Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Dammit… dammit!” Sasuke jumped from rooftop to rooftop, carrying the body in his arms carefully. The blood seemed to trail behind, and he couldn’t help but curse as he looked down to see the woman in his arms. Her face had been covered in blood and in her stomach were several kunai. Her breathing was ragged and short. If he didn’t have her in his arms, he would’ve thought she was already dead. 

Her voice already began to echo in his head, a sign that her life literally hung on a thread. 

“ Enemies or not, I will always look for you. I'll always protect you...even this never ends, I would still stand beside you.”

“Idiot…you’d go so far and for what…” His voice was soft, practically in disbelief at her words. 

Still, she laid there with a soft smile. One that warmed him to his core...a smile...her smile. A smile that completed him.

“Because you’re the most important person to me…because you’re…” 

“Please…hold on…Yukari…” 

Year 1, Age 7

"I can’t believe it's your first day! Aren’t you excited?!" 

A teenage girl had squealed, nearly jumping up and down from excitement. Her tied hair had flown with her, moving gracefully as she moved herself to the little girl. Pouting, the little girl shook her head as she tightened the straps on her hips. 

"I'm not. I'm perfectly fine staying home and learning here." She huffed, though the teenage girl laughed. 

"C'mon Yu-chan! That's no attitude to have. You're going to meet all the other kids your age and see what they're capable of." Groaning, the girl had sat down after the two blades behind her were strapped on tightly, putting her sandals on. 

"I guess. I still think I can just stay home."

"Now now, Yukari. Listen to your sister on this one. You'll get to know all the other kids that may be your potential teammates. I know that the Uchiha's kid is going today as well." He pointed out, the teenage girl, known as Okani, squealed once more. 

"Does that mean that Itachi-san will be there? You know, to give Sasuke-kun a sendoff to school?!" She questioned, receiving a sigh from Yukari. The young girl knew that her older sister had a large crush on the older Uchiha brother and that she took every opportunity she could to see him. After all, they were both jounins, though they were on separate teams. Every moment she saw him, she immediately felt drawn to him.

"He might be. You know those two are usually together." Their father, a rather built middle-aged man with short-cut dark purple hair, replied. He had been dressed in a male yukata. The fabric itself had the Katabana Clan’s symbol on the back, showing his true dedication to his clan. With another cheer from Okani, the two girls had set off, their father waving at them. 

"Have a nice day."

Yukari had walked quietly compared to her sister who was going on about what to do if she sees Itachi. 

"Should I ask him to have breakfast? Oh!? Should I try to pass Sasuke-kun off to you? Ahhh! What if we walk next to each other while walking you both!?" 

Sighing, Yukari shook her head, wanting to hear no more of her sister's possible interaction with Itachi. Her sister had been a good foot taller than she was, her lighter purple, almost lavender, colored hair shimmered in the sunlight. She had it up in a high ponytail, wearing beige shorts and a black sweater that hugged her body. She wore her headband in a traditional manner, covering her forehead. Normally the girl would carry her naginata that would rest behind her strapped to her back, but she had no reason to bring it today. As her sister rambled on, Yukari tried to drown her out by focusing her attention elsewhere.

Sure, they were close with the Uchiha family, but that was only because they were one of the top clients for their family business. They were one of the most powerful clans in the village, as they were the special forces police for Konoha. Naturally, the weapons provider and task force should be well acquainted. The Katabana had other connections with the other clans, though none were as well connected as these two.

The Katabana Clan were excellent in their swordsmanship and craft. Their main selling were various katanas, though their other weaponry were practically on par as well. The steel that they personally mined for, for generations, were their strengths as well as their fire style jutsus were also a wonder. They had been the only clan with the idea to infuse large amounts of chakra within a fire-style jutsu, something that was ingenious. The Katabana clansmen were born with a naturally large internal storage for chakra. Using most of it to sustain them as they used fire-breathing techniques to create the various blades and weapons they were renowned for, eventually the clan came up with the idea of adding chakra to the mix, creating the blue flames. This helped enhance not only the durability of the blade in action, but as well as its ability to channel chakra into the weapon.

Regardless of this, Yukari didn't seem to understand just what was exactly expected of her. Her only sibling Okani was to be the heir of the clan, seeing as they were the only two children of the head household. Everyone had expected that Okani would be this important person, seeing as her whole life she was prepared to do so. Excelling at the Academy, becoming a successful chuunin, now jounin, it seemed that her sister's excellence only grew.

Unlike her.

Yukari didn't have the praise of her parents or other clan members’ interest. When she would enter a room, she would be greeted and shown respect as she was still the daughter of the clan leader, however, when her sister would enter it seemed all eyes and attention were at her beckon call. At first she couldn't help but be jealous. Trying to either make herself weaker than her sister to gain pity, or even to do silly things to get the attention she longed for. Regardless, she chose to accept that this was her fate; to be the second daughter of the Katabana clan. Accepting this, she pushed forward, wanting to grow stronger to at least be of use to her clan in the future…to help her sister when she became the new clan leader.

"Ah, there they are!" Okani cheerfully said as she waved to the two Uchiha brothers walking just across from them. "Itachi-san!" She called out, grabbing the raven head's attention who waved back, halting his little brother to allow the two girls to meet with them.

"Ah, Okani-san. Yukari-chan. Heading to the academy?" He questioned, giving a small smile to both girls. Okani had practically swooned as she nodded her head quickly. Yukari sighed to herself as she looked up at the taller Uchiha. 

"You must be excited right? Since it's your first day and all." He said to Yukari, though in response, she huffed. Her older sister, seemingly embarrassed by her behavior, wanted to hit the girl. 

"It's nothing special. I would prefer to just study at home." Yukari had replied honestly.

A chuckle escaped Itachi as he listened to the girl's response. He had always found that the youngest daughter of the Katabana kept to herself. In fact, it was interesting that she was distant towards her sister, yet his brother had been the opposite. Sasuke was always clinging to him, wanting to go everywhere, train all the time with him. He was even excited to go to the academy to learn about new things that he didn't learn with Itachi. Smiling to himself, Itachi looked down to see Sasuke staring at the young Yukari. 

"Sasuke. Aren't you going to say hello?" His older brother teased. Sasuke nodded and lifted a hand as a greeting as he looked up to Okani. 

“Hi Okani-san.” He turned to Yukari. "It's been awhile, Yukari." He said, getting the girl's attention. Her bright sunset colored eyes looked at him as she gave him a confused look. 

"It hasn't been that long." She corrected him, though Itachi couldn't help but laugh. 

"I'm sure you guys will have a great time at the academy. I remember when your sister was in my class." Itachi said to the smaller girl. The group had started to walk and talk, continuing their conversation which seemed to keep the younger kids' attention.

"Ahh. Those were the easy days." Okani had said, her hands held themselves behind her back. 

"Yes. Not that many missions. Only D or C rank." 

"With only having to worry about getting better." She chimed with him, as they both nodded and laughed amongst themselves. Before they knew it, Sasuke and Yukari had walked ahead of the two as they chatted, deciding to talk amongst themselves.

"Whose class are you in?" Yukari had asked, tilting her head slightly to look at him. The raven-haired boy was slightly taller than she, wearing a blue shirt with beige shorts. She hadn't seen the boy for a couple of weeks. Granted, the two did live at different ends of the village and she only really saw him when her father would make her come to understand how their relationship was with the Uchihas.

There were a couple of times where she would see the two brothers together, whether for training or just hanging around. Any other time she had seen either of them was because Okani forced her to tag along (since she refused to go by herself to see the eldest Uchiha brother).

Sasuke had turned to Yukari, giving her his attention as he replied, 

"Iruka-sensei. How about you?" Her brows lifted as she nodded, 

"Me too." 

When the group had reached the gates of the school, Itachi and Okani had stopped in their tracks, grinning to their younger siblings. 

"Alright you guys. This is where we say, see ya !" Okani said cheerfully as Yukari shook her head, knowing that her sister was going to try and spend her free time with the older Uchiha. 

Itachi looked at Sasuke and said to him, "Have a good day today." 

Sasuke nodded, and turned on his heel, Yukari looking at her sister as she continued to smile at her. 

"Go on." Okani urged her until finally she followed Sasuke.

"Say, Itachi-san?"

"Hm?"

"What do you say to breakfast? If you're not busy or anything." Okani's blush seemed to surface as she asked. Her eyes trailed to look at him, seeing as he smiled at her.

"I've already eaten…but we can grab something small." He suggested, earning a quick nod as she grabbed his hand and pulled him along to leave.

The two children had entered the classroom, seeing it half-full of some familiar and unfamiliar faces. Sasuke had been bombarded with some girls of the class that found him utterly cute while he attempted to make his way to the back corner of the class. Yukari, meanwhile, looked around and saw a couple of people she recognized.

"Ah! Shikamaru-kun, Kiba-kun." She waved to them, bringing the two boys from their conversation with each other to give her a slight wave.

"So, you're in this class too, huh." Shikamaru said, the girl nodding, replying, "Who would've thought we would all be in the same class."

"At least we'll have friends amongst the losers." Kiba tried to joke, though Yukari folded her arms across her chest. 

"Wow, that’s no way to talk about yourself, Kiba." She smirked as the brunette shouted, 

“Heeeey! Not me!” His eyes traveled to the group of girls that surrounded Sasuke as he made his way to finally sit in the top corner of the class.

"I assume you’re talking about the girls." Sounding as if to warn them, Shikamaru smirked, joking with her. 

"You don't think Sasuke is a loser?"

Yukari shook her head. 

"He's just minding his own business. Plus, the girls clearly have their heads with fantasy and not with being a shinobi." She huffed. Both boys chuckled, knowing it would get a rise out of the violet haired girl. 

"Alright, alright. Everyone take a seat." A booming voice came through the sliding door. A tall man with a scar across his nose came, walking with a notebook as he moved to the head of the class. The girl quickly moved to sit at the top with Sasuke, wanting to enjoy the breeze of the opened window that was next to him.

Sasuke looked at her, whispering, "Why are you next to me? Don't you wanna sit with your friends." He motioned to Kiba and Shikamaru, but the girl leaned over, whispering back, 

"Nah. Kiba will eventually annoy me and then we'll both get on Shikamaru's nerves. Plus," She pointed at the window, "There's the nice breeze you have here." He stared at her for a second, before shaking his head, giving up on picking on her seating preference.

"Okay…let's see who's here..." Iruka had begun calling out names for roll, the students waiting to hear the names of who was going to be in their class. Yukari had been the first name on the list, waving her hand slightly to gesture to herself. Onwards the name calling went, that is, until the door slammed open.

Huffing and puffing, a certain infamous blonde boy had walked in. He had been covered in paint on his clothes and face, though that didn't stop him from grinning at the teacher. 

"I made it on time!" He said aloud, though some students laughed, Iruka had been the one who yelled at him. 

"On time?! You're late, Naruto! Go sit down!" The teacher scolded him, Naruto shrugging, making a mean face at the jounin and moved to take a seat at the other end of class, sitting himself in the middle of an empty row.

Yukari had watched Naruto as he took his seat. The young Katabana girl never met him personally or talked to him. Her father had told her to avoid him, saying it was 'best not to get close' though she never understood why. Sure, maybe it was because he was always causing a ruckus wherever he went, or maybe because he was pranking everyone that he became a pain in the ass to all the jounins. Whatever the case, Yukari didn't see anything wrong with it. He was an orphan with no one on his side. If anything, Yukari felt sorry for the blonde.

Drawing her thoughts to a close, she turned to Iruka who had begun the lesson for the day. Sighing, she propped an elbow on the desk, resting her cheek on her open hand as she listened boringly to the lecture.

This was going to be a long day.

"Finally!" Kiba stretched, reaching his hands to the air as class had finally ended. 

"Hey, want to go play at the park?" He asked Shikamaru, who nodded. 

"Sure, why not?" He said. The two had started to leave as he turned to Yukari who moved down the steps and headed to the door. 

"Oi, Yukari-chan. Wanna play with us at the park?" Kiba asked, though the girl shook her head.

"Sorry. My sister is waiting for me." She told them, and they nodded, heading out first. Sasuke had walked behind Yukari, seeing her turn her head to see if Naruto had left the classroom as well, which he did. She didn't even recall him leaving that quickly.

"Oi, watch where you're going." Sasuke said, watching as she stumbled over herself. He managed to grab her arm to stop her from falling forward, though Yukari chuckled to herself. 

"Sorry sorry."

The girls continued to call Sasuke from behind, though he made no effort to turn around. 

"Your fangirls are calling you." Yukari joked, though the Uchiha shrugged as they left the classroom and headed out the main entrance.

"I'm not going back there. They'll hold me up for the rest of the night." A small laugh escaped the girl as she nodded. 

"You're probably right. Oh, there's Itachi-san."

Itachi had been leaning against the school's outer fence, waiting to pick up his little brother. 

"Ah." The older Uchiha said to himself as he waved at the two kids who walked towards him. Yukari had waved, though Sasuke gave him a nod.

"Yukari-chan. Your sister wanted me to tell you she couldn't get you from school. She got called on a mission earlier." He told her. 

"Oh…" Yukari said, trying to hide the disappointment in her tone. She had wanted to tell her sister about class and who she had. Itachi, noticing the young girl's change in expression, had offered her, 

"We can walk you back home if you want." The girl looked up, smiling softly and shook her head. 

"No, it's okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow?" 

Itachi nodded. "Okani-san said to come by and pick you up and take you to school since she’ll still be gone." The girl pouted. 

"Oneesan thinks I'm small and helpless but I am not!"

Itachi laughed, shaking his head. 

"But…if she said so, then I guess it's…okay." Yukari gave up, the older Uchiha nodded his head.

"Okay. Then we'll see you tomorrow." He turned, Sasuke nodded, saying to her, "See you."

Yukari gave him a small wave, saying back, "See you."

Sighing, the young girl started to walk home, taking her sweet time. Her home was further away than the Uchiha's complex, so it was a miracle that they would come to pick her up. 'Maybe Itachi-san does like Oneesan…' The young girl told herself as she walked. The sun had begun to set behind her, seeing her shadow grow darker in front of her.

"S-Stop!" She had heard a faint cry. Yukari halted herself, straining herself to listen for the cry once more. 

"I said stop! Leave me alone!" There it was again. This had made the girl bolt, running towards the sound she heard. Turning the fenced corner, she saw that there was a bench and forest clearing behind. The voice had gotten a little louder as she ran, realizing it was coming from the forest.

Hopping the fence that separated the woods from the dirt road, Yukari darted. She saw a familiar blonde hair on the ground, holding himself as three kids, seemingly larger than the boy and herself picking on the small boy. 

"See? That's what you get for letting that kid go." 

"Yeah! You're so annoying, why don't you just die." One boy said menacingly. Yukari, shaking her head, stepped forward, yelling at the boys. 

"Oi! Leave him alone!" The three looked, seeing the young violet-haired girl with her hands on her hips. The boys started to laugh, seeing the small girl speak up to them. 

"Why don't you go home and play with your dolls." 

"Yeah! Mind your business." They teased her. Scoffing, Yukari yelled again, 

"I'm telling you right now! You better quit it or you'll get hurt." She tried to warn them, though they looked at her. 

"Hurt us?" One boy questioned, laughing at her statement.

Yukari nodded. She had reached for one of her wakizashi that rested behind her on a holster that made an 'X' on her front. 

"That's right! So you better quit it!" Her hand gripped the handle of the wakizashi, slowly pulling it out, and the boys realized that she was serious.

"C-C'mon guys! We don't need to bother with a psycho and a loser!" One boy said, motioning for the other two to follow suit. 

"Y-Yeah! You'll regret this!" Another had said before the three ran off. Sighing, the girl let go of the blade and hurried over to the blonde.

"Jokes on them, these are just wooden blades. Ha!...Hey, are you okay?" She asked, the boy pulling from his huddled position to reveal that it was a familiar face.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Yukari gasped. The boy, raising a brow asked. 

"You know me?"

The girl nodded. "We're both in Iruka-sensei’s class together." She told him, Naruto thought to himself before he nodded quickly.. 

"Ah! I remember."

The girl stood up, offering him a hand to help him to his feet. 

"Anyways. Are you okay? What happened between you guys?" She questioned. Naruto's hand reached out, taking hers as she helped him to his feet. He dusted himself as he told her, 

"I'm okay. They were picking on some kid for his money, so I stopped them. The kid got away, luckily, but well…" He trailed off, the girl understanding the rest of the story. 

"I see."

"But, thank you! That was the first time someone had actually stopped to help me." He admitted to her, Yukari furrowed her brows in confusion. 

"What do you mean?" She asked him. Naruto sighed, recalling other times where he was attacked by other kids on several other occasions. 

"A lot of other kids jump me sometimes. I always yell for someone to help since the kids are bigger than me, but no one seems to come." He explained.

The girl looked saddened, feeling pity for the boy that was her age. 

"That's terrible." She told him, though he shrugged. 

"I mean, everyone avoids me, so now I just wait until they get bored of beating me up." Biting her lip, Yukari looked at him, her eyes full of compassion as she told him. 

"That's not right! Look, if someone picks on you again, you tell me! I'll beat them up for you!" She told him. The blonde simply blinked at her response before he had suddenly felt his stomach in knots, feeling…happy that someone had something so kind for once.

"You're funny. You don't have to—"

"No! It's not right for other kids to do that! Don't worry, I, Katabana Yukari shall make sure that you, Uzumaki Naruto, will not be bullied by those losers!" The girl placed a fist on her heart, as if to pledge.

"Katabana…wait! You're…you're Katabana Yukari?!" Naruto exclaimed, the girl looked at him and nodded. 

"Yeah. So?"

"So?! Your otou-san is one of the best weapons smiths in the entire village!" She nodded. 

"Yep."

"Woah…that's cool." He told her, which had her blink in shock. A laugh escaped her. 

"You're funny, Naruto-kun." The girl smiled, motioning for them to leave.

"It's nice to meet you though…I gotta get going. I might get scolded for coming home late." Yukari told him. Naruto nodded. "O-okay, Yukari-chan. I'll see you tomorrow?"

She nodded as the two left the forest area and got back to the dirt road. "See you!" She waved to him as she ran off, heading back home.

It was too bad her sister wouldn't be home tonight to listen to her stories of today.

Chapter Text

Year 3, Age 10

The Academy lessons seemed as boring and uninteresting as ever.

Three years had passed since their first day, and Yukari’s attitude had shifted when it came to coming to the Academy. This was becoming part of her routine now. She would walk with her sister to meet up with Itachi and Sasuke in the morning, head to class, then later be picked up by them. Sometimes, she would only walk with Sasuke. Her father had been adamant in her not being left alone, especially as Okani had gotten busier as she got older, with both the demands from her job and as the future head.

They had learned about the core basics that all shinobi knew, from how chakra worked down to basic self defense skills to strengthening their body and minds. This year, they would be focusing on how to use shinobi weaponry and actually utilize them and not the fake ones that couldn’t hurt them.

Iruka had continued to teach the class about how to use the right amount of chakra and how it was the key to any ninjutsu. Naturally, Yukari had learned about this already by learning from her family and watching her sister, Okani, train with her father when she was younger. Her sister was ten years older than Yukari, who was only ten years old.. Sasuke and Itachi had been similar years apart as the two Katabana sisters, seemingly a coincidence, though their birthdays were during the oddest times of the year.

As the lessons came and went, only performing a few examples in class, Yukari found herself dozing off most of the time. In fact, both she and Sasuke had known to doze off during class, finding the lessons to be refreshers for them. They were from prominent shinobi families, so it was only natural that they knew the things they were being taught in class. Sure, there were some aspects that caught her attention, but she felt she knew enough just from learning from her sister.

Yukari had found out a few days into the academy that Sasuke didn't want to go to the academy either. Sharing the same sentiment, the two sat next to each other from then on, talking here and there during class. During lunch she would go off with either Kiba and Shikamaru or sit with Naruto who seemed to find himself with little to no lunch at all.

Sasuke had found this to be interesting as he would hear the girls that would coddle him talk about Yukari, gossiping on why she was eating with the annoying Naruto or being nice to him. Though Sasuke had only listened and never intervened during the girls' chatter, he knew that it was just Yukari being a nice person. She had told him about the incident regarding Naruto where he was getting bullied and that's how she ended up becoming familiar with the blonde. Though Sasuke didn't ask or care, he did find it brave of the girl to take on older boys who were being jerks.

Aside from those things, the days went on seemingly in a routine.

Today, however, the class lessons seemed to finally step up to something new. Iruka had clapped his hands together, bringing attention to himself as the idle chatting died down, all the kids looking at him.

"Okay class. Today we're going to put everything I've been talking about into some practice. We're going to do some sparring today." He announced, the class booming to whispers and random comments that flew around. For once, Yukari and Sasuke had been listening, their interests piquing. The violet-haired girl turned to the raven, smiling. 

"Finally! We can do something that doesn't involve just sitting around all day." She said confidently, earning a nod from Sasuke. 

"Good. I've been wanting to find out where everyone is at with their skills." He told her. Truthfully, Sasuke was curious to see how Yukari would fare in a battle. The two were well aware of their family's background and their powers and seeing as Yukari was one of the most prominent families that he was extremely familiar with, save for the Hyuugas who were also a strong family, he wanted to see where she sat with her skills. Sasuke had been training with Itachi for a long time now, begging his brother to help him get stronger whenever he was free. The raven was only wondering if Yukari was the same.

"Alright alright. Let's all head out to the yard. Single file, let's go!" Iruka called out, the class quickly getting up and lining up at the door, waiting for Iruka to take the lead. Sasuke had been behind Yukari, who was behind Naruto, behind someone else. She tapped on Naruto's shoulder. The blonde, who wore a white t-shirt with an orange design on the front and black shorts turned, grinning as he saw a familiar face. 

"Yukari-chan! Are you ready for sparring?" She nodded, smiling rather big. Out of all the girls, she seemed to be the most excited. 

"I can't wait to see where everyone’s skills are! It's going to be fun." She cheerfully told him, finally moving forward as Iruka led the class out into the halls and towards the yard.

The yard was rather large, having some straw-dummy targets, and various trees surrounding them. Yukari had wondered to herself if she would have to fight against any of her friends, such as Shikamaru or Kiba. She knew the two of them were pretty good when it came to fighting, knowing that their clans were rather strong and popular as well, though she had never seen them in action. 'What if I have to fight Naruto-kun? Or worse…' She asked herself as she stood, lined up with the rest of the class. Iruka looked at the class and called for their attention.

"Okay. We're just going to go through everyone just to see where we all stand. This will give me a better understanding on where you guys are with your studying and training. So let's start with…uh…Shikamaru-kun and…Chouji-kun. Why don't you guys go ahead and start us off?" Iruka had told the two, who nodded.

"No weapons. We'll see how your hand-to-hand combat skills are. Goes for everyone else. Alright. Ready….begin!" He threw his hand up, the two going towards each other. Oohs and ahhs had escaped the class whenever one would dodge or land a good blow on the other. Naruto would throw a hand up, cheering them on. Yukari had found it interesting that Naruto was pretty into the fight, cheering on the two as they exchanged hits.

Yukari watched in silence, watching Shikamaru's movements as he had moved gracefully compared to his opponent. Eventually, the spar ended with Shikamaru proving to be the victor. 

"Good job, Shika-kun!" Yukari cheered, though the boy only shrugged.

 "Yes, good job, Shikamaru-kun. Your skills are excellent. Chouji-kun, you did your best, though maybe hand to hand isn't your strong suit." Iruka suggested. Chouji was quick to retreat back into the group and open a bag of chips he brought out with him, not bothered by the teacher's comment.

"Alright. Next…how about…Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun?"

"Yes!" Naruto shouted, shooting a fist into the air. Kiba grinned to himself, figuring that it would be a piece of cake. 'With how Naruto is…this should be easy.' The Inuzuka kid told himself mentally as he and Naruto stepped out from the line. 

"Ready. Begin!" Iruka signaled them.

The punches and kicks came mostly from Kiba. Naruto had dodged or blocked most of it, but managed to take some hits. Frowning, Yukari saw this and yelled out, cheering on the blonde, 

"C'mon Naruto-kun! Kick his butt!" Kiba looked over to the sunset colored eyes girl who seemed to be determined to cheer on the blonde. Naruto, noticing Kiba's sudden distraction, took this moment to land a punch to his left cheek. 

"Why you—!" Kiba yelled, throwing out more hits as payback for Naruto's hit. Seemingly inspired by Yukari’s cheer, he managed to block the hits.

"Naruto-kun can really take the hits." Yukari said to herself out loud as she watched him. Sasuke, meanwhile, had watched the blonde. 'He's not even hitting back. He's forced to be defensive.' He said to himself as he watched. The two clearly had different perspectives on what they saw. 

The sparring went on for a good ten minutes before finally, the two seemed to be on their last leg. Naruto, who had been hailed with hits from Kiba, weakly stood, his stance showing he was still ready to take any hits the other boy had. Kiba, on the other hand, had breathed heavily, tired from his constant attacking on the boy. Iruka had noticed the two and their condition. Before they made any other move to attack each other, he called it.

"That's it! You both did well. Though you did not attack enough, Naruto-kun, your defense was superb. Kiba-kun, you did well with your attacks, not allowing Naruto to fight throughout that is a great strategy. With enough practice, you could make that a strong point." He advised the two, who nodded. Surprisingly, Kiba went to Naruto and fist bumped him. 

"Good fight."

Naruto, surprised as well, nodded, grinning as he usually did. "Yeah, good fight."

"You're hard to break through. We should train sometime." Kiba suggested, making the blonde grin even wider. He was surprised that someone had actually wanted to spend time with him and not beat him up. If anything, this seemed like a stepping stone for the young Uzumaki. 

"That sounds good to me." He told Kiba, who nodded, the two boys chatting away about nothing at that point. Yukari watched the two, impressed by both their fight styles. ' I'm glad he has someone to talk to now.' She told herself as she watched, smiling, Naruto and Kiba continue to talk with one another.

Iruka looked at the line of people, wanting to see another spar. One girl had perked up from somewhere within the line, saying, 

"Have a girl fight a boy!" This had gotten a rise out of the class and they let out a noise of interest. Yukari nodded, cheering it on. Seeing he had no choice and not wanting to restrict the fights between only boys or only girls, he decided to choose the next combatants. 

"Okay okay. Sakura-chan and…Sasuke-kun. Why don't you guys come up?" He said. Yukari grinned for Sasuke who only smirked, excited to finally see what his classmate had. Sakura, however, sheepishly shook her head. 

"N-No way! I can't fight Sasuke-kun!" She told Iruka, who looked at her confusingly. 

"Huh?" Was all he could muster.

The girl made no move to step forward, looking at Sasuke before blushing madly and turning to her blonde friend. 

"I just can't! I love him too much!" She said loudly, earning some yells from other girls and her friend putting an arm over her shoulder, seemingly to help her from her embarrassment. A sigh escaped the raven. He finally got picked to fight and a girl didn't want to fight him because she… loved him? Finding it ridiculous, the Uchiha stood there, waiting for Iruka to pick the next person.

"Okay then…well you're going to have to fight at one point, Sakura-chan. How about—"

"I'll go, sensei."

Eyes traveled to the voice of the young girl who half raised her hand, only bending her arm at her elbow. Yukari volunteered, earning a smirk from Sasuke.

"Ah. Thank you for volunteering, Yukari-chan." Iruka said to the girl, mentally appreciating the fact that she wasn't afraid to fight, not just a boy, but a popular one. He wasn’t blind to the two. He knew they were friends so perhaps that was why she didn’t mind volunteering. 

Yukari had taken off her usual holster she wore with her two wooden wakizashis and handed it to Naruto to hold. 

"Can you hold this, please?" She asked him, earning a nod as he took the wakizashis from her carefully.

Yukari stepped into the clearing, facing Sasuke. He was only a few inches taller than her, seemingly ready to fight. The girl smirked herself, her expression changing to one ready to fight. 

"Time to see what you're made of, Sasuke-kun."

"Same to you, Yukari." 

The girl had never really noticed until now that Sasuke had never used an honorific for her. He was the only one, aside from her father and occasionally her sister, who did that. Of course, Okani always nicknamed people she knew and Yukari was no stranger to that. She was the only one who called her Yu-chan. 

However the fact that the young Uchiha boy didn’t use honorifics with her was interesting as she had just noticed it now through the sudden change in tone when he spoke to her. Nevertheless, she knew that Sasuke was very keen on training hard. In fact, he was one of the most diligent people in her age and was so determined to train hard to improve. It was one of the few traits she had admired about him.

Iruka had looked at the two, sensing the air about them change drastically before he called the match to start. 'These two are dead serious right now.' He said to himself as he yelled, 

"Ready…begin!" He threw his hand into the air as the two went quickly in for each other.

"Woah…" Naruto said out loud, watching as his friend fought his unannounced rival. Of course, he had rooted for Yukari to win, seeing as he couldn't stand Sasuke. He found the raven to be…utterly…he couldn't even find the right word to describe him. Perhaps stuck-up? He had a sense of coolness to him, something Naruto definitely lacked. He was followed by girls constantly, being praised by them, and it didn't help that on the other hand, they would yell at Naruto for being an idiot. It was frustrating, as Sasuke had never said anything to the girls. It had seemed that he was only ever interested in talking to Yukari and occasionally the other boys. 

Did he like her or something? Or was he just overthinking it? Regardless, watching the two spar was…amazing..

"It's almost as if…" Kiba said lowly, watching in amazement at the two's skills.

"…as if they're dancing." Shikamaru finished for the Inuzuka. Naruto nodded in agreement. The blows the two exchanged had equal force behind it. Sasuke would throw a punch to her right, with Yukari pushing his fist away from her, and fire back a punch of her own. They would punch, kick, and eventually had found themselves jumping back and forth to fight mid-air.

The class had found themselves amazed by how both of their classmates had such skills. It was no surprise since they came from such prestigious and powerful clans, but being able to see it in person was certainly eye catching.  They were in-sync with one another as they exchanged blows, showing their fire and determination. Finally, Sasuke had thrown a right hook while they were mid-air. Instead of pushing it away with an open palm as she did before, Yukari pulled herself close to the raven, using her left hand to grab his wrist that threw the hit and her right to hold his upper arm close to his shoulder, and throw him downwards towards the ground.

Sasuke, meanwhile, hadn't expected the girl to pull herself close, seeing as they were at a good distance from each other as they threw hits left and right. He had let his guard down for a moment, comfortable with how she was fighting at that moment. His back hit the grass as she landed herself swiftly on-top of his, standing above him with her legs on each side of him.

"Looks like I take this win." Yukari grinned, breathing heavily and sweating as she looked down at the Uchiha. Staring at her in disbelief, the Uchiha, somewhat angry at himself, scoffed, finding her cockiness annoying. Instead of moving away, Yukari had reached out to him, offering to help him up.

"It was a great fight. You're really strong, you know. Itachi-san taught you well." She told him, grinning widely. Sasuke stared at her face, then at her hand before taking her offer. The girl helped him to his feet, and the two moved back to their place in line.

Iruka, amazed by the two, clapped. "Good job both of you! You both did very well. I would say that's one of the best fights I've seen so far." Some students had agreed vocally. Iruka had eventually moved on to the next match, apparently choosing Sakura and her blonde friend Ino to fight one another.

Meanwhile, Yukari had sat down to take a breather, as some other students did as well while waiting for their turns. Sasuke sat down beside her. In truth, Yukari was surprised that she managed to take down Sasuke with that move. She had taken the opportunity, hoping that it wouldn't backfire since she knew that their fight might have gone longer than anticipated. In fact, she actually thought she was going to lose to him. 

‘I'm happy that I got to see how strong he is though. I'm surprised I kept up as long as I did.' Complimenting herself, Yukari looked at Sasuke, who had been watching the fight with a dull expression.

"Hey, Sasuke?" She called out to him. The raven turned his head, looking at her as she spoke. 

"I'm glad I got to fight you today." She admitted. Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"I am too, actually." He admitted. The violet girl raised a brow, questioning, "Really?"

He nodded his head and looked back at Sakura and Ino's fight, which seemed to be going rather slow.

"Yeah. Itachi talks about how your sister's training is and how she says that you train a lot at home. Sometimes even with her." A small blush came to Yukari’s cheeks, embarrassed at the fact her sister spoke of her at all.

"Y-yeah. I try to get oneesan to help me whenever she's free. She's never easy though and always beats me up, but it's good. I feel like I grow stronger each time I train with her." She explained.

"Hm. I ask niisan too when he's free. I guess we're similar in that sense." He told her, which she nodded. 

"I guess so."

Silence fell between the two as they continued to watch. Yukari had turned to Naruto, getting her wakizashis back from him as he forgot he was holding onto it for her. 

"You did amazing, Yukari-chan."

He complimented her, smiling. Kiba, next to him, peeked his head over and nodded. 

"Yeah! You were really cool, Yukari-chan." Yukari smiled sheeply, as Naruto held out her wakizashis that she took quickly.

"Thanks, you guys. It means a lot." 

For the next few hours of class, the sparring went on until finally the last match had been concluded.

"Alright class. We’ll be sparring again to train you all up, but your final tests will include an all out spar for your final year. Remember to practice your skills and the next few things we'll be learning. You're going to spar again with the same person you fought with today, just to show how you've progressed as part of the exam. See you tomorrow!" Iruka had said to the class, finally dismissing them.

Yukari had stood quickly, stretching her legs out and strapping back on her wooden blades. She was happy to think that they would be soon over and done with the academy and would be placed into their squads soon enough. They would officially be genin and start going on missions. Once she felt comfortable enough, she had started to walk through the academy, heading towards the main entrance to leave. 

"Ah! Yukari-chan!" Naruto called out to the girl who stopped and turned, about to step off the academy grounds.

"Hm?"

"Kiba, Shikamaru and I are going to get some ramen at Ichiraku's, do you wanna come?" He said, motioning to the two who waited at the entrance waiting to leave. She shook her head. 

"It's okay. Maybe next time?" The girl told him. Pouting playfully, Naruto nodded and the three boys went off.

Smiling to herself, Yukari started to walk again, seeing Sasuke walking off as well. She had noticed that Itachi wasn't there to pick him up today, so she decided to call out, "Sasuke!"

The raven turned his head, stopping himself to see who was calling his name.

"Yukari?"

"No Itachi-san today?" She questioned, earning a shake from the boy.

"He's on a mission today."

"I see. How about I walk with you until the split?" She said, referring to the three-way split where she would leave to her estate and he to his. He shrugged, indifference to it.

The two walked together in silence. Yukari had been thinking about their spar that day, finding that they were on even terms practically, save for her finisher. She was amazed by how well Sasuke did, thinking that if they were a duo, that they would be practically impossible to stop.

Sasuke had similar thoughts. He replayed the moves Yukari made, the expression of hers that showed her determination to win. Unlike the other girls who he thought had no guts to fight, Yukari had that fire. Maybe it was because she wasn't lovestruck by him like the other girls were? She could actually hold a decent conversation with him and found training to be utterly important. They were both excited when they were going to spar with others just to see how strong or not so strong their classmates were. If anything, they seemed to have more in common than he would like to admit.

‘Maybe she would be okay with training together? Unless she preferred to train with her sister…’ 

His thoughts on asking or not asking her bugged him until he realized where they were.

When the two had finally approached the three-way split, Sasuke had moved to the right, and Yukari would move to the left. Before they split, the girl faced Sasuke, calling out to him, "Sasuke?"

The raven turned to her, seeing her face turn into a soft smile as she said, "Let's train together sometime, okay?"

Sasuke nodded in response, turning on his heel to head home. A smirk sprawled across his face as he thought to himself, 'Looks like she beat me to it.'

Chapter Text

Year 4, Age 11

The calmness of the early morning seemed the most ideal time for anyone to get anything done. This was just a guess as Yukari had gotten herself ready, standing in front of the mirror. Changing into her usual magenta top and beige skirt, the young shinobi had worked on getting her hair to cooperate with her. Settling on a loose tying of her hair, she swung it to settle the strands on her right shoulder, tying it with a red ribbon halfway down her hair. Nodding to herself that she was pleased, she worked on getting her holster attached, strapping it onto her hip in its usual 'X' shape, shoving her two wakizashis behind her into the straps. Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, the girl smiled, pleased.

A soft knock came to her door, a voice calling from the other side.

"Oi, you ready to go? We don't want to keep them waiting." Her sister's voice showed how eager she was to leave. Yukari took one last look for her final preparations before she nodded and opened the door.

"Finally! What, trying to look cute for Sasuke-kun?" Okani teased, earning a huff and small blush from her sister. 

"Neesan!"

"Ahh, I kid, I kid." She waved a hand, watching her young sister put on her sandals. As they opened the sliding doors to their home, they saw a large wagon with a single horse in the courtyard. A large pile covered by a large cloth sat in the bed of the wagon. Yukari let out a small yawn, walking over to her father who was discussing with one of the estate's caretakers, turned to his daughters when they approached.

"Good morning, girls." He greeted them, giving each a smile. They smiled back. 

"Good morning, otou-san." They said in unison.

Lord Hito looked to his oldest daughter, giving her a look of question. 

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Okani?"

The girl nodded, waving her hands. "As much as I would love to see Itachi-san, I have to report for a mission in an hour. Besides, Yu-chan seems eager to go today, since she has no classes." She joked, earning a small hit from her sister. 

"Oneesan!" She huffed, turning to her dad who chuckled at the girls' banter.

"Alright then. Come then, Yukari, you'll get to see your tou-san in action." He joked with her, motioning for her to climb up to the driver seat. 

"Sure sure.." She said to herself as she climbed up. Her father followed and grabbed the reins of the horse, motioning for the guards to open the main gates of the estate.

"Alright. Let's get going. See you when you get back, Okani." Lord Hito said to his eldest, who nodded and waved at them as they started to leave.

"Have fun!" Okani cried, waving as she watched them disappear into the distance.

The Uchiha estate was as large as ever.

Entering the main gates, Lord Hito motioned for the horse to slow its trot. Some stared over to see who was walking through the estate, though most had already guessed on who it was.

Eventually, the man pulled the horse to a halt, arriving at one of the larger complexes within the estate. Outside, a middle aged man stood, his hands on his hips.

"Ah, you finally made it, Hito." The man called out, walking over to Lord Hito who climbed off the seat and met with the man, greeting him with a firm handshake.

"It has been a while, Fugaku." The man nodded, shaking his hand. The man named Fugaku looked over, seeing Yukari climb down to walk up to her father.

"It's been a while, Yukari-chan. I heard you and Sasuke have gotten along well at school." He said to the small girl, who looked up at him and nodded, smiling.

"Yep! He's really good at sparring." She said cheerfully, earning a nod from the man. 

"I see. Come on in, let's get more comfortable." Fugaku said to the two, leading them into his house and into the meeting room.

The Uchiha's main house, unlike some others, went with the traditional interior. The three sat on tatami mats, the room surrounded by a soft green color. Fugaku and her father made no attempt to waste time, getting straight down to business. Yukari , meanwhile, sat quietly, sitting on her legs with both hands on her lap.

Fugaku's wife, Mikoto, had entered, giving each person a cup of tea before retreating into the kitchen.

"Ah, Yukari-chan. You're so quiet and proper." Fugaku commented, breaking the talk of business briefly to look at the young girl who looked at the cup of tea before her. Her ears perked to her name, looking up to meet Fugaku's eyes.

"Why don't you go see Sasuke and Itachi? They should be in the backyard. I know these adult talks can get rather boring." He suggested to the girl, knowing how children can get bored easily. Unsure of what to do, since she was bored out of her mind just sitting there, Yukari turned to her father, who gave her a nod. 

"Go ahead. It's okay." He assured her. 

"Please excuse me then." She said softly as she got up and headed to the door, quietly sliding it closed behind her as she walked away.

Thankfully for Yukari, she had been to the Uchiha estate countless times before. It was usually for business with her father, though she occasionally came with her late mother, who was good friends with Mikoto. Walking towards the kitchen, Yukari saw Mikoto, sitting there quietly while drinking a cup of tea.

