Its been a while, ne? Well here I am back with a new story. I hope you enjoy.

I do not own Naruto and his associated articles; only my OCs.

The hot sun was the thought on everyone's mind today. The large shading trees of Konohagakure didn't seem to distract from the intensity either. This was especially true for the group of shinobi that stood apart from the villagers; all were shinobi of Uzushiogakure. Uzushiogakure was a longtime friend and ally of Konohagakure much like their founding clans, the Uzamaki and Senju.

The Uzamaki clan was a distant relative of the Senju clan. Senju Hashirama's wife, Senju Mito was an Uzamaki. In her youth, like many of her kinsmen, she had sported bright red hair. Many were paired with this physical trait, but not all shinobi from the Uzamaki clan had red hair. And not all shinobi from Uzushiogakure were part of the Uzamaki clan.

Hamano Manami was not part of the Uzamaki clan; in fact, she was only the third generation of shinobi in her family. Originally seafaring folks, the Hamano clan had fled to the area now called Uzu no Kuni during the feudal warring era. There had not been shinobi villages but rather massive clans for hire by any daimyo who dared to pay vast amounts of money, goods or treasure for their services. It was during this time that her grandfather volunteered himself to the nearest clan to learn the way of the shinobi. Years later, Uzushiogakure was founded.

The slender teenager was average height for a woman, deep brown eyes and straight dark blue hair. As a child, she had asked her grandmother why she had such a boring hair color when all of her playmates had flaming red hair. Her grandmother, a no-nin, had simply chuckled, "Your ancestors were said to have been favored by Kami no Mizu. He gifted them with hair the color of the deep sea, where the Hamano lived their long lives." Being five, Manami had taken a liking to this explanation. Now at seventeen, she laughed at her grandmother's elucidation, knowing now how genetics worked.

The Uzushiogakure shinobi stood in four rows of five, sporting their village's standard shinobi wear; blue pants and long sleeved shirts with dark grey flak jackets, colors that helped the sea farthing shinobi blend in best with their surroundings. There were, of course, variations in their wear; Jounin wore sleeve emblems denoting their rank on the upper left sleeve, Chuunin had white patterned collars on their flak jackets. There were not any Genin present in the group. Nor were there weapons openly exposed. Uzushiogakure shinobi were well renowned for their fuinjutsu or summoning jutsu. Out of the group, only the top ranked Jounin carried the gigantic scrolls on their back openly.

Manami was in the middle back of the four rows, standing solemnly. On either side of her were her Chuunin year mates, yet she was one of the youngest in the group. A month and a half stood between her and her eighteenth birthday. She was also in another minority of the group. She was one of only three females who had been sent.

Unlike Konohagakure, their village was not nearly as diverse as the others or as large. Uzushiogakure did not have a kage, but rather a shinobi council of elders. Three weeks ago, Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen had sent a courier hawk to the elders, requesting that they honor the friendship of their forefathers and send to him aid in the form of shinobi. The council had immediately agreed, as their bond with Konohagakure was strong, but had needed a week to deliberate who they would send, a week for their shinobi to prepare and another for the time it would take for such a large group to make it to the Hokage.

Many shinobi had been called before the elders, Manami included, to be interviewed and accessed for the task. It was unknown to the seventeen year old, why she had been specifically selected, but her hunch had been that it had to do with her knowledge and execution of her medical ninjutsu. Her teachers had praised her many times for it, claiming that she was one of the best in her year.

This in itself didn't speak to her as anything special since Manami was one of the only medically trained Chuunin her age. Many of her year mates had pursued more advanced fuinjutsu techniques instead. She has stated this to others often. Her sempai had complained in return that she sold herself short too often and called her pessimistic. Manami preferred the term realistic.

Although no one had been told the specifics of their mission, all knew the rumors. The most prominent rumor had been that the Hi no Kuni daimyo had ordered another war as the land was suffering from a famine due to the previous Great Shinobi War. And now, it was on the Hokage to prepare his forces for war. Other rumors spoke of economic disparity between the classes and even an all-out land grab. Regardless of the reason, Shinobi were needed and that was all that mattered.

