The young girl swam to the bottom of the lake, moving gracefully with the current. Her eyes penetrated the murky waters perfectly, and she caught a glistening. There, hidden in the sand, lay the kunai she'd thrown in from the shoreline. She grinned and swam toward it. The surrounding fish made way but didn't scurry off. It was a training she often did, so they'd grown used to her by now. Most of the time, it was hardly any challenge, but sometimes, something would make her exercise more difficult. Like right now, as her weapon had landed in front of an eel's cave. She hated those things. Always snapping out and whipping their tail to numb their prey with electric shocks.
The girl looked around until she spotted some weeds. She grabbed a handful and wrapped them around her arm. Then she prepared herself and reached for the kunai. Just as expected, the eel shot out of its lair, and the tail whooshed through the water, striking at her wrist. She felt a tingle as the electricity hit her, but the weeds dulled the force considerably. Her fingers closed around the weapon's handle, and she swam up. The quick change in pressure made her ears pop, and as soon as she broke through the surface, she was greeted by an excited voice.

"Oh wow, almost six full minutes this time, Katana! And you're hardly out of breath!"

Katana grinned at the spiky-haired blond teen in the orange jumpsuit. She swam the last bit and then trudged toward him. He threw the towel she brought along over her black hair to dry it as best she could. Nothing to do about her gray shorts and top, but the warm sunshine would at least ensure her green dress wouldn't get soaked as well.

"I passed the five-minute marker, and you didn't come for me?" Katana playfully punched her friend's shoulder. "Shame on you, Naruto."

"Nah, I knew you weren't in trouble."

"Let me guess, you felt it?"

"I did act—hey, what's that?" Naruto pointed at the weeds around Katana's wrist.

"The kunai was in front of an eel's cave," she explained. "This makes their sting less painful."

"That's so smart. How did you know that would work?" wondered Naruto aloud.

"When I first used it, you mean?" Katana pursed her lips to think for a moment. "I'm not sure. I just... knew."

Naruto nodded, instantly just accepting that response. That's what Katana liked about him. Her friend didn't question everything she said or did as everyone else did. He didn't push on and on about how she knew something she couldn't possibly know or how she could do things others couldn't, like hold her breath for 6 minutes. He was different. And yet, somehow, Katana felt they were exactly the same.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get out of here. You can't be late at the Academy today."

"Huh? Oh yeah, you're right! I almost forgot about that. Good thing I've got you, Katana."

Katana sighed and shook her head as Naruto fetched her dress, letting the corner of her mouth go up in a smile. He was quite hopeless sometimes. And then there were times he did the most amazing things.

"I wonder who I'll be teamed up with," mused Naruto aloud. "It better be someone cool who'll complement my awesome ninja skills."

"I'm sure it will be. But I can guarantee one thing; whoever it is definitely won't have that Clone Jutsu, so that's a leg up right there."

Naruto's face lit up at the compliment, swelling with pride as he said, "You know I'm the only one in class who mastered it? Not even stupid Sasuke can do that one."

"Naruto..." Katana threw him a scolding look.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, sorry. I don't get why you're friends with him, too. Bet he's not as fun as I am."

The teens left the training grounds near the village, talking and joking with each other as they headed for the Academy. And the deeper they went into the village, the more the looks and whispers increased. Katana made sure she kept their conversation going to distract him, but she still noticed the tension in Naruto's body.
For reasons nobody cared to explain to a child, Naruto Uzumaki was scorned and hated throughout the entire Leaf Village. Naruto acted out because of how the adults treated him, which just annoyed everyone more. Nobody saw him as 'one of them', but as a burden they were forced to bear. 
Naruto lived all by himself in an apartment, orphaned at birth with no other family that he knew of, and with Katana as his only real friend. Most of the children in class jeered at him while their parents warned them not to come near him, making Naruto one of the loneliest children in the entire Leaf. It was crazy because Katana couldn't imagine life without the spiky-haired blond. They saw each other as often as they could, but unfortunately, their time together was always too short.

"I really wish you could come in with me," said Naruto when they arrived at the Academy.

"Yeah, me too." Katana sighed as she looked at the building.

"It would be kinda cool to have you on my team." 

"There's no one I would rather have than you."

"Not even Sasuke?"

"Well, considering a team is a three-person squad, Sasuke would make a great addition."

"Hmph, I doubt it," said Naruto with a roll of his eyes.

"All right then, who do you have in mind?"

"Oh, that's easy; Sakura, of course!"

