"I don't think I'm obligated to tell you that," the girl said smoothly, voice dipped in sarcasm.

"The hell you aren't!"

Hana shoved forward, her kunai clashing with the girl's weapon again. But the mist was still too thick to make out her features—only her outline flickered through the haze.

"Tell me, Uzumaki," the girl taunted, "think you can dodge this one?"

That stopped Hana cold.

'She knows my name.'

A chill ran up Hana's spine. That wasn't normal. She hadn't even introduced herself—hell, Hana still couldn't see her face. But this girl knew exactly who she was.

Another gust of wind. Hana ducked. Her kunai went flying as the girl swept her legs and kicked her down hard.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want, bitch?" Hana growled, pushing herself up.

"Feisty," the girl mocked. "Just what I'd expect from an Uzumaki girl."

She was treating this like a game—and Hana was done playing.

The two clashed again. Hana managed to grab the staff the girl used and yanked her forward. A mask clattered to the ground beside her. It was a Blood Mist ANBU mask.

What the hell?

Through the fog, she saw just enough: long, dark hair, sharp eyes. The girl looked her age—maybe even younger.

She kicked the staff aside, preparing a jutsu.

"Water Style: Water Whip!"

The water lash struck, wrapping around the girl—only for her body to melt into mud.

A trap.

Pressure snapped against Hana's throat—tight, cold metal.

"Now I can easily snap your neck," the girl hissed from behind.

Hana's body turned to water and pooled to the ground.

She reformed behind her attacker, kunai to her throat.

"Now I can easily stab you." She smirked. "I'm not that stupid."

"Try again."

The girl spun, her staff slicing across Hana's arm. Pain flared, but she stayed on her feet. They locked eyes again—briefly, sharply.

She definitely knew who Hana was.

And Hana had no clue who she was.

"Sorry to step in, but you're gonna have to go through me first."

Hana's heart nearly stopped.

Kakashi.

He was suddenly in front of her, calm and unreadable.

"Kakashi!" she gasped in relief.

The girl didn't flinch. Instead, she weaved signs quickly.

"Get out of my way! She's not your concern!" She shouted, then began to expel a barrage of earth bullets from her mouth—Kakashi deflected them all with precision.

When she lunged, he flipped her easily, slamming her into the ground. The mist wavered and then began to thin as her chakra weakened.

"Nice work, Kakashi!" Minato's voice called.

In a flash, Minato, Rin, and Obito were by Hana's side.

"Are you alright?" Minato asked, kneeling. "Sorry it took us so long. I think she had backup—someone scrambled our sense of direction."

"Yeah, some other rogue ninja tried to get us too," Obito added. "You're not hurt, are you? I mean—we were worried sick!"

Hana lifted an eyebrow at him. Smooth.

"I'm fine. Just a couple cuts. Nothing bad," she muttered.

Rin walked over to her, pulling out her medkit. "Here," she said gently, holding out a bandage. "You're bleeding."

Hana took it, murmuring thanks while avoiding her eyes.

But when she looked up again—the girl was gone.

"She's not in the area anymore," Minato said, scanning. "But stay close. She might try again."

They pressed on toward the village.

As they walked deeper into the mist, Minato glanced over his shoulder.

"You sure you've never seen her before?"

Hana shook her head. "No idea who she is. But she knew my name. Like—really knew it."

Minato's expression darkened slightly.

"She called me Uzumaki," Hana added. "She made it sound like an insult."

There was a pause. He seemed thoughtful, too thoughtful for her liking. '...I don't like the sound of that.' he thought quietly.

"Do you think she was sent after us?" she asked, frowning. "Or just me?"

Minato didn't answer right away. Then, "Hard to say. But if she was targeting you, we'll need to stay alert." 

He doesn't add more. But there's a flicker of unease in his expression—one he masks quickly.

"You think someone put a hit on me or something?" Hana asked.

Minato gave her an unreadable look. "We'll figure it out later. For now, eyes forward. The mission comes first."

She didn't like that answer.

At all.

They found a clearing and began to settle in when the sun set. Minato and Kakashi worked on tents. Rin stirred soup over the fire. Obito sat nearby, offering to help with the dishes.

Hana sat a bit apart, patching up her cut again. Her eyes drifted to Obito and Rin.

He was laughing at something Rin said.

He hadn't looked at Hana once.

Whatever, she told herself. She had other things to deal with. She didn't care.

...Except she did.

"Hana, the soup's ready!" Rin called cheerfully.

Hana stood and walked over, sitting by Kakashi. He handed her a bowl.

"Thanks... Rin," she mumbled, quiet but not icy.

Kakashi shot her a subtle look. Rin gave a small smile in return.

Minato sat down beside them.

"Make sure you rest tonight. She may not be working alone. We ran into two others during the genjutsu fog. They were definitely rogue—not Mist-affiliated."

"But she wore a Mist ANBU mask," Hana said. "That doesn't make sense."

"Could be stolen. Or maybe she was using it to throw us off. Either way..." Minato rubbed his chin. "I'll report this to the Mizukage when we arrive. But if someone from another village is operating here, something's off."

Hana stirred her soup in silence, chewing on that thought. The girl's voice echoed in her mind:

"Just what I'd expect from an Uzumaki girl."

There was a grudge there.

And something told her...

This wasn't over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In case you're wondering why I have that clip up above, I decided on using Marceline from Adventure Time as a voice for Hana. If you haven't watched it, then just watch that clip and you'll get an idea of how her voice sounds. Also, just a reminder that this story is being rewritten so that's why everything seems a little out of place right now.