Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I wasn't sure how I passed. Maybe I was hit by a truck? Maybe I was murdered? Maybe my passing wasn't so dramatic and I died peacefully in my sleep. Regardless of how I had died, I knew I was dead.

Before I died, my life was pretty average. I attended school and graduated, I had plenty of friends, a  brother, loving parents, the whole shabang. I was about to go to university, something I was excited for. It was a shame.

Where was I now, you may ask? I didn’t know. For a while after I died, everything was blank. I couldn't think, I couldn't see, I couldn't smell. I could only feel. I felt warmth, like something was wrapped around me, like I was buried in a very warm and wet blanket. That’s all I could feel for what felt like another lifetime, and yet that 'lifetime' flashed in the blink of an eye. The reality I'd known, my peaceful slumber, had quickly become a bright, screaming world with cold air and lots of pain.

That was how I was born, utterly confused, cold, in pain and with a hell of a lot of sensory overload. Who knew that being born sucked so bad? I now know why babies cry when they're born, my second birth included. I cried and cried and I kept crying all night. And I mean, who wouldn’t cry after waking up to giant, scary hands hauling you around right after your entire world changes in a blink of an eye. I couldn’t process a thing- and at the time I couldn’t remember my past life at all, as you might expect from someone with a newborn brain.

It took me a year to fully regain my memories, and during this time, I learned about what was going on around me. As memories slowly trickled into my developing brain, I found out about a few things. First of all, the fact that I was an infant again. I eventually registered that I’d been reincarnated. I may not have fully recovered my memories at the time, but I did deduce that I had a past life after a few months. It wasn’t just memories that came in - the wisdom and knowledge from my past life had also come to me, and for some reason everyone was speaking Japanese to me.

At first I thought that I’d been reborn in Japan. It was certainly a possibility. If I was reincarnated, It wouldn't be a stretch to be reborn as a snotty little Japanese kid, there are only so many places around the world. And through listening to my parents speak, I found out that my name is Daisuke, a Japanese name.

Speaking of my parents, I was learning about my mom and my dad, or I suppose my kaa-san and my tou-san. I didn't want to forget about my parents in my past life. Kaa-san, who’s name turned is Hazuki, was a kind-hearted and nurturing woman, she had an energetic and air-headed personality similar to my old life's mother. She had straight black hair and eyes as black as a void, though the color never downplayed the light in her eyes. While I stopped crying as much as I used to since regaining my memories, she always comforted me with a smooth, warm voice.

Tou-san's name is Kichiro. He has curly brown hair and blue eyes. He, much like my kaa-san, is also kind and gentle, and they say opposites attract. I highly doubt that saying considering how similar my new parents were. Tou-san is just as kind as kaa-san, except he is more reserved and seemingly more mature. I have fond memories of him holding me on his lap while reading books to me during cozy evenings. Though I miss my old parents, I quickly decided that I love my new parents. I loved the way they stared at me in wonder as if I were the most interesting thing in the world, I loved their gentle words. I loved Kaa-san’s food and Tou-san’s beard scratching my face whenever he picked me up.

They were everything I could’ve ever asked for in a parent. 

Interestingly enough, they both looked rather young. Honestly, they still resembled teenagers to me, looks-wise at least, they seemed closer to the age group of 18 to 20. They must have had me pretty early on. I wonder if that came with any drama…

I was born with similar features to both of my parents. I retained kaa-san’s black hair, but instead of it being straight like hers, I inherited curly and messy hair from tou-san. My eye color was the same as Tou-san’s – blue like the sky. These features seemed awfully rare, I mean, how many dark haired people do you know, especially Asian, with blue eyes?

“Daisuke-chan!” A voice called out to me lovingly, drawing my attention from the wall I’d been absent-mindedly staring at.

It was a normal day. I’d been woken up and had breakfast with my family and I was currently sitting on the floor playing, as a kid should.

Despite my technically more mature mind from my memories, something about this body made me feel more childlike. Things like playing with toys and acting goofy became more natural, and my imagination worked like it did when I was a kid. 

“Wha-, Kaa-chan?” I called back, trying to get used to this body’s clumsy motor functions. My tongue was stupidly large and hard to control. My prior years of life experience did not help me overcome the lack of a developed body.

I looked up at her expectantly, peering curiously at her jet black eyes. In contrast to their color, they glinted with excitement.

“You look bored, Daisuke-chan! Do you wanna go out?” she asked in a pushy tone. Was she the bored one here? This wall over here is pretty entertaining. “We can go anywhere together! Just mother and son!” she added, widening her grin.

I wasn't really bored, but going somewhere with kaa-san certainly beat wall-staring. “Park?”, I asked, still trying to remember the newly-learned Japanese word.

“Great idea, sweetie!”, kaa-san beamed at me, lifting me into her arms with ease before she started dressing me so we could go to the park. It’s still kind of weird to be hauled around like this, but less work for me, right? “Tou-chan?” I asked, wondering if he would come as well.

“Tou-chan can’t come with us today, he’s still at work.” She frowned a little before smiling again. “You can see him at dinner and talk all about our day when he’s home!”, she said, attempting to console me. I nodded cheerfully in response.

We got outside and as we walked to the park, kaa-san was giving me a talk about how to be safe and to be nice to other kids. I mostly tuned this out. I heard this kind of talk enough for one lifetime. I can behave just fine, thank you very much!

We eventually reached the park. “Kaa-chan! I play! Bye!” I said, waving clumsily at her before crawling as fast as I could to the playground. I went to the sandpit to indulge all of my childhood whims. Ah, I’d almost forgotten how it’s like to be a kid. I still considered myself an overgrown child at age 19, especially considering I was still studying off of my parents’ money. The only thing stopping me from acting genuinely childish was the fact that it was a bit embarrassing to climb around a playground in public. I used to climb on those spider web thingies even as a teenager, so long as nobody was looking, except for my friends or family.

Time flew quickly and I spent my time building sand castles, which were just ugly piles of sand. The sun dried out all of the sand and it wasn’t wet enough to hold any real shape. Crawling around the playground and getting covered in sand was basically a rite of passage, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity. Being a child again was a bit frustrating, yet it was very nice to not have a care in the world. 

As the sun was falling, kaa-san called me back with a gentle smile. “Daisuke-chan! We need to go home soon or tou-chan won’t have any dinner to eat!” I looked up at her with a dumb look before crawling to her, “Okay!” I shouted before being picked up. 

“You make the cutest little faces, Daisuke-chan! Did you have fun?” she asked brightly, I wiggled around energetically in her arms. “Yah! Suuuper fun!” I answered. Her grin widened, “The state of your clothes clued me in.” 

As we were getting ready to leave the playground, someone unfamiliar approached us with a smile on her face. “Uchiha-san. It’s nice to see you. Is that your son?”, she questioned, giving me a curious look.

My eyes widened. Uchiha-san? What kind of name is that? Doesn’t that come from Naruto? It’s not far-fetched that the name Uchiha actually exists in Japan, though. I wonder if I’m gonna get bullied for having this kind of name. It certainly won’t be a challenge to pick on me for it.

“Ah, Natsuki-san!” she greeted, smiling placatingly at her. “Yes, this is my son Daisuke. He’s just so cute, isn’t he?” she responded, catching up to this Natsuki-san.

It turns out that Natsuki-san, or Natsuki Fubuki is the landlord for the apartment we live in.

“Natsuki-san, it’s been too long since we caught up. Would you care to join us for dinner?” kaa-san asked, sending Natsuki-san a pleading look. “I would love to join you for dinner, but I am busy this evening. Perhaps another time?” she responded, looking slightly guilty. “Of course! Come anytime!” kaa-san responded.

Classic friendly Kaa-san. 

“I will have to take you up on that sometime soon, Uchiha-san. I haven’t seen Toyama-san in a long time. Well, I must get going. See you soon.” Natsuki-san finished, waving as she walked away. “Come on, use your manners, Daisuke-chan!” kaa-san whispered to me, before I snapped to attention and nodded before waving at Natsuki-san with kaa-san. “Byebye!” we both said, waving her away. She seems like a nice lady.

Afterwards, kaa-san and I stopped by the market to find the ingredients that kaa-san would need to make dinner. I noticed that while I have reincarnated in Japan, it looks like I was reincarnated into the past? There was still electricity and television, but I saw no sign of a telephone, cellphone, flat screen, computer, or anything past the technology of the 70’s. At least there IS electricity… As we entered a part of the market that I hadn’t seen before, kaa-san pointed up to the bright horizon.

The silverlining is that if Naruto hasn’t been released yet, maybe I won’t get bullied at school.

“Look, Daisuke-chan!” she urged me cheerfully, sounding very excited. She was pointing all jittery towards a mountain.

I looked up to where she was pointing, blinded slightly by the light shining in my eyes from the sun on the horizon. There I saw it. A monument that looked kind of like Mount Rushmore. 3 faces were planted on it. “Whas’ dat?” I asked kaa-san, since I really didn’t know what it was. I never heard of a Japanese monument like this.

“Daisuke-chan, that’s the Hokage monument! It shows the faces of the Hokage of Konohagakure! Our great leaders who work hard to protect us all!” she exclaimed.

The Hokage monument? Konohagakure? Was I not in Japan, but in the Naruto world?

“Eh?” I choked out, frozen in shock.

Chapter Text

After I found out that I’d been reincarnated in the Naruto world, I spent the next few weeks thinking about a lot of things. I wouldn’t have had to do any planning as a careless baby in what was a presumably random Japanese village, sure, but I would definitely have to weigh my options now. Konoha is going to go through a lot of trouble in not much time at all, any ignoring the danger of future events could easily kill me.

I was a pretty big fan of Naruto, so I had a decent idea of the plot. To guess the rough time period, the Hokage monument was a good hint. It only showed the first, second and third Hokages, meaning that this was before Minato Namikaze would become the Hokage, which meant that the 3rd Great Shinobi war was either yet to start, or maybe it just ended. It wouldn’t take long for Minato’s head to be sculpted, in that case.

While I was very concerned about the 3rd Great Shinobi war, I was more concerned with what would happen in the aftermath of the war. The two most pressing upcoming incidents relating to my and my parents’ safety are Naruto’s birth, or Obito’s attack on Konoha, and the Uchiha Massacre. Though I clearly didn’t live in the Uchiha’s compound, I would probably be killed too. Sasuke was the “last Uchiha”, so Itachi or Obito would probably kill all Uchiha outside of the compound, too. 

And even before the massacre, the Nine-Tails’ attack resulted in many casualties, so it was a real possibility that we could get caught in the crosshairs. Tou-san and Kaa-san weren’t even characters, so I had no idea if they were meant to die or not, or how strong they were.

The only consolation about this whole scenario was the fact that I would have a few years’ time before either catastrophe would happen, considering the general estimate I have of the world’s timeline right now. I would have to find a way to stop or survive these events, and I don’t fancy my chances of stopping either.

For now, the best bet would be getting stronger. If I were strong, then I could evade danger, or even contribute to stopping both tragedies. I also need to gather more information about my family’s circumstances and gain allies and friends, though that seems like more of a long-term goal. 

I am still only 1 years old, after all.

So far, the thought of chakra didn’t cross, seeing as I didn’t even know I was in the Naruto world, but after I realized that, it was like a switch was flipped. I chalked up the feeling to me being a baby, but now I knew it was chakra. It was a constant, like the ringing sounds we all hear in our ears when everything is silent. It’s a warmth that constantly drips and flows its way around your body. The presence of chakra was reassuring and empowering. 

I began trying to meditate at bedtime secretly in an attempt to get a better feel for my chakra shortly after figuring out where I was. Needless to say, with my age, inexperience and lack of guidance, I was making very little progress. The only improvement I felt was that I was more conscious of it. The dripping sensations from before felt more and more like a steady flow, branching off to each extremity. Rather than a constant, slow flow, I could pinpoint the source of my chakra, my stomach, and feel its distribution through my tenketsu and coils. My slow progress was a bit discouraging, so I was thinking about asking Kaa-san or Tou-san for help. I wasn’t completely sure if they were actually shinobi, but as a member of the Uchiha clan, Kaa-san should know something.

-

About two weeks after the Hokage monument incident, I was sitting at home, absentmindedly smashing two toys together and secretly observing my chakra flow, when tou-san picked me up with a shit-eating grin.

“Hey kiddo. Ready for an adventure? We're going to the store!” he informed me, before promptly throwing my legs around his shoulders to give me a ride on his back.

Is this gonna be a thing? People just grabbing me and taking me places? If you wanna take me somewhere, you can say something before picking me up! I can walk too, you know.

“Kay,” I huffed. At least it was fun being this high up.

Tou-san and I walked through the streets of Konoha, as he rocked me back and forth in a rhythm, much to my amusement and glee. What can I say, it was like a rollercoaster for me! The warm breeze tickled my face as I giggled while my dad was humming in a slow rhythm. I’m the tallest one on these streets! Bow before me, little shrimps!

It was a great time. When was the last time I was light enough or small enough to be carried on someone’s shoulders?

After a while, I decided to ask Tou-san a question that had been plaguing me for a while.

“Wha's a Uchiha?” I asked seriously, my baby face likely betraying my intentions. He glanced up and smiled softly at me. “The Uchiha is the clan where your mother comes from. ” he responded casually, an amused smile on his face.

He then shifted his gaze back at me “Did your Kaa-chan tell you anything about that? He asked, looking curious.

I shook my head, “Nas-suki-san call Kaa-chan Uchiha-san.” I supplied, my sluggish tongue betraying me. A flicker of recognition flashed in Tou-san’s eyes. “You’ve met Natsuki-san, huh. She’s a nice lady.” he said nostalgically before pausing and looking at me again. “Your Kaa-chan and I fell in love while we were in the same genin team. Her family didn’t like that very much, so we get to live together like this.” he explained, grimacing at the mention of the clan.

They really were shinobi, then. I guess I could ask for help with chakra later. Kaa-san must’ve been kicked out of the compound after falling in love with Tou-san, breaking some sort of Uchiha rule or custom. He didn't outright say it, but he implied that he wasn't an Uchiha himself. It spoke of the heartlessness of clan politics. Speaking of which, since they evidently still both have separate surnames, they probably weren't married. Was it some kind of Uchiha clan law? Perhaps they simply hadn't gotten around to it.

After we left the store, tTu-san’s hands full with bags, we decided to take a walk around the village.

“Do you want something sweet, kiddo?” tou-san asked, eyeing me kindly. Oohh, something sweet? I always liked Japanese sweets back on Earth, but a specific one came to mind.

“Dango??” I suggested enthusiastically, eyes glowing. I had dango a long time ago, but it wasn't in Japan, so it wouldn't have been as good as one from Japan. Well, technically I wasn't in Japan, but guessing the quality of dango in Europe vs dango in Konoha was an easy estimate to make. I loved Daifuku and Mochi even back then. “Okay, okay, jeez! Don’t get too excited. Off we go!” tou-san replied, clearly entertained, before racing to a nearby dango stand, rocking me back and forth.

The rest of the outing was very enjoyable. Tou-san got me a whole stick of dango, which was probably too much for a 19 month old baby, but who cares. Dango itself was actually much better than I thought it would be, bordering on too sweet, it was absolutely delectable for a baby with my kind of sweet tooth. Tou-san and I laughed ourselves home with the groceries that kaa-san needed for dinner.

“Welcome back, Kichiro! Daisuke-chan! How was the shopping ?” kaa-san asked, shooting the two of us an expectant look. Tou-san grinned at her. Guilty. 

“Very fun! I eat dango!” I answered excitedly, giving her the widest grin I could manage. “Tou-chan carried me!” I added, leaning against tou-san.

“After shopping, we went for a walk and he wanted dango. I made sure to not make him too full for dinner.” tou-san lied. I was most definitely full. That being said, I ain't no snitch. “Did you miss us, Hazuki?” tou-san asked.

“Hehe, of course!” teased kaa-san. “... But I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves!” she explained, snatching me from tou-san. Again. It’s like I’m a toy to these people… “Why hello there, my sweet little boy! Don’t you feel bad that you left me waiting for dango? Aren't you easily bribed?” she cooed at me, squeezing me tight, yet carefully. I averted my gaze.

She scoffed good naturedly. She really was similar to Mom…

After that, we had dinner together as a family (I didn’t touch any food. I was too full), and then I was put to sleep. As per usual, I got to my pseudo-meditating and trying to feel around in my chakra system.

While I do value sleep and make sure I sleep enough, today I got lost in meditation, feeling my chakra more intimately than before. After the lack of progress for months, this was a great step in the right direction. I felt the flow of my chakra more clearly, not just in my hands and feet, but also in my fingers and toes. Chakra works it’s way through the tenketsu and chakra coils, but there are also smaller vein-like structures that transfer chakra to every cell. Thousands of these pathways branch off from tenketsu to ensure the body has proper chakra flow, and with my development as a baby, I could actually feel their growth nearly day-by-day.

I decided that I should maybe try to direct my chakra. Where? I didn’t know. Didn’t really cross my mind. I made my best (and probably cutest) concentration face and worked at trying to direct it anywhere specific. After maybe 30 minutes, it finally happened. For just an instant, the flow of my chakra, specifically from a tenketsu in my left arm, directed itself towards my hand. 

I squealed with excitement before I realized how tired I was and promptly fell asleep. I must’ve been at it for a while. Luckily, Tou-san and Kaa-san let me sleep as long as I wanted the next day. I decided that before going further, I would tell my parents about what I’d been doing.

—------------------------

Waking up the next morning, I was spent. Probably because of the experimentation I did with my chakra. In the manga, I’m pretty sure they said that chakra was like our life force. It was created when stamina and mental energy mixed. To me, it’s easier to imagine it as a second blood flow. Whenever I was meditating, that was how it felt to me, at least. Very warm, like blood, and moving around like a thick liquid. That being said, it probably wasn’t exactly the safest thing to experiment with your life force in such an early stage of life, so my fatigue made sense to me.

Opening my eyes, I saw Kaa-san looking down at me with a loving and gentle gaze. Maybe she was worried about me, seeing as I’d slept for longer than usual. As I saw her, I squeaked in greeting, “Kaa-chan!”

“Oh, are you finally awake, my sweet-tooth? Sleep well?” she asked, looking vaguely worried. I nodded and gave a mhm noise while holding out my hands to be carried. “Hey, wha’s the warm feelingin ‘m tummy?” I asked, trying to sound like I had no idea what I was talking about.

I didn’t want to be manipulative or anything like that, but it was probably not a good idea to be obvious about my foreknowledge and reincarnation. It could cause problems down the road if I were too obvious, I mean, who knows what people like the Hokage or Orochimaru might do if they knew if I was some crazy store of future knowledge. 

If possible, I didn’t want my parents to know I was reincarnated. Not yet, at least. If they knew that I wasn’t originally their child, that I was a stranger inhabiting their son’s body, things could change between us. I don’t even want to think of the worst case scenario. My Japanese was still very shoddy, anyway, so I couldn’t explain my perception of chakra very well. In terms of language, I didn’t actually have to play dumb.

Kaa-san’s expression turned to one of shock as her eyes widened. “Warm feeling? What do you mean, Daisuke-chan?” she quizzed me, looking a bit more worried than before. Damn, I didn’t want to worry her.

“The warm thingy, it’s in m’ belly and everywhere else, too!” I added, making full use of my still-developing vocabulary. A prick of doubt filled my body. It couldn't be that rare for a 19 month old baby to have accidentally moved their chakra, right?

“Daisuke-chan, does your warm thingy feel like this?” she asked, concentrating for a bit as a sweat broke out on her forehead before a small, blue glow pressed itself from her hand against my skin. Her chakra didn’t feel exactly the same as mine, it felt more hot and fierce, less like a liquid and more like hot air. It didn’t burn.

“Mhm! Just like Kaa-chan’s blue powers!” I said, confirming her thoughts. “Amazing! Me, too! Show how!” I excitedly pleaded,  without even having to exaggerate my enthusiasm. I knew a fair amount about chakra from watching Naruto, but I never used it on Earth. It was an alien concept, like sorcery or superpowers. I wanted to know how to wield it properly. Besides, I’m going to need to get a head start to be strong enough to change anything.

Kaa-san said nothing, smiling nervously at me before bringing me to the living room, where tou-san was sitting on the couch, reading some book. Was it that serious? Did Tou-san need to be informed right away? Kaa-san carefully sat with me on the couch, setting me on her lap.

“Kichiro. Honey. Daisuke-chan just told me that he was able to move his chakra.” she said, lacking as much cheerfulness as usual, yet still managing to sound gentle.

Tou-san peered up from his book with widened eyes. This can’t be that unusual, can it? “Are you sure?” he asked, a bit bewildered.

She nodded, “He said it felt like my chakra when I pressed it on him.” she replied quickly.

“Whas’ catra?” I asked, trying to lessen the tension with a shamelessly stolen gag from the show.

Kaa-san and Tou-san looked at each other for a few seconds before they both chuckling softly at each other. It worked? They turned to me, “No, kiddo. It’s cha-ku-ra. Chakra is your life force. It’s what shinobi use to fight with. Your mom and I used to be shinobi, too, so we can use chakra to some degree,” tou-san's gaze grew a tad more stern, “but it's not a toy. You could hurt yourself using it.” he warned seriously.

“That’s why Tou-chan and Kaa-chan were being scary. It can make shinobi very strong, but it can get you into big trouble when you’re still such a cute and small little boy.” she said, with a slight smile on her face. “If you use it too much, it can make you very tired and sick. Promise me, honey, that you won’t try to use it again.” she added, looking at me seriously.

I understood their concern, I would make the same call if I were them, too but I needed to stand my ground. Learning to manipulate chakra this early would give me a great advantage, so I needed to convince them to let me at least try.

“But Kaa-chan, it wus fun! If's danger-uss,  Tou-chan or Kaa-chan watch me?” I said, putting on my best puppy-dog-eyes. I looked up at them expectantly.

After a tense couple of seconds, kaa-san replied. “Daisuke-chan, I don’t want to force you to give up something that’s fun, but tou-chan and I are worried about you, too.” she explained, pausing midway to think.

“Pretty please?” I muttered, with my best begging-but-cute-toddler pleading look I could muster. This was my trump card. Kaa-san widened her eyes in shock before smiling to herself. Tou-san looked to be deep in thought.

As Kaa-san's expression faltered to my undeniably unbreakable persuasive prowess, Tou-san regarded me with a compromising look in his eyes. He finally sighed, “Look, kiddo, since you're willing to resort to that that, I won't prevent you from playing around with your chakra,” he started, to which I beamed. He held up his index finger, “But, only after you turn two. And with direct guidance and supervision from me or Kaa-chan, okay?” He allowed it firmly. 

This was great! Even though I would be barred from using chakra for 5 more months, I would be able to return to it with a more developed body and guidance from two former shinobi. I smiled up at my parents with stars in my eyes. “Tank you Tou-chan, Kaa-chan!” I cheered, enjoying the relieved look from both of my parents who were smiling at me.

They won't regret doing this for me, I'll make sure of that much. The first step to saving the three of us has been taken. 

Their lack of opposition was something I didn't expect, yet I was glad for the fact. I knew I couldn't waste the chance they were giving me.

Chapter Text

The promised 5 months passed like nothing, between little outings with my parents, gradually learning how to read and write, growing up and enjoying being a kid again. I heard that toddlers shouldn’t do any strenuous exercise until they are at least kindergarten-aged, so I decided against experimenting with that early on. If it would negatively affect my growth, it wouldn’t be ideal.

I had a lot of free time, so I came up with a little preliminary plan. In the future, Obito would be the catalyst for much of the atrocities following the 3rd Great Shinobi war. The Akatsuki’s formation into a terrorist organization, his support of Itachi during the Uchiha Massacre, the entire Nine-tails attack, Kirigakure’s Bloody Mist period are all tragedies that Obito contributes to, and all of that doesn’t even come close to the 4th Great Shinobi war. 

Obito was a nice kid at heart, he was just caught up in the wrong circumstances at the wrong time in the wrong era. Rin’s death is the key: if she lives, Obito will remain as Obito, and if Rin dies, Obito will become Tobi, or rather, the second Madara. This means that I’ll have to find a way to, hopefully discreetly, prevent the events that lead to Rin’s kidnapping and subsequent transformation into the Sanbi Jinchuuriki. If only it were an easy feat. How was I supposed to prevent a plan Madara crafted so deliberately?

Any plans would have to be put on pause for now, though. I was a little two year old kid. Even if I was academy aged, then there wouldn’t be much I could do. I’ll probably have to become a genin before I could even think of doing something, the problem was that I wasn’t sure how old I was compared to Obito and his generation. I could be older, younger or the same age as them, either way, it will dictate how I should move forward.

It would be a good idea to log what I remember. A baby’s brain develops rapidly and since I didn’t know the mechanics of my reincarnation and my retained memories, it would be safer to write everything down before I forgot something important. As soon as I could properly grip a pencil, that is. 

—----------

Tou-san had started using his free time to drill me on chakra manipulation. He worked as an all-purpose handyman. He mostly did freelance or temporary contract work, so his work schedule was ever-changing. He did say, though, that he was a shinobi, so it made me wonder why he wasn’t getting called in to do missions. Maybe he was retired?

“... Daisuke, concentrate. Really concentrate!” He huffed, ”You can’t just scrunch up your face, kiddo!”  Tou-san reminded me, trying to keep a straight face. “Don’t concentrate on manipulating your chakra, that will only distract you. Empty your mind of all thoughts. Feel your chakra. You won’t get anywhere trying to use chakra before you’re even properly aware of it. Manipulating your chakra means you have to know it inside and out.” He whispered to me slowly, making sure I could comprehend every word.

Right, fundamentals first. If I stubbornly tried to manipulate my chakra before I was familiar with it, all it would do would slow down my progress and create problems in the future. That was why I couldn’t manipulate it before, why I couldn’t make much progress. I must’ve moved it by fluke before. That’s how people learn new skills, though. First by fluke, then through practice until it becomes muscle memory. 

I meditated for as long as I needed to, concentrating and clearing my thoughts, Tou-san watching me patiently. My chakra felt warm and thick, vaguely like blood. But I couldn’t stop there. Tou-san told me to concentrate. Scrunching up my eyebrows, I focused on properly feeling it. On perceiving the foreign, yet intimately familiar energy flowing through my body, paying close attention to that flow.

Eventually I noticed a pattern of its flow. It was like a river, yet much more complicated. Its current constantly diverted itself according to the body’s needs, and yet there wasn’t a specific direction in its natural flow, but wait.

Perfectly manipulating this kind of complex system would be very difficult, and not everybody has the chakra control of Sakura or Tsunade. I think I get it. Rather than manually concentrating to allow chakra to build up, it was probably easier to divert its flow. That way, most of the process was handled by our bodies’ natural chakra-related processes.  Chakra control must then logically be one’s skill at allowing precise bursts of chakra to flow into specific tenketsu of the body.

From there my concentration quickly broke. Too much thinking, probably. Tou-san looked very pleased with me. He must’ve seen how deep I got into meditation. “Tou-chan!” I cheered. “I got it! You don’t manipulate chakra, you manipulate its flow!” I exclaimed excitedly.

Tou-san widened his eyes. “That’s incredible, kiddo! You can already tell that much?” he asked with an unreadable expression that vaguely resembled pridefulness and surprise. I think I had my reincarnation to thank for that. If I wasn’t so conscious of this new part of my body, it would probably be harder to focus on it.

Kaa-san walked in as I was jumping for joy with a bright smile. “My little sunshine is so talented! What do you say about a celebratory dinner tonight as a family? She offered, “This is surely something worth celebrating!” she added.

“How about some dango, Kaa-chan?” I asked hopefully. She beamed at me with a bright smile “As much as you want, Daisuke-chan!”

—--------

Another year had passed. During that year, I was coached by my parents on chakra control. Tou-san had been correct: my increased awareness of chakra had helped me grow better and better at chakra control, and about 2 months before I turned 3, they got me started on the leaf sticking exercise. They only allowed me to do it when they were able to watch me, they didn’t want to risk me running into chakra exhaustion while they were away. Good call. 

In the last two years, they have been subtly talking about the dangers of using chakra and the risks of being a shinobi. Little hints about how difficult it was. About what one was expected to do and sacrifice. About how chakra could be transformed into lethal attacks.

I bet they could tell that something was off about me. The way they explained things was not how you would typically explain it to somebody so young.

“Listen, kiddo.” tou-san said sternly. I gave him my attention. “Chakra is produced in our bodies and circulates around our chakra coils. There is a limited amount of chakra that each person has, that’s why your kaa-chan and I are very particular about supervision.” he explained carefully, making sure I understood.

I nodded and then paused, before raising my hand. “What’s your question, kiddo?” he asked me patiently. “Tou-chan, how can we get more chakra?” I questioned, trying to see if there was something about the subject I didn’t already know from the manga.

“That’s a good question. Chakra is made up of our mental and physical energy merging together naturally in our chakra systems. To increase how much chakra we have, we have to grow our mental or physical energy. Physical energy can be increased through natural growth, exercise and strength training. Mental energy can be trained through things like studying, mediation, but also through maturing. This means that as we grow older, we will naturally gain more chakra, but we can also train hard to gain more. Each person’s chakra increases differently depending on their genetics.” tou-san clarified.

Growing up and maturing was a method to grow your mental energy, too? I suppose that I had already skipped a lot of that process, considering my reincarnation. I absentmindedly wondered if my chakra pool was higher than the others’ in my age group because of that.

After listening to Tou-san’s explanation, I worked on the leaf exercise again. He and Kaa-chan watched me carefully as I carefully directed a steady flow of chakra to my hand, attempting to infuse the leaf with enough chakra to make it stick without it exploding. After botching a few attempts at trying to keep the leaf on my head without making it explode or fall down, Kaa-chan suggested that I should try to gauge how much chakra the leaf could handle first, saying that “You don’t learn to walk without crawling first, sweetie.”

All of my previous attempts hadn’t exactly worked, but I was close. My last few attempts had a leaf that stayed together for a few seconds. All I had to do now was lower the chakra flow into my hand. Squeezing my eyelids shut, beads of sweat forming on my forehead, I gradually and slowly infused the leaf with slightly more and more chakra so I could get a feel what it could handle.

After a little over the minute, the leaf’s edges started tearing up. That was the limit, then. I took a new leaf and carefully worked my chakra into the leaf, ensuring that I didn’t infuse more than before. After a few seconds, the leaf remained intact. I lifted it up to my forehead, and… 

“I did it! Did you see that, Kaa-chan, Tou-chan?! I finally did it!” I screamed in delight, unfortunately for our poor neighbors. My parents snickered to themselves as they saw me excitedly run laps around the coffee table.

“Great job, Daisuke. Now you have to do that in about a second.” said tou-san, grinning at me after I tired myself out, breathing for dear life on the floor. “Y-yes, Tou-chan…” I replied in between breaths, trying to catch my breath. I caught my parents smiling at each other with pride written all over their faces.

—------------------

Another year passed and my parents listened to my request and got me notebooks and pencils for my 4th birthday. It was about time that I started logging my memories of Naruto before I forgot something. I’d no doubt already forgotten plenty of minor details, but my memory of major characters and details still remained more-or-less fresh, because of all the thinking during the last 3 years.

It seemed like a no-brainer to write everything in English. I don’t doubt that someone could decode English with some effort, but who would place importance in decoding gibberish in a child’s notebook? It would be without merit.

