.
"(Y/n)!!" a familiar voice echoed through the trees.
"P-Papa...!" she flinched as she looked around.
"I'll teach you how to use the crows like I do another time. Come on, Kakashi will find Sakura, let's go before they find you." (Y/n) grabbed Itachi's cloak from the ground and walked to his side.
"(Y/n)!!" the jounin's voice echoed once more before crows scattered around the forest.
—————
(Y/n) looked down at the lake, focusing on her distorted reflection. Her hand slowly went up to her right eye, covering the light orb.
"So... How did your training go?" an all too familiar voice rang behind the girl. She turned around only to see the one person she wanted nothing to do with, Aihiko.
"What do you want?...." She mumbled as she turned back around. "Well, you left without telling me, it's natural I would get worried," he chuckled as he sat next to her. "But, when I saw that you were training with that brat's older brother, I knew you were safe," (Y/n)'s eyes widened at his words. "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody... I'm not a hypocrite..." He said as he began to play with the surface of the water. (Y/n) looked over at him in confusion. "What...?" Aihiko turned over to look at her, the life and mischievousness from his eyes were gone.
"You don't seem like... you," she shrugged her shoulders. "Teasing and rude...? Did you really believe that was me? You can only act for so long before you start to hate yourself...." the boy stood up and begun to calmly walk around.
"Act...?" (Y/n) furrowed her eyebrows and grit her teeth in anger. Quickly, she stood up and ran at the genin, punching him with all of her force, soon pinning him to a tree. "What about what you did to me at the exams?! Huh?! Acting just to amuse your sad life?!" the Hatake began to yell as tears welled up in her eyes. "You think that you can just mess with people for your own twisted game!?" she gripped his shirt as tears fell onto the ground below. Aihiko's lifeless eyes look down at her.
"I had no choi--..." he was about to pull a kunai until a blade suddenly pinned his sleeve to the tree behind him.
"Don't even try it..." her head tilted up slightly, her left eye glowing a bright red. Slowly, markings that matched the color of her eye began to cover her entire body.
"Well, it seems like my little (Y/n) is finally embracing what is now a part of her..."
Her eyes widened at the sound of a slippery voice behind her. She let go of the boy in front of her and turned around as both her eye and markings glowed brighter as her rage grew. "Gahh!!" (Y/n) fell down to her knees clutching her seal. "But it seems you're having a bit of trouble... Such a shame..." Orochimaru stepped out of the shadows with a frown on his pale face.
"You... Who are you...?" his raspy voice rang as he pointed to the genin who was pinned to the tree.
"..." Aihiko stared at the man blankly.
"Well... Your name doesn't matter... What does matter is that you pushed my test subject to the point where she willingly used the curse mark and for that, you have my gratitude," his snakey smile showed. "Though... this is probably the first time you use it, huh? You won't last long like this..." Orochimaru kneeled next to the Hatake, who was shaking on the ground. "Oh well, sweet dreams..." (Y/n)'s eyes slowly closed as the curse mark receded back into the seal. Orochimaru stood up and looked back at Aihiko. "It seems like you were trying to kill her weren't you? What reason do you have to kill my test subject... Hm... show me your tongue...." He commanded. Obediently, the genin opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. "So... on the orders of that old man? You better run along now... I don't want to deal with a rat."
Both Orochimaru and Aihiko began to walk in a different direction, neither of them looking back. (Y/n) laid on the ground, her breathing faint. "Caw! Caw!" a single crow landing on the ground next to her. It's red eye looking at her unconscious form.
Caw!
.
.
.
.
.
"10 minutes before disqualification!"
"(Y/n)!"
A team of Anbu ran throughout the forest looking for any sign of the girl. "Any sign of her?!" one Anbu asked in desperation. "N-No!" the other responded.
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
A flock of crows rapidly flew out of the trees and began circling in the air. The leader of the squad looked back at the others and nodded as a sign to keep going. They ran as fast as they could until they were under the flock of crows.
They all stood in shock around the girl as her (h/c) covered her face. A single crow looked back at them with the same deep red eye. "Caw!" it cried as it flew away. "I-Is she...?" one spoke up. "No... But we need to get her to the hosp--" the leader said until the girl began to squirm. Her eyes fluttered open surprising the entire squad.
"Huh?... What time is it...?" she rubbed her eye giving out a small yawn.
"Noon..." the leader said in confusion.
"N-Noon!?" she frantically stood up. "G-Gah!" she clutched her stomach in pain as her knees threatened to give up.
"Y-You're not planning to go to the fight are you?!" she stood up nearly chasing after the girl.
"Yup!" (Y/n) quickly picked up her bags. "B-But Lord Hokage ordered--" the leader nearly choked on her words.
"Hah! Like that old man's gonna stop me!" she disappeared leaving only a puff of smoke.
—————
"Where is she?!" Naruto impatiently paced around.
"Do you really think she would come after Kakashi told her not to?" Sakura sighed.
"Five minutes before disqualification!" the proctor announced.
"Five minutes?! She made it to the last part of the exams and she's ditching...!" Ino huffed in disappointment.
"She's not ditching! She just needs a bi--!" the blonde knucklehead began to yell until the roar of the crowd cheering.
The three genin faced towards the center of the stadium with wide eyes. There stood (Y/n), ready to go.
"Hpmh... So you're my opponent?..." A scowl formed behind her mask.
"I thought they would have told you by now..." Aihiko said with no emotion.
"Alright. Next! Nara, Aihiko vs. Hatake, (Y/n)!" the Procter announced making the two take their fighting stances.
"Nara?...." Ino looked confused. "Is he related to Shikamaru?" Sakura turned over to the blonde.
"I don't think so..." she looked back at the arena, her eyes landing on (Y/n)'s opponent.
"Isn't that Kakashi's daughter?"
"There's no way she can beat someone from the Nara clan, even if she is the Copy Ninja's kid."
"She's totally gonna beat that Nara brat!"
"Hmph, like that show off can beat anybody..."
"(Y/n) against this guy? It's like she was destined to win!"
The three genin heard mixed feelings amongst the crowd. The noise soon fell as the tension grew.
"...Begin!"
