Here is a new picture of Ko, many have complained about the original picture. If you want to see the original its my profile picture

Five years have passed since Ko arrived at the village and she has grown stronger every day. She laid low in class giving mediocre performances but each night she would train with her kekkei genkai. During her stay in the village, she only focused on Sasuke trying to befriend him and avoiding everyone else. During the years, she and Sasuke developed a mutual friendship acknowledging each other's presences and skill. Sasuke was still suspicious of Ko so she kept somewhat of a distance but he kept tabs on her. Her and Naruto exchange words and have somewhat of a friendship. In Naruto's eyes she is a friend but to Ko, he is only someone to talk to.

Ko made no other friends and never talked to anyone else throughout the years which concerned the Hokage. Though, he was glad to see she and Naruto got along. The girls in her class have left her alone seeing as Ko was no threat to them and she usually kept to herself. In class, Ko would seem weaker than the boys but stronger than the girls trying to fit in. Kabuto would come and visit every once in a while to help her train and adjust the necklace. Finally it was almost time for her to graduate from the academy which Ko was looking forward to.

Ko got out of bed ready to start the day. Today was the second to last day until she graduates which she was ecstatic for. She looked in the mirror running her hand through her long thick hair. Her hair was longer than it was before; it use to be down to her back but now it's about to her hips. She grabbed bandages wrapping them around her chest which she has been doing since her body started to change, afterwards she put on a red shirt with a black vest on top followed by brown shorts and a black hat that she tilted to the side of her head. She walked out the door to meet up with Sasuke who was also walking out of his home. As they were walking, Sasuke could see that Ko was excited about graduation. He knew she hated it at the academy as did he. As they were walking, Ko looked up at the Hokage Mountain seeing that there was paint on each face. She knew that Naruto was behind it.

They both arrived at class sitting in their usual seats in silence waiting for everyone else. As everyone else started to arrive, Ko started to get more excited. As it got closer to eight everyone noticed that Iruka was nowhere to be seen. About five after, he arrived with Naruto tied up dropping him in front of the class.

"Tomorrow is the shinobi academy's graduation exam and you've failed it the last two times! This isn't the time to be causing trouble!" Iruka yelled at Naruto.

"Whatever," Naruto replied snapping his head away from the man not caring.

"Time for a transformation test! Everyone line up! Transform perfectly into me!" Iruka yelled pointing to the front of the classroom.

Everyone groaned starting to blame Naruto. A lot of people messed up not being able to perfect the jutsu to the last detail and Ko was up next. She stood in front of Iruka doing the proper hand signs then transformed into him. For once, Ko wanted to show off so she made a perfect copy.

"Excellent job Ko, you even got the scratches on my head band correct." He beamed with a smile.

Naruto transformed into a naked woman who made Iruka get a nosebleed, once he recovered from the shock, he started to yell at Naruto. Once everyone had their turn, Iruka explained that graduation exam was tomorrow and what jutsu was to be performed in order to pass. Ko waited until it was dark to go to her usual training spot where she was meeting Kabuto.

"So your graduation is tomorrow?" He questioned emerging from the darkness.

"Yes, I need to be able to control the necklace." Ko stated turning towards her comrade.

"Are you ready? We haven't given you full access to your chakra since you've unlocked your kekkei genkai. Who knows how much chakra you have." He adjusted his glasses back to the bridge of his nose as the moonlight shined off them.

"I don't care, teach me."

"Alright, make these hand signs then touch the necklace and control how much chakra you want." Kabuto said making the hand signs slowly.

Ko mimicked the signs then touched the necklace. She wanted all of her chakra released from the necklace. She felt more powerful and could feel all of her chakra returning.

"Hm you've got a lot of chakra for an academy student. Most likely matches a high ranking chuunin."

"Good, I need to train more. How is Lord Orochimaru?"

"He is doing fine, he'll be needing a new body in about a year or so. Hopefully we'll have Sasuke by then. How is your mission going with him?"

"I'm as close to him as anyone can get. We have a few conversations here and there and we live next to each other. I'm his closest friend really. Hopefully I'll be on the same team as him."

"Good, I'll tell Orochimaru-sama of your progress."

"Did he say when he's coming?"

"When the chuunin exams come. He has a lot of planning to do before then. I must leave now."

Kabuto left and Ko made the hand signs again having the necklace absorb her chakra making it return to how it was before. She walked back home excited for tomorrow.