"Ah, Yukari-chan." The woman turned around, hearing the footsteps against the wooden floors. 

"Did you need something?" The woman questioned, seeing the girl's eyes scan the room. 

"Uh… I was just going to get my sandals. Is Sasuke-kun outside?" She questioned. Mikoto nodded. 

"He's outside with Itachi right now. I think they're training." She smiled. 

"Ah..okay. Excuse me then." Yukari shyly said, moving to leave the kitchen and fetch her sandals, eager to see the Uchiha brothers.

"Again." Itachi's voice was calm, holding a kunai knife in one hand. His eyes watched his young brother, seeing him pant, sweat dripping from his forehead. Sasuke had his own kunai in hand, readying himself to attack once more.

Since the two woke and ate breakfast, they had been training. Seeing as Sasuke was off from school today and Itachi for once had a day off, the two figured this would be a good time.

Yukari had her sandals in her hand, walking through the end of the hallway to reveal the backyard. She saw the two, fighting each other with kunais, the sparks from the blades hitting one another. She sat at the edge of the wooden floor, slipping her sandals on as she watched eagerly.

Once the two brothers were apart once more, Itachi straightened himself out. He motioned behind Sasuke, who turned, curious on what caught his brother's eye.

"Good morning!" Yukari said cheerfully, prancing over to the two. She offered both a wave, earning one from Itachi who greeted her first.

"Good morning, Yukari-chan. Here with your otou-san?" He questioned.

"Yep. But Fugaku-san knew I was kind of bored with it. So, he told me you guys were here." She smiled, turning to Sasuke. She noticed how beat up and tired he was, she could only assume he had been pushing himself.

"Training hard I see." She said to him, the raven nodding.

"He's been doing good so far." Itachi told her, putting a hand on his hip. 

"How about you, Yukari-chan? Do you want to train with us?" He offered, seeing the girl's eyes brighten as she nodded quickly.

"Really? If you don't mind, I'd love to!" Her enthusiasm was a breath of fresh air, looking over to Sasuke who smirked, seeing how excited the girl was.

"Alright. Sasuke, why don't you take a break.” Itachi turned back to Yukari. 

“We're just practicing with kunais, but you can use your wooden blades if you want." Yukari nodded, preferring to use her own wakizashis anyways.

Sasuke moved from the two, opting to sit against a tree that had enough shade to cover him from the summer sun. Straightening his legs out, he watched as Yukari took out one of her blades, holding it similarly to how a kunai was held, with the blade closer to her arm.

"Whenever you're ready, come at me." Itachi told her.

A nod was her reply as she readied herself, holding the blade close before running straight at him.

The sounds of the metal and wood clashing resonated in the area as the two battled. Yukari had jumped at one more, hiding in the trees only to propel herself towards Itachi, clashing with him and rolling on the grass. She managed to regain her composure, defending as he went on the offensive. She wasn't as fast as Itachi was with his strikes, earning a few cuts from his attacks. Wincing as she would receive each one, she jumped back, performing a backflip before readying herself once again.

Itachi's composure, however, shifted as he smiled at her. 

"That was good. Do you want to take a break?" He asked her, realizing that almost fifteen minutes had gone by. Sweating, the girl shook her head. The break sounded amazing since the heat was getting to her, but she wanted to go further. 

“You shouldn’t push yourself, Yukari-chan. Let’s see…how do you feel about using a kunai against me?” Itachi suggested. 

Her eyes seemed to light up, nearly competing with the sun in her brightness as she nodded quickly. 

Itachi chuckled at this, as he reached for another kunai. “I assume this is your first time using an actual blade against someone?” 

“Mhm! Well atleast someone that isn’t my sister or Iruka-sensei.” 

“Ah. Well that makes sense since you really could get hurt…however I believe in being as prepared and exposed to many things as early as you can. You two will be graduating soon, and then you’ll be off on missions that may become dangerous. It’s only wise that you learn to accept the possibility of being hurt now rather than later.” Itachi explained as Sasuke nodded in agreement. 

A puzzled expression appeared on Yukari’s face as she seemed to nod slowly. “That makes sense…though tell that to my otou-san who won’t let me forge my blade already.” She huffed. 

“Forge your blade?” Sasuke questioned loudly, as Itachi looked over to his young brother and smiled, realizing that Sasuke wasn’t aware of the Katabana’s traditions. Not that he blamed him.  

“The Katabana’s have something similar to a..right of passage for their kin, usually the main family but others may do so as well, where they travel to…I believe it’s Yukari’s okaa-san’s village. You have to be a certain age to do that, however.” Itachi looked over to Yukari, as if urging her to explain her family’s story. 

“Usually on our  sixteenth birthday we return to my kaa-san’s village and learn the ways of the forge and create our own weapon. Nee-san forged the naginata that she carries around, for example. My father has a long katana back home.” She explained as she tapped on the wooden blades. “My choice will be forging two wakizashi blades when I’m old enough. Nee-san was ten when she got to forge hers, though.” She pouted, clearly jealous and envious of her sister’s accomplishment. 

“Okani-san was very talented at a young age. And as the next head, I suppose it made sense for her to be allowed to forge her weapon-”

“She got to carry an actual blade by my age! How’s that fair?!” Yukari snapped, clearly annoyed that her sister was such a prodigy that even Itachi seemed to recognize it. A soft smile sprawled across Itachi’s face, seeing that envy on the young girl. 

“You have your own talents, Yukari-chan. Don’t compare yourself to your sister too much. She is something to strive for, but not to be envious of. Envy will blind you from your true potential.” His words seemed to resonate with Yukari as she huffed without saying another word. 

Itachi had a point…but she was too stubborn to say that. 

Sasuke, who had remained quiet, seemed to understand Yukari’s struggle, seeing as while he was a little jealous of how much attention and praise his older brother received, he made it a goal to be just as strong as him and not let his envy hinder him. 

Now just how much did he and Yukari really have in common? 

Itachi cleared his throat, bringing the girl’s attention to him. 

“Well enough talk about that then, Yukari-chan. Let’s see how well you can fight with a real blade.” Itachi walked over and handed the knife to the young girl who nodded quickly.

“Alright…let’s try, shall we?” Itachi smiled, and Yukari nodded, as she held the blade close and ran at him. 

The clanging of the metal against one another was loud and rang in her ears. Itachi remained on the defensive for a bit, allowing the young girl to get used to fighting with the kunai until he took a step forward. 

Sasuke eyed his brother and friend-rival. Yukari was forced from being the aggressor to being on the defense as Itachi attacked. He wasn’t putting his all into it, of course, but that was still enough for Yukari to struggle a bit. When she was pushed back just enough, her eyes narrowed as she pushed her body hard, making her attacks even more aggressive than before. 

She was channeling her frustration into her attacks, and Itachi could see this. 

Though she was strong, she wasn’t able to land any blows on Itachi. She was eventually forced back to defend herself. Her energy had been used to attack aggressively and it left her defense weakened. When he had landed a few cuts on her and saw that the heat was getting to her, he had stopped immediately, an arm wiping his brow. 

“I think that’s a good place to take a break. Why don’t you sit out of the sun? I’ll get you some bandages.” Itachi suggested, and Yukari couldn’t help but nod weakly. She didn’t realize just how much the heat had affected her until now as she dragged herself over to the shaded spot. She moved to sit beside Sasuke, who watched her, seeing the cuts on her arm.

"You did pretty good." He complimented, earning a sigh from the girl. 

"I wish I was faster though. I thought at one point I was going to lose my concentration and get beat up." She replied honestly.

He shrugged. "You seemed to push yourself harder at the end. Any reason for that?”

She shrugged her shoulders in response. 

“You know you don’t have to hide it. What my brother said about envy and all that…he’s right, isn’t he?” Sasuke’s voice was soft, almost welcoming Yukari to come to her senses and acknowledge what she felt. She let out a huff. 

“Does that get annoying? Your brother being able to understand you without you having to say anything?” She asked honestly. Sasuke was the one to shrug this time. 

“You’re avoiding the question, Yukari.” He shook his head in dismay, though, he seemed to close his eyes as he leaned back against the tree. “But sometimes, yes it does. Other times, it’s a blessing. It saves me the effort of speaking my mind when he can already tell.” 

The girl pondered to herself for a moment, wary on how to answer his question. As she leaned back, she smiled and said in a soft, gentle voice, “He was right on the nose.” 

Sasuke smirked as he looked over to her, gazing at her wounds. 

“How are your arms?"

Yukari had looked down at the cuts she received, seeing they were extremely shallow cuts, almost as if she was just sliced with paper. 

"They stung for a moment, but they're fine." She looked over to Itachi who came just as quick as he left. 

“Here’s our first aid kit, Yukari-chan. Sorry about that.” He pointed to her arms, but she shook her head, wearing a smile as she took the box from him.

“No pain, no gain. Besides, it’s just a couple of scratches. I know it’s nothing compared to what you and my sister go through.” 

Itachi nodded and couldn’t help but admire her attitude as he looked over to his little brother.

"C'mon Sasuke. We're going to practice your fire jutsus." He said plainly, earning a nod from the young raven.

Yukari took this time to rest, watching as the two moved a bit further away so as to not hit any trees, or worse, herself, with the fire. She watched with fascination at how quick Itachi had done his hand signals. When Sasuke nodded to his brother, listening to his explanation and advice, he performed the same hand signs.

"Katon: Great Fireball!" He called, performing a fireball jutsu, one that Itachi had dodged but gotten rid of to avoid any damage to the area. Entranced by the Uchiha, she could remember the times when she was younger, first being introduced to their family.

She could recall a four-year-old Sasuke, clinging close to his older brother. Yukari on the other hand had walked quietly close to her mother and older sister. Naturally, Okani, who was much more rambunctious than herself, was quick to bother Itachi as she was naturally drawn to him.

Her father had introduced her for the first time to the Uchiha family, hearing how she and Sasuke were the same age and would be peers. She thought the boy was pretty annoying since he was clinging onto his older brother so much. And she thought girls were supposed to be the ‘whiny and annoying’ ones. She watched him ‘play fight’ with his brother when the adults were talking, having her sister complain beside her that she wanted to train with Itachi but Sasuke kept getting in the way.

In the end, it was only the beginning of their lives together as they would meet every so often because of their parents. Eventually, Yukari had gotten to see how Sasuke grew, both in height and his strength. Once in a while, she would train with Itachi and Sasuke, though she hadn't done so in a while. Most of her visits weren't long enough to constitute time for her to train, though today seemed to be a different case.

After performing enough fire-style jutsus, Itachi complimented his brother. 

"Your fire-style is close to perfect. That's good." His attention turned to Yukari , who seemed to be staring blankly at nothing in particular.

"Yukari-chan?" Itachi called out to her. The girl looked up, Itachi motioning for her to come to him. 

"Do you want to practice your fire-style too?" He asked her. For a moment, she thought about it. The Uchihas were known for how powerful their fire-style jutsus were. Her family was strong with the fire-style as well, but the only difference was incorporating her chakra into the flames, something that required a lot of concentration and control. She was still practicing her family’s technique and was nowhere near perfect compared to Sasuke.

"I’ll look like an idiot, but I can try..." Was her reply as she stood up, Sasuke moving aside for her to take his place.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had rarely seen Katabana's renowned ‘blue-flame fire style’. Even when he would watch or train with her those years ago, the girl never seemed to use it. He had thought that maybe she didn't learn the skill yet or kept it hidden. He was the second youngest to learn all the fire-style jutsus in his family, yet why hadn’t Yukari? Curious, he eyed the violet haired girl, watching her stand in front of his brother.

"Whenever you're ready." Itachi assured the girl, who nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Yukari focused on her chakra levels, readying herself as she casted similar hand signs. 

"Katon: Dragon's breath!" She yelled, joining her index and thumb together to make a circle, blowing through it.

Blue flames emerged from her hand that she blew into, grabbing the attention of Itachi and most especially Sasuke.

His eyes watched in surprise as he saw the flames, dancing with a shade of light and dark blue.

His amazement died quickly as the girl released her hands, ending her jutsu as she fell on one knee. Itachi walked over to the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He asked, offering her a hand to help her up. She nodded, taking his offer as he helped her to lean against the tree she had been sitting at earlier. Sasuke had moved out of the way of the two, seeing Yukari’s exhausted expression.

"Looks like you overdid it." Sasuke said in a snarky tone to the girl, setting himself down beside the girl. It was about mid-afternoon, the heat truly at its peak at this point.

She let out a weak laugh, nodding. Yukari had her legs stretched out, resting her hands on her lap as she took a breather.

"I guess so. I still struggle with controlling my chakra, but I'll get it down." She told Sasuke, who smirked to himself. Itachi, eyeing his brother, decided to fetch Yukari some water, excusing himself quickly and going into the house.

The two were left alone, resting under the tree that shaded them from the sun's harsh rays.

"You know…I still can't believe you beat me." Sasuke said abruptly, moving himself to sit against the tree right next to Yukari . The girl laughed to herself, closing her eyes as she responded.

"Well, to be fair. If we knew how to use fire jutsus three years ago, I think you would've fried me. Literally ." She mused. To this, Sasuke scoffed, nodding. 

"You're probably right."

"Though, to be honest. I was really excited." The girl admitted. Sasuke turned to her slightly, seeing her eyes closed as she spoke to him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" She took a deep breath, relaxing herself. "…I mean you know. I wanted to see just how strong you've gotten. We’ve known each other for a long time and we're going to be genin this year, y'know? We're gonna be put into teams and we may not get to see each other as much. So…I just wanted to see where you were with yourself and see how much you’ve grown as a shinobi, I guess." A short laugh escaped her as she opened her eyes, turning to look at him, meeting his dark eyes.

"That probably sounded weird. Sorry." She apologized, though his silence said nothing to her. In fact, he shook his head.

"It's not weird."

Raising a brow, Yukari eyed him.

"It's not?"

"No. Honestly…I felt the same." He paused, smiling to himself as he looked away from her, his eyes trailing to the blue skies. 

"I wanted to see how strong you were too. I was surprised that you decided to volunteer when Sakura said she couldn't do it, back when we first sparred. None of the boys wanted to fight the girls, and none of the girls seemed confident enough to fight the boys…except maybe Tenten." He admitted, recalling the look on Sakura's face, and the whispers that went around during the lesson. He was in disbelief with the pink haired girl. The time when he was finally called up to spar, she turned him down. Because what…? Because she had a crush on him?

Yukari chuckled softly, recalling that same moment as well. "Well, I was impatient. Sakura-chan didn't want to go, so I thought to myself, if I had to fight anyone, fighting you would probably be the most fun." She said to him, looking away as well and looking into the sky.

"Well…you were pretty good. I was surprised you kept up." He said. She laughed at that, confidently assuring him. 

"You think so lowly of me, Uchiha?" She joked as he chuckled. 

“Of course not. If anything…you got guts.” 

Silence fell between the two once more. It was a few minutes later that Itachi had returned, getting held up by his mother to help with something in the house. He had arrived just as his father and Lord Hito came to fetch the young girl to head home. Instead of seeing two young children sparring against one another, the three saw Sasuke and Yukari under the tree, fast asleep with Yukari leaning slightly on the boy.

This would be a secret that the three would keep from those two, seeing as they would make a big fuss of it later.

Today was another day at the academy. Boring lessons turned into boring lectures...and soon Yukari found herself dozing off. The soft patter of the rain outside and the darkened skies made it almost impossible for her to stay awake. She had planned on asking Sasuke if he wanted to train today...but it seemed as if they would have to skip. So instead, she had mentally planned on heading home. 

Iruka had loudly closed the book he had in his hand and looked at the rest of class. 

"Alright, let's end it a little early. A storm is coming so head home and work on your studies!" He told his students before he took his leave. Everyone seemed to jump with excitement that class managed to end early and some even thought of making plans. 

Yukari was just getting up when she was bombarded immediately by Shikamaru and Naruto who seemed to have something to say. 

"Yukari. You got plans?" Shikamaru asked simply, and the young girl shook her head. 

"Just planned on heading home." She replied, which seemed to catch Sasuke's attention, though he didn't make it entirely obvious that he was listening to her. 

"Well, we're gonna grab some ramen. You in?" 

Yukari pondered for a moment before she looked out the large window. Ramen did sound pretty good right now. 

"Eh...Sure I guess. Oh, let me ask..." She turned around to look over to Sasuke who was just ready to leave. "Sasuke! Did you want to come with us to get ramen?"

"Ugh! Why are you askin' that teme?!" Naruto groaned loudly. 

Of course it was no secret the two had some mutual...disdain for one another. It was just a pain for Yukari since she seemed to be stuck in the middle. She was friends with both of them and she didn't want to have to choose!

"Well we had plans before it started to pour so-!" Yukari tried to argue, but Sasuke just shook his head. 

"No thanks. Hearin' that dobe slurp would just ruin my appetite." He smirked, rather pleased with his insult. Yukari only let out a light scoff before she nodded, giving him a wave.

"See you later then, Sasuke.".

He nodded to her, watching as she, Shikamaru and Naruto quickly left the classroom. Quietly, Sasuke attempted to make his leave as well, though he was stopped by one of the girls, standing with Sakura and Ino.

"Sasuke-kun! How come you're always with that girl!?"

"Yeah! You guys are just friends because of your families, right?!" Sakura asked. 

"Do you like her?" Ino questioned. All the girls eyed him, waiting for his answer.

The raven was bombarded with pointless questions, finding himself irritated as he pushed through the girls. It was none of their business why he was with Yukari. If anything, the fact that they had the gall to question him as if he had done something wrong was what annoyed him. Sasuke continued on, leaving the classroom, much to the dismay of the girls.

Leaving the building, he held his umbrella close, looking at the darkened sky as the rain grew heavier.

What was wrong with hanging out with Yukari?

Now that Sasuke had thought about it, they had spent quite some time together since they started going to the Academy. At first it was just because Itachi and Okani had walked them to school, and they were friends. But when Itachi and Okani started to go on more missions, they would still wait for one another to at least meet up and walk to school in the morning. 

He usually enjoyed his time alone, but when Yukari showed up, he didn’t seem bothered by her at all. In fact, seeing her in the morning seemed to be a routine at this point. He just never really noticed how much they were together…

Was that bad? What was wrong with that? 

Yukari was…well…she was his friend. Right? 

Right ?

"Another bowl, please!" Naruto said happily, stacking his third bowl in his pile. Yukari had just finished her first bowl, already full.

"How do you eat that much and not blow up?" She joked, amazed by the blonde's eating ability. He grinned, turning to her.

"Ehhh…I'm just really hungry today that's all!" He said, though she knew that was just an understatement.

Suddenly, there was a loud thunder that echoed throughout the village. Yukari jumped. The rain seemed to pour, making the young girl hop off from the stool, leaving behind some money. 

"I better head home now, Naruto-kun. Shikamaru-kun already left too so you should head home soon." She said, grabbing her umbrella from the small container that held other customers' umbrellas as well. Naruto turned with noodles in his mouth, giving her a quick wave.

"See you!" She said, smiling as she went into the rain. The rain had hit her umbrella heavily, causing her to sigh as she walked quickly.

She had kept her eyes straight ahead, paying no mind to the people that passed by her. It didn't seem like the rain was going to let up anytime soon. Frowning to herself, she continued, wondering what Sasuke would be doing since the rain came down and she had left to eat with her friends. Would he still train at home maybe?

Without realizing it, Yukari had led herself to the training grounds that she and Sasuke frequent. 

"Ha…it's become second nature now." She said to herself, turning from the gates to leave. At least, she would…until she heard a familiar sound.

She could sense someone's chakra within the training area. Curious, she noticed the gates were opened, something that she didn’t notice at first glance. Hitting the wet grass, the girl continued, looking around to see just who was out here. Suddenly, she jumped, startled by someone yelling.

"Katon: Fire Ball jutsu!"

"Sasuke?" She mumbled, turning to see Sasuke in the clearing, blowing a fire-ball at one of the dummies. The flames died down from the rain, so there was no harm to his surroundings. A puzzled look came to her face as she walked over to the boy, waiting for him to turn to her.

“Sasuke!” This had finally gotten Sasuke’s attention as he whipped his head around.

"Yukari?" 

"What are you doing here?" She asked him. Her eyes noticed just how drenched he was as she saw his belongings under a tree to keep them from the rain.

"Training. Unlike you." He joked, placing a hand on his cocked hip. She huffed in response.

"I went to eat with Naruto-kun and Shikamaru-kun since it's…you know, raining ." She teased the Uchiha, who shrugged.

"Shouldn't let that deter you from getting better."

“You’ll get sick, you know.” She scolded him playfully, but he only smirked.

“But I’ll be stronger than I was the day before.” 

Yukari smiled. Sasuke did have a point. She quickly moved under the tree where his things were and threw her own belongings down.Stepping fully into the rain, she could feel her body grow cold.

"Alright, let's do it." Her confidence spoke for her as she readied her. Sasuke smirked, readying himself before launching himself towards her.

The two exchanged various punches and kicks, taking several hits here and there from each other. Their breathing became hard, feeling the rain and the cold air combining. At this rate, the two were drenched head to toe. At several distances from one another, the two looked at each other, catching their breaths before performing the same hand signs.

At the same time, they shouted, "Katon: Great Fireball!"

Heat filled the air as a red and blue ball of flame hurled towards each other, eventually joining as one, becoming a ball a mixture of blue and red flames before dispersing from the rain.

Tired, the two gave one another a smirk, pleased with their attack. Yukari slowly moved towards Sasuke, who did the same. She took one step and stumbled forward, almost hitting the floor had Sasuke’s arms not caught her right there. He was, also, tired from their spar and tried to pull both of them under the tree where their things were. Eventually, the two fell beside one another, laying under the tree. 

“Training in the rain…not as cool as I thought it would be.” Yukari laughed lightly, as she breathed heavily. She closed her eyes, listening to the rain patter gently down. Sasuke had taken a deep breath as he craned his neck to look over at the girl before he asked, 

“Hey Yukari?” 

“Hm?” 

“What do you see me as?” He asked honestly. The young girl was taken aback by such a question, since Sasuke usually wasn’t one for such conversations. If anything, she felt as if he avoided them so she never brought anything like that up. 

“Besides as my rival and sparring partner?” Her voice seemed lighthearted, as she opened her eyes to meet his gaze. She could tell he was serious, wanting an earnest answer.

Her heart skipped a beat. 

“Yes, besides that.” Sasuke urged her to continue. 

“Well…I mean…we’re friends aren’t we? Unless…you don’t think so?” 

“What makes someone your friend though?” 

“Are you okay? You’re asking some deep questions right now–”

“Yukari…” 

Yukari hummed to herself, trying to form her words from her thoughts. What made someone their friend? 

Was it because she saw him practically everyday? Or was he her friend because they trained so often? They know each other because of their family, and out of everyone’s company on the first day of the Academy, she chose to sit next to him. She could’ve sat next to Shikamaru or Kiba if she really wanted to since she knew them, but she felt a sense of…comfort in sitting next to him. 

It was as if she knew that she could depend on him in class and, on top of that, they had the same attitude about it. 

Besides that, she felt as if she could talk to him. She had complained about Okani and how annoying she could be, or how she wished she wasn’t part of the main family sometimes. She had her own responsibilities and she felt like, out of all her ‘friends’ that she had, Sasuke seemed to be the one who understood where she was coming from. 

Then she realized what she wanted to say. She knew how she should answer. 

“Do you feel comfortable enough to come to me if you need to talk about something? Besides going to Itachi-san and your parents, do you feel like you could trust me?” 

Sasuke’s breath got stuck in his throat as he listened. He hesitated for a moment, only to think about what she had just said before he replied softly, 

“Yeah…”

“I think that’s what makes someone your friend. If you could be able to go to them no matter what, and you like being around them, I would say that person is a friend. Right?”

Sasuke seemed to smile at this. That’s exactly what he felt. 

“Yeah. I think so.” 

Yukari smiled and nudged him with her arm. "You know…it’s pretty cold…and I’m…pretty tired..” 

“Me..too…” Sasuke seemed to doze off as the sound of the rain seemed to lull the two to sleep.

The following day, the two were both sick in their beds at home. Itachi had gone out to find his young brother, along with Okani who had been enjoying their time together. When word came from their parents that their siblings were late, the two set out to find them.

Luckily, they had found the two, soaked to the bone in the training grounds. They were taken back home, given a hot bath and set to bed. It was soon after that they both had a high fever.

"I can't believe you guys thought training out in the rain like that was smart." Okani said, wringing out a wet towel to place on her sister's forehead as she coughed.

"I know."

"What were you guys thinking?!" She questioned her sister, who didn't say anything.

"We just wanted to train together." Her voice was innocent, but Okani couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"You guys had other days to train. Sheesh. Both you and Sasuke-kun now have a high fever and will miss a few days." Her scolding seemed to be ignored by Yukari as she closed her eyes, falling back to sleep.

Turning around, Okani noticed her sister didn't rebuttal. Instead, she shook her head and turned the lights off. 

"What are we going to do with you two?" She whispered as she smiled, sliding the door closed as she went to her own room.

Chapter Text

Year 6, Age 13

The last few months at the Academy seemed to be the most stressful for all the students. 

Everyone seemed eager to graduate as they brushed up on every subject and lesson they had learned for the last six years. How quickly they all had grown up and seemed to accept what it meant to be a shinobi. 

Ever since that day where she and Sasuke had trained in the storm, the two had seemingly gotten closer, if that could be possible. It was practically the norm for the two to be together almost all the time. Many figured it was because of their older siblings who were also very close to one another, and others assumed it was because of the relationship between their families. 

Okani and Itachi were endlessly teasing the two, claiming they liked each other so much that they could never be away from each other. That idea would be pushed from the two's minds as they immediately denied it, claiming that they were just sparring partners. 

They were at the top of the class, next to Shikamaru. Quizzes and tests were cake walks for those three, and some swore that they had to have cheated from getting such high marks. Besides that, Sasuke had grown more popular among the girls (if that was even possible) while Yukari had maintained her friendships with Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji and Naruto. Naruto was probably the next person who she would be seen hanging out with. Sure, Yukari had seemed to be friendly with some of the other girls, but they didn’t really share the same ‘hardcore training’ mentality that Yukari had.

To top everything off, Yukari did not miss the glares of one particular Hyuuga. The Hyuuga Clan had rivaled the Uchihas with their Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai and were one of the other noble families in Konoha. Neji seemed to eye her with a hint of aggression while Hinata, the true heir of the clan, seemed to be shy and keep to herself. Of course, she seemed to keep her eye mostly on a particular blonde that was in her group, but Yukari didn’t really think much of it. 

Naruto was, after all, an attention seeker.

It was this day in particular that the class focused on Iruka who called for attention, as per usual.

"Alright, so, next week will be your final exams. You'll get tested on whether or not you guys will become genin." He said. The class burst in whispers and chatter. Yukari had been one of the few, turning to Sasuke who leaned forward, resting his face against his laced fingers that were propped on the desk.

"It's finally that time." She whispered. Sasuke nodded.

"Good because I can’t stand another lesson." Yukari laughed, nodding as she too felt the same way.

"Be prepared. I'll let you go early so you can get a head start in brushing up on everything that we’ve learned. Dismissed." Iruka said aloud, grabbing his notes and taking his leave. Yukari was about to turn to Sasuke, asking if he was going to train today, but he was interrupted by Naruto who called out to her.

"Yuuuuukaaaari-chaaaaaan~!!" He dragged her name, grinning as he bounced over to her.  "Wanna get some ramen today?" 

The violet haired girl turned, smiling as she hesitated for a moment. Did she really want to risk this free time? Besides, they were always getting ramen…surely he could go at least a day without it…right?

"Not today Naruto-kun! Sorry! I need to do some things before our final exam!” She apologized, and the blonde couldn’t help but pout. 

“Maybe you should think about getting ready instead of stuffing your face, dobe.”   Sasuke said slyly as he walked past the two of them. Naruto shot him a dirty look before he yelled,

“At least I do other things besides just train with Yukari-chan! Why don’t you get a hobby or something?!” 

“How do you know I don’t have a hobby, hm? You don’t know me at all.” Sasuke’s voice seemed to show his irritation with the blonde. 

“Well you don’t know me either, teme!” Naruto started to raise his voice. Sasuke’s cool and unfazed demeanor seemed to aggravate Naruto even more as he only rolled his eyes. 

“I doubt you know yourself, idiot.” 

Yukari sighed as she snapped at both of them. 

“You both need to relax ! Jeez, you bicker like a married couple sometimes. I’m going home! No training! No ramen! Just home!” Without another word, Yukari had grabbed her bag and stomped down the steps towards the head of the class. 

“M-married couple!? We’re not a married couple!” Naruto replied back. 

“That’s not what she said! She said like a married couple! You can’t even listen right!”

“You shut it, teme!”

"Aww, today is the big day!" Okani's voice rang as she bounced alongside her sister. With her hair in a high ponytail, wearing the usual jounin attire, Okani couldn’t help but walk behind Yukari with both hands on the girl’s shoulders.

"Yes I know, for the hundredth time you've stated, neesan." Yukari replied as she walked normally. It was another clear morning. The sun had peaked through the thin clouds that hovered above, reassuring that today would be just another nice day. Meanwhile, the two sisters had walked along the usual path that led to the academy.

Yukari had been in her thoughts, going over what was to be expected during the examination. She had no reason to stress over it, as she and Sasuke were at the top of the class. Perhaps it was just the nerves getting to her, but then again, she couldn't really say. But then she remembered just why she was nervous.

She had to face Sasuke again.

This time, she may just lose…then what? Will she lose her chance at becoming a genin? Shaking the thoughts from her head to ease her worries, Yukari looked up to her sister, asking,

"Do you think it'll be okay?"

Okani, surprised by such a question, looked down. She saw her sister's expression, one of concern and uncertainty. A small smile crawled to Okani's face as she nodded. 

"It will be fine. Just do your best! With all that training you do with little Sasuke-kun, I’m sure you’ll have perfect marks!" She cheered on the little girl, who rolled her eyes with a small smile coming to her face.

"Ah, Okani-san." Itachi's voice carried, seeing as he and Sasuke had reached the three-way split a few minutes before the two.

Okani's expression had changed as well as she smiled brightly, nodding to the older Uchiha. 

"Ahh, good morning, Itachi-san!" She said happily, looking down to Sasuke who had stood patiently.

"And good morning to you, kiddo." She said to him, still smiling. Sasuke nodded, looking at her plainly. "Good morning, Okani-san."

"Sasuke." Yukari said softly, his eyes quickly falling on hers. She nodded in greeting, earning one in return from him as she walked to his side.

"You guys are going to do amazing! Good luck!" Okani cheered on.

"Yes, do your best. It'll be easy." Itachi assured the two, who slightly nodded, turning away from the two and headed towards the academy.

As they walked away, Okani turned to Itachi once more, her eyes leaving her sister's back. "So, Itachi-san?"

"Hm?"

"Guess what I heard from Kakashi-san?" She slyly asked, receiving a curious look from him.

"What did you hear?"

"It sounds like you and I have a date! And by date," She crossed her arms, pleased with the announcement she was going to make.

"..I mean a mission. Let's get going, you cutie!" Okani freed her arms, turning the Uchiha around and started to push him.

The two walked silently with each other. Both preoccupied with the thoughts of the exam today. Yukari took every few chances to glance at Sasuke, seeing if he had any worried expression on his face. She wasn’t surprised as she only found his usual stoic look.

"You know, we're going to fight again." Sasuke broke the silence, keeping his eyes straight ahead. Yukari nodded, looking forward as well.

"I do." Replying plainly, she smiled to herself, craning her neck to look at him. "I look forward to it." She added, turning back to the road, earning a smirk as Sasuke's response. He was glad that she felt the same way he did.

Before reaching the academy, however, Yukari’s name had been called from afar. Stopping in their tracks, the two turned around to see Shikamaru, Kiba and Naruto walking over to them. A smile came to her face as she waved at them.

"Guys! Are we all ready for today?!" She asked cheerfully. It seemed that she was the only one with such a chipper attitude this early in the moment. Lucky for her, Kiba and Naruto chimed in with her.

"You bet! You guys are going to see just how strong I got!" Kiba confidently stated, Akamaru who rested on his head barked with him, cheering for his partner. Naruto scoffed, pointing to himself with his thumb as he declared,

"Just watch the amazing Uzumaki Naruto show you how it's done! I'll be Hokage in no time!" His enthusiasm had earned chuckles from the group as they continued onwards, wasting no more time.

It had been quite some time for the group of kids. While they trained hard for the past 6 years, they hoped that their hard work would pay off. Most especially Naruto. Yukari had learned of the blonde's goal back when she first met him. She found his dreams to be far-fetched seeing as most of the time she saw him running away from jounins with a bucket of paint. He was known to graffiti countless areas and prank so many people that naturally, the villagers saw him as a nuisance.

Regardless of his countless mischievous acts, Yukari just didn't have the heart to turn her back to him. Even Kiba and Shikamaru began to talk to Naruto more and even became friends with him, something that relieved Yukari . She didn't have to worry about other kids jumping him as before since he was always with someone.

Knowing that Naruto had no family to turn to, Yukari couldn't help but want to be there for him. She had felt deep down, he wasn't a bad person. Okani had agreed with her younger sister's feelings and even rooted for her for being such a nice girl. Their father, on the other hand, just kept telling her and Okani that the kid was bad news and to stay away from him.

Much to his dismay, Yukari did the exact opposite.

Her father had been okay with her being close with the Inuzuka and Nara boys, but the mysterious orphan blonde was something she had to steer clear of. Hell, he was even okay with her becoming friends with the Akimichi kid. Ignoring her father's wishes, she wasn't going to leave Naruto like that. After all, they were friends!

But what about the Uchiha?

Her father had grown used to Yukari being out with the raven almost all the time, whether over his house or at the training grounds for, well , training. Okani had also gotten close to Itachi, but her father had thought of it as just his daughter being a lovesick puppy, thinking nothing more of it.

Continuing their parade, the three kept on cheering each other on, followed by provoking one another. Meanwhile, Shikamaru and Sasuke had walked behind the group, quiet as ever. The two had no quarrels with one another, but they weren't exactly close friends either, compared to their relationship to Yukari. She had been good friends with each of them.

"Finally! Let's get going guys!" Kiba said to the group as they arrived at the academy at last. "Last one there won't pass!" He added, making a quick dash for the doors.

"Hey, cheater!" Yukari cried out, following the brunette, hearing Akamaru's barks of cheer.

"H-Hey!" Naruto was last to go, trying to keep up.

Much to their dismay, Kiba had beat the two to the classroom, Yukari coming in at strong second and Naruto last. A frown came to the blonde's face as he crossed his arms.

"I'm gonna pass, just you watch!" He huffed to Kiba, who laughed, nodding as he went to take his usual seat. Akamaru was quick to jump off his partner's head and onto the desk where he laid down.

Shikamaru and Sasuke slowly trickled in, not caring for the three's banter as they immediately went to take their seats.

Yukari turned to Naruto, offering him a thumbs up and smiling,

"You'll definitely pass! I believe in you!"

It was amazing what this girl's positivity did for the whiskered boy. Now with a boosted morale and esteem, Naruto nodded in response, grinning big as he always did. 

"You're right! You'll pass too, Yukari-chan! I'll be rooting for you all the way!"

Afterall, it was the least he could do for the girl who had saved him all those years ago and even became friends with him.

Little did what people know, Yukari had actually helped Naruto out a lot. When she wasn't with the Uchiha, she was out with him and occasionally the other boys. She would join Naruto (and occasionally Iruka-sensei) when they would go to Ichiraku's for a bowl or five. She would try to convince the blonde to train with her, though he would only for a little while. He wasn't as serious about it as Sasuke was.

Iruka-sensei had entered the class within the few minutes the group had entered. Yukari had shuffled, taking her usual seat next to the raven boy. The air had been tense, seeing everyone stressed for the genin exams. It was, apparently, one of the easiest tests any shinobi takes, yet this was what truly allowed one to enter into the shinobi world. This allowed them to be put into teams and join missions that could endanger themselves.

"Good morning everyone! I hope you are all prepared for today. We'll have three different testing methods. First off, we'll start with ninjutsu skills. We'll go by rows," He indicated as the class was already divided into two sections, followed by tiered seating, rising upwards. "Then afterwards, we'll perform an accuracy test. Finally, you'll face the person you fought the first time we did this exercise…if you remember."

Without really realizing, Yukari had sat quietly, accepting that the school years had gone and left. 

"How it'll work is this. You only need to pass two of the three exams. What determines if you pass the spar is I will see if you have improved during your fight. Simple, right?" Iruka said to the class. On cue, the children turned to each other, bursting into chatters as their nerves raked over them.

"Oi,oi! Okay, let's get started. We'll start on the right side of the room, work our way up, then cross over to the other section." The right side of the room meant Yukari and Sasuke's side, much to Naruto's dismay as he really wanted to show off his skills.

"Alright! Let's begin!"

"This is taking forever." Yukari groaned, leaning her cheek into a loose fist she made, her elbow propped up onto the table. She and Sasuke had watched blankly as the students went up. Shikamaru and Kiba had nailed a kage bushin easily, as well as the substitute jutsu. They were simple skills that any shinobi should know by now.

Meanwhile, Naruto had watched each student go. He was sweating, frantic about going up there. He had his own doubts flooding his mind, though he had tried to coax himself that he would pass easily. What if he didn't? What if he didn't get to see Yukari anymore because of it? Even Shikamaru, Kiba and Chouji?

Yukari’s training would've been for nothin' then! He yelled at himself mentally, turning around to see a bored Katabana, waiting for her turn. Her mouth moved, assumingly talking to Sasuke, the raven that seemed to annoy Naruto to no end. When the blonde would see him, if he wasn't with Yukari or his brother, he was very quiet and kept to himself.

Minutes ticked by slowly. So far, all the students who had gone up had passed, performing each jutsu with ease. Next up was the last back row, which only consisted of Sasuke and Yukari . The two got up, walking towards the stairs and headed down to the front of the class.

"Look at Sasuke, he's so cool!"

"That blue looks really nice on him!"

"I can't believe he sat with that girl the entire school years."

These were just some of the things Yukari had caught as she walked down the stairs, paying no attention to the whispers amongst the girls. She knew that Sakura and Ino were notorious for bugging the popular raven, throwing glares her way since she was the only girl who didn't go crazy over him constantly. 

Could they blame her? He was cool, but he was quick with his comebacks. He had focus and didn’t think about things like that. Training and becoming a shinobi was all he really wanted. 

Sasuke was up first, waiting for Iruka to give him the run-down of what to do. Putting his hands together, he performed a clone. It had looked exactly like him, seeing no flaw and that the bushin didn't disappear immediately when touched, Iruka marked his clipboard. Next was the substitute. Easily, once again, the Uchiha had done it perfectly. Lastly, he had to transform into someone. Forming hand signs, Sasuke had transformed into Iruka.

"Alright. Pass." Iruka marked on his clipboard, motioning for the Uchiha to move back to his seat.

"Alright, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out, causing Ino to cheer for him as well.

"Okay, Yukari." Iruka said to the girl, who turned to the class. Her eyes traveled to Shikamaru and Kiba, who were in the front row. Kiba had smiled, giving her a thumbs-up and mouthing, 'you got this'. Shikamaru only stared plainly at her, nodding to her. Her eyes then turned to Naruto, having Iruka's instructions go in one ear and out the other. It had been the same thing to each student, so she already knew the drill. Naruto, meanwhile, was grinning widely at her.

A small smile came to her as she was signaled to start.

Putting her hands together, she performed the kage bushin jutsu. It had been perfect, no surprise. Iruka had poked the clone, assuring it wouldn't disappear on impact as he did before. Marking it down, he signaled for her to continue. A substitution jutsu was fine as well. Lastly, Yukari had turned into her sister, as her transformation jutsu. Iruka looked at her, nodding. 

