After that meeting, Izuna and Rin always hung around together, usually sleeping over at each other's houses as well. Their relationship grew, Izuna could even say that Rin was closer to her heart than Obito was, because Rin made time for the girl more than the Uchiha ever did. Izuna loved Rin, she really did. She had helped her get over Obito's death, and Izuna barely had any time to mull over in self-pity. Without Rin, Izuna would've been lost.
Panting slightly, Izuna brightened up considerably once she found Rin talking with another girl by a dango shop. The Uchiha had been searching for the girl for hours, hoping to show the Nohara her achievement and progress, but it was as if she had disappeared off of the face of earth until now. Running full speed towards Rin, Izuna glomped the back of her legs, bringing the two toppling to the ground.
"Izuna!" Rin obviously knew who the offender was before she even looked at her. She twisted around on the ground--thankfully not hurt--and grabbed Izuna from her armpits, pulling the child into her lap as her eyes ran over her body. "Are you hurt?"
She got a grin in return, which got her to notice that Izuna's mouth was covered in burn marks. Even when Izuna shook her head hurriedly and slid off of the Nohara, Rin didn't stop scowling.
"You've burned yourself! Let me heal you first!" The Uchiha rolled her eyes, breathing deeply to calm her exasperation as she looked at the older girl in defeat, knowing that if she didn't allow Rin to do as she pleases then they might as well be stuck there all day. Gently pulling the girl towards her once more, Rin's hand hovered over Izuna's lips and cheeks, glowing a green color as warmth flooded the burnt areas on Izuna's face. Barely half a minute passed before Rin retreated her hands back, smiling gently.
"There, all good now." Rin ruffled Izuna's hair fondly, but the girl only tugged at the older's sleeve, pulling her in a direction away from the place they--and the other girl Rin was talking to--were at. "Where do you want to go, Izuna?"
'Come on.' Izuna merely signed back, agitation clear on her face as the Nohara didn't move an inch from her place, before she finally yielded and followed.
"Bye, Kurenai!" Rin sighed with a grin on her face. At least she got to say goodbye to her friend. Whatever Izuna wanted to show her was important, if her behavior was anything to go by.
About ten minutes later, the girls arrived at a huge pond that could almost be mistaken as a lake from its size, surrounded with trees. Stopping at the docks, Rin turned to stare at Izuna curiously, a knowing, carefully hidden glint in her eyes. After all, Izuna wanted to surprise her.
"So what now?"
'Watch.' And watch, she did.
She concentrated with bated breath. Izuna weaved through the handseals slowly and carefully, making sure not to mess up.
Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.
'Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.'
Rin watched in amazement as flames in a humongous orb swept over the whole clearing. It looked like a comet--it might have been--but whatever it was, Rin had to break free from her trance and take a step back from the growing heat the ball emitted. It was too hot. No wonder Izuna had been showing up with burn marks for the past two weeks. The water below them in the pond sizzled from the fire, steam covering the place as after a minute Izuna finally dropped her Justu, a grin so wide it almost split her face appearing on her lips. The Justu was stronger than Obito's, no doubt. It was stronger than anyone's she had ever seen. Izuna was wonderful.
"You're a genius, my god!" Rin exclaimed, beaming back at the girl as she swept her from the ground and twirled her around in midair, hugging her tightly to her chest. Izuna laughed soundlessly in happiness, hugging the Nohara back closely. She loved Rin, she really did.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Rin inquired curiously as she dropped Izuna on the ground gracefully, still grinning from ear to ear. She sat down on the dock, dipping her legs in the water and snickering evilly at Izuna, who was too short to do the same. "Ha!"
Rin got a humiliated frown and a playful glare in return, which got Rin to finally have the humility to muffle her laughter. "I'm sorry."
But Rin wasn't sorry, and they both knew it. Smirking again at Izuna's face, she leaned down slightly, inducing a confused expression from Izuna who leaned forward to see what the girl was doing.
Too bad she did.
Rin drenched her in water.
If Izuna had a voice, everybody would hear her indignant screaming.
But alas, humor is scarce these days.
Anyway.
