Naruto 1. Reborn

It was that kind of day, I usually woke up refreshed and happy-go-lucky mood. My morning was the usual thing I always did and went to school. The first three lessons being incredibly boring and getting a for my judgment not-good-enough score in our English test. I felt like banging my head over and over again into the table, when my 'friend' aka the-know-it-all got a better score. The next few minutes I kind of wanted to strangle her, since she was rubbing it into me and me being me just kind of tried to ignore it. I really did and ugh, don't judge me when i tell you what I did. She came back to her seat to sit and I just grabbed the chair and took it away, making her fall on her butt and be a crybaby. I got detention after school and the rest of my lessons was like before. Simply boring. Detention wasn't all that bad, since I got time to draw some of my fan-fiction characters. I don't draw and I'm not good in it, but the results weren't all that bad. So after I sat there and drew, the teacher had enough and I could go home. Home being ignored by my family, since they were too busy for everything else than their daughter. Well, I still had my sister. I left the school building and walked down the street, when I saw something strange. There was a flicker of black and yellow, like a blur, but it was gone as I blinked. I shrugged it off, thinking it was just my wild colorful imagination (which wasn't all that colorful) and continued walking. I passed a friend and waved, she waved back, but then her face turned into horror and shock, making me turn around. I stared at the car and just closed my eyes, thinking about if I'll survive that. My rational side of me just shook her head and sighed. _'Guess I won't,'_ I thought and turned to the side to look at my friend. I gave a rare smile just before the car crashed into me.

I still heard some commotion around me and I cracked one of my eyes open. My whole left side hurt and most of my legs too. The pain was unbearable, which made me numb from it. As my right eye stared around everything around me, I noticed my friend by my side, crying and gripping my hand. _'I don't even feel it,'_ I sighed inside my mind and then let myself remember my sister's face. Her bickering with me and her always winning our arguments. I smiled at the short little memories and then focused on my friend.

"Tell my sister that I love her," were my words as she turned to me, eyes wide as a reindeer in the spotlight of a car. A tear escaped my eye as I let myself drift into the wide and welcoming darkness.

I was floating and couldn't move, but I didn't even want to do so. It was relaxing and it felt like a short time, when I was standing in a white room. I sighed and face-palmed.

"Just when I had my peace," I mutter and then heard a feminine chuckle. I turned around and stared at the woman in front of me. She looked like a goddess from Greek mythology. "I'm sorry, it looks like I disturbed your self-peace. My name is Amaterasu and you're in the between," she informed me. 'That's not possible!' my rational-self screamed in my mind and I agreed. "You're joking," I breathed out and stared at the beauty. She had long golden blonde hair that reached her knees, a simple white dress (the ones Greek goddess wore), bare feet and red eyes that reminded me of a pair of eyes, from a certain manga/anime. "Sorry child, but this is quite real," she chuckled and pinched my cheek, making me glare at her. "Don't give me that look," she sulked and then brightened up. "You were too young to die and I was actually keeping an eye on you, since you were one of the few that got me interested in humans again…" she explained and I groaned. "You were stalking me," I noted and she giggled. "Guess you could say it like that, but…Why didn't you jump out of the way, like fate gave you the choice to make?" and that got my real attention.

"Tch, I was tired of my life. I know other people would save themselves since they value their life, but mine is different. I do realize I disrespect people, who didn't have a choice and all, but I didn't value my life like others did." Amaterasu seemed do ponder in my words and she gave me a disapproving look. "I'll give you another chance," she decided and I stared at her back as she turned. "Ugh, what?" I asked, dumfounded.

"You're going to get one more life," she explained and I felt my eye twitch. "There still has to be a catch," I noted and I could feel her grin. "You're got to save someone," she stated and my eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and irritation. "Name?" The next thing wasn't expected.

"Neji Hyuuga," my eyes widened and my body shook, tensing. "Y-You…B-But…?!" I stammered and she turned to me. She winked and waved, I felt like I was fading and weakening. "Don't worry, I'll give you something that you'll definitely be able to accomplish my demand. And you can change as much as you can." That's when I was being reborn. I felt myself being tiny and weak, but there was that power within me, something that felt like liquid and warm. **'Chakra,'** my rational-self said and I nodded. That's when my new life began.

After a total of some weeks, or many less since it was too long for my patience, I could hear properly, and even see. But as I stared around with my eyes, it was a bit blurry for a while. I could see a red headed person with a nice skin color, and another one with brown hair and pale skin. 'Probably my new parents?' I asked myself and rational-self nodded in reply. I found out they were speaking Japanese and I was VERY slowly getting used to it and even slower understanding it. I didn't really like to have my eyes opened, since they weren't used to the bright light and I just wished I could be back in that darkness and float for a millennium there. My new name was Shinku, last-name Izumi. Shinku Izumi. It was a nice name I guess. If I ever want to make a name for myself, I'd make a bloody mess to get a good nickname in the Bingo Book or something.

A year passed and I was mostly understanding their Japanese and I was glad. My new parents were caring and I found out, I was an only child. _'Guess I won't have a sister…But nobody could ever replace her anyway,'_ I thought. I was starting to walk, have a better sight (but I let my bangs cover them, since I didn't like the bright sunshine to shine into my eyes), my first word was quite funny.

Flashback: _It was a normal day, when my mother Fumiko took me out and we were walking down a little lake and then we stopped at a waterfall. I was shocked and really excited just like a child my 'new' age should be, clapping with my hands. My new mother giggled at my childish action and I shouted: "Taki! (Waterfall)" Fumiko was at first really shocked and then very, very excited. Later on she told my new dad, how I said my 'first' word and he sulked as I didn't resaid it as he asked me too. I just grinned and tried to act as I should. Flashback ends._

After two years, I was already three and I could walk and talk and other stuff like normal kids, but I knew I was in the Shinobi World. _'Amaterasu wanted me to rescue Neji, which means I was born somewhere near the Kyuubi's attack,'_ my mind was racing every time I had enough free time to think about it._ 'Where the hell even am I?!'_ I shouted in my mind and my rational-self gave me a disapproving look. **'Ask you baka,'** she glared at me and I sighed, nodding. "Okaa-san? Where are we?" I asked as I entered the kitchen. She turned to me and that was the first time I noticed my father's forehead protector, since he was using it around his arm._ 'It's the-'_ I thought shocked, when my mother's soft voice interrupted.

"They call it Hidden Stone Village, we're in Iwagakure…" she told me, smiling. I closed my gapping mouth. My father laughed and then I had a long lesson about villages, the three wars and some more history. I listened carefully to catch every detail. My father even told me, it was almost three years since the Nine Tailed attack in Konoha. _'Heh, I'll need to thank Amaterasu for that.'_ I told myself and my foolish father even told ME, a mere child, about the tailed beasts. My mother was watching me, clearly amused at my curiosity, since I know I was never eager to find new things out. After a long day of my father talking non-stop, he stopped and grinned. "Looks like you want to be a shinobi, right?" he asked and I nodded hastily. My mother chuckled and sat onto a chair. "Well then, we should start training you soon." And at that, I groaned.** 'It was us in the end that wanted to become ninja,'** rational-self noted with an annoyed tone and I knew both of us didn't like the idea of training. _'But we need to become really strong,'_ I said and rational-self nodded.


	2. Leaving and Konoha

I trained and trained, probably more than normal kids my age (five) and my father was already starting to give me odd looks. As we trained my aim I wasn't really good and my father just grinned apologetically. "Well you probably took more after your mother then," he replied and my eyes glinted in curiosity. My appearance was quite coming from my mother, my hair was red and my eyes…Well that was one thing I wasn't letting anyone see, since they were strange. I was really reminding myself of a younger girl-Nagato version (you probably get it by now).

"What do you mean?" I asked father and he ruffled my hair. "It means you suck at aim," he said truthfully and I pouted, making him pinch my cheeks. "But…We should train you in Kenjutsu." And that's when the really hard training started.

Over the next two years, I was really good in Taijutsu and my Kenjutsu was like my father said, 'for my age outstanding'. One day he said, I'm like a mini version of a member of the seven ninja swordsmen of the mist. That was one of the few things that sent chills down my spine. These ninja were far too great and I was just a little twerp, a brat that still wasn't sent to the Academy. I learnt to write kanji and katakana, it was really unique and a graceful way to write. But I could still write in English, normal letters that I was slowly getting unused to. I wrote every little detail I knew about the timeline, things I could change and everything that happened already, and what is still going to happen. I even made profiles and as I stopped at a certain Akatsuki member, my heart clenched. **_'I've got a bad feeling,'_** me and rational-self said at the same time as we stared at Deidara's name. I found out my father is Jonnin and that my mother was Jonnin too, but she stopped her ninja career after she gave birth to me. I even got the info about her being a medical ninja and she was giving me lessons about vital organs, pressure points, chakra control and the human's anatomy. My birthday has been in spring, surprisingly, since my last-name means spring too. It was the sixth April and that meant I was really born before the Kyuubi's attack, even before Sasuke's birth.

After some weeks, it was between my training with my mother's katana, when father ran into the house shouting. "Fumiko! We're both needed! Iwa is under attack!" and that's when there was an explosion and I knew which day it was. **'When Deidara left our Village,'** rational-self said and I nodded stiffly. Father ran out and shouted to me: "Come on, let's get you safe!" He grabbed me, and I was tightly holding onto my mother's katana. He dropped me after a while, where most citizens were still running into to get safe. I heard explosions and felt how the earth shuttered. _'My…I've actually never experienced anything dangerous till now,'_ I noted and rational-self whacked me over the head in my mind. **'Be glad, baka!'** she shouted. After a while it stopped and we could get out. As I walked out, a Chunnin was near me, I could feel his gaze on me sometimes.

"Are you Fumiko and Akinobu's child?" he asked and I nodded. He grabbed my hand and we walked through the chaotic Iwagakure, or the part where mostly was in ruins. I noted he was walking me to the Tsuchikage's Tower. There was that feeling in my chest that wasn't telling me something good will happen. We entered his office and both bowed.

"Ahh, so you're Shinku?" I nodded and he glanced at me. _'Old geezer,'_ I thought irritated. "Well, it's sad to say, but both of them died in action today." He said with cold, calculating eyes. My eyes widened and I clenched my hands into fists, and tears sliding down my cheeks. I felt the Tsuchikage's gaze and looked up, but I knew how to look up without letting him see my eyes. "Your house is still in a good shape, I think it wasn't even scratched and you'll get your family's money. Since today you'll also start going to the Academy." At that I couldn't stop myself to give him a full glare, making him see my eyes and he gasped. He almost fell out of his chair and then gave me a calculating gaze. _'I think we're screwed up,'_ I said to rational-self as she whacked me over the head in my mind. "Looks like we've got quite the tool in our hands. Both of you, dismissed." And then the Chunnin escorted me to my house.

It really was unscratched and I ran in, packing my stuff and taking one of my mother's scrolls to seal it all in. I changed into a black long-sleeved shirt, with my mother's katana strapped on my back, black leggings and bandages around my arms. I took a backpack and packed food inside for about a week and took another scroll to seal every weapon my father and mother had, and all the books about medicine and herbs, everything that'd come in handy. I stared at myself in the reflection and took a strand of my red hair. It was ending by my butt and it was a bit of a mess, spiky. I had pale skin like my father and nicely formed eyes. It was summer and I was seven, and I was a bit scared to leave this village that always had me in safety, but the eyes of the Tsuchikage weren't trustworthy and I needed to get out of here as soon as I could. He was probably going to even guard me, since I was a great tool in their hands. **'We should leave, Shinku…'** rational-self advised me and I knew that whatever the old geezer planned, it wasn't going to be peace. And I really don't like war. People make the same idiotic mistakes, like Napoleon did and later also Hitler. I'm not going to let him get hands onto the Rinnegan so easily!

I grabbed my family's photo album and stuffed it into my backpack and then sprinted out of the house and towards the mountains. I had to get to Konoha or even Kiri, since my dad told me two or three years ago about the Kage and that there was already the Fifth Mizukage having Kiri under her watchful eyes.

As I sprinted towards the mountains, I felt a presence and concealed my chakra as best as I could. I wasn't really great at it, but it was better than nothing, since my mother told me I had a big pool of chakra reserves. Which meant enemy would sense me easier than someone with lower reserves. I ran as fast as I could and jumped over the mountains that were around Iwagakure. I took a last look at the village and let myself cry over my now dead family. _'They were more my family than the one in my previous life, and yet I couldn't do anything to help them_…' I thought and ran towards the boulder of the Earth and Grass most probably was.

Meanwhile in the Tsuchikage's Office: The old man was sitting in his chair behind the desk and waiting for his Anbu to tell him anything about that girl. _'Such a useful tool in our hands,'_ he thought once more and then the Anbu appeared in his office. "Tsuchikage-sama! That Shinku Izumi couldn't be found in her house," the Anbu replied and the old Kage sighed, angry and irritated. "Find her! She's just a seven year old girl, she must be somewhere in the village." And the Anbu took off to search for her in the village. But nobody knew she was already some miles away from Iwagakure.

Back to Shinku: I was kind of exhausted and the lack of sleep was getting to me. I was on my feet for over twelve hours, running. I made a three hour stop in a town on my way and rested. After that rest, I ran for about four more hours and I even needed to cover my tracks. The Iwa-nin won't be pleased and they are probably already searching for me. I stopped at a tree and took some breaths of air. I felt my legs shake and knew I was pushing my limits. My father was training me mostly in Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, speed and stamina. And mother in medicine, chakra control and Kenjutsu too, since I was wielding her katana.

I walked through the forest of the Land of Grass and was on my guard. I never knew when someone could ambush me, even if I'm a harmless looking child.

After four more long days of walking, running, resting I was near my destination. I already used my food and I was wounded. It was from some Grass-nin and others were from Iwa-nin, and they weren't just sending Gennin or Chunnin. They were Jonnin! And I couldn't fight them longer than needed, and ran off as fast as I got the chance to. I didn't know how to use the Rinnegan, so I was relying on my instincts, will-power, speed and stamina. I was walking towards the Gates of Konoha and I could already hear two arguing voices. 'Just like I imagined,' I noted and continued towards it. Kotetsu and Izumo both looked at me and they stared at me in shock, probably because of my wounds. One was on my left thigh, one on my forearm, another one on my shoulder. They nodded to each other and Kotetsu ran to me. "Hey, are you okay!?" he shouted and I smirked.

"How do I look, baka?" I said with a smirk, then gritted my teeth at the stinking pain. He stared at me and before I blacked out I said panting: "I want…To talk to…Ho-hokage."

I walked up in a familiar white room. I groaned and smacked my face. "Did I die again?" I heard the familiar chuckle of Amaterasu and I instinctively bowed my head in greeting. My new family kind of, or more overly my mother taught me to pay respect to the ones who deserve it. She chuckled again and patted my head, making me look up at her. "My, my…How cute you look Alex, or do you prefer Shinku?" she asked and I swatted her hand away.

"Tch, Shinku is better." I answered, clicking my tongue in annoyance. She giggled and I really got irritated from her mood. "You're just resting, dreaming now. I'm surprised at how you're doing. First training yourself, pushing your limits and then you leave Iwa. I guess fate isn't your friend, making you lose your parents. I'm sorry," she patted my head and I let her, as tears streamed down my face. _'I am such a crybaby!'_ I argued in my mind. "The Hokage is interested in you, child. You're all healed from your fast healing abilities and you're going to wake up soon," she informed me and I looked at her.

"How long was I out?" she smiled and pinched my cheeks. "Two days, but it's mostly from exhaustion, chakra-loss, dehydration and sleep-loss. You should take care of yourself, child." Amaterasu scolded me and I felt like it was my last mother, just like when I accidently knocked a kid out in the park. We were playing and I just learned about pressure points, but my mother dragged me to make some friends. I tried, but they mostly ignored my presence. One or two tried to bully me and I just knocked one of them out for training. The scolding was long and I even fell asleep during, but mom whacked me over the head. Later dad came home and she informed him about it. He gave me a disapproving look, but as mother turned away he gave thumbs up and grinned like an idiot. Mom noticed it in the window's reflection and whacked him over the head. It was one of our family moments and I still remember it so clearly.

I suddenly felt pain in my forearm and noticed Amaterasu pinching it really hard. "Ouch!" I groaned and swatted her hand away. "Pay more attention, child." I nodded at her tone and she grinned. "As I was saying, you'll probably be able to use your Rinnegan eyes after your eight year, since your chakra is more stabilized. And the Uchiha Massacre is going to be next year too. But you still have time for that." I stared at her and bit my lip. "I've got nothing to do about it, sadly. I'm an outsider, Itachi wouldn't believe me. Maybe if I told him the truth about that I was reborn and know of the future. Or…" then it hit me. I got an idea and grinned. "Heh, thanks to you I do have an idea. Even if it totally kills me," I grinned and played over something in my mind. "Oi, Amaterasu-san. The massacre happens after my birthday right?" I asked and she nodded, blinking. I smirked and clapped my hands. "Hah! That's maybe going to success," I muttered and then felt like fading away. I waved, smiling.

"See ya!" I chirped happily. She just gave me an amusing smile and waved back.

I groaned as I woke up, feeling lightheaded. I looked up at a white ceiling and then looked through my bangs covering my eyes, to get a good look of my room. "You're awake," a voice called and I almost jumped, shifting my eyes to the shadows in a corner of the room, an Anbu stepping out and I stared at the Anbu. I gave him a slow nod. "I'll go inform the Hokage," then he disappeared. I sighed and leaned into the bed, feeling lonely and my sadness was coming back. After some minutes, the door opened and I stared at the Third Hokage with the Anbu that was in the room a while ago and another Anbu next to him. I bowed my head and gave a smile. The Hokage gave me a warm smile and sat down in the chair next to my bed. I fidgeted with a strand of my long hair and stared at it in nervousness. I wasn't that nervous near the Tsuchikage!

"Tell me child, what's your name?" his kind old voice said and I glanced at him. "I'm Shinku Izumi…And…Ugh," I fidgeted and he chuckled, patting my head softly. I blushed in embarrassment and bowed my head a bit. "No need to be so nervous. Where are your parents? Where do you come from and, why were you in such a condition?" he asked, more seriously now. I bit my lip, as I knew Iwa and Konoha weren't exactly what you'd call friends. "I…I'm from…" I took a breath and looked into the Hokage's eyes. "I-Iwagakure," I stared at him from the side of my eyes and he gave a smile at my scared expression probably. "Where are your parents then?" he asked and I glared at my hands that were resting in my lap. "Were killed in that attack from Deidara," he gave me a pitiful look and I looked away. "Please, sir. I do not need any pity." I informed him and he coughed in his hand, awkwardly would I say. "And I left the village since I was merely a tool going to be used. That geezer's eyes told everything," I muttered angrily. He sighed and looked at me, but I carefully averted my gaze away, studying the floor. **_'Can we trust him?'_** I and rational-self said and both nodded to each other.

"But you are just seven," he pointed out and I felt a movement from the other Anbu and looked at him. He was a preteen or older, dark hair and a neutral aura around him. "In war people often get quicker promoted, but that's not the point. I…" I said and took a shaky breath and closed my eyes. I put my hand on my bangs and brushed them away and took another breath, my heart racing. "Just take a look at it, I don't want to talk about this." I said, playing the innocent and nervous act. **'I think they're buying it,'** rational-self said and I smirked in my mind. I opened my eyes and heard three gasps. The Hokage stared at me wide eyes and then got a thoughtful look.

"I understand," he sighed. "Do you have anywhere to go?" I shook my head and he continued. "Do you want to stay here and become a ninja?" he smiled and I let go of my bangs, closing my eyes. I took a minute and gave a smile, nodding. "Have you already been to the Academy in your village?" I shook my head and he sighed, making me smirk. "My parents trained me. Father in Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, stamina and speed, while my mother took care of my chakra control and medical skills." He gave me a surprised look and I looked at the two Anbu. They were too quiet for my likings.

"Then you'll start Academy in the next week, and by the looks of it you are seven?" I nodded, smiling slightly. "I'll inform your new teacher about your coming up arrival," he said and stood up. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. You surely aren't like that geezer, even if I saw him just once or maybe twice in my life." I said and he chuckled. Patting my head for a last time, he turned to leave.

"But if I find out you are a spy, you'll be punished." He informed me. I nodded, expressionlessly looking at his back. "I do admit it's fishy of my sudden arrival, but…There was nothing left for me, no ties." I replied and I heard him sigh. "Why did you choose Konoha?" I perked up and smiled, leaning back into my bed. "It's peaceful," and that was when the Hokage glanced at me, a smile on his face. "You're wise for your age," he informed me and then I smirked in amusement. "Something the Tsuchikage should take a piece from." He just chuckled and left. I looked at the spots where the Anbu were and noticed they weren't there anymore. _'But I still feel them,'_ I thought and thought about my Kenjutsu.

"Wait…Where's my katana?" I asked myself and hastily looked around, finding it near my bed. I sighed in relief, placing a hand over my chest. I stood up, felt a bit of pain in my legs and stared at them. "If this goes wrong," I mumbled and pressed some points to relax my muscles and making them less tense. A sigh escaped me and I walked to my katana and unleashed it. I stared at the blade and checked its sharpness. I hissed as I cut my finger, but remained like that for a while. The blood fell to the floor and I stared at it.

"You shouldn't cut yourself," a voice said and I leashed it back in. It was the same Anbu as before, the second one with the Hokage.

"You shouldn't sneak on people that have sharp things in their hands, Anbu-baka." I replied and I think I heard a very soft snort. "The Hokage will come tomorrow and give you the keys to your new apartment, and as you know, you'll start in the Academy next week." He informed me and I nodded, gave a small almost unnoticeable smile and walked back to my bed, laying down. I soon drifted off into the welcoming darkness of my dreamless sleep.


	3. Shisui Uchiha and the Academy

I woke up hearing a knock somewhere and sat up, looking at the Hokage by the door. "Uh, Hokage-sama." I bowed my head, earning a chuckle. "Hello, and here this is the key to your new apartment." He handed me the key and I took it, observing it. "You can already be released today, and I'll send someone to take you there." With that he already left, leaving me staring after him. I sighed and my hand flew through my hair. "Geez…Wonder who it is," I muttered and then stood up, made my way into the bathroom and took a quick shower. I changed into new clothes I took from my backpack and then sighed. I unleashed my katana and cut my bangs shorter. They were now barely covering my eyes and I nodded to myself. I combed my crimson red hair and put it into two buns. I then processed to stare at my reflection. _'We look like Mito Uzumaki that way, we just need to cut our bangs and ta-da.' _My rational-self snickered and I took a lock of my hair. "Why do I even have red hair?" And at that I heard a chuckle. I spun around to come face to face with a dead-yet-still alive man. _'Wow,'_ I gasped in my mind. "I like it red," he said with an Uchiha smirk. He was too close for my liking and I took a step back, my face as red as my hair. He snickered and stuck a hand out to shake.

"Shisui Uchiha," I glanced at his happy face and smiled, shaking his hand. "Shinku Izumi," I replied, making him grin. "Come on," he said. I nodded taking my backpack and placing the katana back onto my back. We were walking in silence, when he started talking.

"You're not talkative are you?" he asked jokingly and I deadpanned. "And you're not your average Uchiha. How annoying…" I mumbled the last part and he ruffled my hair. I swatted his hand away and he grinned down at me. "So, the Hokage wanted me to take you to your apartment since you're new. Where do you come from then?" I sighed, my hand going through my hair. "Iwagakure," he nodded at me and I blinked. "I'm no enemy, I'm merely here since it's the most peaceful place I knew of and I didn't have anything left in my previous village." I explained and he had an unreadable expression. The rest was silence and I was starting to think I said something dumb to one of my favorite characters.

We arrived and I unlocked the door, when a hand was placed on my head. I turned around to see Shisui crouching down to my eye-level and smiling. "You remind me of someone," he noted and I put my hands in my pockets. I shrugged and looked at him. "Who?" He smirked and shook his head in the 'I won't tell you' way, making me scowl. "Good or bad person?" He grinned and ruffled my hair. "Definitely good, maybe you could even get a reaction out of him." At that I perked up again. "Him, huh? I hope you aren't pointing out that I look like a boy," I said with an intimidating aura, making him sweat-drop. He shook his head quickly afterwards. "Good," I said and waved as I stepped into my apartment. "Maybe I'll see you sometime." I said and he gave me one last Shisui smile. I felt my heart clench painfully and as I closed the door, grabbed where my heart was and panted.

"Ugh," I panted and looked around the apartment. "This…Is a restart," I said to myself and unpacked my backpack in the newly found bedroom, I'm now going to sleep in. I opened my scrolls and summoned some weapons and a weapon pouch, bandages and books from my mother. I readied my pouch and placed my clothes into the cabinet. The books were now on some shelves and I took one of them to study. "That's where I should continue," I mumbled and started reading it. It was about chakra-points and medical jutsu. **'Something we'll work hard in,'** rational-self declared and I nodded stiffly.

The days passed and I continued my training like I usually did, I was even training at some training grounds. I think I once saw a blonde little Naruto sprinting down a street. I trained on my chakra control and how to sense others, since my mother once said I probably had that after father. I also trained with my katana and Taijutsu, since it's important to me. I bought some weights to increase my speed and would later buy more, when I would get used to the first amount. My stamina wasn't all that bad and my aim, well, that one thing is still my problem. I could almost imagine my mother laughing behind me and then pet my head motherly like she used to, when I usually missed. That kind of left a hole in me, one I wouldn't be able to refill myself. I once saw Shisui walking down the street from my bedroom window and he even waved at me! I fan-girled in the inside, giving my rational-self a reason to whack me over the head. So Monday came earlier than I expected. I heard a knock on my door and sighed.

"It's open," I heard the door get later closed and heard footsteps. I wore a grey long-sleeved shirt (kimono-sleeved), with black leggings. My shoes were black, ninja sandals, and I had both of my hands bandaged from my brutal training. My long hair was loose and I added a clip with a white magnolia into my hair, near my ear. _'I still plan to look badass later, with some piercings and stuff,'_ I thought excitedly as the door opened. The familiar face of Shisui perked in and gave me thumbs up. "You ready?" he asked and I nodded, but quickly checked some things. I grabbed and strapped my katana on my back and then nodded at him. He smirked and he escorted me to the Academy. "If you see a black haired Uchiha in your class, say Shisui is greeting him." I nodded and he body-flickered away. I sighed, noting to learn that jutsu in the future. I nervously knocked on the door and stepped in, without waiting for a reply.

The classroom got quiet and people were staring at me, some girls giving me glares._ 'What did I do?'_ I thought irritated from their stares. I turned to my new sensei and unsurprisingly it was Iruka. "Ah, you must be the new student correct?" I nodded and he turned to class.

"Class! We've got a new student and please treat her well," he threatened them a bit and I sweat-dropped. He turned to me with a 'now it's your turn' look. I knew I would need to tell something about myself. "My name is Shinku Izumi and I come from Iwa. I…That's all," Iruka-sensei gave me a disapproving look, making me shrug. "Any questions for her?" he asked the class, without even asking me if I actually WANTED to reply them. Hands shot up and I needed to blink at the number. More than the half of the class was holding their hands up. Iruka nodded at some minor character and I listened.

"Aren't Iwa and Konoha enemies?" that's what made me glare and grit my teeth. _'I hope I'm not going to be put on his team later on,'_ I prayed and rational-self nodded. Iruka-sensei sighed and gave a disappointed stare, making the student shrink in his seat. As Iruka-sensei opened his mouth to say something, I butted in. "You could say that, yeah." Some students gave me odd looks, while Iruka stared at me. Then I smirked. "But the past is in the past. Our villages are now in a better position. Still, Iwa-nin don't really like Konoha-nin and vice versa. It's mutual, but they're in agreement." I explained and Iruka smiled, patting my head. Then a girly voice butted in.

"But why are YOU here then? You're an outsider, maybe even a spy. We can't trust you…" and at that I turned to another minor character. She looked like some smarty-pants which would shit into their shorts, if they were in a bad situation. Sighing I replied: "You may be true with that you cannot trust me, I'm not asking you to. I had my reasons to be here now, Iwa was a place you wouldn't survive with clumsy skills and being just smart. You needed to have strength and guts. One of the few reasons I'm here is because Konoha is more peaceful." I heard the girl that asked me snort.

"You said you needed strength and guts, which means you're here because you didn't have them right?" That's when my patience was running out. A seven year old civilian playing smarty-pants in front of me and calling me weak. I smiled sweetly and closed my eyes, breathing in. "When we get the chance to spar, I'll gladly let you see otherwise." She gulped and sat down, Iruka-sensei sighed and waved me off, to find a free seat, when a blonde girl spoke up. "Do you see any cute boys in class?" she glared at me and I looked around the room, my eyes just barely glancing at Sasuke's annoyed face. I also looked at Kiba and Shikamaru, smirking and sat down in the back rows. "Maybe," and just as she was about to start telling me something, Iruka-sensei luckily started the lesson. The lessons were not that boring, since I did learn a bit, but they weren't even starting to learn chakra control. Which means jutsu will be even later.

The next few weeks were boring, my classmates had some bullies between them and some made it their priority to insult me and my hair. As one girl once pointed out that they never saw my eyes, they were even more bullying me, but I paid them no mind and trying to ignore it all. But I planned to beat them to bloody pulps in spars. When we finally had the chance to spar, I just adjusted my weights. I noticed some girls glaring at me, like usual. They still didn't really forget about me telling Sasuke about Shisui greeting him, since he then sometimes hanged out with me. Other than that, I got along with Hinata well.

"Mei against Shinku," Iruka-sensei declared and I stepped out of the crowd, making my way to my supposed spar. The girl that hated me with a passion since the first day was standing in front of me and I just stood there, lazily. "Begin," Iruka said and she came to punch me in the gut, I sidestepped, grabbed her arm and flung her over my shoulder. I heard her breath in sharply and then she tried to drag me down, but I kicked her sides, making her groan. I placed my foot lightly on her throat and looked at Iruka-sensei impassively. "Dead," he nodded and wrote something down and Mei went to the nurse.

After our spars, we could go home and I just went to a dango shop, ate dango and then went to my apartment, since after a 'little incident' in the Academy, I was told not to bring my sword with me. I took it with me to the training grounds and trained. _'Amaterasu surely didn't come to contact us.'_ I thought and rational-self just slept. I was beginning to think my mother was an Uzumaki, since only they had such red hair like myself and she had. My Kenjutsu improved over the weeks and I thought about buying another sword, maybe a wakizashi. Just as I was about to strike against the pole, I heard a rustle and turned. Shisui was leaning against a tree and watching me.

"Stalker," I muttered and I could already feel him smirking from here. "Why are you here?" I asked him and he started walking towards me. "I'm going to train you a bit," I gaped and shook my head. "Eh? Why not?" I huffed and turned away, too embarrassed to look at him. _'I guess I'm the luckiest person to train with one of my favorite soon-to-be dead people,'_ I thought and I felt weight on my head, making me look up. Shisui was leaning with his elbow on my head, making my eye twitch in annoyance. "Okay," I sighed. He grinned and he trained me for a bit in Taijutsu, then gave me some advices for my Kenjutsu and he tested my speed. "You're probably faster than a Gennin rookie without your weights." He noted to himself more than to me and he showed me the Body-Flicker Technique. "That's what makes you famous in the Bingo book," I said and he gave me a surprised look. "How do you know?" I shrugged and looked at my katana. "Never underestimate someone who could get hands on them. As I was near Konoha some Iwa-nins almost caught me, but I knocked one out and took a peek into it. I still have it," I winked. He grinned and then my face turned blank. "What is it?" Shisui asked and I kind of felt strange. "Why would you teach me, a former villager of Iwa, your jutsu?" It took him off guard and I studied his expression. He looked like he didn't knew it himself, actually. "Spur of the moment?" he asked more than answered. I smiled and shook my head. "You're strange," I told him and he faked a hurt expression. "Why? Why am I always the one being called strange?" and I sighed, trying hard to hide an upcoming smile. "Because it's true. You'd need to be deaf and blind not to notice it. And even then you could sense your strange chakra." He looked and me with fake tears and anime-cried making me sweat-drop. "Ugh," I took a step back, but his face transformed into a smirk.

"Hokage's calling. Maybe I'll see you later," he waved and already disappeared. I sighed and tried to learn the Body-Flicker Technique. After some annoying hours of trying it, I could body-flicker to a distance of…One meter. I groaned and fell face-first into the ground. I was half-asleep, when two arms picked me up, making me look up at an Anbu mask. I looked through the two holes for the eyes and saw black. I then fully drifted into sleep.


	4. Danzo's try

The next weeks were mostly spending my time in the Academy, or training. I sometimes spent one or two trainings with Shisui and winter came. I really expected it to be cold and snowy, but it was rainy and maybe once or twice it even hailed. I also tried tree-walking, but my big chakra reserves were giving me troubles. I trained for three days and then finally managed, and the next training exercise was water-walking. I made it in a week, and I was meditating on a daily basis now. One or two hours. Amaterasu paid me a visit in my dreams, informing me that since I had a nice control of my chakra, I could already start using my Rinnegan. I was still writing into my scroll about the future in English, and the Hokage caught wind of my so called 'code'. He was curious about it and once or twice asked about it, but I just smirked and shook my head and said 'only I know it' or 'you won't be able encode it'. And I kind of got my first piercings, one under my lips like Konan had, and another through my bottom lip, my right side. It was really cool, but that made the bullies even more annoying. Well, at least Shisui thought it was cool too, but his statement about me still being too young for piercings was irritable. My intense glare shut him up and I just smiled sweetly.

I was training my Rinnegan in the forest, not on the training grounds, since they were public and I wouldn't risk my secret that easily. The training was pushing my limits too much and I ended up in the hospital for two days from chakra-exhaustion. It was already March, when I was called to the Hokage's office. I was now used to the Third and now even stood confidently in front of him. I was wearing bandages around my eyes, since I was a sensor-type and my meditating and concentration were paying off with me now able to walk without sight.

I knocked on the door and entered. First thing I noticed were the three extra Anbu nearby and another presence sitting next to the Hokage. It had a dangerous aura and if I could picture their chakra, write for good and black for evil, the color was taking a more black than white. "Hai, Hokage-sama?" I bowed and straightened myself. I heard him chuckled and I smiled. "How are you doing in the Academy?" was his first question. My brows furrowed, making my eyes narrow, but neither being seen from the bandages and my bangs covering them too.

