EDITED: 2/19/17

~~~~~~~~~

18

"Break it up, the two of you!"

Akira stepped between the two boys who were glaring daggers at each other and bickering. Grabbing the two boys by the collar, she dragged them towards the middle of the training field.

It was another day in Konoha's Ninja Academy. Akira was supervising her students in taijutsu, allowing them to spar with each other. She was busy teaching one pair on the proper way to do an uppercut when she heard yells and some cuss words coming from two of her raucous students. With a murderous glare, she stomped towards the commotion and saw the two boys, Daisuke and Ryoma again, on the ground, rolling, cussing and attempting to break each other's' throats.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled them apart.

"What the fuck is going on?" she growled madly, ignoring the gasps from some of the kids who heard her swear. She looked at the two boys who were still glaring at each other.

"He started it!" Ryoma said, pointing at Daisuke. He sported a bruised cheek.

"I told you no hits on the face," Akira said, turning to Daisuke.

"I will not spar with that loser again," replied Daisuke haughtily.

"What did you just say?!" Ryoma yelled. He lunged at the other boy. Akira swiftly grabbed him by the back of his clothes and pulled him back roughly.

"I will not spar with someone inferior like you," said Daisuke who seemingly was unaffected by Ryoma's glare. "Yes, you are inferior. You have poor stamina, inferior techniques and obviously lacks intelligence. You are crude and loud. How do you expect to be a shinobi? You've nothing but a loud mouth-"

"Enough."

"You always challenge anyone who you see a threat but you don't have the skill to carry on that stupid-"

"I said enough!" Akira thundered, much to the kids' horror. Their sensei was looking extremely scary right now, what with her loud voice and deathly glare. She reached over to Daisuke and roughly grabbed him by the collar and raised him off the ground to meet her eyes. She glowered at her student.

"When I tell you to shut up, you shut up," Akira said menacingly, her voice cold and threatening. "I will pair you with anyone I want and you will spar with him or her. You will obey my rules or else you get kicked out of the Academy. You do what I say or I swear you will regret it. I don't care if your entire family comes after my ass for vengeance." The boy refused to meet her eyes and Akira could feel him cowering from her harsh words. She glared at him and in disgust, dropped him on the ground. She turned to Ryoma.

"You! Come here!"

Ryoma approached his sensei, although by now he was obviously terrified of her. Akira grabbed him by the collar too and lifted him off the ground.

"S-sensei..." he started, eyes wide at the anger in his sensei's eyes. Akira ignored him.

"I don't care who started it but you will follow my rules. You're the dead last in this class, Ryoma and your loud mouth is not helping you get any better!"

"B-but sensei...I just want to be...acknowledged..."

Akira frowned at the kid. "Acknowledgement is earned, not asked. People will acknowledge you if they want to. Andy you have to work hard to earn it and prove your worth. Challenging Daisuke is not one of those ways, understood?!"

"Hai, sensei."

She dropped the kid and turned to her class who were looking up at her with terrified eyes.

"Respect is earned, not asked. You want to be respected, then work for it! Understood?"

"H-hai, sensei."

"Louder!"

"HAI, SENSEI!"

She turned to the two boys. "Now, apologize!" Daisuke looked surprised but Akira only glared at him. "Both of you," she said testily. Reluctantly, the two boys approached each other and, although grudgingly, bowed and shook hands, mumbling "Sorry" before turning their backs on each other.

Akira sighed deeply and shook her head. 'What is it with boys that they take this seriously?' she asked herself. 'It's just a spar, damn it!' She glanced at the two boys again. She knew she was a little too harsh on them but what the hell, she's getting tired of them lunging at each other's throats and her pulling them apart that sometimes, she wished she could just give them a kunai each and watch them kill each other.

'Harsh,' she chided herself. They were still children after all. And besides, she also went through the same thing, even worse, for the brawls extended even outside the classroom. At first, she was always on the losing end but that changed pretty soon.

The children seemed too terrified to continue with their sparring and Akira made them go on a recess. While the children played, and munched on snacks, she prepared the next step of their lesson.

As she prepared the target boards, she noticed a small group of girls not far from her. One of them was Hanabi. The girl was laughing and was joking along with her peers. It's known that between the two sisters, Hanabi was the less shy of the two, and despite being heiress, Hinata was often looked over. Hinata was also the stutterer, though Hanabi also inherited the 'defect'. Although based from Akira's observation, Hanabi's stutter often disappears when she is at ease. She only becomes a bumbling girl when nervous.

The girl's performance was above average in terms of the written aspects but when it comes to practical, she was so-so. Akira remembered Iruka-sensei saying that her performance on Taijutsu was quite poor on the first two lessons. Akira was confused since she assumed that coming from the Hyuuga clan, it sorts of guarantees that she'll excel in anything. After all, she has Neji for a cousin and he was the golden boy back then.

She refused to let her mind drift towards him, and focused on his younger cousin instead.

Akira called her class back and when they have settled down, she walked over to the three upright logs with the targe tboards.

"Our next lesson is basic bukijutsu," she started. "Everyone has their weapons pouches? Alright. I will call you one by one and you will have three chances to show me your aptitude on shuriken throwing." She scanned her class list and picked out a name. "Let's start with Hyuuga Hanabi."

Hanabi blushed all the way to her hairline and her eyes were wide with fear. "M-me...sensei?"

"Yes, you. Step up."

The class stepped back and Hanabi walked towards the line Akira had drawn on the ground. The girl visibly gulped and nervousness was evident in her soft features.

Akira watched carefully as the girl took out three shuriken and prepared to throw. The redhead noted her wrong stance and lightly shook her head. 'I'll bet three to one that she'll miss. Only one of those shuriken will hit the target board.' she mused. Akira had been around weapons since she could walk that she could tell the chances of one missing the target just by their stance and how they hold a weapon.

True enough, when Hanabi threw the three shuriken, two landed on the trunk and only one hit the target board, and way below the bull's eye. Akira did not comment on the kid's terrible aim and just told her to finish the drill. The next two hits were the same. Hanabi missed all her target.

The young Hyuuga bowed her head and barely looked at Akira. The redhead felt sorry for the kid, for she knew the pressure was great on her-she has to surpass Neji and prove she's better than Hinata.

Mustering a kind smile, Akira placed a hand on Hanabi's shoulder. "It's okay Hanabi. Get back in line." Then turning to her list, she called another name.

"Katsushiro Jinbei!"

