~*****~
3rd POV

The sun shimmered brightly over the dozey village of Konoha. Ren Yukimura spent most of her time dedicating herself to training her body and mind for the upcoming Jonin Exam. With learning the Gentle Fist technique with the grace of the clans Head, to sparring with Might Guy everyday, Ren's schedule remained completely filled- save for the occasional mission she'd be sent out on.

As the village began to wake up, word of some Shinobi from the Hidden Cloud village spread quickly, and all they could talk about were the foreigners currently speaking with the Fifth Hokage.

Ino hummed in curiosity as she turned to her team mates. "What do you think they're here for?" She asked curiously.

Shikamaru shrugged as he leaned against the wall. "No clue. Not our problem though."

"You don't think they're here for Ren, do you?" Ino's brow furrowed with worry.

"Don't be silly- why would they be here for her?" Choji tried reassuring the blonde kunoichi.

"Because she's from the Lightning Country, remember? What if something happened with the rest of her clan?" Ino kept fretting for her friend.

Asuma stopped the kunoichi's panic with a kind smile. "There's no need to worry. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Asuma-Sensei..." Ino sighed softly before turning her gaze back onto the road where people crossed and kept chatting about the new arrivals.

'I sure hope they're not here for her, at least...' Asuma's brow twitched slightly as he took a long drag of his cigarette.

Meanwhile, the Fifth Hokage stood to greet the visitors from the Cloud Village. "Lady Hokage," The Jonin with his three Genin bowed lowly. "My name is Reo Yukimura. This is my squad, Takashi, Reina, and Suzumoto Yukimura."

Tsunade's brow furrowed for a moment before she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why have you come to Konoha?"

"Straight to the point, I see," Reo huffed with a kind smile. "We are here to ask a temporary transfer."

"Excuse me?" Tsunade bit out. She certainly did not like where this was going. Shizune stood off to the side with her arms tightly wound around the stack of files against her chest.

"Whether she likes it or not, Ren Yukimura is the current Jinchuriki of Ameonna, a sacred beast we've kept under wraps for the better part of a century." Reo continued. "For the bounty on her head to disappear, she must be judged for the destruction of the Village in the Mountains."

"She was a child- Hired Shinobi cut down her mother. What did you expect her to do? Roll over? Submit? Her life had been in danger since the moment she'd been born. Have you ever considered that maybe she never wanted any of this to happen? She didn't ask for this-"

"Shizune," Tsunade cut in with a sharp glare. "The matter of the fact is, I will not allow her to travel to the Land of Lightning. Not while that bounty is over her head." Tsunade rounded around her desk. "Discontinue the bounty, and I'll ask Ren what she'd like to do."

"Of course she's gonna say no," The snobby looking Genin muttered lowly. Reo shot her a hard glare. "What? Any one of us would disagree-"

"You don't even know her-" Takashi cut in. "Just shut up and listen to Sensei's orders."

"I can send out a messenger hawk, but would it be all possible for us to reside in the village until word gets back? If Ren decides to temporarily return to the Land of Lightning, we will be her escorts." Reo spoke softly.

"You may remain in my village until that messenger hawk returns. But if she should decide to agree, she will be escorted by one of my own." Tsunade bit.

Reo bowed lowly and when his squad did not bow immediately, he grasped their heads, and shoved their heads down. "I apologize- My squad are all a bit ornery. We'll get out of your hair now." Reo chuckled.

Tsunade didn't respond. Instead, she turned her gaze on Shizune as the Cloud Shinobi left the office. "Send for Ren. I need to speak with her immediately."

"Yes ma'am." Shizune nodded and quickly left. Tsunade let out a deep sigh before turning around in her chair, and gazed out at the village.

'What will you do, my precious lotus,' Memories of her twin brother fluttered through her mind as she worried for her niece.

~*****~
Ren's POV

"Gentle Fist; Sixteen Palms- Thirty-Two Palms- Sixty-Four Palms!" Each blow blocked the training dummy's fake chakra points. "One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms!" The training dummy skid back a few feet as I hit the last point, and turned to Hiashi with a triumphant grin. "How was that?"