Manami didn't want to seem fidgety, but the combination of the sun and the inactivity from the last half hour was making the sweat on her body pool grossly. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Her year mate Soujin caught her eye, the corner his lip twitching in amusement. The seventeen year old gave him a disapproving look and returned her attention forward. On her left, her other year mate Kenji gave a muffled snort. One of their sempai turned from the front and gave the three of them a reproachful look. Silence once again grasped the group.

Just when Manami was unsure if she could take the waiting any longer, two Konohagakure shinobi appeared before them, a man and a woman. Suddenly everyone seemed to be a little taller, their backs a little straighter. These two, whoever they were, held position. Their group leader, took two steps forward, preformed a bow and offered to them a scroll. Though she couldn't hear it, she could read the lips of the man who received the scroll 'Arigato, Tenzin-san.'

"Greetings friends." The man started, as he slipped the scroll out of sight, "we are honored by you and your village for being here as soon as you are. I am Mitokado Homaru and this is Utatane Koharu." His hand swept to the side, indicating the woman who was with him. "We are Sarutobi-sama's trusted council and we would welcome you to Konohagakure. Long have our villages been allies and may the relation continue on for all time. At this moment we are gathering the leaders of the companies that we will be assigning you to. Some of you will be grouped together and others will be the only one from your village. At this time, we request that you relax here so that we may easily find you when you are needed." He gave the group a single look over before turning, leaving with the woman and entering the tower.

Manami's year mates didn't take long to fulfill that command as they immediately slumped to the ground, letting out a fresh sigh. Others soon followed suit, some sitting right where they had stood, others seeking the comfort of shade. Manami, on the other hand took the opportunity to stretch her slightly stiff limbs and work the muscles to cool down. It wouldn't be long until they were called before the Hokage. In some respects, she was already lonely for her homeland. Mostly because of the heat, but she knew that over the next couple of weeks her body would adjust. It always did.

Within five minutes of relaxing, a man exited from the tower and called two from the group's names. He was a slight man, with long blonde hair slicked back and tied in a tight knot. He appeared to be the new errand runner that would bring the Uzushiogakure shinobi before the Hokage. The three met at the base and departed into the tall tower.

The pair did not appear again. The blonde man emerged again some time later and called a single name. Manami theorized that her fellow shinobi left the tower a different way with whomever they had been assigned to. The process of shinobi entering occurred another three times. Two groups of singles and a group of three entered before Manami's name was called.

She jerked her hand to acknowledge that she had heard him. With a few yards in front of Manami, her year mates halted her journey. Each clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Good luck imouto-chin." Soujin smiled, seeing Manami's scowl.

"Don't die." Kenji added giving her shoulder a firm squeeze.

"Speak for yourself Kenji; you're more likely to get into trouble than I am." She grumbled earning a smile from the taller man. "Make sure YOU don't die and perhaps I'll bother with seeing you when this is all over." Manami shook their hands from her shoulders as she continued to the tower.

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily," Kenji called after her, knowing that his teammate would smile.

As she reached the base, she could feel the blonde man's critical stare as he looked her over, his eyes lingering on her hair a moment too long. It was a common reaction from shinobi that didn't know her. Unlike most Kunoichi, Manami's hair was short. On her left side, her thin blue hair was braided into various strands with varying thickness. At the tips were beads: some were small and shimmery, others large wooden dowels that clanged silently against each other. As strange as that was, the opposite side was shaved, leaving patchy stubble and peach fuzz hair that barely covered her scalp in some places. Her hitai-ate sat to this side slightly.

Her escort pursed his lips slightly as he muttered for Manami to follow. Into the tower they went. It was dark in the stairway, Manami's eyes being unaccustomed to the light after spending an extended amount of time in the bright sun. It appeared to be a simple wooden corridor; slotted windows were high above the couple as the staircase wound its way around the building. They passed five landings on their way.

