The story follow the lone ninja girl Toshi who leads her life as a lone ninja in her hometown. She trusts only herself and her instincts, and her hatred has grown strong throughout the years. But as she breaks the laws the bounty for her head goes up, and so she catches Konoha's attention. As she has no political interests, she is a fullblooded soldier and ninja, she can choose to be either an ally of the powerful village or be locked up as a prisoner. Kakashi is fortunate enough to be assigned of her capture, and her turnaround if she's going to live in Konoha. Can she change and let go of her hatred? Can either of them ever truly show love? Find out in this long and thorough story. KakashixOC

Hope you'll enjoy this story.

Air for life

Long pale hands held the basket tightly. Although his knuckles were white from carrying the heavy basket, he couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Green teary eyes peered up at him, the small thing's hands clutched tightly as babies did.

This must be good enough, he thought, a sense of relief washing over him that this job was done.

He put the wooden basket on the doorstep just as the babe began to wail for full lungs once again. Exhausted and greasy from a few days travel, he shushed at the little thing and knocked at the door before disappearing in an inhuman speed.

Inside Kou Masami was preparing a late night tea for herself and her husband. The two elder couple was head council in Nanae and respected elders and had lived a long and dutifully life in a farmers village. She nearly dropped the bag of mint tea when she heard a rash knock on their door and the faint wail of a baby. Quickly she grabbed a couple of tea towels and took the noisy kettle off the fire before calling for her husband. She hurried briskly as her legs could manage through the long house and to the front door and opened it slowly to peep into the darkness of the night. The wailing had stopped before she could open the door, but as she looked down she saw the basket.

"What is it?" her husband asked, having finally caught up. A flat nose and a dropping mouth gave him a cruel look.

He went to her side and opened the door fully and saw the same as she. Startled she stared at the basket while her husband walked a few steps outside to see if anyone was near.

"Show yourself!" he shouted.

It was a black night, with a thin sliver of moon appearing and disappearing as the cloud blew past. The woods gave an answer: the rustle of leaves, the icy rush if the stream, a distant hoot of an owl...

.

Two bright green eyes followed the light that shone from a room. She walked along the wall her six year old legs carrying her with an unnatural silence. The sound of shushed voices drifted out and floated into the hallway.

"I'm telling you. That thing in her neck is dangerous." a womanly voice called out.

She stepped closer, her child heart aching dully, the feeling manifesting itself in her body as a sickness.

"She's an odd child, I wont have her anymore!" the same voice said.

"You offered to take care of her yourself. What would you have us do?" It was granny Kou's voice that spoke now.

The child moved closer and looked down at her feet, a feeling of shame and loneliness mixing inside. She peeped subtly through the small opening in the door, the thin ray of yellow light casting a bright stroke across her face and a bright green eye.

"Someone else should take care of her. She scares me!"

The child recognized her foster mom sitting in front of the fireplace with a cup of tea in her hands. The familiar scent of Jasmin tea filled her lungs and suddenly sickened her. She wanted to cry, but the voice in her head had taught her to appear emotionless. A strand of golden blonde hair fell in front of her nose and she removed it as she swallowed her emotions bitterly. No one liked her. Not even her foster family. What had she ever done to them?

The child let a familiar surge of energy wash through her as she stared at her foster mom from the shadows. Her eyebrows started to furrow, every feeling inside bubbling into hatred. She watched and listened and polished her hates the way her foster father once polished his shoes.

.

"How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light."

Being able to live alone your entire life takes quite the woman. Keeping from forming close relations, only focusing on surviving on my own. Not depending on anyone. That takes a strong person.

Well, maybe it was a bit boring at times. I stopped and dug my right hand into my pocket and fished up an old button. Didn't have enough money to buy some food. I clicked with my tongue in irritation. Silence lingered in the street of Nanae, my home town, a distant cousin to the village hidden in rain, but just about as corrupt except Nanae was a lot smaller. With a dissatisfied sigh I threw the button away and looked into the darkening sky. It was no rare sight to see dark skies linger above like silent whales. It often rained here.

Laughs broke the silence in the streets and I moved my eyes in the direction to see three men stumble drunken out of a nearby bar. I scowled, my body instinctively tensing up at the sign of potential entertainment. Drunken people were easy to provoke. Easy to fight.

