*Saika’s POV*

 

I was sorry that I called Sasuke ugly, but I tore it from my mind as I showered, the warm water loosening my tight muscles. I finished, rewrapping my bandages, and brushed my hair back into a ponytail after changing into pajamas.

I pulled the covers over my head, falling asleep quickly.

 

 

I woke up early, and brushed my hair out, putting on my make up. I changed into my outfit, grabbing my katana and small weapons, heading out to see Kakashi and my team for training.

When I reached the training grounds, I was the first one there. I found a cherry blossom tree, pulling out my sketch pad, and sitting beneath the blossoms. I sketched it from this point of view, looking up from under it.

“Hn,” I heard Sasuke grunt from in front of me.

“Almost completely silent; I couldn’t hear your footsteps.” I spoke.

He smirked to himself, his back to me, leaning on the other side of the tree trunk. I got up, walking away from Sasuke.

“Where are you going?” He called after me.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, walking away.

I walked, meeting Sakura and Naruto on my way. I continued to walk in the opposite direction, sitting on a boulder to wait for Kakashi. I could hear footsteps approaching.

“You’re late, Kakashi,” I spoke into the empty air, knowing he could hear me.

“Yeah, about that…” He began, as I finally got a visual of him walking towards me.

“Don’t even,” I said, no emotion in my voice as I got up from the boulder, walking to the clearing with him.

We walked silently to the practice area; watching the shocked and angered looks on Sakura and Naruto’s faces.

“YOU’RE OVER TWO HOURS LATE!!” they shouted simultaneously, making me cringe in pain.

“Okay, so…Today we will be practicing, tomorrow is our first mission,” Kakashi said quickly, changing the subject.

“Okay, what kind of mission is it?” Naruto asked, giggling to himself.

“Well, everyone except Saika is going to be pulling weeds from an elderly woman’s herb garden.” Kakashi replied.

“What? Why am I not doing it?” I asked, confused.

“Because the Hokage wishes for you to meet with him,” he replied.

“Oh, okay then,” I replied.

 

 

Practice went by quickly, and soon I was walking home. I opened the door of my small apartment, walking inside and locking it behind me. I grabbed a towel and a pair of pajamas, heading into the shower.

When I finished, I rewrapped my bandages, putting on my pajamas and brushing my hair back into a ponytail as usual. I set my alarm for early tomorrow for my meeting with the Hokage. I picked up my guitar, heading out onto the roof to play.

I heard the familiar steady heartbeat coming from the tree to my right.

“I don’t even see why you hide; I always know you’re there, Uchiha.” I said, beginning to play. He came out of the tree, leaning against the chimney with his arms crossed over his chest, listening to me play.

 

“Soft kiss and wine; what a pretty friend of mine

We're finally intertwined

Nervous and shy, for the moment we will come

Alive tonight.

Secret valentine.

 

“We'll write a song

That turns out the lights

When both boy and girl start suddenly shaking inside

Don't waste your time,

Speed up your breathing;

Just close your eyes.

We'll hope it's not for nothing at all.

 

“Lay down, be still.

Don't worry, talk they will.

I'll be loving you until

Morning's first light

Breaks tomorrow;

I'll take care of you tonight

Secret valentine.

 

“We'll write a song

That turns out the lights

When both boy and girl start suddenly shaking inside

Don't waste your time,

Speed up your breathing;

Just close your eyes.

We'll hope it's not for nothing at all.

 

“When guilt fills your head,

Brush off, rise up from the dead.

This is the moment that we

Will come alive.

Brace your self for love.

Sweet love, secret love;

 

“We'll write a song

That turns out the lights

When both boy and girl start suddenly shaking inside

Don't waste your time,

Speed up your breathing;

Just close your eyes.

We'll hope it's not for nothing at all.”

 

When I opened my eyes, he had moved closer, sitting down on the roof a few feet from me. I smirked to myself.

“That was… beautiful,” he mumbled, not looking at me.

“Arigato,” I said, happy he liked it.

He then got up, jumping off the roof to the next one, and over and over until I couldn’t see him. I heard him open his door, walking inside and it shutting behind him.

I jumped from the roof to the ground, walking around to my door and walking inside, placing my guitar on its stand and crawling into bed. I drifted swiftly into unconsciousness.

 

 

I awoke with a start, my alarm waking me from my sleep. I turned the loud thing off, holding my ears. I sighed, wanting to go back to sleep, but I got up anyway, doing my daily routine. I grabbed my katana, and walked out the door, closing it quietly behind me.

I walked through the streets of Konoha in the early morning, people starting to open their shops with an occasional yawn. I walked into the Hokage’s office, sitting in the waiting room.

“The Hokage will see you now, miss,” the secretary said with a small smile.

