Two weeks has passed when Yumiko finally decided to get out of her depressive state. It was a sunny day full of life and joy.
A perfect day for training.
As promised, Yumiko kept meeting up with Hinata and trained with her, she gave her some pointers on training and made her wear weight- An effective way to improve her speed
She made her also practice the body flicker jutsu. At first Hinata was confused at her demand, finding it strange to do such a basic jutsu- that's until Yumiko explained to her how effective it is in escaping attacks and surprise attack.
Meeting with Hinata had made her less depressive. In any case, she needed small distractions like this
They agreed on a day were both are free, since meeting on daily basis is something Hinata can't afford giving her status as a student and as a heir.
Anyway, Yumiko went to her training ground, planning to work her body out Most of it went smoothly without much trouble, that is until she sensed a familiar, yet foreign chakra
'Its the same chakra I sensed while training for the chunin exams, are they stalking me again?' she huffed in annoyance, finding their faint chakra annoying. They were suppressing it obviously.
Yumiko expected them to stay close then leave as always. However, this time they advanced towards her skillfully
Yumiko sneaked a kunai out of her pouch while still training, and when they were dangerously close to her stopped and turned to their direction.
'It seems like the little cat has sharpened her claws' The person thought in amusement
Jumping out of the tree, Kabuto landed on the ground few feet away from Yumiko, hands raised to show his openness and lack of hostility.
Yumiko eyes widen in recognition. but the emotion was quickly hidden by a glare "Who are you and what do you want?" She asked sharply
"Easy there, I am a Konoha ninja just like you" He pointed at his headband, a sweet smile on his face.
'Bullshit. However I need to play my cards right or else I will be wiped by him. After all, his strength was said to be on par with Kakashi. I don't stand a chance against him,'
Yumiko pretend to ease the tension on her shoulder, before blankly staring at him
"You still didn't answer my other question."
"Which is?" He said with amusement, she narrowed her eyes at him "What do you want? why were you watching me?"
"Well, let's start with names first, my name is Yakushi Kabuto" He stopped waiting for Yumiko to tell him her name too. Unfortunately, Yumiko kept staring at him blankly without answering
Chuckling he said "You are not much of a talker are you?"
"With strangers, no" She shrugged her shoulder eying his frame carefully
Sighting Kabuto stated his purpose "I came here to see you because I am curious-" "Curiosity doesn't last that long, especially not for few months or so" Yumiko cutted him off, looking at him pointedly
'She knew I was watching her all along' He looked at her wide eyed, instead of denying, he smiled sweetly again, Oh that sweet smile of his that made Yumiko gut wrenching in discomfort. As if she was some kind of an interesting subject.
Or perhaps she was reading into things too much
"You are right, I have taken an interest on you a while ago, it was when I saw you at the hospital, I've heard how quickly you've learned the Iryo-no-jutsu. All the staff members whispered how much of a prodigy you are." Adjusting his glasses, he continued
"When I heard you are going to do the chunin exams, I wanted to see how you train. After all, I repeated the chunin exams four times and still failed"
'Its good to have a hot stalker... at least I get to experience evey girl drea- Wait a damn minute!' She sighed in annoyance 'I should keep my emotions in check...'
Crossing her arms, she said truthfully "From the way you hide your chakra, you seem a pretty good ninja, it makes me question your honestly"
"I am flattere-" "It wasn't a compliment" She cut him off before looking at him with the same blank face
He held the same sweet smile, perhaps a little forced this time. with eyes closed he asked "Are you always like this?"
A small smirk made its way on her face before answering "Only with strangers"
"Then let's be friends" He stated, determination in his black eyes
She looked at him stupefied before thinking seriously 'Getting my ass tangled with his is no good. If I remember correctly he was working with Sasori before working with Orochimaru'
'But he was ready to kill Sasuke in order to stop Orochimaru. He isn't that bad... But! he was bad in shippuden' She reminded herself
'But in the end of the day, he only wanted to find his place in this world like everyone else and gain power... Fuck my emotions and buts'
After few seconds of poundering, she finally answered "Sorry, but no."
"Then how about acquaintance?" She sighed in annoyance
'Something is wrong with him I swear, he is planning something. Oh well, he will leave the village after one year or so anyway and also I need to keep an eye on him, as they say; keep your enemy close' She tried to reassure herself
She nodded "That much I don't mind"
Clapping his hand, Kabuto smiled "I am honored to have you as acquaintance Yumiko-chan, can't wait to get to know you"
Yumiko grimaced 'Yeah. no, I did a good choice at keeping him close but not that close'
"Yeah, likewise Kabuto-san" She mumbled halfheartedly
"Yumiko-chan I would really like to stay more, but unfortunately duty calls for me, I have two mission I am about to do" Kabuto said apologetics
Yumiko shrugged her shoulder "Okay...stay safe?" She said unsure. Realizing just how absurd it sounded she scrunched her nose
Kabuto chuckled at her, he didn't bother to hide his amusement
"See you little cat" Yumiko of course didn't hear his last statement as it wasn't said that loud fortunately.