Katana did her best not to show her disgust at the thought of forming a team with that obnoxious pink-haired girl. Sakura Haruno was only one of the dozens of girls constantly chasing after Sasuke, but she was by far the worst. That she treated Naruto badly when he was head over heels for her was another reason Katana felt a vehement dislike towards her.

"Get in." Katana waved Naruto away. "You'll be late."

"Can we meet after dinner tonight?"

"Sure. Just wait for me at Ichiraku's. I wanna hear about today, okay?"

"Awesome, see ya later!"

Katana gave another shake of her head as Naruto sprinted into the Academy. Her smile wavered as she suddenly felt a presence nearby. She glimpsed over her shoulder, seeing the familiar disembodied shadow-figure of her teacher.

"Has something happened?" she inquired.

"Kitiara has returned from her mission," said the shade with an eerie, ethereal hiss. "Come back to the okiya at once."

"Understood."

The shadow evaporated as a breeze swept through it. Katana drew in her breath, preparing herself for what she would undoubtedly face at the okiya. Kitiara had only left yesterday morning and hadn't been expected back for at least three more days. This was bad. Very bad.

***

The okiya lay at the edge of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was a stately residence for unwanted girls who were sold by their families or were orphaned, with no relatives to care for them. They were well-fed, well-educated, and well-cared for. Sometimes, someone would come by to adopt a girl. Those were the lucky ones. For those who remained inside those walls would serve a higher purpose.
Each of the great nations had shinobi, ANBU, and assassins. Yet only the Land of Fire had geisha. Everything the girls were taught was a skill to be used to carry out their mission successfully — from calligraphy, dance, and song to poisoning, archery, and hand-to-hand combat. Yet a geisha's most formidable weapon was herself.
She became a performer in a theater, a perfectly painted doll in a lord's mansion, a simple girl sitting by the river... anything that lured their target to them. Sometimes, a mission took days to complete. Sometimes, it was over in mere minutes. A geisha's true intent remained hidden until it was too late. They were silent, quick, and without failure. 

None of the girls in the okiya had chosen this life, but all came to accept it at a certain point — all except Katana. Found unconscious by Leaf shinobi at the border of the Land of Fire, Katana was brought to the Village. The Hokage had ordered a search for her family, but it proved impossible as the four-year-old had no memories of anyone or anything, and none offered information. After a year, she was delivered into the okiya's care as a supposed orphan and stripped of everything she was trying so hard to hold on to.
New arrivals were given new names to cast away their past through a simple selection — they were to choose any item from eight objects. All but two were weapons. If one of these two were chosen, the girl was to serve the okiya until they reached legal age or were adopted. They would follow all lessons, even the weapons training, but would never become geisha. When a five-year-old Katana put her hand on the hilt of a katana-sword, she inadvertently bound herself to the life of a geisha and was given the name of the blade as a cruel joke. Only death would release her from her unspoken vow.

Yet Katana did not want this life. She longed to be free, to be who she wanted to be, and to not be tied to anyone. To look in the mirror and see the girl she used to be. But most of all, Katana wanted to find her family. They were out there somewhere, of that she was certain.
Were it not for a promise she had made five years ago, she would've already attempted an escape to search for them. But she couldn't leave him. She wouldn't.

As Katana approached the okiya through the forest, she recognized the girl pacing at the entrance. Kagami was three years her junior, with short brown hair that peaked everywhere, big brown eyes, and a fondness for furry animals. She was like a little sister to Katana, who ensured the others didn't bother her too much.
In the year Katana was brought to the okiya, there'd been four others. None had made it as far as she had. One by one, they'd succumbed to the arduous training or ended their own lives. Only a small vial of their ashes had been added to the shrine at the back of the okiya. Had Kagami chosen a weapon instead of Mameha's hand-mirror two years ago, she, too, would've undoubtedly suffered the same fate.

"Katana!" Kagami waved wildly when she saw her. "Hurry, Mameha is waiting for you!"

Katana hurried into the okiya, dashing through the courtyard and up the stairs to Mameha's office. When she arrived, she hurriedly tied her damp hair into a bun and waited until Kagami caught up. The girl sat on her knees and pushed the door aside for her. It was ridiculous she had to do this when Katana could perfectly open a door herself, but Mameha insisted on maintaining proper protocol.
The powerful scent of lavender incense nearly made Katana recoil as she entered the office. She always forgot about that. Kagami closed the door behind her, and Katana scanned the room. Mameha stood at her window, hands behind her back. 