"Fairly well. I know my aim is the worst of all my grades, but it is something I have from my mother. But I cover it with my Kenjutsu up," I stated in a cheery mood, trying to cover my narrowing eyes. I could feel him noticing my mood and he sighed. Then another old voice butted into our conversation.

"Hiruzen, get to the point. Or should I?" my heart almost stopped, when I remembered that voice from the anime. _'What is that bastard doing here!?'_ I angrily thought, but a bead of sweat ran down the side of my face, from my nervousness. The Hokage sighed and I felt him give a sign for Danzo to start. "My name is Danzo and I am one of the Elders of this village. I took notice of you and your special abilities, which made me interested. I would like to train you myself," he said with a stern yet trying to sound friendly voice. I felt the Third tense just the slightest and I now knew that Danzo knew of my Rinnegan.

I bowed and then straightened up again. I fought the instinct to smirk and found my voice again. "I decline." The Hokage was giving off a relieved aura and I could feel Danzo's glare on me. "Explain," he ordered coolly, but I heard the cold edge to it. _'Because I will NOT help you and your evil ideas. I also won't become a killing machine without emotions, and also, I will NOT risk it to get in the hands of Orochimaru.'_ I wanted to say, but refrained myself, my rational-self helping out too. I took a breath and smirked.

"I like the Academy and I have friends. And because I don't like you," I could picture both of the old men gaping at me, even the Anbu. "Such disrespectful manners. Hiruzen, I would be able to teach her everything she needs and lacks of. Even her aim," he proclaimed, making me snort. I bowed my head in a 'sorry' manner and spoke up. "That's rationally speaking impossible. My mother told me once, she had many ninja trying to get her good at, but it never succeed. And I also know, I had the misfortune to take off more from her. What makes you think something that I am impossible to do, you'd be able to fix?" he scoffed and I sighed. "Once again, I decline. Making me against my will make your chances even more drop." I felt so proud of me, but another part was freaking out. How can I stand up to that old bastard?! I know, he'd try to get his hands on me and I swear I won't go down without a fight.

"Danzo, she clearly protests and wants to continue like she wants." The Hokage decided to say and I couldn't help but smile. "Then who'll have eyes on her? She can be a spy from Iwa," I clenched my fists and took a step forward. "The Hokage isn't obliged to really follow his Elders advices. They're just advices and advisers after all." I shot and I knew Danzo was having a hard time from beating me up. "I am here for more than some weeks and if I was a spy, I would have took your offer, since you are an Elder with more information than an Academy." I added and the Hokage sighed.

"Shinku, you may leave now. You'll stay at the Academy, since it is your decision. Danzo, I don't want to discuss it anymore." He added the last part quickly. I was smirking and nodded. "Yes, sir. It was a…Interesting first meeting Danzo-sama. I hope you aren't taking it personal I declined," with that smirk still on, I left the office. I ran to the training grounds and started my training. **'That was way too easy,'** my rational-self told me and I nodded inwardly. _'He won't let it slide,'_ I thought. I used my time to train, and as the training calmed my adrenaline that was in me since I heard Danzo's voice. I then meditated and sensed someone coming really fast towards me. I recognized the chakra.

"Shisui," I acknowledged and he stood beside me. "I heard of your meeting with an Elder of Konoha," he said and I could feel his tense body. I nodded and smirked, replying: "Danzo? I don't like him one bit, even if I couldn't see him since my eyes are bandaged. He offered to train me, and I declined." His body quickly relaxed and he patted my head. "Good, I take it your instincts were probably screaming to leave, right?" I nodded. "I didn't like his voice and neither his aura, I could feel evil radiating from him." I said, making him tense just the slightest. "One advise, try to stay out of his way." I nodded and he sat down next to me. "I will, only if you do it too." He chuckled and a silence filled the grounds. I took slowly my bandages off and looked at him, and pinched his cheek. "Hey!" he smirked and I smirked back. _'We both didn't like this silence,'_ I noted.

_'Thanks,'_ Shisui thought and smiled to himself. _'She is so much like him, even if she didn't really meet him officially yet. Guess I'll do that,'_ he thought and grabbed my hand. "Hm?" I questioned him, but he slowly dragged me through Konoha to the dango shop I always go.

We entered the shop and I noted for the first time, girls were ogling him, and the ones that noticed me gave me annoyed glares. _'Can't care less, I'm probably too young for him, even if I do admit, he's making it hard to not like him.'_ I thought and rational-self nodded. **'I admit this too,'** she told me. We sat down on a table, with someone already seated. I looked up and froze. _'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…Why now!?'_ I questioned nervously. **'He'll read you like an open book if you don't relax yourself,'** my rational-self advised me and I relaxed my body-posture. "Oi! Itachi. Look what I brought with me," Shisui pointed to myself and I glared at his finger. Itachi glanced at me and back to Shisui, when his eyes landed fully on me. "Shinku Izumi," I bowed my head and Shisui snickered. My face turned a deep shade of red and I kicked his shin under the table, making his grin fade. I smirked and then just remained silent. "Itachi Uchiha," Itachi nodded to me and I smiled. Shisui then proceeded in telling some stuff to Itachi, when he poked me. I pinched him into his forearm in reply.

"Shinku's in the same class as Sasuke," he said and Itachi's eyes turned to me curiously. I nodded. "Yeah, he's best at throwing shuriken. And he always beats the other boys," I said, frowning. Shisui gave me a knowing grin, since he knew the frown quite well. "But Iruka-sensei is a sexist. Doesn't let girls against boys." Shisui snorted unattractively, but I could hear some shrieks of delight in the distance. "Boys have a stronger built body," Itachi reasoned rationally like my rational-side would usually, but I noticed the glue in his black eyes. I sighed and leaned on my arm.

"That is still not reason enough. I train harder than the girls in my class, even Hinata told me so. I already beat all the girls with ease, I want to test myself against the boys. And your brother is one of the few I want to spar against." I smirked at the end. What I didn't expect was him extending his arm and poking my forehead like he usually did to Sasuke. I looked from under my bangs and noticed his smile. My eyes widened in shock and I tried to fight the blush, but I could feel the heat radiating off me. _'His smile is truly attractive. And his personality is better than Sasuke's.'_ I thought, blushing and looking away.

"But do you think you could beat him?" was his question. I snapped my head to him, my previous blush fading and I heard Shisui choke on his tea. "That's it," Shisui mumbled to himself, face-palming. Itachi glanced at him questioningly, but his eyes turned back to me. "Do you mean…I, am weak?" My killing-intent wasn't hiding in the least. Shisui banged his head on the table, making me smirk. "I want a spar." I stated, even if I knew Itachi was too good for me to even land a hit on. Shisui opened his mouth to protest, but Itachi smirked back at me. "Where?"

We then paid for ourselves and went to my usual training grounds. I was going through strategies and all kind of plans in my head and recalled the spars I sometimes did with Shisui, when he wasn't on missions. _'I hope I can at least land one lousy hit on him,'_ I thought, making rational-self snort.


	5. A Spar, Death and a Promise

As he made no move to start, I sighed and sprinted at him. I took a kunai out of my pouch and went at him, but from one second to another, we were already clashing kunai. I could feel Shisui's worried gaze fixed on me, but I trusted Itachi not to infect some great damage to me. I tried to punch him with my unoccupied hand, but he grabbed my fist and twisted. I knew his grip would leave a bruise, but just twisted my body as he twisted my wrist. I went to kick his neck, but my kunai flew out of my right hand, and he blocked my punch with his now unoccupied hand. I clicked with my tongue and jumped away. I sighed and took my training weights off, but just half of their amount. _'I'm going to surprise him,'_ I smirked internally and then came back at him.

We had a Taijutsu fight, him dominating most of the time, as he hit me quite a few times. It went on for about five more minutes, when Shisui took a step forward, both me and Itachi noticing, but we didn't pay him much attention.

_"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"_ Itachi said and blew out a really big fireball, making me use the Replacement jutsu with a log. It got burned and I went through some hand-seals I didn't know I could actually do. As I ended them, I inhaled and then attacked with one of my own jutsu, I didn't know I knew. _"Wind Release: Air Bullets!"_ and shot the bullets at a surprised Itachi, but he quickly dodged and ran at me. I closed my eyes in concentration and fixed on his chakra and where he'd strike. _'I still know he is holding back, he isn't breaking a sweat or using his Sharingan. But I too don't use the Rinnegan,'_ I thought and avoided getting punched in the face and grabbed his wrist, using his momentum to flunk him over my shoulder. He caught on and landed on his fours and jumped up, blocking my now unsheathed katana.

"You would already make a decent Gennin for your age," he observed as we blocked each other's attacks, his making me weaker in the legs with every strike. I clenched my katana tighter and exhaled. "I guess," I managed to pant out and then quickly taking the rest of my weights off and opening my eyes, staring at Itachi's black ones. I was gone in the next second and appeared behind him, just as he turned to look at me, I faked a punch and then used my other fist to punch him in the stomach. He landed on the ground, standing and staring at me with his now activated Sharingan.

"I call it a day," I said and grinned. He sighed and deactivated his bloodline limit and walked up to me. I looked at him curiously as he crouched down to my eye-level and then he unexpectedly flicked me over the forehead (like he does to Sasuke). I placed my hand at that place and stared wide-eyed at his smiling face.

"Sasuke could learn a lot from you," he replied and I smirked. "It's the job of the older brother to teach him things," I said and then remembered my sister from the 'normal world'. _'What is she doing now?'_ I wondered and glanced sadly at the sky, distancing myself for a bit. I felt Itachi flick me once more and I glared at him.

"I'm surprised you landed a hit on me. Not many do that in a spar, even less someone your rank and age." He studied me for a bit and I pinched his cheek, making him blink at me. I sigh and start putting my weights back on and sheathing my katana back. "I was trained since I could remember. It was my own wish and both my father and mother did their best. And Shisui-baka is a good yet strange teacher," I glanced at Shisui and he anime-cried and I noticed Itachi sweat-dropping.

"What happened to them?" Itachi asked and I blinked. Then I understood and unsheathed my katana to stare at my reflection in the spotless blade. "Bomber and former ninja of Iwa, Deidara, attacked the village and they died in action. I don't have any more information, since I then left the village." And almost like I could read his mind, I answered his upcoming question. "I was called to the Tsuchikage's office and I made a mistake to peek out of my bangs and he saw my eyes. The cold and calculating look he gave me, made me easily realize I was going to be used as a weapon, a tool to kill. And my suspicions were confirmed, when he told me that I'll start attending the Academy out of the blue. His gaze felt like the one I receives as that Danzo wanted to take me under his wing." I explained and both Uchiha's eyes narrowed at Danzo's name. I faked being clueless and acted indifferently at their guarded expressions.

"You should stay away from him," Itachi advised and I grinned. "I think he's hating me by now. I placed him in his right place, meaning that he isn't going to have control over me. I'm my own person, with my own precious people. And I decided," I pointed childishly at Itachi. "That you, are one of my precious persons from now on." His eyes widened and Shisui chuckled. I turned to him and smiled, "and you too, Shisui-baka."

I spent the rest of the day training, Shisui and Itachi already left a while after the spar. **'It was a lucky hit, he underestimated your speed and that's it.'** Rational-self told me and I agreed. After my training I sprinted home to take a nice shower. When I was done, I decided on going to the library to research sealing jutsu and seals. I took a new empty scroll, to later write down notes about what I found out in normal letters, not kanji or katakana.

As I was let into the library, I didn't find much for my actually rank. The things for Jonnin and Chunnin, even Gennin weren't allowed for me yet, since I was just an Academy student. It was making me irritated, and I lost hope after a while of going through the stuff for academy brats like me. _'I was 15 damn it, when I died. And plus these little eight years it makes me probably older than Iruka-sensei!'_ I thought angrily and stomped home. _'And they wouldn't let me get anything too secret, since I am an outsider. I think my importance is as big or less like Kushina's, when they took her here.'_ I thought and wrote down, what I actually would be able to use later. I wanted to make some seals especially to seal chakra away, something that would be of use in the future. _'I should already start specializing in something, or maybe two things. I do have the time for it,'_ I thought and had a mind conversation the whole night with my rational-self for some ideas and my ninja-career.

I finally chose to be more of a frontline-fighter, a powerhouse with much chakra reserves, but I'd be the Kenjutsu-Taijutsu type, and to make even more damage I'd use my medical knowledge to specialize in poison, making my own. _'I definitely won't be exceling in medical Ninjutsu or abnormal strength as Sakura, or being a true master in Taijutsu as Lee,'_ I thought before falling asleep quite easily.

The next week was quiet, like the peace before the real storm. And just as I thought I was being paranoid, Amaterasu paid me another visit.

"Shinku, I was thinking things over and…If you change the Massacre, it will make too much of a change and chaos will break out. I know of your plans and they're quite risky too, it's unavoidable," she told me and I stared. It turned into a glare as I noticed her sad eyes. "You mean…I won't be able to save Shisui or change the massacre?" I concluded and she nodded. I felt the air around me changed from the still warm yet cold air into icy. "What's there to unable me to?" I challenged and she sighed. "Child…It is one of the few points in the plot, where your influence, even the slightest, would change something." I stiffly nodded, my jaw clenched together tightly. She stepped closed and surprisingly hugged me like a mother would. "You could maybe become Naruto's friend, make his pain lessen. Or something else?" and I pushed her slowly away and turning into the opposite side, silently starting to cry, but looking straight ahead. "My plans were for nothing then? I planned on going to help Shisui in time, before Danzo and ROOT members actually get his eye, and then wait for Itachi. We would go to the Hokage and take the chance to take this attack as an execution reason and kill the old bastard. Shisui could manipulate the clan into peace. And the future would be unimportant." I said, but sometimes a sob or two would escape me. I heard her sigh. "You are clever, but I and others were in unison not to change it. And they don't really take a liking towards you, which means they'd use this opportunity to use it as a reason to take your second life away." She informed me and I closed my eyes.

"Which means I won't be able to then help Itachi or Naruto or…" I gritted my teeth. "It's them and my own life against Shisui's and the Uchihas future. It's…" I punched the air, imaging it was a wall. "It means I must let Shisui go…And I won't be able to even say goodbye." I cried. She placed her hand on my shoulder, which I shook off and she sighed once again. "Shisui dying yes, but who said about not being able to see him before he commits suicide?" I flinched at the last three words and bit my lip. Before I could turn to her and ask her anything, I already woke up.

Some months passed and it was after my birthday, not April anymore, it was July. The horrible feeling worsened then every day and Shisui and some others noticed. The Hokage did, Iruka-sensei, Itachi (which I was actually seeing quite sometimes now) and Hinata. They were the few ones and I was training on some grounds, when Shisui appeared in front of me. He gave me a cheeky smile and ruffled my hair. "Itachi's on a mission. Sorry, but I've got one too so I won't be able to train you a bit, like I thought. See you later," he said and before he flickered away, I grabbed his arm. He looked at me and I stared at the sky, which was getting dark and I suspected, it was his last day. Our last talk. I closed my teary eyes and let go of him. "Please be safe," I managed to say with a lump in my throat and I could feel his gaze on me. He crouched down and poked my forearm. "Why so sad? You were like that a while now. What's wrong?" he questioned and I pinched his cheek, leaving a red mark on it. "I've got a really bad feeling, but don't worry…We'll see us later, right?" I said, trying to smile and looking through my bangs in front of my eyes. He surprisingly frowned, but nodded. "I'm not the one worrying. See you," and with that he was gone.

I trained for a while longer, until I couldn't take it and ran to where I knew the Naka River was and as I felt two familiar presences, I speed up and took my weights off. I heard an explosion and felt some presences unfamiliar to me fleeing away. I slowly spotted a cliff near and two familiar chakra. I ran as fast as I could and then as I arrived, stopped.

"S-Shisui…" I gasped. He was smiling at Itachi, who was having a hard time not crying. He had both eyes closed, blood flowing out of them. They turned to me, not really all surprised. "Shinku, you're fast. Just as I thought I wouldn't be able to keep the little promise about seeing us later up." Shisui said dryly, still with a smile. I walked towards them and stopped next to Itachi, clenching my fists. "W-Who?" I asked, angry, no it was pure hatred inside me. Even if I knew the answer I wanted to know from him. "Unimportant, little Shinku." He said and I looked at Itachi, who shook his head with teary eyes. Shisui signed for me to come closer and as I hesitantly did, he crouched down and patted my head. "It looks like we won't see us anymore. Promise me, you'll get better at Kenjutsu like you wish for, and take care of Itachi." I nodded quickly and he smiled, making me silently sheathing tears. "And one more thing," he pinched my forearm. "You should start showing your face, with your bangs so long and in the way, boys won't be able to see how pretty you are." I managed a soft smile, while still crying and I hugged him. I could feel his strength fading and I let go of him. He gave both me and Itachi one last smile, before jumping. As my body shot forward, Itachi took hold of me, but I knew he was having a hard time himself.

We stayed there for a while, when I turned around. "I promise and I also promise to kill the trash behind this…" I muttered darkly. It was then that Itachi spoke up. "Revenge won't solve things, and you also don't know who it did." I turned to him, glaring as I remembered that he'll be the one to link Sasuke into revenge and hatred. "…" I stayed silent for a while and I took out a kunai, cut my bangs and looked at him. Tears were flowing down his cheeks and he displayed his emotions. I memorized it and stepped forward, pointing at myself.

"The person will get their own in the end, even if I don't get involved. And you…" I pointed at Itachi. "You are now under my watchful eyes. I'm going to get strong and protect you, Konoha and my precious people. I couldn't protect Shisui, the Universe was against it, but now…Even if the whole universe and Kami is against me protecting you or anyone else, I swear I'm going to go against it." There was that tense silence, with wind blowing in the two of us, as he gave me a little, sad smile. I grinned and glanced at the spot where Shisui has been. "Shisui-baka is not going to see the both of us in the near future." I mumbled and then looked at Itachi's eyes, my eyes widening. _'His Sharingan…It…He…'_ I thought shocked. **'He finally achieved it,'** rational-self noted. He walked towards me and placed me on his back.

"You shouldn't inform anyone of this. I know your still thinking of telling the Hokage, but let me deal with it. And about the promise you made," he said. I furrowed my brows in thoughts. "I'm older, and if a girl like you is going to look out for me, it means that she'll need someone too. And it's I, going to look out for you." He said and I rested my head on his shoulder. I couldn't argue with him, since I was really drained. "Sure…" I breathed out and fell asleep.


	6. Grieving

The next morning was school, and as much as I wanted to not go, I did. The first mistake I did the day. I had bandages over my eyes, even if I promised him to show my face more often. It wasn't the time, people knew of the Rinnegan. As I was quieter as usual, some classmates were curious and Iruka-sensei noted my mood too. As he asked me a question, I replied with: "I don't know." He asked me something about chakra, which I answered with the same reply. I could feel some gazes on me, either curious or irritated ones. As we had spars, I was against Mei. Another mistake of the day. "You're awfully depressed. Did a boy reject you, Tomato? Maybe my Sasuke-kun. It's no wonder, you're ugly and you're probably blind anyway." She told me and Iruka-sensei then stated to begin. She came at me, but I dodged every hit.

"It's none of your concern, trash. Love is something we're too young for, crushes are lame and for idiots. I'm also a sensor-type and can sense people with enough concentration, like now. Your lame attempts to strike me, are insulting. That's why I rather have bandages over them, since it's training for my sensing skills." She got angry and I side-stepped a bad attempt to hit me square in the face. She turned and I scowled, punching her in the face. She went flying and I knew from the crack as I hit her that her nose was broken. She went unconscious and Iruka-sensei scolded me. _'I'm having a really fucked up day,'_ I thought irritated in the slightest. Some girls tried to later bully me and it was another mistake. I just punched them unconscious and Iruka-sensei gave me detention.

When the lessons ended, detention started. "You're not yourself today," Iruka-sensei stated. I broke the pencil I was playing with in half in irritation. "It's none of your concern," I replied and I heard him flinch. I furrowed my brows in wonder, why. **'You're like a zombie,'** rational-self informed me. "I'm sorry, but…I have a really bad day. Don't make it any worse." I said, and I later heard him walking back to his desk. I was sitting there for a while, when I heard Kiba and three others coming in. "Looks like she's here too!" Kiba exclaimed loudly and they talked, sitting down. I had my peace, until Naruto spoke to me. "Oi! Why're you so quiet, believe it!" he asked and I tilted my head slightly. "Bad day," I stated and Shikamaru sighed. "You're here because of the girls, right?" I nodded and he sighed again. "They were troublesome, they deserved it." He replied and my lips twitched just the slightest. "Yeah! You were really cool, when you beat Mei up! She always bullies others," Kiba exclaimed and I nodded. "And even if you are blind, you still beat her. Believe it!" Naruto said excitedly. I shook my head, sighing. "I'm not blind. I wear the bandages to cover my eyes. I'm a sensor-type, meaning I can sense presences and chakra. I use the bandages to not be able to see, just to improve my sensing-skills. And partly because my eyes are a bit of sensitive to light." I told them.

While I was having a hard time not falling asleep, someone grabbed my arm and we jumped out of the classroom. "COME BACK!" I heard Iruka-sensei shout after us, but someone just dragged me quickly away. They were all panting after a while and I blinked. "Why are we in a forest?" I asked and the grip around my arm loosened, making me shake it off.

"It was boring! And I saw you half-asleep too! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed loudly and I smiled after a while. "Thank you…" I whispered and leaned against a tree. "How can you actually be like that? I mean…Having your eyes bandaged, or your bangs covering them?" Kiba asked and I could feel the curious gazes. "I was seven, when I started getting used to it. I don't cover them because they're ugly. I admit, they're quite strange, but it's not the right time."

"For what?" Shikamaru caught on. I sighed and turned my head upwards, towards the sky. "You'll know, when eight years pass." I stated and Naruto yelled about not understanding what I said. "Neither I do," I mumbled and we chatted some more. Choji gave me some chips, which I accepted and I really loved the flavor. I actually started talking to him about food and his chips. Kiba commented on me being weird and Shikamaru remarked, about how I don't fawn over Sasuke. "She didn't see him, that's why." Naruto stated and I sweatdropped. "No…I know how all of you look like and there certainly are boys cuter than Sasuke. And I look for someone with the right personality." I said, frowning as I remembered Sasuke being a total jerk. Even now, but later it's even worse. If I wouldn't know he was Itachi's brother, I'd think he was just a brat.

"Hm…I still don't get girls," Kiba said and the other three agreed. "Too complicated and troublesome," Shikamaru added and I got an irk-mark on my head. "Well Mr. too lazy, girls don't like lazy asses." I smirked at his sigh. _'I should pest Itachi to teach me Genjutsu. I'll need to use one over my eyes. They'll get used to the dark and become even more sensitive towards light,'_ I thought randomly.

We then talked for some time, until Iruka found us and dragged us back. It was late and I found myself walking down the darkened streets of Konoha. My instincts were alarming me to run off to a safe spot, but I kept my hands in my pockets, shoulders relaxed yet ready for any ambush. As I turned to a corner, I heard something behind me, but I glanced sideways and blocked the hit that was trying to knock me out. I turned and stared at an ANBU mask.

"Tell Danzo to go to hell, sucker." I said and extended my arm out towards the ROOT member. _"Shinra Tensei!"_ and the idiot was pushed at an alarming speed into the mountains, under the First Hokage's face. I speed off towards the Hokage's office and just walked in, pushing the doors open. "I'm sorry to intrude at such a late hour, but I was going to ask, why an ANBU member targeted me." I said, calmly. I noted about two more presences standing near his desk. "I'm sorry, but I didn't give any orders. What gave you the idea it was an ANBU?" the Hokage asked, worriedly, yet I felt him getting angry slightly. _'Heh, Danzo's going to get an ear chewed off.'_ I thought, smirking inside.

"The person was hiding in the shadows, trailing me for a while and as he attacked, I dodged and faced the poor idiot. He wore a white mask, a dark cloak, probably in his late twenties. I apologize, if you'll find a little crater under the First Hokage's face in the mountain." I bowed and the Hokage radiated surprise and the other two persons too. "Good evening," I said and went home.

*Third Person's POV*

The Hokage was yet again angry at his former teammate. First Danzo wanted to 'almost' force and bribe Shinku under his wink, and now tried to kidnap her. The Third was now waiting patiently in his office for his teammate to come. As the door opened, an old man with the name Danzo slowly stepped in. "I hope it's urgent, Hiruzen. Calling me at such a late time into your office," Danzo said with a cold voice. The Third gave Danzo a look, inhaling.

"I heard one of your ROOT members ambushed Shinku, but she was unharmed and went to my office, asking what that was about." Danzo's eyes narrowed and he cursed in his mind. _'I shouldn't have thought one incompetent member will be able to get her.'_ He thought angrily. "I don't know what you're talking about." He just replied and the Hokage slammed his palm against his desk. "Nor you or any of your ROOT members are allowed near Shinku. She isn't a threat for Konoha, and she is smart enough to rely on her instincts. If you plan on doing something, I'll personally disband the ROOT." With that Danzo turned towards the door and left without anything to say. _'This is not over yet. This girl's eyes are mine,' _Danzo thought.

*Shinku's POV*

Some weeks passed and with the help of Itachi, I managed to make a Genjutsu to cover my Rinnegan. If I would take my bandages off, my eyes would be looking something like Kurenai's, but they were a dark lavender color. I was now going around, without the bandages, but tended to close my eyes sometimes. My classmates were shocked, but when Shikamaru and the other three came to me, I told them it was a Genjutsu and that my eyes won't be seen soon. The time went by, and I got the bad vibe again. The Uchiha Massacre.

I shuttered at the thought and pushed it into the back of my mind, but it tended to just slip past my other thoughts and resurface. I was talking mostly to Shikamaru and Kiba, often Choji and Naruto too, but Choji was too shy. And Naruto was too loud for my ears to bear. I had a better hearing than others, and my eyes were getting used to the light. My sensing skills improved through and I spent some of my time, sitting back against a near tree, which was growing near the cliff Shisui jumped off. People were slowly noticing his absence and some Uchihas asked me things. It was bad to lie, and I was sure not to give a signal of me lying to them, because I'd get hellish problems.

"You're always here," Itachi noted as he stood in front of me, hand offering. I glanced at it and shook my head. We were near the cliff. "Every day, the usual time, the same amount spending here and it's the same." I muttered. "I'm getting the same bad feeling, when Shisui… Anyway, your clan's members are annoying. Keep asking questions," I sighed, pushing my knees closer to my chest and resting my chin on my left knee. He sat down next to me, staring into the forest. "Shisui meant a lot to you," he said, talking to himself. I closed my eyes, not to sheath the tears that were threatening to escape.

"The pain is immense, but you should fill the hole in your heart with love." I looked up, looking at him and letting my tears to fall. He glanced at me and looked away. "I still don't know what was going on in Shisui's head…" I muttered and he chuckled at that statement. "If you're wondering if you were important to him, I can recall some things he said. He thought of you as you like his little sister. He bragged with you and he tried to drag me into an argument with him, about who's got the better sibling." He explained and I stared at him, wide eyed. _'He…I…'_ I thought shocked. There was a silence and I stood up, punching the tree and silently cried again.

"Damn…It's my fault," I said and punched the tree again, but concentrated my chakra around it. _'I knew what was going to happen! And he was going around, bragging with me like I was his sister, and what did I do?! Nothing!'_ I thought and as I wanted to punch the tree again, a hand caught my fist and Itachi was in front of me. I stared into his onyx eyes and breathed out shakily.

"He saw me as a sister and if I was his sister, I'd have stopped him." I said and my fist fell down to my side. He sighed and stepped closer. As he opened his mouth to say something, I turned around. "I'm useless." As I started walking away, he said something that made me pause. "And that's why you are going to run away again?" I clenched my fists, gritting my teeth. "He'd be-"

"Disappointed, sad…But I won't leave," I turned to him, smiling sadly. "I always keep my promises. And if I need to overcome death itself to protect the people that grew to me," he stared at me for some seconds before turning slightly, a smile plastered on his face. "We should go already," I nodded and ran next to him, and caught him glance at me.

"You said that intentionally, didn't you? You're as sly as a weasel, you weasel." He flicked me over the forehead and I gave him a small glare. Our walk back was silent, but a comforting one.


	7. The Massacre and Team 6

Two weeks later, I could say that I got quite the buddies with Kiba, Shikamaru, Naruto and Choji. Whenever I watched clouds with Shikamaru and Choji, or went to the playgrounds with Kiba and Naruto, or all of us causing trouble, I was having a nice time. Until I got that really bad feeling as I was walking home from the Academy. I knew why I had that terrible feeling. I just bit my lip until it bleed and went to Shisui's grave.

I and Itachi made it. A gray rock was under the tree I usually sat and the Konoha symbol carved into it. And I carved 'Rest in peace' into the tree, onto the spots where I punched it. It wasn't anything special, but I needed something to always be there. As I walked past the Yamanaka Flower shop, I bought some white gladioluses and purple irises. I put them before the rock onto the ground and closed my eyes to pay respect.

"I'm sorry…You would have been a great big brother, if we really were siblings. And I turned to be so useless…" I whispered lightly and later fell asleep next to the tree, leaning onto it.

I dreamed of me, Itachi and Shisui training. Shisui was cracking a poor joke, making me snort and comment it with a short 'come up with something better', as Itachi was watching us interact and smile to himself.

I was woken up, by someone shaking my shoulders and I opened my eyes to look up at a bloody Itachi.

"A-Are you okay?" I said worriedly, even if I knew better. He just killed his family, he couldn't be. He nodded slowly and I frowned, debating if I should ask him why he was bloody. As I was about to say something, his face got closer to mine and he softly kissed my forehead. I turned a pinkish color and he gave me a soft smile. I looked away stubbornly and then glanced at his sad eyes. "Are you going somewhere?" I asked stupidly and he tensed.

"Why do you think so?" he asked back and I frowned.

"You're leaving…I know something must have happened, but…Wherever you are, I'll keep my promise. And if you ever do something bad, I know it was for a good reason," I finished, grinning the Shisui grin.

He stared at me wide eyed, until his eyes softened. "If you'd have the Uchiha looks, you'd be classified as Shisui's sister. Always knows what to say," he said and leaned down, kissing my forehead once more. "I promise I'll come back," he whispered so lightly, I almost didn't catch it. My face turned a deep shade of crimson and my heart started pounding in my chest.

_'W-What is this feeling?'_ I thought mindlessly, I didn't even catch the words my rational-self told me.

Tears were going down my cheeks, as Itachi turned away. He glanced back and gave me one final smile, and disappeared into the dark. Then I felt the pain of losing someone again. First when my parents died, then as Shisui committed suicide and now as Itachi left. _'He left…?'_ I thought grabbing where my heart was in pain.

*Time-skip to Team Selection's Day*

I woke up earlier and showered, got ready for today and went to Shisui's grave. I bought some flowers already yesterday, white gladioluses and purple irises, like always. Ino once asked me for who they were, but I just gave a shrug, saying 'someone who was important'. After that she didn't ask me much about anything.

I walked up the path and slowly made my way towards the stone. I smiled and placed the flowers down, bowing my head in respect. I then straightened myself and grinned.

"Oi, Shisui! I'm going to be put into a Gennin Team today. You know…Naruto wouldn't be that bad, but he's still loud and sometimes really annoying with his ranting. Shikamaru is the complete opposite, he's a lazy ass just like normal Nara's are. Choji is cool, I guess, except when we need to calm him down if some bullies call him fat. He's not that shy anymore like he used to be and Kiba…" I tree-faced and sighed.

"Good enough I think. He's as loud as Naruto, but he can have his really smart moments. And I…" I sighed again, looking into the dark forest, where once Itachi walked away.

I smiled and then stroked my new piercings, which were, one under my eyebrow and the other above it, making my right eyebrow in between. "And I also have new piercings. Some call me Piercing Tomato, but I think you'd like it. It makes me look more rebellious, even it that thought is somewhat childish." I snickered and traced the rock.

"Konoha is still in one piece and unharmed, Danzo didn't try to kidnap me again after the first fail. I trained really hard and about two months ago started concentrating on my Ninjutsu. My Kenjutsu improved a big deal and I think I could beat you…Maybe not today, but surely in the future. I still have promises to keep!" I whispered most of it and knew I had teary eyes, but wiped the unfallen tears away.

I wore the standard black ninja sandals, long black leggings with a black ninja pouch strapped on my left thigh, a soft yellow colored kimono-like shirt with long sleeves and a pattern of brown flames at the ends of the fabric. I just wore bandages around my breasts. I had my Konoha headband on my right arm.

I said goodbye to Shisui and went to the Academy, while having a stop at my apartment to pick up my katana. As I entered the classroom some girls gave me glares (I stopped wearing bandages or let my bangs cover my eyes) and I just ignored them, walking to Kiba. My red spiky hair reached my hips and I usually wore it into a high ponytail, and I had one hair-clip on each side of my face, so that my bangs wouldn't irritate me.

I talked with Kiba for a while, until I felt Naruto coming into the class. I gave a small wave and he grinned back, waving like the idiot he is back to me. He sat down near Sasuke and later Sakura came in with Ino.

I snorted at their insults and they turned to me. "Shut it, Tomato/Freak!" both yelled at me and I snorted again. _'If only you knew Sasuke liked tomatoes and hated sweets…That's one of the few things I remember from him,'_ I thought, with my rational-side snickering. **'It sounds your like his stalker,'** she said and I gave a face of disgust at her comment.

Later Sasuke and Naruto kissed accidentally and I turned my face to hide my smirk. I then felt someone watching me and I turned to stare at the spot and wrote a message for the Hokage as I remembered the Jonnin baka and the Hokage watching us.

In the Hokage's office: The Jonnin and Hokage watched as Sasuke and Naruto kissing. "Ugh," the Hokage said and then turned his gaze to look at the red haired kunoichi in the class. "And this is Shinku Izumi, but we don't have much information about her parents. If we did, I wouldn't be surprised finding out that one of her parents was an Uzumaki."

Some gasped and other just stared at the girl. _'She looks much like Kushina-san. She must be a distant relative of some sorts,'_ thought Kakashi Hatake and then looked at the Hokage. "What do we know?" he asked. The Hokage brushed his beard and let out a breath.