The quiet arena made everybody watch without blinking, all waiting for someone to make the first move. Quicker than their eyes could follow, the two genin ran at each other with a kunai in hand. The clinks of the metal continued until the two flew to the opposite side of the arena. (Y/n) looked at the male that stood in front of her until her gaze landed in the dirt below
'Nara.... Shadows.... Stay away from the shadows!' Her eyes widened as she jumped away from the tree's shadow.
She squatted on the concrete wall, the sun shining brightly on her. Her eyes examined the field, no sign off Aihiko.
'Alright.... There's a hole there, Stay away from it.... Trees border the arena.... Sun is at an angle.... Shadows cast directly on the east side...' The Hatake quickly looked around processing the field layout, her senses on high alert. 'Where the hell is he?... I can't sense his chakra...' Just as she began going through her bag of scrolls, her eyes widened. Fast approaching, three elongated shadows made their way towards her. Instinctively, she jumped away. 'Alright.... His shadows go a lot farther than Shika's.... But they only go so far. 30 meters seems to be his limit....' Still, as she looked around, she found no sign of the male. Her eyes closed as she concentrated. Soon she felt a small flicker of energy. 'There...!' Using her Nine-Tails chakra, (Y/n) jumped off the wall and into the air. Soon she was well above the arena, pinpointing Aihiko's exact location. 'Ha... Found you.'
"Lord Hokage!" the leader of the Anbu squad yelled as she ran up to the old man. "(Y/n) ran away and we haven't been able t--" "KYAAH!!" she reported until the ground beneath her shook. Her eyes looked down towards the arena and as dust clouded her vision. Quickly, the dust settled down, revealing (Y/n) standing in front of a large crevasse spanning from one side of the field to the other.
"I thought you said she wasn't allowed to participate in the last exams!" she looked off the railing.
"No, I instructed you to stop her if you can. But she is a stubborn girl so we all knew she would still fight," Sarutobi let out a chuckle in amusement. His attention was turned back to the girl in question.
(Y/n) grabbed a scroll and threw it into the air, her katana falling from the cloud of smoke. Before she could move any further, Aihiko flew high into the air, only to make a beeline straight down towards the girl. With chakra covering her entire leg, she kicked him before he reached the ground. His body flew into the wall, making it break behind him. Before he could move, (Y/n) pinned him to the wall with her blade grazing his neck. "So... Orochimaru didn't seem to know who you are... Yet you are on Kabuto's team. Just who the hell are you?" She spoke quietly through her mask. "I'm nobody..." the cold words left his mouth. (Y/n) began to choke up as her muscles tensed. She couldn't move at all. Her eyes struggled to look down. Her eyes widened. Both of their shadows were connected. His fingertips lit up with bright purple chakra. "B-Bastard..." she choked out. Without any warning, he slammed his hand into her stomach, his hand soon twisting to the side as if something was being unlocked. The Hatake flew across the arena, slamming into the wall high above the ground. "(Y/n)!!" Naruto's voice rang. Gasps were heard among the crowd as she fell down onto the ground. "Stop this now," the Third Hokage spoke up to the Anbu that stood beside him. Just as they were about to stop the fight, (Y/n) shakily stood up. "No... not yet old man..." a smirk formed behind her mask. She fell to her knees clutching her stomach in pain. "Inton... Crimson Heart..." her left eye light up with a bright red as the words left her mouth. Aihiko's once stoic and lifeless expression shifted. His eyes widened in horror as blood spewed from his mouth. His mouth opened as if he was ready to scream out in pain but he soon fell onto the floor as his consciousness slipped. The proctor walked over to the genin and check his pulse. "Winner of this round... Hatake, (Y/n)!" he announced out loud. Cheers from the crowd filled the air. "Now old man..." she smiled before her eyes closed. Her body soon falling limply onto the ground. "(Y/n)!!" her vision blurred, only seeing the blurry orange figure of her brother running towards her.
"Couldn't you have listened to your father for once..." Kurama sighed as he rested his head on his paws.
"...That fight was for nothing.... I didn't find out anything about Aihiko... I probably failed the exams... None of my actions were reasonable... I involved my emotions..." (Y/n) laid on the water covered floor. "They seemed reasonable enough to me..." he spoke. "No... The last time I fought with my emotions I almost got Papa killed..." she covered her face in disappointment. "I should have listened to him... I should have just stayed away from the exams..." a long silence filled the room. The Hatake sighed as she looked up into the darkness of the room. "You should wake up now... Who knows what that old snake is doing...." Kurama pushed the girl with his paw. "I kinda have to... Old Man Hokage is probably waiting for me to wake up just so he can scold me..." the girl stood up as water dripped from her clothes. "See ya, Kura..." she waved to the fox until her vision slowly faded to white. "S-She's waking up!" a familiar voice rang. (Y/n)'s eyes fluttered open as they adjusted to the bright lights. She saw her older brother's worried filled blue eyes staring back at her. "Hey, Hatake!!" the drowsy girl turned her head only to see Sakura stomping towards her. "Don't you think Kakashi-sensei said to stay out of the exams because he knew something like this was gonna happen!?" she huffed as she crossed her arms looking at (Y/n)'s blank face. "Hm... You're just mad because you couldn't pass the preliminaries..." she closed her eyes and turned her head away from the pinkette. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" a vein popped out if her forehead. "Well are you deaf or what?!"(Y/n) yelled as her hair flowed behind her menacingly. "You wanna go Hatake?!" the Haruno forehead was now pressed up against (Y/n)'s headband. "It's not like you have a chance at winning anyways!!" she clenched her fists ready to pound the girl into the ground. "I'm afraid you'll have to do that later," the sound of a door closing made the three genin's head turn. "L-Lord Hokage...?!" (Y/n) quickly got on her feet. "Naruto, Sakura. Can you please step out for a moment?" Hiruzen looked at the two. "Y-Yes sir!" Sakura jumped as she grabbed Naruto by the collar, dragging him out of the room. "That was a reckless thing you did back there," he shook his head. "I-I'm sorry, Lord Hokage... My mind was somewhere else..." she bowed her head. "Nevertheless, you still managed to help out the intelligence unit with the information you managed to get and not even that can be overlooked. You put the village over your own personal gain, and for that... you have my gratitude," he opened his eyes only to meet the girl's blank stare of confusion. "When did I give you information?..." the Hatake tilted her head to the side. "Seems like you forgot about the Anbu that followed you through the first and second exams..." the old man chuckled. "Wait.... if they were following me through the second exams.... WHERE WERE THEY WHEN THAT OLD FART OF A SNAKE GAVE SASUKE THAT CURSE MARK?!" she began to rage. Lord Third only stayed silent. "GIVE ME THE NAMES OF THE ANBU THAT FOLLOWED ME! I'M GONNA SHOW THEM THE WRATH OF THE RED FOX OF KONOHA!!" she exclaimed. "Hey, can you keep it down over there?..." a familiar voice spoke. The two turned around only to see Neji laying down looking back at them. "S-Sorry Neji..." she laughed sheepishly. "Just get out..." the Hyuuga closed his eyes. "...Rude..." (Y/n) began to walk towards the door with Lord Third following behind. "What match are they on now?" she said as she opened the door. "They are in the middle of the third match..." the old man spoke. "W-What...? I missed the second match?!" the Hatake's eyes widened. "Hm, no. You were in the second match..." he said. "Wait... then who was in the first match...?" she mumbled aloud. "Naruto and Neji..."Hiruzen said as he passed the girl. "N-Naru...?!" the girl stopped in her tracks. "...Hm?" he turned back to look at her. "He's hurt and I didn't even notice...!! I'm coming, Naruto!!!" (Y/n) sped down the hallway towards the balcony that Naruto and the other participants stood. Sarutobi left standing in confusion.
