Emiko's POV

I smiled as I skipped down the path towards the academy. I clutched my teddy bear towards my chest as to contain my excitement. Today was the day when I truly prove to others my worth on becoming a shinobi for Konoha. I'll finally be able to become a true shinobi like my Mama and Papa. I'm even closer to my dream now. I stopped when a sudden thought reached me.

I'll finally become a true shinobi.... but Papa won't be by my side.

I shook my head to get rid of that thought. Today shouldn't be a day where I mourn for my father's presence. He may not be with physically but he'll be with me in my heart, the same with mama. I sighed sadly and walked the rest of the way to the academy. I suddenly stopped when I heard the sound of pounding feet coming from behind me. I turned around and stared questionably as I saw a cloud of dust heading my way. I gave a small squeak as I saw that it was that Sakura girl from yesterday and another of Sasuke's fangirls.

Before they could trample me, I moved to the side. I coughed as the dust that followed behind them entered my mouth and nose. My nose crinkled as I covered my face with my kimono sleeve. I gave a small sneeze and watched as the two fangirls raced towards the academy while people avoided their path. I giggled as one of the elder ladies was knocked down and began yelling at them to watch where they were going only to be ignored by the two girls.

Smiling, I ran towards the lady who had dropped her groceries and helped her up.

"Are you alright miss?" I asked.

"I am now dear. Thank you very much. At least now I know that the younger generation has some manners." The woman said playfully.

The woman was a villager from the clothes she was wearing. She looked to be in her near 60s, but her hair didn't have a single grey in sight. The lady was fairly tall with pose an elder would rarely have. She wore a long brown skirt that flowed down to her calves with a white apron on top, a regular white blouse, and a beige shawl. Her long chocolate brown hair was placed in a low ponytail with pieces framing her face. I could see the wrinkles on the corner of her eyes and lips showing that she smiled often.

I giggled as I passed her the bag I was holding. "I'm very sorry about those two girls. They have an obsession over my oji and I think they were racing towards the academy. I'm Emiko Uchiha by the way."

"Hmmm... I see the girls these days are far more possessive than in my days. It's very nice to meet you Emiko-chan. I'm Hanamiya Makoto."

"Flowery truth?"

Makato-sama chuckled. "Yes Emiko-chan, my name means flowery truth. Now I think it's almost time for the academy to start. You should get going."

My eyes widened and I looked up at the sky. From the way the sun is positioned it should almost be 8:30. I gave a small squeak. I just couldn't be late today.

"It was nice to meet you Makato-sama, but I should be going to the academy now. I would help you bring your groceries to your house but I can't be late today. Today is the day we get our hitai-ate after all. I hope to see you soon." I bowed.

I lifted my head as I head Makato-sama chuckle.

"No need to add -sama at the end or call me by my last name Emiko-chan." Hanamiya said.

"Then what about Miya-oba?"

"Dear, I'm far too old to be called aunt by such a young child. You can call me Miya-obāchan if you want."

I smiled and nodded. "Well it was nice to meet you Miya-obāchan! I hope we meet again."

Miya-obāchan nodded and waved at me as I ran towards the academy, but I suddenly came to a halt as I remembered something. I turned around and ran to Miya-obāchan. I grabbed the back of her skirt to stop her as she was walking off already. She stopped and stared at me in confusion. Smiling I summoned another of my chakra necklaces. I placed all my chakra stones in a scroll that I'm able to summon from anytime with the use of my chakra. It was a pretty emerald stone surrounded by silver petals making it look like a flower and was hung on a silver chain.

"Before you go, I want to give you this. It's a chakra necklace. If you ever need help, just say 'Hana', which means flower and place a bit of chakra in it. I'll be there the second you do." I said as I placed the necklace in Miya-obāchan's hand.

Miya-obāchan stared at me in shock but smiled soon after. I was surprised when she suddenly turned around and hugged me while kneeling to reach my height.

"Thank you Emiko-chan. I'll be sure to wear it everyday," Miya-obāchan said as she released our hug, "Now head off to the academy. We don't want you to be late now would we?"

