"So...we have another jinchuriki on our hands."

"If what the girl claims is true, then she is something of one."

"Hm." A puff of smoke hissed through the Hokage's lips, swirling contemplatively before him.

"It would explain her results," Inoichi went on. "They are consistent with the metabolism of a large creature that processes fire. This also means our theories of the cult's motives have been wrong. The four animals they worship..."

A thoughtful gleam flashed through Hiruzen's eyes. "I remember a dragon being one of them."

Inoichi folded his hands behind his back as he paced before the desk. "They're not just religious symbols; they're attempts to make more like her. And now, after years of pointless sacrifice, they've come across a way to succeed...that scroll has something to do with it," he said suddenly, rounding back upon the Hokage. "If it was simply for teleportation, she could have been taken anywhere throughout the Land of Fire. Another Land, even! But to have been brought to the cult directly?"

The question hung in the air like the remnants of smoke billowing above the desk, in particular over papers strewn about bearing mention of the upcoming exams. "Rather inconvenient timing, for all this to come out now," Hiruzen remarked.

Inoichi nodded. "Rest assured that no one other than Kurenai currently knows of this."

The Hokage took another puff at his pipe before laying it aside. "Until we can examine this Jin She in detail, there'll be a few changes. Tell Kurenai..."

Sacora curled and uncurled her toes for the umpteenth time that day, inwardly cringing at how awful the open air felt passing between them. She fought to keep her arms down by her sides, but against the urge to cross them and cover this...monstrosity, it was a tough battle to wage. Even worse were the stares Team Eight gave her. Weren't these things already part of their daily lives? Why were they looking so shocked now, of all times?

Kiba looked her up and down. "Whoa, you look...normal?"

Her face reddened as she tugged at the back of her new shirt. Why did it even have a hood when its sleeves were so short? "I don't understand how you do it," she grumbled. "There's barely any layers." She pressed her feet together, remembering all the stray dust accidentally kicked into the slits of these strange sandals. "It feels...incomplete."

"It's for the best," Shino reassured her. "You stuck out quite a bit in your old clothes."

"Yeah, those boots were just ridiculous!" Kiba added.

Sacora immediately shot him a death glare, which he seemed not to register.

"Do you want any Ichiraku or not?" an annoyed Kurenai interrupted from behind. "I don't have all day."

They all scurried ahead before she could change her mind. Luckily, the ramen shop was within jogging distance, and they managed to grab seats for their group before the lunch rush became an issue.

Sacora found it strange to be so excited over food served from such an unassuming shack. Dingy and cramped, it hardly looked like it had enough space for seats let alone a kitchen. Yet extra spicy shoyu was quickly becoming her favorite here; the owner, too, remembered her face from when she ate with Asuma's team. All in all, a meal at Ichiraku looked to be a good time.

"So you'll never guess what happened while you were gone," Kiba boasted before their food was even out.

"What?" Sacora asked.

"Here we go again," Kurenai muttered with an eyeroll.

His face split into a cheeky grin. "We're gonna become chunin!"

Sacora gasped. "Really?"

"That is, if we get through the exams," Shino reminded him. "We'll be facing other candidates from the villages–"

"Wow, Shino, you must be so fun at parties."

"The problem is you never think before you speak," Shino grumbled. "These exams aren't held just for fun."

"Hey, now!" Teuchi interrupted, steaming hot bowls of ramen on hand. "It's good to take things seriously and have fun while you're at it. I'm sure you genin will make our village proud! Now eat up!"

Sacora couldn't help feeling a light pang of jealousy as she broke apart her chopsticks. I wish I could be taking an exam right now...On the bright side, things seemed to have returned to normal in her absence. Looking at them, she hardly believed they'd been through that terrifying night in the woods; it was as if their routine had never been interrupted in the first place.

"There's something else I have to tell you all today," Kurenai began with an authoritative air once they finished their food, though it took until after pocketing her change to continue. "Today is Sacora's last day with us."

A chorus of gasps escaped from Hinata and Kiba; even Shino seemed surprised by the news.

"But...she just came back from the hospital," Hinata stammered. "Where is she going?"

Kurenai rubbed her forehead with a frown. "Maybe that wasn't the best way to...well, you'll still see her, just not with me. Hinata, after today she'll go home with you to your clan."

"But – what?" Sacora asked, baffled.

Kurenai gestured for them to leave the shop and walked them down the street for a bit. "I can't say how long this arrangement will be for," she said at last. "But it's Hokage's orders. Now, there's nothing to worry about in the Hyuga clan; you'll be perfectly safe and no one will even know you're there."

