Flowers in Spring
The mid-afternoon sun shone bright and clear on the day of the Genin Team tests, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had found himself distracted while going about his day. The Third Hokage had anticipated this today for a little over two years and now that it had arrived he was finding it hard to focus. Jiraiya, his student, would be escorting one of the last known members of a nigh extinct clan to The Village Hidden in the Leaves. After two years of trying to convince the young woman to come to the village, she would finally arrive and the old Hokage could offer her a place among their ranks. Currently, the old man sat in the meeting for the potential Jonin-Senseis. It was supposed to have ended two hours and thirty minutes earlier, however with Hatake Kakashi in attendance, no meeting ever went with the schedule and so his own closing speech was just now wrapping up.
“Konbanwa, Hokage-sama!” Chirped the woman standing in the middle of his office, interrupting the old man mid-sentence and causing his Jonin to be up in arms in a matter of seconds. Slender, with knee-length crimson hair and an Uzushio Hai-tai firmly on her forehead, the young Kounichi grinned broadly at the gathering of Shinobi spread out across the room. A few moments passed and jaws dropped around the room as the scene in front of them finally sank in. A familiar bulky figure with long spiky white hair thrown over one of her slim shoulders and hanging limply.
The Old Sarutobi is hardly fazed, after exchanging letters with this young woman for the past few years, he knew her to be unpredictable and her appearing in his office was hardly the strangest thing she could have done. Hiruzen had also known she would eventually get annoyed with his students… Quirks, again. Although, seeing one of his most powerful Shinobi hangs over the slight 25-year-old’s shoulder like an overgrown sack of potatoes was an image he would savor for years to come.
A resounding thud echoed around the room as the unknown woman unceremoniously dumped the white haired menace to the woman of the elemental nations on the floor of his office. The old Hokage couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him at the startled jumps that went through his shocked Jonin and out the corner of his eye caught the tension in Hatake Kakashi. He looked relaxed to the average eye, but The Sandaime had known Hatake since he was a small child and could see the minute straightening of his posture. The silver haired cyclops was studying the stretching woman at the center of the room, cataloging her every move, and Sarutobi knew that his genius brain was whirling a mile a minute.
“Ero-sennin is too heavy to carry such a long way! Hokage-sama, are you sure I can’t just leave him behind the next time he gets beat up for peeping!?” The boisterous melody of the Kunoichi’s voice filled the room with ease, despite being at a normal volume for being inside. Violet eyes sparkle mischievously behind an innocent looking pout as she stretched her arms up over her head.
“ Annoyed with Jiraiya-Chan again, Kuraharu-Hime?” Chuckled The God of Shinobi good-natured as he waved for his men to stand down. She was his guest, after all. With a scoff and an affectionate eye roll, the red haired beauty sat in the chair he offered and got comfortable.
“ How could I not be, Dattebane!?? All he wants to do is peep on women all day, even after he promised me a Spar! He may not care, but I have training to keep up on and a little cousin to meet! I don’t have time for his perverted habits, Dattebayo!” The Spitfire woman clenched her hand in a fist, waving it menacingly at the unconscious Sannin.
“ Besides, didn’t I tell you to call me Kura! Ku-ra! Kuraharu makes me sound old!” The pout on her pretty face grew more pronounced as she turned to the Third.
With an indulgent half smile, the old Hokage relented. “ Well, Kura-Hime, you certainly know how to make an entrance” he glanced at his shocked Jonin scattered around the room “and a first impression.” Kura preened under the half compliment and the third had to turn away, less a matching smile be known on his face; the elder Sarutobi turned to the now wary and confused Jonin in his office.
“ This is Uzumaki Kuraharu-Hime. She has agreed to join Konohana and care for her cousin; Uzumaki Naruto.” As he said this, the old man locked eyes with one gray steel; Kakashi tensed minutely before relaxing and turning his attention back to his book. (Read: observing Kura while pretending not to be paying attention). Sarutobi turned his attention to the rest of the gathered Jonin in his office.
“ Thank you for your reports. Dismissed.” The third Hokage waited for the Jonin to file out the door, ignoring the subtle (and not so subtle) curious looks and the Uzumaki threw a cheeky wave as they filed out. Kakashi didn't move and the Hokage didn’t ask him to leave. It was best to keep him for this conversation; if he sent the son of the white fang away, then there would be no telling when the man would show up again.
That decided, he turned his attention to the amused looking woman studying her surroundings. Sarutobi took a moment to look her over. Long crimson hair that seemed to absorb light yet remained bright (a characteristic trait of most Uzumaki) obscured the right side of her face. She wore traditional Uzumaki pearl earrings and battle attire, bandages covered her right arm and a single bright vibrant violet eye stared out of a scarred face.