The veins around his eyes shrunk back before he gave me a cocky smirk. "You missed the One Hundred and twenty-eighth strike. Do not get to confident. It will lead you to your downfall." Hiashi mentioned. I let out a dramatic groan and slumped over as Neji patted my shoulder.

"It's okay, Ren. Maybe one day you'll catch up to me." Neji jeered.

"You know, I think I liked you better when you completely ignored me." I mentioned dryly. "Anyway, thank you for taking the time this morning to train me!" I exclaim as I bow lowly to Hiashi and Neji to show respect. "But I have to get to the hospital! My midday medical ninjutsu training is coming up. Same time tomorrow?"

"Of course," Hiashi waved me off.

I ran out of the Hyuga compound and leapt onto the roof tops as I advanced towards the hospitals. "Hey, Ren!" I hear a familiar voice echo. I turn my body mid air and grin.

"Lee! Are we racing today or sparring in the training grounds?" I ask.

"Guy Sensei gave us the day off while he attended to a recent mission- So why don't we do some endurance training today!" Lee suggested.

"It'll have to wait till later, Sakura and I have a training session before lunch! I'll see you after, though!" I mention as I leap to the side and start running down the road. The hospital came into view shortly, and I was once again stopped by a familiar voice.

"Ren!" Shizune leapt down in front of me. "Lady Hokage has requested you at once."

"Oh-" I hum in confusion. "All right, any idea why?" I ask as she leads me down the path to the Hokage mansion.

"Have you heard the rumors?" She asked softly. I pondered silently for a moment before shrugging. 

"Not really. Did something happen?" I ask curiously.

"A squad of the Village Hidden in the Clouds came to the village- All from your clan." My stomach twisted as I turned my gaze up at her.

"The Yukimura? Why are they here?" I ask as we climb the steps.

"I'm not allowed to say. It is all for Lady Tsunade to explain." She sighed softly. "I will remain outside," Her fist raps against the door, and I hear Tsunade's faint voice allow entrance.

I stepped in hesitantly, and stood just before her desk. "You wanted to see me, Lady Tsunade?" I inquire.

"The Hidden Cloud village has requested a temporary transfer," Tsunade starts softly. I rub at my arm nervously as she glances down at the scroll unfurled on her desk. "The Yukimura Clan is agreeing to discontinue to bounty if you travel to their compound in the Land of Lightning. What their intentions are, I do not know. If you chose to agree, the bounty will be discontinued, and you will be escorted by one of our Jonin and the squad sent here. If you're to disagree, the bounty will continue until you accept the conditions set out by the Raikage."

"When will I have to leave?" I ask softly.

"Are you accepting their conditions?" Tsunade asked lightly.

"I.... I'm not sure..." I lower my gaze to the floor. "I want to at least take the Jonin exam first. And I want to ask Kakashi what he thinks." I bunch my shoulders up tightly. "But.... But I have to do this- I can't continue being a ninja if I have a bounty, can I? I'll only cause trouble during long missions."

Tsunade stood up and slowly embraced me. "Whatever you chose, remember that I'll always stand with you." She pulled away and patted my head tenderly. "And regards to becoming a Jonin, I've actually received recommendation from the villagers and Jonin you be promoted."

"B-But- What about--" I stammered.

"Hiashi Hyuga was the first to turn in his recommendation. You're turning heads, Ren. You're an incredibly talented Kunoichi. It's only natural I'd want to promote you. So congratulations, Kid. You're now a Jonin of the Leaf village." My eyes welled up as she holds out the heavier flak vest, but I immediately stuffed them back down as I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug. I discard my Chunin vest and lay it on her desk and quickly slip on the new one. "Now get out of here, once the messenger hawk comes back with news of your disbanded bounty returns, I'll send word for you and Kakashi to travel to the Land of Lightning."

"Yes ma'am! Thank you!" I chime happily and bound out of her office.

~*****~

Word of my promotion spread pretty quick. All of a sudden, I'd been congratulated at every corner. I met up with Squad Ten at the Barbecue restaurant for lunch, and they were all in shocked awe. "Wow, Ren, I knew you were talented, but I didn't expect you to be promoted so quickly!" Ino exclaimed as she propped her head on her hands.

I giggled bashfully as I rubbed the back of my head. "I didn't either, I'd expected to take the Jonin exam and fail horribly." I explain.

"You? Fail an exam?" Choji teased. "You'd have a better time getting me to stop eating."

"You got that right," Ino agreed. "Hinata came by the shop this morning for some flowers and she said you'd been at her house almost everyday for a while now. She said you'd been practicing the Hyuga fighting style,"

"Yeah, actually. Lord Hiashi actually drew up a diagram of every chakra point in the human body, and I've been learning how to use the Gentle Fist." I explain after sipping at my tea.

"You really are something else. That's a lot of studying you've been doing," Ino mentioned dryly. "Medical ninjutsu, Extreme Taijutsu, Gentle Fist-- What don't you know?"

"I still have a lot to learn." I admit. "There's one more thing I need to tell you guys." I explain dryly. "The Land of Lightning sent in a temporary transfer for me to return to my clan."

"Wh-What?" Ino gasped as Shikamaru lifted his head quickly and turned a concerned gaze on me.

I smiled sadly and lowered my gaze to the table top while Choji started to stress eat. "I'm not exactly sure why they've requested it, but I'm hoping to learn a lot from them." I continue.

"So you're going?" Ino asked hysterically. "You just decided to drop everything and leave?"

"I don't have a choice, really... There's... There's something I never told you guys... Matter of fact, only a few people know what happened." I explained softly. I ducked my head and fiddled with my fingers before going into explanation of what happened.

Tears were burning down Ino's face as she tried to put on a brave face. "You're expected to go back there? These are the people who ruined your life!" She exclaimed. 

"Ino-"

She cuts me off. "No! You're just fine here! There's no point in going on a suicide mission! I don't want to lose my best friend!" She exclaimed before bolting from the booth. I grimaced and tugged at my blonde hair.

"Hey," Shikamaru hummed as he placed his palm on mine. Choji covered his lips with a sick look on his face before bolting towards the bathrooms. The two of us grimaced before turning to one another. "I get where you're coming from, but is this really the best course of action?"

"I'm not sure myself, but... If it means that the bounty will be cancelled, then I have to. Besides, its only temporary. I'll only be gone for a week maybe." I explain bashfully.

A small smile brushed over Shikamaru's face before he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine. My heart thumped wildly as I stared at him. Ever since Sasuke had left the village, I'd been focusing entirely on training. I never made the time to actually hang out with Shikamaru like this. It made me happy. Especially with the bad business with Sasuke. "Well, in any case, Ino's just worried for you. We all are." He hummed as he pulled away. I lowered my gaze to my hands and watched them twist and turn. "If you're there for a longer period, I want you to know that I'm not going to give up on you." Shikamaru mentioned as he slid from the booth. My gaze swept up to him. He had a shy smile. "When you return, even if it's years from now, I'll be the man you can put your trust in. I'll be the man worthy for you." He leans over and presses a soft kiss to my forehead before heading towards the bathroom to rescue Choji. I gently touched my forehead as I sighed out in awe.

~*****~
3rd POV

The next few days, Ren spent her time preparing for the oncoming journey. Kakashi had been informed as he returned from his last mission, and took to teaching Ren the Lightning Blade. One the eve of her birthday, a messenger hawk landed at the Hokage Mansion with news from the Raikage.

Tsunade unfurled the scroll, and sighed out in slight relief. Besides her, Ren stood with bated breath. "Ren Yukimura of the Village Hidden in the Leaves has been acquitted on all counts, and all current bounties have been dissolved." She read aloud. Ren gasped out in relief and palmed her head tenderly. "You will leave first thing tomorrow morning with the squad sent from the Cloud Village and Kakashi." Tsunade explained.

"Yes ma'am." Ren nods and turned to leave.

"Ren?" Tsunade hums in a soft tone. Ren turns her gaze on Tsunade and her eyes are glazed over, and a hesitant look is present on her face. In a quick move, Tsunade wraps her niece in her arms, pressing her tightly against her chest. "Ever since I heard of Shun's death, I'd been so lost with myself. And now, my only family left is leaving to the one place I never wanted her to return."

"I'll be okay, Tsunade. You and I are related, remember?" Ren giggles as she looks up at her aunt. "And I've learned a lot since I've came to Konoha."