~~~~~~~

Akira stayed after class, picking up stray kunai and shuriken and setting them aside. Some careless brat might stumble on them and sustain an injury. She was removing the battered target boards when she heard some sounds in the distance.

'Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!'

She tuned in carefully and instantly recognized the sound of shuriken hitting a tree trunk. Akira narrowed her eyes. Academy training grounds are off-limits after class unless an instructor is around or a student has secured permission. Following the sound, Akira went behind the building, hands on her hips and ready to reprimand the brat who disobeyed school policy. She nearly spoke when she froze in her tracks.

It was Hanabi. And she was throwing shuriken like her life depended on it.

Akira watched the young girl as she aimed, threw a shuriken, picked it up, aimed and threw once more. She repeated the process over and over, her form rigid, her face a mask of concentration. Akira had half a mind to tell her to stop-to tell her that it's useless trying to hit the right spot with a faulty aim and too narrow a stance, but the kunoichi couldn't bring herself. She could see that the girl was determined and if anything, Akira swore she could see herself when she was still an Academy student-a kid, just like Hanabi-who wanted to prove that she was more than a jinchuriki and a monster.

She used to stay after class too and often asked Iruka-sensei if she could use the training ground. And then with the few shuriken and kunai she owned, she would do target practice on and on, until Iruka told her to stop and go home. She had perfected her aim now, but back then, she wanted to prove that she's worth more than the creature in her. She started with the basic target boards while upright. She used shuriken at first, then kunai, then senbon. Often, Tenten joined her. Tenten was the top kunoichi of their class, so Akira would watch how she did it. They rarely spoke with each other but they helped each other out until both girls could say they have 100% accuracy.

Akira sighed and decided to make her presence known. "Your stance is too narrow."

The girl froze and spun around, fear and surprise in her eyes. Akira ignored it and walked over to her. Wordlessly, she adjusted Hanabi's grip on the shuriken.

"S-sensei..."

"Open your legs wider. Place your foot here. Bend your knees a little and place 75% of your weight on your right foot and the remaining to the left."

Hanabi looked up at her sensei in confusion. 'She's...Akira-sensei's...helping me?' A feeling she couldn't understand washed over her. Relief because Akira didn't scold her, happiness because she knew Akira had perfect aim that could rival Tenten-san and nervousness because she knew the clan expected a lot from her. Remembering her father's stern glare was enough to silence the young Hyuuga in fear.

For a moment, Hanabi was afraid that Akira would be glaring at her too. However when she looked up, her sensei wasn't glaring, or scowling like she usually does. Her green eyes have a strange look of concentration in them and Hanabi found her more beautiful.

"Oi. Focus your attention on the target, not on my face," Akira said teasingly, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. Hanabi nodded and followed her instructions.

Akira pointed at the tree. "See that circle at the center? That's your target. Aim for it then throw the shuriken just like how I taught it in class."

Hanabi aimed and after a few seconds, threw the shuriken. She missed.

"I-I'm sorry sensei! I'll do it again!"

"No." Akira shook her head. "Watch me first." She took the stance, took a shuriken from her pouch and effortlessly hit the target smack center.

Hanabi couldn't hide her amazement. "Wow sensei! You did it like it was n-nothing!"

"Because it is nothing. This is one of the most basic shinobi skill in taijutsu. A well-placed shuriken could kill. Now look at how I do it. See my stance? A wide base of support is important. As you become better you will be able to throw shuriken even airborne or while crouched on the ground. But for now, you do this."

