Prolog - Hana of the Blossoming Flowers

by DuaghterofStories

Summary:

The Hana is a civilian girl, granted the ability to transform into the magical protector of The Land of Fire. And in the fight against the nine-tails, the previous Hana was killed.
Now, after eight years, a new Hana has arisen. The Suki hana no Hana has granted their new charge her transformation sequence.
And the new Hana is Sakura Haruno.
The Prolog chapters tell the story of the Hana from an outsider's perspective, from when she debuted to when she officially became a genin. Each chapter is a different character interacting with her,

Notes:

Despite what you may see in the tags, Sakura does not show up much as Sakura in this fic. It's mostly her as The Hana.
Anyway, I love Magical Girls, and Sakura Haruno. So why not make her one of them?

Yeah, I was swinging when I came up with this and immediately had to write it out. This is just the prolog.

Chapter 1: Kakashi

 

The new Hana was a small child.

This didn’t surprise Kakashi. The Suki hana no Hana chooses a new Hana once they turn 8 years old. Of course, usually they stay beside the Older Protector until they’re a bit older, learning. But given that the previous Hana had died when the nine-tails attacked, it was no wonder.

She was jumping along the roofs, her pink costume fluttering, her hair, which was also pink, was tied up in two bow-like buns.

Kakashi had met the previous Hana. She’d had blonde hair, strong tits, and Kakashi remembers her being a tall and motherly presence.

Of course, the Hana held no attachments to the laws of Konoha. Many ninja found it annoying, but Hana had been there since the beginning of Konoha. Her job was to protect the people of Konoha, civilians and ninja. No attachment to the government or the law. If the government was found to pose a threat to the people, the Hana was obligated to go against them.

She had no choice.

Of course, it had been eight years since the previous Hana had died in the Nine-Tails attack. Kakashi had watched it happen. The Nine-Tails had bitten her. Her shriek of pain had echoed throughout the area, stunning the Nine-Tails for just a quick moment for Minato to get the upper-hand.

However, Kakashi had watched as her lifeless form fell to the ground, detransforming as she did so. Suki hana no Hana, the spirit who granted the Hana her powers, leaving the scene to find a new host. The second she hit the ground, a group of ANBU threw a blanket over her and buried her with the previous Hana who’d died in uniform. There were very few of them. Her identity a secret to the end.

And now the new one has appeared.

Selfishly, despite knowing that the new Hana had no mentor to teach her and she was a civilian with no training, Kakashi wished she had shown up a few weeks earlier. Before the massacre.

But now was not the time for that. The Hokage had told him to get the new Hana to visit him.

The Hana froze, the bows on her dress fluttering in the wind, the two petticoats fluffing up the skirt. She stood firm, her fan, a simple handheld one, was open and in a defensive position. Not the best defense, but it was a defensive one.

“What is an ANBU doing here?” she asked. Her voice was high, and her gloved hands shook almost imperceptibly.

“The Hokage has sent me to collect you.” Kakashi said, holding up his hands. “I mean no harm, he just wants to speak with you.”

“The position of Hana grants me the privilege to disobey the Hokage and the laws of Ninja, I do not need to go with you.” The girl looked terrified, her eyes wide. But she stands still, holds her ground. She had guts, and no doubt the Suki hana no Hana had told her to say so.

So, Kakashi walked forward slightly, keeping his hands up. He almost went to remove his Hound Mask, but ANBU identities were almost as much a secret as the Hana’s identity. Less so, but almost.

“The Hokage told me it was to discuss important things you need to know for the Protection of Konoha. Like, who to go to if you need help with a fight, or who our allies and enemies are among the summons world and the Ninja World. Things you wouldn’t have learned in school, but you need to know.” Kakashi said slowly, and softly.

The Hana stood still for a moment, scanning his body for any tells. Any clues that he was lying.

Of course, Kakashi wasn’t lying. But he let her be suspicious. She hadn’t solidified her position as the new Hana, she was right to distrust people.

Finally, she broke her defensive stance, dropping her fan and letting it snap shut. Her face had a flush, as if she’d applied too much blush. That wasn’t why, of course, and her green eyes were piercing as she walked up to him. “Fine then. Let’s go.”

The loops of her hair bounced as she started on the way to the Hokage’s tower. Her run was almost snake-like. She stayed perfectly level, not bobbing up and down even slightly. She swayed back and forth slightly, but she stayed on the same level.

Kakashi had heard that the Fuku and the Momo, who’s companions were both birds, could even fly, hovering above the ground, and gliding along with no contact with the ground. The Saki could float, as her companion was a flying fox. She couldn’t fly, but she could hover up to a couple inches off the ground.

However, the Hana had the smoothest movement. In the old times, when the Hana and the Saki had teamed up in Sand, he’d heard that she could even run effortlessly and smoothly across the sand, like a snake over sand. Even in heels.

Kakashi doubted this was true, as the Hana was a bit played up in legends. But it was a nice thought. After all, the Hana was the protector of Konoha. Even the oldest adults looked up to her.

There was a thud next to him. The Hana had returned.

“You’re being slow.” she said snappishly. “My parents say that if you invite someone somewhere, you have to join them.”

That was such a childish argument. “How old are you?” Kakashi asked in disbelief.

“I’m eight. That’s not the point.” she said, shaking her head. She did a small hop. Well, small for the Hana, this was higher than the average civilian could manage. With expert movements, she landed in Kakashi’s arms, which had instinctively opened to catch her. Under skirt, he could feel she was wearing bloomers.”Come on, carry me.” she said, kicking her legs, the pink and white heeled shoes glinting, the soft bows on top fluttering slightly.

Kakashi moved, carrying her as he made his way to the Hokage Tower. The Hana hummed as he did so, playing with his silver hair behind his mask.

“Is your hair gray from being old, or were you born like that?” she asked.

“Born that way.” Kakashi said simply.

“Why a dog for your mask.”

“My codename is Hound.”

“Why?”

Children were infuriatingly curious creatures. “I like dogs.”

“But Hounds are hunting creatures, not dogs.”

“They are dogs, and I am ANBU. Dog isn’t intimidating enough.”

“You’re not that intimidating.” she sounded reproachful.

“You’ve never seen me on the field.”

The Hana was quiet now, and Kakashi almost thanked the gods for letting her shut up for once when she spoke again. “If I ever see you on the field again I’ll remember this and you’ll look like a chihuahua trying to be intimidating.” she announced. This was decisive, but Kakashi wondered if her opinion would change. The ANBU and the Hana worked together on occasion.

Once they arrived at the Hokage Tower, the Hana patted his shoulder and dismounted from his arms. “Thank you puppy.” she told him, dusting off her skirt, the bronze beads clicking together.

“Don’t call me that.” Kakashi did not want to explain pet play to an eight year old.

The Hana pursed her lips in annoyance. “What can I expect?”

“He’ll tell you stuff like the identity of the jinchuuriki, and other things you wouldn’t learn another way.” The girl still looked nervous. “Would you like me to come in with you?” The girl was a civilian, she was likely very nervous of the Hokage.

The Hana nodded and reached up, holding his hand. Her hand was small and the glove was soft. She held his hand tightly, practically begging for reassurance. Kakashi was bad at this, but he tried. The Hana was eight. He wished Itachi was still here. He would know what to do, since Sasuke was the same age as the Hana said she was.

But, no. Itachi would probably try to kill the Hana, since the second she found out about the Massacre she would kill him.

Kakashi swung open the door, and led the Hana inside. She had a brave face on, but he could feel her small hand shaking.

“Lord Third.” said Kakashi respectfully. The Hokage looked surprised and then looked at the Hana.

“Third Hokage.” she said, not bothering to bow, or curtsey.

“Hound cannot stay for this meeting.” the Hokage said.

The Hana frowned and reached over, picking up a marker from his desk and scribbling on Kakashi’s mask for a moment. “There, now he’s my good friend Doggy, and Doggy can stay with me.” she announced.

The Hokage looked at Kakashi. Kakashi looked at the Hokage. The Hana also looked at the Hokage, this time very stubbornly.

“I’m sorry Hana.” said the Hokage after a moment. “But Doggy and Hound lack the proper credentials. If we share it with him here, he’ll have to be silenced. Permanently.”

The Hana gasped, and turned to Kakashi. “Go.” she said, shoving him out of the room. “Don’t worry Doggy, I’ll keep you safe.” she assured him.

Then she shut the door.

Kakashi pulled out Icha Icha and flipped it open. While he was alone, he took off his mask to see what the Hana had drawn. She had drawn a stuck out tongue on it, like a panting dog.

Kakashi chuckled and slid his mask back on. He would humor her for now.

He could hear the Hana’s voice yelling from inside the Hokage’s office, her fury clear. He couldn’t hear the words, but he could hear her tone. He wondered what the Hokage had told her.

Instead of ruminating on it, he looked back at his book, reading the familiar pages. The voices quieted again, and it seemed the Hokage had calmed her down.

“What’re you reading?” asked the Hana.