An uncomfortable constriction suddenly plagued Sacora's throat. "Is it because of what happened to me?"

The level of defiance in the question was an unintended effect, but it perfectly reflected the chaos swirling in her head. Though Sacora didn't outright mention Jin She, the flash of annoyance in Kurenai's eyes might as well have been comprehension of the matter. It was hard to say. "Yes," was the reply, as calm as can be.

Sacora struggled to keep the heat from flooding her cheeks. "Is that how it's going to be from now on? Jumping between families to hide from danger?"

For the second time that day, Team Eight stared at her as if they'd never seen her before. "Uh, now's not the time," Kiba interrupted, with a worried glance Kurenai's way.

"Then when is it?" Sacora shot back. "What will I even be doing with the Hyuga's? More reading lessons? Will I at least get a chance to learn about chakra there?" She turned to Kurenai for an answer, but saw only discouragement in the her face.

"That's not the issue right now," Kurenai argued. "The chunin exams–"

"So I'm being put to the side for the exam?"

Kurenai's frown deepened. "Sacora–"

"Don't you think it's better if I learned to defend myself?"

"That wasn't the Hokage's orders, and other hidden villages–"

"Why does it all depend on him? I don't even need to be taught that much–"

"You're not listening–"

"–I just want to know enough to be able to go home!"

Her outburst ended in an anticlimactic thunk as her arm crashed into the edge of a coarse, gritty surface. She whirled around in confusion, not expecting such a thing to be in the way, and found her elbow held in a vise of shifting, floating sand.

Behind the sand was a boy in black with an abnormally large gourd strapped to his back. To say he was the sand's wielder would have been a misnomer at first glance, until one realized the sand was pouring itself from the gourd's opening above his head. If it was of his volition, he barely lifted a muscle to complete this feat; his arms laid still across his chest and his stance was hardly disturbed. Most unnerving were his browless eyes ringed in black, and the tattooed character on his forehead framed by red hair...Love?

As if that wasn't confusing enough, a familiar burning sensation rose from the pit of her stomach at the sight of him. Another one...?

"Oi! Watch it," someone beside the boy reprimanded her, and she jolted backwards when he turned his purple-lined face in her direction. "You aren't the only ones using this street!"

"S-sorry," Sacora stuttered, but when she tried to take her arm back, she felt the sand tighten.

A girl in light purple with bushy hair stepped up behind the red-haired boy. "Come on Gaara," she coaxed, "small fry like this can't be worth putting our registration on hold." Her tone was snarky but a flash of concern seemed evident in her eyes when she glanced from Sacora's arm to Gaara's stony face.

"Please excuse us," Kurenai swooped in, a hand on Sacora's shoulder. "She isn't often this careless."

For a while, it seemed as though Gaara heard neither of their words. "...hmph." With a slight relaxation of his hand, the sand finally loosened and shifted back into the gourd in a grainy hiss. He stalked back down the street without another word, followed shortly by his teammates. The last thing Sacora saw before they disappeared into the crowd was the glint of the symbol on the forehead protector tied around his gourd strap.

"As I was saying," Kurenai sighed, "other hidden villages are arriving now for the exam, which makes security more urgent than usual. I'm not asking you to understand...I'm just telling you what's going to happen."

Sacora bit down on her lip and rejoined the team without saying a word.

A forest of pale faces with even paler eyes – Sacora struggled to find better words to describe the people of the Hyuga clan.

She was whisked away upon entering the compound by a quiet woman named Hiori who had been designated from the branch house to be her caretaker. The buildings of the compound were built in a style familiar to her and the clan members were dressed in cross-lapeled robes, but that was of little comfort to her when she was finally brought to her appointed place of residence, face-to-face with the scant pile of belongings sent from Kurenai's apartment beforehand.

She remembered Kurenai's promise of dinner from a few days back and beat down the pang of hurt that rose into her chest. She didn't even say goodbye. I guess that exam was more important.

Hiori suddenly stirred behind her on the tatami mats covering the floor. "Lady Hinata."

Sacora turned around in surprise. They barely spoke to each other on the way to the clan; what reason did Hinata have for seeking her out now?

The younger Hyuga gently waved for Hiori to leave the room and sat down with Sacora, placing a bag of items on the floor between them. "I hope everything's okay. These are for you."

Sacora looked down at the bag, then back up at Hinata. "Oh, thank you." She untied it with anticipation. "Ah! Books! Thank you, I – huh?" She picked up one of the thicker ones and scrutinized the title. Principles of Chakra for the Academy Student–

"I don't need them anymore," Hinata explained. "I thought you would like them."