"She comes from Iwagakure, and told me that she left after her parents died in the attack of a rogue ninja named Deidara. She's a sensor and has a big amount of chakra, bigger than most Jonnin in here." Most of the ninja in the room gasped. "She specializes in Kenjutsu and also has a strong point for Taijutsu. She doesn't need her eyes and she used to wear bandages over them." He said and then looked at the crystal ball and gaped at it.

More gasps and gaping mouths occurred. Shinku wrote a message for them on a paper and turned to let them see it. Written on the paper was: **'Stalkers, don't you have anything better to do?'**

"It looks like this year we have some outstanding ones, don't you think?" The Third asked with a smile. Some nodded and others grunted.

"Which team is Shinku Izumi in?" Kakashi asked. He was hoping, he could get his into her team somehow. As the Third opened his mouth to respond, the door opened and a kunoichi with brown hair and gray eyes walked in. "That is probably me," she said with a smirk as she noticed Kakashi frowned under his mask.

"But she's going to need to go through my own test. But my team still has two more members, which are …"

Back into the classroom: I destroyed the paper and then Iruka-sensei walked in. He slowly started declaring the Teams. _'I just hope I'm not in Team 7 or with Mei. And with the non-existence of my luck, it's one of these.'_ I thought gloomily. Kiba nudged me and I sighed.

"Team 6 will be made of Mei Saito, Hiro Hayashi and Shinku Izumi." Iruka-sensei said and I banged my head into the table. "You're joking," I sighed and Kiba nudged me again. "And who the hell is Hiro?" I mumbled and got a glare from one of the minor characters.

**'I see…We're going to be one of the ones that don't become Gennin rookies,'** rational-self said and I clenched my fists. _'And I bragged to Shisui like an idiot earlier,'_ I thought sorrowfully.

"It's not that bad," Kiba said with a frown. "You have Shino and Hinata, mutt. And you look like you don't like that I'm not on your team." I pointed out and he growled. "Don't call me mutt!" he shouted and I sighed. We later had lunch and then went into the room we should wait.

I was sitting behind a desk, as Hiro and Mei walked in with smirks on their faces. Mei pointed at me and smirked. "You're going down, both I and Hiro will fight you to take away your place in our team," she declared and I put a hand to my face, closing my eyes for a while to not lose my temper.

"People like you trash, should stop talking. You're weak and not that smart, and a loud mouth which is going to get yourself killed in action. And you Hiro, or more likely fool, shouldn't underestimate me. I don't like that." I warned them and then both snorted, or in Mei's case started to snicker. She jumped to me and tried to punch me, while I still had my eyes closed just moved my head slightly to the left, grabbed her arm and flung her back at Hiro.

She hit him and they fell to the ground. "We'll fail as a Team," I noted and the door flew open. A woman with brown hair and gray eyes walked in, inspected the two on the ground and then gave me a disapproving look, as I opened my eyes again.

"My name is Kaida Sakurai and I'm more or less your future sensei." She declared and Mei helped Hiro stand up.

"Future?" she resaid and Kaida-sensei nodded.

"You're first being tested if you're good enough," Mei and Hiro grinned, looking at each other, silently communicating and I guess they were planning on going against me.

"Let's go," she declared and we followed her to training grounds 20. "You'll need to find me and fight me. The ones who don't, fail. The test start's…Now," and she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Hiro and Mei turned to me with dangerous gleams in their eyes.

I sighed and put my left hand up, in a defeating manner. "I'm a sensor. I can sense her and we'll need each of our skills to go up against her. We'll need to work as a team," I said and Mei scoffed. Hiro nudged her and they whispered to each other a plan for something. **'Probably to sabotage you and me,'** rational-self said and I nodded internally. Mei turned to me with a fake smile just like Hiro and she turned to leave.

"Okay, but don't think you're leader. Sense her and we'll beat her," Mei said and Hiro nodded. I frowned and nodded anyway.

We went through the forest and I could sense sensei's shadow clones lurking somewhere our group all the time to watch us. "She's near us, on the clearing after this forest. We just need to go straight ahead now." I declared and both Mei and Hiro turned to me with evil grins.

"Thank you, and now we're going to beat you first. You're going to fail!" Hiro declared, the first time I actually heard something from him and then it stuck me. _'He's the one that bullied me on my first Academy days!'_ I thought and dodged the kunai and shuriken. I jumped onto some tree branches and ran towards Kaida-sensei's destination.

I didn't use my speed that much and both of them were coming closer to me and then I luckily arrived. Mei sneered at me, as both came out of the forest.

I frowned at them and then turned to Kaida-sensei. "They don't know what the word teamwork means. They attacked their own teammate, just because of some emotions and prejudice involved." I dared to say and sensei nodded and turned to my teammates. Mei faked being innocent and Hiro glared at me from the corner of his eye.

My female teammate pointed an accusing finger at me and faked shuddering.

"She's the one that attacked us, like in the classroom before! We wanted to help her and she almost got us into a trap. She's insane, sensei!" she almost cried. The act was all fake. Sensei then turned to me and asked: "Is that true?" Mei and Hiro gave me vicious smirks and I smirked back at them, making them pause.

"Ask your shadow clones that lurked around us. It's called self-defense what I did in the classroom, trash. Your plan was too simple, even I looked through it. And you're bad at covering your negative intentions." I said and sat down near Kaida-sensei.

She deactivated her clones and looked at me. "Looks like you pass the test," she informed me with a smile that vanished as she looked at my teammates. "You two get another chance and if you do the slightest mistake, you fail." She brought out a little red ball and played with it.

"One of you is going to take this from me and won't fail my test. Shinku, go to the sidelines and watch, you already figured it out." I nodded and went where I felt a chakra signature watching us. It surprised me that it was Kakashi Hatake himself.

"Copy Cat, Kakashi Hatake. Pleasure meeting you, but I don't like being watched." I said and he looked at me surprised. Scratching his mask awkwardly while reading his book, I sighed.

"You're sharp, it's sad you're not on my team. The two idiots will both fail at this rate," he pointed behind me and like he said, both were drastically failing. "The girl wanted to first beat him and then get the ball from Kaida. And he just went with the flow and went against her, attacking her first." He told me and I nodded.

"_Trash_ always seemed to have something against me, and the Hiro boy just did what he was told to by Mei." He gave a look as I said 'trash'. "Why do you call her that?"

I sighed and leaned against the tree he was sitting on.

"It's not that I don't like her, actually I do after she started insulting and underestimating me even after I won a spar against her. She has a big ego and is arrogant, a big-mouth that loses her temper quicker as I do and plays smart. She's also weak and overestimates her capabilities. My definition of _trash_. And of course that she earlier tried to beat her own teammate just to get me fail, is another reason." I explained and closed my eyes, still feeling Kakashi's gaze at me.

"I'll gouge your eyes out if you stare any longer, Hatake-san." I warned in a darker tone. He sweat-dropped and then turned to watch as Kaida stopped both of my teammates. "You should call me Kakashi-sensei as I am going to be maybe the sensei of Team 7." I nodded.

"Both fail," Kaida-sensei said with a cold voice. "You'll return to the Academy and learn the terms team and teamwork." With that she walked towards me and Kakashi.

"Kakashi, you should leave my student alone. You're already going to let yours fail, so don't get the only rookie Gennin that probably knows what teamwork is in your team." She warned and I felt a chill go down my spine, even if it wasn't me who she warned.

Kakashi hastily nodded. "Kaida, as dangerous and strict as I heard." Kakashi nodded to himself, putting his book away. He looked at me and smiled. "Bye," then he just disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

Kaida sighed and muttered a "Trying to steal my only student away, not wise Hatake."

I sweat-dropped and grunted a 'girls fighting over dolls', which earned me a whack over the head from my new sensei. I felt lonelier again as I noted that only me and my sensei would be in the team. I frowned at the thought and rather rubbed my sore spot from the whack.


	8. Kaida-Sensei and being Unlucky

"My name is Kaida Sakurai and it looks like you and I make Team 6. I'll later inform Hokage-sama about it, now we can get to know each other better. And training in between will help us both." And with that we started training on the training grounds 21. I found out she was good at Kenjutsu, but was also a sensor. She used to be an ANBU and is twenty-five years old. I told her about Iwa and about my parents and what I specialized in, which is basically Kenjutsu and Taijutsu with the touch of my not-yet used poisons.

"Poison?" I nodded and stopped my kick and blocker her punch. She also stopped our spar and I took a scroll out of my pouch and summoned four 0,5 liter glasses. "The first one is made of Abrin, a very toxic stuff I get from the insides of seeds of rosary peas. I grind it into fine powder, which has a yellowish-white color and then add water to make it into a better condition for usage. I can then polish my sword's blade with the poison and then use it. Two strikes at vital organs and they're as good as dead. It's very effective, and it slowly stops cells to work. Which means if you hit the lungs, it'd kill them off and the lungs would slowly stop working." I explained and wrote the name Abrin onto the glass. She stared at me and then clapped her hands together, like she finally got something.

"Oh! Now I understand it! You could be a great medic if you'd specialize yourself for medical jutsu." I sweatdropped at first, but shook my head about the medical part. "Why not?"

"I've got quite the chakra reserves and I still struggle to have a nice chakra control. I'd need perfect control over it to use medical Ninjutsu, which I don't have. I do train my control with the usual exercises like tree-walking and water-walking, even the one to stick a leave to your forehead. I think I actually reached the point, where I won't be able to refine it." She nodded thoughtful expression on her face and it once more made me sweat-drop. "Then it means, my help won't do much…Okay, then I'll train your Kenjutsu and sensor abilities. I know for a fact that you're probably going to catch onto it quickly. Hokage-sama did tell me about you being a smart girl." I just gave her an indifferent look and then she looked at the other three bottles on the ground, next to the one with Abrin inside.

"What about the other three?" she asked and I shrugged. "Abrin is the only one I won't use since it doesn't exist a cure for it, and it's the most poisonous one of these. The more the person gets it into their system, the quicker the person will die. It kills for certain," I said. I sealed the four glasses away and we walked back to Konoha, which was as lively as ever. "Be at grounds 21 at 7 am. We'll train for some hours and then have break, only to train even harder after it. This is going to be for a week, then we'll start having missions. Mostly D-Rank, and if I think you need teamwork training, I will arrange that you'll be doing missions with other teams that consist of your generation. See you!" and with that she was nowhere to be seen. I sighed and nodded to no one in particular and walked around Konoha and somehow finding myself walking past the Yamanaka Flower Shop. I sighed once more and entered. "Hello!" Ino's mother greeted and I smiled at her. "Hello Ms. Yamanaka," I nodded,

and she already made her way to give me the ones I always take. "The usual?" I nodded and she arranged them, and then gave it to me. I took my wallet out, but she chuckled and waved her hands in a dismissing way. "No need, dear. You're a regular and almost buys the most flowers. Tell me…Is it for a special person?" I nodded with a sad smile. "That baka was like a brother to me," I snorted lightly and then I put my wallet away, bowing my head. "Thank you very much," she waved me off and I walked to Shisui's grave. I placed the flowers down, taking the old ones and throwing into the river under the cliff. "Shisui-baka!" I snorted sadly and hoped he'd just pop out from somewhere and make some lame jokes.

"What do you call a cow with no legs?" I asked into thin air. "Ground beef," I snickered and then slapped my forehead. "Shisui you affected me too much, I sounded just like you that moment." I muttered and then walked to the gravestone.

"I was put into a team with Mei and Hiro, our sensei being Kaida Sakurai, but the two failed the point of the test and now she's only my sensei. Even if I did dislike both of my teammates, I'd have eventually accepted them, but now I don't even have teammates. Oh, I also succeeded in making some deadly poison. It's probably better than the puppet master Sasori's poison." I said, but then just remained silent for half an hour, until I went home. I think I saw a blur of blonde hair, which was probably Naruto. My stomach growled and I walked to Ichiraku's. I sometimes ate ramen, it wasn't really that great, nor was it bad. I saw Naruto and quickly sat down next to him.

"Yo, Naruto!" I smirked and ordered some miso ramen. "Shinku-chan! You won't believe me, what we're going to do tomorrow with the teme and Sakura-chan!" he slurped the ramen down and I blinked. "Some training of sorts. My team had one too and only I didn't fail. Now I don't have any teammates and just have Kaida-sensei," I sighed and he stared at me. "Really!?" I nodded and told him what happened. "So you saw our sensei!?" I nodded once more and then massaged my temples. I couldn't deal with a loud Naruto for a long period of time.

"Kaida-sensei said he wanted me on his team, but it looked like my sensei totally beat him to leave. She's quite cool, but strange. Like that baka," I muttered the last part, baka meaning Shisui. "Like who?" Naruto asked, as he clearly heard me. "Oh…Agh, forget it. Good luck for tomorrow through," with that I paid my bill and went to my apartment. I grunted and went under the shower, letting my hair loose. I leaned my back onto the tilled wall and let the hot water pour over my head.

"I know he'd kill me for being all depressed. But it can't be helped. And I still need to keep the promise I made and the goal I have to achieve. For which I'll need a plan. And I still will need to help the damn ass named Neji," I mumbled and later went to bed.

A month later, with many D-Ranked missions done and training harder than before, Kaida-sensei told me, I'd go with some team to a C-Rank. **'We should be glad, if it's not the Wave Mission, where Haku and Zabuza appear.'** Rational-self said and I internally agreed. I walked into the mission room and stared at a back, and of course at Team 7. "I just jinxed myself," I grunted and just nodded to Tazuna. "Hello Team 7," I smirked and threw my arm around Naruto's shoulders. "Did you already miss me?" I teased and Naruto blushed slightly, then looked away. "No! Believe it!" he shouted and I faked depression. "B-But…I thought we w-were friends…" he froze and then hurriedly apologized, making me wave my hands in a defensive manner.

"It's okay Naruto, I was just playing around." I said and he sighed a breath of relief. Tazuna pointed at me and stared at Kakashi-sensei. "Such a weak girl will protect me!?" I froze, and I noticed Naruto freezing for a moment and watching me. I got into a dark, very dangerous aura and glared at the bridge-builder. My hair was waving around in the air, without the help of any wind.

"Did you say anything?" I asked and put my hand on the handle of my katana. He shook his head furiously and I smirked, satisfying. "Good." I nodded and the others sweatdropped.

"Oh and Shinku?" Hokage-sama asked. I turned my face sideways to have a look at him. "Hmm?" I mumbled. He chuckled and threw me a scroll. "Something you asked Kaida for. It's for your poison," he informed me and I know for a fact that my eyes were probably shining like stars.

"She's the best! Thank you Hokage-sama!" I bowed and summoned the plants and other things, going through it right at the spot, sitting Indian-style. I gaped at the contest and sealed it back away. "Why'd would a brat like you need poison?" Tazuna asked me. I smirked evilly and winked. "I'm a ninja, specializing in Kenjutsu, in other words swordplay. I sometimes use poison to knock my opponents out. And the stuff she just brought me is better than I managed to get!" I exclaimed and then got a thoughtful look. "Still…That idiot of a sensei getting me this is…" I mumbled and the others sweatdropped. I just dropped the subject and went home to get ready for the trip.

I changed into my usual wear, packed some things and placed my katana on my back. I put bandages over my eyes and meditated, stocking my chakra reserves up for the upcoming events. I looked and saw I still had ten minutes and bought flowers for Shisui's grave. I started running towards it in a not really fast speed as someone called my surname. I looked around and stared at the Uchiha Sasuke himself. "Where are you going? We have to be at the gates in five more minutes." He said in a cold, emotionless voice. He then glanced at my flowers, which I then hid behind me.

"The only thing that is that way are the Uchiha Compounds," he stated almost in an angry voice. I rubbed the bridge of my nose and turned to the direction I was going. "State your purpose," he ordered. I slowly turned, and glared at him coldly. Even if he didn't notice from my bandages. "Going to the Naka River. And don't order me around," I snarled and he took a step back, taken aback. I sprinted off before he said some more bullshit.

As I placed the flowers down, I felt like I was being watched. I concentrated and tried to sense anyone nearby. I could sense someone, but he/she was at the end of my sensing reach. Sighing, I ran to the gates of Konoha, finding out that I was late, but earlier than Kakashi. "You're late!" Naruto and Sakura screamed. I groaned and mumbled 'idiots' under my breath. "No shit…I got lost in the path of life," I said and Naruto and Sakura mumbled about me being a second Kakashi with the skills of making excuses.

"Naruto, you ready for some action?" I asked, smirking. "Hell yeah, believe it!" we high-fived each other and Tazuna had a worried aura around him now. "Um, Shinku?" Sakura asked and I turned my head to her. "Hm?" I knew for a fact that she seemed nervous, but why was the question. "What happened to your team? Weren't you, Mei and Hiro teamed up?" she asked hesitantly and I sighed.

"We had a similar test like yours. Both of them, meaning Hiro and Mei teaming up and trying to make me fail, even as I wanted to team up with both of them. They tried to attack me, but I was quick and sprinted to sensei which knew of their plans. I gave my answer for the test and was right. She gave both Hiro and Mei another chance, which they failed in every way possible." I said and I seemed to be quite interesting, since I could feel Sasuke listening to us. "So why are you here then?" she asked, becoming somewhat more daring and her voice getting stronger.

"Because in a team of two, meaning me and sensei, I don't get enough experience of teamwork. And I'll need it, if I ever want to get Jonnin or Anbu level." At that Tazuna snorted. "Simple civilians can't know much, don't get so cocky bridge-builder." He stayed silent and I was starting to get annoyed of the fact that I didn't know how he reacted. I took my bandages off and made sure that my Genjutsu is intact.

"You're quite loud for a simple Gennin," he taunted and I smirked. "Want to test in how many ways one simple Gennin like me can kill you?" Tazuna shuttered as did Naruto and Sakura, I could see Sasuke smirking as well. "Shinku, your sadist is coming up." Naruto told me weakly and I grinned. "Oh? So you still remember the time, when we were ten and Kiba and I-" he hurriedly placed his hands on my mouth, making a tick-mark appear on my forehead. "Shhh! Not near Sakura-chan!" he whined and I frowned, swatting his hands away. "Forget her. I know someone who is really cute, strong and likes you." I said and Naruto scowled, unwilling to forget Sakura. "Who?" he still asked. I almost face-palmed and I swear it made me just angry at him. My hair turned to become lively, a dark expression crossing my face and I weakly glared at Naruto. He shrunk under my gaze. "If you still didn't notice her, I can't help." I mumbled and just turned away. I heard Naruto release a breath and I glared at him from the corner, making him robot-style turn to me with pale face.

"Hm," I muttered and took a scroll out, where I actually wrote in English. I wrote down to help Hinata in getting Naruto to like her. Soon Kakashi-sensei came and we started our way. I listened to their conversations and kept tab of some things. They soon came to the point of which lands have ninja villagers and Kage.

"Shinku…Iwagakure is a ninja village and has the Tsuchikage. How was it there?" Sakura asked and the other paid much attention.

"Rocky? I don't know…I left at seven after the attack. I was mostly at home with my mother. My training was more important and when they died, I saw the Tsuchikage for the first time. He's an old geezer, cold and calculating. Nothing like the Hokage. Konoha is far better, and more peaceful." I said in an 'I couldn't care less' tone.

"A village full of shinobi attacked?" Tazuna asked disbelievingly and I clenched my fists into my long sleeves. "Such villages get often attacked. And not just from other villages that want power and control. That time, when I was seven, a rogue ninja with a passion for bombing attacked. Iwa had quite some places to rebuild afterwards. And he was only thirteen." I said coldly. Tazuna stared at me for a moment and Kakashi nodded. "I heard of that too," he mumbled and I sighed, massaging my temples.


	9. Team 7 and Waves Arc

Shinku: What do I need to do exactly?

Author: *face-palms* I explained it three times already. What's so complicated to it?

Shinku: *eye-twitch* Well, why do I need to read this? *points at the paper*

Kaida-sensei: Because Author-san said so. Now don't disrespect her, or do you want extra-hard training? *chuckles evilly*

Shinku: *scared for a second, before nodding* 'Kay...*reads* Author-san-

Author: *cough* -sama *cough, cough*

Shinku: *irk-mark* Author...-sama doesn't own Naruto or any characters except me and sensei.

Author: Was it so hard? *smirks*

Shinku: *dark look and hair flaring around her angrily* Hmm...

Author: *steps back* Ehehehe...You know I was just teasing...*steps back once more*

Shinku: _Shinra Tensei!_ *blows Author away*

Kaida-sensei: Her own fault. *nodding to herself* Shinku! You have training and missions to do! *bossy mode*

Shinku: *anime-cries* Nooooooo!

After some time, we walked pass a puddle. I sharply looked at Kakashi, and he just gave an eye-smile back. He fell behind us and they attacked. As Sasuke did his part, I body-flickered in front of Naruto, with my katana in front of me. I blocked the rogue's claws and got a pole out of my sleeve, impaling it into his shoulder. He stumbled back and Kakashi appeared behind him and the other rogue. He took hold of them and he roped them against a tree. I already took the pole back (the ones Pain uses as well) and put it back. I knew for a fact that I didn't hit a vital point and bandaged the rogue up.

"How did you read our movements?" the other one asked, but he kept an eye on me. I nodded and then stood up, stepping behind Kakashi. I knew the rogue's were brothers and I couldn't kill someone with his or her brother/sister near. It was against my will.

"There was a puddle even after it didn't rain in weeks, it was obvious." Kakashi said and the other three Gennin looked shameful as they actually didn't notice it. He then went on about Tazuna lying to us and we started walking off. "I think I forgot something," I said and hurried back to the two rogues. "Make it quick!" Kakashi-sensei said and I just ran to the two rogue.

The one I didn't stab glared at me and I bowed. "I'm sorry I hurt your brother," then I straightened up. He still gave me glares and I looked at his passed out brother. I bit my lip and cut the ropes, making them free. "Take your brother and tend to his wound. I didn't hit any vital points." He nodded and took his brother, but before he left, he turned to me with an unreadable expression. "Thanks, brat." With that I hurried after Team 7.

As we reached the ocean, we sit down into the small boat. I sat next to Naruto and I just listened most of the time. Soon it got foggy and after some time I could see the bridge. "Oi, Naruto. Can you already see the bridge?" I mumbled and he shook his head. "No," I frowned and just focused on what I should do about Zabuza and Haku later.

"Wow! It's huge!" Naruto shouted after minutes, bringing me out of my thoughts. I elbowed him and made the sign to be silent and he nodded. We arrived and the one that drove us here, just hurried away with his boat. I could already sense someone in my radius and glanced into the forest. As we walked, Naruto did what he did in the anime and I stepped to Kakashi. "There's someone. I can sense him or her," I said in a low voice and he nodded. After Naruto almost killing the white rabbit, Kakashi shouted: "Get down!" I pulled Tazuna and Sakura with me to the ground. I could feel the blade sail over us and stuck into a tree. I straightened up and stepped forward.

"If it isn't Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi taunted and I could feel his nervousness reach me. Then everything turned like canon and I just entered here and there. Haku made his appearance and then as he was gone, Kakashi started falling. I body-flickered in front of him and I swear he was heavy!

"Overusing the Sharingan affects you, sensei." I told him and he just drifted off. "Kakashi-sensei!" his team said and hurried to me. "He's exhausted. Overusing his eye was bad enough and it affects his body. I'll carry him if you don't mind," they nodded and Sasuke gave me a skeptical, an almost accusing look. We made our way to Tazuna's house and I placed Kakashi-sensei down, tending his injuries. His daughter helped me and then we took a rest. "Tomato! It's your turn!" Sakura shouted and I sighed, taking my stuff with me into the bathroom. I stripped and stood under the hot running water. I had my hair in two buns and showered, thinking about the upcoming fight.

"Amaterasu needs to talk to me if I can…" I didn't wanted to finish the sentence and just looked at my palms. After a while I dried myself and put short black short on and a soft yellow colored shirt. I let my hair loose and combed it, but it still stood out in some places. They reached my hips and were soft, which is surprising since I didn't really took care of it like Sakura or other girls in my class.

I exited the room and stopped in the middle of the hall, looking at Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto was as red as a tomato, Sasuke had pink cheeks and Sakura just stood there, almost like a harpy wanting to claw your eyes out of your face. "What?" I asked, annoyed with the situation. Sasuke and Naruto turned sideways, giving a glance at me. Sakura just jealously glanced from my face to my chest. I looked down and sighed. _'I was a teen as I died the first time, puberty and the hormones are annoying.'_ I thought, slightly annoyed.

*No one's POV*

_'I didn't notice how pretty she actually is,'_ thought Naruto as he glanced at the red haired girl in front of them. _'Wow. She's hot…Wait, why am I thinking this!?'_ Sasuke scolded himself and decided to take a shower next. Shinku sighed and brushed her loose hair sideways. "Whatever," she murmured and went to their room. All four of them were going to be in one room, but luckily it was big enough for them all. Sasuke went into the bathroom, leaving Sakura and Naruto standing there in the hallway.

He glanced at the pink kunoichi and just sighed. _'Sakura-chan only thinks about the teme,'_ he thought and went downstairs. Sakura still jealous about the fact that she previously didn't notice, how Shinku actually has a good appearance and a more developed body, decided to rather be the sweet and smart one of them both. _'Ha! I'm gonna be smarter and sweeter than her! And then Sasuke-kun will notice me too, cha!'_ Sakura thought determined. After a while, she went into their room, to find Shinku already sleeping. At least so she thought.

Shinku was sitting on the roof of the house and hummed a song to herself, and watched the stars and moon being reflected in the ocean. She was smiling slightly, a real one, the ones that came hardly on her face after even Itachi left. _'I knew he'd leave, and Shisui's death too. It's my own fault, I could've acted before Amaterasu told me not to,'_ Shinku thought and heard someone approaching. The chakra felt somewhat dark and she instantly knew who was coming towards her spot.

"What are you doing on the roof? Weren't you sleeping in our room?" Sasuke's voice asked behind her. He stopped walking somewhat behind her, at the right. "I could ask you the same question. I'm stargazing, and to answer your latter question…Doing simple Shadow Clones easily fools people that aren't sensor or Jonnin or higher." She simply shrugged. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, not that she noticed, but she did feel him staring at her. "I'll gouge your eyes out," she warned and he averted her. "Hn, I simply needed fresh air." He answered and sat down, a bit moved away so that both had enough space. "Or you tried to sleep and Sakura got too near for comfort. I don't get it…" Shinku said and Sasuke glanced at her. "Hn, maybe. But what do you don't get?" he asked and she turned to him, deadpanned.

"I don't get what's so special to you," she stated and the young Uchiha was slightly surprised. Then he smirked. "You're acting. Every girl likes me," he countered and her eyes then glinted with mischief for a second. Shinku gave him one of her own smirks. "No they don't. First, neither I nor Hinata like you. Second, what is there to like on you? I do admit you look rather handsome, but that's not that damn important. Naruto, Kiba and also Shikamaru are on their own handsome. Third, your personality is shit. I'd prefer someone with a clearer mind, with a path he's willing to take and be able to suffer to protect others. He shouldn't be loud and talkative like Naruto or Kiba, and he also shouldn't be lazy like Shikamaru. All in all, I want someone who's clearly nothing like you. You're rather handsome, very arrogant, foggy minded and you have the wrong attitude." She said and he glared at the end at Shinku.

"You've got high expectations for someone like yourself. You clearly aren't ugly, I admit. But you're overprotective, secretive, you choose your words appropriately, kind of smart, not weak and strange." Shinku stared at him and he noticed the pain in her eyes that came to the surface. He was starting to think that she really was a fan-girl as she finally reacted. She snorted and then started laughing out. He stared at her strangely and she wiped some tears away. She had that grin on her face that she happened to copy from Shisui. "I'm really becoming like him," her grin fell and a sad/nostalgic smile was left.

"Like who?" Sasuke asked, carefully covering his curiosity, but he wanted to know more about her. It was since he caught her walking towards where the Uchiha once lived with the flowers that his curiosity was piqued. She glanced at him, a sad yet happy glint in the Genjutsu covered eyes. "Someone great." Was her only reply. They sat there in silence for a while, until a certain Jonnin joined them.

"Oh? You two love-birds should take your rest," his statement got a glare from Sasuke, but he had pink cheeks. And Shinku just gave him a 'Really? I couldn't care less' stare. Sighing she stood up, as did Sasuke. "Like I would like that emo/redhead," both said in sync and then glared at each other. Shinku closed her eyes in irritation and turned to Kakashi instead. "You're reading Icha Icha, you're just getting the things confused. We weren't making out, having a love conversation or any of that shit. You're a pervert and a big one at that, Kaka-baka." Shinku's words sank quickly in both the Uchiha's and Kakashi's head. Kakashi looked sheepishly away, scratching his cheek and Sasuke had a flushed face.

Shinku dispelled her shadow clone and walked back to their room with Sasuke in tow. "How do you know what's the contest of the book he reads?" he suddenly asked and she smirked. "Jiraiya a Sannin is the author of it. He's famous for being the biggest pervert in the Elemental Nations. Just like Tsunade for being a big loser in gambling. But both are powerful." The young redhead told him, laying down and covering herself. Sasuke glanced at her and sighed. "Hn," he mumbled as he couldn't admit, she had quite the knowledge. His curiosity was under control now, and the anger he felt as he saw her walking towards the Uchiha's lands was drifting away.

He looked at her more relaxed, unguarded facial features. _'She is pretty strange for a girl not fawning over me,'_ he thought and glanced at Sakura, shuttering and moving closer to the wall, away from the pinkette.


	10. First Success

Shinku woke up the next morning annoyed. Naruto unconsciously hugged her in their sleep, and she was woken up by Sakura making a strange sound. She needed to get out of Naruto's grasp and with the help of Sasuke, since Sakura didn't want to, got free and somehow waking Naruto in between up. He went on about ramen and all, and when Kakashi woke up later, he told them about the hunter-nin not being a real one, and in reality helping Zabuza. When they had breakfast, Kakashi said he'd train them. So she found herself watching Kakashi walk up the tree, using his chakra

Sakura needed to explain to Naruto, what chakra is and Kakashi threw kunais to all of the Gennin feet.

"You're going to do this, until you get the hang of it." They all picked up the kunais and Naruto and Sasuke sprinted to the tree. Shinku glanced at Sakura and noticed her sitting on a branch. Kakashi clapped his hands together and eye-smiled.

"Well it looks like the girl from our Team is the nearest to becoming Hokage. And it looks like the Uchiha Clan wasn't that strong," he taunted and both boys got angry, and Sakura tried to not get even more disliked by her crush. Kakashi's eyes or rather eye turned to Shinku, who was looking unimpressed by everything. "What about you Shinku? You're too scared to even try? Or you just don't want to embarrass Kaida's teaching skills in front of me?"

Shinku's eyes hardened, but she just glanced at the silver-haired man and then sighed. "I can already do that," she stated, surprising Kakashi. Sakura snorted and giggled to look sweet. "Yeah right! Prove it, useless." Sakura said and it was one hell of a mistake. Kakashi only blinked and saw Shinku having her katana unsheathed and leaned onto the pinkette's neck. "You're forgetting who's stronger. One advice: do not wake sleeping dogs," with that Shinku sheathed her katana in its sheath and walking slowly down the tree. All of the members of Team 7 got on edge.

Naruto and Sasuke stopped as they heard what Sakura called Shinku. Naruto got nervous, since he knew how the redhead became after being called weak, underestimated or called something similar. And useless was on that list you shouldn't tell. And when Sasuke felt Naruto's nervousness he turned to Shinku and seeing her katana out for the first time. And it was placed against Sakura's neck. As both boys silently watched the redhead walking down while using chakra to not fall straight into the ground.

Kakashi was surprised that he didn't hear any sound of Shinku moving, or rather not hearing the katana being unsheathed and her movements. He watched as she said some words to Sakura and heard them. He could hear and almost feel the threat in it, and he actually himself became nervous. He believed she wouldn't be able to defeat him since he was a Jonnin and she merely a Gennin, but his guts told me to take the piece of advice she gave Sakura.

And Sakura couldn't even try to breathe, and took a small breath as Shinku touched the ground. She was petrified and knew not to joke with the redhead. There was that one accident still playing off in her memories. She remembered Shinku using her katana for shuriken-throwing practice, which Shinku sucked at. A bully of the redhead joked about her having no ninja talent if she can't do such simple things, and in no time the young redhead cut his long hair away with her katana. It even left a scratch at his ear for a warning not to joke with her.

"Shinku, please refrain from killing one of our teammates. If you try again, I'll punish you." Kakashi said with a calm and composed tone in his voice. Shinku merely nodded and rested her back against a nearby rock. "Still her own damn fault," Kakashi heard her mumble. He turned his gaze to Sakura and couldn't deny the fact it was her fault for provoking Shinku. "And you, Sakura…Don't insult people so drastically," he had an almost bored tone, but Sakura nodded hesitantly glancing to the redhead.

_'But she's such a show-off in front of Sasuke-kun! And she didn't help much at the fight with Zabuza!'_ she thought angrily, but still fearing that if she said this out loud, her blood would be found on Shinku's katana. As if reading her mind, Shinku looked at her with cold eyes and irritated. "I would never let any of your blood being spilled onto my katana. It's too clean for that and I don't want your blood on it, it's making me sick." Kakashi and Sakura stared at the former Iwa-villager, shocked.

"Agh, Shinku…How come I didn't hear you making a sound indicating on your sudden movements?" Kakashi-sensei asked her. Shinku glanced at him uninterested and covered her eyes with bandages. "Body-Flicker Technique," she just stated, missing the shocked/taken aback look of Kakashi.

"It's a jutsu from Konoha, who taught you that?" his voice had suspiciousness in and Shinku glared into the blackness of the bandages. "When I was still more or less new in Konoha, a certain baka demonstrated and explained it. He was known from this jutsu," it was enough for the Jonnin to figure it out.

His eyes widened and he stared at the red-head that was trying to meditate. _'She couldn't mean Shisui Uchiha…!? He's the only one that was known as Shisui of the Body Flicker,'_ Kakashi thought bewildered. He studied the girl that reminded him of Kushina for a while and Sakura just watched Sasuke train.

*A week later – Shinku's POV*

I sometimes noticed Kakashi studying me with analyzing eyes and it was getting on my nerves. _'I told him one damn thing and he sees me in a different light? I guess he's a troublesome person after all,'_ I thought irritated. I was prepared for battle and had a plan to protect Zabuza and Haku. But I didn't have a real reason, an excuse or explanation for Kakashi and the Hokage if they ever ask me why.