Yes... The fight. The only thing in life that gave me a thrill. The only thing that made my life worth living.

Loneliness.

No. I rejected that feeling. Only weak people felt lonely. Loneliness had made me strong.

I loosened my posture a bit, turning more to the men, silently watching them walk down the street. Two of them was familiar faces. Farmers both, settled with wife and kids to live a trouble free life at the outskirts of Nanae. The third man wasn't a familiar face. Maybe a visitor from another village, and also drunk beyond comparison. I looked to the left where a woman scandalously dressed in a red short dress made her way down the street. Her red lipstick was smudged around the edges of her mouth, and her mascara was beginning to run. Another prostitute was making her way home.

I looked back at the men, immediately catching the eyes of the visitor. Slightly disgusted by his sudden smirk, I stiffened at his lust filled expression and squinted my eyes at him.

Please give me a reason to punch you, I thought as he pushed aside his two friends.

Hesitantly he walked closer, swaying and smirking smugly in his drunken state. He wasn't good looking and I kept from showing any emotion at his gnarled face and missing teeth. How charming.

"Hey there young lady. What're you doing out here all alone?" He said loudly, swinging his bottle of sake around while swaying dangerously in his place.

His gaze crawled up and down of me like spiders, checking me out but still keeping a certain safety distance. A simmering fire lit up in me when he looked at me that way, like a whore for sale. He was oblivious to the warning in my eyes.

"Come on Kaito. Don't waist your time. Leave her alone."

The two farmers had recognized me and suddenly looked worried. They didn't take one step towards their comrade but watched from a distance, their eyes praying with desperation for their friend to make the right choice. Kaito, apparently his name, stopped smirking and looked suspicious for a moment. Tension was building up, and I felt the fear seeping out of the two friends. They feared for his life. I liked that.

"Are you deaf Kaito? Come on. There's plenty other women in this town. That girl isn't your type." One of them called again, the other holding him slightly away.

Kaito didn't react but eyed me smugly. Just when I thought he was about to step closer he turned around on his heels looking almost offended and staggered back to his friends. A fierce hiss escaped my mouth when the tension in me left and I watched the three men walk away to another bar.

Still glaring at them, I wish he hadn't listened to his friends. He really needed them. Unlike me, I didn't and had never needed friends. I'd made it without friends for nineteen years, so why not nineteen more? Sure I would never had made it as a baby or child if it wasn't for the elders, but I'd only been their duty. I sighed irritated and kicked some dirt, barely thinking the thought of finding some shelter before a drop of rain hit my nose and caught my attention. I picked up my pace, watching the tiny drop become a thousand, falling down from the sky in a thick blanket. Wind sighed through the branches and leaves rustled and stirred. Far off I heard the sounds of music and raucous laughter. I brushed my hair backwards and away from my face. It was starting to get sticky and also it was a big long tangled mess whenever it started to get wet.

Jumping to a roof I decided to take shelter at a spot nearby. I didn't have a home, but mostly lived in abandoned houses or shags and I wasn't exactly welcome in any bars. This time though, I picked a sheltered rooftop located on top of an old mans apartment. He wasn't happy with me using his roof and often cursed at me, but didn't have any strength to actually do something about it, so I mostly just turned the other cheek and he would leave me alone eventually.

My reputation in general wasn't good. I'd stumbled upon a few bounty hunters during my life, some good at hiding who had put the bounty on my head. I wasn't anyone to be missed, I had no value to other people, so putting a price on my head was easy, except the hunt wasn't. People in Nanae kept away from me and I liked that. I'd learned to find and cook food myself and survive in the forests.

As a child I'd been delivered at the doorstep of the elders. No one knew my parents and frankly no one had the same haircolor as I. A sandy blonde color mixed with green eyes had made me an outcast from the very beginning in this village, but the thing that had really scared off people was the pearl in my neck. A tiny metal ring framed it and the pearl itself shone a deep purple pink color, mysteriously transparent and glass like, with a colored blur inside. But it contained a secret I rarely showed. That way it helped me to hide my advantages to bounty hunters and by that I could keep the upper hand in secret. The pearl contained a soul of a white lioness. I knew nothing about its origins or how I got it and neither did the lioness in me. Eien no Honou was her name, meaning eternal flame. She was the very source of my power and abilities. A teacher and a mentor had mostly been her role through out my life, but she was also fierce and uncontrollable at times.