Sacora sifted through the other books, finding two other such textbooks amidst a smaller collection of literature books. She looked back at Hinata in awe. "I..." She swallowed. "I'm sorry I was so difficult earlier. I'm happy your team is taking the exams. Really," she added, smiling.

Hinata smiled back. "It's okay." Her eyes dropped to the floor as she twiddled her thumbs. "To be honest...I'm not sure I'll do well..."

"Of course you will," Sacora assured her – though, truth be told, she still wasn't sure what these exams would entail.

"I'm the weakest of the team," insisted Hinata with a shake of her head. "I only agreed to go because Kiba did first...I don't think that I..."

"But you're brave," Sacora interjected. "I mean, you're giving me these books even though it might not be allowed...and without you that night, I don't think I would have made it back alive. If you're persistent, I'm sure you'll become stronger sooner or later."

She blushed. "D-do you think so?"

"I know so! Maybe it doesn't mean much coming from me," Sacora added sheepishly, "but when I first started at the Royal Academy, I wasn't very good at bending. I really wanted to get better, though, so I practiced as hard as I could. Some people made me feel inadequate" – the headmistress and a select few teachers came to mind– "but I stuck it through and scored very well in my second year. I guess what's important is, you just have to...believe in yourself."

She appeared to have struck a chord within Hinata, based on the way her face suddenly lit up. "Yes...thank you!" Hinata got up from the floor, full of hope. "I should go prepare now but...I hope you can achieve your goals, too!"

Sacora found herself genuinely happy for the first time that day. I'll do whatever it takes, she thought as she watched Hinata leave. She then turned to look at her new books.

And I believe Hinata will, too.

It wasn't until a week later that Sacora saw Kurenai again. She didn't expect to see her or even think that the jonin wanted to come see her after that day. But when Kurenai met her at the Hyuga compound, the only genin accompanying her was Shino.

"We're about to go visit them in the hospital," Kurenai explained when Sacora asked for Hinata and Kiba's whereabouts. "Care to join us?"

Hiori accompanied them with a young girl who Sacora learned was Hinata's younger sister. The walk to the hospital felt a little awkward, with the Hyuga's to one side and the remnants of the team on another. News of the exam had been sparse and Sacora was dying to know what had happened, but Kurenai seemed too occupied for any questions, leaving only Shino to talk with.

"So..." Sacora gave him a sidelong glance. "How did the exams go?"

"They went well," Shino replied, sparingly.

She raised an eyebrow. "Did you pass?"

"There's still a final round to go through in a month," he explained. "We won't know until after that."

Huh...what a strange exam, Sacora thought.

"Stop," Hanabi halted their procession a few moments later, pointing at the sign of a nearby flower shop. "I want to get some flowers for Hinata."

"Yes, Lady Hanabi," Hiori bowed, and followed the child into the shop.

Kurenai looked after them with a thoughtful glance. "Hm," she mused as she followed the Hyuga's. "We should probably buy them some flowers too."

Sacora stopped for a bit to admire some of the fragrant blossoms on display. "Wouldn't Kiba hate that?"

"All the more reason to get him some," Kurenai chuckled.

The door rang with a merry jingle as they stepped inside. "Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers," a cheery voice greeted them. "I'll be right with you!"

Sacora's eyes lit up when she recognized the name and the clerk at the counter. "Ino!"

Ino tilted her head in confusion. "Oh...? Hey!" She gave her a cheery wave. "I almost didn't recognize you in those clothes! I'll be just a sec–" And she returned her attention to the bundle of flowers Hanabi had chosen out, picking through the fresh blooms to arrange them in a suitable bouquet.

"Take your time," Kurenai assured her. "We'll be buying something pre-arranged."

Sacora sidled over to the counter in the meanwhile, watching Ino work with interest. "You cut your hair?" she gasped when she saw the severely shortened ponytail.

Ino reflexively brushed a hand past the bound strands. "Oh, this?" she chuckled. "Spur of the moment style change! Long hair's overrated, anyway."

Sacora wondered what impulsive whim would prompt someone like Ino to make such a jarring decision. What a shame; her hair was so pretty. "How were the exams, by the way?" she asked a moment later. "Were they difficult?"

"Yeah, I guess," Ino shrugged as she started wrapping the flower stems. "I didn't pass to the finals, though."

"Oh! I'm sorry..."

"No biggie, there's always next time. Besides, you can still become chunin even if you don't 'pass' the tests...at least, that's what Asuma-sensei told me."

Sacora frowned. What sort of test allowed participants to advance in rank even when they failed? Shouldn't Konoha's standards be higher than that?