"Okani-san, huh?" He said, rather familiar with the older Katabana sibling.

"Mhm." Yukari nodded, undoing the jutsu as Iruka marked on his clipboard. "Pass."

Smiling to herself, the girl headed back to her seat. 

"That was too easy." She said to Sasuke, who looked at her, nodding. 

"I agree." 

She plopped herself down, watching boringly once more at the other students who were to go. It wasn't until Naruto had gone that her attention perked up.

Taking a deep breath, the orange and blue clad blonde prepared himself. He looked at the class, grinning as Iruka signaled him to begin.

His kage bushin, once the cloud cleared, had been laying on the floor. It didn't take a true form, really, seeing it was similar to a dead ragdoll on the floor. A few laughs here and there came from the class. Grinning nervously, Naruto went ahead and did a substitute jutsu…except…that didn't go well either. Everyone had substituted themselves with a log, as it was the easiest to do. For some reason, he had substituted himself for, well, the bushin he just made.

"Naruto!" Iruka yelled, "Do you know the difference between the jutsus!?" Wincing, Naruto waved his hand, 

"Don't worry, my transformation will be great!" He said, performing the hand signs and transforming.

Once the fog had somewhat cleared, Naruto had transformed himself into a female version of…well…himself. Long blonde pigtails, with a rather curvaceous chest, one that the fog luckily covered. 

"How's this, Iruka-sensei~" Naruto had purred, sounding like an innocent girl. Blushing madly and nearly getting a nosebleed, their sensei smacked Naruto with the clipboard. 

" Fail !"

A gasp came from the students, most especially Yukari . Sasuke had craned his neck, seeing the worried expression from the violet haired girl as she watched Naruto.

 "That idiot." She whispered, shaking her head.

The class had moved outside, where the last two parts of the exam will be held. So far, everyone but Naruto had passed, making the blonde frown to himself. He tried to mentally convince himself that he would do great at these last two tests. That's all he needed to pass, anyways.

This part had been faster, given three shuriken and three kunais, the class had been instructed to throw them, aiming for the 6 targets that were spread out. As long as you hit at least 3 out of 6, you passed. Everyone had gone, gradually, passing so far. 

"I wish we can just skip to the fight, already." Yukari said, crossing her arms as she waited for her turn.

"You're telling me." Kiba was the one who replied, yawning as he had Akamaru in his jacket. Shikamaru had been quiet with Sasuke who had his hands in his light beige shorts.

The Uchiha had been next up, taking the weapons and throwing them. Hitting all targets, no one was really surprised, though he did earn several cheers from his fanbase. Rolling her eyes with a light laugh, Yukari looked over to Shikamaru and Kiba, who shrugged. 

"They’re funny.." She said to them. How the girls passed the first part, she will never know, but it was getting a little annoying with their constant cheering at every little thing Sasuke did.

When Yukari was called next, after Shikamaru and Kiba had gone, she had taken the tools and thrown them as well with ease. This had been one of the first things she did when she trained with her sister. It was easy, at least, she thought so. Landing on all targets, she was deemed the next highest score in the class along with Sasuke. Others had hit, at most, five targets. With flying colors, as usual, the girl was unimpressed.

Naruto, who had been quiet, had gone next. Doing the same. He had thought, if he copied how Sasuke or Yukari threw, he would land on the targets, right? He grinned, performing the same motion the two did when he threw the weapons. He looked up, seeing that…he had missed each one.

"E-Eh…" He fumbled, earning a deep sigh from Iruka who marked the clipboard.

Things were not looking good.

"Alright. Let's finish up with the final part. We'll start off with Sakura and Ino. And Shikamaru and Chouji, followed by Naruto and Kiba, Hinata and Shino, Lee and Tenten, Neji and Juna," Some other names were listed, some that Yukari didn't really know too well. "Finally, Sasuke and Yukari ."

After given the long run-down of the matches, Iruka had finally motioned for the first match to go. Some students opted to sit down, others remained standing. They were farther back from the area, unlike the first time they fought. Iruka had walked to the two girls, telling them and also the class, 

"It's a free for all fight. You may use any jutsus or weapons. Don't get too carried away, though. If it looks like you're going to kill one another, I'll stop the fight." He told them, hoping that no one really went out of the way to do so.

After all, they weren't even genin, what could they possibly do?

The first match began, the two girls exchanging various hits. Sakura had performed several substitution jutsus, managing to land a kick to Ino's back. The girl had fallen with a thud, though quick to get back up, taking a kunai out of her pouch and heading towards the pink haired girl.

Yukari had sat next to Naruto, this time, with Kiba on his other side, and Shikamaru on hers, followed by Sasuke. Their eyes watched with interest, seeing Sakura, at first, with the upper hand. 

"Ehh…Sakura-chan is doing pretty well." Naruto commented, watching the pink haired girl. His eyes had followed the girl's movement, his attention on the girl had piqued Yukari's interest. She had a feeling that Naruto had liked the girl. She didn't really blame him. Some other boys in the class often commented on how bright her personality was or how her hair complimented the red dress that she usually wore. Many of the comments were about how cute she was, but it was a shame her attention was on Sasuke. 

Yukari watched quietly at how both Ino and Sakura fought each other. They had talent and Sakura seemed to have a good grasp at using her chakra. How many times has she used a substitution jutsu so far?

"Good job you two." Iruka said aloud, returning Yukari to focus on the two girls. The fight had come to a close, deeming that Ino had the upper hand overall. They both had passed, proving that they did improve since their first battle. Naruto had clapped, cheering for Sakura, though the girl only glared at him, finding him rather annoying. Instead, when Iruka was calling up Shikamaru and Chouji, Sakura had bounced to Sasuke, asking him how she did. Yukari couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

Sasuke had kept to himself, not bothering with the girl as he looked straight on, watching as the two boys prepared for their spar. Sakura, feeling ignored, went to talk to Ino instead. What didn't surprise Yukari was that Sasuke had turned to her, giving her a look of annoyance. She grinned slyly. 

"What? Didn't like your fangirl wanting your approval, Sasuke- kun ?" She said his name with the same tone Sakura did, only earning a groan from the raven.

"Shut up." He said to her, though in a light tone, knowing she was only teasing.

"Alright. Begin!" Iruka called, bringing the attention of the audience once more as Shikamaru and Chouji began their fight.

The two were known friends. Being close to one another while they were little, Shikamaru and Chouji were best pals. Though Shikamaru had found himself with Kiba and Naruto's company more-so, the two were often seen with each other at random parts of the day, just out eating and talking. Eventually, Chouji was part of the same friend group, and they all hung out with each other.

"I bet you Chouji is going to win!" Naruto moved close to Yukari , whispering to her. She shook her head. 

"Nuh uh. Shikamaru will win." She replied confidently. He looked at her closely. 

"Let's bet on it. If Chouji beats him, you owe me ramen. And if you win, I'll buy you ramen."

"Deal." The two had fist-bumped together, sealing their silly bet as they watched the battle continue. Yukari knew how Shikamaru was. While he was lazy and preferred to nap, he was quite smart and quick on his feet. She saw this before and here she was seeing it in action once more. For the most part, the two fought hand to hand. It had been interesting to watch with how quick their movements were, and while Yukari knew of Shikamaru's ways of fighting, she didn't know Chouji's all that much since she never really talked to him so much. She knew that he was Shikamaru's best friend and all, but she never made an attempt to really get to know him.

In the end, after ten or so minutes, Shikamaru managed to cast his Shadow Imitation jutsu, a known technique of the Nara clan. 

"Wooah." Escaped the violet girl as she leaned forward, watching his shadow reach out to Chouji who became immobilized. Iruka, noticing this, had called the battle to end. 

"While the winner of the match is Shikamaru, you both pass. You both did a great job in improving ourselves. Well done." He commended the two, writing on his board before continuing the matches.

"Looks like you owe me a nice bowl of shoyu ramen." Yukari told Naruto, turning her neck and smiling mischievously at him. Naruto had dropped his head, knowing that a deal was a deal and there was no way out of this one. 

"Fine!" He said to her, standing up as he and Kiba were next.

The two boys walked to the open area, hearing behind them an optimistic Yukari . 

"Good luck you two! Do your best!" As Iruka had set the ground rules with them, she turned over to Shikamaru, who plopped down beside her with a sigh. 

"Man, that was a drag." He said, feeling lousy already. 

"Eh. You were only up for ten minutes! How are you tired already?!" She exclaimed, though he shrugged. It was a silly question that didn't need an answer.

Naruto and Kiba had eyed each other, both smiling with their brows furrowed. This was a spar between friends, Yukari knew this. There were no hard feelings in who won or lost, but simply showing how one had improved. Leaning back, placing her hands on the grass behind her, she watched lazily as the two started to battle. Much to the girl's dismay, she watched as Naruto had been forced onto the defense once again.

Not wanting to cheer for him and not Kiba, as to show any favoritism, she opted to silence herself, watching with interest.

"C'mon, Naruto! Fight back!" Kiba told him as he showered the blonde with several hits. It only took a few moments before Naruto countered one of his punches, throwing one and landing a hit. The two had jumped back, throwing a shuriken at each other, only for Naruto to get nicked on his arm and Kiba on his leg, thanks to Naruto's aiming that was completely off.

Finally, their fight had come to an eventual close. Kiba managed to hit Naruto enough to force him to dodge some hits and only countering. At this point, Iruka had deemed it that the fight wasn't exactly going anywhere and had called that Kiba was the winner. 

"However." Iruka said, turning to Naruto as he frowned. 

"I'm sorry, Naruto, unlike Kiba, there wasn't much improvement on your end that was demonstrated…" He needn't say anymore, as the blonde looked down, returning to his spot and not wanting to hear anymore. Kiba had frowned as well, feeling bad for his friend as he went to his spot too.

The next round came, though Yukari had shifted her focus on the upset Naruto. The girl reached out to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. His eyes were focused on the ground, not daring to look up. He knew that Yukari's hand was the one on him, though he didn't say anything. Furrowing her brows, the young girl told him, 

"Hey…it's okay—"

"No it's not ." He snapped. He knew it wasn't okay. It's not even remotely okay, because this was the first step into becoming a shinobi. For him, it was a small step in becoming Hokage. 

"It's not just, okay , you know?! It's something major, Yukari-chan. Okay! It's not like I can just pass everything easily like you or that teme ." He spoke harshly, his words biting into her.

"Naruto-kun, I…" Yukari lost herself with words, silencing herself as she pulled her hand back and placed it on her lap. Feeling suddenly upset now for the blonde, she kept to herself, eyes focusing on the next match. Shikamaru had watched the two, sighing to himself as he knew the girl meant well, but Naruto was just beyond upset with himself, and that wasn't her fault. Sasuke also had watched the scene, narrowing his eyes as he watched the violet haired girl become quiet, not wanting to continue the conversation further.

Sasuke knew that Yukari was friends with Naruto. Hell, he knew she was friends with Kiba and Shikamaru, so he couldn’t understand just why she would be bothered by something one person said. She usually shrugged things off. How is this any different? 

Seeing her upset, which was a rare sight in itself, had bugged him.

Why ?

The second to last match had just finished with the two students passing. It had finally come down to the match that some had been curious about; Yukari and Sasuke. 

The last time they battled, the class was amazed by how Yukari had kept up with the popular Uchiha boy. Everyone knew that he was as strong and skilled as the family name suggested, yet, they were rather curious about the Katabana's youngest child. While the name was well-known to the children, they knew that the family had no special kekkei genkai. There was no secret family technique. The only thing that made them special aside from their strong weapons that were handcrafted was the mystical azure flames that they used when they casted fire style jutsus.

Yukari was never one to speak about her family unless prompted, but there was more to that. She was also kept in the dark when it came to anything regarding her family. She was given excuses as to why she didn’t need to know things. Most of the time the response was that, ‘it wasn’t her worry - that’s for her sister to worry about -. But then, what was Yukari to do? 

What was her purpose?  

"Finally, our last match of the day. Yukari and Sasuke." Iruka-sensei had called out, forcing the raven to stand up, though he saw that Yukari had stared blankly ahead, unmoving as she continued to sit. There was no excitement or really, any emotion behind her eyes. 

What is this idiot doing?! Is she still that upset? Sasuke had thought to himself. Watching her make no move, he called out, 

"Oi, Yukari ." The girl jumped, turning herself slowly as she looked up at him, her eyes seemingly innocent.

"Huh?"

"Get up. It's our turn." Sasuke told her, watching her slowly stand up.

The two walked forward, facing each other. Iruka's voice seemed to fade in and out to Yukari as she stared at Sasuke. She wasn't as chipper about facing him as she was earlier. No , she was clearly distressed. She didn't understand why, but feeling pained by Naruto's snapping seemed to have brought her down. She understood why he was upset, she truly did, yet why did she still feel horrible?

"Begin!" Iruka called out. Sasuke had readied himself in a stance, crouching slightly as he looked at Yukari . The girl made no move, confusing Iruka who looked at Sasuke then the girl. 

"Uh, Yuka—" 

"It's okay, Iruka-sensei." Sasuke assured him, and in a flash, had a kunai to her throat. Had anyone blinked, it would've been missed, surely, with how quick the raven charged in. Yukari only breathed shallowly, not moving an inch to the sudden movement.

Annoyed, Sasuke hissed at her, "Get it together, Yukari!"

Her eyes widened, looking at Sasuke as his eyes were narrowed, looking down at her. It seemed like his eyes had spoken to her. She blinked, realizing something.

She was an idiot .

How could she let her feelings distract her like that? What was being upset about it going to do for her now? Besides, she had other people snap at her before! How is it any different than someone else getting upset with her?  What a fool she was! She could worry about how she felt about Naruto later. For now, she had a battle to win.

"Sasuke…" She said lowly, and he jumped away from her, giving her enough space. Shaking her head and slapping her cheeks, Yukari snapped herself out of the slump, focusing herself as she reached for the kunai in her pouch that was strapped to her thigh.

I'll worry about Naruto later. The young girl told herself as she moved, just as quickly, clashing her kunai with Sasuke's. The battle had officially started.

"Well that was odd of her." Shikamaru commented, Kiba leaned forward, turning his head to the boy.

"Whaddya mean?" He questioned, having Akamaru rest in his lap. The dog whined a bit but continued his little rest.

"I’ve never seen Yukari get into a daze like that before. She’s usually focused. See, even now you can tell by the way she's fighting." He explained. Kiba turned back to the fight, paying attention to Yukari as he noticed how she seemed as if she was actually struggling. He knew that she was on par with the Uchiha. Hell, it seemed everyone knew that she was. They were rumored to be training with each other often enough that there was no telling on who would win their rematch.

Noticing her change, he turned to Naruto, who was still quiet and not looking at the match. Annoyed, Kiba elbowed the blonde's arm, getting him to look up at him.

"What?" He questioned. Kiba nodded his head towards the fight.

"Looks like you hurt Yukari's feelings." Kiba told him, watching as Naruto's blue eyes traveled to the young girl. He saw that she was taking more hits than she did in the previous match with Sasuke.

"Didn't you notice she didn't immediately fight? Sasuke had to get her to focus." Shikamaru asked the blonde, though he shook his head.

"She’s usually on top of things and ready to fight but it looks like you snapping at her got her upset. I mean, maybe I’m wrong. Girls are confusing sometimes." Shikamaru explained, keeping his eyes on the fight. He didn’t really want Naruto to feel bad about what he did, since he understood why he was upset. Still, the girl was just trying to lift his spirits back up. 

Naruto had felt some guilt within him. He didn't mean to snap at Yukari …but it just wasn't okay. That's what she was going to say to him, and he just couldn't accept that. He knew that with all the tests, he most likely was not going to pass. That’s why it wasn’t okay…and he knew that she meant well. She didn’t want him to feel bad but he couldn’t help it! Hearing that come from someone who was going to pass with flying colors couldn’t possibly understand what he was going through. He was pissed off at himself, now for one more reason.

Biting his lip, the blonde shot up, trying to shake this negative feeling he had, and shouted to the girl,

"You can do it, Yukari-chan!"

"Naruto-kun?!" Yukari whispered, turning her head slightly to see the blonde giving a grin and cheering for her. Seeing this, she brightened up, her eyes narrowing as she clashed kunai's again with Sasuke. She pulled away, backflipping away from him as she threw the kunai towards him.

Sasuke's eyes watched, side-stepping to dodge the kunai, though watched as Yukari threw up her hands to create signs.

"Katon: Dragon's Breath!" Yukari's voice rang, blowing blue flames towards the raven through her fingers.

"Tch!" He tried to dodge, getting some burns on his leg. Landing on one of the trees surrounding them, his eyes went to where the girl stood last, finding her disappeared.

Instead, Yukari was above him, bringing her twin wooden blades down on him. Though she hit him, she was met with a shadow clone jutsu.

"Damn!" She cursed, having her swords slam against the thick tree branch. She adjusted herself, standing on top of said branch as she saw him below her, casting hand signs before throwing a fireball at her.

"Katon: Great Fireball!"

Watching as the ball hurled to her, Yukari released her swords, and she bent down to push herself off the branch, hurling herself towards the fire ball.

Iruka's eyes widened, realizing that the fight was getting rather dangerous than he expected. 

"O-Oi!" He called out, though Yukari disappeared through the ball, getting several burns, she had hurled herself fast enough to break through the ball, arriving on the other side, and landing a good punch right in his face before she pulled a kunai out.

"T-That's enough!" Iruka called out, the two however did not stop.

No, they continued to battle. Sasuke had pulled a kunai, and their blades clashed once more. Sparks flew each time their strikes landed. It wasn't until Yukari had jumped back and threw her kunai on the grass and ran towards him. She pulled her arm back to throw a punch. 

Sasuke, smirking, had thrown his kunai to the grass as well and waited for her punch, dodging slightly, before countering with a punch of his own. This too, was countered by her, and they had exchanged a series of punches and kicks before finally, Iruka walked up to the two, annoyed that he was ignored.

Once the two were apart once again, Iruka stepped between them, eyeing the two before they could run at each other.

"I said that was enough ." He spat, looking at each of them. They were both pretty banged up, though Yukari had gotten the worst of it, having thrown herself through the fireball, something that Iruka didn't even think was possible.

"You both pass. You have proven yourselves enough." He said to them, calling for the class' attention after.

"Alright, your headbands will be outside at the front of the school tomorrow with your names for those who passed. You can get them in the afternoon! You’re all free to head home." Iruka told them, heading inside first with the class following.

Sasuke had smirked at Yukari, seeing her all dirtied and burned.

"I'm surprised you went through the fire." He said to her, the two were the last to enter the building as they walked side by side.

Yukari nodded, wincing a bit as she felt the stinging hit her. "I regret it a lot now." She laughed. Everyone grabbed their things before they headed out the main entrance, talking about the battles that had transpired.

Yukari had walked with Kiba, Shikamaru and Sasuke, exiting the building only to look around, her eyes scanning the area.

"Where's Naruto-kun?" She questioned, not seeing the blonde anywhere.

"Ah, I think he left right when we got into the classroom." Kiba said, honestly unsure of where the blonde went. "He didn't say anything though."

Frowning, Yukari wondered if he left because of what happened. She wanted to talk to him about it, but he didn’t even give her a chance. 

Later that evening, Yukari was sitting in her room, rubbing the balms that were given to her to help with the burns. After her return and her sister's cheering and celebration, she had gone to her room, deciding to patch herself up. As she stared at the body length mirror, Yukari couldn’t help but look at the necklace that she had tucked away in her shirt. 

It was a silver chain with a single sapphire in it. It was her mother’s necklace that she had on when she had passed away years ago. Her mother, when she wasn't in Konoha, had actually helped manage the mining that took place at a hidden mountain back in her hometown. There had been an accident, and a rockslide occurred, her mother and some other miners had been caught.

Those were days that Yukari didn't want to remember, though she did have a picture of the woman beside her bed.

Suddenly, her sliding door opened, revealing a frantic Okani.

"Yu-chan!" She yelled, her little sister raised a brow.

"What?"

"Have you seen Naruto-kun? I mean after you left school, did you see him?!" She questioned, earning a shake from her little sister.

"No. Kiba told me he left when we headed back to the classroom."

Letting out an irritated groan, Okani left the door open, heading towards the front door.

"Wait, why?" Yukari yelled as she got up and followed her sister who was in a hurry.

"He stole a forbidden scroll and now he's on the run. We're looking for him right now!" Okani said, opening the door to leave. Yukari had slipped on her sandals, following her sister as she ran.

Okani craned her neck, yelling, "Oi! What are you doing?!" She yelled as her sister tried to keep pace with her.

"I'm coming with you to find him!"

" Haaa ? Are you insane!? He might turn against us! I don't want you to—"

"You're wrong! Naruto-kun isn't like that! I don't think he stole something like that for no good reason! Something’s wrong!" Yukari told her sister, following her as she ran.

The two sisters ended up at a two-way split where one other jounin had just arrived as well.

"Kakashi-san!" Okani yelled out, the man turning to her.

"Okani-san…and uh…?" He looked at the shorter girl who resembled her sister as he put the two together. He could guess just who this girl was.

"My sister is Naruto-kun’s friend. She just kind of tagged along. Anyways, did you find him?"

The white-haired male nodded.

"Iruka saw him going into the woods and went after him. I was going to get you, but—"

"Which woods?! Where?!" Yukari yelled, her eyes full of worry. He pointed over where he had come from. "Outer part of the training grounds straight ahead."

Nodding, Yukari had gone on ahead.

"Yu-chan!" Okani yelled behind her, looking at Kakashi, as the two disappeared, hoping to reach Naruto in time.

Yukari had made it through the forest area, keeping quiet as she walked, looking for Iruka-sensei and Naruto. She still couldn't believe he had taken the scroll, much less was on the run. There had to be more than that right?

As she looked around, she heard a series of voices close by. Perhaps it was them?

Yukari walked slowly, seeing Naruto and Iruka and another figure. She crouched, crawling as she hid under a bush while watching the three talk. She was only a few feet away. She saw the orange clad boy holding a large scroll, with Iruka on one side of him, and the other male on a tree branch above.

"Give me the scroll, Naruto!" The man barked, waiting for the blonde to give him what he wanted.

"Don't give it to him, Naruto! Mizuki will only use it for something evil. Just give me the scroll, and it'll be okay!" Iruka told the blonde who was confused on just who to listen to.

"Naruto… Do you know why the villagers hate you so much?" Mizuki questioned, Iruka's expression changing as he muttered, "Don't…"

Naruto shook his head, afraid to find out the reason why he was shunned all these years. Why would parents move their kids away from the blonde when he would try to play with them?

Smirking, Mizuki had said in a cocky voice.

"It's because twelve years ago, there was an attack on the village. A large nine-tailed beast had gone rampant. It killed many people…Iruka's parents being some of them. The beast, however, was sealed away thanks to the Yondaime. Do you know where the beast was sealed, Naruto?" He questioned.

Again, Naruto shook his head, beginning to tremble.

" You . The beast is inside you. Why else do you think Iruka-sensei hates you so much? You carry the beast that killed his family. "

Iruka yelled, shaking his head.

"That's not true! I don't hate Naruto at all! He wasn't the one…the one who killed my parents, it was the beast inside him!" The brown-haired man argued, turning to Naruto. "If anything, Naruto and I share a similar feeling. The need for attention. I had that too when I was younger!" Iruka yelled.

Yukari had placed both her hands over her mouth, keeping herself from letting out any noise as she was stunned with surprise.

Naruto held the Kyuubi within him?

The girl knew very well of the attack on the village years ago, remembering when her father told her of the incident. Though, now she understood why he was so keen on keeping her away from him. But now it made her wonder, why did Okani let her get close to him, knowing who he was?

At that point, Mizuki had thrown a large shuriken, aiming for Naruto, though Iruka was quick, taking the blow for him and having it lodged in his back.

He yelled, though he hovered over the blonde.

Iruka gave Naruto a weak smile, before telling him, "I don't hate you, Naruto. I truly believe the good in you."

Widening his eyes, Naruto watched as Iruka had fallen over to his side, his back in pain. Suddenly, Yukari watched as her friend's expression changed drastically. He was angry, eyeing Mizuki who had laughed, finding it ridiculous that Iruka actually defended him. Without hesitation, Naruto put his hands together and yelled out, 

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" 

Suddenly, the area was surrounded by countless perfect copies of Naruto.

Gasping into her hand, Yukari watched as Naruto had the clones attack Mizuki, beating him to a pulp. Minutes later, Mizuki had been leaning against a tree, with countless wounds dealt by Naruto's clones. The blonde and her teacher had talked quietly, exchanging words that Yukari couldn't exactly hear.

Suddenly, she watched Iruka take his headband off and give it to Naruto. Her eyes widened, as she heard Iruka say loudly, 

"Congratulations, Naruto. You passed." The blonde grinned widely, tearing up a bit. Yukari had pushed herself off the ground, ruffling the bushes as she stood up, seeing Iruka and Naruto look around to find the source. 

"Naruto-kun!" She cried, running to the blonde. "You did it!"

Chapter Text

“I’m so happy for you!” Yukari threw her arms around the blonde, nearly jumping with glee. The excitement she felt for him passing could not be measured as Naruto grinned and hugged the girl back. He couldn’t help but laugh as they bounced with joy before Iruka coughed. 

“Iruka-sensei!” Both newly appointed genin shouted, nearly forgetting about the large shuriken still in him. 

The sound of rustling and footsteps had the two turn around and see Kakashi and Okani let out a sigh of relief. 

“You guys…” Okani shook her head as Kakashi went over to Iruka. 

“Don’t move. We’ll get you to the hospital..” Kakashi tried to help Iruka as he looked over to Okani. 

“Do you mind?” He asked her. 

“I got it from here. Go ahead and take him.” Okani gave a short nod to Kakashi before he and Iruka disappeared. She turned to the two and crossed her arms. 

“Time to pay a visit to the Hokage, Naruto-kun.”

“B-But isn’t Naruto-kun innocent because Mizuki-san took advantage of him?!” Yukari exclaimed, as she pointed over to the unconscious body of Mizuki. Okani nearly forgot about him, as she choked on a laugh. 

“It’s just orders, Yu-chan. I have no idea what the Hokage will do with Naruto-kun. Besides,” Okani had gone over to Mizuku’s body and dragged him along. 

“I gotta bring this idiot in too. So I’m sure it shouldn’t be too bad.” 

“I-I wanna go too!” Yukari said quickly. She could see that Naruto was nervous about going to the Hokage’s office, knowing that a scold was in order. 

Okani couldn’t help but smirk as she shrugged. “I guess you did see what happened. An eyewitness would certainly be helpful.” 

Without wasting more time, Okani dragged Mizuki out of the grove as the two genin walked right beside her, worried of what was to come. 

Mizuki was quickly handed off to someone else when they arrived. Okani quickly led the two to the office, where the Hokage waited patiently. Naruto and Yukari swallowed hard, nervous as to what was going to happen. No matter what, she was going to defend Naruto. Okani knew this, and that was why she allowed her sister to tag along. 

Naruto explained to the Lord Hokage what exactly happened, and ultimately it was all Mizuki who had planned this entire thing. He had handed the scroll over to the Hokage immediately, and though he was scolded, he was also praised. 

“I am glad that you did not hand the scroll over to him, Naruto-kun.” The old man smiled, as he looked over to Yukari who stood completely still. 

“Yukari-chan. You look like you have something to say.” The Hokage said softly, as Yukari shook her head. 

“A-As long as Naruto-kun isn’t in trouble,I have nothing to say.” 

The Hokage nodded. “Well don’t worry. I’ve already said what I needed to. You are both dismissed…oh. And congratulations on becoming genin.” 

The two offered their bows and immediately left the room, though Okani had hung back. 

As soon as the door closed, she turned to the Hokage and nodded. 

“How is it going with the intel?” He asked. His eyes narrowed as Okani shook her head. 

“My clan hasn’t shown any signs of knowing anything on what the Uchihas are up to.” 

The Hokage closed his eyes as he took a drag from his pipe. 

“I see. Continue your mission. I expect Itachi should be here soon to report as well.” 

“Yes, Lord Third.” Okani nodded, before she disappeared in a puff of smoke. 

The next day, the classes all obtained their headbands along with their new squad arrangements. 

Of course Yukari was displeased by all of this. Now that she had her headband that she tied to her waist, she thought that being on a team was ridiculous. Much to her dismay, she was deemed appropriate to be on Kakashi’s squad, which consisted of three others. There were other groups who had four member teams, but it was only to balance out the strength and weaknesses each group possessed. 

For a moment, Yukari was offended by the explanation on why they were a four-man team. Was she the weakness? Was she the strength? Where did she play out in that? An annoyed expression sprawled across her face as the four genin sat quietly on the grass out in one of the training areas. 

The one benefit of finally being put onto a team was that Yukari could officially carry her wakizashi blades that had been set aside for her. Of course they were simply placeholders for when she came of age to forge her own, but until then, she had to use the supply from their armory. Naturally she was upset by this, but there wasn’t anything she could do. Her father’s word was law. 

Kakashi had dragged everyone out of the classroom and mentioned that they were going to get to know one another. Naturally, everyone expected some small group discussion or something. Yukari felt it was completely unnecessary. She thought they all knew each other well enough. Of course, she kept her mouth shut, but her face said it all. 

“If you glare anymore, you might burn a hole in his head.” Sasuke whispered to her, which earned a soft smirk and shake of her head. 

“If it means getting out of this ‘get to know you’ thing, then sure.” 

Kakashi cleared his throat as he led the group to a large opening in the training area. 

“Everyone place all your gear and weapons  by that tree over there.” Kakashi pointed at a large tree with a shaded area. The genin looked at one another before nodding and did exactly as they were told. 

“Now then. Sakura and Yukari, Sasuke and Naruto, you will go ahead and spar with one another. You may use ninjutsu if you like, but nothing too destructive. This is to get a feel for your teammates abilities and their weaknesses, and before you say anything Yukari, there are always areas we can improve on.” He knew the young girl well enough from Okani’s ‘advice’ on how to handle her attitude.

Yukari rolled her eyes as Kakashi had clapped his hands together to hurry the genin into position. Her eyes looked over to Sakura who seemed skeptical about the entire thing, but who was she to question. 

“Alright…begin!”

Sakura and Yukari held up fairly well against one another. The girls seemed to give their all, but Kakashi could see where both needed improvement. Sakura was easily distracted, and hesitated. She didn’t want to hurt Yukari, but she defended herself well enough. Yukari, on the other hand, went in and attacked with every fiber she had. Both seemed to have an aptitude on chakra control, but Yukari struggled with her own ego. She knew that she had an upper hand over Sakura, and she carried that in her fighting. 

If anything, that could be her greatest weakness. 

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke’s sparring seemed to be one sided. Kakashi clearly saw the aptitude for both. Sasuke, who’s had plenty of training since he could walk, versus Naruto, who only recently started to take his training seriously. It was clear where both stood. So when Sasuke had knocked Naruto down onto his back and held his arm against his neck, Kakashi couldn’t help but nod. 

“Naruto, your movement is sloppy, but there is power behind your attacks. You need to think critically on where your opponent will be next. Anticipate. Don’t just react.” 

“Huh…?” Naruto seemed bewildered by Kakashi’s comment, and Sasuke couldn’t help but roll his eyes. 

“And Sasuke…you and Yukari need to work on your attitudes. Just because those two didn’t grow up fighting their whole life and trained, doesn’t mean they are lesser than you. That’s something you both need to work on.” 

Yukari and Sasuke looked at one another before they shrugged and looked away. What did Kakashi know, anyways? 

“For that…Sasuke and Naruto…work together and spar against Yukari and Sakura.”

“W-Wait Kakashi-sensei! I don’t think that’s really fair! Besides, it’s two girls against two boys–” Sakura stammered.

“Gender has nothing to do with it, Sakura.” Yukari snapped at her, as she let out a heavy, aggravated sigh. 

“Sure, boys may be stronger in the sense of strength, but girls have their advantages too. So don’t sell yourself short.” 

Sakura blinked, before she sheepishly nodded. 

“B-But I don’t wanna fight either Yukari-chan or Sakura-chan!” Naruto whined, and Sasuke was the one to snap at him. 

“Did you not just hear her? Gender doesn’t matter. You think that stopped me when I fought against her?” Sasuke had pointed over to Yukari who gave a smug smile as she threw her hands on her hips. 

“N-No…but that’s different, it was a test–”

“I can make this a test if you’d like, Naruto. Should I up the stakes as well? How about whoever loses, they’ll be sent back to the academy? Or, the winning team gets to choose which of the other two they would keep to make this a three-man squad?” 

The air grew thick as the genin all looked at one another. To have the burden of being in charge of who stays and who goes…that was too cruel. 

“Kakashi-sensei I don’t think that’s right-” Sakura started.

“I can fail all of you right now and send you back to the academy, if you’d prefer.” 

His words were sterned, echoing in their heads as the genin dragged themselves to take their positions. Neither of them wanted to fail, but neither of them wanted to get rid of one another. What if they both gave up? Would they all fail regardless then? Could it be a draw? 

Did there have to be a winner and loser? 

So the four readied themselves as Kakashi watched them with a keen eye. He waited until they seemed prepared enough. 

Then his voice rang out…and the four clashed. 

Kakashi watched quietly off on the sidelines as his four genin students battled one another. The girls seemed to lack a connection to fight with one another, and while Yukari held her own well enough, her mind was distracted. Sakura did well in her chakra control, but she was no aggressor. Naruto and Sasuke, though they hardly tolerated one another, they both were menaces in their own right. Naruto’s attacks were wild, but had a force in them. Just as if he was fighting Sasuke, there seemed to be no difference. He seemed hesitant in his attacks, but Kakashi figured it was because he was fighting against two girls, both who he seemed to admire. 

Sasuke, meanwhile, had calculated his attacks. Most of them seemed to be directed towards Yukari, but Sakura was no stranger to his attacks as well. Perhaps it was because Sasuke knew Yukari’s fighting style that he chose to attack in this manner, or rather, he was comfortable fighting her. 

Minutes ticked on before the boys were deemed the victors. Yukari and Sakura seemed beat as they tried to regain themselves. Kakashi gave a clap as he looked at them, 

“Well winners, who should we send back to the academy? Who was a strong opponent to fight? Who do you think deserves to be sent back?” 

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other. Both were uncomfortable with the position as they looked at Sakura and Yukari who both seemed nervous. 

“I don’t think I can choose…” Naruto started, and Sasuke seemed to agree. 

“That’s…who should we choose?” Sasuke asked, though directed mostly to himself as he looked at both girls. If he had to choose, it was no question of who would be the most useful. At that same token, he had a vague grasp of what Sakura was capable of. Based on a bias and history with Yukari, it would make sense to pick her. 

Naruto, on the other hand, was genuinely torn on who to pick. He had a crush on Sakura and liked her very much, but Yukari was a friend. She was a tough girl, right? She could handle her own if she went back to the academy and worst case, she would just be put on another team… right ? 

Right ? 

Yukari’s hand shot up as she said simply, “I’ll vote myself out.” 

Kakashi smiled as he shook his head, eyeing the young girl as he explained, 

“That isn’t a choice, Yukari.” 

“I’m making it a choice. I don’t want either Sasuke or Naruto-kun to choose between me and Sakura.That’s not right. They’ll both feel guilty no matter the choice they go with, and if I can prevent that feeling, I will. I’ll take myself out of the equation to make it easier.”  

“Yukari…” Sakura said softly as she placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. 

“You don’t have to…I’ll go. I…I know I’m not the best fighter and you obviously have more experience than I do so it makes sense to put the best fighter on the team–”

“That’s subjective, Sakura.” Yukari turned to the pink haired girl. 

“Like I said, don’t sell yourself short. You have your own strengths, so don’t compare yourself to myself or any of them. There’s always something we can work on…you can see your flaws, which is good. Now you know what to work on.” Yukari’s eyes went back to Kakashi who only grinned. 

Why the hell was he grinning? 

Did he have some sick satisfaction in watching one of his students kick themselves out or forcing them to choose between one or the other? What the hell was Kakashi’s plan anyway!? 

“I’ll take my leave now then.” Yukari gave a short bow of her head before she took a step to get her belongings. 

Naruto’s hand shot out to grab her wrist. “N-No, Yukari-chan! I’ll go! I-I know I’m not that good either and–”

“Seriously you guys! At this point, Kakashi-sensei isn’t going to have a team-” Yukari argued.

“I’ll withdraw as well.” Sasuke raised his hand. Sakura’s gasp was loud as she covered her mouth with her hand. She was surprised that Sasuke was willing to give up his own spot and not argue with Naruto to keep his. 

“Really, now?” Kakashi questioned, rather baffled and amused. 

Sakura took a deep breath as she closed her eyes as she stated,

“If you’re going to have one of us kicked out, t-then you’ll have to pick all of us, Kakashi-sensei!’ 

Naruto nodded eagerly as she agreed. “Y-Yeah! It’s either all of us, or none of us!” 

“Hmm…” Kakashi hummed to himself, amused but also feigned the appearance of debating. 

Would he keep his students? Or would he lose them? 

Yukari looked at the others, a glimmer of emotion in her eyes as she was shocked to see how eager and willing they all were to just give up their spot so easily for one another. 

Maybe…maybe we’d make a decent team. Yukari thought to herself before she looked up to Kakashi who only smiled and clapped his hands together. 

“I see then. If that is the choice you are all willing to take…then…” 

The air tensed as the four genin were waiting…waiting to hear that they’d be sent back. Or worse. 

“You all pass.” 

“Wait…what!?” The four shouted in unison.

Chapter Text

“Why can’t we have an actual mission like you or Itachi-san, huh?” 

“Because first of all, Yu-chan, we’re ANBU. Our missions are kind of…well...you know…” 

Okani couldn’t help but rub the back of her head nervously. She couldn’t tell Yukari about her missions or any details of what they were. She was sworn to secrecy when she joined the ranks and everything they did was practically classified. So she wasn’t winning her case here, but Yukari could tell the hesitation from her sister was hard on her. 

“I know. They’re…pretty important and you can’t talk about it. Still! I’m tired of babysitting a dumb kid or finding someone’s lost cat or fish…”

“Kakashi-san…has you looking for someone’s lost fish?!” Okani shot up from her seat, but Yukari only gave her sister a look. 

“Oh…you’re exaggerating. Got it got it.” Okani laughed, as she plopped herself back down. 

“Onee-san! I’m serious! When will we have an actual mission!? Did you have to do all these dumb things too when you were a genin?”

“Of course! We rescued lost dogs and cats…did some errands for some old people…uh…I guess now that you mention it the first few missions were pretty lame.” 

Yukari couldn’t help but groan as she fell back onto the tatami mat. She didn’t want to subject herself to these petty missions anymore. How were they even helping her grow? Nothing asked her to use her chakra or anything she had learned in the academy. If anything, these menial tasks seemed…just that. Menial.

So why bother shinobi with such trivial matters? 

“Don’t worry, Yu-chan. Soon enough you’ll be kickin’ ass! Just give it some time. Maybe if you’re lucky, I can see what your sensei has up his sleeves. Maybe he’s just testing you guys to see how long before you complain.” Okani teased, but not before Yukari let out another defeated groan.

Sasuke had walked aimlessly in the village, feeling the subtle warmth the sun had. Today was one of their days off, and he wanted to just enjoy his time. He would’ve asked his brother to train, but he had been called on a mission the day before. His hands were shoved into his pockets as he contemplated the day ahead of him. 

“I could visit Yukari and see if she wants to train…” But he seemed hesitant on that idea. He assumed that she probably wanted the day to herself. They saw each other practically everyday otherwise, so he was sure that she didn’t want to see him if she didn’t have to. But they were friends, right? There wasn’t anything wrong with that!

At least, Sasuke could quietly call her his friend. She was something between a rival and friend, while Naruto openly claims that Sasuke is his rival. It was such a strange dynamic between the four of them. Sakura still had her crush on Sasuke, but she seemed to not go crazy over him as much. He liked to think that maybe it had something to do with Yukari, but he could only hope. Maybe she was finally getting the hint that he didn’t see her in the same light. 