The little girl I was had stopped listening to the elders and started listening to a fierce creature living inside her mind. That was when she was shut out of society.

I reached the old mans roof and landed heavily from the force of the jump. Taking a peek into the horizon the sheltered rooftop provided a good view around the city. I took a moment to scan the area, a precaution I always took when settling down at a spot. There was something deadly silent about the city at the moment except for the steady drooping sound of southern rain was was soft and warm. I remembered long grey days in Nanae and the woods, drooping branches heavy with moisture.

Sitting down on the floor I started to rub my wet arms, brushing them roughly to warm them up. I didn't know why I felt so chilled, but maybe I was just starting to get hungry. It's nothing I told myself. I sat there for a time, listening to noises of nature and breathing in the heavy scent of wet landscape. Wooden houses and porcelain roofs stretched out before me, the thick tall woods framing the city in the distance. The marketplace would be closed now, a perfect place to train sneak and stealth amongst the many people. I looked down in wonder when I heard running footsteps close by and saw three teenagers running through the streets. Young and loud they were, would've been dead if they were bounty hunters. Why are they looking at me? I was startled for a moment when they came to a halt by the old mans house, all three looking up at me in what could only be anger. I blinked at them confused, nobody ever took direct contact to me, especially not small immature teenage boys. An unsettling feeling grew in me and I started to get wary. Was this a trap? Thoughts started to spin in my head and the hackles in my neck started to rise. Something was deeply wrong. The two men at the bar had said my name out loud. The old man hadn't come out to yell at me yet.

"Hey you!" one of the taller teenager called.

Something was definitely wrong. I put a slender finger to my chin and tilted my head at the one who had called out to me.

"Yeah you ugly-face! You can't sit there." the boy took a step hesitantly forward while one of the other picked up at stone and threw it in my direction.

I moved my head thoughtfully to the side as the stone flew by. Their behavior startled me so much that I couldn't even find my flaring temperament forth. What is going on? I took a hand to my face to feel if there was something on it. More people started to come out of their houses to take a look at the scene. It was like a riot, people starting to join the shouting and stone throwing. Did they want a mass murder? I shot to my feet angrily, their shouting and throwing starting to get to me. I could kill them all easily if I wanted to. They should be begging for their lives!

My instincts went on fire, and for a heartbeat it seemed as if the whole village were holding its breath. In the split of a second I jumped away from the roof, turning around in mid air in a very pure moment of shock, and saw the shattered roof and a boy with a clenched fist standing where I had stood. Landing gracefully on the opposite roof, sliding a few inches, I saw a black haired boy clad in blue and white, his hand buried in shattered tiles. Wide eyed, I stared in disbelief. Maybe I was too ignorant to acknowledge that the villagers had sent a small boy to kill me, but the fact stunned me briefly as I watched him pull out his fist ferociously. I barely noticed the two other chakra signatures that neared in high speed. I was too caught up in the moment. Failing at suppressing a smirk, I almost wanted to laugh. Why would I even bother to kill kids?! Suddenly I understood the riot going on, but the villagers had fled as quick as they had come. Fools.

I twirled around when someone landed behind me. Someone incredibly good at hiding his chakra. My leg instinctively flew at his stomach and the person grabbed it skillfully with a strong hand while his other hand lashed forth for my face, a kunai whistling through the air dangerously. I dug down and jumped, twisting my body around to get my foot free and jumped back to asses the situation. The rush of adrenaline made my eyes wide and my breath quicker. Cursing myself, I had been to quick to lash into a fight with someone I knew nothing of. The kids forgotten I took every inch of the man in front of me in. He was tall and lean, but broad over his chest and shoulders. His hair was a silver grey color and half his face was covered in a black mask, a headband hanging over his left eye. I recognized the symbol on the headband immediately, not that his dark blue clothes and green vest gave away his village. Someone had sent Konoha ninja's after me. I was almost offended that Konoha would send me three kids and only one adult.

I had only encountered Konoha ninjas a few times in my life and the range of skills differed a lot. I knew I had to tread carefully around this one. The kids was no problem. Eying him expectantly, I flexed my muscles to keep them ready and feel them there.