Akira spent minutes improving Hanabi's stance and balance. Her nervousness always leads her to stand too rigid and her base is too narrow. A simple sweep on her leg would cause her to fall.

"Wider Hanabi," Akira instructed. "And put your left hand across your chest-not like that! You look like you're pledging loyalty to something. Just relax, like this... yes, not too close to the chest not too far. That will enable you to block any counter attacks your opponent might make."

A few more exercises and Hanabi was able to hit closer to the target. Akira was pleased that the girl was easy to teach. Her handling needs more polishing but she did better than earlier in class. The kunoichi was happy to see her student's progress.

"That's all for now, Hanabi," Akira said as she dismissed her. They have been practicing for 2 hours now. "Tomorrow will be another practice day and we'll work on your handling in class."

"Hai, sensei! T-thank you for teaching me...and I'm sorry if I fell short of your expectations." Hanabi bowed apologetically.

Akira merely nodded. "It's fine. Go home now and rest. Is someone fetching you?"

"No sensei. But I can go home on my own, thank you."

"Alright. Then I'll go on ahead. Don't be late for class."

"Yes, Akira-sensei! Goodbye and thank you!"

Akira was halfway through the training ground when Hanabi spoke again. "S-s-sensei?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh...ano...is it o-okay if...you train me again?"

Akira cocked an eyebrow. "Tomorrow?"

The girl nodded shyly. "Y—yes. And the day after too."

"Are you asking me to train you in private?"

Hanabi snuck a glance and bit her lower lip. "I-I'm sorry sensei...if it's a bother, I understand if you refuse...but..." the girl looked up at her. "But...I really wanna be great and I wanna be better! I want to make Otou-san proud! He said I will be clan head someday so I really wanna be strong! Please, sensei!"

Akira thought for a moment, considering her options and the pros and cons of her choices. She stared hard at her pupil, green orbs meeting her nervous lavender ones. After much consideration, the Satsuna made her choice.

"No."

Hanabi's shoulders slumped in defeat and tears were brimming her eyes.

"I will not train you so you'll be better than Neji or Hinata. I will not train you to satisfy your father. This shouldn't be about you being a Hyuuga or you upholding your clan's prestige. That's shit!" Akira approached the young girl. "Everyone was born with equal chances, regardless if they're Hyuuga or not. It's just a name and when you die it won't matter what family you're from. You'll rot like everybody else, so don't let the damn Hyuuga pride dictate what you should become. When I train you, I want you to desire it for yourself. Not for your father. For you, Hanabi." She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Because at the end of the day, you will become shinobi and it'll be your life on the line, not theirs. Now, are you sure you want me to teach you?"

Hanabi was silent for a while. A sudden determined look overcame her delicate features and she looked back at Akira with determination in her eyes. "Hai sensei! I want to be strong for myself. Please teach me more."

Akira heaved a deep breath and knelt such that she and Hanabi were eye to eye. "Okay. I will teach you what I know but I'm not promising anything and you shouldn't really expect much." The girl nodded and Akira continued. "Next, you are not to tell anyone about this. This will be between you and I, and the moment I discover that someone else knows, your training ends. Understood?"

"Hai. But-"

"It's for your own good," Akira hastily replied. 'And mine,' though she didn't say it out loud. "That's all. Do I have your word?"

Hanabi smiled, happiness radiating off from her eyes. "Yes sensei! I promise I won't tell anybody!"

Akira smiled in return. "Good. Then I'll meet you tomorrow. Same time."