I smiled and nodded. Giving Miya-obāchan one more hug, I turned and ran to the academy. I walked through the the halls to the classroom with a big smile on my face. My teddy bear Kou-kun was walking in front of me.

I know what your thinking. 'Your teddy bear can't walk on it's own!'

You're right. I'm using chakra strings to make Kou-kun walk by himself. I learned to use chakra strings from Puppet-nii or Sasori of the Red Sand. Sasori had wide brown eyes, which he inherited from his mother, and short, red hair that he inherited from his father. Sasori's hair is slightly messy, and he wore his Akatsuki robe along with a purple Akatsuki ring on his left thumb that bears the kanji got "jewel" or "sphere". He also wore teal nail polish on his fingernails. Even though Sasori still possessed his Sunagakure forehead protector that was slashed in the middle, he kept it on his person instead of wearing it.

Sasori's puppet body was enhanced with a series of weapons hidden all over his body. His puppet body consisted of a pair of spinning claws attached to his lower back, a holder for four scrolls on his back, a stinger in the empty and open stomach cavity, a compartment in his right chest, and a 'core of living flesh' in the left, which had the kanji for "scorpion" painted on it. Back at the hideout, I would help Sasori make poisons and antidotes that he'd use to coat his weapons in.

Before entering the classroom, I grabbed Kou-kun and placed him in my arms. I slid open the door and smiled as everyone faced the door way wondering who it was. I skipped towards Sasuke who was gazing out the window. I jumped onto his back and he turned to me with a smirk.

"Good morning Hime-chan." Sasuke greeted.

I giggled. "Good morning Sasu-oji!"

I took my seat beside Sasuke and watched as everyone went to their seats as well when Iruka-sensei walked in.

"Okay everyone, quiet down. We will now begin the final exam," Iruka-sensei said as he looked at his clipboard, "If your name is called, come to the classroom next door. The subject will be the clone jutsu."

I saw Naruto stiffen from the corner of my eye. I stared at him in confusion as he began to panic not so quietly in his seat.

The clone jutsu must be one of his weaknesses.

I turned my gaze but to the front as Iruka-sensei began to call out names.

"First will start with Shino Aburame."

I took out my sketching journal and sketching pencils that I left in Kou-kun's hidden compartment. I looked around the room to find a suitable subject for my next art piece. Puppet-nii and Blondie-nii got me into art after one of their fights.

My eyes sparkled as I saw one of the students in the class simply sitting down on her seat and gazing out the window with a dazed look in her eyes. She had her head propped onto her right rand and held a gladiolus flower with the other. Smiling, I quickly began to sketch her. After a couple minutes I was done and I smiled at my work.

Getting out of my seat, I walked up to the girl and tapped her shoulder. Smiling at me with hearts in her eyes the girl greeted me.

"Hello Emiko-chan! What can I do for you?"

I smiled at her and showed her the picture I drew. "Sorry for not asking you for your permission for drawing you first, but if I did you might have posed or something. I liked the way you looked very peaceful so I immediately chose you as my muse."

The girl gasped and took the sketchbook out of my hands. She smiled as she looked over the whole drawing and it's details. I made sure that everything was perfect. I drew all her hair in place and even made sure I drew the right amount of petals on the gladiolus. The picture looked so lifelike that you might mistake it for a photo.

"This is beautiful Emiko-chan. I'm glad that you chose me as your muse. I'm Ino Yamanaka by the way." Yamanaka-sama said as she handed me back the sketchbook.

Ino was a fair-skinned girl of average height with blue eyes. Her most noticeable trait in her appearance trait was her long, blond hair with bangs covering the right side of her face. Her hair reached down to her waist.

Her attire consisted of a pair of small silver hoop-earrings and purple, fairly revealing clothing. She wore a short purple vest like blouse with a raised collar, a purple apron skirt that is cut off on the sides and bandages on her stomach and legs. She also wore purple and white elbow warmers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Yamanaka-sama. I'm Emiko Uchiha but you probably already know that." I responded.

"No need to call me Yamanaka-sama. I don't have a big role in the village."

"Then how about Ino-nee?"

"Ino-nee sounds great Emiko-chan."

We both smiled at each other.