*The next day*

"To graduate you'll have to do the clone jutsu. When you're called come to the next room." Iruka explained.

One by one everyone was called into the next room. Most likely everyone was going to pass but Ko wasn't too sure about Naruto. After sitting next to him for five years she saw his grades and there weren't good. Whenever they trained outside, he would always have the lowest score out of everyone. When it was time for Ko to take the exam, she walked into the other room standing before Iruka and Mizuki.

"Alright Ko, just show us your clone jutsu." Iruka said.

"Clone jutsu," Ko said when she made the proper hand signs.

There was a puff of smoke and a lone clone stood right next to her.

"Excellent work Ko, come pick out a headband."

Ko walked over to the table and looked at all the head bands. Most were blue, some were black along with a few red. They had a few that completely covered the top of your head but there were more standard ones. Ko picked up a traditional blue headband and walked outside tying it around her forehead. She saw all the graduates outside with their new headbands talking with their friends and family. She looked over and saw poor Naruto sitting on the swing without a headband, she knew he wouldn't pass.

"Pathetic, he shouldn't even say the word shinobi." Ko thought.

Ko went to the building where their shinobi profiles will be taken so she sat on the chair and the photographer took her photo. He handed her the profile and she walked over to the Hokage building. When she walked into his office and handed him her profile.

"Ah Ko, how does it feel to be a shinobi of the leaf?" He asked.

"It feels right, I don't think I'd ever become a shinobi if it wasn't for you." She said sweetly with a smile.

"It was my pleasure, now I must tell you about the teams."

"What about them?"

"Well there is an uneven number of students so you'll be the fourth member on one team."

"Can I know whose team I'm on?"

"Nice try Ko, you'll have to wait like everyone else."

"It was worth a shot,"

"Yes it was, now go get ready for tomorrow."

"I will,"

"Oh and Ko, once you start missions you'll be expected to pay for yourself."

"I understand."

Ko left his office and decided to walk around the village some more. She stopped at a hair cutting place and decided that it would be best if she had her hair cut. Long hair just gets in the way, she doesn't know how her father does it. She walked in and told the person that she wanted it cut up to her shoulders. Once her hair was cut, she went home to get some rest. Thanks to the haircut, her head felt lighter and weird now that her hair wasn't weighing it down. She's had long hair her whole life so this was going to take time to get use to. She thought of her father and when he had told her that once assigned to a team their sensei will test their abilities. She remembers him telling her that the Hokage made his team do a bell test.

The next day Ko got up and got ready for the day. She looked in the mirror and stared at her headband on her forehead. The Leaf symbol didn't fit her, she wished it was her sound headband that she had on. Having the Leaf headband made her feel guilty and it felt like she was betraying her own village. She walked outside and met up with Sasuke to go to the academy.

"New hair cut?" Sasuke asked noticed flicking a couple strands of hair that hung in front of her shoulder.

"Yeah, long hair just gets in the way. I don't understand how some people do it."

"Hn,"

Once they reached the academy, surprisingly Naruto was there before them. Both Sasuke and Ko gave each other a look once they saw Naruto sitting in his seat. Ko was confused on why he was here. Maybe it was out of habit? She sat down in her seat next to him and saw his headband. Sasuke sat a few seats away from Naruto.

"I see you noticed," Naruto giggled fiddling with his new headband.

"How?"

After asking how, Ko immediately regretted asking. Naruto went on and on about how he stole the sacred scroll and fought Mizuki.

"How was he, an academy student failure, steal a sacred scroll? Did they not have anyone guarding it? If he could've stolen it then any enemy ninja could steal it." Ko wondered in disbelief.

Everyone started to walk in and was even more surprised to see Naruto as well. Sakura and Ino walked in arguing on who got there first then went over to Sasuke joining all the other girls fighting over him. Naruto got out of his seat and stared intently at Sasuke.

"Naruto, leave Sasuke alone!" Sakura scolded.

"Move it," Sasuke said glaring at Naruto.

Some guy accidentally pushed Naruto forward making him and Sasuke kiss making everyone gasp. All the girls in the class got angry while the boys started laughing. Ko looked away and went back to starting out into space. She just wanted to be assigned to a team already and only deal with 3 idiots instead of a whole group of them.

The Hokage and all the Jonin were looking through the crystal ball watching the students in the classroom. They studied their new students seeing how they behaved. All eyes then moved to Ko.

"So she made it to graduation?" One asked.

