Author's note: Hey, it's me, hikazesenju! I'm alive. I was just watching some anime/reading some manga for more fanfic material. If you know what I'm hinting at, I've finished FMAB and am at the Guild War in Fairy Tail. ^^
Chapter 1
Kurenai woke up to the sound of knocks on her apartment door. What do you want, Gai? She opened the door, but it wasn't Gai, it was Asuma.
"A-Asuma…" she stammered, blushing. "What is it? It's not even 6:00! The sun hasn't risen."
"Precisely," he said, holding out flowers. Accepting them, Kurenai nodded her thanks. "Congrats on making Jonin rank!"
"Why don't you come…" she started, hearing her neighbor's door creak open. Gai and Kakashi walked out, shaking their heads in disapproval.
"…Inside?" finished Asuma hurriedly, throwing glances over his shoulder. He started entering, but Kurenai stopped him, shaking her head as well and stepping outside.
"Unyouthful, Asuma. Enjoy your youth! You have to be more intense!" Gai reprimanded.
"I told you to go by the book," Kakashi said, instinctively reaching for the one in his pocket, then deciding not to, seeing Kurenai. She whispered something into Asuma's ear.
"Get me away from them," she pleaded. Asuma turned his back toward the other two men.
"Why don't we just go inside?" he asked.
"They'll bust the door open!" she hissed in reply. Asuma did a double-take and slung her over his shoulder. Then he simply jumped off the balcony. Kurenai screamed and grabbed his neck. She squeezed her red eyes shut as the ground surged up. Amazingly, they made it to the ground in one piece. She opened her eyes slowly. Seeing that they were still alive, she started pounding Asuma hard on the back.
"ASUMA SARUTOBI! LET ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" Sighing, he did as she said. They turned and started making their way to the Academy.
"So, Kurenai…" began Asuma, once she had calmed down. "Who'd you put on your squad?"
"Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuga," she replied.
"Weren't their parents all on the same team?"
"Yeah. Shibi Aburame, Tsume Inuzuka and Hiashi Hyuga. Ang- Never mind…" she trailed off, looking down.
"And they were led by…"
"Father…" Her gaze went a bit unfocused.
"Mmm. It's not a bad team, you leading it and all. Which is why you should head to the Hyuga compound now."
-At the Hyuga compound…
"Um…Father?" Hinata Hyuga asked, walking up to the towering figure.
"Yes?" he replied, no emotion showing on his face. This was Hiashi Hyuga. Hinata's father, and probably stoic enough to fit in with the Aburame.
"I had a dream last night…um…there was a dark forest…I was walking through it with four other people… two of them disappear… the other move on without me… and then this other person shows up and guides me through…"
"Hinata, dreams are commonplace things. Do not dwell on them. Now fight your sister." Hanabi Hyuga stepped up to face her older sister.
"Let's begin, nee-sama," she said, getting into a fighting stance. Hinata took a step forward, her eyes wide open in fear. Hanabi leapt into the air and delivered a swift kick to Hinata's chin, sending her crashing into the ground. Hinata heard something snap and felt sharp pain in her leg. She looked up at Hiashi, who shook his head disapprovingly.
"Hanabi will be the heir to the main branch. You have lost your position, Hinata." Crying softly, Hinata got up on her feet. Her father's words had hurt even more than her leg did. Kurenai stepped into the room. Her black hair was slightly wild, as usual, and she wore the standard green Konoha vest over a high-necked red shirt. "Kurenai Yuhi," greeted Hiashi, his tone full of resentment.
"So this is Hinata," she murmured, completely ignoring his pointed greeting. Hinata had short, blue-violet hair and the lavender, pupilless eyes of the Hyuga Clan. She walked up to her. "Hi, Hinata. As your father so kindly pointed out, my name us Kurenai Yuhi. I'm to be the Jonin in charge of you." Hinata stumbled and lost her footing, and Kurenai caught her immediately. "Whoa, there. You've had it rough. Let's head outside." As they left, Kurenai shot a searing glare at Hiashi.
-Dream Fragment-
The girl was abandoned, neither taking a step forward nor backward. It was dark and lonely. She couldn't even rely on herself; all her confidence had disappeared with her companions. Little did she know, the person who approached her had a story not unlike her own.
And thus began the girl's journey into the light.
-End Dream Fragment-
When they got outside, she bent over and crouched down. "Get on," she urged, smiling. Hinata grinned back shyly in reply.
"N-No thank you, Sensei."
"Please, Hinata. I don't want you walking all that way with an injured leg. Don't be shy. I am the only female sensei, after all. Consider yourself lucky."