"H-Hey... I said I'm fine...." Naruto squirmed as (Y/n) check all over his body for wounds. "Nope! Neji closed off your chakra points, didn't he? More than half of them aren't even near opening up..." she furrowed her eyebrows. "It's fine! I don't need your medical knowledge infecting my brain, dattebayo!!" he tried pushing her away. "If it weren't for my medical expertise you'd be dead by now, dattebane!!" she waved her fist in the air. Suddenly a gust of strong wind struck the two, nearly pushing them down to the floor. "HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU AIM THAT LITTLE FAN OF YOURS BEFORE I BREAK IT, BLONDIE!" the Hatake exclaimed as she looked over the railing, receiving stares from the audience. "Oi, calm down," Naruto mumbled. "Then stand still..." she puffed her cheeks as her hands glowed with green chakra. Her hands hovered over his chakra points and quickly opened them. "Aaaaand done!" she said as the lime green chakra faded. "W-Wow...! I feel better than ever!" Naruto exclaimed. "And you mocked my medical expertise...." she mumbled. "The winner is Temari!" a voice rang catching the two siblings' attention. Both of their head turned around only to see Shikamaru and Temari standing alongside the proctor. "Wait, what?!" Naruto yelled in frustration. "Why the hell did he quit?!" The two siblings jumped off of the balcony. "Hey! Are you just mad because I pushed you off earlier?!" Naruto exclaimed. "Let's not talk about it anymore... Alright?" Shikamaru said as he stretched. "Geez, Shika... You never fail to amaze me... No wonder you're gonna be promoted to chuunin..." (Y/n) sighed under her breath. "Let's just forget about this and watch the next fight..." the Nara looked at the two as their head propped up in curiosity. "Next fight...?" the girl mumbled. She watched as a giant grin spread across her brother's face. "Wait... Who's in the next fight?" her blank stare met Shikamaru's.
"Sasuke and Gaara..."
"What's taking that Uchiha so long?!" "Who's this Gaara guy?" "Is he even gonna show up?!" "I heard the Uchiha isn't gonna show up!" "Oh yeah! Apparently, he got hurt when he was training before the match!" "That brat! Who does he think he is making us wait all this time!!" The audience yelled all across the arena. (Y/n) was getting annoyed at all the constant yelling. "To think I took time off just so I could watch and not having that Uchiha guy not even show up!" the girl's eyebrow began to twitch. "The other fights weren't even interesting all! They all suck!" A small chuckle escaped her lips. "That's it..." She left her place beside Naruto faster than anybody could notice. "All of these genin are pathetic! Not even wor--" One man was about to say before he and all the people that sat around him noticed the dark figure that stood on the railing. One eye glowed bright red at it stared at the shaking bodies. "So... All we are to you is just your little jokes for your own entertainment...?" a dark and creepy giggle filled the now quiet arena. "N-No ma'am!!" One of the men placed both hands together as he bowed his head at her. "One more word out any of you and you'll regret it..." the figure jumped down next to Naruto as the sun hit her, revealing her bright eyes. "Geez... You're scary sis..." Naruto mumbled to her. "If it wasn't for that we would have been dead a long time ago, Naru..." she sighed at the thought. "Thirty more seconds..." the proctor said low, catching the two's attention. "I'll... be back...." (Y/n) said to the blonde as she jumped her way to the balcony.
"Hey, Gaara...!" the Hatake called out. Temari and Kankuro looked at her in fear. "Gaara isn't right... He could kill her and ruin our plan..." Kankuro said under his breath. "What..." Gaara turned around, his expression still calm but a hint of craze could be seen. "I need to tell ya something..." she walked closer to him, only receiving stares from the two other sand genin.
"Damn it, damn it! Where is he?!" Naruto paced around in frustration. "Time's up..." the proctor looked up from his watch. "Because the time limit has been reached, the next match will be---" he began to announce until a cyclone of dust appeared in the center of the arena. Naruto watched in disbelief as his eyes widened. "Are we late...?" the dust settled as the two figures in the middle were revealed. "Your name?..." the proctor looked down at the guy.
"Uchiha, Sasuke..."
"I see your habit of arriving late has rubbed off on him, geez... But you barely made it on time, this match has been postponed..." the proctor sighed. "Haha... I see that's good..." Kakashi laughed sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck. His attention was soon turned to the Uchiha that stood beside him. His onyx eyes stared up at the balcony of genin. The jounin looked up only to see the missing girl and the sand genin. Her mouth was close to his ear, talking low to the redhead. "You better not lose to a guy like that...!" Naruto spoke up. He watched as the girl left Gaara side. "Yeah..."
