The third year seemed to end faster than the rest, although that could've just been because of how busy it was. The class sizes all got very small, and now there are only two classes left of all the people who have made it to the fourth year.

Needless to say, both Hinata and I have increased the amount of time we train, resulting in us having less, and less free time. While we still hung out at school, we hung out a lot less, which brings us to where we are now.

"Nice shot!" Tenzo praised clapping his hands happily.

I lowered my bow and turned my eyes away from the target I hit.

We were back in the forest of death, training together. Tenzo made targets from his wood style and I hit them, also practicing things like hovering and hitting targets and flying while trying to hit a target. With my glasses off, my aim was near perfect, and with them on I was still damn good. Not only was I good with my bow and arrow, but I also excelled at the Academy when using thrown projectiles.

Tenzo raised another target made from wood out of the ground and pointed to it.

"Try and charge your chakra into it this time, make it go through the target." Tenzo said.

I snapped my head over to look at Tenzo and flipped my glasses back on, giving him a glare. He held his hands up defensively.

"What's the big deal?" He asked.

I shook my head. It didn't matter, they aren't alive anymore to tell me no, I did it anyway when they were alive.

"Sorry Tenzo," I sighed. "It's nothing."

I put my glasses back on my head and nock an arrow, focusing on the target before me. I shut my eyes for a moment, feeling the familiar hum of chakra travel through me and into the bow and arrow. I pull the string taut and my yellow eyes snap open, locking onto my target. I release the string and the arrow flies true to its target, plowing right through it.

"Have you done this before?" Tenzo asks.

"Yes," I nod. "I had someone who used to teach me archery when I was about four, he taught me how to unlock and use my chakra."

"Then would you like to learn the next step?" He grinned.

"Next step?" I asked.

"First, why don't we find out what your affinity is?"

~~~~~

Fifteen minutes later, Tenzo and I find ourselves in the market, which is busy with human traffic, both civilian and shinobi. Vendors are yelling from all directions, each of them trying to one up the other vendors and get more customers.

We take a sharp right into another section of the street, the only difference here being that there were no civilians in sight, other than the vendors, who sold masks instead if fruits, weapons instead of vegatables, and armer instead of clothes.

Tenzo makes his way to the end of the street to a small stall that sold all sorts of weapons, including fuinjutsu supplies and and explosion tags.

"Captain! How have you been? I haven't see you in forever!" A tall, thin man with dark blue eyes exclaimed.

"Same as usual." Tenzo shrugged then pointing to me. "Except I now have this guy living with me."

"Hi, I'm Yuuto, nice to meet you." I speak up, waving a hand politely.

"You've got a kid living with you?" The man asked.

"Long story, I'll explain, but only after you get me some special paper." Tenzo winked.

"In that case, give me a second." He said before disappearing under the stall's counter.

Approximately thirty seconds later, he stood up again, a stack of what looked like sticky notes in hid hand.

"Great, how much for them?" Tenzo asked, reaching for his coin purse.

"On the house Captain, as long as we go and catch up old friend." He bargained.

"Deal." Tenzo smiled. "So, what do you day we head to the cafe at the end of the block?"

"Let's go."

The man stepped out from behind the counter and I sucked in a deep breath of air. He used two crutches to walk. Why?

His left leg was gone from the thigh down.

~~~~~

"Excuse me," I said politely putting down the cup of tea I was drinking (stupid Tenzo won't let me drink coffee). "But what's your name?"

"Call me Katsu." He chuckled.

"Explode?" I asked.

"Ha! I like you kid! Not afraid to speak your mind!" He barked in laughter. "My name is actually Katsui Katahana, but after I lost my leg everyone started calling me Katsu."

I tried not to laugh.

"You can laugh kid! Even I laugh about it!" He chuckles. "Katsui loses his leg due to an explosion, and boom! Katsu."

I let a few giggles escape.

"Whoever's in charge of my fate is having a real laugh right now!" Katsu grinned.

"So how do you and Tenzo know each other?" I asked.

"For the short time I was part of ANBU he was my Captain, my leader." Katsu smiles. "After I was injured though I had no use to ANBU anymore. Now I just run a stall in the market."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "That must suck."

"Not really kid, I'm thankful that my leg was blown up." He replied.

"Thankful?"

Tenzo just looked back and forth between us as he sipped his coffee.

"My father pushed me to become an ANBU since I was little because he was an ANBU." Katsu said. "I, however, just wanted to live a peaceful life with the girl I love."

"And?" I prompted.

"And now I can stay home with her, and raise my kids with her." He smiled softly. "If I was never injured, I would've been an ANBU until I died. My kid's need a dad in their life, because my dad wasn't around long."

"Wow." I gasped.

"Don't worry about it too much kid, these are my problems, not yours." Katsu chuckled.

Tenzo stood up.

"It was wonderful to see you again Katsui, but we must be going now." Tenzo said. "Come on Yuuto, I still have something I want to test."

I slung my quiver over my shoulder again and picked up my bow.

"It was nice meeting you Katsu." I smiled. "Hopefully I see you again soon."

"Same here kid, you seem cool." Katsu smirked. "See you around Captain!"

"Tenzo is fine, I'm not your Captain anymore." Tenzo sighed.

"Nah, once my Captain, always my Captain." Katsu grinned.

"See you around Katsu." Tenzo smiled.

~~~~~

Tenzo and I sat at the dining room, a small slip of paper resting between my index and middle finger.

"This paper will tell us which affinity you have." Tenzo explains. "Just channel your chakra through it and I'll tell you which you are."

I focused a bit of chakra into the paper and it reacted almost immediately.

The paper turned to ashes.

"If it's lightning it crinkles, earth it crumbles, water soaks it, wind tears it, and fire turns it to ashes." Tenzo said. "Meaning, you have fire."

"Sweet!" I exclaimed, my tail flicking around in excitement.

I ruffled my wings a bit and mocked a roar.

"I'm basically a dragon now!" I joke. "I'll be breathing fire in no time!"

"Alright Salamander, get to bed, you have school tomorrow." Tenzo chuckled.

"Goodnight." I yawn, trudging down the hall to my bedroom.

The thought of being a dragon was just a joke at the time, but I had no idea what was to come.

A/N

Just going to warn y'all, but there will most likely be a time skip next chapter, possibly skipping to twelve years old. We will see...