True Self, New Self

Hello everyone! This is my way to make up to all of you for last chapter. This is a longer one, almost the longest I have written so far, and it is out the next day I posted chapter twelve!
Anyway, I will answer the reviews I got so far:

XZanayu: Yup it is short, but here is a longer one!

Mikra: Now you will see *grins*

feisu: Here you go, Sasuke! And here is another update ^^

mike: Yup, a complete bunch of spoiled brats.

Hello: Yup, they like him a lot!

HellzAngel: Glad you liked it!

On with the new chapter people!


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True Self, New Self.

Chapter 13: Return Home.


[Otogakure. Sasuke's POV]

My 'chuunin team' is supposed to be arriving today with their package and I have to go receive them. I still can't believe that Orochimaru forced me to take a genin team like I was any jounin.

Anyway, here come the brats... without the package.

"Where's the package?"

"We...lost it Uchiha-sensei."

"You LOST it?"

"Someone came to dispose of him... knocked all of us unconscious and took it."

"And no one saw him?"

"I was the first to wake up, he was already leaving. He had a hunter-nin mask."

"Very well. But you three will be the ones that report this failure to Orochimaru." I say, turning around and walking away.

"I think that the hunter-nin was right... he is a teme." I hear one of my students whisper, I tense for a second but keep walking.

The hunter-nin called me a teme? That can't be right... or is it?

[Sunagakure. Naruto's POV]

Finally, the day to return to my village has arrived. After five years, I will return to the village that saw me be born, saw me grow up as a boy, but because of it's coldness, didn't see me grow into a man. Now it's time to go back, in order to fulfill a promise I made long ago to people I care about.

It is hard, to say goodbye to the village that has been my home these past months, where everybody looks at me with admiration and respect in their eyes, not hate. Where I made so many friends, made so many memories and have learned so many things. I must leave though... at least for now. Maybe some day I'll come back, even if it is not to stay.


I stand at Suna's gate, surrounded by all my friends and the people I met in here. They all gathered to say goodbye to me. Funny how the villages can be so different and yet so alike at the same time. When I left Konoha, I could count with my fingers the number of people that came to say goodbye to me. But it is ok, because it is for that persons that I'm going back.

"So, this is goodbye for now, ne?" I say, smiling to all the persons here.

"You won't stay even if we ask you to, right Kaji-san?"

"I'm afraid I must leave Ryoku, but I will come back to visit, or if you need my help, just send a message to Konoha and I will be here in a second." I scan the crowd, looking for Gaara, even if I know that he isn't here, no, he's waiting for me in the desert.

"Send a message as soon as you arrive, if you don't Kankuro and I will hunt your ass down and beat the hell out of you for worrying us."

"Don't worry Temari, I will."

"Speaking of your ass, you better look out, 'cause in the clothes you're wearing there will be plenty of guys after it." Kankuro said, earning himself a punch on his head courtesy of Temari. My clothes... I still can't get used to them!

[Flashback to early that morning.]

"Yo kiddo! Tsunade sent something for you!"

"Really? But we never told her that we were heading back."

"True, true. But I did told her that we will pass through Suna when we head back, and she sent this for you." he says, handing me a large box.

"What is this?"

"I dunno, but she sent a letter with it." he said and gave me a white envelope. I open it and read what is inside it.


'Gaki:
Here is something for you to wear
when you come back. I won't let
you place a foot in Konoha if
you don't have it on.
See ya.
Tsunade. '


I wonder, what the old hag sent me. I open the box to find a dark blue furisode* with a black obi, it's respective geta** and tabi.***

I look at the furisode inside the box, then at Jiraiya, who is grinning like a mad man, and back to the furisode.

"I can't beleive she expects me to wear this!" I scream, hard enough to make Yuki run all the way from the kitchen to my room.

"What is it Naruto-niichan?!"

"That old hag! She's getting back for the time I was away! I swear!"