'Don't do anything stupid... or you'll regret it...' her words echoed in the back of Gaara's mind, but he ignored it as he walked out into the arena. The blinding sun soon hit him as he stood in the middle of the arena, Sasuke facing him. "The rules are the same as the preliminaries, the fight goes on until one of the participants is dead or unable to proceed. When there is a determined winner, the match can be stopped, but that is up to me...." The proctor said. A sinister smile accompanied by a chuckle escaped Gaara. 'This isn't good...' (Y/n) watched from the balcony. "You only made it worse...." Temari spoke up. "Once Gaara is like that, there is no changing his mind.... You can only provoke him further..." chills went down her spine as she looked at the redhead. "No..." the Hatake mumbled under her breath, making Temari look at her in confusion. "You can change his mind... You just need to give him a little push. I've seen that look in his eyes before... The same look my brother had... The same look I had... He thinks that no one in this world cares whether he lives or dies and that mentality distorted him. You just need to give him a small push... That's all," a smile curved her lips as she made her way to the stairs. "Hey (Y/n) hurry up! Bush Brows is out of the hospital!" Naruto called out from the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes widened as her smile grew bigger. Just as she was about to run down, her eyes slowly closed as she lost her balance. "(Y-y/n)! Naruto ran up the stairs, barely making it in time before she fell down the steps. "H-Hey what's wrong!?" he tried to shake her, receiving no response. The blonde pulled down her mask only to see blood slowly drip out of her mouth.
"(Y/n)!"
"Hey there!" Kakashi greeted as he walked down the stairs. "Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura's eyes widened as a worried expression shaped her features. This was quickly noticed by the man making him tense up. "What's wrong?" his voice became serious. "It's (Y/n)... she participated in the exams..." she said in a low voice, "She kind of passed out at the end... B-But don't worry! She woke up right away!" she waved her hands in front of her as she noticed his wide eyes. A sigh left his lips as he scratched the back of his head. "What's wrong with her participating in the exams?" Ino spoke up. "O-Oh! She's just not in a good condition to participate!" Sakura said nervously. "Sakura!!" Naruto's voice rang. The three of their heads turned towards the opening that led to the hallway. There he saw Naruto holding his little sister in his arms. The pinkette's eyes widened as she began to run towards the two. "W-What happened?!" she frantically asked. "I-I don't know! She was smiling one minute then the next she just fainted!" the blonde explained. Sakura flinched when the realization hit her.
Kakashi was still there.
Her head darted back only to the jounin's wide eyes. "Here, I can help her...." One man approached the three genin. "Who are you?" Sakura questioned. "I'm an Anbu medic, I can heal her quickly," he stated. Hesitantly, Naruto handed the girl over. Kakashi watched as the man began to heal the girl. "D-Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei... She's stubborn, this won't keep her down! She'll wake up and be back on her feet in no time as if nothing ever happened!" the Haruno tried to cheer up her sensei. A small chuckle escaped his lips. "I know... It's just... Seeing her hurt makes me feel her pain..." he scratched the back of his head. "There... She should be fine..." the man said as he stood back up. "There was nothing serious. My best guess is that it was an injury during the fight that just took longer to take effect on her. She should wake up soon..." The man walked off not saying another word. "Should we take her back to the infirmary?" Sakura spoke up. "It would be best to take her to the hospital..." Kakashi picked up the girl from the floor. The girl's eyes slightly opened as she gripped onto her father's shirt. "P-Papa..." (Y/n) faint and muffled voice spoke, making the jounin jump. "T-Take me... to Lord Hokage..." she said as she looked up at him. "No... No more of this. You're going to the hospital now," he didn't bother to look down at her. "Geez Papa... When your dad mode is on you just won't listen to anybody will you?..." the girl reached into her back pocket discreetly. "But... I promise this'll be the last time I disobey orders..." she said before she threw one of her kunai past her father, aiming at the two Kage. Before Kakashi could move, (Y/n) disappeared from his arms.
The entire audience watched as Sasuke and Gaara fought each other. Everybody was tense as they couldn't predict a single move the two would use next. "O-Old man..." Hiruzen turned around only to see (Y/n)'s bruised body limping towards him. "You look worse than before...!" he nearly stood out of his seat. She continued limping towards him until she was close enough. She shakily fell to her knees, using the Hokage's chair to lessen the fall. She brought her mouth closer to the old man's ear.
"The village... is under... attack..."
When those faint words left her mouth, a loud explosion erupted around them. (Y/n) quickly pulled out two knives and stood in front of the Hokage, trying her best not to fall to her knees. "You'll only get in the way..." a raspy voice said. She squinted to see past the smoke but only saw a figure quickly approach her. They kicked her in her stomach, sending her flying out of the cloud of smoke, straight down to where Sasuke and Gaara stood. 'Damn it... I don't have the strength to stop myself...' She closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry Kura...." Her eyes shot wide open, both her violet and white eyes turned a bright red. Her curse mark began to spread around her body. Its flame-like swirls glowed the same as her eyes. Her body flipped back, her hand scraping on the floor, slowing down her fall. She quickly jumped to her feet and looked up at where the Hokage sat. "Haven't seen you in a long time..." her head darted to the side to see Sasuke's stoic face as he walked towards her. "I don't think now is the time to have a happy and heartwarming reunion, Uchiha..." she jumped out of the arena before Sasuke could get any closer.
