Maiden Of The Moon

Maiden of the Moon

What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?

Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.

But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?

What will it take to find yourself?

A long, hard journey awaits.

!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

Chapter 8: The Butterfly Mansion

The young woman didn’t know how long she slept.

She just knew it was still not enough as she woke up.

With a loud yawn, Yua stretched herself and blinked into the sunlight that streamed into the Butterfly Mansion Patient Room.

She knows the room well.

Wasn’t the first time that she was here for cures after a heavy battle with a demon.

You never quite forget the smell of the flowers and antiseptic in the air.

“Uurgh, what time and day is it?”, she asked into the room.

She hoped that Aoi-San was in the room or the least one of the little girls.

Luck was not on her side since a well-known and shrill voice shouted: “Yua-Senpai, you are awake!”

“Agatsuma...”, she growled, turning to him, a vein popping up on her forehead. “I just woke up, I’m cranky and ready to commit murder, I don’t need your shrill voice! Keep it down.”

A little shriek escaped Zenitsu, till he noted what he did and clapped his tiny arms over his mouth.

Huh...?

“What the heck happened to you?”, she asked astonished. “What’s up with your arms?”

The blond-haired boy started to cry softly.

And with a lot of snoot.

Urgh.

“It was terrible Yua-Senpai. I followed your guys up the mountain to protect Nezuko-Chan and one of these Spider Creeps injected me with venom! I nearly turned into a spider myself! That’s why my arms and legs are shrunk! With my breathing style, I could stop the transforming process long enough till Shinobu-Sama could give me an antidote. But I need to drink disgusting medicine till I’m back to my old self again.”, he told her all teary and winy his woe.

Yua just deadpanned.

“Woman-up, Agatsuma! Be glad you are still alive.”

He didn’t woman-up and whined into his pillow.

That’s when Yua saw Inosuke in the bed next to Zenitsu. The wild boy Aura was all gloomy.

Okay, now that was terrifying.

“Do I wanna know what happened to Hashibira?”

“I heard he lost his voice or something.”, answered Zenitsu anyway. “I don’t have all the details, but I heard he, like, got hit in the neck, and when he yelled at the top of his lungs at the end, that finished it off, and that did a number on his throat. He’s depressed now, so it’s made him gentle, and it really cracks me up! Hehehehe… Hehehehe!”

“Stop it with the creepy laugh or I will suffocate you.”, promised the midnight blue-haired girl.

Immediately the blond stopped to laugh.

He could smell how murders Yua was feeling. Better not to go on her nerves.

“Where are Kamado and Nezuko?”, she asked.

“I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me. I’m worried.”, admitted Zenitsu.

With a sign, Yua got again comfortable in her bed.

“Then we can only wait and pray.”

***

Somehow Yua managed to fall asleep again.

The Spider Demon did really a number of her if she still was so sleepy and feeling weak.

When she woke up again, Yua felt a bit better.

She sat up and looked around the room, taking in the familiar surroundings.

It was quiet except for the sound of Zenitsu's soft snores. She glanced over at him and saw that he was asleep, his arms and legs still shrunk from the venom.

Inosuke was laying in his bed still as a statue, his Aura gloomy.

That didn’t fit him at all, but Yua didn’t know how to raise his spirits.

She wasn’t good at this kind of thing.

Yua sighed and leaned back against her pillows, wondering how long they would have to stay here before they were fully healed.

She missed being out in the field, fighting demons, rising in Ranks and finally becoming a Hashira. However, she knew that she needed time to recover after her latest battle.

It was just awesome.

After six weeks spent in the Wisteria Mansion, now she was in the Butterfly Mansion and who knew how long this time it would take to heal?

Her grandfather would give it to her, if she returned home and wasn’t at least a Kinoe, for all this wasted time in his eyes.

She flexed her arms, saying the secret password and watched the Kanji appear on her skin.

Kinoto.

She raised two Ranks.

Normally she would be proud, however, she could only think that if she raised one more Rank she would have been a Kinoe.

So close and yet so far.

How long would it take before she became one?

How long till they would offer her the position of a Hashira?

The midnight blue-haired beauty missed her family, besides her grandfather, and she didn’t want to stay away longer from home.

Yet it seemed she had to.

She would not face her grandfather like that.

Never.

As she lay there, she directed her thoughts away from this and to Nezuko and Tanjiro.

She hoped they were safe wherever they were, and that they would be able to join them soon.

Yua closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for their well-being to Tsukuyomi.

After a few minutes of restful silence, Yua heard a knock on the door.

She opened her eyes and called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Aoi." came the reply.

A little smile formed on the midnight blue-haired young woman.

“Long time not seen, Aoi-San," she greeted her.

Aoi entered the room with a tray of food.

"Indeed, Yua-San. Good morning," she replied with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better," Yua admitted as she set down the tray on her lap. “So tell me, how bad of shape I am?”

“You have significant muscle strains all over your body, your cousin Sayako said you used the forbidden technique of the Moon-Breathing?”

She just nodded.

“It did a number one you, but Sayako-San said you could have broken bones too. Anyway, you need to rest, we bandaged both your arms and one leg, there were the strains the heaviest. The compression should help the swelling. Also, you need to put ice on the muscle strains. It should take more than a few weeks till you are good again. We will see.”, explained Aoi her.

Yua didn’t realize that Aoi had the ice packs in her hands.

“Eat and then put this on your arms and leg.”

“I will, thank you, Aoi-San.”

The girl with the pigtails nodded before turning to leave the room. "If you need anything else, just let me know."

Yua thanked her before digging into her breakfast.

After finishing her meal she put the ice packs where Aoi had said she should.

She noted how the area started to feel better.

Yua sat back against her pillows. It was somehow good to have some normalcy in her life again, even if it was just breakfast in bed.

She wondered what the rest of the day would bring.

A yawn left her mouth.

Well, she still was tired.

No problem to take a nap again.

And she did so.

***

Zenitsu's creepy laughter awoke Yua suddenly from her nice dream of her beloved late mother.

Angry she gripped her pillow and threw it in his face!

That shut him up!

“AGATSUMA, STOP IT WITH THE LAUGH!”, she screamed.

“Yua-Senpai!”, called her Tanjiro voice.

Surprised Yua rubbed her eyes to fully wake up.

There really was Tanjiro, kneeling beside Zenitsu's bed, a Kakushi was also there, but that wasn’t important.

“Kamado-San!”, called Yua back a bit too happily even for her taste.

She long ago decided that it would be bad to fall in love with Tanjiro, so why did she feel and sound so happy seeing him?

This feeling needed to die.

So she cleared her throat.

“I mean, Kamado, good to see. I assume Nezuko is alright too?”

Pointedly she ignored the looks of the two boys and no she didn’t think that a confused Tanjiro was cute!

Perish that thought!

Thankful Inosuke directed the attention to himself as he said in his crooked voice that they should forgive him for being weak.

“Hang in there, Inosuke!”, encourages Tanjiro. “It’s not like you to get depressed!”

“Come on, you did good! You’re awesome!”, added Zenitsu.

“Your Aura is creeping me out, that’s not like you Hashibira.”, tried Yua her luck to cheer him up.

It showed how bad she was at this since Tanjiro and Zenitsu (Even the Kakushi!) gave her WTF-Looks. The young woman may shrunk a bit into her bed.

“What?”, she crooked out. “It’s the truth...”

“Anyway...”, said Tanjiro into the awkward silence and turned back to Inosuke. “I’m just so happy that you’re alive!”

All of a sudden Zenitsu screamed about whether he took his medicine, if someone had seen him taking it.

A vein popped up on Yua's forehead.

“You took it before I fell asleep the first time. Can I have my pillow back, please?”

Tanjiro was so nice to throw it back to her and the girl didn’t waste time to put it over her head to block out the noises.

Could she get a single room?

Please?

***

She had fallen asleep again because the next thing she knew was that she needed to breathe. Slowly she put the pillow away and looked around the room.

It was sunset, and beautiful red and orange light falling into the patient's room.

Zenitsu was snoring away and even Inosuke seemed to sleep.

Only Tanjiro was missing.

Like her thought made him appear, the red-haired boy entered the room.

“Ah Yua-Senpai, you are awake.”, he greeted her as he made his way over to his bed.

“Kamado, from where you you coming from?”, she asked a bit curious.

“They were so nice to give Nezuko her own room. All dark so we don’t have to worry sunlight will hurt her.”, he explained, crawling into his bed.

Yua nodded.

It was probably for the best that the Demon Girl had her own room.

Yua closed her eyes and settled back into her pillows.

She felt a sense of relief knowing that Nezuko was safe and being taken care of.

It was good to see Tanjiro again too, even though she tried to hide her happiness at his presence.

She couldn't let herself get too attached or distracted from her goal of becoming a Kinoe and then a Hashira.

As she lay there, Yua couldn't help but think about the future and what it held for her.

She knew that there would be more battles and challenges ahead, but she was ready for them. She had worked hard to get where she was, and she wasn't going to give up now.

With a deep breath, Yua opened her eyes and looked around the room once more.

She saw Zenitsu snoring away, Inosuke still as a statue, and Tanjiro settling in for the night.

It was strange...even if she didn’t want to get too attached to people, these three and Nezuko had somehow wormed their way into her heart.

Sure most of the time she wanted to hit them for their stupidity, but...it was nice being with familiar people in the patient room.

This happens if you spend six weeks with the same people, she supposed.

Yua knew that it would take time for her body to fully recover from the Spider Demon's attack, yet she was determined to come out stronger on the other side.

And when that day came, she would continue on her path towards becoming a Hashira.

“Yua-Senpai.”, called then Tanjiro out for her. “You have fallen asleep before I could ask, but how are you feeling? How did the fight with the Spider Demon go?”

She turned to face Tanjiro.

"It was tough, but I managed to defeat the Spider Demon with the help of my strongest Moon-Breathing technique. However, it did a number on me." The young woman gestured towards her bandaged arms and leg. "But I'll recover soon enough."

Tanjiro nodded in understanding before settling back into his bed.

“I’m glad, me and Inosuke were worried when we left you alone to face her.”

“All is good Kamado, don’t worry so much. You will get grey hairs this way.”

This made Tanjiro laugh, till he held his ribs with a pained expression.

“I have a feeling your fight was a whole other number.”, guessed Yua.

And it was.

The red-haired boy told her, how he managed to kill the Spider Mother, but had to leave Inosuke behind in the arms of the Spider Father. Then it turned out that the Spider boy they had seen, was one of the Demon King Lower Moons.

Only with Nezuko's help and a new Breathing Style Tanjiro managed to keep fighting till the Water Hashira Tomioka Giyuu took care of the Lower Moon.

With only one technique.

That was impressive.

However, Yua was more fixed on the new Breathing Style that Tanjiro had suddenly used.

“The Hinokami Kagura Dance?”, she repeated surprised. “And it’s dedicated to the fire god? Huh...”

Cutely Tanjiro titled his head and now Yua didn’t want to pet his hair.

No!

Forget it!

He was not cute at all!

“Do you have heard of this Yua-Senpai?”, asked Tanjiro curious.