Though it had only been two minutes at the most, they had finally reached the top floor. It was a dark hall, with flickering overhead lights, electricity having only become a more common utility. Manami decided it made the most sense that the Hokage's office was on this floor. There were fewer entries in and out of the area. Very hard for assassins. Her ears picked up furious whispering and found that it quieted as they walked down the hall. They came from the door that appeared to be their destination.

The man who had escorted her knocked twice on the door, before opening it. "Hokage-sama, I have brought Hamano Manami as you wished." He entered the room, Manami following behind a step later. Centering herself in front of the desk, the blue haired kunoichi bowed deeply to the man.

"Thank you Kuroma-san, if you will wait outside for us to finish before fetching the next candidate." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the blonde man bow slightly before backing out of the room and closing the door. "You may rise Hamano-san." The Hokage instructed, his voice pleasant.

Slowly, the seventeen year old straightened and took in the office. It was a spacious room. Directly in front of her, behind a solid oak desk, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage sat. He was, in Manami's opinion, a very handsome man with dark brown hair and steady brown eyes. He was considered to be very young to have so much power, being only forty-two but his eyes showed age beyond his seemingly short years.

To his right, standing behind him was man. His most striking features were his cool black hair and eyes stared back at her in tight-lipped obvious dismay. He was tall, much taller than her five foot five; his body shape was hidden by loose dark clothes. Despite that, Manami could tell that he was well muscled. He sported a fan emblem on this black ensemble. Though she had personally never encountered one before, the clan's reputation often preceded them. This man was part of Konohagakure's Uchiha clan and he didn't seem very pleased with her presence.

To the left of the Hokage sat a temporary desk with the two shinobi who had greeted her group earlier, Mitokado Homaru and Utatane Koharu. They, like the Hokage, seemed a little more pleased to see her. Behind them was a bookshelf, full of tomes.

"She even wears jewelry in her hair, Hokage-sama. You really can't expect me to still take her to the front lines? She's probably one of those women who pride themselves on their looks than their skill. We cannot afford her on the front lines. " The Uchiha male immediately argued, leaving Manami mildly surprised. Had this been what they had fervently been discussing before she entered the room?

The Hokage in turn didn't seem fazed in the least as he folded his hands before him, "Uchiha Akio-san." The man snapped his mouth shut. "I understand your worries, but she is the only choice, your opinion will not change this." Sarutobi turned his attention from the standing male back to Manami. "You will have to excuse him, Hamano-san; Uchiha Akio-san likes to talk out of turn more often than is appropriate." Manami nodded, not entirely offended.

"As I am sure you have already gathered, we will be sending you to the front lines with Uchiha Akio-san here, though he is not to be your platoon's leader. He is the second in command. Hatake Sakumo-san could not be here as his team is already on the front. He and your team will be responsible for Tactical Advancement. Their tasks are to establish a line, secure the area and to allow for our forces to advance, among other tasks. You, however, will be replacing their medic, who will be sent to another unit. Are you following me so far?"

Manami nodded in confirmation, "Very good. Despite what Akio-san might feel or think, you come with high recommendation from your sensei and sempai." He tapped the paper in front of him, "You have demonstrated leadership skills and strength in your medical ninjutsu that will serve well for this group, though your experience is lacking. This will, of course, change with the guidance of your team. You, Uchiha Akio-san and another will be leaving for the front line immediately, after you are equipped with proper gear." He gave her a warm smile, "Good luck, Hamano-san. You are dismissed."

Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to his paperwork, as Kuroma returned to the room. Uchiha Akio didn't waste any time as he left the tower, exiting through one of the large open windows behind the Hokage's desk. The seventeen year old followed somewhat reluctantly, as she felt it was disrespectful to the Hokage to come and go out of his windows.

Despite that, the Uchiha moved quickly after exiting the building, jumping from roof to roof, like he was trying to lose Manami. The blue haired kunoichi followed behind, steadily catching up. She wouldn't let him leave her behind.