"I should be getting back to my seat now Ino-nee, I hope to talk with you soon."

Before I left though, I was pulled into a big hug by Ino. Choking slightly from the lack of oxygen, I tapped Ino's arm to get her to let go. From seeing by face turn blue, Ino immediately let go.

"Gomen Emiko-chan! You're just so cute I couldn't help it." Ino apologized.

"It's okay." I said as I walked away after giving her another hug.

I sat back down in my seat and looked up at Sasuke who was staring at me questionably. I pointed at Ino who squealed when Sasuke looked at her.

So she was a fangirl.

"You were with one of my fangirls? Please don't tell me you told her where I live." Sasuke said with panic in his eyes.

"Nope," I giggled as he sighed in relief, "I just showed her a portrait of her that I drew just now. Do you want to see?"

Sasuke nodded and I took out my sketch book. His eyes widened as he saw the drawing. Smirking he ruffled my hair.

"I didn't know you could draw Hime-chan."

"I learned from two of Papa's friends."

From the mention of Papa I noticed that Sasuke's eyes darkened but it soon disappeared when he noticed that I was staring. Sasuke turned to face the front and propped his chin on his folded hands.

"Emiko.... please do not speak of your father in my presence, okay?" Sasuke said with shadowed eyes.

I flinched when he called me by my name instead of Hime-chan and at the dark tone he used. Nodding stiffly I stared at him with slightly scared eyes.

"H-hai Sasu-oji..." I stuttered as I squeezed Kou-kun to my chest.

We sat in silence as names of students were called out. I was uncomfortable since Sasuke had never used that tone with me. Around me I noticed that his tone was light and held emotions. Not once had he used such a dark tone. Papa must be a very bad topic to talk about around him.

Noticing my uncomfortable presence, Sasuke sighed and ruffled my hair without facing me.

"Gomen Hime-chan, you're.... father is just a bad subject for me. Just please don't talk about him around me." Sasuke apologized.

Smiling, I snuggled up into Sasuke's side as his arm held me close to me. I sighed and looked up at Sasuke.

"Okay Sasu-oji, I won't talk about Papa around you anymore. But you have to buy me dango after the exam since you were mean."

Chuckling quietly, Sasuke nodded and pulled me into his lap, placing his chin on my head.

"It's a deal." I heard him mutter.

After a couple minutes, only a couple students were left, including the jinchuriki boy.

I looked at the door when Iruka-sensei came back in and called the next name.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke pulled me off of his lap from the call of his name and placed me on my feet. He got up and ruffled my hair.

"I'll wait for you outside okay Hime-chan?" Sasuke informed.

Nodding I smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek for good luck. Smiling he pecked my forehead and walked outside the classroom to take his exam.

I sat quietly in my seat as I waited for my turn. I turned when I suddenly felt someone tap my shoulder. I smiled as I saw it was Ino-nee.

"Mind if I sit with you?" she asked.

I shook my head and Ino took a seat where Sasuke was sitting only moments ago.

"Do you want me to do your hair Emiko-chan?" Ino asked.

I smiled and nodded. I haven't had my hair done by someone since I was back at the base. Papa would place my hair in a ponytail or twin tails but usually Blondie-nii and Konan-oba would do my hair for me.

Turning around, I hummed a little tune as Ino did my hair. After a few minutes I felt Ino stop playing with my hair. I turned to her and saw her take out a mirror from one of her weapon pouches. She passed me the mirror and I smiled at what she had done with my hair. My hair was placed into two waterfall braids that wrapped around my head like a crown and were braided together at the back. Where the two waterfalls met, a gladiolus flower took its place acting as a pin. It was the very same gladiolus flower that Ino was holding when I drew the portrait of her.

"I thought the gladiolus would look good in your hair and it does. The meaning of the flower is strength of character, faithfulness, and honour. Perfect for an Uchiha." Ino said.

I smiled and thanked her. I turned to the front when I suddenly hear my name being called.

"Emiko Uchiha, you're next." I nodded at Iruka-sensei and hopped off my seat. I stopped and ran back to where Ino-nee was and pecked her cheek.

"Good luck in your exam Ino-nee!" I said.

