She's My Cousin

In the 9 Days before the Chūnin Exams...

A.N. - Woo-Hoo~! I did it~! Finally...
Anyways, Lee won the vote! And some of you, not gonna say who, need to chill out on Puppet boy, K?

And someone made this ^quote^ and sent it to me, moving it was...  

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DAY 1

"Me?! Sir, no offense, but surely there's someone more suitable? More experienced?" Ginko nearly shouted at the Hokage. The village was most likely in danger, and he was practically putting it in the hands of a 10-year-old! Granted, she'd have two Anbu with her, but she was mainly focused on the 10-year-old part. She's just a kid!

"Ginko, like your father, you are a natural born genius. You both observe your opponent, study their abilities, and once you identify their weakness, you can quickly formulate a plan to take advantage of it, efficiently utilizing each of your allies' unique skills to that purpose. Though your plans are often elaborate and unorthodox, they're typically highly successful," the Hokage said simply, not looking up at the young girl as he was busy with paperwork, which only served to frustrate Ginko further. "You're not seeing my point, sir. I am a child; a Genin, and whether or not I'm paired with two Elite Anbu's, I can't do this. Not to mention that this is Orochimaru we're talking about! A Sanin! Prodigy or not, I can't do this!"

Hiruzen sighed and finally looked up at Ginko, seeing the troubled and terrified look in her eyes. He smiled slightly, "When your mother lived here, she used to say to her friends that 'a bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because it's trust is not on the branch, but on its own wings'." Ginko's eyes widened slightly before she looked down and off to the side, her shoulders slumped, her form looking defeated. "Do you know what she meant?" He watched as the young girl nodded, softly mumbling, "Always believe in yourself."

"Yes. Ginko, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. You have no reason to doubt yourself," Hiruzen said gently. She slowly looked up at the Hokage, her violet eyes looking up at him in wonder. "Really? You think so?"

"I know so," he said with a smile. She smiled slightly and straightened, trying to look stronger and less insecure. "Then I won't let you down, sir!" She saluted him before turning and leaving, ready to take on the world with a new found confidence.

Because who wouldn't when the Hokage himself just told you he believes that you can take on one of the three Legendary Sanin?

*Later that night...*

~~~~~*Kakashi's Dream*~~~~~

"Ka-ka-shi," Ginko studders, staring right into Kakashi's miss-matched eyes. He stared at her in horror as Sakura screamed bloody murder. He watched as her eyes grew heavy and slowly closed shut, blood running down the side of her mouth.

'I did it again...'

~*~

Kakashi sat up with a start, quickly looking around his room when he heard giggling. "Your such a silly scarecrow, Sensei," Ginko giggled from her spot on his desk. "You didn't do anything. I just jumped in front of your attack."

"She's right," Rin said from her place on his window seal. "We did, and for a good reason, too," she tilts her head to the side as she added, "I thought you knew that."

"You both know he blames himself for everyone's death," Anju said, moving to sit on the edge of his bed. "Even the ones he had no play in."

Kakashi looked at his former teammate and student, both of which have holes in their chests, then to his wife, whos clothes looked burnt and covered in soot with a small hole in her hands and feet. He hated this part of his dreams, where they all come and talk to him as they're really there.