I felt the two remaining kids land on the old mans rooftop and tilted my body slightly to have both them and the adult in sight. I could feel Eien's power surge through me, filling me with a feral instinct of predator. I couldn't help but crouch slightly. One girl with pink hair, red clothes and emerald eyes. She looks frail I noted. There was something unsettling about the last boy. He had fierce blue eyes, much like Eien the lioness, and they stared directly at me. His teeth were gritted and his blonde hair stood in a wild mess above his Konoha headband. There was a deadly silence between us.

"Wait guys!"

I averted my eyes to the man in front of me, watching him warily with squinted eyes. Nothing seemed like a trap, at least I couldn't sense that. He looked calm, somehow unaffected by the whole situation. It made me all the more alert.

"Are you Toshi Setsuko?" There was an edge to his tone I couldn't identify. Almost pleasant, but cautious

"Yes, that would be me and who are you?" I asked, trying to sound calm but failed, spitting the sentence out between gritted teeth.

This was an alarmingly bad situation to stand in and I wondered if I had slacked too much lately. One thing: it wasn't good.

"We are from Konoha. We have been assigned to escort you back to the hidden leaf. It would be for the best if you follow quietly." He eyed me suspiciously, his posture starting to look stiff and unnatural.

They have to be kidding. I snorted in disbelief, eyebrows furrowing solemn. I knew what he meant. Konoha had considerably enough power to claim me either as a ninja or a prisoner. There was no way I was going to follow them. For all I cared, they could go back to where they came from, with or without their lives. I didn't know why there was this inner alert triggered in me, when I indeed seemed to have the advantage of the familiar field and the raw strength. In my head it was only the man who posed an actual threat.

"Sorry. I don't take orders from anyone."

The hatred I so often felt seeped through my veins like a drug, fueling my desire to kill and lash out. I knew it was only seconds before I would have to feel alive and get an outlet for the strong feeling of anger inside.

"It'll be much easier if you just follow us. Konoha can offer you jobs fit for a kunoichi and offer you a home. Or we'll be obliged to use force." the man said, hesitant to say the last thing although my sharp ears caught it.

It was unsettling that he was being so calm. He gave away no hint of his emotions, but just stood there warily like he was talking to a deer that would flee any second.

"Who wants to be in a village where everyone hates you anyway?! You have nothing to do here." A sharp rough voice called from the previous roof.

I snapped my gaze to the blonde kid, restraining myself from just ripping his throat out.

"Shut your mouth kid, or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" the man in front of me cut me off shortly, his tone growing a threatening tune.

Snapping my head back to him, we stared at each other in silence. The tension grew along with the silence, and I knew my next actions would determine the outcome of this encounter. His eyes narrowed, telling me to no do anything rash. The unsettling feeling came back to me, this time radiating out not just from the blonde kid but the adult ninja in front of me. Reconsidering my opponents something in me screamed to run away. As our positions was now, there was a chance I might get surprised as it was.

In the split of a second I was off to the next roof, my jumps so full of strength that I crushed the tiles beneath my feet as I sprinted away. Needing time to think my options through, I headed towards the forrest where my advantage would be a great deal better. The Konoha ninjas was in my heels as quickly as anticipated. The rain was getting heavier and in the speed we were traveling in, the raindrops rolled across my face and into my eyes. The drops was cold against my warm skin, the scent of wet clothes started to overwhelm my nose. This was survival now, and every single sense was at its peak.

Quickly making a decision, I decided to go for the weakest link in the group meaning the frail looking pink girl. I felt the tiles splinter around my legs in a change of direction as I charged directly at the girl, spinning to give my kick more force. In the last second I drew out a powerful surge of Eien's chakra, knowing the kick would most likely crack the skull of the child girl.

But I hit the grey man's arm as he blocked my kick, his eyes now fierce in what I could only guess was fury for lashing out at his team. He was there so fast, blocking with his lower arms, flinching the slightest at the force. A challenging smirk creeped into my face as I twisted my body and bounced off his arm, raindrops shooting off my clothes in very direction. Hurling another kick at his wrist, he moved fast and grabbed my ankle instead and shoved my other out of the way and left me completely open. I couldn't figure out how he had done that, but his skills was suddenly revealed in I realized as I hang there, mid-air, that he was indeed good. Exceedingly skilled.