Kakashi startled. He knew the Hana didn’t have a Chakra presence. In order to prevent her identity from being revealed, the Suki hana no Hana had no chakra to be sensed, and in her Magical Girl form, her chakra was cloaked and not noticeable even by the best sensors.

“Nothing appropriate.” said Kakashi, tucking the book away.

“Doggy, you shouldn’t be reading things that are inappropriate.” the Hana scolded.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Kakashi slid the book away, then looked at the girl. “Would you like to go eat?”

The Hana tilted her head slightly. “I am hungry.” she admitted.

Kakashi leaned down and picked her up. “Good, hold on tight.”

The Hana wrapped her arms around his neck, wiggling slightly to sit comfortably.

Holding her safe, Kakashi leapt off the Hokage Tower. “Do you like instant ramen?”

A nod against his chest.

“Good, that’s the only thing I have that isn’t ration bars.” Kakashi chuckled.

“You should eat better. My mom always tells me I need to eat my veggies and be healthy so I can be strong.” The Hana said, and Kakashi could almost see her reproachful glare that was no doubt burning into the bottom of his face. “How are you supposed to be a strong ANBU if you can’t eat good food?”

Kakashi shook his head fondly. “Okay, but for now, instant ramen will have to do.”

The Hana nodded. “Good.”

Notes:

So yeah. Sorry if this was OOC, I am doing my best.

If you have anything you want to see in this, or different ships you might like, please let me know.

Chapter 2: Naruto

Summary:

Naruto has a crush on a girl in his class names Sakura.
But when there's a class discussion about the Hana, he ends up meeting her after class.

Notes:

"This timeline makes no sense." we're fudging it for plot reasons.
I'm on a roll, so this is coming quickly.

Naruto was used to people hating him. He didn’t know why.

He never knew his parents. He didn’t have any friends. Well, Shikamaru was pretty nice sometimes, but he wasn’t someone who went out of his way to make friends, already having Ino and Choji.

Sakura, a girl in his class, was pretty nice though. She had a soft smile, and on rare occasions, when Naruto was having a particularly rough day, he would catch her turning that smile towards him, eyes crinkled and teeth bared.

She didn’t seem to like him particularly, and her ex-friend Ino didn’t like him at all. But Sakura was never nasty. She didn’t go out of her way to hurt him. Which, Naruto figured, was a low bar.

He was sitting in class, resting his head on his arms while Sakura argued with Ino about something.

She was so pretty.

It was nearly the end of class, but Iruka-Sensei had gone out to discuss something with a Jonin teacher who needed advice on some new group of Genin. Because of this, the class was mostly messing around, unbothered by Mizuki-Sensei, who honestly also seemed unbothered.

Iruka-Sensei walked back into the room. “Everyone, shut up!” he called. “Today is an important lesson.”

“What a drag.” Shikamaru muttered.

“The Hana has been confirmed to be back.” Iruka said. Naruto saw Sakura’s eyes widen, and he himself was very interested. Sasuke was annoyed though, looking away. He remembered that the news that the Hana had returned only came after the Massacre. “So, today we’ll be going over who the Hana is, and what the Protectors are meant to do.”

Mizuki-Sensei was sitting beside him, looking annoyed about the conversation.

“So.” said Iruka-Sensei, writing ‘The Hana’ on the board and underlining it. “What do you already know about the Hana?”

Ino raised her hand. She then shot a confused look at Sakura, who kept her hand down. That was weird. Sakura and Ino were normally neck-in-neck to answer first.

“Yes Ino?”

“The Hana is a title passed to whoever possesses the spirit of the Suki hana no Hana.” Ino said pridefully.

“And what is the Suki hana no Hana?” Iruka-Sensei asked her, writing this on the board.

Ino paused for a second, thinking. “The snake spirit who grants the Hana her power. One of the Five Spirits.”

“And does anyone know any of the other Spirits?”

Kiba raised his hand. “Kibo Sakihokoru from Sand gives the power to the Saki.”

“Correct. Any others?”

Sakura raised her hand, and Iruka pointed to her. “Fukukaze no fuku gives the power to the Fuku in Mist, Momo no ki no momo gives the power to the Momo in Cloud, and Mebaeta Yume gives the power to the Yume in Rock.” she said, seeming embarrassed instead of proud for knowing.

Iruka-Sensei looked surprised at that. “Yes, good job Sakura. Correct. Of course, it’s likely none of you will meet them, as the protectors don’t work together unless it’s truly a world ending emergency. But, if you visit one of their territories, then you might meet them.”

Naruto’s hand shot up.

“Yes?” Iruka-Sensei asked.

“The Hana is allowed to break the laws of Konoha as long as it’s for the good of the Civilians of Konoha.”

“Correct.” Iruka-Sensei said, nodding. Naruto lit up, happy he got it right. “While it hasn’t happened to the Hokage, there have been records of previous Hana even killing politicians who were hurting the civilians.”

Sakura stiffened at that. “The Hana’s identity is also a secret.” she said. “To the point where her Chakra, should she use any, is cloaked so solidly in uniform that she can’t be tracked by even the most prolific sensors.”

“That’s another important thing.” said Iruka-Sensei, nodding. “The Hana’s identity is such a secret that, should they die on the field, she is immediately covered with a blanket and buried without even being looked at by anyone. Her family will never know and likely be told she’s missing or dead and her body couldn’t be recovered. Even the Hokage is forbidden from knowing. Luckily, it’s extremely unlikely she will die on the field, only happening a few times.”

“Including eight years ago,” said Shikamaru quietly.

The class went quiet at the reminder of the infamous attack.

“Yes, the previous Hana died fighting the nine-tails.” said Iruka-Sensei quietly. He shook his head slightly. “Regardless, the majority of Hana have trained their successors, then peacefully vanished to live presumably happy lives as civilians and die, hopefully surrounded by friends and family. Now, can anyone tell me what her weapon is?”

Hinata raised her hand timidly. Iruka-Sensei seemed pleased.

“Yes Hinata?”

“It’s a fan that’s as sharp as the sharpest kunai and can deflect even the strongest blow. It works as a shield and a slashing weapon.”

“Yes, that is true. Now, I don’t expect any of you will see this in action anytime soon, but–”

“I saw the Hana last week!” said Ino, waving her hand. “She visited the Yamanaka compound to talk with Dad!”

“Congratulations Ino.” said Choji. “What was she like?”

“She was about our age, and she had long pink hair with green eyes.” Ino said, sighing. “I wish I had her hair, it looked so soft and bounced when she jumped.”

“What did she talk to your dad about?” Naruto couldn’t help asking. He shrank back when Ino gave him a disgusted look, but luckily she seemed to want to brag.

“Well, I don’t know exactly. It was top secret, and she needed information from the T&I department apparently. But she did ask me where Dad was and said my hair was pretty.”

“Lucky.” said Akira, another classmate. “It’s true though, your hair is so nice.”

Ino reached up to touch her hair, running her fingers through the long blond ponytail. “I know. I’m glad she can recognize superiority.” she turned. “Have you met her yet, Sakura?”

“No.” said Sakura with a small sigh.

“Well,” said Ino. “I can see she has taste then.”

Naruto frowned. Sakura was way better than Ino. If the Hana had any taste, she would have chosen to see her first. She only met Ino because she couldn’t find her father.

The bell rang for the end of class, and Naruto got up, racing out of the classroom. He needed to get groceries. He stretched as far as he could, but Iruka-Sensei already spent far too much money buying him Ichiraku’s, and his monthly orphan stipend from the Hokage had just come in.

He’d probably only be able to afford some instant ramen, but he knew the vendors increased the prices on him, and him alone, for some reason. So instant ramen with some meat or veggies was the healthiest thing he could get.

His jumpsuit was getting a bit short, but he didn’t have the money to get food and get a new outfit.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his frog money purse. He carefully counted as he walked. 15000 yen. If he got the cheapest option, and the nice girl who let him buy things, instead of just refusing service, was at the register, he could get 30 packs. She was definitely making him pay more, but she didn’t refuse him service or make him buy the worst quality food.

If he ate once a day, and ate Ichiraku with Iruka-Sensei a few days, he’d have enough for the whole month.

However, when he got to the market and entered the place her got ramen, he was disappointed to realize it was the owner, who hated him with a passion. Naruto quickly backed out nervously and bumped into someone.

With a panic, Naruto spun around. “I’m sorry,” he said, before pausing.

The person he’d bumped into was the Hana. She had pink hair, up in two bows. Her green eyes were sparkling and her dress was fluffy and the bronze beads clinked as her skirt fluttered from when he bumped into it.

“Hello. Naruto, right?” asked the Hana, holding out a hand.

Nervously, Naruto reached out and grabbed her hand, letting her pull him up. “Why are you shopping as the Hana?” he asked, before slapping a hand over his mouth. He didn’t want to piss off the woman who protected him from death.

“A lot of people give me free food or discounts.” the girl was taller than him, and wearing a pair of heeled shoes on top of that. “What has you scrambling from the store?” she asked, jutting her chin at the shop he came from, holding a basket in one hand and a receipt in the other.

