-Luck of the Blade-

First off, I'd like to say that I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. Besides, if you sued me, you'd get all of fifty cents. ^///^

With that out of the way, this story takes place just after the Zabuza saga, 'cause that's my favorite part of the whole series. Besides, I didn't really buy Old Man Hokage getting knocked off like nothing when he IS the Hokage. Also, this story takes place right after the Zabuza Saga because that's all I had seen when I'd first conceived this fanfic.

I'm trying my absolute hardest to make the characters act naturally. (Erm, except for Old Man Hokage. I'm gonna play with his character.) Please let me know what you think! Let me know if anybody was out of character, if there is any bad grammar or spelling, or if it's perfect(I can hope, right?). So, please read and review!

XXxxxXX

Kakashi sat quietly reading his favorite book, Icha Icha Paradise. He'd decided that, after their last mission, his team deserved a lunch out. Naruto poked him.

"Hey, Sensei! You're not going to skip out on us just before we get the bill, are you?" Naruto glared at Kakashi.

"What ever made you think I would do that?" Kakashi asked, not even looking up from his book while he ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Naruto has a point, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura chimed. "You always seem to have something to do just as we finish."

"SSSLLLLLUUUURRRRRPPPPPP!!!" Naruto sucked down another bowl of Ramen noodles.

"Naruto, you baka!" Sakura yelled. She swung her foot up and brought it down hard on the annoying blonde's head.

"Ow! Sakura!" Naruto rubbed the steaming lump on his head.

"Hnn." Sasuke said.

"Was he annoying you, too, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said sweetly. Sasuke gave Sakura a Look. "Ehehehe. Nevermind." Sakura rubbed her head sheepishly. AAAHHHH! Inner Sakura yelled. How am I supposed to make you fall in love with me when you look at me like that?

Kakashi staightened suddenly. Naruto glanced up mid slurp at Kakashi.

"What's wrong, Sensei?" he asked.

"I hear someone's footsteps, but I don't feel a chakura presence," he muttered. He turned his head to look at a girl with long, red hair tied back into a ponytail. She smiled at him, then started skipping towards their group. Naruto and Sakura watched her uninteresedly. Sasuke tensed.

"No chakura," he hissed. "How can that be?" The girl stopped infront of Kakashi, leaned forward slightly, then tapped Kakashi's headband.

"Where can I get one of these?" she asked.

XXxxxXX

"Well, it's and odd occurance, Maruha-san" said Hokage. "But if you still measure up as a ninja with your disability, then you can become a leaf village ninja."

"Arigato gozaimasu, Hokage-sama! (A/N Thank you very much, Lord Hokage!)" the red-headed girl, Maruha, said.

"Now, the only difficulty will be testing you." Hokage puffed on his pipe as he thought. "Well, Kakashi's only got his students to train, so I'll have him test you. Hey, Secretary!" A distraught looking man poked his head through the door.

"You should call me Iruka. And I'm not your Secretary, Hokage-sama."

"Yes, yes, Icha-ya." Iruka turned red.(A/N: A 'ya' is like a shop. wink) "Just get...You know...Fellow with grey hair?"

"Kakashi-san?"

"Yes, that's the bloke." Iruka pulled his head out of the room. Maruha looked at the Hokage for a second.

"Icha-ya?" she said as she cocked her head to the side.

"Kids these days! Need a good shakin' up!" the Hokage wheezed. Maruha nodded her head apprehensively.

XXxxxXX

"OK, Maruha," Kakashi said. "I'll be running you through the basic tests, excluding the chakura ones."

Maruha nodded.

"Right," she said. Kakashi pulled out his favorite orange book. Maruha raised her eyebrows. "Cocky, aren't we?" she muttered.

She skipped forward lightly and snatched Kakashi's book, holding it open to his place. Kakashi's eye widened. He made a grab for the book. Maruha bent over backwards into a hand spring, then landed a few feet away. She grinned, sunk into a crouch, then started reading Kakashi's book. Kakashi charged forward. Then dropped to one knee as he threw a kick aimed at Maruha's face. She leaned back slightly so his kick connected with his book, and sent it flying away. Maruha watched with interest as the book sailed into where the Hokage was watching. Maruha flatened her on the ground, slidiing her feet into Kakashi's standing foot. He pitched forward onto her leg, which he grabbed. Kakashi then stood up quickly, so that Maruha was dangling by her ankle. The Hokage yelled. Kakashi glanced up towards the Hokage for a split second, in which Maruha's foot attempted to connect with his nose. Kakashi blocked the kick with his hand, grabbed Maruha's other ankle,then flung Maruha over his head. Maruha grabbed Kakashi's headband as she sailed over his head. She slowed slightly as Kakashi's headband came off, allowing her make a sliding land on her feet. Kakashi spun around to face her. Maruha noticed the long scar running down Kakashi's closed eye.

"Good enough!" the Hokage hollered. "She's Jounin level!" Kakashi raised his eyebrows. He looked at Maruha, who was giggling.

"I'll bet," Maruha whispered to Kakashi, "Hokage-sama doesn't think we'll notice that bruise your book made."