A jolt of fear surged through me instantly and I watched him, almost as if time stood still, pull out a kunai fast. In desperation I managed to balance myself and get a hold of his wrist before the kunai struck my shoulder and used the force to push myself away.

I lashed to the street, landing awkwardly, aware of the chakra signatures of the kids around me. A sweat was already breaking out on my forehead, or maybe it was the rain, I couldn't tell anymore. I rushed for the woods, hoping to catch some time to come up with a plan against this unknown ninja. My mind was a mess of possibilities that didn't fit the grey ninja. By far he was one of the more challenging ninjas I'd ever encountered. Looking into the sky I jumped from branch to branch, peering through the leafy treetops that rushed by. When are that rain going to stop? As reluctant I was to admit it, the rain was becoming a hindrance.

"You guys should leave this to me. The information we received on her isn't very precise."

I caught the grey's voice from afar, warning the kids about me. A condescending snort left my mouth. What had they expected? Obviously some idiot ninja had been gathering intel about me, but hadn't done a very thorough job.

But my breath was starting to come up short and it took me by surprise. Cursing myself for slacking off to much lately, I suddenly noticed a small sting in my shoulder. As I raced through the trees I lifted a hand to my shoulder. I felt the ripped fabric hang, and there was a warm wet feel to the rain there. My eyes widened in sudden realization and I snatched my hand away to see the red liquid flowing down my hand and mixing with the rain. He got me?! I suddenly felt the degree of the wound and the slight sting became a warm throbbing pain. He was good that grey. Too good. The blood had spread down my chest because of the rain. I was hit with another surge if panic. How long did I have?

Unfocused I didn't know how I could slip on a branch and lost foothold and had to land on the ground. It wasn't a big deal if not for the clearing of throat behind me. I could sense the children, but not the grey. It wasn't just chakras I felt, but moods and minds too. I never knew how it worked, but I'd always guessed it was Eien's doing. But his mind I couldn't feel.

The tall grey took me off guard and I spun around, not just fighting the pain anymore but also Eien's rising strength. I staggered backwards, two eyes staring fiercely at me, one grey, one red. The red was like a light in the dark, glaring at me with such intensity that I lost myself for a second. Sharingan, my inner voice screamed. You're not match. Get away. My breath caught in my throat and made the hackles in my neck rise. How could someone have a sharingan and a normal eye? A hint of emotion emitted from his mind and he was amused that I was visibly showing fear towards him, though it wasn't to read in his face.

Involuntary I felt my body move backwards away from him.

'Get yourself together!' Eien's voice roared inside me.

Just in time I was aware of my surroundings again and was attacked from behind by the two boys of the group. While finding myself dodging clones it didn't go unnoticed that the grey ninja with the red eye was missing. Somewhat distracted a kunai sliced my arm, distracting me enough for the blonde kid to land an iron hard fist right at my left cheek and knocked me several feet through a bunch of clones who disappeared into a blur of smog. The scent of the smog made me cough and wrinkle up my nose. It was a piercing spicy scent which made me want to sneeze. I felt them around me, but couldn't see anything through the heavy smog. I didn't know why I was letting my guard down so easily, perhaps it had been a long time since I'd had a proper battle. Cursing the boys I slammed my hands together, drawing out Eien's chakra and swirled around creating an air current that blew away the remaining smog that lingered. Right after I performed a replacement jutsu and jumped out of the way while there was still some confusion going on around.

Appearing at a nearby tree I collapsed against the trunk and clutched a hand to my wounded shoulder. Gritting my teeth the pain stung deep now. It felt like someone had taken a cube of ice and stuffed it into my wound and up against my bone, leaving a throbbing numb pain throughout my arm. I panted and cringed at the same time, clutching the wound to make the bleeding stop. There was no time to stand and pity myself, I knew I had to get moving. Taking in a deep quivering breath I leaned away from the tree and peeped around the trunk. The kids was still confused I could feel, and they seemed to wander around clueless, while the grey one was... staring at me. Oh god he found me. There was no tricking a sharingan, I should've thought about that and the red twirling eye pierced me.

