A Promise to Keep Until I Die

The second part of the chunin exams started and it didn't take long for the screams to start.

"This could get ugly," I commented quietly. I was standing on the other side of Naruto. I was keeping him in between me and Sasuke. My emotions were all over the place after talking to Sakura and having that dream. It was annoying to think hat I might still have a crush on him.

"I don't like this place," Sakura muttered.

"I'm telling you guys, this is no big deal," Naruto said, dismissing out worries. "We'll beat this, no problem!"

I rolled my eyes at him, hiding a smile. "Glad you're confident Naruto bu we have no guarantee that we can win or that we'll make it out of here this alive. For all we know, we could be dead by tomorrow."

"Way to be encouraging," Sasuke said, smirking. "Any other dire pronouncements?"

"Yep. You are definitely going to be the first death because you are a cocky, chicken headed, bastard!"

His smirk widened and I turned away, feeling my cheeks warm. Dammit! I wasn't supposed to like him. I couldn't! I refused to set myself up for heartbreak again! I had accepted my ultimate death, I wasn't going to give myself even the tiniest shred of hope! Besides, the idiot Uchiha would never return my feelings.

"Ah, i gotta take a leak," Naruto said.

"Do it in the bushes," I said distractedly.

"Yes mother," he said sarcastically, flashing me a teasing grin.

"I glared playfully at him. "Don't sass me boy. Or I'll take away your ramen."

He looked horrified at this thought and hasted to obey, stumbling into the bushes. I giggled. Like I would really take away his ramen.

"Ah man that felt great!" he said, emerging from the bushes. My gaze instantly fell on his kunai holster. It was on his let leg when he was right handed. I leaped over him, alarmed. Naruto was in danger. Sasuke could deal with the impostor.

I found him tied up a little ways away. I quickly cut the ropes.

"You idiot!" I hissed. "How could you get caught?! What am I going to do with you?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly at me. "Sorry Hazuki, they caught me by surprise, that's all!"

With that, he jumped away, leaving me to roll my eyes at him. I went to jump after him but someone grabbed m legs. I fell to the ground cursing before I head someone appear. They placed a kunai to my throat.

"Do not move," a familiar voice whispered. "Or they will all end up dead."

I twas the same person who'd knocked me out in the Wave country and his voice left no room for argument. I held completely still.

"Make a clone and send it to your friends. Do not contact them in any way or they will die by my hand."

I made a clone and sent her to my friends. She went but she kept giving me worried looks over her shoulder. I could do nothing to reassure her that I was okay.

"Now stand up."

I stood up slowly, not enjoying the feeling of a kunai to my throat.

"Who are you?" I asked slowly.

"Turn around."

I turned around slowly and looked up into familiar dark blue eyes. Seeing those eyes which had been gone from my life for so long...it made the situation so much more frightening.

"Nii-san," I whispered, my eyes widening in horror.

The grin he gave me was feral and frightening.

"Looks like my little sister remembers me," He said mockingly.

"Why are you here Takeo?" I asked. "You left the village! Why are you here?!"

He pressed the kunai into my throat a little harder. I leaned back away from it as much as I could. He sneered.

"I've come back under a knew name," he smirked. "and none in the clan can tell the village who I truly am as they have chosen to forget me. Only you, Hazuki, remember my face well enough to know me. The Hokage has already allowed me into the ranks of ninjas. This is my test as well you see."

"You didn't take the written test."

"Didn't need to," he shrugged. "I joined this part as a one man team. If I can pass without losing my scrolls I advance and will be a step closer to chunin. After that I'll try for jonin."

"Why are you threatening me then?"

H smirked. "To warn you. I will see you at the next part of the exam. And my name is no longer Takeo Minati. It is no Takeshi Tetsuya."

And just as quickly as he had come, Takeshi, formerly Takeo, was gone. I fell to my knees, memories of my long gone older brother resurfacing.

"Takeo! Takeo! Nii-san!"

Takeo groaned and rolled over to look at me tiredly. "What is it little Hazuki?"

"I want to go see Naruto!" I said, placing my small hands on my hips.

"Hazuki, mother and father forbade you from seeing him."

"I don't care!" I shouted defiantly. "I promised Hokage-sama I would protect him! And he's my friend!"

Takeo sighed but then he grinned. "Very well Hazuki. Shall we go on out the back way?"

I let out a delighted squeal and hugged him. "Thank you nii-san! Thank you!"

He scooped me up, laughing and plopped me on his shoulders just as Itachi had with Sasuke. We snuck outside and he jumped over the garden wall.

"Yay! Let's go get Naruto!" I shouted. "And then we can take him to get Ichiraku's and--"

I shook my head sharply to dispel the memory and stood up shakily. Takeo, no Takeshi, had always been a bundle of bright happiness and mischief. He had gotten along well with Naruto and with Sasuke and Itachi. He'd been a good friend to all of us and I had admired him more than anyone. Then one day he just disappeared. Mother and Father told me to forget him but I couldn't. And as time passed he faded from everyone's memory except mine.

"Why Takeo?" I whispered. "Why did you leave only to return as an enemy? Why?"