His thoughts bounced in his head, whether to go visit Yukari or not. Did she hang out with Sakura or Naruto when they weren’t together? Was he the only one overthinking this? It was something he did often, much to anyone’s surprise. He was calculated and thought about things five steps ahead before making any moves. He just wanted to make sure he wasn’t surprised by things if they didn’t go as planned. 

Sasuke wondered perhaps heading home was the best idea…at least it was until he heard someone call his name. 

“Sasuke? What are you doing here?” Yukari’s voice broke him from his thoughts as he realized he had unconsciously walked to her estate. 

“...Yukari? I was…” 

“You were…?”

“Well I was just coming by to see if you wanted to train…but I know it’s your day off, or more like our day off so…but I figured you-”

“Yukari! Get back here right now!” The stern voice of an older woman  echoed, and Sasuke could see past her. It was an older woman, who had her head up and seemed to be angry. Yukari’s head whipped back before she moved past Sasuke and grabbed his hand pulling him along. 

“I’d love to train, let’s go! We’re wastin’ time!” She said quickly as she yelled back at the old lady, “Training, bye!” 

“Yukari!” 

The woman’s voice trailed off as Sasuke simply followed Yukari’s lead. She had pulled him along for some time before they were in the busy part of the village. 

The market district was lively as always, with countless people littered all down the road. Here, she was sure that she wouldn’t be followed. She skidded to a halt before she let out a breath of relief. 

“Are…you going to let go of my hand and explain what that was about?” Sasuke’s voice seemed to bring her back to the realization of where and what she just did. 

“S-Sorry!” She said quickly as she let his hand go immediately, a small pink to her cheeks. She wasn’t really thinking what the hell she was doing. She just needed an excuse to get out and Sasuke was right there! 

“That was the head mistress and she usually takes care of the estate when my father is gone…and she’s also my tutor.” Yukari sighed heavily as she shook her head. 

“Tutor? For what?” He asked as the girl seemed to start walking through the crowd. 

“Well, just because I’m the youngest doesn’t mean I can’t let my ‘other’ studies fall short. My tou-san still expects me to marry someone from some noble family or at least another established clan. I still need to present myself as, what my tutor calls, a ‘suitable’ wife. But I don’t want to be a suitable wife! I want to live my days out as a kunoichi!” She complained as she crossed her arms. 

“Sounds like I should be grateful I wasn’t born a girl.” Sasuke smirked, earning a groan from Yukari as she rolled her eyes. 

“I assume you don’t have anything like that to do?” She asked, genuinely curious if her hunch was right. She doubted that the Uchiha brothers had to worry about such frivolous things. 

“Besides our excessive training, not really. We don’t have a tutor or anything." Sasuke explained, but Yukari just let out a groan. 

"Well aren't you just a lucky duck! Anyways. You came by to train right? Well...let's get a move on!" She said happily. 

They didn't get very far, however. Just as they were going to head into the training area, they were immediately greeted by Kakashi who had appeared right in front. 

"Jeez! Don't do that!" Yukari shouted, clutching her chest as she nearly had a heart attack. Seriously! Why did he have to do that?! 

"Of all my students, I would've assumed you two would've been on your toes." He smiled as he looked at both of them. "Anyway, the Hokage asked for our squad to report to the tower. I need to round up the other two...so we'll meet there." Without another word, their leader had vanished in a poof of smoke, leaving the two to look at each other. 

"If this is another mission with saving another damn dog..." Sasuke started saying with Yukari beside him, stifling a laugh. 

"I hope that dog bites you this time around." She joked.

Team Seven had met just outside the Hokage tower, per Kakashi’s instructions, waiting patiently as they seemed to be the only ones there. There wasn’t any sense of shock since Kakashi seemed to be late often. They assumed he would've beaten them here given he was the one rounding them all up. Why were they even surprised that he's late?  

“If this is another lost cat mission I might just lose it!” Naruto groaned as he threw his arms behind his head. 

Sakura and Yukari couldn’t help but nod in agreement. “These missions have been rather boring lately…I wonder when we’ll actually get to leave the village.” Sakura pondered out loud. 

“Well you’re all in luck! That’s exactly what we’re doing.” Kakashi’s nonchalant attitude perked up behind them, as he smiled through his mask. “Come along now. We don’t want to keep the Hokage waiting.” 

“You’re the one who was keeping the old man waiting!” Naruto snapped, pointing at him, but the rest of his teammates seemed to follow along without a complaint. “Hey wait for me!” 

The four genin stood side by side one another, with Kakashi standing in front of them, but off to the side a bit so as to not block his students. Before them, the Hokage or Lord Third as he was also called, seemed to blow out smoke after taking a long drag from his pipe. 

Standing off to the side was a young man. At a glance, he didn’t look anything like shinobi, and his clothes seemed to be tattered and dirty. He had a tired expression, and it seemed as if he was unimpressed by what he was looking at. 

“Don’t tell me these kids are going to be the ones assigned to this mission.” He scoffed as his arms crossed over his chest. 

Naruto shot a glare, but the rest seemed to stay quiet as the Lord Third spoke. 

“Do not underestimate our shinobi based on age. These fine, young shinobi are ready to take on this mission. Now, let’s get down to business, shall we?” He cleared his throat as he took another drag of the pipe. 

“Joharu here is from a small village just northwest of Konoha. His village has been overrun by a large group of bandits and need to be taken care of. The village has no line of defense and is a farming village. We actually receive exports from them from time to time.” 

“Makes sense why you’d be taken over then. I’m sure they were raiding you for supplies.” Sakura as if she understood, but Joharu shook his head. 

“I thought it would be that as well…but they decided to take our women and children away! Most of the men have been either killed or forced into submission but…I managed to get here in time.”

“How do we even know they’re still there?” Yukari questioned, and Joharu turned to her. 

“Because they asked for me to come forward…my friend…managed to buy us some time by saying I was away and they will wait for me to come back.”

“I wonder for what…” Kakashi pondered aloud as Joharu shrugged. 

“It’s for this…” Joharu reached into his pack and pulled out a beautiful, gold seal. “This verifies all of our trades exported, and it is usually stamped by the head of the village in charge of the supplies. The seal itself is useless to them, but this seal is made with pure gold.” He explained, as everyone’s attention seemed drawn to the beautiful seal. 

“Please…you have to help me! My village is powerless against these bandits. We usually have no problem but they are shinobi. We have no defenses against that.” Joharu practically begged as he bowed his head in respect. Kakashi looked over to the Hokage who nodded slightly. 

“Very well. Team Seven you will leave as soon as you are able. Joharu will remain here until you send word that the bandits have been taken care of. Then we will escort him back. Understood?” 

“Sir!” All four genin stood at attention before they were dismissed. 

As soon as the door closed behind them, Naruto couldn’t help but grin widely. “Finally! An actual mission!” 

“Seriously! Taking care of a bunch of bandits? That should be a cake walk!” Yukari nodded, but Sakura seemed to be their voice of reason. 

“Don’t underestimate them. We don’t know what they’re capable of. They may be bandits, but we still need to be on our guard.” Sakura added. 

“Sakura is right. We don’t know what we’re dealing with, so we can’t rule them out to be strong.” Sasuke shot a smug expression at Naruto who narrowed his eyes. 

“Tch! Yeah yeah, whatever teme! Anyway, c’mon! Let’s go grab our stuff and get going!” Naruto said, as he started to dash off, leaving behind their leader who just said loud enough for them to hear,

“Meet up in an hour at the gate!” 

Team Seven was ever so eager to get their hands dirty with an actual mission. Of course Naruto seemed to be the one ready to kick some bandit ass but at the same token, he was also wary. This would be his first time leaving the village, after all. He wasn’t sure if the others had been outside of Konoha before, and he was hesitant to ask. 

“It’s about a day and a half journey to get to the village. We’ll find some place to camp as soon as it hits dusk, alright?” Kakashi explained to his students who seemed to nod. 

Yukari smiled and bounced ahead. “Well we better move fast to cover enough road, right?” 

It was still surreal that they were finally out on the road like this…though the dangers that they would face still have yet to dawn on them. 

“Stay on your guard, Yukari. This isn’t some field trip, you know.” Sasuke’s cool tone seemed to make the girl roll her eyes, as she turned on her heel to face them. 

“I’m always on my guard, Sasuke. Give me some credit here!” 

Just then, she had felt something approaching her…and with a quick side step, she avoided being impaled by a rogue kunai. Sasuke managed to catch the knife with ease as he watched it whizz past her. 

“Is that right? I hope you felt the presence of being surrounded then.” Sasuke smirked. Immediately Kakashi readied himself and called for his students to be careful. 

“Yeah yeah!” Yukari shrugged him off as she pulled one of her blades out from behind her. 

The weight was still heavier than Yukari liked to admit, but she refused to show her struggle as she dashed towards where a bandit had appeared in front of her. With ease she moved, attempting to strike him with her blade, only to be met with his own. 

“What’s a little girl like you doing out here!?” The bandit snarled, his voice clearly confused but also angry that this runt was stopping him. 

“Kickin’ bandits who tried to throw a knife at me!” Yukari snapped, as she kicked at his side, breaking away from him as she heard Sakura yell. There was no time for her to look away from her opponent, but she hoped that one of the others helped Sakura. If she directed her attention elsewhere, that’d make her a sitting duck. 

“Don’t just stand there, dobe!” Sasuke yelled, as he managed to side kick one of the bandits who was about to attack Naruto from behind. 

“Katon! Flame Petal!” Yukari yelled, as she created blue balls of flame that floated around her. 

Yukari ran around her group, using the flames to strike her opponents. Kakashi had moved just out of the way and saw in the distance the brief glimmer of something, hidden in the trees. 

“Stay here!” Kakashi barked his order before he disappeared. Yukari didn’t bother to question it and neither did her team as she and Sasuke took care of the bandits, though not before she had her eyes on Naruto who moved to protect Sakura. 

“Gotcha!” Another bandit, not too far from them, hidden in the brush, fired an arrow that lodged into Yukari’s arm. Her scream was stuck in her throat, as she instinctually fired all her fireballs into the brush, hearing the scream of a bandit. 

“Yukari-chan!” Naruto called out as he ran over to her. Yukari had held her blade up, still ready to fight. 

“I’m fine…let’s just take care of these losers!” She wore a weak grin before she formed hand signs, ready to burn the next bandit she saw.

“Well that was surprising.” Kakashi rubbed the back of his head as he walked back to his group of genin. He knew the four would stay together while he went to find out who led the attack. The group seemed to just be scouts for the village, where their leader was. They wouldn’t give their boss’s name, so Kakashi had been out of luck as he finished them off. 

He figured his students handled the rest…there were only four, one for each of them, to handle. He knew that Sasuke and Yukari were born natural born fighters, Sakura has potential to go beyond what she has shown him so far and Naruto is a wild card. Surely the four of them could handle some bandits. They were even lucky that the bandits didn’t seem to have any chakra or small amounts of it, but not enough to be shinobi. 

Though when he came back to his squad, he was rather shocked. 

Yukari stood there, wincing in pain as Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke looked at her wound. While Naruto wanted to remove the arrow that was lodged into her arm, Sakura yelled at him. 

“Naruto you idiot! We can’t just pull the arrow out! It will cause more pain and make the hole bigger. Don’t you understand how arrows work!?” Sakura scolded him, ready to smack him in the head as he seemed to furrow his brows. 

“I guess! What are we going to do then!? Is Yukari-chan just going to walk around with an arrow in her arm then!? How is she going to fight?!” Naruto began to panic, at least, until Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. 

“Will you relax, dobe! Freaking out over it isn’t helping her or the situation.” He sighed heavily as Kakashi walked up, giving his team an amused expression. 

“Well well. I didn’t think you’d get an arrow pierced through your arm…or have your teammates freak out about it.” Kakashi smiled, as Yukari tried to remain calm. Outwardly, she seemed to be alright, aside from the obvious pain she was feeling. Internally, she was screaming. She had never felt pain like this before…and it terrified her. Her eyes flickered over to Sasuke, who met her gaze. His eyes gave her a look, one that told her it’s fine. 

It would be fine.

“How are we going to remove the arrow, Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura asked earnestly, as Kakashi gingerly lifted Yukari’s arm. 

“Well, it’s a good thing it actually just barely pierced through to the otherside. What should we do? What do you think is the best course of action here?” Kakashi asked, seemingly to everyone else. Sakura’s eyes widened as she seemed to have an idea. 

“Since the arrow pierced through, we can pull it out that side a bit to get a good grip. If we break the arrow so that the other end is smooth, we can pull it out and tend to the wound!” 

“Excellent idea, Sakura. Why don’t you go ahead and do so?” 

“U-uh…okay, sure.” Sakura was hesitant as she reached for the arrowhead and pulled it down carefully, just so she had a better grip without touching the head. She moved to snap a part of the arrow and gave an apologetic look at Yukari. 

“I’m sorry, please bear with me.” 

“It’s okay…just make it quick.” Yukari gave her a reassured look, letting her know it was okay…and that she trusted her. 

Sakura’s eyes focused as she looked at the arrow and with swift motion, snapped the wood. Now it was the hard part. Her hands held Yukari’s wrist, preventing her from retching away from the pain, and on the wood close to the arrowhead. 

“Ready?” Sakura steadied herself as she waited for Yukari’s approval…and with a quick movement, yanked the arrow from her arm. The girl did not hold back her scream, fighting back the tears that burned her eyes. This was nothing. This was the beginning of a life full of pain and suffering. 

This was the life of a shinobi. 

Sasuke was the one who moved towards her, pulling bandages and a balm to help close the wound for now. It would heal in time but for now they had to stop her bleeding. Tightly he wrapped her arm, causing her to wince from the pain. 

“Sorry.” He grumbled quickly before Kakashi cleared his throat. 

“Excellent job both of you. You acted quickly and didn’t hesitate. Things like this could be deadly…how are you feeling, Yukari? No other symptoms?” 

She shook her head. She knew what he meant. Kunais were usually dipped in poison, so it would be no surprise if the arrows had been coated as well. Lucky for her, she didn’t have to deal with her. 

“Good. Let’s get moving then.” Kakashi ordered, as he started ahead. 

Naruto, however, seemed to hold back, seemingly glaring at Sasuke who finished dressing Yukari’s wound. 

“What dobe? Don’t tell me you want to help her now ?” Sasuke slyly asked, seeing the blonde glare at him. Naruto’s bright eyes turned to Yukari, giving her an apologetic look. 

“I-I’m sorry Yukari-chan. If I didn’t freeze up back there maybe you wouldn’t have–”

“It’s not your fault, Naruto-kun. I lost my focus and got hit. It’s bound to happen…so it’s fine. It’s not like I’m dying.” 

“But you could’ve though!” He snapped at her. He didn’t mean to, as he realized what he just did. “If I just didn’t stand there and actually tried to do something…how can I become Hokage if I can’t even…” 

Yukari let out a heavy, irritated sigh as she pushed him, as if reeling him from his descent into doubt. 

“What will putting yourself down going to do, Naruto-kun? Hm ? You froze…big deal! Things could’ve happened but it didn’t! Move past it! There’s no point in dwelling on what ifs!” 

It’s not that she was mad or blamed Naruto at all. She truly just did not like how he was beating himself over it. There wasn’t anything that he could do besides move on. Now he knew what was at stake. Now he could act. 

Yukari didn’t bother to wait for him, but instead started to follow Sakura and Kakashi who were several feet ahead of them by now. Sasuke didn’t say anything either as he trailed behind her, and as Naruto watched as everyone kept pushing on, he swore to himself. 

I have to be better…I have to be strong. How else will I become the next Hokage?

“I think this should be a good spot to camp for the night.” Kakashi suggested. They were deep in a thick forest, just off of the main trail. The four genin were tired, having traveled the entire day nonstop. The skies overhead were a deep orange, but they could hardly see it from how thick the canopy was overhead. 

Immediately they dropped their bags and set off to delegate who would do what. 

“Alright! Naruto and Sasuke-kun, why don’t you two go grab some firewood for the night? Yukari and I will get the area cleared up and get a fire going.” Sakura was the one to give the tasks and no one seemed to have any problem with that. The boys nodded and set off to grab the wood, and Yukari had turned to get things settled. 

“Take it easy, Yukari! We don’t want your wound to open up again!” Sakura was quick to stop Yukari from moving anything. Her eyes looked over to Kakashi who was sitting up in the tree, seemingly keeping an eye out. 

“Kakashi-sensei, can you please tell Yukari to not worry about helping and just to rest?” The young girl urged. Why was her teammate so stubborn and just didn’t focus on saving her strength?! 

Kakashi’s soft snickering could be heard as he looked down to the young kunoichi who refused to listen. She moved shrubs and rocks around to create the small pit for the fire, and he couldn’t help but shake his head before he said, 

“Yukari.” 

“I’m not going to listen to either of you. If I sit out just because an arrow shot me, then I’ll get used to doing nothing whenever I am hurt in the future. I’m not straining myself. I’m just moving things around!” Yukari huffed in her response. The wound remained closed with the balm they used, and as soon as they were back, she would have it looked at. Right now, they were in the middle of the woods and they had a job to do!

“There you have it, Sakura.” Kakashi had shrugged as he went back to keeping a look out. Sakura couldn’t help but let out a defeated sigh before she went back and helped Yukari. 

After some time, Sasuke and Naruto had returned to camp with an abundance of sticks to use for their fire. Apparently Naruto stated that it was a competition to see who could gather the most sticks…and to his luck, Sasuke was the winner there. With ease the fire started and the team sat around, eating their rations they had brought with them. 

“So…what exactly is the plan from here then?” Yukari questioned, glancing over to Kakashi who seemed to have already polished off his meal. When did he even pull his mask down?!

“Well we’re about a little over half a day away from this village. I’m curious if those bandits from before really were working for who we are targeting…or just happenstance. Either way…as soon as we’re closeby, we’ll all enter the village at different points. If one spots the leader, we send a flare or some signal and engage.” 

Naruto seemed to swallow hard at this fact as he nodded slowly. They wouldn’t even be fighting together at first. They would take all that they learned and dive right into battle…that was a hell of a way to kick things off. 

“Do we kill these bandits?” Sasuke was the one to ask, his eyes reflected the flickers of the campfire in his eyes. Yukari couldn’t help but watch him, hearing his words and…then it dawned on her. 

She would be taking a life. 

“If you feel you need to defend yourself, your safety comes first.” Was all Kakashi could tell him, and Sasuke remained silent before he looked down and finished off his dinner. 

It’s almost the four who finally realized that being a shinobi was more than just going on missions and fighting bad guys. It meant possibly taking someone’s life unless theirs be taken first. Did they have what it takes?

How far would they be willing to go to live in this world? 

“Everyone clear on the plan?” Kakashi asked softly as Team Seven was nestled in the brushes of the forest. The village was just up ahead and there they could see the black smoke that rose in the air. They worried that they would be too late and that the leader gave up waiting for the leader to return. If they were lucky, they could catch all of the bandits off guard and take them all down swiftly. 

If only. 

The four genin nodded as Kakashi handed them flares to signal one another. They would all take on an entrance and Kakashi would strike from above. He had high hopes for his students and knew that this would be easy. These bandits shouldn’t be a big problem for either of them, so he wasn’t entirely worried. 

Yukari seemed to ignore the persistent ache in her arm as she readied herself. With her blades at the ready behind her and with her own training, she prepared herself mentally. She had to be the winner of each battle. She couldn’t let her mind wander or get distracted. Fight anyone who opposed her and capture the boss so that the village was free. 

Easy. 

“Alright. Let’s go!” Kakashi nodded and the five of them vanished in smoke. 

Everyone had made it to their entry points before they steeled themselves. 

Yukari had taken a deep breath before she jumped swiftly and quietly over the walls and into a narrow alleyway. The village was nothing compared to the size of Konoha, so it wouldn’t be difficult to find her way around the place. So far, it seemed disturbingly quiet

“Where the hell is everyone?” Her voice was hushed, as she pulled one blade out and readied it. From Joharu’s description, it seemed almost barren. Was there anyone even here still? Was the smoke just from a fire earlier? 

Her breath caught in her throat as she walked quietly down the alleyway and heard footsteps walking parallel from where she was. She pressed herself against a wall of one of the homes and listened in. 

“When the hell are we going to leave already? We damn near cleared out the entire village!” One man complained. 

“The boss really thinks this guy is gonna come back just so he can nab some gold seal! We already took most of the women and kids away…we should just leave already!”

“That’s what I’m saying! There’s nothin’ else here! I’m ready to go back to Iron Town already!” 

The men continued on with their conversation as Yukari peered over, seeing they were gone. She needed to let the others know that the women and children were gone…and probably headed to some place called Iron Town. They never intended to wait for Joharu to come back…they just needed to nab his seal. 

Just as she turned, she immediately had brought her blade up in time, stopping a large blade that came down on her. 

“Well well…looks like we have a little rat, hm?” The man was large, nearly towering over Yukari as he brought the blade down harder. She buckled under his strength as he noticed she had something wrapped around her waist. 

“A shinobi, huh? Wonder how you knew we were here!” He smirked as Yukari moved herself to allow the weight of the blade to shift, putting distance between herself and her attacker. 

She jumped onto one of the roofs and sheathed her blade quick to perform hand signs. 

“Kage bushin!” She muttered as several clones of herself ran around. She whipped her blade back out but not before the building she stood on began to collapse. The man had slammed his blade against the building, destroying the foundation. 

She needed to keep moving. He was much more powerful than she was physically, so fighting blade to blade with him was a fool’s choice. She managed to jump just in time, and as she did so, she realized she had brought all the attention on her. 

“Stop that spy!” The man’s voice roared, as he moved through the rubble and smoke. 

“Dammit!” Yukari cursed, as her clones honed in on her, allowing her true self to be hidden amongst the clones. 

“Get her!”

“What’s going on over there?” Sasuke wondered to himself as he had kept low, looking for the leader of this bandit group. Suddenly there was a loud crash and the bandits had headed that way. 

“Let the boss know! We got a young shinobi here! Seems Konoha sent one of their own!” One man yelled, as he barked the order to one of his men who nodded. He had said something else that Sasuke couldn’t make out before he darted off.

“What the hell…did that dobe do something?!” Sasuke mumbled to himself as he moved around. Well, he could at least look for the leader while their attention was diverted. Sasuke had taken note how quiet it was and how he hardly saw anyone in the village except for the bandits. 

He had a bad feeling about this entire thing, but he couldn’t just back down. He had moved around through the buildings, deciding to follow the man who was running to tell their leader about the attack. 

“Sir!” The bandit exasperated, breathing heavily as he burst through one of the houses. Sasuke carefully and quietly made his way to the back of the building where a small window was at the top. 

“What is it?” The man, who he presumed the leader, had a deep voice. He seemed irritated, as if he was interrupted. 

“Sorry to disturb you but we have a spy on our hands. They’re at the southern part of the village!” 

“Okay…well take care of them! Why the hell are you telling me this?” 

“Well she seems to be from Konoha and looks like a kid…well they said young but-”

“Well capture them and bring them to me!” 

Sasuke’s eyes widened at the news and without another word, he had pulled the flare from his pack and shot it into the air, revealing his location with a red smoke. 

Sakura or Yukari was engaging in battle…and he needed to get there fast. 

“The signal!” Sakura had gasped, as she had looked up. She was already headed in the opposite direction to where she had heard the loud crash. For all she knew, Naruto probably blew their cover and was drawing all the attention and focus on him. It would’ve been fine since it would draw out the leader ultimately. 

Sakura clenched her fists as she ran. Maybe she should help Naruto if he was the one causing trouble. She doubt that he would be able to take them all on and plus, with how he froze up before, she didn’t expect him to do much. 

Was that wrong? 

“What will I be able to do?! I’m just a girl!” Sakura wondered to herself. She couldn’t just stand around and just wait for their target. She had to do something! She pulled a kunai from her bag and decided anything was better than just waiting. 

Then she suddenly remembered Yukari’s choice echoing in her head…

“Gender doesn’t matter…Girls have their advantages too, Sakura…don’t sell yourself short.”

The pink haired girl shook her worries off as she ran forward. “I’ll show them I can do just as much as they can!” She told herself. 

Yukari had several cuts and bruises as she fought each bandit, one by one. She could feel her body scream at her, wanting to rest. She managed to take a few of them out, but the large man and a few others still gave her trouble. They were able to use ninjutsu, but it was no better than hers, if not sloppy. 

Had they actually learn the ways of the art, she might’ve actually lost. 

Her eyes scanned the area before she saw the signal flare shoot up in the distance. 

Which means that someone had found the leader.

She felt confidence build within her as she figured that they could meet up where the flare was and take the bandit down together. 

But then another flare had shot up in the air…and Yukari was confused. 

“Why did two shoot up!?” She yelled before she was suddenly thrown into one of the houses. She had lost her focus and the large man had managed to appear behind her and kick her forward, sending her flying. 

“Ha! Idiot! Turning your back on me! ” He yelled as he stomped forward. He would finish that little brat off once and for all!

“Yukari!” Sakura’s voice called out. She had just found Yukari and just before she called her teammate’s name, she was sent flying by the large man with a blade. He was terrifying to look at! He was covered in blood and seemed to hold no remorse at what he just did! 

“Well well another damn shinobi brat!” He swung his sword, as if to threaten her. She didn’t hear him as she ran towards where the other girl was. 

“Yukari! Are you okay?!” Sakura cried out, as she coughed, the smoke entering her lungs as she looked around. “Yukari?!” 

“I’m here…” Yukari’s soft voice gave her position away…but also her condition. She was bleeding from her head, but she pushed herself up from the ground quickly. She knew that she had to get up! “You gotta…get Kakashi-sensei… this guy has crazy strength-”

“There you are!” The man yelled as he swung his sword. 

“Duck Sakura!” Yukari screamed, and Sakura had actually tripped forward from one of the broken beams. It was either sheer luck or fate that saved her just now, but neither of them were going to question it. Instead, Yukari forced herself up and grabbed Sakura’s arm and pulled her along.

“Don’t stop moving!” She yelled out as she eventually pushed Sakura ahead of her and turned around to form handsigns. 

“Katon! Dragon Breath!” Yukari’s voice rang out and she breathed fire through the hole she made with her fingers and instantly the man caught on fire. His screams echoed as he began to roll around, trying to put himself out. The young kunoichi fell to one knee before she heard more yelling and more bandits came towards her. 

“Yukari, c’mon!” Sakura had ran back and grabbed the girl by her arm, trying to pull her away. 

“Capture them men!” One man ordered and soon the bandits surrounded both girls. They bombarded them easily, though Sakura did her best to fend them off. She was eventually punched in the gut and knocked out, as was Yukari who screamed out. 

“Idiots! Good thing that blonde kid had dropped his flare. The others must’ve gone there.” One of the bandits said, as they had picked up both girls. 

“What should we do with them boss?” 

“We’ll take them with us to Iron Town. Here, use these on them.” The man referred to as ‘boss’ had tossed two of his men chakra-sealing cuffs that were slapped onto both Yukari and Sakura’s wrists. 

“Let’s head out. I’m sure these two will be useful to us back home.” The boss snickered, until he had caught a kunai between his fingers. 

“Tsk tsk…” The boss had clicked his tongue as he turned around to see the blonde shinobi from before. 

Naruto’s eyes widened as he saw Yukari and Sakura, both unconscious, and being carried off. His eyes narrowed as he was damn near ready to pounce on these guys!

“What the hell did you do to them!?” He yelled, but the boss only laughed. 

“These girls are no longer your concern! Take care of the runt. We’re heading back.”

“Boss…what about Shinke? He is the other boss too…we can’t just leave him.” One of the men questioned, but the man shrugged his shoulders. 

“My little brother can fend for himself. Besides, we should’ve known that girl lied about their stupid village leader. He probably went to get help and all they sent was a bunch of brats! Pathetic.” The boss spat.

Naruto felt the rage boil in him as he could feel his body burn. He was going to destroy these men for hurting Yukari and Sakura…there was no way he was going to let them get away!

“Damn you!”

“Have fun with the kid.” The boss smirked, as he ordered the other two men who carried the girls off started to walk away.

“KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!” Naruto’s voice yelled out and countless clones of Naruto seemed to attack them all head on. 

“I’ll save you! Yukari-chan! Sakura-chan!” Naruto cried out, as his clones and himself had thrown themselves at the bandits. 

One of his clones had managed to distract the bandit that held Sakura, allowing for another clone to kick him in the back of the knee and the real Naruto to grab hold of Sakura with ease. 

“WIND HURRICANE!” The boss’s voice echoed, and a large gust of wind picked up and sent Naruto flying with Sakura in his arms. He yelled out as all his clones were destroyed and he was sent elsewhere. 

Yukari-chan…hold on! Were Naruto’s last thoughts as he felt himself fall…and slam on the ground. 

Kakashi was an utter fool. 

He had been the first to meet up with Sasuke and engage in the boss that they learned was named Shinke. However, while they were fighting, another flare had gone off…seemingly in Naruto’s direction. They were confused, but focused on fighting the bandit leader who was easily taken care of. Sasuke had him tied up and unconscious, along with the rest of the bandits that were scattered around. 

The two had decided to head where the other flare had gone off, only to find the bandits heading in another direction. 

Naruto’s voice could be heard up ahead, followed by a large hurricane…and the blonde falling right out of it before he had landed back on the ground. Kakashi and Sasuke wasted no time and hurried to where Naruto landed and there they saw both himself and an unconscious Sakura. 

“Yukari…?!” Sasuke’s eyes snapped to where they last saw the hurricane and moved without another thought. 

“Sasuke, wait!” Kakashi called out, but Sasuke didn’t listen. 

Instead, he went around, calling Yukari’s name over and over again. He saw areas burnt from what he presumed was her doing, as well as several bodies that laid on the floor with gashes. He didn’t see her…and he panicked. 

The one friend he had…was gone. 

All he could see was red and feel frustration as he turned to Naruto. He was there…he had to be! Why didn’t he save her?! Where was Yukari!?

“Where is she, dobe?!” Sasuke snapped at him, forcing Naruto to pull himself together as he said weakly. 

“I’m sorry…Yukari-chan…” Was all he could muster up before he looked over to Kakashi who’s eyes narrowed. 

“Did you find her body?” Kakashi asked Sasuke plainly, and the raven shook his head. “Then that means they took her.” He looked down at Sakura and picked her up, seeing the chakra-cuffs on her. 

“They probably took her with them to their hideout…where the rest of the women and children are.” He explained, but Sasuke didn’t hear him. There was no way that Yukari was gone…they were going to go after her, right? If she was taken, that meant she was still alive. 

But for how long?

What would Okani say knowing that her little sister was taken hostage? Sasuke couldn’t bear to tell her the bad news and instead, he shut his eyes as he heard Kakashi say,

“We need to head back to Konoha and figure out a plan.”

That was the last thing Sasuke wanted to hear.

Chapter Text

The scent of wood burning was distinct. 

There was chatter all around but no words could be picked out. They blurred with one another, sounding concerned. Then her body was moved gingerly…from a hard surface to a somewhat soft one. Yukari felt her body ache, but she knew she had to get up. She had to make sure she was safe…and Sakura ! 

Her eyes flashed open and all she saw was a ceiling…made of straw. Her eyes narrowed, as she tried to push herself up but her hands were bound together in front of her. A soft groan escaped her as she rolled to her side to push herself up, that is, until a hand was placed on her back. 

“Take it easy! How are you feeling?” It was a woman’s voice. 

“In pain but…where…what happened? Where’s my friend?” Yukari asked weakly and the woman’s voice seemed to soften. 

“You were brought here by one of the bandits…I’m sorry. No one else was brought with you.”

Panic . 

Sheer and utter panic filled her very being as her eyes focused and she looked around. She was in a rather large hut with other women and some children. Most of the women here looked to be in bad shape, but most of all, they looked defeated. 

“Where the hell am I?” She asked once more, and the woman sighed. 

“You’re in Iron Town.” 

“ THE HELL DO YOU MEAN SHE WAS TAKEN!?” Okani nearly lunged at Kakashi, seeing only red in her eyes as she drew back her fist. Team Seven were taken aback by Okani’s sheer rage in both her voice and in her movements, as the Hokage cleared his voice loudly. 

“Okani!” He warned her, using only her name as the woman shot him a glare. 

“I understand you are angry, but that isn’t going to change the situation at hand!” 

“You’re absolutely right! I’m going to go after her!” Okani was damn near ready to leave, but the Hokage stopped her. 

“You are not! Not alone anyways.” His eyes looked over to Kakashi who closed his eyes. The rest of the squad had a solemn look, feeling guilty that their teammate was taken.

“What happened to never leaving your friends behind, huh?! Kakashi?!” Okani snapped at him, as she looked at the three genin. She couldn’t blame them…but she felt as if none of them tried hard enough to get her little sister back! The mission was clearly too much for them to handle…or the intel they received wasn’t enough to determine if this was a low or high rank mission. 

It was a large mishap…and it led to Yukari being taken. 

“Who knows what they are going to do to her!” Okani slapped her forehead, wanting to push away all the negative possibilities that could be happening as they just stood around and waited! 

“T-They might use her in the forge…if what I heard is true.” Joharu, who had been waiting for the good news of his village, felt terrible for what had happened. His village was free, but all the women and children were taken while the rest of the men and elderly were beaten and left behind, or worse, killed off.

“What the hell is the forge?!” Okani’s voice raised, as she shot a look over to Joharu who seemed to be unsure. 

“From what I heard, this group of bandits round people up and take them to Iron Town. The women and children are the ones taken and are forced into servitude or working in the forge where they smelt iron.” He explained, which had Okani narrow her eyes. It was similar to her mother’s home village, but it sounded darker…and nothing like what she knew. 

“Didn’t you bring back one of the bosses? Let me go punch the answers out of that asshole-” 

Kakashi shook his head. “That guy won’t talk. As soon as he came to, he refused to say anything. Though…Ibuki may rough him up a bit more and see if he bites.”

The Hokage hummed as he thought about the next course of action before he looked over to Kakashi who cleared his throat to grab his attention,

“I will personally go out to retrieve Yukari, Lord Hokage. It’s my own fault that she was taken–”

“I’ll go too! I could’ve saved Yukari-chan and Sakura-chan but…I wasn’t strong enough. I want to help Yukari-chan! Let me go too!” Naruto chimed in, and it seemed to spark the others as well. 

“Me too, Lord Hokage, Kakashi-sensei! Yukari tried to help me and…if Naruto wasn’t there, then I would be stuck right alongside her!” Sakura stepped forward, wearing the same desperate expression as Naruto. 

“I’ll bring her back. Yukari’s my friend and I won’t just leave her behind.” Sasuke’s voice was firm and Okani couldn’t help but feel touched by the young Uchiha’s will to bring her sister home. Her eyes looked over to the three genin and to the Hokage. 

“It is your call, Lord Third, but I still insist on at least tagging along with these guys to get my sister back.” 

The Hokage took a long drag from his pipe as he looked at each of them. They all had hopeful, even confident expressions as they waited eagerly for the Hokage’s answer. 

With a heavy sigh, he looked over to Joharu and asked, 

“Well I assume you’d like to get your people back, Joharu. What else could you tell us about this Iron Town? We’ll need all the information you can give us so we can plan the rescue operation.” 

Okani wore a toothy grin as she said, “I’m gonna see if I can assist Ibuki in getting some more information out of that bandit then.”

Yukari was unable to get the chakra cuffs off and sighed heavily as she walked in line with the other women. Her weapons, headband and supplies were all taken from her when she arrived apparently. They had tossed her into the ‘healing house’ until she woke up. One of the bandits had pulled her into the line of other young women and off they went. 

Her first thoughts were focused on escaping. She had no idea how far she was from Konoha and she wasn’t sure what was going to happen to her. Would her friends come to get her? What about her sister? There’s no way they’d just leave her right? 

What about Sasuke? He’s probably worried too.

The young kunoichi shook the thoughts out of her head of the raven. Why was she so hung up if he was concerned, after all? Of course he was! They were friends! They cared about one another! 

Her eyes scanned the area with each step. The town seemed to consist mostly of women, but there were designated areas where the bandits were. If anything, this seemed to be their base of operations…but what concerned her was the scale of how many bandits there were. This seemed more complex than just a bandit group…so who the hell were these guys? 

She had more questions than answers, as she tried to remember the layout of the town. That is, until the group was led down a path out of the town and into the woods where they were brought to a mountain not too far off. Two torches marked the entrance along with two guards who seemed unfazed by the group’s presence. 

“Alright ladies. I hope you’re ready for some work!” The man that was up front let out a laugh as the group descended into the cave. The group was terrified and hesitated, but the crack of a whip had them quickening their pace. 

Yukari narrowed her eyes, but averted her gaze from meeting any of her captors. She could gather that standing out would be a terrible idea and probably would only damn her more than she already was. 

As they shuffled inside, all they could see was the dim lighting of the torches that lined the cave. They descended deeper, breathing in the stale air as they went. Eventually, they arrived and stood in a large cavern where others were mining at various points. There were countless guards that kept watch, with whips and other weaponry to punish those who stopped working…or fought back. 

Yukari’s breath caught in her throat as she was shocked at what she was seeing. The prisoners had chains on her legs, preventing them from leaving  and running away. They seemed to be looped with the next person, ensuring that if one person ran, the rest would have to. Not that any of them seemed like they were going to leave. 

“Alright, we got a fresh batch! Get them set up!” The man who led the group barked at another man who was much younger than him. 

Some of the guards had come over and hurried the women to grab a pickaxe and dragged them to an area where they would work. Yukari was sure that she would be forced to work with a group as well…which would be perfect. Perhaps she could work with the other prisoners and get the hell out of here. She wasn’t going to wait to be saved…she would save herself. 

“Well well…what do we have here?” The young man had sauntered up to Yukari, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. “Chakra cuffs? Presumably a shinobi?” 

Yukari didn’t respond. She remained quiet as she kept her eyes forward. 

Without warning the man backhanded her, causing her cheek to redden from the impact.  Did he really think that she was just going to cave because of a single slap? She was stronger than that. She would’ve pointed to the obvious fact of her headband, but someone had taken it off of her. 

“You answer when you are spoken to, girl.” The man snarled as he reached down and grabbed the center of the cuffs. He pulled her along harshly, which she couldn’t help but allow as he brought her to a secluded little area. It was a small indent with a single torch on the wall. Her eyes focused to see a single pickaxe on the ground. 

“This will be your workspace. Alone and isolated from all the others. So don’t go trying to find any friends here or even consider escaping.” 

As if that was going to stop her. 

Yukari had already taken note of the escape routes and how many men she had seen so far. She needed to gather more  intel before she made any move. She needed to see if there were shift changes or if there was some routine. Ideally, she was going to try and escape in the night and try to find her things before then but she had to wait before they sent them back.

Would they send them back for the night or were they truly only allowed to stay here and mine?

“You deaf or something?! Pick up the pickaxe and get to work, brat!” The man shoved Yukari onto the floor before he turned around to bark orders at someone else. Yukari had taken the pickaxe in her hand. The thing was rusted and dull, and the weight of it wasn’t comfortable in the slightest. 

With a deep sigh, she turned to a spot and began working, allowing herself to take this as a strength exercise while she figured her plan. 

There was no way she was going to remain here. 

It was sometime before the miners were finally sent back to their huts, where they would be piled in to sleep. The huts housed around twenty of them at a time, and the spaces were small and cramped. They were first given dinner, which was just a palm size of rice and scraps from the bandits’ dinner. It was hardly anything to survive on, and most of the women gave the food to the children while they ate very little. 

Yukari’s eyes couldn’t help but soften at the sight of the women who nurtured the children. They were so weak and exhausted. They had fear and the acceptance of defeat  in their eyes as they ate their sad meals. 

“This is horrible…” Yukari said softly as she sat around with some girls that were close to her age. One girl, probably a little older than she, had drank water from a cracked bowl as she nodded. 