"Sensei!!" Sakura yelled as Suna ninja ambushed Gai and Kakashi. The two jounin got back to back using kunai to block the attack. "Twin Chidori!!" The song of a thousand birds rang as the ninja that surrounded them two had lightning emanating from their stomachs, all of them coughing up blood. Soon, all of them collapsed onto the floor as five shadow clones disappeared, leaving the original standing. "Suna messed with the wrong village!" (Y/n) killed two more ninjas that charged at her. "Calm down..." Sakura deadpanned. "Wait..." she mumbled. "(Y/n)... that bruise that Sasuke had... When did you..." Everybody finally took notice of the curse mark. "The amnesia wore off..." Kakashi said under his breath. "Well... If I can't suppress it might as well use it my advantage!" she gave a goofy grin behind her mask. "See, if it wasn't for the curse mark you would have been hurt by all of those ninjas so it isn't all so bad!" she shrugged it off. Their attention quickly shifted towards the barrier that surrounded the Hokage. "It's... Orochimaru..." (Y/n) scowled. "O-Orochimaru..?!" Sakura mumbled as her head darted towards the arena. 'H-He's not there...!' her eyes widened as two more ninja ran towards her. She quickly covered her head with her arms and ducked, waiting for the attack. (Y/n) swiftly threw kunai at the attackers, killing them instantly. "Geez... At least try, Haruno...." the small Hatake sighed. "Is this really the time, Hatake!?" the pinkette yelled. Both (Y/n) and Kakashi exchanged looks as they nodded in agreement. The jounin drew blood from his finger and quickly summoned, Pakkun, a ninja hound. "Sakura... Crawl to Naruto and Shikamaru. Wake them out of the genjutsu!" (Y/n) said as she blocked any attack ninja tried to throw at them. Sakura quickly crawled and placed one hand on Naruto. "...Release!" Soon, the Uzumaki woke up. "W-What's going on...?" Naruto rubbed his eyes. "Sakura, get down!" (Y/n) yelled as the pinkette quickly pulled the boy down, narrowly avoiding a barrage of flying blades. "I'll tell you later! It's not safe right now!" she crawled her way towards the other male. Sakura squinted her eyes in disbelief as she noticed Shikamaru's eyebrow slightly twitch. "Shikamaru... you were.... from the beginning..." she mumbled. Pakkun casually made his way towards his leg and bit down, digging his sharpest teeth deep into his leg. "O-Oww!!" the Nara jumped up and violently shook his leg in hopes that would stop the dog. "Serves you right! Sleeping while the village is under attack!?" Saura scolded him. As the two were bickering, Naruto took notice of what was going on around. The unconscious crowd and the battle between ninjas. "Naruto, look out!!!" Sakura darted her head towards the blonde. His eyes widened as he turned around. A loud crash was covered by a cloud of dust. Gai kicked the ninja through the wall, making him fly through the trees. "I'll explain the mission now," Kakashi stood in front of the three as he, (Y/n) and Gai stood on guard. "Track down Sasuke, join up, then stop him!" he explained. "Did something happened to Sasuke?!" Naruto inquired. "I'll tell you en route, now let's go!" Sakura jumped through the hole Gai had previously made, dragging Naruto along with her. "Where is she going...? She just ran in blind..." (Y/n) sighed. "Geez... Why do I have to go?..." Shikamaru complained as he looked on. "You're one of the best strategists, Nara. Now come on!" (Y/n) grabbed his hand and began running, Pakkun following close behind. "Will it be okay with just them?" Gai looked back at his eternal rival in question. "(Y/n) is their leader. She'll appoint Shikamaru as the strategist. Naruto will be back up and Sakura and Pakkun will be the lookout. They'll be fine..."
"I see... So that's what happened! Sasuke... so impatient!!" Naruto exclaimed. "Why am I pulled into this... this is such a drag... Shikamaru complained further. "It can't be helped! It's Kakashi-sensei's order!" Sakura ran behind the two. "Sakura, you're just following so obediently because you wanna save Sasuke like the pretty Uchiha princess he is!" (Y/n) commented, making Naruto laugh out loud and even making Shikamaru give a small smirk of amusement. "Oh, shut it! You've been dead weight this entire time! All you've been doing is getting up, getting hurt, and passing out since you came back to the village!" she retorted. "Deadweight? Really? Says the girl who the only thing she knows how to do remotely good is fangirl over Sasuke and half-ass it when it comes to our missi--" "I see Sasuke..." the Hatake spat out before she was cut off by Pakkun. The two girls darted their gaze towards him with wide eyes. "W-Where?!" Sakura couldn't hold in her worry. "I don't know..." he said with no amusement. "Then, why did you say you saw him!" a vein popped out of her forehead. "Because you two kept on yelling and it was annoying..." Shikamaru responded. "..." the girls remained silent as they glared at each other. "Stupid Hatake..." "Useless Haruno..." the two girls mumbled under breaths. "This way!" Pakkun said as he began to run in a different direction, the other three four following close behind. "How long until we catch up!?" Naruto questioned. "I don't know... He's moving at a pretty fast rate..." the dog responded. "Wait..." (Y/n) stared intently in front of her as she concentrated. "What's wrong?" Shikamaru turned back to look at her. "There are nine people following us... Split in between two squads...." she looked at him. "Already?... Man..." the Nara sighed in annoyment. "What are we gonna do?" Sakura said in worry. "Pakkun, lead them to Sasuke. Shikamaru, once you guys get to him, form a plan and look for the fastest and safest route possible to escape. Naruto, if you encounter an enemy, use shadow clones as a diversion. Sakura, once you find Sasuke, give him this," (Y/n) ordered as she handed her teammate a small tag, "There is a high chance he won't come back so willingly so the tag will drain his chakra, making him too exhausted to even resist. And no Sakura, just because you use this on Sasuke doesn't mean you can take advantage of the situation..." she explained. The girl's eyebrow twitched. "Anyways.... What are you gonna do?" she raised her eyebrow. "I'm gonna take care of the pursuers," the Hatake looked behind her. "A-Are you kidding?! They're probably chuunin or higher! Worse case they are all jounin...!" Shikamaru yelled at her. "Don't underestimate her... She has her moments..." Pakkun mentions. "Then it's settled... I'll catch up when I'm done!" (Y/n) began to slow down. "Can we really leave her alone like that?!" Naruto looked at the tracker dog in worry. "We really don't have a choice in what she does. She is the squad leader so we have no choice but to carry out her orders..." the brown canine said. "Wait, since when was she the leader?!" the Haruno exclaimed. "It's not really a surprise. Our team consists of an idiot, a kunoichi whos nothing special, a dog... and me with the number one cold feet... Not really a debate why she would be appointed as captain..." Shikaramu said. Sakura looked behind and furrowed her eyebrows. "I won't forgive her if she doesn't come back..."
"Just... one... more!" (Y/n) ran towards the last ninja with her katana in one hand and a weapon scroll in the other. "Ha! A scrawny little girl can't be--!" the ninja boasted until he was cut off by the girl. "That took longer than I thought... Kura... How are you holding up?" the Hatake leaned back on a tree. 'I'm fine for now, but the curse mark might take over at any minute. Go find that brat before that happens...' (Y/n) nodded in agreement before she jumped away from the corpses of the Suna ninja.