I rushed back against the trunk, hoping for all in the world I wasn't trapped in a genjutsu and performed a seal to create a clone so I could make my escape. I didn't know why I was being so adamant to use my full strength, but a hunch told me that both the forrest and village would suffer if the sharingan user and I engaged in a full force battle. Also, I still liked to maintain my secret that was Eien, which meant that I would have to hold back.

But I wasn't quick enough to get away. The grey hang above my clone midair, a blue light clattering around his hand. Jolts of electricity pierced my clone like it was made of butter, the spicy smog blowing into my face, while the clattering of the electricity deafened me. I had to get away.

I dodged his hand, feeling the electricity sting my skin and swung under the branch we stood on, right around, kicking and aiming for his ribs. For a second the feeling of victory grew in me, but my foot went right through him as he turned into water. Maintaining my composure I felt the urge to seriously kill someone in anger. I should've known he wouldn't come directly at me in person.

Crouching down I listened to the sudden silence of the rain against leafs and the panting of my breath. I turned around swiftly to look for anything suspicious. He came lashing down then, two of him from both sides, his red eye piercing through the darkness of the woods. He was faster and more ferocious this time, and I pitched forward and away, rolled to the ground and drew out Eien's chakra and moved my arms quickly and swiftly upwards. A fierce wind hurled upwards as he came for me, and I felt a strange pull when I met his red eye again.

Eien had a strange habit of entering peoples minds and sometimes it was hard to resist the pull. The brief wind only delayed the grey's approach, and he lashed for me while performing a series of hand seals. Someone behind me roared angrily, and I tilted my head to see he blonde kid charging with a fist pulled so far back, that I actually considered dodging it.

"Naruto stop!" the grey called a hint of panic evident in his voice.

I launched a kick for the kid, which made him stagger, but redirected it around to the grey, and met his arms and kicked him with a vicious force. I heard him grunt as his feet slid a few feet before he jumped back into the bushes, his chakra completely hidden. Turning to obnoxious the kid, I saw him recover the shock.

"Listen kid, get out of here. You can't win this fight. Leave me before you get seriously hurt!" my voice came out cold and collected although I wanted to scream at him.

It was like his face contorted in anger, the odd whisker scars on his cheeks seeming to widen. His eyes a fierce blue, penetrating me with an anger I had never seen portrayed in eyes before. Something about him repelled Eien.

"You don't know anything stupid girl! I'm a ninja, unlike you and I would never treat people like you do! I'll take you back to Konoha even if it means I'll have to break every bone in your body so I can drag your sorry ass home. So don't try to talk me out of it!" He scolded at me, facing me with no fear.

I felt my eyes widen at his passion and his blunt attitude. I didn't like what he was saying, but for some reason it reached inside and made my anger worse. After all, I needed no one.

"How dare you talk like that you little brat! I'm a ninja just like you." I spat at him, taking in a deep breath "I'm a much better ninja than you! My skills can't be compared!"

There I stood, panting in ill-tempered anger while yelling at a spoiled little brat I didn't even know.

"It has nothing to do with your skills! A true ninja protects his village and those he cares about no matter the skill. They have a purpose! You don't have any of that, that's why you're not a real ninja. From what I've heard you have no life at all. You're just a loser!" With every words his voice became louder and louder, his finger pointing accusingly at me.

Dusk came unnoticed, the heavy rain still pouring down into wet clothes and red blood. My patience was gone and I slammed my hands together to perform a series of hand seals and created four clones while replacing myself with one of them further away. Once again in somewhat safety behind a tree on a branch I pressed my hand angrily over my shoulder which by now was numbingly painful. I quickly evaluated the minor wound to my arm, coursed by the the kid's kunai and decided it was just a superficial wound. Breathe through your nose, breathe through your nose, why was I so out of it? My hair was like glued to my scalp and face, hanging in a mussed and damp mess. I tried to brush it away, but it kept sliding forward. A jolt of pity ran through me at that moment and it made me angry.

My clones were fighting the three kids and the grey man. I peeped around the trunk of the tree once more, and saw the blonde kid tremble in anger. I could easily mess up his mind, but something told me not to. There was something inside of him. Something dangerous. His fists were clenched hard and now and then the grey would glance over at him as if worried.