“The store owner is working the register and he doesn’t like me. He always charges me a ridiculous amount.” Naruto admitted sheepishly.

“So why are you buying there?” She sounded genuine, which hurt. How could she not know?

“Because everyone else charges me worse.”

The Hana stared at him for a moment. “Nope, come on. Let’s get you some good food.”

She pulled up to a stop to buy eggs. “A dozen eggs.” she said calmly.

The egg seller looked at Naruto, then looked back up. “No can do. I’m not selling to the demon.” she spat. She was old, with long grey hair and wrinkles on her face and all over her hands. She was hunched over on her cane, but her chickens were in the back, and they looked very healthy and happy.

The Hana leaned in. “Really? You’ll refuse me service?”

“That kids a threat to Konoha and you should end him instead of siding with him.” the woman said.

Naruto flinched. That was true. He waited for a moment, thinking the Hana would abandon him, To his surprise, she pulled him closer, flicking open her fan.

The Hana leaned in, a shark-like smile on her face. “I think you forget I decide who is a threat to Konoha. If I decide you’re a threat to the health or safety of a civilian, such as Naruto, then I have the liberty to take you out.”

In the end, Naruto got four dozen eggs for 1592.96 yen. Which was market price. Naruto had never gotten good food at market price. The Hana had even gone through both cartons and taught Naruto how to identify good or bad eggs. All the eggs were even healthy and good.

For 50.59 yen, he got three pounds of potatoes, which was also market price.

While the potato seller didn’t outright refuse him food, he tried to sell him worse products, then the better products at a higher price.

Luckily, the Hana was there, and after a few moments of opening and closing her fan, the potato seller gave him good potatoes for market price.

“Next we’ll get some bread. You do have a good refrigerator, right?”

“Yeah.” Naruto had a shopping cart, and was feeling better than he’d ever felt before. Someone was on his side, and he was going to eat good for this month at least.

“Good.”

The bread seller ignored Naruto, as if he was an annoying pet, or if he didn’t exist. At least he did until Naruto passed him 163 yen for a loaf of bread. Then he snatched the yen from his hand and turned away in disgust.

“How much do you have left?” asked the Hana.

Naruto counted quickly. “13193.45 yen.” he said after a moment.

The Hana smiled to herself, mentally doing some math. “Okay, next week we’ll meet up again and buy more food.”

Naruto nodded ad started on his way home.

The Hana hummed, following him. “Eat two eggs at three meals each day. Boiled or scrambled, either works. Be sure to have some bread, possibly in a sandwich. Slice the potatoes and eat them as well. Keep the eggs in the fridge and the potatoes in the package unless you’re taking one out to eat. The bread can be anywhere, but I recommend it in the fridge.”

Then, she reached out and started to guide him in another direction. “Now, let’s buy you some new clothes, those clearly don’t fit.”

“Oh, no, I’m good.” said Naruto, waving his hands frantically.

The Hana sighed slightly. “Fine. But I am walking you home.”

She walked him back to his apartment, spinning her fan.

“You know Naruto, you’re oddly quiet for an eight year old.” she said, tapping his nose with the edge of her fan, but the casing part, not the sharp part.

“I’m not normally. I just ran out of food.” Naruto said, shrugging. “Just ask Iruka-Sensei. I’m kind of a good prankster.”

“Wow, impressive. And the Jonin don’t stop you?”

“They try.”

“Impressive.”

Notes:

"Wow, why is she so nice to Naruto?" I'll explain it in a later chapter, but she knows he's the jinchuuriki, so...

from Imgflip Meme Generator

Anyway, please kudos and comment.
Also, who do you want Naruto to date in this verse? If you have any ideas, please let me know. As long as it's not Sasuke.

Chapter 3: Iruka

Summary:

The Hana gets Naruto after a prank, and she talks to Iruka.

Notes:

I do not know how to write Iruka, I'm sorry.

Anyway, Naruto and Sakura act like children in this chapter, because they are children.

Taking care of Naruto was an honor. It really was, Iruka loved Naruto and didn’t regret choosing to take care of him when he could. Even if it was on a student teacher’s salary, and he was newly 18, and he had to deal with the glares and hate of the villagers calling him a traitor. He still loved being able to take care of Naruto.

But at the same time, Naruto was a terror of a child.

Ever since the Hana had started helping Naruto get groceries and make sure people didn’t raise the price or outright refuse service, a few months ago, Naruto had more energy. He was able to pay his rent on time every month, and eat full meals everyday.

Of course, this was a good thing. Naruto needed to eat food, and it was a good thing the Hana didn’t consider him a threat like many civilians did. However…

Looking at the graffiti on the Hoage monument, Iruka sighed. It seemed that realizing he wasn’t a threat to the girl in charge of deciding who was a threat gave him a strong sense of belief that he should do more.

He hadn’t met the Hana yet, but he’d heard Naruto talk about her.

She was tall, she used her power to make sure that Naruto got proper feeding, she’d even broken the arms of a couple genin who tried to mess with him, declaring them threats to civilians and their safety. More specifically one civilian, Naruto.

“Iruka-Sensei?” asked a voice.

Iruka turned around to see the Hana standing there. She looked just how Naruto described her. Pink hair in two bow-like buns, the pink-and-white dress with petticoats underneath. She had the bows, connected by bronze beads, across the front.

And, in one hand, she was carrying Naruto. The boy was asleep, likely knocked out by the Hana or a jonin who’d tried to get him.

“Ah, sorry for that Hana.” said Iruka, bowing slightly and taking Naruto from her.

“It’s no problem.” she said, waving her hand. “My mom always says children are supposed to be rowdy and cause trouble. Granted, Naruto is a bit more extreme than most kids, but, well…” The Hana shrugged. “What can you do about it?”

Suddenly, what the Hana had said connected. “Wait, did you call me Iruka-Sensei?”

“Umm… Yeah? You are a teacher, right?” The Hana seemed nervous all of a sudden. She was shifting from foot to foot. She was silent, a perk of being the holder of the snake, but she was clearly worried. Of course. She must be worried he was trying to figure out who she was. Many people in the past had tried to figure out the identity of the Hana, but it never worked.

“Ah, don’t worry, I just know Naruto refers to me as such, and you don’t have to, as I’m not your teacher.” Iruka explained quickly.

The Hana immediately calmed down, her shifting stopping, and the tension in her shoulders seeping. “Yes, of course.” she said.

It was quiet for a moment before Iruka spoke again. “Why are you so nice to Naruto?”

The Hana shot him a confused look.

“Not in a mean way, it’s just, most people your age are cruel to him, and I imagine the Hokage has told you of his identity.”

This clarification made the Hana pause, thinking. “Well, I do know his identity.” she agreed. “And that’s why I’m nice. At least, at first.”

“Most adults did the opposite. I did, when I was younger. Of course, I changed my mind, but…”

The Hana just giggled. “Call me crazy but I feel like being mean to the kid with a village destroying demon inside his body, when you live in a village, is not the smartest idea. I doubt he will turn evil, of course. Now that I know him, he’s a sweet kid. But if he does, on the slim chance he decides ‘screw it all, I’m getting revenge on those who were mean to me’, I won’t be one of the people he’s getting revenge on.”

Iruka chuckled. “That’s fair. I used to resent him, but then I met him and he was just a kid, wearing an obnoxious orange jumpsuit and vying for attention. I couldn’t resent him after that. I just couldn’t.”

The Hana nodded slightly, then looked at Naruto. “The Hokage also informed me of his healing powress, from his clan.”

“His what?”

“Oh.” The Hana looked surprised. “The Uzumaki Clan, known for their supernatural healing abilities and nigh endless chakra reserves. They’ve all mostly died out now though.”

This information was news to Iruka. “Huh. I’ve never heard of the Uzumaki Clan…”

The Hana looked ashamed. “Let’s take Naruto home. He’ll wake up soon.” she said, neglecting to respond.

The walk was quiet. The Hana shifted side to side as she walked, silent and smooth. She held Naruto as she did so, and when they reached his house, she placed him into his bed, walking out to the kitchen area, where Iruka was sitting.

Then she sighed. “I guess an explanation is in order, since I explained it.” she said finally.

“You don’t have to–”

She shook her head. “No. I should.”

“The Second to Last Hana deemed them a threat and had them wiped from the records. She attempted to kill them off as well, but her protege, my predecessor, ended up managing to stop her. She’s the only Hana to fight against the wellbeing of Konoha citizens. She was buried as a civilian, her identity only disclosed to the Hokage and her protege. Even those who buried her were told she was a civilian caught in the crossfire. Officially, the Hana was retired. But it’s still… It’s the worst move a Hana has ever made.”

She seemed reluctant to share this, which didn’t surprise Iruka. It was clear this was a closely guarded secret.

“Of course, I must swear you to secrecy on this.” she added, reaching out to hold his hands in a desperate plea.

“Of course.” Iruka said immediately, and with no hesitation. He had no intention of revealing such an important secret.

“Good.” The Hana relaxed. “Would you like to get Ramen with Naruto and I later? I promised him some to convince him to come close enough to me for me to knock him out.”

The question eased the tension considerably, and Iruka smiled easily. “Of course. I’ve been wanting to get to know you. Anyone who’s nice to Naruto is good in my book, and he sings your praises so often, I’m starting to believe he’s given up on his classmate crush.”

“Oh?” The girl looked at him. “His classmate crush?”

Iruka smiled fondly. “He’s had a crush on this girl in his class for years.”

The Hana seemed to think for a second. “He’s in the same grade as the Yamanaka girl, right? Ino?”

“Yes, but the girl he has a crush on is–”

He was halfway through the sentence when a small blur of orange and yellow blazed past him and slammed a hand over Iruka’s mouth. “Okay, thank you Iruka-Sensei, you don’t need to say more.” he said, blushing deeply.

The Hana just giggled.

“So, you have a crush on me do you?” She teased, amusement on her face.

“No!” said Naruto insistently. “I’m loyal!”

“Good. I would never associate with someone who abandons ideals so easily. Tell me though, have you confessed to this girl yet?”

Naruto flushed and shook his head. “No. I have to be a better Shinobi to confess. She’s so beautiful, and one of the smartest girls in our class. Once I’ve become a genin, or maybe a chuunin, I’ll be strong enough to stand next to her and confess to her. It’ll take me a while, but I’ll get there.”

It was quiet for a minute as the Hana thought over this. She looked contemplative, as if mulling over what he’d said. Finally, the Hana chuckled. “Well Naruto, I’m sure you’ll be there in no time.” she said calmly, ruffling his hair.

“Do you have a crush?” Naruto asked her.

The Hana flushed underneath her already blush covered cheeks.

However, Iruka was horrified. “You can’t ask that.” he hissed. “It might reveal her identity.”

“Oh.” Naruto blushed as well, giving a small bow to the Hana. “I’m sorry Hana.” he said.

“It’s fine.” The Hana reached out a hand. “I do, but I can’t disclose who it is.” she pressed her finger to her lips to indicate secrecy. “Now come on Kit, we need to get some Ramen. It’s not gonna eat itself.”

Naruto jumped up in excitement and raced to the door, pulling on his shoes and his coat.

“Kit?” Iruka asked.

The Hana blushed. “It’s the term for a baby fox.” she explained., adjusting her skirt and how it fell over her petticoat, beads clicking against each other. “When he does find out, and he will, I don’t want his association with foxes to be negative.”

Then the Hana walked over to Naruto, laughing and talking to him.

Iruka smiled. It was a good thing Naruto had a friend his own age, even if the friend was a girl whose identity he could never know and he would lose eventually, not to battle, but to simply never knowing. Unaware if she died or was alive. Or even if she had kids.

But hey, a friend his age was better than none.

“Wait for me.” Iruka said, pulling on his sandals and leaving the house after them, chuckling. “I assume I’m paying after all.”

The Hana and Naruto looked at each other, giggling. “Yeah.” They both chorused in unison.

“Kids.” said Iruka with a smile.

“You’re still a kid!” said the Hana. “You’re not 20 yet!”

“Only civilians are adults at 20. Shinobi are adults once they reach Genin level.” said Iruka, shaking his head.

The Hana pouted slightly. As any eight year old would.

Naruto got to Ichiraku’s before the Hana got there, and she pouted a bit at losing the imaginary race. However, she simply hopped up onto the stool beside Naruto, with a grace and elegance most people lack. Even most shinobi.

She seemed to float in the air, landing like a leaf floating down to the ground.

It was unlike the movements of the Fuku, whose bird spirit and feather weapon allowed her to float elegantly and even fly unassisted.

However, it was still one of the most elegant moves that many shinobi could only dream of.

“Hello Naruto. Hello Hana.” said Teuchi. “Ah, and hello Iruka. It’s been a while.”

“I’ve been busy,” said Iruka simply. It was true.

In the end, they all ordered something different. The Hana ordered a plain small ramen, saying her mother was cooking tonight and she didn’t want to not eat anything at dinner. Meanwhile, Naruto ordered the special in a large. Because of the nine-tails, and also because of him being a malnourished child, Naruto ate a lot of food.

Iruka just ordered normal ramen, in a normal size.

The Hana and Naruto were talking. Naruto was discussing the history assignment that Iruka had assigned. Given that the Hana had the Suki hana no Hana, an immortal spirit who had been there through the recorded history of the nations, this was a good move.

The Hana was laughing slightly. “Suki hana no Hana is very opinionated I will say. Her thoughts on the Hokage’s are very strong. I wouldn’t recommend going to her if you want an unbiased opinion. Though, admittedly, very little of recorded history is.”

Iruka was going to use the assignment to explain that point, but he was thankful the Hana was explaining it. She had a way of speaking. Perhaps it was simply because she was also eight years old, but she seemed to be able to explain things to Naruto easier than the teachers did.

“Do you have any opinions on the events?”

“Naruto… I’m nine.” said the Hana with a dry look. “What opinions could I give?”

Naruto, however, had frozen. “Your birthday passed? Why didn’t you tell me!?”

She looked at him dryly. “My identity is a secret.”

Iruka chuckled, listening to Naruto try and explain how telling her birthday wasn’t sharing the identity, and he wanted to celebrate her.

Kids.

Notes:

I hope you guys enjoyed!
Please kudos and comment! I liked writing this chapter!

from Imgflip Meme Generator

Chapter 4: Shikamaru

Summary:

Shikamaru takes a nap.

Notes:

Wow, this chapter is short lol. Why did it take so long if it's this short? I forgot about uploading it and started working on the next one.
Please enjoy!

The Nara clan was a clan of geniuses.

Shikamaru was no exception.

All this fuss for what. He mused, listening in as Naruto bragged about how the Hana had eaten ramen with him and Iruka-Sensei.

Sure, Shikamaru knew the Hana was important, who didn’t, but he didn’t see what the fuss about her was. She was just a girl. An extremely powerful girl, but still just a girl.

Ino was also yapping about it. The difference was, as their clans were friends, he couldn’t just leave Ino when she talked on and on about how the Hana had complimented her hair one time.

It made sense. Where other, smaller ninja villages had popular singers or play actors, and everyone knew the most famous of ninjas, like the Copy Nin, Kakashi of the Sharingan, the main five had the Protectors. And the Hana was Konoha’s.

It made sense why everyone was all over her.

It didn’t mean that Shikamaru found it reasonable. Of course, he’d never met the Hana, but the things he’d heard made her sound very normal. Just another nine year old.

“Your hair is pretty similar to the Hana’s.” said Ino. “If you just took care of it some more, maybe you could even look like her.”

Sakura smiled thinly. “Thanks for the advice, Ino.”

“How about you Sasuke?” Ino asked, turning. Of course. Because everything for these girls was about Sasuke. “What do you think of the Hana?”

Sasuke was, of course, brooding. It made sense that he was. His entire clan was murdered a little under a year ago. Didn’t mean it was tolerable to watch him be a jerk to everyone.

“I despise the Hana.” said Sasuke. “She was too late to save my clan. And I will never forgive her.”

The class was quiet for a moment. Then Naruto spoke up.

“Wow Sasuke, what a downer. It’s clear you’ve never met her. She’s the best. She bought me these fox ears for a headband and taught me how to make tanghulu.” he said loudly. “She always says she’s not strong enough to stop any real dangers yet, but she will be.”

Sasuke shrugged and turned away.

What. A. Drag.

Shikamaru leaned down and rested his head on his arms.

Sakura, who sat beside Sasuke, didn’t say anything, instead just retying the ribbon to her hair, as it had slipped off earlier. Weird. Usually, Sakura would come to Sasuke’s defense against Naruto. This time, however, she didn’t seem to care at all.

That was weird.

Ino, however, in true Yamanaka fashion, had no such feelings, and immediately spoke up.

“I dunno Naruto. My mom always says you’re a danger to the village. She’s probably just making sure you don’t hurt anyone.”

This made Sakura react, which made Shikamaru raise an eyebrow. Granted, she’d been more uncaring about Naruto recently, but he hadn’t expected her to defend him. Which is what she did.

“Really Ino? Have you forgotten already? If he was a threat to the people, she would be required to immediately take him out. She even snapped those Genins’ arms for trying to hurt him. She clearly doesn’t consider him a threat. And until he passes the Genin Exam, he’ll be considered a civilian.”

Ino glared at Sakura. Shikamaru had to stifle a small laugh. This wasn’t his problem, but it was funny regardless.

“Well, umm…” the blond girl fumed silently, her face scrunched in annoyance.

“She’s right.” said Sasuke. “She may have been too late to save my clan, but I know if that man ever returned, she would end him. Her job is to take care of any threat to Konoha and the citizens. If Naruto was a threat, he wouldn’t be here.”

Sakura seemed to stiffen at that, and Ino was red in the face, both embarrassed at being corrected and for Sasuke choosing Sakura’s side over her’s.

“I thought you hated her?” said Naruto, equally surprised that Sasuke had defended him. Or, moreso defended Sakura. But also defended him.

