Desert Flower

The Hidden Leaf Village

"Yuri, time to wake up. We're here." Yuri yawned and slowly opened her eyes, blinking them, adjusting them to the sunlight. Riding on her mother's back, Yuri saw a huge gate and a man standing outside of it, waiting to greet them. Her father. There were also two Leaf shinobi with him, on border patrol. Her father smiled and started to walk over to Yuri and her mother. Yuri clinged to her mother's back, tightly, staring at him nervously when he approached them. She didn't really remember her father much. The last time she saw him was when she was about three years old. He gently took Yuri off of her mother's back, holding her in the air.

"Wow, you've gotten big!" He smiled, softly. "Do you remember who I am?" Yuri slowly turned back to her mother, who nodded her head, telling her it was okay.

"Yes, I know who you are, dad." Yuri saw her father beamed and suddenly Yuri was pressed against her father's chest, as he smothered her with a huge hug. Yuri squealed, trying to pull away from him.

"Dear, she can't breathe." Her mother smiled, laughing a little.

"I'm so glad that you're both here!" He cried.

"So, is this your kid, Kisuke?" One of the border patrols asked him, smiling. "She's adorable."

"I take it this is your lovely wife that we've been hearing nonstop about for days." the other teased.

"Can it, you two. Can a guy have a moment with his family?" Yuri's father shouted at them and looked at Yuri.

"You are going to love it here. The air is cleaner and should be easier for you to breathe. There are a few kids that are around your age. Let's get you and your mom settled at my house and I'll take you to school to introduce you." He told her. The large gate opened, revealing many houses that were so much different from the sand houses back at the Sand village, that stretched on for miles and within the distance behind a tall red building, there was a mountain with four huge stone faces carved into it. Her father walked Yuri and her mother inside the village, taking them to his home. He showed Yuri her new room, a bed filled with stuffed animals, mirror hanging on a wall, a desk to draw on and read and a closet for her clothes. He told Yuri to get change into more suitable clothes. Yuri hanged up her Sand village robes and put on a small dark red shirt and brown shorts and put on blue shinobi sandals but left her white scarf on. She stared at herself in the mirror, not recognizing the person she was seeing. But it was still her. Just different.

Her father walked with Yuri to the school, holding her hand until they reached the school yard. Yuri saw that were several other kids playing on the playground. A tall young man with brown hair tied up in a short ponytail, a large scar over his nose approached them.

"Hey, Kisuke!" He smiled as he greeted her father. He seems nice. Yuri's father smiled back, shaking his hand, greeting him. Then he placed his hands on Yuri's shoulders, introducing her to him.

"Iruka, this my daughter, Yuri. I'm sure she'll be a wonderful shinobi for you to teach. She's very smart and observant for her age." Yuri tensed up when she saw Iruka look down at her, smiling. He bent down to her level.

"Why don't you go on in and have some fun? I'll stay with your father for a bit and show you around the school." Iruka told her, gesturing to the kids on the playground. Yuri nodded and slowly walked in and looked back to see her father and Iruka talking to each other. Yuri turned back to the kids, watching them, studying them. The was one boy who was chubby and overweight, munching on some chips, with another boy with spiky hair shaped like a pineapple who was lying on his back looking at the clouds. He must love to eat while the other loves to lazy about. A boy with red triangle markings on his cheeks with a small puppy, a hooded boy with shades sitting by himself playing with some bugs. An animal lover and bug lover.

A boy with a bowl haircut, wearing a dark green tight uniform and orange weighted leggings walking on his hands and doing push-ups. He must really love an intense work out. A girl with long blond hair with another girl with short pink hair tied up in a red ribbon arguing over a boy who paid them no attention as he was practicing throwing kunais at targets. Hopeless romantics and a stuffy loner.

A boy with long brown hair tied in a ponytail with lilac pupilless eyes talking with another girl with brown hair up in two buns. A girl with short black blueish hair, very pale skin, with the same pupilless colored eyes, picking some flowers. Could they be related somehow? But the other girl, she was hard to read.

Then Yuri noticed another boy not too far off from the others, sitting on a swing set by himself, watching them play. He had short spiky blond hair and blue eyes, wearing an orange hoodie over a blue shirt and orange shorts. Why wasn't he playing with the others? Yuri began to walk over to him.

The pineapple shape haired boy took notice of Yuri when he sat up, seeing her going over to the blond-haired boy on the swings. "Who's that?"

"Must be the new kid?" The chubby kid, shrugged, talking with his mouth full as stuffed his face with more chips. The bowl cut haired boy nearly fell over when he saw Yuri, his heart was overflooded with emotions. "W-whoa! Who is that!? She's a babe!"

The two girls stopped arguing, noticing Yuri, wondering who she was.

"She better not be another competition for my Sasuke!" the blond-haired girl glared at her.

"What do you mean YOUR Sasuke!? Sasuke, likes me!" the pink haired girl shouted. The other kids now took notice of Yuri, as well as the pupilless girl, who watched, quietly. The blond-haired boy was lost in his thoughts that he didn't even hear or notice Yuri was now standing over him.

"Why aren't you playing with the others?" He looked up and nearly fell out of the swing seat, startled to see a girl in front of him. "Geez! Give a guy a warning before sneaking up like that!" He sighed, holding his chest.

"It's not my fault you were lost in your thoughts." The boy frowned up at her and stood up. "I'm Yuri. What's your name?"

He blinked at her in surprise, completely shocked. Who was this girl? Why wasn't she afraid of him? Maybe, this was his chance to finally have a friend! He smiled.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I'm going to be the next Hokage! Believe it!" He exclaimed. Yuri blinked at him confused before she could speak another word, Yuri heard her father and Iruka shout at her.

"Yuri, get away from him!" Her father shouted.

"Of all the other kids to play with you have to pick him!?" Iruka shouted as well. Yuri saw Naruto flinch and looked down, avoiding their gaze.

"What gives you the right to talk to him like that!?" Yuri shouted at them, angrily. The other kids watched in shock to see a kid yelling at adults.

"Yuri, I am your father! I forbid you to play with him!" her father shouted.

"Well, maybe I don't want to be here!" Yuri shouted back at him, and she took off running and hopped the fence with ease and left the school yard. Her father chased after her. Iruka followed after them before telling the other kids to stay in the playground and to wait for him and that he will be back.

"Yuri!"

Naruto watched, completely stunned, to see someone actually stood up for him.

He quickly chased after them.

He had to talk to her before the adults get to her first!