The young woman got comfortable in her bed, crossing her arms. It hurt a bit, but she could manage.

“My family has something familiar. It’s a dance called Jihibukai Tsukigami No Mai (Dance of the benevolent moon god). All children have to learn it.”, she starts to explain. “It mimics Moon Breathing. If you learn the dance without problems it means you are fit enough to learn Moon-Breathing.”

“Huh, what a coincidence.”, mubled Tanjiro.

“Kamado, I don’t think that it’s a coincidence.”

“What you mean Yua-Senpai?”

“A dance that turns into a powerful Breathing Style? And you are really sure your family was only coal makers? This sounds more like an ancestor of yours wanted to hide his Breathing Style in the dance.”

Tanjiro frowned and scratched his head.

“No, I’m pretty sure we were only coal makers, but I agree it’s strange at that Dance turned into a Breathing Style and then your family has something familiar for their breathing style...”

“Hey, don’t try to crack it now.”, advises Yua. “It mimics Flame-Breathing from what you told me, if I’m not mistaken one of the Hashira uses it. You should talk with Shinobu-Sama about it. Maybe she knows more about this.”

Now Tanjiro was smiling brightly, which did not make Yua blush. However cute and handsome Tanjiro looked.

No.

She probably had a little fever not more!

“When we are better, we can visit my home.”, offered Yua, stroking her hair to distract herself from Tanjiro's damn handsome face. “The Mochizuki Mansion isn’t far away from the Butterfly Mansion, but it will take us at least half a day. We need to get better first. Maybe we have something in our archive about the Hinokami Kagura Dance.”

“Really Yua-Senpai you want to help me?”

Oh no, was he going to start to cry from thankfulness?

Yua’s heart wouldn’t take this!

“Now, no tears, even thankful one!”, she admonished. “I’m not doing this out of the good of my heart or some sappy shit, I’m curious myself what’s up with this dance.”

This made Tanjiro only laugh quietly and send her a soft smile.

Okay, maybe she did blush now and felt shy.

Why did Tanjiro need to be so handsome and have a beautiful soul and heart?!

“You act all tough and rough, but I can smell how kindhearted you really are Yua-Senpai.”, told Tanjiro, pointing at his nose. “Don’t hide behind your anger, we are friends you can be yourself around me.”

“Be me?”, she repeated confused.

The midnight blue-haired beauty had to admit she didn’t know who she really was.

She was what people wanted her to be.

And when she didn’t get what they wanted, she reacted with anger, sarcasm and homicidal tendencies.

Probably not sane, if one thinks about it.

Eager Tanjiro nodded.

“I can see and smell that you are confused but...we are friends. I will help you to find out who Mochizuki Yua really is like you will help me with the Hinokami Kagura Dance.”

This made her snort.

“Seems like you got the worst deal. I’m a handful.”

“Not for me...not when it’s you.”

Did...did she hear right?!

Shocked she looked up his face.

Was she imagining things or was Tanjiro blushing?

He was playing shyly with his blanket at least.

In turn, this made her feel all mushy and clammy inside. Yua had never felt like this.

So she fell into her default behaviour.

Avoid, ignore and get pissed.

“Enough with the mushy stuff, Kamado.”, she hissed and let herself fall on her bed. She closed her eyes, so she couldn’t see him and his Aura. “Let’s just sleep. I’m tired.”

It was still for a few seconds till Tanjiro quietly agreed and she heard how he lay himself on his bed.

The older girl let out a breath and ignored the burning in her eyes.

Becoming a Hashira, and bringing her family honour was all that mattered, she repeated to herself.

Then why did feel these words like bitter medicine in her body?

!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

Nothing is True

… Everything is permitted.

What is real?

What is not?

Is she just turning crazy or are other powers at work?

One thing is clear Kohana will get to the bottom of this and maybe change the whole Ninja-World at the same time.

S.I. Third Shinobi World War 

!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

Chapter 7: The First C-Rank

“I’m sorry, I’m late!”, hollered Obito as he ran towards his team standing at the gate of Konoha. “An old lady needed help-”

“Just stop with your excuses.”, told him Kakashi simply.

Minato-Sensei shook his head at him. “Obito, we need to work on your punctuality.”

The Uchiha whined and looked at his two female teammates. Rin gave him a small smile, which made him happy, while Kohana just deadpanned at him.

“Obito you are even late for our first mission out of the village, weren’t you all excited about it yesterday?”, the Haruno wondered.

Obito sighed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I know, I know. I messed up. I'll do better next time, I promise."

Minato-Sensei nodded, but his expression was serious. "We can't afford to have any more delays, especially on a mission like this."

Rin spoke up, her voice gentle. "It's okay, Obito. We all make mistakes sometimes."

"Next time, I gonna pick you up. Maybe then you won’t be tardy.”, promised Kohana.

Kakashi remained quiet, but the disapproving look on his face said enough.

“That is a good idea Kohana-Chan.”, said Minato-Sensei. “If one of you would pick up Obito for missions till he fixes his tardiness problem would be great.”

“I’m not a baby...”, mumbled Obito a bit offended. He just liked helping people, was not his fault that it took often time to do so.

The Hatake's disapproving look got denser.

“Then stop acting like one.”

“What did you say Bakashi?!”

“Guys, stop!”, shouted the girls together.

They didn’t need a fight broke out.

“Children, I know you are all high on nerves, calm all down.”, told Minato-Sensei.

The four Genin chorused a Yes Sensei together.

It was also nerves that made them lash out at each other.

This was their first C-Rank Mission!

Even out of a Konoha!

And it would help the war effort!

It was nerve-wracking.

“Let’s get over the mission details again before we go.”, said Minato-Sensei. “Bandit- Camp has made their home on the Konoha border. They disturb our supply line and even manage to steal some precious cargo. Our job is to eliminate the threat. It means you all will probably kill for the first time in your life. Are you ready?”

Obito nodded, a determined look on his face. "I'm ready, sensei."

Rin took a deep breath and nodded as well. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my village."

Kohana stroked with one hand her armguard.

This was it.

Today she would kill for the first time with the Hidden Blade.

Today it would show if the lessons she learned in the academy about being a Ninja and the lessons she learned from Sakuya’s diary about being an assasin she truly learned.

That she was indeed a ninja/assassin.

“I’m ready, Minato-Sensei.”

Kakashi simply gave a small nod, but there was a glint in his eye that showed he was ready for action.

Minato-Sensei smiled at them, his team, proud of their determination and bravery. "Alright then, let's go take care of those bandits and protect our village!"

The team made their way towards the Konoha border, keeping a keen eye out for any signs of the bandit camp.

As they walked, Konoha couldn't help but feel a little anxious about what was to come.

Killing someone was something that was part of the ninja and also the assasin way of life.

Some treats, people, didn’t see reason and could be only taken care of this way.

It was far from perfect, but in their line of work, it was kill or be killed.

Especially now in wartimes.

And if Konoha had to choose her life and the lives of her team against some bandits, she would always pick the first option.

Rin noticed her unease and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay to be scared, Kohana-Chan," she said softly. "But we're all in this together."

Obito chimed in, his voice confident and unwavering. "We've trained for this moment, we know what we're doing."

Kakashi remained silent as usual, but the others could sense his readiness to take action at any moment.

Finally, they reached the outskirts of the bandit camp and took cover behind some trees to observe their surroundings.

Minato-Sensei whispered instructions to his team, outlining their plan of attack and assigning roles to each member.

Obito was tasked with creating a diversion using his fire jutsu while Konoha and Rin snuck around the back of the camp to take out any guards there. Kakashi and himself would lead the charge straight through the front entrance.

With a nod from Minato-Sensei, they sprang into action.

As planned, Obito created a fiery distraction that drew most of the bandits away from their posts.

Kohana and Rin swiftly took out any remaining guards at the back of the camp.

As her Hidden Blade sunk into the guard's neck, the Haruno felt uneasy, but it was a quick death. The bandit didn’t suffer.

She would think about this when his death would haunt her.

The girls hide the bodies in some bushes and Konoha says for the first time in her life the words assasin spoke when they killed a target: “Requiescat in pace.”

Surprised Rin looked over her.

“Konoha-Chan.”, she whispered. “What kind of language was that? I never heard it.”

This made Konoha frown.

It was a different language?

For her, it was natural to speak it.

Strange that she never picked it up.

“It’s a language my ancestors spoke.”, she explained to Rin. “You say it after you kill. It means Rest in Peace.”

The brunette nodded.

“I guess this is a good way to elebaeret this death. I mean, I’m still under adrenaline, but I will probably cry after I realise what I just did. Killing is never fun. Even if they are our enemies we can wish them to Rest in Peace.”

Now the green-haired girl nodded.

“You are right, Rin-Chan.”

After Rin wished her kill a Rest in Peace, the girl joined Kakashi and Minato-Sensei in charging headfirst through the front entrance.

The bandits were caught off guard by their sudden attack and were quickly overpowered by them.

Within minutes, they had eliminated all threats and secured any stolen cargo that had been taken from Konoha's supply lines.

Exhausted but triumphant, they made their way back towards Konoha with pride in their hearts knowing that they had protected their village once again from harm's way.

As they walked back home under the setting sun, Konoha couldn't help but reflect on how much she had grown since becoming a Genin just a few short weeks ago.

She knew that there would be more challenges ahead of her in her journey as a ninja and assasin but felt confident knowing that she had a fantastic team by her side every step of the way who would always have her back no matter what came their way!

They arrived back at Konoha, exhausted but triumphant, with the stolen cargo secured.

As they made their way to the Hokage Tower was then that it sank in what the four Genin did.

Konoha threw up, Rin started to cry hysterically, and Obito fell down to the ground hyperventilating, only Kakashi seemed calm, but his tight fist spoke another language.

They had just killed people.

It was something that they knew might happen in their line of work, but doing it was a different story.

Konoha couldn't shake off the feeling of unease and guilt that washed over her. She wondered if this was what being an assassin meant - taking lives without remorse or hesitation.

Rin's tears and Obito's panic attack clearly indicated that they were struggling with what they had just done.

Even Kakashi's clenched fist spoke volumes about his inner turmoil.

“It’s okay kids, come here.”, Minato-Sensei cooed at at.

The Haruno didn’t know how he did it, but Minato-Sensei managed to hug all of them to himself and whisper comforting words to them.

She gripped his flack jacket, crying in it in earnest. Rin and Obito joined her with their wails.

“It will never be easy, killing is never easy.”, shared Minato-Sensei with them. “But with time you learn to better elaborate it. But never lose the respect of the lives you take. That makes us human. If killing would be easy, we would be monsters.”

The team nodded in agreement, feeling comforted by Minato-Sensei's words.

They knew that what they had done was necessary to protect their village and loved ones, but it didn't make it any easier to cope with the aftermath.

As they started again to walk towards the Hokage Tower, Konoha couldn't help but feel grateful for her amazing team who had supported her through this difficult experience.

They may have taken lives, but they had done it to protect their village and its people.

It was a necessary evil, yet one that came at a great cost.