We walked towards the bridge and I made a Shadow Clone, which appeared in the near forest. _'I hope it goes as planned,'_ I thought nervously and prayed to no god in particular to let this change slide.

As we neared it, I sensed the fog being full of chakra, meaning it was caused by Zabuza. "Sensei, he's here. That's the Mist jutsu he uses," I informed Kakashi and he nodded. We arrived and found the workers lying on the floor, unconscious. "Not dead," I stated and waited for Zabuza and Haku to come out of hiding.

As they came, I sensed my Clone standing on the water next to the bridge and waiting for the perfect time. Zabuza got into a fight with Kakashi, and Sasuke into a fight with Haku. I felt my clone make another Shadow Clone for the plan. I guarded Tazuna meanwhile with Sakura. "Now I do feel pathetic, I'll get some action." I said and before anyone could object, I body-flickered into Haku's jutsu, where Sasuke was trapped. I dodged the sudden senbon aimed for Sasuke and they fell to the ground.

"Shinku! What are you doing, he's mine!" Sasuke glowered and I glanced at him, giving him a mini glare. "Tch, he's got a Kekkei Genkai. Ice Release and he's also really fast. And he uses senbon," I said and he growled. "I know! Now get out of here!" he was getting angry. I shook my head and as I observed, Haku was observing me as well. I hoped I was fast enough to get him.

I sensed senbon being thrown my way and I body-flickered to Sasuke, trying to dodge the senbon thrown at him, but some hit me. I grunted as one senbon I didn't see hit me into the arm. I could dodge and sidestep the senbon since I was flexible, Sasuke had no such luck. And neither did I, since I then took some senbon and I tried to have a Taijutsu fight with Haku, but he just took two or three hits and went back into the mirrors. As the time came I body-flickered out of the ice column and managed to lurk Haku out for some time. I grabbed him and body-flickered him and myself, where my clones were.

As he was trying to get out of my grasp, I just said what I had in mind. "Damn it, I'm trying to help you and Zabuza you idiot!" and whacked him over the head. "Just make a clone of yourself and put most of your chakra into it, please." I pleaded and I knew he was suspicious. "I don't mean harm…I'll explain it to you, please." After that he did as said and his clone went off to fight Sasuke, and that's when one of my clones went also back.

"Thank you," I smiled and noticed he was very tense. "What are your intentions?" I sighed and ran a hand through my already messy hair. "I know what's going to happen. You will need to take a fatal blow for Zabuza and die. After that he would let himself get killed by Gato's men, but not before killing that bastard. He only used you and planned on betraying both of you," I explained and I felt the disbelief radiating off of him, but there was still something that was making him stay with me for now.

"If we both were killed and Gato also, why would our enemy try to help us? You'd gain from it the most," he stated and I couldn't help but grin cheekily. "Because I like you guys. And we actually don't have a reason to fight if Gato wants to betray you. We actually then have the same enemy and we could be allies of sorts." I said and he took his mask off, making me see a small smile.

"Thank you, but can I trust you?" I thought about it and sensed him becoming uneasy. "Yes, just do as I planned. Your clone will just need to fight with the blonde and black boy, and after the blonde one almost knocks your clone out, the clone will need to protect Zabuza." I told him and he nodded.

"But how do you know what'll happen?" I shrugged with my shoulders and smirked. "I just know, its information you could rely your lives on. Like now," I stated and he sighed. "I hope you're right," with that we were silent, until Naruto came and after Sasuke's supposed death he unleashed a bit of the Kyuubi's chakra.

"W-What power," Haku trembled and I tried not to shake from the intensity. He turned to me and I glanced at him, I couldn't do much. I felt the evil, the hatred, even the pain from the Kyuubi's chakra. And the fact I was a sensor, didn't help the situation. "Are you alright?" I pinched my hand and stopped it. "Yeah, I'm a sensor and it's horrible to actually sense such an amount of powerful chakra," I tried to make him a bit relieved and he just sighed, stopping to tremble.

I sensed Naruto calming and Kakashi's chakra sparking like lightning. I could hear the chirping of Chidori, and I said: "Now!" Me and Haku jumped onto the railing and saw Haku's clone getting killed, but it didn't vanish from it. I was glad, he used enough chakra to make the clone last that long. And after that we hided our chakra and watched silently. As Gato came, Haku's clone turned into water as the bastard kicked his body. I glanced at Haku and he didn't look very affected by it. I made a signal and we jumped in front of Naruto and Zabuza, surprising them.

"Haku!" Naruto yelled and Zabuza stared. Haku smiled and I grinned. "Thank me later for it," I said cockily and on Zabuza's forehead a tick-mark appeared. "H-How!? You were-" Naruto ranted and I stopped him. "Since Gato is now against Zabuza and Haku, we could become allies and take care of them together." I offered and Haku nodded without waiting for Zabuza, making me inwardly smirk. _'He's getting more independent, not like a lost puppy trailing behind him.'_ I remarked in my mind and rational-self cracked a smirk. **'More like a shadow,' **she corrected me and I just grinned.

We then proceeded to fight Gato and his men, winning of course. It was a one-sided fight, with us beating them into the ground. They fled and Zabuza accidently killed Gato, because Kakashi said we'd have to bring Gato to Konoha and imprison him.

Kakashi exchanged a few words with Zabuza as Sakura finally stopped crying from joy. And it was Haku's fault. I was sitting on the railing and he was standing next to me.

"You could have said something better than 'don't worry, he's just unconscious and he won't die that easy'. Look at what you did," I pointed at Sakura, which was staring at Sasuke's face, still tears in her eyes. I looked over to Haku only to see him have a sheepish expression.

"I didn't know how she'd react. I don't have much experience with girls like her," he confessed and I stared at him, making him uncomfortable. I smirked. "Girls like her? I think you don't have experience in that subject at all." His face got red and I snickered. "Don't worry, you're quite handsome for looking like a girl. I think some girls like that," with that he tackled he to the ground and we rolled over, once he on top of me and the next moment, me towering over him. He was kind of angry, but mostly embarrassed so I openly laughed at his state.

"Ha! Someone like you is embarrassed! Hahahahaa…" it was a laugh, I didn't experience much. Whenever I was happy, I had that feeling of guilt wash over me. That was since the baka's death. He just pouted and we stood up, dusting ourselves off. We felt gazes on us and turned to look at staring Kakashi and Zabuza.

"What?" I asked irritably and they sweat-dropped. Sighing, I walked to them and listened in. "So, how did you know that Gato would betray us? And how did you know that Haku would have sacrificed himself?" Zabuza asked me and I guarded my expression. Shrugging with my shoulders and looked at the ocean.

"I just simply do. I follow my instincts most of the time, and my instincts are pretty good." I explained as vaguely as I could. They didn't buy it, but knew better than to force information out of me. I was too stubborn for my own good.

Kakashi didn't even bother to try asking me, but I'm not sure why. We stayed there for a week, waiting for the bridge to be built. We made a deal with Zabuza and Haku that they could stay in the Waves peacefully, but they'd need to protect the villagers. They surprisingly agreed and I felt satisfied that I changed something for the better. _'I could've just done something like that for Shisui and the massacre wouldn't even happened. He died, me not doing anything about it…'_ I thought and rational-self stayed silent.

I wasn't crying, even if I barely kept the tears from falling. I was laying in my sleeping-bag under the bright stars in a forest near Konoha. I and Team 7 didn't rest much the time going back to the Leaf, so we took our time to sleep now. I could sense Kakashi keeping watch for enemies and letting us sleep, but I couldn't. Not that I got much sleep anyway, after his death I sometimes had nightmares or couldn't even sleep.

I think Kakashi didn't notice me being restless, and so I just acted like I was sleeping. My thoughts sometimes went to Itachi and I wondered, if he'd still be like before. I knew he'd come back to Konoha for Naruto and that they'd fail to take him. I thought about how it would have been, if I stopped Danzo and the massacre wouldn't have happened.

_'I couldn't protect Shisui, and I can't protect Itachi now, what good am I?'_ it was one of the many thoughts in my head, until we then got up and went to Konoha. Naruto was being loud, making Sakura annoyingly complaining about him, and Sasuke was just being the quiet jerk he is and always is going to be, but…It's my fault that he's like that.

I was quiet most of the time, only answering questions from Naruto, and ignoring Sakura's. I just smirked to myself as she fumed and tried to glare down on me (I was sadly shorter for three or four inches).


	11. Sand Siblings

Kakashi just disappeared to give the report to the Hokage, leaving me with the rest of Team 7. Then something hit me (not literary). **'Yes, it's only a week or more until the Chunnin Exams.'** Rational-self noted and I glared into the distance. _'Orochimaru is going to get his ass kicked,'_ I smirked internally.

"It was quite eventful…I'll see you guys another time," I grinned and Naruto tried to get me back, with offering ramen. I declined and hurried to the Yamanaka shop for flowers. Ino was leaning against the counter and staring off into space.

"Hello Ino," I greeted and she just sighed. "Freak," she mumbled. "The usual?" I just nodded and waited where she was leaning on before. I placed the money on the table and watched her making the bouquet.

"Where were you? You didn't come here for almost a month," she started a little forced. _'She really has nothing to do…Well at least she tries to be friendly,'_ I thought and smiled at her back. "I was on a mission to the Land of Waves with Team 7, Sakura's team." And that's when she turned and stared at me. "You were with Sasuke-kun!?" she shouted and I nodded, regretting telling her about it.

"It was a simple C-Rank mission, at the beginning…But our client was targeted by a powerful man, which made the mission later into an A-Rank and the famous Zabuza Momochi was our enemy." I explained with a strained smile. As she took the money and gave the flowers to me, she had a jealous glint in her eyes.

"It's already unfair for Forehead to be on his team! Why did they need _you_ with them?" she asked rudely and I had the urge to pinch my forearm to remain calm. _'She thinks I'm weak…'_ was playing in my head, but my rational-self calmed me down from taking action against it. "My sensei wanted me to see how teamwork works. The mission was…Eventful and I got plenty of the needed experience." I turned to leave as she sighed, defeated.

"I just hope for you that you didn't get near Sasuke-kun," she threatened and I smirked over my shoulder. "Don't worry about me stealing him from you, Sakura's the main threat." And I just body-flickered out onto the streets of Konoha, making my way to Shisui's gravestone near the cliff. As I finally stopped, I stared at the one flower on it. It was the one Itachi always brought, and it was still fresh. I hastily turned right to left, trying to sense anyone, but to no wail. _'I'm alone…'_ I thought bitterly and bit my bottom lip. I placed the bouquet down and sat there for some hours.

"Shisui-baka…" I muttered and clenched my sleeves into my fists and punched a tree as I slowly went back to my apartment, making the tree break and fall over. As I came into my home, I just stared at the dust.

As I finished cleaning my apartment, it was dark outside. I changed into some more comfortable clothing, meaning black leggings, a white tank top reaching to my stomach and a brown jacket, which was opened. I did some laps around the village and then trained my Kenjutsu and Taijutsu. When I was already tired, I rested for some minutes and almost fell asleep if Kaida-sensei didn't come.

"Oh? My little student is pushing her limits," she smiled and I grinned tiredly back. "Hello Sensei. I need to thank you for the herbs you gave me," I thanked her, as it was still in my memory. "No need. I heard of your…Let's say very eventful mission," she started and I sweat-dropped. _'I knew it wasn't just me thinking that way,'_ I thought.

"Yeah…Quite eventful indeed…You probably heard it from Kakashi-sensei or read the report, but it was a success in the end. And I can get a clear picture of teamwork, even if I'm not that great." I said and she smirked. "Well that's my fault for your lack of experience in teamwork, but we cover it with spars and hard training with me. Want to have a bit of a training now?" she asked, full of mischief and hope. I gulped, but nodded in the end.

After the training, I felt really sore and my chakra reserves were on its limits. Kaida-sensei looked sheepish as the nurse scolded her for training me that much. Yeah…I was dead tired and landed in the hospital from my chakra-loss. A medical-nin came in the morning into my room and transferred some chakra into me, other than that, I just had to rest for a day.

It was strange laying there and staring out of the window. I fell asleep after an hour from my lack of rest.

I woke up with some sweat rolling down my temples. I just had that nightmare of how Danzo took Shisui's eye away and how Shisui blamed me and then commits suicide. **'It's not truly our fault,' **rational-self stated sadly and it was one of the rarest moments for me to not agree with her/or rather my other self.

I stood up and walked into the bathroom, taking a shower and grabbing my clothes and dressing up. I looked at the clock and it was 4 PM, which meant I slept for longer than usual. Sighing, I got my other stuff and jumped out of the window and making a flip, landing soundlessly at the ground and I shot off to training grounds 21. It was a surprise, when I saw some team training there. And it was just my luck that it were the Sand Siblings.

"Who are you?" a monotonous voice asked me and I turned to the shadows of the forest, where I saw a redhead. _'He's cuter than in the anime,'_ I fan-girled inside, but just smirked. "You're on my team's training grounds. And you're not from Konoha, it's probably you who should introduce first." The normal atmosphere turned to tense and chilly. I felt Temari and Kankuro's chakra panicking and they also tensed.

"O-Oi, you girly! You better watch what you're saying to us, we could just beat you." Kankuro stated, probably thinking of just trying to get me away and not let Gaara kill me. I sensed the One-Tailed and I focused on its chakra, when I found myself in the blink of my eyes in front of his cage

"Shukaku-san," I bowed and the beast stared at me as I straightened up. **"Brat,"** he grumbled and I smiled. He growled and tried to reach me, but I took my Genjutsu off and stared at his claws.

"You should let your container sleep, if he isn't rested one day someone might kill him." I simply received a glare from the beast and I grinned. "You're so grumpy, but Kurama-sama is even worse…" I stated and he looked surprised. I felt another presence join us and I glanced at a very shocked Gaara.

**"Brat, how do you know our names?"** the Ichibi demanded in a low tone, making my grin widen. "I won't tell you," I said in a sing-song voice making him growl. **"Tell me,"** he tried again, sounding intimidating, but I just closed my eyes and grinned like Gin Ichimaru at him. "Nope," as he tried to attack me, I jumped on his arm and ran onto his head and behind the cage. He stared at me, shocked, just like Gaara. As he growled, but didn't do anything against my sitting form on his head, I took it as a 'go on'.

"I just simply do, Shukaku-san. Now, will you let him sleep for at least a day?" I asked too sweet and with a dark aura, making the beast sweat-drop and growl a 'fine' and a 'brat' afterwards. Satisfied I left his domains and went back.

Gaara was staring intensely at me and Kankuro was glaring. "You calling me weak?" I asked immediately and the puppeteer smirked. "You look like one simple punch could kill you," and it was enough provocation for my patience to run out. I simply body-flickered behind him and kicked him in the back of his knee, making him fall on his knees. I let a pole come out of my jacket's sleeve and I held it at his neck, tightly pressed at his throat and he couldn't breathe properly.

"I don't like people testing my patience and underestimating me, puppeteer. You're specialized in mid- to long-range fighting, which makes you weak in short-range." I exclaimed, making Temari and Kankuro shocked. "H-How do you…" Temari mustered out, before I cut her off. "You're from Suna for the Exams. Suna-nin are specialized in weapons usually, like your fan. And there are also puppeteers like this jerk here," I nodded at Kankuro and let him free. As he turned and tried to punch me, I had my pole in both of my hands and he punched it. I didn't feel much of the impact, but his flinch was enough to make me smirk.

"Underestimating your enemies is a death wish, the same with overestimating yourself. You don't want to die a painful and fun death, do you?" I smiled sadistically and I knew I was leaking killing-intent as his body posture became stiff and as he started seating nervously. "I take it as a 'no'. Good, you understand." I nodded and let the pole disappear into my sleeve. I actually had seals on my hands, on each hand two. It was for summoning poles and I really liked looking like Pain and trying to look badass.

I started walking away as Temari asked me something. "A-Are you participating in the Chunnin Exams?" I shrugged and glanced at her over my shoulder. "Maybe. Maybe not," and then I simply went to the grounds in the forest, where I usually trained with my Rinnegan.

I made two Shadow Clones and grinned at them. "You two sparing against me, anything's allowed." With that I was up against two of my clones, and let me tell you, it was a hard time for me. After the training with them, I received their memories and experience, which helped me figuring out my own flaws in fighting.

"My Genjutsu wears out after a while…And it actually takes one quarter of my chakra. And I should work on my speed more, and endurance." With that I trained until sunset. I wasn't using any chakra, not even using my Genjutsu. I was lying on my back, worn out and tired where I used to lay with Shikamaru and Choji. Then I sensed two chakra signatures coming my way, which were all too familiar. 'Speaking of the devil,' rational-self smirked and I internally sighed.

I had my eyes closed and my arm over them, when they reached me. "Shinku, what are you doing here? I thought you were in the hospital again," Shikamaru stated and I got an irk-mark on my forehead. "I don't spend that much time there, you know…I trained a bit too hard and had low chakra reserves, making Kaida-sensei put me in the hospital. Now, doesn't your team have any missions to do?" I smirked as he groaned and both of them sat down near me.

"We just had three D-Rank," Choji said and gave me some chips, which I happily ate. "Mnn, be happy, I just recently went on an A-Ranked one." I mumbled and I could feel Shikamaru smirking. "Yeah, heard of that from Ino. Looks like you had a lot of work? Troublesome," he commented with his weird humor, making me pout.

"You're making fun of my unluckiness. I just had to be with Team 7 and not with your team or Kiba's. It would have been cool with you, Naruto's too loud." I said and got a snicker from Choji. "Like Kiba's any better," Shikamaru stated and all three of us laughed a little. _'But I still protected two lives, and made it impossible for their bodies to be controlled in the fourth ninja war,'_ I thought, grinning to myself.

"I'll see you guys later," I said, waving as I went to my apartment. I took a bath and ate instant ramen. They were really good, but I still don't get how Naruto eats them all day. It gets irritating.

As I finished, I went to bed and just layed there for a while, thinking over things. Over a while it felt like I couldn't breathe and started coughing. It was over as fast as it started and everything around me darkened and it fully consumed me.

I was standing in the uncomfortable white domains of Amaterasu and she was nowhere around this time. I looked around and when I felt a tap on my shoulder, I accidentally almost punched Amaterasu, if it weren't for a weird power letting my fist fall to my sides.

"Guess it's my fault you got scared, ne?" she smiled that usual goddess smile, which was getting to my nerves. **'You're older than twenty now and you still think so childishly,'** my rational-self commented and I felt my temper flare. _'Hah! What are you supposed to be, if you get reborn and get a new chance to experience childhood?'_ I shot back in my mind and I felt Amaterasu pinching me, which made my eye twitch in annoyance.

"What?" I groaned and massaged the spot where she was pinching me. "I was telling you that there are consequences for disobeying us," she said suddenly serious. I narrowed my eyes and felt a sudden headache, making me fall to my knees. "I guess it was our fault for not telling you, but you shouldn't have met Shukaku." She simply said and I glared.

"You can kill me and do anything you want to me, but I'm not some kind of marionette to dance like you want me to. I'm grateful for the second chance and all, even if I didn't want it, but making me obey like a damn dog is just bullshit. Do whatever you want to, Amaterasu-_san_." I said with a cold tone. She sighed and turned her head away to look at something, and when I tried to look over her, she simply stepped into my sight and had a frown.

"I'm sorry, it's not that I want you to be our puppet, but there isn't another way now. You'll need to obey us for the while. And don't disobey, I'm not going to be the one punishing you for it. There are others that would and will, even by a simple mistake you make. Your plans on protecting Sasuke from getting the curse isn't allowed and that's final." She said in a defeating voice and I stared, and as I wanted to get angry there was that headache coming back.

"The headache will go away, but it will come back if you disobey." Amaterasu said and I knew she couldn't do anything else, like she was forced to. _'And I thought she's a damn goddess without being forced to do anything.' _I thought annoyed and rational-self whacked me over the head. **'There is probably a system even in heaven or whatever plane they are living. She's probably a higher-ranked one, but still low enough to obey others. She did say that some gods don't take likings to us.'** Rational-self explained with that all-knowing tone my other self simply had. _'I knew I didn't like you for a reason…'_ I mumbled and she simply ignored my statement all together, like she had other things to worry about.

"Which son of a b*tch is behind this?" I asked and the headache got horrible, making me lay on the floor and roll into a ball. "Shinku, please. Respect us," Amaterasu's voice ringed in my head and then I just woke up in my bed again.

I took a shower and changed into my usual attire. I had a light headache, but simply tried to ignore it. 'You shouldn't have been like that to Amaterasu and the other gods behind this,' rational-self said and I growled under my breath. "I'm in control of myself, not you and certainly not some gods." I mumbled and went to the market, buying food.

"Shinku! Finally we found you."


	12. Pranks

"Shinku! Finally we found you," Kiba shouted from a distance. I turned and watched as Team 8 walked closer. "Hey, why do you need me?" I asked, confused. Kiba grinned and Akamaru barked happily.

"Why? Because you are joining our team for the Chunnin Exams." Shino stated creepily as hell and I shuttered as I noticed two bugs landing on his forehead.

"Oh…" I breathed out. Kiba got an irk-mark and pointed at me.

"Aren't you happy? We're going to kick ass together again!" he declared and I sweat-dropped. Then we both had that mischief in our eyes and we grinned at each other.

"You remember right?" I asked, evil smirk on my face. He nodded, grinning and Akamaru simply whined as he probably figured why we were like that. "S-Shinku? A-Are you o-o-okay?" Hinata asked me and I simply nodded. "Kiba…You think it's time to prank Team 7?" I asked and Kiba grinned evilly.

"Every time, dear Shinku." We both laughed and then got weird looks from the villagers around us. Kiba looked at me questioningly and I shrugged.

We went to my apartment, me just placing the groceries down and then taking some things for the little pranks. We were walking down the road, when we heard shrieks of joy and we turned to a corner.

"Hinata? Can you use your Byakugan to see if it's Sasuke?" I whispered and she nodded, activating her blood-limit. "H-He's walking t-to t-the training g-grounds…" she mumbled and I shared an evil look with Kiba. "Kiba? You know where he lives, right?"

Kiba looks sheepish and scratches his neck. "Well…No," I got an irk-mark and glared. "But! But! Akamaru and I can smell it out!" he shouts/whispers. _'Could've been my idea,'_ I thought sweat-dropping. "Okay…Pink and yellow right?" Shino nodded and handed us the colors. "Good! Let's get s some color on Sasuke!" I whispered enthusiastically and we shoot off to find his apartment.

*After an hour long search*

"Finally!" Kiba groaned and I snickered.

"If we just followed the fan-girls we could have found it quicker," I grumped and Kiba growled. "You should have said that earlier!" he shouted at me, waving his hands around like an idiot.

"You…Are you calling me, slow?" I asked darkly and he hurriedly shakes his head. "Great! Now…How do we get in?" I ask and after a while of searching, I just break a window and climb in.

"OI! How are we gonna repair it?" Kiba shouts as he climbs in, Shino and Hinata following him. "Simply. One of you is going to cover it with a Genjutsu," I concluded and all three kind of got sheepish. "Wait…Can you cast Genjutsu like that?" I asked carefully and they all looked away, making me face-palm. "Great…And you're being trained under Kurenai-sensei?" I asked and Kiba groaned.

"Don't make us remember the times she put us through Genjutsu training. We had to get out of them for the whole day." Kiba groaned and Hinata looked at him.

"I-It wasn't t-that b-bad. S-S-Sensei just…" she defended lamely and Kiba sighed. "Well at least you guys didn't land in a hospital after some training," I pointed out and they looked at me. "Ugh-huh…Let's just do our thing here and get out, before that ass comes back." Kiba muttered and we nodded.

We stalked to his bathroom and I placed some pink in his hair products. "I really wanna see him with pink hair…" I snickered and processed with some more replacements. I then made my way to his bedroom and found Hinata unconscious on the ground, while Kiba was going through Sasuke's stuff, and pairs of boxers were laying on the ground.

"His stuff is all over the room, clean the mess up." I said and he snickered.

"Oi. What about if we put his clothes outside, for the girls to grab it?" he asked and I smirked. "Well that would be-"

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke's voice demanded and both I and Kiba turned robotically to the door. Sasuke was standing in the doorway, a stoic Shino behind him. I shared a look with Kiba and he signaled the 'go'. I grabbed Hinata and I jumped with Kiba out of the broken window, and Kiba was letting some of Sasuke's clothes fall to the ground.

"Hey! Come back!" Sasuke shouted and I snickered. I heard some squeals of delight as the girls grabbed and then fought over his clothes.

"Who's next?" I asked. "Sakura?" Kiba asked back and I grinned. "It's payback time for calling me 'useless'." I mumbled, still grinning. Kiba gaped and closed his mouth after a while.

"Man…If I remember when a boy called you similar things, you almost skinned them alive. What did you do?" I snorted as I remembered all the boys being beat up. "I just threatened her and pointed out the fact that I'm stronger." I said and then my rational-self whacked me over the head inside my mind.

**'You're awfully being like a certain Uchiha. Such arrogance can be your downfall,' **she scolded and I grimaced internally. _'I don't have a superiority-complex.'_ I defended myself. She snorted and shook her head.

**'Yet. It's only a matter of time you'll actually start using your Rinnegan eyes. You know as much as I do that Nagato could have been invincible, but like Itachi stated that every jutsu has a weakness, so do we. Humans aren't perfect.'** My rational-self stated calmly and somehow ended up in my mind sitting behind a table, drinking tea and also reading a terrifying familiar manga about a certain straw-hat wearing pirate.

_'Is that One Piece!? Man…I miss computers and the technology we lack here,'_ I wailed like a child and rational-self kicked me. **'You idiot, stop whining and crying like a toddler.'** She glared pointedly. Sighing I just went with my attention back to Kiba.

"Nothing more?" I shook my head. "Man…You really got soft," his remark got him a Gibbs-slap over the head. "Maybe, maybe not. I don't care as long as she gets paid back now," I grinned to myself. "What do you intend to do?" he asked with a curious glint.

"I think some glue on her hair-brush isn't going to hurt," I chuckled to myself and he stared at me. "A bit much?" I asked and he thought about it.

"Maybe. What about we bring a dead fish into her room and hide it under her bed. And maybe get some fish oil to mix it up with her hair products?" His idea was probably better and less harmful for her hair. "Deal, but Naruto's mine." I said and we shook hands. Hinata stirred in my grip and I glanced at her. I then looked at Kiba with a look that said 'I have a masterpiece of a prank, which includes little innocent Hinata'. He gulped, but still managed a grin.

Later that day, with me and Kiba already finished with Sakura, we were lurking in Naruto's apartment (you don't even need to ask how we got inside - it's a secret~~). Hinata was sleeping in Naruto's bed, all curled up in a ball. I and Kiba also managed to hide all instant-ramen cups we found everywhere. As I sensed Naruto, I sighed for Kiba to hide with me in the shadows of the apartment.

Slowly Naruto came in and got mad about how he couldn't find any ramen. Frustrated he went to the bathroom and after a couple of minutes, he came back just in some boxers with hearts on it. I clapped Kiba's mouth shut as he started snickering. As Naruto turned the lights off, and slowly layed into the bed, he still didn't notice Hinata. After some minutes, he started snuggling to the pillow and accidentally even started snuggling into Hinata.

Kiba and I started snickering and when we couldn't contain ourselves, we started laughing. Which effectively woke Naruto and even Hinata up. What followed was a loud shriek of Hinata and then she fainted, and a very confused and embarrassed Naruto. He heard our laugher and he strolled to us, getting angry.

"Shinku! Kiba! Why is Hinata-chan here!? And why couldn't I find my ramen!?" he shouted with a tomato-red face and I just laughed, pointing under his bed. "U-Under, Hahaha, your bed. Hahahahaaha," I breathed out between my laughs. He stormed off to his bed and found them.

"Hey! Why are two cups missing?" he asked and Kiba and I shared a look. It said 'he counts them?'.

After that little prank was over, Kiba brought Hinata to the Hyuuga Compound and we parted ways. It was dark and I just noticed that I haven't went to Shisui's grave. I stormed off and hurried.

The forest was quiet and peaceful, but it had that darkness everywhere. I guess it were just the shadows from the trees. I finally reached his grave and smiled.

"Sorry I didn't brought flowers today. I had lots of fun planning pranks and kidding around, and I think it's the first time with me visiting without any flowers." I said quietly. I stroke the gravestone and sighed. "It can't be helped now. I'll come tomorrow with the usual bouquet, just for you." After a while, maybe ten minutes, I walked to the cliff and stared into the river.

"I could just join you, yet I have things to do that need to be done. And I also have the promise to keep, ne?" I asked into the darkness. I felt like I was little again, and felt how Shisui ruffled my hair and cracking a bad joke.

**'We should leave now. It's dark and we don't like the darkness,' **rational-self said and I nodded. _'We really don't,'_ I thought.

"See you later, Shisui." I started walking off, when I heard a light 'I hope so'. I turned and tried to sense anyone, without effort. _'But it was definitely Shisui's voice,'_ I thought dumb-founded.

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**Author's Note: I think it's not really funny, I lack a good sense of humor. -,- Guess, that's something I'll also need to work on. Later!~~ **


	13. Training

The next day, I was early up and walked aimlessly around Konoha. Until, I walked near the training grounds. I thought about the little pranks and smirked to myself as I thought to see the effects. I was in the shadows of the forest by the grounds 3. I almost blew my cover up as I saw Sasuke's dark pink hair. And when Sakura came, it was just hilarious. Her shocked expression as she saw Sasuke was priceless. But Naruto's comments were the best.

As Kakashi poofed onto the training grounds, his first sentence was: "Sasuke, did you dye your hair pink?" I snickered and Naruto's laugh covered the sound. Sasuke's angry expression was also priceless and when Kakashi stepped closer to them, and Sakura being unfortunately the closest now, Kakashi looked at them.

"Why does it smell of fish?" was Kakashi's question and Sakura turned red. "S-Someone put fish oil in my hair-shampoo." She confessed and Naruto looked at both of his teammates. "I think I know who's behind it," he stated and his whole team stared at him shocked.

"Hn. Who, dope?" Sasuke asked, since he too had an idea. "Kiba and Shinku. If they spend too much time together, they start pranking. I know from experience…" he muttered the last part angrily. I clapped with my hands and body-flickered next to Naruto. I could smell the awful fish-smell from Sakura and I edged away.

"Well it sure was funny how you cuddled into Hina-" before I ended, Naruto covered my mouth and I got an irk-mark on my forehead. "Shh!" he shushed me up. I bit his hand, not really much and he immediately moved his hands away.

"I hope your hands were clean," I taunted and he edged away from my dark aura. "Y-Yeah…" he mumbled and then I just beat him up like Sakura probably does. As I finished, Sakura and Sasuke gave me deadly glares. "Hmm? What is it?" I asked casually, making them even angrier. As they were about to beat me up, I ran off.

The following three days, I had training with Team 8 and a shortened training with Kaida-sensei. And I swear it was horrible, the time with Kurenai-sensei. Sure, she was nice and caring, but the devil she becomes during our training wasn't expected. As much as she tried to drill the stuff about Genjutsu into my brain, I didn't seem to get better at it. At all.

"It'll have to do, for now. You're simply not good at Genjutsu, but you still know how to dispel them. It only helps that you're a sensor, so you can feel something being off." Kurenai said with a tired sigh, but it went into a smirk as she stated the latter fact. I merely nodded and watched as Kiba sparred with Shino and Hinata trained on her own. I glanced at Kurenai and she already had that 'go on' look. I stood up and speed off to Hinata.

"Hinata! Can we spar? Please?" I pleased and she seemed nervous again. "S-Sure, but I-I'm n-not a g-great fighter l-like Kiba or S-Shino." She murmured and I shook my head, smiling. "Let's just see, I know you're better than Ino and Sakura together." I said and we distanced ourselves, falling into stances. I had a more relaxes stance, looking like I took it as a joke, and Hinata falling into the usual Gentle Fist stance.

"And…Let's start!" I shouted and jumped over her as she tried to strike my right shoulder. _'I'm good with both hands, since I need to be with my sword-style, but she already saw and figured my right was my better. Good, indeed.'_ I thought and landed in a crouch, as Hinata tried to strike me again. My leg shoot out and I kicked her footing out of her and she stumbled backwards. I took it as a good time and body-flickered behind her, kicking her shoulder. She winced, but turned to me and tapped a chakra point in my sides and I scowled as it felt like Haku shot that point with a thousand of senbon. As she tried to kick me, I ducked again and grabbed her leg. She tried to get out of my strong grasp, but to no vail as I started spinning her and let her fly into a tree. I took my katana out and waited as she got up, coughing in the process.

"Ugh," she grunted and I smirked internally as I knew I flung her at her sides, in the same point she jabbed me. **'Your sadist is coming to surface. Keep it down, you know both of you'll need your strength for the exams.'** Rational-self said and I groaned as Hinata almost hit my shoulder, if I haven't grabbed her wrist and yanked her arm downwards to the ground. She whimpered and I loosened my grasp and she jabbed my shoulder with her other hand and making my left arm useless. I growled and let go, jumping over her and kicking at the back of her knees. She fell to her knees and I heard her gasp and I put my arm around her neck in a choking manner. She choke out a breath and then calmed, and I knew she found a way to rescue herself out and she tried to jab into another point which would make my right arm also useless. Whining to myself, I moved my arm and grabbed her wrist, before she'd jab herself into her neck.

"Close to killing yourself," I stated and she moaned as I spun her wrist into a painful angle, making her cry out in pain. I knew how much pressure it needed to break her wrist, but it was just a spar. _'As much as the crack would have satisfied me…I really am a sadist, aren't I?'_ I thought amusedly. **'Yes, yes you are.'** Rational-self noted. I let go of her wrist as she tried to hit my chin with the back of her head, which would have been painful, if I haven't flipped backwards.

"I'll still need much work…" I groaned and kicked Hinata in the shoulder and she fell onto her butt, because I just reacted to her trying to jab me again. _'Gentle Fist is that type of fighting I hate the most, even if it's cool.'_ I thought annoyed at her trying to strike me again, and I blocked it with the scabbard of my katana. "Use jutsus, because if you won't…Then it's bye-bye." I declared and flung her over my shoulder and jumped into the air and started making some one-handed handseals, since it was one of the jutsus I loved to use.

*Third Person's POV*

Kurenai was watching how her female student sparred with the new addition to their team. She smiled as she saw they were more or less even and good sparring partners, even if Hinata was a gentle soul, and the redhead had some sadistic tendencies. But as Shinku told Hinata to get ready for some jutsus, Kurenai stared wide eyed at the redhead that was making single-handed handseals.