If she did, her face would've been a sight to see
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
"Already exhausted? The Hyuga clan are known for their Taijutsu, so you must build strength and stamina in order to last long against him" Yumiko taunted the girl ahead of her, she was breathing heavily with sweat all over her body
She can't blame her though, with those weight it must be hell of a training.
Hinata was sparing with Yumiko's shadow clones. She avoided using any Ninjutsu since Hinata wasn't ready.
Hours later, when Hinata was about to collapse Yumiko dispelled the clones and went to treat her using mystical palm jutsu
"That's enough for today, you did good job lasting that much. Go and take a rest for the rest of the day"
Hinata hesitated before nodding, Yumiko could tell she had something in her mind. However, she didn't push the matter
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
Walking in the street, Yumiko took in the nice view of her village. It was refreshing
Her training with Hinata is finally done. Now she can go and relax-
"Yumiko-chan! Here!" Nevermind her last statement.
She stopped at the call of her name then turned to look at the sound source
Kakashi, Genma and surprisingly Asuma were all seated in a Dango shop
Yumiko was not ready to talk. Straining a smile she approached the open restaurant
'How troublesome indeed'
"Genma-sensei Kakashi-sensei, long time no see." She nodded at them before sitting in one of the empty seats who happened to be next to Kakashi
"How are you doing lately? We haven't heard anything from you, it kinda worry me" Said Kakashi with his eyes closed
"I am fine" Her lips were pressed in thin line, its oblivious that both of them knew what happened to her and yet they didn't approach the matter directly, to make her feel more comfortable.
Genma stared at her while playing with his stick, eyes narrowing before softening slightly, deciding to change the subject he said "This is Sarutobi Asuma, he is a respectable Jōnin and the Hokage's son"
The man who was staring at her curiously nodded at her, Yumiko bowed slightly before greeting him formally "Its pleasure to meet you Asuma-sensei, in case you didn't know, my name is Yumiko"
Chuckling he replyed "The pleasure is all mine Yumiko-chan. I have heard many good things about the hidden lotus of the leaf, I hope you don't disappoint me" He said half-jokingly
Realizing the hidden tension, Asuma was quick to leave after that, leaving her with the other two.
Genma didn't hesitate to state his concerns after the man left "Yumiko I am sorry I wasn't there when you most needed me, something like that shouldn't have happened to you--not in such young age" He said softly. However, frustration was clear in his eyes.
"No sensei, you have no reason to apologize... It was destined to happen, if I was more stronge-"
Kakashi cutted her, his eyes turning sharp "Blaming yourself would get you nothing more than grief and self-loathing. What happened wasn't because of your lack of strength, it happened solely because of unexpected betrayal." He said sternly, Yumiko looked at him with wide eyes who started to trembled with grief.
Suddenly all her emotions she thought was gone got out, her heart ached painfully while tears formed at the corner of her eyes "Still, it hurts knowing I wasn't able to do shit when Seiza was dying... I feel regret for not being able to heal him."
"Yumiko, do not carry weights that are not your burden to carry." Genma said to her gently while storking her head after leaning against the table. "Seiza wouldn't be happy to see you grieving over him, it was his choice to sacrifice himself because he truly cared about his village and teammate. So please, don't get stuck in the past while you still have a bright future"
Kakashi nodded, he put his arm over her shoulder and squeezed "He is right, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."
Yumiko was no longer able to hold her emotions, she let her tears streaming down her face
Looking down she said bitterly while a small smile tugging her lips "You guys have your way with words, I feel unworthy of your kindness"
"Don't say such thing Yumiko" Genma frowned at her words
Shaking her head she looked at them "Thank you, I really appreciate it... I needed that for sure" She wiped her tears before standing up "I guess this is goodbye for now Genma-sensei, Kakashi-sensei"
They both perked up at her statement while looking at her curiously
Grinning she declared "I will start my extra hard training! So next time we meet, I will be the same level as you two!"
"I will be waiting for that day to come. However, if you needed any advice, don't hesitate to ask me Yumiko-chan"
Nodding at them one last time, she sprint off with a new goal and determination
'I will reach the Jōnin level before the chunin exams, this way I will be more useful and have more impact'
In this world there is people younger, yet stronger than others, that's what they stated in the manga.
Well, Yumiko wouldn't narrow her mind anymore.