After a few minutes, the two girls calmed down from their earlier ruckus, choosing to sit quietly with each other.
"You never did tell me who taught you that jutsu. Was it Obito?" Rin got an enthusiastic nod from the girl beside her. Izuna didn't get sensitive when people mentioned her brother; on the contrary, she always felt a sense of relief when they did, because it reminded her that he existed and he wasn't just a dream from her imagination, that even if he wasn't here now, he used to be, and he would of been proud of her.
Rin hummed back at Izuna's nod, deciding to bring up a topic that had been on her mind a lot recently.
"Say, Izuna. You take care of yourself now, alright?" This time, Rin got a nod along with a confused, wary look from Izuna, but she was 100% sure Izuna didn't know of her motives. Smiling softly in adoration and gentleness, Rin continued, her brown eyes full of understanding and love. "I've been thinking, what would you think if my parents adopted you?"
Izuna's blood ran cold as she stared at Rin with wide, terrified but silent eyes and a mouth agape. She forgot how to breath for a second, and frankly, she didn't think she wanted to. Was what she heard coming out from Rin's mouth, really what came out of Rin's mouth? Izuna wasn't stupid. Rin's parents wouldn't want another child, it was Rin who wanted a sister. Izuna could feel her heart beating loudly and hurriedly and painfully in her chest.
'I don't understand.'
"I love you, Izuna. I love you like how I would love a sister, and I know I want you to be my family, and I yours." Rin paused, the gentle expression not going away. "I talked to my parents, and if you agree to this-"
Izuna cut Rin off with a hug, her shoulder shaking so much Rin could've almost fooled herself into believing she had a cold, but she knew better.
Izuna cried into Rin's shoulder.
'I want you to be my sister too.' Izuna's tears didn't stop, it seemed they had forgotten how to, but she didn't care. Rin stroked Izuna's hair, feeling contented and h a p p y. 'Now I get to drink your hot chocolate forever.'
Laughing joyfully, Rin patted Izuna's head for a while, sitting beside her as delight filled her heart. She was euphoric to the point that she had to stop herself from jumping into the water below them. The happiness was too much to handle, and a squeal found its way from her throat.
"Yes!" Izuna jumped back in fright, not expecting the scream that tore from the Nohara. Staring at her like she grown two heads, a grin found its way to her face.
'Dango?'
"Dango alright! And Pocky! And everything! Today we celebrate!" Izuna laughed in glee at Rin's behavior as she stuck her first up in the air in triumph, Izuna following suit. "Come on! I'm not gonna pass the opportunity to show off my sister to the world!"
A couple of minutes later--and a bit of Rin boasting to other people that Izuna was her sister-- the pair ordered at the dango shop, and Rin excused herself to go to the restroom. Tapping her fingers at the table in a dull fashion as she waited for either Rin or the dango to come, Izuna noticed from the corner of her eyes a man with skin as pale as paper itself motioning for her to come to him. Titling her head curiously at the black-haired male, she got out of her seat and approached him. He looked familiar. It was the same feeling she got when she first saw team Minato. She had seen them before in Obito's team picture, but where had she seen that man?
"Hello." She was mesmerized by his voice. It was deep and sadistic, scaly even, in a sense. She had never heard a voice like his before, but he seemed so familiar. Waving at him slightly after she slipped in the seat opposite him, she furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion. What did he want with her anyway? He was a Shinobi from Konoha, judging by his Hitai-ate, but she didn't know what rank. "Show me your claws, little Izuna-chan."
It wasn't a question, but she felt confused as to why he issued such an order. If he knew about her claws, then he knew her name, so it wasn't much of a surprise. Perhaps the Hokage had told him to do that, since only the students and teachers at the academy as well as Jonin knew how she looked like, with the exception of a few others like Rin and the Hokage himself.
Outstretching her hands towards him, she suppressed the wince that went through her body as her claws extended themselves from her knuckles, cutting through the tissue and the skin, damaging the tender areas further as they continued to get out of her body, bloody but sharp as ever.