"When I summon you, you come immediately," said the geisha sternly, her gaze fixed on something outside.

"I was on the other side of the village," replied Katana. "I'm sorry I made you wait."

"And the reason for your current state?"

"I was doing swim and dive exercises."

"No doubt she was with that boy again," a sour voice said then.

Katana turned her head. Another black-haired geisha came out from the shadows like a demon from hell. Just seventeen years old, but already one of the most dreaded women in all nations. Kitiara's beauty and grace were perfectly balanced with her deadly skills. She could charm anyone and anything and yet seem like the kindest and most amazing woman... in public. Inside the okiya, Kitiara was a vile serpent who regarded anyone who was not yet a geisha — everyone except Mameha — beneath her. Kagami, especially, was one of her favorite persons to torment, which she only did to antagonize Katana, who was next in line to become a geisha and thus a rival to consider.

"What a pair they make." Kitiara sneered. "The demon and the little bitch."

Katana clenched her fists in anger, her nails digging into her palm. If she weren't standing in Mameha's office right now, she would show Kitiara what the little bitch could do. Even if she still couldn't defeat her, she could at least punch her a black eye or something.

"Keep that poisonous tongue of yours still, Kitiara," ordered Mameha. "You are in no position to displease me even further."

"I could have still succeeded!" screeched Kitiara. "If you hadn't called me back, I could have killed the rest of the guards and —"

"We do not kill others to get to our target, Kitiara. We take only the life that is required. It is not the first time I must remind you of this."

Kitiara threw the head of the okiya a dirty glare, her jaw clenched, and her lips pinched into a thin line. Katana furrowed her brow. The two women rarely saw eye to eye, but they did respect each other... more or less. That Mameha would speak to Kitiara in such a manner and in Katana's presence confirmed something had indeed gone wrong during the mission.
She observed the way Mameha stood. Stately as always, yet tense. In all her time in the okiya, Katana had only seen her smile a few times. And even then, she doubted they were genuine smiles. Mameha always carried herself with a certain regal air, dressed in fine silk kimonos, even when she did not leave the okiya. Black hair atop her head, kept in place by pins and a decorative comb. Flawless, smooth skin, a swan-like neck, and fair features. No matter her role, she could perform it to perfection with very little effort. But the Dark Temptation of the Leaf was known far and wide for one very distinct feature — black, enchanting eyes. Once her victim fell under her spell, they were lost.

"We cannot continue like this. I have been considering this course of action for some time now, but after this last mission, I do not see any other way." Mameha turned, resting her dark eyes on Katana. "Kitiara was recognized yesterday, and her target gained guards to protect himself, resulting in a massacre and the target getting away. We need another geisha to alternate more between missions, else she or I may not come back one day. The time has come for you to complete your journey to become a geisha, Katana. Starting tomorrow."

Katana's eyes widened as she gasped in shock. "W-What? Y-You don't mean —"

"You can't be serious, Mameha." Kitiara stepped forward, her expression thunderous. "There is a reason we wait until the girls reach fifteen to be made maiko and sixteen for the test. How do you expect this wench to face a member of ANBU at her age? You cannot send a child to do a woman's job!"

"The test is my concern and my concern alone," said Mameha calmly. "You have no say in this."

"She doesn't even want this! She doesn't even respect what we stand for! Or have you forgotten the times she rebelled against us?"

"Against you, you mean. The reason I will guide her and not you." Mameha turned her attention back to Katana. "I wish I didn't have to do this, yet desperate times force my hand. You have excelled in all your lessons, Katana, even besting some of the Jōnin during your training. I believe you are ready and therefore take you on as my maiko. It is my hope you may achieve the rank of geisha within the following year."

"But —"

"You may go now."

If Katana had believed objecting would have made any difference, she would have done so. But Mameha's word was law. There was no room for discussion. Katana learned that the hard way.
With a heavy heart and with Kitiara's scornful glare piercing through her, she left the office. Kagami was still seated on her knees beside the door. The girl's face was pale, indicating she overheard everything. She rose from the floor, took Katana by the hand, and whispered, "Go to him."

"He's... He's at the Academy." Katana's throat was so dry. "He can't worry about me right now. The Genin teams are being picked today."

"You need to tell him, Kati. Sasuke will want to know."

Katana slowly nodded her head. She willed herself to hold back her tears. But her entire world was falling apart. She was supposed to have three more years. She was supposed to have time. Now even that had been taken from her.