“I do. However, I hate her for an actual reason. Not being petty because she refuses to kill my classmate.” Sasuke said calmly.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and lay his head back down. If Sasuke was just going to be dramatic, he didn’t need to be involved. And Sasuke was always dramatic, so it wasn’t even that interesting.

Naruto had turned to Sakura. “I think your hair is much prettier than the Hana’s.” he said.

Sakura just looked past him with a blank expression, as if what Naruto had said was ironic, or amusing in the sense it was stupid, then smiled at him and said thanks.

Shikamaru sighed at that. Naruto really should get over his crush on Sakura. Even if she had been nicer to Naruto as of late, she was still very much gone on Sasuke. Such a crush would only lead to heartbreak.

Shikamaru ended up falling asleep, to no one’s surprise.

He woke up at the end of the class and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, getting out of his seat and making his way to the door.

Once he’d gotten home, he grabbed a blanket and went to the backyard. He wanted to lay on the grass and watch the clouds, but the grass was still a bit wet from the rain the night prior.

As he walked out of the house, he was surprised to see a pink figure standing in the trees. It was clearly the Hana.

Despite having never seen the Hana before, he recognized the pink hair, in two bow-like buns, and the pink-and-white dress.

She seemed to be swaying. Shikamaru frowned and got closer. Her eyes were closed, and abruptly, her body pitched forward, the edges of her dress beginning to sparkled and vanish, her hair slowly loosening from the buns.

Shikamaru immediately realized what was happening. The Hana had passed out and was transforming back into her true identity.

Shikamaru panicked and grabbed his blanket, tossing it at the Hana, shutting his eyes as he did so. Knowing the identity of the Hana was essentially a death sentence.

When Shikamaru looked back, the Suki hana no Hana was resting above the blanket, and had pulled it completely over the limp figure, wrapping her up so she was surrounded by the blanket.

“Shikamaru Nara.” it muttered thoughtfully, looking him over.

Shikamaru felt very judged all of a sudden.

Then the spirit simply wrapped itself around the limp form and fell asleep. It seemed unbothered, knowing that Shikamaru would not look upon its host.

Such a level of trust made Shikamaru feel honored. He carefully reached out and slid his hands underneath the Hana’s form, wrapped like sushi.

Then he spun back to the house and raced inside. “Mama!” he called, setting the Hana down on the couch.

In no time at all, Yoshino Nara was downstairs, and staring at the pile of blankets and the sleeping spirit atop them.

“What happened?” she asked, looking at Shikamaru in disbelief.

Shikamaru sighed and waved his hand a bit wildly. “I went outside and I saw her fall unconscious. It’s the Hana in there, but she’s detransformed, so leave it alone.” he explained rapidly.

Quite uncharacteristically, Shikamaru was rushing around the kitchen. There were a variety of coffees and caffeinated teas scattered around the kitchen and he chose a variety of them, laying them all out and starting to boil some water.

“Shikamaru, what are you doing?” asked Yoshino, amused.

Shikamaru just shook his head. “Once the Hana wakes up, she’ll transform. Give her some coffee or tea. Whichever she prefers.” he said. Then he ran upstairs, grabbing a couple more blankets from a linen closet.

Shikamaru ran back downstairs, taking the steps two at a time to move faster. The Hana was in his house. Ino was going to die of jealousy. Not that he cared enough to tell her.

As he hit the bottom of the stairs and ran to the living room, he could see his mom pouring the now boiling water into two cups.

Shikamaru took the first blanket and draped it over the Hana as well. Then he took the other and lay down on the couch next to her.

Within seconds, he was passed out and dreaming.

The dream was pretty simple.

The Hana, not the current incarnation but the previous one, was sitting on the ground, petting a snake, the Suki hana no Hana.

The woman frowned. “There in an intruder in our dream.” she spat.

Shikamaru realized she was looking behind him, and his dream form spun around, seeing the true form of the Hana for a brief second before waking up.

Shikamaru breathed heavily. He’d fallen off the couch, and there was wiggling in the blanket roll.

“Close your eyes!” the Suki hana no Hana said, and Shikamaru did so, closing his eyes and turning away.

He heard the blankets thump to the ground around him, and the scent of Sakura flowers fluttered around the room.

“You can open your eyes.” said the Hana bitterly.

Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked at her, eyes wide.

“Well. I guess you saw me.” said the Hana with a sigh.

“Only for a second. I saw you had pink hair and red clothes, but I think most people already knew that.” Shikamaru lied. He’d seen her eyes and the look of horror on her face.

The face of his classmate, Sakura Haruno.

Notes:

Wow, fun chapter. I have no clue how to write Shikamaru, can you tell?

from Imgflip Meme Generator

Please kudos and comment, it's what gives me motivation. <3

Chapter 5: Sasuke

Summary:

Sasuke meets the Hana.

Notes:

Wow, I've actually had this done since before I posted Shikamaru, I just forgot while writing the next couple chapters.

Sasuke sat quietly at the top of Hokage monument.

He couldn’t kill himself, but tossing himself off the top looked nice.

But no. He couldn’t die. Not until he’d killed Itachi. No matter how lost he felt, how abandoned he felt. No matter how few people wanted to be around him, it was better that way. The less people around him, the less people to interrupt his mission.

Click.

Sasuke turned around, throwing a kunai. The figure who had landed behind him was a blur of pink and white as she deflected it, sliding out of the way of his next kunai as well.

The Hana was quick in her movements, but Sasuke’s eyes burned with tears and he couldn’t make out who it was. Her fan flew back and forth, stopping any kunai from coming near her. She had no intention of killing Sasuke, he was her age and he was still a kid. He was no threat to someone whose power was that of a god’s.

Sasuke knew that but he continued, flinging kunai after kunai at her, watching as she effortlessly flicked her fan side to side, blocking each one with a small metallic shing.

A thought occurred to Sasuke. He grabbed his kunai and threw it low.

The Hana was too slow, and it embedded itself in her leg.

With that one moment, the Hana shrieked and lunged forward. With her fan open, she slashed across the front of Sasuke’s face.

Sasuke gasped at the blood dripping down his face and stumbled backwards towards the edge of the monument.

“Oh. Oh no.” the Hana muttered. She ran forward, and grabbed Sasuke, pulling him upwards and setting him down. “I’m so sorry Lord Uchiha, I reacted without thinking.” she pulled out a handkerchief and started to blot at his face, ripping off the arm of her dress in order to tie above her leg as she pulled out the kunai, wrapping it to stop the blood flow. “Oh shit. Oh fuck. I can’t… that was the promise, you can’t die.”

Sasuke didn’t understand what she was saying, but he didn’t flinch as she carefully blotted his face.

“Oh I fucked up. I’m sorry, Lord Uchiha.”

Sasuke blinked. What did she just say? “What?”

“I said I’m sorry, Lord Uchiha.” The Hana repeated. It was expected he wouldn’t hear her perfectly.

“No, the Lord Uchiha bit. What’s that about?”

“Well, as the last Uchiha, you are technically the Lord of the Clan. Even if there isn’t exactly a clan to be in charge of.” She paused, thinking about it for a moment. “I mean, Itachi could technically be considered the Lord, being the oldest living Uchiha, but considering he left the village and defected, I assume the mantle was passed to you.”

Sasuke stared at her. “How dare you act as if you respect me.” he snapped.

The Hana didn’t seem surprised at the venomous hatred, simply leaning back to let Sasuke vent.

“You’re the reason my clan is dead. You didn’t come and save them.”

“I was eight.” snapped the Hana. “And I didn't have my power yet. What was I supposed to do? We had the same power level. I was less powerful than you if anything, because I didn’t have a fucking clan.”

“You could’ve done something. There’s no way you didn’t know, the Suki hana no Hana would have shown itself to you;. You couldn’t have told anyone?”

“And how would the Suki hana no Hana know about the plan? It was a secret. Ever wonder why no one came? Because no one knew except those that enacted it. They didn’t have any allies, anyone who was there to help them escape, or anything. It was just them, and they did it without ever speaking of it.”

Then, the Hana rose, flicking open her fan. “If it makes you feel better, I will spar you. But I can tell you that once I’m strong enough, and I have the experience, those responsible for the Massacre will suffer. It is my job to help the citizens and enact justice. If I cannot save them, I will avenge their souls.”

Sasuke shook his head. “No. Itachi is for me to deal with.”

To his surprise, the Hana was quick to answer, and shrugged, as if confused, not even thinking about it. “Okay.” she said with a small smile. “Though, be careful. He who leaves for revenge must dig two graves before. I think.” She paused, thinking. “Yeah, pretty sure that’s the saying.” she finally said, nodding.

“What?”

“It basically means that revenge is a self-destructive act, and you will hurt yourself on a single minded quest for revenge,” said the Hana. She did a flip, sitting down on the edge of the monument, looking off the edge. “This is a good view, I can see why you’re up here.”

“Are you crazy.” said Sasuke, now standing behind her and stomping. “Revenge is the one thing I live for.”