"You're doing well." The man seemed to nod to himself in content, the air tense around the two while Izuna waited for him to state what else he wanted. She was on the edge of her seat, but why? Her body automatically got on the 'fight or flee' mode as soon as she was within a foot of the man, and it scared her. Oxygen stopped entering her lungs as she froze from the amount of killer intent in the atmosphere, but she was the only one that could feel it. "Perhaps, the repercussions of the metal in your body might not act up, at this rate."
Izuna swallowed heavily in terror, she couldn't even move her hands away from his palms, this was nothing like the mist Chunin and Jonin, the man was on a whole other level. The doctors had theorized that her toxicity would eventually kill her, metal wasn't supposed to be in contact with internal organs or it would poison everything, but she was still alive. They gave her a few months before she met her end, and yet here she was.
The man let go of her palms, a gentle smile free of killer intent slipping onto his face, noticing a chakra signature heading towards them.
"Orochimaru-san!" Rin called out in surprise, but ecstatic nonetheless. The man was one of the legendary Sannin who was helping them tremendously in the war. He was a hero, and he deserved respect and recognition.
"Ah, Nohara-chan." The pair of them indulged in a conversation. Picking a few pieces of information from their talk, Izuna was able to gather that this 'Orochimaru' was of great strength and that he was a renowned Shinobi, perhaps that was the reason why he seemed familiar to Izuna. It at least reinforced her belief that the Hokage sent him. A moment later, Rin asked the question that had been on the Uchiha's mind since the beginning.
"If I might ask, Orochimaru-san, what were you doing with Izuna-chan?" Izuna took that chance to retreat her claws back, healing the cuts with the healing Jutsu Rin had taught her for occasions like this. Izuna also mentally noted that Rin didn't spend much time in the restroom, so that when she moved in with her, she wouldn't have to argue with her about who would use the bathroom first.
Orochimaru gave an apologetic smile to the Chunin, the words slipping from his tongue smoothly, as if they were a lie.
"My apologies, Nohara-chan, but that is classified information." He paused slightly, the smile still on his lips. Obviously, he knew that the girl was the student of Minato--his main contender for the position of Hokage--and he would have to be careful. "I'm sure you know about the A-rank secret of Izuna-chan, don't you?"
It was a threat, and a warning. He clearly meant to tell Rin to back off and forget about the whole ordeal. Giving him the stink eye as her smile twitched unbearably, Rin ignored the sadistic look in his eyes, not giving him a chance to intimidate her.
"Excuse me, but Izuna is going to be my adopted sister," Clearly, she wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to flaunt that fact, Izuna beamed in amusement and happiness, looking between Orochimaru and Rin continuously, as if this was a comedy show and she was the spectator. "And I deserve to know anything that involves her as much as Obito did, especially if it might bring her harm."
Rin was referring as to how she was forced to teach Izuna medical ninjutsu, because occurrences where Shinobi randomly popped in and asked Izuna to show them her claws, with 'classified information' being the reason, was ridiculously a lot. The Uchiha would always cry when the cuts got infected due to being left untreated when Rin was away on a mission. The Nohara had reported that to the Hokage, and he had admitted that he sent a Jonin every month, but not every week. Rin was ordered to compile a list of the names of the people who asked Izuna to show them her claws, and they were punished by the Hokage accordingly. It wasn't a game.
Rin could admit that due to the medical jutsu she taught Izuna, the young girl's chakra control was impeccable, but she would never admit that that might have been the reason Izuna suddenly came back with the highest grades in her class and the academy as an overall in the Ninjutsu and Genjutsu departments. The chakra control for the academy jutsus paled in comparison to medical ninjutsu, and it was because of Rin that her baby was growing up so fast.
"Then you could take it up with the Hokage himself, Nohara-chan." Orochimaru didn't lose his composure, the dangerous and fake smile still on his face, knowing why the girl was hostile towards him. He himself had punished a few people who had faked acting under the direction of the Hokage to see Izuna's claws, but he knew what to say to calm her down. "Though, I'm not sure he would answer any differently."
Rin eased up significantly as she gave the man an easygoing smile, knowing that that was the password the Hokage had assigned for such a thing.
A few moments of pleasantries passed before Orochimaru took his departure, and neither girl bothered asking the other about the encounter as they ate their Anko Dangos in peace.