While I was in the middle of finishing up a section of my log of Naruto, specifically the part about Sasori of the Red Sand, Kaa-chan came into my room.

“Daisuke-chan, Tou-chan and I have something we wanna discuss with you.” she said, voice absent of any playfulness. Did something happen? This seems serious. I nodded silently before following her into the living room, where Tou-san was sitting down, waiting for me.

“Tou-chan, Kaa-chan, what’s wrong?” I asked, looking up into their eyes. Tou-san slid his gaze over to Kaa-san looking for approval, before they nodded at each other.

“Daisuke,” he started “As your parents, it’s our firm belief that you should be able to do anything you want to do. “I don’t know where your interest in chakra came from, but because of us, you already know what it means to wield chakra, don’t you? What we are asking is, do you want to become a shinobi?” he asked, tone grim and serious.

I nodded without hesitation, fixing my steely gaze at them. I couldn’t show them I was uneasy, and I couldn’t back down here. If they thought I wanted to be a shinobi for a half-hearted reason, then they wouldn’t support it. I would have to find a way to do it in secret, and without their guidance.

Kaa-san frowned at me, “When did you decide this, Daisuke-chan? The life of a shinobi is hard, and super dangerous. Take it from us. We are both retired genin.” She paused for a few seconds, thinking, “I won’t deny you from becoming a shinobi if that’s what you truly want, but you have to prove to me that you’re serious.” she gently said, in contrast to her hardened eyes, which demanded an answer.

“I can tell that I’m not like the others my age,” I began, looking down at my feet, “And I’m sure the two of you know that. I’m glad you listened to my selfish wish and helped me learn to use chakra.” both of their eyes widened as I looked up and met their gaze.

“You also helped me learn about how dangerous it would be, becoming a shinobi, so I can’t back down anymore. I want to have the opportunity to grow strong enough to keep us safe if the worst were to happen.” I explained with determination.

“I get it, kiddo, but we have the village, we have the Hokage, we have the-” he reminded me before I interrupted him, “Tou-chan, this is a shinobi village.” I explained. The two understood the implications of my words. As long as we lived in Konohagakure, there was always some kind of risk.

“I understand you’re worried about me, Tou-chan, Kaa-chan, but please,” I paused to bow, “Just watch me. If you think I’m not training enough, if you think I’m not taking it seriously, if you think I’m unprepared, you can stop me. Just please, give me this chance.” I pleaded, voice turning shaky in the last sentence.

Silence followed for a little while, as my parents were both thinking. It was a tense silence, making it hard to hold my gaze. If they refused, I would train in secret somehow, but I didn’t want to do that. I wanted their support. I wanted to become strong and make them proud by doing it. I clenched my fists as I waited for a response.

Kaa-san frowned at me while Tou-san stepped forward, patting my head, “We wanted you to be a civilian who would live a life without conflict,” he started, voice full of remorse “but if this is what you want…” He looked me in the eyes as he came down to my level. “If you really want to become a shinobi, then we will support you with everything we have,” he added, fixing a steely gaze into my eyes “and we will work you to the bone.” he finished with a serious tone.

He turned to Kaa-chan with a tired expression.

“Honey, I think the kid's trying to steal my role.” He huffed amusedly. She shook her head fondly, “Well, he'd better do a good job!” she replied in kind with a smile. Tou-san approached me and bent down, grabbing my shoulders firmly. “No matter where you are or what you're doing, you have to promise me that you won't be killed." he made me promise. The gaze was the more serious expression I had ever seen on him. With tears pricking the edges of my eyes, I gave him a small smile, “I promise.” I agreed easily.

—----------

The conversation I had with my parents was something I hadn’t expected at all. It was a conversation I wasn’t expecting to have for at least another two or three years. My expectation was to beg them around age 5 or 6 to enter the academy. But it looks like it worked out for the best, and something about their continued support for me only deepened my love for them in turn. They trusted my decision enough that they went against their own wishes to support me.

Since then, over the course of 5 months, tou-san and kaa-san started drilling me relentlessly on early academy curriculum and basic chakra theory, all the while making me practice chakra control. Walking on trees wasn’t possible just yet, obviously, but I could hold several leaves in different parts of my body at once, and when I was really trying, I could stick my hand to surfaces for a few seconds. I wasn’t at the age I could safely do things like strength training, but Kaa-san started teaching me taijutsu katas, stretches, and gave me little toy kunai so I could practice handling them.

My parents were leaning towards the idea of more moderate training, though. Things like cardiovascular exercises with low amounts of resistance was something I brought up to them, and after Tou-san asked a client of his who was a doctor about it, they said it was actually a good thing. 

The following five months passed by almost too quickly. I’d managed to almost finish the log of what I remembered from Naruto by then. Since simply practicing taijutsu katas didn’t involve chakra and wasn’t really strenuous, they encouraged me to practice those without supervision. The one I was taught was Kaa-san’s go-to style.

Her taijutsu kata was something very interesting to me, with a lot of emphasis on flexibility and counter attacks. I would probably have to modify it to suit myself at some point, though. There was something missing for me, and she had to correct my incorrect movements for a fair amount of time while I was trying to commit them to muscle memory.

After becoming pretty good at the leaf exercise, they warned me that it would be too much for my chakra reserves if I went to the next level, which was probably tree walking, and I trusted their judgment. No thank you, not risking that, as cool as being Spider-Man would be, I didn’t want to risk excessive injury or exhaustion.

Some time later while I was practicing, Kaa-san ran into the room and hugged me tightly, “Guess what, Daisuke-chan?!” she asked, picking me up and spinning me around. “W-what?” I asked, mildly frustrated by the interruption. I was in the middle of something, you know!

I pushed down what might have been a frustrated sigh as I noticed how happy she looked. She was completely ecstatic.“The doctors said that I’m gonna have a baby! You’re gonna be a big brother!” she squealed at me, hugging me tightly. 

A big brother? Me? I wasn’t a big brother on Earth, I’ve had a younger sibling. A huge grin formed on my face as I breathed out in excitement. “When!?” I wondered, hugging her tightly. “I became pregnant 2 months ago, so in 7 more months. “I’m gonna be the best big brother ever!” I declared with glee.

“That’s right, sweetheart! I’m sure you will. How about we go out to buy some clothes for your new sister?” she offered, shaking from excitement with the idea of having a daughter. “Sure, Kaa-chan!” I agreed. Kaa-san beamed with excitement, her eyes somehow shining despite their black color.

—------------

Ever since Kaa-chan told me that we were having another family member, I bumped up my training just a little. Me and kaa-san started going to the park more in our free time, because in her words, “My growing little boy won't have enough space in his room to practice taijutsu soon enough!” It’d been 3 months since Kaa-san had become pregnant, and I’d been growing steadily.

As I was going through the taijutsu katas that kaa-san had introduced me to, I heard a vaguely familiar voice yelling in the distance.

“Oooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuu!!” shouted the unfamiliar voice, becoming louder and louder as it approached me. I turned towards the source of the screaming and saw a boy with hair down to his shoulders wearing a red scarf and a sleeved green jumpsuit running towards me.

He stopped right in front of me, digging his heels in to lose enough speed for him not to hit me. Frozen, I gazed at him with my mouth wide open. “Such perseverance, such determination, such dedication, such YOUTH!” he chanted excitedly. It’s him! “I am Maito Gai! What’s your name, youthful one?” he asked, in a nice guy pose.

I stared at him, bewildered, “Um, hi? I’m Uchiha Daisuke.” I answered him awkwardly. Gai seemed to be a lot more… eccentric in person than in the anime. Gai regarded me with what looked like fire in his eyes. “Yosh, nice to meet you, Daisuke-kun! I have decided that we are now friends! And if someone as young as yourself is practicing with such dedication, how can I not train at least two times, no three times harder?! If I fail to do so, then I’ll make 100 laps around this playground on my bare hands!!” he exclaimed, immediately moving into the pushup position.

Someone as young as me? Really? As far as I knew, Gai looked like he may be 8 at most. We hardly even have an age difference! Hold on, though. If he’s that young, then I have a better picture of the period I’m in. He should be around the same age as Obito, right?

“W-well Maito-san-” I said before being interrupted, “Gai! Call me Gai!” he demanded, still doing pushups. “Then, Gai, I suppose I could be friends with you?” I asked with a slightly awkward smile. “Great, Daisuke-kun! I must go and finish my training, but I will see you again!” he declared before running off at what seemed to be impossible speed for someone his age.

Huh, that just happened. I guess I've made my first friend here. Finishing my practice before walking back to kaa-san, she grinned at me playfully, “My cute little son has finally made a friend!” she announced loud enough for anyone around to hear it, trying to embarrass me on purpose. “I didn’t even do anything. He approached me !” I explained, cheeks a little red with embarrassment.

“Besides, there’s no rush to make friends. I can make friends in the academy, right?” I huffed. She was blowing this way out of proportion. We continued home, chatting idly until we reached our apartment.

“What was his name? You should get to know him better!” Kaa-san bent down at me and squeezed my cheeks as I averted my gaze. “Don’t make that face! I just want you to make a friend!” she scolded. “I don’t even know where he lives or where he trains…” I muttered. How was I even supposed to get in contact with Gai again? “We can go back to the park, maybe he will be here again… Or maybe he’ll find you?” Kaa-chan suggested thoughtfully.

—-------------------------

And find me he did. Two days later, Gai showed up to my apartment, much to my parents’ amusement. Seriously though, how the hell did he find out where we lived? He interrupted our breakfast, but Kaa-san and Tou-san didn’t seem to mind, for whatever reason. “Come, Daisuke-kun! We have much to do today! We are going to train together!” he said, holding his right hand out.

My gaze flickered to my parents, who smiled at me and nodded. Looks like I have permission. “Wait, Gai, Let me finish my breakfast!” I said, running to the table to scarf down the food as quickly as I could. “My apologies, Daisuke-kun! It seems that I arrived earlier than expected! It is indeed important to eat to fuel one’s youth!” he yelled once again, somehow sounding apologetic while being so loud. I looked at him to nod before turning to the rest of my food.

Tou-san handed me a water bottle and gave me some pocket change. “Don’t get lost, kiddo,” he paused, “and don’t make too much trouble.” he finished, ruffling my hair. I sent him a challenging grin before running off with Gai. “See you soon!”

As Gai and I were walking to the park, Gai said. “Yosh, Daisuke-kun! Today, we will run 100 laps around the playground! If we can not do that, we will run 200 the next day!” he announced. I smiled at him before nodding. Strength training wasn’t completely safe at my age, but physical activity is recommended for every growing child. As long as I wasn’t malnourished or dehydrating, I should be able to give it a try. 

We got to the park and the first thing Gai did was lead me to a tall, well-built man who had a sleeveless jumpsuit much like Gai did. “Hello, youthful children! Are you Gai's new friend?” he asked, smiling at me with a glint in his teeth. “Yes, um... Maito-san?” I asked unsurely. Gai’s father seemed to accept it with a nod. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Uchiha Daisuke,” I said politely, bringing my hand out. “, and you are?” I respectfully asked.

“Oh, forgive my rudeness. I am Maito Dai, Gai’s father!” he bent down as he shook my hand. Gai was waiting patiently, before turning to me and his father, “Yosh, Tou-san! Daisuke-kun and I have much to do!” he said, grabbing my wrist and walking away from his father. I waved hesitantly at Dai as we stopped at the playground. “First, Daisuke-kun, we will…”

As Gai instructed me on how we are going to train, I told him that I couldn't do strength training yet, since my parents and I were concerned about my health. He accepted the answer and training began.

—--------------------

The training… technically went well. As I hadn’t physically trained in this body before, I wasn’t used to this kind of exertion. After practicing taijutsu katas with Gai for 30 minutes, we got started on the laps.

I knew endurance was probably the most important trait for a shinobi to have, so I took the laps seriously. The playground wasn’t crazy big - a single lap was only about 50 or 60 meters, but I was a scrawny 4 and a half year old who had never really done this before. 

As I bent on my knees on the 34th lap, Gai came up to me, “Come on, Daisuke-kun! Keep going!” He encouraged me, patting me on the back. “I… can’t… keep up, … Gai...” I breathed out, trying to catch my breath. I hadn’t felt this exhausted since my last life, it was a feeling I hadn’t missed at all.

Sweat beading down my forehead, Gai looked me straight in the eyes. “Daisuke-kun, never say that you can’t do something!” Gai said, pointing to himself. “But-” I said, before being interrupted. “I used to think I couldn’t do anything. I failed the academy entrance exam the first time, Daisuke-kun,” he then looked up to his father, who was watching them with pride in his eyes. “But tou-san told me to never doubt myself! If you can’t do 100 laps, keep going anyway! If you can’t run, walk! If you can’t walk, crawl!” he said, probably repeating a lesson his father had taught him.

“Whether you can or cannot do something doesn’t matter! If you have the energy to think about that, you may as well use it to do your best! That’s how we get stronger!” he said, holding his hand out. “Let me help you up, Daisuke-kun,” he said, smiling at me.

I took his hand, and got up with some difficulty. After a few breaths, I turned to Gai, ”I think I’m ready. Let’s do this.” I said with determination in my voice. “Thanks,” I muttered gratefully. Gai’s hand shot up in a thumbs up as he gracefully continued, seemingly unaffected by fatigue.

—--------

“Come on, Uchiha-kun! Just a little more!” encouraged Dai, watching me barely cross the finish line we’d agreed on 2 hours ago. After I managed to cross 100 laps, with plenty of breaks, I nearly collapsed, but Dai picked me up and placed me on a nearby bench. He handed me my water bottle wordlessly. I must’ve looked like I'd just reached an oasis in the desert, I chugged the water as quickly as I could.

My legs were burning, and they felt wobbly like jelly. I’d walked the last twenty-something laps, and yet my body, not used to this kind of exercise, did not like the training one bit. Countless deep breaths gasped from me as father and son watched me with a smile on their faces. My throat hurt from breathing and my body was sluggish from using so much energy. Physically, I felt like shit, but mentally? I was over the moon. I’d done it, I was able to push through today, even if this level was pretty basic for my new friend.

“Are you hungry?” Gai asked, looking concerned but also pumped. “Y-yes.” I responded quickly, feeling no shame at all as my stomach rumbled. Luckily for me, we wouldn’t have to go to a restaurant and wait for food. Dai had packed lunch, and let me have some. After eating lunch, Dai and Gai took me home, and I was too tired to actually talk to my parents. “I’m home!” I said hurriedly, before racing to the couch and falling asleep immediately. I didn’t wake up for about 3 hours, and got jumpscared by Kaa-san staring closely at my face.

“... I’m hungry,” I said, drowsy from my nap.

Chapter Text

From the first time I started training together with Gai, 5 months had passed. Gai had dragged me off to train almost every day for those entire five months, and while the experience has left me the most exhausted I’d ever been, old life included, it was also incredibly rewarding. Every time I got used to a facet of the regimen, Gai added something to it. Used to jogging at that ‘ol pace? Then sprint until you couldn’t anymore and force your body to recover while jogging. Sometimes I wondered whether he was trying to kill me, but seeing his excitement whenever I passed a certain milestone cemented the fact that he was just a training addict – like a gym rat from Earth. 

It took me two whole months to be able to run the whole 100 laps around the playground, though I’d always end up exhausted. As long as I wasn’t collapsing, though, we would simply move on to do more exercise. I started bringing leaves with me while training with Gai to stick on my body. Having to learn how to subconsciously manipulate my chakra was gonna be nothing but an asset when I’d have to get used to chakra manipulation in the midst of battle.

—------------

“Gai, I have to go home now but thanks for training with me!” I informed Gai, grinning at him. He deflated for a second before I elaborated. “Tou-san said I have to come home earlier today because he had something to show me.” Gai regarded me with understanding, “No problem, Daisuke-kun! We can make up for the lost exercise by training two times, no three times harder tomorrow!” he said, watching my grin turn into a grimace. Three times the intensity, or three times the volume? I sighed good naturedly.

“Yeah, Gai, can’t wait…” I forced myself to say with mock cheerfulness. Gai laughed heartily as he waved me goodbye. ‘He’s gonna kill me one day’, I muttered to myself, walking back home. Passing through Konoha, I saw a cat being chased by what seemed to be two Genin. Judging by the commotion and the fact that it was actually outpacing the poor kids, it was obvious that the cat was the infamous Tora. Chuckling to myself, I watched them chase around the cat before suddenly it noticed me chuckling. I could’ve sworn I saw an evil glint shine in its eyes. Tora immediately faced me and changed its course to my direction, claws exposed, which elicited a panicked yelp from me as I started waving my hands around in an attempt to convey an apology.

No good. It actually sped up. 

“Quick, Aoba, get it! It’s running towards a kid!” the unfamiliar genin yelled to his out of breath friend. I had little time to think about the familiar name as the cat was still running towards me. I was never scared of cats or anything of the sort, but my mind sort of blanked, flashing me cat videos I’d seen on Earth where cats started holding onto someone for dear life, scratching at them furiously. Hell no. I don’t deserve this! 

I screamed, “Get it away from me!!” I blurted out in a panic. From what I remembered, Tora was an especially evil cat, a supposed monster that terrorized generations of genin. I had clearly underestimated both its treat and intelligence, and now my mistakes were coming back to bite me. “Raido, we won’t make it in time! Catch that cat, kid!” Aoba screamed in my direction. Catch it? Catch it?! This guy wanted me to catch this… feral beast? That’s your job, you idiot! 

Tora was still bolting towards me at high speeds, and I could almost make out a mean smile on its face. My knees faltered as time slowed. This was like facing down a Bijuu. An out of control, rabid Bijuu. Snapping out of my own thoughts, I decided to run. This is not my problem, I decided, as my legs regained their strength in an attempt to launch me out of the way of mortal danger.

As I turned around to run, ignoring the offended look Aoba sent me, I lost my balance, and I began to trip forward. Gasping, I could see Tora in a pouncing position right in front of me. But I was falling over, and if Tora was there, wouldn’t that mean…?

Tora’s eyes widened as it flailed around to dodge, but considering its positioning, it was unable to get away in time. A booming RAOU swept through the area as I landed directly on it. Thankfully, due to my size and weight, Tora didn’t seem to be especially hurt, it probably just had the wind knocked out of it. Hah, that’s what you get for targeting civilians, you war criminal!

Light reflected off of its exposed claws, reminding me of the impending danger at hand.

I hurriedly stampered up, breathing heavily, a small grin on my face. The two genin, Aoba and Raido, managed to take advantage of Tora’s bad luck, quickly snatching the frankly terrifying cat and saving me from its retaliation. Raido threw the now-tied up cat into Aoba’s arms before walking to me with a grateful look on his face. “Kid, you are a godsend! How did you manage to catch Tora by surprise?” he asked me, impressed with my… victory against Tora, patting me on one of my shoulders. He completely ignored the comically outraged Aoba behind him, scrambling to keep Tora still.

I looked up at him, still shaking from adrenaline (don’t judge me, that was a near death experience), “You’re w-welcome, Raido-san?” I asked cautiously, continuing after a nod from him “Lady luck smiled down upon me. All I did was trip on it.” I clarified. Raido seemed surprised that I’d managed to catch Tora by sheer accident.

“Lady luck?” he said with a puzzled expression before shaking his head, “Well, regardless of any kind of luck, you’ve just saved us quite a lot of trouble. What’s your name?” he said, shaking off his surprise. Now that I think about it, while I didn’t remember who Aoba was, Raido was a member of Minato’s Hokage Guard in the future, wasn’t he?

“My name is Uchiha Daisuke.” I replied, looking up to him and smiling. He didn’t have that identifying scar quite yet. “An Uchiha? You don’t really look the part,” he mused thoughtfully, “or act the part…” he said to himself. Between my curly hair and blue eyes, I could see where he was coming from. “My dad’s civilian-born.” I added, watching the confusion clear off his face as he nodded.

“Well-” Raido opened his mouth to continue, before being interrupted. “Get over here and stop chatting with that kid, you asshole! Tora’s still going crazy over here! Let’s get this mission over with!” Aoba screamed at Raido, looking more scratched up than before and most definitely extremely pissed off. Woops. 

Raido, realizing he forgot about Aoba, looked back at his teammate and scratched his head sheepishly before facing me. “Well, kid, I’ve got to go. I guess I owe you some kind of favor now… just find me and I’ll help you out! My name’s Namiashi Raido, and my teammate over there is Yamashiro Aoba. Cya ‘round!” he said, hurriedly running towards the Hokage tower, waving back at me.

Well that was… interesting. Never thought I would catch Tora at age 4. I smiled to myself arrogantly. What a genius I am! My mouth opened in realization as I remembered I was supposed to be home already. Tou-san’s gonna have to forgive me… Still, I wonder why he told me to come home earlier today.

—----------------------

Getting home, I opened the door and put my shoes away. “I’m home!” I said loud enough for anyone to hear, walking down the hallway towards the living room. I found Tou-san sitting at the couch, reading a book. Sitting next to him, I greeted him by rudely waving my hand in front of his book. He glanced down at my sly grin before sighing and bookmarking his page, putting the book down at the coffee table.

Tou-san turned to me. “There are nicer ways to get peoples’ attention, kiddo,” he said pointedly with a frown. “Sorry, I just thought it would be funnier,” I responded, “so why’d you tell me to come home earlier today?” I asked impatiently. He nodded, “Right. It’s time to teach you another important shinobi skill.” he clarified neutrally. Another shinobi skill? As far as I knew, except for what I was already practicing, there were no new shinobi skills I could learn that my body could handle at the moment, except perhaps throwing kunai, though I doubted that I had the arm strength for it yet.

Continuing from where he left off, he showed me his hands, “It isn’t training, like you may think, it’s more like important practice. You’re gonna learn how to do hand seals.” he finished, hands alternating between miscellaneous hand seals. Ah, that made enough sense. They always looked hard to do in the anime, so getting used early on was a great idea if I ever wanted to do them fast like Itachi or Kakashi. “Hand seals?” I asked, wanting to know more about them. Tou-san smiled at my innocent question. “Hand seals are used by shinobi to guide and mold chakra for different jutsu. Each jutsu requires a certain amount of hand seals, and the key to using jutsu quickly is to commit each seal to muscle memory through diligent practice.” he explained further.

I listened closely to Tou-san and made mental notes to myself. “There are twelve basic hand seals, and you’re going to learn each of them by heart. We won’t let you go into the academy if you can’t do all twelve of them in at least a 30 second series.” he demanded firmly. It was a fair demand, really, and it seemed pretty doable. “Sure thing, tou-san! I’ll do my best!” I agreed excitedly. Tou-san eyed me before grinning and got up with a dad-grunt. “I’m coming back with a book that will show you pictures of the hand seals for when I can’t help you with practice. Wait for a second.” he said as he was going to the next room. 

Things were moving faster and faster now. I was learning more and more essential shinobi skills as the days passed, and now I was even learning hand seals, a staple for any shinobi. It wouldn’t even be long before my time at the academy would begin, and after graduating, I’ll have to go on missions. When that time comes, will it still be peace time, or will war have already begun? Gai’s 8 years old, so about three years older than me. Considering his generation was forced to fight in war by the time they were at least 12, it wouldn’t be much longer until the dreaded news broke out. 

The thought was a bit worrying.

Tou-san walked back into the living room with the book in hand, a relaxed smile on his face. Right, I was learning from Tou-san, Kaa-san and Gai for a reason. They were doing their best to give me a fighting chance, so there was no use worrying now. I took a breath and smiled just as Tou-san came around and dropped the hefty book on my lap. He watched me fondly as I looked over the cover with a starry-eyed expression. I flipped the book open. 

There were 12 basic hand seals to learn:
Monkey, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Snake, Ox, Dog, Horse, Tiger, Boar, Ram and Hare.

“Okay Daisuke, pay close attention as I show you each hand seal slowly.” Tou-san said, standing up in front of me. I nodded while watching his hands closely. He started going through each basic hand seal slowly. He made sure to patiently show me the specific finger placements for the less obvious hand seals.

Hand seals were done rapidly by most shinobi in the anime, but there were a lot of small errors that could occur with incorrect finger placement, hand seals had to be memorized through muscle memory to ensure you didn’t make some kind of error. While modified hand seals apparently existed, messing the seals up wouldn’t provide the same ‘oompf’ that allowed shinobi to use jutsu. According to the book, it was possible to omit hand seals as you gained proficiency in specific jutsus and internal chakra control, but as jutsu became more complicated, so did the process of omitting seals. It was the reason a shinobi could use the Substitution sealless, but used most or all of the seals in a B-ranked jutsu.

After Tou-san finished showing off the hand seals, he motioned to me, wordlessly telling me to try them out. Making sure to not mold any chakra while doing a hand seal, I looked back at the book to make sure I remembered how the Monkey seal looked. It looked like you had to place your hands on top of each other. I clumsily moved my sausage-fingered hands to form the hand seal. Hands lying on top of each other, making sure my pinkies and thumbs were pressed together, tou-san gave me a thumbs up of approval after double checking for any minor errors.

“Good job, kiddo. Keep going, I’ll correct any mistakes along the way,” he said proudly, as I grinned, satisfied. Continuing clumsily forming hand seals, tou-san fixed any mistakes I made. There were a few intricacies to fix, like which thumb goes on the outside of the rat seal or which angle to point my fingers in the bird seal, but we spent a good hour practicing before kaa-san came home, smiling amusedly at me forming the Hare seal for the nth time. 

“Welcome home, honey.” said tou-san as kaa-san put away the groceries she picked up on the way home. “You’re already teaching Daisuke-chan about hand seals?” she asked tou-san, not upset but curious. Tou-san went over to kaa-san to give her a hug, “I thought he should be familiar with the basic hand seals before we send him to the academy.” he replied to kaa-san, chuckling at my excited attempts at each hand seal. To be honest, it was nice to actually try the hand seals. Doing them was kind of cringe back on Earth, but now I had an excuse.

I felt like a Power Ranger!

“Good idea, Kichiro.” she set down her groceries, gesturing to tou-san to finish putting them away. “Are you making good progress, Daisuke-chan?” she asked evenly, giving me a kiss on the cheek. I beamed at her, “Kaa-chan, kaa-chan, look! I can already form the Monkey seal so fast!” I yelled excitedly, holding my hands to her. I formed a monkey seal right in her face with a proud grin.

Kaa-san smirked, “Your thumbs are placed wrong, sweetie,” she showed me her own Monkey seal, “I win!” she laughed dramatically. I pouted with reddened cheeks, “I could’ve done it, too…” I mumbled. She patted my head, “Show me what else you can do!” she ordered halfheartedly, a mock stern expression covering her face. I gave her a serious nod before forming a Tiger seal from memory. It ended up looking like a Ram seal, as my left fingers were elevated too far. Ah, that was just a mistake from a lack of control. It wasn't my fault that my motor skills were still so underdeveloped. These chubby fingers were hard to move. Kaa-san chuckled at my turmoil as I swiftly corrected myself.

“Good work today, Daisuke-chan, but you’d better take a break for now. How about you make dinner with Kaa-chan?” she suggested warmly, pointing at the kitchen. I nodded as she set me down at the counter. I was starting to get too big to just sit on stuff. Watching kaa-chan cook stuff, I noticed how large her stomach had become. She’s already almost 8 months pregnant. In one month or so, I am gonna have a little sister! I couldn’t wait to meet the new member of the family. Tou-san, Kaa-san and I shared a comfortable silence, Kaa-san humming a peaceful tune as she cooked. 

We ate together as a family, enjoying each other’s company. Kaa-san’s cooking was top notch and I was in need of a lot of food as a growing boy who trained with Gai. While eating, I noticed kaa-san looked deep in thought. It wasn’t an expression that suited kaa-san. I frowned at her with a worried expression. “Kaa-chan? What’s wrong?” I asked solemnly, mouth full of food.

“If you become a shinobi, your life will be at risk,” she began, dropping her fork to look at me. I quickly swallowed my food and paid attention. “There’s no doubt that one day, you’re going to awaken the Sharingan.” she finished. Having said this, both of my parents remorsefully looked at each other.

“The Sharingan is a big burden to bear. The clan likes to celebrate its awakening, but the bloodline isn’t so glamorous. They ignored the trauma that comes with it,” she sighed, “and I’m scared of you being forced to awaken it one day, sweetheart,” kaa-san added, eyes moist with emotion. 

I’d known from watching Naruto that the Sharingan came from stressful circumstances, which could be during the heat of battle, through pain, or with the death of a loved one… Sure enough, awakening the Sharingan meant that something bad would probably need to happen. Maybe I would never unlock the Sharingan because of my mixed blood, but considering the canon example of Sarada, it could still happen. 

“I’m sorry, Tou-san, Kaa-chan, I understand that you’re both worried, but,” I said, picking my words. “I already made my choice to become a shinobi. I know it’s unfair to you, and I know it scares you, but I’m going to do it..” I said, giving my parents a firm and determined look, “So if my Sharingan awakens one day, I’ll have to deal with it like everyone else has, and move forward. I chose this path, after all.” I explained.

Kaa-san hesitantly nodded, tears welling in her eyes. Tou-san stared at me meaningfully, reminding me of my promise to them. That I wouldn’t die in the field, no matter what. We began eating again with an oppressive silence. Finishing our food, Kaa-san came to me and picked me up, hugging me tightly. I felt her tears against my head, but I didn’t mind. I hugged her back. “I love you so much, Kaa-chan.” I muttered softly. “I love you too, sweetie.” she let me go and stood up.

“When the time comes where you will awaken your Sharingan, promise me that you’ll talk to me about it, okay?” she asked of me, as we walked towards our bedrooms. It was getting late. She set me down before Tou-san patted my head, wishing me a good night. Kaa-san brought me to my room, kissing me on the forehead and tucking me in bed. “Good night, Daisuke-chan.”

—------------------

I spent the next two weeks practicing my hand seals diligently every day, including when I went to train with Gai. I couldn’t quite do all of them from memory perfectly well, but I had memorized a fair few of them and I had the general shape of each seal down. Things were progressing well, overall. Speaking of progress, Gai and I started making runs around the village. The village itself was much too big for me to make laps around, but we started running through less populated streets. Running through Konoha was a way to get used to having to weave around obstructions at a higher speed. We had to make sure we didn’t hit anybody. Gai also mentioned that we would include roof jumping when I was a bit older. 

“Gai,” I started, breathing evenly between my words, “my parents told me that they would let me start resistance training and sparring when I enter the academy.” I mentioned, glancing at Gai. Gai has been wanting to start sparring with me for a while, and I recently asked when they would let me.

Gai’s face lit up, slapping me on the back and nearly making me lose my balance. Calm down. “Wonderful, Daisuke-kun! Tou-san told me that now is the best time to strengthen the power of youth! I’ll teach you everything I learned at the academy!” he promised, picking up speed out of excitement. I couldn’t respond because I was too busy trying to control my breathing, but I nodded with a satisfied smile nonetheless.

“I forgot to inform you, but I decided that you are going to catch up to me! If we are going to spar with one another, a challenge of restraint will be the only challenge I face,” he said innocently, stating the facts, “I suppose that means that you have to pick up the pace! Prepare for greater intensity, my friend!” he yelled excitedly, pumping his arms in excitement. My smile disappeared in an instant, revealing a mock-glare. His grin widened comically at my reaction. But… surely I was too young to train too intensively…?