"Yes, but I'm afraid she still hasn't gotten use to the village. It seems she still shuts herself in from the world. She hasn't made a single friend here." The Hokage said. "Her skills and grades are average but seems like she's capable of more if she applied herself.

"Well Kakashi, you have a handful." Asuma chuckled looking over at the silver haired man.

"There won't be a dull moment." Kakashi replied.

Iruka finally walked in and made a speech about being shinobi then he went through the list and he got to team 7.

"Now team seven, this team will have four members. On team seven will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, "Naruto jumps for joy while Sakura gets depressed, "Sasuke Uchiha," Sakura cheers while Naruto gets depressed, "and Ko."

Sakura seemed disappointed not wanting to have another female on the team competing with Sasuke's affection. Naruto was glad he had a friend on his team while Sasuke felt indifferent. He was glad at least there was at least one capable person on the team so it wasn't just him carrying all the weight. "Now your sensei will come to pick you up."

"Good, I'm with Sasuke. That makes this so much easier." Ko thought to herself smirking.

*hours later*

"It's been two hours and he still isn't here!" Naruto complained stomping his foot on the ground in frustration.

Ko sighed of boredom while lying her head on the desk. Naruto took a chair and an eraser to stick the eraser between the door and the wall.

"It's not going to work." Sasuke informed him but was ignored.

"Yeah Sasuke's right Naruto you're going to get us all in trouble," Sakura scolded.

Footsteps were finally heard coming down the hall. The four watched anxiously as a hand appeared in the doorway. Naruto was waiting with anticipation ready to see his prank unfold which was successful. Once the door opened, their sensei popped his head in the doorway making the eraser fall onto his spiky gray hair.

"Well my first impression of all of you is that you're all idiots," their sensei noted making the four deadpan.

He then led everyone up onto the roof of the academy and asked for them to introduce themselves. He was asked to give an example using himself only revealing his name, Kakashi Hatake. Ko didn't bother to listen to the other three not really caring about them.

"My name is Ko, I enjoy walking around the village. I don't necessarily hate anything, my hobbies are training and my dream is to make my parents proud." She made sure to have a friendly tone keeping a smile on her face.

Everything Ko said was a lie, he wanted to seem normal to keep up her façade. She did though tell the truth about her wanting to make her parents proud. All she ever wanted was to make her father proud of her. Completing this mission should make him proud of her for getting the Uchiha.

"Alright that's it for introductions, tomorrow we'll start our duties as shinobi." Kakashi said breaking the tension still from Sasuke's introduction.

"Yeah! What kinds of duties!? Duties! Duties!" Naruto shouted to the world.

"First we are going to do something with just the five of us."

"What is it? What is it?"

"Survival training."

"Survival training?" Naruto questioned.

"Why is our first duty training? We've had enough training at the academy?" Sakura questioned.

"This isn't normal training this time I'm your opponent."

"Then! Then! What is it?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi just starts laughing out of know where. "What's so funny sensei?" Sakura questioned.

"Um well it's just that; when I tell you this you guys are totally going to freak out."

"Freak out?" Naruto questioned.

"Of the 28 graduates only 10 will be chosen to become a genin. The rest will be send back to the academy. This training is a very difficult exam with a failure rate of over 66%."

Everyone looked at him in shock. Ko clutched her fists glancing over at her new team. She had to make sure they passed or else this would be for nothing.

"I told you you'd freak out," Kakashi chuckled at his genin's expressions.

"What? No way! But we worked so hard. Then what was the point of graduating!" Naruto shouted.

"Oh that? That was just to select those who have the chance to become genin."

"Uh what!"

"Anyway, tomorrow you have to show your real skills on the training ground. Bring all the shinobi tools you have. Oh and skip breakfast, you might throw up." Kakashi said breaking the silence. "The details are on this paper and don't be late tomorrow." Kakashi handed out a piece of paper to each student.

He then disappeared leaving his four new students. Ko got to her feet and started to head home. Sasuke then followed her leaving Naruto and Sakura alone who were still freaking out over Kakashi's word's.

"With those two on our team we we'll fail." Sasuke said.

"We just need one of them to pass. We only need three people." Ko replied.

Sasuke was surprised as Ko's tone. It sounded as if she thought she could actually stand a chance against Kakashi. Everyone knew that Ko was pretty weak but better than most of the girls in their graduating class. He wasn't going to let her or anyone else get in his way of achieving his goal.

Edited March 14, 2020