***

Nothing is True.

Everything is permitted.

This is the central credo of the Assassin Brotherhood.

But what does it mean?

Well, my great-great-I-don’t-know-many-times-uncle the legendary Ezio Auditore, Mentor of the Italien Brotherhood once explained it like this: To say that nothing is true is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile and that we must be the shepherds of our civilization. To say that everything is permitted is to understand that we are the architects of our actions and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.

I always repeat this to myself after every kill I have done and have to do.

Those who choose the assasin way of life must realise what responsibility it is.

Not only do we decide if someone should be allowed to live, but we have also to protect the peace.

A paradox, isn’t it?

But all our lives are made out of paradoxes.

How can we want peace if we kill?

We want peace because we believe that every life is precious.

We kill only when it is necessary to protect the innocent and preserve the greater good.

This is the burden of being an assassin, to carry the weight of life and death on our shoulders.

It is not a choice for the faint of heart, but for those who are willing to make the hard decisions when no one else can.

We are not murderers, but guardians of humanity.

And in this way, we live by the creed: Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

***

With a deep shuddering breath Konoha hugged the dairy of Sakuya to her chest.

The written words of her ancestor gave her the calm of mind she so desperately needed.

She knew that being an assassin was not an easy path to take, but it was one that she had chosen for herself.

The burden of taking lives weighed heavily on her shoulders, however, she was reminded that it was necessary to protect those she loved and cared for.

As she closed Sakuya's diary and looked up at the stars, Konoha couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in herself and her team.

They had faced their fears and conquered them together, and in doing so, they had protected their village from harm's way.

It was a difficult journey ahead of them, yet Konoha felt confident knowing that they would face it together as a team.

It was then that she saw someone she knew pass by her house, seeming deep in thought.

“Obito?”, she mumbled to herself.

Shouldn’t he be in bed, well like herself?

What was he doing out this late walking the village streets?

Konoha didn’t think long, gripped a jacket she could put over her nightgown and put her ninja shoes on. Silent as she could she opened her window and then jumped down the street.

“Obito.”, she called out softly to him. “Are you okay?”

Suprised Obito turned to her.

“Huh, Konoha-Chan? What are you doing here?”

“Here is my house. The question is what are you doing out so late and far away from the Uchiha District.”

Obito looked down at his feet, a pained expression on his face. 

"I couldn't sleep," he admitted. "The weight of what we did today is just too much to bear."

Konoha nodded in understanding, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

"I know how you feel," she said softly. "But we have to remember that what we did was necessary to protect our village and its people."

Obito looked up at her, gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you, Konoha-Cha. It's good to know that I'm not alone in feeling this way."

Konoha smiled back at him, feeling a sense of camaraderie between them. 

They may have taken lives today, but they had done it together as a team and had each other's backs through the aftermath.

"Come on," she said, gesturing towards the Uchiha District. "Let's get some rest before tomorrow's mission."

Cutely Obito turned red.

“I’m not a little girl, I can walk alone.”

“Are you implying, girls are weak.”

Konoha's voice promised pain if he said the wrong thing, that Obito could hear loud and clear.

The Uchiha quickly backtracked, realizing his mistake.

"No, no, of course not! I didn't mean it like that," he said, flustered. "I just meant that I don't want to be a burden on you."

Konoha chuckled, shaking her head. "You're not a burden, Obito. We're a team and we stick together through thick and thin."

With that settled, they walked back towards the Uchiha District together, chatting about nothing and all.

It was calm and peaceful.

The moon shone down on them.

Did Konoha say that it was quite romantic?

She did feel a bit flustered to walk with her crush to his home.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”, she heard herself say to Obito.

What the heck?!

When did she get so daring?!

Everybody and their mother know that this was a code for: I love you!

And she just said it to Obito!

Obito looked up at the moon, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, it is," he said softly. "I used to come out here and watch it with Rin when we were younger."

OF COURSE!

What else did she expect?

He would take it literally and not think about the hidden meaning.

Konoha felt a pang of jealousy at the mention of Rin's name but quickly pushed it aside. She was happy that Obito had someone he could share moments like this with.

"Maybe we can all watch it together sometime," she suggested, trying to keep her voice casual.

Obito turned to her, surprise written all over his face. "Really? You'd want to do that?"

Konoha nodded, feeling a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Sure, why not? We're friends and teammates after all."

Obito smiled back at her, a warmth in his eyes that made Konoha's heart skip a beat.

"Thanks, Konoha-Chan," he said gratefully. "That means a lot to me."

As they reached the entrance of the Uchiha District, Konoha bid Obito goodnight and watched as he disappeared into his house.

She couldn't help but feel grateful for their friendship and hopeful for what the future might hold for them both as ninjas and as friends....

Yeah, right.

“Uchiha Obito you are so stupid!”, she hissed quietly and had to stop the tears that sprung into her eyes.

Dear Kami, what does she need to do when Obito finally takes note of her?!

As she walked back to her house, Konoha couldn't help but feel a sense of longing in her heart.

She had always admired Obito from afar, yet it seemed like he only saw her as a teammate/friend and nothing more.

She knew that being a ninja/assassin meant sacrificing personal relationships for the greater good, however, it didn't make it any easier to bear.

The Haruno sighed heavily and entered her house, ready to rest before their next mission.

While she lay in bed, unable to sleep, she couldn't help but wonder if there was a way to balance her duty as an assassin and her desire for love and companionship.

Perhaps one day she would find the answer.

***

“Carina, you need to get under people or you gonna die an old virgin.”

“When I die, I will take some Templars with me, Rebecca. I have not exactly planned to die peacefully.”

“Still, you only read fanfictions, you know what I mean and that’s not healthy.”

“And coming from our computer expert it must be true. Why don’t you check the Animus again, Desmond seems a bit unwell.”

“Haha, so funny. All is good with my baby.”

“Girls, what are you discussing?”

“Sorry, Lucy, Bec wants me to go out with some guy she knows, but I don’t think it the time for it.”

“We will not stay hidden here away from ABSTERGO forever, I’m just planning for the future.”

“Bec’s leave Cari alone, okay? She knows what is best for her.”

“You are only on her side because you have a crush on her, Lucy since Cari is a real-life Auditore!”

“That’s not true, Rebecca. I just think it’s important for Carina to focus on her safety and well-being before worrying about romantic relationships.”

“Well, I think it’s important for all of us to have some fun and enjoy life while we still can. But don’t worry, Carina. If you’re not interested in my friend, I won’t force you.”

Carina made it clear again that she was fine the way she was.

Besides they had to first save the world and well, her dream man was fictional.

No one could reach Obito Uchiha’s level.

***

“So...”

“Yes, Mito?”

“Uchiha. Uchiha Madara?”

“Are you judging me, my friend?”

“A tiny bit.”

“Mito!”

“Don’t use that tone on me Sakuya. I mean there are Uchiha’s who are not so...intense then Madara.”

“Love finds you in the strangest of places or what is with you and Hashirama? Hashi is my friend but he is a blubbering mess.”

“I...I have nothing to say against it.”

“Pardon, ladies, I didn’t think this room was occupied.”

“Tobirama, good! Tell Sakuya that her liaison with Madara is...erm...”

“A horrible decision? Yes, it is.”

“Tobirama, I thought you were my friend!”

“And as your friend I have to ask, have you lost your mind Sakuya? Madara is the worst of the Uchiha Clan. Why do t you go out with Kagami's father?”

“The man is married?”

“Polyamory is not frowned upon in the Uchiha-Clan.”

“You are joking, Tobirama.”

“I’m not joking, Sakuya. And besides, Kagami's father is a much better match for you than Madara ever could be.”

“I’ll...I’ll think about it.”

To hell with thinking about it.

Sakuya loved Madara and Madara loved her.

When she was Carina she never thought of finding love and then even in Madara Uchiha!

She was an Obito-Fangirl, but truly getting to know Madara had changed her.

The Mito/assassin was sure she could change the future and build a life with Madara.

***

Konoha opened her eyes and blinked up at her room ceiling.

What the heck?

Did...did she just live out the love life of Carina/Sakuya?

What was this supposed to mean?

Her ancestor from another world had loved Obito too, but then when she met Madara for real, she truly fell in love.

Wanted her brain to show Konoha how ironic it was that the descendant of Carina/Sakuya was also in love with Obito.

Konoha couldn't shake off the strange feeling that lingered in her mind.

She wondered if there was a deeper meaning to her dream.

Was it a message from her ancestor?

Or was it just a random occurrence of her subconscious mind playing tricks on her?

Or was there something more to it?

Why was she so connected to Carina/Sakuya?

It was like...like in the Animus!

Yes, the strange device from Carina's world, which lets you live out the memories of your ancestors!

And Konoha experienced it naturally?

How was this possible?

The green-haired girl had a feeling that Sakuya's diary was the answer to it, but there were so many.

It would take time to find it.

Suddenly she had an idea.

There was another source she could maybe check.

Maybe it could shine a new light on Sakuya!

!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

Nothing is True

… Everything is permitted.

What is real?

What is not?

Is she just turning crazy or are other powers at work?

One thing is clear Kohana will get to the bottom of this and maybe change the whole Ninja-World at the same time.

S.I. Third Shinobi World War 

!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

Since Obito’s Grandma doesn’t have an official name I gave her own. ^^

I hope you like it. :D

Chapter 8: New Discoveries

The next day, before it was time to meet with her team, Kohana walked into the Uchiha District.

Where else could she find information about Uchiha Madara and hopefully his lover, her ancestor, Haruno Sakuya?

Soon she reached Obito's house and knocked on the door.

Her teammate opened it after a few seconds.

“Yes, hello?”, he yawned cutely, still sleepy and in his sleepwear.

Konoha wished to have a camera to immortalize this moment.

Obito was adorable!

But she was here on business.

“Morning Obito-Kun, shouldn’t you get ready to meet up with our team?”, she couldn’t help but tease.

It was like lighting struck him, waking the Uchiha full up.

“Huah! Konoha-Chan?! Aww, don’t tell me you really will pick me up till I get my tardiness under control.”, he whined.

Gosh, he was so cute.

The urge to kiss his cheeks was strong in Konoha.

Why was her crush such a cutie?

So unfair!

“I’m also here for that.”, she told him and hid a giggle as he groaned. “But I need your help with something.”

“Huh? What is it, Konoha-Chan.”

She took a deep breath.

What she was going to ask could get Obito in trouble and that’s the last that she wanted.

Needless she said: “Uchiha Madara. I learned recently that my ancestor Haruno Sakuya was his lover did you know this?”

Obito's eyes widened at the mention of Uchiha Madara and Haruno Sakuya.

So he knows something!

That was surprising.

He quickly composed himself and replied, "Yes, I've heard about it. But it's not something we talk about openly in the district. It’s all hush-hush...Uchiha’s don’t normally date or marry outside the clan. But..."

The boy waved her over. Konoha stepped closer so that he could whisper in her ear.

She ignored the warm shower over her body as his hot breath stroked her skin.