The flower purchases then complete, they proceeded on their way again to the hospital. Once there, Hiori and Hanabi parted from the group to visit Hinata first; Kiba's ward was not too far down the hall, so Kurenai left Sacora there with Shino while she went to join Hinata's clan members.

For someone covered in bruises and bandages and sporting a possible broken nose, Sacora could see that Kiba's demeanor was as unchanged as ever. "Hey! Sacora, Shino! How's it been?" he greeted them with a slightly swollen grin.

"We got you something," Shino announced, and waved Sacora over.

"Ooh, what is it – aw, flowers!?" He pulled a face. "What'd you get me flowers for? Hey, didn't I get you candy last time?" he pouted at Sacora. "You could've returned the favor!"

"No one asked you to get me anything," she playfully retorted as she set the flowers down on a nearby table. "Anyway, what's happened to you?" She grimaced. "You look...terrible."

"Ha, this?" He held up a bandaged arm with pride. "Can you believe it? I lost to Naruto, of all people! Naruto!" He let out an amused cackle and winced from a cracked rib.

She cocked her head to one side. "They make you fight people on the exams? Did you go against any from the other villages?"

"Oh, you bet we did! But the competition was pretty weak, 'cause there were barely any foreign teams left when we passed the Forest of Death."

Sacora snorted in amusement. "'Forest of Death'? How corny! No one could've died on an exam."

"What are you talking about? Of course some people died!"

She was shocked to find herself wondering whether Kiba was joking or not. The remark seemed outside the caliber of his usual humor and he looked rather...serious. She turned to Shino to be sure, but his demeanor was a mystery as always behind his dark glasses. "Er, so," she stammered, turning back to Kiba, "how did you end up fighting Naruto?"

She half-regretted asking the question when it unleashed a play-by-play recap of the "epic" match. It started getting difficult to follow when his narrative dove into how awesome he and Akamaru were, so she patiently listened alongside Shino with occasional "ooh's" and "aah's" at all the right moments. "But in the end, Naruto proved himself to be a worthy opponent," Kiba concluded with a prideful sniff. "He's gotten stronger since his days at the Academy...I respect that."

"...didn't he win because he farted in your face?" Shino reminded him.

"Goddammit Shino! Let me have my moment!"

Sacora couldn't help but laugh at his expense. "I hope Akamaru's doing okay," she choked out a moment later as it subsided. "It sounds like he was hurt pretty badly."

"He's doing great, Hana's taking care of him at home," Kiba assured her. "But honestly, this is nothing. Lots of people got it worse! Like that one guy from the Sound? He got his whole arm blown off by Shino!"

Sacora wanted laugh again until what he said started sinking in. "Um...what?"

"Oh, and that weird Sand kid you bumped into last week? Turns out, he's an absolute psycho! He just crushed these Rain shinobi with his sand like they were bugs–"

But she had to tune herself out from the horror of it all. What...what kind of exam is this!? She'd never heard of anything so barbaric in her life. Sure, any militaristic nation worth their salt would need seasoned fighters, but to have mere students mutilate each other? And if Kiba looks this bad after all that, then...Hinata...?

The suspense drowned out Kiba's chatter as Sacora looked expectantly towards the hall in anticipation of when they could go visit her. To her relief, Kurenai eventually returned, but when Sacora stood up to follow her she was held back by a restraining arm from Shino.

"Perhaps it's best if you don't go," he suggested quietly.

She sent him a strange look and angled past him anyway. His behavior was already disturbing enough, but the stoic expressions of Hiori and Hanabi as she passed them in the hall confounded her further. She can't be worse off than Kiba, she reassured herself. They all made it back alive. Shino doesn't even have a scratch...

The question ended up weighing too heavily on her as they approached the room. "Sensei," she began, "is Hinata all righ..." But her hands slapped themselves over her mouth before she could even finish the sentence.

More tubes than Sacora could possibly imagine snaked in and out of the blankets, winding into Hinata's wrists, torso, mouth, nose, each culminating in a serpentine tangle connected to a row of sinister looking machines on either side of the bed. Only the labored rise and fall of Hinata's chest indicated any life left in the broken body; one wrong move and it seemed she would fall apart, never to wake again.

Kurenai looked over in concern at the silence. "Sacora?"

But she ran from the room before Kurenai could say anything else. She collided into Shino a moment later down the hall, barely registering any of it through the blur of oncoming tears.

"I did warn you," he sighed after steadying her. "Let's just get back to Kiba and wait for sensei there."

