Chapter Ten: The Myth

The Hokage looked up in surprise as he read the transfer request letter that Naomi had brought for him. She stood stiffly on the other side of the large desk, waiting for the Third Hokage to speak.

"So you've finally decided then?" he asked.

Naomi nodded seriously. She'd outstayed her welcome at the academy. She'd stayed on and instructed for four more years than had been her original intent. Now, with Sasuke graduated from the academy himself, she was itching to get back into the field as an ANBU Black Ops. It had been too long since she had felt the heat of adrenaline flooding through her or the cold sweat that covered her in a close call. She'd thrown all her energy into raising Sasuke as normally as possible. With him, hopefully, in training as a Genin, she could finally go back to being a ninja instead of teaching others how to be ninjas. Even the other Senseis had wondered how she'd stuck around for as long as she had.

"Very well. I will have the academy informed of your resignation. I doubt any of the other Senseis will be all that surprised." He raised a grey eyebrow at her. "And, I'll have the Black Ops arrange the reinstatement exam and ceremony.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise. That was it? Just like that? She had been expecting to be a long procedure.

"Just like that Sir?" she asked aloud.

The Hokage grinned. "Oh course, my dear. Your skills have been largely missed in the field these past five years. You are such a bright young woman. Those that remember your abilities will be glad to have you back and those that do not know of you will learn to appreciate what you can do."

Blush crept up to her cheeks from the praise.

"Thank you my Lord, but just the exam will do. There's no need to make a big deal out of it with the ceremony," Naomi insisted.

"As you wish," the Hokage responded dismissingly, giving Naomi the leave to go.

As Naomi walked home, she was lost in thought again. She wondered at how many of her old comrades would volunteer to take her on in the exam. They were all probably itching to put her on her ass since she hadn't been an active combat ninja for five years. Asuma would jump at the chance to have a go. Kurenai probably wouldn't, and neither would Kakashi. Guy would definitely take a go at her. But none of them were even ANBU. Asuma and Kakashi had done some work with them for a while but had decided that they would rather stay at the Jonin level. So, they would all be denied anyways because the Hokage would want to see her in combat against the highest ranked ninjas that were at her previously known skill level.

It wasn't until she almost walked right into the decaying wooden door that Naomi realized where her feet had taken her this time.

Standing tall in front of her were the walls of the Uchiha Clan sector. A huge pealing fan was still painted on the closed doors. She was sure nobody had been inside since the bodies had been extracted – not even herself. Naomi wasn't sure if she wanted to go back in. She had come such a long way with her acceptance of life without the clan – without her family intact. She didn't know if returning for peek would destroy the safety she'd created for herself.

But, as if her arm had a mind of it's own, she saw her hand touch the wood gingerly, and then she was pushing it open. With a protesting groan the gate doors swung slowly open. After and shallow, shaking breath, Naomi stepped inside.

Her eyes searched longingly through the mess and neglect of decay and crumbling buildings. There were absolutely no signs of life. The plants were brown and dead – as if the blood of that night had poisoned the earth – hinges were rusted and crumbling, wood was being eaten away and the walls and roofs were caving in from the neglect. The beauty and life had seeped away with the blood of her people. That was no longer her home. It was no longer the place she had grown up. That place was a distant memory, a ghost of her past. The vision in front of her was just a junkyard.

To Naomi's surprise, despite her pact – five years ago – to never let her feelings affect her again; she didn't shed a single tear. There was no use crying over her old life or the lost lives anymore. It was all five years gone and dead. For her, life went on and she couldn't even bring herself to long for her old life. She wasn't alone. She had a family. Sasuke was still with her – alive, healthy and happy as far as she knew. Kakashi, Asuma and Hana would always be there for her. Life wasn't sad anymore. She didn't wake with nightmares past the first week after the incident. She was happy.

Without a single tear or word, Naomi retreated back to the gates and shut them again, making a mental note to suggest a demolition of the destroyed sector. To her relief, the pain didn't suffocate her anymore.

