The Tale Of Flowering Fortunes

A/N: Warning, timeskips...eh...one when she was fourteen and another when she was seventeen...DONT KILL ME!!!!

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After she had adjusted to life back in Konoha, getting to know the adorable, bubbly, and defiant three-year old Naruto, she resumed training as a kunoichi, maintaining the late hours she had kept with Yuka.



Sarutobi took Murasaki on as his personal aid, and Naruto grew into an even more stubborn child. Eight days shy of Murasaki’s fourteenth birthday, she became a jounnin.

A letter came from Mistress Yuka, saying the geisha house had been destroyed the night she left, and shortly afterwards, Hebeko disappeared.

Jiraiya left to wander, going back to writing his romance books, dedicating the newest edition to Minato, Kushina, and Naruto.

Due to Murasaki’s growing mission rate, she was forced to turn Naruto over to Sarutobi’s care. The decision had not been an easy one. She felt that she was the only person who understood the boy, who had become blatantly out of hand. The day finally came when Murasaki had to leave Naruto behind. Sarutobi had called her into his office to take on a high-ranking mission. She was surprised to see Gai standing in front of the desk as she led a defiant Naruto into the office by the wrist.

“Naruto, play nice while I’m away…work hard on your studies and make me proud.” She said, kneeling down in front of the blonde and running her fingers through his unruly locks. Naruto’s beautiful cerulean blue eyes narrowed.

“Fuck you bitch! You aren’t my mom!” He snapped, kicking at her and running out the door. Murasaki sighed and watched the boy go.

“Should I go after him, Sarutobi-sama?” She asked with a sigh.

“No…I’ll send the new chunnin…” He said with a heavy sigh. “You two are waiting for the third jounnin on you team. He’s late again, I see…”

“How un-youthful…” Gai grunted.

Murasaki cocked her head. “Why don’t you just tell them to come earlier, then they’ll be on time…” She said with a frown, trying to think of anyone she new that would be like that.

“We tried, but he caught on…” Sarutobi said with a sigh, tapping his papers on the table. Murasaki worried at the red lines on her face that had grown longer and wider over the past seven years.

Gai had bulked up and was no longer the scrawny teenager she had known, but he was twice as energetic, if it was at all possible. They chatted, catching up while they waited for the third jounnin. Sarutobi was clearly growing impatient.

“He knows I have better things to do than wait for him…” the older man growled.

Just then, the door banged open.

“Good morning everyone! I would have been here sooner, but a black cat crossed my path four times!”

Murasaki froze, turning slowly. Gai didn’t even bat an eye, but cringed slightly. Murasaki may have mentioned her small crush on Kakashi when she was younger, and that immediately had registered Kakashi as a threat in Gai’s eyes.

“Why do we have to go on a mission with him! He’s so…un-youthful!” Gai whined, twitching slightly.

Murasaki avoided Kakashi’s gaze, staring at the floor as her heart hammered against her chest.

Kakashi strode boldly forward, leaning against the hokage’s desk.

“Hey, long time no see…” He said, his visible grey eye arching upwards in a smile. “I see you’ve grown up quite a bit, Murasaki. You‘re not a scrawny as you used to be.” He laughed. A tick formed in Murasaki’s forehead and she glared up at the silver-haired legend.

The words that he had just spoken sounded eerily like Obito’s, even the tone in his voice.

She squared her shoulders, looking at him calmly and bowing.

“Hello, It‘s been a while...” Murasaki said, eying him and forming her hands into fists to keep from shaking with laughter. It was actually kind of funny to her. “you’re one to talk…you’ve bulked up…”

Kakashi shrugged at first, “Yeah…” He muttered, his eye falling on her clenched fists. He flinched, making a big show of it.

“Whoa, you’re not going to hit me again are you?” He said sarcastically, raising his hands in mock defense. Murasaki bit back a giggle, not letting it show on her face. Apparently, Kakashi read into it as anger, because he shut up shortly thereafter.