"Well, what can I say kid? Payback is a bitch."

[End flashback]

In the end I had to wear it. When I came out, Temari mistook me for a girl, as did Kankuro, who attempted to grope my ass, along with Ryoku and the villagers. It was a nice thing that they tried hard to not laugh at my predicament, but some did, and some told me that I look hot.

But I understand them, when I first looked at myself on a mirror, I thought that I was seeing a girl too. If it wasn't because I knew better, I would swear I used the Oiroke no Jutsu, because somehow, this obi makes me look like I have breasts...

Actually, when I stand side by side with Temari, we look like twins, because we have the same hair color and stand at the same height. This situation had Jiraiya laughing his ass off for hours.

Someone is talking to me, pulling me out of my musings.

"Here you go, I gift from me. I know you know how to use them!," Temari said, handing me a couple of beautiful metal tessens. They are very light and fragil looking, but looks are deceiving... Temari trained me in their use, and I can stand against a sword and win with them, "They will be a great weapon with your wind manipulation!" She says while winking her eye. I smile at her and bow thanks, hiding both of them inside my obi.

"And this is from me!," Kankuro said, pulling out of nowhere a small sculpture of kitsune with golder fur,"If you put some chakra into it, it will move!" I bow to him thanks and put it inside one of my sleves, where I'm stashing all of my weapons, except my katana, that is hanging on my back like always.

"Hey kid, catch!" I almost get hit on the head by a heavy bag that Jiraiya threw at me, luckily I could catch it before it happened. Then was when I noticed that neither Jiraiya or Yuki had any bags with them.

"What is in this bag and why are neither of you had packed?"

"To answer your first question, it is a surprise. Don't look into it by any circunstances, only Tsunade can open it got it? And for your second question, Yuki and I will stay here for a little while, so I can finish his training."

"Onegai, niichan! Let me stay!"

"You can stay as long at it is needed Yuki-chan, don't worry about it, or about me, because I will be fine. I will be waiting for you in Konoha then." I say while placing the new bag with unknown things in it in my back along with the rest.

"Be careful on your way there kid."

"Don't worry about me ero-sennin! Good bye everybody!" I say before using a jutsu to teleport to the place where Gaara is waiting for me.

[Change of scene! Suna desert, some miles away from the village.]

I can see Gaara sitting on a rock looking at the horizon.

"So, you're going back to Konoha after all."

"Yes."

"Why? It is not like they like you very much there."

"None of the people of Suna liked you, and yet they changed ne? It is my home village, and I love it, even if they don't love me back. You're the Kazekage of Suna, you must understand my reasons." I say while walking to his side.

"You speak with the truth, as always." He says while standing up.

"I will see you again, maybe not soon, maybe in a few weeks, but be sure we will meet again." I say, offering him my hand, which he took.

"I know that."

After a moment of hesitation, I pull him into a hug and then let him go.

"Ja ne!" And I disappear, destination: The forest outside Konoha.

[Change of scene! Middle of the forest of Konoha, half an hour away from the village if you walk with a furisode and geta! Lol, I'm mean, those things are a pain to walk with...]

I mentally curse Tsunade and her weird ways to get her revenge for about the hundred time since I started walking. I'm not stupid enough to just teleport myself into the village, because I will have ANBU on my throat the second I appear in there.

Now I have a newly found respect for women that wear kimonos, it is hard to walk with these damn geta and this furisode on...I'm walking with the grace of a skilled geisha, an it is taking a large part of my concentration to do it properly. Thankfully, with each step I take my body and mind get more used to walk with these things. I think that by the time I reach Konoha I will be able to fight properly even with these motion restricting clothes on.

It is a sunny day, and I regret not taking that paper umbrella that Gaara offered me yesterday... the sun is really bothering me right now... I'm glad that the road is secluded by trees the rest of the way to Konoha.

I start to look around, trying to find things that had changed since the last time I walked down this road, just in the opposite direction I'm heading now. Nothing seems to have really changed within this forest, maybe the trees are bigger since the last time I was here. Besides that everything looks the same. Even the huge gates of Konoha that are beginning to show in the distance.

"Halt!" Someone commands, as soon as I approach the gates.

"Yes?" I say with a gentle voice, surprisingly, I don't have to fake it to sound like a girl, my voice is soft when I'm feeling peaceful anyway.

"Who are you and what is your purpose in the village?"

"My name is Fumetsu Kaji, and I'm here to meet some old friends..." I say smiling sweetly at the guard, I didn't lie, technically speaking I'm here to meet some friends too, even if it isn't the main reason.

"Very well, you may enter miss." Well, it seems that everybody thinks I'm a woman. My kitsune nature is getting the best of me in this situation, for now, I will not correct anyone on their mistake, because it will be just too much fun to see everybody's face when they realize who I really am.

I walk through the gates into the village I have not seen for five years. Everything looks like I remember it, there are some new buildings here and there, but nothing drastic. Time has passed through the village, and it had changed. Little changes, but changes non the less. I take in everything... It's good to be home.

I start walking too the nearest inn. As soon as I knew that Jiraiya won't be coming back with me, I decided to spent some time living in the village before letting Tsunade know that I'm back. I want to enjoy life in Konoha without the hate of the villagers, at least for a little while. While I'm walking, I notice that there are persons that stand to the side and bow as I pass. It takes me a while to notice that they must thing that I'm an important girl, the daughter of a daimyo or something like that, because the furisode that Tsunade sent me is made of a very expensive silk.

I just smile at those persons and keep walking. When I reach the inn I quickly rent a room and leave my things there, all the bags and my sword too, even if it isn't something unseen in Konoha, a woman walking around with a sword, with my current clothes, it may look a little odd.

The first place I decide to visit are the training grounds, for no specific reason. Maybe I'll visit the Academy after a while.

When I get there, I can see some Academy students practicing hitting a log, not far from where I'm standing. I can feel the chakra of who I think is their teacher somewhere nearby, along with smaller chakras. Maybe he's teaching them something while these ones are practicing, the little girl is the one that needs it the most, she never hits it. I just stand there and watch them for a while. I can feel the teachers' signature move their way.

"Haruka-chan! That isn't the correct posture!" The teacher, from what I can see is a woman who has long black hair, scolds the girl that is throwing kunai, making her miss her target even more than before and now it is heading my way.

"Watch out!" the other two boys that are with the girl shout. Their teacher is running my way, trying to intercept the kunai, but she won't make it in time. I just smile at them and catch it with my hand.

"I'm so sorry miss!," The teacher says to me,"Haruka-chan, apologize to the lady!"

"Yes Hyuuga-sensei! Gomenasai." she says bowing to me, but my attention is somewhere else.

'Did she just said Hyuuga-sensei?'

The teacher turns her face to me and for the first time I saw here, I really see here, white eyes, kind expression, Hyuuga-sensei... I just put two and two together. Hinata! I suppress the sudden impulse of shouting that and settle for just smile at her and her students. So Hinata became an Academy teacher huh? Somehow it suits her.

"Don't worry little miss, but what your teacher said is true. Come on, lets see your posture again." I say to her with a kind smile, she smiles back and runs back to her previous spot. After I help her take the correct stance, she throws a kunai, missing again.

"I don't know what is wrong! I always miss the target!" She says with a cute pout. I crouch down, careful to not get my furisode dirty.

"Let me tell you a little secret that helped me when I was your age and couldn't hit the target. You don't aim to the target, you become one with it. Remember that when you become a ninja, not all targets hold still, if you become one with it, you will be able to predict it's movement and that way you will never miss it. Now relax, take a deep breath and concentrate."

She does as I told her and try again, this time hitting the target square in the center. She stands still for a couple of seconds, not quite believing what she just did, before jumping up and down cheering, her two friends running at her and cheering too, congratulating her. I just smile at them, they are so small and innocent! I wish they could remain like that and enjoy their childhood, but in times of war, nobody can tell for sure if they will live to even their sixteen birthday. It is sad yes, but it is reality.

"Thank you so much miss, I've been trying to teach her that for quite a long time now. My name is Hyuuga Hinata, but you can call me just Hinata."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Hinata-san, I'm Fumetsu Kaji, but please just call me Kaji."

"Oh no, I can't!"

"Please?"

"Very well, if it is your wish... Kaji-san."

"Yes it is."

"I never saw you in the village before..."

"I've just arrived."

"Ohhh... is this your first time in the village?"

"No, I lived here as a child, but I left many years ago. But it is like it is my first time, things had changed around here..."

' ' For example, the Hyuuga girl isn't shy anymore. ' '

'If I want your opinion Kyu, I will ask for it. Go take a nap will ya?'

' ' As you wish... ' '

Thankfully, Hinata didn't notice that my attention drifted away from my surroundings for a second and just keeps smiling at me. She looks like she remembered something because she turns around to address her students.

"Haruka-chan!"

"Yes Hyuuga-sensei?" The little girl says, stopping what she was doing, that was piercing a whole in the log with the amount of time she kept hitting the same spot, maybe I'm not so bad at teaching after all.

"It's lunch time already, so today's class is over, go tell your other classmates that they are dismissed for the day."

"Yes Hyuuga-sensei!"

'Lunch time already?,' I look up to the sun. 'Yup, lunch time already.'

"Kaji-san, would you mind joining me and my cousin for lunch?"

"Ohh no! I will just bother the two of you."

'So Neji is in the village...'

"Nonsense, think of it as a way of repaying you for helping me with todays class. My cousin had just arrived from a mission, and I'm sure he won't mind you joining us."

"If you insist Hinata-san, then I will go with you."

"Great! We're eating sushi, hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, besides, you're inviting me, so I'm in no place to complain." I say smiling at her. Hinata still is a very kind girl.

I follow her back to the village, to a restaurant I have never seen in my life before, guess it is one of the many things that changed while I was away. At the far end of the restaurant, is Neji, sitting on a table, waiting for Hinata. Under his sleeve, the ANBU tattoo is visible.

'So Neiji is in ANBU now, a captain, I bet one of my tails on it.'

He looks up when Hinata calls him, his eyes showing gentleness towards her. I'm glad they are getting along better than when we were at the Chuunin exams. Then he looks at me and his eyes turn from gentle to calculating. He's looking for something, and I think he found it because he relaxes and smile a bit towards me and his cousin.

"Neji-niichan, this is Kaji-san. She helped me with today's class at the Academy and I invited her to lunch as thank you. I hope you don't mind."

"Don't worry Hinata. Hello, I'm Hyuuga Neji."

"Yoroshiku, Hyuuga-san. My name is Kaji."

"Are you new in the village?" He asks me. That is typical of Neji, gathering information...

"She said that she just arrived today but she lived here when she was little."

"Really? May I know the reason why you came back, Kaji-san?"

"I came back because this is, after all, my home village. I left some precious things behind when I left, that's why I came back."

"I see."

No one said nothing more after that point, we ordered our food and ate in silence. After that, Neji left to hand over his mission report and I was left alone with Hinata again.

[Hinata's POV]

Even if I only have known her for a short time, I can't help liking Kaji-san, she's so polite and gentle, and has a peaceful aura around her that makes me feel at ease. I enjoy her company so much that I decided to do something a little bit rash.

"Kaji-san?"

"Hai Hinata-san?"

"I was wondering... my friends and I are gathering in about an hour to do some training, since it's been a while since all of us are in the village at the same time... I was wondering if you will like to come with me, I will like you to meet them." I say, starting to poke my fingers together, a thing that I stop doing after Naruto-kun left the village five years ago.

"I will love to go with you Hinata-san." I look at her, she has a bright smile on her face, that makes her look even more beautiful.

"That's great."

"And who are this friends of yours?"

"Ohhh, just the Rookie Nine!"

'That means Sakura, Hinata, Lee, Neji, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru, Tenten, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino. That will be very funny!"

"Ok, so where is this meeting?"

"At the training grounds where we were before."

"Ok, how about you show me the village while we wait?"

"I will love too!"

[Time skip! An hour later, the training grounds. Naruto's POV]

We arrive late to the meeting, and I can't deny I'm looking forward to see how is everybody doing, and in which rank are they. From the distance I can see the group of people gathered at the center of the training grounds, and one of them, Kiba, is waving at us energetically.

"Hinata-chan!!"

"Hello Kiba-kun, everyone!"

"Hello Hinata-chan, long time no see!," he says with a huge smile, and then he spots me, "Huh? Who is your friend Hinata-chan?"

"Everyone, this is Kaji-san." Now everybody's attention is on me, it seems that I been picked as the item of everybody's curiosity.

"Yoroshiku." I say bowing slightly to them. They don't seem to know what to do, for an unknown reason.

"Hello there beautiful lady! I can see the spring of youth radiating from your body. I'm Rock Lee, taijutsu master and jounin of Konoha." Lee introduces himself, shaking the rest of the rookie nine out of their trance.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, jounin, medic-nin."

"I'm Yamanaka Ino, jounin, mind manipulator."

"I'm Nara Shikamaru, ANBU, shadow manipulator."

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba, jounin, and this is my nin-dog, Akamaru."

"Akimichi Choji, jounin, member of the Akimichi clan."

"Aburame Shino, ANBU, bug master."

"I'm Tenten, jounin, weapon master."

' ' There is your magnetic personality again kit. These people just revealed almost everything to you, being a complete stranger to them. ' '

' I'm starting to believe this is one of your jokes Kyu... '

' ' Hey don't look at me! This is all your body's doing, blame the kitsune's abilities if you want to, but I have nothing to do with this. ' '

"I'm Fumetsu Kaji, and I'm not currently affiliated to any village. It is a pleasure to meet you all, Lee-san, Haruno-san, Yamanaka-san, Nara-san, Inuzuka-san, Akimichi-san, Aburame-san, Tenten-san." I say facing each person at the same time I say their names.

Ino was the one that reacted first.

"Please call all of us by our names and drop the honorifics, it makes us feel old!" She says while laughing.

"Kaji-san, you said that you aren't affiliated to any village right?"

"Yes that's right?"

"But I did saw you stop that kunai that was flying your way with your hand... That's not something a mere civilian can do..."

I can feel that someone has thrown something at me behind my back, so I quickly take out one of my tessens and block it. It was a shuriken, and the person that threw it, was Neji.

"Neji-niichan, why you did that! It is dangerous!"

"Kaji-san, you have been trained as a shinobi, am I right?"

"Yes you're, I have been training as a shinobi since I was little. A sannin from another village taught me almost everything I know."

Everyone remained silent, scanning me with their eyes, and again, it was Lee the one that broke the tension.

"That's great, your youthful spirit shines even brighter when you fight!" Lee really should stay away from Gai, he's acting even more like his sensei now than when I left the village. But I'm glad that he said that, because now everybody seems to be more relaxed.

"Kaji-san, I will like to spar with you, if that's possible."

"That's stupid Ino-pig! She will ruin her beautiful furisode if she spars with you!"

"It's alright Sakura, I will like to spar with Ino very much, lets just refrain from using sharp objects deal?"

"Deal!" She says, falling into fight stance. Everybody backs down, leaving us space for our sparring match, everyone but Akamaru. You know, kitsunes and inus don't get along and usually an inu is capable to scare the hell out of a kitsune enough to make him turn back to his original form and flee, but not me, since I'm used to dealing with dogs, plus I'm in a higher rank. I just glare at him with a look that clearly said don't-even-dare, back-down-and-shut-up.

Akamaru understood my message perfectly and he run away to hide behind Kiba, he's a dog, but a nin-dog, therefore he's smart enough to know that I'm way out of his league and he should not piss me off.

I smile at Ino and take a defensive stance. This furisode restricts my movements, so I can't launch the first attack.

She seems to know that because she's the one that throws the first punch, that I dodged with ease. She kept kicking and punching, but she was met with nothing but air. That goes on for about ten minutes until she gets frustrated.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu! (Mind Body Switch Technique)." She says, before her body collapses in a heap on the ground. That, wasn't a smart move.

[Inside Naruto's Mind. Ino's POV]

I'm standing before the metal bars of what looks like a huge cage.

"You know, it isn't polite to sneak into somebody's else mind." Said a man with long red hair that is leaning against the bars of the cage, but outside them, snickering.

"Leave her alone you overgrown fur ball!" Came Kaji's voice, at the same time she appears out of tin air before me.

"Awww... but it is so rare to have visitors other than you..." Kaji rolls her eyes and punch him in his arm.

"Stop being an smart ass, I'm sorry Ino, but you better go." He says and right after that I feel like I'm pulled out if her mind and back to my body.

[Back to the outside world and Naruto's POV.]

I'm going to have a serious talk about this with Kyuubi later, but for now I must act fast. Ino is standing up.

"What the hell was that!" She says. I run as fast as this damn furisode lets me and place one chakra filled finger on her forehead, making her forget everything she saw inside my mind.

"I win." I declare.

"Yes... you win." Ino says, a little dizzy because of my chakra.

I turn to look at the others, who are clapping their hands and smiling at me. It wasn't such a spectacle, after all, I didn't use any jutsus or weapons.

"Hey Ino-pig, what did you see inside Kaji's mind huh?"

"Nothing."

"What? Nothing?"

"Yes nothing."

I laugh mentally, I erased everything of that incident from her mind.

"Well, that is weird."

"A little."

"You can drop your Byakugan now Neji, you won't find anything unusual with my chakra patterns." I say, turning to Neji.

He nods and releases it.

"And you shouldn't be wasting your energy with that Sharigan, copy-ninja Kakashi, because I didn't use any jutsu." I say looking straight to the trees, where Kakashi is hiding.

"Hehehe, busted." He says jumping down and joining us.

"Well everybody, it was a pleasure to meet you all, but I really should return to my room. It was a long trip and I will like to rest for a while."

After receiving many varieties of 'Go ahead' and some requests of joining them tomorrow, I leave the training grounds.

This was interesting, I gathered some useful information about my friends, and at the same time managed to fool them all. Well, I never told them I was a girl did I?

' ' You can be evil sometimes kit ' '

' You don't have the right to say anything about being evil Kyuu. And what happened back there, you know it is dangerous if someone knows I have a second mind inside my body. '

' ' But you solved it right? So where is the problem? ' '

' Next time, don't let anyone in got it? '

' ' As you wish... ' '

' I'm glad, everyone is still alive. '

' ' Yes, but it is luck. Because they can die at any moment with the lives they live. ' '

' I know, that is why I'm glad. '


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* The furisode is a kimono worn by girls and young women with long swinging sleeves.

** Geta are wooden sandals/footwear, worn by both sexes.

*** Tabi are split toe socks.

And in case you don't know what a obi is, it is the wide sash worn around the waist, on top of the kimono, tied at the back. And tessens are "fans"

So round up people! Is time to start deciding the pairings!!
I just have one settled: Sakura and Lee, just because the guy deserves a regard for his efforts, so sorry to all the Gaara Lee fans out there! Gaara will be paired with a boy, you can chose one. And for the rest, they can be paired with anybody you want. The most suggested pairings win, so leave a review for your favorite ones and help them win!

Ja ne!