Nara Shikamaru

Since very young, you were a brilliant ninja, so it came to no surprise when Konohagakure's Intel Division decided to recruit you right after finishing Academy so they could personally train you.
Many years passed since you finished Academy and you were mainly occupied with the Analysis Team, helping get into people's minds, psychologically torture them, break them until they confess whatever information you needed, but on other occasions, you'd help the Torture & Interrogation Team, seeing that you could prove to be rather...Persuasive.

Obviously, you weren't able to spend much time with your classmates or have a particular team to completely bond with, but you loved every bit of it, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

You first met Shikamaru when you were both very young, doing your Academy years together.
You never really talked, during these years, only maybe during team activities when you were paired up together, you being rather reserved and him being too lazy to talk.
Nonetheless, his genius manifested since young ages and you were happy to be paired with him, a person who wasn't judgmental, than with anyone else.

The only time you really interacted was when you had to take a test and he fell asleep during it. You were finished early anyways, so you slowly took away the paper from under his arms, finished it in a completely different, more messy handwriting.
When Iruka-sensei woke him up, he was prepared to scold him for not completing his test, until, to both their shock, the test was impeccably done.
Thankfully, the teacher didn't suspect a thing, but Shikamaru looked at you with a tired smiled and as a sign of gratitude, offered to share his lunch with you in the garden the next day, which you accepted eagerly, happy to finally have a friend.

"Hi, I'm Shikamaru. Thanks for that. I really didn't wanna get in trouble with my troublesome mum again..." he mumbled, resting his jaw on his palm, sleepiness still evident on his face.
"You looked like you needed the help. I'm Y/N and...Any time?" you said, smirking.
"Hmmm...Y'know? Mum makes great lunches, when I remember to pick them up. I'll share mine with you with you want, tomorrow, as a way to say thanks. Deal?" he asked.
"Sounds like a plan! You got a deal!" you chirped, shaking his hand as a way to seal this new friendship.

From then on, he introduced you to his friends, Choji, Kiba and Naruto, and you would sometimes hang out with them, even planning their elaborate pranks, loving to see the outcome ( even if they always got caught )

After the Academy finished, however, you didn't get the chance to meet again, seeing that he was busy with his Team and you were constantly with the Intel division, training.
That is, until Lady Tsunade became the new Hokage and on more difficult finesse S-level missions that required information gathering and precaution, she would put the both of you in charge of the team.

Needless to say, you recognised each other immediately and had a lot to catch up.

Hatake Kakashi

You first met Kakashi after you successfully finished the Chunin exam, at the age of 6, and the Hokage requested Kakashi to take you in and train you personally, since he was the only one of the Jonin who knew what it was like to be at that level- A true prodigy.

In a way, he was amazed and proud of you, being so talented and hardworking from such a frail age, but on the other hand, he wasn't completely happy about you not being in a normal, 3 ninja team since that meant virtually no real team-work and he was afraid you'd end up the way he did when he was your age-
Scared of breaking the rules, in case of disappointing and failing.
Consequently, he could see the rigorous and stressed way you were training, which screamed 'insecurity' and 'fear of failure', which was mainly caused by your extremely strict and demanding parents, since you were from a noble clan of ninjas, so he took it as his personal task to make sure you learn how to enjoy life and relax, since life didn't only mean work and no happiness.

That meant, of course, that he'd treat you to Ichiraku and bring you ice-cream every once in a while, or go with you on travelling missions, making sure you are alright and not cracking under pressure.

The only weird thing was the book he kept reading all the time, as if both his lives depended on it-
Icha Icha Paradise.
You didn't think much of it, and in about a year or less, you picked up his hobby of reading- clearly not that series- but books much more interesting like Harry Potter or The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which in a way, Kakashi was happy about.

One day, however, his best friend, Gai, obnoxiously decided to join in one of their training sessions- and by training session, I meant you, in the middle of the field, reading a book, standing still, while Kakashi under a tree...Reading as well.
You picked up the trace of a fast-moving chakra, so as soon as the loud man jumped to kick you, you simply stepped forward, not missing the line you were at, making him fly-kick Kakashi and destroy the tree he was under.