His honest expression proved me otherwise. He was going to work me to the bone and would enjoy it the whole way, the maniac. Gai never got tired from our runs, usually only getting a bit winded. I knew from the anime that Gai had crazy motivation and trained all the time, so it was never surprising to see Gai staying at the park as I went home earlier every time training was finished. He would eventually become a Jonin nearly capable of killing Madara, allegedly surpassing even Hashirama in pure taijutsu, so his advanced physical condition wasn’t especially surprising. It just made me incredulous, and ever so slightly jealous.

Curse the gods for reincarnating me so young!

After finishing our prescribed laps, I faced my unphased friend, still struggling to keep my breathing under control, “... I’m going home now, Gai. Kaa-chan’s made my favorite food for dinner today! Bye-bye!” I chirped, waving him off. “It was a pleasure to train today, Daisuke-kun! Have a good evening!” Gai returned, “And prepare yourself.” he menacingly added, immediately returning to his training. I shuddered before walking off. The original story didn’t show this scary side of the Green Beast.

Who was I kidding, his behavior kind of cracked me up.

Grinning to myself on my way home, I remembered what Kaa-san was making today. She was making a beef stew, pretty much a Japanese curry. It was my favorite food she makes, though that isn’t to say that anything else she cooks wasn’t also great, her cooking was immaculate. Humming Don’t Stop Me Now, I stood in front of our door, noticing the lack of noise from the inside. Opening the door, I didn’t smell any food. Weird, I thought she was making the stew today? “I’m home!” I yelled as I normally would, but no one responded. 

Making my way to the kitchen, there evidently really wasn’t anyone home. Opening the fridge to look for food, I found some rice balls in the fridge. I took them to the table and started eating them as I noticed a note left on the kitchen table. It was written in Tou-san’s handwriting.

“Your mother's in labor!!! After you finish your food, come to the hospital!” it said, underlining the word labor. She was in labor? Already? And I missed it? Shit! I stuffed the rice balls in my mouth, quickly running to get my shoes on. I absolutely couldn’t miss the birth of my little sister! I felt like an idiot. I should’ve known to come home earlier in the weeks leading up to Kaa-san’s due date! 

I was glad I had learned to read so early. If I hadn't I would've missed it without a clue. 

Running with Gai proved useful when I ran full speed to the hospital, paying little mind to my surroundings. Even through the slight weariness in my legs, I was running at full speed. The world felt like a blur both physically and mentally as tears blurred my vision. I wasn’t sure if it was out of excitement to meet my new sister or disappointment in myself, I just kept going to the hospital.

Arriving at the hospital, I stopped in front of the receptionist, gasping for air. The hospital was a little far from our apartment, so I was winded. “My mom! She’s in labor! Her name is Uchiha Hazuki! Where is she?!” I asked in a hurry. The receptionist’s eyes flashed with recognition.

“Ah, you’re Uchiha Daisuke-kun? I was told to expect you. They’re in room 142.” she finished, sweat beading on her forehead. She pointed in the direction of the room and I gave a thankful nod. Running down the hallway, my heart was beating fast. I felt my chest thumping hard. I was careful not to knock over anybody as I ran. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of room 142. Staring at the number with bated breath, I slowly opened the door.

As I opened the door, I saw Kaa-san, sweat covering her face as she smiled down at a sleeping girl with brown hair. Tou-san noticed me first, calling me forwards with his hand. Smiling at me, he tapped Kaa-san on the shoulder. 

“Daisuke-chan, you’re here! Come ‘n meet your little sister!” she said with a bright yet exhausted tone, holding the newborn up to me. “Izumi-chan, meet Daisuke-chan!” She introduced us. I recognized that name. Uchiha Izumi, a childhood friend of Itachi’s. But canon didn’t matter to me at the moment. I missed my sister’s birth, what a disgrace! Tears welling in my eyes, I inhaled sharply as Izumi’s small hand curled around a finger on my outstretched hand.

“M’ sorry, Kaa-chan.” I mumbled quietly, warm tears rolling down my cheeks. “I wasn’t here for you,” I sniffled, “Or Izumi.” Kaa-san frowned at me before flicking my cheeks. “Don’t stress over something so stupid, Daisuke-chan!” she shot me a gentle smile. “You were training! And besides, you, here now, aren’t you?” she said, holding my cheek in her hand.

“Your Kaa-san’s right, you know? How could you have known she would go into labor so soon after you left for training? Tou-san reassured me. He patted me on the back before wrapping me in a warm hug. They were right. What mattered was that my sister was here now, All that mattered now was that I would be the best older brother ever.

“Hello, Izumi,” I whispered softly to my sleeping sister, gently holding her small hand. “Welcome home,” 

—------------------

After calming down, I acknowledged the fact that my sister was Uchiha Izumi. It was quite the surprise, especially since we have limited information on Izumi in the actual series. I didn’t know much about her already, considering it had been a while, and I knew absolutely nothing about her family or background. It seems that our parents had me before they had her, for whatever reason. Her birth gave me another reason to keep to the shinobi path, after all, she was going to be killed in the massacre. And by Itachi, through a 70 years’ Tsukuyomi. Well, that wouldn’t happen here.

Above all else, preventing the Uchiha massacre was a priority. No one, not even Itachi, deserved that disaster. And Danzo sure as hell didn’t deserve all of those eyes he got as a reward for his ‘noble’ act. If I had any say in the matter, the bastard would rot in hell for everything he has done and will do. 

I took a breath.

Anyway, Izumi was a normal baby, apparently unlike me. She wasn’t reincarnated or anything, so I guess I was some weird fluke. A funny little mistake made by Buddha or whatever was in charge of reincarnation. Izumi was a genuine baby. This meant that she cried. A lot. Especially during the night.

It was a normal night and I was sleeping peacefully as usual. It’d been a few weeks since Izumi was born, when suddenly I was awoken by a crying Izumi. Opening eyes proved a monumental task as a lack of sleep seemingly glued them together. I groaned before managing to roll out of bed. The two of us shared a room, so waking up when she went into a crying fit was pretty common. It kind of sucked for me during training, but nothing could be done about it until Izumi grew out of the phase like any other baby.

Kaa-san and Tou-san had already woken up, eyebags comically-sized as they stumbled to my and Izumi’s shared room like zombies. “Ah, I’m sorry Daisuke-chan, you don’t have to wake up for us,” she mumbled half alseep, looking guilty. “You were such a quiet baby, I thought other parents were exaggerating about how hard the first few months would be…” she sighed to herself, carefully lifting Izumi out of the cradle and humming a lullaby.

Though she looked happy to take care of Izumi, I couldn’t help but feel bad for the poor woman, because between her tired gaze and raspy morning voice, I could tell how exhausted she was becoming. I wanted to shoulder some of the responsibility of taking care of Izumi. “Say, Kaa-chan, what if we take turns putting Izumi to sleep at night? You guys look so tired...” I whispered to kaa-san in an attempt to keep Izumi from crying again. She was already calming down. I watched her eyes widen for just a second.

Tou-san sent me a grateful look, but Kaa-san shook her head. “I couldn't possibly allow you to miss sleep because of me, sweetie.” she said, looking kind of hesitant at my offer. “I miss sleep anyway, since Izumi and I share a room. What’s the problem of relieving your burden just a little bit?” I explained. Kaa-san sent me a warm smile, and looked to be in thought while rocking Izumi back and forth.

“Why not, Hazuki? If he slept in a different room, then the choice is obvious, but he’s right; he wakes up anyway.” Tou-san spoke to kaa-san in a soothing voice, hugging her from behind. Kaa-san made a complicated expression before finally speaking. “Oh, fine! If you want to help us so much, I’m glad to accept your help. But if your lack of sleep starts affecting your training, I’m moving you to our room!” she finally relented. 

On queue, Izumi fell back asleep and Kaa-san gently lowered her back into her cradle. “Good night, Kaa-chan, Tou-chan, Izumi.” I murmured, voice full of sleeplessness from the previous day’s fatigue. I saw my parents smile, looking at me and my sister, before turning away and going back to their room to sleep. 

—---------------

The next few days passed like normal, I trained with Gai, I practiced hand seals, and I enjoyed my family’s company - especially the newest addition, Izumi.

Izumi had brown hair like Tou-san, but had Kaa-san’s black eyes and straight hair, just like I remembered from canon. She would eventually grow up into a kind Uchiha who wanted to help others. She would be the only one apart from Shisui to try and help Itachi open up more. She loved Itachi not because he was the clan’s heir, or because he was talented. She loved him because of who he was. And she died in return for that. Even if I couldn’t stop the massacre, I would die before letting Izumi get killed.

-

At night, I awakened blearily to the familiar sound of a baby’s sobs. Right. It was my turn to put Izumi back to sleep today. I tiptoed to the crying Izumi, climbing into the fairly large cradle, which was just big enough for me to fit inside without stepping on Izumi. I belatedly realized that damn, I was kind of small for a 5 year old. My tiredness worn off a bit, I laid Izumi on my lap gently, trying to hush her asleep. Humming to her and rocking her back and forth wasn’t working, much to my frustration. How did Kaa-san do it so easily? 

I remembered back to my time on Earth. A popular lullaby in English popped into my head. Looking warmly down at Izumi’s crying face, smiling as I begun humming a lullaby my mom used to sing to me when I was a kid. I didn't quite remember the words, but the melody wouldn't leave my head. By the time I finished the lullaby, Izumi stopped crying, giving me a curious look before giggling. I hoped she wasn't laughing at me. Regardless, I was glad that it worked, though I might have to ask Kaa-san how to properly hush a baby. She smiled a toothless smile, which almost made me laugh. She was so cute. I gazed fondly at her. “Don't worry, Izumi. I'll always be around to protect you.” I said in English. Izumi stirred softly as I hummed to her more songs from Earth until she fell asleep again.

Climbing back into bed, my tired eyes finally forced themselves shut. I would need to get stronger. Tou-san told me he’d let me into the academy if I could do each hand seal consecutively in 30 seconds, I only need to practice for a few more months and maybe I could join the academy. Albeit a bit earlier than normal. Speed was of the essense, though.

The Uchiha Massacre isn’t a simple matter that an uninfluential Genin or Chuunin could solve. I needed to become strong enough for people to acknowledge me, and I needed to gain allies. I needed to rise in the ranks, and the first step to that was the ninja academy. Entering as early as possible was the headstart I needed.

—----------

A few months passed that night. After deciding to enter the academy early, I needed to prove myself to my parents. They were surprisingly complicit with my desires to be a shinobi, but they were worried about me nontheless. I wouldn’t disappoint them. I practised my hand seals until my fingers became stiff, I ran until my legs felt like jelly, and I practiced taijutsu katas until I could do them in my sleep, and as promised, Tou-san eventually allowed me to enter the academy.

I was allowed to enter due to my parents' insistence, even though I was five and a half years old. Of course, I would be a bit younger than my peers, but that didn’t matter in the long run. I felt a pit of nervousness in my stomach while waiting for Lord Third’s speech with my family. “I just can’t believe it! My little boy is entering the academy already!” Kaa-san exclaimed with a proud look on her face. Izumi, who was being carried by Tou-san, made that cute baby screech sound.

“He’s a little young, but we did promise him this as his reward for hard work.” Tou-san noted. He smiled at me, ruffling my hair. I was somewhat excited to enter the academy. It was the school that taught all future generations of shinobi, after all. I looked around and saw a whole lot of civilian kids, but also many clan children. I saw plenty of Uchiha, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Hyuuga, Nara, Akimichi and Aburame waiting. Not to mention the less easily-distinguishable Sarutobi. 

Seeing so many clan children intimidated me a little, until I realized that technically I was also a clan kid. I might not have been imparted with as much formal training, but I’d nearly mastered Kaa-san’s taijutsu katas and hand seals, and I’d improved my physical conditioning a lot with the help of Gai, not to mention my above-average chakra control (for my age).

I may have felt nervous or intimidated, but I didn’t feel inadequate. Not in the slightest. Those who were precious to me had thoroughly prepared me.

The Third Hokage came in front of the crowd, getting ready to make his speech.

“Welcome, good citizens of Konoha….” the Hokage went on and on about the Will of Fire and how proud he was of our bravery, and what it meant to a shinobi. Propaganda existed everywhere, both on Earth and here, so I didn’t especially hate to see it.

Admittedly it felt a little bit wrong that this propaganda was used to conscript a bunch of child soldiers, but there was little I could do. If Naruto grew up and did his job right, the world would be a less violent place. I didn’t feel much loyalty to Konoha as a whole, I felt loyalty towards my parents, my sister, my friend, and Gai. If we just so happened to be under Konoha, it would simply serve me well to ‘serve Konoha’. A safe Konoha was a safe world for all of them.

Bored out of my mind, I looked to see if I recognized any children from the anime. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the size of the crowd or because of everyone’s young age, but I didn’t recognize anybody at first glance. I huffed in annoyance, Kaa-san noticed it and sent me an amused look. She probably assumed I was scouting for new friends or something. She wasn’t entirely wrong, I guess. Through my incredible observational skills (scanning the faces of other children), I could tell that at least I wasn’t the only kid who was bored beyond belief. Some kids seemed bored, and many others were starstruck by Sandaime’s speech. The Hyuuga seemed to be the exception, of course, stoically looking forward.

Hiruzen eventually stopped talking after almost an hour. We were assigned classrooms and told to meet at our assigned classrooms tomorrow to be introduced to our academy sensei and the rest of our class.

It was finally time to begin my path as a shinobi.

Chapter Text

Excitement was the first thing on my mind as I woke up the next day. Despite the obvious implications of joining literal murder school, I found myself excited by the prospect of once again being in a school setting. It had been years since I last went to school, after all. My time at the academy was going to be very important. Not only do I have the opportunity to make friends and possibly future allies, but my entry into the academy also marked the first day I would be allowed to do sparring and strength training. Tou-san and Kaa-san walked me to the academy for my big first day, and even Izumi came along for the ride, carried by Tou-san. 

Arriving at the academy, Kaa-san gave me a tight hug and kissed me on the forehead. “Don’t make any trouble for your sensei, okay?” she said with a raised finger, “Oh, and don’t be scared to make friends!” she shouted loud enough for people around to hear her. “D-don’t be embarrassing, Kaa-chan!” I replied, face turning red. She smiled to herself pleased. Did both of my moms have to be so insistent on doing this kind of thing?!

I gave her a half-hearted scowl. “Now, now, kiddo, don’t be mean to your Kaa-chan.” he scolded, a small smirk resting on his face. His expression became a smidge more serious, “Don’t let the other kids push you around, okay?” he added. I could see his concern, I wasn’t technically a civilian by blood, but I was more or less raised as a civilian kid. I could be seen as an easy target by bullies, especially clan kids. I wouldn’t let that happen, though. 

I nodded to my parents, before facing Izumi. She was already a few months old by now, and she’d already become such a cute baby. She giggled at me, waving her hands in front of her. I grabbed her from Tou-san’s arms after receiving permission in the form of a nod from him.

“I’m going to be attending the academy now. I won’t be home as much as before, so don’t give Kaa-chan too much trouble,” I said to her gently in a somewhat baby-speak tone. “That’s my job. See ya!” I finished with a grin before turning around to enter the academy, waving them off.

I started speaking in English to Izumi since she was born. I wasn’t sure why I was doing it, perhaps it came from a sense of longing for Earth, or maybe when I said it in the spur of the moment back then, it just felt right. Sometimes I received confused and curious looks from my parents, silently wondering what I was saying. Their confusion made me guilty to some extent, but the prospect of confessing my origins worried me. Telling my family about my past life was something I knew I should do, but how or if I would do it was to be decided.

The result? Izumi was starting to understand English, too. She was learning Japanese as a normal kid would, but with my meddling, she would know a second, entirely foreign language. I didn’t know if the concept of a separate language existed here in the Elemental Nations, but I knew the working excuse of ‘gibberish’ I had wouldn’t hold up much longer. 

Moving on. The academy was quite the large building. It was a fair bit larger than shown in canon, which made sense considering it was supposedly the only ninja academy in the entirety of the Land of Fire. The size shown in canon made it seem as if it were a small little kindergarten or something, but in reality the size matched a mid-sized elementary school, with a little under a dozen classrooms. 

Walking into the academy, I navigated the halls to my designated class. The academy was a bit bigger than it looked in the anime, though that was to be expected. It looked vaguely familiar - I had seen it in the anime before. It made a complete school aesthetic, despite being basically a military prep school. It was hard to believe that in only 6 years, I would become a genin. A full-fledged shinobi.

Entering the classroom with nervousness pulling at my stomach, I looked at the children who would be my classmates for the next few years. Two of these guys would be my teammates. The class had a lot of civilians but I also saw what I thought to be a Nara girl, an Uchiha boy and a Hyuuga boy. They were more noticeable than the others.

Taking a deep breath, I sat at an empty desk, since all of the other ones were already occupied by the other students. I’m pretty sure there were still a few people missing. I was probably somewhat late by some people’s standards. I was here 10 minutes before class began, but it was the first day, and everyone knows to be early on the first day of anything.  A few minutes passed, and the final students seemed to have arrived. Walking to my table to take a seat was a very familiar violet-haired girl. Though she was much younger than what I’d seen in the anime, there was no mistaking it – she was Mitarashi Anko. 

As she sat down and put her things in order, she glanced my way, “Yo, who’re you?” she asked innocently, grinning cordially. Was this her idea of an introduction? “Um… Maybe you should tell me your name first?” I said after a short pause, an amused tone in my voice. She shook her head with annoyance, “Ugh, fine! The name’s Mitarashi Anko!” she huffed. Now that’s better. “Nice to meet you, Anko-san. My name is Uchiha Daisuke.” I introduced myself.

She grumbled reluctantly. “I look forward to getting to know you during the next few years.” I added, seeing that she was upset with me. She opened her mouth to respond, before getting cut off by a brown-haired boy running into the class panting.

“S-sorry for my tardiness!” he yelled, looking at where the teacher would be, only to notice that he wasn’t late, eliciting a sigh of relief. The shouting had everyone snap their attention towards him, causing his face to burn up in embarrassment. Ducking his head down, he made his way to the only free spot in the class, the spot next to me, as light chuckling came from the rest of the seated students

Before I had the chance to introduce myself, the teacher came in, demanding everyone’s silence. Coughing to get our attention, he began with the typical introductory spiel. “Welcome to Konohagakure’s Ninja Academy. My name is Hayashi Ton, and I will be your academy sensei. Refer to me as Hayashi-sensei. The academy is where you will train to become a shinobi of Konoha.” he paused, scanning the room. “Let’s start by introducing ourselves. When I point to you, state your full name and a fact about yourself.” he finished, picking up a school pointing stick to point at us with.

It was the usual ritual of any new class, the self-introductions, a source of stress for all introverts alike. Many of the civilian-born had very childish and simple thoughts to share like their favorite color or their hobbies. It seemed that while many seemed naive or idealistic with their goals, no one screamed that they were going to become Hokage. Only Naruto and Obito were so hot-headed and self-confident, I guess. Drowning out what I thought was boring, I listened to what the more interesting students had to say.

Hayashi-sensei pointed to an energetic looking girl with black hair in a ponytail. “I’m Nara Shimada! My goal is to become the Hokage!” she exclaimed in a very not-Nara way. I thought that the Nara were supposed to be reserved, calm and collected, though I supposed that it depended on the person. She kinda reminded me of Naruto. Probably from the virtue of her dream.

It was a neat goal, though.

He pointed to the next student. He had straight, black hair with onyx black eyes, a cocky smirk resting on his face. “My name’s Uchiha Shodo. There’s nothing more I need to say.” he announced, voice full of arrogance. The line belonged to stereotyped noble characters, and while he did fit the mark, it threw me off enough to where I had to cover my mouth to make sure I didn’t giggle.

The next student was a purple haired girl, unlike Anko she had her hair run down her shoulders. “I am Uzuki Yugao, I enjoy learning about the art of kenjutsu.” she said, calm and collected, holding a diplomatic smile on her face. I vaguely recognized the name, though I had no idea who she was.

The very obviously Hyuuga boy was next. He looked like most other Hyuuga with long, straight hair, though his face differed from Neji’s, for example. Bandages were wrapped around his forehead, no doubt hiding a Caged Bird Seal. “Greetings. My name is Hyuuga Momoku. I am aiming to be the top rookie of this class.” he said with little emotion and a firm gaze. His demeanor was completely different from the extremely arrogant Uchiha from before. 

A civilian boy was chosen next, he looked vaguely familiar, with long and brown hair. “H-hello everyone, my name is Umino Iruka,” he paused out of nervousness, supposedly thinking of what to say next. “I want to make Konoha a safer place.” he said with a smidge less nervousness, before pausing and smiling, “I’m looking forward to attending the academy with you all!” This was Iruka, Naruto’s father figure in the anime. I admired the man he would become.

Anko was next. She perked up instantly, seemingly snapping out of her boredom.. “The name’s Mitarashi Anko! You’d do well to remember it!” she exclaimed proudly, pointing at herself with her thumb. She glared pointedly at me out of spite, I guess. I idly wondered what kind of dream she had. It wasn’t made clear during Naruto, was it? She was a fair bit occupied with thoughts of Orochimaru during all of her screen time.

Hayashi-sensei pointed to me. I stood up, smiling. “Hello, I’m Uchiha Daisuke, my goal is to become strong enough to protect my loved ones.” I said, nodding plainly. I didn’t have some crazy goal – only some crazy hurdles to overcome. I heard a gasp of surprise from where Uchiha Shodo was sitting. Right. If another Uchiha was attending the same year as him, he would likely know about it beforehand. Since the family didn’t live in the clan, he wouldn’t know about me.

Finally, the boy with short, brown hair and eye bags next to me was pointed to. “My name is Gekko Hayate,” he started evenly, “I don’t have any particular goals at the moment, though I suppose graduating is a good start,” he remarked to himself. Ah, I think I remember him now. He didn’t look too familiar without the bandana I was used to seeing him in, but if I wasn’t mistaken, he was the Chuunin exams proctor who was killed by Gaara’s sensei right before the invasion.

Hayate was the last one, sitting down as Hayashi-sensei nodded in satisfaction. “An interesting batch this year,” he commented to himself before dropping the attendance sheet on his desk. “Right. Let’s get started on some ground rules. First off, this is a ninja academy, meaning that horseplay and disobedience will not be tolerated. You aren’t at home right now. Secondly, you will not speak while I am speaking. Thirdly, you will street your peers with an adequate amount of respect,” he looked over the classroom with an even gaze, “Have I made myself clear?” he asked.

“Hai!” We all chorused. 

“Good. You will be seated in the arrangement that you have set for yourself for at least the first year,” Hayashi-sensei explained. “If any of you become disruptive during class due to this seating, your seat will be exchanged with another student’s seat. You will also be punished, of course.” he threatened with the tone that adults use to talk to children about something serious. The not-so-serious one.

Having finished our introductions, our teacher started briefing us on what our schedule would be. Our schedule proved to be… seemingly very boring. Aside from the fact that our schedule didn’t change much day to day, the choice of subjects, while practical, would surely rot my brain. Mathematics would be easy since I probably learned all or most of what they had to teach us this year. History class would be undoubtedly boring, even if it was quite useful. Even reading and writing classes seemed somewhat boring, considering that most of us would have already learned those skills, barring orphans.

Despite the aforementioned ‘boring’ classes we would have to do, there were some classes that were of great interest. Chakra theory, taijutsu, and bukijutsu, among others. Sensei told us that we would move on to more complex classes as we got closer to graduation, which meant less boredom and more learning. Exciting stuff. As usual for a school’s introductory day, we were sent off early. 

As I left the building, Hayate approached me. “Daisuke-san, wait up!” he started, speed walking towards me. I faced him with a cordial smile. “I can call you that, right?” he asked sheepishly, to which I nodded with an amused grin. “I wanted to introduce myself from where we left off. I guess you already know my name… but seeing as we’ll be sitting together for the foreseeable future, it would be good if we started off on friendly terms, so just call me Hayate, okay?” 

“If we’re dropping the honorifics, just call me Daisuke, kay? I’ve got somewhere to be, but we can talk later. See you tomorrow,” I said with a polite wave, “Alright, have a good one, Daisuke!”, he shot back politely. The moment I turned around to face forward I was met with a flash of green in my face.

“Daisuke-kun!! I have been eagerly awaiting today!” he yelled, picking me up by my sides. It painted a very funny picture, considering Gai was only about 15 centimeters taller than me. My face turned red as I noticed some people were watching, and others were laughing.

“W-what is it, Gai!?” I huffed in embarrassment. Gai grinned even wider as he set me down. “You don’t remember?! Your parents allowed you to begin strength training and sparring from now on! Yet another opportunity to cultivate your Springtime of Youth has presented itself now! For both of us!” he explained nearly manic excitement. He must have REALLY been excited for this. As expected of him.

“Can I at least eat lunch first?” I nearly whimpered. He told me that we would train three times as hard a while ago. I still remember the first time I actually did strength training in my first life. Since my body wasn’t really used to being sore or exercised, the soreness lasted quite a while. I would need all of the energy I could get with all the exercise that Gai would surely throw me into, and considering that having lunch would stall for time, I was jumping at the chance to get some grub.

“Great idea, Daisuke-kun, it is important to nourish one’s body. Do remember: we must move with haste! It would reflect poorly upon our pursuit of Youth if we even welcomed the idea of procrastinating!!” he said, running off, dust trailing behind his every step. I scrambled to catch up with him.

Can this guy read my mind?

—------------------

Gai, curse his soul, decided that we would do strength training before sparring. At first, the schedule involved running laps as usual, then we were to move on to strength training, which was decidedly calisthenics. Things like pushups, situps, squats. As a starter, there wasn’t much more I could do as a start, and we didn’t have anything like gym equipment, so it was a decent start. Gai helped me refresh my calisthenics form, and considering that I had already done a fair bit of it in my past life, he didn’t have much to correct. After all that, we moved onto the fated sparring matches. The entire schedule was, as expected, very demanding on a person’s cardiovascular system. We moved through the laps and strength training with realtively low rest, emphasizing endurance and strength rather than hypertrophy. Gai barely broke a sweat. 

“Is… is this how you train everyday..?” I asked with wonder in between breaths. My whole body felt like a mass of jelly. “Of course, Daisuke-kun!” he replied with a wide grin, flexing his biceps. We had just finished the day’s strength training, and I wasn’t able to do some of the exercises like a pull-up. For any exercise I couldn’t do, Gai had me to negatives or easier variations. The feeling of general weakness and the slow onset of soreness really drove home that I was a small kid who was only new to exercising

While my endurance was probably better than my endurance in my past life due to my lower size and weight, I was still a fair bit weaker than myself in my past life. I knew the fact would change was I trained and grew, especially when chakra was added into the mix. 

“I hope you are excited as I am!” he declared, “Daisuke-kun, let us spar! Do not worry, my dear friend, I shall hold back accordingly!” he said in an attempt to reassure me, though it hardly did the job. I had never fought anybody before, after all. All I knew were Kaa-san’s taijutsu katas, as well as some fading memories from times I had fought with classmates in the past. The purpose of learning taijutsu katas and committing them to muscle memory was to allow us to react and act with less delay in a fight, and while I trusted in Kaa-san’s teachings, frankly I was a little scared of fighting the brute. Gai may be pretty young now, but he would become the world’s best taijutsu master. 

The exhaustion in my limbs made them hard to move. It felt like I was controlling myself rather than moving seamlessly. I tested the waters by stretching my arms and legs and promptly realized that I was hardly in a condition to spar properly. This would be VERY unpleasant.

I nodded hesitantly at the beaming boy, deciding that I wasn’t in real danger. Gai immediately sprang at me at a speed similar to the speeds we would run at. I readied myself with Kaa-san’s taijutsu stance and moved to dodge, only for Gai to touch down with his feet and change his direction to follow my retreat. I managed a shaky duck under a devastating roundhouse, leaping from the crouching position to aim a punch at Gai’s open side.

An Uchiha, even without the sharingan, had keen eyesight. I knew that in theory, at least, with all of Kaa-san’s bragging. The counter attack into Gai’s open side was the result of my subconscious mind begging me to strike at an opening, like acting upon an intrusive thought. The action surprised even me. Gai, even with his leg in mid-air and seemingly stuck, grinned as he redirected my punch to the side with a free arm. He quickly regained footing, and punched me in my ribs while I was still open.

The wind was knocked right out of me as pain wracked my chest.

I know he said that he wasn’t going to go all out, but damn, what the fuck. The pain that shot through my chest turned my breathing harsh. After a few seconds, the pain dulled to a bad ache. I hoped it wouldn’t bruise. Gai was ready and already above me with his hand out. I went to grab his hand and hissed as the movement aggravated the spot I had been struck at. 

I was so tired, it even sucked to squirm in pain.

“Impressive, Daisuke-kun! How youthful!” he commented, dragging me up by my shaking hand. Between my muscle fatigue, adrenaline and general tiredness, I looked something like a shaking puppy.

“T-thanks.” I responded, taking a deep breath. I needed to get used to fighting, and Gai wasn’t necessarily going easy on me either. I exhaled before blinking my eyes, “Gai, how about another spar?” I asked, a wobbly smile on my face. “Of course, Daisuke-kun, but do not think I would let you off so easily!” he announced, getting back into his stance. “It is time for round two!” he declared dramatically.

Oh, God.

The rest of the sparring went more-or-less the same. Apparently I had some skill in perception and I was able to dodge pretty well, but my body was simply weaker and slower than Gai’s was. I was also very tired. Not that I would win if I wasn’t exhausted, but the exhaustion definitely did interfere with my reaction speed and dexterity. It was something that I would have to get used to, I guess.

I came home exhausted with bruises littering my body. I think Gai made sure to not hit my face, which was nice of him. Greeting my parents and my sister, I quickly ate dinner and ran off to bed like some sort of rat. It was pretty early, but I had a feeling that I would need more sleep tonight.

Especially since Gai made it abundantly clear we were doing the same tomorrow.

—------------------

The next few weeks passed with this schedule. I started the day with the academy, where I honed my skills and learned new things, then after classes ended, Gai and I went to train. By the time I got home, I was too tired to do anything other than chat a bit with my family, eat, and then collapse in bed. As time went on, I noticed that my body was slowly acclimating to the regimen. Things were really looking up in that regard: I felt a lot better during the day. One thing’s for sure, I wouldn’t tell Gai about the acclimation – he would just ramp up the intensity of the training. 

Don’t judge me, he is a demon.

At school I found myself becoming quick friends with Hayate. He seemed more reserved in canon, but he was actually a pretty funny kid with a dry sense of humor. Hayate was generally calm and composed, but he also had moments of outburst when something excited him. Anyway, he was gearing up to become a kenjutsu specialist, a tradition that the Gekko family had been honing for almost as long as the village’s formation. I remembered his fight with that Sunagakure Jounin, where Hayate was established as a solid Tokubetsu Jounin, only to be killed.

That wouldn’t happen this time.

I started noticing a marketable improvement to my taijutsu with Gai. I didn’t necessarily become much better at striking, but the fear of getting hit by a punch from Gai’s Strong Fist style did wonders for my defense. Parrying, blocking and dodging his attacks usually panned out well for me until I tried to counterattack him, which typically ended up with me getting swiftly counter-counterattacked by Gai. The guy was kind of brutal with it, but it was for the best to fight against an unforgiving opponent.