_'I-Impossible…!'_ Kurenai thought and as she didn't know which jutsu she was going to use, she flickered in front of Hinata, as she knew, she wouldn't be able to keep up anymore.

_"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" _as the fireball shot out of Shinku's mouth, Kurenai rather grabbed Hinata and used the substitution jutsu, and both were replaced with a wooden log.

Shinku was kind of irritated as Kurenai interfered, but she knew that Hinata at this time didn't have any jutsu up her sleeve, making it rather unfair. The redhead sighed and landed on her feet, just as Kurenai placed Hinata on the ground. As the black-haired Jonnin turned to the new addition, she had a frown on her face.

"That could have made some serious damage, Shinku." She scolded and made her way to the redhead. Shinku hung her head low and mumbled an apology to her new sensei. "Why did you do it, if you knew that Hinata was unprepared for it?" Kurenai was angry, but she didn't show it, and Shinku took notice of it. _'I still get treated more like an outsider than an actual ninja from Konoha, a village I do want to keep safe.'_ Shinku thought and rational-self just sighed.

"I'm sorry, I-I..." taking a deep breath, Shinku calmed herself down. "I got too much into the fight and wanted to win. I'm not too used to use this much Taijutsu and I don't like to be seen as weak. I didn't want to use much of my Kenjutsu, since I can make some serious damage with it at times. It's Ninjutsu I decide in the end. I wanted to…I'm sorry," the redhead explained. Hinata that heard it from the beginning, walked to her and blushed, looking at the grounds.

"I-It's a-alright, Shinku. Y-You didn't k-know I-I wasn't r-ready f-for s-such a-a spar," the Hyuuga heir said quietly. Shinku gave a sheepish grin and patted Hinata's shoulder. "Sorry," with that they turned to the two sparring boys. "Boys! It's enough for today, you're clearly all ready for the Exams. And with Shinku, a sensor, your tracking skills only increased." Kurenai exclaimed, giving them proud smiles. It only got a little strained, when smiling at the new addition. And Shinku took notice of it, and felt a negative feeling inside of her.

She knew, people won't stop being suspicious of her any time soon, or give her skeptical gazes. But if even one of the more important people like Kurenai were wary of her, it did hurt.

"You four will meet here, tomorrow. To apply for the Exams, you'll go to the Academy, specifically class 301 on the third floor. Dismissed," and with that the Jonnin poofed away. "Well guys, see you tomorrow." Shinku waved and flickered away. Hinata smiled at the spot where Shinku stood not a moment ago. Kiba and Shino glanced at each other and then looked at their female member.

"Hinata. What happened that Kurenai-sensei scolded Shinku?" Kiba asked and Akamaru barked his agreement. Hinata fidgeted under their gaze and stared at the ground. "W-We had a s-spar and s-she a-almost roasted m-me with h-her jutsu." She answered in a soft voice. Shino nodded and Kiba looked confused. "Wait...She used Ninjutsu? I thought she was great with her sword, and good in Taijutsu…Why did she use Ninjutsu?" he asked and Shino sighed at his idiotic teammate. "Why? Because she isn't used to spar against a Hyuuga. Her Taijutsu is not a good match against the Gentle Fist." The stoic Aburame answered. Kiba made an 'ahh' and nodded.

"And she probably wouldn't use her sword in just a spar." Kiba noted and then they talked for some more time, then parted ways.

Meanwhile, Shinku made her way to the training grounds she trained with Shisui and Itachi. She released the bandages around her eyes and meditated for two hours. And in between these two hours she got a flashback.

Flashback: _Shinku had her eyes closed and tried to ignore Shisui's annoying complains. "Come on, Shinku! Let's see how strong you got!" as she didn't reply, since she meditated or at least tried to, Shisui flickered to her side and hit the backside of her head with his fist. "Oww!" Shinku groaned and massaged the sore spot. As she opened her eyes, she stood up and glared at the grinning Shisui. "Why'd you do that!?" she yelled and he just flickered some meters away. "Respect your superiors. Now let's see how far you got till now." With that he raced at her, making her groan. "Shisui-baka," she grunted and tried to block his fist with her arms crossed. The force made her struggle and forced her staggering backwards. _

_She growled at Shisui and tried to kick his sides, but he simply grabbed her leg and flung her to the ground. She sensed him trying to kick her and she had only time to roll out of the way. Shinku tried to kick his feet to make him fall, but he only jumped away._

_"Is that all?" Shisui taunted, which made Shinku sneer in annoyance. As she flickered before him and tried to punch his face, he caught her fist in his palm and clicked with his tongue. "I didn't thought you were that weak," as the words left his mouth, Shinku flipped out of his grasp and started making handseals for one of the few jutsu she already knew. "Wind Release: Air Bullets!" and just as the jutsu almost hit him, he used the Replacement jutsu and it hit a log instead._

_"Damn it!" Shinku yelled and then found herself pinned to the ground, with Shisui sitting on her stomach. "Hey, get off Shisui-baka!" she grunted and Shisui grinned as he complied. He helped her up and ruffled her already messy hair. "You should work on your Taijutsu," he noted and she grunted a 'whatever'. He sighed and crouched to her eye-level, with his hand still on her head. "You were great for a kid," he smiled and she huffed, but smiled at his compliment. "But if you want to really spar with me, you'll need to get more flexible, quick, and strong." He added with the usual Uchiha smirk. She growled in annoyance, but nodded her head._

_"Well I didn't take my weights off," she mumbled and Shisui nodded. "I know, and I also know you're going to be a great ninja. You just need to have patience," he said and stood up. As Shinku sensed a presence near, she turned her head to Itachi. "Itachi!" she grinned and Shisui only smiled. He had a feeling she had a crush on his cousin. Itachi smiled at her, but it changed into a frown as he looked at Shisui. "You went hard on her," he noted and Shisui felt a chill down his spine and backed away, behind the young redhead. "S-She wanted me to, r-right Shinku?" he asked, pleaded the redhead to say yes. _

_Shinku caught the tone and smirked up at Shisui. She caught his pleading eyes that noticed her evil smirk and Shisui was too late as she turned to Itachi. "No, I tried to meditate and he was being childish." With that Itachi's eyes glared at Shisui and as he noticed the glare, his face paled and hurriedly body-flickered away, without a goodbye. _

_"You okay?" Itachi asked, but he knew that Shisui wouldn't hurt her. She smiled and nodded. 'Itachi really is scary when he wants to be,' she thought while shuddering at the thought of it. "You look like you had a mission," she stated as she noticed his fatigue. "You should go home and rest." She added and Itachi only chuckled at her worry. "Do I look that bad?" he joked and Shinku smirked. "Worse," she joked too and started walking away. Itachi followed and only smiled. He felt like they knew each other a long time, and he sometimes thought that Shinku was too mature for her age._

_"I think Sasuke will be happy, when you're back. He always brags about how his Nii-san is the best," she said and Itachi looked at the sky. "He does?" Shinku nodded and slowly thought when the massacre will happen. "Do you agree?" Itachi suddenly asked and Shinku frowned. "No. Shisui is way stronger, even if he's childish sometimes. He can really be a baka, but that makes him himself. A serious and stoic Shisui wouldn't be Shisui. You're great too, but you're Itachi and he's just Shisui." She smiled to herself and Itachi watched her. He already knew she viewed Shisui as a brother, and that he had a special place in her heart._

_Shinku turned to Itachi and she grinned, making her look like the child she is. "But you're great too. You're Itachi. You're calm, collected, clear-minded and friendly. You love Konoha just like Shisui and I, and you hold great love towards Sasuke. You're…Itachi Uchiha, someone who can act stoic and emotionless, but behind that cold mask is a warm soul that loves his home and family." She finished and then blushed, looking away as she scolded herself for talking that much. _

_Itachi only stared at the redhead and then a small smile appeared on his face. "Thank you," he said and Shinku looked up at him. She grinned sheepishly and scratched her cheek, clearly embarrassed at her long explanation. _Flashback ends.

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**Author's Note: I'm really sorry that I couldn't update sooner. I didn't have many ideas and I needed to study for school. Luckily we've got holidays! **

**What would you guys think, if I'd make the story to Itachi x Shinku later, when Shippuden starts? I've got something planned out, but I want your opinion! Review, please! **


	14. Chunnin Exams - Written Exam (1)

When Shinku opened her eyes after that flashback, she smiled to herself and had a faint blush on her cheeks. "Oh god, way to go…" she mumbled and covered her eyes in embarrassment. **'You liked Itachi…Correction, you like him.'** Rational-self said and Shinku spluttered at her remark. _'I don't! I'm mentally older, it's like I'm a pedophile!'_ she shouted back in denial in her mind. **'You died as a teen, and anyway you're childish and immature, if you're put against Itachi, you'd still loose in a mature contest. He was smart from the start, his mind got older faster than others. He'd be the silent and caring one, while you'd be more scolding and all bossy at your kids.'** Her rational-self said and she pondered over her words. Then Shinku turned into a bright red tomato, matching her hair. _'Who said I'd have children with him?!'_ she thought embarrassed.

"Geez…" Shinku said with a sigh and stood up, bandaging her eyes and tried to relax. It had been a while since she could fully relax. And it was just irony that she could be completely relaxed near Itachi or Shisui.

She had known that they knew of her Rinnegan, since she remembered their chakra-signatures from the day that the Hokage first came to see her. That was why she didn't care about them seeing her eyes. She remembered one of the rare memories of them discussing about her eyes.

Flashback: _"Freaky," Shisui commented as he inspected Shinku's Rinnegan eyes. Itachi shot him a look and then poked Shinku's forehead, which made her eyes wide with surprise. She still wasn't used to being around the younger Uchiha and tried to be more like the child she should be. _

_"Unique. Hypnotizing and full of secrets. They are something you will not see many times. If you do in a real battle, you're as good as dead. But even with their deadliness, they can hold a warmth and calmness in them that only the ones that can see them properly notice." Itachi said and Shinku almost gaped, since it was the first time she heard him say more than three sentences. And even then, they were short and completed with a signal like a nod or shake of the head. Meanwhile Shisui's jaw hit the ground and he pointed at Itachi. _

_"That's a lot from you!" he shouted and Itachi then straightened himself and glanced at Shisui. "Hn," Itachi only replied as he internally smiled to himself as he noticed Shinku's lips twitch upwards. As she then smiled, his heart filled with a warm feeling and he slowly ruffled her hair. _

_"Thank you…Itachi," she mumbled and looked anywhere near his eyes. He nodded and Shinku caught the look Shisui was giving them. "What?" she asked in a clearly annoyed tone. Shisui snapped out of it and smirked, shaking his head with an 'I-know-something-you-don't' look._ Flashback ends.

Sighing once more, she walked to Shisui's grave and sat down with her back pressed against a tree. "Shisui-baka, you never really change do you? You always smiled at me, or smirked. But I think your signature grin that was getting rarer with time, it was the best three of them all. And you idiot left me here…Oh and I hope you're watching him for me, because I really don't want the promise to be broken by my incompetence…" she kept on talking like Shisui was sitting opposite to her, but sadly it was only the cliff. She placed a hand over her face and clenched the other into a fist.

"I can't forgive that son of a bitch really went that far…Bastard, fucking Elder and his freaking annoying attitude of an old geezer that can still put up a decent fight in the future…" she cursed under her breath as she imagined herself killing and torturing Danzo. And it wasn't the first time she was imagining it. "Even revenge that is mostly foreign in my dictionary sounds appealing," she mumbled and a dark grin spread across her face that soon turned into a sadistic and vicious smirk. **'Snap out of it! He'll eat shit sooner or later anyway. Just calm yourself. You're not going to fall prey for revenge. It's pure darkness that only pulls you deeper in. Don't pull a 'Sasuke' on me,'** Shinku's rational-self said calmly and it did have an effect on Shinku.

The young redhead lowered her head and stared at the ground, thinking about how Sasuke fell for revenge. But she had been planning for a while now, after Amaterasu destroyed her last plan into thousands of pieces. "Damn, they're all in for a big beating. These bastards of go-" she didn't get the opportunity to finish, as a wave of pain spread through her body, more specifically her head. **'Amaterasu warned you, our feelings towards them, the resentment, it's mutual. And they are easily stronger than us,'** her rational-self said, sighing and taking a sip of tea in Shinku's mind.

_'Oi, is this my mindscape?'_ Shinku thought, asking her other self. Her other self, rational-self, merely glanced at her and smiled slightly. **'No. Yet in a way, it is.'** She replied and Shinku deadpanned. _'I'm not good with understanding you, myself actually if I point that out. Just tell me straight on, or I'm not going to understand it.'_ She thought back and her rational-self only laughed. **'Neither do I understand you. I'm somewhat a peaceful person with a calm aura. You're the opposite, strong and wild. But I can see you're mature and clever, like me. We are sharing some traits, yet we can be the opposite of the other.'** It was then that Shinku thought her other-self was rather talkative and that it was getting annoying.

"Just shut up, you're annoying when talkative." Shinku said out loud and stared at her palms. She felt pressured and forced into a corner with Amaterasu and probably a whole lot more gods watching her and even knowing what she was thinking. It made her paranoid, but she never thought about it much. Just kicking ass weren't all her thoughts. She had multiple plans, tried to strategize and plan ahead a whole lot, ignore some god's orders and look normal without anyone seeing her eyes was hard.

It felt lonely, she didn't have anyone to trust and the only two people were either dead or not there at the moment. And she felt the pressure of the whole situation at hand. The future, save someone in the upcoming war, change the plot even against god's orders, and so on. It was hard to relax and be always badass, even Shinku had her problems.

"This is too much…I wish he was here helping me," the redhead mumbled and went to her apartment, her rational-self oddly keeping silent.

As she entered her apartment, she ate instant ramen and took a shower. As she showered, she tried to think positive. _'I got another chance. I can change things for the better, be badass and even do things I couldn't or didn't do in my previous life. I have some good friends, had a family, and maybe I'll live longer than before. Even if people here usually die young in the Narutoverse,'_ she thought and later went to bed.

"Become someone with precious people and ever-lasting memorable memories," she mumbled, already sleepy. But then her optimistic side ran out and Shinku got a bit paranoid and skittish, making her be awake for another three hours. She used that time to take out some scrolls from her family and read, even going so far that she took one of the scrolls she had written the Naruto timeline in and go through it. But as her eyelids threatened to close, she laid her head on the desk and fell asleep.

Somewhere in the Land of Fire: Two cloaked figures were walking in a slow pace, when one suddenly stopped, closing his eyes. "Itachi?" Kisame called as he stopped to look at his partner. "What is it?"

Itachi opened his eyes and gazed with his emotionless mask on. "Hn, nothing." With that he continued walking, Kisame following his lead.

Itachi inwardly sighed, sending unnoticeably one of his crows towards the direction of Konoha.

Next day in Konoha: As she woke up, she felt heavy and still sleepy. Getting up was hard, since her neck hurt from the position she fell asleep, it was just her luck that they weren't supposed to fight at the first stage of the exams.

After a while of grumping and cursing, she was making her way towards the Academy. As she maneuvered around some villagers, she could feel the chakra of her teammates. They joined together at a crossroad and made their way into the Academy. Shinku, since she had decided to cover her eyes and was trusting her sensor abilities, felt a sudden change as they walked through the second floor.

"G-Guys," it was Hinata's gentle and quiet voice that spoke up first. She with her Byakugan could sense, if they were in a Genjutsu. "Hm, what is it Hinata?" Kiba asked and glanced at her. "W-We are trapped i-in a Genjutsu," she told them quietly and Kiba stopped walking.

"But the sign said that it's the third floor," he argued and Shinku internally face-palmed. _'We only walked up two staircases…And even if he didn't notice, couldn't Akamaru?' _Shinku thought with a frown. "Shino?" Kiba asked, turning to the Aburame in their group.

"She is right. Why? My bugs noticed the change in the air." He answered in a mysterious tone, making Shinku sweat-drop. He even spoke strangely, but to her it really didn't matter. "What about you, Shinku?" Kiba's voice brought her back from her trail of thoughts.

"Don't doubt in Hinata's words. She's your teammate, moron. And yes, I've also felt the sudden change." She said sharply, still feeling grumpy from the lack of sleep, even if she didn't have nightmares that night.

"Wow, grumpy aren't you?" Kiba teased and Akamaru barked in agreement. Shinku grunted and punched his arm half-heartedly and started walking towards a crowd of people.

"Should we tell them about the Genjutsu?" Shinku asked and she could feel Kiba's smirk turn into a grin. "Why? If they couldn't see through it obviously means they're idiots that aren't ready to participate in the exams. And because we don't need any more enemies," Kiba said and Shinku scowled, while Hinata gasped slightly.

"T-That's n-not nice," Hinata mumbled and Kiba laughed, making Shinku smirk.

"You do know Kiba, you and Akamaru didn't notice the Genjutsu too, right?" she remarked and Kiba snapped lowly. "S-Shut up!"

They just passed the crowd without getting any attention and then they went to the third floor. As they noticed Kurenai standing in front of the doors, they stopped in confusion.

"Good, nobody forgot about today. And it seems like nobody's late. I wish you luck," with that she disappeared in a cloud of smoke, making the four of them cough.

"Let's just be unnoticeable. We don't want to get any attention, do we?" Shinku said and the other three nodded, Kiba slower that Shino and Hinata. Akamaru barked in agreement. As they went it, they felt some stares or glares send their way, but all four of them went to a wall and slowly, they were off the radar.

"Wow, we've got a handful of enemies around us. It just makes me the more relaxed," Shinku noted sarcastically. Kiba snickered and smirked. "Tch, they won't even reach our feet. After sensei's training I'd be surprised if they did," Kiba stated in a voice of 'as a matter of facts'. Shino shook his head while Hinata and Shinku frowned at the Inuzuka's cockiness.

"I think you've just blown the limit of arrogance that Sasuke put up," Shinku said dryly. Kiba shot daggers at her, but he knew she wouldn't notice with the bandages around her eyes. Well, he thought wrong. "Glaring at me won't do a thing, stupid." Kiba growled and Hinata giggled into her hand silently. Trying to gain back what he lost from his pride, he coughed to gain some attention from his teammates.

"What do you think the first test is about?" his question was a good one. And Shino was first to answer it. "A written test. Why? Because we are in the Academy and waiting in a classroom where we wrote our written exams, when we still were students." Hinata nodded and Shinku smiled lightly at his cleverness. Kiba grunted and Shinku took it to embarrass him once more. "Heh, well expect Kiba get all grumpy when finding out it's a written one." Her teasing made Kiba's face all red and he spluttered for a good response.

"A-And you! How will you even see the questions on the damn paper, if you're covering your eyes?" his question made Shino and Hinata also look at their redheaded teammate. Shinku blinked under her bandages and then scowled, looking away to cover up the heat raising to her cheeks. But her teammates could see her red eyes and Kiba snickered silently.

"I guess I'll need to take them off, ne?" she mumbled and slowly started unwrapping her eyes. Her Genjutsu icy-blue eyes gazed over the three of them.

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**Author's Note: Sorry that I didn't update earlier. I was a lazzy-ass and tried to write, but the Exam's are really boring to write at first, well, until I get the hang of it. I'm working on something else, but I always change it, since it just doesn't comes out right. I'll try to get more sleep and inspiration that I lack of, and be prepared for the incoming battles! **

**And thanks to all followers and reviews. I didn't thought it would actually be read. See ya~**


	15. Chunnin Exams - Written Exam (2)

**Before:**

_"A-And you! How will you even see the questions on the damn paper, if you're covering your eyes?" his question made Shino and Hinata also look at their redheaded teammate. Shinku blinked under her bandages and then scowled, looking away to cover up the heat raising to her cheeks. But her teammates could see her red eyes and Kiba snickered silently._

_ "I guess I'll need to take them off, ne?" she mumbled and slowly started unwrapping her eyes. Her Genjutsu icy-blue eyes gazed over the three of them._

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Hinata could only feel something being off, just like when they were in the Academy. There was that distant feeling about something on her sometimes, it was strange.

Shino's bugs buzzed for a second as she took them off, but then they got quiet. He knew something was strange about her, but even his bugs couldn't tell. It was a mystery he was trying to solve since back in the Academy.

"Hmm," Shinku looked over some people, as her eyes stopped at three specific people. The Sand Siblings. And she also noticed Gaara glaring at her, which wasn't one of the most comfortable things. She could see anger, bloodlust, they were cold. At first glance. If you gazed long enough into them, you could see hopelessness, fear, longing and a spark of kindness. Shinku's mind was flooded with a picture of him being Kazekage, he had that peaceful smile and those matching warm eyes.

She didn't notice they were staring at each other, until Kiba pinched her ear. Shinku flinched and swatted his hand away, and turned to him with a glare. "You were staring, Shinku." His remark made her flush, and that's why she placed her cold palm onto her heated face. That's when she turned to the opening door. Through it came a trio of memorized chakra signatures.

"Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke came," she mumbled enough for their team to hear. Hinata blushed as she finally saw her long-time crush, Shino remained calm, while Kiba got that cocky combination of a smirk and grin. It was like a predatory gazed at their next victim. Shinku got chills down her spine as she recalled a similar expression would be on Sasuke's face, if she let everything go as it did in the plot.

"Then let's make a good entrance," Kiba stated and the four of them started walking towards them. Shinku observed as Hinata's fidgeting got stronger and she inwardly frowned at the Hyuuga.

_'I really like her, but in this stage of hers…I can't even find it amusing. It's frustrating and I'm starting to think that the prank I did only made her worse_,' Shinku thought and her rational-self smiled. **'Calm yourself. She'll prove herself in time. We both know it.'** Shinku didn't respond back, merely nodded to herself, trying to steel her nerves not to strike something. Preferably a silver haired guy that wore glasses.

They made their way there, a bit later than Team 10 and Kiba turned totally into an overconfident idiot. As he was about to open his mouth, Shinku stated, "Seems like the whole gang's back together." Kiba shot her a glare, which she innocently met with a fake confused expression.

"You too, huh? Man, everybody's here for this stupid thing," Shikamaru groaned. He and his team already knew, they had a disadvantage, since their team wasn't full of power houses. His eyes lingered on Team 8's new addition. _'If Shinku's going to be with their team, and they come after us in a fight, we'd clearly be at a loss.'_ Shikamaru's thoughts were interrupted by Kiba.

"Looks like all the Rookie Ten made it," he noted dryly and the other three stayed quiet for a while. "It's sure is going to be fun…At least for those who make the cut. Right, Sasuke?" his challenge was clearly sensed. Sasuke smirked at the boy's challenging, it made him a bit of nervous, but he was excited to show how strong he was. He'd be able to kill his brother.

"Kiba, don't get too overconfident." Kiba merely felt his eyebrow twitch and he noted Akamaru lightly growled, but it had been too soft to be heard.

"Just you wait," he boasted and Shino noted Shinku's temper wasn't long enough to let him continue much more. "We'll blow you away. We trained like crazy-" his speech got cut off by Shinku pulling his ear painfully.

"Kiba…Shut your trap," she said in a low voice, her dark tone promising his demise if he opposed her now. The Inuzuka gulped and shut up, making Shinku smile in satisfaction. The other Rookies only watched, some sweat-dropping and the rest were watching, a shiver going down their spine. _'S-Scary…!'_ most of them thought, except Shikamaru, Shino, Hinata and Sasuke. Naruto swore he saw her hair going up behind her, but in the blink of an eye it was gone.

"Well, what do you we've been doing?" Naruto grinned. "Sitting around and picking flowers? You don't even know what training truly means!" Hinata got nervous that Naruto didn't like Kiba and stepped in. But rather quietly.

"D-Don't mind Kiba," she said loud enough to gain attention from Naruto. She fidgeted and gazed at the ground. "I'm sure he didn't mean it." She was filling the role of the peacemaker between her teammate and Naruto, her crush.

"He was just being his arrogant-ass self," Shinku interjected and the teams snickered as Kiba's face turned an interesting shade of red. The redhead herself grinned goofily, like she had nothing to worry about. But inwardly she was growling as a sneaky, snake-like chakra signature approached them.

_'That bastard! I should just kill that douche for joining Tobito in the future!'_ she thought, but her body didn't tense nor relax as her rational-self got a hold of her body to stop her from doing anything reckless. **'Baka! You can use other ways of making him annoyed or even…Scared,'** her rational-self advised and it worked. _'Other ways…? Wait…Oh…Oh! Yatta!' _Shinku thought, internally chuckling creepily and rubbing her palms just to add effect. **'We're not in an anime, baka.'** Rational-self whacked her over the head in their shared mind. _'Whaa…Can't even have fun,'_ the redhead thought and then went back to the outside of their mind, lazily turning to Kabuto's approaching body.

Kabuto could feel eyes on him and slightly glanced towards the stranger, when he was unnoticeably surprised. It was a red-haired girl with icy-blue eyes, one of the latest Rookies. He pushed up his glasses, covering his eyes that were studying her as he approached.

_'She's the only Gennin on Team 6, under Kaida Sakurai. Done 11 D-Rank missions, 3 C-Rank, 1 B-Rank and an A-Rank with Team name is Shinku Izumi if I'm not mistaken, which I clearly can't be. Hmm, the information stated she was good in Taijutsu and Kenjutsu, specializing in the latter. Her chakra-control wasn't mentioned much, but it noted that she was a sensor. That's why she knew I'm walking towards them,'_ there were some other thoughts, but he already reached them.

"Tch, you sound confident," his voice said and they turned to him. Some narrowed their eyes at him, others only surprised or not-interested (Shinku). Kabuto went on.

"No offense, but you're the ten rookies right? Fresh out of the Academy. I wouldn't make spectacles of yourselves, you should want to try keeping it down." His advice was good, but none of them actually cared for it. Ino glared at him.

"Well who asked you?" she asked rather harshly. "And who are you anyway?"

Shinku didn't pay attention afterwards and just watched blankly at their exchange. She knew who he was, but she really couldn't care less about him at this very moment. She smiled as he started taking out cards and explaining to them about stuff she didn't really want to know, since it was unimportant. Until a certain village's name was mentioned that originally wasn't in the series.

"-Iwagakure. They have one team participating, and they're quite a bunch if you ask me. Not someone to play with, the Iwa-nin have a grudge against Konoha-nin for a long time now. I wouldn't be surprised, if they'd want to beat you all up." He finished and Shinku gazed through the room, her eyes landing on a team that certainly looked like it came from Iwagakure.

"Oi, Shinku! Didn't you come from there?" Naruto stupidly asked and the redhead turned to him with a scowl. "Yes. If you ask me, I don't like the landscape it's too dry and rocky. I wasn't in the Academy there, but I heard they were lecturing the kids there to despite Konoha-nin." Her statement didn't sound like she was joking and Naruto shuttered as he glanced at the three boys that were mostly good-built.

After a while Kabuto stated he had information on all the participating ninja in the Exams. Sasuke asked for Gaara's and Lee's cards. That was when Shinku stepped closer and narrowed her eyes, playing all-suspicious of him.

"Kabuto…I don't get how you got this information. Explain yourself," she stated calmly and she hoped some of them were catching on. She was betting that a 'Gennin' like him couldn't get this kind of information.

Kabuto unnoticeably tensed and pushed his glasses up, making them glint in the light, which covered how he narrowed his eyes on her form. _'Smart girl, but I know she'll buy my explanation,'_ he thought. "W-Well I was on some missions outside of Konoha, some information was told by my sensei, and some of it was gained when I participated in the earlier Chunnin Exams…" As her face turned slightly softer, his body relax again.

"Aaa," she mumbled, staring at the ground, but as she looked up again, her eyes shone with entertainment and amusement, with a slight spark of anger and arrogance. "But how did you know of Gaara, hmm? You said yourself they were participating for the first time and I doubt you could attain information of how many missions they made, since you're not from Suna nor could you get something like that out. It's something out of normal Gennin's reach to attain," she said strongly back.

Shikamaru, Sasuke and Shino caught on. They narrowed their eyes at him, distrust starting to bulb up. _'She's right. Only Jonnin and higher could get that information. That guy can't be some gennin. Or maybe his information is fake. No…It can't be fake, because he couldn't have known that Gaara-guy and his team coming. Shinku's right,'_ thought Shikamaru and he knew he could trust in Shinku's assumption. _'The question is, who is he and why is he here. And how he got that information.'_

Shino and Sasuke thought something similar like Shikamaru.

Kabuto was slightly shocked and his body was almost unnoticeably tense, but the redhead and Shino could see his posture slightly tensing. "I-" he didn't need to continue, as he noticed the Sound-nin coming at him, going to attack. He was relieved, but angry at the girl that caught on too quickly for his liking. He even noticed Orochimaru's target becoming suspicious and also two other rookies. _'That little bitch…I won't be of much use, if Sasuke is guarded around me.'_

Shinku watched as the Sound-nin attacked and later Ibiki poofed in, together with other Chunnins. She was counting on her experience of math problems and physics from the other world that she still had to have stored in her mind. If Sakura could do it, she could do it too, she was mentally older and had more experience with life than the pinkette.

She glanced at her teammates, nodding to each of them. They nodded back, in Akamaru's case, barked back at her. As she noticed her seat was next to that Dosu from Sound, she had to keep her guard up for tricks. Also, one of the Iwa-nin sat in front of her. _'Luck isn't at my side today,'_ she thought. **'It never was to begin with,'** rational-self informed her, making Shinku glared at the ceiling. _'I blame the Gods,'_ she thought lightly, not sure if they were listening to her thoughts.

"Now, begin!" Ibiki called out and she heard people starting to go through the paper and others writing. Grabbing her pencil, she sighed and started to answer. The test wasn't hard nor was it easy, but she knew that the Chunnin were watching how they could get information from others. Which made her work harder, what if they took her and Team 8 out, because she didn't have any way to get it?

**'Bluff and expand your chakra just enough close for a Chunnin to notice it and then scribe down an answer. Right or wrong,'** rational-self advised. Shinku didn't even thought about it and took the advice. Expanding her chakra towards the Chunnins, she felt two gazes on her from their way and it was her clue. She stopped expanding and scribed down a random answer, and then another for the seventh question.

The redhead was a sensor, yes, but she could sense attacks and random stuff, not what someone was scribing down onto their paper, the movements were far too detailed and she could make a mistake in copying their moves. And her sensor abilities couldn't catch moves of moving hands with a pencil that was scribing onto the paper.

She slowly let her chakra back into her body, trying to be calm. She noticed both gazes left her form, just for another pair of eyes to watch her. She turned slightly and looked out of the corner of her eye, only to look through the window. As she tried to sense anything, there was nothing to sense.

After ten more minutes, Ibiki finally gave the last question and she smiled after Naruto's outburst. He lightened up her day for a few shades and her tense shoulders slowly relaxed and she inhaled. Just as she was about to grin at Kiba and the other two, she sensed someone flying towards a window. _'Anko, Orochimaru's little ex-student and ex-admirer,'_ Shinku thought as the woman crashed in and scared some Gennins.

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**Author's Note: Damn yeah! God, I wrote this in two days...Couldn't make it earlier since my mom starts to get grumpy if I'm for too long on the computer in her opinion. Tch...School's going to get a pain in the ass again next week. I'll still try do my best! Can't just let it catch dust like some of my unfinished homework. -3- To Hell with it.**

**I'm even thinking about a bit of Gaara x Shinku (oc). Both are redheads.~ And Gaara is just too adorable to ignore ^_^ **

**Please review! :) Ahh! Hope you like this chapter!**


	16. Suspicious

"Heads high, boys and girls, there's no time for celebrating! I'm your next proctor, Anko Mitarashi. Ready for the next test? Good! Let's go, just follow me!" the woman, Anko Mitarashi as introduced, yelled with a smirk. She scanned the room with her eyes and then looked at Ibiki. Shinku felt her eyebrow twitch, Anko's proctor also felt like a snake. Not like Kabuto's, hers was lighter and brighter without feeling like its rotten.

_'I liked snakes in my previous life, but I simply despite them since I was born here.'_ The redhead thought, her fingers twitching like it wanted to grab her sword and cut something. Shinku watched as Ibiki and Anko exchanged words with a passive face.

"You're early," Ibiki commented, making Anko blush lightly from embarrassment and she sulked slightly. Her face quickly morphed back to normal and she looked at him. "How many did you pass, Ibiki? Was your test too easy?" she questioned. She didn't even let him answer them. "You're not going soft, are you?"

He smirked and shook his head. "Maybe they're just extraordinary remarkable," as he said that, his eyes glanced at Naruto for a second. Anko clicked her tongue and her smirk turned confident.

"Well after I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated." Her statement made the Gennin tense up, some getting nervous, others confused. _'More than half? Maybe so, but in the end there will still be enough teams to have preliminaries…'_ Shinku narrowed her eyes and her rational-self nodded curly. **'Well, we're planning on passing anyway.'** Shinku only approved of her remark.

"Alright you maggots, things will be different starting first thing in the morning. Meet me at Training Ground 44. Dismissed!" with that she disappeared and gennins slowly started to leave the room.

Shinku was smirking, just slightly, but you could notice it. She stood up and made her way towards Team 8. "Hah! We made it! One step closer to becoming Chunnin," Kiba cheered with a confident grin. Hinata smiled, Shino stayed quiet and Shinku fist-bumped with Kiba.

"Gathering information with the Byakugan or your bugs or with the help of Akamaru was easy. I relied on my knowledge…I even bluffed in using my chakra-sensing to get the answers," Shinku whined without actually looking like it. Kiba laughed his ass off.

"H-How did you bluff?" Hinata asked and Shinku massaged the bridge to her nose as she felt sleepy. "Extended my chakra out till it reached near the proctors that were watching us. As I felt their gazes, I acted like I copied an answer, but I wrote something random." Her explanation made Hinata smile in response and Shino nod to himself. Kiba shook his head and patted Akamaru's head. "Well not everyone can have an awesome dog like me," he said.

Shinku smiled at that and they left after a while. "Shinku, one question through. What were you accusing that Kabuto?" She could've almost face-palmed at that. Shino sighed unnoticeably and decided to speak up.

"Because he is suspicious. Why? Because he knows things he couldn't have known for a Gennin, even with all his experience." Hinata slowly got it and turned her head to Shinku. The girl only nodded in response and Kiba growled.