"Where the hell is he...?!" (Y/n) ran through the trees as fast as she could. "Wait..." she sensed a small flicker of chakra. She slowly picked up her pace the closer she got. As if time went slow, she saw a kunai fly past her. At the end of it was a string tied and connected to the surrounding trees. She had no time to avoid it and tripped the wire. "...Damn it!" multiple explosions blasted around her, the fire burning her skin as it grazed it. As fast as she possibly could, (Y/n) pulled out a kunai and aimed at an opening. 'There...!' the three-bladed kunai flew past the explosions, landing on a faraway tree. "Damn it..." (Y/n) heard panting behind her. She turned around only to see Temari bruised and breathing heavily. "You're in no condition to fight..." the Hatake grabbed her kunai and placed it back in her pouch. "I'm not... letting you... get to Gaara...!" the genin used her fan to keep herself standing. "I don't think you have much of a choice..." (Y/n) began to run at the girl as her hand lit up with green chakra. "Sorry, blondie...." she slammed her hand onto the girl's chest, sending a wave of shock throughout Temari's body. Her eyes slowly closed and her consciousness slipped. (Y/n) pulled her under a low hanging branch. "Just... stay here and don't die..." the Hatake rushed off to find the others.
'You lost them didn't you?....' "...no..." (Y/n) puffed her cheeks. 'yep... you lost them...' "AND WHAT? IT'S NOT LIKE I CAN JUST MAGICALLY FIND THEM RIGHT AWAY." the girl's voice echoed through the forest. 'Just hurry up and find them... Time is running out before your body gives out completely...' (Y/n) looked forward in deep thought. "No... By the time the curse mark really puts us in danger, at least a bit more than half of my chakra would have replenished by then... And if that's not enough... I still have that..." she began to run faster the more time passed. "AAAAAHH!!!" screaming filled the air. "I-Is that... Gaara...?" she looked up past the trees. "No... point wondering about it now..." (Y/n) threw a kunai far ahead of her to pick up her pace. 'Don't do anything stupid, Uchiha...'
"(Y/n)!!" Naruto looked back to see his little sister quickly approaching them. "N-Naru!!" her eyes widened. "What took you so long!?" Sakura yelled back annoyed. "Oh well excuse me for taking them out just so your little majesty wouldn't get hurt..." she mumbled under her breath. "Wait... where's Shika...?" the girl looked around as they ran. "Another team of ninja came along, he stood back so we could keep chasing the Uchiha...." Pakkun informed. "A-Alone...?" she was worried the farther away they got. "Oh come on! He's smart! There's no way Shikamaru would get hurt so easily!" the blonde tried to cheer her up. "I guess you're right..." she mumbled yet again. The four ran ahead as Pakkun felt Sasuke getting closer. "They've completely stopped!" the canine spoke up. "Then let's pick up the p--" Naruto said before a familiar song rang.
The song of a thousand birds.
"Oh no..." (Y/n) furrowed her eyebrows. "Naru! Hurry up!" she said as the two siblings ran ahead of the other half of the squad. Both of their eyes widened when they saw Sasuke. His limp body fell from a high branch as Gaara chased after him. The two looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "You... are... my... PREY!!" Gaara's distorted form closed in on Sasuke. Before he could lay a hand on him, Naruto kicked him back with all of his force. (Y/n) arms wrapped around the Uchiha as they fell. "...Why now....?" the girl clenched her teeth as the curse mark receded back into the seal. "Just my luck, huh?" she gripped onto Sasuke as the floor drew closer. "Sasuke!" Sakura's voice rang as the two genin hit the ground below them, creating a large crater covered by a cloud of dust. Pakkun ran into the cloud as Sakura stood in front of it trying to see if the Uchiha was alright. "Ngh-!"(Y/n) shook as she tried to sit up. "Don't move, it'll only make you worse!" the canine said as he pushed her with his paw. "The mission is to get Sasuke back to the village, don't worry about me!" her gaze was averted to the male. "It doesn't seem like Sasuke is in any condition to move... Pakkun, get him and Sakura to somewhere safe," the Hatake looked down at the dog. "Alright..." he said before Sasuke began to try to stand up. "Y-You guys..." he said as blood dripped from his mouth while his body shook uncontrollably. "Don't be so stubborn, Uchiha..."(Y/n) said as she grabbed his hand. "What are you doing?" Sakura ran up beside her. "Don't be so nosy all the time..." she brought his hand up to her mouth as she pulled her mask and bit down, sending small droplets of blood around her mouth. Sasuke raspy breathing began to go to normal as her chakra coursed through his body. "That should be enough..." she placed his hand down as she licked the blood off her lips. "Sorry, Uchiha... But you're gonna have to go to sleep for a while..." two of her fingers lit up with chakra as they rested on his forehead. "No..." her eyes widened as Sasuke grabbed her hand, taking her fingers off of his forehead. "I'm not just going to sleep it off..." he struggled to sit up. "Sasuke, you're in terrible shape right now! If you fight there's a chance you could d---!" "Sakura! Sasuke! Get down!!" Sakura began to say until (Y/n) voice rang through the air. On instinct, Sakura jumped over Sasuke pinning him onto the ground.(Y/n) jumped to her feet with her katana in her hand. "You're in my way!!" Gaara's voice echoed as a loud thud of something slamming against the trees accompanied the rustling of the leaves. "(Y/n)!!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke struggled to get back up as Sakura got on her knees. Both of their gazes quickly shifted to (Y/n), whose bloodied body fell from up high of the tree. "Damn it...!" Sasuke clenched his teeth as he used all of his strength to push himself back up. He ran under the girl and barely managed to catch her in his arms. "...Useless again...." (Y/n)'s low and raspy voice said making the Uchiha's eyes widened. Her eyes slowly closed as her body grew limp.
'I'll never change...'