She overshot when Uchiha Akio abruptly stopped, coming ahead of him by five feet. "Not bad for a chuunin, I guess," he mused to himself out loud. Manami didn't like him, his attitude being the most bothersome trait he had exhibited so far. "Well. Come on. We're going down to the barracks' tailor," he motioned to the building across from them, "he'll get you dressed properly." Akio gave her an up and down, "You're lucky to be so tiny, I'll bet you'll get new gear. I'm so jealous."

No. She didn't like him at all.

They descended to the ground having put distance between themselves and the Hokage tower. They were greeted by a man who look exhausted. He was a rounder man with a very heavy receding hair line. From the top of his ear he pulled a pencil and flipped open a notepad, "Another one for the base camp I suppose." He sighed.

"Tactical Advancement, actually," Uchiha Akio chimed in, sounding bored. "She'll need the two… no…better make it the three sets of the full gear and whatever else these medic types need. I'll be back to pick her up in about ten minutes or so." He was gone before either of them could argue.

"Tactical Advancement, huh?" he looked her over before shrugging, "Right. Well, better follow me. We'll get you outfitted." The tailor started down one of the halls without waiting to see if she was following. Manami didn't appreciate the way things were handled in Konohagakure, and hoped it was simply because they were in a time of war. The end of the passage opened into a storage room filled tall steel shelves with clothing. Everything was labeled and folded neatly: pants, long and short sleeved shirts, armor, vests, jackets.

The man, it seemed, didn't need to take any of her measurements as he was immediately in the rows examining and pulling clothing from the shelves. Manami followed behind quietly and took the things as he thrust them in her general direction. From what she could see, he was picking her size or whatever came closest to it. A couple of times he paused to pull something off the shelf but would shake his head and go to the next size up or down.

It felt a little ridiculous to be reequipped with clothing when her own would have served just as well. But, it was what the Hokage had ordered and she was expected to follow his commands while in Konohagakure. The seventeen year old must have been making a sour face, because the tailor chortled as he gave her the last piece, "You'd think as a girl you'd enjoy getting new clothes." this earned him an outright glare, "You needn't worry. Ol' Tama's eyes know your size and promise that every piece of equipment is necessary.

"The first set I gave you is for your general camp, loose and easy for a medic to work in, the flak vest is interchangeable with the next set, though the other is better armored. You're going to war and you never know the next time you'll be able to equip yourself.

"The second is for the field; typically, you will have to wear it when you are moving from campsite to campsite or in high frequency battle. The leg and arm guards are not required, but I know you medic types normally like to keep things at hand for emergencies. These have easy to open compartments on the inner side, convenient for access to senbon or whatever equipment you prefer.

"The third set is for reconnaissance, which you most likely will not need. However, it is a time of war so you often need to do things you wouldn't normally. Preparedness never hurts. Unfortunately, it is not as armored as the other two sets.

"Everything you have has been made as water resistant as we can make it for the conditions in Amegakure. We'll need to make a quick stop to get you specialized soap for your new gear. Any questions so far?"

Manami shook her head, already thinking of the new seals she would have to make to store all the extra stuff. It wouldn't take long; she just didn't like extra work. The blue haired kunoichi was glad she always planned ahead for the unexpected seals though. She would have to change into the field gear and rearrange her sealed gear before Uchiha Akio returned though.

They moved on to the next room where it seemed the soap and other smaller insignia were stored, including the Konohagakure hitai-ate. When the tailor reached for the hitai-ate, the seventeen year old finally spoke up, "Do I really need one of those?"

The man hesitated for a moment before picking it up. "Yes. Normally, we would not ask you to wear a village's symbol that is not your own, but in war, the less the enemy can target you for being different the better. Some of your colleagues were chosen for their summoning techniques right? If the enemy can pinpoint you as the target, they will stop at nothing to make sure you are the one who dies. And think of it this way, if you look the same as your teammates, how will they know who to target?"

