Sayonara, Konohagakure

Sayonara, Konohagakure

A story by: Urube

Chapter One: A New Day In Life.

It was a normal day in Konohagakure. The birds were chipping, the leaves danced in the wind and the sun shined down on the less crowded streets. People were talking, socializing with each other and fixing everyday chores. The day was like any other day for the residents in the Leaf Village. But for one girl, this day was special. It was a day she had been looking forward to in a very long time.

Today was her birthday.

The girl laughed happily as she expertly jumped from rooftop to rooftop. She might not be jonin level, but she were better than any other kids from the Academy and she hasn't even been assigned to the Academy yet. Well, that's what her father told her. Speaking of which, her father had told her this morning that he would give her the best surprise ever yet. She was happy when she saw the pale skin and soft lips lightening up by her surprised gaze. The mismatched eyes were closed as he told this to her.

She was becoming five years old, just in age of going into the Academy. She didn't know what kind of surprise her father had for her, but she hoped that she would get into the Academy, like all the other kids at her age. Okay, all the kids who's parents were ninja themselves. A few civilians chose to let their kids be ninjas, but it was rare.

The girl skipped a halt as she came across the large Hokage building. Ever since she could walk and talk, and determine different stuff from each other, the large building had always fascinated her. Also the thought of being the strongest in her village had fascinated her as well.

As long as she could remember, after her father told her about the Hokage and its rule, she had wanted to become the first female Hokage in the history.

The girl sighed sadly. If she were to become Hokage, it sure would take a long time. Deciding that stay and daydreaming wouldn't help her, the girl looked away from the building and start running around in town, sometimes walking. She would see if there was something to do to pass time so that she could make the day go faster and get her surprise from her father. But no matter where she went, there wasn't anything to do. She didn't had any friends since she spent all of her spare time training, either by herself or with her father tutoring her. She had always taking her training seriously and she would never skip a chance to learn a new jutsu, that was out of the question.

But even the best kunoichi needed friends and the girl knew that, but she had always been tomboyish, so getting girly friends was out of the question as well. But every time she tried to talk to one of the boys, they would reject her and tell her to play with her dolls at home, though she didn't had any of that. Even as she told them this and said that she wanted to play ninja with them, they still refused her request and told her to beat it before they would do something bad against her. Then she would scuff and stomp away from the laughing boys.

By time, she stop trusting people all together and only sought her own company, the only time she allowed playing with someone was with Kiba and his big sister, Hana. She kept telling herself that she didn't need anyone to make her happy and that others were just a hindrance for her to become Hokage someday. And someday, she would show them all just what she was made of and make the others regret that they never invited her to any of their games.

But there was just some days there were worse than others. Even with her father around, she still felt lonely. Sometimes she thought her father didn't even acknowledged her since he used all of his time to read in a stupid orange book. The girl frowned by that thought, but were quickly replaced by a smile there seemed to lightening up her face. It didn't matter how much her father read in that book, as long as he cared for her and looked after her, she was happy. She knew her father wasn't one to show deep emotions or any kind of affection like hugs and kisses, but he showed his love in other ways instead. Like that surprise he would show her today.

Her thoughts lead to many things, about what had happened in the past and what she thought would come in the future. She had grew tired by all that running so she was just walking right now, just beside the wall there surrounded Konoha. Here, there were more quiet and she wouldn't run into some of those boys around here. But even so, it was boring. She had to have something to do or else she'll be out of herself of boredom and do something she'd regret. It has happened before and she didn't want that to happen again. Her father had to pay a bill of at least 20.000 yen last time it happened.

...Let's just say that she was practicing with paper bombs a little too close to a building...

"I wonder what kind of surprise Father has for me..." the girl said out loud to herself. She was alone after all and didn't expect anyone to answer her. But she was wrong.

"A surprise for what?" a bored voice said, startling the little girl. She jumped and turned to see a dark brown haired male with a high spiky ponytail. He wore a light blue tee-shirt with dark blue edges. On the front were a mark in the colors yellow and orange, yellow being the main color while the orange resembled a mark, probably from the clan he were from, thought Rin. He took a step toward the girl whom took a step back. The little boy stopped and looked at the girl with a bored look.