The hue of her eye shifted with her movements, shimmering from an almost sky blue, to shining vermilion and the sheer intensity of her gaze would stop a lesser Shinobi in their tracks. Crimson fell over the right side of her face, obscuring It from view, and occasionally one would catch a flash of a single glowing predatory eye from behind the dark curtain of her hair before it would be obscured again. Her scars looked like a motley of burns and cuts along the edge of her jaw line on both sides, with a single cut mark diagonally bisecting her chin and lower lip. She was a beautiful woman with an androgynous face, and she carried herself with effortless grace that spoke of her self-assured awareness of her own abilities. The Uzumaki had power, and she knew how to wield it.
“Now that you are here, Kura-Hime, I have a few things I would like to discuss with you. First things first, you remember Kakashi-kun right?”
“Of course! How are you Kakashi-San, well I hope?” A large violet eye stared up at Kakashi, filled with genuine warmth and curiosity. Faced with such genuine curiosity, it was all he could do to not look away. The copy-nin met her stare with one of his own and crinkled his own eye up in a slight smile.
“Maa~ I’m doing well, Kura-San.” A blinding grin stole across her lovely face as sparkles erupted from the surrounding air (from Kakashi’s point of view at least). Kakashi had to close his eye fully with an eye smile just to avoid being blinded. He had plenty of practice at it with Gai after all and that experience came in handy with Kura in the vicinity.
“I’m glad to hear it, Kakashi-San!” Her sweet smile turned back to the Hokage as she continued without expecting Kakashi to ask the same of her (how did she know he wouldn’t?), “Well Hokage-sama, where should we begin?”
One Year Ago- Mt. Ishizu, Land of Hot Water
The sun shone brightly down on the Mountains of Hot Water Country, few and far between they may be; ‘It’s a quiet day’ Nami, the local Onsen Ryokan owner thought to herself. She was sweeping the entrance room of her humble little establishment and humming a merry tune. Nestled in a grove of Sakura trees that were beginning to bloom, sat the proud building that had been in her family for generations. Sixty-eight years she had been running this place, the elderly woman had seen many things in that time and there wasn’t much that surprised her anymore. The kind old woman fancied herself somewhat of a matchmaker and had many years of experience when it came to recognizing young people in love. Next week was sure to be busy, spring always was, and Nami was looking forward to the next few days of quiet before business picked up.
Silent footsteps made their way up the trodden dirt path and to the door of the meeting place, pausing outside the door before sliding it open with a click. The tall man ducked his head of silver hair through the doorway.
“Welcome, Shinobi-San!” Cheered the lively older woman sweeping the front room, smiling kindly at the young man and setting down her broom. “Come in, come in! What can I do for a handsome young man like yourself?” She ushers him gently inside, humming happily as she makes her way behind the service desk and looks expectantly up at him.
“Maa~ I am Hatake Kakashi, Jonin of the leaf m’am. I'm here to meet with two of my colleagues, could you tell me if they have arrived?” The Copy-Nin gave the sweet old woman an eye smile. She reminded him of Obito’s Grandmother, and he’d had a soft spot for women like her since. He did often stop to help his elderly neighbors with their groceries, it's not his fault everyone else assumed he was lying all the time.
“Call me Nami dear, everyone does! I don’t believe we have had any other Konoha Shinobi check in, but I can check my records to make sure. What are their names?” Clunky spectacles perched on the tiny woman's nose as she turned her attention to the frankly enormous record book on her desk. With a heave, the pages splayed to what must be today's date.
Half an hour later, the Twenty-six-year-old is settling himself into his room in the corner of the second floor. This and the two rooms directly across the hall from him had been reserved prior to his arrival by the Missions desk. He was curious about the unknown Kunoichi that Hokage-sama had sent him to evaluate. According to the rumors he had heard, She was a powerful opponent who had faced off with a few of the hidden villages directly and lived. But any Shinobi worth their salt knew to confirm things themselves and not put too much stock into rumors. They may hold some grain of truth, but they were never truly accurate.
Kakashi flopped down on the floor, hoping to get some rest before the boisterous Jiraiya arrived. The man took great pleasure in teasing his ‘grand-student’ and trying to throw off his game. As much as Kakashi may enjoy the Sannin’s written works, he did not enjoy how easily the older man could ruffle his feathers and was rather happy with the arrangement of only seeing the man once every few years.
Several hours passed and Kakashi found himself falling into a light doze as he leaned against the wall of his room. He was about to drift off fully when his sharp senses caught a whiff of ink, paper, and smoke from outside his room. Booming laughter echoed from downstairs and Kakashi knew they had arrived.