“Now,” Sarutobi said, tapping the file on the desk, “This is a special mission, requiring no less than three jounnin, so I expect you all to get along on this mission and there to be no problems…Gai-san, Kakashi-san, what did I just get through saying?”

Kakashi, who had been mock-karate chopping an increasingly antsy Gai, straightened up with a shrug. It would seem they had been arguing over who would be team leader.

Sarutobi sighed, rubbing his forehead and handed the file to Murasaki.

“I don’t care what happens next, just get them out of my office…” he said quietly, handing the file to Murasaki as the two young men began to bicker. Murasaki cleared her throat, grabbing the back of Gai’s spandex and snapping it as she left. Gai and Kakashi got the hint and walked, still bickering, out of the open door. Murasaki paused, looking back at Sarutobi.

“You will take good care if Naruto, won’t you?” She asked softly.

Sarutobi nodded. “You have my word, Murasaki-san. He’s currently being chased down by your friend Umino-san.”

Murasaki chuckled dryly. “That should teach them both…” She said, before shutting the door behind her.

The mission was off to a rough start, they were already halfway to the grass country before Murasaki knew what the mission was about, and before Kakashi and Gai had figured out who the team leader was. And no shit, the first words out of Kakashi’s mouth were; “I’m not letting some inexperienced little girl drag me around the grass country!”

Murasaki stopped mid tree branch, but said nothing.

Gai caught up to Kakashi, looking a little irritated. “Hey, she became a jounnin before I did, and she has a ninety percent mission success rate, that’s almost as good as ANBU…just give her a break okay?” Gai said, following Kakashi through the trees.

“No.” Kakashi said, staring after the young woman.

“Why not?”

“Because she’s cute when she’s mad.” Kakashi said quietly with a smart assed smile.

Gai groaned, but they continued on with the mission.

“We are to locate and execute the leader of a rogue band of shinobi that has been terrorizing local farms…” Murasaki said finally, stopping to take a drink of water. She was beginning to dislike Kakashi and his smart-assed comments.

Kakashi stopped beside her but said nothing. Gai paused behind them looking around.

“Something is wrong…the forest is quiet…” Gai whispered. Murasaki looked around cautiously.

“You’re right, Gai…how long has it been?”

“About ten minutes…” Kakashi said quietly. “pretend you don’t notice it…” He whispered. Murasaki looked at Gai, who nodded.

They continued on, trying not to let on they were aware of the eerie silence.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion behind them. A tree branch hit Gai in the chest, sending him across the clearing. Murasaki froze whipping out a kunai.

“Gai! Gai, are you okay?”

Gai got up, clutching the tree behind him for support, pushing the tree branch away from him with his foot.

“I’m fine…” He shouted as another explosion rocked the ground. Pieces of debris flew through the air and Murasaki ducked, covering her eyes.

She heard laughter through the trees.

“We were wondering who they’d send…” Came a taunting, feminine voice through the trees. Murasaki froze, trying to recall where she had heard that voice before.

“Orochimaru.” She heard Kakashi growl next to her.

Murasaki looked up as the dust cleared. It was the man that had stood outside of Hebeko’s apartment almost eight years ago. He looked like Hebeko, he had the same dark hair and pale skin, he was almost…pretty.

“Well well, what have we here?” She head the same voice behind her and Kakashi. “It’s The Fourths Prodigy and it looks like he brought a miko…what’s wrong? Afraid of death?” Murasaki turned her head just in time to see Orochimaru plunge a kunai into the silver-haired man’s back. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. She felt her entire body stiffen, unable to move it.

“Wha-a genjutsu?” Murasaki said, a cold feeling running down her spine.

Orochimaru laughed.

“Not quite…” Said another man’s voice behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man with grayish skin and six spider like arms. She could feel a crawling sensation on the back of her neck.

“The poison will have taken full effect by now….” The many-armed man said with a cruel smile.

“I hope you didn’t use too much…I want her alive…” Orochimaru cooed as Murasaki feel to her knees and passed out.

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