The Hana turned, raising an eyebrow. “Yeesh, that’s depressing. You’re destroying yourself already and you haven’t even started.”

Sasuke stared at her. “What do you mean? I’m not destroying myself, I’m improving myself.”

It was quiet, the wind whistling around them. The Hana didn’t respond, kicking her good leg slightly.

“Yeah you are.” she finally said. “There are lots of things to live for.”

“No there’s not. Everyone in my clan is dead. None of my classmates really like me, any girls that have crushes on me just do that because I apparently look good. The teachers refuse to teach me how to fight well enough to defeat Itachi.”

“Yeah, okay, then not people. But come on.” The Hana reached out and picked up a spider that was crawling over the Hokage monument. She was unbothered by it, carefully depositing it onto the spider web it had been making its way towards. “There’s lots to live for. I mean, look, this little spider is worth living for.”

“No it’s not.” Sasuke said stubbornly.

The Hana sighed. “Before I was given my title, I wanted to be a ninja.” she finally said. “I had a crush on an older ninja, and I wanted to fight alongside him. He told me not to, that he was sent on dangerous missions. Missions that killed lesser ninja. I told him I wouldn’t be lesser. I’d be the best of the best, and I would fight alongside him.”

Sasuke looked at the Hana quietly, letting her speak.

“He died.” the Hana’s voice was hollow. “He went on a mission, and his teammates returned. I begged for information on him. They said he died because he had a score to settle and didn’t let them help. He’d said he would do it on his own.

“And he died for it.”

Sasuke didn’t interrupt her, letting her take a shuddering breath before continuing.

“I don’t want that to happen to you Sasuke. He had a life ahead of him and so do you. You shouldn’t throw it all away because of one man. You need to restore the clan. You can bring them back to glory. Not alone, but you can. And you can’t do that if all you ever focus on is getting revenge.”

The Hana stood up. “Of course, I can’t tell you what to do. You’re a person and have free will. But my point is, people care for you. The world cares for you. Don’t let down the world. You have so much you can do.”

Sasuke was quiet. “I still want revenge.” he said after a moment.

The Hana smiled. “And you can still get it. But don’t make it your only goal. In the end, you’ll kill yourself. Literally or metaphorically.”

Sasuke sat beside her, staring out at the Konoha landscape.

“You should be a ninja.” he said softly.

The Hana giggled. “It’s not allowed. After all, if I went on a mission, I wouldn’t be here to protect Konoha.”

Sasuke shook his head. “You wanted to be the best of the best,” he pointed out.

A small laugh escaped the Hana’s lips. “No, I wanted to impress a boy.”

“So then reclaim that dream. It’s your life. Being the Hana shouldn’t stop you from being a ninja if that’s what you truly want. Plenty of ninja spend most of their time in the village.”

The Hana was quiet. “What did you want to be as a kid?” she finally asked.

This made Sasuke quiet down. What had he wanted to do as a kid? It felt like so long ago that he’d focused on anything other than killing Itachi. “I wanted my father to look at me with pride, like he did Itachi. I was never good enough in his eyes.”

The Hana was quiet.

“Well…” she said, tilting her head. “You’re the best Uchiha. And I’m sure there is pride in his eyes as he looks upon you.”

“I’m the only Uchiha.”

“Doesn’t negate my point.” the Hana waved aside his concern. “The point is, if your father isn’t proud of you for suffering all that, and then getting up and deciding you’ll keep going? He’s a fool. I’m proud of you. Your teachers are proud of you.”

Then, the Hana stood up, jumping off the Hokage Monument and towards the town.

Sasuke put his face in his hands, a conflicting feeling rising in him.

He hated the Hana, no doubt about it. She’d left his clan to die.

But, she was also a ten-year-old girl with a soft smile, striking green eyes, and empathy enough to understand him, even though he hated and hurt her.

She also had killer battle instincts. He mused, raising a hand to his face and touching the now-healed cut.

Sasuke looked up at the sky for a moment before startling. It was almost time for school to start.

He got to his feet and raced to the building, sailing in through the open window and landing inside, sliding easily into his seat.

Unbeknownst to the Uchiha, his face was flushed, and his ears were tinged in pink.

“What’s got you blushing like that?” asked Naruto, leaning in.

The annoying blond was smiling widely.

Sasuke almost turned away, but then he remembered that Naruto had the closest relationship to the Hana, and would be the best person to ask for advice from.

“Naruto…” he said slowly. “What’s the Hana like?”

Naruto paused, thinking about it for a moment. “Well… she’s really nice. She has this way of making you feel special, no matter what. She always looks tired, and stressed out, but she still puts on a smile and does her best to make you feel good.” he sighed, enjoying the chance to brag about his friend. “Why do you ask?”

“I met her this morning.” Sasuke said calmly.

The classroom went near silent.

Sasuke looked up and immediately knew he fucked up.

“You met the Hana?” said Ino, her eyes wide. She spun to Sakura. “As if he could like you, now that he’s seen someone who’s essentially if you were pretty.”

Sasuke shrugged. “She was fine. She slashed my face though.” he ran a finger over the scar on his face.

“How dare she!” said Ino, opinion on the hana doing a 180.

“Eh, I stabbed her in the leg first, she had the right to do so.” Sasuke said, waving his hand in that cavalier way that meant he didn’t particularly want to continue the conversation.

Ino, of course, ignored the silent signal.

“Honestly Sasuke, you’re so stingy.” she whined. “Tell us more, what did she say?”

“She told me not to get revenge on… that man. That my life has meaning outside of that.” said Sasuke quietly.

“She’s right.” said Iruka-Sensei, entering the classroom. “You’ll be a skilled ninja in the future Sasuke. There are things you can do outside of revenge.”

Sasuke huffed slightly and turned away. Maybe what the Hana had said was true. He didn’t want it to be, because that would mean everything was for nothing. All his training. It couldn’t be for nothing.

No. He had to restore the honor of the Uchiha clan.

And to do that, he needed to kill Itachi.

Notes:

Wow, how fun. The meme for this chapter is actually drawn by me, lol.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I might start adding art I've done for this AU in this fiction.
Please kudos and comment.

Chapter 6: Itachi

Summary:

Itachi knows the Hana plenty well. But that doesn't mean they always get along.

Notes:

Whooo! Itachi is here. Sorry this is bad, I have no idea how to write Itachi at all...

Itachi watches Sasuke silently. His little brother, so strong.

“Itachi.” says a voice.

He spun around and saw The Hana standing there.

“Hello Hana.” he said calmly, Sharingan activated as he looked over her. Her pink hair was drooping and she looked tired.

“I met your brother, finally. He’s intense for a ten year old.” she yawned. “I blame you by the way. You couldn't give him a more uplifting message before fucking off?”

“You shouldn’t be cursing, you’re only 10.” said Itachi in amusement.

“And you shouldn’t be killing your entire clan at 13 because a government official you trusted groomed you to do so, neither of us are being age appropriate.” said the Hana dryly.

She was on a chair, but instead of sitting in it like Itachi was, she was standing on top of it, both of her feet in a third position and her body bent at the waist to look at him properly. The back of skirts were paused a little, but the petticoats covered her up, and the bloomers underneath prevented anything from being seen. Her beads clicked together as she shifted back into a proper standing position.

She reached up and ran a finger over the headband she wore. It was a simple beaded piece, with a bow in the center, that hung on her forehead, which was just a bit bigger than the average one.

“You know.” she mused. “It’s a good thing the Hokage told me you weren’t evil. Otherwise you would be dead the second you entered Konoha’s walls.”

“You were not that strong two years ago.”

The Hana snorted. “I totally was.”

A familiar spark of irritation lit inside Itachi. He and the Hana had this argument plenty of the time. “Then why haven’t you killed Danzo?” he snarked back.

“Because I’m still trying to figure out where the fuck ROOT is. Plus, he’s better guarded than you would have been. You’re just one ANBU level guy, whereas he has multiple ANBU level guards at his side.”

“You’re the hana, if you say he’s a threat to the village, they have to let you through.”

“I may be the Hana, but I’m also 10 years old,” she said calmly. “No one trusts a 10 year old, no matter what her position is.”

The first time they’d met, it had not been this amicable.

The Hana had shown up and Itachi had been terrified that she was there to take him out. But she’d just waved to him and sat down, starting her usual stream of discussion.

Over the past two years, their relationship had become more casual.

“Honestly Itachi, Sasuke was so hellbent on revenge. I mean, I get why, but my gods, you really hurt him. I was barely able to convince him that he deserved something better and I still don’t think he believed me. You really fucked him up.”

“It’s what’s best for him.” insisted Itachi. Another one of their common arguments.

The Hana just shook her head quietly and sighed. “He’s never going to forgive you.”

Itachi just smiled sadly. “He doesn’t need to.”

It was quiet for a moment before the Hana stood up. “Come on.” she said, grabbing Itachi’s hand. “I wanna show you something.

Itachi let himself be dragged all the way back to the Uchiha Compound, where they used to live. A lot of the houses had been torn down, but Itachi could see that Sasuke and his old house was still standing and almost the same as the day he’d left. The Hana didn’t bat an eye, opening the door to Sasuke’s house and walking inside.