"Wanna watch clouds with me?" he asked since the girl didn't answered his first question yet.

The girl looked at him with a suspicious look, as to determine whether or not he was to trust. She turned her head, still looking at him before looking down at a fleeing mouse. She looked at him again without turning the head and said; "You're not pulling a joke on me, are you?"

The boy blinked confused. "No, of course not. That would be bothersome." he stated in a careless tone. She looked at him more suspiciously than before and watched him for a while in silence. The boy responded by looking back with an indifferent look. The boy then shrugged and closed his eyes.

"Hey, if you don't want to watch clouds with me, why don't you just say so instead?"

The girl looked guilty down at the ground. "It's not that. I do want to, it's just..." the girl mumbled.

"What? I can't hear you, troublesome girl, you have to speak louder." the boy said and took a step closer. The girl didn't move.

"Hey! I'm not troublesome!" the girl snapped and glared at the boy before her. "And... I do want to go with you," the girl spoke a little lower, but was still hear able. "It's just that..." she mumbled and looked down again.

"What? You're afraid of me ditching you? Don't worry, I wont do that, I'm not that mean. I might look like someone who could judge others, but I don't." he shrugged again and lifted his arm to let his pinky go into his ear and clean it.

The girl seemed deep in thoughts. 'If what he says is true, he won't ditch me. But just to be sure...' She returned her attention to the boy again and spoke; "What's your name? It's rude not to introduce yourself when you want the others trust."

The boy sighed irritably. "Nara Shikamaru."

The girl offered him a small smile. "I'm Hatake Rin."

Some say that trust is fairly important on a mission. One has to thrust the other if they both work on a combined jutsu, so it doesn't work if you hesitate in the middle of everything and has the mission failed. But it just doesn't count on missions. It count in the everyday life as well. If you don't trust people, you will grow suspicious and automatically push people away from you if they try to get too close to you. Even if they act nice to you, you will be suspicious if you don't have trust in them.

But sometimes, it's not your fault if you don't trust people. Small kids is easily influenced and can be greatly harmed if they have been bullied, specially girls. If you have been looking down at most of your short life, you learn not to trust people and will push them away when they get too close to you. Other don't trust anyone because they have paranoia while other would rather be with themselves than with others. When one is giving birth, it affect another person's life and can change your view of the life. Some choose the darkness while others would rather stay happy and choose the light.

In Rin's case, she would love to have a few friends of her own, but time had taught her to never trust people, specially young boys. So as she walked behind the taller boy, she always thought that someone would come out from the shadows and call her names or try to scare her away (which never worked), but no such thing happened.

As they walked to where-ever they were going, they did small talk, the girl socializing a lot considering she didn't like to talk to people, especially about her personal life and interests.
She told him that she liked sweets, and a few spicy stuff, but it mustn't be too strong. She told him that she absolutely loved dogs, emphasizing loved. She told him that she liked to take walks along the lake, listening to the river move by and watch the birds flutter about. She told him that she liked the color red, and no, it was not because of her hair, but because it represented strength, leadership and courage, something she wished she had. She told him that she liked watching the sunset and training, most importantly, the training. She told him she loved to train and she also liked to train with her father and she also noted that she would train hard to become a strong kunoichi and maybe one day become the first female Hokage. But most of all, she wanted to show all the others that she wasn't weak, that she wasn't a hindrance and one day kick their asses for being such idiots against her.

Shikamaru smirked when he heard that she liked sweets (typical girls), but were confused when he heard she also liked spiced food, though not too strong. He smiled when he heard that she loved dogs, he himself having a thing for them. He considered of joining her on the walks, but kept it to himself (too bothersome). He chuckled when he heard that she liked the color red, but his smile faltered when he heard the reason as to why. He somewhat too liked to watch the sunset, if there were clouds, but in the training part, he had to protest. He told her it was too bothersome. And becoming Hokage was out of the question. He tried to explain to her that revenge wasn't what she had to go after, but soon gave up after seeing how stubborn she was.