Tears threatened to fall from my eyes but I blinked them away, standing. I needed to get to my friends before they got hurt. I had no guarantee that Takeshi wouldn't go after them.

I hurried in the direction I last saw them, worry making me go faster. Something seemed off. I tapped into Naruto's thoughts but all I got was darkness.

"Naruto! Can you hear me? Answer if you can!"

There wasn't a response and I suddenly felt my clone disperse, showing me why. Naruto was knocked out and the other two were in trouble because of someone named Orochimaru. I ran faster knowing that if I didn't reach them quick enough, sakura would have them moved and my tracking skills aren't that good.

I channeled my chakra into my legs and feet, speeding up. I had to reach them. I had to!

I found the spot in my clone's memories but Sakura and the others were long gone. I cursed vividly for a minute, not caring who could hear me.

"Calm down Hazuki," Ryuu said.

"NO! I have no idea where they are Ryuu! I will not calm down!"

"If you don't calm down and focus you won't be able to find them!"

I took a deep, calming breath, pushing aside my encounter with Takeshi. I focused on my friends and made ten shadow clones to search the forest. They were to disperse the minute they found them.

"So now we wait."

***** **** *****

I fell asleep as we waited and woke up to someone blowing in my ear. I opened my eyes and peered up blearily at Shikamaru, Choji and Ino.

“Ya seen Naruto?” I asked tiredly. “Or forehead?”

“She’s still half asleep,” Choji said.

“Troublesome.”

“Where’s Sasuke?” Ino demanded.

I sat up, my head clearing. “Like I know. I sent out some clones to find them but I fell asleep—“

The clones dispersed and I took off. My friends were in serious danger. Those sound ninja were working for Orochimaru. If Naruto and Sasuke didn’t wake up they would all end up dead.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“Hazuki!”

“Troublesome.”

I ignored them as I neared the place where my friends were. The sound nin were closing in on Sakura who looked exhausted.

“Kage bunshin no jutsu!’

Twenty clones surrounded me as I glared down at them.

“Mind stepping away from Sakura?” I asked. “If you don’t, I can always make you regret it.”

Ten of my clones stood in front of Sakura. The other ten stood behind the sound nin.

“You think this measly jutsu can defeat us?” the girl laughed.

“Sakura, go stand in front of Naruto and Sasuke,” I said. “Don’t move no matter what.”

I jumped down from my spot in the tree and landed lightly across from the sound nin. I smiled cheerfully at them.

“Well don’t let me stop you,” I said. I pulled out a kunai and twirled it lazily. My clones smirked, each silently challenging them.

“Seven on one isn’t the fairest of odds,” the girl said.

“Three on one isn’t fair either,” I said. “but you still did that. So I think seven on one is pretty reasonable. Especially considering all that training Orochimaru must have given you.”

The girls eyes narrowed, filling with hate. In an instant she leaped at me. I stepped to the side and one of my clones engaged her. I looked at her remaining teammates.

“Shall we?” I asked.

The battle started and immediately, three of my clones were taken out. I jumped in and out of the fray, trying to avoid the sound weapon that had put me off balance earlier. It was proving difficult. Every time I got near him it would go off, forcing me to jump back as quickly as possible. The sound it produced, the vibrations, they kept destroying my clones. And each minute the fight progressed, the more injuries I accumulated. I needed help and I wasn’t about to drag Sakura into it. The cones were also depleting my chakra. I’d made hundreds only to have them destroyed by the sound nins tool. I was almost out of chakra.

“You are almost finished,” the girl said mockingly, kicking me in my stomach. I flew into a tree and crumpled to the ground, glaring at them weakly.

She stepped forward and pulled out a kunai to finish me off. I couldn’t do anything to stop her. Then there was a flash of green in my vision and she was sent flying. I looked up at Lee and smiled faintly.

“You’re late,” I croaked. “Way too…late.”

“I apologize for being late but now I will protect you and Sakura!”

I nodded faintly as my eyes drifted close. Things were looking up.

”Don’t sleep just yet Hazuki,” Ryuu said. “Lee may not fare well against them.”

“I can’t keep my eyes open,” I replied. “Ryuu, my chakra is nearly gone. He has to win.”

“Hazuki.”

”He has too but he may lose,”Ryuu snapped. “So open your eyes!”

I opened my eyes and saw Sakura just as she cut her hair. I stared, shocked and felt someone shake me. I looked up at Takeshi, who seemed beyond relieved that I was awake.

“Thank god,” he muttered. “Hazuki you have to help her.”

“I’m out of chakra,” I said. “Nii-san you must help her.”

Takeshi glared at me but before he could say anything, Ino’s team appeared, defending Sakura.

“Rookies have more courage than you,” I hissed. “Isn’t that right, Takeo?”

He glared at me before pulling me onto his back. I tensed but when it didn’t seem like he would harm me, I relaxed. He went to help everyone but before he could, Sasuke appeared.

“Who did that to you Sakura?” he asked, his voice deadly calm. There were strange marks spreading along his body. He was letting off an aura of power that was more…twisted than that of the Kyuubi’s.

“I did,” one of the sound nin said, smirking.