“Arigato,” I bowed, getting up and walking to his door.

Two Jounin stood outside as guards, their mouths hanging open as they saw me.

“I’m here to see the Hokage,” I said, smiling a little.

“Name?” the one with the bandage of his nose asked.

“Hikawa Saika,”

The guard rapped lightly on the door.

“What is it, Kotetsu?” a voice asked from inside the room.

“Hikawa Saika is here to see you, sir,” Kotetsu replied.

“Allow her to enter,” the voice said.

They opened the doors and led me in.

“Arigato,” I said, bowing to them as they closed the doors behind me.

I stepped forward, the Hokage setting aside stacks of papers as he motioned me to have a seat. I sat down, my hands in my lap.

“Ah,” the elderly man sighed, looking at me. “So this is the beautiful Saika of the Village Hidden in the Moonlight.”

“Formerly,” I corrected lightly.

“Ah, yes, I am truly sorry about what happened to your village.” He said, shaking his head as he lit his pipe.

I nodded once in agreement.

“Oh, well, you’d probably like to know why I asked you here today.” He smiled “Have you heard of the Chunnin examinations that we hold here?”

“No,” I replied, looking up in interest.

“Well, I would like you to at least watch them, if you please before you are asked to join the ANBU,” he said, smirking at my shocked face.

“T-the ANBU? At my age? Are you sure?” I asked, completely amazed.

“I am. I have heard of the strength of your Chishiogan, and the ability of your ears. I would like you to train with the ANBU today, see how you like it. You would be a great attribute to them.”

I nodded, excited to be training with some real ninjas. He explained the Chunnin exams, handing me the test answers, and a map of the forest and both a heaven and an earth scroll. I put them in my bag.

“Arigato,” I said as he waving me out.

I bowed at the guards standing outside his room, heading out into the still early morning streets of Konoha. I ignored the erts that were checking me out, heading to the outskirts of Konoha, to the ANBU training grounds.

When I reached the clearing, I was face to face with all of them.

“So, this is the new girl. I hope she battles as good as she looks, then she’ll be unstoppable.” I heard one whisper to the other. I smirked.

I stopped in front of them, looking around at the masked faces, until I heard one heartbeat I recognized. I jumped up to him, hugging him tightly.

“Hah, so I guess you remember me,” he chuckled, pulling off his bear face mask to reveal the man that had brought me to the hospital in Konoha. I looked up at his shaggy black hair and kind dark brown eyes. “I never got the chance to tell you, my name’s Kaito.”

I let go of Kaito, glancing around the group of ANBU around me. They all smiled when they took their masks off, and presented my with my own outfit and panda mask. I was tattooed, the symbol of the ANBU clearly visible on my right shoulder. I smiled, walking into the woods to put on my new clothes and mask.

I walked back out to an ambush of throwing needles, shuriken, and kunai. I dodged all but one throwing needle that was lodged deep into my shoulder, feeling the deadly poison drip into my blood. I tore it from my flesh.

“Chishiogan,” I mumbled, blinking as my eyes turned red.

I manipulated the blood near the puncture in my skin, out blood and poison. I let the clear poison drip to the ground, my blood levitating in an orb around my left side. I forced it back through the wound on my arm.

I heard happy whispers from the bushes, and threw a kunai in the direction they were coming from. I met another wave of shurikens and throwing needles. I did some hand signs.

“Chishio Shield Jutsu,” I said, raising my hand as an invisible shield of my highly concentrated blood came up around my body as a protective barrier. The needles and shuriken stuck into it at all angles, and I extended my arm, throwing them all back into the bushes with a wave of my arm.

I heard many of them enter flesh, others stuck into tree trunks. I put my hand in the direction of the bushes, feeling the blood of many people. I pulled them to me, out of their hiding places. They all struggled against the tight grasp I had on their bodies. I pulled the blood to their feet, pinning them to the ground. I took all their weapons with my Chishiogan, small drops of blood still on them, and dropping them to the ground at my feet.

“Do you surrender?” I asked in a monotone.

I saw many nod, shock on their faces. I released their feet from my grasp, my eyes returning to deep blue as I blinked.

“Whoa, she has the Chishiogan,” I heard someone whisper.

We continued to train until it was mid afternoon. I was exhausted, and my fingers were trembling.

“Okay, training is over for today, everyone,” The leader said.

I walked out of the wooded area, putting my panda mask over my face. I walked through the streets of Konoha, finding a place to eat when I heard screaming. I got up, rummaging through my pockets, to find a wad of cash and throwing it down on the table as I ran in the direction of the scream. I turned a corner to see Naruto on the ground, trying to save a little kid from a man with face paint who was laughing with his teammate who was standing behind him.

“Oy, do we have a problem here?” I asked, and everyone turned to look at me.