The boy lead the way up some stairs and the girl looked around in awe and excitement. She has never been to this part of town and immediately decided that she liked this place. And after seeing from her spot beside Shikamaru, she decided that she loved this place. The view from here gave you a perfect sight up to the skies and the clouds there lazily floating around in the blue vast sky.

Rin tilted her head while still looking up the sky. "Does this mean that we're friends?" she asked somewhat hesitantly.

Shikamaru turned his head to look at the girl, as if determine something. He then looked back up at the sky again. "Yeah, I guess so. No matter how bothersome it may be, we're friends."
Rin flashed a grin. "Really?" Shikamaru nodded. Then they both lay down, Shikamaru intertwining his hands behind his head while Rin just lay hers on her stomach.

"What are we doing here again?" Rin asked after a while. When Shikamaru didn't answered, Rin looked over to see that he had closed his eyes and his breathing had become more even. 'Has he... falling asleep?' Rin thought and turned to look at the sky again. 'Better not wake him up or else he probably would get mad at me.'

So the little red headed girl just lay there watching the skies move slowly over the blue sky.

Soon thought she grew tired and eventually, her eyelids shut down along with her brain.

The sun crept it's way over the sky, shinning down on two small people on a roof. Down on the street, people were shopping, talking and whatever you did on a market, but not even the noise woke up the children. They slept through it all till the sun almost had moved down the horizon.

Rin fluttered her eyelids as she woke from her slumber. She yawned as she sat up and took in her surroundings. For a brief moment, she couldn't remember where she were or what she was doing here, but then realization hit her as she looked at the sleeping boy beside her. Some strands of his hair had gotten out of the tail and were laying smoothly by the boy's shoulder and the ground they were laying at. Rin looked up to the sky and saw how late it has gotten.

"Argh! I'll be late for my surprise!" she accidentally half-shouted and jumped down from the bench like thing. Her shout had woken up the dark haired boy, but she didn't noticed it as she ran her way to the stairs. It was first when she had stopped up and forcefully were turned around that she looked at the other.

Shikamaru stood with slightly parted legs and knelt down in his knees. His hands were formed in a hand-sign Rin briefly remembered as the rat. As she examined further, she saw an expanded shadow connecting her and Shikamaru together. Rin found herself in the same position as the young boy.

"I have a few questions for you, Rin," Shikamaru started and straightened his pose. Rin found herself doing the same thing. "What surprise is it that you long so much for and why did you run away without saying goodbye to me?" If Rin didn't knew better, she thought she saw a hurtful expression in the ever bored boy.

"My surprise..." Rin started, dragging the word out. "It's my birthday today, so my father is preparing a surprise for me. As for saying good bye..." Rin stopped a second to think. "I forgot that you were there. I was so busy to get home that I forgot."

"Troublesome girl..." Shikamaru muttered under his breath.

"Hey, I'm not troublesome!" Rin snapped and glared at the older boy. She tried to punch the other, but found out that she couldn't move her arm. She looked down at her arm. She has forgotten all about that the older boy had her pinned down in some sort of jutsu. Her father has mentioned something about this jutsu, where did he said it was from, something in the line of the Nara Clan and them manipulating shadows. Yeah, that was it!

"My father has told me about your clan..." Rin said to Shikamaru and turned her gaze to look into brown confused eyes. "You can manipulate shadows and thanks to your high intelligence, you can think out strategies, even in the mist of a fight."

"Your father is well informed." Shikamaru commented and undid the jutsu. "Well," Shikamaru mumbled and rubbed his neck while kicking to the dirt. Rin looked around confused and realized she was released from the jutsu. "If you don't mind, I would like to go home too. It's getting pretty late and all..." he trailed off.

"Of course." Rin said smiling. "Will I see you tomorrow?" she asked in a hopeful tone.