"I know, I know- Now get out of here and celebrate your birthday! You're turning thirteen! Have fun with it!" Tsunade ruffles her nieces hair and lets her leave her office. The smile on Tsunade's lips drop as she turns back to the large window in her office. "I know you'll be fine, kid. I just hope you won't be gone long."

~*****~
Ren's POV

The next morning, Kakashi and I silently strode towards the front gate. It was still early morning, but as promised, the Cloud Shinobi met us right on schedule. I hadn't seen them since they arrived, but Shizune had told me they were of the Yukimura. I was astounded to see the squad I had faced during the Chunin exams. "Takashi, I didn't know it was you guys who came!" I exclaim.

Takashi smiles and shrugs. "We've been holed up in our rooms. Our sensei punished us for being so informal with the Fifth Hokage."

"You guys deserved it," Their sensei mentioned. "It's nice to finally meet you, Ren. I'm Reo Yukimura. I'm Takashi's older brother."

"It's nice to meet you, too. Suzumoto, Reina, I'm glad you two are well." I say sweetly.

Suzumoto turned her nose to the sky, and Reina rolled her eyes at Suzumoto before nodding at me.

"We should get going," Reo mentioned. "We've got a long way to go."

"Finally! I've been dying to go home!" Suzumoto whined as she led the fray.

Reina sighed out. "You're such a hopeless idiot, I swear."

"Shut it, Reina!" She hollered back.

"Here we go again," Takashi hummed painfully.

Kakashi and I shared a look before snorting and following after the Cloud Shinobi.

~*****~

Fortunately, the Yukimura clan sat just outside of the Cloud Villages borders. Tension was too thick for us to just enter the village without enticing a panic. Kakashi and I stood outside the main hall silently for a while, until it was time for him to leave before any shinobi showed up. "Ren," Kakashi mentioned softly. I turned to him as he knelt down. "I know that this isn't goodbye, and it doesn't make it any easier." He explained as he cupped my face tenderly. "But if you think anything is off- anything at all, you have to get out of there. No matter what it takes."

"I understand," I mention softly. "Thank you for accompanying us, but I have it from here." I force a grin onto my face. I think Kakashi notices because he wraps me up in a tight hug. He disappears a second later, and I slowly travel into the main hall.

I sink to my knees in front of the head of the household, and place my palms flat on my lap. "Ren Yukimura, this is Lord Touma Yukimura, current head of the Clan." Reo explained softly. "Father, this is the Jinchuriki from the Hidden Leaves."

Lord Touma stood up slowly and approached me. My heart was going insane at the moment. This guy exuded such a powerful feeling chakra. The pressure from his power was almost enough to cause me to turn tail and run. "Ren Yukimura, you are here to learn how to hone the Ameogan. The Will of Ameonna." He explained confidently. I peeked up at him. "No matter how long it will take, you will train everyday until I deem you worthy to carry our family's precious Kekkei Genkai."

"And... And how long does it usually take someone to learn it?" I ask cautiously.

He's silent for a moment. "The Genin have been training to perfect it since they showed signs of it at age four. They still have not mastered it." He explained.

My world started shattering around me. 'But-- But I can't stay here?! This isn't my home!' My mind started racing as I lowered my gaze. All kinds of thoughts were racing through my mind. 'I can't do it-- I can't--' The soft lull of the ocean echoed through my head, and I breathed out a calm breath as I lifted my head. 'That's right. I have the one thing they do not. I have Ameonna with me.' I locked my gaze on the powerful Lord Touma. "I accept." I state confidently.

"Even if it means you will not leave this manor for many years?" Lord Touma asks in a challenge.

"My name is Ren Yukimura, of the Hidden Leaf Village. I carry the Will of Fire like the rest of my comrades. It burns brightly at every obstacle you throw at me, and I will not cower against any challenge." I explained passionately. "I am descended from not only the Yukimura, but also the Senju Clan. My father was one of the Legendary Sannin. I have learned the Hyuga Clan's Family Taijutsu, I am a Jonin of the Leaf Village. I give you my word-- It'll take me two years to master this Kekkei Genkai."

Lord Touma stares down at me before a smirk wraps onto his face. "Then let's begin," And with that, he throws his coat to the side, and the endless training begins.