It was almost dark when Sasuke arrived home. As soon as he walked in the door, he knew Naomi had been trying to cook again. The scent of burnt everything saturated the air.

"Uh, Naomi? I think you did that wrong again," he said as her walked into the little kitchen space.

Naomi turned and glared at her little brother.

"Oh ha ha. Very funny captain obvious," she responded sarcastically. Looking down at the pot she had on the stove and sighed. Turning the heat off, she dumped the burning sludge, which was supposed to dinner, into the garbage.

"You want to go out for Ramen to celebrate your graduation from the academy?" she asked, slightly bummed that her beef stew hadn't worked out.

Sasuke barked out a small laugh. "Anything would be better than gunk you were going to poison us with."

Naomi stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"Let me go change out of my uniform and then we'll head out."

"I'm sure you've already heard that I got Kakashi as my Sensei," Sasuke said between slurps of noodles.

"I did," Naomi confirmed, nodding. "Is it going to be weird having him around at the apartment now?"

Sasuke chewed his noodles as he thought about it.

"I really don't know. It might be a little weird," He finally concluded.

"Asuma, Kakashi and I will find somewhere else to hang out then," Naomi decided. All her brother did was shrug nonchalantly.

Internally, Naomi laughed. Her brother was not much of a talker. She was the only one he really interacted with. In classes he was quiet and stoic. Outside of class, around Naomi's friends, he didn't joke the same ways as when they were alone. It was as if his real self was reserved for his immediate family – her – only. Everyone else got locked out for the most part. She could see the sympathetic looks everyone gave him all the time, and figured he had gotten tired of letting that be the sole reaction to him.

They ate in silence for a few minutes until Sasuke asked, "Are you going to get back into the field now? I won't be home as often and I can take care of myself for a few days now too."

That was Sasuke. He didn't express emotion very often, but he sure did tr and look out for Naomi when he could.

"Yeah. I actually went to see the Hokage this afternoon. He sent my resignation over to the academy today, and my re-instatement exam will probably be tomorrow evening or the next day."

Sasuke actually smiled. "That's great!"

"I'm excited!" Naomi laughed, "There's just not an energy in the classroom quite like the adrenaline of being on a mission."

"I believe it," Sasuke agreed.

Her bowl was almost gone, which made her look down at her watch. "You need to be up at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow?"

"Yeah. And he told us not to eat breakfast." His tone indicated that he was fishing for information.

"You probably shouldn't then," she said off handedly, giving nothing away.

She could tell when he was digging for answers but Naomi had been trained thoroughly to give nothing away in brutal verbal and physical interrogations – she wasn't about to break for her inexperienced thirteen-year-old brother.

Comfortable silence fell again as Sasuke gave up and they finished eating with only the noise of the crowded shop to fill the quiet.

The next morning, Sasuke was gone, even before Naomi woke at sunrise. It was on the kitchen table that she found an envelope with the official Leaf Village seal on it. These seals could only be released by the intended recipient. Next to it was a quickly scribbled note:

Naomi – Found this on the window sill. Good luck with your exam today!

-Sasuke

Jitters spread through her as she picked the envelope up. It had to be her exam summons. She wondered, again, who all she'd have to face down for the exam. Deciding to wait a minute, Naomi went to go attempt to not burn some toast. She watched the bread intently in the toaster as she drummed her fingers on the counter. Time seemed to drag until the bread finally popped free of the appliance, slightly burnt at the edges. Naomi sighed, put some butter on the toast and stuck it in her mouth. She then turned back to the envelope. Carefully, she released the seal. A small plume of smoke rose as the seal melted away.

Uchiha, Naomi:

You have put in a request to be reinstated to the ranks of the ANBU Black Ops.

Under normal circumstances, you would be required to be re-evaluated before receiving your title back. However, we are in need of your assistance and will, therefore, be foregoing the formalities. You have previously displayed your raw talent in your younger years. We trust that you will still be fit for service.

If asked, say that you were evaluated, but report to headquarters at noon.

-Hiraku, Daisuke—

Confusion filled Naomi. What could be so urgent that they needed her to not go through the exam? Was there a threat that they had been keeping a secret threat from the public?

Digging through a drawer in the kitchen she found a box of matches. She struck one on the lighting strip and then held the familiar flame to the corner of the page. The flames slowly licked their way up. Life already felt almost normal again. She had missed the scent of paper as it burned away the orders in her hand. Right before the flames could touch her fingers, she tossed the remaining corner into the sink and doused the ashes with water. She actually enjoyed the secrecy that went with being an ANBU Operative.

The moment that the town clock struck noon, Naomi appeared in a cloud of smoke outside of the Headquarter gates. And then, the next second, Daisuke was standing in front of her. He was a good foot taller than Naomi. Brown hair shagged around his headband and piercing blue eyes- that could cut into the souls of opponents- stared out of his sockets.

"Naomi Uchiha, as I live and breath," he tried to greet her kindly.

"Daisuke," Naomi nodded, with a tight smile. She remembered him from the academy. He was her He was her age but had the arrogant stance of a ninja who had just earned his stripes within the ANBU ranks. He'd been a confident asshole in the academy – talented, but an asshole all the same. He'd been extremely upset when Naomi had been asked to test early.

"Come, we have business to attend to inside," Daisuke sad in his "superior" voice.

Naomi bit back a smile and suppressed a laugh. Daisuke gave off the aura of needing to prove something. She found it even funnier that he felt the need to establish rank over her, even though she'd been out of commission for five years.

As he led her through the halls of the building, that used to be her second home, they passed portrait after portrait of Uchiha ANBU members, among other clans. The Uchihas had founded the ANBU though, so they had filled the majority of the ranks. Every Uchiha portrait had a date of death listed, many from the same day. Every one had a date, except two. Naomi's eyes froze on her own portrait. Her face was light and happy. There was life there. She hadn't experienced as much death yet. Next to her portrait was that of Itachi. Under the frame, there wasn't a date, but a phrase. It read: "Remember the Traitor." Naomi's face burned as she read it. It hurt that her brother would never be remembered for how great of a ninja he had been- only that it was assumed that he had snapped and, as a result, took out the whole clan.

The image of Itachi did not reflect a traitor though. His face was stern, as they usually were for official portraits, but his eyes were still sparkling with the pride of his new promotion. The face that stared at her was her twin brother, not the man that had massacred their clan – not matter his reasons.

Daisuke led her to the largest meeting room, at the very end of the labyrinth of walls and portraits. They'd walked in silence and entered the room the same way. Inside, seated around a large round table meant for twenty, were the Hokage, Danzo –wrapped in his many bandages- and two high ranking operatives- Yoshirou and Yuko.

An icy chill ran through Naomi as hers and Danzo's eyes met. She'd never much cared for him. She'd been in numerous meetings with him present and something about him had always made her uncomfortable.

All four people stood the moment that Naomi and Daisuke entered.

"Lady Uchiha," Danzo greeted her. She had to hide the stricken feeling she got. He had greeted her as the head of her extinct clan. "It is quite a pleasure to have you return."

His smile was tight and forced, not reaching his eyes. The hand he extended to take Naomi's was completely bandaged and cold. What was he concealing underneath? They each nodded their heads, slightly, in respect.

"Thank you," Naomi responded shortly.

"Naomi," the two older operatives nodded from their places They had been her superiors, even five years ago, and she had always been awestruck by their immense skills.

" I must apologize for the lack of time to process the fact that you are returning to duty, but we have waited four years to have you back," the Hokage apologized.

"So I won't be evaluated at all?" Naomi asked with surprise.

Daisuke had moved to the other side of the room, where the torchlight barely reached him. His arms were crossed and there was an obvious look of disapproval across his features.

"No," the Hokage responded, "Your skills have been largely missed and are too valuable to waste time with formalities."

"You were made an ANBU Captain at the age of thirteen for God's sake," Yuko explained. He raised an eyebrow, as if Naomi was supposed to expect the different treatment.

The Hokage nodded at him.

"Yuko is right. And therefore, you are being reinstated to Captain, with full privileges, effective immediately."

Naomi's eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up. She had been fully prepared for a physical evaluation before being reinstated. She had not been prepared to walk through the gates, and be welcomed, as if she was finally coming home after been away a long time.

On his side of the table, Daisuke scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Do you have something to say?" Yoshirou snapped, narrowing his eyes at him.

Daisuke frowned and shoved himself away from the wall he'd leaned himself against. "Yes, in fact, I do. How is it that an Uchiha destroys their own clan, but we welcome one right back into our forces? What if she turns on the Black Ops like her brother turned on their family?"

"She was not removed from ANBU after the clan was destroyed, Daisuke," the Hokage explained, irritably, "She temporarily resigned in order to properly take car of her younger sibling."

"Naomi shares the blood of the traitor! We can take care of our missions without her and her traitorous blood!" He sounded like a small child, throwing a tantrum over being told to share a favorite toy.

While Daisuke was having his fit, Naomi slid backwards into the shadows. The two older Black Ops glanced over as they realized that they couldn't read her chakra anymore. Slowly, Naomi crept around the edge of the room, drawing a kunai from her hip pouch. As she came to Daisuke's back, she placed the kunai at his neck. His body shuttered as she materialized, locking his arms behind him. An unmanly yelp escaped his lips.

"Can you do that without me?" Naomi asked snidely. It embarrassed her to have her skills complimented, but you couldn't get promoted through the ranks so quickly without confidence. She knew she was good. She had developed a new skill all on her own. Nobody else could use the shadows as she did and she was one of the best fire jutsu users in the nation. She'd defeated some of the strongest opponents and had completed an astounding number of S-Ranked missions. She was a force to be reckoned with.

The Hokage and the senior Operatives smirked as the blood drained from Daisuke's face.

"H-how…?" he stuttered, swallowing and trying to keep his throat away from the sharp edge of the kunai knife.

"Have you not heard of the Shadow Ninja?" Yuko asked in disbelief.

His eyes widened. "Y-yes, b-but I that it w-was all a m-myth…" he choked out.

Yoshirou and Yuko laughed loudly.

"I believe you've made your point, Naomi," the Hokage chuckled.

Naomi snorted lightly, stepped away from Daisuke, and placed her kunai back into her pouch. A smirk formed on her lips.

"Well, may we present Naomi: ANBU Captain, one of the last surviving members of the Uchiha clan, and Lady Shadow, the Shadow Ninja," Yoshirou announced, with an exaggerated wave of his hand.

Daisuke crossed his arms and looked away, basically pouting like a child. He was such a big shot in his mind. Having his abilities challenged by an eighteen year old (he being twenty-one), who technically outranked him, was deflating to his massive ego.

"My apologies, Lady Shadow," he mumbled, addressing her as the ANBU Captain she was once again.

Naomi laughed and clapped Daisuke on the shoulder. "You weren't among my ranks before. My techniques aren't something we like to talk about too often," Naomi explained.

"Enough of this!" Danzo snapped. "Yes, yes. Lady Uchiha is a very impressive Kunoichi. But, we have business to attend to."

Danzo was obviously itching to be out of that room. Naomi noticed a sidelong look that the Hokage gave Danzo when he wasn't looking. She still didn't like the wrinkled, bandaged man with the single, uncovered prying eye. She'd never seen his other eye. What was he hiding? Kakashi hid his, ever activated, Sharringan eye. But, Naomi had no idea what Danzo was hiding.

"Danzo's right," the Hokage agreed grudgingly, taking a seat at the table. The rest followed suit and took seats as well.

Naomi sat stalk straight, with her back pressed firmly against the backrest. Her hands were folded in her lap. All signs of joking had left her face and, for the first time in five years, Naomi could feel her "mission mode" switching on. Adrenaline was already coursing through her body. She could feel her chakra rising and pulsing in anticipation. She was finally ready to endure the secrecy of gathering intelligence, for the heat of battle and for not knowing how a mission would end.

The pieces of her life were falling back into place.