Taijutsu practice hadn’t started at school yet; we were just given basic physical training and we were made to learn the academy taijutsu katas and style. Typical stuff to prepare the civilian-born children to actually fight, rather than just get destroyed by clan kids. I found it to be kind of boring since I was already picking up on Gai’s strong fist and had a decent understanding of Kaa-san’s style, but practice was practice. Maybe it will do me well some day.

-

Coming home from training one day, Kaa-san and Tou-san were waiting for me in the kitchen with Izumi. They both looked excited to show me something. Kaa-san ran up to me in greeting, hugging me tightly. “Welcome back home, sweetie! We have a surprise for youuu~!” she squeaked in a baby voice. A surprise…? “Ah, H-hello, Kaa-chan… A surprise? What is it?” I asked curiously. Tou-san gestured at me to follow him to the living room. 

As we sat down, Tou-san pulled out some plain looking papers from his pocket. As unassuming as they were, their size was quite unusual. 

“You’ve been working hard, kiddo, so we thought you deserved a step-up to your training,” I grimaced in between, having been reminded of the torture Gai kept putting me through. “We bought Chakra Induction paper for you.” he explained, holding it out. “We thought that we should start preparing you for Genin-level chakra control and nature transformation early on.” he continued, nodding with his eyes closed and arms crossed.

I was going to learn elemental ninjutsu. I thought it was a little strange that I was learning this before learning an academy jutsu. As far as I knew, apart from clan children, people didn’t learn elemental ninjutsu until they hit Genin rank. Kaa-san seemingly read my mind. “We know you’re still too young to learn ninjutsu, Daisuke-chan. But we want you to practice your affinity.” she clarified, addressing my concerns. She perked up, seemingly remembering something, “Oh yeah! Your Tou-chan and I also thought it would be a good idea to teach you to walk up trees! It’s suuuper hard for kids your age, but I know how good you are with chakra control!” she praised before pumping her fists with anticipation, “My little genius!” she whispered to herself loudly.

Not to toot my own horn, but yeah, I was pretty great at chakra control. I couldn’t walk on walls or anything of the sort quite yet, but the leaves I stuck to myself under my shirt everyday were practically my version of boy scout badges. Even during the grueling training I did with Kai, I kept up my chakra control. It was the only exercise I knew, after all. I wasn’t especially draining chakra-wise, but for a while it really sapped my mental energy away, before I ended up getting used to it out of necessity (that being Gai). I wasn’t too sure on why chakra control came so naturally to me. I was a fair bit above my age group according to academy texts about the subject. My most prevailing theory was that it was because I had been aware of my chakra for so long.

“Pour some chakra into this paper, Daisuke. Your elemental affinity will be determined by what becomes of the paper.” he explained to me, handing me the iconic sheet of paper. I snatched it with a little bit too much excitement, shaking his head dismissively. Heh.

My main assumption was that my affinity would be fire. The Uchiha blood in my veins were going to be the dominant gene, so I couldn’t really hope for much else. It was entirely possible to get another affinity, but it was quite rare for it to not be related to your parents’ affinity. I would have honestly liked to have Water Release as my primary affinity, but it was quite the pipe dream. Chakra natures worked fairly linearly: if I was likely to inherit a Fire Release affinity, then Water Release, which was strong against Fire, would be nearly impossible to manifest.

It wouldn’t matter very much, anyway, since all elements were powerful in their own right.

Channeling some chakra into the paper, the paper turned to dust and fell to the ground. Kaa-san dramatically gasped as if she were betrayed, leveling me with a sad gaze. I bet that she expected my affinity to be Fire Release, too. “Earth affinity, huh.” Tou-san commented to himself, a smile tugging at his lips. “Looks like you take after me, kiddo.” he said proudly before turning to Kaa-san’s pouting face with a competitive smirk. She glared at us good-naturedly, as if we now stood on opposing sides.

“I stand alone,” she declared, cracking her voice mid-sentence on purpose.

“That’s right, Kaa-chan. Now it’s time for us to make the decisions ‘round here, right?” I bragged, eyeing Tou-chan, eliciting an overly serious nod from him. “Things will have to change around here,” he agreed easily. She pointed at us accusingly, barely containing a smile, “You guys are so mean!” she yelped incredulously before lifting Izumi with her free arm. “There! Surely Izumi-chan here will be a Fire Release user like her beautiful Kaa-chan!” she said hopefully, holding up the confused girl like Simba. 

I regarded Tou-san calmly before shrugging. “The power balance is restored. Fall back.” I said neutrally. Kaa-san handed Izumi to Tou-san calmly before her face lit up and she tackled me in a hug, again, “Oh, you’re so cute~!” she said, hugging me tightly. “ Help me… ” I muttered at the giggling Izumi, who was resting on Tou-san’s shoulders.

—------------------------

Since learning of my affinity, Kaa-san and Tou-san had me bring a rock to school every day. They said that if I was ever bored I could try to practice Earth Release Manipulation on the rock. Under the desk. What, so just infuse the rock with chakra and experiment with it? Supposedly it was a good start to getting a feel for casting Ninjutsu. Even though my affinity was Earth, I found it difficult to do anything with the stone. I kept infusing my chakra into it, but nothing was happening to it. I would probably have to ask Tou-san for pointers.

Speaking of infusing chakra, my parents, as promised, started teaching me to tree-walk after I got home from training with Gai. Usually Tou-san wasn’t home, but Kaa-san was always there to supervise me. My chakra reserves were quite small due to my age, so she watched me carefully. She gave me pointers by watching my chakra on my feet with her sharingan. The training itself was quite difficult considering I was typically fairly spent by that time, but my chakra reserves were always full, so I could still do chakra exercises. 

Having full reserves hardly helped me, though. A five year old wasn’t supposed to be tree-walking due to their smaller reserves, which meant that for the first few days, it only took half an hour to drain me of most of my reserves. It was frustrating, but I could tell I was making slow progress. The bark on the trees exploded less and less until one day, nearly a week after I started, I infused my feet with chakra, ran up the tree and successfully took my first three steps. I had finally managed to stick to the tree. The secret was to account for the texture of the wood. I realized the fact on the second day, but it took me the next three days to find the sweet spot between overcharging and undercharging the wood.

Kaa-san was watching in wonder as I finally managed to do it. I would’ve gotten bored of watching me try and fail for almost a week, but she stood around the whole time. It was about time I actually showed her some results. “Did you see that!?” I cheered in excitement, before falling off the tree due to my lapse in concentration. I widened my eyes in horror as I prepared for the inevitable (and embarrassing) face plant into the dirt, but thankfully Kaa-san was there to grab me. She shook me around, seemingly more excited than I was “You’re so awesome!!” she congratulated me, a pleased look on her face. “K-Kaa-chan-! I’m gonna throw up!” I pleaded, dizzy from chakra exhaustion and her shaking. “Oh! Sorry, sweetheart. I’m just so proud!” she apologized sheepishly, setting me down.

Izumi was sitting on the grass watching with a jealous pout. She squeaked and yelled some gibberish, waving her arms in front of her. Oh, she was jealous of the attention I was getting. Kaa-san ran over to Izumi, hoisting her up. “Awww, don’t be jealous, Izumi-chan!” Kaa-san cooed at her. 

After that, Kaa-san insisted that I save my energy and continue with tree walking tomorrow. I was almost out of chakra, anyway, so I didn’t mind being less tired for a change. Since we were done early, we decided to take Izumi to the park and enjoy ourselves as a family. Tou-san wouldn’t be home from work for another few hours, so he would have to miss it. Sucker.

Izumi was still just a few months old, so I played with her to make sure she didn’t hurt herself. She seemed to like the sandpit the most. A cultured girl, truly. Time passed and I went to check up on what she was doing after I made a hole absentmindedly. “ Is that a sand castle? ” I asked Izumi with mock curiosity. She nodded at me proudly. She made a pretty sophisticated sand castle for someone her age - it mostly just was a pile of sand, sure, but it had a little hole, probably a window or door, and a few spikes at the top. 

“ Nicely done, ” I nodded at her, overly formal. She cheered herself on with a squeal, clapping her hands. “ Now, how about mom and dad? ” She looked back and forth between me and her ‘castle’ with a blank look, before brutishly grabbing a handful of sand and throwing it on the ground. I chuckled at her, deciding to help by adding appendages and features with sand. The resulting creations did not even vaguely resemble our parents. I wasn’t sure if she was comprehending what was going on, after a short moment of admiring our creations, she crawled over to them and destroyed them. Tears nearly escaped my eyes. How tragic.

“ Wanna go to the swings now ?” I asked, pointing to the swings. She took a second, trying to reproduce the ‘sss’ sound, ultimately failing and just spitting everywhere, before cheering childishly. I naturally took that as a yes. Once again, my sister showed culture beyond her years. The sandpit and the swings naturally stood above all other attractions at any playground, after all. 

I made sure to stick Izumi to my lap with chakra. See? Real life adaptations, people. I wanted to make sure we could go  up and down fast. No need for boring stuff. The speed I swung us at might have frightened other babies around Izumi’s age. Not my sister, though. It wasn’t the first time we had been to the playground together and she made it abundantly clear that she wanted to go fast, the adrenaline junkie. 

After another hour of playing, I took Izumi back to Kaa-san. The two of us were covered in sand from the sandpit earlier, and Kaa-san impulsively brushed the sand off us. “Did you have fun with Nii-chan, Izumi-chan?” Izumi blinked sleepily from all of the playing but still managed an affirmative giggle. “Thank you for playing with her,” she told me, taking Izumi from my hands. “It must be boring for you sometimes.”

“Not at all! I’m still a kid, too, you know.” I reassured her. It wasn’t exactly the same as playing alone, but there was a different type of enjoyment and amusement that came from playing with a younger sibling. I was still a kid as well, despite going to the academy. Who said I wouldn’t enjoy the playground? “You’re right. Sometimes I forget.” she admitted with a blush. 

Izumi fell asleep in Kaa-san’s arms as we made our way home, even when we stopped by the market to get some groceries for dinner. Tou-san made it home as we were making dinner, weariness weighing on his expression and pleased to see us nonetheless. Sometimes I think he works too much. I told Tou-san what had happened today as he gladly listened to me. He was proud of my progress in chakra control. I forgot to ask him for pointers on earth release.

It was days like these that made me feel that all of my training was worth it. At some point, I would be strong enough not to worry about them. Izumi had finally stopped waking up to cry every night, though sometimes she still woke up in the middle of the night. She accomplished the feat of shouting just loud enough to wake me up specifically. Kaa-san and Tou-san went to sleep early.

“Bedtime story?” I asked Izumi, tucking her into her cradle. She yawned drowsily, so I shurgged and took it as a yes. There was no way she would get out of hearing this one… “This comes from where your brother comes from,” I started in a low voice, “Wealth, fame, power. Gold Roger had it all…” 

By the time I got to the part about the Golden Age of Piracy, she had already fallen asleep. Kissing her on the forehead, I silently tiptoed to my bed and went to sleep. 

—----------------------

It had been a few months since the academy started, in fact I was almost 6 years old. My birthday was on the next day, actually, on the 17th of March. Kaa-san had instructed me to invite anyone who I considered my friend, and it looked like the only ones I wanted to invite were Hayate, Gai and maybe Gai’s father if he wanted to come along.

My training up to this point had been going fairly well, but I still hadn’t built a very strong offense in taijutsu. In terms of ninjutsu, I had only made progress with some nature manipulation with the help of Tou-san. My chakra control was good enough where I had little problem tree walking, but Kaa-san still thought it was too early to try water walking, so I continued using tree walking as a good exercise to improve my chakra reserves and core strength.

Sparring with Gai was fun enough, but it was very challenging. I was itching to fight an opponent closer to my level.

“.... Next spar, Hyuuga Momoku vs Uchiha Daisuke.” announced Hayashi-sensei. Today was the first day where we began sparring. The academy wanted us to start sparring as soon as we were technically able to spar so we could get used to combat early on.

This was the first match that was notable so far, the others having been clumsy slugfests with generic civilian students.

I gulped as I heard Hayashi-sensei announce my sparring partner. Though I would be confident against most civilian-born students, I was not so confident against clan kids. They had been trained their whole lives to become shinobi. The same is true for me, true, but I was still worried about my odds. Branch family or not, the Gentle Fist was kind of terrifying. I sighed nervously.

Hayate elbowed my side to get my attention, “Come on, don’t make that expression. Get out there.” Hayate demanded of me, trying to encourage me, he pushed me to the sparring area and I stumbled pathetically before scrambling to get back up in front of everyone. “Hey!” I shouted at Hayate, cheeks heating up. The only silver linings I could find in this match were that I was getting better and better at avoiding hits and the fact that Hyuuga Momoku was still young, and surely not a true master of his clan’s style.

“No more stalling, Daisuke-kun,” Hayashi-sensei said in a stern voice. Nodding quickly, I went to the other side of the sparring area. Momoku seemed pretty patient and didn’t let even a bit of impatience show on his expression. Very much unlike some of my annoyed classmates who were yelling at me to enter. How mature, or stoic, I guess.

Getting into our stances, I shuddered at the stance he took. Gentle Fist right off the bat? I knew I was technically an Uchiha, but… I clenched my fists tightly as I shifted into my own stance, which slowly leaning into a mix of Gai’s Strong Fist and Kaa-san’s taijutsu style she had taught me, with the emphasis being on Kaa-san’s defensiveness.

Gai’s style was more about dealing heavy external damage and required a lot of strength, which I didn’t have. I often targeted areas that didn’t require an abundance of force to inflict proper damage to compensate for that. Kaa-san’s style was more about adaptability. Her style could adapt depending on the situation, but had a special emphasis on redirection, dodging and counter attacking, which was no doubt influenced by her use of the sharingan. It suited my own natural defense style well.

Momoku’s eyebrows scrunched up in confusion at the sight of my unfamiliar stance. I took a deep breath before hearing Hayashi-sensei countdown. “3… 2… 1… Go!” he boomed, declaring the start of the match with a wave of his hand. I was used to Gai, who would always charge at me as soon as sparring began, so it surprised me for a second when I saw him cautiously approach me instead.

I was worried about taking initiative, to be honest, as it often didn’t end well for me against Gai.It was more of an instinct to avoid getting myself battered as much, because Gai (seemingly) did not pull his punches. Well, maybe he did, but damn did they hurt. I then looked at the quietly approaching Momoku. I had no delusions about him being anything less than strong (for our age group), but a thought passed through my mind in that moment.

There was no way he was stronger than Gai.

Fuck it, I thought. I needed to learn to take initiative at some point. Rushing at Momoku with a punch that would surely make Gai proud, I saw veins form around his eyes. It was the Byakugan. He aimed to strike at my wrist, so he could end my assault early on. I dug in with my legs, stopping my momentum, before I sidestepped off to the side as quickly as I could. Explosive speed and strength was a staple in Gai’s style as well as his training. He was very adamant about the importance of fast-twitch muscle fiber development. I could see why. Shifting my weight, I aimed another punch at Momoku’s body. He was momentarily surprised at my sudden speed, but he otherwise seemed prepared for the strike.

He dodged the body blow by stepping in, brushing my right arm away with his left and striking a tenketsu in the inside of my left arm. Sharp pain shot through my arm and into my elbow. It felt like a hot needle stabbed into my arm. Hissing in pain, backed off, holding my left arm. Okay, not doing that again. I was right to be cautious of the style.

Despite Momoku’s stoicism, it was easy to spot the pleased look in his eyes. Offense wouldn’t work. Thankfully Momoku decided to take the opportunity to go on the offense against me this time. He jabbed with his right, aiming for my weakened left side. My left arm wasn’t technically completely immobile, though. Sure, a tenketsu was disabled, but I had long gotten used to moving a sluggish appendage.

Momoku was fast but not faster than Gai. He did have similar devastating destructive power due to his Gentle Fist, but all I had to do was not get hit by them, right? I couldn’t parry blows with an impaired left arm, but I was quick on my feet and used to much faster. My weakened left side proved to be more of a strength as I could see that was where the bulk of his focus went to. Sidestepping and weaving around him, i narrowly avoided an onslaught of Gentle Fist blows.

He was gradually growing frustrated, striking especially hard and favoring his right a bit too much. I had an idea. Lower level Hyuuga seemingly had a glaring weakness: their lack of experience when using their legs. The style focused on striking with ones hands, but without proper experience, speed, and reaction time, maybe Momoku’s legs would be a weak point. I swayed out of the way of the next blow and swept at his legs with my right leg.

Jackpot. He tried to step away as soon as he saw the move, but he couldn’t quite avoid it. His legs buckled as his face lowered. My right, already primed for a follow up, struck cleanly at his cheek, sending him skidding backwards. Hayate cheered amidst the stunned silence. What a dork.

Momoku did not fall over, recovering much quicker than I expected he would from that kind of blow. Gai was right about my offense. Almost immediately, he stepped in. I tried to leap back, but his arm jabbed faster than I could get away. I braced for impending pain, but it didn’t come. The boy had stopped his blow right before it connected. Thank god. I gave him an appreciative, yet wobbly smile in return. Chivalry was not, in fact, dead!

“I give up, Sensei.” I said, turning to Hayashi-sensei. We exchanged the seal of conciliation, where Momoku nodded respectfully, “It was a magnificent duel, Uchiha-san.” He said formally. Well, it was good to know that there was a clan kid who wasn’t an arrogant little shit.

Over the boo’s from my classmates, I went back to Hayate to sit down. Sensei said that unless the injury was too serious, I would have to wait to go to the nurse’s office after the matches. My arm still ached quite a bit, but it was more like a dull ache. Training today was going to suck.  

“You were pretty fast there, Daisuke,” Hayate commented. He looked at me expectantly for an answer, “I guess so,” I drawled, “I train with a friend pretty often, and speed is a big part of our training, to be honest.” I replied before pausing to think. Maybe Hayate could join us. “Maybe you could join in sometime,” I suggested.

“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Hayate responded with a shrug. He was trying to sound nonchalant, but I could see his poorly-hidden anticipation for the prospect of getting stronger. “Can I bring my bokken?” he asked. “Probably, but remember we aren’t only sparring. The training’s reaaally hard, so I’m not sure if you can handle it…” I answered, amusement and false concern ever present in my tone. He punched me in the shoulder, “Of course I can handle some stupid training,” he defended, a hand over his chest. 

I interrupted our banter. “By the way, Hayate. My birthday is tomorrow. We are cutting training early to celebrate after the academy. Come join us.” I wanted Hayate to come as well. We weren’t amazing friends yet but he was the only one who I made more than small talk with in the academy. I glanced at him to see him glaring at me, “Your birthday’s tomorrow… and you tell me now?” he bit out. I looked away sheepishly, “Uh… I forgot?” I attempted to justify myself. A vein appeared on his forehead, “About what? Your birthday?!” he demanded, before sighing, “Fine, I’ll come. Don’t blame me for an uninspired gift…” he muttered. I slapped his shoulder,  “No worries! Tomorrow we train, and then we’ll go to my house, okay?.” I informed him. He nodded, before going back to watching the matches and commenting here and there.

The matches went on, and nothing noteworthy really happened. Hayate was pretty average in taijutsu among the civilian-born, though I imagine he would be better at kenjutsu. Uchiha Shodo was undeniably very fast and strong and had great technique, but he was also very reckless with his attacks. Not that it mattered - he fought the Nara girl, who probably wasn’t trained as intensely physically and lost pretty badly. She was very bitter about it, too. Fair enough though, Shodo spewed quite the impressive amount of shit talk for a 6 year old.

Anko and Yugao sparred together, and honestly they were both quite good. Anko had the edge over Yugao, though. Yugao’s taijutsu was generic, following the academy’s kata. Anko’s taijutsu, on the other hand, was something I had never seen before. It wasn’t conventional from what I could tell, her style focusing on grabs and counter attacks. Very slippery. She would become someone even Orochimaru considered worth his time to train, much to her own (future) detriment, unfortunately. Iruka was… sadly painfully average.

Speaking of Anko, she still didn’t talk to me, even though we sat together. It had been months. Was she mad at me, or something? Maybe I left a bit of a bad first impression because I was beeing a brat, but come on, surely it didn’t matter.

What mattered, in fact, was that tomorrow was my birthday, and Kaa-san was making a cake for me. I still had a huge sweet tooth that carried over from my first life, which meant I was beyond excited. With my birthday party, I could almost forget about the impending 3rd Great Shinobi War. Judging by my rough estimate of time I had set, it would break out before long.

Despite its inevitability, I still held on to hope that maybe it wouldn’t break out.

Chapter Text

I woke up with a bright smile and a great mood. It was my birthday today, but it wasn’t just any birthday. It was the first birthday where I celebrated with people other than my parents. Before today, I didn’t really have any friends but Gai, and to be honest I never even thought to invite him to celebrate with me until Kaa-san reminded me a few months back that I could, indeed, have people over. Who could’ve known. This year’s birthday also marked the first birthday where Izumi was around.

It was a great day to be me.

Before today, I told Gai and Hayate that they didn’t have to bother bringing me any presents, but Gai insisted, explaining that it was ‘nonsense’ and ‘entirely self-serving’ to not bring a gift to such an occasion. He further clarified that he wouldn’t dare ‘mock the celebration of one’s Youth’. It was funny to hear him so adamant about something other than training, and I did make a mental note to definitely bring a gift to any celebration Gai invited me to. Hayate also insisted on bringing a gift, though it probably had to do with the fact that we weren’t friends for too long and he felt bad for appearing empty-handed.

Than plan before celebrating was simply to go to the academy, train as a group after classes ended to buy time to Kaa-san to prepare everything, and then go to my house. Nothing too special, really. Today was the first day of bukijutsu class, which was designed to give all of us a general education on ninja tools. We didn’t have anything too special, nothing like learning kenjutsu or how to use ninja wire, but we needed to have a grasp on how to use both kunai and shuriken. After that, additional weaponry like senbon, fuma shuriken and the aforementioned ninja wire could be taught to anybody who had the interest.

My parents had already taught me the basics of using kunai, like how to properly wield it and basic technique for throwing, but it wasn’t something that we focused on. On top of that, I had no experience in shurikenjutsu at all. Weird for an Uchiha, I know, but it wasn’t seen by them as a priority. They expected me to simply learn at the academy or during my regular training regimen.

I may have been very solid in chakra control and taijutsu for my age, but considering the lack of proper training I had received for bukijutsu, I was on an untrained civilian’s level. Except for wielding kunai to some degree, maybe, but throwing… Let’s not talk about it. I was never good at throwing anything in my past life, so the idea was making me a little anxious.

Anyway, Hayashi-sensei told us about the graduation conditions today. Contrary to popular belief in the Naruto fandom, the requirements weren’t simply to be able to use the academy 3. They changed yearly, to ensure each new Genin had all their bases covered. If academy students heard from their senpais about the test, they might solely focus on those specific requirements, after all.

So yes, the academy’s tests weren't always the same. I had already theorized this before hearing the news. Naruto tried to graduate three times and failed. On his third try, he was even surprised to hear that the graduation test would include the clone jutsu. Rock Lee managed to graduate even though he couldn’t do a single one of the academy three either. This meant that the exams could include any of the curriculum I would go through and there may very well be a test on our shurikenjutsu in the future. What that meant for me was that I would have to keep even uninteresting skills up to par with the class’s average.

We went outside of the academy for the first bukijutsu lesson, close to our sparring area from before. Hayashi-sensei gave us wooden shuriken and kunai. “I need everyone’s attention! I’m giving each of you a set of practice kunai and practice shuriken. You will take care of them. Today, I will present proper throwing form. Try to mimic me. You will all have thirty minutes to practice the proper form before we move on to the actual throwing.” he explained to his whining students, pointing to the targets. The targets were logs with the classic red and white circular targets, a bull’s eye in the middle.

Most of the students were seemingly unhappy about being given fake weapons, but I was just thankful that even Konoha’s academy felt apprehensive about giving real weapons to six and seven year olds. Not that I was actually praising my village’s practice, I mean, we still employed child soldiers.

Besides, how could those kids even complain about this? Not only were we being given an excellent opportunity to practice, but we actually had something to throw. I half-guessed that we would spend a couple of weeks without even fake weapons. The time we spent before any taijutsu sparring was boring as hell, and I would hate to have a repeat of that. Looking down at the wooden ninja tools I had been given, I frowned. Maybe this body would have better hand-eye-coordination than my last.

Hayate shoulder-bumped me, grabbing my attention. I glanced over to him and was met with a mischievous grin. The picture of confidence.. “How about a competition? I can definitely hit more bullseye’s than you, birthday boy.” He smirked challengingly. Considering his confidence, I was guessing that he had already had some practice at home with throwing.

Nah. I wasn’t gonna have any of this nay-saying on my birthday of all days. I didn’t have much practice with shuriken, but damn it, I couldn’t refuse a bet. I’ve always had pretty good beginner’s luck, anyway. “What’s on the table?” I whispered to him, eying my surroundings suspiciously like the world’s youngest drug dealer.

“I don’t want to take too much from you on your birthday,” he thought for a second, “An order of dango, simple as. Deal?” he offered with an air of supremacy. Oh, this rat and his cockiness. This was so on. Maybe I wasn’t so experience, but I was still an Uchiha. My eyesight might just get me a win here. I could totally bullshit a victory out of this. “You’re on!” I told him with a nasty smile.

—-------------------------------

My face fell into despair as I watched my kunai and shuriken tumble pathetically one by one.

I was wrong. About a possible victory, that is. Maybe the Uchiha side took over with some kind of clan kid arrogance, but damn, my accuracy in throwing was not that much better than in my first life. Where it was terrible. Jesus Christ, this was embarrassing.

It was true that I had greater eyesight and hand-eye coordination than before, but it really looked like my accuracy would need a lot of work. I wasn’t some sort of idiot who would think that I could survive in the shinobi world with restricted use of shuriken and kunai. Utterly missing the bull's eye for the final time and with only about 6 of my 10 projectiles even hitting the target, not even close to the bull’s eye, my head fell in embarrassment. Even many of the civilian kids were better than me.

Hayate looked downright evil at that moment, wearing a shit-eating grin looking as if had just found a $100 bill on the road. Damn it, I got in over my head. Hayate stepped up next and he hit the target with every throw, landing 6 bull’s eyes. What kind of training did he have at home? I sighed in defeat and decided to wallow in my misery. 

“I’m sorry for being too good,” he mocked me. It was clear now that he didn’t even care about the fact that I owed him dessert. “Can it, Hayate. You’ll get your dango…” I groaned in frustration. I was a bit below average in shuriken throwing. My kunai throwing was better. It was where I hit 4 of the 6 times on the target, which I’d say was about average… for the civilian-born students. I mean, I guess I was civilian-born, but I hated to be compared with average after all of the praise I had been getting from Hayashi-sensei and my parents.

All of the clan kids always at least hit the target, Uchiha Shodo and Hyuuga were the best out of them, hitting 8 and 10 bull’s eyes respectively. Anko was also surprisingly good, too. It was surprising to see the level of skill that some people possessed already. Spoiled clan kids, I tell you. 

Hayashi-sensei then told us that he recommended us to have a success rate of at least 85% rate for hitting a bull’s eye on the target before becoming a Genin. It wouldn’t necessarily be a requirement when graduating, but when faced against an enemy shinobi, it would be a disaster if you missed at a bad moment. He recommended that we practiced every day, as it was important to master the fundamentals.

Since our bukijutsu class was the last class of the day, much like our sparring and taijutsu class, I left the classroom, Hayate trailing behind me.

As we stepped outside the gates, I turned to Hayate hesitantly, “So… listen, Hayate. Gai’s a great dude, super strong, too, but,” I thought of the right word, “he’s a bit eccentric, okay? You’ll see what I mean when you meet him.” I informed Hayate, ensuring he knew what he was in for. “He takes training very seriously. He won’t let you stop until you really can’t go on. I mean it.” I explained further.

Honestly, Hayate lucked out with the fact that it was my birthday today, because we were ending earlier today. I remembered the first day, and by God did everything hurt. Hayate wouldn’t be in any actual danger, knowing Gai, but the first few sessions of training were really tough on me, and Hayate likely wouldn’t be used to the intensity we trained at.

Hayate sighed, “You’re being dramatic. I bet he’s fi-” he told me before being cut short by the son of the eternal genin running towards us. “Happy birthday, Daisuke-kun!!” he shouted from a distance, gradually coming closer. I grimaced, seeing his arms ready to tackle me in a hug. I braced my lower body for what would be an undoubtedly excessively powerful show of affection.

I made an ‘oof’ sound in response to the air being pushed out of me. Gai patted me on the back, tears running down his eyes and giving me an earful about Youth and congratulations. He finally looked down to see me taking deep breaths. “My apologies! I simply could not resist a wholehearted congratulation!” he justified himself before letting go.

I chuckled, “N-no problem, I kinda expected this sort of greeting,” I admitted with an amused smile. “You know me so well!” Gai laughed before finally noticing the bewildered Hayate. “And who is this Youthful boy?” Hayate cleared the bewilderment off his face, “Ah. I’m Gekko Hayate, Daisuke’s friend. I was invited to train with the two of you,” he said carefully, clearly less sure of his decision. Even if he regretted his choice to come with us, he wouldn’t be let off now that Gai was aware of Hayate’s initial intentions.

Stars filled Gai’s eyes as he thrust his arm forward in a handshake. “Is that so?!” he asked excitedly, “What great news! We must not waste anymore time! Let us go!” he decided quickly, facing away quickly. “Yosh! Follow me, you two!” he ordered. We were making a bit of a scene, so I tried to hurry Gai up a bit. I was always embarrassed by excessive attention.

The place where Gai and I had been training changed from a playground a long time ago. There were plenty of training grounds around Konoha for shinobi to use, though civilians weren’t allowed to use them. Thankfully, there were designated training grounds for people like civilians and academy students - they weren’t as big, but for two 6 year olds and a 10 year old, it was more than enough.

It was a nice place, really. Plenty of grass to break your fall (thank you Gai). Lots of trees to hide behind while being attacked (thank you Gai). Not to mention-, you know what, maybe I Gai should hold back a little more.

As we arrived, Gai immediately got us started on the normal routine we had built up. My own routine slowly changed as I started diversifying my training more. There were newer skills I had to keep up with, so things changed ever so slightly. Now, we shortened the laps and strength training to some degree to give ourselves time to work on our respective skills. It was a sort of free-time period. I filled that time with chakra control exercises like tree-walking, hand seals practice and throwing practice. Eventually, I would practice with jutsu and nature manipulation, but for now I was still trying to get a feel for that with rocks and stones. Progress was steady but not absurdly quickly, though changing the basic shape of a regular hand-sized rock was already an easy feat for me.

Of course, actual ninjutsu would require much more proficiency.

Gai believed that it was best to spar while we were already drained, so we always sparred with each other at the end of our training. Normally, a day of training lasted between four and six hours for me and Gai, but today it would only last about three hours, since we were heading back to my house earlier.

—------------------------------------------------

Hayate was actually doing quite well, to be honest. Much better than my first day, at least. He had obviously had some kind of training regimen already, considering his decent stamina. Not that it was quite up to par with Gai’s standards, though.“This… sucks..” Hayate muttered after we finally finished our laps. We only did about half of the usual today, so Gai wasn’t even fazed, while I was a bit winded..