"O-Ok," replied Hinata, reluctantly climbing on. "I-I hope I'm not too heavy, Sensei, I…uh…Well, I eat fast, and I tend to end up eating a lot…"
"No, Hinata, it's fine. I like that you have an appetite. It makes you different from all the other kunoichi. Uh, what's your favorite food?"
"Cinnamon rolls…" Kurenai laughed.
"You've got to meet my friend Anko." Suddenly, she straightened and started running top speed.
"S-Sensei….ARE YOU INSANE?!" Hinata shrieked, grabbing Kurenai's neck, struggling to stay on. But she wasn't listening. She was laughing really hard, and it seemed to feel good, so Hinata tried, too. Kurenai jumped in surprise at first at hearing the shy Hyuga girl laugh, but she was glad that her student was happy. They got curious stares from many as they passed by, including Gai, Kakashi, and especially Asuma. Some of their students, watched, too. These were Shikamaru Nara, Rock Lee, and Hinata's crush, Naruto Uzumaki. Usually, she would faint on the spot after seeing him, but this was not the case this time. Asuma caught the challenging expression on Kurenai's face and nodded, accepting. He threw a protesting Shikamaru onto his shoulders and started sprinting.
"Trou-ble-some!" he yelled, barely managing to stay in. Naruto leapt onto Kakashi and kicked his side.
"C'mon, horsey! Get going!" Kakashi started jogging, but was forced to run when Naruto kicked him again. Lee and Gai were already in sync. Naruto pouted when they took the lead in front of him and Kakashi. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto formed a thousand Kage Bunshin that sprang off Kakashi's back and onto Lee's head. Lee and Gai came toppling down, and the clones dissipated. The force of their jumps backfired and Naruto and Kakashi came down as well.
"That was…unyouthful…Naruto…."Lee criticized, recovering from the blows. Naruto looked the other way, crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and hmphed. Then he opened one eye, hearing a voice.
Hinata?!
"S=Sensei! I can't do this!" she screamed. Naruto jumped off Kakashi and scrambled into a tree. Kurenai was leading her and Hinata away from Shikamaru's Shadow Possesion Jutsu. She was offering Hinata a kunai.
"Yes, you can, Hinata. I really believe in you, you know." As soon as she that, Hinata took the kunai and timidly tossed it at Shikamaru. He narrowly dodged it and fell off Asuma.
"I'm out, Sensei. This is troublesome," he muttered leaped off the tree and caught up with Asuma.
"Sensei!" he yelled frantically, "They're headed for a cliff!" Asuma froze in shock. Then he started running as fast as he could.
"Kurenai! KURENAI!" She turned to look at him but didn't stop.
"You're finally taking this seriously!" she called back, oblivious to the panic in his tone. Suddenly, there was nothing beneath her feet. "I'm sorry!" she whispered, thrusting Hinata up into Asuma's arms. He caught her and gaped in disbelief.
"KURENAI!" Hinata stared down at her falling sensei in complete shock.
She saved my life. And she believes in me. What better way to repay her than… She jumped down the cliff just as Naruto skidded to a stop at the edge. Saving hers?
"HINATA!" He formed a handsign. "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" A bunch of bunshin appeared once again and hastily formed a chain. The real Naruto was at the end. He grabbed Hinata's outstretched arms. "Gotcha!" He panted, staring deep into her widened, scared eyes. She blushed and stuggled to get free.
"N-Naruto-kun!" she said as bravely as she could. "S-Stay out of this, please!" Tears came into her eyes. "Anyways, why does it matter if I die? You like Sakura!" Naruto shook his head.
"I used to…" He smiled. "Not anymore. And besides! Asuma-sensei's got Kurenai-sensei. She's okay!" Hinata blinked. "Everything's going to be fine, Hinata. I promise!"
Farther below, Asuma was hanging from a ledge with Kurenai in his other arm. She looked up, her eyes searching his face.
"Why? Why…" Her gaze was confused. "You look so…happy. Why?!" She seemed to be angry now. "Why, Asuma?! You throw your life away, to save me, and we're on the brink of death now! But you're smiling! Why-"
"It's because…" Asuma trailed off. "It's because we do fall, we'll fall together."
"And…" Kurenai calmed down a bit. "Why do you want to fall with me?"
"I can't live without you, Kurenai." He looked away in mock despair. "There. I said it." Naruto and Hinata dropped onto the ledge.
"Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata cried, holding her hand and trying to help her onto the ledge. "Darn!" she took a few steps back with a lot of effort. Naruto helped her and they got her safely onto the ledge. Hinata leapt into Kurenai's arms and hugged her tightly. She buried her face into her shoulder and sobbed her eyes out. "KURENAI-SENSEI!"
"Hinata…" Soon, Nauto had helped Asuma up as well. They all hugged, cried tears of relief, and tried figuring out a way of the ledge. All of a sudden, they heard a voice.
"STRIKING SHADOW SNAKE!" Kurenai and Asuma shielded Hinata and Naruto and braced themselves for the incoming blow. Instead of hitting them, the snakes wrapped around them all, and soon they were all flying through the air again. When they finally decided to look, the four each saw that someone had caught them.
"Oh…Kiba-kun…Thank you…Sorry we're late…"
"Nah, it's ok. I'm guessing the lady that was with you was Sensei?"
"Uh…Yeah…"
"GWAH! SHINO! STOP SCARING ME!"
"You should not be scared, Naruto. This is because I saved your life." Shino's kikai retreated back into his sleeves.
"Um, sure, thanks… Hey, did you guys save Hinata?!"
"Yes. We did. Calm down."
"Oh goody…"
"Oh, so I'm guessing you're the one who coordinated this whole rescue?"
"Yep. Friends of Kurenai are friends of mine, I s'pose. The name's-"
"ANKO!" yelled Kurenai, squeezing her into a hug. The purple-haired Jonin patted her back softly and hugged her as well.
"Now, now. Don't get my new vest too wet, apparently I have to look 'presentable' for an orientation thing I gotta go to…" Kurenai pulled back and quickly wiped her tears away.
"Orientation? What for?"
"Well, I kinda felt bad that you're the only female Jonin sensei. So I became one. That's why I'm wearing this vest, you see. And as for my minions- er, students, they're-"
"ANKO-SENSEI!"
"Oh, great," she muttered. "Here come the brats." Up ran two girls and a boy.
"ANKO-SENSEI!" reprimanded one of the girls. She had crazy, spiky red hair that was pinned up in the same style as Anko's. Her eyes were a blue-grayish color. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Kurenai looked amused.
"And you are…?"
"My name is Yasu Uzumaki. H-Hey wait-" Naruto stepped up to face her.
"Just what Konoha needs! Another loud Uzumaki?" Yasu looked offended.
"You…I'm going to tell Kushina Uzumaki-sama!"
"Oh, yeah? Guess what? She's my MOM!" He burst into laughter at the shocked expression on her face. She grabbed him by his shirt collar. "You can't hurt me… I'll tell my dad!" he retorted between laughs. Anko gasped in mock fear.
"Oh NO…" she said dramatically. Kurenai and Asuma covered their mouths, stifling hysterical giggles. Hinata tittered. "You don't wanna know who his DADDY is…"
"Who?" questioned Yasu, dropping Naruto.
"THE HOKAGE!" announced everyone. Yasu's eyes bugged out and she bowed.
"My apologies…" Naruto got up, laughing.
"Nah, it's fine, Yasu. Just call me 'Naruto' not 'Nine-Tailed brat' is all I'll ask for."
"Wh-WHAT?! YOU'RE THE NINE-TAILS?!" Anko facepalmed.
"Child, how do you come to Konoha without knowing who the Hokage and local Jinchuriki are?" They had another round of laughs. Then the boy next to Yasu spoke up. He had spiky black hair and eyes like Kurenai's.
"Um… You're Kurenai-sama, right?" Kurenai stared at him. For a really long time.
"Kurenai-sama?" she asked, shaking her head. "Who do you think I am, a Feudal Lord?"
"Well…no…but you are the heiress to the clan I belong to, so naturally I must give you some status here."
"You're Kyoshi Yuhi!" she exclaimed. "You used to be Father's little messenger boy! You've grown…" Kyoshi blushed and looked down, then glanced back up at her.
"Your father, Katsu Yuhi-sama, has decided to pay you a visit sometime this month. Actually, he told me this a while ago, but it should be safe to assume he is coming tomorrow at the latest." Kurenai's eyes widened. She frowned and shot a glance at Asuma, who shook his head.
"As to be expected," she muttered, shooting another glance at Hinata, Shino, and Kiba, who were playing tag with Naruto. "How can I explain everything…?" Then her expression brightened. "No matter. Who is that shy girl behind you?" Kyoshi turned around. "C'mon, Shizuka," he prompted. She stepped forward.
"Hi…" she greeted. "My name is Shizuka Uchiha…" Naruto skidded to a stop and ran over to her.