"Gai, what in the world are you doing here?!" Kakashi said, exasperated.
"Ahhh I just wanted to see how your little apprentice was doing! No harm done!" he laughed, getting up and helping his friend too.
"Well, clearly, she's already much smarter than you are." he chuckled, proud.
"Can you keep it quiet, please? I'm getting at the best part of this chapter." you demanded, a bit irked by the sudden disturbance.
"You completely corrupted her already! Jeez, Kakashi, calm down!" relatively shockingly, Gai started crying waterfalls.
"Hey, at least she's amazing at multi-tasking!" he smirked under his mask.
"SHUSH!" you finally snapped, moving your gaze in their direction, glaring at them.

Needless to say, you were actually enjoying your time with them, but were no way in hell going to admit it

Sabaku no Gaara

You met Gaara soon after he became Kazekage, when the Hokage sent you to Suna to deliver a secret scroll.
It was a rather easy and uneventful mission for you, seeing that you've always been known for your sneakiness and speed, so this proved to be piece of cake.

You didn't actually talk much when you handed him the scroll and awaited further instructions. That changed, however, that midnight when you went outside to get some fresh, cool air and look at the beautiful starry sky to relax and you saw a silhouette on the tallest roof, to which you lazily jumped and realised it was actually Gaara, looking pensive into the horizon.

You carefully went to sit besides him, on the edge of the roof, taking a deep breathe, and softly gazed at his soft, tired features beautifully highlighted by the graceful light of the moon, then you shifted your gaze to the sky, smiling.

"The night never stops being ethereal, don't you think?" you said, barely above a whisper. You weren't really expecting an legitimate answer, seeing that he barely talks, but when he did, it was lullabies to your ears.
"It is." he said in a low voice.
"When I'm away on missions to new places I always like to out and look at the sky. For some reason, it's always different, but just as gorgeous. It's calming." you said in admiration.
"I cannot sleep. Ever. Until some years ago, I'd always come here, but my intent was always malicious. Now...I think I learn how to treasure beauty. I feel...At ease, sort of." he said, closing his eyes and enjoying the breeze going through his hair.
"It's never late for a new beginning, you know? As soon as you learn to appreciate the beauty surrounding you, you're going to feel at peace. Or at least, that's what I do." you grinned, stealing a glance at him. He looked to be deep in thought, somehow pondering your words carefully.
"I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Y/N." he said, nodding at you.

For some unknown reason, only his presence made your mood boost up incredibly and you could feel your happy meter go up with each second passing, so before you went back to sleep, preparing to go back to your home for the next day, you created an ever-lasting ice flower and gifted it to the red-head.
"Here. It's my gift for you. As long as this flower stays in this shape, beauty will prevail. Don't worry, I made it specially so it won't ever melt. Symbolism is the meaning of life, after all."

Gaara gingerly took it from your hands and analysed in adoration, not taking his eyes off of it. He then muttered a small thank you before offering you a small smile, which had your heart leap in glee.

You really hoped you could make a positive difference in his life.

Kankuro

You and Kankuro met when he came over to Konoha to report to the Hokage information from his brother, the Kazekage and at the same time, you also entered her office to give her the scroll you had to steal.
As soon as you passed on the scroll, Lady Tsunade gave you a knowing smile, as you hid behind your ANBU fox mask.

"You work fast, Y/N! You got here just in time for you next mission." she said, peering into your eyes.
"I am ready whenever you need me, Hokage-sama." you stated monotonously.
"Now, now, no need to rush, give this man a break, he just arrived from Suna." she chuckled at your eagerness. "For the time being, it will be your mission to show him around the village until he leaves. Then, you will escort him back to his village." she said, dismissively.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I will be awaiting further instructions." you bowed and left the room, the man you'll learn is called Kankuro following you.