“You would’ve had to do this at some point, y’know,.” I shrugged, giving him a pat on the back. “Your future Sensei would have eaten you alive if you hadn’t started with proper conditioning. How will you run missions when you can barely run?” I asked slyly. That’s right, this was payback from before. Screw you and your throwing.

“Correct indeed, my friend! Endurance is of utmost importance! Do not fret, Hayate-kun, for as long as you train several times harder, you will catch up! Your future self will surely be pleased with the results!” Gai explained innocently, not taking a jab at the poor boy. Hayate’s eyes widened as the words ‘several times harder’ registered in his mind. “... Right, Gai-san. I’ll be sure to train harder in private…” he muttered.

“In private? Whatever could you mean?” Gai asked, shocked by the idea that a normal person wouldn’t agree to his idea of training. To be fair, Gai’s pretty lucky that I need to get stronger and that I like him. Who else but Kakashi would willingly train with him? “Okay, what’s next?” Hayate asked me, dutifully ignoring Gai’s question. 

“Normally we would do strength training for an hour or two, but we only have two hours left before we have to go home.” I hummed thoughtfully, “Gai and I decided that we would work on only explosive strength today, since it’s less time-consuming. After that we’ll work on individual skills briefly and move on to sparring.”

Gai’s Strong Fist style of taijutsu relied on a high degree of explosive movement, so it was something we worked on a lot. It would probably also benefit Hayate’s kenjutsu significantly. The speed I had gained from Gai’s regimen was enough to give Hyuuga Momoku a challenge, despite the difference between our skills.

The rest of the training was marginally easier for Hayate. While his endurance was a bit lacking for our standards, he didn’t slack off on his strength training, keeping up with the regiment we set. Fast-paced lunges, pushups, squats, and sprints did require a foundation in endurance, of course, but it wasn’t as demanding as the running we did. He kept up with my exercises fine, but Gai was another beast. After that, we got to sparring. After some convincing, Gai agreed to allow Hayate to spar with me first. We both had the same reason for wanting to spar Hayate first: he would be more tired after the first spar. Gai’s enjoyment of fighting had rubbed off on me, apparently. He relented after I pulled out my trump card: “C’mon, it’s my birthday!”

“Any rules?” Hayate asked neutrally, taking the bag he brought with him. “Yeah. No explicitly fatal strikes, like in the neck or back of the head.” I replied, looking at his bag curiously. Ah, that must be where he packed his bokken. Exciting. Hayate took the practice sword and fell into a kenjutsu stance, the Gekko family kenjutsu style, probably. I took on the stance of my own taijutsu style.

Fighting Hayate was going to be fairly difficult. He had the advantage in range, and I was inexperienced in fighting against kenjutsu. I was unfamiliar with his style, which was a bad match up with these odds. My plan was to get in close, keeping my guard up and avoiding strikes as they came. Narrowing my eyes, I shot at Hayate as Gai shouted “Go!!” from the distance. I tried to slide into his guard on his left but fell short as he saw it coming, leaned back and swung his bokken cleanly, stopping my advance. I narrowly dodged the swing by maneuvering the slide into a roll, making sure to get to my feet and back off before Hayate could follow up. 

I would need to be less predictable. I approached Hayate cautiously, baiting a few strikes from Hayate as I closed in. I was slowly getting closer. He got impatient and stepped in, swinging his bokken in a diagonal cross from his right. I stepped in, holding my left arm to block the attack. I hissed as the blow left behind a painful numbness, but I was finally inside his guard. I leaned towards him, swinging my arm from below towards his solar plexus. The boy’s eyes widened as he hopped backwards, hoping to get out of my range.

Following him with my superior speed, I pivoted to the side with a sidestep and drove my left towards his head. He hastily repositioned his bokken to block the blow. Perfect. I dug in with my feet to stop my momentum midway, using the moment of shock to kick at his hand with my right leg. The weapon clanked loudly on the ground as he lost his grip.

Hayate was now disarmed. He knew better to bend down and pick it up, raising his guard to his face. Instead of targeting his head, I took the opportunity to step in and elbow his side as hard as I could. He doubled over in pain, and while his guard was still up, a gap appeared through it as he eased up on its tightness. My fist stopped right before hitting his chin, emulating Momoku’s sportsmanship.

Hayate put his hands up in a pained smile and gave up the spar. “Wow, that was vicious…” he said, voice shaky from adrenaline. “I had to be aggressive to get past that bokken.” I responded, thinking of advice to give him. “You knew to keep me away, but your swings were too linear, even if they were very fast,” I explained. Truthfully, it was a fairly difficult feat to avoid a barrage of those swings. Sure, his swings were linear, but they were fast and precise. If he had pressed his range advantage a bit more, or struck at a more painful area, I might have been stopped in my tracks. “You should probably remember that your weapon is attached to your arm, as well,” I commented jokingly.

“My parents tell me that, too. It’s hard to put it into practice, but sparring with you more often might help me.” he admitted with a thoughtful frown. He rubbed his side, “That aside, that punch hurt , man. I’ll have to be more careful next time.” Hayate huffed in annoyance. He reached towards his bag, ready to pack his bokken back up. Gai appeared in an instant.

“Where do you think you’re going, Hayate-kun?” he asked slowly, enunciating his words. Hayate's eyes widened in horror. “Sparring is not quite over yet,” he added with a nod. “Would anybody care to spar with me now? He asked. Right, it was his turn now. The guy was like Goku if he heard you were strong. 

As soon as Hayate opened his mouth to refuse, Gai dragged him to go sparring. “Yosh, Hayate-kun it is!” he exclaimed immediately. I could only look on in pity as Hayate held his hand out, helplessly pleading with me to do something. Ah… I, too, remember trying to get out of a spar with Gai. There was nothing I could do for the poor soul.

He was simply going to have to get used to this.

The spar between Hayate and Gai went much the same way as mine, except that Gai outperforms me in taijutsu so he actually lost faster. Hayate did make a greater effort to keep the training maniac away at the start, and was actually making some headway in his attempts, but it all came to an end when Gai got serious and started overpowering him with sheer strength and speed. 

If Hayate took that approach against me, who knows who would have won?

But alas, his opponent was Konoha’s future Green Beast of Prey. Not only was he older than the two of us, but his rate of improvement had actually been greater than mine. If I had to guess, he likely outpaced most Genin our age at his level. He was a true genius of hard work, and a genuine genius when it came to fighting. He had great fighting instincts.

A cheery and satisfied Gai and a beaten up and bitter Hayate came towards me after their spar in what was a funny sight to behold. Misery was fun to see, but alas, it was time to head to my house for my birthday party. We were all pretty tired. Hayate looked downright exhausted.

“Do you train with anybody else, Gai? I mean, with your skills there’s no way I’m the only one you spar with regularly…” I asked with a glance. Was it possible that Dai spared with him at home or in their free time? He made an ‘o’ with his mouth.

“Rather sharp of you, my dear friend. I do indeed regularly spar with somebody other than you! My eternal rival! He is a boy of great skill!” he explained eagerly, before having a lightbulb moment mid speech. “Ah, I should bring you to one of our many bouts! It is truly a sight to behold!” he said with anticipation.

His eternal rival… Oh my, Kakashi? I didn’t exactly forget about Kakashi, but it slipped my mind. I didn’t know he was challenging Kakashi at this age, either. I didn’t know how strong Kakashi would be now, but if I had any guess, Gai was probably pushing himself quite hard to compete with him. If I remember correctly, Kakashi had already become a Genin by the age of 6 or so. 

“A boy of great skill? I would love to come along,” I hummed with interest. “Yosh! It is a plan!” he declared, pumping his fist. “Now, I am sure the two of you are beyond curious about the fateful day in which the two of us met!  It all began at the tender age of four…”

—--------------------------------------------

Eventually, we made it home. It wasn’t quite the long walk, sure, but it sure felt long. “... I admit it, Daisuke. He’s eccentric.” Hayate relented with a whisper. Gai had spent the duration of our way back explaining in dramatic detail the fateful meeting between two esteemed rivals. I found it funny, to be honest, but Hayate was done. I opened the door, giving the typical “I’m home!” yell before stepping in with my two friends.

My two soon-to-be shinobi friends bowed politely as Kaa-san appeared behind to door to greet us. Hayate’s bow was stiff with nervousness. The fool. Kaa-san was the opposite of strict. “Hi there boys! Come on in, Gai-kun, and…?” she hummed, asking for his name. “My name is Gekko Hayate, Uchiha-san. I-it’s nice to meet you.” he responded politely, smiling nervously. Kaa-san’s smile grew fonder, “It’s nice to meet you too, Hayate-kun. Come on in, boys!” 

Entering the living room, I saw that my mom went all out with decorations. There was a big sign saying “Happy birthday, Daisuke!” with balloons floating around. The smell of wonderful home cooked food hit all of our noses at once and my mouth started watering.  “You must be hungry! How about you all chat around the table while I finish preparing the food?” Kaa-san suggested to us. She was already putting on an apron, knowing we wouldn’t refuse.

“Your mom’s nice.” Hayate commented as we took our seats, suddenly energized. The prospect of food had seemingly cured him of his earlier fatigue. I nodded back, “I know,” I agreed proudly. Kaa-san was the best second mom I could have ever had. Huh, that was a weird thought. A few moments later Tou-san came in carrying a drowsy Izumi. She was likely still on her nap by the time we got in. “Hey, kiddo. I imagine you’ve had a productive day on training,” he remarked, looking me up and down for traces of fatigue. I nodded to him, then looked at Izumi. She still looked drowsy from waking up.

“Gai, Hayate, meet my Tou-san and my sister Izumi.” I told them, looking between my family and my friends. My friends gave him a handshake in greeting. “It is great to finally meet the father of my oh so Youthful friend!” Gai said with a wide grin. Tou-san raised his eyebrow for a second before shrugging. “Nice to meet you too, kid.” he said amusedly. 

As they were introducing themselves, I took Izumi from Tou-san’s hands and sat back down at the table. I smiled down at the yawning girl, “Did you sleep well?” I whispered to Izumi. She blinked at me tiredly. She was just so cute. I poked at her cheeks. “ Try to wake up, okay? It’s my birthday! ” I informed her with a mock tone of offense. She sat up on my lap, snapping herself out of her sleepiness.

Impressive.

Chakra definitely affected the mental and physical development of people here. There’s no way you would get that coherent of a response from a 7 month old baby from a kid back on Earth. I remember when my cousin was newborn and she didn’t really process information until she was like 18 months old. Obviously I don’t mean it literally, but damn. The concept explains prodigies like Itachi and Kakashi operating on such high mental levels at such low ages.

Kaa-san glanced over her shoulder as she heard me. I was never subtle about speaking in English to Izumi, and I suspected that both Kaa-san and Tou-san were curious about what I was even saying to my sister. I had been doing it for too long to simply dismiss it as a baby-speak gibberish thing.

Everytime my parents looked at me questioningly was kind of awkward, but I learned to ignore it. Maybe it was rude to not offer an explanation to them, but what should I even tell them? Should I tell them the truth? It wasn’t an easy answer to come to. I was too scared of the chance Kaa-san and Tou-san would treat me differently. I still wanted to be the same Daisuke that they had raised. The son they love. 

My thought process was interrupted by Kaa-san bringing a mountain of food on the table. An actual main course along with cake. 

The rest of my birthday party was a lot of fun. After we ate, my parents got to know Hayate and Gai. I thought that maybe such a low key birthday party would be boring to them, but the two seemed happy to be here. It made me glad I brought them here. We ate the cake Kaa-san made for me; a Japanese variation of sponge cake, topped with a caramelized syrup, which had my taste buds dancing in my mouth. The only thing missing was a “Happy birthday to you” song, which was sadly missing in a world without English. 

A real shame. I wouldn't mind a “Hapi basudei tsu yu” song.

Eventually, we got around to opening my presents. The two of my friends had brought gifts, of course, and along with my parents’ contribution, I actually had a decent haul. I opened gifts from Tou-san and Kaa-san first. From them, I received generic and yet much appreciated gifts. Socks, underwear, books, some outdoor pants. All good stuff. 

I looked over the last three gifts, and I could tell they were a bit more special based on the wrapping and the general shape. I grabbed the one made by Gai that had “From Maito Gai” written on it in poor handwriting. It was heavy. “I’ll open this one first.” I said to my parents’ and friends expectant eyes.

Gai perked up, still chewing on some leftover dessert, “Hapffghi Birff'ay,” He chewed and swallowed the food,  “My apologies,” he mumbled with a sheepish smile, “I sincerely hope that you will enjoy my gift!” the eccentric boy shouted hopefully at me, undeterred. I unwrapped the gift and found training weights similar to the ones I remembered Lee wore. “You have been getting stronger, Daisuke-kun! Soon you will be strong enough to train with weights, just like me! You can adjust their weight with chakra, too!” he told me, explaining his gift. He looked ecstatic to be giving me it.

Man, he had been using weights this whole time? I was still losing to him in races even while he was being slowed down by them… 

I couldn't complain further though. It was a great gift that would really help my training, and coming from Gai, it was very thoughtful. This was really good. I didn’t think I could handle the weights just yet; I didn’t want to hurt myself prematurely, but it would prove very useful in the future. “Thanks, Gai. I’ll be using these soon enough.” I said gratefully. He gave me a thumbs up.

Next, I glanced over to another gift. There was no name tag, but I assumed that it was from Hayate. Kaa-san wouldn't have left an empty name tag. The gift had a shape I couldn’t quite discern yet. I sent him a glance, “Yeah, that one's mine,” he confirmed with a nod. I picked it up expectantly. Opening the gift, it looked to be a shinobi’s pouch. “I noticed that you didn’t bring any shinobi gear to the academy, so I decided to get you a pouch.” the kenjutsu novice stated before pausing, “Just so you know, I left some real shuriken inside, since you’re still practicing with those dodgy wooden ones. Happy birthday.” Pshh, my wooden ones were fine.

“Thanks, Hayate. I appreciate it.” I told him in all seriousness. He seemed nervous, about whether I liked it or not, but there was no reason for him to worry about that. I didn’t have a pouch yet, nor did I have any shuriken. It would be better to train with metal ones to get used to their weight. A great gift, especially considering how last minute it is.

The last gift once again came from my parents, evident by the tag attached to their gift. The tag was covered in stars and hearts, which I knew I could thank Kaa-san for. I looked up to her anticipated face, “We packed two presents together, cause these ones are special!” she explained, thrusting her hands forward, “Now, open it!”

…Right.

The shape of the wrapping was odd, but I chalked it up to the fact that my parents had stuffed two things into one section of wrapping paper. I opened the gift to find a scroll and some clothes? “Considering your progress in the academy, it would look bad if you kept going in regular clothes, wouldn’t it?” Tou-san said, slightly smiling, “Granted, you’ll probably need another set as you grow, so this set is a size larger.” he continued. The whole set of clothes included sandals, dark blue pants, a belt, a mesh shirt and a black t-shirt to go over the mesh shirt. They were really cool, to be honest. I felt eager to put it on right then and there, as if it were a Halloween costume, but I managed to resist myself. “These are awesome, Tou-chan! Thanks!”

There was still the scroll.

“Come on, Daisuke-chan! Did you forget about the scroll already?!” Kaaa-san pouted at me impatiently. I sighed, reading the text on the scroll. Fire Style? “Did you know it was a rite of passage for Uchiha children to learn the Fireball jutsu?” Kaa-san had a nostalgic look in her eyes as she smiled at me gently. I gaped, “No way,” I gasped out in wonder. This gift is so cool ! “Yes way, sweetie! I can see those stars in your eyes!” she cheered.

A voice at the back of my mind argued that maybe I was too young, but a much louder for screamed at me to learn it. Besides, if Kaa-san was giving me the okay, then I’ll trust her judgment. Breathing fire, the dream of any growing boy. Kaa-san had to rain on my parade, by telling me that she would only teach me after reaching the second year of the Academy.

Talk about the Carrot and Stick!

Anyway, the scroll apparently contained general instructions on the Fire Style nature transformation and didn’t have any information on the Fireball Jutsu, so it was left to the parent to properly teach the jutsu. It reminded me of those episodes where Itachi and Sasuke learned it. Kaa-san must’ve felt nostalgic remembering the tradition. That makes me wonder about her parents, or rather, my grandparents. Isn’t it weird that I haven’t met them yet?

With the presents given, I expressed my gratitude, “Guys, thank you so much for coming! Thank you for these amazing gifts!” I thanked them with a joyous tone. “I am glad to be of service!” Gai said, smiling and giving a thumbs up. “It’s the least I could do.” Hayate said politely, looking away.

Kaa-san laughed, “You have cute friends, but it’s a shame you didn’t bring more of them along! When I was your age, I had thiiiis many friends!” Kaa-san taunted me, expressing the sheer quantity by spreading her hands as far as she could. “That right?” I deadpanned with a sigh.

After celebrating some more, we eventually sent Gai and Hayate off when I would have to go to sleep. 

—-------------------------------------------------------------

A few months had passed since my 6th birthday. Actually, the second year of the academy was gonna start soon. It was August. The first year in the academy had taught me a lot and brought me a friend, so I was satisfied with it. Also, Izumi had just turned into a 1 year old. Funnily enough, the first of my parents to be called by their names was Tou-san, which was a devastating blow to Kaa-san’s pride. I suspect she’ll never recover.

As far as progress goes, my body was growing steadily stronger, and my chakra control was better than ever. I had obtained a better grasp over all of the skills that I had set out to learn, and while Gai still criticized my offense and decisiveness in battle, I was still improving on that front. Most importantly, as the results of my training with Gai began to take hold, my physical energy started growing rapidly. Pair that up with tree walking and my surplus of mental energy, and you get the picture. My chakra reserves were starting to grow, and quickly at that, though I suspected that my reserves weren’t much bigger than an academy graduate’s level. Regardless, the timing for learning the Fireball jutsu was looking to be fine.

Coming home from training one day, Tou-san and Kaa-san awaited me at the table with gruesome expressions. It was then that they told me about the outbreak of a new war. It was the Third Great Shinobi War.

Chapter Text

To my horror, the Third Great Shinobi war had actually started. The conflict was one that I had been aware of for a while, but its existence didn’t quite feel real. In a way, tou-san’s conscription was a rude awakening. The war wasn’t just extremely bloody, but it had far-reaching consequences, such as Obito becoming Tobi, and the subsequent tragedies linked to Madara’s Eye of the Moon plan. The status quo that I had lived in thus far was beginning to fall apart.

That wasn’t my only worry, either.

“Tou-san, you can’t go!” I yelled at the frowning man, clenching my fists at my side. Tears tugging at my eyes, I did the only thing I could – scream in outrage. “Please calm down!” kaa-san hushed me.

“I don’t have much choice, kiddo. I have to go back to the Genin Corps.” he repeated to me gravely. You’ve got to be kidding me. From what I remembered, this war was a bloodbath.  Tou-san definitely wasn’t weak as a former career ninja, but war was never certain. There was always a chance that he could die.  

Retirement was an option for shinobi after completing a certain number of years worth of active service, but neither of my parents had retired as a result of career-ending injury, and thus they were still at risk of being conscripted for war. Hidden shinobi villages mobilized all available resources in times of war, and the Hokage’s word was law. Whether he liked it or not, there was no choice short of being branded a traitor and stripped of his rights. 

The village was pulling capable fighters out of its reserves in order to stall for the rush of early academy graduates. After retirees and current active duty shinobi were sent off, the last few years of academy students would be next. Kaa-san wasn’t conscripted because of a clause in the Mobilization act that the Sandaime Hokage had introduced, which allowed a household one guardian even during conscription. It seemed that Sarutobi Hiruzen was as kind as I remembered.

Thoughts of losing tou-san plaguing my mind, I ran up to him and hugged him. The thought of him dying kept crossing my mind, and the idea of it felt like a knife twisting in stomach. I couldn't imagine my life without him around. I cried in his shirt as he patted my back. There was nothing I could do to help him in this situation. Helplessness squeezed at my chest as I hugged him tighter.

After a few minutes, I latched off of him and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “Tou-chan, the promise that I made to you… It goes both ways, right?” I reminded him shakily, voice hoarse from my sobbing. 

Tou-san smiled gently at me. “It does. You don't have to worry about this old man,” 

—------------------------------------------------------------------------

Academy’s break was still on, and despite the start of the war, things hadn’t changed much for me, other than the impending departure of tou-san. Gai and I had continued training through the break, and despite the relative normalcy, I could tell the boy was tense.

His smiles were too strained, conversation was too surface level, and most of all, his training intensity had gone up. I was barely keeping up with him, but I didn’t complain. It was fairly clear what was going on – it was the war. Gai was eccentric and happy-go-lucky, but he wasn’t stupid. He must have been dreading the same things I have been.

After the day’s training ended, Gai faced me with a grimace, and I knew that he was finally ready to talk about what was on his mind. “My class is to take the graduation exam at the start of this school year.” 

I stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate. Gai was unusually quiet. “I do not know how I should feel, Daisuke-kun-” he paused, hesitating once again. Seemingly swallowing the lump in his throat, he continued. “On one hand, I am excited!” he exclaimed with his usual eccentric tone. “I have the opportunity to become a shinobi – to prove myself and make the village proud!” 

His grin fell, “Despite that, I find myself dreading it. Tou-san did not keep quiet about his experiences in the last war.” he explained, “Including my m-mother’s gruesome… downfall.” he choked out quietly. It was the first time that I heard the boy stutter. Maito Gai was confident, loud and strong. This side of him drove home the fact that war was coming. 

“I wonder, will I meet that same fate? What about tou-san?” he wondered out loud, before gazing at me. “... What about you, Daisuke-kun?” 

What Gai loved was training alone or with his friends, making his father proud, and self improvement. He loved his self-rule. He was conflicted between what he loved.

“Are you scared of dying, Gai?” I asked him after a few seconds of tense silence. He looked offended. “O-Of course not!” he shouted, shrinking back. I smiled at him fondly, “Well I am scared of dying.” I returned. Gai’s eyes widened in surprise. “It shouldn’t be hard to admit, you know. If you aren’t scared of dying, you’re either crazy or suicidal.” I explained with a chuckle. 

“But you know what, Gai? I have to face the fear head on. Maybe our paths will lead us to death, but I won’t die before I can fulfill my ambitions.” I declared with a determined gaze. Tou-san was going to war, and I’m going to follow him shortly. Even after that, the death of my entire family lies in the choices of Uchiha Itachi and Shimura Danzo. 

The two won’t have the chance to touch them if I have any say in it. Izumi is going to live a long, prosperous life, tou-san’s gonna survive the war, and kaa-san’s gonna be around to celebrate it. 

“What are you trying to say, Daisuke-kun?” Gai asked after a small pause. “What I’m trying to say is that it’s up to you to decide whether your fear of death is stronger than your goals. Are you going to falter before you have the chance to fulfill your ideals?” 

Gai took a deep breath before nodding. “I’m going to prove to everyone that Maito Gai exists.” he said with his characteristic smile. 

Shooting him a thumbs up, I continued, “Just promise me you won’t die. I’m not friends with liars, after all.” I reassured Gai with a wide grin, holding out my hand for a handshake. Someone like Gai couldn’t just die. Maybe I had a bit of my guarantee due to my foreknowledge, but after training with Gai for almost three years, it was difficult to picture the boy in mortal danger. 

Gai accepted my handshake with a smile. “I promise!”

—--------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that week, my second year at the Academy began. The atmosphere was tense as Hayashi-sensei told us about the war and what it would mean for us. Our primary shinobi was to be accelerated, prioritizing combat and survival skills, while cutting down on non-combat related classes. Graduation exams were to take place in the 3rd and 4th years so they could assign us to teams as quickly as possible.

A frightening reminder, but at least I was able to see Hayate again after a while.

As expected, most of Gai’s year had passed, including Gai himself. I wasn’t in doubt about that fact. Gai told me about his team members: Shiranui Genma, the laidback senbon user, Ebisu, the stern all-rounder who was fairly proficient at Fire Release, and his hearty sensei Akimichi Chouza.

His placement on his team had clearly excited him, but it was easy to tell that even he was worried about it. The new bath of Genin had time to train, gain combat experience and learn new skills with their sensei before being sent into war-related missions. Ultimately, it was up to the judgment of the team leader, but there was a lot of pressure on said team leader to approve them as prepared for war. The time a team could have varied from between a month and several months.

His new team meant that Gai’s schedule was more active than ever, so I had to train by myself on many days, even though Gai made a special effort to make time to train with me. Hayate still came along, though every time. He mostly came for sparring, but I could tell he did conditioning at his own rate in his own time after seeing the difference that endurance made during combat.

One day we began learning about the Academy 3 jutsu. It was earlier than planned on the pre-war curriculum, but I was always happy to learn more about the nature of chakra and jutsus. We didn't learn any practical information about those 3 jutsu, but we did learn the theory of how they worked.

The Transformation jutsu was a technique that used a light film of chakra, along with visions from our minds in conjunction with genjutsu theory to alter the appearance of a shinobi. The Clone jutsu was an illusionary technique that created a purely visual image of the user. Despite that, it didn’t have a smell, cast a shadow or have any substance. The Substitution jutsu used chakra to allow the user to move at unnatural speeds to substitute themselves with an object. It is related to the Body Flicker jutsu. 

When my classes ended, Gai was waiting for me in front of the academy – a habit he had long since developed. I had gotten used to seeing his face outside of the academy doors, as he made it a point to begin training with me as long as he had the free time to do so. Today was one of those days.

Gai ran up to me in front of the academy for the nth time. “Daisuke-kun, today is the day you meet my eternal rival!” he announced, dragging me by the back of my shirt before I could respond. I tried to scramble out of his grip, before realizing that I now had the ability to stop this madness. 

Dropping my feet to the ground, I channeled chakra into my feet, sticking myself to the ground.  As he continued to tug me, the adhesiveness did the trick, and stuck me to the spot. I leaned over the ground at a 45 degree angle, chakra keeping me from moving. I turned my head to smirk at Gai as he looked down at the part of the shirt he was holding with an open mouth.

“My apologies, Daisuke-kun! I did not realize I was dragging you,” Gai said with an apologetic smile.

As he let go of my shirt, I realized something. If I was leaning over the ground and the support from Gai dragging me was gone, then… 

The moment the thought passed my mind, I fell dramatically towards the ground, my butt firmly impacting the gravel and kicking up a cloud dust around me. I glared up at the boy responsible for this situation, who was too busy heartily laughing at my misfortune. He reached his hand down to bring me back up, which I accepted reluctantly. 

“You are too clumsy, my friend!” he said in between guffaws. “And you’re an asshole, Gai,” I deadpanned, dusting myself off. 

After that, he ushered me forward to come with him. The route was different than usual, so he led the way. “Why am I coming along, anyway?” I asked Gai as we were running off towards Kakashi. Gai smiled and I could’ve sworn that I saw a twinkle in his teeth. “Isn’t it obvious? I wish for you to witness my inevitable victory!” he said, giving me a thumbs up.

“Are you sure you’re gonna win?” I asked. The question fell upon deaf ears as he upped his speed without waiting for a response. Come on! “Wait up, Gai!” I yelled as I ran after him. Eventually, we arrived at a training ground I’d never been at before. 

Gai sprinted toward a group of four people standing together. At their center was a man with long, blonde hair and a standard Konoha vest, flanked by three younger ninjas. The first boy had white hair sticking up in defiance of gravity and wore a mask covering his mouth and nose. Beside him, a girl with purple markings and short brown hair flashed a bright grin at her teammates. The final member of the group had spiky brown hair, striking onyx eyes, and sported goggles uncharacteristic of a shinobi. It was unmistakably Team Minato.

Gai ran up to Kakashi, shouting at him confidently. “I challenge you, my eternal rival! Let us decide whose Youth is stronger with the greatest spar the world has ever seen!” he announced, completely interrupting whatever they were talking about. Read the room, man.

Kakashi sighed, “Again? When will you admit that I’m just better than you?” he asked in exasperation. “I will never admit something that isn’t true, my esteemed rival! Let us begin!” he shot back, stepping into a stance.

Minato tried to stop it but it was too late. Kakashi had already followed Gai a few meters to the side and got into his own stance. Kakashi may have thought that the challenges were pointless, but his own pride ensured he would never decline a challenge from Gai. 

I ran up to Minato and the team’s two remaining teammates, Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin. “I’m sorry for his intrusion.” I apologized hurriedly on his behalf. Minato shook his head, “It’s no bother,” he reassured me before smiling gently at me, “And who might you be?” he asked politely.

I had forgotten to introduce myself to a Jounin. What a great start. I bowed, “I’m so sorry! My name’s Uchiha Daisuke, a friend of Gai’s.” I said respectfully before I heard Minato speak again. “Now, now, there’s no need to be so polite. Nice to meet you, Daisuke. My name is Namikaze Minato.” said the future 4th Hokage, introducing himself with a closed eye smile. 

“Maybe he should apologize to us himself. It wouldn’t be the first time he intruded on our training,” grumbled a certain Uchiha Obito. “He’s already intruded on our training so many times! Doesn’t he have his own team?!” he shouted in frustration.

Rin placed her hand on his shoulder, “Kakashi-kun told us already, right? That Maito-san has been challenging him to bouts for years. This must be important to him, so just leave them be, Obito.” she defended Gai gently, causing Obito to deflate.

“...If you say so, Rin…” Obito muttered. I caught a faint blush on his face.

Rin then turned to me looking curious. “Why are you here, umm, Daisuke-kun?”. From their point of view I was some random kid who came at the same time as Gai. 

“I’m a friend of Gai’s, and it seems today he’s decided to allow me the pleasure of witnessing a duel with his… ‘eternal rival’,” I looked back at their match, and it looked to me that Gai was actually doing very well against Kakashi. “... I thought it would be a good learning experience, so I came along without protest.” I finished with a shrug. 

Gai wasn’t as skilled as Kakashi was. Kakashi was a prodigy, after all, but Gai made up for it with his superior strength. The young beast’s strength was reinforced by his well-developed muscles, the constant strength training he did, as well as a healthy dose of chakra augmentation. Kakashi didn’t look like he was on the ropes, per say, but he was definitely sweating, forced to stay on his toes to avoid a direct hit. 

And Obito watched from the side with a bitter scowl, envious of Gai’s skills. 

“I have to say, Maito-san is amazing for pushing Kakashi-kun so far!” Rin told me while we were all watching their match. “You two train together… Are you any bit as good as he is?” she asked innocently. I smiled sheepishly at her, “Ah, no, not at all. Gai’s just on another level, as besides, I’m still younger than he is.” I humbly admitted. 

“Hold on, how old are you? Now that I notice it… you’re an academy student, aren’t you?” Obito asked me, narrowing his eyes at me judgmentally. Obito was an obnoxious child, after all. “Yes. I’m in my second year,” Mild surprise flashed across the faces of Kakashi’s team, including Minato.

“And you train with Gai-kun? From the way you speak, it isn’t a recent development either,” Minato hummed, “How much do you two train?” he asked. I tilted my head in thought, “Academy aside, we try to fit in four or five hours of training in a day” I answered honestly, thinking about our schedule, “though most of our collaborative training is strength and endurance training. We do spar together, though, but he can’t take it too seriously against me.” I explained with a frown.

Obito looked puzzled at me for a while, as if he had something to say, before he finally spoke, “You said your name’s Uchiha Daisuke, but I haven’t really seen you around the compound, and you hardly look the part.” he commented curiously.