“I know. This is what we’ve gone through since the bandits just took over.” 

“Took over? Iron Town is your home?” Yukari asked with a puzzled look and the girl nodded slowly.. 

“Yes, or at least it was. I was born and raised in Iron Town until I was seven. My parents decided to leave, and settled in a small village. They wanted to live a quieter life compared to here where it was always so busy and lively. They took myself and my brother and founded a small farming village. They eventually died from an illness..and now my older brother is the head.” She took a deep sigh. “Iron Town really was a beautiful village…until this shit happened.” She could see that Yukari’s interest was raised as she said that and continued. 

“Your brother is the head…wait…what’s your brother’s name?” The wheel in Yukari’s head began to turn as she started to piece things together.

“My brother’s name is Joharu.” The girl replied and Yukari’s eyes couldn’t help but blink. 

“He’s your brother!? He’s the guy that asked for Konoha’s help!” She replied quickly and the girl’s eyes also widened at this. 

“He did manage to get there!? Thank goodness I was so worried…I told him I’d buy him time by lying and saying he was away and that he was on business. I tried to bribe them with a gold seal my brother carries that was passed from my father to him. Is he okay?!”

Yukari nodded. “He’s just fine. We managed to fight off most of the bandits in your village…but something happened. I fell unconscious and the next thing I know I’m waking up here. I know I took one of their men out but I don’t know who. I’m sure my team took care of the rest but…” her eyes looked around. It was clear that Yukari wasn’t even sure what was going to happen next.

“I see…I’m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Miharu.” 

“Miharu…that’s a pretty name.” 

Miharu smiled as she reached behind to tuck her long, light brown hair behind her ear. She was bashful about the sudden compliment. 

“Thanks…my brother picked it out for me when I was born.” 

Yukari smiled as she nodded as looked down at her small bowl of water. 

“Say…what can you tell me about Iron Town?” 

Miharu had hummed as she thought about what she knew.

“Iron Town is a large forge, essentially, with the main export being kunai and shurikens that all you shinobi use. They’ve been doing this for what…decades? Maybe even longer, from what I’m told.” The girl explained. 

Yukari was shocked as she was rather impressed to learn that the everyday shinobi tools they use were made here in Iron Town. And here she thought that the other weapon smith in Konoha was their main supplier. This made much more sense. 

“However, since these damn bandits took over, they’ve been using all the iron for large machinery…canons even. He forces girls our age and older to work the bellows and warm the forge all day and night. Most mothers are usually forced to care for the sick and wounded…and anyone who disobeys well…you can imagine.” 

The mere thought sent a shiver down Yukari’s spine as she tried to get the imagery out. She had to get out of here no matter what…but how could she help the people of Iron Town? 

“What about the men? I only saw women and children here.” Yukari questioned, as the other girl seemed to sigh. 

“Usually, most of the able bodied men go out hunting to prepare for the upcoming winter. They are usually gone for a couple weeks at a time, but some stay back to help defend the town. The elderly usually run the market area along with the healing huts. Given that there was only one way out and one way in, it was fairly easy to barge through. When the leader of the bandits known as Hideki had come with his men…they killed or tortured the men who defended us. Most of the elderly were killed…and well…the rest of us are here. Any young boys who are old enough are forced to work with the bandits or the mines unless they want to be killed on the spot along with their family.” 

“That’s…that’s terrible. That sounds a little too complicated for bandits though…why didn’t they move on? Why did they stay here?” 

Yukari was puzzled…the bandits that she’s heard of are usually in and out. They pillaged and took what they could and killed whoever and left…but this seemed to be more of a long term plan. Just who was behind this? Who was this Hideki guy?

“Where is Hideki guy anyways?” Yukari questioned and the girl’s eyes widened, as if baffled that she had asked. 

“The leader?! Why do you want to know?” 

“Well I mean…cut the snake at the head right? Or however that saying goes.” 

“You’re kidding me! There’s no way you could take on the leader!” 

A slight aggravated huff escaped Yukari as she looked away. Perhaps she couldn’t take him on alone, but she was sure that she could do something! 

“You don’t know that…” Yukari grumbled, but the girl simply rolled her eyes as she replied, 

“He left, apparently. He left three brothers in charge of Iron Town. Shinke, Yosue and Harabe.”

Shinke…Yosue…and Harabe. Gotta remember these names. Yukari told herself as she nodded. 

“I’m sorry for…well everything that’s happened and asking a lot of questions. I’m going to try and figure a way out of here, don’t you worry!” Yukari apologized and the girl simply let out a laugh. She didn’t seem to realize it either. 

“No need to apologize. I understand wanting answers, especially when you’re just kind of thrown in here. Besides…maybe your team will come help, right? I mean, with those cuffs, I don’t think you’ll be able to do much.” Miharu gave her a soft smile.

“I’m sure my team will come and find us! We gotta figure out what we can do here. So…what usually happens around here? I mean…they hardly gave us anything to eat so…” 

Miharu’s smile slowly vanished as she sighed. “Some of us will head to take the night shift at the forge, and others will sleep in huts like these.” She handed Yukari the bowl of rice so she could eat next. “Then we wake up and do it all again…until death eventually takes us.” 

The kunoichi’s eyes narrowed as she seemed displeased by this, but figured that perhaps…she might just have a chance. Maybe…she could sneak out. 

“I see…well I guess we better get ready to sleep.” 

Thoughts and pure adrenaline kept Yukari up just long enough so that all she heard were the melodies of snores. The hut hardly had any door, save for a long, tatami mat that covered the entrance. Apparently one guard was posted at the front at all times, to ensure no one had escaped. There were very few windows, and it seemed as if there were no other form of escape. 

Yukari laid there on a tatami mat that the other women and children were laying on. She was fairly close to both Miharu, who was asleep, and another older woman who had her back turned to her. 

Her mind raced, thinking of the comfort of home, the warmth of the fire and bath, and the safety of knowing the people around her cared for her. Her thoughts pondered what had happened to her squad. She assumed Kakashi-sensei had taken care of them, and she was sure that he had some plan to come find her…right? This was only the first day here…and though her hands ached from the labor, she knew that her team would come soon. 

Would they even know where to look for her? Surely she wasn’t too far from the village that they were at before. 

With a shallow breath, Yukari pushed herself up and tiptoed quietly to the farthest corner from the entrance. She was sure that she had seen a loose plank that she could squeeze out of. With the rhythm of the snoring, she had shimmied the plank just enough that she could push herself through. Luckily, it didn’t draw any attention and when she finally stuck her head out to take a look, she was surprised that she saw no one. 

She took a deep breath as she pulled her body out, the cold air finally enveloping her. She needed to find a way out of this damn place and fast…if she could somehow get these chakra cuffs off of her, that would be even better!

Quietly, her bare feet pat against the dirt as she headed in a random direction. Getting height would be the smartest thing to do to get a look at her position, but it might also give her away. 

Find a wall…anything that looks like it sets the boundaries of the town…then I’ll hop over that and then- 

Suddenly a hand covered her mouth and pulled her back into the shadows of one of the huts. She wanted to scream, and fight whoever had a hold on her. Then she heard it. 

Heavy footsteps were just around the corner along with the laughter of men. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves, but she couldn’t hear them past her rapid heartbeat. 

If the person wanted to kill her…it would’ve happened by now. Her attacker said nothing and seemed to wait until they were left in silence as the bandits seemed to keep on walking without a care. 

“The hell are you doing, Yukari!?” A girl’s voice caught her off guard as she felt the mouth that silenced her slowly pulled away. She whipped around and saw Miharu’s concerned and terrified expression. 

“I can ask you the same thing!” Yukari whispered back as the girl rolled her eyes. 

“Stopping you from getting killed! Obviously!” 

“I need to get out of Iron Town and get back to Konoha. These stupid cuffs are hard as steel and usually chakra keys are the only thing that will open them! So I’m useless otherwise!” Plus, didn’t Joharu mention these guys were also shinobi? Fighting them how she was now would be pointless!

“W-Well…” Miharu seemed unsure. She knew she had a choice…did she help this girl she just met and try to escape with her? Or would she just hunker back into the hut and let her go off. 

She didn’t want anything to happen to Yukari either…and she might’ve been her only chance at escaping. Miharu shook herself of her thoughts of doubt and shook her head. “I-If you take this path, and keep to the buildings, there should be a small opening you can crawl through.”

Yukari’s eyes stared right into Miharu. The girl wanted to leave as well…but the fear of what would happen if they were caught terrified her more than her desire to leave. She wouldn’t be blamed for it. 

“I’ll make sure to bring back reinforcements, okay? Just hold out for a bit.” She assured the girl before she grabbed both of the girl’s hands and gave them a firm squeeze before turning on her heel and leaving.

“You hardly ate your dinner.” Itachi’s soft and concerned voice seemed to rip Sasuke from his thoughts as he laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his dark room. He had been so lost in thought that he hardly heard the knock at the door or the creaking of it opening. 

His mind had been busy with the thoughts of his teammate…his friend. Was Yukari alright? Was she safe? Is she being harmed? 

Is she even alive? 

The plague of doubt washed over him and consumed his appetite. How could he eat such a delicious meal when who knew if she was alright? He doubted she was even eating if she was taken as a prisoner, but from what they had learned from Joharu earlier that day, he couldn’t help but be worried.

“Can you blame me?” Sasuke replied back coldly. 

Itachi shook his head as he leaned himself against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. He had seen his young brother upset before, this was completely different. He knew that Okani was losing every patient cell in her body, and he and her father had held her back from leaving the village to go search for her sister. He couldn’t blame her either. He probably would be the same way had it been Sasuke who was taken. 

“I suppose not. At least you aren’t trying to leave the village like Okani-san is. Do you know how hard it is to stop her when her mind is made up?” 

Sasuke couldn’t help but picture Yukari and how stubborn she was. This at least got him to smile, even for a brief second. “Probably as hard as getting Yukari to pay attention during the lessons. It’s a lost cause.” 

“Exactly.” Itachi’s soft expression hardened for a moment as he eyed his little brother. “Starving yourself won’t help Yukari. If you’re going to go after her, you’re going to need your strength, right?” 

“...Right…” Sasuke mumbled, as he pushed himself up and hopped off his bed. “I guess I should eat something.” 

Itachi had gotten out of Sasuke’s way and only shook his head, watching his little brother press on. 

It was right there . 

In the distance, Yukari could barely make out the little hole that she could crawl through and get out of this place. Moon seemed to shine down, illuminating her path which seemed to be hopeful. She had her plan all set. She needed to get these cuffs off as soon as she could…if she couldn’t, then she’d run like hell towards Konoha and not stop. If she had to steal a horse or ride on someone’s wagon…she was going to head back home. 

Her own guilt and disappointment in herself bothered her. How could she even let herself get captured? She cursed herself in her head as she quickened her pace. The faster she got there…the faster she could leave and–

“Well well well…what do we have here?” A twisted, sarcastic tone resonated in the air and caused Yukari to stop in her tracks. She was halfway to her freedom..and now she had to watch it be ripped from her hands. 

Without a word, she turned around and attempted to jump away…but without being able to use her chakra, she put the power behind her step and only jumped a few inches off the ground. 

He clicked his tongue in dismay as he stepped closer to her. 

“Ah right. The shinobi my brother had brought back. You certainly have quite the spirit.” He said, as she heard more footsteps approach. She was being surrounded. 

“Let me guess…one of the brothers in charge of Iron Town?” 

“Oh? So you’ve done some research. Color me impressed.” 

With a snap, bandits quickly swarmed and tackled Yukari to the ground, as if she had the ability to fight them. She did…if her chakra wasn’t being cut off. Dirt covered her face as the man stood right in front of her and knelt down. 

“I think you’ll be a perfect example for these fools who have a sliver of hope that things will change.Take her to the forge! She’ll work the bellows until I am satisfied.”

“Harabe-sama!” The men all nodded as they heard the order. 

Yukari was dragged off as the men picked her up roughly by her arms that were strung up in front of her. Her knees and ankles dragged against the rough ground, scratching her as she tried to map the village. 

Her eyes trailed up to see the light from the moon slowly hide behind clouds. As if telling her that hope has disappeared. Her head dropped as she allowed herself to be pulled forward to the forge. 

Whatever was in store for her…she would prepare herself. 

Her friends will come and save her.

Chapter Text

The bellows and the forge hard warmed the entirety of the large building. Several lights hung around, and in the far corner were the large bellows where about ten women pressed down on a large piece of wood. It teetered between them as the women took turns pressing down. Five women on each side, held onto a piece of rope as they pressed down the wood, hearing the breath of air being used to continuously light the forge. 

In another corner, women shoveled iron into the forge, beginning the smelting process. 

The heat was terrible, but the women seemed to press on. 

Amongst the women at the bellows, Yukari had been strapped to her hanging rope, forcing her to continue to press down the bellows. Usually the women had shifts and switched around every couple of hours, but Yukari remained. It had been a few days, and her body was already sore and exhausted. Her escape had been thwarted, and now her punishment was this. 

“We have to give her some water or she’ll faint!” One of the women urged the guard, but they ignored her or simply shouted back,

“She isn’t allowed to have anything until the boss says so!” 

Yukari cursed the man in her head as her eyes closed. She forced her body to push on on autopilot. She would go mad otherwise if she didn’t. The women did their best, but after learning about her attempt to leave and the punishment she received, they tried to help. 

“This is cruel. She’ll die if they keep forcing her to work…she’s still young!” One woman said as she sat in the corner. It was almost time for the shift switch. 

“But what can we do? We’re powerless against these men. They’ll probably kill us for trying to help her!” Another woman said with fear. 

“So we should just watch her die?” 

Hushed words and murmurs floated around as they watched the young girl. As tired as she looked, she still continued to press down on the bellows. 

Miharu had been the part of the next group and sat there, guilt sprawled across her face. If she had gone with Yukari, could she have helped her? No…she probably would have suffered the same fate. She didn’t know how to fight. She knew nothing! How could she go up against a bunch of shinobi? She didn’t blame Yukari for wanting to leave. No…Miharu wanted to leave as well.

But how could she? With what power?

Meanwhile, Yukari could feel her body ache, wanting to stop the tiresome act. It took all her strength to push down the bellows, hence why ten of them were required to do so. However, unlike the other women who worked in shifts, she was forced to remain there until she was told to stop. 

She forced her mind to wander. Ideas of another attempt to escape crossed her mind, but then what? She couldn’t defend herself and if she were caught, it might just be the last time she breathed. So she tried to imagine herself being anywhere but there. 

Sitting in class in the summer, with the gentle breeze brushing her face as she napped…or the taste of ramen with Naruto laughing beside her. Even discussing with Sakura about different kimonos crossed her mind…and then training with Sasuke. 

What would he do if he was in this situation? Would he continue to try to find a way out? 

Well that idiot probably wouldn't have had himself captured, that’s for sure. She told herself, finding it hard to picture Sasuke as a victim. 

What would he do though? Her mind thought back to how he usually responded to things. 

He probably would use this time to examine things…probably shift changes. Maybe if the guards change as well, if so, when. Who looked the most capable. Was there anyone here she could depend on? Did anyone have the strength to help Yukari? Could she rely on them? 

As her mind mulled through her thoughts, time ticked on. The shift change for the women happened quickly, and Miharu found herself working right beside Yukari. Her mouth opened, as if to apologize but no words escaped her. 

Instead, she looked over every once in a while, seeing that her eyes were closed. Was she sleeping? Preserving her strength? What was this girl doing? 

“Hey…Yukari?” Miharu called to her softly. She didn’t respond. With a furrowed brow, Miharu called her again. 

“Yukari…are you okay? Look…I really want to apologize. It’s been bothering me that I couldn’t help you before. Maybe if I did, I thought, you might be able to get out. But…I was scared.” She said sadly, as she looked down at her leg as she pressed down. “I was scared of what they were going to do if they found us. I’m…I’m scared of dying but I’m also scared of what they would do to me…to us…” 

No response. 

“...you don’t have to forgive me, but I wanted to still apologize-” 

Yukari’s body stopped moving, as she fell forward. Her body bounced with the bellows as the women continued, but Miharu’s cries had them halt immediately. 

“Yukari! Yukari!” She released her handle and immediately went to the girl, holding her up as one of the guards came over. 

“What’s with all the yelling?! Get back to work!” He barked, and saw that the girl was unconscious. 

“She needs water and food! When was the last time she ate?!” Miharu snapped, and that’s when the guard rolled his eyes and stormed off. 

“Maybe they’re going to get one of the healers…or bring her some water.” One woman said softly, as all the women moved to help Miharu with Yukari’s body. 

“It was only a matter of time before she fainted. Her body is small…she’s still so young and yet they’re forcing her as hard as she is.” 

“It’s because she’s a kunoichi. They know what they’re made of and made for…they want to break her down.” The oldest woman of the bunch explained wisely. It seemed that no one had even thought about it like she did. 

“Alright, why the hell aren’t you women working?!” A man’s annoyed tone seemed to resonate with them as their eyes flashed over to see one of the leaders. 

“It’s Yosue!” One of the women hissed, as he stomped over. 

“The hell is wrong with her?” He pointed at Yukari’s body as Miharu glared.

“She hasn’t had water or food for a while! She needs something!” 

“Ohhh. She’s thirsty! Well why didn’t you say so!” He said, as if it was obvious. He snapped for one of his men and they had come over with a bucket of water and handed it to him. 

“You should’ve just said so!” He said angrily as she doused both Yukari and Miharu in cold water. 

Yukari’s body jolted itself away, filled with adrenaline and fear as her eyes were terrified.She looked over to see the man laugh, along with his subordinates.

“What the hell!” Miharu snapped, and immediately she was whipped with a stick. 

“Watch your tone, girl! Now hurry up and get back to work!” His words had a warning to them as he turned on his heel. 

The women looked at one another as they wanted to help Yukari, who was on the verge of tears as Miharu helped her stand properly, as her hands were still tied to the handle. 

“I’m so sorry…” Miharu’s voice was soft…though it broke something inside of Yukari. 

The small fraction of hope she had. 

“Okani.” Lord Hito Katabana’s voice was quite stern as he sat in the meeting room in their estate. Seated some ways in front of him was none other than Okani, who sat on her legs as her eyes burned with a passion. 

“I know, tou-san. I’ll bring Yu-chan back.” Her voice matched his firmness. It was clear that she was serious…a look that Hito had rarely seen on his eldest daughter. 

Okani was always protective of Yukari, even in their tender years. She was always including her little sister in her activities, especially when she would begin her training. It was probably around the time their mother had died that Okani felt she needed to be there for Yukari. At least Okani had a number of years with their mother, but Yukari had lost her when she was young. 

A heavy sigh escaped Hito as he watched his daughter stand up. 

“...if the worst comes, at least bring her body back.” 

A knot formed in the pit of Okani’s stomach as she replied back, 

“She’ll come back. Alive .”

Without another word, Okani stood up and turned to leave. She was going to bring Yukari back…and she was going to ruin whoever dared to lay a hand on her sister.

Okani dressed as a jounin, since this wasn’t a high security mission. Her face could be shown, and it would be no problem. With her hair tied up and her naginata strapped to her back, she eyed the three genin and Kakashi who waited patiently at the front gates. They were eager to leave…eager to save Yukari. 

She shot a nod to Kakashi who nodded back. 

“Alright…let’s go get Yukari, shall we?” 

Her arms ached. 

Her whole body ached. 

The sound of the bellows creaking was the only thing that told her she was still conscious…if that. Yukari’s attention wandered. By now there would be a shift change. The women would swap, and in this incoming rotation would be Miharu. She would usually bring some water for her in a satchel which would revitalize her.

The other women also tried to help Yukari secretly, pitying the poor girl and what she was going through. She had refused to let herself die here. This was what she was training for. This was what being a kunoichi was. This was the risk. 

“Yukari?” Miharu’s soft voice brought the girl back to reality as they pressed down on the wood. Yukari nodded and looked over to Miharu and the rest of the women. 

“I know this is probably an obvious thought but…why don’t you all fight back? I’m not saying only one of you has to but…you can overwhelm these guys with the numbers.” Yukari pointed out. One of the women shook her head quickly.

“If we try anything, they’ll beat us or use the children to force us to comply. Trust me, some of us have already tried.” The saddened and defeated looks went around as Yukari’s eyes narrowed. 

“There has to be something we can do! I just..if I could just get out of here and try to get back to Konoha…or at least get these stupid cuffs off, then we can do something!” The young kunoichi was frustrated. She was impatient and hated depending on others. She was independent primarily, having others depend on her…but she had put all her faith into her friends. They would come…sooner or later. They were probably trying to figure out how to go about the rescue. 

“Face it, kid. Just give up. The sooner you accept that you’ll be stuck in this forge, the better.” Another girl, who was probably around Okani’s age, had snapped. She seemed frustrated, as if she was tired of hearing the hope of escaping. How many times had she had her hopes up of escaping…only to watch it destroyed in front of her? This girl, kunoichi or not,  was no different. 

Yukari shot a look at the girl before she shook her head. “No…I’m not giving up. I believe in my friends. They’ll come.” 

Silence filled the air as the heat surrounded them. It was always so hot in this building. Yukari was sure that she would’ve fainted from dehydration at this rate with how much she was sweating. Thankfully, Miharu always gave her enough water to last her. 

One woman began to sing a song that seemed to help them get their mind off of the pain. Yukari’s eyes scanned the women as each one seemed to chime in, as if they all knew the words. 

“This is usually a song that those who work in the forge and mines sing to pass the time. It tells of our place here in the world, and how together, everyone has a purpose.” Miharu explained, seeing Yukari’s confused expression. 

“A purpose, huh?” Yukari repeated softly to herself. 

What was her purpose?

There was only a brief moment of time where Yukari was left alone, and that was around dinner time. The bellows were left alone, save for two guards at the entrance at all times. Yukari was forced to stand there, slowly pressing down on the wood as she hummed the tune of the song she had heard earlier. 

She was so tired, but her desire to escape was still there. 

She had to escape. But with the way they had tied her up, there was no way. The guards usually watched the women to ensure that none of them helped her at all, and they didn’t know how to break the chakra cuffs off of her. Not like they could. The woman didn’t seem to have any more strength than she did. 

Her leg slowly came to a stop as she felt the weight of her body slump as she dangled there. 

Meanwhile, outside, two women had a satchel and a small bowl of food. They looked at each other hesitantly before one said, 

“Just follow my lead, okay?” 

“Alright, Miharu.” The other woman nodded, as they approached and were immediately stopped by the two guards outside the large entrance that was always open. 

“Hold it. It’s dinner time right now, where are you women going? It’s not time for the shift.” One guard said with a stern tone and Miharu gave a hesitant nod and became timid. 

“We were sent by the boss to have the girl fed the bare minimum. He still wants her to be able to work.” Miharu’s words seemed believable. She pretended as if she was terrified of the guard, which the guard did notice. He smirked, as he eyed her up and down and looked at his partner. 

“Fine…make it quick.” The men pulled their spears back that had blocked the women, as they shuffled in quickly. 

Yukari’s eyes were closed as she tried to rest and regain some of her strength back. This was the only down time she had, after all. 

“Yukari…Yukari!” Miharu’s voice hissed loud enough to rouse the girl awake once more. 

“Huh…what are you doing here, Miharu?” She asked weakly, as they quickly helped feed her the small bowl of rice and the water. 

“Listen. We’re going to break you out of here and try to get you as far as we can get you. You have to escape Iron Town and get help! We’re not going to let you die here!” Miharu explained softly, as one of the guards yelled, 

“You done yet?!” 

“Got it? In the corner of the forge, there should be a box of the newly made kunai knives.” Miharu explained as the other woman had replied, 

“Yes, we are almost done!” 

“What about you?” Yukari asked in between bites.

“Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. We knew what we were getting into when this happened.” Miharu assured Yukari, but the kunoichi didn’t buy it. They were risking their lives for her…and she couldn’t even help them right then and there. 

“Here, Yona, I’m going to untie her. Keep feeding her.” Miharu said softly as the other woman nodded. 

Quietly and without drawing much attention, Miharu went to work on untying the tight knot that had tied Yukari’s cuffs to the handle. Just as the ropes loosen, Yukari’s arms dropped immediately, feeling the blood quickly rush down. She needed to regain feeling in her arms again. Miharu and Yona stood in front of Yukari, blocking her from the guard’s view as they pretended to feed and help her drink. 

“As soon as you’re ready, pretend to hold your arms back up. Then when they aren’t looking, make your escape.” Yona said softly, and Yukari nodded. 

“Thank you both…”

“Don’t thank us yet.” Miharu smirked, as she looked over to Yona. 

A few moments passed before the three girls nodded to one another. 

Yukari pretended she was still tied up while Yona and Miharu had turned to take their leave, hearing the guards complain how long they had to be on duty for. 

As soon as the two girls were gone, Yukari waited several minutes before she dropped her arm and quietly tip-toed behind the large forge and went over to where the kunai supply was. She was weak, but she would push herself beyond her limit. She still knew how to fight. She was going to escape no matter what. 

“Hey! Where did she go!?” 

“Sasuke-kun? Are you alright?” Sakura’s light voice showed concern for her raven teammate. He had been quiet this entire time, seemingly lost in thought as they traveled. According to Joharu, Iron Town was actually closer than his village. No less than a day to get there, and at their pace, they might just be there even earlier. They would arrive close to dawn at the pace they were going, and neither of them seemed to want to stop. 

Sasuke, however, had run the plan through his head. Their priority was to locate and secure Yukari. If possible, find whoever was in charge and take them down. Joharu’s sister was somewhere in the mix, according to him, and he was willing to pay more for such a large task of freeing his people. Of course the logistics of that would be dealt with by the Hokage. Team Kakashi had other matters to think about. 

His eyes narrowed as he kept his attention forward. He kept on his toes the entire time, nearly on edge as they ran through the middle of the night. Only a couple hours left before they were in Iron Town. 

“Sasuke-kun?” Sakura’s voice called to him again and he clicked his tongue. 

“I’m fine, Sakura.” His voice was cold, almost annoyed as if she had interrupted him. 

“I know you’re worried about Yukari-chan. She’s gonna be okay…she’s too stubborn to get beaten down.” Sakura tried to assure Sasuke and his worries, but they fell on deaf ears. 

It’s not that he didn’t have faith in Yukari. If anything, he knew how she fought and what she was best at. He knew she wouldn’t fall easily like some weakling. She was more than that. 

However, he couldn’t help but think about just what was happening to her. She was all alone in some foreign place. This was her first mission out of the village. 

“Sakura-chan is right about that.” Okani couldn’t help but smirk as she jumped behind them. Kakashi currently led the formation while Sasuke and Sakura were behind him and Okani and Naruto in the rear. 

“Yu-chan is so stubborn! She’ll probably annoy the hell out of those bandits by just being her!” Her voice did help ease his worries a little bit, since Okani knew Yukari best after all. He still was worried, nonetheless. 

“If any of those bastards even touch Yukari-chan, they’re gonna have to answer to me!” Naruto said with a confident voice as he slammed a fist into his open palm. 

Everyone was fired up, ready to get back their friend…it was all the moment of when. 

What would they find when they find her?

Yukari had grabbed what kunais she could before she looked around and found a window just big enough that she could climb out of. It was a struggle at first, but as soon as she felt the night air kiss her face, she finally got a sense of freedom. A reinvigorated moment of hope washed over her as she jumped out and her feet finally hit the dirt. 

Her knees gave out for a second, but she forced herself to run with the two kunai in each hand. She had to find an exit and quickly! The small hole she had tried before was probably sealed up, so it was either the main entrance and exit, or try to climb over the wall. 

But then the real problem was being caught by the other bandits. 

“Dammit!” She cursed to herself as she ran. The burning in her lungs hurt terribly and she could feel herself struggle for air. In the distance she could see the smoke rise, presumably from the fires that were lit to light the village…however a voice called out to her in the distance in the direction she ran. 

“Little kunoichi, wherever you are…you better come out! We already caught the two women who helped you and…well if you don’t quietly…we’ll start takin’ some limbs!” 

Two screams of terror echoed in the night that shot a shiver down Yukari’s spine. Of course they had no remorse in threatening people. They killed relentlessly. Why would this be any different? 

Yukari could hear the yelling behind her as the bandits scrambled to look for her. Since her chakra was suppressed, the ones who were shinobi wouldn’t be able to find her as easily…but that meant she couldn’t leave as easily either. She couldn’t jump onto the roofs and used the chakra to propel herself forward. She was also weakened and exhausted. 

Her eyes flickered as she heard the screams again. 

Her feet began to move towards the center of town. 

In the center of Iron Town, the large mass of people gathered, forced from their positions to come out and witness whatever the two brothers were going to do. They were both furious that their youngest brother was captured and figured that perhaps they could use this kunoichi as leverage to bring him back.

Harabe and Yosue both had Miharu and Yona in their grasps, with their arms tied behind them, and both kneeling on the floor. Tears were in their eyes, as they were terrified of what was going to happen. Would Yukari come back? Or would she sacrifice both of them for her own life?

“Do you really think that brat is gonna come back for them?” Yosue, who stood head to head with his older brother, asked quietly as they kept scanning around, looking to see if they could spot the kunoichi. 

“I’m sure. These girls helped her escape after all…I’m sure she’ll feel guilty and come back to help them. They always do.” Harabe seemed to speak from experience as his other hand stroked his beard. He had seen it all too many times. That was another reason why he had suggested that the men be killed off. Women and children were so much easier to manipulate into doing their bidding. 

The other captives and natives of Iron Town whispered amongst each other. They were confused about what was happening, but they figured that something had happened and both Miharu and Yona were in the middle of it. 

The whispers grew louder before finally, Harabe had snapped and shouted,

“Shut the fuck up! All of you!” His voice was demanding, shooting down fear down all their spines. The bandits surrounded them while also keeping an eye out. They were all riled up by one kunoichi who managed to escape. 

But if she escaped that meant she could bring her allies…which meant that this entire operation would be over. 

“The next one to speak will have their head on a pike!” Harabe yelled, as the whispers stopped immediately and only the crackle of the torches could be heard. Yona and Miharu looked at each other. 

Did they make the right choice in helping Yukari? Or did they make things worse for everyone else?

“Let those girls go, you son of a bitch!” 

Standing at the top of one of the houses, with two kunai knives in her hands, stood none other than a furious Yukari. Her eyes bore down her anger towards the two brothers who smirked at her arrival. 

“Yukari!” The two girls yelled out, but immediately were pushed forward into the ground by their captors. 

“Thanks for saving us the time in searching for you, kunoichi! Now why don’t you come down and join your little friends down here?” 

“You’re all a bunch of cowards! Using women and children as your slaves…using their emotions to manipulate others to follow your orders!” Her eyes looked past them to look at the bystanders as she shouted, “Don’t just stand there! You all have the power to overtake them! Your numbers are greater than theirs! Together you can take them down and end this once and for all!” 

Fear washed over the crowds as they looked at one another. Pleading eyes scanned around, looking for someone who would take the stand first. They were too afraid to say anything. Too afraid to speak up. 

Harabe and Yosue laughed at Yukari’s failed attempt to rally the people. One of them snapped as two of their men had tackled Yukari down onto the roof and dragged her off. The kunais she had were ripped away from her as they roughly took her before the leaders. 

Yukari was brought to her knees and forced to look up as Harabe wore a smug expression. 

“I ought to teach you a lesson for trying to run away again. Hand me a whip!” 

Yukari’s eyes widened as one of the bandits handed him the weapon as he had shoved Miharu to the ground where she lay there, afraid to move. 

“Let this be a lesson for anyone who tries…or even thinks about leaving!” He yelled as he pulled his arm back and snapped the whip on Miharu’s back. The loud crack echoed as Yukari’s eyes were glued to Miharu, feeling the panic rise as she screamed,

“Miharu! Leave her alone!” 

Another crack along with another scream. 

“Dammit I said leave her alone!” Yukari shouted as she tried to pull away from the bandits’ grasp. Their hands held her down by her shoulders, forcing her to watch as Miharu was tortured. 

Red… That’s all Yukari saw as she couldn’t take it. She whipped her neck to bite down hard on one of the bandit’s hands, using his sudden shouting to pull from the other’s hand and bolt forward, nearly collapsing on top of Miharu before the whip came down. 

“Y-Yukari!” Miharu said between her sobs as she felt her back sting. She was frozen, terrified to move but continued to fold herself into a fetal position. The weight of Yukari on top of her was protective, but that didn’t stop Harabe. 

“Be my guest! You’re both going to die here, either by my hand or by the forge!” He shouted, as he whipped Yukari. She wouldn’t allow a single part of Miharu to be whipped. Not anymore. Not because of her. 

The stinging, burning sensation was new. It made her want to scream, but she wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. She winced when the whip came down again. She could feel the fabric rip at her back as the red marks showed. 

Another whip. This time she bit her lip, fighting back the urge to scream but the tears began to fall as she held onto Miharu tightly. 

As she expected another attack, she heard the yelling of someone from the crowd.

“Leave those girls alone!” 

A stone had fallen right beside her. She realized that someone had thrown a stone at Harabe.

“Who the hell threw this…”

“You’re pathetic! You pick on those poor girls…you have that one in chakra cuffs because you’re scared!” 

“Me?! SCARED!?” Harabe snapped as one of his men had pushed through the crowds to pull the woman who spoke up. 

Yukari slowly moved her head to look up to see just who it was who defended her. It was the girl from before…the one who told her to give up. She stood proudly, as she readied herself to throw another stone.

“Yeah! Scared she’ll beat you!” One woman cried out.

“Free the kunoichi!” A child shouted.

The voices seemed to echo around Yukari as her eyes couldn’t help but feel a second wind flow through her. She had to fight. She had to defend these people! 

“That’s why all the men are dead…that’s why only we are left…but we are STRONG! We will take back Iron Town!” The woman who threw the rock yelled, and other voices chimed in to cheer and shout. Some began to toss stones in their direction, but Harabe and Yosue grew agitated. A scoff escaped Harabe as he raised his whip once more,

“This is all your fault, you damn kunoichi! I’ll take your life now!” 

Just as he was about to bring the whip down, the voice that Yukari knew all too well seemed to echo in the air as all she heard in the distance was,

“YUKARI!” 

Chapter Text

The overwhelming emotion of relief washed over Yukari as her eyes couldn’t help but tear up as she saw her whole team and her sister standing there, on the roofs of the houses and huts. A weak smile came to her face as she looked at the one who called her name. 

“Sasuke…” A soft murmur escaped her as she felt a heavy weight against her back. Harabe had placed his foot on her back, pushing both her and Miharu down as his eyes widened with excitement. 

“ Ho ? Your little friends came here to save you huh? Well allow me to give them a-”

Suddenly the weight lifted and the sound of yelling echoed. 

“Don’t you put your foot on my sister!” Okani’s voice deepened as she held her naginata with both hands. The blade had been wrapped up, and it seemed she had slammed it against Harabe, sending him flying. 

Screams from the villagers and hostages could be heard, as well as the men yelling orders at one another. 

“Help the boss!”

“Yosue what do we do!?” 

“Stand your ground men!” 

All these voices fluttered as Yosue shoved Yona to the ground and stepped back and disappeared in smoke. 

“Kakashi! Don’t let them escape!” Okani shouted out, it seemed that Team Seven had their own plans. 

Naruto and Sasuke both didn’t waste time in taking on the bandits, while Sakura had beelined for Yukari. Kakashi had gone after the brothers himself as Okani looked down. 

“Shit, they whipped you pretty good, Yu-chan.” Okani winced, as she realized that there was actually another body under her sister as she knelt down. “Did you protect her?” Okani questioned, and Yukari nodded slowly. 

“Miharu and Yona over there both helped me escape…they were being punished because of me.” The tears in Yukari’s eyes seemed to flow freely now as she looked up at her sister. “I just want to help them…help the people of Iron Town and the people who don’t belong here. I can’t just leave them!” 

This was a side that Okani never thought she would see of her sister. The desperate plea to help, even when she herself was injured. She could tell her sister had gone through hell, but even then, she was surprised. 

“Don’t worry, Yu-chan. We’re here to help Iron Town and take care of these guys. Let me get those cuffs off of you first.” Okani had unwrapped her naginata blade and waited until Yukari had placed her hands flat on the ground, exposing the cuff. With one fell swoop, the blade destroyed the cuffs, allowing Yukari to move her arms freely. The cuffs itself seemed to unlock itself and fall to the ground with a thud. Okani gave a firm nod before she turned over to Sakura as she straightened herself up. 

“Sakura, take care of these three. I’m going to go find that guy that disappeared.” 

“Got it!” Sakura nodded, as she pulled a kunai from her pouch and handed it to Yukari. 

“Just in case.” The two kunoichi looked at one another before they looked down to Miharu and Yona. 

“Yukari, don’t tell me you’re going to fight?” Miharu asked weakly, as she turned to Sakura. “Don’t let her fight. Her chakra has been sealed off because of those cuffs for a while and she hasn’t been eating or resting. She’ll overexert herself!” Miharu was concerned for Yukari, knowing what she had gone through. There was no way she was in any shape to fight. 

“Yukari, is that true?” Sakura asked worriedly, but Yukari forced herself to stand up, her legs trembling as she could feel the burning sensation on her back. 

Her usual, confident scoff escaped her as she said under her breath, “Just means I have some pent up chakra I can spend. I’m going to show these bastards what I’ve been itching to do for a while!” 

Just before Sakura had argued back, Yukari had put her hands together to perform signs. “Katon: Flame Petal!” 

Suddenly, small balls of red flame appeared, one by one. Then, each one began to shift and turn into a bright blue hue as Yukari dropped her arms and then darted forward. 

Every bandit she saw, she directed a blue flame ball towards them. She moved her arms, as if she was directing the ball’s direction and watched as the fire was evaded or hit their target. One of them had hit Sasuke’s target unexpectedly, and he couldn’t help but shoot a glance over and saw Yukari was already back in action. His eyes narrowed as he saw the large gash on her back. 

Then she seemed to have caught her breath. A swift kick by one of the bandits sent her flying. Yukari’s body crashed into one of the huts, causing its collapse. 

“Yukari!” Sasuke yelled, as he moved to get to her, but was stopped immediately by a bandit and his shadow clone attacking him. “Dammit all!” He cursed as he held his own against the bandit. The clashing of kunai knives against one another, followed by kicks and punches. Eventually, Sasuke used his dragon’s breath technique to torch the bandit. 

“Yukari-chan!” Naruto’s voice called out as he moved to find her, his eyes frantically scanned for her. 

“Naruto-kun she’s over there!” Sakura pointed at the destroyed house and immediately he beelined for it. His eyes flashed over to a bandit who yelled out curses, as he took out several shuriken and threw it her way, hoping it would hit her. 

“You bastard!” Naruto had run right for the bandit before summoning countless clones of his to beat the guy to a pulp. His body had lifted into the air and was immediately pummeled before it fell down with a thud. 

Sakura, meanwhile, had held her own kunai knife close to her, keeping an eye out for any bandits who tried to attack her or the two girls. The rest of the people seemed to retreat or hide in the houses in the meantime, which Miharu had noticed as she said, 

“We need to try and get the people out now while we have a chance! This place might turn into a battle ground and I don’t want any of them getting tied up!” Miharu tried to stand as she said this, but Yona was quick to help her. 

“You two should not be moving around so much! I need to make sure you’re okay!” 

“Forget about us, it’s the people…the children! They need us! Please, we need to make sure they are safe too!” Sakura’s eyes hesitantly looked over to her squad, and in the direction Kakashi and Okani had gone and closed her eyes tightly. 

This was the one time where she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. Follow orders? Or go with what she felt she needed to do? 

“Ugh! Dammit!” She shouted as she stood up and helped Miharu stand firmly. “Alright, we’re going to try and get everyone else out of here. Let’s go!” 

The three girls had gone and went to help the villagers and hostages leave Iron Town safely. Meanwhile, Kakashi had been fighting Harabe on his own. Okani had searched for Yosue, but was met with more bandits than she would’ve liked. Just then, Harabe’s body flew right past her, and she saw Kakashi jumping towards her. 

“Did you find the other one yet?” 

Okani shook her head, but just as she did, she had instinctually pulled her naginata up, stopping a kunai from hitting her as it bounced off her weapon. 

“Might’ve just found him!” Okani said with a grin as she dashed over. Her movements were graceful, each step with purpose. None of her movements wasted a second as she moved to meet her target. With her strength, she had sent a bandit that was in her way flying as her eyes narrowed. 

“These guys are relentless!” She shouted, as Yosue had teleported in a poof of smoke, only to appear above her. 

“Okani-san!” Kakashi had called, but with one swift move, Okani had side stepped and allowed her naginata to swing upwards, taking the leader by surprise by slicing him midair. He had fell down, coughing up blood.

“What about Yukari?” 

“She’s fine. Sakura is watching over her right now.” Her eyes looked to Yosue who seemed to try and heal himself. “I don’t think so!” 

Another one of the bandits from afar had thrown several shuriken her way, which had her pull back, deflecting them with her weapon as Kakashi seemed to scan the area. 

“The other boss, Harabe, isn’t around here!” His voice seemed to show a glint of worry. 

“Yukari-chan!” Naruto shouted and caught the young kunoichi’s attention as she groaned in pain. Damn did that guy hit her pretty hard. She had breathed in dust and couldn’t help but cough into her hand. As she pulled her hand away, her eyes widened at what she saw. 

Blood. Her eyes trailed downwards as she knew she had to move. She couldn’t stay down now…after all this time? All the pent up energy and rage she had within her? This was the best time to get revenge. 

But was revenge the right way? Pay back to those who had hurt her and the others here? 

“Yukari-chan!” Naruto’s voice rang again as she struggled to push herself up, before  she saw shoot out in front of her. Without a thought she took the hand who hoisted her up onto her feet. 

“Naruto-kun.” She said weakly, as Naruto grinned as he nodded. 

“Sorry we couldn’t come sooner. As soon as we found out-”

“Let’s talk about it later, ‘kay? We gotta take care of these guys first.” Yukari had looked around, but realized she had dropped her kunai somewhere. 

“Right! W-Wait, Yukari-chan…your arm! The wound might’ve re-opened again!” Naruto had pointed at where she was pierced days ago, as a familiar voice chuckled in the dust. 

“I can’t believe my mission is being thwarted by a bunch of runts!” Harabe snarled, as he placed his hands together to form signs. He had been the one to send the young girl flying, the bane of his plans and all. His eyes narrowed as he sent several clones in to attack the two genin. 

“I haven’t exactly been takin’ care of that wound either. It was fine up until now…tch.” Everything was hitting her at once, it seemed. 

Naruto and Yukari had jumped from the rubble, putting space between them and clones as far as they could. 

“Agh!” Yukari winced as she landed on the ground, falling to her knees. 

“Yukari-chan!” Naruto shouted, as he landed right beside her. “What is it? Your arm?”

“No…it’s my ankle, I think it’s sprained or something!” She said through brimmed tears. The pain seared and spread like wildfire within her as her hand reached out to gingerly hold her ankle. She couldn’t fight. Not like this. 

“I have you now!” Harabe’s clones all shouted in unison.

“Katon! Fireball!” A large ball of fire had engulfed the clones easily, preventing them from pursuing the two genin any further. 

Harabe’s string of curses rang out as Sasuke had appeared, his back to his friends. “Took ya long enough, teme!” Naruto remarked as he stood up, tightening his headband. 

“You watch over Yukari-chan. I’mma make sure this guy pays for hurtin’ her and all those people.” Naruto’s firm and confident dedication was evident on his face as he moved and stood right beside Sasuke. 

“Tch. You idiot . You think you’re gonna take this guy by yourself?” Sasuke was apprehensive about letting Naruto fight this guy by himself, but he was worried about Yukari. He would move her to a safe spot and then join Naruto in taking this Harabe guy down, or at least, that’s what he had in mind. 

Though she was in pain, Yukari couldn’t help but appreciate the two’s banter, but hissed when the sharp pain came back. Her hand gripped tightly around the ankle, as if to stabilize it. 

Sasuke knelt down and slipped his arms under her shoulders and legs before he stood back up. “Sorry it took us so long.” 

“Apologizing? So unlike you.” She tried to joke, but the pain on her face was evident.

“I am. If we hadn’t left you alone, you wouldn’t have been taken by them.” Sasuke had pushed off the ground and moved her to the side, leaning her up against one of the huts that still stood. 

“Damn you brat!” Harabe snarled, which caught both Sasuke and Yukari’s attention. Naruto had been knocked to the ground, struggling to pick himself back up. 

Sasuke had been hesitant to leave. He didn’t want to leave her without defense, but he could just let that idiot Naruto take this guy on by himself. He had pulled his arms back but felt a hand grasp his hand. 

“Yukari?” He looked down and saw Yukari’s eyes. 

“Help Naruto…take that guy down. I’ll be fine.” 

“Are you-”

“Go!” Her voice snapped as she pushed him with the strength she had, before reeling her hand back. 

Without another thought Sasuke had disappeared, and suddenly stood in front of Naruto. 

“Two brats?! It doesn’t matter to me how many there are of you! I’ll kill all of you!” 

The crashing of kunai and shurikens to one another rang out before Sasuke had gotten Naruto out of the way. The blonde had gasped for air as he could feel the rage within him. The desire to protect his friends, to take down his enemy…it set him on fire. His chakra seemed to shift which caught Sasuke by surprise as Harabe had performed several hand signs. 

Naruto had growled as he felt his rage grow. A burning sensation that wished to spread devoured him from the inside and suddenly he dashed forward with immense speed. Harabe had forced the grounds to quake beneath them and suddenly it split in all directions. 

Areas shot up, sending debris into the air as the ground rose beneath them. 

“I’ll bury all of you alive!” Harabe shouted in desperation, but not before Naruto had barreled through and crashed into the platform their opponent stood on. Harabe jumped to another area, but was met with Sasuke’s rain of kunai.

Yukari meanwhile hadn’t moved, but the ground still quaked beneath her. She used her strength to form her hand signs, bringing forth the small balls of fire like before before she sensed it. 

The ground had shot her up into the sky as well, destroying the hut she was against. She wasn’t going to let her friends handle this alone either…she was going to help them! 

“Katon! Flame petals!” The balls of fire, aimed at Harabe, went after their target as she felt her body fall from the sky. She has used up the chakra she could…and now her body was shutting down, over exertion and exhaustion followed by the sudden release of chakra at such a rate had finally won.

“Damn girl!” Harabe hadn’t expected the fires to burn him from behind as he slapped the heat off of his body. Naruto’s eyes glanced over and screamed out Yukari’s name, but Sasuke was faster. 

His body had moved without another thought as he saw the blue flames. “That idiot!” He mumbled as he jumped to catch her mid-air. 

“Sasuke…” Her voice was soft as her consciousness faded in and out. She wanted to sleep so badly. 

“Don’t worry Yukari, we’re gonna take care of this. I’m gonna put you somewhere safe.” Sasuke had landed in a spot where he could see her if he had gone back to help Naruto, but he felt the urge to stay with her, to protect her and make sure she was alright. “Stay with us.” 

“You gotta…take care of that guy. Help Naruto.” She mumbled, wincing in pain. Her body ached. Her ankle killed her. Most of all, she was just tired. 

“I can’t just leave you alone-”

“The mission…don’t worry about…me.” She managed to say through short breaths as she was placed down, laying against the ground. 

This was difficult. 

He wanted to make sure she was okay since no one else was around, but he knew that Naruto couldn’t win against that guy by himself. He doubted they could. After all,they were just a bunch of genin. This was their first mission, after all. 

Sasuke hissed as he formed a fist before he stood up. “I’ll be right back, so don’t go dying on us.” 

A soft scoff, more like a heavy breath, had escaped Yukari and he could tell she still had some spirit left. 

“Sasuke-kun! Yukari!” Sakura’s voice echoed as she jumped over towards his direction. 

“Sakura...” Yukari grumbled. 

“Yukari, are you okay?” Sakura’s eyes scanned her teammate’s condition quickly before kneeling down. A wave of relief washed over Sasuke as he pulled the last kunai in his pouch. Seeing his friend like this, someone he saw as an equal and sparring partner, someone he could talk with easily, had struck a chord within him. An immense feeling of anger. The desire to protect. 

The need to protect.

“Take over watching her. I’m going to help Naruto.”

“S-Sasuke-kun! Y-Your eyes!” Sakura’s eyes widened, met with Sasuke’s now red eyes.

There was no response as she watched as Sasuke had jumped off and headed for Naruto and Harabe, hoping that the blonde didn’t lose. 

Wait a minute…where was Kakashi and Okani? 

Sasuke couldn’t help but feel the rush course through his veins. He didn’t even realize it until Sakura had mentioned that his eyes had changed colors. Had he finally done it? Had he unlocked the Sharingan? There was no time for him to think about it as he saw Harabe standing in the open, holding up an unconscious Naruto. 

“Naruto!” Sasuke had shouted, as Harabe, who had taken quite a beating, breathed heavily as he yelled. 

“Come any closer and I’ll kill this runt…huh ?” Harabe’s eyes narrowed “Your eyes…you’re an Uchiha?!” A brow lifted as Harabe had the wheels in his head turn. If he just took this kid and gave him to this boss…he could probably make a ton of money off of him! Not to mention what they could do with those eyes of his…

“How about a trade?” Harabe smirked, knowing that youngins were always so easy to manipulate. Of course he would give himself up for his friend, right? “You come with me quietly and without any fuss and I’ll give your friend back to ya.” 

“You’re kidding, right?! I’m not an idiot!” Sasuke had prepared himself to throw the kunai, but the man shook Naruto’s body in front of him. He intended to use Naruto as a shield. 

“What will you do then? You can’t kill me! Maybe I’ll take this brat instead then. He has some weird chakra…I’m sure we can find what makes him tick and why it’s like tha-”

“You leave him alone!” 

Then silence. 

Sasuke’s eyes widened as he saw the blade of Okani’s naginata ran through his chest. Blood spilled from Harabe’s mouth as Naruto’s body was dropped and Kakashi had swooped in to catch him. 

“I’ve had just about enough of you fuckin’ with our kiddos. Tell us who you’re working for. Your younger brother wouldn't shit.” Okani demanded,but Harabe let out a scoff. 

“I won’t tell you a damn-” 

Okani pushed the blade further, forever silencing the man before she swiftly removed her blade and watched as his body fell forward. 

“Dammit all.” Okani had pushed the loose strands of her hair back as she looked over to Kakashi. “How is he?” 

“He’s fine, just unconscious. I didn’t think he’d activate the Kyuubi’s chakra so soon…”

“Not just that…” Okani looked over to Sasuke and smirked. “Looks like Sasuke-kun activated his Sharingan as well.” Her eyes continued to scan to look for the last two of Team Seven before landing on Sakura’s bright pink hair. 

“Yu-chan!” Okani’s voice rang out as she had jumped towards her sister as Sasuke couldn’t help but stare at the dead body of the man who was responsible. 

Kakashi had walked over to him with Naruto in his arms as he sighed. “Does his death bother you?”

Sasuke didn't answer at first, pondering that question quietly. This is the man who had hurt Yukari and the other villagers...he had enslaved them and murdered countless, innocent folk. Did he mourn him? Did he pity him? He shook his head slowly.

"No...should it?" 

Chapter Text

Okani, with the help of Sakura, had managed to strap Yukari to her back while Kakashi had Naruto thrown over his shoulder. Sakura and Sasuke quietly trailed behind the jounins until Okani’s shadow clone appeared with a body in hand. “Good. Now we have everything.” She nodded, as she turned to the group. 

“Let’s head back home, shall we?” 

“W-wait! Please!” A voice had called out. Ahead of them was a mass of people, presumably the ones that were taken against their wills. Yona and Miharu had stood at the head of the group as their eyes looked to see Yukari, unconscious. 

“Will Yukari be alright?” Yona had asked softly, and Okani couldn’t help but smile and nod. 

“Yes. We need to hurry though so she can get the treatment she needs though.” 

“C-Could you please tell her ‘ thank you ’? Without her, we wouldn’t have had the guts to do anything…she wanted to help all of us and now…Iron Town is free once more.” 

“Of course.” Okani nodded. 

“My brother! Is he alright? Joharu?” Miharu had taken a step forward as Kakashi had eyed her. 

“So you’re the one who had helped Joharu escape? Your brother is fine and alive. We will let him know you are here in Iron Town, so he’ll be here soon. Don’t worry.” He had assured her. Miharu let out a sigh of relief as she brought her hands together.

“What about Harabe and his brothers?” Yona questioned. 

“Both will be in our custody and we will take care of them. We don’t know who truly planned for Iron Town to be taken over like this, but we learned that Harabe was following someone else’s orders.” Okani explained, which had Yona look over to Miharu, worried. 

“Will we be attacked again?” Yona’s voice showed her concern, but Kakashi was quick to assure her. 

“We can have some representatives contact whoever will take leadership of Iron Town. I’m sure we can establish some trades between the villages to ensure you receive protection.” It was a long shot, but it wasn’t entirely impossible. 

“I’ll discuss with my brother and perhaps he can take charge of Iron Town. He’s taken charge of our village, Iron Town shouldn’t be a problem.” Miharu suggested. 

“I’ll relay that to the Hokage and see what we can do.” Kakashi replied back as he turned to head out with everyone in tow. 

Content with the response, Yona nodded as she turned to the crowd.

 “Everyone let them through!” She shouted, as the masses had made a path for them to exit. Murmurs of gratitude echoed one after another as others bowed in respect before finally, the group had reached the end.

“Let’s head home.” Okani said softly and soon they were off.

Luck seemed to grace the group as they had a swift and quiet trip back to Konoha. As soon as they arrived, both Naruto and Yukari were admitted to the hospital and were placed in rooms right next to one another.

Sasuke and Sakura were treated for what injuries they had, but it was nothing they couldn’t handle. Kakashi had left as soon as his students were admitted so he could report to the Hokage the successful mission. Sakura had left to clean herself up at home, leaving Sasuke alone in Yukari’s room with Okani who was about to leave as she had some other shinobi take Yosue away so he could be interrogated as well. 

After all, she wanted to find out who their boss was. 

“Wait…Okani-san.” Sasuke called out softly. 

“Hm?” The woman craned her neck to see Sasuke’s puzzled expression. “What’s up?” 

“How come…you didn’t let me finish off that Harabe guy? I could’ve won against him with the Sharingan.” He asked. 

Okani smiled to herself as she shook her head. “Well, I was getting kind of sick and tired of him throwing you guys around…and for what he did to my baby sister.” Her eyes flickered to Yukari’s body for a moment that had been wrapped up with bandages. 

“Sasuke-kun, you’re too young to take a life.” 

Sasuke furrowed his brow. “I’m a shinobi. That’s what we do.” 

“A young shinobi. Look, kiddo . The mission they gave you was clearly out of your league, to be quite honest. One day you’ll take a life, Sasuke-kun. Don’t be eager to do so.” 

With that, Okani had stepped out and closed the door behind her as she headed towards the Hokage’s tower. 

A couple of days had gone by since the group’s return, and both Naruto and Yukari had still remained asleep, recovering. It was no one’s surprise as both had put their bodies through intense stress. 

Meanwhile, Sasuke couldn’t help but stare down at Yukari’s bandaged and recovering body. Her body had long been cleaned of the dried blood and dirt that clung onto her tanned skin and most of her wounds had been patched up. However, because of the intense stress her small body had gone through, it would take some time for her to regain her strength. He couldn’t help but lean forward and rest on his arms on the side of the bed, hearing the beeping sound of the machine right next to him. She was breathing, but could she hear him if he said something? 

“Yukari…” Sasuke’s voice was quiet, almost as if he didn’t want someone to listen to him speak. “I’m…you know…” He clicked his tongue as he closed his hands to form a fist. Why was it so difficult to speak to her right now?! 

“Look…I should’ve been there with you. I never should’ve…” 

Should’ve what? Left her alone? Gone after the boss with Kakashi? What ? 

“Yukari I…” He stopped himself again. 

“...Spit it out already, Uchiha.” Yukari’s hoarse and breathless voice murmured as her eyes slowly opened. She had started to come around a few minutes ago and couldn’t help but remain quiet at Sasuke’s attempt to apologize. 

“You’re awake?” 

“Barely. Sore as hell amongst other things.” Her eyes settled on the light above her. “Are we back?” 

Sasuke nodded. “Yeah.” 

“And that guy? Did you nab him?” Yukari referred to Harabe, who had Sasuke narrow his eyes. 

“Okani-san did.” He paused for a moment, as if truly pondering whether or not he should ask her. “Yukari…why did you force me to go after him? You knew that you were losing consciousness and if Sakura wasn’t there to keep an eye on you then-”

“Sasuke.” Her voice was stern as her head rolled to the side to face him. Her deep, sunset painted eyes met his gaze. “We’re shinobi. We have missions that we need to complete, even if it costs our lives.” 

He sucked in a breath, making a face that showed how he was annoyed. He hated when she was right. 

“Even if I died there, you’d have to finish the mission. It would be the same if Sakura or Naruto-kun died. Would I have tried to save them? Of course, but we have a duty.” 

The mentality and the mission of a shinobi was drilled into her since she began walking. The ways of a shinobi, the mission, their true masters and the purposes they served. Their emotions were never allowed to get in the way. 

However, to Yukari, she believed that if the emotions had helped the cause or helped in succeeding, then would that really be so bad? Her desire to be strong, to fight, her frustrations in herself, all of those were used to give her the strength she needed to take each step forward. 

“If the roles would’ve been reversed, what would you have done?” Yukari had asked, which had Sasuke simply stare at her. 

“Well, I probably wouldn’t have gotten myself captured.” He smirked, which had Yukari roll her eyes.

“C’mon. For the sake of the argument.” 

“Well…If I was the one badly injured and taken and all that, I probably also would’ve tried to fight back.” 

“Right, and if I was there and I had to choose between taking care of you or the mission, wouldn’t you want me to finish it?” 

Sasuke hesitated in answering. If it were anyone else, he would’ve said yes. However, to him, it was different. She was different. “I would’ve wanted you to be careful. I probably would’ve been against the idea that you went against him by yourself without Naruto or Sakura or at least someone by your side-”

“But if he was getting away and I was the only chance at stopping him. Wouldn’t you want me to do that?” 

He didn’t answer…and she knew she had him. 

“Sasuke, our mission was to stop those people and help Joharu. Because of my own stupidity and weakness, I was captured. Even so, I didn’t just give up. I tried to escape a few times and was punished for it. For disobeying. Still, I had hope that you guys would come back and get me. Yet, even if you guys never came back…” The young kunoichi swallowed hard as she turned her head to stare back at the ceiling. “I’d still try to fight them and free those people, even though I know I would be doing it alone.” 

“What could you have done? Really ?” Sasuke’s voice was stern, almost angry which had Yukari’s eyes pulled towards him. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Yukari. You are only one girl. Yes, we’re shinobi, but we aren’t even chuunin! We are just genin leveled shinobi! The jobs that we are given aren’t putting our lives on the line. It was a mistake to send us on this mission, we know that…”

“Sasuke…even still. It was still a mission…and besides..” It was obvious that she was shocked, rather, in disbelief by what he was saying. “..I thought being a girl didn’t matter-”

“It does and it doesn’t! Yukari, you almost died! Stop thinking you can take on the world as you are now and realize just where you are and what you can do!” Sasuke had snapped as his eyes stared at her. He hadn’t realized it, but he was beyond frustrated with her. “You are talented and stronger than those on our level, but compared to a jounin, hell, a chuunin even! Anyone else you are nothing to them! You have to realize your own weakness and understand that at the end, you are still just a girl!”

He had realized what he had meant as the words left his lips. It was too late and he couldn’t take those words back. Instead, he was faced with a rather surprised Yukari. 

“What?” He snapped.

“Sasuke…your eyes.” Her shock seemed to have affected him as he didn’t even realize he had activated the Sharingan. 

Was it because he was angry with her? 

“When did you…”

Sasuke had gotten up in a flash and immediately left Yukari’s room, nearly slamming the door behind him as he practically ran down the hallway. 

He knew that Yukari was stubborn. She was adamant and hard to sway when her opinions were firm. Yet, she was willing to sacrifice for what…a mission? For people she never met or hardly knew? She wasn’t just some nobody…she was the second daughter of the Katabana clan! She was important to her family and had every reason to live and yet, she was ready to give all of that up? 

Sasuke found himself standing on the rooftop of the hospital where the wind had brushed past him. He had to calm himself down. He was so angry…he wanted Yukari to understand that she needed to be more careful. Who knows what could’ve happened, especially knowing she was from a powerful clan? Not only that, but she had limits. She never cared about how far she pushed her body as long as she got what she wanted. 

But what did Yukari truly want? What did she hope to gain? 

A soft knock at her door had Yukari roll her head to look to see who it was. A familiar pink-head had stepped in with a small plate of cut up fruit in her hands. 

“Hey, you’re finally awake! How are you feeling?” Sakura asked as she sat down beside Yukari who shrugged. 

“Finally someone cares enough to ask. I’m sore as hell and pretty groggy and Sasuke’s mad at me.” 

“Yeah…kind of caught the end of that conversation.” Sakura admitted as she placed the fruit on the small table that was beside the bed. “Looks like it bothers you what Sasuke-kun said.” 

Yukari took a deep breath as she had pushed herself to sit up, thankfully with Sakura’s help she was able to do so. 

“I…you know I don’t understand him sometimes. I thought that it was the right thing for me to tell him he needs to finish the mission. We had to take down the bad guys, save the kidnapped villagers and that’s it! Obviously, things changed.” 

“Right…” Sakura nodded. 

“If you guys didn’t come back for me, I still would’ve seen it through. I would’ve still tried to fight those guys until I died. I thought that someone like him would’ve understood that.” She sighed. 

Sakura couldn’t help but raise a brow curiously. “What do you mean by ‘someone like him?’” 

Yukari let out a soft scoff. “You know Sasuke. He’s always so serious and I figured that while he cares for his teammates, a mission still has to be completed. It’s our job, y’know? I thought that he of all people would’ve understood.” 

A soft laugh escaped Sakura as she shook her head which made Yukari look puzzled. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“Just how clueless you are, Yukari.” Sakura had shifted in her seat as she crossed her legs. “You know what happened when we got back, I mean, the first time?” 

Yukari simply shook her head. 

“Well, your sister wanted to kill Kakashi-sensei when she heard that you were captured. She was ready to go and find you and damn everything else. Of course, the Lord Hokage had calmed her down from doing that, but she volunteered to bring you back.” 

Yukari let out a giggle. “That’s my sister, alright.” 

Sakura smiled as she continued.

“Right. Well, Kakashi-sensei was going to bring you back as well…then Naruto volunteered because he felt responsible for letting you get captured. I volunteered as well because if Naruto hadn’t come, we both would’ve been captured and maybe then things would’ve been different.”

“And Sasuke?” 

“I was just getting to him. He said, ‘Yukari is my friend and I won’t leave her behind ’.” 

“Really? That’s…wow. Didn’t expect to hear him say that so…openly.” Yukari couldn’t help but feel…flattered? It wasn’t at all the first time that they had called each other friends, but just hearing it being said so boldly…well…

It made her happy. 

“Mhm. So think about it…you sounded as if you were willing to just throw your life away so easily. Why else do you think Sasuke would be mad with you?” Sakura tried to put the pieces together for Yukari, but the purple haired kunoichi didn’t seem to get it as she shrugged. 

“I…guess because it’d be a waste if I died?” 

Sakura had let out a heavy, defeated sigh as she got up from her seat. “C’mon Yukari. I know you aren’t an idiot. At least Naruto I understand if he didn’t get it. Put some more thought into it.” Her hand had gestured to the plate, 

“You better eat some, okay? Gather your strength back up. Team Seven isn’t Team Seven without you, so we won’t be doing anything until you are back on your feet, got it?” 

Yukari couldn’t help but smile as she nodded. Beyond Sakura’s obsession and love for Sasuke and her girly attitude, the girl was quite thoughtful and bright. She was intelligent and could read in between the lines with ease. Not only that, but Sakura did have a desire to grow stronger and become better. She wasn’t at all what Yukari had seen her before they were teamed up. Perhaps, because of this,  that was why Yukari didn’t mind her talking to her the way that she did, granted, they had gotten closer these past few months. 

She could, honestly, refer to her as a friend in earnest.

Once again, she had been left alone to her thoughts as she slowly sat up and reached for the fruits Sakura had left. Her mind wandered, lingering on the problem in her head. She was dedicated and loyal to the cause. She knew that she had to see things through to the end so why did it seem as if her logic wasn’t sound? 

What was wrong with her dying to finish the mission? If her teammates hadn’t come back for her and she had been left for dead, she would’ve done all she could to help those people find freedom. She would’ve fought until she couldn’t anymore. What was so wrong with that?

Sasuke twirled a kunai in his hand as he sat on the roof of the hospital, his back against the railing. His eyes were glued to the door that led back down the stairwell of the hospital, waiting as if he expected someone to follow him. 

He was so…frustrated. 

How could Yukari not understand just how important she was? She had family here who would be hurt to hear of her death, even if it was for the mission or because she was protecting someone. The pain of losing her, he could only imagine. He understood they had a job, but her safety was just as important. 

Was that wrong of him? To prioritize her safety over the job?

Sasuke had been too deep in his thoughts to realize that the eye of his sensei was on him. Kakashi had landed on the roof, a couple of feet away. 

“You look troubled, Sasuke. That’s a first.” 

Sasuke had whipped his head and saw Kakashi offering a slight wave. 

“I’m fine.” 

“Oh come now. You’re not exactly a great liar.” Kakashi mused as he had walked over to his student and leaned himself against the railing as well. “What’s troubling you?” 

Sasuke took a moment to ponder how exactly he could word his frustration to Kakashi. Surely, he would understand, right? 

“Is…is it wrong for me to be mad at someone who was willing to die so easily?” 

Kakashi was taken aback by the question as he placed his hands into his pockets. “Well what about it makes you mad?” 

“Well, not mad. More frustrated than anything.” 

“Go on.” Kakashi urged.

“I understand following the mission and what it means to be a shinobi. I understand that we have an obligation.” Sasuke started to explain. He had caught the kunai by the handle as he continued. “But, even though we have a mission and we work in teams, shouldn’t the protection of our teammates be a priority as well? Is it wrong to care for our teammates first?” 

Kakashi hummed as he nodded, understanding just what exactly was bothering Sasuke. Perhaps Yukari had said something that threw the Uchiha in this mood. 

“Not at all. I believe that, yes, a mission should be your priority… however , someone who prioritizes the mission over the safety and lives of their comrades, their friends…well I find those people worse than scum.” 

Sasuke seemed to nod slowly as he looked over to Kakashi who merely had his eyes closed. “I see.” 

“Has Yukari woken up?” Kakashi had changed the subject which had Sasuke nod. 

“Yeah.” 

“Good. I’ll check in with her. Why don’t you get some rest, Sasuke? You’ve been with her these past few days while she was unconscious. You need to take care of yourself too.” Kakashi had suggested, seeing the circles under his pupil’s eyes. 

“Yeah…I guess I will then.” Sasuke had dusted himself off as he stood up. “If anything changes…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll let you know.” Kakashi waved him off as Sasuke nodded and jumped away. 

A smile came to Kakashi as he headed back into the building and beelined for Yukari’s room where he had softly knocked. 

“Where’s the peace and quiet?!” Yukari had said under her breath as she heard the knock at her door. “Yes?” 

Kakashi slid the door open and gave a wave. “How are you feeling, Yukari?” 

Yukari had popped the small orange slice into her mouth as she shrugged. “Tired. Sore.” 

“Naturally. I wanted to talk to you for a bit, then I’ll leave you to rest.” Kakashi had taken a seat beside her as the kunoichi nodded. 

“What happened while you were in Iron Town?” Kakashi started, getting straight to the point which had her surprised. She thought that perhaps he was going to talk to her about her injuries  or the end of the mission, not this. 

“Well…I woke up and I had those stupid chakra cuffs on me, so I couldn’t do anything. They had me for a bit but then I tried to escape. As punishment…” Her voice softened as she looked down. 

“They whipped me, beat me…wanted to make an example out of me for disobeying. They starved me for the most part and tied me to the forge where other girls worked the bellows with me. Only problem was that it would warm the forge all night and day…so I was forced to work, even when I was tired.” Her brows furrowed, as if she wanted to forget these memories and never speak of them again, but she knew that Kakashi needed to know to report. 

“They would pour water on me if I fell asleep, and would give me very little, at least a handful of rice and water to keep going…at some point, two girls that I befriended had helped me to escape and that was when you guys showed up.” 

A softened expression sprawled across Kakashi’s face as he let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t get to you faster.”

Yukari shook her head as she reached for an apple slice. “I expected something to happen. Danger comes with the job, right? I wish I could’ve done more…instead I was just their prisoner…but I would’ve died trying to help those people. I knew that. I accepted it.” 

Kakashi hummed as he saw what Sasuke was talking about. He couldn’t help but watch his student as he spoke, 

“Those girls wanted to thank you. Many of the villagers did, actually. They felt, because they were powerless or weren’t shinobi, that they couldn’t do much…but you inspired them to take a stand. You gave them the fire they needed to fight back and they appreciate what you’ve done for them. To you, you may not have done much, but to them, you’ve done more than enough.”

Hearing this had warmed Yukari’s heart as she looked up and met Kakashi’s gaze. Her eyes couldn’t help but be filled with pride. She was glad that she did something, even if it was concrete or major as she expected. 

“You know, Yukari. I admire how dedicated you are, given your age. You are quite bright, especially when it comes to the ways of a shinobi, which I’m sure was taught to you when you were young, I’m sure by your family.” 

She nodded, urging him to continue. 

“However, I’ll leave you with this advice. While you are a kunoichi, a shinobi of the village, you are first Yukari. You, as a person, come first. You have your duty to your village, but don’t forget the duty you have to yourself and those who mean the most to you. Emotions don’t make or break a shinobi. Neither does having friends and loved ones.” 

Kakashi had stood up and ruffled the top of Yukari’s head as she smiled. “You did good, Yukari. Given your circumstances, you’re stronger than most. Take pride in that. Now, get some rest.” 

“Wait, Kakashi-sensei!”

“Hm?”

“I did learn something while I was in Iron Town. The guys that we went up against…they were working under a man named Hideki…they said that when the town was attacked, Hideki left the three brothers in charge…but that was it.” 

Kakashi nodded. “I’ll let the Hokage know of your findings.” 

With that, Kakashi had left, leaving Yukari to herself once more. 

Later that night, Sasuke had found himself heading home late. Even though Kakashi had urged him to rest earlier, he couldn’t help but avoid heading home. He did laps around the village, even attempted at training only to find no drive to do so only a few minutes in. 

His mind had wandered as he wondered just what would be next. What missions would they be sent on now? Would Yukari be out of commission for a while? Or because of her injuries would their missions need to be easier and mundane? Would they simply omit her completely and go on missions anyways? 

Eventually Sasuke had strolled into his home where the lights had been off already, his parents off to bed. What he wasn’t expecting when he had walked in was seeing his brother sitting out, facing the small back yard area they had. 

Itachi had turned to see his younger brother and was shocked. “You finally decided to come back.” He had mused. 

Sasuke shrugged as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m surprised to see you awake.”

“Just got back from a mission and wanted to unwind before I went to bed.” A partial lie, but Sasuke didn’t know that. 

“Oh.”

“How’s Yukari-chan?” Itachi asked, which seemed to shift Sasuke’s attitude. 

“Fine.”

Itachi couldn’t help but raise a brow, giving his young brother a look. “Really? Just fine?”  

Sasuke shrugged. “What more did you want to know? She’s banged up and it’s going to be a bit before she goes on any missions.” Why was Itachi so adamant? What did he want to know? 

“Sounds like something more. I could hear frustration in your voice, otouto .”

Sasuke had rolled his eyes, before he had leaned against one of the wooden support beams of the outdoor hall and explained his dilemma. At the end of it, he could see that Itachi was far from unamused, a sly grin across his face. 

“Am I wrong? What would you have done?” 

“Neither of you are wrong…and it’s rather cute that you’re both having such a disagreement.” 

“Aniki…” Sasuke groaned, knowing that his brother was just getting under his skin. 

“I think a good shinobi follows the mission through…” 

His young brother had seemed defeated, having a feeling that he was already on his own with this thought. He was about to turn away, but Itachi had continued.

“However, a good person would care for the other. Take that how you will, otouto. I’m going to bed now.” Itachi had pushed himself off the floor and headed towards his room. Sasuke couldn’t help but watch as his brother had walked away. 

“Guess I should…maybe apologize.” He mumbled to himself as he went towards his room, his exhaustion finally caught up with him. 

A couple of days had passed as Yukari had sat up in her bed, staring out the window that she was right next to. Her body had been recovering just smoothly, but the soreness still remained. It would take some time for her to heal completely and she knew this, however, she hated just doing nothing. 

The hospital had been quiet for the most part. Okani had visited and told her how badass it was that she had tried to start an uproar and that she was proud of what she had done. Of course Yukari had been beating herself up over what had transpired. Had she been stronger…had she been better perhaps she wouldn’t have gotten herself kidnapped. 

If only she had controlled her chakra better. 

If only she were just better…

Her thoughts had been interrupted by the sound of her room door sliding open, revealing a rather worried blonde. 

“Yukari-chan!” A bandaged up Naruto had barreled in, nearly collapsing on the side of her bed which had startled her as she smiled to herself. 

“Naruto-kun!” 

“Yukari-chan, I’m so sorry! I should’ve gone after you when I had the chance. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, you can hit me all you want! I’ll buy you all the ramen you want for the rest of my life if that’s what it takes for your forgiveness–!” 

Yukari held up her hands to almost defend herself from his sobbing and cries. 

“It’s okay, Naruto-kun. I don’t blame you at all.” If anything she had blamed herself. “Really! Don’t worry…I’m alive aren’t I?” 

Naruto had sniffled as his bright, blue eyes had stared up to meet hers. “R-really? You’re not upset?” 

She shook her head. 

“Okay…well…still! I promise I’ll get stronger so that you won’t have to worry next time!” 

Not that she was worried before…it just kind of happened. 

“Naruto!” Sakura’s voice had snapped as she and Sasuke stood at the doorway. Apparently they came by to check on both of them, but Naruto was given the clearance to be discharged. 

“Sakura-chan!” He sobbed, but the pink haired girl had walked over and pulled him by the collar of his shirt, practically dragging him across the hospital floor. 

“C’mon Naruto! Let Yukari get some rest! Besides, you’re too loud!” Sakura had scolded him as she turned back and gave a wave. “We just came by to check on you, Yukari! We heard you might get to leave tomorrow!” 

Well that was news to her. 

The violet haired girl nodded as she smiled and gave a wave as Sakura continued to scold Naruto all the way down the hall. Sasuke, meanwhile, had stood closer to the door with his hands in his pockets. His eyes met hers which had her smile slowly fade. 

“What’s up, Uchiha?” 

“How are you feeling?” He asked simply. 

“Bored out of my mind. Ready to leave already.” 

“I can imagine.” 

Silence fell between them before Sasuke had moved to leave. 

“I’ll let you rest then-”

“Wait!” 

Sasuke had stopped immediately as he turned to her. “Did you need something?”

Yukari shook her head as she took a moment to ponder. “Can you sit? And shut the door too.” 

Sasuke did exactly that without hesitation. She wanted to talk to him…which was fine. However, the fact that the last time they spoke and he stormed out wasn’t exactly…sitting well with him. With either of them. 

“I wanted to talk to you about something.” Yukari started as Sasuke leaned back in the chair. 

“What?” 

“Well…I wanted to apologize. You know I…I didn’t want to worry you or fail the others. We had this mission, our first actual mission, and I wanted to make sure it got done, no matter what. I was willing to risk everything, even my own life, to ensure our victory but…I realized I wasn’t really considering any of your feelings at my willingness to just die.” 

Sasuke’s brows furrowed, curious on what led her to apologize first for being such a stubborn person. 

“I’m not the best when it comes to explaining myself…but...you know what I’m trying to say, right?” 

Sasuke let out a chuckle as he nodded. “Yeah. I know what you’re talking about. Look, Yukari. We’re friends. Teammates. We look out for one another. So stop being so damn stubborn already and just…accept us. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. I know your father taught you otherwise, but you have a mind of your own. Don’t forget that.” 

Yukari had sucked in a deep breath before she released it. Sasuke had a point, especially on the part with her father. He was a very strict man and training with him was damn near hell each time. Drills upon drills along with knowledge nearly drowned her when she was younger. She was taught to never grow attached to anyone because the loss and impact of losing someone is great…and a weakness. After losing her mother, she was terrified of getting attached to anyone besides her own family. 

Things were different now that she was older and found her own footing. She had to find her own ‘Will of Fire’, or as her sister would say. 

“Hmph.” Yukari had responded as she crossed her arms. It seemed as if she was upset, but Sasuke could see the smirk she wore. 

“You know, you’re going to annoy the poor guy who ends up marrying you.” 

She scoffed. “Guess I won’t be marrying then! If he can’t tolerate me and how headstrong I am, then he’s a weakling.” She replied confidently, which had Sasuke simply shake his head. 

“Idiot.” 

“Takes one to know one.” She teased. 

“Guess I don’t know you, then.” Sasuke retorted, but Yukari couldn’t help but roll her eyes. 

The two fell into a comfortable silence as Yukari looked back out the window. She was glad that there wasn’t this tension between them and things could go back to normal. She had turned back to Sasuke and seemed to motion as if she was going to say something, but instead halted herself. 

“What is it?” Sasuke asked, knowing that the girl wanted to say something. 

“Well…so…you unlocked the Sharingan, huh?” Yukari questioned, and he nodded. 

“How did that happen? Or rather, when did that happen?” 

He leaned forward to reposition himself. He realized that he hadn’t even told Yukari how that came to be…it just kind of happened. His fingers laced together, resting on the side of her bed. 

“When we came to get you.” 

“Alright…well what exactly triggered it? I mean, you hardly explained what your kekkei genkai does and how it works.” 

Sasuke had smirked as he looked out the window, avoiding her gaze. 

“When I knew you were slipping in and out of consciousness…I thought something bad was going to happen. I wanted to beat that guy down to nothing for what he did. And then seeing that dobe being used against us…”

“So…revenge? Is that what triggers it?” 

Sasuke shook his head. 

“Just a strong emotional response is needed to first unlock it. There are other variations or I guess levels to it, but I don’t know all of the specifics.” 

Yukari nodded, seemingly understanding what he meant. “Well…thanks for wanting to beat that guy up. As soon as I get out of here, I wanna see how it works!.” 

Sasuke couldn’t help but scoff as he got up from his seat. 

“I’ll think about it.” He said as he started to leave, but not before Yukari had whined.

“C’mon Sasuke!”

In the silence of the night, when all the villagers were fast asleep without worry, the Hokage had been quietly working in his office. A few lit candles were his only source of light as he took in a long drag from his pipe. He had been looking over notes and notices regarding the upcoming Chuunin Exams which were to take place in Konoha this time. 

The soft poof of smoke had him looked up momentarily before he looked back down. The ANBU mask had covered her face, but given the animal, he knew exactly who was there. 

“Report, Okani.” 

“Lord Third. Both my father and Fugaku-san have been meeting more frequently than previously. It’s been close to a month…and recently my father has delivered a new batch of weapons to them.” Okani had remained knelt down on one knee, her head bowed down with a fist against the floor. Her head remained lowered. 

“I see. What of Itachi?” 

“He has been suspicious of his friend, Shisui-san, however, there’s nothing concrete yet. He’s been keeping a close eye, but we fear if he gets too close that the Uchihas will notice something is amiss.” Compared to being at home, Okani’s voice was cold, collected. It was as if she had casted away her personality to become someone completely different. 

The Hokage nodded. “What about your sister? How’s she holding up?” 

Okani had lifted her head slightly but kept it down. “She’s recovering just fine.”

Hiruzen had lifted his head to watch her as he leaned back in his chair. His hand instinctively reached for his pipe. “What about her relationship with Sasuke? Is it going as planned?” 

A moment of hesitation had Okani ponder this plan as she nodded. “Yes. The two seem very close. Because of my sister being in danger, it triggered Sasuke to activate the Sharingan.” 

“Ho? Is that right?” The Hokage seemed impressed by this piece of information. 

“Yes, sir.” 

“That’s promising. Perhaps we may have an upper hand after all.” 

With a long drag from his pipe, Hiruzen had blown out a steady stream of smoke. 

“Let’s see…we may not have to do anything in regards to your sister and Sasuke then. Keep watching. If either family makes a drastic move, inform me immediately.” 

“Sir.” With a firm nod, Okani had disappeared in smoke, wondering to herself if it was really alright. 

Was it okay letting her little sister be used as a pawn? Even if it was for the greater good.  

Chapter Text

Months had come and gone, and soon the effects and memories of their first big mission were far behind them. 

They were training, as they usually do. The group had gotten closer since Yukari’s incident, and even though Sasuke and Naruto couldn’t stand one another, they tolerated each other, seeing each other as a rival. Sakura eased up on fawning over Sasuke, and while she still stole glances at him here and there, she mostly kept her feelings to herself. If anything, she found herself enjoying Yukari’s company much more than she had expected. 

While Yukari and Sakura sat off to the side under a large tree, they watched the other two teammates spar. Of course, it looked as if Sasuke was bullying Naruto, but the latter seemed to hold his own well enough. 

“C’mon, Naruto-kun! Don’t let him put you on the defensive!” Yukari called out through her hands. Her loud voice caused Naruto to change his stance and attempt to go back on the offensive. 

“Jeez. Every time they spar it’s always as if Naruto-kun hesitates.” The young kunoichi shook her head as she looked over to see Sakura watching quietly. 

“Did you hear about what’s happening soon?” 

“Hm?” Yukari hummed as Sakura brushed back her long, pink hair. 

“The Chuunin Exams are being held here in the village this year.” 

Yukari lifted a brow as she looked back to watch the other two spar. “ Ho ? Is that right?” 

“Yeah. I was thinking…do you think we can enter?” 

Yukari planted her hands behind her as she leaned back. She thought that her team was pretty strong and capable…however, she did have one concern. 

The numbers. 

“I’d probably have to go on another team or something.”

Sakura looked at Yukari, puzzled by her statement. 

“Why would you have to do that?” 

“Because the exams only allow squads of three.” Kakashi’s voice softly replied, which had Sakura nearly jump from the sudden appearance. Yukari, bit her bottom lip as she ‘mhmed’ at the answer. He was right. Traditionally, there were supposed to be three genin to a squad, however, this year they had a little more students than usual. Some squads had four, like this one. She doubted that they would change the rules for that. 

“So I guess I’ll sit out.” Yukari shrugged, as she saw Naruto and Sasuke had both stopped, noticing their team leader. 

“Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto called out as he jogged over with Sasuke walking behind him. Yukari’s eyes had met his but she looked away quickly. She didn’t want him to see her disappointment. 

It would be a lie to say that Yukari was alright with sitting out of the Chuunin Exams. There was a tight feeling in her chest when she thought about how she wouldn’t be able to join her teammates…her friends in something so important in their lives. She was upset, but she couldn’t just blurt that out. She was a kunoichi! She couldn’t allow her emotions to just take over, especially right now! She didn’t need them to pity her.

“I’m glad you’re all training together, but I couldn’t help but overhear Sakura and Yukari’s conversation. I was going to bring this up to you tomorrow but today is just as good.” Kakashi nodded.

“Oh oh! What is it?!” Naruto asked quickly. 

“He wants to talk about the Chuunin Exams.” Yukari said nonchalantly. Kakashi gleaned over to see Yukari who didn’t bother to look up, and instead, kept her eyes focused forward. 

“What about them?” Sasuke asked, and Kakashi smiled as he placed his hands in his pockets. 

“I believe you are all ready to take it. You’ve grown a good amount as both shinobi and as a person.” Kakashi was proud of his team. They had grown so much in such little time. The group that could hardly find their wavelength together, now moved as a unit and fought like one. He couldn’t help but reminisce about his own teammates before a wave of sadness ‌had taken over his mind. He shook it off as he continued. 

“There is one problem.” 

“What’s that?” Naruto questioned. 

Yukari let out a sigh as she responded quickly. “You can only enter as a 3-man squad.” 

The silence that fell was heavy as the group seemed to realize the problem. Sakura looked away, frowning while Naruto looked at each of his teammates. Kakashi slowly nodded. 

“Yukari is correct. Traditionally, only teams of three could enter. Even though there are a few four-man teams, that doesn’t change the rules.” 

Sasuke watched Yukari intently. He noticed the shift in her attitude. Earlier she seemed just fine, especially during her training with Sakura. So why did the mention of the Chuunin Exams bother her?  Why was she acting coldly towards the subject? Unless…

“I’m volunteering myself out of the squad so you guys can enter.” Yukari finally admitted, causing the grin that Naruto wore to fall. His expression was replaced with concern as he looked at Kakashi. 

“Well if Yukari-chan isn’t gonna enter, then neither am I!” Naruto shouted. 

“Yukari…” Sasuke said softly, but he didn’t even know what to say to her. What could he say?

“Naruto-kun!” Yukari snapped as she shot a look towards him. “Don’t you dare give up this opportunity because of me! I’m sure I can figure something out…worst case I’ll take it again next time.” It’s not like the Chuunin exams were held once in a blue moon. They were bi-annual events…she just wouldn’t be able to enter at the same time nor with her team. 

“But Yukari-chan!” Naruto begged, but the girl shook her head as she stood up. 

“Don’t you or any of you pity me for this! I know you guys will succeed and I will happily root for you from the sidelines. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head home!” 

Without another word, Yukari grabbed her bag and started to make her way back as her teammates watched her leave. 

“Yukari-”

“Don’t, dobe.” Sasuke said softly, which annoyed the blonde as he shot a glare towards him. 

“Why not, teme?! Don’t you want Yukari-chan to compete with us too? It’s not right!” 

Sakura swallowed her pride. She would love to enter with her comrades too but at the expense of one of their own not joining? Surely there was something they could do? 

Maybe she should step back?

But would she even allow herself to do so? 

Her eyes looked over to Sasuke’s, only to feel her chest tighten. His eyes never wavered as he watched Yukari leave. 

In the distance, away from where Team Seven had been training, concealing their presence from anyone were three men who hid within the depths of the trees. They covered themselves in dark cloaks, their eyes glued on the dark-haired shinobi in blue. 

A man with glasses narrowed his eyes, watching curiously as the dark-haired boy seemed to split from the group. He didn’t move for a moment, which caught the attention of his comrade. 

“Kabuto…he’s on the move. Shouldn’t we…” 

“Yes, Yoroi. If my hunch is correct, I believe we just might have an ace up our sleeve…”

“We’ll continue to monitor the Uchiha from afar.” Yoroi finished.

“Perfect.” Kabuto smirked as he slipped back into the shadows of the trees.

Yukari had walked on, eyes glued to the floor as she couldn’t help but fight the frustrated tears that she held back. The feeling of disappointment weighed her down as she sighed heavily. There was no way that they could modify the teams, right? She had to be stuck watching from the stands…and even then…

That wouldn’t satisfy her. 

She wondered about the other squads that formed the other groups of four and wondered what they would be doing. Could they be struggling as well? Maybe she could try hunting them down and see if they could meet and perhaps apply as a team. She was sure that someone could act as their leader or they could be assigned one…right? Surely there had to be some leniency. 

“Yukari.” 

Pure instinct took over as Yukari turned on her heel and threw out a punch right toward a calm Sasuke who had caught her fist in his hand with ease. He smirked as he eyed her, seeing her realize just who she nearly decked. 

“Don’t do that!” She let out a breath as he released her hand. 

“You know… when you said you’re always on your guard, I didn’t think you really meant it.” He joked as she scoffed. 

“Yeah yeah. What is it, Uchiha? Don’t tell me you’re going to tell me how you’re gonna drop out too or something…” 

“Actually no.” 

“ Oh …okay good.” Yukari was surprised…but admittedly a little disappointed as well. Why ? What did he come to tell her then? She felt her heartbeat quicken with anticipation.

“I was going to tell you that there has to be another way for you to enter. We’re all part of a team…I’m sure they could make an exception.” 

Oh. That .

Yukari shook her head as she crossed her arms. “What about the other villages? I’m sure they will have all three-man squads…if Konoha was the only one to have an exception, how do you think that’ll make us look? On top of that, we’re hosting too.” 

Sasuke remained quiet as he didn’t even think about that part. A soft hum escaped him. Yukari shifted in her steps as she gestured with her head over in the other direction. 

“Let’s get ramen. Nee-san isn’t home and I’m not exactly thrilled to relay the news to tou-san.” Yukari admitted and Sasuke couldn’t help but follow her along. He could only imagine what her father would say. Had it been him who would be out of a squad and if he couldn’t participate, would his father be angry with him? Disappointed? He was sure that those worries were on Yukari’s mind as well. 

“Sure.” He couldn’t just leave her, after all. He could just pack his portion of dinner at home as his lunch for the next day. Plus, he was sure that his mother would understand. 

As the two headed towards Ichiraku, Yukari couldn’t help but keep her head low. It was crystal clear that it bothered her but she kept her feelings to herself. There was no use in pouting and throwing a fit. It wouldn’t get her anywhere. Her eyes gleamed over to Sasuke who seemed lost in his own thoughts. 

“Thinking hard is a worrisome look on you, Sasuke.” The girl teased, but Sasuke only shrugged. 

“Aren’t you mad? Or at least a little upset?” he asked curiously. He was surprised that she didn’t have an attitude or make sarcastic remarks like she normally did. If anything, she was fairly calm and understanding. 

She scoffed as she nodded. “I mean of course I am! We’ve done so well as a team and I wondered just when we would take the exams. I know how the old people are about tradition and all that stuff but…I don’t know. I guess if a team wants to apply and they are down someone or if one of their members doesn't want to participate then I guess that would be the only way, right? Or the others that have four members, maybe the stragglers like us could form a team.” 

“I mean I guess so…but what idiot wouldn’t want to take the exams? That’s another thing too. The odds of something like that happening in your favor are low.”

“But they aren’t zero. I’ll see what I can do…worst case I’ll cheer you guys on from the sidelines.” Yukari said simply as they finally arrived at Ichiraku’s. She was grateful they arrived when they did. She wasn’t exactly keen on continuing the conversation. The possibility  of not joining at all really bothered her. 

“Enough about the exams. Let’s eat!” 

In the corners of shadows, standing off to the side to not draw any attention, the man who was with Kabuto earlier, Yoroi, and another man had kept their heads down, listening in on the conversation that was between the two genin. 

They gave each other a look, one that read that an idea was brewing. With a smirk, the two disappeared, pleased with the report they were to give. 

Yukari and Sasuke had eventually gone their separate ways after their dinner together. While Sasuke was worried for Yukari and what her father would say, he also knew that she could handle it. Besides, Okani would be there to back her up, right? 

So he hoped.

As soon as she stepped through the doors, she was immediately greeted by none other than her father who stood with his arms crossed. 

Yukari had lowered her head, muttering that she was home as she slipped her sandals off. One of the servants of the household had helped move her sandals as she stepped up onto the cool wooden flooring. 

“Where were you? We thought you were coming home for dinner.” The stern voice of her father always put her on edge as she kept her head lowered. 

“Sasuke and his family had invited me over last minute. Sorry.” She lied. Hito narrowed his gaze as he stepped aside as Yukari headed towards her room. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to take a bath.” 

Hito nodded as he simply watched as Yukari quickly walked past him. Okani poked her head out to see a glimpse of her sister heading towards her room before she looked over to her father. 

“Was that Yu-chan?” She asked, with a rice bowl in hand and her mouth partially full. 

“Yes. She seems troubled.” He said simply as he had returned to the family room where they were previously. “No matter. If it is a problem, she’ll bring it up herself. She’s old enough.” Hito was well aware that Yukari was a young teenager so there would be times when she had mood swings or tender moments. He had already dealt with that with Okani so he figured the younger one would be no exception. 

However, Okani knew her sister like the back of her hand. Unlike Okani who would openly voice her disdain and complaints as well as problems, Yukari had often kept it to herself. She was extremely independent since she was a child, but Okani figured it happened when their mother passed away. She knew that her sister wouldn’t say anything, so she headed towards the door, eager to follow Yukari. 

“I’ll check in with her. You know, tou-san. Girl talk and all.” Okani smiled as Hito didn’t argue. He simply shrugged as he went to light his long pipe. 

Upstairs, Yukari grabbed her things and immediately went to take a bath. She figured the longer she spent here, the less chance she’d have to talk to her father. He couldn’t get mad at her for not getting into the exams, right? Things just didn’t work and it was all because of rules and traditions. He couldn’t argue with that. 

“Yuuuu-chan~? Are you going to absorb all the water in there or what?” Okani had asked from the other side of the screen door. A soft sigh escaped her as she called back, 

“Maybe!” 

The sound of the door opening and Okani’s feet hitting against the tile had Yukari turn in the hot bath, her eyes widening at her sister’s sudden appearance. 

“Nee-san!’ 

“Oh shush, it’s not I haven’t seen you before. Anyways. What’s up? Tou-san said somethin’ about you being bothered. Something happen?” Okani was always straight to the point, lacking tact in her approach. Yukari sighed as she turned back to rest herself against the tub. 

“I’m…not able to take the Chuunin Exams with my squad.” 

“HAH!? WHY NOT?!” Okani nearly screamed as  Yukari shook her head. 

“Nee-san! Stop yelling!” 

“No seriously! Why can’t you take it?!” Okani questioned as she stood right over her sister. 

“Because we’re a four-man squad! The exams only allow squads of three and…I volunteered to stay out.” Yukari replied, the clear sound of defeat in her voice. 

“Huh…” Okani had forgotten that a four-man squad, while not unusual, wasn’t common enough either. However, when it came to the exams she didn’t even think that it would’ve been a problem. Now she understood her young sister’s dilemma. 

“Well, I’m sure other teams that have groups of four are in the same boat. Maybe you can form a squad with them-”

“But it’s not my team! I trained with Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto-kun for so long! We work well together! We know how to fight with one another and-”

“ And learning to fight with a team that isn’t your own is also part of being a shinobi, Yu-chan.” Okani smiled as she pulled back. “It’s great that you can work well with your team, but understand that you won’t always be with them. You need to learn to adapt to your surroundings…that includes the people you work with.” 

Yukari couldn’t help but frown as she slipped under the water, allowing the water to sit just above her nose. She hated to admit that Okani was right…but it still didn’t make her feel better about it. 

“Anyways. Even if you can’t compete this time around, there’s always at the end of the year for the next exam. Maybe some teams won’t participate because one person won’t agree to it. You never know.” Okani said simply as Yukari heard her footsteps trail off, hearing the door eventually close.

Yukari had closed her eyes as she felt herself sink under the hot water. 

She hated how she was feeling right now. Her sister made a good point that this was just something she had to go through. She wasn’t always going to be with her team, after all. Eventually, she’ll rise to the ranks of jounin and possibly have her own squad. Yet, why did she feel so frustrated? There was nothing she could do besides facing off against her own squad that she had trained with. That was one thing that she would have against them if they were to go against one another. She knew their strengths and weaknesses…but they also knew hers. 

Her mind flickered to Sasuke as she felt her chest tighten. It wasn’t fair . She wanted to be the one with them. If she swapped places with Sakura, then they would’ve been unstoppable. 

That’s when Yukari felt guilty. How could she think that? Sakura was her friend and teammate! The girl did start off as a nuisance, but she had improved immensely, both in skill and tact. How cruel I am… Yukari thought to herself as she submerged herself, hoping that her thoughts would drown in the water. How could she think like that about Sakura? Was she really holding herself up in comparison to her? 

Sakura was much better at chakra control and breaking out of a genjutsu than Yukari was. Sure, she wasn’t as physically strong or had the fighting prowess that Yukari had, but that didn’t make her any better or worse. They both had their weaknesses and strengths. One was just more focused on fighting and getting stronger while the other didn’t. Simple as that. 

Yet, why do I feel like it should’ve been me?  What if Sakura was in my shoes…would she feel the same way? 

Consumed with her own troubling thoughts, Yukari finished up her bath. There was only one question left on her mind that she seemed to return to. A simple question that she didn’t even know how to answer.

What will she do now? 

“You know you don’t have to go, Yukari.” Sasuke walked right beside the kunoichi who had her hands in her pockets. She bit the inside of her cheek as she nodded. 

“I want to support you guys. I know it’s just the registration process and first exam, but still…it’s the least I can do. ” If she had sat back, she might’ve looked like a bad sport. Plus…Okani did try to assure her that there may be squads that would be short one person. She had to try.

“Besides, maybe luck will be on my side! Maybe I can fill in for a team.” She had some confidence in her voice, but whether or not Sasuke believed her was a mystery.

“I guess so. Still…”

“Yukari-chaaaan!” Naruto had called out ahead of them. Both he and Sakura had waved at them as Sasuke and Yukari approached. A smile came to Yukari as she waved back. 

“Someone’s excited.” Yukari mused as Naruto grinned, always brightening the mood. 

“Well yeah! We get to see what the other villages are like… and we’re taking the first part of the exam! I gotta be pumped up for it!” 

Leave it to Naruto to pump everyone up. Sakura seemed eager as well but her quick glance to Yukari had told her otherwise. Guilt . 

Deep down, Yukari didn’t blame or hate Sakura. If anything, she volunteered herself to leave the group to ensure their team was able to apply. She had accepted last night that what she did was the right thing. This wasn’t about her and what she wanted. This was about giving her team a chance, even if it meant she couldn’t be there with them.

 There was no resentment behind Yukari’s smile…if anything she was envious. 

“You’re way too loud this morning…” Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto shot out right in front of him. 

“The hell you say, teme?!” 

“What? Your own loudness made you deaf now too?” Sasuke smirked as Naruto glared at him. 

The two were always fighting each other it seemed, but there was also an unspoken sense of camaraderie between them. Almost like two brothers who would never say their true feelings. Of course, Yukari kept this to herself. The last thing she wanted was to hear either of them tell her otherwise. 

“Jeez, Konoha sure has some annoying shinobi, wouldn’t ya say?” An unfamiliar voice had spoken behind them. 

Team Seven immediately halted in their steps as they turned to see three individuals. One with a large fan, one with a gourd, and another with terrifying face paint. 

Yukari couldn’t help but narrow her gaze, eyeing each of them. The one with the fan smirked, being the one who had made the comment. Of course, Naruto took offense and stepped forward. 

“The hell did you just say?!” He snapped. It was one thing to insult him, it’s another to insult his home. 

“Chill out, Naruto,” Sakura said softly, but Naruto ignored her. 

“You heard, Temari. These are the Chuunin Exams…takin’ it pretty lightly, don’t ya think?” The one with the face paint snidely spoke as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

Yukari scoffed. “Why don’t you just worry about yourself, clown .” She snapped, and the guy stepped forward. 

“What did you just say you-!” 

“Relax, Kankuro. No need to play their game.” The one with the gourd said simply. 

Sasuke seemed to stare down hard at the one in the center with the gourd. His striking red hair and eyes that lacked any emotion…it put Sasuke on edge, though he hid it well. Something about him rubbed Sasuke the wrong way. 

Sakura had taken a moment to scan for their headbands. Temari caught this as she smirked and placed a hand on her hip. 

“We’re from Suna, to save your poor eyes from straining any harder,” Temari said simply as she looked over to her brothers. 

“Suna, huh? We’ll see how you all hold up then, won’t we?” Yukari narrowed her gaze as the three seemed to walk on. 

“We’ll see. Let’s go.” The redhead said as he didn’t bother giving a last glance. 

“Comin’ Gaara.” Kankuro nodded as he looked to Temari and the two trailed behind him. 

As the Suna shinobi walked off, Yukari couldn’t help but roll her eyes and look over to Naruto. 

“Glare any harder at them and your eyes will fall out.” Yukari joked as Naruto looked back at her and made a face. 

“ Nuh uh …I just wonder how strong those guys are though…” The blonde crossed his arms as the group continued their walk. 

“Guess you’ll have to find out, now won’t you?” Yukari assured him, as he let out an annoyed groan. 

As they walked on, Sakura and Naruto seemed to talk to each other as Yukari and Sasuke hung back. With her arms crossed, it was clear that she had her mind occupied with other thoughts. It was hard to fight off the desire to just leave and wallow in her own pity, but she knew that she needed to support her friends. She believed in them, and now she needed to be there for them. 

A soft bump from Sasuke’s elbow caused Yukari to look over, seeing him look forward. 

“You sure you wanna go?” 

She let out an annoyed sigh. “Stop worrying about me, Sasuke. Seriously, do you think I can’t handle it or something?”

He shook his head. 

“It’s not that. I just…well, I just don’t want you to get upset.” 

“Me? Upset? ” She placed a hand over her jaw-dropped expression, feigning to be surprised by the notion. 

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Yukari. “You don’t need to lie to me.” He softly spoke, not wanting the other two to hear them. “I know it’s bothering you.” 

The feigned smile she wore slowly turned to a frown as she shook her head and dropped her hand to her side. 

“It’s upsetting to not compete with you all, but there’s nothing I can do to change it. I’ll either take the exams now with another team, or the next time it comes around. I’ll still be with another team regardless…” She bit her lip. “But if… no… when you guys pass, I wouldn’t be able to go on the same missions as you guys. I’d still be a genin.” 

She did have a point…and Sasuke hated to admit it. It just didn’t seem fair. They all worked hard together and got to this point together . It was only right that they took it all together as well. But like she said (and others) this was tradition. A four-man team was a newer concept that only some villages adopted. 

“You know that if you end up with another team that makes us enemies, right?” Sasuke asked. Yukari smiled and nodded at Sasuke’s remark. 

“I know. Guess we’ll be facin’ off again then, right, Uchiha?” 

A smirk came to Sasuke naturally. This was one of the things he had to appreciate about Yukari. She would never take things personally. She didn’t shy away from becoming his rival or going up against him. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it just as much as he did. 

Yukari always prioritized getting stronger and taking every opportunity as a learning experience. Her losses in sparring or failing to get something down never discouraged her from doing better. It pushed her to go beyond her limits. It forced her to be stronger and he admired that. 

“Earth to Sasuke! Are you listening?” Yukari waved a hand in front of his face which caused him to shake his head. 

“What?” 

She scoffed as she threw her hands on her hips. “I said that you better not go easy on me either. You have to actually face me like an opponent.” 

This made Sasuke chuckle as he nodded. “You expect me to go easy on you? Who do you take me for, that idiot?” He gestured to Naruto, who seemed pretty pumped up as he spoke with an unamused Sakura. 

“Hey! Naruto-kun has gotten over the whole ‘fightin’ a girl’ thing. He actually managed to throw a punch just the other day!” 

“Did he actually land a hit on you?” Sasuke asked. 

When Yukari didn’t answer immediately, he glanced over at her and saw her with a sly grin. 

“Did he?” He asked again. 

“Of course not. He’s still easy to read. He was pretty close though.” 

Up ahead the group could see the academy building in view. There, they could see several other genin enter with their squad leaders in tow. Which begged the question…

Where the hell was Kakashi?

“You guys finally made it.” 

Team Seven nearly jumped at the sudden appearance of their leader, who gave a wave. 

“Stop doing that!” Sakura shouted as the rest seemed to nod in agreement. 

“Oh come now…you should be used to it! But now that we’re all here, let’s head into registration shall we?” 

The registration process was far from easy. Several teams lined up that led down the long hallway to the end where tables were. There, the squads would enter themselves in and be placed on the roster. 

Yukari couldn’t help but eye the teams that she saw. Of course, she didn’t miss a certain Suna squad that walked past them, shooting a glare their way. What made her seem on edge was when they started to reach the table, the realization of not participating finally settling in. Where would she even find a squad last minute now? There was no way someone was going to need a third. 

“What do you mean you decided not to enter?!” A voice up ahead by the table seemed to draw everyone’s attention. 

Yukari looked ahead and saw three people arguing amongst themselves. All of them wore glasses, glaring at each other as one spoke up.

“You heard me, Kabuto! I’m backing out!” 

“Misumi!” This Kabuto person hissed, as Misumi seemed to huff and turn away, leaving his teammates behind. 

“What are we going to do now?! We’re short a member!” Kabuto said loudly as he slapped his forehead. Yukari couldn’t help but look over at Kakashi before she ‌ rushed over, waving her hand up. 

“O-Oi! Do you need a third?!” She called out as she stood before the two members. They were taller than her and seemed to look down with surprise. 

“Yeah, actually. Didn’t mean to make a big scene there.” Kabuto had rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he looked over to his teammate. “What do you think, Yoroi?” 

Yoroi seemed to eye Yukari, his eyes hidden by the shades he wore as he shrugged. 

“That’s the only way to compete if we’re in a team of three, right? Might as well since Misumi refused.” 

Yukari’s eyes lit up as she felt excitement grow within her.  “Thank you so much! Let me just let my team know!”

“Your team?” Kabuto repeated as Yukari nodded. 

“I couldn’t join because we’re one of the few four-man squads. I was hoping that a team would be short or something but…anyway I’ll be right back!” She explained quickly before she bounced off to tell Kakashi that she would be participating with them.

Kabuto smirked to himself as he watched the girl before his eyes moved to the Uchiha who seemed to keep his gaze on the purple-haired teammate of his. 

“Perfect. ”

Chapter Text

The groups were finalized and once they were all registered, Yukari had looked to her new, temporary teammates who seemed to look around, as if scanning their competition. The silence between them was hardly welcoming.  

“So…” Yukari started, feeling the awkward tension between them. The one who wore dark shades and seemed to be the tallest, looked down towards her. 

“What is it?” He asked. 

“Well, I didn’t catch your names…” Yukari trailed off as the one with silver hair seemed to nod, realizing that introductions weren’t even made. 

“Where are my manners? My name is Yakushi Kabuto, and this,” He pointed over to their third who shrugged. 

“Akado Yoroi.” 

“I see we’re not fans of talking much.” Yukari mused, as Kabuto let out a nervous laugh. He rubbed the back of his neck, as his eyes looked elsewhere. 

“Something like that. Yoroi is a person of few words.” Kabuto explained, as Yoroi remained silent as he simply crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Her eyes took in the competition. There were familiar faces of friends, like Shikamaru, Kiba and Chouji, while others that she never got a chance to properly talk to. She wondered how they would do, but she knew she couldn’t worry about them. 

She had herself to worry about. 

“So…what do we do now?” Yukari asked, as Kabuto pushed his glasses up. 

“Well we’re waiting for them to call us into the room for the first part of the exam. If you want, you can go with your team. Yoroi and I will be waiting here.” Kabuto pointed to the large room where other genin filled the area. Yukari didn’t see any harm in that and nodded, 

“Okay! I’ll be back then.” With a wave, she bounced off towards her friends, where she saw them entering one of the other rooms. “Wait, guys!” She called out. 

Naruto turned with a grin as he waved Yukari over, “Yukari-chan! Whatcha doin?! Shouldn’t you be with your team?” 

“Yeah, but they said we’re waiting for the first part of the exam to start, so I figured I’ll hang out with you guys while I still can.” 

“Huh…alright.” Naruto nodded as he turned his attention to the room. “As I was sayin, I can’t wait to kick those guys’ butt from Suna! Could you believe how stuck up they were?!” Naruto stated loudly, as Sakura tried to quiet him. 

“Naruto, not so loud!” But the blonde continued on. 

Sasuke had craned his neck to Yukari and waited until she walked beside him as he elbowed her gently, 

“How’s your team?” He asked. 

“Not so bad. Not fun, but not bad. They seem older than us, which is kind of weird? They’re pretty quiet though.” Yukari explained simply as Sasuke nodded. 

“Well, that’s good at least. Still wouldn’t mind trading the dobe so that you could come back.” Sasuke said quietly with a smirk, which had Yukari rather surprised. 

“Oh? You miss me already?” She teased. 

“Tch…he’s just annoying that’s all.” Sasuke avoided the question completely. 

“Sure sure..” Her voice trailed off as she sensed someone behind them. She turned quickly, seemingly surprised by what she was staring at.

“You.” A genin, clad in a bright green jumpsuit with arm bandages and leg warmers, stared down at Sasuke. “You are Uchiha Sasuke, correct?” 

“Depends. Who’s asking.” Sasuke snapped back,  unimpressed by the green-boy’s appearance. 

“I am Rock Lee,” He introduced himself as he seemed to shift positions, as if readying for a fight, “And I would like to test your strength.” 

“Huh?! What about me?!” Naruto had scurried over after hearing the commotion. Though Lee seemed to eye the blonde with an unamused expression. 

“I am not interested in you.” He said curtly, as he turned back to Sasuke. 

“What?!” Naruto took a step forward, but Yukari laughed quietly as she waved her hand, as if to calm him. 

“Shh, Naruto-kun! Let’s just watch this play out.” She hissed, as Sakura gave her a worried glance. She walked over to Yukari’s side, but seemingly caught the attention of their aggressor. 

“Oh my…what a beauty , you are!” Lee seemed to smile enthusiastically, seeing Sakura. 

“Uh…what?” She took a step back, rather surprised by the comment.

“I think he likes you.” Yukari leaned into her friend who made a face of disgust. 

“Egh…”

“But I shall not stray from my original intentions!” Lee turned his attention back to Sasuke who was quietly waiting. “Let us battle!” 

Within moments, Lee closed the distance between the two, as the other three moved away to give them some space. 

“Don’t you think we should stop them? Won’t they get in trouble?” Sakura asked, but Yukari shook her head. 

“Nah…it should be fine. Don’t know if it is though.” 

“Yukari!” Sakura cried, but Naruto snickered beside them. 

“It’s fine Sakura! Besides, think about it. He’s giving us a free demonstration of his abilities. Don’t tell me you aren’t a little bit curious on how the rest of our classmates are doing? It has been a while since we’ve left the Academy, after all.” 

“I mean..yeah I guess I am a little curious…” 

“There! Take it as…information gathering on your opponent then.” Yukari nodded confidently with a grin.

“Call it whatever you want, but I wanna fight bushy-brows too!” Naruto chimed as he grinned watching Sasuke and Lee exchange blows. To Yukari’s surprise, Lee seemed to have an upperhand. 

“His taijutsu is amazing…” Yukari muttered as her arms crossed over her chest. If her family didn’t specialize in using weapons, she would’ve loved to learn more about hand to hand combat. Okani was a great teacher and all, as was her father, but this guy’s technique was…well…

Pretty damn cool. 

“Where the hell did he…” A voice questioned behind the three who turned, seeing two genin head their way. 

“Neji? Tenten?” Yukari said with a confused tone as Naruto looked at her. 

“Ya know’em Yukari-chan?” He asked, as the girl nodded. 

“They were in our class, ya know.” Yukari pointed out as Naruto didn’t seem to recognize them. Did he really not pay attention to the others in the class?

“Oh, there he is!” Tenten exclaimed as she realized just who stood before her. “Yukari?” 

“Katabana.” Neji said curtly as his eyes locked with hers. 

“Hyuuga.” Yukari smirked. “Is he your third?” She gestured to Lee. 

“Mhm. I see he’s taking his chances at fighting though. He kept complaining that he wanted to find the ‘Uchiha guy’ to test his strength.” 

“Well don’t worry, he found him alright.” Yukari nodded as Tenten and Neji walked closer to the battle. 

“Lee! Stop messing around!” Tenten shouted, which immediately halted Lee’s movements as he looked over. 

“Tenten! Neji!” Lee exclaimed as he turned to Sasuke briefly before turning back. 

“We came to find you! We turned around and you weren’t there!” Tenten scolded him as he simply wore a triumphant smile. 

“I found Uchiha over there and I want to test him out, in case I don’t get a chance later!” 

Neji rolled his eyes as he looked over and narrowed his gaze on Naruto who glared at him back. He clicked his tongue as he looked away, heading back towards the doors. 

“The hell’s his problem…?.” Naruto remarked under his breath as Sasuke strolled up right beside Yukari.

“Don’t take it personally, Naruto-kun. He’s like that with everyone.” She assured him, but the blonde continued to glare. Her attention turned to Sasuke who seemed relieved that the little match was over.

“He was so annoying.” Sasuke commented quietly as they watched the other squad walk away. Yukari couldn’t help but nod in agreement. 

“You mean Sakura’s new boyfriend? I agree.” 

“Yukari!” Sakura shouted, as Yukari laughed to herself. 

“All squads, report to the classrooms! I repeat, all squads head towards the classroom for the first exam!” A booming voice echoed over the intercom as the four looked at one another. 

“Well then, shall we?” Yukari smiled as she led the way.

Yukari had left to regroup with her temporary group as they were ushered into a single classroom. She couldn’t help but look over to where her team was, seeing Naruto’s grin and Sakura wave gave her some sense of comfort. She knew that, as of right now, they would be her competition. The pressure was finally on as the proctors had called for the students to sit in assigned seating arrangements. 

Teams were separated, and beside her were shinobi from the Otogakure and Iwagakure. Both didn’t seem to really mind her but instead looked ahead to see a large man standing, with his arms behind his back. 

“My name is Morino Ibiki and I shall be the head proctor of the exam.” Ibiki introduced himself briefly before he gestured to the desks. “Before you is a piece of paper filled with ten questions that you, as shinobis, should know. You will have an hour to complete this test, however, if one of you fails, your entire team will fail as well.” 

Soft murmurs echoed as Yukari peered over her shoulder, seeing the faces of her friends. Sakura seemed concerned but it looked more as if nerves were getting to her. Sasuke didn’t seem to worry about it and Naruto…well he seemed like he was taking the news the hardest. A worried look came to her as she tried to get his attention but the blonde was too focused on his own problems to notice her.

“The proctors all along the room are here to make sure no one tries anything funny. Anyone caught cheating is immediately disqualified, as well as your team. With that, your one hour starts…now!” 

Immediately, Yukari took the pencil in her hand and scanned through the questions. Some seemed relatively easy while others took a second to figure out. Some questions just didn’t make any sense in what they were asking and she wondered if perhaps she was overthinking it. Remain calm…Yukari. She told herself as she took a deep breath. She’d work through the ones she knew first then go back. 

Four questions were done as her eyes glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes had gone by. Not bad timing so far. She would’ve been fine if she didn’t feel eyes on her. The feeling of someone looking at her was apparent. The proctors of either side of them were like hawks, staring down at each student. 

Ten questions…meaning she needed at least seven to pass. She felt confident for the first four but the last six…those bothered her. She couldn’t even glance to her new teammates or her friends to see how they were doing. Her eyes glanced to her side briefly, seeing the Oto genin doing something peculiar. The tapping of the pencil, softly, against the wooden desk seemed rhythmic. It was annoying, though with how soft it was, it was somewhat difficult to hear. 

Then she realized… were they cheating? Sound abilities were their whole repertoire! So was he doing something to communicate with the others? 

“Thirty minutes left!” 

Yukari swallowed as she reeled herself in, focusing on the questions. She didn’t have any techniques that could help her cheat, not that she was ever that type. She was diligent with her studies and usually done well. However, she wondered if she was supposed to cheat. Was there something she was missing in this exam? Was she overthinking it? Her eyes bore down onto the paper, finding no inkling of an answer to give to the questions that were left. 

So…she just guessed. 

Guessing was better than no answers, right? Maybe she could get partial points for putting in some effort? She let out an annoyed sigh, finding herself frustrated before finally…

“Time! Pencils down.” Ibiki shouted as everyone had done so. She expected that the tests would be collected and they would be dismissed during the grading period or something along those lines. She was ready to run out and get fresh air, feeling her heart race. 

No one came to pick up their tests. Instead, the voice at the head of the classroom boomed, 

“I will offer this one chance: you are more than welcome to leave now and try again next time. However, if you do, the rest of your team will also be withdrawn from the exams.” 

The head proctor didn’t seem to offer them anything else. There was no way for the teams to talk with one another, asking how they felt about the test or if they should drop out. This was something purely based on how one felt…and trying to figure out how the others felt as well. 

But a chance to leave? Didn’t anyone want to see how they did? Sure, it was dependent on their group, but Yukari had faith in, not only her own team, but the temporary one as well. As long as those two didn’t decide to chicken out, then she’d be in the clear. 

“You have one minute to decide.” He added, which certainly made others panic. 

One hand…two…three…before she knew it, nearly a third of the class had raised their hands. Her eyes scanned the room, looking to see if any of her friends raised their hands along with Kabuto and Yoroi. When she saw that neither of them had moved, she felt relieved. 

As the last group had walked out, it was only a matter of time before they were told the next step. 

“Alright,” Ibiki cleared his throat to grab their attention, “Now that those groups are gone…” 

The suspense was heavy. What was next? Test corrections? Another test? The exams were always a gamble on what would happen as they changed every year. Yukari couldn’t help but clench her fists on the desk as she waited impatiently. 

“ You all pass. ” 

Silence. 

Followed by loud sounds of confusion and relief. 

“Wait… what?” Yukari stared at Ibiki, puzzled as she looked back to see the others. Naruto seemed ecstatic and was shouting about ‘the stress’ and how ‘he was confused’, while Sakura seemed to look uncertain. Sasuke didn’t seem phased by it, but instead, gave a nod to Yukari. 

“The exam itself wasn’t important. We looked for a variety of things during the process; information gathering, the ability or lack of to contact your teammates, coming to a decision without their counsel. Most of all, trust. Those who you saw raise their hands without wanting to see their results, they had no faith in their teammates. The risk was too high for them and in the end, they were disqualified.” Ibiki explained as his eyes scanned the room, looking to see if they understood. 

Yukari leaned back in her seat, defeated as she was extremely impressed. Things weren’t always what they appeared to be, was another thing she would throw in. 

“The second part of the exam is tomorrow with your next proctor, Mitarashi Anko. 10AM, Forest of Death.” With that, Ibiki began to make his way out of the classroom, allowing the rest of the teams to meet up. 

Yukari looked first to her temporary team, seeing Kabuto and Yoroi standing by the door. She hurried over to them as Kabuto smiled, 

“We’ll meet you at the Forest tomorrow then, Yukari-chan.” 

“Sure! Thanks again for letting me join you guys…and for not volunteering yourselves out too.” 

“Oh…now why would we do that? We’ve come here for a reason, you know?” 

Kabuto waved before he and Yoroi left, leaving Yukari to turn to her friends as they regrouped and started to head out of the building. 

“I can’t believe they just did that! I mean, I was stressing hardcore about the test…I didn’t even answer one question!” Naruto buried his face into his hands as he seemed to still freak out over it. Sakura gasped as she shouted at him,

“You didn’t even bother to guess?! You could’ve been right or gotten some points than none!” 

“I couldn’t even guess! I didn’t know what the heck they were talking about in those questions!”

Yukari couldn’t help but laugh hard as she had to agree with him there. “Naruto-kun is right, there were some questions that threw me for a loop.” 

“Really?!” Naruto was shocked by this, seeing as Yukari was one of their top students. 

The girl nodded. “Yeah! I mean I just kind of threw in a random guess at some point so I kind of felt bad. Didn’t want to be the reason my team got disqualified, ya know? But I figured something was better than nothing!” 

Naruto seemed to give Yukari a look, one that seemed to agree with her on that note as he nodded. He wasn’t the smartest when it came to academics, after all. He was more of a hands-on kind of person. 

“Well, I woke up pretty early so I’m heading home.” Yukari stretched her arms upwards as Naruto yawned. 

“Ramen sounds pretty good to me…” 

“Ramen always sounds good to you, Naruto.” Sakura commented as she looked over to Sasuke. 

“What about you Sasuke-kun?” 

The raven shrugged. If Yukari was going home then there was no point in asking her to train. He didn’t really want to have ramen and Sakura…well he didn’t want to hang out with her so much either. Maybe he could train with Itachi…if he was home, that is. 

“I’ll head back home too.”

“Oh…alright then. Well I’ll see you guys tomorrow then!” Sakura said with a small smile as she waved them off and headed towards her home. Naruto didn’t seem to mind as he gave a wave,  heading towards Ichiraku’s. 

Yukari and Sasuke were left alone, heading towards the direction of their respective homes. A comfortable silence fell between them as they walked on. 

“What a way to start the exams, huh?” Yukari started as she looked over to Sasuke who nodded. 

“I wasn’t expecting that at all, honestly. At least your teammates didn’t give up.” 

“Tch, me too.” She nodded.

There was another lull between them. Sometimes it felt strange walking in silence like this. Some days they would have plenty to talk about and other times their walk home would be filled with nothing but each other’s company. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but sometimes she wondered if it bothered Sasuke at all. 

“...Say Yukari…” Sasuke started. 

“Hm?” 

“Have you…spoken with your sister lately?” Sasuke’s question was certainly out of the blue, but it didn’t raise any concerns. Yukari shook her head. 

“Not lately. She’s been busy with missions and stuff.” 

“Mmm..the same with aniki.” 

“She’s been…pretty upset, actually, now that we’re talking about her. That’s another reason why I haven’t had a chance to talk to her.” 

“Upset? About what? Your dad again?” Sasuke knew that Okani, while normally on good terms with her father, was on rocky terms with him lately. He was more demanding and snapped at her often for little things. At first, according to Yukari, she thought maybe he was having a bad day, but it began happening more frequently. 

So what could’ve happened?

“Yeah…one of the maids said that they got into a screaming match while I was out the other day. He wanted nee-san to start thinking about her future and start taking it seriously since she’s gonna be the next head and all.” Yukari shrugged. “Tou-san wanted her to prepare for finding a suitor since he was going to set up an arranged marriage for her…unless she had someone else in mind that was ‘good enough’.” 

Sasuke didn’t expect that to be the problem. He was curious why Okani was so against it. 

“I assume she doesn’t want that.”
 

Yukari shook her head. “Nope. She said she wanted to live a normal shinobi life and refuses to be in an arranged marriage like him and kaa-san.” Yukari knew that Okani found most of the traditions to be ridiculous. What if she couldn’t stand the person her father chose? Then what? He only lucked out that he and their mother got along and loved each other. Maybe he hoped that would happen for Okani too. 

Besides, didn’t Okani have eyes set on Itachi? Or did her father oppose them being together?

“If that’s the case then, what if you became the next head?” Sasuke suggested. “I know that you may not be the first born but-”

“First of all, I don’t want to be in an arranged marriage either. I want to live a normal, shinobi life without marrying some guy I hardly know. Besides, that’s just…not me. To settle down and just have kids? That’s so lame. Secondly, nee-san is a much better leader than I am.” Her mind thought about their last mission. She was hardly a leader in that instance…and she had herself captured as well. Okani wouldn’t have let herself get captured that easily. 

Besides, no one would want to listen to the second born daughter. 

Sasuke, however, shook his head in disagreement. “I think you aren’t giving yourself enough credit, Yukari,” He looked over to her, “You’d be a great leader. I mean, think about how you spoke to Sakura during our test with Kakashi-sensei. Some people would take any advantage they could to win, but you wanted things to be equal between us. Plus, you seem to be a good judge of character and can lead if you really wanted to. Those girls that you saved in that village said it was thanks to you that they decided to finally stand up to those guys and all.” 

Both of those instances were true. She wanted those girls and the rest of them to fight back. She wanted them to take back that power and free themselves. 

When it came to fighting against Naruto and Sasuke, she wanted an equal fight against them during their test. She wanted Naruto to truly understand that in battle, anything goes. All’s fair in love and war. That was something that she wanted him to accept now rather than later. 

“I mean…that was nothing...I was just doing the right thing…” 

“Nothing to you, maybe. But those people were empowered and the dobe seemed to understand what you were trying to tell him at that time.” Sasuke pointed out, which made Yukari shrug. 

“Yukari, if you really wanted to lead, I think Okani-san would support you. People would trust her judgment and follow you as well…but only if you wanted it.” 

That was the thing. Yukari didn’t want it. She had long accepted that Okani would take over their clan and she would just be there as an advisor or her support. That’s it. Her eyes met with Sasuke’s as she asked, 

“What about you?”

He raised a brow as he stopped walking. “What about me?”

“Do you want it? To lead your clan and all?” Has Sasuke ever thought about it? If Itachi declined to take over, would he? “If Itachi-san declined in taking over, would you do it?”

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets as he shrugged. “Probably not…” 

“I don’t think I believe you,” Yukari smirked as she eyed him, “I think you do, but you refuse to admit it.” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he started to walk again. “It’s not my thing…besides I know aniki will do a good job. He won't decline.” 

“Does he have to marry? If he becomes head and all…” 

The raven shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Tou-san never mentioned it before…or to me. Aniki never said anything about it either.” 

“Would you? If Itachi-san didn’t want to be the head and you had to be, would you agree to an arranged marriage?”

Seeing his puzzled expression had her wonder if he ever thought about it. Before he could answer though, Yukari wrinkled her nose, almost annoyed by his lack of answer. “Unless it’s different for boys.” Her arms crossed over her chest. “I guess only girls really do get the short-end of the stick.” She sighed heavily. 

“I mean…if I had a choice then no, I wouldn’t want to be in one,” Sasuke finally answered. “I’d like to have the choice, but if it’s for the betterment of my clan then…how can I argue that?” 

Yukari scoffed and rolled her eyes as she started to walk ahead of him. 

“What’s wrong with that?” Sasuke his voice raised as he moved to match her quickened pace. "Yukari!"

“That just…sucks! At least you’ll have a chance at a choice! Girls don’t get choices. We’re just expected to do whatever is asked of us!” She exasperated as she scoffed. “And if you have to get married, you’ll do it if it's for the betterment of your clan?” Why did Yukari struggle to accept that? There were plenty of things that her family has done for the sake of the clan. "What about your own feelings!?"

“Yukari! Why are you getting so worked up about this?” Sasuke asked. This wasn’t the first time he’s seen the girl frustrated, but the way that this topic riled her up…it seemed as if she'd thought about this for a while. 

“I just..."

I want to know that you'd be on my side and agree with me that you want a choice... Was what she wanted to tell him. But being this close to him and talking about this...she felt flustered. 

"…I don’t want to try to become the next head if nee-san declines. I want to have choices in life, ya know? Without worrying about someone else or my clan…I want to choose who and if I marry. I want to be the one who decides my future.”

Maybe she was only thinking of herself but…was that so wrong? Was it so wrong to have a choice in her life? Was it so wrong to not put her clan above her own desires? 

As Yukari shook her head in dismay, defeated by the reality she faced, Sasuke nodded slowly as he kept up with her.  He understood what she was saying. He felt as if she was holding something back, but perhaps he was looking too deep into it. What he wanted to tell her was that he agreed with her. That he, as much as he loved his clan, he wanted the choice to choose who he would spend his life with. 

Why wouldn't he say that? He opened to speak, to agree with her and tell her that he understood but instead he said,

“I want to decide my future too.”

A small smirk came to Yukari as she glanced over towards him,

“I figured you would, teme. ”

Her smirk seemed to lift the tension of the conversation, shifting into a playful tone which Sasuke preferred anyways. At least when it came to Yukari. Returning that sly smirk, he said,

“Don’t call me that…you sound just like that dobe .” 

Yukari only laughed as the two reached the point where they would go their separate ways. 

I wonder what life would be like....with Sasuke.

Chapter Text

“Nee-san?” Yukari’s voice softened as she heard distant yelling from downstairs. She swore she heard Okani’s voice and wondered if her sister finally came home from her mission. She was eager to tell her about the first part of the exam the night prior, but was disappointed to hear she hadn’t come back yet. 

Her eyes moved to the clock, seeing it was fairly early. She had plenty of time before her exam. What concerned her at the moment was the fact that her father’s voice was one of the ones that  was yelling. 

Her heartbeat quickened; were they fighting again? This early? She knew they left things on bad terms the last time they fought, but did it really warrant another screaming match? 

Quietly, Yukari stepped through her room and opened the door. Immediately she was met with the screaming that was right below. She crawled on all fours, curious as she waited at the top of the stairs as she heard stomping. 

“Okani, you listen to me-”

“No tou-san! You listen to me! It’s one thing to put all the pressure of being the next head and responsibility on me, but it’s another to expect Yu-chan to do the same! She’s not the next head! She’s your second daughter! She should have a choice in her future-!” 

A loud slap rang out as Yukari nearly gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth to stop herself from making any noise. 

“You will not speak to me like this! You may be my daughter, but I am still the head! You will show me respect. Do you understand?! What I do with your sister is none of your concern!” 

Okani said nothing but instead her footsteps slammed against the wooden floors as she headed out the front door . The heavy sigh from her father could be heard as he seemed to walk away. 

Yukari quietly crawled back into the safety of her room, feeling her heart pang. This was the first time her sister and father fought this aggressively before. Did he really have to strike her though? She grimaced at the sound as she shut her eyes. She understood that Okani had a responsibility but why won’t he just accept that Okani wasn’t someone to just idly accept her fate? Why did he have to hit her to make a point? 

Then she realized that if she disobeyed him…would he raise a hand against her? As her stomach flipped, Yukari couldn’t help but clutch at her pajamas, the anxiety coursing through her. 

“Nee-san…”

Later that day, Yukari was lucky when she heard that her father had gone out to do some business for the day. He left her a note with her breakfast that wished her luck for her second day of the exams but nothing beyond that. Okani hadn’t returned either and she wondered if she was alright. 

If she knew her sister as well as she did, she assumed she would go to complain to Itachi or even just went out to blow some steam. 

Without a second thought, Yukari headed straight for the Forest of Death with her weapons in tow. She had heard about it a few times from Okani, but she didn’t expect it to be this huge! Her eyes nearly widened at the sight, seeing everyone gathered at the entrance. 

She scanned through the crowds and spotted her friends first and foremost before looking to see if her temporary teammates were here as well. 

“Looking for us?” A voice said from behind as she jumped, turning around to see Kabuto smiling with Yoroi staring at her with a blank expression. 

“Yes! Morning!” She chirped, as Kabuto nodded. 

“You must be excited for the next part. This seems a little…intense.” Kabuto commented as he looked past Yukari, seeing the fenced off area of the Forest of Death. “It must live up to its name.” 

Yukari turned around and swallowed. Even though she had faced danger and nearly lost her life before, she still felt the adrenaline and nerves bouncing within her. She was curious to see what this exam was and what would happen. 

“Ah, a kenjutsu user?” Kabuto commented as Yukari craned her neck to look at her wakizashi blades. 

“O-Oh! Yes!” 

“That’s right…you’re a Katabana.” Kabuto seemed to recall as Yukari nodded. 

“Yep. I assume you know all about us then?” 

“Know about you? It’s hard not to know the village’s top smithing clan.” He commented. Yoroi stood silently beside him, looking out to the rest of the competition that slowly grew. 

“Yukari-chan!” A rather loud and familiar voice called out, as Kabuto pointed over to the source. 

“Looks like your friends are here.” He said. 

Yukari turned and saw her team walk over towards her. Sakura waved as Naruto seemed to rush in front of everyone to speak while Sasuke only offered a slight nod. 

“Yukari-chan! Do you see how big this place is?! It’s HUGE!” Naruto exasperated as Yukari laughed. 

“I can see that, Naruto-kun.” She said simply as she looked at Sakura who seemed rather nervous. 

She couldn’t blame her. The Forest of Death was filled with disgusting creatures, large and abnormal bugs and…they had no idea what they had to do inside. 

Sasuke, however, seemed to eye Yukari’s temporary teammates. Something about them rubbed him the wrong way, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he kept a straight face as he listened to Naruto and Yukari talk about the forest. 

“Alright, listen up!” Anko’s voice boomed throughout the crowds, shushing everyone immediately as they all started to walk closer to listen. Was it time already? 

“The exam is simple. Each group shall be given one scroll. It will either say Heaven or Earth. Whichever one you receive, you will need to obtain the other. So if you have a Heaven scroll, you’ll need to find a team who has an Earth scroll. Sounds simple enough right?” 

Whispers began to erupt as Yukari heard Naruto comment on just having to beat up their opponents for the scroll. 

They finally had a chance to go up against the others in skills. Though she had to wonder…what were the rules?

“Let’s lay down some rules then, shall we?” Anko smirked as she crossed her arms. “First off, as soon as you obtain the other scroll, you are to make your way to the center of the forest where a tall tower sits. Once you enter the tower, you are considered finished and slotted for the final round.” Her eyes scanned the group of genins as she continued, 

“Secondly, anything goes. Do what you need to to obtain your scroll. This isn’t called the Forest of Death for nothing after all. You have two days to complete this exam. Each squad will be assigned a gate number that circles the forest as soon as you receive your scroll.” 

More murmurs erupted as Yukari crossed her own arms. An all out style in a way of an exam. They weren’t saying you had to kill your opponent…but you should anticipate it. Just like to anticipate they would kill you.

A few jounins went around and began to hand out their scrolls. Yukari stepped aside to be closer to her temporary team just so they knew who was in a group and who wasn’t. 

When Yukari was given the scroll, her eyes narrowed. 

“Earth, huh?” Kabuto asked quietly, as she nodded. 

Her eyes moved to her friends where Sakura held the scroll.

Heaven.

“Looks like your friends are our enemies.” Yoroi stated loudly, which pulled Team Seven’s attention back to them. Yukari kept a straight face as her eyes locked in with Sasuke’s. 

She knew that look. A look that told her, trust me. She did. She knew that, if they had to, they would try to fight each other but not to the death. She didn’t want to take their life for a test…not her friends. They were more important than some rank. 

“Looks that way, huh?” Yukari responded, as she turned to Kabuto who shrugged. 

“Lastly! The final rule!” Anko shouted, pulling everyone’s attention to her once more. “Do not, under any circumstance, open the scrolls.” 

With that, Anko began directing the other jounins to show the groups which way to what gate they were given. Yukari gave one last look to her friends before she smiled to them and gave a thumbs up, 

“Good luck…and don’t go dyin’ on me, got it?” 

Once all of the groups were in place, it was only a matter of what would happen next. Yukari’s heartbeat picked up, throbbing against her chest as her eyes focused on the gate, waiting for the signal to start. 

“So she’s gonna hold onto the scroll? Sounds like a dumb idea.” Yoroi commented, as he seemed to ready himself to lunge forward. Kabuto let out a soft scoff. 

“How is that a dumb idea?” He asked, as Yoroi eyed their new teammate, 

“If you feel like you’d be better at keeping it protected, then by all means.” Yukari, without missing a beat, tossed the scroll towards him. “One less thing to weigh me down.” 

Kabuto let out a nervous laugh, as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Alright you two, get ready…” 

Then the horn blared and the gates were opened all at once. 

The blurs of bodies dashed forward, entering the Forest as they tried to find their targets. Yukari kept close as she followed Kabuto’s lead. He seemed to have some idea of where to go, but still, Yukari’s mind wandered to her friends. Would they run into those Suna folks again? How would they fare?

Eventually, Kabuto moved and took to the trees, to which Yukari and Yoroi followed closely. 

“As we get deeper, there will be more large creatures on the ground level, so it’s best we keep height.” 

“Have you done this before or something? You seem pretty knowledgeable.” Yukari questioned, as Kabuto let out a nervous laugh. 

“I’ve gotten this far, but the exams change so it isn’t always the same for repeat offenders like myself.” He admitted. “Didn’t get very far last time but I’m hoping with someone with your skills, we just might.”

Yukari seemed flattered by the notion but whether or not he was saying that to keep the spirit and morale up was another question. Before she could say another word, she pivoted quickly, dodging a kunai that flew right past her and lodged itself into a tree. 

“Looks like your friends want to play.” Kabuto’s words had a hint of sarcasm as he nodded towards the source. 

“No…it’s not them.” Yukari said lowly as she followed his gaze, “It’s our first opponent I guess.” 

The ones who appeared were from another village. 

“Amegakure.” Yoroi spat, as Yukari looked towards the source of the kunai. 

Three men stepped out, each wearing their headbands traditionally on their forehead as they spread out on the branches. Their eyes stared down on her team as she prepared herself. At the sign of any movement, she would make the first attack. 

“Well well, looks like we picked the right ones, eh, Kai?” One of the men said, eying the scroll in Yoroi’s hands. 

“Guess so, Tenma.” The one called Kai replied, as Kabuto seemed to laugh lightly. 

“What’s so damn funny?!” Tenma snapped, as Kabuto only looked over to Yukari and then Yoroi.

“Oh…I just find it amusing that you think we’re the right ones.” 

“The hell do you mean!?” 

“Katon: Dragon Breath!” Yukari’s voice rang out, as a large flame fired right towards the group. Immediately the brush and branches caught on fire, filling the air with smoke as everyone spread out. 

“We need the scroll, you idiot girl!” Yoroi hissed as he landed beside the purple haired genin who rolled her eyes. 

“I know that! I’m just kicking things off, that’s all!” She snapped back before she was hailed with shuriken. Immediately, she pulled one of her blades out to deflect them, but not before she heard Kabuto off in the distance. 

Her eyes momentarily glanced over to see her teammate but was sent flying, feeling the impact against her side as she fell from the tree and slammed against the ground. 

“Eyes on me, girl!” 

Yukari coughed, sucking in a breath as she forced herself up, using her blade as leverage. Her other hand moved to take the second wakizashi blade from its sheath. 

“Don’t worry…I got my eyes on you.” 

“Well…I would say that wasn’t so bad but…” Kabuto’s voice trailed off as he looked to Yukari who spat blood out, standing over her scorched opponent. She had tossed their winning, the enemy’s scroll, up in the air several times. She was roughed up, but she was still standing, bearing several cuts and bruises but nothing that wouldn’t heal in a short time. 

Yoroi had thrown the two unconscious bodies into a bush with ease as Kabuto shrugged his shoulders, seeing as he was the only ‘chipper’ one amongst the bunch. 

“Piece of cake.” Yukari said as she tossed the scroll towards Kabuto as she walked over to him. “More or less.” She wasn’t expecting their first encounter to be as easy as it was. In fact, she was sure that they would’ve left with even more wounds than she anticipated. 

As the team regrouped, a sound scream echoed in the distance, drawing Yukari’s attention, 

“That’s Sakura-chan’s voice!” She said as she looked at Kabuto who watched her. “She’s in trouble!” 

“Yukari-chan, remember that this is part of the exams too. You’re not with your usual teammates.” 

While Kabuto had a point there, Yukari couldn’t help but swallow hard. Her eyes moved from Kabuto towards the direction of Sakura’s voice. Surely Naruto or Sasuke would help her…unless they failed and that’s why she was screaming. Yukari had sheathed the one wakizashi blade she had in her hand, while the other had been sheathed some time ago. 

How was she going to just let them get hurt? Especially when she had the power to help them? 

“Yukari-chan?” Kabuto called to her, seeing her stare off in the distance. 

Ykari whipped her head back, her eyes filled with determination as she said, 

“Squad or exam, none of that matters. My friends are in danger and I’m going to help them. Just like they helped me! Please go on ahead without me!” Yukari said and without waiting for them to say anything more, she dashed off in the direction of Sakura’s voice. 

Yoroi scoffed under his breath as Kabuto smirked to himself. 

“All according to plan. Come Yoroi. Let us observe from a distance and watch Lord Orochimaru at work.” 

Yukari wasn’t too far off from what she could sense. She could sense several chakra presences up ahead, but what wasn’t sure what to expect. Another squad attacking them? Some large monster? Hopefully the group wasn’t separated, leaving Sakura to fend for herself. So many things ran through Yukari’s head that when she got there, she realized that they were much higher up than she expected. Her eyes saw a large creature above her in the branches of the abnormally large trees. 

Sakura’s voice screamed, “Sasuke-kun!” 

Without waiting another second, Yukari pulled both of her blades and immediately began to run up the tree trunk, jumping from branch to branch to cover more ground as she made her way upwards. 

“I’m coming, Sakura-chan! Sasuke!” She shouted, as she stepped onto one branch and with all her force, pushed herself high up into the air, shooting past up the group where she could get a clear view of what she was looking at. 

A large snake seemed to wrap around one of the trees with someone in front of it with its…neck extended all the way to Sasuke, where he was being bit. 

“Sasuke!” She yelled, as the stranger had released Sasuke, causing him to drop to a knee as he clutched at his wound. Yukari moved to land right in front of him, holding her blades at the ready. 

“Yukari-chan!” Sakura shouted with relief. She had been pressed back up against the tree’s trunk while Naruto was nowhere to be seen. 

“The hell happened!?” Yukari snapped, as she eyed their aggressor. Long black hair with disgustingly pale skin, this person seemed…strange. Weird. “Who the hell are you!?” 

“Tsk tsk…what chakra you have, girl.” The voice was slimy, sending shivers down her spine as Yukari stiffened. 

“Don’t…let your guard down..Yukari…” Sasuke’s rasped voice warned her as he winced in pain. 

“Agh!” He shouted, “Damn thing burns!” 

“What did you do to him!?” Yukari yelled as she propelled herself forward. Her eyes burned with the determination to protect them. To protect Sakura. To protect Sasuke. “Answer me!” 

“What I’ll do to you soon enough!” The voice shouted back as they moved, dodging Yukari easily. 

Frustration built up in Yukari as she moved, using a shadow clone in the last second when she was hit and reappeared above her attacker. “Damn you!” She screamed, bringing down the blades towards them before she was also met with a substitution jutsu. The body turned into a log, lodging her blades into it. 

“You’re mine!” 

Yukari didn’t release her blades but instead spun on her heel and threw it right at the attacker, hearing them snarl as she put more distance between them and made several hand signs. 

“Katon: Flame petal!” Small balls of blue flames appeared around her, acting as a make-shift protection as she readied herself on a branch higher up. 

“What did you do to him!? Who *are* you!?”

A laugh filled the forest, sending chills down her spine as the words dripped with venom as it left their body, 

“You’ll know my name soon enough. I simply gave Sasuke a parting gift from me. Something to help him…*achieve* goals.” 

Sasuke screamed suddenly, clutching at his shoulder, pulling Yukari’s attention towards him. Her guard was let out for a second, but that’s all that was needed for the attacker. 

Their neck slithered, flying right at Yukari like an airborne snake and sank its teeth into her neck, opposite from where Sasuke was attacked. The seering burn and the pressure from the bite had her hitch her scream in her throat, as she heard Sakura call to her in the distance. 

She could feel her body weaken as she moved her hand, forming a fist and throwing it at the attacker’s neck. Her arm felt weak as she made contact. Her vision blurred as she felt the release and they moved from her.  

“Who will fall to the seduction of power first? A Katabana? Or an Uchiha? I truly wonder…” 

Before Yukari could say anything, the figure reached up towards his face and with a quick motion, ripped the skin away, revealing a white skinned face. Long black hair still accompanied the body but the eyes were sinister, like the eyes of a snake. 

“Until next time.” 

Yukari’s eyes closed as she reached up to where she was bitten, feeling her skin on fire. She wanted to rip her skin off, to scrape it across the dirt ground to put the feeling out. Before she knew it, she fell to her knees, swaying before she leaned too far, falling from the branch. 

Chapter Text

It was hard to describe the feeling she felt. A swift bliss that brushed against her after the pain seemed to subside. Did it subside? Or was she just numb to the pain now. The burning sensation that flared on her right shoulder was there and yet, it wasn’t. The face of the person who bit her confused her, haunted her. Who were they? Why did they do this?

What did they want?

The sound of footsteps echoed. All around her she saw nothing but darkness. There was no definition of up or down nor was there a path to guide her. The void of nothingness was daunting and yet, Yukari wanted to dive deeper. What was hiding deep below? 

“...-kari! Yukari!” 

Yukari blinked, seeing that she was standing in the snow, bundled up with a scarf around her neck. She could see up ahead the usual, opened door to her mother’s room from the large courtyard that she played in. Her mother had normally watched her daughters play, especially during the warmer seasons with such a large open space. 

“Kaa-san!” Yukari called out, though she didn’t choose the words. It felt more as if she was watching herself relive a memory as she ran around, showing her mother the small snowman she made as she laughed. 

The laughter was full of life and joy as she turned to see a younger Okani throw a snowball right at her. Yukari moved but tripped, falling into the snow as she heard her mother say, 

“Yukari! Are you alright?” 

But Yukari sighed as she just laid in the snow. She rolled onto her back to look at the gray skies as the gentle snowfall fell upon her. 

“Yukari. Get up.” Her mother said, her voice was soft yet her words were firm, “You’ll catch a cold!” 

She didn’t say anything. Instead, she closed her eyes and could feel her body sink deeper into the pile of snow. Her mother’s voice continued to echo,

“Get up, Yukari….get up…”

Darkness slowly enveloped her as she could feel the coldness of the snow wrap around her body. Her mother’s voice slowly faded in the distance before she heard something different. Something that she didn’t remember her mother saying. 

“Your friends need you. Wake up. Get up…Yukari!” 

Yukari’s eyes flashed open, seeing a dark, wooden interior. The heavy scent of the forest filled her lungs as she slowly blinked, taking in her surroundings. Above her were roots and vines that wrapped inside the interior. It took her a good minute to realize that she was inside a tree trunk. Beside her was the sound of ragged, slow breathing, as if someone was suffering. Her head slowly turned to see the source, only to be surprised by who she saw. 

“Sas…uke?” Confusion filled her. What the hell was happening? 

Her body ached and felt cold, as if she was being submerged constantly under cold water…or as if she was in that pile of snow that she saw in her memories. Her hands closed into fists as she forced herself to move, straining muscles within her as she heard metal against metal. 

“Damn you! We won’t let you get close to them!” 

Naruto’s voice was clear as day, filled with anger and determination. 

“Y-yeah! We won’t let you hurt them!” Sakura’s voice rang as the clash of metal followed. 

The sense of urgency coursed through Yukari as she rolled to her side, slowly pushing herself up as she saw Sasuke’s face. His face scrunched in pain as he slowly breathed. “Sasuke…hey…” She said softly as she reached over to shake him but felt the pain in her shoulder. 

That’s right…she was bitten…? 

“Agh!” Sakura’s screams caused Yukari to whip her attention towards their direction. She quickly looked down, seeing her blades beside her on the ground as she grabbed one and slowly moved forward, crawling on all fours as she saw Sakura being held by her pink hair. Her hands reached to tear her hair away from her captor but a kunai knife was held to her neck. 

“Hand over the scroll, now.” The woman threatened to stab Sakura. Naruto’s eyes narrowed as his nostrils flared, pissed off that he wasn’t strong enough to protect his comrade. 

Yukari patted herself…where was the scroll? She wondered as she looked back towards Sasuke. Peeking out of his pocket was the tip of the scroll that they had been assigned. Forget the scroll…what about her other team? What happened to them, she wondered. She did kind of leave them behind…perhaps they made it to the end?

“Don’t do it, Naruto!” Sakura shouted, yelping as the woman pulled her hair again, feeling the ache in her head as she watched the blonde. What they didn’t know was that the scroll was tucked away in Sasuke’s pocket, finding it easier to hide it there than have either of them hold onto it. Not when they had to carry both Sasuke and Yukari.

The purple haired kunoichi noticed her blades that were laid beside her, immediately grabbing one as she crawled out from under the tree, staring down the two who had Naruto in their grasp while Sakura was held by the other member. 

“Y-Yukari-chan!” Sakura stammered as the blonde shot a look over. 

“Yukari-chan get Sasuke outta here! Go!” He shouted, struggling against the two shinobi who only held him down on the ground. He was beaten badly, from what she could see, which only infuriated her.

Yukari, however, did not move from her place. Instead, she used what strength she had to pull her blade free from its sheath and readied herself. 

“Ha! Go ahead and take us on!” The girl shouted as Yukari moved forward, running towards the one who held Sakura as her eyes were filled with anger. 

“You’ll pay for hurting them!” She screamed as she swung openly, stopping as the girl pulled Sakura to use as a shield. This caused Yukari to pull back on her swing and pivot in her step, nearly falling towards the floor as she managed to drive her blade through the girl’s calf. 

Screams echoed as Sakura was released. The split second she was, Yukari pulled her blade free and moved to pounce on the woman, clashing her blade against the woman’s kunai knife. The force behind each swing had conviction, determination. There was a desire, a drive to take down the opponent before her as she felt her shoulder burn. The anger she felt welled in the pit of her belly as she managed to cleanly slice the woman’s right hand off. Blood splattered across her blade and her face as the woman moved to hold her wrist, her eyes filled with panic and fear as she fell back. She scrambled back, trying to put distance between herself and Yukari who walked towards her, the blade thirsting for more. 

“Kin!” One of the Oto shinobi shouted, a man with spiked hair, as he moved to let go of Naruto. 

“Zaku!” The bandaged one snapped, but ‘Zaku’ didn’t listen. He rushed forward as the one known as Kin tried to crawl away with her one hand.

“S-Stop! Y-You win!” The woman screamed as Yukari ignored her pleas. She wanted to make her pay for using her own friend against her…like some shield to be tossed aside. 

Unbeknownst to her, the pain that burned on her shoulder seemed to crawl upwards. On the right side of her face, black marks slowly trailed upwards towards her face as Sakura shouted, 

“Yukari-chan behind you!” 

A shuriken dug into Yukari’s left shoulder blade. The pain that she would’ve felt was nothing compared to the fire in her other shoulder. Instead of crying out, she slowly turned and moved to the side as one of the other shinobis held his hand out, using a sound ability against her. 

The force from the sound caused Yukari to fall to her knees, attempting to blow her away. 

“Take this you bitch!” Zaku shouted, but Yukari wasn’t phased. She drove the sword into the ground to brace herself as her eyes held an emotion that Naruto or Sakura never saw before. 

“Y-Yukari-chan…?” Naruto’s voice fell short as all they saw were black marks that began to crawl on the right side of Yukari’s face. Her usual, bright and warming gaze was filled with hatred. Instead of the hues of a sunset…bright golden eyes were narrowed, focused on the opponent before her. 

“Something’s wrong with her!” Naruto exclaimed as he looked at Sakura who was still shaken from what she had gone through. Sakura watched in silence, feeling her body uncontrollably shake. It was different before…this time she really could’ve died had Yukari not moved. How could she allow herself to become a hostage? She swallowed her as energy began to swirl around their purple haired friend as she seemed to be unfazed by the force of the sound that blasted against her. 

“Yukari-chan…!” Sakura’s voice fell short as Naruto struggled against the bandaged opponent that had pinned him down earlier with kunai knives…but not before Yukari’s voice screamed, 

“I won’t let you hurt my friends!” Her voice filled with determination as she turned her back on her enemy, using her blade to keep her steady. Her arm hooked around the hilt as she performed hand signs and immediately blew out fire, using her dragon’s breath technique. Using the force of the dragon’s breath, she managed to shoot herself right into the Oto shinobi who dropped his hands as her body slammed against his. 

The kunoichi rolled off, scrambling to climb on top as she held him by the scruff of his top and began to punch him repeatedly in the face. 

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. 

Blood flew in the air as Sakura covered her mouth from the shock of how brutal Yukari was before she turned to see something move in the corner of her eye. A body that crawled from under the tree they had hid the two in. 

“Dammit…let me go!” Naruto’s voice rang out as he used every ounce of strength within him and ripped his jacket a bit as he tried to break free from being pinned. The bandaged shinobi had pulled back, struggling to hold the blonde down any longer as he put distance between himself and his foe. Naruto was already exhausted from earlier…and with the way Sakura was now and with how unstable Yukari seemed, he wasn’t sure what was going to happen. He wasn’t sure if he could stop her and take these guys on at the same time.

Beneath her, the blooded Zaku snarled as he attempted to lift his hands, trying to activate the sound in his hands once again to blow her off of him, but Yukari grabbed one of his wrists. She pulled herself off of him as she began to twist his arm as she moved her foot to press against his neck. He tried to use his other hand to move her foot as he gasped for air before an undeniable snap echoed as the man under her screamed. 

“You wanna try that hand shit again? How about this other one?!” The marks nearly trailed across her face as she tossed the broken arm and reached for the other hand that began desperate. Her knuckles were blooded, smeared across the back of her hand as she was ready to break the other with the power that coursed through her veins. The raging fire within was undeniable. 

That is…she felt someone place their hand on the burning sensation on her right shoulder. 

“Stop, Yukari.” 

Sasuke’s voice held steady as he nearly put his weight on her shoulder. His eyes narrowed from behind her and all Zaku  saw as he looked up, barely through his swollen eye, was the glowing red orbs that bore into his. 

It was as if death stared right into his soul. Yukari blinked as she raised her hand to strike Zaku instead. Before she could land the hit, Sasuke’s hand caught her arm as he attempted to pull her off of him. 

“Let…me go! He was about to hurt Naruto-kun…and Sakura-chan!” It almost sounded desperate, as if revenge had its grip around her throat, forcing her to reach out. The burning sensation returned as all she could hear in her head was her mother’s voice, 

“You must protect your friends, Yukari. Protect them.” 

The desire to eliminate her foes who dared to lay a hand on her friends was strong and suddenly Yukari began to fight back. Sakura stepped forward as she reached a hand out, 

“Yukari, stop! It’s over! We-we’re okay! Naruto and I are okay! P-Plus you’re injured too!” She hoped that her own words would hold Yukari back. With ease, Sasuke had pulled Yukari off, forcing her back onto her feet as Zaku scrambled from the pair, frantic as he used what strength he had left.

“Tch…how annoying…” The bandaged shinobi had tossed their scroll on the ground as he disappeared to reappear beside his comrades. Disappointment and annoyance filled him as he was prepared to leave but not before Yukari attempted to lunge towards them. 

If it wasn’t for the black marks that began to trail up Sasuke’s left side, he wasn’t sure if he could hold her back. A voice in his head whispered, ever so softly, 

“She’s too powerful…you need to be stronger to stop her…can you hold her back? Can you protect them?” 

“I won’t let you get away!” She screamed, as she tried to break free from Sasuke’s grip. 

Sasuke’s arms wrapped around Yukari’s frame, holding her back as the three Otogakure shinobis fled, leaving behind a trail of blood and their scroll. 

Yukari’s scream of frustration escaped her before she felt darkness consume her and her vision and suddenly…her body fell limp in Sasuke’s arms. 

“What…what the hell was that?” Naruto barely got out as he stared at the unconscious purple haired friend of his in confusion. The marks across her face seemed to move back towards the direction of her shoulder, which had Sasuke watch in silence. He was just as confused as Naruto was. 

“Yukari-chan…is she?” Sakura’s meek voice carried as Sasuke replied, 

“She’s alive. Just unconscious.” 

A breath of relief escaped the pink haired kunoichi as she looked at the scroll that was left behind and moved to pick it up. “I wonder what happened to her team? You think they lost or just left her behind?” She suggested, somewhat angry at the latter idea. How could they just leave their teammate behind, after all? She couldn’t fathom it…and neither could the other two. 

“Not sure.” The raven’s response was short as he felt the power that had momentarily surged within him subsided. He wasn’t sure what that was, but he knew that whatever it was…Yukari had it as well. “We need to get out of here. We have the scroll.” He pointed out as he moved to carry his friend on his back instead. Thankfully, Naruto had moved to help him, though he was concerned. 

What the hell happened to them? 

“He’s right…we don’t know how many teams are still in the forest. On top of that, we need to get that shuriken out of her shoulder…oh! Her blades!” Naruto had remembered as he moved to grab the two, knowing that Yukari would want them back. 

“Sasuke-kun, are you okay? Your shoulder, I mean…you two had the same markings across your face.” Sakura asked quietly, but Sasuke shook his head. “Don’t worry about me. Worry about yourself, Sakura.” 

Sakura swallowed hard as she nodded. Naruto was about to reach for the shuriken but Sakura immediately reached her hand out, swatting him. 

“Don’t, Naruto! She’ll begin to bleed out and we don’t know how long it’ll be before we reach the tower. Besides, the blood might attract all the gross creatures here.” She pointed out as Naruto didn’t even think about that. 

“Good point, Sakura-chan.” He bobbed his head, having to just watch as the shuriken remained embedded in his friend’s shoulder. Once they were all ready, they immediately headed towards the center of the forest, eager to get out of danger. 

Two days had passed since the second exam. To their surprise, team seven had passed, including Yukari who was commended for her efforts. While she accomplished the mission with the team she had entered with, she had also demonstrated teamwork and camaraderie by helping her squad, allowing her to proceed to the finals. However, though the four would proceed into the finals, Sasuke and Yukari were immediately isolated in the hospital where they recovered in silence. 

There were marks found on their shoulders, identical to the other though in different places. 

Sakura and Naruto did not understand what was happening to their teammates as they grew concerned, though Kakashi’s words helped ease their worries. 

Okani and Itachi naturally were worried for their younger siblings, wondering just what had happened during the exam. Anko, the proctor of the exam, had been pulled aside by the siblings, demanding to pull some sort of footage or anything that could help them figure it out. 

That is…until Anko stiffened at hearing about the marks. Okani and Itachi had showed her, and through hushed voices a name was murmured under her breath…a name that put them on edge. 

Orochimaru. 

While they weren’t sure what his goal ultimately was, Anko would report to the Lord Third to tighten security around Konoha, as well as informing Kakashi of what he was dealing with. Okani and Itachi grew wary…wondering just how this would affect the rest of what else was going on. 

What would happen to Yukari and Sasuke?

What did Orochimaru want? 

What could they do now?

“Protect them…protect them…Yukari.” 

The echoing voice of Yukari’s mother haunted her as her eyes fluttered open. Sunset hues stared into bright, office lights as she felt heavy. Her body was stiff as she tried to move in the bed, slowly realizing that she was in the hospital once more. A soft groan escaped her, frustrated from the movement before she heard a familiar voice call out, 

“Yukari?” 

Her brows furrowed as she turned to the side where she saw Sasuke laying in bed. His head turned towards her as he watched quietly, 

“Sasuke? What…happened?” 

“Beats me. I remember…getting to the end of the forest and then…it all kind of blanks from there.” 

Yukari hummed, as she decided to turn onto her side, facing the Uchiha’s direction. 

Her mind flashed back to the fight against Oto’s shinobi and Sakura in danger. The desire to protect her friends burned through her body and then…nothing. Instead, she thought about the feeling that emanated from her shoulder…then she remembered. 

“How’s your shoulder?” 

“Aches…but that’s it.” 

“Me too…I wonder what that even was. It felt as if the power inside me just…wanted to be released, ya know? Like I could’ve taken on all of those guys back in the forest…” 

“I’m sure you both would’ve been able to…though I’m not sure the outcome of using that power is a good thing.” 

Kakashi’s voice had interrupted the two as he poked his head from around the curtain, seeing both of his students. Where a usual small would sit was a rather serious expression…one that reminded them from when he scolded about the training exercise. 

“Kakashi-sensei!” Their voices chimed in unison as they both shared a look before they looked back at their squad leader who stepped through the curtains. With his hands in his pockets, he eyed both of his students before he said, 

“Now that you two are awake, there’s something we need to talk about.” 

Yukari felt her stomach tighten as she somehow knew that something bad was coming. The feeling gnawed at her as she nodded slowly, “What is it, Kakashi-sensei?”

A soft sigh released as Kakashi looked at his student, her eyes bore into his own. 

“It’s…about the marks on your shoulders.” 

“Marks?” Instinctively her hand moved to where she was bitten. 

“What are you talking about?” Sasuke asked, as Kakashi turned towards him. 

“The marks…are curse marks…and we need to take care of it.”