Blushing, Ino said the same as I ran into the hall and into the next room.

My eyes widened as I felt a dark aura in the room. I turned to the desk that was placed in the examination room for the examiners. Beside Iruka-sensei was another Konoha chūnin. He had shoulder-length, white hair that had a slight hint of blue to it and green eyes. He wore the standard attire of the Konoha-nin which included a flak jacket and a hitai-ate which was worn like a bandanna.

I stared at him then glared which caused both chūnin to stare at me in confusion. Shrugging it off I stopped glaring and faced Iruka-sensei.

"Okay Emiko this is the other proctor of the exam, Mizuki-sensei. You can preform the jutsu when your ready." Iruka-sensei informed.

I nodded smiling. "Hai Ruka-sensei!"

Iruka-sensei blushed and scratched the bridge of his nose with a sheepish smile. I noticed he had a habit of doing that when he was embarrassed.

I made the hand sign for the clone jutsu but the hand sign I was making was different than what I supposed to make. Muttering the jutsu a cloud of smoke enveloped my surroundings. I smirked when I saw the expressions of the two chūnin. Both their mouths were agape and their eyes widened. Beside me were ten clones of myself. I giggled which caused the two chūnin to snap out of their daze.

"Excellent Emiko-chan. That was certainly a surprise but I could expect nothing less from an Uchiha prodigy." Iruka-sensei complimented.

I blushed and smiled but the smile soon disappeared when I heard Mizuki speak. That poor excuse of a man doesn't deserve the title sensei.

"So your the Uchiha prodigy. Well congratulations on passing Uchiha-san." I almost glared when I heard him speak my clan name.

I don't want such a defiled soul speaking my clan name. I mustered up a fake smile and thanked him through gritted teeth.

When Iruka-sensei said to come up and take my hitai-ate I sent one of my clones to do so. The two chūnin gasped.

"These aren't regular clones. Could they be... shadow clones?" Mizuki said.

"You're right Mizuki. Unlike a regular clone, the shadow clone is an actual copy instead of just an illusion. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among the amount of clones that are created, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of preforming techniques on their own and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after one of two solid blows, though even then, depending on the user's growth with the technique it may not be enough. It's a B-rank justu created by the Second Hokage himself. Emiko-chan, where did you learn such a high ranking technique?" Iruka-sensei asked incredulously.

"I learned this jutsu when I was 4. Papa taught me it after teaching me chakra control." I replied.

This caused their jaws to drop once again. Sighing, I grabbed my headband from my clone and dispersed all the them. I walked up to the two chūnin and poked their foreheads. Wincing, the two chūnin grabbed their foreheads where a small bruise was beginning to form. I may have added a bit of chakra to that poke.

"I-itai!" The two chūnin mumbled.

Giggling I hugged Iruka-sensei and thanks him for teaching me during my short time in the academy and placed the hitai-ate on my.... forehead. It is called a forehead protector for a reason.

Before I walked out I stood on my tiptoes and leaned towards Mizuki until my lips were near his ear.

"Oh! And and Mizuki sensei~ don't do what your about to do. You're just gonna end up getting beaten to a pulp. You shouldn't use my friend to steal that scroll for you. You might just regret it in the future." I whispered into his ear but made sure I was loud enough for Iruka-sensei to hear.

I felt Mizuki stiffen and smirked.

"How did you find out you little brat." Mizuki whispered in my ear making sure Iruka-sensei didn't hear.

"No need for you to know hmmm?"

I leaned back and smiled sweetly at Mizuki with closed eyes as I skipped out if the room.

Earlier when I noticed Mizuki's dark aura, I wanted to know why he had such an aura. I used one of the jutsus I made that was deprived from one of the Yamanaka clan's jutsus. Usually their jutsu was only used to speak telepathically to others but I made it to be able to seek through people's memories and thoughts. I call it Maindoshīkā jutsu, meaning Mind seeker jutsu. In Mizuki's memories I came through his plans to steal Scroll of Sealing by using Naruto. But I knew that the scroll will not fall into Mizuki's hands. After all... well... I think I'll keep that as a secret for now.