“But...My Grandma told me that Sakuya was a special case. She was a welcomed guest in our clan since she was a Miko devoted to Amaterasu, our patron goddess. So as she and Uchiha Madara courted, the clan was okay with it. Even the Elders and they were always a pain in the ass.”

Huh, that was interesting.

“Sorry, but wasn’t Madara the Clan Head? Couldn’t he marry whoever he wanted?”, wondered Konoha.

The Uchiha shook his head.

“If you want to bring an outsider into the clan you need the permission of the Elders. Whatever just a normal shinobi or the clanhead.”

Double huh.

“Konoha-Chan do you wanna come in? Grandma knows more about this stuff than I do. She met Sakuya when she was a little girl.”

Well, if Obito's grandma personally knew her ancestor, who was she to say no?

Konoha thanked Obito for inviting her in and followed him into the kitchen.

His grandma, Uchiha Keika, was sitting on the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea.

“Obito-Chan who was it on the door?”, asked the elderly lady.

“Gran you remember my friend Konoha?”, said Obito putting a hand on Konoha’s shoulder. “She wants to ask you something.”

The Haruno bowed down.

“I hope I don’t disturb.”

That’s when Keika looked at her and blinked owlish.

“Incredible...you look exactly like her! Aren’t you a Haruno, child?”

“Yes I’m Uchiha-San.”

“Aww, any friend of my Obito can call me grandma, sweetheart.”

Now Konoha awed in her head.

Obito's grandma was as sweet as she remembers

“Alright, grandma, I look like who?”

“I met her when I was a child and she a grown woman, but you have the same face, eyes and hair colour as Sakuya-Sama.”

Konoha couldn't believe it.

She looked like her ancestor, Haruno Sakuya.

That was unbelievable!

And also strange.

Not only was she reliving the life of her ancestor, but she looked also like her.

Something was definitely not normal about that.

"Grandma, I'm so grateful for your time. I've been trying to learn more about my ancestor and her connection to Uchiha Madara for months," Konoha said eagerly.

"Of course, dear. It's always nice to see young people taking an interest in their family history.", Keika smiled kindly to her and then turned to Obito. “Take an example from your friend Obito-Chan.”

“Gran!”, whined the boy.

“Obito-Chan go make some tea for Konoha-Chan, while we talk. Sit down, dear.”

Both kids did as Keika asked them.

So while Obito heated up the tea again, Konoha sat in front of the older Uchiha.

"Can you tell me more about Sakuya's relationship with Uchiha Madara? How did they meet?" Konoha asked, leaning forward.

The old woman took a sip of her tea before answering. "Sakuya-Sama was a Miko devoted to Amaterasu, which is our patron goddess. She often visited our clan to perform purification rituals and offer blessings. That's how she first met Madara."

The old woman giggled.

“Sakuya-Sama was a real beauty. A lot of men and women in our clan crushed on her. When I saw her the first time, I thought she was some nature deity herself. I bet you will grow up to be just as beautiful.”

This made Konoha bashful, looking into the tea cup Obito placed in from of her as the boy joined them on the kitchen table.

“Really Gran?”, wondered Obito. “Some of our clansmen were crushing on Sakuya?”

Keika nodded. "Yes, but ironically it wasn’t Madara who first caught her eye. It was Izuna, Madara younger brother. They were inseparable from the moment they met. They became quite good friends, their relationship resembled the one siblings had. Madara was quite jealous that a woman spending so much time with his beloved brother and also he felt like Izuna was favouring a stranger over him. Actually Sakuya and Madara butted heads on more than one occasion, they were like cat and dog."

Keika took another sip of her tea before continuing. "But eventually Madara saw the error in his ways, after a lot of shouting matches between him and Sakuya and between Izuna and himself. It’s said that Izuna told his brother he would always be his most precious person, but he was allowed to have others too. Madara accepted their friendship, but then Izuna died at the hands of Senju Tobirama. You both truly know the story."

Both kids nodded.

“I know that Sakuya was also friends with Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama, I can’t image how it felt to hear your friend killed your other friend.”, mumbled Konoha.

"It was a devastating time for her and Madara. But this was the Warring States Era for you. Friends could become foes in one second, foes could become your friends.”, shared Keika with them. “In their grief for Izuna, they became friends and eventually in time Madara and Sakuya fell in love with each other.”

"Their love was a forbidden one, as Uchihas were not allowed to marry outside the clan. But Madara was the Clan Head and had some leverage, so he went against the Elders' wishes and married Sakuya in secret. They kept their marriage hidden from everyone, even their closest friends and family members."

Konoha's eyes widened in surprise. "They got married? I had no idea."

"Yes, my dear," Keika said with a smile. "Their love was strong enough to overcome any obstacle. But unfortunately, it was short-lived. Madara became consumed by hate and his desire for power. He never could forgive Senju Tobirama for killing his brother, even if it was war back then and it was killed or to be killed, then he didn’t become Hokage and our clan was tired of the fighting. Sakuya had found in her heart the power to forgive Senju Tobirama and worked with Senju Hashirama, Tobirama and Uzumaki Mito to create a peaceful village and better life for all of us. Sakuya couldn't bear to see Madara become someone she didn't recognize anymore. She tried to save him from himself, but you know it was fruitless.”

Keika sighed sadly, "It was a tragic end to their love story. Madara and Sakuya parted ways, with Madara going down a dark path that ultimately led to his downfall. Sakuya continued to work towards peace and prosperity for the village until her death. She married a civilian man, and had a son and a daughter with him. Her son, Haruno Oga is your great-grandfather, right?"

Konoha simply nodded.

Keika took a deep breath and continued, "But you know, Konoha, I always felt that Madara regretted his actions towards the end. He realized too late what he had lost in Sakuya and how much she meant to him. It's a tragedy that their love couldn't survive the turmoil of those times."

The Haruno listened intently to Keika's words, feeling a sense of sadness wash over her. She couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if Madara had chosen differently.

Would her ancestor still be alive today?

Would their love have survived?

Obito cleared his throat, breaking the sombre mood in the room. "So, Konoha-chan, did you find out everything you wanted to know?"

Konoha nodded slowly, still lost in thought. "Yes, thank you both for sharing your knowledge with me. It means a lot."

"Anytime dear, it was lovely having you over. And Obito-chan," she turned to her grandson with a stern expression, "make sure you're not late for your team meeting again."

Obito groaned playfully as Konoha stood up from the table.

"I'll wait for you outside then, Obito," she said with a small smile.

Quickly Obito finished his tea, got dressed and joined Konoha outside.

As they walked towards their meeting spot, Konoha couldn't help but think about the tragic love story of her ancestor.

It was both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

She wondered if such a forbidden love could exist in today's world, where people were more accepting of different cultures and backgrounds.

It made her think about her own feelings for Obito.

She had always found him cute and charming, but now she realized that there was something deeper there.

Maybe it was the way he talked about his grandmother and his clan with such passion, or the way he had helped her uncover the secrets of her family history.

Whatever it was, Konoha knew that she wanted to explore these feelings further.

However, at the same time, she couldn't shake off the feeling that their love would also be forbidden.

After all, they were from different clans and had different backgrounds.

Would their relationship be accepted by their families and friends?

Would they be able to overcome any obstacles that came their way?

When they approached their team, Obito turned to her with a serious expression. "Konoha-chan, I hope you won't tell anyone about what my grandma told us. It's a sensitive topic in our clan."

Konoha nodded understandingly. "Of course, Obito-kun. Your secret is safe with me."

Then Konoha was reminded again why thinking about being with Obito was useless since not even a second his eyes landed on Rin, he left her side to talk to his crush.

Something like a dying whale sound left her lips.

“I don’t get what you see in this idiot.”

Shocked Konoha turned to a deadpanning Kakashi beside her. She didn’t even hear how he had approached her.

“I-I don’t know what you mean...”

The Hatake just deadpanned harder.

“Of course.”

Konoha felt her cheeks heat up as she tried to compose herself.

She couldn't believe she had just made such a sound in front of Kakashi. But the truth was, she couldn't help it.

Watching Obito fawn over Rin was like a punch to the gut every time.

She sighed and looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment from Kakashi. However, he seemed unfazed by her outburst, almost amused even.

"You know," he said after a moment of silence, "sometimes what we see in others is not always rational or logical."

The Haruno looked back at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe Obito sees something in Rin that we don't. And maybe you see something in Obito that he doesn't see in himself."

She felt her heart skip a beat at his words.

Was Kakashi suggesting...no, it couldn't be possible. She shook her head and tried to push the thought out of her mind.

Yet as they continued to watch Obito and Rin together, Konoha couldn't help but wonder if there was more to their relationship than meets the eye. And maybe, just maybe, there was still hope for her own feelings towards Obito after all.

“Good morning, kids.”, called them Minato-Sensei.

Surprised Konoha blinked at the beautiful red-haired woman on his side.

She seemed familiar...

Suddenly she got one of her visions!

Minato-Sensei and the woman, Kushina were her name, throwing themselves at the claws of the Kyuubi to protect a little blond baby on an altar. In their last moments, Kushina talks to the baby, Naruto, their son, giving him advice to become a good man...

With a little hiss, Konoha messaged her hurting temple.

God this was a heartbreaking vision!

What would happen if she didn’t manage to change the future?

In no way in hell would she let Minato-Sensei and Kushina get killed, leaving little precious Naruto alone in the world?

As the team gathered curious around Minato-Sensei and his guest, Konoha tried to keep her composure and focus at hand.

Sadly her mind kept drifting back to the vision she had just experienced. She couldn't let it become a reality!

“Kids, I want you to meet someone, this is Uzumaki Kushina.”, presented Minato-Sensei the grinning red-haired woman. “She is one of Konoha's best Fuin Jutsu and Kenjutsu Masters, also she is my girlfriend.”

“Nice meeting Minato-Kun cute little Genin.”, cooed Kushina at them. “He told me a lot about you, let’s see..”

The red-haired started to point at them.

“Cute brunette with lilac stripes and already a prodigy in medical Jutsu you must be Rin.”

This made Rin giggle cutely.

“Charming black-haired boy with goggles who is really good with his fire jutsu, you are Obito from the Uchiha Clan.”

The boy rubbed his nose shyly.

“Adorable green-haired girl with cool glasses, a prodigy in assassination techniques and has this cool weapon named Hidden Blade, you must be Konoha.”

Konoha couldn’t help but blush at the praise.

“And the last of you....”, dramatically Kushina stopped before she grinned even brighter. “Kashi-Kun we already know each other.”

Kakashi ignored that Obito seemed to die of laughter, hearing Kushina's nickname for him and just deadpanned at her.

“Hello Kushina-San.”

Minato-Sensei had also an amused smile on his face. “Kushina here wanted to see for herself how good you guys already are. So today you will spar against her.”

Why did Konoha have a bad feeling about this? Kushina smiled at them promising a world of hurt and pain.

“So we four against Kushina-San?”, asked Rin to clarify.

“That’s right, Rin-Chan.”

Kushina got her Katana out, heaving now an evil look on her face.

“You four need to work to together to get me, Dattebane!”

Then she started her attack!