"N-no!" she snapped, shakily. "How can you just...how could you have let Hinata–"

"She chose to continue with the match," Shino interjected. "And besides, it was stopped it before it could get any worse."

Kiba poked around the bend, aided by a crutch. "Uh, is everything okay?"

Shino shook his head at Kiba and pressed a hand against Sacora's arm. "Let's go; you're making a scene."

"No," she breathed, jerking away from him. "What's wrong with you!? Why aren't you concerned that Hinata's almost dead after an exam?"

Shino crossed his arms. "You may find it brutal, but that's simply how the chunin exams work. It's not like those tests you can just study for at the Academy; it's a simulation of performance on a real mission. So if someone can't even make it past the first few stages, chances are they weren't meant for shinobi life."

Sacora couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was what Hinata wanted to get stronger for? "That's so...cruel! What sort of people are you shinobi!?"

Kiba gripped his crutch in indignation. "You think we wanted this to happen? I told her to forfeit if they pit her against her cousin–"

"Her cousin? Her own family did this to her?" The world felt like it was being ripped from underneath Sacora's feet. "You...you're all monsters!" The memories of Iruka's classroom and all the poems he had her read, all the wonderful things Konoha's shinobi were supposed to be, twisted knots into her stomach. "There's no honor in the shinobi at all...this 'Will of Fire', it's a lie!"

Kiba's kunckles tightened until they turned white. "As if your benders are any better!" he shot back. "You're all weak and your stupid 'Fire Nation' thinks war is a good thing! If they're all so 'honorable', then what'd your dad kill your mom for?"

Color rose to Sacora's cheeks. "How...how dare you! Mama wasn't–" But she paused. "–wait...how come you...?"

"Ahem."

Kiba and Shino straightened to attention upon seeing Kurenai around the bend. "Get back to the ward, both of you. I'll deal with you later," she promised them grimly, and then turned to Sacora. "But we need to talk, now."

"No," Sacora snapped, backing away. "You're just going to tell me it's all a ninja trick–"

"Listen, I understand Kiba said something he shouldn't have–"

"Something he shouldn't have known about in the first place!" Sacora bit down heavily on her lip, yet the tears proceeded to spill anyway. "If it wasn't for a jutsu, how does he know my mother's dead? Why does he think that Father killed her? I only talked about the Fire Nation here, I didn't even mention her once!"

For once, it seemed that Kurenai had nothing to counter with. She listened in silence to Sacora's sobs before attempting to reach out with a comforting hand. "Sacora...I'm so sorry–"

But the girl recoiled from her as though she bore the plague. "You? Sorry? You're the one who probably told him – no, maybe you're the one who used that jutsu on me in the first place!"

"I was not," Kurenai stated firmly. "If you would just let me explain..."

"Even if you did, how can I trust you anymore?"

The hall fell so quiet, a pin could have dropped to end the silence. The sharp intake of breath escaping Kurenai's lips did so instead. "Sa...Sacor–"

"You don't even value the life of your own student," Sacora spat, narrowing her eyes. "Why should I think that you care about me?"

With an angry hand wiping away the tears, she turned on her heels and fled the hall in search of Hiori before she could even see the expression on the jonin's face.

The night was dark and rainy, but still Sacora vowed to get to the end of the current chapter of the textbook that she was parsing through. Her quarter of the compound had long ago given the order for lights out, so she sat with a small fireball in her palm to light her way through the pages.

The purpose of hand seals is to orient the molding of your physical and spiritual energies in preparation for release as a jutsu; they also serve as the conduit for chakra to–

She pursed her lips in annoyance. "To what?" she muttered, staring angrily at the foreign kanji character. It infuriated her how every few pages or so she would meet with such a character, similar in appearance to what she was used to yet either its meaning was out of context or, in this case, unreadable.

A quick tap, tap at her door made her snuff out the flame. Hiori slid it open a moment later, though if she was displeased to see Sacora still awake, she did not show it. "Miss Sacora," she bowed, "please, follow me. You are needed in the Main Hall."

"Why?" she asked, perturbed.

"There is someone from Intelligence who wishes to see you about a scroll."

Her heart skipped a beat at the word 'scroll'. Could it be...? She hastily grabbed a jacket to throw over her nightclothes. "I-I'm coming!"

The rain subsided on the way to the Main Hall, allowing the clouds to part and reveal a bright, beautiful full moon. Hiori shook the droplets from the parasol she had carried over them and slid open the Hall doors, admitting Sacora to a long, elegant room of tatami and rice-paper screens. In the middle sat a tall man with straw-colored hair tied in a high ponytail reminiscent of Ino's. He nodded his head in greeting to Sacora as she entered.