I stopped at the entrance of the academy and smiled sadly at the parents who were congratulating their kids for receiving their hitai-ate. I held in the tears and thought of my usual motto.

Heads up, hearts down, steady as we go.

I took a deep breathe and held my head up high.

I will not cry. An Uchiha does not cry.

I turned when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw that Sasuke was smiling sadly at me with an understanding look on his face.

"Congratulations Hime-chan." Sasuke said as he hugged me.

I smiled and pecked his cheek.

"Congratulations to you too Sasu-oji." I muttered into the crook of his neck as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

Releasing our hug, we began to walk out of the academy grounds. I stopped when I saw a boy sitting on the swing that was attached to the big tree in front of the academy. I stared sadly as the boy was Naruto. I told Sasuke to wait up for a second while I did something and walked towards Naruto. I stopped when I heard two of the woman speak about Naruto.

"Hey, that kid is the kid. He was the only one who failed."

"Hm. Serves him right."

"If he becomes a ninja, it's only going to cause trouble. Because, he's really the..."

"Hey, it's forbidden to say anything more than that."

I watched as Naruto looked down. He obviously heard what the two woman were saying. Sighing angrily I walked up to the two woman and pulled the back of their skirts. They both looked down at me and immediately gushed about how cute I was.

"Oh my! What a cute little girl you are? Who are-"

"Why are you saying such mean things about him?" I cut her off.

"What do you mean?" The two woman asked incredulously.

I stared up at them with sad and angered eyes. "Why do you speak of such disgraceful things about Naruto? He is merely a boy that was used to as a container for the beast. Yet all you see is what is sealed within and not what is really there. Can't you see that he is nothing more than a boy striving to become Hokage? Can't you see that all he wants is acknowledgement? Why is it that your hate for the beast had blinded you from seeing the kind boy that Naruto really is? Naruto should be seen as a hero. If it weren't for him, this village wouldn't even exist. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't even be here."

I walked off towards Naruto, leaving the two woman in a shocked and frozen state. No one from the younger generation of this village knew about what Naruto is. He was the jinchuriki of the nine-tailed beast. During the attack 12 years ago, the fourth Hokage sealed the tailed beast within Naruto but it costed him his life. Ever since then, there was a decree that announced that no one was to speak or tell about what Naruto was. I'm glad that I was finally able to meet the the host of Kurama. It's been a while since I was last in his presence.

When I reached Naruto I immediately enveloped him in a hug. Shocked, Naruto did nothing but I didn't mind.

"It's okay Naruto. I know you'll become a great shinobi one day. A shinobi who will acknowledged by all the nations. You'll become the best Hokage in history. I just know it.... And you know what Naruto? You aren't alone. You'll never be alone. Even if you haven't met your parents, they loved you. They loved you with all their hearts. They'll always be with you. Maybe not physically, but they'll be with you in your heart and soul. And you know Naruto... I'm here for you too. Not just me though. You have friends and admires that you don't even know you have. You're not alone Naruto. You'll never be alone." I whispered into his ear.

Smiling, I pulled away and walked off without another word. I knew that Naruto was shocked from my words. After all, he had no one to comfort him as he grew up. I knew that all his pranks was only to get attention. But he is no longer alone. I'm here and so are many others.

I smiled as I took Sasuke's outstretched hand in my own. We walked in silence to the dango shop. Along the way I held a soft smile and looked up to the sky.

I'm finally a true shinobi. I'm one more step closer to my goal. I wish you could see me right now. I miss you... Mama... Papa.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Obāchan - grandma
Hitai-ate - forehead protector
Itai - Ouch

On the side is a picture of the chakra necklace Emiko gave Miya-obāchan. ------>

I posted it like I said. Anyhow, I did edited my last chapters bit but not a lot that you need to re-read them. So who know now that Emiko can use puppeteer jutsus. i did mention it in her bio but I wanted to show what she'll somewhat use it for in the future. I think you're wondering how Emiko knows that the scroll won't go into his hands and about Kurama. Well... you'll find out in future chapters. Please press the vote or add to library button and please comment below. If you want a dedication please comment, "Heads up, hearts down, steady as we go." Till next time,

🌸Saku/Cherry-chan🌸