The four Genin were no match for Kushina's skills.

She moved with such speed and grace that they could barely keep up. Also, she threw at them Fuin Jutsu traps like no tomorrow!

Kakashi tried his best to coordinate their attacks since he had already fought Kushina in several meetings, sadly it seemed like they were just getting in each other's way.

Kushina was enjoying herself immensely, laughing as she dodged their attacks effortlessly.

It was clear that she wasn't taking the fight seriously at all.

This was so frustrating.

Suddenly, Konoha had an idea. She signalled to the others to back off and let her take the lead.

They looked at her sceptically, yet she gave them a determined nod.

The Haruno actives her Eagle Vision.

The world turned into the familiar black space, highlighting the persons in a blue Aura.

Since Kushina was their opponent she was tinted in red.

And in gold were the weak points of the Fuin Jutsus Traps!

Perfect.

A little smirk formed on Konoha's face.

She totally ignored Kushina's sword slash and concreted to hit with her Hidden Blade the weak points.

The Fuin Jutsu Trap destroyed themselves with satisfied pops.

“What, Dattebane?!”, shouted Kushina shocked.

Not only she was shocked.

Anyone was.

How did Konoha do this?!

Grappling the change that Kushina was distracted, Konoha made fast handsings.

She thanked her brother Kizashi mentally that he had shown her this Jutsu.

“Earth Style! Headhunter Jutsu!”

Thanks to the Jutsu Kushina was buried to the head into the ground.

The other Genin rushed forward to help Konoha finish the job, however, Kushina just laughed and broke free from the trap with ease.

"Not bad," she said approvingly. "You kids have some potential."

Minato-Sensei clapped his hands together in admiration. "Well done! I'm impressed by your teamwork."

The four Genin beamed at them.

“I’m impressed by you Konoha-Chan. How do you find the weak spots of the Fuin Jutsu Trap and disable them like that...Are you interested in Fuin Jutsu?”, wonder Kushina.

Before Konoha could say something Obito shouted: “What the heck?! Konoha since when do you have golden eyes?!”

Oh shit, she had forgotten to deactivate Eagle Vision.

Now all looked at her interested.

“Konoha.”, said Minato-Sensei calmy. “Do you need to tell me something important...like how a new Kekkai Genkai, especially a Dojutsu, awakened in you?”

Oh shit, what should she do now?!

!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

Maiden of the Moon

What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?

Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.

But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?

What will it take to find yourself?

A long, hard journey awaits.

!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

After a long while I had the urge to update this little FF. 

That’s me.

Writing, stopping for a few months and then going back to writing. XD

The song today Yua sings is I’m on My Way by Phil Collins from the fantastic movie Brother Bear.

Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Mt. Natagumo

Time flows fast and Yua and her three idiotic comrades and wonderful Nezuko have been staying at the Wisteria House for a good six weeks.

Today the doctor declared them finally being healed.

The day started well.

It even got better as Kaguya and Tanjiro’s crow, Matsuemon, brought them new orders.

Their little group shall go North-northeast to Mt. Natagumo.

Finally, Yua could work on her goal of becoming a Hashira. She was starting to get crazy doing nothing but healing in the Wisteria House.

On one hand, she should really first go home and check on her family, yet the disapproving look and the lecture her grandfather would give her, how she managed for six weeks to do nothing and not at least raise a few ranks stopped her from doing so.

She would go back home when she at least levelled up a good three ranks.

Was she a coward?

Yes, she was.

The midnight blue-haired beauty was not ashamed to admit that.

She would rather fist-fight a demon than be criticized by her grandfather. That man could make you feel so bad about yourself, it should be a torture method.

Or better not.

Anyway, our group of four Demon Slayers stood ready before the door of the Wisteria House, Hisa was with them, seeing them off.

Today, Yua had decided to wear her long hair in two long pigtails. As she fixed one, Tanjiro, undoubtedly the one with the best manners, bowed before Hisa.

“We’re heading out now. Thank you for everything.”

The old kind lady smiled and had a stone and grinder in her hands.

Oh how nice of her!

“Now then, for good luck.”, said Hisa.

“Thank you so much!”

Yua, Tanjiro and Zenitsu turn their back to Hisa, as she strikes the stone against the grinder a couple of times, little sparks flying in the air.

And again it shows that Inosuke really only ever lived on a mountain surrounded by animals since he freaks out seeing that.

Only Yua's fast reflexes stop the boar-headed boy from attacking the old lady. She has him in a headlock, while he shouts: “What do you think you’re doing, old hag?!”

“What are you, a moron?!”, shouts Zenitsu back.

“Is that a rhetoric question, Agatsuma.”, deadpans Yua, gripping Inosuke tighter. “Stop struggling so much, Hashibira!”

The blond-haired boy explains: “She’s striking sparks for good luck! It’s a purification ceremony! Because we’re gonna go on a dangerous mission!”

“So stand down and accept it.”, adds Yua.

Still confused the boar-headed boy does as he was said and Hisa can complete the ritual.

All beside Inosuke bow before her in thanks.

“Always live your lives with great pride. I wish you luck in battle!”

The older girl thanks her in the name of the group and with that the Demon Slayers and one Demon Girl in a box set off.

It’s exactly quiet for five minutes before the wild boy speaks up.

““Great pride”? “Luck in battle”? What does that mean?”

Zenitsu can’t help himself and think what a moron Inosuke is, while Yua fights off the urge to facepalm.

Hard.

Like she said.

Idiots, besides Nezuko.

“Well, yeah, now that you mention it, it’s kind of difficult to explain.”, try however Tanjiro to explain to him. ““With great pride”… I guess it means that you know your place and that you behave properly so that you’re never ashamed of yourself.”

“Huh?”

“And the old lady is also praying for our safety.”

“So what is this “place”? What do you mean, “never ashamed”?”

“Well, it’s…”

“What exactly does it mean to “behave properly”? Why in the hell would that old hag pray for our safety, anyway? She has nothing to do with us, so why?”

“Ahh…”

“She has no clue what her own place is, does she?”

Before someone gets an aneurysm, most likely poor goodhearted Tanjiro, Yua step energetically forward and starts to sing.

“Tell everybody I'm on my way

New friends and new places to see

With blue skies ahead yes

I'm on my way

And there's nowhere else

that I'd rather be!”

This earned her a confused huh from Inosuke, Zenitsu fangirling and Tanjiro bilking at her surprised.

Neither one of them ever heard this type of song.

After six weeks they were used to the beautiful songs Yua sang, but they were more from their folklore, besides the one she called Gurenge and didn’t tell them who had taught her that.

“Tell everybody I'm on my way

And I'm loving every step I take

With the sun beating down yes

I'm on my way

And I can't keep this smile off my face!”

Also, she only sang in the morning, while she combed Nezuko's hair.

Suddenly starting to sing was new.

But not unwelcome.

“'Cause there's nothing like seeing

each other again

No matter what the distance between

And the stories that we tell

will make you smile

Oh, it really lifts my heart!”

All the boys, even Inosuke, loved her singing.

Yua had an amazing voice.

“So tell 'em all I'm on my way

New friends and new places to see

And to sleep under the stars

Who could ask for more

With the moon keeping watch over me!”

As Yua finished singing, the group looked at her in confusion.

She shrugged and said, "It’s a good song while you walk. Your squabbling didn’t really help us."

"Well, THAT was useless.”, snorted Inosuke “We still don't know what that old hag meant."

The midnight blue-haired girl just rolled her eyes.

She had hoped singing her wandering song would also stop this stupid discussion.

Inosuke was trough and trough boar-headed.

"Look, Hashibira, it means that we should be proud of who we are and what we do. We should behave properly and not bring shame to ourselves or our comrades. And Hisa prayed for us because she cares about us and wants us to come back safely."

 Zenitsu nodded in agreement, "Exactly! And we should appreciate her kindness and good wishes."

Inosuke grumbled but seemed to understand a little better now. Or maybe they all hoped it.

Tanjiro smiled at his friends and said, "Let's go then! Mt. Natagumo is waiting for us!"

And with that, the group set off on their next mission with determination and pride in their hearts.

***

In the evening Yua, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke finally arrived at the base of Mt. Natagumo.

The Aura-sensing girl hissed as she felt the vibes of the places.

Yes, demons alright.

And pretty strong ones too.

“Hold up! Would you mind waiting a second?”, screeched Zenitsu from the back of the group.

“Zenitsu? What’s wrong?”, ask Tanjiro worried.

“I’m scared, all right?! Now that we’re nearing our destination, I’m so scared!”

“Here we go again...”, mumbled Yua.

This was the Demon Mansion all over again.

“Why the hell is he sitting?”, pointed Inosuke on the ground cowering Zenitsu. “How creepy is that?”

“Who are you to talk, Pig Face?! Don’t tell me you’re not getting any vibes from that mountain!”

Okay, that was surprising.

“You feel it also Agatsuma? The Aura of this place is full of malice and I bet we will find some strong Demons there.”

Tanjiro and Inosuke turn to the mountain but it’s clear that they sense nothing.

“Still, what good will it do to just sit there?”, wondered Tanjiro.

Yua fixes one of her pigtails.

“That place may be full of malice aura, but I’m not afraid like Agatsuma. We should get going, guys.”

“I told you, he’s creepy.”, reminds Inosuke them.

“I am not in any way creepy! I’m normal! I’m the normal one! You guys are abnormal! Erm...I mean Yua-Senpai is special, not creepy at all she is just erm...”

“Agatsuma nothing you ever will say will get you into my pants.”, deadpans Yua with her hands on her hips.

Suddenly Tanjiro becomes all rigged and turns to the direction of the mountain. His companions look at him confused.

Zenitsu ask him what's wrong and Tanjiro's answer is that there is a smell.

This makes Yua reach out with her Aura Sensing, in the six weeks with the boys and Nezuko she learned, how good Tanjiro could smell and how fine Zenitsu's hearing was.

This means if Tanjiro smells something it must be important.

And she is right with her guess as she feels an Aura full of pain crashing against her senses.

It’s human!

“Follow me, boys!”, she commands and runs towards the direction of the painful Aura.

Tanjiro and Inosuke are right behind her and after a few seconds, Zenitsu joins them.

When they get closer to the mountain, they see a wounded Demon Slayer.

“Ngh… Ugh…Ah… H-Help me.”, cries the wounded boy.

“He’s got our uniform on. He’s a Demon Slayer!”, shouts Tanjiro. “Something must’ve happened!”

Yua can’t help but sass back. “Really? What tipped you off, that he is a bloody mess?”

Nonetheless, Yua, Tanjiro and Inosuke run up to their Demon Slayer comrade, while Zenitsu begs them to wait for him.

Tanjiro is the first by the boy and asks him if he is okay. Again Yua wants to point out what a stupid question this is when suddenly the wounded Demon Slayer rises in the air by fine strings. He shouts for help, but sadly he gets pulled back into the direction of the dense forest of the mountain.

The Hinoto gets a determined look on her face.

“Guys, let’s go!”

“Of course, Yua-Senpai.”, agrees Tanjiro.