"Thank you for coming. I apologize for making this so late," he said with a good-natured smile and gestured for her to sit across from him. "But I couldn't let another chance slip away."

He reached into his flak jacket and placed the long coveted scroll on the tatami between them.

Sacora stared at it in wonder, hardly able to believe it was suddenly within reach again. She looked up at the man in confusion. "Why are you giving it to me, um...?"

"Call me Inoichi," he supplied. "As for why, I want to know what it does."

She reached out for it tentatively and slipped open a page with her thumb. As other hand unrolled the rest of the scroll across the floor, she felt a deep rumbling from within her that had lain dormant for so long, she nearly forgot it was there.

Ah! Of course he wants to know, Jin She remarked with amusement. He has perhaps attempted it and failed.

Sacora pursed her lips. Why would he fail?

If it is the Avatar's scroll, then of course he failed – it is not meant for one of their kind to use.

Her brows furrowed. Then, you mean...?

"Is something the matter?" Inoichi asked.

Sacora blinked and realized she had paused during the internal deliberations. "No," she feigned, "I was just trying to read something..." She unfurled it further until the entirety of the scroll was in full view. The array of hand signs greeted her in all their glory, mocking her for the difficulty she once found in replicating their gestures.

"So..." She looked up at Inoichi again. "You want me to perform this?"

He nodded in affirmative.

She nodded back and started copying the hand signs. Why would they let me do this? she wondered as she went through each sign, relearning some of their shapes again. If they know it took me here, wouldn't they think it'll take me back? A reasonable thought, considering she never divulged Jin She's knowledge to anyone. But it doesn't seem like they'd let me go so easily. Do they want to...follow me back?

The thought stopped her in her tracks as she tried to swallow down a flare of anger.

Well, let them! She decided, and resumed the hand signs. I don't care anymore, I hate this place! And it's only this Inoichi with me; see if he can deal with a whole Fire Nation army! Then I'll throw away this scroll so he'll never see Konoha again!

At the completion of the last hand sign, she spoke the incantation she had worked so hard to decipher: "Elemental Veil, Bridging Souls Jutsu!"

She held her breath in anticipation of the flashing mirror and gusty winds. She was already imagining the welcoming she would receive back at the manor. But a second passed, and soon that was two, three, four...

"It...It didn't work," she stammered.

"Try again," Inoichi suggested patiently.

She did so, going through the hand signs faster this time. "Elemental Veil, Bridging Souls Jutsu!" Again, nothing. Another attempt – "Elemental Veil, Bridging Souls Jutsu!"

She repeated the signs and incantation, over and over, for goodness knew how long, and slammed her fists onto the tatami mat at her umpteenth defeat. "I don't understand," she panted, "it's just...not working!"

Inoichi sighed as he rubbed his chin. "That's strange; tonight should be the last night of a full moon..." He shook his head. "We'll stop for now. The scroll doesn't specify whether it only works under a moon, so we'll try again sometime soon. Was it nighttime when you first tried it?"

"No..."

"Do you recall what phase the moon was on the night before?"

She tried to think, but could only shake her head in frustration.

"Very well–" Inoichi rolled the scroll back and pocketed it into his jacket again. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

It was difficult to watch him leave with her only chance of escape. The only thing that reassured her as she was escorted back to her quarters was that there was still a chance, and she couldn't afford to lose it.

"Thank you for coming," Hinata smiled at Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino from her futon. "I'm doing much better now..."

"Hey, just take it easy," Kiba reassured her. "At least we won't have missions or training for a month, eh, Shino?"

Shino adjusted his glasses. "I wonder if you're saying that to make me feel like I've missed out," he pondered. "But the answer is, no; I'm not unhappy that I still have to train."

Kiba pulled a face. "Sometimes I wonder if you're really human!" he exclaimed; Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're just jealous you didn't make it to the finals," Shino shot back.

"Why you–!"

Hinata chuckled at their antics. Suddenly, she coughed, causing them to stop what they were doing.

"You okay?" Kiba asked, concerned.

"Perhaps we shouldn't excite her too much," Shino suggested. "She was only discharged yesterday–"

Hinata waved the matter away. "I-I'm fine!" She smiled. "It was just some dust."

Kiba still didn't seem convinced. "Don't be afraid to kick us out if we're annoying," he reminded her. "It's okay to get sick of us, you know?"

"N-no! I'm happy you both came to visit me." She tilted her head to the side. "Ah, how is sensei?"

"Stern as ever," Kiba replied. "She's really putting pressure on Shino to win!"

