Meet Sarutobi Ayame, niece of the Third Hokage. Her mother had her at 17 before leaving Konoha and never returning and her father is unknown, so she grew up alongside Asuma, raised by her Uncle Hiruzen. Ayame is in sync with her feelings. She's a hard-working, stable, independent kunoichi who joined the ANBU at 18 and is proud of the life she's created for herself. She's fun-loving and her best friend in the world is fellow ANBU teammate Tenzo. After eleven perfect years of life serving as an ANBU, the Hokage dismisses her and Hatake Kakashi—the cold-hearted team captain—to reassign them as Jonin leaders. After a final night out with Team Ro, Ayame does something she regrets... for now.

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It's fascinating the way our body and mind can feel so perfectly in sync one moment, and the next—

"Paper bombs!" someone yells, and we all scatter. The explosion makes my heart thump out of control, even when I am expecting it. Even when my mind is so intricately focused on every detail of my surroundings—observing, processing and planning with every passing second—my body finds a way to react without consulting the mind.

So, even though I am perfectly calm and prepared for everything that happens, my heart still beats faster and head still whips around, eyes wide when I see the enemy behind me. He charges with a kunai in hand and I don't hesitate.

I guess that's what some would call instinct, but I call it skill. I worked hard to get to where I am today, and there's no damn way I'm gonna credit that to simple instinct. Instinct relies on bodily reactions alone, and those are unreliable.

Skill is more than a bodily reaction—it's a perfectly crafted execution linking the subconscious and conscious mind to the nerves and muscles. It's a reaction that relies on body-mind connectivity and muscle memory.

The knuckle-blades are in my grasp and flowing with chakra before the enemy can even react. He makes a swing with his kunai but I deflect it easily, then we battle for dominance, metal clanging on metal.

I've tuned out my surroundings but I'm still aware of everything going on. Shouts from the team captain to kill only if necessary. Screams escaping the lips of the enemy as other ANBU destroy them with various high-level jutsu. Bodies falling to the ground, some from higher places like tree branches.

I can't spare a second to peer over my shoulder, checking to make sure none of the bodies are ours, and throw a kick that trips my opponent face first into the dirt. That's right, eat dirt, sucker. I'm quick to throw myself on top of him, blue-glowing blade pushed against his neck. He croaks out a yelp of fear.

"P-please don't kill me!—" I push the blade harder against his neck, hissing at him to shut up. "I have a wife, a-and a two year old son," he pleas, closing his eyes tightly.

I stop infusing my chakra and pull the blade back. He huffs in heavy relief but doesn't try to move from under me.

The captain gives the two fingered signal to move out and we all follow.

"Let's go," I say, tying the enemy's hands with some twine and shoving him to his feet. "If you resist, I'll kill you." He gulps and complies without resistance.

We ANBU are only responsible for getting them to the village, at which point they are passed off to interrogation and we can report our success to the Hokage.

I feel that thrill run through my blood as I walk with my team towards the ANBU headquarters. The thrill I get after every successful mission, a great feeling of accomplishment. That's what I love about my team. We're one of the most highly-skilled teams in the ANBU Black Ops, reporting directly to the Third Hokage himself. We execute A-rank level missions almost every day and our teamwork is impeccable. I'm proud to be a member of Team Ro.

The captain has gone to report to the Hokage and the rest of us are going straight to our lockers to gather our things and head home for the night, only to return at first light tomorrow and do it all again.

Another boy catches up to me and walks by my side.

"Another day, another thrilling mission, and another success," I chime, walking with my shoulders back and a smile pressing on my lips. I can't see his face behind the mask, but I know he's smiling too. That's who he is, the kind boy who only needs to know someone else is happy to be happy himself. His smile is contagious and can make light of any situation.

Even on bad days, Tenzo never ceases to make me smile.

That's why he's my best friend. Too many ANBU are stuck up and basking in darkness. I guess that's part of the job—without some level of coldness, these assassination missions would be unbearable. The human conscience can only take so much.

But without a certain amount of light, ANBU can easily become morally destroyed and desensitized. I've seen it happen to many, but a few names come to mind above the rest.

Uchiha Itachi. ANBU at 11 and mass murderer by 13. Now, he's a heartless rogue working with the Akatsuki. Thinking about him sends shivers down my spine—especially because I used to know him. We were on the same team, after all.

Uchiha Shisui. ANBU for only a short time before committing suicide. I still remember the day his body was found in the river, both eyes ripped clean out of their sockets. Some say he destroyed them himself so nobody could make use of his mangekyo sharingan; others claim they were stolen. I try not to get involved with all that drama and crap. I've got enough on my mind.

Hatake Kakashi. Tenzo adamantly claims Kakashi is a 'good guy' but I have yet to see it with my own eyes. He's heartless and cold... has been ever since Rin and Obito died. He got even worse after the Fourth Hokage died too, yet for some reason Hiruzen decided to promote him to captain. I'll never understand that old man.

I will never be cold and heartless like those other ANBU. I love my life, even on the hard days. I worked hard to get to where I am and I don't ever want it to change.

We finally get to the headquarters and just as I'm reaching for the door, someone appears in a cloud of smoke beside me.

I'm startled but don't flinch, holding onto the door handle. The captain has appeared from his debrief with the Hokage.

I open the door but Kakashi steps in front of me, "Lord Third summoned." I furrow my eyebrows and look up at the sky. It must be past five, surely he's not sending us on another mission already.

"Ok... let's go Tenzo," I say, forming hand signs to disappear in a poof of smoke but Kakashi's hand grabs my wrist, interfering with the signs.

