The Only One

Kiara quietly padded into the ninja academy. She bowed before the group of elderly gentlemen, and greeted them as proper mandate dictated.
“Ohayo, Honorable Elders.” Kiara straightened her posture, and stepped closer to the man in the center. “I apologize for not arriving here on time. There is no excuse for which I can provide for my tardiness.”
Iruka stepped into the room shortly after his former student, and took to standing near a paneled wall. He remained silent as Kiara apologized, but cleared his throat to speak on her behalf.
“Kiara was practicing her jutsus nearby. She is a member of the ANBU Black Ops, but her continuous practice is necessary. I pray that will justify her.”
The elderly man in the middle contemplated Iruka’s words before speaking. An expression of shock crossed his wrinkled features, as if a puzzle piece had suddenly fallen into place within his mind. He raised a shaking finger, and pointed towards the girl with waist length golden hair. “Iruka, you mean to tell us that the tremor we felt...” He shook his head, as if clearing his mind, and pointed sharply at Kiara again. “You are trying to say that the cause of the tremor that rocked the village only minutes ago was this girl?”
“Her Earth Shattering no Jutsu, to be precise,” Iruka answered, grinning. The Chuunin was pleased, to say the least, that the strength and power of Kiara’s abilities could shock the Elders so quickly.
Danzo’s shocked expression transformed back into one of calm serenity. He lowered his finger, and instead raised a balled fist to his mouth. He coughed and cleared this throat, allowing himself ample time to readjust to the situation. He then lowered his hand, and placed it upon his lap. “....I see....” The man turned to his fellow companions, all of whom gave a reassuring nod. Danzo nodded in response, and turned to face Iruka and Kiara once again. “Well, this recent development only reaffirms our decision to give you this mission.”
Mission? Kiara thought, stepping forward. “Is this why you requested my presence this morning? You wish to give me a mission?”
Danzo leaned back in his chair. “Indeed. This mission is a request from the Honorable Hokage herself.” He paused when the girl shot him an incredulous look. “Tsunade would have spoken with you herself, but she is preoccupied with training Haruno Sakura.”
The Elder’s explanation caused the girl’s steadfast demeanor to falter briefly. “Gomen, Danzo-sama. I did not mean-“
Danzo raised a hand. “No apology needed.”
Kiara nodded. “In that case, could you please give me the details regarding this particular mission?”
The older man produced a scroll from within the folds of his sleeves. Beckoning Kiara forward, he held out the object. “The details of your mission can be found here, but allow me to give you a brief summary.” Danzo paused as Kiara extracted the scroll from his hand, and stepped back. “Keep in mind that this is an A-ranked mission....”
Kiara nodded. “I understand.”
Danzo cleared his throat again. “Very well.” The Elder then proceeded to divulge specific details on what the girl was required to do. “You will infiltrate Otogakure and bring Uchiha Sasuke back to Konoha.”
Kiara’s eyes widened, and her body instantly became rigid. “U-Uchiha S-Sasuke....?” She gripped the scroll tightly. “Demo-!” It took the girl a fair amount of time to steady herself. “Sasuke betrayed the village! He...he...!!”
Danzo silenced her. “We are quite aware of the fact. However, we are in need of his help. There is no choice but to have him return to Konoha.” He narrowed his eyes at the teenager. “You are to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke, and then you will return to Konoha with him. Are we clear, Kiara?”
Kiara frowned. “I understand what you are telling me, Danzo-sama, but I am afraid I must refuse to take this mission.” She inwardly winced as the aggravated look in Danzo’s eyes quickly changed into one of blinding fury. She then proceeded to speak again. “Please, Honorable Elders, you must hear me out. I have valid reasoning for not accepting this mission.”
Danzo folded his hands together and leaned forward. “Oh?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Hai,” Kiara replied, nodding. She gestured to Iruka. “Iruka-sensei failed to mention something extremely important about me. I must apologize for not telling you sooner....”
“And what exactly,” Danzo inquired, “is this fact that you, so plainly put, is ‘extremely important’?”
Kiara was determined to keep her steadfast demeanor, and she did so by focusing her emerald gaze on Danzo, and solely Danzo. Her grip tightened around the sealed scroll within her grasp. “The only reason why my jutsus hold the strength and power that they do is because I am very precise with my hand signs.”
“Most ninjas are,” stated Danzo, obviously.
Kiara shook her head. “No, you do not understand. When I say precise, I mean that I will look to make sure my hand sign is absolutely correct before I continue with the next one... Sometimes I will even count my hand signs, though that only appears to be a nervous habit of mine.” The girl bowed her head. “As a result, my speed is greatly decreased yet my attacks are more potent. If I were forced to fight Sasuke, I would be no match for his speed. He would slaughter me, and I would shame Konoha as well as my entire clan,” she admitted, shamefully. “And I simply could not live with that!”
Danzo leaned back in his seat and turned to glance at his colleagues. They spoke in hushed whispers amongst themselves, and one of the men whispered something into Danzo’s ear. He nodded, and whirled back around in his seat to face Kiara.
“I have spoken with my fellow Elders, and we still believe you are the best individual to undertake a difficult mission such as this.”
Kiara raised her head in an instant. “Demo, Danzo-sama! I am no match for the sole surviving member of the genius Uchiha clan!”
“If,” Danzo lowered his voice, “and only if you undertake this mission and are successful will the honor of your clan be restored.”
The girl’s body stiffened, and her eyes widened. The Elders were giving her a chance to restore the honor of her devastated clan.... Kiara had promised herself that if the opportunity arose to obtain honor for her fallen family members, she would gladly seize the chance and do whatever was necessary. Her grip around the scroll tightened so much that it caused her knuckles to become deathly white. “But what of my speed?” she asked, worriedly.
A low chuckle escaped Danzo’s lips. “Think of this as a learning experience. To become a stronger member of the ANBU Black Ops...No, to become a stronger ninja, go through with this mission. It will aid you with increasing the speed of you hand signs, believe me.”
Kiara regarded the elder man carefully for a moment as different scenarios quickly flashed within her mind. Once the girl had completely thought through the different ways the mission could unfold, she sighed.”Very well then.” Kiara bowed before the group of elderly gentlemen. “Tell the Honorable Hokage that I accept this mission.”
“Excellent.” Danzo gestured to the door. “You are now excused, Kiara.”
“Arigatou, Danzo-sama.” Kiara straightened her posture, and stepped towards the door.
“Oh, and one more thing....”
Kiara hesitated as she slid open the shoji door. “Hai, Danzo-sama?”
The man’s voice bore a dark, threatening tone. “Do not fail us, Hotodasuke Kiara.”
Kiara merely nodded and stepped through the opening. Once the door was safely secured behind her, she began padding down the hallway. She held the scroll firmly within her right hand, and bowed her head in a solemn manner. Her voice lowered to a mere whisper as she exited the main entrance of the ninja academy. “....I will not fail you, Honorable Elders.... You can rest assured that I will have Uchiha Sasuke safely return to Konoha, for by doing so I will finally be able to restore honor to my devastated clan.”

(Viola! There is chapter two! I hope to have chapters three and four up soon.....

Kiara: As soon as you stop procrastinating, that is.

Pinjarai: Shuddap, Ki-chan! You’re not helping!

Sasuke: And I come into this...when..?

Pinjarai: I’unno. Chapter six or seven?

Sasuke: And I thought this story was mainly about me?

Pinjarai: Yeah, well, you’re training. So stuff it!

Sasuke: -narrows eyes and draws his katana- What did you say...?

Kiara: Oh dear. This will not end well.

Pinjarai: -runs away from Sasuke while screaming- Please review, minna-san!!!!!!! AAAIIIEEE!!!!!)
True A/n: The next two chapters will actually be written by me. Pinjarai is the name of the co-author who wrote the last two chapter.