His argument made sense, though it wasn't completely convincing. Begrudgingly, Manami accepted the hitai-ate and soap, muttering how she would need to change into the field uniform. The man nodded and clapped her shoulder reassuringly before he left her in the storage room to change. The air of discomfort remained as an unforeseen weight seemed the crash on her shoulders. This war would be life-changing, starting with her identity it seemed. Reluctantly, she changed her clothes.

The pants were starchy, refusing the fold normally against her shins their color a dark grey. The waist fit perfectly though. It seemed the tailor did have a good eye for size. Over the starchy shins went the white leg guards. The smallest latch felt a little loose but it didn't slide when she moved her legs as if she were running. It would do.

The shirt came next. It was a mossy green. The sleeves were too long; they covered all the way to the center joint of her ring finger. She really hated to roll her sleeves, but until she had time to adjust the hemming, it would have to be rolled. The shoulders were on the wider side too. Over the shirt went the heavier of the vests. It reminded her of the old armor the shinobi had worn before the days of hidden villages. The buckles were on the side, making it awkward to fasten up on her own.

Before she finished with the arm guards, she removed a scroll from her hip pouch and unrolled it, eyes skimming until she found the correct symbol, she pressed her free hand against it, releasing the seal. Another scroll appeared from the mark, leaving an empty holding symbol on the first scroll. Placing that to the side, she moved onto the second scroll, unrolling it until she came upon empty space.

Though ink was easier, blood sealed much better and was harder for an enemy to break. It was one of the first lessons they learned as genin of Uzushiogakure. Use to this type of abuse, she bit the outer part of her thumb where the skin was thinnest. In less than a minute, she had written the three signs she would need to seal the new clothes. She quickly shook the paper to get the blood the dry a little quicker. The sealing was even quicker. With practiced ease from years of training, the sets were stored, followed by the second scroll with the first scroll finding its way back into her hip pouch. She attached the arm guards as she walked.

When she emerged from the back rooms, Uchiha Akio was waiting patiently for her with another man. The new man was, thankfully, not nearly as tall as the Uchiha but rather a couple inches taller than her. He had a tanned baby face with warm brown eyes and brown hair pulled back into a bushy ponytail. Both men were wearing the field uniform, though the Uchiha's insignia was present on Akio.

"See, Umino-san? I told you she looked weird." Akio smiled, as the slightly older Jounin gave him an incredulous look. The brunette seemed use to the Uchiha's antics. "I'm just teasing, Umino-san. I'm sure she looks normal compared to people from Uzushiogakure, right Hamano-san?" Manami gave him a scowl.

"Gomen nasai, Hamano-san. This idiot doesn't have enough brain cells capable of telling him that he's being rude. He'll either grow on you or you'll learn to ignore his presence like the rest of us here in Konohagakure." Umino-san stated.

"HEY!" The Uchiha tried to protest before he was cut off again by the darker skinned shinobi.

"I am Umino Namazu. I will be one of your teammates, along with this idiot over. If you do decide to kill him on the way, I happen to know a couple of good places to hide the body." He smiled reaching for his pack that was on the ground in front of him. He settled it on his shoulders, and looked between the stoic teammate from Uzushiogakure and his longtime friend from Konohagakure. "I'm ready whenever you are." Manami shrugged.

"Don't you have someone you need to say goodbye to," the black haired shinobi cooed, a knowing look in his eyes.

"She already knows I'm leaving. And besides, she's busy working. We have our duty and she has her's." He stated firmly, sounding like he was the one that needed to be convinced.

Manami contemplated that it was either a relative or his lover. She hoped he wasn't one of those people that relied on their humor to combat loneliness. At least, he was much better than the tall Uchiha man, who seemed to grate everyone he encountered.

"His girlfriend is a teacher at the academy. Pretty enough I suppose. Not my type. She might be your type though. You seem like you'd go for women." Akio asserted, directing his comment towards the Uzushiogakure kunoichi.

Now he was simply trying to get a reaction out her, Manami was sure of it. "Do you ever not know when to shut up," she scolded, raising her blue eyebrows, "because I'd be more than happy to teach you how."