The blood stains were all over the floor. They looked like Sasuke had tried to clean it up, and failed.

The Hana didn’t pause there, and instead brought him upstairs to where his and Sasuke’s rooms were. She raised one hand and pressed on Itachi’s old room’s door with one delicate gloved hand. It slowly swung open and the Hana showed it to Itachi.

His room looked the same as the day he left. His sheets were messy on his unmade bed. He had several posters across the room, and his desk even had a pen lying on it with an empty ink pot lying on it’s side next to it.

It was as if Itachi had traveled through time.

However, what really caught Itachi’s eye, was the lack of dust.

If Sasuke has simply left the room alone, untouched since the massacre, then there would be a layer of dust over everything. But there was none, indicative of either a powerful jutsu, or Sasuke coming into the room and carefully cleaning it all up, while leaving everything where it was left undisturbed.

“He wants you back.” the Hana said quietly. “I think there’s a part of him that hopes that one day he’ll wake up and find you in bed, where he’ll get to wake you up. Or he’ll walk downstairs and see you making breakfast for him.”

The Hana let the door swing shut again. The duo stood in silence.

“You need to tell the truth.” she said finally. “When he comes to you, there’s no space for half-truths or lies. Even if he knows, if he’s already been told. When he comes to you, you need to tell the truth.”

The Hana walked back downstairs, her skirt bouncing as she bounded downstairs. She didn’t falter as she stepped around piles of toys and blood spills.

“How often do you break into my brother’s house?”

“Not often. Just occasionally when I need to check on him. Ensure he’s taking care of himself. He’s not, but he also hates me. On the bright side, he eats healthy and seems to get enough sleep on a general level. Not a consistent sleep pattern, but not an unhealthy one.”

Itachi raised an eyebrow and the Hana coughed. “I also know him as a civilian. Vaguely.”

Itachi chuckled and turned away. “Fair enough. We should leave though. I don’t want to be found here.”

“Good point.” the Hana nodded and grabbed itachi, holding him in bridal style. “Ally oop.”

She jumped in the air, and landed on the roof of the house, sailing away from the Uchiha Compound and back to the forest where they came from.

At the campsite, Kisame was waiting for them.

“Itachi. Hana.” he nodded to the two of them.

“Hey Kisame!” said the Hana cheerfully, waving.

Kisame reached down to pat her head between her bow-buns. “Any progress with that guy you like?”

“Well, I talked to him, but it was in this form, so I don’t think it really counts.”

“Well, didn’t he hate this form before?” Kisame offered.

The Hana shook her head and swung her leg up to show a small scar on her thigh. “He stabbed me, actually.”

Kisame was quiet for a moment. “Well it’s still progress,” he offered.

“I guess.”

The Hana didn’t like him at first. Didn’t like either of them. For two reasons. One was that they were part of a terrorist group, which was fair. The other was that, even if he had been groomed into the position, he still murdered literally everyone except Sasuke. Even babies.

Then she’d had more than one chat with him and came to the realization that Itachi had genuinely not meant to. Obito Uchiha, because he was alive despite having death records, but whatever, had offered to kill the women and children. But Itachi had snapped. Something inside him broke and he’d been insane for weeks afterwards, barely able to even form coherent sentences.

After that they got along much easier.

“Oh, by the way.” said the Hana, flipping so she was standing on her hands. “Sasuke has pretty much every girl crushing on him. I mean, I get why, even if his style is terrible. But your little brother is a heartbreaker.” she teased. “He’s rejected everyone quite soundly.”

“Good. He needs to focus on getting stronger and coming to terms with me to kill me.”

The Hana glared. She’d made her opinion of revenge quests abundantly clear many times over. “He’s also rejected any friends, so I think he’s gonna isolate himself. Which is, heh, not fucking good.” The Hana frowned and looked at Itachi. “I blame you for that. You gave him trust issues.”

“I’m sure I did.” agreed Itachi, nodding. He paused for a second. “Wait, you have school today.”

“Mhm, I do.” the Hana nodded, kicking her legs slightly as she sat down on a tree branch.

“So why are you here, you should be at school!”

“It’s a teacher grading day, so we only had a half day.” She explained cheerfully. “I got out a while ago. The teachers are in meetings and grading student’s worksheets and tests and shit.”

“Lucky. I never got a half-day.” complained Itachi, leaning down.

“That’s because you joined the ANBU at 13 and graduated at seven. When the hell were you going to have a half day?”

“She has a point.” said Kisame, smiling as he walked over and gave the Hana some cookies on a plate, along with a file containing the information the Hokage had asked for.

The Hana happily tore into the cookies. “You are right though, I should probably get to my other duties.” she stood up, shoved a couple more cookies in her mouth, picked up the file, and leapt off, back towards the village.

“She’s an interesting girl.” said Kisame.

“Is the Protector from Mist not like that?” asked itachi, tilting his head inquisitively.

“No. The Fuku is… she’s much harsher from what I remember. Of course, it’s probably changed since I left, I think the title has been passed down. But the previous Fuku would have killed you immediately, regardless of if the government told you to do the massacre.”

“Mmm…” Itachi nodded and turned away from the village. “Let’s go back, we’re done here.”

Notes:

What's this? Lore? Yeah, this is my explanation for why Sakura isn't stopping Danzo yet. She will eventually <3.

from Imgflip Meme Generator

Please kudos and comment! Unless it's hate!

Chapter 7: Neji

Summary:

Neji meets the Hana

Notes:

I have no fucking clue how to write Neji. He’s very different from me, so this chapter is very OOC. I wish I could have written it about another character, but I’d already made a bunch of changes to the character line-up.

However, this chapter is not Plot-Heavy, and I will leave a summary at the end if you decide you don’t want to read this but want to know what happens!

Neji Hyuuga was a prodigy. His teachers said so.

Of course, the Hyuuga clan didn’t notice, or care. He was, after all, only a side branch. Not a member of the main branch, or even worth caring about.

Lee and Tenten were sitting on either side of him, gossiping.

“Have you met the Hana yet, Neji?” Tenten asked excitedly. She’d met the Hana once, and had happily relayed the story to both Neji and Lee many times. This was not the first time she had asked this.

“No.” said Neji once again. He felt a little left out, as both Lee and Tenten had met the Hana. “I doubt I will. None of the Hyuuga clan have met her, and if she did meet with the clan, she’d meet with the main branch, not me.” He was bitter, but it was just common sense. Such an important girl wouldn’t want to meet with a slave.

“Nah, if she had any sense she’d be begging to meet you, you’re the best member of the Hyuuga clan, no doubt!” Lee announced in his very Lee way of his.

Neji hummed and shook his head.

The trio was out eating Ramen, and Neji turned back to his meal. He’d gotten plain, as the Hyuuga clan had strict diets, even for the Side Branch.

“Hey Lee, hey Tenten. Hey… oh.”

The trio turned around to see the Hana was standing there. She had a blush on her face, but Neji knew it was just her makeup. Her hair was messier than it normally seemed. From what he’d heard.

“You must be Neji Hyuuga.” said the Hana, nervously stepping forward. Despite the fact that she was wearing white gloves, she wiped her hands on her skirt, as if wiping off sweat.

“Is something wrong?” Tenten asked, tilting her head and slurping up her Ramen.

“Eh? Oh, I’m just honored to be meeting you, Neji. I’ve heard you’re a prodigy.” The Hana didn’t seem to be lying. She also gave a small bow.

“I’m from a Side Branch, not the Main Branch.” said Neji, confused.

“Yeah, but you’re still a Hyuuga. Which are above me, as I’m a civilian. Plus, you have much more power than I do. I only have the power granted by the Suki hana no Hana.” The last bit was a lie, Neji could tell. But he didn’t push. It felt… nice to not be looked down on. “You are also older than me.”

“How is this your first time meeting Neji?” asked Tenten in disbelief. “He’s the best?”

The Hana looked down for a moment and muttered something.

“What?” Tenten asked.

“The Hyuuga’s scare me.” she muttered, a bit louder and clearer now. Then she coughed slightly. “They uh, scare me. And Neji’s a prodigy.”

Lee frowned. “Why would you be scared!? It’s your job to take care of Konoha and it’s people!”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t be scared. I’m 11. Why wouldn’t I be scared? They’re the Hyuuga’s. I’m also a civilian. The first eight years of my life I was taught to fear them.” Then she smiled at Neji. “But I can see that Neji sure must be a treasure.” she giggled a tiny bit at that.

All three just stared blankly at her.

The Hana blushed deeper under her makeup. “You know. X marks the spot.” she pointed to the mark on Neji’s forehead. “Sea-faring ninja would often hide treasure or weapons and mark the spot with an x on their maps.” she turned slightly. “That was horrible, why did I say that.”

Neji, however, was blushing in shock. He’d never heard someone speak of his mark that way. It was a sign of being a slave, the mark of being lesser. Yet the Hana looked at it and called him a treasure.