Later that night, when Akira settled for bed, she could still see the young girl's hopeful smile. She questioned her decisions many times but could come up with no answer. Akira groaned. 'I deliberately sunk myself in serious, deep shit.'

~~~~~~~~

Weeks passed since Akira had agreed to teach Hanabi after class and the red-haired kunoichi was proud of her student's progress. Initially, Hanabi was unable to hit any of her targets but Akira was patient enough to polish the girl's stance and errors.

Aside from aim, Akira also made Hanabi focus on building her stamina. She knew that the girl often loses in taijutsu spars because she tires easily, so Akira made her do laps, physical exercises and body strengthening. She also focused on speed.

Due to the extra training hours, Hanabi excelled in all forms of her education. Lecture-wise, her marks increased since she started participating more. Her grades in the practical tests were also above average and Akira was glad to see that the girl has the upper hand in most of spars in nin, tai and genjutsu.

While Hanabi's performance greatly improved, one of the greatest changes Akira noticed was that Hanabi no longer stutters that much. She has started to have more confidence in herself and is able to express her thoughts more openly. There are still some instances though when Hanabi reverts to stuttering especially when Akira reprimands her. It was inevitable, and Akira reminded the girl not to take criticisms too hard.

One day, while Hanabi was resting under the shade of a tree, Akira approached and sat beside her.

"You've improved, Hanabi," she said.

Hanabi looked up at her and smiled. "Thank you, sensei."

"You're welcome. Don't come to training tomorrow."

"Huh?"

Akira looked at the young girl. "Yeah. It's your day off. Rest, relax or go do something else."

"But sensei," said Hanabi. "Y-you told me that I still have a lot to improve on. S-speed and..."

"I'm not free tomorrow Saturday," Akira said. She stood up. "Got some errands. Besides, it's a weekend, no classes so you can go work on homework or whatever. You're a kid, Hanabi, don't you go play with your friends or something?"

At the mention of friends, Hanabi's cheerful face sombered a little. "I... I don't really have f-friends..."

Surprised, Akira paused. She frowned as Hanabi stood up and gathered her weapons. "Well, I do have c-cousins at the manor but...we don't play. I mean, father insists on training all the time either with him or Hinata-nee. Sometimes I watch her train with N-Neji-nii but Nii-san's a jounin now and we rarely see him. Father makes me watch their trainings, saying that I should be able to master the Main House's jutsu."

"So... you train on your spare time?"

"Hai."

Akira sighed. "Hmm...a pretty disturbing childhood," she said, masking her emotion under an indifferent facade. "You know, if all you do is train, you'll die pretty early. What do you do when you're not training? Let me guess, meditate."

When Hanabi nodded, Akira sighed once more. "That's not gonna work. You should do something else."

"I-I... I do origami," Hanabi said softly. "Is that okay?"

Akira chuckled. "Why are you asking me if it's okay?" She looked around the dense trees and whistled. "It's your thing, Hanabi. Anyway, no training tomorrow. We resume on Monday, alright?"

"Hai, sensei."

Yuudai emerged from the forest and after giving Hanabi an amicable bark, he and Akira sped off. Hanabi smiled as she watched her sensei's retreating form.

'I wonder if Akira-sensei likes origami? Hmm...'

~~~~~~~~

Neji had just gotten home from his mission debriefing with the Hokage. Though the mission was quite simple-just to deliver top-secret documents for the Fire Daimyo-he and Tenten encountered roadside bandits that gave them minor injuries. It was just a brief skirmish though, and their mission was a success. He didn't even do much aside from scout the area and give Tenten back-up as she flung her weapons at the bandits.

At the thought of his teammate, Neji remembered how far she and his team had come. Initially they didn't get well enough-there was this one-sided rivalry between Lee and him (he, being the condescending brat that he was back then), the grueling and oftentimes ridiculous trainings that Gai-sensei made them do, and all those arguments about trivial matters (like wearing the horrid green spandex, Gai getting him and Tenten to do the Dynamic Entry...). All those however only solidified their team-making them cohesive and up to par with Ino-Shika-Chou's teamwork.

"Hey Neji."

The Hyuuga looked up to see his teammate's bright smile. "I'm getting something to eat," said Tenten. "You wanna come?"

In the past, whenever Tenten invites him to join her for a snack after training or missions, Neji usually declines. Not that he dislikes her, it's just that when they were still genin, Neji was this brooding boy and he found Tenten's constant warm attitude disturbing and slightly annoying. She was kind and bubbly and friendly towards him and Lee that Neji wondered how she could smile a lot. Through their years together though, Neji slowly understood. And he had grown to acknowledge her as a shinobi, a teammate and more importantly his best friend.

Neji adjusted the strap of his rucksack. "Hn..."

Tenten's smile grew wider. She had been around the Hyuuga long enough to decipher his monosyllabic replies. "Just at the nearby dumplings shop. Unless you wanna go somewhere else?"

He shrugged and Tenten began to lead the way. "Okay, the dumpling shop it is." Beside her, Neji walked and together the two friends enjoyed the comfortable silence between them.