“My mother is from the Uchiha clan, but my father is a civilian-born shinobi. I’m only half Uchiha.” I told Obito, clarifying the common misunderstanding. It felt like everyone asked me that question these days. Obito smirked, “Heh,” he looked off proudly. Lord, he’s a prick. 

“Racist.” I sniped back with a mock glare. “Racist? What does that even mean?” he asked defensively. “It doesn’t mean anything,” I sighed with my hands up, “I’m just joking around. Don’t poke fun at my upbringing, though. I take great offense to it.” I added seriously. 

Obito puffed his chest out, “The future Hokage can offend anyone he wa-” He said triumphantly before Minato and Rin leveled him with a disapproving gaze, “Fine. I’m sorry.” he said reluctantly. I nodded, accepting the apology before perking up with a curious gaze, “You, the Hokage?” I asked innocently. I’d forgotten about it, but I guess it was true that Obito wanted to be the Hokage. Maybe it would be possible if all went well. 

Obito misunderstood my question as sarcasm and got really upset with me. “Yeah! You’ve got a problem with th-” he said before I interrupted him. “The first Uchiha Hokage, that's an interesting goal! Maybe I misjudged you, Obito-san,” I said with some excitement.

Obito was blindsided by my genuine compliment. Rin smiled brightly at Obito, “It’s not just me rooting for you now, Obito!” She reassured him warmly. He looked down with a blush at her sudden excitement, “Y-yeah,” he agreed.  

Gai and Kakashi’s match just finished and Kakashi obviously won. Kakashi looked pretty tired out by the match. Gai got up shortly after losing with a smile on his face. “As expected of my hip and cool rival! That puts our score at 1-23.” 

I could’ve sworn that that score was much more equal in later years… Looks like Gai would have to catch up eventually. “What a waste of time…” Kakashi muttered. Everyone heard him except Gai. 

After some stretches Gai looked ready to leave. “What a youthful competition! Let us go train, Daisuke-kun! I have much to reflect upon! Farewell, my Eternal Rival and his team members!” He announced, giving a deep bow before hauling me off again. 

Everyone but Kakashi were laughing at me as my face held a pitiful expression while being hauled off. I should just learn to accept it for now. He won’t be able to do this when we’re older, right? Right?!

As we were heading back, I turned my head to Gai to ask him a question. “Could you take me to more of your competitions with Kakashi?” I paused, searching for some lame excuse. “Watching your bout was… inspiring!” I told him with fake stars in my eyes.

Gai looked ecstatic. “Of course, Daisuke-kun! Perhaps you can grow from watching our sacred duels!” 

—----------------------------------------------------

Returning home, it was one of those times where tou-san wasn’t home. If I was in denial I would tell myself that he was just at work as usual, but no. Tou-san had just gone on his first deployment through the genin corps. 

Tou-san was a genin specializing in Earth Style jutsu and close combat, which meant that he would be sent to the front lines, even as a genin. The thought of it made me tremble; the doorbell ringing, bringing excitement to the whole family, only for us to be met with a shinobi telling us about the death of tou-san.

Clenching my fists, I slapped myself to snap out of that mindset. ‘Enough of that !’, I told myself, finally opening the door. Kaa-san ran up to me and wrapped her arms around me in a bear hug. “Are you ready, Daisuke-chan?” she screeched as she shook me side to side. Ready for what?! I couldn’t breathe!

“C-can’t… br-eathe!” I choked out, before kaa-san hurriedly put me down. “Oh, I’m so sorry, sweetie! I was just so excited! I’m gonna teach you Fire Release!” she told me, explaining herself. 

‘I’m learning a second nature release before even learning an Earth Style jutsu?’ I thought after some desperate breathing to get some air back. Maybe it was because tou-san was away and couldn’t teach me what he knew about Earth Release… Regardless, I was excited.

“Don’t worry about food, I packed some in that basket. I’m gonna go get Izumi-chan and then we’ll go to a civilian training ground!” kaa-san announced, rushing around the kitchen and making supplies. She told me about her day while she was picking before she ran to the other room to grab Izumi. 

The way she was running around while talking to me and packing stuff, it really reminded me of my mom from my Earth. I’d been missing my old family for a while, but didn’t have enough time to give it much thought. I hope they weren’t devastated from my sudden death/disappearance. 

I took the time to get something to drink and go to the bathroom. Kaa-san came out with a big smile on her face, carrying a sleepy Izumi in her arms. She’d just been woken up during her nap. I sighed at kaa-san, who was still beaming. “You shouldn’t wake Izumi up like that, kaa-chan! You can’t just wake her up like that, you’ll disrupt her sleep cycle.” I heard it was really bad to deprive babies of sleep.

“Don’t worry! She was gonna wake up soon anyway! Besides, she wouldn’t want to miss their onii-chan using his first Fire Style jutsu?” she shook her finger side to side, brushing off the comment. Mother may know best, but I wasn’t sure about mine knowing best… 

I went closer to Izumi who was still groggy from waking up. “ You can go back to sleep, you know? ” I patted her head lightly, smiling gently at her. She looked like she understood, cause she closed her eyes right away. Kaa-san was surprised at how easy it was for me to “put her back to sleep”. 

“Let’s let her nap some more, kaa-chan? We won’t arrive for another 30 minutes, and I don’t think I’ll grasp Fire Release right away. She needs rest!” I told kaa-san, giving her a pointed look. She smiled guiltily. “If you say so,” she huffed. 

—---------------------------------------------------

Eventually, we arrived at the training ground. Kaa-san and I set up a small picnic-like area with a blanket on the ground, food waiting in a basket, and a pile of smaller blankets and pillows.We laid down Izumi in those blankets before we went a small ways away from where we set up shop. Not far from Izumi, though, so we could watch her. 

“Did you read the scroll, Daisuke-chan?” she asked with a knowing grin. I’d… sort of read it? Skimmed it? “A little bit…” I muttered, embarrassed. “Tell me what you know, then.” she ordered. 

“To use Fire Release, we convert our chakra into Fire Release chakra in a process known as nature transformation,” I didn’t know how to, though, “usually we expel the fire from our mouths because nature transformation into Fire Release chakra is made easier with easy access to chakra and air.” I regurgitated. 

She grinned, impressed, “Let me guess, you don’t know how to convert your chakra to Fire Release chakra?” she asked, giving me a fond smile. “Ah, well, I haven’t tri-” I tried to explain myself before I felt a light chop on the head. 

“Focus on the present, Daisuke-chan. This isn’t a problem, fire isn’t your primary affinity, after all.” She reassured me. “Before you try to perform the Great Fireball jutsu, let’s just make sure you can do Nature transformation.” 

Under certain circumstances, such as having a primary affinity in a said element and with simpler jutsu, you could give the desired jutsu a try by simply using hand seals (which were a shortcut when it came to the required chakra control and nature transformation skills), but generally speaking, it was safer to be familiarized with basic Nature transformation before attempting a jutsu. Chakra wasn’t a toy to be played with, after all.

I nodded seriously, bringing my hands together in a tiger seal, ready to begin. I heard it was a typical hand seal used in Fire Style jutsu. I peaked at her face and found Kaa-san nodding to signify that I was doing something right. I continued.

“Try to imagine your chakra as a fuel source for Fire Release chakra, focus on using that chakra to fuel your jutsu. The ‘spark’ that creates Fire Release, that’s what you will have to figure out on your own.” She explained to me while I was concentrating on my chakra.

I scrunched up my eyebrows in concentration, remembering when tou-san told me to really concentrate and not just look focused. I took a deep breath, visualizing my chakra. I tried to draw my chakra from my coils and concentrate it in my stomach, but that didn’t do anything.

Visualizing my chakra was easy nowadays, especially since I practice chakra control on a daily basis. It was like peering into a warm pool of water and finding its flow. Once I managed to visualize everything, I began to brainstorm. I wasn’t going to accomplish this feat without a plan.

I took another deep breath. Fire needs three things to form and stay around: heat, oxygen and a fuel source. The three things were true for natural fire, which was different from chakra created  by Fire release, but if I had to guess, the differences existed because of the use of chakra in Fire release. Oxygen would fuel the fire as I took a breath, and the fuel source was chakra, as kaa-san explained earlier. What was missing now was heat.

During school in my past life, I had learned various things in different science classes. One of things I learned was that heat was a measure of kinetic energy in molecules and particles: to put it simply, the faster these molecules and particles vibrated, moved and collided with one another, the more kinetic energy and therefore heat would be created.

I could create that heat using my chakra as well. The feat would require a bit of chakra control, but if I created that kinetic energy with my own chakra, it should create enough heat. I remembered from some videos and TV shows that people used friction to create fires in the wild, for example. Bear Grylls used friction to create heat when making a fire. 

Okay, it did not take me long to get off topic. 

Reminding myself of the present, I closed my eyes harder and took hold of my chakra. This Nature transformation was possible for Sasuke to do before he had enough chakra control to do tree-walking, so it should also be possible for me in terms of chakra control. 

Starting slowly to build momentum with my chakra, I gathered some in my chest. I rotated the chakra in a loosely defined circle and kept my hold on my chakra as I slowly raised the speed at which it moved. The increase in speed threatened to halt my concentration, but I kept it up, holding my chakra together as it grew quicker and quicker and quicker. The rotations sped up, causing a mildly uncomfortable vibration in my chest. I took a calming breath as I felt my chest heat up.

My forehead was covered in sweat from the exertion. I looked up at kaa-san, who had her sharingan active. She was watching my progress, taking note of how my chakra was flowing, and judging by her lack of intervention, I wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Eventually, the violently rapid flow of chakra in my chest reached a breaking point. My eyes widened in panic, and as I failed to calm down, I coughed out a bunch of searing hot air. The heat was enough to nearly burn my throat, as it was an uncontrolled release. I gasped for breath as I sat down.

Kaa-san approached me, “You were so close, but you had the right idea! I think you could even try performing the jutsu today!” kaa-san embraced me and gave me a noogie, “Impressive, Daisuke-chan! My son is amazing!” she gushed.

My first impression of Nature transformation? Pain. 

After that, I kept practicing the conversion of my chakra to Fire Release chakra while kaa-san was watching me and giving me advice. It wasn’t actually draining on my reserves, since all of the chakra that I used got reabsorbed into my coils each time I failed to produce fire, except for the miniscule amount that was consumed during the process of created heat in my chest.I couldn’t help but feel my progress was too slow, but kaa-san was adamant in the fact that I was progressing really fast. I was comparing myself to Sasuke and Itachi, so maybe that’s why it felt that way to me.

After about two hours of practice, I managed to create a small amount of Fire release chakra successfully.

On my final attempt, I took inspiration from matches. As usual, I took hold of my chakra and began increasing its rapid movement. The same feeling of discomfort was ever present, and as it approached that ‘breaking-point’ level I described earlier, I took hold of whatever chakra I could, and forced it to violently speed up as much as I could manage. A match created fire by using the energy from friction, so this time I brought my active and rapidly-moving chakra together and strook one with the other. In that instant, the heat went up to another level, and I knew that I had to release that heat.

The ‘spark’ was finally created. I wasn’t ready for success and I suddenly coughed some smoke and fire. Kaa-san watched the rising smoke with great excitement, before gently slapping my back to help me breathe. “You did it!” she congratulated me.

I smiled weakly, “I did it,” I parroted, before I spoke again, “so what’s next, kaa-chan?” I asked her, trying to break her out of her initial excitement. She blinked before looking down at me and pulling at my cheek. “What else? It’s time for you to perform the Great Fireball jutsu, silly!” she said, pulling my cheek.

Wasn’t this a little quick?

“Watch closely, Daisuke-chan!” she said, showing me her hands. “These are the hand seals for the jutsu.” she said as she slowly went through Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger. Then she moved a few meters away. 

She made all of the hand seals again before breathing in as much as she could, then she exhaled out a huge fireball. She maintained it for a few seconds so I had more time to watch, then she stopped. It was crazy to me that even Genin were capable of these kinds of feats in the Naruto world. A giant fireball that made a flamethrower look pathetic was considered only C-ranked. 

Kaa-san came up to me while I was still gazing at her in amazement. “Wasn’t that cool, Daisuke-chan? Go on, you try it!” 

“Sure!” 

I was a bit nervous about what was essentially playing with fire, but kaa-san was convinced nothing bad would happen, so I wanted to give it my all. I walked forward, looking back at kaa-san nervously, who nodded at me, a small smile on her face.

I took a breath, preparing myself. I went through the hand seals: Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger. With each seal I felt my chakra naturally move towards my chest and build up heat. I quickly understood what made hand seals so important – they made the manipulation of chakra much easier. The process that took nearly a minute before, it was happening in a matter of seconds.

I still needed to control my chakra, though. Despite being significantly easier, I had to pay close attention to my swirling chakra, ensuring the heat stayed isolated. I took a deep breath, feeling the air feed into the growing fire. As the heat in my chest grew and grew, I figured it was time to release the jutsu. I exhaled as hard as I could, feeding chakra to the stream of flame as it escaped my mouth. Opening my eyes hesitantly, the Fireball in front of my eyes was a fair bit smaller than kaa-san’s and clearly lacked much of its heat, but I had done it. I carefully cut off the supply of chakra to the flame, watching as it shrunk until I was not longer shooting out a fireball

I had finally done it. It was my first use of ninjutsu. My lips and corners of my mouth stung a little, but I was sure my body would get used to it. 

I turned towards kaa-san, running up to her. “Did you see that, kaa-chan?! A fireball came out of my mouth! That was so cool!” I practically screamed at her, jumping around and waving my arms. “My chakra went like ‘ fuooowh ’ and the fire came out this big!”

Before she could respond, a gasping sound erupted nearby, and as me and kaa-san looked to our side dubiously, we saw Izumi sitting up on the picnic blanket, staring at me with comically widened eyes. The expression was funny enough for me and kaa-san to start uncontrollably laughing.

As our laughter died down, kaa-san opened her mouth to speak, “Ah, I’m so proud of you,” she said fondly, an untold warmth in her gaze. “Let’s eat and then get home, okay? The sun’s going down, and I’m sure you’re exhausted.” she said gently, eliciting an eager nod from me.

It was then that I realized that I’d been training for pretty much the whole day, with Gai and now with kaa-san. I was hungry enough to eat a cow, and I could tell that my chakra had been drained quite a bit from the jutsu. It was the first time I experienced the feeling of having used chakra actively. Walking home, my limbs felt a bit heavy and my stomach growled aggressively, but other than that, I was alright.

Kaa-san and I enjoyed onigiri with Izumi. 

We went home after we ate, because I was really tired from how much I’d trained today. I was finally able to learn a jutsu, I was one step closer to accomplishing my goals of protecting my family. It was one step out of a thousand, but I was filled with a feeling of great triumph. 

I went to bed with a smile on my face.

That night, I had a dream where I found myself in a dark and mysterious place. I could hear the faint sound of a game being played, the clack of pieces echoing through the darkness. As I approached, a new piece was introduced. It was as if this piece held a power that could shape the entire board.

Chapter Text

“Let’s see…” Hayashi-sensei hummed to himself, looking thoughtfully at a clipboard. He was determining who would fight next at taijutsu practice. His lips formed an ‘o’ as if he spotted something interesting. He smiled as he announced the combatants for the next taijutsu bout. “Next up – Uchiha Daisuke and Uchiha Shodo,” he said, ushering us forward.

The class chorused a dramatic ‘oooooh’ in response. I’ve never really cared for attention, so I couldn’t help but huff a deep sigh. I understood why he made that face a second ago now, but I would prefer to avoid being the topic of any gossip. I looked back at Hayate, only to see that he didn’t look sympathetic at all, he instead only looked excited, fixing me with an expectant gaze. 

I sighed to myself again, shaking my head this time. I didn’t delay my entrance onto the sparring area since I knew I would get yelled at. Despite my apprehension towards the bout, I wasn’t nervous at all about losing. Looking down on Uchiha Shodo would be stupid, but I have seen his fights before. I knew he was skilled, but I also knew he wasn’t anything like Gai. 

My classmates didn’t regard me too highly, and clearly expected my defeat, judging from the scattered jeering I could pick up. Because of my previous bout with Hyuuga Momoku, I wasn’t seen as anything special. Momoku seemingly appreciated the battle, but as I had lost as everyone else had, I didn’t have a reputation amongst my class.

I eyed Shodo from across the sparring arena before the match began. The Uchiha had the stereotype of being reserved, and the stereotype held up because in most cases it was true. They were arrogant, sure, but they had a certain stoicism that differed from the Hyuuga. Shodo seemed to belong to the smaller number of Uchiha who did not care to keep up a stoic front. He was smirking at me arrogantly from the other side of the arena, sure of his imminent victory.

His mouth twisted into an even uglier grin, “I asked around about you at the compound, you know?” jeered Shodo, hostility and pride seeping into his voice. “I heard something about a coward amongst us – an Uchiha kunoichi who retired from active duty and left the clan to marry a mere lowborn civilian, and that they had a child together.” He pointed at me. “That you?” he asked.

A wave of hot anger flooded my body. The thought that he would dare denounce my mother left me angrier than I had ever been in this short life. I glared at him from across the arena. He was going to regret it. I brought up my stance to beckon him to battle as his grin swelled further. He erupted into laughter. “You might be half-Uchiha, but you’re still the son of a coward! Bring it on!” He taunted with a sharp scream.

A shinobi couldn’t fall to taunts. They couldn’t let themselves get worked up, as it affected rational judgment and promoted tunnel vision – both of which were detrimental to a shinobi’s combat capabilities and their mission efficiency. In my head, I knew that a brat’s taunt should never get the better of me. If anything, Shodo was doing this on purpose.

But alas, I wasn’t a shinobi yet.

Shodo took up arms in the Uchiha’s taijutsu stance. Sensei raised his free hand as he opened his mouth.

“3… 2… 1…” he counted, before shooting his arm down in a swift arch. “Begin!” 

As the fight began, I immediately charged up to him, leaving my defense up to my instincts. I reached up in a short moment, surprising him with the speed I had built up with Gai. His eyes glued to me as I pulled my fist back, stepping in to send a punch flying towards his head with my right fist. His eyes widened as he swayed his head, narrowly dodging this blow. I followed up by stepping in closer to his guard and aiming a left punch towards his side. He twisted inwards and flexed his right arm, taking the blow with a sturdy guard. I raised my leg to kick at his exposed left side, but he kicked at my balancing leg, forcing me to hop backwards to avoid losing balance.

Despite what he had previously said about me and his attitude, the boy was wary of me. He must have been careful after seeing my fight with Momoku. It would explain his taunts from earlier. The thought calmed me down to some extent. 

Deciding to try his hand at offense, he ran towards me as I hopped back, hoping to take advantage of my retreat. His charge fell into a sweep kick as he tried to knock my balance once again, but I was able to hope over the kick. He recovered quickly from his lowered position with a springing jump in my direction, using the momentum to drive a punch towards my chin.

He was viciously aiming to knock me out. His attacks were blows meant to end a fight quickly. If my balance was shaken, he could take the opportunity and drive me closer to defeat. He continued with an onslaught of these high-risk high-reward attacks, forcing me to focus on defense. As expected of an Uchiha – he was proficient at taijutsu. It wasn’t easy enough for me to idly dodge, I had to remain focused.

His taijutsu was good, but he didn’t have the finesse of Hyuuga Momoku or the strength of Gai. Shodo was a good opponent, but I was used to fighting better. I wasn’t especially used to the Uchiha’s taijutsu style, but aggression was something I had experience against. Punches flew past my face as I became more and more used to his habits. Gradually, I was able to dodge without significant difficulty. I could see it – he had a tell. A bad habit.

Before he threw wider and more powerful attacks, he braced his core and rounded his shoulders for just a moment, as if preparing himself. Habits like these had to be beaten out of you through experience and sparring.

The cheering from the sidelines was starting to get annoying, and while I may have calmed down, he still had to go down for what he said. After I dodged a few more run-of-the-mill attacks, he squared his body for an instant. It was the instant I had been waiting for. He spun into a 360 kick, aiming to force as much power and speed as possible across a wide area. I could see his thought process – I kept dodging his more compact blows, so if he switched up his style with a wider kick, I might just miscalculate and take a bad hit. Raising my left thigh and arm, I took the kick head on. The attack stopped immediately as it hit my guard. The force from the kick was fairly impressive, but once again, I was used to more. I watched his expression become panicked as I grabbed onto his ankle with my left arm. 

I dropped my leg to stabilize my footing as I pulled him towards me using my grip on his leg. He couldn’t react before my fist met his nose. Blood spurted out from his nose as his head recoiled back, but I wouldn’t let him recover. I drove another punch into his temple, but before I could follow up with another punch, he raised his guard and successfully defended against a third punch. With greater strength than I thought he had, he forced me to abandon my grip on his leg as he swung his leg down, regaining his balance. I hesitated, thinking he would counterattack me, but he took the opportunity to make distance.

His stance tightened into a more defensive form. Shodo looked worse for the wear, breathing uneven as blood lazily dripped down his face. The impact to his temple left him dizzy and disoriented. 

He wasn’t used to being defensive, though. The Uchiha’s style had some bearing on defense, but mostly in the form of counterattack and dodging. Pair that with Shodo’s inexperience, and it was easy to find holes within his desperate stance. My own brand of taijutsu favored defense as a result of Gai’s overwhelming aggression and the strength advantage he held over me, so I felt fairly confident in my assumption.

Taking a move from Gai’s arsenal, I decided to attempt a bastardized version of a flying spin kick. It was a technique that I found myself on the receiving end of fairly often, and it was a nightmare to block. Moving out of the way was the best way to avoid the force it could dish out, but in Shodo’s case, dodging wasn’t an option at the moment. 

The technique used the momentum I would produce from leaping into air and twisting my hips to create an extraordinary amount of force in a flying kick. It was a technique that made great use of the focus on Gai’s training regiment – the development of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Gai’s version was vastly superior to mine, but I didn’t need his strength.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he watched me for my next move. He was determined to guard against my next attack to recover from my punches from earlier. I leaped at him with speed he might have expected, but could do nothing against. I twisted my hips in midair and spun my right leg around and smashed it into his guard, sending him skidding backwards.

He may have blocked the attack, but it was obvious that it was more than he bargained for. He hissed in pain as he strained to keep his left arm up. After all of my time with Gai, I hit hard if given the chance . I kept attacking his left side with relentless attacks, giving him no chance to step away. As I threw a punch at his elbow, his arm dropped just enough for his chin to open for an instant. I stepped directly in front of him, shoving his arm away and planting an uppercut onto his chin with a force that snapped his head back. 

As my punch hit its mark Shodo shot backwards and landed harshly on his back, trying to regain equilibrium with one hand on his head. Hayashi-sensei took a serious look at Shodo and decided that continuing was probably a bad idea, and stopped the bout before he had the chance to get himself more injured.

For me, this strategy was only one I could use on those inferior to me in strength. There was a time I foolishly tried to push my own aggression on Gai, and while it was seemingly driving him back for a moment, the boy caught my fist mid combination and pummeled me into oblivion in true Gai fashion, stating that my offensive was too linear and uninspired.

Frustration filled Shodo’s bruised up face as he jeered at sensei that he could keep going, but as he hurriedly tried to stand up, he found that he couldn’t make it to his feet. Most of the class had assumed I would lose to Shodo, so they were left speechless. We formed a Seal of Reconciliation a few seconds later, officially ending the spar.

I walked back over to Hayate who looked pleased with my performance and victory. I was happy to see that my training was paying off, and that I had beaten the shit out of Shodo. Especially that part. “That was an insane fight, Daisuke. The asshole deserved it!” Hayate said with childish excitement, congratulating me. 

I sighed at his over enthusiasm. “Come on, don’t be humble.” he teased, patting my back. “With how thoroughly you beat Shodo, you can’t stay humble fore-” Hayate was interrupted before he could finish.

“Hayate, I won’t repeat myself again! Get moving!” Hayashi-sensei said, yelling at the distracted boy. A comically large vein was bulging on his forehead as he shot the two of us a frustrated look. During our chit chat, we had completely missed who was fighting next.

I sent Hayate off by pushing him closer to the arena as revenge for earlier, flashing him a thumbs up with a smirk as he turned his head back at me. He glared at me before facing his opponent, Mitarashi Anko. 

“Prepare ‘ta lose, shrimp!” she said, her voice booming with confidence. She stuck a tongue out at Hayate, who scowled right back at her. They both got in a stance, eager to fight. I didn’t know who would win here, all things considered. I had seen Anko fight before, but she had won against all of her opponents so easily that it was hard to tell how good she was. I knew that Anko had the potential to become a Tokubetsu Jounin, and was favored by Orochimaru as his student, but Hayate was also a Tokubetsu Jounin in the future, so I couldn’t write him off so easily.

As sensei signaled for the match to start, the purple-haired menace sped towards Hayate, wildly grinning. As the fighting began, I noticed very quickly that Anko was very agile. She didn’t seem to be faster than me or Gai in a foot race, but she was a level above me in mobility and flexibility. The way she dodged attacks had a certain level of finesse, and her attacks appeared to be sharper and more precise than the rest of our peers. 

Hayate was crumby at taijutsu in comparison. The boy wasn’t necessarily bad at it, but as a practitioner of kenjutsu, his own brand of taijutsu was under-developed in comparison to Anko’s. He was able to evade her blows, even if it looked like he was struggling, but when he tried to strike back or retaliate in any way, she easily dismantled his efforts with a skillful weave and returned the favor twofold with her superior speed.

Anko kneeled down and shot her leg towards his head in a high kick, forcing Hayate to weave his head back hurriedly, but as he attempted to avoid her kick, she redirected her leg and scored a devastating blow squarely across his chin, in a move reminiscent of high level Taekwondo. She was flexible… like a snake. Hayate stumbled backwards, dazed, allowing her to stand up from her lowered position without a problem.

He held up his arms to block any subsequent attack, but the girl continued with her offensive, grabbing the back of his head and slamming his face into her knee. Before he could recover, she threw her full body’s weight into an overhead punch. Before he knew it, Hayate was laying on his back, seeing stars. Before he could stand up, a wooden kunai pressed against his neck. “... I give up,” he said shakily, to which Sensei announced the end of the match in Anko’s favor. 

Her fighting style was brutal, punishing people for mistakes they made in the midst of combat. While she carefully observed her opponents in battle and created her own initiative, I preferred to keep a rigid defense, and while taking advantage of their own shortcomings to take initiative. Our styles differed on a fundamental level.

No match thus far had ended so dramatically. I could see why Orochimaru had taken interest in Anko’s ability. She clearly had a natural predisposition towards fighting, with a high level of finesse for people in our age group. 

After the two formed the Seal of Reconciliation, Hayate shakily stood up and stumbled towards me, still feeling the effects of the fight. He held his cheek, a pensive frown sitting on his face, “I never want to fight Mitarashi ever again…” he mumbled.

I couldn’t blame him.

—-------------------------------------------

Today I had some time on my hands. Gai was busy on a mission and I needed a rest day to allow my body some time to heal itself. I was pretty sore, since the last 6 days I had been training especially hard, the previous taijutsu bouts lighting a fire under me. Gai noticed the discrepancy between my upper body strength and we started work on correcting that, punching training dummies for hours. He also upped our strength training regimen in hopes of balancing out my physique a little more.

After I told kaa-san that I had no plans for the day, she gave me some allowance to go take Izumi outside to have fun while she rested at home. She had looked fairly drained in the past few days, so I figured I should give her some time to rest. 

I found myself outside with the cause of kaa-san’s lack of energy. “ Hey, wanna go to the park?” I asked while carrying her. She could walk, but she was still a toddler. She frowned at me and shook her head. She usually was fine with just playing at the park. What was I doing when I was her age?

We went shopping, we went to the park, sometimes we went to visit old friends of kaa-san or tou-san. Apart from that… sweets. I have a pretty big sweet tooth and I frequently nagged at my parents to get me something sweet. Maybe I caused them some trouble, but who could resist sugar?

“How about we get something tasty?” her eyes widened at that, “Candee?” she blabbed. I chuckled at her funny pronunciation. “That’s right, Izumi, but don’t tell kaa-chan .” I bargained with a rebellious grin, wagging my finger from side to side. She nodded with a serious gaze, not realizing how cute the expression was.

I hadn’t had dango for a little while now, so what better way was there to spend some time with my sister? My favorite dango shop was a good 20 minutes walk from our apartment, so I idly mumbled about stories from Earth. She was disappointed to hear that the Pirate King’s treasure was a mystery. “ I think it’s the friendship they made along the way,” I explained with a cheeky grin. 

Maybe I should pass more things from Earth onto her. Fun things like foreign recipes and stories for her to tell her others. I wasn’t an amazing chef back on Earth, but I was taught plenty by my own mother back home. Along with what I knew how to cook well, I also knew the basics for a lot of recipes and could probably get better at them with plenty of practice. Yeah, that sounds nice.

Arriving at the Dango shop, I took a seat and ordered two portions of mitarashi dango. Anything that Izumi couldn’t finish, I bravely resolved to eat myself. As much as I was taking Izumi out for some delicious treats, I was also treating myself. Recently, I was making a lot of headway in my training, after all. My grasp over Fireball Jutsu was getting better, and Gai deemed me just barely strong enough to not hold back in sparring anymore. I disagreed with his assessment, personally, considering the bruises that littered my arms after a day of training. 

Waiting for the dango to be finished, I rocked Izumi on my lap while we were seated, humming Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. Sometimes I wish I could listen to those songs again. Izumi was happily humming with me, mumbling gibberish and out of sync. Ooh, maybe I could figure out how to use genjutsu to play songs from my memory. 

Finishing that thought, I noticed three familiar people stepping in, A spikey-haired genin with sunglasses, a genin with serious eyes and brown short hair and a loud girl with her hair tied in a short purple ponytail. Wait, Aoba, Raidou together with… Anko?

Before I could snap out of my confusion Aoba and Raidou were already walking towards me with recognition in their eyes. “Well, if it isn’t our hero! What’re you doing here?” said Raidou as he looked down at Izumi curiously. “I’m here to treat my little sister to some dango.” I said to Raidou, answering his question before he asked it. 

I looked down at Izumi, “Go on Izumi, say hi to Raidou-san, Aoba-san and,...” I said to her quietly, glancing at my classmate who was staring at me with reluctant interest, “Mitarashi-san.” Izumi squealed in glee as she flapped her arms in a cute wave.

Aoba looked between me and Anko, “You know Anko-chan?”. I nodded at him in response, “We’re in the same class in the academy, but we don’t talk very much.” I didn’t know Anko knew Raidou-san and Aoba-san personally, though. “What a coincidence though, that you guys know her as well. 

“Anko-chan’s like a sister to us, although she’s more mean than a sister should be.” Aoba taunted, giving a pointed look at Anko who glared back at him. “Shut up! I thought you were getting me dango!” Aoba smirked at me while pointing at Anko, “See what I mean? Not cute at all.” 

Raidou walked towards the counter, “Shush, you two. I’m getting our dango,” he sighed in exasperation, pacifying the girl . She calmed down and stared at my sister curiously. “I didn’t know you had a sister,” I frowned, of course she hadn’t heard. I hadn’t spoken to her since the first day of school, courtesy of her refusing to talk to me after that day. “You take her for dango often? She asked neutrally. 