“I’ll go on ahead. You can follow me, shivering.”, tells Inosuke. “This is making me hungry.”

Yua snorts.

“Strange time to get hungry, but let’s get moving guys. You listen to my word, since I’m the highest rank here, alright.”

Both boys agree, even if Inosuke grumbles.

The three run into the forest, leaving a scarred and crying Zenitsu behind.

They run up a trail when Inosuke suddenly stops.

“Huh? What the hell is this?”

Tanjiro and Yua stop to see what is with Inosuke.

That’s really strange.

“A spider web?”, wonders Tanjiro for them aloud.

“Jeez, this place is full of spiderwebs! What a pain!”

Again Yua lets her Aura Sensing sweep around to get what is going on, while Tanjiro thanks both her and Inosuke for being here with him since alone he would be afraid.

The girl waves it just away as she pit-points two auras before them.

Two familiar aura.

One is a welcome sight the other not.

“Murata-San, Katsumi.”, she greeted the two scarred Demon Slayers. “What is the situation?”

Murata, the black-haired male, seemed happy to see her, while Katsumi Tomita, the brown-haired one, looked like someone had killed his cat.

“Yua-Senpai! I’m so glad to see you. At least a Minoto! Tell me do you have a Hashira with you?!”, babbled Murata, tears streaming from his eyes.

She couldn’t even answer, before Katsumi hissed: “You want to lay your hope on the Moonlight Beauty, Murata? She and her whole family are cursed! We are totally fucked!”

Lovely, still the nicknaming asshole Yua had the displeasure of ever meeting. She could have gone her whole life without seeing the brown-haired young man ever again.

She grounded her teeth together and tried to talk herself out of it to just kick Katsumi's ass.

“You know Yua-Senpai?”, asked Tanjiro, joining them with Inosuke.

“I have met and killed with Murata-San a few Demons.”, revealed Yua. “Katsumi and I just know each other from one occasion.”

Katsumi scoffed.

“That one occasion was enough. You, Mochizuki’s, only bring bad luck and death with you!”

The midnight blue-haired girl takes a deep breath and tries to remain calm despite Katsumi's insults. She knows that getting angry won't solve anything, and they need to focus on the situation at hand.

"Murata, tell us what happened," she says, turning her attention to the tearful Demon Slayer.

Murata sniffles and wipes his eyes before speaking. "Th-The crow gave us the order! And ten of us Demon Slayers came here. Not long after we entered the mountain, the Slayers…the Slayers started killing each other! Tomita-San and I barely escaped with our lives.”

Yua nods, understanding the gravity of the situation. Behind the killing under the Demon Slayers was surely a Blood Demon Art responsible. What kind of Demon could take nearly over a full group of Slayers was the question?

They needed to go on with caution.

“Who is with you, Moonlight Beauty?”, spat Katsumi, eyeing Tanjiro and Inosuke. “A boy barely weened from his mother and a boy hiding behind a mask?”

Tanjiro and Inosuke both didn’t like how this Katsumi called their Yua-Senpai by the nickname she hated so much. She seemed ready to murder the brown-haired man. Normally she was calm and collected.

There was history between them, so much was clear.

 “I’m Kamada Tanjiro and he is Hashibira Inosuke, rank Mizunoto.”, answered Tanjiro for them.

He didn’t like this hostile attitude towards Yua-Senpai. He hoped he could turn the attention like this to them and away from Yua.

It worked half since Murata yelled: “Mizunoto… Mizunoto?! Why didn’t they send a Hashira with Yua-Senpai?”

“I told you Murata!”, groaned Katsumi. “The Mochizuki bring only bad luck with them. It would have been too much for the Moonlight Beauty to have other Minoto with her or even a higher rank.”

“No matter how many Mizunoto they send, it won’t help! Even with a Minoto now. It’s pointless!”

“It was pointless from the start with the Moonlight Beauty!”

Suddenly Inosuke let out a loud yell and punched Murata and Katsumi in the face.

Yua felt a sick satisfaction seeing Katsumi getting punched, she was only sorry for Murata.

“Inosuke!!”, scolded Tanjiro.

Violence against their brother-in-arms was surely not it, even if a tiny part of him thought Katsumi deserved a punch in the face for being so rude to Yua.

“Shut up!”, hollerd Inosuke. “As far as pointless goes, your existence itself has no point at all!”

“Who the hell is this guy?! Did you forget that Tomita-San and I have seniority?!”

“Of course, the Moonlight Beauty would travel with freaks?!”

“What is your problem with Yua-Senpai!”, now Tanjiro was nearly yelling. “You keep calling her by the nickname she hates and say her whole family is cursed. Why?!”

“Kamado, it’s fine. I don’t give a shit what Katsumi thinks of me or my family.”, tries Yua to calm him down.

Tanjiro's disbelieving look says it all. Of course, he must smell how she is ready to commit murder.

A little evil chuckle leaves Katsumi's lips.

“So you don’t know that the Mochizuki learned the Moon Breathing from a Demon? And not any Demon either. Michikatsu Tsugikuni was a Demon Slayer once and betrayed the whole corps. The first and only one who did this!”

Yua bit her lips and looked down at the ground. Sadly it was true.

“You can’t trust a family who won’t stop using the Breathing Style of a Demon. Their loyalty lies surely with the Demon who taught them!”

The Minoto takes a deep breath and looks up at Katsumi with a cold expression.

"My family's loyalty lies with the Demon Slayer Corps and protecting humanity from Demons," she says firmly. "We may have learned the Moon Breathing from someone who turned Demon, but we also learned how to kill them and protect innocent lives."

Tanjiro nods in agreement, understanding the weight of Yua's words. Inosuke just grunts, still angry at the insults towards his comrades.

"We need to focus on finding the Demon who uses the Blood Demon Art responsible for the killings," Yua continues, trying to steer the conversation back to the mission at hand. "We can't afford to let our personal feelings get in the way."

Murata wipes his tears and nods, grateful for Yua's leadership. Katsumi just rolls his eyes, not convinced by her words.

But he knows deep down that they need to work together if they want to survive this mission.

Suddenly they hear a strange sound. Murata tells the newcomers that it sounded also before the other Demon Slayers started to kill each other.

Immediate Yua sweeps with her Aura-Sensing the clearing they are in.

“They are coming!”, she tells the four boys, reading her Katana. The white blade seems to shimmer under the moonlight. “Get ready!”

A group of Demon Slayers hobbles toward them, ready to attack.

Murata and Katsumi dodged the attacks. The Demon Slayers attack Inosuke and Tanjirou, but they also dodge.

“Haha! These guys are all morons!”, laughs Inosuke. “They don’t know that it’s taboo for us Demon Slayers to fight each other!”

Swift and with grace Yua counters the sword strikes of the two Demon Slayers before her, upper-handing them, taking their Katana’s from them and throwing them far away into the forest.

“They don’t do it of their free will Hashibara.”, yells Yua, locked in a sword fight with a new Demon Slayer. “They are like marionettes, someone forces them to fight!”

“Yua-Senpai is right. Something controls them!”, agrees Tanjiro.

This only makes Inosuke take out his katana, ready to slice up the other Demon Slayers, only Tanjiro and Yua yelling at him that they can’t hurt their follow comareds since some of them are still alive, stop him.

“Do it like me. Upperhand them and throw the Katana far away!”, advised Yua, before she fully concretes on the opponent before her.

Tanjiro slices through the air above a Demon Slayer’s back, severing spider strings. The Demon Slayer falls to the ground motionless.

“Good eye, Kamado!”, praises Yua and cuts the strings on the Demon Slayer before her.

“They’re threads! They’re being manipulated by threads! Slash the threads!”, spells out Tanjiro for the rest of the group.

They continue to fight, cutting threads, till Yua Aura-Sensing tickles her.

She looks down at her arm to find two small spiders crawling over it.

“Spiders?”, she mumbles and then has enlightenment. “They are controlled by these spiders!”

As to prove her point her arms lift themselves from alone, thankful she can cut the threads again.

“Guys, we need to find the Demon fast. The spiders are so tiny and just put the threads we cut back on!”

“So, all we gotta do is kill those damn spiders, huh?”, wonder Inosuke.

It’s Tanjiro who answers him: “That would be impossible! Those spiders are tiny, and I’m sure there are tons of them! We gotta find the demon who’s controlling them!”

“My Aura-Sensing is at its limit I can’t find the Aura of the Demon.”, admins Yua frustrated.

She really needs to train it more! When they get out here alive, she will do so.

“Inosuke, if you have some kind of power that can pinpoint the demon’s location, then help me out!”, turns Tanjiro to him. “This weird smell has been flowing in, and my nose isn’t working great! Ngh… And also, um…”

“It’s Murata!”

“I’m Tomita!”

“Murata! Tomita! Yua-Senpai. We will find a way to deal with the people being controlled! Inosuke, you…”

Exactly at the same moment, Yua feels a terrible Aura. Shivering she looks up.

There on fine spider treads stands a Demon in the form of a young boy with white hair, red markings on his face and a simple white kimono.

“Don’t disturb my family’s peaceful life.”, tells the Demon boy in an eerie voice. “Mother will kill you all right away.”

Inosuke doesn’t seem to care and tries to reach him. It fails spectacularly.

“Damn you!”, curses the masked boy on his back. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?! Fight me! Fight…!”

The Demon boy just walks away.

“Inosuke!”

“Hashibira!”

“Why did he show up, anyway?”, ask Inosuke Tanjiro and Yua.

“That kid probably isn’t the demon pulling the puppet strings!”, tells Tanjiro.

“But we should be careful of the kid, it’s Aura is sicking!”, warns them Yua.

Tanjiro nods.

“Right, so first, let’s…”

“Okay, okay, okay! I hear you, all right?!”, shouts Inosuke. “You want me to find where that demon is at, right? Shut up already, Forehead!”

Inosuke sticks his swords into the ground, kneeling down and putting his arms up and sideways. Yua and Tanjiro protected him from the incoming Demon Slayer puppets.

“Ngh… Beast Breathing, Seventh Form, Special Awareness! Grrr…”

He takes a deep breath, feeling his way through the forest, finding the location of the Spider Demon Mother

“Found it. There you are!”

!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

Maybe I'm too early with this but... All I want for Christmas is...people who comment on my stories! And no I don't need more votes or comments or likes or reblogs on Isekai'd as Chloe! Give the other FFs some love, please!

Nothing is True

… Everything is permitted.

What is real?

What is not?

Is she just turning crazy or are other powers at work?

One thing is clear Kohana will get to the bottom of this and maybe change the whole Ninja-World at the same time.

S.I. Third Shinobi World War 

!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!

Welcome to the longest chapter of this FF, I wanted to have the Chuunin Exams wrapped in one.

So enjoy them.

Chapter 10: The Chuunin Exams

Finally the day Kohana and her teammates had waited for in anticipation arrived.

The Chuunin-Exams took place.

Kohana stood before the Haruno-Clan compound getting fussed over by her mother, while her father gave her an encouraging smile.

“Do you have enough Kunai?”, asked her mother. “How about Shuriken? Did you have your Fuin Jutsu Traps from Kushina-San?”