"Sure. I'm positive that a friend of mine would like to meet you." Shikamaru lowered his arm and put both his hands in the pockets. Rin smiled more widely and gave the bored nin a quick hug.

"I'll see you and your friend tomorrow then. See ya!" Rin said pulling away and turned to run toward her house.

"See ya." Shikamaru said, though Rin was out of hearing range.

X X X

"Tell me something I don't know, Ichirou." a boy spoke, sighing and putting his hands behind his head, looking really bored.

"Argh! I give up..." the other boy mumbled, his dark blue hair swaying in the soft wind. The two boys stopped by a tree and they sat down under the shadows of the leaves, resting in the hot summer day.

"Jirou?" the dark haired boy spoke. He looked over to his comrade to see he had closed his eyes, but the other wasn't sure if he was sleeping or not.

"Hm?" the first boy spoke, the circled purple marks on his cheeks standing out on his almost pale skin.

"When we get older, do you think we'll graduate and get into the same team?"

"Ichirou." the painted boy said, opening his black eyes and looked at his twin brother. "It's too soon to tell anything like that right now. We just have to wait and see.

"Right." Ichirou mumbled, shifting his dark blue eyes to look at the road there were a few feet away from them. Silence overtook them as a few birds chipped and the wind gently picked the few leafs up from the ground.

At their right, Ichirou saw a girl, around their age, with blood red hair there were swaying from side to side as she ran. As she got closer, Ichirou could see she had lilac eyes and that her clothes had the main color red, the same as her hair. She seemed to be in a hurry.

As she ran by them, Jirou opened his black eyes and watched after the girl with a bored look. "Looks like she's in a hurry." he commented and closed his eyes again.

"Whoever comes first gets served first." Ichirou said, somewhat changing the subject.

"I know. You said that yesterday." Jirou told Ichirou in an indifferent tone.

"Really?" Ichirou asked confused and looked at his twin brother, raising his eyebrows.

"Yup, cause mom was busy as well."

"Ooh~. I remember now." Ichirou said, his mood returning to the light happy mood he was in before.

"Speaking of mom, we should better head home before it gets too late or mom would worry." Jirou spoke, standing up and waiting for his older twin brother.

"Right!" Ichirou said, rising by the help of the tree behind him and then walked on, his younger twin brother falling in step behind him. "What do you think we'll get for dinner tonight?"

"Dunno." Jirou responded, shrugging his shoulders and then placed his hands in his pockets.

"I hope it's something good, mom always makes great food. You remember the time where she..." Ichirou chatted, his brother only listening with a half ear, knowing his older brother didn't cared whether you listened or not. He just liked to talk.

X X X

"Dad, I'm home!"

Rin opened up the door to her home and closed it behind her, turning to take off her shoes beside the door where her father's shoes lay as well. She walked toward the living room, but where stopped by a pair of hands covering her eyes.

"Don't look yet." a familiar voice told her. She smiled probably the biggest smile yet.

"Dad, what's my surprise?"

"Whoa there, girl. You've just got home, don't expect to have your surprise showed yet." Kakashi explained and guided her through the house.

"Aww, but daddy~!" Rin whined and tried to struggle out of her father's grip, but he was too strong for her.

"Arh, arh, arh." Kakashi said, shaking his head, though he knew that his adoptive daughter couldn't see him. "You just have to wait a little longer. Beside, there's something else I would like to show you first."

"Uh! What's that?" Rin said excited. This new information made her forgot the first surprise she has been waiting all day for and set her mind on seeing this new thing her father so desperately wanted to show her.

Kakashi led the way inside and stopped in the living room. He made sure that Rin stood in just the right place, cause that was how he had prepared things for her. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered; "Now you may look." He removed his hands and revealed the place for her.
Rin's face lightened up in a big grin. What stood before her was a decorated living room with banners, balloons, flags and whatever you decorated the room with when you decorate to a birthday.

Rin was so happy. Never had her father done something like this for her. Only a simple birthday cake with some flags on and then some presents. Nothing more, nothing less. But this... this went over all of her expectations.