"Just us," he mutters. "You're free to go, Tenzo." I huff as Tenzo goes on inside without me and I'm left alone with the cold captain. "Let's go," he says. His hand still clasped tightly around my wrist, he forms one-handed signs (show off) and we both disappear in smoke. In a few short seconds, we appear on the roof of the Hokage's tower and Kakashi lets me go. I snap my wrist back from him, rubbing it. God, he holds tight. Pfft.

Waiting for us on the roof is the Third Hokage in all his pitiful, old man glory. His wrinkles are becoming increasingly evident and hair is fading to match the white robe he wears. It's not very often I see him in full Hokage attire—he's even opted to wear the strange, pointy hat.

We approach him and kneel, the only thing suiting for such a formal appearance.

"Kakashi, Ayame," the Hokage mutters, the breeze blowing through his robes.

"You summoned, Hokage-Sama?" I say with reverence, though it feels strange on my tongue. I've always known him as Hiruzen or Uncle. It is strange bowing to the person who practically raised me like his own daughter, but he is still the Hokage and I am still subordinate to him.

"Mhm," he grunts, adjusting his cap. I suddenly feel a strange sensation forming in the pit of my stomach. I don't feel ready to hear what he has to say. Something feels off. "Tell me, how many years have each of you been in the ANBU?"

I furrow my eyebrows, thankful for the porcelain mask that hides my emotions. What is he getting at here?

"I joined during the Fourth Hokage's tenure, ten years ago," Kakashi replies automatically, voice void of emotion. As usual, Kakashi is unreadable. I wonder if he even feels anything, or if he's built a wall so strong that not even he can feel through it anymore. Or maybe, like me, he's really good at keeping up a facade.

Well, I'm usually able to keep up my facade but confusion laces my voice as I give my answer, "Eleven years," eleven wonderful years, I think. The best years of my life.

That pit in my stomach turns to fear, revealing its true form when the Hokage puts his hands out and instructs us to remove our masks. I feel sick, and clutch my stomach with one hand. With the other shaking hand, I pull the porcelain mask off and place it in his palm. For a flitting moment, I forget that Kakashi is beside me and stare up at Hiruzen with pointed eyes of disgrace.

He's stripping from me the one thing I worked so hard to achieve, and suddenly I feel like screaming, or crying, or both. But I remain on one bent knee, duteously bowing to my Hokage. My jaw hangs open ever so slightly, eyes wide as I stare silently at the grey concrete.

And as if by some strange phenomenon, I am feeling everything and nothing all at once.

His voice is low and steady, fitting of the Hokage he is. He's always been a confident man who stands by his decisions, and I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason for this, but my mind is too dazed and distracted to work that out.

"I hereby relieve you both of your ANBU duties. You will assume new positions," I'm hearing his words but they sound muffled, like a distant echo inside my head. "You will become jonin leaders, each in charge of three genin."

"Yes, sir," Kakashi obides.

Now I might actually scream. Well, not quite. By the time it reaches my lips, it sounds more like a suppressed squeak. I shoot my head up at the Hokage who looks on us with steady confidence. My mouth gapes open and I want to speak but I don't have the words.

"Dismissed, you will meet with the other senseis tomorrow."

I just gape at the Hokage, eyes wide in dismay, brows furrowed, jaw hanging open. Kakashi glances over and I think he sighs. He forms some hand signs and puts his hands on my shoulders, transporting me wherever he is going. I don't resist. I don't care to. I feel like all my fight has been stripped away from me, leaving me empty-handed and speechless.

We appear in the locker room belonging to Team Ro, the team that I no longer belong to, I remind myself. Kakashi gives me a gentle push onto the bench and I just sit there, silent and unmoving.

While Kakashi is retrieving his belongings from his locker, leaving it empty, Tenzo comes up behind. He leans against the bank of lockers with his arms crossed.

"What did the Hokage want?"

Kakashi goes to speak but I talk first. The words come out of my mouth like a foreign phrase, sounding sour and unfamiliar on my tongue, "He relieved us. He's reassigning us as jonin leaders."

Tenzo gasps, but a look from Kakashi and he quickly composes himself.

"Oh," is all he says in reply. I turn to Tenzo and without even thinking, my legs push me up and arms swing around his shoulders. He seems taken back by the hug, hesitant to hug back.

"I'm gonna miss you. You're my best friend," I mutter into his shoulder. His arms slowly find their way around me as he returns the hug.

"We'll still see each other, Ayame," Tenzo counters, pushing me back from him and locking eyes with me. I frown and my eyes soften, filling with water but I will the tears away.

"You'll be so busy with the ANBU, Tenzo, and we both know I'm not allowed to speak to you while you're on duty. And I'll be so busy with my genin that I won't have time to see you at the rare chance that you're not on duty."

He nods, giving me a friendly squeeze on my shoulders. I like his hands there, they make me feel grounded. His words are kind; they bring me reassurance, "You're gonna be a great teacher," he says. "And you'll always be a part of Team Ro. Nothing will ever change that."

A smile begins to form on his lips and he looks over my shoulder to Kakashi.

"Say, the team's meeting up tonight. You two should come, it'll be a goodbye celebration. Drinks are on me."

I instantly agree, not hesitating to gather the belongings from my locker and head for the door. It takes some negotiating on Tenzo's part, but he somehow convinces the stone-cold (ex) captain Kakashi to join too.

If I had known how the night would end, maybe I would have reconsidered my hasty decision to join. But nobody can foresee the future, so who's to blame other than fate?

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Heyyy! I got this new idea for a story and I couldn't wait to write the prologue. Here it is, hopefully you like it.

If you did enjoy, please consider *booping* that little star to show some support! Comments are literally my favorite thing ever so don't hesitate ^3^

On-forth~

Enjoy.