"...Damn it...!" Naruto clenched his fists as he sat next to Sasuke. "Naruto... Take (Y/n) and Sakura and flee... They'll die if they stay here!" Sasuke glared at Gaara. "I was his opponent from the start and I will finish this fight... If things end here for me... That that is just the extent of the man I am... I will not allow my precious comrades to die in front of me..." the Uchiha stood up in front of Naruto. "No..." Naruto stood up as well while he stared the genin down. "I'm the one who is gonna fight him.... He's gone through the same pain I have. The same loneliness and sadness of having someone you love leave your side. Having that same stare of hatred given to you by everybody that surrounds you. He's gone through a life of solitude. That guy who continues to fight in solitude for himself... But that is not the true meaning of strength... If one fights for themselves... they won't become strong. It's when you fight for someone who is precious to you is when you get the strength to keep on fighting even if you are the edge of death!" He began to gather his chakra as a sudden boost hit, having a massive amount of chakra flowing around him. "No matter what... I will protect those I love!" Dozens of shadow clones surrounded him. "Alright...Go!!"
"I really need to stop passing out...," (Y/n) sighed to herself in disappointment. "Well, if you weren't so stubborn and listen to others when they tell you to stop maybe you would have been fine at this point and would have still been able to fight..." Kurama scolded the girl. "I can't rest now! That weird Gaara guy is attacking Naru!" she huffed as she paced around the dark room. "By the way... What is he?..." she stopped in her tracks and looked at the bijuu. "Can't you tell? He has Shukaku sealed inside of him," he said nonchalantly. "Who's Shukaku?" the Hatake raised an eyebrow. "The One-Tailed" her eyes widened as she heard those words. "T-The One-Tail... Is out there with Naru!?" she brought her hands up to her head in panic. "That the hell are you doing, Kura?! Now is not the time to be passing out!" she talked aloud frantically. "Then use the seal to wake up..." the fox suggested. "There is no way in hell I'm gonna let you go lose when I know for damn sure you won't go back into the seal without a fight...!" she pointed at the orange fox accusingly. "Not that seal..." he sighed in annoyment, "the seal that you learned from that old lady..." Her eyes widened. "Oh yeah! Great thinking Kura!" she took off her headband as she smiled behind her mask. "How did you forget about that?" he closed his eyes as he rested on the ground. "I only use it one time a month and if I really need to, I use it two times. So I really don't need to show it off. I guess since I don't see it I forget I have it..." she explained as she placed her headband in her pocket. "You do realize just because you take off your headband in your mind it doesn't mean you take it off in real life right...?" Kurama deadpanned at the girl. "Shut up... I knew that..." she averted her gaze as she pouted her lips. "Well then how do I wake up...?!" she slumped on the ground in defeat. "I can help..." she opened her eyes only to see a large dark shadow above her. "Wait...!" It was too late when she noticed it was Kurama's large paw about to crush her. "I said wait!"
"Wait!" (Y/n)'s eyes shot open as beads of sweat rolled down her face. "Hm?" Sasuke looked down at her in confusion with one eyebrow raised. "S-Sasuke...?" she rubbed her head as she sat up from his lap. "W-Where's Naru?" she looked around. She noticed the Uchiha look down at his lap in silence. She raised an eyebrow at his response. "Where is h..." she was about to question again until she noticed the enormous toad that stood high above the trees. "N-Naru...?" she saw her older brother standing on the head of the gigantic toad. "He summoned that...?" her eyes beamed in awe. "Why would I go out of my way to fight a guy like that!?" the Large Chief Toad's voice echoed throughout the forest. (Y/n) just sighed as she bowed her head. "At least Kura was eager to fight... even though it was just a plan to escape..." she spoke low. "How is he this strong...!" Sasuke said in frustration under his breath as he clenched his fists. 'Ita' was right...' she curved her eyebrows in disappointment. "Sasuke... Where's Sakura?" her eyes widened once more. "Down there..." he pointed towards the girl who had one of Gaara's sand arms wrapped around her. "Geez... Today is not her day..." (Y/n) shakily stood up. She concentrated chakra at her feet and launched down towards the girl with a burst of chakra, breaking a part of the branch. "Chidori!!" Purple lightning emanated from her right hand as she neared Sakura. "KYAH!" her arms sliced right through the arm, freeing the pinkette. (Y/n) caught her in her arms and quickly jumped her way back to Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke.... Take care of Sakura... I'm gonna go help Naru," she gently placed the girl down next to Sasuke. "W-Wait! You can't! You're in terrible condition!" Sasuke grabbed her hand before she could jump away. She pulled down her mask and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine... I can't die until I make sure everything is better for the people I love..." she slipped her hand out of his grasp as she jumped away, leaving the Uchiha alone.
(Y/n) ran up Chief Toads back as the two large animals fought. She struggled to keep her balance as the toad shook and jumped all around. "Naru!" she ran up behind him. "Y-You're awake!" a smile stretched across his face. "Gotta help my big brother!" she placed her hands on her hips heroically, only for both of them to fall on their backs as Chief Toad jumped away from the tailed beast. "H-Hey! What are you doing?! You gotta hold him down so I can punch him!" Naruto held onto the toad. "I don't have fangs or claws to keep him down!" the oversized toad. As if a light bulb went off above her head, (Y/n)'s face beamed. "I got it! It might kill me but I got it!" she quickly took off her headband revealing a small lavender rhombus on her forehead. "Oi! Toad-sama! Naru! I'll hold down Shukaku and you do whatever ya need to do! Okay!?" she tucked her headband into her pouch. "What's that thingy on your forehead...?" Naruto poked her forehead repeatedly in curiosity. "Don't worry about it! When I give the signal, use the transformation jutsu and transform into the Nine-Tails!" the girl stood up and ran towards the toad's nose. "W-Wait! You could get hurt!" the blonde nearly chased after her. "Haven't you learn not to doubt me, dattebane!?" she shouted as she jumped down into the trees as her voice echoed. She ran through the trees as the seal that resided on her forehead stretched out into black lines that wrapped around her body. A sudden boost of energy washed over her as she began to feel alive again. "Alright! Shadow Clone Jutsu!!" Hundreds of clones ran through the forest as they approached the One-Tail. "Alright, everybody grab on!" All of the shadow clones concentrated chakra on their hands and feet. Using their enhanced strength, they held the tall raccoon down. "Alright, Naru! Go for it!" The ground trembled as Chief Toad ran towards Shukaku. "Here I go!!" A large cloud of smoke engulfed the two as a copy of Kurama emerged from it. Shukaku was unable to run away or move his tail as all the clones held him in place. "Bite down, Toad-sama!" the clones yelled in unison. The large orange fox bit down onto a large portion of the beast, keeping him in place as the clones disappeared. "Now, Naru!!" The fox turned back into Chief Toad. "HAA!" Naruto jumped from his head and punch Gaara with all of his strength. "H-He woke up!" she smiled as she squatted onto a tree. "But Naru is nearly drained of his chakra..." her smile faded. "W-Wait... that chakra..." her eyes widened as she looked up at her brother. She noticed a headband falling down from above Chief Toad. She grabbed it and looked at it with a smile.