"Uchiha?! So you're in Sasuke's family? Do you have those crazy red eyes? You know, the Shari- thingy?"
"Sharingan? Yep," she said, her eyes turning red.
"OK! OK! PLEASE DON'T USE THEM! THEY'RE SCARY AND MAKE ME WANT TO PEE IN MY PANTS!"
"All right then," she agreed, slightly disgusted. "I won't." Anko grabbed her, Kyoshi, and Yasu and marched off.
"Sorry, Kurenai. They need lunch. So I'll be heading to the teahouse then-"
"NO! I WANT RAMEN!" Yasu shrieked at the top of her lungs. All eyes turned to Naruto.
"Is it just me," he pondered, staring after her, "or are all Uzumakis obsessed with ramen?"
"Fine, fine. Ichiraku. Happy?" Anko asked, grimacing with her hands over her ears. "Team 11, out," she muttered. Shizuka turned to Kyoshi.
"Maybe you'll see Hiroko there," she smirked. He blushed fiercely and inched away from her.
"Sh-Shut up," he mumbled. "Aren't you supposed to be the silent one?" Naruto and Hinata giggled, and Asuma and Kurenai outright laughed. Kakashi suddenly appeared and ran after Anko.
"Anko!" he called. She turned around, her pupilless brown eyes brightening.
"Oh, Kakashi!" she exclaimed. A corner of her mouth turned up in a sneaky grin. "What do you want?"
"Uh… Can I come with you?" he asked hopefully, catching up with her.
"Yeah. But no reading. And you have to bring your squad with you." Kakashi sprinted back to fetch Naruto.
"Women are all so demanding," he grumbled, dashing back. Asuma rolled his eyes at Kurenai, who was shaking her head. Shikamaru, who had arrived just after Kakashi, muttered, "No, it's more than that. They're troublesome."
At Ichiraku, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were chattering away.
"So you're fine with the fact that Sakura and I are dating?" Sasuke asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm actually kinda happy for you both," Naruto replied, looking down at his ramen and blushing.
"Really?" questioned Sakura, unconvinced. "The last time I checked, you were head over heels for me!" She paused and headdesked- er, headtabled. "Oh no, what if Ino-pig finds out?" Sasuke rolled his eyes and elbowed Naruto.
"Girls and their stupid rivalries," he smirked. Naruto smirked back.
"Sakura and Ino aren't the only rivals here," Naruto commented. "That girl over there, Shizuka Uchiha? Do you see her?"
"Oh, yeah. She's my cousin. Keep going."
"I think she's got a rivalry with that girl with the really long brown hair. Her name was…"
"Kohaku Senju?" asked a quiet voice from behind them.
"Yeah, her… Wait!" Naruto whirled around. "Oh hi, Shizuka! Heheh… Didn't see you there…"
"That's not a real rivalry. She's forcing me into it because of the whole clan rivalry thing that goes back 100 or so years."
"You know, Shizuka…" began Sasuke.
"What?"
"That's the most you've ever spoken."
"It is, huh…" She looked away shyly. Then she turned back and went on. "To make matters worse, Yasu, my own teammate, has allied herself with Kohaku. If it weren't for Hiroko, I'd be…" She trailed off and shuddered.
"Clanwise, that rivalry makes sense," Sakura finally spoke, raising her head. "Senju and Uchiha never got along. Uzumaki and Senju are very distant blood relatives, and that bond is only strengthened by the fact that Mito Uzumaki and Hashirama Senju got married. Uchiha and Hyuga also are distant relatives. But historically, it doesn't. Usually, Uchiha/Hyuga start the fight…" Just then, someone put their hand on Shizuka's shoulder. Shoot, I hope it's not Yasu… It was Anko, with Kyoshi and Yasu behind her.
"Stop talking about clans like old people," she teased lightly. "C'mon. Let's go. Lord Fourth's got a mission for us." Shizuka's eyes widened in alarm. A mission? Already?!
"W-What happened?" Shizuka asked fearfully. Anko squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth.
"Kurenai, Asuma, and Hinata were attacked a while after we left. If things remain as they are, they won't be able to be shinobi!"
"Hinata too?!" Naruto yelled, knocking over his bowl of ramen. Shizuka closed her eyes and held her breath. Hiroko's going to be mad…
I'm sorry I didn't update for so long… *bow bow* But this is the result of a lot of thinking. Thanks to everyone following this story, hopefully you guys will continue liking this story. ^^
There's like, 6 OCs in the story, but I've made sure none gets too much power. They are there to move the story in the direction I want. Please bear with me. ^^*