“Yes, Kaa-Chan!”

“Now, Tamiko, let her breath.”, chuckled Oto-San, gripping the shoulders of his wife. “Let our little blossom breathe.”

“I’m just worried, Aoi. Nine years old and already taking the Chuunin Exams...”

The girl in question made a fist and gave her mother a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry Kaa-Chan I got this. Obito, Rin, Kakashi and I trained like obsessed with Minato-Sensei and Kushina-San to be ready for them. Nothing will happen!”

“Now, Ko-Chan, don’t promise something like that. A ninja can never know when something goes wrong.”, reminded her father.

“Then I will promise I will only break a bone and not die!”

“KOHANA!”, yelled Kaa-Chan, while her father laughed.

“Now that’s better.”

“AOI!”

After Kohana left herself getting nearly hugged to death by her mother and her father kissing her forehead in good luck, she made her way over to the Uchiha District.

She would be damned if her crush would be today late.

That wouldn’t shine a good light on their team.

Soon she reached Obito's house.

Grandma Keika let her in with a smile, telling her that Obito was going crazy in his room since he didn’t know what she should bring with him to the Exams.

A tiny laugh left Kohana.

She knocked on Obito's door, announcing her arrival.

"Come in!" he shouted from inside. Kohana opened the door to find Obito pacing back and forth.

"Hey, what's going on? It looks like a tornado wasted your room," she asked curiously.

"I don't know what to bring with me! I feel like I'm forgetting something important," Obito replied frantically.

The girl walked over to the bed, where the ninja tools were laid out.

"You've got your Kunai, Shuriken, and Paper Bombs," she said as she checked each item off on her fingers. "You're good to go."

Obito let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Kohana gratefully.

"Thanks for checking, Kohana-Chan,"

“Don’t sweat it, Obito-Kun.

He put his ninja tools in his bags and followed her out the door.

As they made their way towards the exam location, Kohana couldn't help but feel confident in their team's preparation for the Chuunin Exams.

They meet up with Rin and Kakashi who seem to talk with each other.

“You are early.”, deadpanned Kakashi at Obito. “Thank the Kami’s for Kohana-San or you would be late again.”

“Shut up Bakashi! Kohana-Chan was just nice!”

“No, I literately picked you up.”

Obito's groan drowned out Rin's playful: “Oh you didn’t take him home?”

Rin was like them only nine years old, but sometimes she had a perverted sense of humour. It’s always the cute, calm ones.

For that Kohana sent her best friend a deadly glare with her Eagle-Vision activated, to intimidate her, however, the brunette just laughed.

“Are we all ready?”, asked Kakashi his teammates. “It may be only the written exam part of the Chuunin-Exams but it is important.”

The girls shouted an energetic agreement, while Obito gave a thumbs up.

So Team 7 walked into the Ninja Academy where the writing exam was held.

The exam room was filled with eager young ninjas of Konohagakure, all hoping to pass the first stage of the Chuunin Exams.

Kohana's team found a spot near the front and settled in, ready to tackle whatever challenges lay ahead.

As they waited for the exam to begin, Kohana couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement mixed with nervousness.

This was her chance to prove herself as a skilled ninja and make her family proud.

She remembered how Kizashi, her big brother, encouraged her last night. He couldn’t send her off today with his team, since he was sent back to the war front with his own team, but he had some wise words for his younger sister.

“I know, you want to become on your first try Chuunin, because you want to start our family legacy with a boom, but Ko-Chan, don’t stress yourself. You already awoke a Kekkai Genkai, who hand’t been seen since the Warring States Era, you are a Fuin Jutsu Genius and you are the youngest in our family who ever took the exams. This is enough to be proud of.”

Kohana girl took a big breath and adjusted her glasses. She would try to think about her brother's wise words if she got too reckless in reaching Chuunin. She didn’t want to be brought home...in a body bag.

The written exam proved to be challenging, but Kohana's team managed to answer most of the questions correctly.

After the written exam, the team was relieved to have completed it without any major issues.

They were confident in their abilities and felt that they had done well.

As they left the exam room, they were greeted by a group of other young ninjas who had also completed the first stage of the Chuunin Exams.

The atmosphere was tense as everyone waited for the results to be announced.

Kohana's team stood together, waiting anxiously for their names to be called.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the proctor announced that they had all passed the first stage of the exams.

The team let out a collective sigh of relief and exchanged high-fives.

Even Kakashi!

As they walked out of the Ninja Academy, Kohana couldn't help but feel proud of herself and her teammates.

They had worked hard and it had paid off. She knew that there was still a long way to go before becoming a Chuunin, but she was ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

With renewed determination, Kohana and her team set off towards their next challenge – the second stage of the Chuunin Exams.

They were ready to face whatever obstacles came their way and prove themselves as true ninja warriors.

***

The second half of the Chuunin Exams was held in the Forest of Death.

It was Team vs. team.

Nearly Kohana and Obito were late because her crush wanted to help an old lady with her groceries.

Since they were two, they managed to wrap it up faster.

The nice old granny gave them both a bonbon as thanks.

The girl decides to eat it later, while Obito already sucked on it.

“Come on, Obito-Kun. We must hurry or we will be late!”

“Right behind you, Kohana-Chan!”

When they meet their other two teammates at the front gate of the Forest of Death, Kakashi just says. “One minute more and you would have been late.”

Before Obito could verbally shoot something at Kakashi, Kohana asked: “Do we know which team we have to fight?”

Even with wearing a mask, Kohana could tell that Kakashi was making a face, while Rin giggled: “It’s Gai’s team.”

Oh...!

Now Kohana understood Kakashi's face.

She and Obito had shit-eating grins on their face.

“Your eternal rival.”, they sing-songed together.

“You both...”, began Kakashi with a twitchy eye. “Are a match made in hell.”

“Hell yeah, me and Kohana-Chan are a great team.”

Behind Obito Kohana pretending to get stabbed in the heart, Rin was beside her and hugged her best friend in comfort.

Kakashi just rolled his eyes.

Why was everyone he knew so dramatic?

Obito, of course, didn’t catch anything.

The promoter let them enter the forest and now they stood face-to-face with Gai team. He, Genma and the closet pervert Ebisu. Kohana knows this because she had a vision a while ago from Naruto who used his Sexy-No-Jutsu on an older Ebiso and had knocked him out fully with it.

Yeah, her visions weren’t always doom and gloom.

Thankfully or she would turn crazy.

“We will begin now with the second part of the Chuunin Exams.”, began the protoctor. “The Teamwork Exam. Pre-Qualification. Start!”

Everybody got ready.

Kohana activated her Eagle Vision, taking a Kunai out of her holder. Kakashi and Rin got into a fighting stage, while Gai ran up to Team 7.

Because she had activated her Kekkei-Genkai Kohana saw at first how Obito ran up to Gai, Fire-Chakra curling in his coils and Gai ready to kick the living daylights out of him!

“Obito! Wait!”, she shouted.

It was too late.

Gai kicked Obito in the face before he could unleash his Fire Jutsu. The Uchiha was knocked out cold.

“Dammit! Rin, take care of Obito. Kakashi, follow me!”, shouted Kohana.

Kakashi and Kohana ran towards Gai, who was now standing in front of them with a smirk on his face. Genma and Ebiso were standing behind him, ready to attack.

Gai charged towards them with his fists ready to strike. Kakashi dodged his attack and countered with a swift kick to Gai's stomach.

Kohana followed up by throwing her kunai's at Genma and Ebiso, who barely managed to dodge it.

Meanwhile, Obito was healed by Rin and woke up.

“What?!”

“Obito, let’s help our teammates!”, told him Rin and started to make handsings. “ Water Release: Gunshot!”

The Water Jutsu swept over Gai’s Team, making them wet.

Kakashi followed up with a Lighting Jutsu, electrocuting them.

Ebiso was out cold, and Gai and Genma barely standing.

Kohana gave them no chance to move as she threw one of her Fuin Jutstu Traps at them, practically glueing them to the forest floor.

“Obito, Great Fireball now!”, shouted Kohana to her crush, while she made her handsings.

The Uchiha nodded and sent the Fireball after the two trapped ninjas, Kohana used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to make the fireball bigger and hotter and well, Gai and Genma were nicely roasted.

They fall on the ground out cold.

“Team 5 can’t fight anymore, Team 7 wins!”, declared the proctor.

***

“Come here.”, cooed Kohana softly, cleaning Obito's wound on his cheek. The boy hissed at the sting from the disinfectant.

Rin had only used her medical jutsu to wake him up, now that they passed the second part of their Exam they had time to treat their wounds.

Old Matchmaker and self-proclaimed captain of the ship ObiHana (that Rin gave them even a shipname was worrying and funny at the same time) had handed Kohana her little medical kit and said such a superficial wound can wrap up someone without medical jutsus.

She and Kakashi had gone together to get them something for lunch, so it was only Kohana and Obito on the stone bench.

Kohana knew that Obito was sad that Rin didn’t treat him and was away with Kakashi, but she would try her best to take care of his wounds and make him think something different.

“Our combined attack worked even better than when we trained it.”, she mused at Obito.

The boy made an agreeing sound.

“Well Minato-Sensei did say your Wind Nature compliments my Fire Nature.”, then he crossed his arms with a frown on his face. “Like Rin's Water Nature Kakashi's Lighting...”

The glass-wearing girl felt a stab in her heart.

She knew what Obito was thinking.

He was jealous of Rin's close bond with Kakashi and how their elemental natures complemented each other.

It hurt her that he couldn’t see how she and him complimented each other.

Would she ever have a chance to win Obito's heart?

There was no competition, which Kohana was glad but didn’t understand at the same time, Obito was amazing, yet Obito always chased after Rin.

Always Rin.

Never her.

No matter how close, what good friends they had become.

“Hey.”, she heard Obito whisper and felt how he gently wiped a tear from her cheek.

Damn it.

She was crying.

“What’s wrong Kohana-Chan? Did you get hurt in the fight? You shouldn’t hide wounds!”

Kohana shook her head, trying to compose herself. "No, it's not that. It's just... I don't know if we can ever be as good as Rin and Kakashi. They have such a strong bond and their elemental natures complement each other perfectly."

Obito frowned at her words. "That's not true, Kohana-Chan. We have our strengths and we work well together."

"But you always seem to admire Rin so much, Obito-Kun.”, Kohana looked up at him with teary eyes. “It makes me feel like I'm not good enough."

In silence, Obito looked at his friend and felt... bad.

His heart was hurting.

He never wanted to make some of his important people feel like that.

A great friend that he was!

Gently Obito cupped her face in his hands and wiped away another tear. "Don't say that, Kohana-Chan. You're amazing in your way and I admire you too."

The girl felt her heart skip a beat at his words.

Did he mean it?

Could there be a chance for them after all?

Kohana's heart was pounding in her chest as she gazed into his black eyes, feeling a rush of emotions overwhelm her.

She wanted to kiss him so badly, to show him that someone loved him, that he was perfect the way he was in her eyes.