"As she should be," Shino added.

"That's good to hear," Hinata remarked. "Do you know how Sacora is doing?"

Kiba fidgeted in discomfort. "Well, uh...I don't know, doesn't she live with you now? Wouldn't you know?"

"I didn't see her yesterday," Hinata admitted. "Perhaps I'll visit her later..."

"You should probably wait until you've recovered more," Shino said. "She's not going anywhere, after all."

Even so, when it came time to leave Kiba couldn't help but feel a nagging sensation at the thought of the firebender. When Kurenai came back to the ward to berate him and Shino the previous week, she didn't seem as animated as he thought she would; they both were left with a cross warning on spilling confidential information, and that was that. Kiba wasn't sure if Shino heard anything from Kurenai in the time between, but as for himself, recuperating at home meant that Sacora was virtually nonexistent.

"Maybe...I could go check in on her," he muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Shino asked him.

"Uh...no...you know what? You go home first, I'll stick around for a bit."

With Akamaru in his coat, he set off through the compound in search of the likeliest place to find her. Tch, I should've asked Hinata where it was, he thought, fully knowing that if he had the chance to do so, he absolutely wouldn't. Well, if I can't find it in a few minutes, I'll just leave. It's not like she wants to see me anyway.

With this in mind, he whistled up a merry tune as he came upon the Main Hall.

"Elemental Veil, Bridging Souls Jutsu!"

Sacora waited with bated breath for the light, the wind, anything to suggest that this attempt was the one that worked.

Nothing.

Sacora slumped down in defeat. She could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes but gritted her teeth against the thought of being pathetic in front of the patient Inoichi.

"Perhaps you need a break," he suggested. "Some fresh air to clear your head."

"No, I can do this–"

He pulled the scroll out from her reach. "You need a break," he reiterated calmly.

With a gesture from Inoichi, Hiori was beside her and encouraging her to exit from the Hall. But she was so close, she believed – so close to getting it right! "Please," Sacora begged, "could I at least take the scroll with me? To look over? Maybe I'm missing something..."

Inoichi mulled over the request for a while, before finally handing it over to her. "All right, but calm down before you try it again."

Hiori led her out into a courtyard adjoining the Hall where she sat down on a bench of stone. Taking a deep breath, Sacora unfurled the scroll again on her lap and analyzed it carefully.

I just don't understand, she frowned. I've looked back at the hiragana I couldn't read before, but it doesn't tell me anything new – I've gotten better at the hand signs in sequence, so I'm not messing up there. How come it worked for me before? She gripped the bar of the scroll in frustration. Jin She, you talked about the scroll last night – where are you now?

She felt a rumble of indignation against the tone she had used. How fickle you are, little one! First afraid, now reproachful – just because I didn't speak to you in time!

Fine, I'm sorry...can you please tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Much better, Jin She mused. Where do you think you're going wrong?

She stomped her foot. "That's why I asked you to–"

"Miss Sacora?"

Sacora paused, and looked back at a concerned Hiori. "Um, nothing." Turning back to the scroll, she sighed in defeat. –to talk to me, she finished. She tapped her chin in thought. You said that the Avatar's scroll wouldn't work for shinobi?

I did, Jin She affirmed.

But then...her eyes went back to the scroll. Why are there hand signs, like it was meant for a shinobi?

Let us think about why that would work for a shinobi, Jin She posed. If I recall, you were just reading about it before you were summoned to try the scroll.

"Orienting energy," Sacora pondered aloud, "and to provide a conduit for chakra..." But I don't have chakra...

What do you have?

"Chi?" She tilted her head in confusion. "Could hand signs work for chi?" Well, they must have if they did so the first time around – and, if she remembered correctly, she was ecstatic in her discovery when it happened. In such a happy state of mind...

...it stands to reason that your chi would have the smoothest flow throughout your body, Jin She concluded. Not all roiled and tense like it is now.

The answer was at once so brilliant yet obvious, she fought the urge to facepalm on the spot. We went through all this just for you to tell me it's because I was stressed? Why couldn't you just say so earlier?

Would you have understood the reasoning behind the scroll if I did so? Jin She challenged. In working out the answer, we seem to have undone much of the damage your anger has caused to your chi, as well your original intent for using the scroll.

She recalled, now with shame, the hateful thoughts that passed through her mind the night before. You're right...

And now that you know, what will you do?

She looked back down at the scroll and brought her hands together for the first hand sign. Hunching her back slightly so that Hiori wouldn't see it, she quickly flashed through the rest, having mastered the speed through repetitive muscle memory. As her fingers locked together for the last sign, she called out, "Elemental Veil, Bridging Souls Jutsu!"