The clones kept up a good fight, but was struck down by the grey one after one. I watched his techniques closely, gathering every little detail about him. He used something called lightning blade against one of my clones, an attack that sent shivers down my spine. It was a much more focused version of the lightning attack he'd used before. There was a chance that he couldn't use it much as it wore out quickly, and drained his chakra much. He used lightning in his kunais and moved in swift zig-zag movements aswell as charging from above. Some of the blows my clones took were pretty mean, no doubt that I would've broken a few limps from the force of his attacks. But I was starting to be able to feel his clones, and I saw my chance to strike when the real grey appeared.

I made note of the kids position before ambushing him from behind. It was essential to drag out some of Eien's chakra to match his speed. We engaged in a dance of life and death, kicking, slicing, punching, dodging, moving... I could barely keep up with his speed, while trying to withhold Eien's chakra inside. A punch came in and I redirected the track of his hand, managing to create an opening and twirl around to make a back kick with my heel. There was no familiar crack of the ribs, but the sensation of solid turning to air. Smog blew into my face when the clone disappeared and I fell forward in overbalance and stumbled forward before steadying.

"What?" I hissed, turning swiftly around to get a feel of my surroundings.

The kids were gone and their chakra signatures too. My fists tightened as my temperament grew. They were getting to me and the physical exhaustion was starting to affect me mentally. Cold sharp metal touched the soft flesh of my throat and I stiffened, eyes widened in surprise. I felt him now, the grey, standing behind me with a kunai ready to open my windpipe. How? Why didn't I see? A panic started to rise in me and I wanted to hyperventilate.

"Surrender kunoichi." He said, his voice deep and serious.

Panic took over me. I wasn't ready to leave everything behind. I wasn't ready to deal with new people and definitely not obeying to anyone. I'm fine here, I'm fine here, I don't need anyone, I have lots to fight for, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm...

"Never!"

Without much thought I stepped back into his tall form and dug down, taking a superficial wound to my neck in turn and launching a spinning kick by the ground. There was nothing clever about that attack, but I was running in black-mode where everything was pure instinct and no logic. Of course my desperate state of mind had a price. Easily the grey danced over my leg before someone's foot collided with my back. The grey danced over me once again as I flew forward. My position forced my to use my hands as breaks, the muddy ground beneath gathering in piles before I backflipped and landed on my feet again, panting hard.

The blow had taken my breath away for a few seconds, but the kids weren't that strong and nothing was broken or damaged. My chakra was starting to get low, and my left arm was numb from the wound to my shoulder. I felt my face contort in exhaustion and pain, no longer able to keep up the facade in front of my pursuers. I coughed once, cursing myself for being so out of shape and so mentally unstable. Apparently changes did something to me. Something I didn't even know existed in me. It was humiliating. My chest ached dully as I glared at the grey, all my hatred directed at him. The words of the blonde kid echoed in my head.

You don't know anything stupid girl! I'm a ninja, unlike you and I would never treat people like you do! I'll take you back to Konoha even if it means I'll have to break every bone in your body so I can drag your sorry ass home. So don't try to talk me out of it!

I gritted my teeth. Deep down his words provoked something. My vision wavered and became blurred in waves. Was it the blood loss? Maybe I was fighting too hard to oppress Eien, wasting too much chakra on it. I had to get away. Fast.

I did the most stupid thing a ninja could do. Jumping randomly and thoughtlessly into the air. My mind was set on the escape, and as hang midair, holding a hand to my wounded shoulder, I was surrounded by a dozen of the blonde kid's clones.

My movements was slow and stiff as I tried to block the many kicks that came for me. Why did I have this hollow empty feeling inside? It was as if my spark to fight was gone with the wind. I couldn't control it, couldn't force the anger that always had fueled me. Before I knew of it, his foot collided with my stomach with such force that I flew to the ground, my back arching upwards as the mud flew around me as I glided backwards.

I turned around on my stomach and tried to stand up, but pitched forward and landed on my stomach again. Warm red liquid flew out of my mouth as I coughed hard. With a numb arm, I crawled desperately forward using my good arm. Why couldn't that annoying rain stop? Why where they all just staring at me?! I didn't know for how long I crawled through the mud, the emptiness inside seeming to mess with my head and emotions. Cringing, I felt like crying. I didn't want to go to Konoha, I didn't want to live by their rules and laws.