He smiled, getting the expected response, "Oh. So you like men. You could have said so." Perhaps ignoring him would be the best option, Manami contemplated.

"We're losing daylight here. We have to go the farthest out of all of the groups, so we're expected to deliver information sensitive scrolls along the way per Hokage's orders." Umino Namazu reprimanded.

"Yes. Yes. We'll head out now, Umino-chan. I am only teasing Hamano-san. She's going to be the youngest in our group and I want her to feel like we're family. You can be the momma and I'll be the poppa," Uchiha Akio crooned. "We're going to be heading towards the West on the road for about a four hour's run before turning off to the Northwest." The black haired shinobi explained as he shouldered his own pack.

They started to the western gate. Reflecting upon it, Manami realized that this could be the only time she would ever be in Konohagakure again. She thought it was realistic since the enemy had a tendency to incapacitate the medic first. She emerged herself for the first time in her surroundings.

Children in the streets chased each other in a game. The yells of a street vendor rose over the normal chatter as a cat streaked away with a prize piece of fish in its mouth. A mother was trying desperately to soothe her fussy child, whose face contorted as it let out a wail. Even the Hokage monument that guarded over the village caught her attention briefly, her eyes memorizing the faces. Besides the uncomfortable heat, Konohagakure seemed to be an excellent place to reside.

When the massive western gates loomed closer, the three slowed to inform the guard of their departure. It was at this time that Umino Namazu was thrown to the ground by a brown blur. He grunted bearing the force as brown blur turned into a woman. "Did you think that you could just leave without saying goodbye to me," she demanded, as she shook the pinned man.

"I tried to tell him Kaiso-san but he wouldn't let us take a detour by the academy." Akio bemoaned, "He was so lucky that you had the will to meet with him before he left." Namazu's turned his face to glower at his teammate.

"Well, you're not going to get off that easy Namazu." The woman stated as she stole a long kiss from the pinned Jounin. The tanned shinobi returned the kiss with equal intensity earning cat calls from nearby passing shinobi and civilians. They knew that it would be a long time before the couple would see each other again with the ongoing war.

Chastely, the woman pulled away, smoothing her hair back around her ears. "I'm going to miss you more than you can imagine." Kaiso-san murmured, climbing off the Jounin. They both stood facing each other, hands entwined. "I know that it seems overly sentimental but…" her face was a hot blush, "I think we should exchange hitai-ate. That way, you can't break your promise to return mine to me." Tears were pooling in the corner of her dark brown eyes.

"I couldn't think of anything more appealing." Umino Namazu replied, kissing the back of her weather worn hands. Silently, they removed their hitai-ate and tied it around their lover's forehead. The one on Kaiso-san slipped a little, while it was evident that Umino's was tied a little too tightly. For another moment, they embraced tightly as if they were trying to absorb each other.

Finally they let go, Kaiso sniffling, "I love you. Come back to me safely. I- I need to get back to work."

"I love you too." Umino replied, his voice tinged with sorrow. "Until we meet again." He stood quietly until Kaiso-san disappeared from sight.

Manami had not expected to see this scene in public, but she didn't have a lover of her own. How would she know that she wouldn't have reacted the same way seeing her partner leave? Somberly, she patted the man's shoulder turning to find their Akio, who had wandered off.

Uchiha Akio was smiling and nodding to his comrades, clearly sharing a joke. He didn't even pause when he saw her staring at him. Finally he thanked the men who were relaying their message for the gate to be opened. "Kaiso Sei. She's been a spitfire ever since we were in the academy." He smiled as the Namazu finally caught up.

The gates opened, creaking loudly. "Well, I think it's about time we got this show on the road, hm?"

Umino Namazu: Ocean Catfish. This is my name for Iruka's father for anyone who might wonder. We'll be seeing plenty of him.
Uchiha Akio: Akio is bright man. He is one of my OCs.
Kaiso Sei: Seaweed Sprite. This is my name for Iruka's mother before they married.