"I'm not an idiot, Shino! But why wouldn't he know info about others?" he questioned and Shinku gave him an 'are-you-an-idiot' look. "Because the number of how many missions you made is something no gennin should/could know about other teams. Except your own team's and maybe some of the other teams from the same village. He could be a spy for all we know," she remarked and Kiba looked at her with a confused look.

"Why would he be a spy? And for who would he work for?" Akamaru barked in agreement with his owner-partner. Shinku's face was passive, a 'poker' face she already mastered showing.

"I don't know, but it could be possible. Right?" she turned to Hinata and Shino. The latter nodded and after a bit of hesitation, Hinata also nodded. "See? I know for a fact that I never saw him in Konoha and I was here for more than five years. I would have noticed someone with that feel to their chakra," the last part was intentionally muttered loud enough for Shino to hear. **'Doesn't hurt to make him more suspicious than he already is. But our team won't cross ways in the second stage.' **Shinku only agreed with her other-self.

"Eh, whatever." Kiba dismissed it and they slowly parted ways. Shinku felt satisfied that at least some of the rookies knew they couldn't trust Kabuto. She sighed and repaired her hair into a proper high ponytail. She wondered if she looked anything like other Uzumaki's. Naruto wasn't really close to them in appearance, but from her knowledge, they had hell of a personality. **'Like Kushina and her temper,'** Shinko shuttered as she imagined an angry Kushina. _'But I wonder…Who has the worse temper, Tsunade or Kushina?'_ her question wasn't answered, but it was an interesting thing to know. Sadly Tsunade wasn't in the village as of now and Kushina was dead.

She made her way to the Yamanaka Flower shot and brought a bouquet of white gladioluses and purple irises. Just as she was about to leave the shop, Ino stopped her.

"For who are they?" her voice was full of curiosity and Shinku knew if something slipped past her lips, the blonde girl would try to pry in business that has nothing to do with her. The redhead turned her head to her and gazed into her blue eyes.

"A secret makes a woman a woman," with that statement, she turned to leave. She heard Ino huff, annoyed to not being able to get any information out of her, and a chuckle from where her mother was arranging flowers. Shinku cracked a smile, she still remembered the part of her previous life that was overly obsessed with many animes. One of them about a detective that shrunk in size and still continued with his own obsession, which was to capture criminals and defeat a certain organization.

Her arrival at Shisui's grave was quiet, no birds chirping or the sound of the leaves or wind. It made her heart ache from loneliness. Taking an old bouquet and replacing it with the freshly bought flowers, she walked to the cliff. Her eyes turned distant as she let the old flowers fall into the river under the cliff. She watched them closely and her mind was working into overdrive. She sat down and placed a cool hand on her forehead, trying to cool off.

"Ahh, I just want to jump now." She mumbled, until she heard something behind her. She slowly turned and stared at a black crow. It shrieked and flew towards her. Her eyes were glued at it and dumbly watched as it landed on her shoulder.

"Ha?" she let out, dumbfounded. "T-The hell?" she muttered and was questioning the animal's intelligence. "Seriously? I want some peace for a change…You know, if you're really a crow then you're weird." She declared, since she couldn't find out anything strange about the crow. The crow made a strange noise back in its throat and Shinku patted its head.

"Come on then. You can join me on crashing into the old man's office," she said and went to the Hokage's Tower. Some villagers looked at her and the crow feeling creep-ed out, but all she did was give them a 'what-are-you-staring-at' look in reply. She crossed ways with the teammates of Kabuto's team and she regarded them with calculating eyes.

As she stopped by the desk of the reception in the Tower, she waited for the secretary to notice her. "What?" the secretary said as she looked up, but she looked creep-ed out as well.

"Finally. What's the Hokage doing now?" she asked without looking like she cared as the woman behind the desk started glaring. "Insolent child! He has matters to attend to! The exams the ninja are participating in our village is taking up much of his time!" she growled with a scowl.

"You're already having wrinkles like the old man, don't scowl even more." Shinku swore the crow let out a laugh, a creepy one, but she didn't care as she watched the woman's face turn a deep shade of red. Then Shinku snorted as she started going down the hall, towards the Hokage's office.

"He's probably busy watching people with his stupid crystal ball," she grunted as she ignored the secretary shouting after her. The crow on her shoulder picked at her ear and she glared at it from the corner of her eye. It didn't stop picking on it and Shinku was contemplating on strangling it. But she saw the doors of the office and she knocked on it. Hearing a gruff 'come in', she stepped into the room, closing the door after her. She turned to the old man doing his paperwork behind his desk.

"What do I owe the pleasure, Shinku-chan?" he asked and she stepped closer to his desk. "I…Ugh, I have suspicions that one gennin from the participators of the Chunnin Exams is an infiltrator or spy." She cleared her throat, suddenly feeling nervous. She noticed how he stopped writing and then looked up at her.

Hiruzen's eyes widened for a second as he noticed the crow on her shoulder, but he ignored it for the time being. "Who? And how so? Which reasons did he or she give to you to make such assumptions?" he asked carefully. He knew she was sharp at noticing things, not being as ignorant as other gennin her age (let's just say Ino or Sakura).

"Well…" she gave a sheepish grin and scratched her neck. "He shouldn't know how many missions another team made up till now, right? He knew how many missions the team lead by Gai-sensei had done in the past. He also had information on a team that hasn't been participating in any Chunnin exams so far. And if he's a Konoha-nin, why didn't I see him?" she asked him, or mostly herself.

"Hmm…" the Hokage scratched his beard. "Who is this gennin you are talking about?" he asked and her eyes shone with an unreadable emotion that he couldn't place. It almost looked like she won a grand prize. "Kabuto Yakushi," she stated colder than she spoke before. He nodded to himself and looked over his fill, after he found it in a big pile of papers.

"Ahh," he sighed, but couldn't help to narrow his eyes at the information. He almost seemed too normal and average, and he remembered what Shinku told him. "Information about how many missions a team has done only the Hokage, some Jonnin and the team itself knows." He said and Shinku made a victory dance in her mind. She was going to make Kabuto's role harder to play. And she enjoyed every bit of it.

"We can't trust him," Shinku declared and Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. She coughed and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. But the fact makes me anxious, him knowing information he shouldn't, Hokage-sama. I would rather trust the Suna-nins than him or his team. And the sound-nin. He didn't have any information about them, it made me think he was covering them, giving them an advantage." She explained and quickly added the sound team onto the do-not-trust list of hers.

"Shinku-chan…You do realize what you are accusing them? Are you sure?" the Hokage asked and Shinku nodded solemnly at that. Sighing, the Hokage took his pipe out and started smoking. "I am getting too old for this," he muttered to himself. He maybe had a spy in Konoha that he couldn't just yet talk to with, and he had another suspicion and it was about the Iwa-nins that were taking the exams. He was far too old to deal with such things. He wanted a peaceful village with successful ninja and as little conflicts with other nations as possible.

"Shinku-chan," he said and looked up to meet her eyes that he knew were covered with a Genjutsu. "What do you think about the team from Iwa?" he hoped, she would catch on. And she did.

"Can't really see anything negative, but they give some bad vibes off. And I know for a fact, Konoha and Iwa don't have good connections. And the old bat of a Tsuchikage knows, when to take opportunities like these. I don't trust them and I'll act cautious around them," she stated strongly. Shinku didn't really know, why the team from Iwa was here for, but she could guess.

The old-bat wanted to have her back, and he couldn't leave her in the hands of their greatest enemy, Konoha. He probably also wanted to check if she was still alive and serving Konoha. Maybe they were here to capture and bring her back to Iwa, which would be kidnapping. And if it happened at the third stage of the exams, nobody would notice if she just disappeared. Not fast enough. Or they'd attack her, take her eyes and leave. But she wasn't sure and she was going to keep a good eye on them, for sure.

"That's all I can ask for. Thank you Shinku-chan, you are dismissed." He said and waved his hand dismissively. The redhead bowed her head in respect, which she didn't show much, but he only smiled tiredly. She started to leave, when a thought struck her.

"Ehh, Hokage-sama…Why don't you use Shadow Clones for doing your paperwork. It would take less time," she advised and he looked at her, like he never thought of it before. He grinned like he won the lottery and took a poof from his pipe, making Shinku almost cough at the smoke. "Hm, great idea. A great idea indeed," he mused just as she left the office.

The crow, which had been creepily quiet, waved its wings in the air and cried out once. Shinku looked at it with a glare, but ignored the animal on her shoulder once again. She walked to her apartment and let the crow fly to a chair in her little kitchen.

"Now, now…You're strange for a crow…And creepy," she added the last part from observation. The crow made a whine-like cry out in response.

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**Author's Note: Take that Kabuto! Hahahahaha, Shinku is starting her plan already. What is she going to do in the Second part of the chunnin exams? Read and find out next time! And please review!~~**


	17. Chunnin Exams - Orochimaru

The next day was a pain for Shinku. She wasn't too sure, but the crow's company kept her calm. Even when she thought about the Forest of Death. She met up with Team 8 and they all met the other teams and Anko before the Forest of Death.

"Shinku…I wanted to ask you a question, ever since today." Kiba suddenly said seriously and Shinku shuttered at his creepy expression. She felt the crow pick on her ear again and her eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"What now, Kiba?" she said with a tired tone to it. He looked into her eyes and then he made a 'what-the-hell-is-this' look and pointed at the crow on her shoulder. "What is this thing!?" he shouted, not too loud, but it still caught attention from the nearby teams. The redhead looked at her shoulder and stared into the crow's black eyes for a moment. She then faced Kiba with a deadpan expression and also petted the crow's head.

"This, Kiba, is an animal. A crow to be specific. You know…The things that have feathers and wings with-" her expressions turned smug as Kiba intervened with her explanation. "I know that! But why is it on your shoulder!?" His question was better than expected and she glanced at the black crow on her. _'I really don't know,'_ Shinku thought and met Kiba's eyes again.

"How should I know? I'm not an animal expert, nor is it like Akamaru. Not that I know anyway," she stated and glanced at the crow, but it only shrieked in reply. She petted its head and let it snuggle into her neck, and with that, her red hair covered the crow. Kiba grunted and looked away. Hinata and Shinku exchanged a glance before they both sweat-dropped at Kiba's attitude.

Then Anko started explaining the second stage of the Chunnin exams and it was followed with Naruto being all brave, which ended up with the masked Orochimaru giving Anko her kunai back. Shinku gagged in her mind. _'Eww! That's so gross! No normal ninja should be able to do that, it's really creepy…'_ Shinku thought and her rational-self nodded in agreement.

**'But it's strange no one noticed this. He acted like a snake and yet Anko didn't notice his real identity. Either people didn't know he could do this kind of things or the people are dumb,' **her rational-self said and Shinku sweat-dropped. _'I think we both wouldn't know it, if we hadn't watched the show.'_ She was greeted with a satisfying silence in her mind.

As every team got their scroll, each team went to their own gate. Shinku, as discretely as she could, made a shadow clone in the forest and started to process her plan. As they entered, she kept her clone near enough to use the Kawamiri (Replacement Jutsu) and out of Hinata's range to notice the clone following them.

After searching, Shinku using her sensor-abilities, Kiba sniffing with Akamaru, Hinata with her Byakugan and Shino with his bugs, they found a team near them. Nodding to each other, they prepared for an attack. As the other team came their way, Kiba prepared himself with Akamaru.

"Heh, we just need to take on one of the Rookie teams from Konoha and we'll reach Chunnin level," a cocky voice said and Kiba refrained from growling. He rather prepared himself and as they stepped right into their little trap with kunai and shurikens, they were distracted enough for Kiba and Akamaru to have a clear shot.

_"Fang over Fang!"_ he shouted and attacked with Akamaru. Hinata readied herself and silently ran up to them, Shino let his bugs at them and Shinku waited for a while.

As Kiba got into a one-on-one fight with the male from the other team, Shinku got into position to grab the scroll. As the perfect opportunity came, she dashed towards the one Hinata fought. The four of them plus Akamaru, planned to let Hinata scan the other team and then fight the one with the scroll. A sign which one had it for Shinku, to then steal the scroll.

Shinku came near enough and Hinata had the fight under control and distracted the one she fought. The redhead quickly grabbed it, but the male noticed and tried to attack her with a kunai. **_'Now!'_** both she and rational-self shouted in her mind. Shinku used the Kawamiri to substitute herself with a log and appear behind a tree near the area of the fight. She put the scroll down and once more used Kawamiri to replace herself with the nearby clone.

The clone took the scroll and placed it in a safe place, then joined Team 8 to fight the team. As they took the team out, they decided to bind them to a tree and leave. The clone got the job done quite well, not that the real Shinku knew.

Meanwhile, Shinku ran towards where she lightly felt Team 7's chakra signatures. And she could feel Orochimaru's slippery one getting closer to theirs. She gritted her teeth and sealed her weights away into a scroll in her pouch and then dashed at full speed. But later a powerful gust of wind knocked her back and she landed in a crouch on the ground.

"Fuck it!" she swore and then felt the crow sinking its claws into her shoulder. Deciding to leave the crow behind, she didn't start running to Team 7's aid. The crow shrieked as she wanted to leave it behind, but she only glanced and shook her head.

"You'll get roasted, birdy. That fight is on another level, one that I know can't win yet." She said truthfully and as it made the slightest of moves, Shinku dashed away. As she reached team 7, they were already facing Orochimaru and she got a massive headache. **_"You'll not prevent this,"_** a voice said in her mind and it wasn't Amaterasu's. Shinku groaned lightly in pain and leaned onto a tree as she watched the team fight the Sannin off without much succession.

"The hell I won't!" she growled and her rational-self said something too, but Shinku didn't pay any attention as the headache left and she flew in front of Sasuke and kicked Orochimaru's head into a tree, as he tried to give the younger Uchiha the Curse Mark. She heard Sakura's yell, Sasuke's deep breaths as he panted and tried to catch his breath.

"Shinku!" both shouted and she unconsciously glanced at Naruto to make sure he's okay, even if she knew what the Sannin has done and that Naruto would wake later on.

"Heh, I'm at the wrong place just at the right time?" she said with a slight smirk, glancing at Sasuke that stood not too far behind her. "What are you doing here!?" Sasuke panted with a growl and she caught his tone. He was relieved and in pain, devastated and angry.

"Saving your ass," she stated and as she noticed Orochimaru's neck getting normal, she grunted and knocked him out. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shrieked and jumped towards us and she came to punch me. I sidestepped her too slow for normal try and grabbed her fist, then grabbed her left one that was preparing to punch me. "Are you nuts? He wouldn't have stopped fighting and I can't risk any of you. Get Naruto and him safe," Shinku said with a voice that radiated to not question nor oppose her.

Sakura gulped and grabbed Sasuke then also got Naruto. Before she left, she stopped to look at the redhead. "Why?" was her simple reaction, not a thank you or any other sign of gratitude that Shinku rather wanted to hear than any questions.

"It's quite simple. I'm refraining bad things and going to get my ass kicked for a change. Now get out of here!" she shouted the last part and the pinkette ran off with her two unconscious teammates.

"My, my…How generous to die for your little friends," Orochimaru chuckled, but Shinku shuttered as she felt his killer-intent reaching her. He had power, and she was afraid to fight him. It was her first serious battle, a life or death one at that. And with a Sannin, for Kami's sake!

Orochimaru was not pleased. That was an understatement. He was furious at this child in front of him that prevented getting his new vessel for the future. And he didn't have much time left for an opportunity to catch him again. And this child also had some striking features like her lively red hair that strikingly reminded him of the Uzumaki clan.

"Tch. A Sannin, the creep out of the three of you. Orochimaru, an S-Ranked nukenin from Konohagakure." Shinku stated coldly, yet her knees were shaking. _'W-What if he kills me? I won't be able to save Itachi…Or keep my promise and the goal that Amaterasu gave me,'_ she thought sorrowfully and prepared herself for battle. Her rational-self did her best to calm her. **'We won't just die here, after all the trouble, ne? We were strong enough to be out of Danzo's reach and be safe for a while. The future is darker than this situation right now. And you can't just give up yet. You have a promise to keep after all…And an Uchiha waiting for you,'** her rational-self teased at the end to lighten her mood up.

Shinku smiled lightly and cleared her throat. Orochimaru bolted at her and she could see that he was underestimating her.

_"Kawamiri!"_ she whispered and exchanged herself with a wooden log, just as Orochimaru hit the log, where one of her vital points were. Making hand-sings at a fast rate, she stored up chakra in her mouth. Taking in a breath, she then breathed out.

"Wind Release: Air Current!" A powerful wind jutsu came out of her mouth and as she thought Orochimaru was knocked away, she just noticed his chakra closing in on her from behind. Getting her katana, she deflected his sword, but the force of his blow made her balance break. Naturally, Orochimaru took the chance and punched her, making her go flying into a tree.

Shinku barely had time to ignore the pounding in her head as she forced herself to avoid getting his fist into her face. She used Body-Flicker and flickered behind a tree, but she could hear his haunting chuckle. "Playing cat and mouse won't help you," he stated with an amused tone to it. Gritting her teeth, she jumped onto a tree branch and faced Orochimaru. She had discretely made two shadow clones and let them sneak up on him for some distraction, it could buy her enough time to prepare herself.

She closed her eyes for to catch her breath and puffed out air. Orochimaru just let her, like she was not worth the effort, but he soon disappeared into the ground. 'Damn! That jutsu…He can just leave or surprise me with it!' she growled in her mind, but she didn't hear her rational-self saying something as the pounding in her head had gotten stronger. Shinku closed her eyes to sense his chakra and bolted away from her spot as he resurfaced and had a kunai in his hand.

"Tch, it seems like you can sense my chakra…" he grunted with a frown. Shinku merely smirked and her shadow clones prepared to attack him. _"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" _both clones shouted and two big fireballs were going straight at Orochimaru. He clicked his tongue and replaced himself with the Kawamiri. As he appeared behind the redhead, she turned her head fast enough and met his eyes. Her eyes weren't covered with the usual Genjutsu and Orochimaru stared shocked into her eyes. Then he smirked and bolted at full speed at her, an arm outstretched in the manner to rip her eyes out.

_"Shinra Tensei!"_ Shinku shouted as Orochimaru's hand was too close for her comfort and she let him flying away a couple of miles. Breathing out, she managed to stumble a bit and leaned against the trunk of a tree. Taking deep breaths, she took the clips on either side of her face off and let her bangs cover her eyes.

"I used too much chakra-" she was interrupted as something hit her hard and she went flying through the tree trunk and through some other trees. As she faintly sensed Orochimaru's chakra, her eyes widened and cursed that she let her guard down for such a short time with the evil Sannin around. "It looks like you have an interesting pair of eyes," she heard him chuckle evilly and it send shivers down her spine. Her body hurt and she stumbled as she tried to get up. Leaning against the tree for support, she summoned a poison she made from her scrolls and tipped her katana in it.

"Hmm?" Orochimaru watched as she did something, but it wasn't clear what. Shinku then used chakra to enhance her speed and took off, straight at the Sannin. He deflected her blow with a kunai and, but she somehow maneuvered around with her katana in hands and made cuts on his arms, not deep enough, but Shinku then used the Body-Flicker Technique to find shelter behind a tree.

Orochimaru didn't feel anything different and just as he found her, her head snapped up, a tired smirk on her face. "Now go to hell!" with that he was sent flying once more with the Almighty Push in which Shinku put a lot of her chakra in, to make him go flying as much as possible. And now, she didn't let her guard down and concentrated on him. She even tried to remember, which poison she used, and cursed loudly as she noticed it was only the one that would make him paralyzed and nauseous for some hours.

As she sensed that he wasn't moving, she took the last bit of chakra she had and bolted to where she knew the Tower was. It had been some long hours and her clone's memories flooded her mind and she knew that her team reached the tower a while back, now they were resting.

Through the dark forest, she took enough time to find her weights, but there wasn't the crow that had been her companion for a while. Sighing, she didn't pay any mind to it and raced to the tower, before other shinobi would find out that her team lacked a member.

Reaching the tower without any problems, she went straight to where her Team had a room. As she opened all three of them glanced at her and then stared, taking in her appearance.

"What the hell!? What were you doing!?" Kiba shouted and he ran to her. She used the doorframe for support and let her bangs cover her eyes since she didn't have enough chakra. She smiled tiredly and made a thumbs-up with her left hand. "I helped some team," she stated and stumbled, but Kiba caught her body. "Why? You replaced yourself with a clone and didn't inform us! What were you thinking!?" he shouted, red in the face with anger.

Shinku only grunted lamely and let him carry her to a bed. She thanked him and soon fell asleep due to fatigue and lack of chakra.

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**Author's Note: Poor Shinku, she got herself beaten up. T_T And Kiba isn't really helping by shouting at her...But well, she did get the job done and didn't let Sasuke get the freaking Curse Mark...But there will be trouble for that~ I really can't write much at this point, since school's all stressful and I've got a competition or whatever today. I even needed to read 250 pages in German! Whaaaa! =_= Didn't get enough sleep and now I'm grumpy. **

**Okay, just ignore my complains and review please!~~ Thank ya'! **


	18. Chunnin Exams - Preliminaries (1)

The days they were waiting in the tower was a good opportunity for Team 8 to find out, what their additional teammate has been doing in the Forest of Death without them. And since Shinku ran short of patience and endurance to just endure their constant nagging, she told them the truth, which was mixed a bit with little white lies. Like that she sensed a foreign and evil chakra in Team 7's way and that they struggled in beating their enemy.

Kiba yelled at her for not taking him with her for a good fight, Hinata didn't look truly convinced, but she was concerned about Shinku and rather just stayed silent. And Shino…Well you can just guess, he stayed silent, and only Shinku felt, how his bugs buzzed within him. She knew she fooled Kiba, he was sometimes easily fooled, but Shino and Hinata could and were difficult.

They rested most of the time, and Shinku tried to heal her wounds with the bit of medical-ninjutsu she knew. The redhead didn't let her guard for a single moment waver, she was constantly searching for a chakra signature, near their room, that was in any way similar to Orochimaru.

_'He'll try to get me…And I can't really protect Sasuke every time he tries to get the revenger. I'm not a babysitter that will go up against a stupid Sannin, even if its Itachi's little brother. I have things to do and at least try to change, not get myself killed.'_ That was one of the thoughts in her head. **'Sasuke will go to him eventually. And I bet the gods will have a hand in those matters too,'** her rational-self once said. Shinku and her rational-self were suspicious about the gods and Amaterasu planning something and maybe they'd face punishment after what they've done. They didn't contact her in her dreams and it was all fishy. On the fifth day, a Chunnin came to inform her and Team 8 about them assembling all teams that were left.

"I guess we'll just have to see what's all this about," Kiba grunted and then perked up. "I really wanna see if all the Rookies passed," his remark made Hinata slightly fidget, she thought about Naruto.

They made their way to the arena, where Shinku knew all the Rookies would be assembled together with Team Guy, the Sand Siblings, Kabuto's team with the sound three and from what her sensing-skills got right, also the team from Iwagakure.

She had her bangs clipped to her sides, her hair up in a high-ponytail and her eyes under the Genjutsu she had used already years. As each team formed a line, Shinku somehow stood behind Kiba as second, and to her right side stood Sasuke. He gave her a weak glare, but nodded in acceptance and the redhead looked all three members of Team 7 over. 'It seems like Orochimaru's sound ninja team got to them and Sakura's hair is also chopped short. Suits her better anyway,' she thought with a frown. Her head whipped up at where the Jonnin stood and she glared daggers at Orochimaru's presence. _'How can they not notice the resemblance and the sneaky snake-like feel of his chakra?! Damn it, stupid ninja, just our luck they're ignorant at wrong times.'_

The Hokage's speech was cut short, when Hayate the proctor of the Preliminaries told them the rules. As he asked if someone wanted to quit, Shinku didn't hear Kabuto's name, only one girly unfamiliar name and she glanced at the silver haired boy that wore glasses. He pushed his glasses up with his right hand and as the light reflected in them, she saw his eyes glance at her and as his lips twitched, she felt like strangling him. She only hoped that the fights weren't too messed up. Also, she really had to admit, Hayate Gekko was pretty miserable with those coughing fits of his.

As the electric tablet on the wall showed two names, she glanced at Sasuke and the sound girl, Kin. To her it was pretty obvious, who would win. In the anime, she was lucky that she was up against Shikamaru, who wasn't one for close combat and Sasuke already had experience with senbon users and all.

The girl was down after some good hits and the move Sasuke copied from Lee. The next fight was Shino's and Shinku choked on her saliva as she read Sakura's name three times over and over again. The pinkette fared as good as she could with all the strain her body had went through and it was bad luck that Shino was fully rested from being in the tower for a while now, without needing to fight anyone. The medics carried her to the medical wing where she'd be placed in a room to wake up. Then followed a cannon fight from the anime, Kankuro against one of Kabuto's teammates. Kankuro won, like in the anime and the next pairing made Shinku choke once more. It was Kabuto against Ino, and before they started she gave a little speech that involved something about Sakura and their hair, which only resulted in Ino cutting her hair short. Shinku couldn't manage to fully muffle her laugher and let out some choking sounds as Kiba placed his hand over her mouth. She felt stares and slowly got her amusement under control and her eyes wandered from Kakashi's team that stared at her, then to Gai's and she noticed that all teams actually stared at her and she flushed as she noticed that even the Hokage stared at her.

After that little embarrassing moment, she calmly watched Kabuto win with little difficulty and then she heard it. Her name.

"Would Shinku Izumi and Tenten come down?" Hayate coughed and Shinku glanced at the girl she was going to fight. Everything she knew flashed in her mind and she wasn't being arrogant or cocky to say that she had better chances at winning. She knew some wind jutsus and her Rinnegan gave her the ability to repel her weapons, and if it had to be close combat, it was the thing she trained mostly in anyway. With simple words, she really wasn't the best type to fight Tenten.

"Any objections?" both of them shook heads and the proctor said the one word that was important. "Begin!"

Shinku leaped back and landed in a crouched position and had her hand placed on the hilt of her katana. Her Genjutsu eyes followed Tenten's actions and waited for the first move to be made by her opponent. As Tenten gripped one of her scrolls, she sent a smirk at Shinku. "Try to block this!" Without any more words, weapons flew at the redhead and she danced out of the way of some, the others she blocked with her now unsheathed katana. "That's not all I have!" another barricade of weapons flew at her, faster and probably without any real aim on a specific spot of her body. Shinku felt her lips turn to a smirk at knowing that it was her win. Not a fair or exhausting win, but still a win.

"It's just that…" with that she used Shinra Tensei and all the weapons were repelled away from the redhead. "…you didn't have much luck since you got me as your opponent." Shinku finished and Tenten stared, breaking into cold sweat. The Rookie girl didn't even blink or did anything as the weapons just blew away by some force.

Neji narrowed his eyes from where he stood and watched the fight. Since his first meeting with the girl, when they bumped after Lee got drunk, she seemed off. He activated his Byakugan and saw her eyes needed more chakra than he saw on other ninjas. His eyes narrowed even more, but he was curious. Why would she need the chakra in her eyes? A Genjutsu? But if yes, why?

Meanwhile others stared in shock and wondered what happened. The Jonnin ninjas tensed and the Hokage hid his surprise. He didn't know what all she could do with her eyes, but it was certainly better to see it in person. All the while, Orochimaru watched with very interested eyes and licked his lips.

"What? What did you do? You didn't even blink!" Tenten pointed out and Shinku shrugged, wearing the same smirk on. "You don't tell enemies how your jutsu or tricks work. Let's leave it like that, no?" With her speed, she charged at Tenten and the girl was barely able to dodge it in her shock. _'She's really fast!'_ Tenten thought as she made some distance between them. "You're not going to block this!" she used her scrolls again and Shinku noted it was what she used at Temari just before she lost.

"Shinra Tensei," Shinku mumbled and felt how the invisible force left her and just as a shield blocked her and then sent the weapons away. Taking the opportuning and opening that Tenten showed, she disappeared and appeared behind her shocked opponent. "I win." With that she brought the hilt of her katana at the back of Tenten's head and the girl fell unconscious to the ground.

"Since Tenten is unable to fight, Shinku wins." Hayate coughed and the girl almost cringed away as she glanced at him.

As she made her way back to Kiba, Hinata and Shino, she passed by Neji and noticed the veins around his eyes that indicated that his Byakugan was activated. He was somehow more intimidating by glaring at her with his eyes activated and she felt threatened. But she wouldn't let it show as she passed him, but she faltered a bit in her pace, when he said something quietly. "You're hiding something." She merely glanced at him for a second and it was enough for him to catch the fear in them.

She kept on walking and reached Team 8. Kurenai gave her a calculating stare from the corner of her eyes and Shinku caught it. "Hell yeah! That's how you win!" Kiba grinned and gave her a high five and Hinata smiled. Shino nodded at her and she grinned as she leaned on the railing.

The next battle was Temari against one of the Iwa-nin and it was quite the fight. The Iwa-nin had some earth-techniques up his sleeve. He used them to hide himself behind them and as Temari's wind jutsu got weaker, he rushed to her and they had a short Taijutsu fight, which ended in him getting hit by Temari's big fan. Shinku almost winced as the boy rolled on the ground and then Temari used one of her wind jutsus. The fight wasn't short, it was merely going on and on with both parties tiring.

"My money's on Temari," Shinku said. Kiba gave her a questioning glance. "Why? Both are tiring and the Iwa-nin seems to look stronger in body built." She gave him an irritated stare and he sweatdropped. "He used more chakra than her and he seems to not use any weapons…Maybe he's got something up his sleeve, but Temari isn't that much tired. She didn't even use all that much chakra in her wind-jutsus since the fan she has is quite big and quite effective." She had slowly started hoping the Iwa-nin had a trump-card up his sleeve, but she was disappointed, when it all ended with Temari beating him into the ground. Literary. With the usage of her very big fan.

The next fight was Naruto against Kiba. "Oi, Kiba?" Shinku mumbled and glanced at him as he stopped on his way to the steps and looked at her. "He isn't as dumb as you think he is." He merely smirked confidently and she growled as she realized that he brushed her warning aside like it was nothing. Fuming to herself, she glared down at the proctor as he said to start the battle. Her dark-aura emitting self was very obvious and Kurenai, together with Hinata and Shino inched away from her and some eyes glanced at her on occasion.

When the battle ended, Kiba had called Hinata down and warned her, giving her the tip to rather forfeit than get seriously injured against someone like Neji or Gaara. His eyes flickered to Shinku and as he apologetically smiled, the female redhead sighed to herself and let go of the anger and smiled back at him, acknowledging his indirect apology.

Her heart sank as he disappeared in the Medic-hallway. But as soon as her eyes focused on the next two names, her heart almost stopped permanently beating. "Hinata," she immediately said with a cold tone that cut through the air like her katana.

"H-Hai?" Hinata's terrified eyes focused on her and Shinku almost felt like she wanted to bark some commands at her to just forfeit and try to avoid contact with Neji for the rest of her life, but she knew it was important to the plot, since Naruto got inspired to beat Neji from seeing Hinata go up against her own cousin and it wouldn't be too great to still have the bastard-Neji in place of the more-understanding Neji from the original series. She had already changed some things with her involvement in this Arc.

"Be warned that he won't spare you if it comes down to it. Be very careful and…" she took a shaky breath in as her heart hammered in nervousness. "Good luck." It seemed it had been enough for Hinata to make a spark of determination appear in her eyes. The Main-House member of the Hyuuga went down to face Neji, a Branch-House member of the Hyuuga.

She watched her friend get beaten and seriously injured, and as Lee stopped Naruto from attacking Neji, she had had enough and pulled a rod out of her sleeve. In a quick almost invisible motion it flew past Neji's head, mere inches between the weapon and his head. His eyes zoomed on her and she saw the shock in them and grinned, almost predatory at him. "You should come down from your high seat or I'll kick it out of you, bastard. I wasn't a member of Team 8 for long, but I know enough about Hinata that I get you're a total douchebag to her. And I totally don't approve of the way you handle your own grudges." She flickered and then disappeared, landing soundlessly on her feet behind Neji, her fingertips lightly brushing the skin of his exposed neck and as she saw him shudder, probably from shock and fear, she smirked. "I'm not a forgiving person either…" she whispered truthfully and accidentally conjured the image of Danzo fighting Shisui and it made her spread killer-intent through the whole place.

He spun around, ready to strike her with his Juuken, but his hand stopped midway as he saw into her eyes. They were purple and had rings in them. It made him shudder to look into those eyes and he slowly backed away and as he blinked away his Byakugan, her eyes were back to normal. As he unnoticeably looked around, it seemed no one saw the change in her eyes.

"Both of you will be disqualified, if any of the two of you continue to try fighting each other. You can only fight if your names are called and as I see, both of you fought their own match and won. Take it to the third stage of the Chunnin Exams, maybe you'll be able to fight." Hayate Gekko warned them both. They nodded, although Shinku seemed like she wanted to argue and kick Neji out of the Lands of Fire. And Neji swore her eyes were trained only on him, and as he turned to glare back at her in displeasure, two names flashed and his eyes travelled to his only left teammate. He felt her eyes leave him and he felt like relaxing, but he knew he wouldn't be able to since his teammate was going to fight Gaara of the Desert.

They nodded at Hayate, the proctor, and then Shinku went back to where Kurenai and Shino were. Her eyes turned to the icy blue ones that the Genjutsu was making them and she sighed, her stiff posture not relaxing even the slightest. She already knew the outcome of Lee against Gaara and she frowned at the idea of watching it all live.

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**A/N: I'm really, really sorry that I took so long to post another Chapter. I had a pretty tough time with everything, having to deal with graduation and all and then rolling into a high-school...And then there's the problem with me really not liking the Chunnin Exams Arc. I'll somehow try to write it, even if it's really shitty or a great example of failing. Sorry guys... **

**Oh, and what do you think of what the Gods are planning? And have you ever questioned what and who Shinku's rational-self is and what her intentions are? Cuz I do have something planned for all that, so that we won't forget about Shinku also having her own problems, not just those about changing Sasuke not getting the hickey and the problems that the future holds. **

**Thanks for those who actually still bother reading my story, since I'm really slacking off and all. Really. Thanks to all of you!**


	19. Chunnin Exams - Preliminaries (2)

The fight was brutal. The fact that it all seemed a game for Gaara made Shinku want to vomit and she tried her best not to just jump down and Shinra-Tensei Gaara back to Sunagakure. To see someone of her own village get so beaten, killed almost, it made her knees feel like jelly and even if she didn't want to admit it, she felt like it was her responsibility to stop it and have Lee in a whole undamaged piece.