A hand grabbed my bad shoulder and slung me around, strands of muddy hair landing across my face. I cried out in pain clenching my fist to attack. His ice blue eyes seemed to shine in the darkness and the blonde kid grabbed my collar harshly before I could react. Mud was gnawing in my wound, and the kid's fierce eyes starred at me with anger and pity. He slammed me down to ground hard and I grabbed his wrist to lessen the strength. I coughed again, this time more controlled as I stared right back into those eye, rage starting to rise in me again.

"Get yourself together!" He growled through gritted teeth."You have nothing here! Why're you clinging so desperately to a place where you have no ties! We're just trying to help you and the people in this village. What's your problem?! We could use ninja's like you in Konoha, you're just going to waste here!"

He leaned closer, the sound of clothes tightening wringing when he tightened his grip. I thought he was about to punch me, but instead his eyes just softened the slightest.

"You're pathetic." His naturally rough voice spoke more controlled now.

A feel of disappointment and pity emitted from him and the pity confused me. Why would anyone pity me?

"You don't know anything brat." I whispered back, managing a mocking smirk.

Honestly I didn't know what else to do, and the grey came rushing to our sides, putting a comforting hand on the kid's shoulder.

"Naruto..." before mentioned person muttered softly, his voice reminding me of the comfort of a warm fireplace.

Naruto (apparently) trembled in a new wave of fury at my remark before he abruptly let go of my color, and I could relax into the ground. As blurry as my vision was, my physical exhaustion lessened my senses and I could only see the outline of the grey now hovering over me. But I could see his two different eyes too, pity hidden in the well trained pokerface. A new wave of embarrassment washed over me.

The kid was right. I was pathetic. But I glared stubbornly back at the grey, hoping to intimidate him but with no such luck. In that moment I felt that pull once again, and I fixated on his bright red spinning eye as if it slowly zoomed in on me like in a trance. Eien pulsed beneath the surface.

"What a pretty red eye." She purred, her sweet voice tempting me to give into her strength.

I wasn't in control. I was too exhausted. Too drained. Too depressed.

In what seemed like a heartbeat the red engulfed me and mixed with his other dark eye. I traveled through the gates that was his eyes, feeling the merging of our minds. But something was wrong. Something kept me out. I couldn't feel his mind yet, only dark emptiness. A harsh wind blew at me, sending grains of black granite pricking against my skin. I stood somewhere in his mind, in a kind of limbo. I had to narrow my eyes to see and took a hand to my forehead. A shred of fright rushed through me when an ear deafening roar echoed in my ears. It was unbearable and I didn't know why it made me want to cry.

"Eien?!" I screamed through the granite sand that swirled around me.

There she formed in front of me, ice blue eyes staring through the darkness of the sandstorm. Beautiful and fearsome she stepped forth, long athletic limps moving gracefully an effortlessly, like a white goddess. Her short white fur moved over her toned strong muscles as she descended. Her eyes were fixated on me and I fell to my knees in relief. I didn't like searching peoples minds, but she did, and therefore always dragged me along when I was weak enough and the projection of the self I was, wasn't as strong as she was. Her nose wrinkled up in a snarl and her ears lay flat against her head before she roared a deep trembling roar.

I was pulled out of his mind and back into my body, the physical weight and exhaustion hitting me full force. He stumbled away from me as if I'd electrocuted him, a confused and puzzled look showing in his eyes. I was starting to loose consciousness, it could be any second by now.

"What's wrong Kakashi-sensei?" the blonde kid, Naruto, came rushing back a look of fright and confusion evident in his voice.

"N-nothing Naruto." the grey, Kakashi apparently took a hand to his forehead and narrowed his eyes at me.

I did my best to focus, knowing that I would be in their hands when I was out cold. I tried to take deep breaths to withstand the pain throughout my arm, but nothing seemed to help. Everything was a blur. I reached out a hand, in a last attempt to seem strong, but collapsed in the mud, the rain pricking against my face the last thing registered...

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter.

This is actually a rewritten version of the original first chapter, as I didn't think the original one was good enough. :)

Please review or fav, it always helps the motivation.