"Dad..." Rin was at a lost of words. She didn't knew what to say or even think. A single tear of happiness swelled up in her eye and she almost broke down crying while laughing, but she didn't want to look like that in front of her father, so to prevent that she turned and hugged her father's waist. Kakashi was surprised by her actions, but smiled underneath his mask and lifted his hand to clap the little girl on top of her head.

"Happy birthday, Rin." Kakashi said softly.

"Happy birthday, Rin!" a chorus of voices said from the other end of the living room. Rin looked behind her, still holding the grip on her father and was met with a sight she hasn't expected to see.

"Kiba-kun! Hana-chan! Oba-san!" Rin greeted and let go of her father to run over and meet Kiba halfway that was grinning and running toward Rin from behind the couch. They hugged when they bumped into each other. Because of the force Rin gave, they both fallen down on the floor, with Kiba as the bottom and Rin on the top. They were both laughing their asses off while Hana giggled and the adults shook their head at the sight, smiling.

"I've missed you, Kiba-kun!" Rin said while hugging. She was so happy to see her babyhood friend that she didn't want to let go of Kiba.

"I've missed you too, Rin-chan. And sorry I haven't been-"

"Don't apologize, Kiba-kun." Rin interrupted, letting go of Kiba and sat up, allowing Kiba some space to breath. "It's only the weak ones who apologize." Rin told him in a stern voice. "And you're not weak, are you?" She raised an eyebrow at that statement.

"Of course not!" Kiba snapped and glared at the younger girl on top of him. "I go to the
Academy now and soon I'll be genin! Then I'll be Hokage, you just wait and see!"

"As if..." Rin tsk'ed.

"What was that?" Kiba growled.

"You can't be Hokage, cause I'll be the Hokage and the first female at that!" Rin said determined and placed her hands proudly on the hips.

"Oh yeah? I'll like to see you try. You haven't even started at the Academy yet!" Kiba replied as a matter-of-factually.

"Hm!" Rin hummed and closed her eyes while looking away. "You just wait and see." she then mumbled.

"Actually," Kakashi interrupted, walking into the living room and placed his hand in the pocket while holding his book with the other hand. "That's why we have decorated the living room like this. It's not just because it's Rin's birthday." He flipped a page and created silence.

"Then what reason are we doing this for?" Kiba asked confused, standing up after Rin did.

They all look at Kakashi with anticipation, except Tsume. She knew what was waiting for them.

"Rin's starting at the Academy tomorrow. We have decorated the living room so that we could celebrate that. It was Tsume-san's idea." While he told this, he kept reading, were surprised once again as Rin tackled him down, laughing.

"Really? Is this true? Do I get to start at the Academy? Do I become a real ninja? Do I?!" Rin asked excited, her face lit up in a big grin and happy tears swelling at her lilac eyes.

"Of course. Or else I wouldn't had said it now, wouldn't I?" Kakashi told her and clasped his book together again, placing it in his pocket and clapped the little one on top of her head. This time, Rin cried. She just couldn't hold it back this time. She buried her face in Kakashi's large chest and cried silently.

"Rin?" Kakashi asked worried. "Are you crying?"

"I-I'm..." She sniffed. "I'm j-just so-so happy!" she announced.

Kakashi's worried face changed into a smile. They both lay there for a while until Kakashi meant she had calmed down enough. "Alright," he said and sat up, lifting Rin up with him. "Let's start the party, shall we?"

"Yeah!" Hana yelled excited and turned to her mother. "Mom, when Rin has blown out the candles, may I cut the cake out? May I?" She made the biggest and cutest puppy face she could come up with. She knew her mother couldn't resist this.

"If you may for Kakashi-san and Rin, you may for me." Tsume told her with a smile.
"Yeah!" Hana said, jumping to midair once and when she landed, she turned to the pair on the floor. "Hatake-san? Rin-chan? May I?"

"Sure." Kakashi answered, smiling. Rin smiled with closed eyes and nodded twice. Hana then jumped around in the house in excitement. The adult laughed at that and then proceed to start the party.