She watched as Mighty Gai stopped the fatal blow and as the medics rushed away with Lee's body. Her hands were fisted and her gaze moved to Neji. He was watching as Gai rushed off and his eyes were unreadable. His face didn't show anything, no sympathy, no hatred or dislike for Gaara, nothing. She felt like killing him, suffocating him with her bare hands while he was tied up on a chair, rats clawing over him and taking bites. She had hundreds of scenarios, her killer-intent and sadistic mind triggered.

**'Stop. You're losing control of your sadistic tendencies. You know fully well that Naruto will use his Therapy-no-Jutsu on the prickly Neji and Neji will come to his senses eventually after Hiashi gives him the scroll Hizashi wrote. Now stop your sadistic streak,'** rational-self said and calmness washed over Shinku's whole being for a second and she noticed that Neji was glaring right back at her again. Huffing in disappointment and annoyance, she turned her head away from him and watched as Zaku and the last Iwa-nin came down to Hayate.

She noted that the girly name she heard was from an Iwa-nin as she only saw two of their matches. Her eyes watched the Iwa-nin, Akeno, and his dull brown eyes snapped to her for a moment and her breathing stopped for a while, until she was sure, he wasn't looking at her anymore.

Her eyes then stared at Zaku and she nodded in her mind. He was going to lose, if the Gods still had a hand in everything and anything.

**'The Gods seem to be arguing over you or maybe about the change you did with Sasuke. Amaterasu-san did say that some or most of them don't like you and maybe there is enough of those that take a liking to you for them to be at a standstill.'** She scowled at the thought of the Gods talking about her and over what she does, but nodded in thanks to rational-self, before she made a wall in between her own thoughts and rational-self.

_'My other self…Huh, I didn't give her too much attention till now. She was there since before I died and reincarnated, but not as prominent as of now…She always helps me and has an advice and all, but I wonder…What is she if she has her own thoughts and ways. Sakura has her inner-self as motivation and that other-self was probably born from her insecurity as a child and the manifestation of her hopes, wishes and determination? Well, so what was the trigger to my other-self that I actually call is the rational part of me?…When I have to think about it…She was just there, I wasn't in a insecurity crisis or any crisis at all when she appeared, I don't even have problems with thinking rationally and strategic. She…Does she have anything to do with the Gods?!'_ After she reached that point of suspicions about her rational-self the walls crumbled in her mind and she then watched the Iwa-boy winning against the beaten-up Zaku from the Sound Trio.

Akeno was observant and smart as it seemed since he easily figured Zaku's tricks and used his speed and Earth-jutsu to block hits and in the end he simply raced to where Zaku was and made him forfeit by placing a kunai at his throat after making a small cut in his neck.

_'He's fast and smart…A good combination for his uses, but fatal for his enemies. Damn, I really don't have a good feeling about them,'_ she thought and then continued to watch the last two fights, Shikamaru against one of Kabuto's teammates and the Nara boy won with his shadow jutsu, and the last fight between Choji and Dosu where the latter won.

"Would the Gennins that won their matches come down for a second?" the Hokage asked and Shinku flashed down, some feet away of the Hokage, crouching respectfully. She straightened herself and then waited to pull a number.

"Eleven," Sasuke grunted as he came up first to pull out a paper with a number.

"Three," followed Kankuro and he looked at Gaara and Temari for a while, before going back and then Shino pulled. "Nine."

"One." Shinku looked at Naruto and then she just stepped up and pulled a number.

"Four," her voice was neutral and she just smirked at Kankuro, who in turn scowled.

"Seven." Temari.

"Twelve." Gaara. Sasuke's eyes glared right into Gaara's and they had a stare-down that lasted two or three seconds, before Neji stepped to the box and pulled his number. "Two." And cue for a stare-down between Neji and Naruto.

"Eight." Shikamaru.

"Ten." Iwa-nin named Akeno. Shinku's eyes met his and she almost shuddered since they reminded her of nothingness. It made her feel motionless.

"Six." Dosu.

"Five." Kabuto. Her eyes snapped to him as the silverette smiled at Dosu, who only glared in reply.

"Okay. You'll have a month before the last part of the exams. One-on-one battles, for which you'll have a month to prepare for…" she ignored the rest of it as it seemed pointless to hear the things she already knew. As they signaled them to go, she started walking, but then stopped and waited for Shino so both of them walked out of the tower, out of Training grounds 44 with Kurenai's help.

"I'm proud of you, even Kiba and Hinata for their matches and that all of you made it to here," she said to Shino and Shinku. The redhead smirked and the Aburame of the team just nodded solemnly. Kiba and Hinata were in the hospital and both of them intended on visiting their hurt teammates. "Shino. You'll be training with your clan?" he just nodded and Kurenai then turned to Shinku. "Shinku, what about you?"

She frowned for a second and then grinned. "I'll go and make some poisons and train my Kenjutsu and Taijutsu. I'll also work on my jutsu and chakra and…I'll go ask Kaida-sensei if she was going to help me at my Kenjutsu and, hmm…" she thought for a second what she'll need help in. **'Genjutsu,'** rational-self said and Shinku almost cringed as she heard her voice. She was sure that her other-self won't get her in harm's way intentionally, but there were going to be some trust-issues between them for a while. _'Knew that,'_ she said to rational-self and then looked up at Kurenai. "Ugh…Could you please help me with Genjutsu, Kurenai-sensei? I know I'm not good at it and have some difficulties in Genjutsu, but I just need to learn one or two for back-up plans."

Kurenai faked a thoughtful expression and then broke into a smile. "Yes. We'll start training in three days, punctual at eight in the morning." Shinku nodded and glanced at Shino, who seemed to be waiting for her so that they'd go to Kiba and Hinata. "Arigatou!" she said, bowing her head and then they said their goodbyes to Kurenai.

The walk was nothing special. Shino wasn't talkative and the redhead next to him was deep in thoughts. She knew Kankuro was going to forfeit, if it goes as per in the plot and Gaara will kill Dosu when he tries to kill the Suna-boy before the Third stage of the exams. Which would make her without a match technically and then they wouldn't have an opportunity to see her abilities for a promotion or not. And since Kabuto was going to be left without Dosu, they'll probably make them fight. Or they'd change the pairings and maybe make her fight someone else. But she stopped herself, because if she was going to think about it, it would take her a bit of her time and she was clumsy enough to face-plant while so deep in thoughts.

With that she rather snapped her attention to Shino. He was going to face Akeno, the only Iwa-nin that got into the final round. She didn't remember how Shino fought against Kankuro, when Shino appeared and battled him instead of Sasuke to let the Uchiha follow Gaara.

"I don't even doubt that you'll win against that Akeno," she finally said to Shino. He turned his head to her as he seemed to be confused. "That is idiotic. Why? Because he-"

"Your bugs and jutsu will somehow trick that guy and you'll win. You're good at planning, he seemed to be smart and fast, but he doesn't seem like one for strategies, he's just smart enough to figure one or even two moves ahead to counter attacks. He's a fast-thinker and that with his speed is a good combination, but you're also smart. He uses Earth-jutsu which is quite good for blocking attacks, but you're sneakier than that. Use a clone or two and when he thinks you're finished, strike or you could reveal yourself as he's already exhausted and-" she took a breath and then sheepishly smiled at her overwhelmed teammate. At least to her he seemed overwhelmed. If her mind wasn't going to go overdrive about her own match, it was going overdrive over Shino's.

"Thank you," he simply said as he nodded and then they continued walking. About a while later they reached the hospital and asked at the reception for Kiba and Hinata.

"Hinata Hyuuga is still in surgery, while Kiba Inuzuka is already resting in his room. You can go and visit him, he's in room 16 - C, second floor." Thanking the woman, they continued to Kiba's room.

Shinku knocked and then opened the door to see Kiba sleeping in the hospital bed, his clothing on the nightstand beside the bed. And Akamaru was sleeping on a big pillow that was placed on a chair near the bed. "Hm. I'll come by tomorrow then," she said aloud and turned to Shino, asking him without voicing it. "I'll also come by tomorrow. Why? Because he'll probably be awake by then," he spoke and the redhead nodded to him. "See you tomorrow then," she smiled and disappeared with the Body-Flicker technique.

The next day she woke up before the sun was up and decided to warm herself up with running two rounds around Konoha. While she did so, her mind repeated Kabuto's fight against Ino.

Flashback: _"Do you have any objections?" Hayate asked and Ino smirked confidently at Kabuto, while he only smiled weakly, trying to appear weak and maybe even scared. "No," the blonde said and their proctor nodded. "Good. With that, begin!" The man disappeared and Kabuto already jumped far away from Ino. She gave Sakura a confident smirk that almost seemed arrogant and humiliating. "I'll show you that I'm better," she said and Kabuto's eyes flashed before his glasses gleamed and he faked to frown. _

_"A Yamanaka, huh?" he mumbled to himself and Ino didn't seem to notice as she gazed at him and then sprang into action with a kunai in her grip. Kabuto took one of his own out and their weapons clashed and as she gripped her kunai with both hands, he used his free one to take one more kunai out and tried to slash at her._

_She jumped away, but he had cut her shirt just enough to notice. She didn't pay it any mind and started to throw shuriken and kunai at him. He avoided some of them, but then it seemed as if he couldn't dodge them and as the projectiles hit him, his body changed into a log and it fell to the ground._

_ Ino turned just in time to counter his fist with her forearm and then she tried to grab him, but before she did so, he kicked her in the stomach and she rolled away as his heel hit the ground instead of where her torso had been._

_She tried to kick his footing out of under him, but he jumped away and then seemed to wait. Ino got up and took a kunai out of her pouch and then declared how she was going to do her best to be better than Sakura and then cut her hair. In that time Kabuto took out a kunai and threw it at her. She dodged it, but she noticed too late that there was an explosive tag on it and it exploded behind her, making her fall forward. _

_Kabuto used the newly made openings and went straight at her. Ino's eyes widened and she leaned to the right as his arm shot out and he barely missed her. His other hand lightly glowed blue and then he brought his glowing fist at her shoulder with much force. She was sent back and rolled on the ground before hitting the wall behind her. _

_Kabuto unnoticeably clicked his tongue, he was getting bored with trying to appear weaker than he was and to let his time be spent on battling with a weak Gennin girl._

_"I'm not finished yet!" Ino growled and shot up and flicked some shuriken at him, which only made Kabuto jump away. As he did so Ino brought her arms up into a position, though she grimaced as her shoulder throbbed with pain. It was a miracle that her shoulder wasn't dislocated. _

_Kabuto's eyes widened and he quickly used a smoke-bomb to disappear in the smoke cloud. Ino growled and ran towards the cloud, kunai in both hands and her eyes widened in horror as Kabuto ran out and her kunai sank into his stomach. But then it was revealed that it was just a clone, from the Clone Jutsu, and the real Kabuto appeared behind her and then took her out with some more hits._ Flashback ends.

_'So he only used Taijutsu, basic jutsu that we were taught in the Academy, smoke-bombs, weapons as shuriken and kunai, and the enhanced chakra-fist and his rather quick-thinking and good reactions. He made a rather good show at showing himself as just a bit above average. Ino had good grades, but she wasn't strong in Taijutsu or throwing projectiles at others. Her only weapon had been her clan-jutsu and Kabuto and all other Konoha-nin could've known it, since she is the heir to the Yamanaka Clan,'_ she thought as she finished her second round.

She then went to the training grounds and used the wooden logs for her Taijutsu. She had her arms covered in bandages so that they would cover the bruises she was causing to herself by training that much.

Kicking, boxing, striking, hitting. She even tried to head-butt the log, but after that she took an hour long pause to stop the headache and pain with meditation on the log. In that hour she took deep breaths and relaxed that she somehow went into her mind-scape.

**.**

**.**

**.**

** A/N: Okay, I'm back in my game. I really need to thank  a and Azaira for great advices and all. With their help I'm somehow even starting to like the Chunnin Exams Arc and that's quite the feat. :P **

**So the preliminaries ended and it seems she'll fight Kankuro (if he doesn't forfeit, and I'm not telling what will happen XD ) in the Third stage. **

**And her trust in rational-self is cracking, what's up with that? Maybe she's just paranoid. Or Shinku's right and her distrust is for the better. Or what if she has a mental disorder and Rational-self is just the product of that? Or she's just an object of Shinku's lively imagination and all of her being in the Naruto-verse is also pure imagination. Oh, and she finally makes her first steps into her own mind-scape (the times she's talking with rational-self aren't in her mind-scape. It's like when Inner-Sakura cheers inside Sakura's head). What's awaiting her there? Sadly Kurama won't wait for her there, because who doesn't want Kurama-sama waiting for them? *heart-shaped eyes and trying to pet his fur* **

**Okay...I'll write as much as possible! Till then, bye!**


	20. Revelations

**Author: Okay, so be ready to take a lot of information in, because- *Itachi covers her mouth***

**Shinku: Author-sama, please don't reveal to them what's going to happen. *turns to Itachi* Well, thanks, though I had a different way of shutting her up in mind. *Itachi merely shrugs while Author becomes pale***

**Shinku: *leans to Author and whispers so only she can hear* Nothing violent I tell you. I'd have just brought Sasori-sama here and made him...~ *Author only blushes bright crimson as she listens to Shinku and as the redhead leans away, she just shakes and faints from a nosebleed***

**Itachi: ... *stares for a while at Author and then turns to Shinku with a blank look***

**Shinku: Anyway! QueenOfNight007-sama doesn't own Naruto as it's from Masashi Kishimoto-sama! She merely owns me, Shinku Izumi, and other less significant things than me and- *Itachi coughs, glaring at Shinku***

**Itachi: Have fun.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Everything was black. Pitch black like the space, where she had floated motionless after her death and before Amaterasu. She slowly looked down and noticed the white spiral staircase that seemed to look endless. She was standing on the last stair which was luckily larger so that when she overcame her shock wouldn't fall down. There weren't any rails she could grip for safety reasons and Shinku started to question herself if she fell off the stairs if she would fall or float and if she did fall, would she die?

_ 'I really don't want to find out…'_ she thought and then wearily stepped onto the next step and she was surprised as it flashed blue for a second and then it went back to white. "Interesting," she grinned and then stepped onto the next step and watched fascinated as it flashed a bright yellow. "And I thought it was plain, black and white." After that she started racing down the stairs and watched as the stairs each turned into a specific color, different to the ones before.

The stairs continued for a while and it felt like hours to Shinku, until she saw something down there. It was a floor covered in white tiles and she raced down and ignored the color-turning stairs under her feet.

As she finally stepped on the white tiles. In the middle of the so-called platform were two big mirrors floating in midair. "Hah?" she mumbled in confusion and stepped closer to them, only to freeze as her reflections showed in both mirrors. In the one right to her she saw herself, Shinku Izumi, the redhead without the Genjutsu covering her Rinnegan eyes. And in the left one was Alexandria Hayes, the self she left behind. Blue eyes stared at her blankly and she felt dizzy just by looking into them.

As she extended her hand to brush the mirror of her previous-self she stared mortified as it just went in and it created ripples, like she just threw a stone into a lake. And it even started pulling her in and she clumsily stumbled through the mirror and she suddenly found herself in a dark hall.

"Hello?" she called out into the hall as she looked down it and saw many doors. The hall sent shivers down her spine. It was dark, cold and it looked like an abandoned house. She gulped and took a step ahead and cringed as the wood under her squealed.

_'I won't let a hall like this creep me out. It's just my mindscape turning a whole lot more complicated,'_ she thought bravely and walked towards a door and opened it. Light flooded her eyes and she stared in amazement at the revealed memory. It was one of her earliest memories of her life as Alexandria Hayes. It was Christmas Day and she and her sister were ripping their presents open. Their mother and father were watching with amused smiles and coffee mugs in their hands where there was obviously coffee inside.

**"Momma! Look what Santa brought!"** a three year old Alex shouted in English in amazement and let her mother see a big teddy bear. Her mother then crouched to her eye-level and kissed her forehead.** "You were a good girl. If you keep it up he'll maybe even bring a pony next year."**

Tears collected in Shinku's eyes as she watched the memory and she then lightly snickered as her sister slapped her (Alex) over the head as Alex tried to steal her cookies. **"Dad! Sis' slapped me!"** Alex yelled and Shinku smirked.

_'What a brat,'_ she couldn't help but think. Even if it had been her in her previous life. But she was Shinku Izumi and not Alexandria Hayes. Not anymore. She was a shinobi. A kunoichi to be precise. And she wasn't sure if she wanted to go and see through her memories as Alex. She then processed and went back into the hall, the door slamming behind her by itself. "Still creepy," she mumbled to herself.

"I want to see my death…" she decided after a few seconds and after she said that she was pulled by an invisible force to the end of the hall, where a cracked door slowly opened and Shinku watched the memory from the doorframe.

Her friend called out for someone to call the ambulance and it quickly came, but Alex was at her limits and even from the doorframe she heard her own last words. "Like a bad drama with a tragic ending. I should've been more creative with my last words, and maybe I should've said that she would have to tell my sister that I actually borrowed her t-shirt that day…"

She took a step back as she saw the door closing. The hall turned dark again without a source of light, but she could still see and she walked back to the beginning of it where the mirror was and just walked through, a feeling of breaking the surface passing over Shinku.

With that she was back and she noticed a couch at the edge of the platform. And on it sat a person. A guy in his twenties with a lean stature and curly black hair, and a pair of violet eyes that watched her with amusement as she gaped at him. "W-Who…" she quickly straightened and glared as she composed herself. "Who the hell are you? And why are you here?" Her voice was guarded and stoic, her face expressionless if you ignored her glaring Rinnegan eyes.

The guy stood up and slowly walked towards her and she noted how he wore similar clothing to those of Amaterasu, but they were messier and he kinda looked like he came out of a fight.

He stopped a few feet away from her and smiles slightly. "I'm the person you call your rational-self, if I recall right. My name is Ōnamuji, God of the unseen world of spirits and magic," the guy introduced himself and Shinku gaped and then glared, trying to look intimidating, but from the look she got from Ōnamuji he seemed quite amused. "You! You lied to me!" she accused and took a step forward and glared up at the person in front of her.

"My deepest apologies," the god bowed as he took some steps backwards to do so. "But please take some time and let me explain."

Shinku regarded him with cold eyes, but after he apologized and pleased for her to hear him out, her eyes softened and she nodded. "But no lies," she added with a scowl and Ōnamuji merely nodded. He walked to the edge of the platform and Shinku gasped as he took a step into the consuming darkness that surrounded it. Her eyes widened as a little white tile appeared and she watched in fascination as he took more steps and it looked like he was walking down. He turned to her and nodded, signing for her to do the same. She gulped and did so and as she felt something solid under her feet, she sighed in relief.

"You just need to know where to go and just look ahead, just like you know there's something you can walk on and you won't need to worry about falling into your mind's darkness," Ōnamuji explained and Shinku nodded. She followed him and she noticed they were going down, somewhere lower than the platform and she saw a crack in the darkness, light seeking out of it.

She was surprised as the god in front of her broke the silence. "Your mind is quite strange. Most mortals have a colorful mind, their mindscapes being the oddest of places. Yours is plain." Her lips turned downwards and her eyebrow twitched as he called her own mindscape strange. "Why thank you…" she mumbled and then apologized as she noticed Ōnamuji wincing. She decided to change the subject as her attention wandered to the white crack they were walking towards. "What's that crack doing there?"

"Ahh. It's the entrance to my domain in your soul," she stared at him with an unnoticeable glare as she frowned in confusion. _'What's a God doing in my soul!?'_ she thought.

The crack was just big enough for Ōnamuji to step in and she followed suit.

His domain was simply put: breathtaking. She followed him into a throne room, full of light and the ground was covered with beautiful mosaics and the throne was made of marble. Around it were statues of spirits, and as she looked above her things such as big shining butterflies and birds, fox spirits, dragons and more flied around. And the throne was also decorated with engravings in gold. Sapphires, rubies, opals and many other gemstones were also for the decoration of the throne.

"Wow…This is…Majestic," she finally breathed out and then watched as Ōnamuji sat onto the throne and softly chuckled at her awestruck expression. "It's still overshadowed by the place I had in our kingdom," he told her as his face turned somber. "It is time to explain things, no?" as he said that she nodded and then watched as the god called for something and a dragon flied to her and scoped her up on its back. It had green scales and it was probably a Chinese dragon as it was wingless and had a snake-like shape.

It flew near the throne and then stopped somewhat in front of it and high enough for Shinku to look at Ōnamuji eye to eye. "As I said before, I am the God of magic and ruler of the unseen world of spirits. I'm going to start from the beginning at how I found myself inside your soul."

"I was in the kingdom of gods, the ones you'd classify as Japanese mythology and my traitorous brothers tricked me. I did a grave mistake as I thought that I could trust them to the fullest and I deeply regret it as I then had to flee our domains. With that I fled from my brothers and some other Gods as they chased me so that I would get my rightful punishment. I was looking for a hiding spot since trying to talk sense into the Gods that were siding with my brothers would've been fruitless and I found myself on Earth. Where I searched for strong souls as yours that could bear my overwhelming existence.-" Ōnamuji had to take a breath before continuing.

"-Just by my entrance to Earth caused earthquakes and other natural disasters as your species calls them. There weren't many souls endurable enough and I stumbled upon yours as you were nine mortal years old. You were quite lovely and it surprised me as I found myself almost being sucked into you as I neared you and then it had been clearly decide. I was going to hide inside you, and with that I became your rational-side. I knew I wouldn't be able to take control over you as I had the disadvantage since I was weakened and your soul was quite overwhelming by that time. I was just a voice inside your head for a while."

There was that peaceful vibe to the god as he was telling the last part and Shinku smiled. All that time Shinku had been intently listening to everything he said. Even when she saw the sincerity behind all his words, she couldn't help but be a bit sceptic. He already lied to her once, or actually he didn't tell the whole truth, but she usually didn't let people have another chance after fucking the first time up. But maybe she was going to believe him, but it would be the last chance he'd get from her.

She then once more concentrated on what Ōnamuji had to say.

"Years passed as the Gods searched and when they did, they probably caused your death in hopes of catching me. They were led by my brothers as only they would be cruel enough to end a mortal's life intentionally for their own sake. Your soul was sent into a part of our kingdom, into the place where I had ruled and since we were in my territory and you were merely a spirit, I made sure that you and I were safe. And it seemed like Amaterasu was one of those that believed in my innocence and helped us flee into a world/dimension where our kind wasn't able to do much since its destiny and path was already foreseen. She gave us helpful things and made us less of an anomaly in this world with you being born here, chakra inside you and the Rinnegan as a great way of defending yourself."

Part of her couldn't help but pity him. He trusted his brothers and in the end they betrayed him. She didn't let it show on her face, naturally, because no one liked being pitied. And a God even less so, especially from someone he referred to as a mortal and that they were different species altogether.

Even in his weakened state he'd probably be able to kill her and it made Shinku's shinobi part quite frustrated that a God would just like that go inside her and then be the indirect cause of why she died. Not that she even had a high regard for her previous life, it had been boring and while she didn't have a cause to live, she certainly didn't have a cause to die.

"The Gods cannot affect much, they couldn't change the massacre to never happen and the Gods in our favor were brave enough to actually postpone it for a year. We cannot make such changes as the massacre not happening because it would affect the foreseen destiny of the Narutoverse, as you call it…Back to where you are an anomaly. Gods can sense anomalies and they would be able to locate and catch us, so making you less of an anomaly makes us undetectable. For now. It is merely a question of time before they know which world we are in, and where we are. The only worlds we can affect are the world of mortals, your original one, and the one of where our kingdom is."

Shinku nodded as he paused to see if she was still listening. He nodded back and gave her a soft smile before continuing his story.

"I'm gaining power with all the time we aren't detected and so are you. When the time comes, I'll have to battle my brothers and their followers. Currently it seems that Amaterasu and the ones that believe I'm not the traitor are making progress in spreading the truth. Because with the number of Gods behind my brothers is quite big, we'll have to be as strong as we can get and as many gods as we can get on our side, to battle them."

"That is the whole story," he said as he saw Shinku was waiting for him to continue. Her eyes snapped to his and she nodded rather stiffly. "So why can the Gods still affect me? The headaches and everything they do such as making my chakra reserves go down for quite a bit as in the battle with Orochimaru."

"It's because you aren't foreseen in here and you're an anomaly," he said patiently and she nodded once more. Her eyes went from one spot to another as she processed everything.

"So the Gods that give me headaches and know about me being in the Narutoverse are the ones that know you aren't a traitor?" Ōnamuji nodded at that. "Okay, and they are at a standstill now because…?" He noticed her meaningful questioning look and he coughed before answering with a smirk.

"Some are thinking you cannot change things that are mostly important to the foreseen and others think that you know what you are doing and that you'll make a more positive outcome. And because you already changed something they believe more changes won't even be that bad anymore…"

She smiled at that. _'Good to know some are betting on me making some things better,'_ she thought and was sure that Amaterasu was one of those that were on her team. "Are there any other kingdoms since you're saying it like it's just the kingdom of the Gods and Goddesses from Japanese mythology." She smirked as Ōnamuji's face turned shocked to pleasantly-surprised at her question.

"Aren't you a sharp one," he commented with a matching smirk and Shinku's face turned quite smug that a God - if he really is one, she thought - complimented her. "But yes. Each kingdom has its own Gods. For example, our kingdom is filled with the Gods of Japanese mythology, while in the kingdom nearest to us are other Gods that maybe even have same functions as we and they're like the Gods of Greek mythology."

She had to hand it to him. He was a great explainer and if he lied in such details, she was going to see through it quickly. Because if you say the truth you don't need to remember anything like when you tell lies, especially ones so detailed. And if he wouldn't have been half as good at explaining, she wouldn't have been able to follow his explanations.

She then jumped of the dragon and as she landed in a crouch on the ground, she straightened only to bow to him. "Thank you for explaining things," she thanked and then looked back up at him as he sat on the throne. "But if there was anything you lied about I'll find it out," she watched coldly as he flinched almost unnoticeably and then nodded. "Rest assured. I'm not one to tell lies," he said sincerely.

"But I still have one or two unanswered questions…Why battling with your brothers? Will I have to battle too? And approximately how long will it take them to get us?" she asked as her mind came up with some holes to question him about it.

"It is the only way for handling the situation with my brothers. They have always been harsh to me, and I am sure they won't go down peacefully with exchanging pleasant words on a tea party with the rest of our Gods…Maybe, it's possible for you to get in the crossfire if we aren't successful in sending your soul to eternal rest. But if that happens, you will be guarded and if anything, you'll be able to defend yourself. We Gods aren't as immortal as you mortal think we are…The time is various. If there are many on their side and they're led by someone good, it won't take them too much time to go to other dimensions and checking for us. If they are organized, they find us in less than four to five more years in this dimension. If not, then we can worry until later." He reassured her, but she skeptically looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed.

"And if that happens…They'll kill me here and my soul slash spirit together with you will go back to your kingdom and it's going to be different than before, right? They'll be prepared and maybe my soul will go to another kingdom so-" he interrupted her at that.

"Ahh…That can't happen. Your soul will automatically got to my place in the kingdom and if our side is not ready till then, we'll just have to send you and me somewhere else if they don't relink my system or change anything." Her face turned from confused to realization and she nodded. "Do you understand most of it?" As she nodded he smiled and it almost made Shinku blush as he appeared quite boyish with that smile and she had to ignore the dimples for the sake of her dignity.

"Good, because we've taken quite the time for this," he sighed and in the blink of an eye they stood back on the white-tiled platform in front of the stairs leading up.

"Thank you very much for everything," she said thankful that he finally told her and that she knew that rational-self was actually him. Ōnamuji surprised her as he smiled and ruffled her hair, making her scowl with a vein popping on her forehead. _'Just cause he's a God doesn't mean I'm letting him mess with my hair…'_ she growled to herself.

"No problem. But I also need to thank you for letting me stay in your soul as you probably think that I am a coward for fleeing and hiding myself in a mortal that actually didn't have anything to do with all of this mess." Ōnamuji had a cute frown and she smiled at him reassuringly.

"It's cool. See you," she waved as she ran up the stairs and as she ran up, it was getting rapidly brighter and soon she was engulfed in light .She blinked as she was back on the log in the training grounds.

"Well…That was something," she commented to herself and was more than relieved to finally know the truth. Although she didn't know what his brothers did for him to be labeled as a traitor, but it had seemed too personal to ask as she had seen the distressed expression as he said his brothers broke his trust. And she was sure that he'd get any awards for kicked-puppy look since he really had it mastered, even if he probably didn't know that.

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**A/N: So here it is! She's in the middle of Gods that are planning on killing or punishing the one that's hiding inside her and there's quite the possibility of her getting in between the crossfire. Well, I'll try to write as much as possible and...Hope you like it! Otherwise you don't have to read it~ So it's late here and I'm tired. Night!~**


	21. Getting Ready

**Kiba: Ehhm since Shinku and Author *clears throat* -sama aren't available because they're on a secret mission to kidnap Sasori and Itachi, you'll just have to be happy enough to have me and Akamaru here. *Akamaru barks happily***

**Kiba: Yeah, Naruto and all the characters aren't owned by QueenOfNight007-sama. Only Shinku, the changes in the plot, Amaterasu-sama, Ōnamuji-sama and the other gods that aren't revealed yet. Now go and have fun reading! *grins and growls at something Akamaru barks to him* **

**Kiba: *splutters for a comeback* S-Shut up Akamaru!**

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**'Now that I made my presence known to you, we can communicate easier than when you had the false beliefs of me being a rational-part of you,'** she heard Ōnamuji say in her mind, sitting on a fox spirit that flied through the darkness. _'Yeah, nice. But I'll still make blockades in times when I don't need your presence lingering around…'_ Shinku informed him with a scowl that her personal space was being intruded by the God, even if it's just accidental. She could almost imagine his pouting face, which made her face flare into a rich shade of red.

"I think I should better train," the redhead sighed and then started practicing ninjutsu. The jutsu she knew weren't many, but quite a lot for someone that just months ago graduated. The basics from the academy (clone jutsu, replacement jutsu, transformation jutsu), Shisui's Body-Flicker jutsu, three fire-jutsu, some wind jutsu, shadow clone jutsu, her Rinnegan jutsu (though she can't use all of them, or even half yet), even a water jutsu. Plus the jutsu that require her katana.

After a while, fatigue crawled over her and she just fell onto the ground on her back. She stared at the sky and cringed as she had to close her eyes from the sun.

"Here you are," a voice droned out and she looked to her right to see Kaida walking towards where she lied on her back. "Hello sensei," she greeted the brunette with a small tired smile.

The woman scoped her up and Shinku scowled as she noticed her sensei going to give her a piggy-back ride. "Iie…Sensei can you please let me down? I can walk on my own," she informed the grinning woman with an ever deepening scowl. "Without falling on your face?" Shinku growled in frustration and tried as best as she could to squirm on the back of Kaida.

"Come on. Stop struggling and I'll buy us lunch," at the offer of food, Shinku fully stopped and just rested her forehead on the woman's shoulder. "Good."

Their walk was silent and when they reached the bubbly part of Konoha with all the shops, stands and people she ducked her head into the brown hair of her sensei in embarrassment. The sight probably made the civilians not knowing them personally think they were related or very close and that Shinku was a cute child, actually preteen, but they were shinobi.

And shinobi were killers, Shinku even thought they could be wielded as easily as katana with the right conditions fulfilled. _'Like Sai, Itachi, Kabuto, even Obito…They were wielded as a sword by a person and did what they had to do…'_ she thought grimly. Her heart unwillingly clenched at the memories of Itachi and even the others for being so used. But they also chose such a path. Every shinobi did.

She still remembered that Shisui and Itachi were present the day she first talked to the Hokage and also in the hospital as she entrusted the Third with her secret. It was probably why the Hokage made it Shisui's mission to check on her, secretly keeping tabs that she wasn't a spy of any sorts. She had known all-along about it, it hadn't been hard to figure out as she noticed the same chakra-signature from the ANBU that had been in the hospital with her and after meeting Itachi she also knew he was the second one. But even the little bit of hurt she had felt at the beginning of their friendship blossoming, she knew that becoming friends with her hadn't been their job or mission. They willingly befriended and hanged out with her. _'I'm sure of it…'_ she thought.

After they reached a little restaurant, Kaida placed her into a booth and she then sat down opposite to her. "Hello! What would you like to order?" the cheery waitress asked and smiled at them.

"Hmm…I'd like some dangos, Daifuku and agh…Do you have Akumaki here?" her sensei asked and the redhead sweat-dropped. _'Those are all sweets…How much of a sweet tooth does she have!?'_ she thought and noticed that the waitress already waited for her own order. "I'll just some Yakinuki and a cup of Gyokuro **(A/N: a type of green tea)**."

_'And in such moments I'd just simply love to have a piece of pizza or a hamburger…Or popcorn and a can of coke. Or spaghetti. Or…Well, I also really miss the technology and all, but here even normal cameras aren't found anywhere. Only those old ones like the one with which the photographer took a picture of our little tag team,' _she thought with an unnoticeable frown tugging on her lips.

"So…What are you planning to do in a month?" the brunette asked Shinku, making the redhead sigh. "Work on polishing my better skills and all. Get faster, train in Kenjutsu and other stuff. I'll make some poison to use in the last stage of the exams," she informed her sensei.

"Good. Are you already planning for the puppeteer?" she questioned with a serious expression and then leaned back with a sigh. "He seems to be quite strong," she commented, making Shinku scowl.

"Yes, I have. He's a long range fighter with his puppets, he's probably strong enough in a quick Taijutsu fight, but he'd be nothing without his puppets. And with puppets there also comes poison, if I think about it…But that won't be a problem, I'll just catapult his ass into the next ninja village if needed," she snickered evilly and had a look in her eyes, making Kaida sweat-drop. "Ugh…Good. What do you think about the other participants?" The question made Shinku quiet and her eyes narrowed as she looked at the wall behind Kaida.