"Y'know." Rin paused to swallow the piece in her mouth, going back to the topic on why they were here in the first place. "I was actually very hesitant to tell you about this adoption thing, but Kurenai changed my mind."
Izuna gave her a confused look in return.
"Kurenai- the girl you saw with me earlier, y'know, she has this really beautiful dark hair and red eyes?" Rin ended with a question, hoping to freshen Izuna's memory. The Uchiha merely shrugged in recognition, urging Rin to go on. "Well, anyway, I had been doubtful about this whole thing, and whether or not you'd accept, but she steeled my resolve and told me that if I truly loved you as a sister, then this would be nothing."
Rin beamed as she spread her hands out around her.
"Look where we are now! All because of her! I ought to thank her later, now that I think about it." Izuna nodded enthusiastically, wanting to show Kurenai her gratitude as well. Because of her, she was going to be Rin's sister. "Now, all that is left is to convince Fugaku-san of this adoption."
While Izuna's face took on a pained expression, Rin's turned into a thoughtful one. She could definitely blackmail Minato into blackmailing Fugaku into blackmailing Rin's mother into to adopting Izuna, that wasn't too hard. It wasn't as if Obito left in good grace with the clan leader, and as much as she hated to say it, Fugaku wouldn't care about Izuna as he would another Uchiha child, so that was to her advantage as well. Rin's dad wasn't an obstacle they had to look out for; they had already agreed to this arrangement when Rin told them about it, and her mom, with a little push, would definitely agree. She had been thinking about this whole adoption for a while now, and so far, it was going smoothly, as she hoped it would continue to go.
After a while, Izuna piqued up with an indecipherable expression on her face.
'My sensei said that I have a high chance of passing the graduation exam this year, even if it's only been two since I started.' Izuna's face turned gut-wrenchingly hopeful. 'Will you be there when I become a Shinobi?'
'Instead of Obito' went unsaid.
"You're amazing, Izuna!" Rin clasped her hands together eagerly. "Of course, I'll be there! The graduation ceremony is about two weeks from now, right?"
She got a nod in reply.
"That's perfect, then! I have a mission in a week, but that should be enough time to convince Fugaku-san of the adoption. And I believe I will make it in time for the ceremony! I will even bring strawberries with me, they will be in season then!"
Izuna jumped in her seat with a shit-eating grin on her face, she almost couldn't believe that someone was allowed to be this happy. She was on cloud hundred by now, and she was joyous.
"How about this? The adoption, the strawberries and a lil' something else will be your present for graduating?-" Rin laughed nervously as she raised her hands up in a surrendering sign, sweat dripping from her forehead. Izuna was glaring murderously at her for the 'lil' something else' part, which Rin absolutely refused to share. "A...haha?"
'Tell me.'
"No."
Izuna yanked harshly on Rin's hair, hating surprises and suspense and anything and everything that started with an 's'.
"No!"
'Tell me, please.' Izuna's eyes widened into a puppy dog's eyes as her mouth shifted into an adorable pout. Rin stilled so stiffly she could have been a walking corpse instead but then, in the end, denied Izuna's request.
"I said no!"
In the end, Fugaku gave his consent for the adoption process, but Rin held finalizing the papers needed for the adoption to when she came back from her mission, not wanting to miss her first moments as a sister, as she put it. Izuna didn't care though, waiting a week was nothing to her. All that mattered was that she and Rin were family, something Obito stopped being once he died.
The week passed fairly quickly, and Izuna effortlessly passed the graduation exam with flying colors. Jumping in her place from the excitement eating her up, Izuna waited beside the trees with the black Forehead Protector she got to spite Rin, did the Nohara really believe she would take a blue one? Izuna sat down on the ground, leaning her back against the trees while watching all the other graduates and their families, but she didn't care, Rin was coming in a few minutes and she wouldn't be alone.
But Rin never came.
A/N:
yeah, i lied. imma break you guys next chapter, not this one, so here's something fluffy for the moment. you're like, extra welcome??
thanks for reading!! don't forget to add this to your library, vote andcomment!
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