“Takeshi don’t let Sasuke get to him,” I said frantically. It was too late. Both of the sound nin’s arms were broken by Sasuke. Takeshi leaped to him and grabbed him in a head lock.

“Calm down idiot,” he said. “There’s no need to go on a killing spree.”

Sasuke froze and looked up at me, his eyes wide with horror. The marks on his body receded into a single mark that was a lot like the pupil of the sharingan.

“I hope he punches you Takeshi!”I hissed. “Do you have any idea what you just said to him?!”

Takeshi let Sasuke go and grabbed me, dropping me on the ground.

“You are annoying,” he said.

“You are a bastard,” I shouted. “And what right do you have to come back here, to change your name, to even pretend that this is your home?! You’re no better than Itachi!”

Takeshi blinked at the mention of Itachi, his best friend. “What’s the matter with Itachi?”

I stared at Takeshi helplessly as Sasuke glared at me. “You don’t remember?”

His eyes widened in recognition and he scowled. “I am not a murderous traitor Hazuki!”

“Could’ve fooled me,” I snapped. “Or was it someone else in the wave country, someone else putting a kunai to my throat?!”

Sasuke turned his glare on Takeshi, who simply shrugged. “I was testing you.”

“TESTING ME?! Stay out of my life Takeo!” I shouted.

“If it helps, you passed,” Takeshi said. “You got out of the body bind seal the minute you knew Naruto was going into danger and you didn’t reveal your danger for fear of you friends getting hurt. You care for their welfare above your own. You have indeed broken free of our clan’s selfish interests. That was why I was testing you little sister. To see if you were truly worthy.”

I turned away from him, fuming silently, and walked over to Sakura. “Are you okay Sakura?”

I knew she’d grown her hair out for Sasuke. I wasn’t blind. And to cut it…I was impressed and proud of her. She’d made a huge sacrifice to herself to protect us all.

“I’ll be okay,” she mumbled.

”With my help we can grow it out for her,” Ryuu said.

“I know what that meant to you Sakura,” I said. ‘If you want, I can grow it back out right now.”

Sakura stared at me a glimmer of hope in her eyes before she frowned.

“Why help me Hazuki? We’re rivals aren’t we?”

A giggled escaped before I could hold it in and that giggle turned into a full blown laugh.

“R-rivals?” I gasped. “What gives you that idea?!”

“Everybody get down now! No telling where he is!”

I managed to stop laughing and looked back at Naruto. He was laying on the ground looking around. I rolled my eyes.

“He needs to be more aware of his surroundings,” I said cheerfully.

“Sakura! Your hair!” Naruto shouted.

“Oh you mean this?” she said, fingering her sort hair. “I wanted to update my image. A new look. Long hair is fun too and I really liked having it but let’s be realistic. We’re in the forest fighting enemies, moving fast and this is so low maintenance.”

I put my foot on the back of her head, scowling. “Don’t be a liar Sakura. That was a big sacrifice for you so be proud of it. Don’t lie about is. You’re a kunoichi now. Be proud!”

Tears filled her eyes and she suddenly launched herself at me, crying. I hid a surprised squeak and hugged her.

“Come on Sakura calm down,” I said. “I can re-grow it if you want me to.”

She shook her head, sniffling. “It’s okay,” she mumbled, pulling away. I rolled my eyes but smiled.

“Whatever you say Sakura.”

“Can I go now?” Takeshi asked. “I have a test to complete.”

“No,” I said, thinking about Sasuke’s curse mark and the seal on naruto. “You’re the only one here who’s an expert on seals. I need you to seal the curse mark on Sasuke, and looked at the Kyuubi seal. Please nii-san?”

“He’s your brother?” several people asked.

Takeshi sighed. “Yes but do not tell anyone. I can back under a different name for a reason. And most people won’t remember Takeo Minati,” he said, smiling. “I sealed the villages memories away.”

“You still haven’t told me what your reason for returning under a different name is,” I said. “Or anything about why you left in the first place! Do you have any idea how much it hurts to lose a best friend and a brother all in the same month? Couldn’t you have waited a little longer to leave?”

Takeshi sighed. “We are not having that discussion here Hazuki. Now, do you want me to seal his mark and help Naruto or not?”

“Do it,” I said. “And make the seal strong.”

Takeshi positioned Sasuke and started drawing marks around hm. Everyone watched, fascinated.

“Takeshi was a prodigy,” I said quietly. “At just three years old, the fourth Hokage took him on as a student. Takeshi learned all the sealing techniques he could be taught. When the fourth sealed the Kyuubi away, Takeshi helped.”

Naruto’s head snapped to Takeshi who had paused to meet his gaze.

“So he found out,” Takeshi mumbled.

“Mizuki-sensei told him,” I growled.

“Did mother and father ever tell you about the cures?” Takeshi asked me.

I glared at him. “Yeah. And if you start in on the counter curse, you will not make it out of the forest alive.”

“What curse?” Naruto asked.

I sighed. I owed them all an explanation considering they were my friends.

“You know that ability I have Naruto?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well…there are quite a few unique abilities I have but I can’t use most of them yet. I have all these abilities because of a power inside of me…a power known as the ten tailed beast.”