You weren't one to indulge into small talk, seemingly because you weren't the best at it and ended up furiously trying to dig up whatever subjects you could think of to stir up the conversation.
The good part of this, however, was that Kankuro leaned more on the talkative side so replying to his random conversation attempts was rather easy and comfortable.

"So, haven't seen ya around. Are you one of Naruto's many friends too?" he asked barely stealing a glance in your direction.
"I used to help him cheat in the Academy. Then, we got separated, him with his team, myself with the ANBU and we didn't get to speak much. Then again, we meet once a month to eat ramen from Ichiraku." you said as a tint of nostalgia hit you.
"Heh. That sounds like a lot of fun. Wish I had as many friends as him, sometimes. He's so obnoxious, though, I'd rather leave that one out." he chuckled, shaking his head.
"Why do you think we only meet once a month? There's only so much hyperactivity one can take before it gets exhausting." you smirked behind the mask.
"How come you don't take your mask off? What, scared to charm me to death~?" he smirked at you, stopping abruptly.
"Supposedly, I'm on a mission. By ANBU rules, I have to keep it on. And not kill the one I'm supposed to protect, if it matters." the smugness in your voice was evident, as you too stopped, getting closer to his face. "Besides, it's not like I see you taking off your hood, kitty-cat."
"Kitty-cat?! Wh-What the hell?!" he stuttered, looking at you wide-eyed in shock.
"Well, clearly, this hood and the paint make you look like an innocent, harmless kitten. Can you prove me otherwise~?" you tried to provoke him.
"I don't look harmle-...Wait a second...You're trying to provoke me! Oh, no no no, missy, it's not gonna work with me! I'm a calm, collected person-" he tried to say, but was cut off by you pinching his cheeks and saying 'hey, kitty, kitty, kitty~!"
"I'M NOT A CAT! STOP THAT!" but the second he grasped your wrists, trying to make you stop, he halted and smirked. "How about a truce? If I take my hood off, I get to see your face. Deal?" he tried to reason.
"Okay, fine. That sounds like a fair deal." you stated calmly, slowly taking his hood off, then ruffled his messy hair.
"That was uncalled for. I said I was going to take my hood off." he pouted, trying to arrange his hair back.
"Ah...You're right, I'm sorry. I was going to tell you that you might be the one charming me to death, after all, but...The deal was broke. Sorry, my fault~! Won't happen again~!" you said, giggling at his betrayed face.
"Y-You...! You tricked me! You evil vixen!" he said desperately, trying to reach for your mask, but you quickly leaned back, inches away from his fingers.
"Sorry, love. I guess I won't be able to kill you with my charm, just yet. After all, my mission is to protect you~." you were biting your lip, trying to stop yourself from laughing.
"You're going to be the death of me..." he sulked, hanging his head and crossing his arms.
"Keep waiting and I might just be~." you said, pinching his cheek and walking in the direction of Ichiraku's, willing to treat your new kitty friend to the best ramen in town.

Hyuga Hinata

Your meeting with Hinata could have been on much better terms, but at least you got to save her from the many bullies she apparently had, due to her extremely shy personality.
Poor girl was the sweetest thing you've ever seen and yet, people were actually picking on her.
Jerks.

You recently became a Genin and were on your first solo D-ranked mission, easily rescuing a kitten stuck in a tree, when you saw two boys picking on a short, purple haired girl who was crying on the ground.
This easily made your blood boil, feeling the burning rage inside you burst, which made you run to those boys and give them a great scolding, making them go away, running.

You sat on the ground and hugged the girl tightly, the put the kitten in her arms for her to cuddle with, hoping that she would be able to relax somehow.
Thankfully, she started giggling softly, petting the kitten, evidently managing to calm down a bit. Then, she raised her head a bit and smiled through the dried tears.

