Waiting Game

Chapter 20

"Tsu-chan...?" Haku began, brown eyes flickering over to look at ruby. "Do you know anything about the Yuki clan?"

"Ice Kekkei Genkai, extinct. However, the former rogue assistant to Zabuza shows proof of wielding this Kekkei Genkai, causing what used to be a hard fact to be known as questionable," I explained, looking up at Haku.

We were on our ways to our separate homes before Haku declared that he wanted to walk me home. Of course, seeing as I had no way to stop him since he wouldn't listen to my protests, you allowed him. "Well, you're right. I'm the last living member of the Yuki clan..." Haku looked almost ashamed to admit it. Seeing that he was uncomfortable, I sighed.

"You don't have to talk about it you don't want to," I grumbled, pride refusing me to sound sympathetic. "I wouldn't want to feel obligated to share my life story either."

"Aw, is ice-Queen showing her soft side?" Haku jokingly cooed, laughing as I glowered at him. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Tsu-Chan..."

I slowly let my glare smolder down to ash.

"You are welcome."

〰️➿〰️

Jumping through the air with the grace of a swan was easy. But throwing a senbon through the eyes of a rabbit fifteen meters away while doing so?

Yeah, that was also easy.

I picked up my fresh kill, watching it's limp body hand from my hands. It was rabbit stew day, the second day after Kakashi-Sensei had announced that we were going to be candidates for the Chunin exams. Haku and I agreed to do survival training. And since survival training included surviving, which includes eating, I had hunted. I pulled out a kunai and began the process of cleaning the rabbit.

It was a bloody process. Now to meet up with Haku.

I held the pieces of meat over the fire that Haku had created. Honestly, I don't know how since he specializes with ice, but that was a question for another day. With a smell only food could produce, the rabbit began cooking.

"Tsubaki?" Haku asked. I looked over at him from the corner of my eye. "Why- how are you so strong?" He blinked before rewording. "I mean, your sister is not the best ninja, and you were both civilian born, so how did you become so powerful?"

My eyebrows furrowed.

"I never told you-"'that I was civilian born' was going to be the end of the sentence had I not realized what was going on. "...Iruka-Sensei?" I asked, eyebrows furrowed. A sigh came from Haku before the Chunin was revealed in a cloud of smoke.

"Well then, I was hoping I could test your physical abilities too, but I've already been found out," Iruka admitted, scratching the base of his ponytail sheepishly. My eyes blinked owlishly.

"You want a spar? Why didn't you just say so?" You didn't give him enough time to register the senbon that went through his neck, him immediately falling to pass out. "...oh."

My mind went back to that morning of the announcement; Kakashi had been late as usual...

Naruto and Sakura were very unhappy... as usual... and Sasuke couldn't seem to be more bothered. Haku and I were the outliers. It must have been some failed attempt to gain my loyalty by the Hokage, allowing Zabuza and Haku into the village as citizens of Konoha. Of course it wouldn't work, old man, for all that you had done previously, you shouldn't except redemption.