“Actually this is the first time, since she didn’t feel like going to the park. My mother’s a bit tired at the moment, so I’m taking this little one out so she can get some shut-eye for once.” I explained, smiling at Izumi. Anko stared at me for a bit longer before responding, “What about your clan? One of your relatives coulda taken care of her, right?” she asked rudely.

I found her question insensitive, but I had no reason to be offended. “My family is separate from the Uchiha compound,” I clarified, “Tou-san’s fighting in the war, so he can’t pitch in for now.” Anko widened her eyes in surprise. 

“Lemme get this straight – you aren’t a part of the Uchiha clan?” she asked again. I scrunched my eyebrows at her in confusion. Where did she get that impression from? Aoba tilted his head at Anko, “Don’t you think you’re asking too many questions?” He scolded her, but she ignored him. I sighed, “Kaa-san was, but I may as well be civilian-born,”

Raidou came back at the same time as the worker who was bringing us our dango.

As I was eating my dango and carefully helping Izumi eat hers, Anko gazed at me, seemingly contemplating something important, before she shrugged, “I can’t hate someone who likes dango,” she said as if it were a matter-of-fact statement. My mind flashed to an image of a certain sumo-loving Chiyo, eliciting a chuckle out me. 

Anko shouted in irritation, “ ‘Is there something on my face?!” I shook my head as my laughter died down. She’s definitely got a few screws loose. 

We spent the next few hours chatting over dango. It was a nice break from the activities I was usually up to – training, mostly. Making some more friends would probably benefit me and give some balance to my life. I wasn’t too social in my past life – I could count the number of close friends I had on two hands, but it was enough for me to enjoy myself in between my responsibilities.

Eventually I had to leave so I could get home on time. She had asked me to return by a certain time, and I didn’t want to worry her by staying out for longer.

As I was leaving, Anko stopped me while I was at the door to the dango shop. “Wait up, Uchih-” he paused, clearing her throat, “Daisuke!” I stopped and turned around to face her. “What’s wrong?” I asked. She shoved a mitarashi dango stick right up to my face.

“Yer mom’s feeling tired, right? Give her this when ya get back home!” she said with a genuine smile. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of that earlier. I went to a dango shop and didn’t even think to bring some back home. To think that Anko had a thoughtful bone in her body… It was a surprise. 

I genuinely smiled at her, accepting the dango. “Thanks, Anko, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.” I said, expressing my gratitude. “Of course she will,” she responded, before waving me off.

Maybe Anko and I would be getting along better from now on. 

—------------------------

As our progression through the academy’s curriculum progressed, we were picking up the pace rather quickly, sacrificing general curriculum for military training. More often than not, we learned about chakra, taijutsu, bukijutsu, shinobi history, and even shinobi politics. On top of that, the academy had begun officially teaching us hand seals. 

More than half of us already had some background on our hand seals skill, myself included, but I’ve been stuck at a certain speed level with my hand seals with little improvement for a while. I saw the class as a good opportunity to catch up on that. On top of hand seals, we would go more into hand mobility exercises to improve our efficiency with military hand signs. 

The most important lessons that they were imparting us were probably taijutsu training and chakra control. We were expected to learn at least one of the academy 3 during this year. Many of us had gotten a headstart but civilian-born students have been dropping out since the start of the war, partly due to the increasing difficulty and partly because their parents were reluctant to send them to war. 

My progress in chakra control was steadily rising as well. Previously I had learned how to tree-walk, which I was still practicing diligently, as it had great value in strengthening my core muscles. Combining the process of growing up and the training I had been undergoing, I was confident that I had more than enough physical energy to mold enough chakra for water-walking. 

Kaa-san had been skeptical about allowing me to take that step, citing the dangers of chakra exhaustion, but my reserves were relatively larger than those in my age group. I was able to convince her to supervise my learning of the technique after she used her Sharingan to be sure of my sufficient chakra levels.

Water walking was definitely harder than tree walking, that much was clear from my first few attempts, but my high proficiency with tree walking made the process of water walking much easier. The major difficulty was in the constant movement of the water. In case of any ripples or splashes, I had to carefully adjust the output of chakra through the tenketsu in my feet to ensure I kept my balance. While this part of the exercise was indeed difficult, part of the difficulty of tree walking, which was bracing your core against your own body’s weight, no longer existed. It offset part of the difficulty, though water walking still required more concentration by far. 

I knew my own experiences with chakra control undersold how difficult it was for others, but I had a knack. My theory is that it has something to do with my hyper awareness of the chakra in my body. Having once had a body with chakra completely absent from it, I could feel the clear difference between not having and having chakra. 

All that being said, the only person in my own academy class who I couldn’t yet defeat was Hyuuga Momoku. Though I hadn’t gotten to fight Anko yet, I had seen how my other classmates had fared against the pale-eyed boy, and it painted a clear image.

I had been given a head start.

Training with Gai from an early age, having worked with my chakra from an early age, and having been reincarnated in this world had given me a head start. An advantage. I didn’t honestly believe I was more talented than many of those around me, but watching much of the class struggling to endure the academy’s physical conditioning for the first time was painful to watch, but also gratifying to some extent. 

—-------------------------

It was a pleasant evening, with kaa-san, Izumi and I enjoying dinner together. A homey atmosphere was in the air as me and kaa-san exchanged stories and gentle words, the smell of her cooking filling the room. The normalcy of the moment made the sound of the door opening all the more sudden. In an instant, both kaa-san and I knew exactly what the sound meant. We rushed from the dinner table to the front door, taking Izumi with us.

“Kichiro!” 

“Tou-chan!”

Without delay, we greeted tou-san, who we had not seen in what felt like ages. It was already December, almost 4 months since he originally left for his deployment to war. Tou-san’s uniform was covered in dirt, dust and dried blood. There were rips all over it. He had cuts over his hands and smelled terrible. His appearance made it obvious that he came straight here as soon as he could. 

Worst of all, though, was his face. He had terribly dark eyebags from his evident lack of sleep. His eyes were unfocused, an unreadable expression on his face. At that moment, I wondered what he had seen during his time at war. I felt guilty just looking at him: while I was safe in the village enjoying the company of my family and friends, he was out on the field fighting for Konoha. 

Despite all of this, the biggest emotion I felt was relief. Wrapping my arms around tou-san’s waist, I hugged him tightly, holding back tears. My own feelings were clear, but he shouldn’t have to see his son crying as soon as he came home. Optimism was on the forefront of my mind, because I couldn’t bear the thought of the worst happening to him. 

“Tou-chan, you made it back!” I practically screamed at him. Tou-san looked down at me, ruffling my hair as his lips formed a fond smile. Kaa-san raised Izumi closer to him. He gently grabbed his daughter and carefully hugged her. “Oto-cha!” she squealed happily, not really understanding much other than the fact that her father was home.

Kaa-san gently took Izumi from tou-san. “Welcome home, honey! How about you go take a shower and sleep? We can talk later.” kaa-san said softly, gently asking him to rest. Tou-san’s eyes shone with something like gratitude as he nodded, walking to the bathroom. Kaa-san went to get him a change of clothes and a towel. 

As much as I wanted to have a conversation with tou-san, what he needed most right now was a shower and a lot of sleep. He looked like he hadn’t slept properly in months, and that’s probably exactly what happened. The frontlines were known for poor conditions and high workload.

Hopefully he was okay. 

—---------------------

Kaa-san woke us up with the smell of breakfast in the morning, god bless her soul. We had all gone to sleep very early since tou-san came home at around 7, and my still-growing body saw fit that I slept nearly 12 hours, waking up just in time to get ready for the academy. Tou-san was still in bed, as expected. 

Before leaving for the academy, tou-san got up and asked that I come home and skip training today, and I agreed without any fuss. I wasn’t about to deny my father the chance to see his kid as much as he could, especially since I didn’t know when he was being sent back out. 

Gai initially scolded me for skipping out on training before I explained the occasion, to which he tearfully apologized for his ‘insolence’, exclaiming that the Youthful reunion between father and son should never be interrupted. He quickly regained his vigor after I threw Hayate under the bus and reminded the training demon of his availability, who happened to be walking out of the academy doors with me when Gai met up with me. Heh. 

There was a certain evil satisfaction that I could enjoy from watching somebody else on the receiving end of Gai’s training tendencies. I saluted at Hayate silently with tears in my eyes as the young swordsman was dragged off, glaring daggers at me. “Have fun, you guys!” I shouted to annoy and encourage each of them respectively.

I was looking forward to being able to sit down and spend time with tou-san. In the morning, I was told that tou-san would be with us for the better part of a month, meaning I would have a decent amount of time to spend with him. I would have preferred if his break were longer, but apparently the fact that he was given so much time off was because he was likely going to be sent off for ever longer next time.

As promised, I arrived home earlier, much to the excitement of Izumi and kaa-san. The family were all dressed for a casual winter outing, including tou-san. While he was still clearly dealing with exhaustion from his deployment, the difference between him now and before was night and day.

His face was washed, the only evidence of war left behind were a few fading scars and cuts. His eyebags remained, but were less pronounced as his face had regained some much-needed color. Replacing his distant expression from yesterday was a fond and subdued gaze. His hair was slightly lighter in color, having been properly washed, and was brushed back, no longer messy and uncontrolled.

It was a great relief. 

“Put your backpack away, Daisuke-chan! We’re going on a picnic!” she said, trying to get me to hurry up and put away my things. Izumi screeched something along the words of “Huhrrey!” as I speed-walked to my room to put my stuff away. I thought it was unusual that we were going out on a picnic during winter, if it would help tou-san relax, then I didn’t mind. I got back to the door and greeted tou-san with a hug before we left. 

Izumi and kaa-san were beaming in excitement on the way. Despite it being winter, today wasn’t a bad day for a picnic. The Fire Country’s climate was very warm. During the summer temperatures ranged between 30 and 40 degrees, and winter temperatures rarely went below freezing. The country wasn’t dry and hot like Wind Country, instead boasting a mildly humid climate. Today, there was no snowfall. It was definitely a bit chilly, but nothing a jacket couldn’t protect against. Kaa-san had packed some warm soup and rice balls.

We found a nice plot in a park not so far from home to have a picnic together. We spent two hours relaxing and enjoying each others’ presence. Tou-san seemed to grow less tense by the minute, even though he was silently listening to me and kaa-san’s conversation for the most part. 

He was not as vocal as I remembered.

There was no doubt that he was relaxed, but he was also constantly lost in thought, only speaking when spoken to. Kaa-san and I often found him staring blankly at us, completely distracted. I didn’t mind that he was spacing out but I was worried about the contents of said thoughts. Was he alright? Could I say anything to distract him, to help him? 

I snapped my hand in front of his unfocused gaze to get his attention. He blinked and tilted his head in confusion. “Oh, sorry, kiddo. What’s wrong?” he asked, sounding guilty. “Let’s go on a walk!” I chirped in response. He shrugged in indifference and we got up. 

Tou-san and I treaded side by side in a comfortable silence. I thought a walk would be good for him since he was spacing out, and I also wanted to ask him about his deployment. I wanted to take a chance to talk to him about this without kaa-san or Izumi in earshot. Before I could get the first word, tou-san turned to me.

“We were naive, kiddo, your kaa-chan and I both.” He sighed, the two of us already a good distance away from the picnic. “If I’ve taken even a single lesson from this war, it’s that I was wrong about letting you become a shinobi.”  I frowned at his words, about to argue back, before I was cut off, “Your words, your expression – if I try to stop you here, it won’t be enough to set you off of your path, will it?” he asked, a tired smile on his face.

“I..” I murmured quietly, tugging at his sleeves. Tou-san smiled sadly at me and ruffled my hair. “If I have no choice in the matter, then I’m making the next best choice,” he stated, his face hardening with determination. “I know you want to try to console me, to ‘cheer me up’, but I’m going to hijack this little chat.” he continued.

I blinked up at him, confused. Yes, I wanted to console him, to cheer him up. This outing was supposed to be for him. To welcome him back home, to reintroduce normalcy, to calm his nerves. If that was the case, then why was he lecturing me now?

“To be frank, Daisuke, after coming back from war, I can hardly agree to send the current you out there,” he criticized me with a serious tone. I straightened up unconsciously. “In the little time I’m here, you’re going to be worked to the bone,” he explained strictly. “And while we’re at it, I’m going to teach you to use two Earth release ninjutsu.” he finished. 

The conversation had not at all gone how I expected. I wanted to learn about the war, cheer him up and enjoy some alone time with my father, but now I found myself nodding stiffly at his demands. My father, he wasn’t some fragile old man, ruined by war. He was a soldier who had fought to return home. He wasn’t spaced out because he was having war flashbacks or something, he was thinking of me. What would happen to me after graduating from the academy, and how to prevent me from being underprepared as a genin. Even while dealing with his own troubles, he was thinking of how to protect his kid. 

I needed to get my head out of my own ass. I wasn’t a therapist or a scout, I was the child of a shinobi and an academy student, and more importantly, I was a 7 year old boy, reincarnated or not. 

Tou-san wasted no time in explaining the jutsu he would teach me. The first one was the Hidden Mole jutsu, and the second one was the Mud Wall jutsu. They were both jutsu I remembered from canon, and I understood tou-san’s reasoning for learning these two jutsu. Both techniques weren’t offensive, but rather defensive and evasive. 

The Hidden Mole jutsu would allow me to soften to ground and burrow through it, like a mole. It would be useful for things like ambushes or for the Headhunter jutsu, but more importantly for tou-san, it doubled as a move to allow for escape.

The Mud Wall jutsu was a versatile jutsu that could be used to create a wall, which could be used in a variety of circumstances, but most importantly defend myself and squad members from projectile attacks, such as Fire Release jutsu or shuriken.

After our short chat, we went back to kaa-san and Izumi to enjoy the rest of the picnic. The rest of our day was pleasant, but what my conversation with tou-san had lingered in my mind. I was excited about learning jutsu, but another, more bitter thought kept my mind distracted.

Tou-san… did he not believe in me anymore? 

–

For most, the initial learning curve for acquiring elemental ninjutsu was Nature transformation. Typically, even for simpler, D-ranked ninjutsu, one had to undergo a fairly lengthy period of learning how to wield an element. 

For me, however, that reality was different.

I wasn’t sure if it was because of my prior experience of learning how to use Fire Release, if it was because of my practice with manipulating a rock in my free time, or if it was because of my perceived talent in chakra control, but molding Earth Release chakra was nearly immediate. The process had been significantly faster than learning how to create Fire Release chakra. According to Tou-san, I had inherited his powerful affinity with Earth Release. 

Back when he was closer to my age, despite a fairly powerful affinity with Earth Release, his limiting factor had been chakra control, but for whatever reason, chakra control was second nature for me. The family had long since known I was good with chakra control, but kaa-san and tou-san both had no idea where it had come from. My mother, apparently, also wasn’t the greatest at chakra control. 

Naturally, I had my own theories. 

Regardless, since wielding Earth Release chakra had come so quickly, it took less than an hour from me to sink into the ground for the first time. My first use of the jutsu was incomplete – I hadn’t softened the ground enough, leaving only my lower body submerged, but to even learn an incomplete version of the jutsu so quickly was a good sign.

Over the course of the rest of the day, I had managed to grasp how to properly use the jutsu. Using the jutsu was one thing, but properly making use of a jutsu was another thing, so over the next two days, I used the jutsu in a more practical setting. I needed to get used to moving around quickly and efficiently, I needed to get used to the limited amount of air without panicking, as well as becoming more aware of my surroundings while underground.

After those three days had passed, tou-san was happy enough with the progress that we moved onto the next jutsu. That wasn’t to say that I had actually mastered the Hidden Mole jutsu, but it actually meant that he estimated that I would need more time to grasp the next jutsu. Earth Style: Mud Wall jutsu was supposedly a more difficult ordeal.

The Mud Wall was a B-ranked jutsu, two whole ranks above the Hidden Mole jutsu. Most genin didn’t learn B-ranked jutsu, and I wasn’t even a shinobi yet, but it was a versatile jutsu that tou-san had wanted me to learn no matter what. Not only was it much harder to perform, but it was more exhausting on my chakra reserves. My reserves were robust for my age, but if I felt my reserves were too low, I was to stop for the day immediately.

Even with my previous experience in Earth Release and my chakra control, my Mud Walls always had some kind of structural error. At first, it was the fact that I couldn’t get it to reach a significant size, but even after I managed to correct that error, tou-san was very adamant that I make it strong enough. The concern was understandable, of course, but habits in jutsu casting were very tedious to fix. Tou-san relentlessly attacked each wall I created to test their strength, and while it was great practice, watching my creations get destroyed so easily was a bummer.

So, that was my life during the month tou-san was back from deployment. Academy, training with Gai, and then Earth Release practice with tou-san. Doing Gai’s training regimen and then emptying my chakra reserves with tou-san’s prescribed training was exhausting to say the least, though it helped to elevate my chakra reserves. As the days passed, my chakra visibly became stronger. I could cast more and more jutsu without being exhausted.

I did end up creating a wall that could withstand enough damage to satisfy tou-san by the end of the month, by the way. It turns out that the secret to making a sturdier Earth Jutsu took more than just a high concentration of chakra. It took a mix of several factors: control in the creation of the jutsu, density of the earth used, quantity of chakra used, and how long the caster took to cast it.

Creating a proper Mud Wall was not as simple as it seemed. There was a specific concentration and power that your control needed to accomplish that. Being exhausted both mentally and physically did not help with that revelation, in fact, it probably made me take longer to find that answer.

Past the relentless training, I was grateful. I saw off tou-san with a heavy heart as he was redeployed to the frontlines. 

Hopefully I will see him again soon.

Chapter Text

I stared dispassionately at the rapidly moving ground, slung over Gai’s shoulder. I didn’t even bother to struggle. The excited boy hadn’t even waited a moment before kidnapping me from right in front of the academy, and running off with me. WIthout even getting the chance to say a word, I was already being taken.

The only reason for his excitement that I could think of was probably some form of training, but I don’t think he would’ve bothered to grab me right away. I expect to once again bear witness to another one of Gai’s challenges to Kakashi. The goofball had been getting stronger at an exponential rate, and was once again running off to his moody rival to test his skills out, and perhaps even win.

Gai must have been really sure of his chances this time around, since he doesn’t always take me along with him. 

I had already been taken to plenty of their spars, and while I enjoyed the opportunity of getting to know Team Minato better, and to watch Gai and Kakashi go at it, it was still disheartening to see Gai lose each time, and despite Gai’s obvious strength and skillfulness, Kakashi’s attitude never changed. He was rude, dismissive and disrespectful after every one of their bouts.

Truthfully, I didn’t have anything against Kakashi, but he was still a huge dickhead. The silver-haired boy obviously didn’t hate Gai, or anything, but he also didn’t respect him, and if Gai didn’t defeat Kakashi in any duels, that same mindset would persist. 

It’s true that technically the tally was 1-27 in Kakashi’s favor, meaning Gai had won before, but when I asked Gai about that one victory, he explained that he only won at the time because Kakashi had been exhausted. His body was weak after excessive training, and his chakra reserves were close to their limits. Obviously, the prodigy Hatake Kakashi would never turn down a proper challenge, which resulted in his defeat.

 In other words, the only time Gai had defeated Kakashi had been a fluke.

It was still an era where Gai and Kakashi only competed through sparring, much unlike their silly races or eating competitions from their adulthoods. Of course, the natural genius Kakashi would remain more skilled than Gai and would continue to win fights for a while, but Gai had his own strengths. 

“Gai?” I asked, tapping his shoulder, “Are you going to challenge Hatake-san to a spar today?” he smiled up at me, “You have a sharp mind, my dear friend! Yes! Today is the day where I defeat my eternal rival!” he confirmed, still racing me towards Team Minato’s assigned training grounds.

“Does it have to be a spar, though?” he tilted his head, confused at what I meant, “Y’know, like a competition to see who’s physically stronger, or who has better aim throwing kunai? Something that focuses on your individual strengths.” I elaborated.

He stared at me thoughtfully, “I don’t see how that would be very helpful…” he hummed before I cut in. “I think it would be very helpful, Gai,” I disagreed,  “It would be useful in identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Sparring is a great way to gain combat experience, but not every mission is about fighting. It would be a good way to diversify and balance your skills.” I explained with a thoughtful tone. 

He thought about it for a moment before nodding, “That does make sense,” he agreed, before perking up to continue, “Seeing as you brought it up, perhaps you should be the one pick the object of our competition for today!” he declared with a wide grin.

As much as I was certain of Gai’s skills as a shinobi, it didn’t take a genius to realize that Kakashi was superior to Gai in most shinobi skills. Aim, precision, prowess with jutsu, chakra control, intelligence, Kakashi was more skillful in many ways.

One of the only things Gai was better at would likely be their physicalities. Kakashi wasn’t physically weak, or anything, but physical prowess was the focal point of Gai’s regimen. It meant the options to ensure Gai actually won were activities like endurance challenges, rock climbing, arm wrestling, among many others. Gai could probably out-eat Kakashi in an eating competition as well, but it probably wouldn’t earn Kakashi’s respect.

I would kill to see it, though.

My thoughts were interrupted by our arrival to the training ground, where we would once again interrupt the silver haired genius’s training.The team in question noticed our approach each with differing reactions. Surprise, amusement, frustration and annoyance. Gai dropped me and then rushed off to his rival as I scrambled to keep up with his mad dash, not expecting him to immediately dart.

Obito was the first one to say anything, “What’re you doing here again, you weirdo!?” he demanded, pointing at Gai accusingly. “Why, to challenge my esteemed rival once again, of course!” Gai replied with a thumbs up, flashing his pearly whites. 

“You lose all the time, so what’s the point of even coming?!” Obito shrieked rudely. Before Rin had a chance to scold him for being mean, I cut in. “Experience, growth, reflection, camaraderie, amongst other things,” I answered him, much to his annoyance, “And besides, Gai is going to win today, because I propose a different challenge… a race.” I announced triumphantly.

Team Minato eyed me with confusion, before Kakashi spoke, “Why would I do anything but spar him,” he asked me with narrowed eyes, pointing at Gai with this thumb, “and what makes you think that I would race him?” He shook his head as if I were stupid. Gai frowned at me in disappointment. Little did he know, there was an easy way to convince this version of Kakashi to do something so ‘trivial’. I winked at him before turning over to the young prodigy. 

“Hatake-san, If you can’t beat Gai in a race, why not just say it? No shame in sharing our weaknesses, you know? It’s a learning experience.” I said with a wicked smile, disguised by an innocent tone. I watched in glee as Kakashi’s eye involuntarily twitched. One more push.

Minato smiled knowingly before wiping his expression clear. He’s on board. I knew I could count on you, Minato! “Now, now, Kakashi. We’re all aware that Gai-kun is slowly outpacing you. I understand you may feel insecure, so how about you skip his challenge this time?” he said all too kindly.. The boy shook in anger, probably hiding an annoyed growl. “Fine!” he grumbled, stomping off towards Gai. They began discussing the terms for their race.

Rin looked at me, shocked, “How did you do that? Kakashi-kun hardly ever listens to others,”. She asked. I shrugged playfully, “I wasn’t completely sure if he would budge, but considering how proud and arrogant he is, I assumed he wouldn’t take kindly to having his strength questioned.” I smiled through my explanation, looking out towards Kakashi and Gai. 

Obito was still frustrated. “That’s all good and everything, but why bother ‘tricking’ that Bakakashi into any kind of challenge? I hate to admit it, but he’s a genius. I’ve never seen him lose to anybody other than Minato-sensei.” he grumbled with disbelief.

I shook my head, “This one won’t be the same,” I commented with confidence. Obito regarded me with surprise, “What, why? He hasn’t ever actually beaten him, so why would this time be different?” he scoffed with his arms crossed.

“Don’t you think I might know more about Gai’s capabilities than you?” I asked, playfully tilting my head. “Listen, Kakashi’s my teammate, I would know,” he said, slightly frustrated. “Well,” I started, “If you’re so confident, do you wanna bet on it?” I narrowed my eyes challengingly. 

He scoffed again, “What could you possibly wager? You aren’t even a genin,” 

I crossed my arms in thought, “I don’t know, maybe something you’ve been having trouble with,” I hummed mockingly, “I could help you master water-walking.” I offered with a grin. Obito’s eyes widened as his mouth opened in shock, “Wha–! Who told you that?!” he asked, demanding an answer.

“Nohara-san.” I deadpanned, pointing at her shamelessly, “She’s a gossip,” I explained with a neutral expression. Rin recoiled, not expecting to be ratted out. I had come along with Gai to witness two of his other bouts since his 23rd loss t o Kakashi, and Rin had been the easiest to chat with. She lacked Obito’s… Obito-ness, and was less daunting to approach than Minato. During that time, she accidentally let it slip that Obito was struggling recently with water-walking, citing his impatience. She had asked me to not bring it up to Obito, but it was valuable information for me.

Obito’s head whipped towards Rin, “Rin! You told him–?!” he asked, face flushed. Rin waved her hands frantically, “I didn’t mean to!” I chuckled, “Don’t worry, Obito-san. I’m not making fun of you. I’ll say it again, if you win, I’ll help you get water-walking down, and if I win, you’ll teach me a Fire Release technique or two” I said.

It was an opportunity to learn some more ninjutsu. Obito wasn’t necessarily weaker than me, in fact, he could probably defeat me without much trouble, but from what I learned from Rin, his foundations were off, and he had problems with things like control. My offer to help him with his control, it was basically the only thing I could offer him in a wager. 

He sputtered, glaring at me, “T-There’s no way a brat like you knows how to water-walk! You’re too young!” he pointed at my accusingly. I shrugged, as if unaffected, “Try me,” My lips spread into an evil smirk, “Chakra control is my specialty, and besides, if I can’t prove that I can water-walk, you could just not uphold your end of the wager,” I explained, meeting his glare.

He regarded me carefully, face red. I had clearly wounded his pride a little with my words. I stuck my hand out, smiling at Obito innocently, “So, deal?” I asked. He grumbled before shaking my hand a little too hard, “Deal!” he agreed reluctantly. 

Obito’s agreement to my terms was more likely linked to the fact that Kakashi was more likely to win in his eyes. Gai’s victory wasn’t a guarantee, far from it, so the wager now rested on my best friend’s shoulders.

From the distance, the two rivals had begun to walk to a specific location, Kakashi drawing a line with his foot. The terms had been set. They both got into position, before Minato was ushered over to make a count. They lowered themselves, preparing to sprint. He threw a kunai up into the air, the 6 of us carefully watching it fall to the ground. The moment it stabbed into the grass, their bodies blurred forward, dust scattering into the air as they blitzed past. 

The race was over in seconds. The distance was very short – about 150 meters. It was a tiny distance for two gifted shinobi. The two had decided on a shorter sprint-like race. We watched with intense focus to be sure of who would win, but our focus was hardly necessary, because the winner won by a very obvious quarter second margin.

For human races, a quarter second wasn’t too big a difference, nothing to write home about, but for shinobi, it was quite staggering. 

And the victor by that staggering margin was Konohagakure’s Sublime Green Beast of Prey, Maito Gai. 

As soon as the race ended, I made deliberate eye contact with my defeated foe. Sweet victory. Gai’s victory was more satisfying than I expected, and I watched with glee as he celebrated enthusiastically from a distance. 

“So,” I began, tone triumphant, “when are you free?” I asked, ignoring Minato’s soft chuckle.

—----------------------------------------

Turns out that Uchiha Obito did not, in fact, have a lot of free time. His days were filled with team training, and in some scenarios, Team Minato even trained into the early evening. Their work ethic was impressive. Obito and I managed to work out that I would hang around them during one of their evening team training sessions, and link up with Obito afterwards. 

Rin and Minato didn’t mind my presence, the two were generally kind people, after all, but Kakashi seemed irritated at my presence. Despite that, he never verbally complained about me being there. His irritation seemed unwarranted to me, because I hadn’t hijacked their shared training or anything. I kept to myself until their own collaborative training ended. 

The only person who I inconvenienced was Obito himself, as promised by the bet. During the time Team Minato was doing their own training, I kept myself busy with independent training. Gai had given me a verbal checklist of things he thought I needed to work on, and I had my own skills I felt I needed to develop, such as my Earth Release.

The last thing I wanted was to disappoint Tou-san, and despite his absence, I still felt motivated to follow his lead. I wanted to impress him – to be a son he could be proud of. The two jutsus that I had been imparted with were not difficult to perform as an amateur, but mastery of these techniques, especially the Mud Wall, would prove more difficult. 

The Hidden Mole jutsu was easy enough, being one of the lowest ranked Earth Release jutsus. Hand seals exist to guide and hone our chakra, which offers a shortcut in nature transformation and chakra control, but if a shinobi was skilled enough with the jutsu, it was possible to omit hand seals. The Hidden Mole jutsu, a simple jutsu, only required two hand seals, and from previous practice, I became able to omit one of the two.

So, with my plan formulated, I threw myself into my own regimen. Emptying my chakra reserves before training with Obito was a bad idea, so I stuck to physical training, recalling Gai’s feedback. I had a few hours to burn, so being thorough with the regimen would serve me well. Another consideration is that Earth Release jutsu consumes a relatively low amount of chakra as long as the user made few changes to the earth they manipulated, so as I transition into practicing with my Earth Release, my chakra reserves wouldn’t deplete.

So as I trained my body, I thought of a good way to practice my nature manipulation and chakra control. My level of chakra control was already at a high level for my age, and now it was important to find creative ideas that I could use to hone my control. Water-walking was already natural to me, and I had few ideas on how to continue progressing on that front. The Canon didn’t exactly expand upon chakra control exercises, so I had little inspiration to draw off of.

I ended up asking Kaa-san about her own methods that she used to improve her chakra control. Apparently, she didn’t have the problem of running out of effective chakra control exercises when she was my age. After some thought, she recommended I manipulate my chakra to an unnecessary degree. The instructions didn’t make much sense to me at first, but I kind of figured out what she meant. Carving a perfect cube out of earth wasn’t a very difficult feat, but carving a flower shape out of earth, now that required control. 

That thought process brought me to the current situation, where I sat in seiza, creating Mud Wall after Mud Wall, focusing on specific designs and shapes to challenge my control. It came more naturally than expected, the idle hum of chakra eagerly dancing under my skin, ready to be harnessed at a moment’s notice. Something I noticed about progressing chakra control was that progress snowballed, at least in my experience. It was an exciting prospect.

As I grew more and more used to the exercise, the shapes and designs that came with my Mud Walls grew from simpler designs like spikes, spheres, and waves to more complicated designs, like a Konoha headband, to even writing. The Mud Walls I brought up varied in size, width and distance from me, and I eventually found myself enjoying the exercise to a great degree.

After a while, I was snapped out of my concentration by Obito roughly slapping my head. I looked back and up towards him, blinking like a moron. I had quickly grown absorbed by the task at hand, and now a large number of walls riddled the area around me. An innocent smile bloomed on my face.

I looked up to see Obito and Rin. Their training had seemingly ended already, with Minato and Kakashi nowhere to be found. Rin, like the angel she was, decided to stay back to encourage Obito. The boy in question shook his head at me, “What’re you even doing?” he asked irritably. I had forgotten about the original reason I came: to learn Fire Release jutsu with Obito. I shrugged, “Uhmm,” I looked back and forth from my creations, still dazed, “I guess you can call this practice?” I responded.