Neji watched her lithe form as she walked slightly before him. Unconsciously, his mind began to drift towards another kunoichi, one that had red hair, and has begun to invade his thoughts more frequently.

~~~~~~~~

Across a dumpling shop and a small grocery store was the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Watching the people that milled about the streets on that lazy Saturday morning, Yamanaka Ino yawned and rubbed the sleep from her cerulean eyes. It was her turn to watch the shop since she was off-missions since yesterday, and although the blonde enjoyed looking after flowers, the same old scene bores her.

Grabbing the vanity mirror from one of the drawers, Ino studied her reflection. She knew she was beautiful and a lot of people always say so. Her long, shiny, platinum-blonde hair was kept back from her face in a high ponytail, a side fringe just subtly covering her eye. Bright blue eyes blinked back at her, hooded by thick and long lashes. She has fine brows, full lips, fair complexion. Clad in a purple sleeveless hanging top with matching miniskirt that showed off her long legs, Yamanaka Ino can be considered one of Konoha's beautiful kunoichi. As her father, Yamanaka Inoichi had said, "You have truly grown to be Konoha's violet flower."

Just like her clansmen, Ino specializes in mind jutsus, especially the Shintenshin no jutsu or Mind-Body Technique. Years training with her father allowed her to further hone her skills, advancing her to Chuunin status and sometimes when her father's out on missions, the Interrogation Division asks for her aid in deciphering technical mind jutsu on prisoners.

'Now tell me who's the bubblehead blonde,' she thought, frowning a little. Gifted with good looks, Ino usually falls prey to baseless archetypes, such as the dumb blonde, and it infuriates her to no end. "Dumbasses...they just can't accept that a woman can be beautiful and intelligent at the same-"

"Excuse me?"

Interrupted from her musings, Ino looked up at the stranger. Her brows burrowed further when she saw the unknown kunoichi.

The redhead lifted a bouquet of white roses. "How much for these?"

Staring back at the redhead's green eyes, Ino replied, "500 ryo." She watched as the kunoichi paused and touched the flower's petals. Something about the redhead piqued Ino's curiosity, and she studied her tall form and the katana at her waist.

"And for one?" The redhead held up a lone white rose.

"150. It's already discounted."

The kunoichi paused, as if studying whether to buy the bouquet or just take a piece. Ino meanwhile studied her profile. She felt as if she knew her...like she'd seen her from before. There's just no mistaking that red hair anywhere, and there's something about her face that Ino recognized. Her eyes wandered over the kunoichi again and with a little pang of envy, Ino honestly thought that the other girl was pretty-she stared at her red locks and for a minute wished that her own was of a different hue other than plain, platinum blonde.

The red-haired kunoichi approached the counter and placed a lone white rose. "I'll take it."

Ino looked at the flower. "Just one?" Seeing the other kunoichi's downcast eyes, Ino stood up and approached a vase of violets. "Here, add these," she said as she took a handful of the small flowers and placed them beside the rose. "You'll never go wrong with violets and they'd look fabulous on a vase with the white one." She smiled at the redhead.

"Thanks, but I don't-"

"Oh, just keep 'em. Your table's gonna be awesome with these."

The two girls stared for a while before the redhead sighed, took out money from her pocket and handed it to Ino. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!" Ino said smiling. She was about to get wrapping paper for the flowers but the girl was already leaving. "Hey wait, Miss!"

The kunoichi paused at the doorway and turned slightly, brows lifted in a silent question.

"Aren't you gonna have them wrapped?" Ino asked.

Slightly, the redhead smirked and shook her head. "Thank you, but no. Besides, I'll place them on a grave, not on a table." And without another word, the kunoichi left the flower shop, the door bell ringing in her wake.

Ino watched the door for a few seconds, blue eyes still fixed at that red hair. She rarely takes notice of the customers of the shop unless they're regulars like Sakura, or Chouji's mother, or that old lady from the dango shop, but something about the red-haired girl piqued her interest.

She also wondered for whom the white rose was for.

~~~~~~~~

Akira looked at the flowers in her hand. Behind her, the five wolves walked silently, with Yuudai on her right, Akai on her left, Sachiko, Kishi and Kuroi flanking their sides. Surprisingly, the wolves are in their best behavior, knowing what their activity for the day was.

It was a bright Saturday morning, barely 8 o'clock and Akira and her pack were headed to Konoha's cemetery. Just like the usual, she wore a red haori over her black ensemble and her red hair was up in a ponytail. She gripped the small bouquet in her hand.

She knew they would like whatever she placed for them, and in the past, she was not particular with the flowers. However, it has been a while since she visited them, and Akira felt like she should've gotten something more beautiful as a way to make amends. After all, these two people are very dear to her: her grandmother, and her sensei.

Akira would've liked very much to buy the whole bouquet of white roses she saw in the shop but her limited budget didn't allow her. The girl on the counter was kind enough to offer her the violets and Akira was silently grateful for that random act. Remembering the blonde girl, Akira paused to admire her-she was beautiful and her flawless face was a worthy cause for envy. But Akira has things to do today and spared only a minute to think of the 'flower girl' before turning her attention back to the task at hand.

They neared the cemetery gates and since it was still early morning, the place was deserted. A gentle breeze blew strands of Akira's hair and she and the pack walked straight, past the white tombs of the recently deceased, straight ahead of the KIA memorial, left of a strangely designed tombstone and there, tucked between the grave of long-dead shinobi, was the grave of Satsuna Inoue.

Akira knelt in front of the tomb. She closed her eyes and bowed lowly. Beside her, the wolves did the same. They surrounded the small tomb: Yuudai to Akira's right, Sachiko, Akai, Kishi and Kuroi. Yuudai let a low whimper. Amongst the pack, he was closest to Inoue since he was the one who accompanied the old woman when they fled from their home village.

Opening her eyes, Akira straightened up and eyed the tombstone. It was the cheap kind. Unlike most shinobi who belonged to prestigious clans and can afford marble tombstones and elaborate engraving, Akira's grandmother was laid to her final resting place with cheap cement over her and a sparingly carved tombstone made of low-grade stone and cement. The said tombstone only held her name and the date she died. No cheesy one-liners to commemorate her death whatsoever. That is why every year, when Akira visits her grandmother's grave, she makes it a point to say something, as if undoing this sparse tombstone. After all, when Akira was a little girl, she promised to "make everything better" for her grandmother when she became shinobi.