"Naruto and Neji…We'll just leave it to the blonde to surprise us, he's got fire in him. Neji is good, but his judgement and criticism is bothersome and annoying, it could lead to one's downfall. I don't doubt that Shino will win, even when Akeno is smart and quick. Temari seems to have a temper and she's strong, Shikamaru will have some trouble fighting her. That Dosu guy from the Sound is also strong, but I don't know. Kabuto seemed to be above average, but not enough to be called great. Even when he already participated in seven exams and is still Gennin. And Sasuke is arrogant, it doesn't help that people just praise and praise him, especially Kakashi-sensei favoring him. And Gaara…" she sighed before massaging her temples. "He's definitely strong. I think he's got a great defense and his offense is just as fearsome. Sasuke will have many obstacles, but with Kakashi-sensei…They'll figure something out. He isn't called the Copy Cat in the bingo book for nothing."

"…Hm." That was the only response she got from Kaida for a while. "Would you want to learn one or two new techniques for your Kenjutsu?"

"Yes! Please!" the redhead shouted with glee and enthusiasm. Now she had one less problem to think about.

"So eager to get stronger, hm? Good, you'll need it, because it's not going to be easy," Kaida snickered evilly, sending shivers down Shinku's spine as she inched away as she realized that her sensei will torture her with training.

After that the day was pretty much normal and she even came across Sakura and Ino. Both of them gave her a look, but still remained polite and friendly. Which weirded Shinku out a bit, since she never got along with either of them. She couldn't decipher the looks she got from them, maybe it was jealousy since she got into the final round, or anger or something else. And that annoyed her, she was good with reading those two and others, and to not know what they thought was kinda irritating.

"So…I know I'm not good at Genjutsu, but this is just crap," Shinku growled in irritation as she tried to slightly change the surroundings around both her and Kurenai, but it didn't seem to work.

"Hmm…" Kurenai mumbled and bit her lip in thoughts as she watched Shinku try to cast a Genjutsu on their surroundings. _'She can't do that, but maybe she can cast a Genjutsu on a person so that they think the surroundings are different than they really are…'_ the black haired kunoichi thought and then voiced her thoughts to Shinku. "Try to cast a Genjutsu on me, make me believe you aren't just standing in front of me but trying to attack me with your katana."

The redhead clicked her tongue in annoyance and did as told. Closing her eyes, she ran through some hand-seals and then concentrated her chakra and what Kurenai would see in the cast illusion. She heard Kurenai jumping away and murmuring a light 'kai' and she felt her Genjutsu being dissolved.

"Well, you can do that, but it was weak. I'm sorry to say that, but you don't seem to have even the slightest bit of affinity or talent for Genjutsu."

Her words hit Shinku hard, but it somehow didn't surprise her. The Genjutsu she was already using had been so hard to learn, she still remembered how she felt the anger and irritation of not getting it right. And it already took some of her concentration away, even if she was used to the Genjutsu on her eyes. She just wanted to walk around with showing her real eyes and not the illusion cast over them.

"Pity, it would've been great to mess with others' minds." Kurenai just shook her head at her comment and cracked a smile, which Shinku returned with a smirk. "Then we should make you better at dispelling them. With your sensor ability, you can sense something being wrong and that will make it easier to realize that you're stuck in a Genjutsu."

"Okay," the redhead sighed and soon had to flee Kurenai's Genjutsus'.

Walking down the main streets, Shinku bumped into someone and landed on her butt. "Watch where you're- Shinku?" she heard and looked up and noticed Kiba with Akamaru perched on his head. "Hey!" she grinned and jumped up and then dusted herself off.

"Seems you aren't in the hospital anymore," she said with a smirk and he nodded with a canine grin. "Yeah, it was getting boring. And the food is disgusting, right Akamaru?" his white furred partner barked in reply and Shinku petted Akamaru's head, for which she had to stand on her tiptoes to reach it since he was on Kiba's head.

"I was so worried about you," she said sincerely. Kiba's eyes widened and he smirked. "Oh? You didn't need to, Naruto doesn't pack a good punch." She leaned back, her hand falling to her side as she stared at him, deadpanning.

"I was talking to Akamaru," she said with a straight face and Kiba's face turned an interesting shade of red. "I-I knew that!" he spluttered to come up with something. "I-I'll see you!" he waved and started running. Shinku grinned mischievously and if anyone had been standing next to her, she'd high-five with that person. "Okay! But I also worried about you too Kiba!" she shouted at his retreating back.

Kiba angrily turned back to yell at her, but he only caught her grin and then she was gone, using something similar their Jonnin senseis' were using to teleport. 'That little…' he thought and Akamaru just laughed at him. "Shut up Akamaru!"

With a thud Shinku fell on her back and panted, trying to catch her breath. "Will I have to take you back to the hospital?" Kaida taunted her with a blank expression and the redhead inwardly growled. 'I'm not weak!' she thought, irritated.

It was a week and three days since the preliminaries occurred, and she had been training like crazy.

The training with Kurenai was cancelled for the rest of the month, since she wouldn't learn or gain anything from it. And Kaida's training was from ten a.m. and to five p.m. and the training was even worse than the ones they had just after becoming the tag-team Team 6. Her sensei trained her swiftness with her katana, how to execute better blocks and fast swings which didn't lack in power behind them. And she also had to avoid two more Kaida's since her sensei made two clones of herself to distract her, making the training a hell lot of harder without the use of any jutsu that she didn't need her katana for.

"Come on, stand up!" her sensei instructed and she gritted her teeth as her legs shook when trying to stand up. Two days ago she just got out of the hospital.

Reason for being there? One of her jutsu backfired and combined with chakra exhaustion, sore and arching body she couldn't move for half a day. Her sensei took her to the hospital and she droned off with the stuff she got from the nurses and she slept for whole twelve hours and even as she said she could go, the nurse got mad and bound her to the bed.

_'I still think that was illegal to do,'_ Shinku thought with a scowl as she relived the memory. Her sensory abilities sprang into action as she felt her sensei jumping with her sword and going to attack her. _'Shit!'_ she thought, cold sweat collecting on her brow as she realized the ugly situation she was in. She could stand up without falling again and she was sore.

"Shinku!" Kaida yelled tauntingly and the redhead rolled just in time to avoid being split in two. She pushed herself with her arms off the ground to escape Kaida's swing for her head.

"Do you want to seriously kill me!?" Shinku growled furiously and shouted in surprise as her sensei jumped after her and swung her sword at her in the air. She took a kunai out of her pouch and the metallic weapons clashed, Shinku barely blocking. She quickly changed the sword's course and Kaida leaned too forward, making an opening for Shinku. She used her palm and hit her sensei in the gut.

After that they landed on the ground and Shinku's legs buckled from the force of the landing and her weight. She side-stepped Kaida's sword, but left enough openings for Kaida to kick her in the side.

Rolling, she wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth that escaped her from the kick. "Tch," she clicked her tongue and pushed herself from the ground in the direction of her katana's whereabouts. Before she could grab the hilt, she had to retract her hand so that she didn't lose her fingers. Kaida planned on kicking her again, but Shinku grabbed her foot and pulled, making her sensei fall to the ground.

She took that as the perfect opportunity to grab her katana and make some distance between her and Kaida.

"Heh, good. You're getting better," Kaida said as she got up. Shinku panted heavily and used her katana for support. "Now we'll see some of the jutsu you learned under me," she said and watched as her student struggled to stand. Shinku's face paled and she let herself fall to the ground in exhaustion. She still had a lot of her chakra left, but that won't help her with her body being almost unable to move.

"Stand up," Kaida commanded coolly and after letting Shinku catch her breath, went to swing her sword at her only student. Her eyes widened as she saw the girl still trying to catch her breath even when her sword was inches away from cutting her head in two.

Suddenly the redhead flashed away and Kaida was left staring at her student in shock.

Shinku realized her sensei's expression and smirked. She used chakra to make her body less sore and with the help of body-flicker she was able to evade being killed by accident.

But both also grasped onto the fact that had she moved a second later, Shinku would be lying dead there. A cut appeared on the redhead's forehead and blood slowly dripped down her face. "S-Sensei…C-Can we _-pant-_ take a _-pant-_ pause?" her sensei just nodded with a blank face.

_'She almost killed me…If I hadn't moved when I did, I wouldn't just have a swallow cut on my forehead…'_ she thought, breaking in cold-sweat. **'That's training with an ex-ANBU member,'** Ōnamuji mused in a strange tone. **'But if it helps, it will make you stronger in a shorter time. Just remember the fact how Sasuke reached Lee's speed in a month under Kakashi. And the Uchiha kid is talented and wasn't that slow to begin with,'** he reminded her and Shinku nodded in acceptance.

_'Yes…I just realized they're on a whole different level than I and the rest of the rookies. It leaves me quite in shock,'_ she admitted, feeling shocked and embarrassed for thinking that Kaida was just as strong as she let her see.

**'She'll go a notch down, just so she won't kill you accidently.~'** She could detect the smirk in his voice, but also the relief. She was also somehow relieved to know her sensei won't go so far like today. Shinku knew she was getting better, but even if Kaida was pushing her harder and harder every day, it won't help her in the long run. She already felt her body being at its limits and even all the chakra she still had won't make it any better.

It would only conceal the soreness and make her think her body was alright again, but when the chakra would stop concealing that her body reached a point where it won't function anymore, it would only make more damage.

After a while she pushed herself off the ground and used her katana to assist her in standing. She watches as Kaida grabbed her katana's scabbard and threw it at Shinku.

Kaida watched as her student stumbled as she caught the scabbard and sheathed her katana. _'She's at her limits…'_ she observed as Shinku's legs shook and how the girl struggled to stand even with leaning heavily on her katana for support.

Shinku's vision blurred and black dots clouded her vision. She didn't even notice she was swaying side to side until she fell to the ground and closed her eyes, letting herself consumed into the darkness of sleep.

"Shinku!" Kaida shouted and appeared next to the unconscious girl on the ground. She checked the redhead from head to toe and sighed. "She won't be happy when she wakes in the hospital again…Second time this month," she mumbled to herself as she grabbed the girl and took off to the hospital.

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**A/N: So that's it for today and I hope it's good. Next chapter is going to be the Third part of the Chunnin Exams! :D I'm really enjoying in writing this story and all. And all the time new and other ideas pop in my mind, sometimes about fighting scenes, sometimes scenes in Shinku's near future, then about the god that hides inside her soul, and GOD DAMN IT! Total overload of ideas...**

**Itachi: *walks next to Kisame with closed eyes***

***in a bush something moves and both of them stop and watch as a deer runs off as it hears them***

**Kisame: Huh...I thought I sensed some- *suddenly two figures appear behind Itachi and he watches as his Uchiha partner is kidnapped* ... What the hell!? *he tries to chase after them, but he's forced backwards and flies into a tree, blacking off***

**Deidara: *glares at Sasori* You're wrong, un! Art is an explosion and not the eternal shit you are always rambling about, un!**

**Sasori: *points his tail at Deidara in Hiruko* Say that again, brat. I'll add you to my collection if you don't watch what you say. *grunts about brats and Deidara being an idiot and brat* Art is eternal beauty and...**

***their argue goes on and on, until crows surround them and Itachi appears in front of them in a mess of crows***

**Deidara: Y-You! You damn Uchiha, un! I'll just- *Itachi uses a Genjutsu and Deidara is left unconscious***

**Sasori: *glares at both the unconscious Deidara and Itachi* What are you doing? Has Leader-sama sent you? *tries to get any answers***

**Itachi: *with a blank expression watches as two figures appear behind Sasori and somehow force him out of Hiruko and then disappear with the redhead* ...Hn.**

**Deidara: *sends some exploding birds somewhere and then lets them explode* Art is an explosion, un! Hahaha! Now you know not to underestimate me and my art, un! Damn Itachi learned his lesson, yeah!**

**Itachi: *disappears and leaves Deidara***

**Itachi: I still don't understand why we had to kidnapp Sasori.**

**Shinku: *grins cheekily* Because we can. And because Author-sama has a cute cru- *Author punches her in the gut***

**Author: Ehm...Heh, heh, I... *blushes as she notices Sasori staring at her* W-Well, um...**

**Shinku: Shinra Tensei! *Author is sent flying and collides into a mountain* That's what you deserve! *scowls as she massages her sore gut***

**Sasori: ...**

**Itachi: She'll pull a Sasuke and take revenge on you. **

**Shinku: ... *gulps and tries to hide somewhere, but is too late as Itachi grabs the back of her shirt* Noo! Let me go, I want to live! *tries heer puppy face on Itachi, but glares and tries to kick him as she realizes it doesn't affect him***

**Sasori: ... *watches annoyed to be left waiting for them to stop ignoring him, as Itachi handles Shinku and her multiple tries at escaping him, then he turns his eyes to Author as she glares and grins evilly at Shinku and slowly approaches Shinku and Itachi from behind them***

**Shinku: Please! I helped and even saved Sasuke from getting the Curse Mark and all! Come on!**

**Itachi: Hn, no. *senses Author and just lets her grab Shinku and take her away***

**Author (not seen anymore with Shinku in tow): Hahaha! That's what you get! *desperate screams coming from Shinku and Author just evilly laughs at the punishment***

**Itachi: ... *unnoticeably clenches his fists and doesn't go help Shinku out***

**Sasori: *growls and stands up* Can you free me? *Itachi merely glances at him dismissively and then ignores the redhead once more* Y-You...**


	22. Chinnin Exams - Third Round (1)

** A/N: I had it already finished a while ago, but like the lazy-ass I am, I didn't post it until now. Have fun reading it and please don't be angry with me! (╥_╥) Thank you!**

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Over the month she spent probably five more times in the hospital. Although her conditions when going to the hospital were far less serious than before, her sensei went really hard on her.

Her alarm woke her up and she rolled off the bed, falling off the ground. "Ugh…" grunted Shinku as she slowly got up and stared out of the window. It was still early, too early.

She looked at her bandaged arms and slowly took the bandages off, wincing as she evaluated the bruises all over her knuckles, palms, forearms and elbows. Taking a new roll of bandages and a salve to apply it to her bruised skin. It didn't hurt much as over the days she got a bit used to the painful training sessions.

After she treated her arms, she re-bandaged them and then walked to her wardrobe and opened it. Her eyes scanned the fishnet shirts, shorts, leggings, jackets and other clothes in it. She chose to wear a sleeveless black shirt that reached inches above her navel, where it then turned to fishnet and ended approximately where normal shirts stopped. Over that she wore a haori that stopped by her hips. It was a lighter shade of yellow and had her usual brown flames at the ends of it. And together with black leggings her outfit was complete.

After she got ready Shinku walked into her small kitchen and made herself something similar to a pizza, though it didn't taste nearly as delicious and she cursed for not remembering some simpler recipes for anything out of her world.

**'Today is the Invasion of Konoha…What are we going to do?'** asked Ōnamuji and she sighed to herself while her grip on her knife strengthened.

_'We? I recall I'm the one with badass ninja moves, not you. Though you could remind me of things that happened in it at certain points and where I'm needed the most. Other than that it's me working my ass off. I'll simply try to take out my competition as quickly and easy as possible without underestimating him or getting tricked, and then I'll defend Konoha with all I have,'_ she told him truthfully. She heard him sigh and felt how he simply agreed to her plan.

Though she still didn't know who she was going to fight. Hopefully not Kabuto, but if she did, she planned on beating him senseless. She knew of the struggles he faced in life, but to do the things he did…And she also understood, how his Shippuden-self felt after injecting Orochimaru's cells into his body didn't know who he was. She too had a hard time of figuring that out. Sometimes she was sure she was Shinku Izumi, a Konoha-nin and kunoichi, or Alexandria Hayes, the teenage girl who was overly obsessed with anime and some tv-series.

**'Know that you are someone, it's a beginning…'** his help wasn't necessary, but it made her just a tad bit better. He knew her in her previous life and in this one. He could tell her the differences of her two lives and their trait differences.

_'Thanks. Kinda needed that,'_ told him Shinku.

After her breakfast she walked around her apartment, scroll in hand and her mother's katana strapped over her back. She bought some explosive tags and ninja-wire and had it safely placed in her pouch with some kunai and shuriken. While her aim won't do in any way, she still could use it all for her plans.

She read about strategies and poisons until her alarm went once more off and she knew it was time. _'All in,'_ she thought and left her apartment.

On her way to the stadium she got a bad feeling and it made her slow down her pace. Shinku guessed it was just because Konoha was going to be attacked. But a small voice in the back of her mind which wasn't Ōnamuji's told her it wasn't that.

Her thoughts drifted soon away as she met Shino and both walked in silence to the arena. Her mind was blank and she just focused on walking and not drowning in her thoughts and plans. When they reached the arena the redheaded girl took a deep breath before walking in and matching her pace with Shino's. There were other people walking in, it was still a bit early and she had taken her time when walking out of her apartment.

"Are…Are you ready?" she asked the only person next to her and turned her head ever so slightly to watch him. "Yes. Why? Because I trained and focused on my strategy." Shinku nodded and was then surprised by the Aburame.

"And you?" his question floated through the air and she almost imagined the text circling around her head. As they walked through the corridor the silence seemed to stretch itself for forever before she answered. "Hell yeah," she said with a bit of confidence thrown behind it, but it somehow didn't convince Shino. But she was glad that he didn't voice her uncertainness. _'Probably one of the only people that doesn't question everything,'_ she thought.

They reached the end of the corridor and walked into the arena. She knew Sasuke won't come until later and Naruto would be running late, but would come just in time. And Dosu was dead.

Her eyes stared daringly in the lavender orbs of Neji as they both seemed to stare at each other. While she paid him her attention she used her sensor-abilities and figured Gaara, Temari and Kankuro were also there, and Akeno was on his way, walking through the corridor behind her. _'Where's the little rat? I get it that Shikamaru isn't early, but Kabuto?'_ Shinku thought as her eyes narrowed.

She ignored all the guessing and questions and rather stared Neji down, since he was doing the same to her. While she did find it kinda chilling, her stubbornness and confidence overpowered everything else, making her stare all the fiercer.

"Hello, Neji…" she smirked and then turned to the other participants that were already present. And she dully noted Akeno staring at her, and his stare was a hundred times scarier than Neji's with his emotionless eyes and how it still seemed there was something akin to coldness and blankness behind them. "And hello everyone."

Temari and Kankuro grunted their greetings, Gaara just glared blood-thirstily at her and Akeno nodded, before resuming creepily staring at her.

And feeling two pairs of eyes on her made her feel rather uncomfortable, but she shrugged it off with remaining calm and calculating, her head raised high and her body language showing only confidence in her own strength. After a while she saw the Hokage and the fake Kazekage showing up, and the crowd had grown quite since her arrival. Shikamaru lazily walked in, and then Genma landed before them.

What snapped her out of her thoughts was that she forgot to focus on Kabuto's arrival. Her head snapped to where his chakra was and she watched him fake nervousness and how he faked trying to cover it up with confidence. She had to praise him for his great acting skills, because everyone seemingly bought it, and even she would've, hadn't she known who he was and what his intentions were.

She started counting the seconds that passed before Naruto's arrival. As his eyes met hers, she gave him a wink combined with a seemingly arrogant smirk.

"Hey Naruto. Nice to see you came," she told him and watched amused at how he got worked up. Nodding her head every few seconds in his little speech so that he thought she was listening to him, her thoughts rather travelled to who she'll fight. Her eyes widened as she looked at Genma. Realization hit her, followed by guilt and anger.

_'I forgot the fact that Hayate Gekko was killed before the invasion and was then replaced by Genma as the proctor for the finals…'_ thought Shinku, guilt crawling at her. Ōnamuji wisely stayed silent. His words wouldn't change anything, if so, they'd only make it worse. _'A life lied in my hands and I was so absorbed and focused on the bigger picture that I never remembered that he was killed…His death affected Yūgao, causing her grief and pain in losing her lover…I-I…Damn it! Stupid! This-…A death by my hands…'_ her head hurt, and her hearing was so focused on her pounding heart, she thought it might explode.

Her feelings quickly spiraled into anger and she let her head hang down, shadows covering her eyes so that nobody could see them. Her memories were getting cloudy and if it weren't for the scrolls she all wrote in English, she might have been in trouble. But she did remember Kabuto being there with a sand-nin, talking about something Hayate wasn't allowed to hear, and then one of them dealing with him.

That alone made her anger focus on Kabuto and Shinku knew it will make her sloppy if she will let her emotions so freely.

It was one of those times she remembered being reborn in a world, where they made children soldiers, tools, murderers, and more. It made her sick to think that way, but she knew it was true. Those moments always made her think of how many people got manipulated, toyed with, and so many more things, and nobody would do anything about it. That was the Narutoverse.

She was angry at the concept of this world, at everything and everyone. She hated that she enjoyed being here at times, forgetting what this world contained. It made her feel ignorant. And because she was too occupied by other things, quite a few beings stupid, a life was taken. Just because she enjoyed being here for a second. Which was a second too much. She felt ashamed, burning hatred, and she wasn't going to name the other negative feelings swinging inside her.

She bottled all those feelings aside, for the time being. Only to later release them a bit in the exam and after that also in the invasion. Whoever will be in her path of wrath and the hurricane of her feelings will suffer greatly.

She ignored the lump in her throat as she looked at how the new matches were made, though there weren't any mayor differences. She'd fight Kabuto in the end. Like she suspected.

They made it so, that whoever wins, Kankuro or Shinku, the winner would in the next round fight Kabuto. Though it was quite strange to decide like that. Shinku's eyes narrowed on Kabuto and they locked eyes. She scowled as he pushed his glasses up, making the sun reflect in them, also making her unable to see his eyes. A shudder ran down her spine as she felt the silverette's cold and calculating eyes on her.

He was trying to figure her out. And she forced her tugging lips not to stretch into a grin, one that would make her look scary. Though from Neji's glare and Naruto's body inching away from where she stood, she knew the grin still surfaced. She didn't sense anything different in Kabuto's chakra, though there might have been a little flare or spark in it.

**'I think he'll try to get out as much information about your fighting tendencies and skills as possible,'** Ōnamuji informed her with a neutral tone. She nodded to herself mostly, she could guess as much.

_'Won't help him if I _accidentally_ kill him,'_ she chuckled to herself in her mind, but the God residing inside her heard it clearly enough.

**'I don't understand this sadistic side of yours…'** he told her with a frown that she sensed. Her eye twitched and her fingers inched to grab her katana, but she'd have to wait patiently before she gets an opportunity like this again. She gets an opportunity to kill _Kabuto_ Ya, Orochimaru's right-hand man, the person who later becomes a major enemy, though is then brought on the right path in the Fourth Shinobi World War.

_'I do, though the other part of me can relate to Kabuto, a tiny bit that is. I don't know if I'm Alex or Shinku. I sometimes think I know which of them I am, though those are only a few seconds long because I realize I just acted the same way as Alex. Then some time later, I react like Shinku would. Just when I figure out who I am, the answer slips right through my fingers. Like I'm falling and someone's hand reaches out for me and right when our fingertips touch, gravity resumes and I seem to start falling again…'_ she explained.

_'And I think the sadistic side was little to no prominent in Alex, but got more prominent in the right environment, like the shinobi world of Naruto. And then I think…Maybe 'Shinku' is just the person I became after I entered this world with you, after I went through differently complicated situations and emotions…'_ she admitted softly, and she knew she wouldn't know the answer anytime soon. Not with the plot of Naruto at one of the many important points of it going on around her.

_'The answer will come to you in due time, I won't add my words to this simply because it wouldn't bring necessary a good outcome and because you have to find this out on your own. You're not Kabuto, through his hardship his soul became tainted and he had been manipulated since from the start, that's why he needed the helping hand of Itachi to understand,'_ he said after a few seconds ticking by.

While their conversation didn't end in her mind, her body functioned autopilot and followed the others into the room where they would watch the other fights. Though their conversation got paused as Naruto told Neji off.

"Naruto!" Shinku shouted and waited so that both of them were looking at her. "Kick his ass!" she grinned/smirked while smashing her fist into her open palm.

"I will!" the blonde responded with his blinding grin as his determination spiked up and Shinku couldn't help but snicker. Which made Shino and Shikamaru turn to her questioningly. "What's with you?" the lazy Nara asked as he yawned. "Just…" then she got a good idea.

"Oi, Shikamaru…" she smiled secretly, knowing her eyes were gleaming dangerously, but in a good way. The boy in question noticed and muttered a 'troublesome' under his breath and cocked his head, signaling he was paying attention to what she said. "I know you're smart so I want to bet on something," she told him.

"Hmm?" he mumbled loudly. "And what?"

"I bet that Naruto will win," she tried not to show her confidence in the blonde Uzumaki, though she could've done a better job. Shikamaru stared at her and she guessed he was thinking it all over. After some time passed – Naruto and Neji already fighting – Shikamaru nodded reluctantly. "What do you or I get if one of us wins?" She put a finger on her chin in a thinking pose and shrugged.

"To ask for a favor of the other, but won't need to pay it back." She raised an eyebrow as the Nara's brows furrowed together in though. "Come on…Are you not man enough?" She knew she was hitting a nerve from what she still recalled out of the series about Shikamaru. She did remember the talks he had with his father at times.

His reaction wasn't really instant as his features slowly slipped off and she saw the flare in his eyes as their eyes clashed.

"Alright. But if it's too troublesome in case you win, I won't do it." She understood enough about him that Shinku knew he'd still do it albeit with many 'troublesome' and other whining.

They shook hands and then watched the fight.

Shinku's hands gripped the railing in an iron grip as Kurama's chakra surfaced and she suppressed the gasp as her chakra-senses were trotted over by the feel of Kyuubi's chakra. It wasn't something she could describe as the most evil thing possible, she had the history of Bijū memorized, and it was enough for them to be as they are now. To be furious at the people that hate them and locked them in containers.

Her eyes never strayed from Neji and Naruto's fight. It was so captivating and powerful, it was waking her fighting spirit. There was that one moment when she caught Neji's eyes and she couldn't glare or give him a 'look' like usual. He was going to find out the truth later and he'd change. For the better.

When Genma ended the fight with Naruto winning, she turned her head slightly to Shikamaru. He was already looking at her with an astonished stare and she winked, then grinned goofily.

"Now ya' owe me," she said to him with a grin combined with a smirk. He rolled his eyes at her antics and went to go to Naruto.

"Troublesome…" he mumbled to himself, silently wondering how she could have been so sure about Naruto winning. Though he wasn't intending to break their bet, and he'd owe her.

**'That's not fair. He logically went it all over and he missed two important points, one being Naruto's determination and secondly, the Kyuubi's chakra. He couldn't have known the latter. Cheater,'** Ōnamuji mused, snickering as she spluttered for a comeback. She has never been called a cheater in her whole life, or rather, in her two lifetimes.

_'Well…I am friends with Naruto and so the determination-part I could've very well known. Everyone knows that once he decides something, nobody will change that. Take all the stuff he had to go through for being accepted and the shit he went through to get Sasuke back. Though that didn't happen yet…And Kurama-kun's chakra…Even without my knowledge there could've been a really small chance at me figuring that one out. If I still had been assigned to the Wave Mission, I would've faced his chakra and with time I would've puzzled it all together. Why Naruto was shunned and hated, his massive chakra reserves, the whiskers on his cheeks…It would've all made sense.'_ She slowly said, but her little speech progressed and she was excitedly telling her theory of what could've been hadn't she known everything she did.

**'That's so, if you had ever come to live in Konoha.'** And her theory crashed into bits. **'So many if's…OH! Listen, Genma-san is calling for the next two competitors to come down,'** Ōnamuji suddenly perked up, fully interested in the fights.

"Would Kankuro and Izumi Shinku come down and get ready for their match?" the proctor called out and her eyes snapped to the Jonnin in the arena.

She closed her eyes and breathed in, then exhaled as she heard Kankuro mutter something to Temari and then step up.

"I forfeit," Kankuro shouted and her eyes slowly fluttered open, staring at Kabuto threateningly. The silverette only smiled pleasantly, although she caught him analyzing the situation and her.

The crowd broke out in protest and shouted their negative thoughts over why Kankuro forfeited. Genma sighed and then called out Shinku as the winner and then processed to tell the next match of the day. Shinku against Kabuto. _'Game on,'_ she thought as she jumped over the railing and with chakra concentrated in her feet, landed without making a noise.

She teasingly looked at Kabuto as he started to turn. "You aren't going to forfeit, are you?" she taunted, though the answer was quite clear to her. He would definitely fight. He was going to collect information of her abilities and then share them with Orochimaru for his plans.

Shinku watched as Kabuto stopped and then looked down at her with a strange look. A look she couldn't decipher and she fought down the shiver that threatened to go down her spine. "Oh, don't worry. I'll fight, just be a little more patient." Was Kabuto's only reply as he then turned and left to go down the stairs to reach the field where their match would be held.

One of the many thoughts that swirled in her head was how she wished Shisui and Itachi could've watched and cheered for her, and that all the bad stuff never happened.


	23. Chunnin Exams - Third Round (2)

**A/N: So this Chapter is going to be kinda short, probably quite a bit shorter than the other chapters, but so my first year of high school started and all the stuff that you have to get used to is just ugh...I know it doesn't explain my lack of writing and maybe I'm having a writers-block, but maybe after the one-shot I just wrote will help me with giving me more ideas and all.**

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Shaking her head to be rid of such foolish thoughts, Shinku waited for Kabuto. She sensed his slow pace as he was at the bottom of the stairs and she flexed her fingers. As the boy came out, she took in a breath and relaxed her muscles. With tense muscles she'll get sloppy in the Taijutsu her sensei trained her. Relaxed and flexible.

"Are both of you ready?" Genma asked and both of them nodded at the proctor. Her eyes met the black ones of Kabuto behind those glasses. She wasn't sure why, but Genma did a miniscule pause before shouting 'go'. Maybe for dramatic effects.

The redhead jumped farther from Kabuto, one hand resting on the scabbard of her katana that was strapped on her back, the other ready in front of her.

"So you really come from Iwagakure? The Land of Rocks?" Kabuto asked and she gritted her teeth as she easily read through his strategy. Getting her rilled up was a typical plan for someone who liked to mind-fuck others. And the thought of the other participators (mostly her friends) hearing their conversation was enough for her to dislike him even more. She has been able to hear what Naruto said to Neji, though barely over all the noise their fighting was making. So she was sure that the watchers in the stands won't hear a thing.

"Yeah…I will remind you that we came here to fight, not chat." Her tone could've frozen hell over. She launched herself at him, ready to punch him through a wall. Literary. Her fist glowed lightly with her blue chakra covering it as she stepped close enough to Kabuto.

"That's rude," he commented as he dodged one of her punches and went to retaliate. He went to kick her in her chin, but she flipped backwards, in that act catching him in the chest with a kick of her own. As she was standing on her hands, she tried to kick him once more, but he took out a kunai and she was forced to move back.

"When did you flee from Iwa? Oh…Wasn't it when a nukenin from Iwa launched bombs at the village? I found that your mother and father died in action," he said as he pushed his glasses up and watched as she dodged the projectiles he threw at her before.

_'Two can play this game,'_ she thought with venom and smirked on the outside.

"Well, did you know that I never met you in Konoha? Wouldn't I have seen you in the Academy, or the streets?" she asked, fed up with his little schemes. She almost growled as she saw his faked confusion and puzzlement cover his face.

"I don't understand what you mean. And that information is classified," he told her as she boiled with anger.

_"Fire Release: Great Wave!"_ she shouted as she made rapid handseals that had to be done for the jutsu. It was a cross between spilling fire out in a crescent-moon like shape and then she had to use a wind release jutsu to make it more powerful and spread out into a wild wave of fire.

_"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"_ countered Kabuto as the wall gave him security from her jutsu. Mildly irritated with that, Shinku made two clones, one having more chakra than the other and letting the one with less go after Kabuto to lure him into the open again.

The real Shinku hid herself in the three branches, watching as her clone lurked the silverette out and let the 'real' her attack him with the clone as back-up. The redhead hiding in the three polished her katana's blade with poison. It wouldn't kill Kabuto –as much as she wanted to, he was important in the plot at times, like when they went to get Tsunade- it would only render hi, paralyzed for a hours. Though she wasn't sure if it would render him useless in the invasion, since he was Orochimaru's right-hand man, which meant he was probably immune to poison. At least to the poison that Orochimaru all knew. Her poisons were the product from her previous life's knowledge. So there was a chance it would affect him.

The clone then shot after him with chakra-enhanced speed and unsheathed her katana. Her grip on it was firm but relaxed, her posture a mix of relaxed and tense. But by the time she reached Kabuto her body was totally relaxed and she swung her katana restlessly in many strikes without planning on stopping. Kabuto deflected most of the strikes, but they were precise although unreadable and that made it really difficult for him so he retreated.

The other clone got ready for a jutsu, but Kabuto retreated out of its range. While they distracted him, the real Shinku used ninja wire and dipped it in the poison which would make Kabuto unconscious, so she placed all the wire between the two trees in the arena with carefulness. She didn't want to poison herself, and she mustn't be spotted, and she had to check thrice if the wire could be seen to a passing eye or if it glinted in a stray sunbeam.

_"Swords Arts: Crescent Moon Swing!"_ Shinku clone no. 1 shouted as she swung the katana and infused a lot of chakra into it, making the swing turn into a blue crescent moon shape. It flied towards Kabuto quickly, and he had luck to duck in time, otherwise he'd have been in half.

"Little dipshit…" Shinku couldn't help but growl out as she patiently waited as the fight went on and her two clones slowly forced Kabuto to turn his back to where the real her was behind the trees. They were forcing him towards the trees with his back turned to her and that was her plan. Then both of the clones would use a wind jutsu and he'd catapulted into the poisoned wire.

At least until Kabuto spoke up.

"You thought you could attack me from behind? I'm good at sensing, though you did give me a harder time than usual," he said arrogantly as he managed to push his glasses up even as he dodged both clones.

Shinku cursed in her mind as she body-flickered between the two clones and scowled at him. Three against one. But she bet he could also use the shadow-clone jutsu.

"Wow, mind-blown so hard…" she said sarcastically, but she frowned as he didn't get it. She forgot that here they didn't use such phases and it sucked. Because the crowd would've laughed. Or so Shinku thought.

"It's impressive that you know such jutsu as other Gennin don't, but that won't help you now." She cursed as he took out kunai and flung them at her. She had seen the little balls that were gas bombs from the distance and she body-flickered away. As the balls exploded and the gas reached where she crouched, she speed off. She sensed Kabuto's chakra flickering and many shuriken and kunai were flying towards her. Getting tired of their games, she used a smaller version of Shinra Tensei and watched as they flied back at the snake's right-hand man.

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**A/N: Short. Short. Short. Short. A midget between all the chapters.**


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Naruto, Adventure, Humor