According to the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega[4], in earlier versions of Final Fantasy VII, Yuffie and Wutai as a whole were very different from the finished product. Yuffie was envisioned as a 25-year-old bounty hunter seeking Cloud and Sephiroth, and she in turn had a bounty on her head. Posters showing her stats would be found around the world, and Yuffie's stats, abilities and level would change when the party acquired her depending on which poster was inspected last. She was also intended to be an ex-SOLDIER.
The Wutai subquest would have involved Shinra placing Wutai goods under high taxes, straining their economy. Yuffie would have stolen the party's money to try and help, but the town would reject the funds. A Shinra spy in Wutai, Sera, would have spread pro-Shinra propaganda, and planned to blow up the "Ten Face Mountain" to level Wutai and build a Mako Reactor in the ruins. Cloud and his allies would have to climb the mountain and stop her. Her mother's name would have been Kasumi Kisaragi and she would have died while Yuffie was still young.