'Well grandma, I am a shinobi now. But I'm afraid not everything is better. I still have the Kageboshi and the village is treating me just as they did when you were still alive. Nothing changed really. I'm sorry if I'm a disappointment baa-chan. I tried hard to love this village as you did but I can't. I can't love something that hate my guts you know.'

'It's the same old story, grandma. I still teach at the Academy-but you already know about that. Oh, I've been promoted to senior instructor just recently. I get to teach advanced ninja skills. I'm still in a probationary period though, but the Hokage had said that if I get promoted, I could get an increase in my salary. That's good news but... I'm not really looking forward to it. I mean, what's the point when I won't be staying any longer.'

At this, Akira sighed and she felt her wolves bristle and look at her. 'I'm sure you know of my plans Baa-chan. I've told the wolves about it. I just can't stay in a place that obviously wants me out. I feel like there's more out there and I can have a chance at life outside this village. And I can be far away from people who can get hurt because of me. I need to know more about myself, and... you died far too early to tell me everything, so...'

Sachiko whimpered softly. "Akira-hime wants to leave Konoha, Inoue-sama. I told her I'll go anywhere she goes, though I wished she didn't have to. Your granddaughter's quite headstrong, Baa-sama."

"She sure is," Yuudai said, glancing up at Akira. "But I vowed to protect her so I will."

"Me too," quipped Akai.

"And I," said Kuroi.

"Same here," said Kishi. "though that's cumbersome."

Akira laughed. 'Well, I'm taking the entire pack as you can see. I actually haven't planned on our destination yet, but most probably we'll head north, settle in a civilian village, lie low for a while. I don't have definite plans yet. I don't want the Black Ops after me, that's why I'm still sticking around Konoha. I could've left when we were in Nadeshiko, but Hyuuga Neji was with me. You remember him, Baa-chan? He was in the same class as me and a Hyuuga. Branch House I heard, but I don't really understand such things. He's extremely arrogant and plain annoying. We were on a mission in Nadeshiko, and I thought about leaving then. I mean, it was the perfect opportunity since I have the whole pack and there's just Neji. I mean, he couldn't catch up with us for sure. But...'

The Satsuna heaved a deep sigh and furrowed her brows. 'Somehow... I couldn't bring myself to do it.'

She spent some minutes just silently looking at the slab of cement where her grandmother's name was etched.

"Hime-chan thinks Hyuuga Neji is handsome," Sachiko suddenly quipped, grinning. "If you had seen them Baa-chan, they look adorable together!"

"Ugh. Sachiko!"Akira said, fighting off the warmth that crept up her cheeks. She arranged the flowers on the tombstone. She shook her head at her wolf's foolishness. 'Anyway, do you like these granny? I wanted to get you something special but I can't afford the bouquet. I'm sorry. But the girl at the shop was kind enough to give me the violets for free, and-Akira grinned sheepishly, as if seeing her grandmother waving a finger at her, as if reminding her of something-yes, granny of course I thanked her. I'm polite when I can...geez. Even in the afterlife you never fail to nag me. I hope you don't mind if I give the violets to sensei. I know he likes violet flowers because of Yuugao-san's hair. No, I haven't seen Yuugao-san around. She could be in the village, but she's ANBU and nobody has to know of 'em.'

Akira paused as she brushed dry leaves away. Beside her, Kishi had fallen asleep. Kuroi, Akai and Yuudai had begun speaking with Inoue and Akira listened to the wolves as they spoke, as if her grandmother was just beside them. Sachiko listened quietly, tail wagging slowly as a gentle breeze blew. Among the wolves, only Sachiko had not seen Inoue since Sachiko became part of the pack long after Akira's grandmother had died. She only got to know the old woman through the stories she heard from the rest of the pack and from Akira herself.

Minutes passed as Akira related stories of her every day to her deceased grandmother. Every year since her death, Akira and her wolves visit her grave to offer flowers and prayer then just sit on the grass and talk to the old matriarch, as if she was still with them. During the early years since her passing, Akira often cried, remembering the sorry state her grandmother had died to and swearing vengeance against the people behind it. As the years passed, Akira had learned to live with the grief and loss of her only family. She found solace in her pack and the presence of her sensei, Gekko Hayate.

But then he died too, and for a while Akira was in limbo.

When Hayate-sensei died, it was as if a part of her died too. She admired Hayate, partly because he's an excellent kenjutu-user like her and was the only person she asks for help aside from her grandmother, and another because he never saw her as a jinchuriki. He saw her as she is: a shinobi, and to her, that was all it took for her to admire the shinobi.

Remembering her sensei, Akira gathered the violets and smiled. 'Sorry grandma, but Hayate-sensei might be getting lonely over there. I've a lot to tell him too.' As the wolves stood and bowed respectfully, Akira knelt and bowed deeply. 'I love you grandma and thank you for always watching over us. I'll see you soon.'

She stood up and clutching the violets in her hand, she made her way to the KIA stone, where the name of her mentor was carved, along with those who died in the line of duty.

His was somewhere in the middle, flanked by other names she only heard of. Lower down were names of some well-known shinobi: a couple of Naras, Akimichi, some Yamanaka, Hyuuga, Uchiha and one Hatake. Akira had heard of the story of Hatake Sakumo and the disgrace he had brought the village. Personally, Akira thought it was heroic, although foolish, but she has other matters on her mind to even notice the presence of Sakumo's son, Kakashi, who was also on his way to the memorial stone.

Beside her, Sachiko let out a small whine. Amongst her wolves, Sachiko and Yuudai were closest to Hayate. Yuudai because he's a constant companion to missions and Sachiko because Hayate had saved her life once.

It was an assist mission. A couple of weeks earlier, a team was sent to the border of the Grass Village to deliver a coded message to a daimyo. Unfortunately on the way, the team was ambushed by Orochimaru's experiments and only one courier of the team survived. The message apparently contained top secret information about the Leaf's dealings with other shinobi villages. Team Hayate along with Team Anko was deployed to assist in the situation. While Anko-san's team engaged the Sannin's freak experiments, Team Hayate rounded to assist the courier. There was a skirmish and in the heat of it all, Akira summoned Sachiko. At that time, Sachiko was still young and had never been in a real battle. Utilizing wind chakra as her affinity, she and Akira performed a Gatsuga, only to fall into a trap. Yuudai was out with Daichi and Saburou who were tasked with flanking the courier as they sped off to relay the message on time, and Hayate and Akira stayed back to deal with the enemies. Sachiko was overpowered by her enemies, and Akira was too far away to reach her in time. Fearing for her wolf, Akira rushed but was held back by her enemy's poisoned hair as it wrapped around her, strangling her and injecting poison to her system. In her hazy view, Akira saw her sensei run towards Sachiko and free her from her enemy's clutch. It was all she remembered when she woke up three days later in the hospital.

She learned that Hayate-sensei sustained multiple stab wounds with one piercing his left lung ("...so close to the heart," the Chief Medic had said) and long-term damage to his vocal cords which aggravated his chronic cough. Beside her in the hospital was an injured, but otherwise fine, Sachiko who was in tears as she waited for both Akira and Hayate to wake up. When Akira was allowed to see her sensei, she profusely thanked the shinobi, crying tears of gratitude. Hayate merely coughed, and in a croaky voice said,

"Tears don't suit you, Akira. I did what I had to. Comrades look out for each other, and we're a team, right?"

To which Akira nodded, fighting off fresh tears. "H-Hai, sensei." She bowed lowly, tears still falling on to Hayate's injured arm.

Sachiko whimpered, laid her soft paw on Hayate's arm and whispered, "Thank you, sensei."

Now, Akira smiled as she looked at his name, as if seeing his steely gaze and confident smirk. 'Hello sensei. It's been a while, huh. How are you doing up there? I hope you weren't watching when I got into a brawl.' Akira giggled a little. 'I swear, I do my best to avoid trouble but trouble often finds me.'

'I brought along the pack. Sachiko's all grown up now. Very talkative too.' At this, Sachiko barked happily. 'I train with them almost every day and Yuudai's mastered Earth-style Garuga. A lot has changed since you left. I teach at the Academy and I'm teaching Hyuuga Hanabi. Just some informal lessons though, after class. She's a bright kid sensei and I like her. I guess, I see myself in her that's why I agreed to teach her. Hmmm... oh! Suna became Konoha's ally. Imagine, the same people who killed you... but they said they were only under false orders by Orochimaru. I guess I understand that. The man that dealt the final blow? Baki or something? I met him once on a mission and I think he remembers me. We've met after the funeral of the Third and the ceremony for all you guys who gave your lives that day. He apologized to us-Daichi, Saburou and I- and he seemed to be okay. He's the Kazekage's sensei. The One-tails jinchuriki became the Kazekage, can you believe it? I've only seen him in glimpses and he had grown now too. No longer the brat that wanted to kill Lee during their Chuunin Exams. He's good friends with Naruto, I heard.'

Akira paused as she mulled over the day when she learned of her sensei's demise. Sighing, she spoke again. I may have forgiven Baki-san, but that Kabuto shit will have hell to pay for. And Orochimaru. I'm sorry sensei. I know that the way of the sword never advocates revenge but it advocates honorable death too. And I will honor you with the death of that bastard... I'm sure Yuugao-san would approve. Oh, speaking of, here are some violets. Sorry but they're all I can afford. They're actually free, given to me by a 'flower girl'.

As she spoke, Kuroi placed the small bunch at the foot of the stone. 'I hope you like them... and I really pray you're happy wherever you are. They took you from Yuugao-san way too early and-and I know I might've turned out better if you hadn't gone. It's just different without you, sensei and I'll never get used to it. Daichi, Saburou and I have drifted apart when you died... I can't blame them though. I mean, without you, how else were we supposed to function?

Yuugao-san had become ANBU and I haven't seen her since. She's a very good person and I bet you'd make adorable children together. Okay, I'm rambling now. Sorry sensei...I just...I really just miss you. A lot. Now you've made me cry...I just want to thank you, sensei. Thank you for everything.'

Just then, the wolves had sensed a presence approaching and Akira hastily wiped her tears. Heaving a deep breath, she mustered a shaky smile. "I guess it's time for me to go, sensei," she whispered. "Be well up there. And see you soon."

Despite saying goodbye, Akira lingered for a few more minutes, just reminiscing her days with her genin team and her sensei. Hayate was never a talkative man and he preferred showing than telling. But he respected Akira and treated her kindly. He knew she was a jinchuriki and unlike previous jounin-sensei who point-blank refused to include Akira in their teams and rejected any team where she'll be included, Hayate agreed to take her under his wing and train her. Even when Saburou and Daichi had joined, he still treated them equally. He was a great shinobi, and more importantly, a good man.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed another person standing in front of the memorial stone beside her. Akira looked up at the tall man and recognized him as Hatake Kakashi.

Neither spoke for a few seconds before Kakashi said, "You were crying."

Akira shrugged. "Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn't." She bowed curtly. "Ohayo, Kakashi-san."

"Ohayo," he replied. "You visited Hayate?"

"Hai. And my grandmother too, sir."

"Still with the 'Sir."

"Sorry."

They were silent again. Beside her, the wolves watched Kakashi carefully. There were cautious growls from the pack but they only eyed Kakashi warily.

"Your pack?" Kakashi asked the younger kunoichi.

Akira nodded. "Musha Ookami. Unique to my clan." At this the wolves barked in unison. Kakashi bowed in acknowledgement. "She's a pretty one," he remarked, gesturing at Sachiko. The said wolf barked again and wagged her tail amicably.

"Thank you," Akira replied. It was her turn to ask. "You're visiting someone too?"

The silver-haired jounin sighed. "Some friends," he drawled.

"And your father?"

The jounin bowed and Akira regretted her tactless remark. She was quick to apologize for affronting Kakashi. "I'm sorry sir," Akira said, bowing in apology. "I didn't mean to intrude upon your personal matters."

Kakashi stared at the redhead for a while. "No need for that, Akira," the jounin said light-heartedly. "And yes, I'm here to visit my father too."

Akira nodded. "Then I'll go now. Good day, sir."

Kakashi shook his head. "Still with the sir," he said, humor lacing his tone.

The redhaired kunoichi bit her lip and shrugged. Waving goodbye, she walked away followed by her pack of huge wolves. Kakashi followed her with his eyes before turning back to the KIA stone.

"Seems you taught her well, Hayate," he muttered to his old friend.

~~~~~~~~~

Saturday.

Hyuuga Neji sat down under the shade of a tree, his favorite spot for meditation after sparring with Tenten. Resting his back against the rough trunk, he loosened a button from his Hyuuga robes before closing his eyes and started meditating.

His acute hearing made him aware of Tenten walking around, the clinks of metals accompanying her every step. Although the weapons mistress is highly accomplished in terms of fuuinjutsu, Neji knows she still prefers to have a weapon within easy reach. That explains the constant sound of metal bumping against each other whenever Tenten moves about. Her weapons pouch is always replenished with kunai, shuriken, senbon and wire. As long as he can remember, the kunoichi never fails to bring anything bladed with her. Wherever Tenten is, expect to see weapons.

'Just like her. With that katana and wolf.'

Neji paused. Frowning, he asked himself why she had suddenly intruded his thoughts. It has been a week since he'd seen her last and he has done his best to ignore her presence. Neji opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

Abandoning the desire to meditate, he stood up and motioned to Tenten.

"Another spar?" the kunoichi asked. "But we just finished."

"I'm okay. Let's go."

Tenten eyed her teammate for a while. She could always tell if something's bugging him and right now, Tenten knew there was something. Shrugging, she readied her weapons and watched as he settled into his familiar stance.

"Are you sure, Neji?" she asked, worried. When he didn't reply, she pressed further. "Why don't we talk about it?"

'I can't,' Neji instead frowned. "Let's train instead, Tenten." 'Anything, just to rid my mind off her.'

~~~~~~~~

Author's Notes:

1. I often read fanfics where Hanabi is portrayed as more confident and stronger in will than Hinata but I often wonder if she had always been that way. I want to portray her as initially shy then growing in confidence sooner. Under the tutelage of Akira, of course.

2. I am a huge Ino fan and I don't like fics where she is written off as 'dumb blonde' or 'bitch'...I mean, the girl's beautiful and has improved a lot in Shippuden, much like Sakura. Let's just say that I don't like character bashing. :)

4. I cried a bit when Akira was speaking to Hayate. I don't know, I just got overwhelmed by the feels of it. I might write a chapter focusing on their sensei-student relationship.

~Akira