Rin hummed in awe, eyes sparkling, “Wow, you made all these? They are all so…” she paused as her gaze passed over a certain Mud Wall’s design featuring Kakashi with buck teeth, “... unique?” she murmured, still bravely attempting to compliment me. 

Obito sighed in disbelief as he pointed at a specific Wall, “This,” he began, “is what you call practice?!”  The Mud Wall in question was a particularly beautiful creation of mine that read a truly elegant message saying  ‘Obito’s an idiot!’ formed in bubbly text. Hey, I remember that one! I held my hands up with a barely contained smile, “Okay, I admit that I started getting bored around this point…”

Rin went around, looking at each design like it was an art gallery, chuckling as she passed by certain designs. Clearly, she recognized art when she saw it. Obito should learn from her example and recognize true culture. Who doesn’t like buck-toothed Kakashi?

Obito mumbled under his breath before regaining his wit. He faced me, smirking. “Enough of with lame Earth Release. I’m sure you’re dying to learn a real jutsu or two!” he declared, high and mighty. 

“Yes, Obito-sensei!” I chirped jokingly. “Sensei? Don’t call me that, you stupid runt!” he shot back.

“Hmm, what about… Obito-senpai?” I asked innocently.

“No!” he refused.

“Obito-sama?” 

“Absolutely not!”

“How about just Shishou, then?” 

“Just call me Obito, damn it!” he snapped, his face bright red from all of the titles I tried dumping on him. I don’t see the problem with a fun little endearing nickname. “If you insist, Obito-sensei!” I quipped with an easy grin. 

“You know what?!” he shouted out in anger. “Watch and learn!” His hands flipped through the Rat-Tiger-Dog-Ox-Rabbit-Tiger seals, “Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!” he shouted, his chest expanding before numerous torso-sized fireballs flew out from his mouth.

I watched in horror as the fireballs sailed violently towards my beautiful Mud Walls, carefully missing Rin. As they trailed by, I could feel their immense heat on my face. Despite Obito appearing to lack a lot of skill, his Fire Release was beautiful. The Mud Walls couldn’t withstand the fireballs, and as they were destroyed, I could feel a second wave of heat impact my body. Ninjutsu, it was more impressive than I thought.

I thought it was possible to make Mud Walls capable of withstanding Obito’s Phoenix Flower Jutsu, but it was impossible to do that while maintaining complicated designs and shapes. I secretly vowed to make an indestructible Mud Wall with plenty of slander as revenge for Obito’s wrongdoings.

“What do you think of that?!” he asked me smugly. I scowled at him, “While I appreciate the demonstration, you destroyed over half of my walls! Do you have no respect for art?!” I demanded in offense. Obito was about to argue back before Rin appeared. “That’s right! How could you destroy all of Daisuke-kun’s... interesting art pieces?” she scolded, shaking her head. ‘Interesting’ seems excessive, but I’m glad she took my side!

“Fine, let’s just get this stupid lesson over with!” he told me, calming down at Rin’s presence. Kinda funny. “That’s true, we’ve already wasted a few minutes.” I agreed, nodding my head seriously this time. It was all Obito’s fault for being so easy to rile up. He looked at me up and down. “Do you remember the hand seals that I used earlier?” he asked. I nodded back at him. “That’s good.” he hummed to himself, before continuing.

“The Phoenix Flower Jutsu is not actually very different from the Fireball Jutsu, just go through the hand seals and let fire build up in you chest like a normal Fireball Jutsu, except you’ll find that the combination of hand seals shapes the chakra in a way to easier to pause between each breath and separate the fireball into several smaller ones.” he paused to think of  a way to describe it, “So it won’t burn anything, or cause too much buildup in your chest.” he explained.

I was under the impression that the two techniques were linked in some way, and Obito’s explanation confirmed my suspicion. It seems that the main difference lies with the compression of the Fire Release chakra in the stomach, as well as proper management of the increased pressure in your chest. I would have to try it first to make sure. 

“Okay…” I mumbled in response, flipping through each hand seal. With each seal, I felt the familiar sensation of chakra gathering in my chest and stomach. He was right – the build up of Fire Release chakra greatly resembled that of the Fireball jutsu, but noticeably, there was less overall chakra concentrated in comparison, the heat more dispersed and ready to separate. It was like comparing kinetic sand and Play Dough. 

“Good luck!” Rin announced, beaming at both me and Obito. I shot her a smile as I got ready. 

“Here goes, Obito-sensei!” I declared with enthusiasm. “Don’t call me that!” he shouted back in defiance. Hehe. Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu, I exclaimed internally. As I prepared to exhale, I made sure to narrow my mouth, exhaling in parts rather than all at once. It reminded me of blowing donuts with smoke.

Ooooh, I should try that! Defeating someone with a Fire Donut jutsu sounded hilarious. Like Gotenks’ Galactic Donuts.

As the thought crossed my mind, a number of fireballs flew out of my mouth, the heat even closer than when I observed Obito’s demonstration of the technique. The fireballs were noticeably wilder than Obito's, lacking the same precision he had, and they were clearly smaller. He had more experience with the jutsu. I watched the technique rage onwards before slowing down and dissipating in the air before it hit anything. 

That’s a relief. I would rather not accidentally cause a local forest fire. 

I breathed out ecstatically, a wide grin splitting my face. “How was that?!” I exclaimed, not to anyone specifically. My gaze panned over to Rin and Obito. “On the first try?!” yelped Obito, shocked at my success. Rin’s eyes were wide, “That was incredible!” she said. Truthfully, I didn’t think it would take a single attempt either, but it seemed that skill in the Fireball jutsu carried over to the Phoenix Flower jutsu. Despite that, the fact that I had managed it so quickly had evidently excited me. 

As I recounted the feeling of casting the jutsu, I noticed Obito’s expression. It was one of frustration, his hands clenched at his sides, and his eyes glaring holes into the ground. He was frustrated that I had learned so quickly. He was comparing himself to me, and beating himself up over it. 

I didn’t like that expression on him.

“Well’ I’m satisfied for now. Do you want to work on water walking now?” Obito snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at me, confusedly. “I lost the bet,” he shot back silently. “You did,” I responded with a smile, “I figured if I help you out, you’ll teach me another one.” I said with a shrug. Rin smiled at me almost gratefully, before turning to Obito, “It sounds like a good trade off.” she said to the boy.

Obito’s expression shifted to one of embarrassment and anger. “I… why do you want to help me? You’re pitying me, aren’t you? I don’t need your help.” Obito said quietly, fists shaking by his side. I shook my head, “That’s not why I want to help you out,” I explained, “you’re going to be the Hokage, Obito.” said, completely sure of my words. “I’m rooting for you, you know? Is it bad to want to help you out?” 

Obito’s onyx eyes widened minutely, before shining with hope.

I wasn’t lying to Obito. I wasn’t placing false hope in the boy. The Obito I knew from canon was idealistic and naive, but kind. He wasn’t very skilled, but he worked hard. As he grows up, he’s going to become stronger. When he awakens his Sharingan, he’ll be one of a kind. If there’s anyone who’ll succeed the Fourth Hokage, it’ll be Obito. As long as he isn’t kidnapped by Madara, he's a sure bet.

The Hokage of Konoha have always been chosen through nepotism. The first two were Senju, and the Third is a student of one of them. It was obvious that since Madara’s defection and the creation of the police force, Konoha has avoided an Uchiha Hokage, but if there’s anyone who can bridge that gap, it’s Obito. He’s the student of the soon-to-be Fourth, and he has never been close to the clan. In my eyes, he’s the only Uchiha that they would allow to become Hokage.

An Uchiha Hokage could also stop the Massacre and indirectly keep my family from being killed.

Obito shook his head, and flashed a cocky grin,“That’s right! You’re right!” Obito shouted, “I’m going to be the Hokage! Don’t think you’re better than me just because you can water walk! I’ll catch up in an instant!” he declared, running off to the distance towards the pond in the area.

Rin and I rushed to catch up to him after his enthusiastic charge. “Thank you for saying that,” she said, smiling softly. “This is the Obito I like the most,” she said fondly, “The one who never gives up. The one whose smile is the brightest around.” I snorted in response, “The one who’s unreasonably cocky,” I joked, eliciting a chuckle from her. “That’s true. He’ll have to kick that habit someday,” she remarked. “Not if he gets strong enough to back that attitude up. I do think he can do it, Nohara-san.” 

Her grin widened, “Me too.” she said fondly.

-

Eventually, we caught up to Obito, who was already trying to do it without any guidance. As he stuck his feet in the water, he could stay afloat for a short while, albeit with water up to his knees, but after less than a minute, he began sinking. The scene was chaotic. As he began sinking, he overcorrected himself and overcharged his feet with chakra, blasting him upwards and out of the water. He flipped twice in the air before belly flopping back into the pond. 

I walked over to where Obito swam, swearing up a storm. “I think it’s better if you come closer to shallow water, that way there will be less movement. You should start with still water.” I explained with an amused smirk. He sighed, “You’re the boss,” he said, following me closer to the coast of the pond. As we made it to the shallow bit, I realized I forgot to ask him something. “Obito, you can do tree-walking, right?” I asked, eliciting a scowl from him, “What?! Of course I can, what do you think I am!?” he sputtered indignantly.

“That’s good. I think I know where you’re going wrong,” I said thoughtfully. Obito narrowed his eyes, “You do? What am I doing wrong?” he asked, more attentive than before. I hummed, thinking of how to put it, “I think you’re copying the process of tree-walking too much, but that’s not a good idea. Water and wood are fundamentally different; they aren’t even in the same state. You have to account for how water is,” I explained, watching Obito’s expression grow more confused. I sighed, “Look, this time, you have to be more delicate. The amount of chakra you apply to your feet with tree-walking is too little for water-walking, that’s why your legs are slipping into the water. Try experimenting with your fingers or with one foot at a time, and get used to how you should spread the chakra out. If you apply it too evenly, you’ll just bounce. Water is weird. Try to focus on your toes and soles of your feet, and make sure the spread of chakra is thick enough without being so condensed so you don’t overcharge it. Oh, and don’t panic like you did before.” I finished.

My own experience with water-walking showed me that the properties of water had to be taken into careful consideration. Water isn't solid, so the chakra’s main focus isn’t sticking to the solid, but keeping creating an adequate barrier against the water. People aren’t light enough to stand on water, that won’t change no matter what, and that’s the secret to water walking. Your chakra has to bear that weight. It’s the same reason why ripples and splashes disrupt water-walking if the person hasn’t mastered it. The ripple will disrupt the layer of chakra, and when the person’s equilibrium is shot, they will either slip and fall into the water as if they had tripped or simply sink.

Obito regarded me with mild surprise, “You know a lot about this stuff, don’t you?” he said before smiling, “I’ll try again!” he shouted, punching his empty palm. He ran off towards the shallow bit of the pond, touching the water with his hand experimentally.

I walked back and sat next to Rin. “Why don’t you go and learn with him?” I asked. She laughed, shaking her head, “Oh, I can water-walk already.” I blinked in surprise. I thought she didn’t know how to do it because… “Why haven’t you taught Obito how to do this already, then? You guys are good friends,” I wondered. 

Rin smiled sheepishly, a blush coloring her face, “It’s kind of embarrassing, but I’m not really good at teaching anything. Whenever I tried, I couldn’t really put any explanation in words. Obito grew frustrated quickly, as you might expect. We both realized he would figure it out faster without my help.” she explained sheepishly, scratching her cheek. 

“Oh, so you’re that type of smart,” I deadpanned. 

Rin laughed, a smidge self-deprecatingly. “You're right. You are very good at explaining things, Daisuke-kun. Compared to you, I am no good at helping Obito.” she sighed. I stood up suddenly, “The two of you get too gloomy too fast. Don’t you realize how much you help Obito? If you weren’t his friend, I wonder how far his motivation would go. You give him hope.” I looked at Rin pointedly, “So keep watching him, okay?” I finished.

-

Obito ended up making marketable progress with water-walking that evening. After about an hour of experimenting with a layer of chakra on his hands and eventually on his feet, he stood up and hesitantly stepped with one foot onto the water. As his foot hit the water, it sank for a few centimeters, before stabilizing. His eyes shot open as he looked back at a beaming Rin, wonder what to do next. After some encouraging words, he brought his second foot onto the water. His second foot began sinking like this first, but when it began sinking deeper than this first one and not stabilizing, he began to panic. The water around his feet began to rumble, but before he inevitably fell over, a determined grunt exited his mouth. He bared his teeth in exertion as the rumbling stopped, and a moment later, he stood on the water proudly, a few centimeters shorter. 

From there his progress became better and better. Water-walking, however, was not an exercise for someone to master in a day. I hadn’t fully mastered it in a day either. By the end of the evening, he grew comfortable with standing atop the water, his feet no longer sinking into it, but taking steps was more difficult. He could manage walking, albeit slowly. 

It was getting late, and it was getting cold. Team Minato’s training was already somewhat late today, and it was already dark out. Luckily, Rin had the foresight to suggest we make a campfire since Obito would be getting cold from being submerged so much. After a few more minutes of practice, he finally agreed to come out and huddle around the fire so he wouldn’t get sick.

The three of us sat around a campfire, enjoying the heat. Neither me or Rin had gotten submerged, but we were cold anyways, and after an hour of carefree chatting, it was time to go home. 

“Do we have to go home already? My clothes are still damp!” Obito whined, watching the fire longingly. I smirked, “You should’ve taken your clothes off before pulling off that incredible stunt in the water, then.” my fingers twirled, mimicking his flop. “Two flips, Obito. That’s impressive! And a belly-flop to boot! That must’ve hurt – your resilience is an inspiration” I exclaimed excitedly, mocking him. Obito slapped my shoulder, “Shut up, boy-wonder! I know you’ve already missed your bed-time, so don’t get cheeky!” he jeered with false-bravado. 

Rin facepalmed, “Why does this always happen…?” she muttered, before turning to face the both of us, “Couldn’t you guys just say ‘Today was fun’ or ‘Thank you for the help’?” I blinked, before a genuine smile tugged at my lips, “You know what, you’re right. Today was fun.” I agreed. Obito cleared his throat, “Thank you for helping me out today, Daisuke.” he admitted, a faint pink coloring his cheeks. My smile dropped for a moment, not expecting the boy to be so honest, before I grinned back, “Don’t worry about it,” I said, before hastily correcting myself, “actually, do worry about it. You owe me another Fire Release jutsu.” I said sheepishly.

The young Uchiha chuckled, not expecting the backtrack. 

“Fine with me.”

—-----------------------------

Months past, and Tou-san was unable make it in time for my birthday. As things are, he might not see Izumi’s birthday, either. Since Tou-san’s last been home, several months have passed. I’ve been really worried about him. Kaa-san and Gai tell me that a long deployment during war isn’t unusual, but I can’t shake the worry. Gai’s dad hasn’t been home for a while, either. The Third Great Shinobi War just takes and takes, and doesn’t give back. 

Each of the Elemental Nation’s forces are shrinking fast. Every front is stretched thin, shinobi and resources becoming more and more sparse, meaning that each side will start preparing risky strategies in order to bring about a favorable end to the way. It’s this desperation that will lead to the Kannabi bridge mission. With the current cost that the war has brought, it would take a significant defeat for any of the Hidden Villages to sign a peace that isn’t advantageous.

The effects of the war were slowly hitting the village. With the war restricting trade and supply, prices were rising. In an effort to churn out more skilled shinobi, most of our breaks were being cut, and because of that, we were stuck in class in July. In Fire Country heat. Without air conditioning or cooling of any kind. 

I think I might be dying.

“AHHHH!” Anko screamed in anger during our lunch break, “I can’t handle this damn heat anymore!” and just like that, she ran outside. I should probably join her, the inside of this building is like hell. “I’m going out to the yard, too.” Hayate apathetically mumbled, slowly striding towards the door like a zombie. “I’ll join you in a sec,” I informed him. He did a thumbs up without turning around.

As I was walking out, Iruka came towards me as well, waving. “Umino-san,” I remarked, “What’s up?” I asked. “We’ve talked about this, it’s ‘Iruka’ to you, Daisuke-san.” he corrected incredulously. “Not much. I just wanted to chat” he responded.

Iruka and I started talking sometimes since the start of our second year here. I know Iruka as a genuinely good person so I had no problems with it. We were on good terms. “Fair enough. We haven’t spoken in a second.” I responded back.

The two of us slowly paced towards the yard together. “Seriously, this heat is killing me!” he complained, stating the obvious. “I know, right? They say it’s gonna reach 42 degrees by 12 o’ clock…” I mumbled pathetically, “Is it too much to ask for some milder weather?” I whined with my arms raised as if to question god. 

Iruka chuckled before shaking his head, “How am I supposed to practice the Academy 3 like this?” he groaned, “I can’t even concentrate,” he explained. I hummed for a second, “Here’s a thought. Run over to a pond at some training ground and take a dip.” I recommended it to him. He nodded, “Oh, good idea,” he admitted, “You don’t seem too bothered. How is your Academy 3 coming along?” he asked, tilting his head.

I smirked, puffing out my chest, “Wellll, I already know them~!” Iruka gazed at me, mildly surprised, “Eh, really? This kinda stuff comes easily to you, doesn’t it? I’m jealous.”  I let myself gloat as a smile spread across my face. “Well, you could say that I have a knack for ninjutsu…” My cocky smile changed into a genuine grin. “Oh, I know! Why don’t you come over sometime and I can help you with whichever one you still have problems with, Iruka-san?” 

“Sounds good!” he beamed, only for his expression to change into a sheepish smile, “... only if there’s a pond like you said. It’s too damn hot!” I sighed, overdramatically hunching over, “You can say that again…” I huffed in agreement. 

As we sat outside, feeling sorry for ourselves, a familiar voice boomed right by the two of us, startling me,“Bunch of lazy asses, you lot!” accused the voice. It was a classmate, but I couldn’t put my finger on who just by the voice Iruka. I turned around to see the smirking face of… Nara Shimada?

“Huh?” the two of us breathed out.

She clicked her tongue, “You heard me, you pansy asses! It’s like being back at the compound! Stop complaining and act like a shinobi, damn it!” she ranted, pointing at us and stepping forward aggressively. “P-pansy asses?” Iruka stuttered, wondering what she meant.

“We can’t complain about the weather? We aren’t even shinobi yet,” I defended myself with scrunched eyebrows. “There it is! You think the Academy's a free pass to slack off? How do you expect to be a proper shinobi if you can’t even handle the smallest inconvenience?” she shot back hotly, before she stomped off.

Um.

I didn't even get the chance to argue. “What the heck?” Iruka wondered, staring at her as she ran to harass another group. “It's not like I said I was gonna quit...” he muttered. I narrowed my eyes as she ran off to a third group of classmates, kicking up dust behind her. “Maybe the heat's getting to her as well,” I guessed, before letting it go. After a short respite, we returned to the classroom to boil another day.

I couldn't help but wonder where Shimada's outburst came from.  

—--------------

Izumi and I were out in the village to celebrate. Celebrate what, you may ask? Well, it was Izumi’s birthday. Her third birthday, to be exact. 

Normally Kaa-san would be out with us, but she asked me to take Izumi out for about 3 hours. She didn’t have time to make the cake the day before, so now she needed to scramble and make a cake worthy of her Izumi.

Unfortunately, I knew Izumi was going to absolutely gorge herself on her birthday cake, meaning I couldn’t take her to get dango. I've been taking her to get dango pretty often now, and she hadn’t spilled the beans to Kaa-san. She’s a smart kid, that’s for sure. Most kids are way smarter than kids on Earth, though, so I’m guessing it has to do with the presence off chakra. 

We spent the time idly wandering around Konoha without anything to do, except for telling stories, of course. She’s gonna know so many stories from Earth. I wonder what kids her age will think of her. 

The outing was very relaxing, especially considering what my day-to-day life normally consists of. I’ve been training hard since I was 4 years old for hours every day. I don’t regret it, but I sometimes long for a bit more free time. Despite that, every time I see Kaa-san, Izumi, Tou-san, or even Gai, I get reminded of what I’m training for.

Ultimately, the world would get a happy ending, so maybe it was selfish to try to change anything, but the thought of me being selfish isn’t nearly enough for me to put off doing anything, especially with my family’s life in the balance. If I can save Obito from his life of pain, I would not only potentially save the Uchiha, but I would also save so many others. Rin won’t kill herself, Gai won’t be forced to open the Eighth Gate.

Izumi won’t be murdered.

Any lives others I could save along the way would be a bonus. And to ensure everyone stays safe even after things have changed too much, I need to aim for the bigger picture. I need to think of the likes of Jiraiya, Nagato and Naruto.

Peace is the only way to have any certainty in the safety of my loved ones.

“What happent next?” Izumi asked all too seriously, considering what she was asking about in the first place. “Then Squidward threw the pizza at his face and told him that it was ‘on the house’!” I answered enthusiastically. She was in awe.

“Squidward’s a good guy…” she whispered to herself, as if it were a revelation. “ Nii-chan, Whatz pi-tsuh?” I blinked in surprise. Had I really told her a story about pizza delivery without telling her what pizza is in the first place? “It’s this amazingly good food where I came from! It’s like bread covered in tomato sauce, cheese and toppings that you choose.”

“I hate tomatoes!” she declared with a pout. I grinned, amused. “I also hated them, but the tomato sauce tastes better than tomatoes.” I reasoned with her, patting her head. “One day I’ll make it for all of us!” I promised with excitement. I’ll have to invite Gai to try it, too.  “Kay!” She agreed easily, despite her dislike of tomatoes. I think I’ve turned her into a glutton after so long.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Izumi gazed at me, “Nii-chan, you don’ come from here?” Izumi asked, curiously tilting her head. Right. I just said ‘where I’m from’ to her. I’ve been offhandedly mentioning it since I’ve started telling her stories. Maybe I should tell somebody.

Out of anybody to tell, Izumi was probably the only one who makes any sense, because she’s speaking English already, and when she’s older, she’ll definitely ask about the strange tongue we are speaking in all the time. 

I brought my finger up to my chin, “Well, I am from Konoha, but… before I was Daisuke, I was somebody else.” I explained. Her expression grew more confused, “Somebdey else?” she asked. I nodded, “Yeah. I lived another life before I was Daisuke. I lived somewhere reaaaally far, and it was a much different place.” I explained, spreading my hands wide.

Izumi hummed, supposedly in deep thought, “‘S that why we talk different?” she asked. I grinned, “If anything, I think it’s weird that there isn’t more than one language here,” I chuckled, before continuing, “But yeah, you’re right Where I’m from, there are so many people, that there are, like, a million different ways to speak. The way we are talking is called English.” I elaborated. She kept looking at me, as if I had anything else to say, before shrugging. “Tha’s weird.” she said simply, and I chuckled amusedly. “I guess it is weird,” 

We continued to walk for a bit, before I turned my head to Izumi again, “Don’t tell anybody about it, okay Izumi?” She narrowed her eyes, unaware of how goofy she looked, "Mom 'n Dad? ” she asked. I frowned, “I’ll tell them myself eventually, so…” 

The thought of Kaa-san and Tou-san looking at me like a stranger sent chills down my spine. I didn’t want that. I shouldn’t lie to them, I know that, but after everything I’ve come to love in the world, even the chance of losing part of it makes me uneasy. Maybe I’ll come clean one day to them one day, but today isn’t that day.

Maybe that day won’t ever come.

My sister considered it for a moment, “Mmmm,” she hummed, “Okay, but I want dango!” I chuckled at what she considered a bribe, patting her head, “Of course!” I agreed, “but not right now!” I added, taking it back instantly. She puffed up her cheeks in a bout, glaring at me. “It’ll be soon, though, I promise! Just not today!” I said with raised hands in an attempt to placate her. Kaa-san would kill me if Izumi couldn’t eat the cake she’s making. 

After that somewhat bizarre conversation, we began heading home. Kaa-san would be done in about 45 minutes, so we took the long way home. On a familiar street, we walked by a tea shop, where two shinobi sat together. I’m not one to pay special attention to conversations around me, but that behavior was slowly being overwritten by my Academy training. At that moment, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop.

“Didya hear?” a shinobi casually began talking to another fellow shinobi, “Princess Tsunade is returning to the hospitals.” he said, sounding relieved. The second shinobi raised an eyebrow, “Really? I heard that she retired from medical work for good.” his friend answered, intrigued by the news.

He leaned in, “That’s what I thought, but something has changed. With how the war’s going, Senju Nawaki-sama, her brother, talked her into coming out of retirement and working in the Senju Medical Corps again.” he explained with a grin. “With her back, we might just beat back those Iwa bastards!” 

I barely kept myself from staring at them. Did they say Tsunade? She left Konoha, suffering from hemophobia, and now she was back early… because of Senju Nawaki? He’s supposed to be dead. And what’s this about the Senju Medical Corps? I haven’t done anything to change canon yet, so why has anything changed? Nawaki’s death is supposed to happen before my birth, so what’s changed? Is there something I’m missing?

What the hell is going on?

“Wuts wrong?” Izumi asked me worriedly. No time for this. I’ll think about it when I get home. I looked down at her and put on a smile.  “Oh, sorry Izumi, nothing’s wrong… Let’s just go home. Kaa-chan’s gonna be worried sick!” 

—---------

After getting home, we had a normal birthday celebration. Kaa-san ended up making some kind of variation of a shortcake with blueberries, one of Izumi’s favorite fruits. It was a dessert filled with love. With no sign of Tou-san, we avoided the subject and just enjoyed her birthday. 

And a few days after the celebration, I got around to asking Kaa-san about Tsunade, citing Academy lessons for my curiosity. She told me about the legendary Kunoichi Tsunade. She told me things I knew, like about how her team were named the Legendary Sannin, and how she was a revolutionary Iryo-nin. Afterwards, she supposedly disappeared from active service by the end of the Second Great Shinobi War. So far, it matched up with what I knew from canon. 

But Senju Nawaki was alive for whatever reason. The shinobi back there, they had addressed him as Senju Nawaki-sama. He was likely a big deal. I asked Kaa-san about him as well, and she had a lot to say. During the last war, Nawaki managed survived an ambush through sheer luck. The fact was recorded by Orochimaru of the Sannin himself. As a result of the ambush, though, he was severely injured and maimed, which was grounds for him to retire from active duty. Apparently, he became more known and influential during this time, having taken on the role of the head of the Senju clan and occasionally an advisor to the Hokage. He even got married to an Uzumaki woman whose name I don’t recognize.

It was his survival that kept Tsunade in the village. That was my guess, at least. He was still around – she still had someone she cared deeply about. Katou Dan’s death likely gave her hemophobia, but she still had a loved one in Konoha.

What that meant to me is that somehow, Nawaki managed to survive that explosion that had killed him in canon. Did Orochimaru warn him in time? Did a third party save him? It was hard to tell for sure. What this meant to me, though, was that not everything would be predictable from here on out. What else could be different? In the end, it didn’t matter too much. The canon historical events will play out differently soon enough.

There will be many unexpected changes to come, so what if a few are a little earlier?

—----------------------------

Uchiha Hazuki interlude

Hazuki met Kichiro for the first time in the academy, but the two weren't immediately hitting it off. Just like any other Uchiha, the girl was under pressure to perform well. The Clan's preference was that she didn't waste her time on 'trivial matters' such as hanging out with friends. 

The big pressure was mostly because of Hazuki's mother. After her Otou-sama passed away on a crazy dangerous mission, that pressure mounted. Even as an Uchiha, her father had been a kind and cheerful man. Hazuki supposed she took after him quite a bit. To the mourning Uchiha Reina, however, he died because of his inherent kindness. 

Hazuki had to suppress her nature in the academy and at home, and her Okaa-sama wanted nothing but perfection. It didn’t help that she wasn’t naturally talented or motivated. It was a real struggle for the young girl.

But meeting Kichiro changed everything for Hazuki.

Hazuki was assigned to Kichiro’s team with Takeshi, under the Jounin Kobayashi's leadership. Their sensei wasn’t a very good teacher or leader. He had already lost two of his previous Genin teams in action and he simply didn’t have the energy or desire to become part of Hazuki's team on an emotional level. He had already lost too much to let more people into his heart.

That's how Kichiro became the team's pillar in Kobayashi-sensei' stead. He was the glue that held the team together. He was strong, professional, and smart, but most of all he was compassionate and kind. He was always there for his two teammates.  They spoke about their problems together, and truly connected as friends.

For the first since her father died, Hazuki opened up and began to act like herself again. After that, it wasn't long before she had fallen in love with Kichiro. He was the one to save her from the twisted stoicism her mother had enforced upon her.

The love never waned, not even when Takeshi and Kobayashi-sensei died during a fatal mission. It was a tough choice for Hazuki and Kichiro to retire, but it was certainly the right choice.

She had zero regrets when confessing her love to Kichiro, even though it caused a lot of drama with the Clan. Okaa-sama ended up disowning her, and their marriage was barred from being made official. It hardly mattered to Hazuki, though. Why? Because it was all worth it when adorable little Daisuke-chan and Izumi-chan were born into the world!

Hazuki genuine believed that they are the cutest little things ever! Not that it was a big shock:  Kichiro and Hazuki were the parents, after all. She quickly found herself loving them more than anything in the whole wide world.

The woman did, however, find herself uncertain about Daisuke at times.

He took after her and Kichiro for the most part: kind, cheerful, and smart. And Hazuki was hardly being modest. Daisuke embodied the best of both of his parents, she thinks.

The pair are, however, worried about the boy. The source is hard to pinpoint, but for some reason Daisuke has always had a strong sense of duty to the village. He has an overwhelming desire to be a shinobi. Hazuki doesn't want to stop him, but the amount he trains is almost desperate. Why would a boy so small be training so desperately in the first place?

He's mature for his age, too. Not overly intelligent, but wise beyond his years. Kichiro had told Hazuki about a time where the boy pulled his father aside and attempted to console him about the war. What child thinks to do that? Despite what seems like a childlike demeanor, he seems to understands what it means to be a shinobi and the death it might bring.

He knows things that they have definitely never taught him, like food recipes that have no origins. He figured out another way to speak, Hazuki can tell there's a pattern to his occasional gibberish. It’s unprecedented. It’s strange. She had never heard of anybody using a different way of speaking, except for code.

At first, the woman thought he was just making funny noises to make his little sister laugh at him. And it was cute, hearing those weird sounds he made. He kept speaking like that to Izumi, and it wasn’t long until she picked up his habit and began speaking it back to him.

He has a journal that Hazuki had peaked into out of curiosity, all with strange inscriptions she couldn’t recognize at all. They weren't random inscriptions, though, because her Sharingan could yet again see a pattern in the text. Despite a not-insignificant amount of effort, she had no way to decipher it. 

Sometimes, Hazuki felt like she know Daisuke so well, like he's her mini-me. Then there are moments where she feels like she'd never met him. It is frightening. It scares her whenever he has this super serious look too calculating to belong to a child. It scares her when he declares that he’ll become a shinobi with this crazy determination that she had barely seen in adults. It scares her whenever she asks about any of this peculiarity, and he simply looks away guiltily and doesn't say a word.

Daisuke can’t lie to his mother, and he knows it. His solution is to not answer Hazuki at all. 

Nothing scares Hazuki more than the chance of her little Daisuke being sent off to war, maybe to never come back. After tomorrow, the boy will officially be a shinobi. