Fate?

Back then her hair was tied, it wasn't as messy as now. Standing in front of the monument, she could feel the towering presence, defying ethical reasoning that it was even made. At the top of the monument, the glaring sky altered her reality. She was brought back to where there were crowds, cheering on and on when the fight starts when it was signaled. At a certain point of time she was there as well, fighting on to climb in ladder of ranks. However, cruel fate denied her advancement. She had to content with how far she progressed or face certain death defying it. Bearing with it reluctantly, the event ended. Not caring for the outcome, she eventually found herself separated. Debased for prolonged period of time, she had to avoid contact with her kind in the same place. By this point of time she would have been branded a traitor. Being part of a trader's cargo sure helps in her way out but that is only solving one issue.

She looked down at the foundations that kept the monument standing. It had been a few years that she kept a low profile, far away from civilization. For the fear that she would be hunted down for being gone for way too long, there was no point of contact to her village from her time of disappearance with regards to where she was. To make matters worse, her Sensei navigated the way through while she was preoccupied with excitement. With no knowledge of contact nor navigation, she would wander the continent no knowing where she would be going, hiding her forehead protector away from sight.

This was where the winds catches her, gripping onto her mind so that she doesn't fall off from reality. However, the same sort of wind blew her away when she finally found her way back. She couldn't remember where the gates are at. But it didn't matter as dust went along with the wind, she was buried under some sort of structure that she could feel home. Her reaction denied the reaper's visit into her life, maybe it wasn't time to for her to join her parents whom she have no idea who. She opened her eyes only a few days later. This is where she found home, skyscraper tens to hundreds of meters high now a mere shelter over her head by a few meters with the sun greeting her right after she got out of it. Skeptical about survivors, her daily routine was to simply keep herself alive under she felt ready again. It was as though the chance to redeem herself slipped from her fingertips once and for all. What's more, she haven't found any trace of shinobi lying which suggest to her the possibility of her allegiance still being alive. Her minds snaps back to reality with her still in front of the monument, where the faint shadow shows her fluttering part of her coat.

Days like this made him wonder if things would ever be normal again. When he was young, the Hyuuga clan head had been told he was living a charmed life, safe from danger and born into power. He would never want for anything, his dojutsu setting him on a level apart from the rest, and his status in the main branch warranted him everything he could ever ask for. That was what they thought, at least. In truth, Haru's life was far from charmed. His home was gone now, replaced by a brutal, unforgiving place. The calm optimism of Tengakure replaced with the Blood Mist. His sensei and team were gone, two dead, one vanished. His own team, the one he had lead long ago, was all but extinct. Sayuri vanished much like Yuri did, and the irony was not lost on him. Altar and him weren't quite on the best terms, and Youta...

It was times like this that Haru grew to resent that statue, towering over them, reminding him every day of what he had lost when they left his old home. Today, though, something was different. At the base of the tower stood a figure that he did not recognize as a citizen of Kirigakure. This was odd, as he knew most people in the village, so he decided to approach them.

Reaching the base of the statue, Haru's hair was blown back by the wind, away from his face, his Hyuuga robes fluttering in the breeze.
"...It's an odd day to be out on your own. What brings you here?" He asked the stranger, whose face he still couldn't see.

Ever since she arrived, she had not been able to find anyone she knew. There are lots of kind people, but also lots of those who ride upon them, waiting to be controlled by the likes of her within Kirigakure. Maybe she allowed time to consume all of those she knew, or maybe they had no need of her anymore. Everybody changed, its also common to see each other as strangers even if any of them do come along. Letting go might simplify everything that kept her thinking and holding onto hope. Maybe not. A familiar voice came from her back, that alone doesn't tell her of anything. People can share identical faces and lead completely different lives. She had been on her own for so long that she is close to giving up of finding familiar faces. On the contrary, fate might have made a roundabout course for her. Yuri touched down on her memory lane like a hawk would execute their landing. She turned around, making sure that her hair does not block her line of sight.

She couldn't tell who was the figure standing in her view. Someone who had their sight altered to be seen with different colours. The armor was something she had not yet seen during her time, she could infer from the robes the figure wore. She thought that maybe its just someone else, since its unlikely that he's the only one alive. However, the headband immediately confirmed it. Not many still had the mark to be seen around, the mark of the skyscraper. She took a moment to reply. It's never odd, towering sights were so much more common.

As the girl turned, Haru's eyes narrowed a bit. The girl looked very familiar, but he couldn't quite recall the face. As she spoke, Haru scanned the figure before him, his eyes stopping on the headband. It bore the symbol of Tengakure. His home. Memories flooded back to him, his eyes glossingAnd then  over for a moment, lost in thought. He thought of his family, he thought of his sensei, he thought of his friends... His own Tengakure headband was long since changed to the symbol of Kirigakure, though the flip side still held his symbol of Tengakure, concealed from those who might question his loyalty. And then it hit him.

"...Back home." He said, finishing Yuri's statement. "Yuri?" He asked, not really believing what he was seeing. "I thought you were dead..." He said.

It seems like some of her ties remained. Yuri could now tell who the figure in front was with the different sights and the robe that speaks of his origin. It would be somebody that she was once in the same squad with. This would give her a chance to know how are the others even though it may be a slim one. Yuri was not surprised that she is been taken as dead, she had been gone for such a long time from the ninja conflicts entirely. The places she knew changed, not to mention the people that used to know her. Nevertheless, she had to change the assumptions made on her to those around her.

Me standing here will change that fact. Seems that I was stranded and debased for too long. Where is rin-sensei ?

Yuri faced him now, and he pleasantly surprised to find that she recognized him. All things considered, he'd be pretty hard to pick out of a crowd by somebody who only knew him back in the day. His hair had turned prematurely grey, and he couldn't remember if Yuri was around when that happened or not, but he had also aged quite a bit past what would be expected, thanks to the Yin Seal he bore on his forehead, hidden under his bangs. 
"Yeah, I suppose so." He chuckled in response to the girl's anger. As she explained her absence, he cocked his head. "Where did you go? I was told you went M.I.A. after our chunin exams..." He inquired. Then she asked about Rin, and a wave of sadness rushed over Haru.

"...Rin is dead. As is Dante." He said hesitantly.

If it was years ago, tears would have flowed down her cheeks. Long periods of solitude hardened her, keeping her emotion at bay. She did not have a lot of time with Dante but for her sensei to be gone as well is a blow to her. Even though she gained nothing as a ninja from sensei, Rin definitely gave her a status of being wanted and being recognized. A lot has changed considered Haru is hardly recognizable at first sight. When asked on her dissappearance, she took a moment of consolidation from her memory to reply.

I never got out of the village. I was stripped of something precious and had to move on without you guys. I was on my own out there after leaving it on my own wandering before i experienced my homeground blew up and got left behind again. What really happened there?

Yuri's reply confused Haru, but he remembered that the girl often acted very enigmatically. She tended not to elaborate, and sometimes he wondered if it was better that way. Since gaining access to the village records, he'd learned a bit more about his former squadmate, and her past wasn't particularly pleasant. It appeared she had returned after the destruction of Tengakure, something that still drew some emotion from Haru to this day.

"I see... I won't pry, Yuri. I'm just glad to see a good friend once again." He said, wondering if he should open his arms for a hug. He figured it wasn't appropriate. Neither of them were huggers, from what he gathered. "The First Mizukage decided it was time for Kirigakure to be reborn, and for that to happen..." He said, choking on his words a little this time.

"Tengakure had to die." He said solemnly.

By the word Mizukage, Yuri's mind narrowed down to a single man. However, the word "Mizu" and "first" made the person responsible shrouded in mystery from her mind. Yuri could not clearly figure out who it was since it was a different name when she had to address to leader of her village. However, Yuri knew who the monument resembled, it was the figure that outclassed her at some point of time because of the armor that brands him. Yuri could not understand the need for rebirth, was here a need to ? Especially since she was gone from it for so long. Maybe it was a different guy, she knew that it was not him who took her i when she was still straying out in the wilderness. Nevertheless, she now knows the reason, even though it is does not sound valid to her. Also, Haru is still alive and that is enough to assure herself that the squad is still up and going. With the squad in mind, she would ask something related to it.

So.. how are the squad replacements while I'm away?

Yuri's question caused Haru to forget himself for a moment. How did she know about his placement into the ANBU? There was no way, especially because of her long absence... Had she met someone who revealed his identity? The only person who knew that was... Fuck, Tori. She'd pried it out of him. She must have....

"Oh." He said aloud, sighing in relief. His moment of panic became a small moment of hilarity.

"Well, the squad kind of fell apart after the chunin exams. I was the only remaining member, and then, well..." He said, realizing he'd have to remove his own ANBU training from the story. "...I was promoted. I'm now a Jounin." He lied. Well, only partially. It was a lie of omission, not of falsity.