“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” said the Hana finally, turning to look at Neji again. “That was uncalled for.”

“No, it’s okay,” said Neji. “It’s just, most people don’t look at the Seal and go ‘wow, he’s a treasure.’ you know?”

“No, what do you mean?” The Hana seemed legit, tilting her head as she asked. Her eyes were wide and she flipped her fan slightly. “You’re great, I can’t imagine anyone looking at you and your achievements I’ve heard and thinking you’re anything less than a treasure.”

Neji sighed. “The Hyuuga clan… I’m from the side branch. The side branch is slaves. The seal is the Cursed Bird Seal. The Main Branch puts it on members of the Side Branch to prevent rebellion and ensure obedience. I’m held back because of it. I’m a slave to the Main Branch.” He didn’t want to admit it, cause the Hana to look at him differently.

The Hana, however, looked at him with more delight in her eyes. “Holy shit, so you deal with all that, and you’re still as strong as you are, that’s so cool. You really are a treasure.”

The Hana reached into some of the pockets on her skirt and pulled out a small tube. She held it up next to Neji’s forehead and frowned. “Wrong shade.” she muttered. “Sorry Lee, Tenten, I have to steal Neji for a minute.”

The Hana grabbed Neji’s hand and dragged him along towards the shops.

“What’re we doing?” asked Neji, with a rare show of shock.

“Do you think we’ll need color corrector?” asked the Hana, instead of elaborating.

“For what?”

“Concealer, of course.” said the Hana, turning. “Sometimes it doesn’t work if the color is too different. Like a bruise is best covered with a color corrector of the complimentary color on the color wheel first.” she explained. “My mom taught me about makeup, because I need to be a good and beautiful wife.”

“You’re the Hana.”

“She doesn’t know that.” the Hana walked into the makeup store and made her way to the foundations and concealers.

This was true, so Neji nodded slightly.

The Hana looked over all of the concealers, holding each one up to his forehead and squinting. The matte packaging had the color of the concealer over it. Then a store associate made her way over.

“Hello Miss Hana, can I help you?”

The Hana smiled. “Yes, what color corrector would I need for a black tattoo?”

“You need a red shade, to counteract the blue undertones in black ink. I recommend a more peach-leaning shade for your skin tone.”

“Oh, it’s not for me, it’s for Neji.” The Hana showed him to the sales associate.

“Mmm.” the sales associate looked at the tattoo, thinking. “I’d recommend a more orange color then. Not super orange, more of a light color.”

“Thanks.”

The Hana turned back to the color correctors and held them up to Neji’s skin. “These go under the concealer of course, to tone down the intensity of the color.” she explained.

“Thanks.” said Neji awkwardly, taking the color corrector and the concealer. “You’re too nice to me.”

“I’d argue I’m being a normal amount of nice.” said the Hana, walking up to register.

The man who was at the register just waved her on, just taking note of the things she bought. Being the Hana meant you got things for free apparently. Lucky.

The Hana led Neji out of the store and set him down in front of the store, sitting on a bench. A flick of her wrist and she opened both of the packs.

Pulling out the color corrector, she held up a mirror to Neji. “Hold this. Watch what I do.”

She carefully applied the color corrector onto his mark, dabbing it gently and making it light. Then she pulled off one of her white gloves and carefully patted it to mix it in. Then she wiped off her finger and repeated the same thing with the concealer.

“Done.” she said happily, wiping off her finger and sliding her glove back on. Then she popped the color corrector and concealer into the packaging.

Neji looked at it quietly. Other than the slightest change in texture, his mark was practically invisible, blending in with his skin almost perfectly. “Damn.” he muttered softly. “This is… amazing.”

“Thanks!” said the Hana with a smile. She shoved the color corrector and the concealer into his hands. “Anyway, I have to go, my parents said I had to be back before lunch.

The Hana rose from her seat and leapt away, jumping easily into the air and darting across the rooftops.

Notes:

Wow, if you liked that all… please kudos and comment. It gives me validation.

Summary: Neji has an internal monologue about how the Hana would never want to visit him because he’s a Side Branch. To his shock, the Hana comes and informs him she’s actually a big fan. She then learns about his mark, after making a joke about him being a treasure (x marks the spot), she teaches him how to cover it up with make up.

Anyway, there’s just one more chapter, and the Act One first chapter will likely drop either right before or right after the last chapter.
So yeah. We’ll cut to Sakura and her brain soon (who I can write much better.)

Chapter 8: Kakashi (Again)

Summary:

Kakashi learns his student’s opinions on the Hana.

Notes:

Wow. We’re at the end of the Prolog. Sorry this chapter took me so long to get out! But no matter! Get ready for the stunning and fantabulous sequel!

Kakashi looked down at the profiles of the genin he was taking on.

Sakura Haruno, a civilian with incredible chakra control, was the top of her class. She had a habit of cutting and being late, but she was still very efficient and Kakashi could relate. She had high scores, and seemed to be one of the many girls with a crush on the Uchiha boy.

Speaking of… he flipped to the next profile.

Sasuke Uchiha, the final member of the Uchiha Clan. He was said to be very depressed, and he wasn’t the strongest in the class. But he trained the hardest in the entire class, and was working to learn the abilities of his clan. He had a rivalry with a fellow student.

That student was the final profile.

Naruto Uzumaki. His sensei’s son, the jinchuriki of the nine tails, and the worst in his class. Apparently he only passed because he miraculously taught himself the Shadow Clones jutsu the same night after the test. He was allegedly good friends with the Hana.

Three interesting students. He could only hope they understood why had to go back to the Academy.

He ended up entering the classroom two hours late.

An eraser fell on his head.

Kakashi looked over, and saw that it was Naruto who had done it, based on his giggling. Sakura was practicing walking on her hands, though she could only get a couple steps in before she fell. Sasuke was brooding.

“Our teacher’s here.” said Naruto, laughing. “I can’t believe he fell for that.”

“He fell for it because there was no negative intent in your chakra or chakra surrounding the eraser, so it didn’t ping in his sensor,” said Sakura calmly.

“How do you know that?” asked Sasuke.

Sakura didn’t bother answering, just shrugging quietly.

Ah, it seemed the profile was right. Sakura was indeed the head of her class.

“Meet me on the roof.” said Kakashi, flickering out of the room and up to the roof quickly.

Sakura made it up first, from the outside. It seemed she had crawled out of the window and scaled the side of the building. Her nails were dirty, the polish just slightly chipped, and her dress was dirty.

Naruto made it next, followed closely by Sasuke.

“Wha- how did you make it first?” he asked Sakura.

“The fastest way is a straight line, not the stairs, which are more of a spiral.” said Sakura, sitting down and flexing her wrists slightly.

Naruto and Sasuke both frowned at that, but they sat down, with Sakura in the middle, a couple steps below her.

“Well!” Kakashi said. “Let’s do some introductions. Say your name, your likes and dislikes, and your goals.”

“Hey, that’s unfair!” shouted Naruto. “You should go first!”

“I’m Kakashi, I like plenty of things and dislike more. I don’t have any goals I can share.” said Kakashi, not wanting to answer. “How about you go first Sakura.”

“My name is Sakura Haruno, I like being better than other people and snakes, I dislike traitors and those who hurt others for no reason, and my goal is to be the best.” Sakura rattled this all off very quickly.

“Very good Sakura.” said Kakashi. He then gestured to Naruto. “How about you blondie?”

“My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I like ramen and the Hana, and dislike the three minutes it takes for Ramen to cook! My goal is to become Hokage!”

Kakashi nodded, and then turned to Sasuke.

“My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like the Hana and I dislike most things. My goal is to restore my clan and kill a certain someone.”

It was silent for a moment as everyone stared at him.

“Kind of a downer,” said Sakura.

“So, you all are fans of the Hana?” said Kakashi thoughtfully. “I assume you all have met her?”

“Of course, she’s my best friend!” said Naruto.

At the same time, Sasuke spoke. “Of course I have.”

Sakura spoke up as well. “Nope.”

It was quiet and everyone looked at her.

Kakashi was surprised. He’d assumed everyone in their class had met the Hana.

“You haven’t?” said Naruto in shock.

Sakura just shrugged, running a hand through her hair, which was long and held back with her headband pushed up to the top of her head instead of resting on her forehead like normal. “Just never been in the right place at the right time I guess.” she said by way of explanation.

Naruto hopped up. “I can introduce you if you want!” he offered.

Sakura looked panicked for a moment. “No need.” she said, quickly schooling her features. “She appropriated snakes.”

That was the dumbest thing Kakashi had heard in a long time.

“Well,” he said after a moment. “Meet at Training Ground Seven at 0700. Don’t eat breakfast, we’re going to have a test to see if you get to stay on my team.”

Then, Kakashi vanished before any of them could express any annoyance.

Notes:

The sequel is up now btw. Go check it out!

Please kudos and comment.

from Imgflip Meme Generator

Notes:

So yeah. Sorry if this was OOC, I am doing my best.

If you have anything you want to see in this, or different ships you might like, please let me know.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Hana of the Blossoming Flowers