THE HONORED ONE | naruto x oc

ix.

chapter nine

            forests hold secrets, that's what they were always for. the dark that surrounds the woods is not nerve-wracking, but rather similar to a protection veil. hiding from sunlight with the leaves, the deepest mysteries wander around; that's how it has always been for ciela.

sakura's stamina wasn't one of the best by then, as to she probably did not give much value to training. her aim could be worked with; however, the girl's strength was still miserable. the foundation to any jutsus is the memory, especially for the hand signs, which was yet another thing ciela would have to practice. training with so much intensity was overwhelming, like her body could finally put up with her wishes, and she did not stop until extreme fatigue hit her hard.

ciela was laying on the soft grass like a starfish, panting in a futile attempt to regain breath. the pinkette was covered in sweat, her red jacket long discarded by the sides as her black tank top was glued to her body. a distant glint shined in her irises as she stared at nothing in particular, just the trees moving with the wind, dancing along to nature's beat.

"you are doing great, cici!"

ciela shot up. the girl swore to have heard her older brother speaking, but after a second one in pure silence, she shook her head with a sigh to dismiss the memory. many times, the siblings had hid in the forest, spending hours there, away from the harsh reality they were deemed to. ciela and Satoru would train there, even if it didn't last long because of the child's lack of conditions to do so. it always ended just like that; Satoru would be praising her minimum growth while she was almost passed out on the ground.

a pained smile traced her lips, and she got up from the ground. her feet moved on their own towards sakura's house, as to she too would need rest before tomorrow's big events.

"i'm home..." the pinkette mumbled with her natural honey voice.

"woah, you stink." her father laughed by the couch, shaking his head. "i haven't seen you put so much effort in training in like... forever, actually!"

she gave him a smile, shrugging so she wouldn't have to explain anything. "her" mother appeared from the kitchen, grinning widely while carrying the scent of cinnamon and sugar along her cheerful steps.

"welcome home, sweetheart! how was training?"

they spent another family dinner filled with conversation, and ciela, for a moment, understood what true parents were like. she chuckled, a bittersweet sensation filling her mouth no matter how incredibly tasteful the food was. she wanted to be thankful for them; she was, in some way, but it was just too hard to receive love from someone who wasn't her brother. it was hard having to come with terms that she would never receive his love like that again.

            "good morning!" ciela waved at the pair of boys who were also walking up to the meeting point kakashi set on the previous day. she was excited to see how things would go in this exercise, deciding to just have fun with it and take in the distraction this illusion was proposing. it was better than stay sulking over her brother for too long, or she was just gonna cry for eternity. if she kept thinking about him, the dull reality of their separation would sink in entirely, and she didn't know how she would be able to deal with that.

the three genins were walking to the same point in the clear area, although coming from different directions. sunrise was just beginning, and the sky was still slightly dark blue, being met with different shades of orange. near by, there were three logs positioned together, and then, more to the distance, forest surrounded the area.

"e-eh? sakura-chan..." Naruto could barely keep his eyes open as he stumbled forwards to meet with his teammates. from how messy his orange jacket was, the girl assumed he had to leave in a rush. "morning..."

sasuke did not reply, but he was evidently woken up for real, unlike the blond. they all stayed together, in a triangle, waiting for their sensei to appear. ciela was the first one to sit down, a smile on her face as she already knew this would happen. to busy herself, the pinkette started to read more about ninjutsu, using a book she found in sakura's bedroom.

seconds turned into minutes, which then turned into hours. the sky was bright already, the sun was gracing them with its full presence, but nothing of their sensei.

Naruto gave up on standing on his two feet a bit after "sakura," and promptly laid on the grass to get some rest. sasuke resisted for a bit more, yet he too got tired and sat down, minding his own business.

"hi, guys, good morning!" kakashi finally got there, mocking the three kids that had been waiting for him for way too long. he was in the common attire for leaf shinobis; dark blue attire with the uzumaki crest on the sides, a dark green vest over it.

"you're late!" Naruto shouted, angry, as he jumped up from his spot.

"hmph." sasuke looked away, standing up calmly with crossed arms.

ciela just smiled, getting up after packing up her book. the jōnin eyed her for a second, noticing she was studying during those hours. another thing that caught his attention was how she was not wearing her leaf headband, unlike the two boys, who proudly exhibited it on their foreheads.

"well, a black cat crossed my path, you see," the man excused himself, although the kids didn't buy it at all. he cleared his throat. "oh, well..." putting an alarm clock on one of the logs near them, kakashi started explaining the survival exercise. "okay, it's set for 12:00!"

the sound of bells got mixed with the wind. at that moment, kakashi explained the rules, showing the three kids the two bells he had. ciela smirked slightly, a goal already set in her head; chances of achieving? near zero; fun rate by being on one of her favorite moments of the anime? near 100%!

"today's assignment is to take these bells away from me by noon. those who can't do it won't get lunch. they'll be tied to that..." kakashi pointed at the three logs.

Naruto gasped, terrified. him and sasuke seemed to be contorting in hunger, faces scrunched up in distaste. ciela, on the other hand, praised herself for eating breakfast, and kept her determination burning through sage eyes.

'hmm...' kakashi analyzed his female student, admittedly interested. 'how curious. i have an uzumaki and an uchiha in my team; yet, the one i am the most curious about is the haruno.'

"sensei," the girl began, knowing someone had to point it out. she faked ingenuity and said, "there are only two bells, but we are in three here."

the white-haired man smiled beneath his mask, and his only visible eye turned into a crescent moon.

"there are only two, so at the very least, one will have to be tied to the logs. that person will be disqualified for failing the mission... and will return to the academy. it might be one person at the very least, or it could be all three of you." the man made the bells touch, their sound echoing through the open area and twisting towards the woods. "feel free to use your shuriken. you won't be able to take the bells unless you come with the intent to kill me."

he waited, expecting someone to complain or whine about how dangerous or unfair it was. kakashi smirked, accepting that they were an odd bunch.

"begin when i give the 'ready-go' signal."

Naruto took out a kunai and immediately charged at their sensei, being immobilized at the same second. kakashi appeared between the three of them in the blink of an eye, holding Naruto's kunai to the boy's head from behind. ciela and sasuke jumped back, surprised.

"don't be so hasty. i didn't say start, did i?"