Quick as lighting she pecked his unwounded cheek.

Not only she was blushing like a tomato, but Obito had wide eyes and a soft blush on his cheeks, rubbing the kissed spot in wonder.

“Thank you...for your words.”, mubled Kohana. “They made me happy, Obito-Kun.”

Like a deer in headlights, Obito stared at her, still blushing cutely and nodded slowly.

He didn’t get why he felt all flattery and clammy all of a sudden. Where Kohana had kissed him it burned warm and tingly.

It was...a nice feeling...

“Erm, of course Kohana-Chan.”

Suddenly they were interrupted by the return of Rin and Kakashi with lunch in hand.

"Hey lovebirds," teased Rin with a smirk on her face, which made them blush harder and Obito spluttering nonsense.

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the two of them before handing out lunches to everyone.

As they ate together, Kohana couldn't help but steal glances at Obito, wondering if what he said earlier was true.

Maybe there was hope for them after all.

***

The final and last stage of the Chuunin Exam was one-on-one battles.

The further you came into the ranking, the higher your chance to become a Chuunin.

Of their little team, Rin was the first to enter the arena.

Their Medical-Nin won two fights, till she was beaten by Anko.

Then it was Kohana's turn.

She managed as first to reach the final!

Rin and Obito hugged her in congratulation and even Kakashi gave her a thumbs up.

Next up was Obito.

He had to fight Gai and wanted to get revenge for the kick in the face, but sadly Gai again kicked his ass.

Then it was Kakashi's turn.

Kakashi rushed through his opponents even faster than Kohana had.

As he faced Gai, of course, the Hatake won.

Rin cheered for her crush, while Obito looked at her sadly with a defeated look.

He would never be like Kakashi in Rin's eyes, would he?

That’s when he felt how Kohana lay her hand on his shoulder and gave him an understanding smile.

Huh?

He wondered who hurt his friend like that. Were they stupid not to see what an amazing girl Kohana was?

The world was full of idiots.

Since Kakashi won against Gai he was now in the final.

This meant Kohana had to fight her teammate.

One of her friends.

Rin and Obito gave her encouraging smiles as she stepped down into the arena where Kakashi waited.

Both teammates looked at each other.

This would be it.

This would show if a natural-born genius or a hardworking genius was the best.

“Kakashi-San.”, began Kohana. “Before we begin...I want to say it’s an honour to fight against you. Whoever wins this fight, shall not be angry at the other.”

The silver-haired boy nodded in agreement.

“Of all the competitors here...you are the one I wanted to fight most. You made incredible progress even awaked a Kekkei Genkai since we became Team 7. I can’t wait to see how good you are Kohana-San.”

They both smiled at each other.

Meanwhile, Obito whispered to Rin: “For whom are you cheering?”

“For both, silly.”

“Huh, what? Kohana-Chan will wipe the floor with Kakashi. I will cheer for her! She deserves to be Chuunin, she trained a lot for it!”

The protoctor stood between Kohana and Kakashi.

“This is now the final fight of the Chuunin Exams.”, he said. “Remember even if you have lost or you will lose now you could still make Chuunin. Strength alone isn’t what we search for in a Chuunin. Now without further outdo, the final fight of the Chuunin Exams: Haruno Kohana VS Kakashi Hatake...Begin!”

Kohana and Kakashi faced each other, both with serious expressions on their faces.

Kohana activated her Eagle Vision, taking in every detail of the world and her opponent.

She knew that he was a formidable opponent and she couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

Kakashi charged towards her and Kohana dodged his attack and countered with a series of quick punches.

The boy blocked her attacks with ease, but Kohana didn't let up. She continued to attack him relentlessly, using her speed and agility to keep him off balance.

Kakashi was impressed by Kohana's skills. He had trained with her for a year now and had seen how much she had improved since they first met.

But he also knew that he couldn't hold back against her.

This was the final stage of the Chuunin-Exams after all.

Kakashi used his Lightning Bolt technique, aiming for Kohana's body. She retaliated with a Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, sending a powerful gust of wind towards Kakashi and his lighting.

The Hatake dodged it easily and countered with a Fireball Jutsu.

The two ninjas continued to exchange attacks, neither one giving an inch. It was clear that they were evenly matched.

Then something unexpected happened.

As Kohana tried to land a punch on Kakashi's face, he suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What?" Kohana looked around confusedly as the crowd gasped in surprise.

Suddenly she felt something hit her from behind and she fell forward onto the ground.

Kakashi appeared behind her, ready to put a Kunai on her throat, as Kohana replaced herself with a log.

And not any log.

“A Fuin Jutsus-Trap!”, hissed Kakashi as the marking bind him on the ground.

He heard how the ground again gasped shocked and turned around.

High in the air were two Kohanas making rapid hand seals.

“What? Kushina-San thought her Kage-Bushin? When?”, he wonders surprised.

“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!”, shouted one Kohana, while the other shouted: “Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire!”

The wind and fire mixed creating large fireballs that rushed and engulfed Kakashi.

“YEAH! AWESOME KOHANA-CHAN!”, yelled Obito proud of his friend.

Kakashi lost surely!

Rin smiled happily.

Of course, she was a bit sad that Kakashi lost, but Kohana showed amazing skills. She deserved the win.

The two Kohana’a landed on the ground.

One was bending over catching her breath, while the other vanished in a puff of smoke.

Damn it, this took out a lot of her. She was thankful that Kushina taught her Kagebushin, but it seemed her Chakra-Pools were still a bit too small for it.

If she had to continue fighting she would lose.

As the proctor wanted to call her out as the winner, the ground under her suddenly shook.

“What no!”, she shrieked and looked where a defeated Kakashi should lay. She saw a burn to the crip log, as she was pulled into the ground.

“Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!”, proclaimed Kakashi breathing heavily, but he seemed alright.

Kohana tried to get out of the ground, yet she didn’t have any force anymore.

Defeated she shook her head.

“Haruno Kohana can’t fight anymore, the winner of the Chuunin Exams is Hatake Kakashi!”

***

After a good two hours, the remaining Genin of Kohnoha were in the Academy looking at the list if they made Chuunin, besides Kakashi, who had been congratulated and promoted after his win against Kohana.

The three remaining members of Team 7 searched for their names on the list.

“I’m not in it.”, told them Rin sadly.

“You will be next time, Rin-Chan.”, tried Obito to lift her spirits.

The brunette nodded and looked with Obito at their other teammate.

Kohana had her blue eyes closed, sweating nervous.

“Kohana-Chan...”, said Rin worried for her.

She wanted to encourage her best friend to look at the list, but surprisingly Obito was faster.

Gently he took Kohana's hand in his and squeezed. Rin wanted to fangirl so bad seeing this.

“Kohana-Chan, do you trust me?”, he asked the green-haired girl.

“What’s that for a question.”, she answered wobbly. “Of course I do.”

“Then...look at the list.”

Slowly Kohana opened her eyes.

Obito put a hand on her cheek, Rin in the background could barely keep her fangirl scream at bay, and turned Kohana's head in a direction.

The Haruno read with a breath in her lungs: Qualified Chuunin’s...Haruno Kohana.

“I, I, I made it!”, she shouted happily.

She threw herself in Obito's arms and the Uchiha swung her grinning around.

“You made it!”, repeated Obito. “I told you, you are amazing Kohana-Chan!”

Kohana just laughed brightly like she was a sunshine personification.

While the two hugged each other, Rin had a happy smile on her face, her hands on her chest.

She was proud of Kohana that she made Chuunin, but she noted how both her friends were blushing and smiling softly at each other.

Maybe they didn’t realise it, however, Rin saw it.

The blossom of a new love.

It was beautiful.

Aww.

They meet up with Kakashi and the two new Chuunin hold proudly their certification and Chuunin Vests in their hands.

“You two have made Chuunin on the first try! Kakashi-Kun and Kohana-Chan you are amazing!”, celebrated Rin happy for them. “Isn’t it true, Obito-Kun?”

The Uchiha had his arms crossed and stared away from them.

“Kohana-Chan deserved it.”, he said shortly.

“Obito-Kun, don’t be like that.”, scolded Rin.

“It’s okay, Rin-Chan.”, reassured her Kakashi, which made her blush.

That...that was the first time that he called her Rin-Chan...!

Kohana noted this too and mouthed to Rin: Oh my kami, Rin!

The Haruno wasn’t far from fangirling now.

Yeah, both best friends were the captains of the ship of their best friend, so Kohana shouldn’t find it creepy that Rin had a ship name for her and Obito.

She wasn’t better

“Kohana-San, you earned this promotion.”, turned now Kakashi to her, which made her smile at him. “You too, Kakashi-San.”

No one, besides Rin, saw how Obito made a face as Kohana smiled at Kakashi.

He...he didn’t know...but it pissed him off!

Kohana normally only smiled at him and Rin.

Not wanting to see this Obito turned around a walked away.

His three teammates looked at him surprised, till Kohana decided to go after him.

She found him lying on a stone bench looking at the setting sun.

She put her Chuunin Vest on and her certification in her bags, before she leaned over him.

“What's on your mind?”. she nearly whispered.

It didn’t stop Obito from freacking out and sitting up.

“Come on Kohana-Chan, don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry.”

She sat down beside him and both stared at the ground.

“The Chuunin Vest looks good on you...”, told her Obito after a while.

This made her snort and twirl one of her green hair strains.

“I don’t think, green on green is a good idea. I will look like puke.”

“Ah, don’t say that.”, whined Obito and put a hand on her shoulder. “I like your green hair it’s so minty in colour.”

A little giggle escaped Kohana.

“You told me that when we were little. When you promised me that one day when you would be Hokage you would say for a mission I have to dye my hair.”

“I will keep my promise, but I don’t get why you don’t like your hair it’s so pretty.”, grumbled Obito.

The two of them sat there in silence for a while longer, watching the sun dip below the horizon. Kohana could feel the tension radiating off of Obito and she knew that something was bothering him. She didn't want to push him, but she also didn't want to leave things unsaid.

"Obito-kun, is everything okay?" she asked softly, turning to face him.

He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know...it's just...seeing you smile at Kakashi like that..."

Her blue eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean? I was just happy for him."

"I know, I know," Obito said quickly, waving his hands in front of him. "It's just...I don't like it when he looks at you like that."

"Like what?" Kohana asked, genuinely confused now.

Obito hesitated for a moment before answering. "Like...like he likes you or something."

The laugh that Kohana left was big. "Obito-kun, you're being silly! Kakashi and I are just friends."

"But what if he wants more than that?", Obito pressed, looking up at her with worried eyes.

"He doesn't trust me." She paused for a moment before adding softly, "Besides, even if he did...I only have eyes for one person."

Obito turned to look at her fully now, his expression hopeful yet cautious all at once. "Who?"

Kohana smiled gently and took his hand in hers. "One day...I will tell you, I’m scared. I need time."

“Way to let me down, Kohana-Chan!”

“Come on future Hokage, let’s go to the others to celebrate!”

Still holding into Obito's hand, she dragged him along, towards their friends.

And towards a new chapter in their life.

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