"You're a hero, Naru..."
She looked up and watched as tailed beast chakra enveloped the blonde. "HAAA!!" he charged at Gaara, ready to punch him once more. He was soon stopped when the Suna genin's sand wrapped around his limbs. "HAA!!" Naruto used all of his strength to charge once more. He successfully hit Gaara by headbutting him. Both genins had blood slowly dripping down their forehead as Shukaku crumbled to the ground. "N-Naru!" (Y/n) dashed towards the two falling boys as hardened sand fell around them. She stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed the two land on top of the trees. "...Let's make this the last time!!" Naruto's voice rang. (Y/n) heard the two scream as they charged at each other. She stood still as she watched both of their bodies collapse on the floor. Naruto slowly made his way towards the redhead as he remembered his past. Memories of him and his sister being ridiculed for something they never chose to be. How the village hated them for something they had nothing to do with. These memories are what keeps him moving even though his body is exhausted. "D-Don't come any closer!" Gaara yelled as Naruto kept inching his way closer. (Y/n) began to make her way towards the two as the same memories rushed through her head. "The pain of being alone... really is unbearable, isn't it?" Naruto said in a low voice making (Y/n) gasps as she stopped in her tracks. Tears began to well up in the two siblings eyes. "I don't know why, but I completely understand that it hurts... But I've met people who are very important to me now... I won't allow those people I hold dear to get hurt! It doesn't matter what I have to do... Even if that means I have to kill you!" Naruto's voice was full of pain. "Why...? How is it that you can fight so much for other people...?" Gaara looked at the blonde wide-eyed. "Because they saved me from that loneliness... They accepted me for who I was," Naruto stared him down. A small smile curved (Y/n) lips as she began to walked towards them again. "There... I think you two have been through enough..." she pulled down her mask giving them two a warm smile. "(Y-y/n)..." Naruto looked up at her. "Just stay still both of you. (Y/n) dragged the two and rested them against a tree. She began to heal any wounds they had. "Geez... You two really went at it..." a nervous chuckle escaped her lips. "Wow... Even with that sand shield of yours you still have a lot of wounds..." the girl wrapped bandages around Gaara's cuts. "And you know... When I said you'll regret doing something stupid back in the arena... I didn't mean it as a threat.." she let a chuckle escape her lips. "So Gaara... You're a jinchuuriki too huh?" she began to heal the redhead. "Too...?" he questioned. "Oh, Naru is the jinchuuriki of the nine-tails," she smiled at him. "You too, sis!" Naruto blurted out making (Y/n) jump. "Oh, don't say silly lies like that!~" she punched him in the shoulder making him flinch in pain. "Naruto.... (Y/n)" a voice rang behind them. The two siblings look up to see Sasuke. "Seems like your motherly side took the better of you... You're helping out the enemy?" Sasuke looked down at the girl. "Oi! Shut it! Don't be rude!" she pouted as she threw her roll of bandages at the Uchiha. "Gaara!" Temari and Kankuro ran up to the redhead. "Hm?" (Y/n) turned around only to be face to face with the blonde. "T-Temari...!" she noticed all the wounds that covered her arms and legs. "Come here!" she snatched the roll of bandages she threw earlier and began wrapping Temari in them. "Do you even know what you are doing?..." she deadpanned at the girl. "I think!" she made a goofy grin at the girl. "Temari... let's go..." Gaara's raspy voice said as Kankuro picked him up. The three genin watched as the Suna-nin began to jump away from them. A sigh escaped the girl's lips as the black markings that wrapped around her body receded into the lavender seal that rested on her forehead. "Ngh...!" the Hatake fell to her knees as her power weakened. "(Y/n)!!" Sasuke ran to her side. "This is what I get for relying on a bunch of seals..." she chuckled to herself. "I have enough chakra to get us home..." she looked at her palms. "Sasuke... You and Pakkun take Sakura home... I'll teleport Naru to the hospital..." she shakily stood up. "Are you sure? You can hardly stand up..." the Uchiha kept his arms around her preventing her from falling back down. "Yeah... I'm sure... I have to get him to the hospital before anything bad can happen to him..." she kneeled down as she placed Naruto on her back. "Please tell me you'll go to the hospital too..." he looked down at her. "Of course I'm going to the hospital, I need to take Naru there!" she snickered as she stood back up. "No, for yourself. You look terrible," his expression held no amusement. "Gee, thanks for the compliment, Uchiha..." she rolled her eyes. "If you don't get a check-up, I'm taking you to the hospital myself, Uzumaki..." he smirked down at her. "Can't make me..." she huffed. "Just go take Sakura home..." she said as Sasuke began to walk back. A sigh left the girl's lips as she looked up at the sky. "You've been through so much, Naru... I left you alone... You felt that loneliness because I left you... And I can't change that... I'm sorry..." she closed her eyes before tears escaped.
"Let's go home... Nii-chan...."
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Wow, that took so long to write and edit but it's finally done! (12,507 words in total lololol) I'm getting more excited as each chapter passes! Now that the Konoha Crush Arc is done and that means I'm one more arc closer to getting into the Naruto Shippuuden series and I have so much stuff planned for it! So what do ya think about the new story cover? Do you like it or do ya prefer the old one? It doesn't matter since I drew the new cover a few days ago fairly quickly. So just tell me if I should change it or keep it! But honestly, by now, every letter looks like a jumble of scribbles so I apologize if there are far more spelling errors. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!