"Th-Thank you, miss..." she whispered shyly.
"I hope you're feeling better. Those jerks should learn not to pick up on others, no matter what. Keh. I'm Y/N, by the way. L/N Y/N. It's nice to meet you, but the circumstances were...Unfortunate." you said, trying to ease the tension.
"I-I'm Hyuga Hinata. N-Nice to meet you, miss Y/N." she said, handing you back the cat. "What's the kitty's name?".
"Ah...Actually, I have no idea. It's not mine, I just rescued her for a mission. The lady who owns her was distraught." you said, putting her on your back, walking to the Hyuga Compound, making sure she was safe.
"I-I can't wait until I g-get to become a ninja and h-have my first mission!" she said, seemingly excited. "B-But...I'm also afraid...That I won't be strong enough..." her voice went down with sadness.
"You know what? Hard work always pays off. If you are having worries, however, you can come see me and I'll help you train, if you want. I'd be happy to help!" you said, trying to make her more excited about her future success.
"If it is not much trouble...I-I'd...love to!" she smiled.

After you left her, she waved you goodbye and you went home, happy to have helped a kid who needed help.
Now, you were very proud seeing her, all grown up, powerful, more confident in her abilities and still your dearest friend.

Haruno Sakura

You were the leader of Sunagakure's Medical Division, the head of the hospital, so you knew just about everything that was going on in the city with ease.
As well as that, you had an unbelievable expertise in anything related to poisons and toxins, having come in handy countless times when you either had to save people, or killing them.

Unfortunately, exactly the day you were away happened to be the day the Kazekage's elder brother got poisoned by none other than Akasuna no Sasori, your village's amazing criminal from whose notes you studied many years.

You ran with haste back to the village but you only arrived an hour after Konoha's medic, a cute pinkette who seemed to know exactly what she was doing, so after a quick check, you realised that your intuition was correct and helped her extract the poison.
As soon as you saw it, you dipped your finger in it then brought it to the tip of your tongue, which made you gasp in realisation-
You knew exactly what was wrong with him.
You knew exactly what poison Sasori used.
It was one of those he concocted just before he left and it was a truly dreadful one.

Wasting no time, you ran to the ones making the antidote already, with Sakura's thorough instructions, and added a small bonus ingredient of yourself, then after you were sure it was well made, you went back to the girl, who managed to finish the worst part of Kankuro's healing.

"Sakura, please go rest. I will take it from here, don't worry. I honestly cannot thank you enough for coming to save him...Shame on me, but I had an urgent mission far away from here and-" you rambled, but she only smiled at you in understanding.
"It was no problem, really. I'm just glad I managed to get here in time to save him. This poison...I've never seen anything like it before. Just who is this Sasori?" she asked, a bit confused.
"He uh...He was one of us, long ago. He was extremely talented and...Well, I cannot say much, really, but he's the Elder's grandson...I could never stand her, really...And he's probably the most skilled puppeteer...And Poison Master." you said, trying not to sound too weird for low-key admiring his skills and knowledge.
"Well, that explains a lot, I guess. I just hope the antidote is going to be usable and will help." she stated with a pensive look on her face.
"Ah, speaking of which- I hope you don't mind that I added a tiny ingredient to the antidote you created. It was great, don't get me wrong, it would have still worked very well, but I thought it'd help a bit more if I were to add a bit of this rare plant I found in Yukigakure some time ago. It's supposed to make the healing process more efficient and faster, adding a small bit of immunity to this kind of poison." you said sheepishly, grinning.
"Oh, I'm glad that you did! I never knew of this plant. Guess I'm not all that knowledgeable in this subject, after all. I gotta study a bit more. Would you, maybe, want to help me out with that~?" she asked, batting her eyes at you, jokingly.
"It'd be my pleasure! Any time we're both available...Much like now, I can show show you my lab where I keep everything. When you go, I can lend you my notes, if you want. But...They're quite a lot, if you don't mind." you laughed, seeing the excited glint in her eyes.
"Sounds like a date! Uh...! A plan! I meant a plan! Yes, let's go to your lab then, shannaro!" she tried to correct herself, hiding the blush on her face with a grin, before grasping your wrist and exiting Kankuro's room, not before seeing the poor boy wink at you, giving you both thumbs up, making you flush in return.

Sakura's presence, however, was an amazing change of pace and you were really glad that you got to meet someone as great as her.