The mirror in the scroll began to glow with a bright light.

Kiba walked around the Hall wondering which winding path through the compound he should take, when he suddenly spotted Sacora herself sitting on a bench in a courtyard, reading some dingy old scroll.

He almost choked himself on his whistling as he hid behind the bend again before she could spot him. Akamaru whined softly and looked up at him in concern.

Okay, you found her...now what?

To be honest, he didn't think it would get this far. So he had no plan of what to do or say. Hey, about last week...or, I know you were made at me, but...

He slapped his hands together on his cheeks. Get it together, Kiba! There's nothing to apologize for! She's the one who started it! The more he pepped himself up, the more he came to see he was right; why should he feel guilty for something that would have never happened had she just watched her mouth? She was the one insulting shinobi first, after all!

And until she could see she was wrong, well, she didn't deserve to be asked after.

Having made up his mind, he resolved to finally go home and maybe treat himself to his favorite comics and jerky. He had barely taken a step forward, however, when the wind suddenly picked up in ferocity and a flashing beam of light glared from the direction of the courtyard.

"What the–"

He flipped the hood of his jacket onto his head and zipped up Akamaru all the way before running over to see what happened. As he peeked out from behind the wall, he saw Sacora at the center of the wind with the light flashing from the pages of her scroll.

Without a second thought, he ran into the gusts to push her out to safety; when she finally noticed him, her mouth opened to form a horrified no, but it was already too late.

"Nnngh..."

The flaring pain in his ribs and hip made Kiba wince as he regained his senses. His head rung from hitting the unusually hard ground and every breath he took pierced his lungs with a stinging burn. When he started rising to his knees, he was shocked to feel literal ice beneath his palms – what the heck happened? Why is it so cold all of a sudden?

Beside him, Sacora was also struggling to sit up on the ice. He tried to ask after her, but his lips trembled too violently to form any coherent words. He hugged the shivering Akamaru closer as he then noticed the three pairs of legs standing before of them, clothed in dark blue, swaying along to the swirling jets of water that flowed around them in wide circles. At one point some of the water flowed dangerously close to his face, giving him a brief view of his distorted reflection. Before he could even try to comprehend the situation, the water burst apart to reveal the presence of a large, cheering crowd–

Cheers of which suddenly turned to gasps.

Kiba stared at the congregation, unable to find a recognizable face amongst the fur-coated populace. His eyes darted left and right as the three people around them started coming closer. One of them, a young man with shoulder length hair, came the closest and stared at the pair with frightened eyes. "It...it can't be," he muttered under clouds of icy breath. "Is it...really...?"

Kiba looked over at Sacora and found her locking eyes with the young man. When Kiba looked back, he was alarmed to find the man running towards them.

"Sacora!"

Notes

"If what the girl claims is true, then she is something of one" – I've always been under the impression that "jinchuriki" applied more to tailed beasts. On its wiki, there are cases listed where people have been possessed by others like yokai and legendary beasts, but keyword is "possession". I'm going to go on a limb and assume there is a terminology difference to the people of Naruto's world, but not a very strict one (tho feel free to correct me if that's not right!).

I know in real life it's highly unrealistic to wear the same clothes everyday but since the characters (in both shows) have one outfit most of the time, I decided to use that to highlight the changes taking place thanks to Blu3b3rryT3a's suggestion :). I'm sorry it's not a full shopping ep but I hope it fits. As for the accelerated healing, I didn't know that was an Uzumaki thing (d'oh!) but hopefully as you can see from the end of this chapter that possession of an Elemental Beast means adapting their physical capabilities (she wasn't burned because a dragon wouldn't get burned as easily, etc.) so it will be different for each one.

Time lapse is assuming the Forest stage of the exam took about a week. The night she tries the scroll is also when Hayate dies, which I moved by another week because it didn't seem right to have occurred on the same day the prelims ended.

Also I realized it was never too clear if Team 8 knew about her "backstory", like yes they hear she's from this "Fire Nation" but did they know the context of her life, kinda thing. That's where I realized I eff'd up in chapter 4 and so I added a bit more to Shino's "The whole thing smells of a hoax" dialogue to at least suggest they knew some barebone facts. Hopefully it's understood that they did get some context, just not enough to know the full details (such that Kiba can misinterpret stuff).

CV12Hornet- Thanks for pointing the voicing issue out, I'll try to be more mindful of that. Usually I reference the manga voicing but forget how inorganic it can be vs spoken. I'll check out some of the dubbed episodes with Shino in them to be safe.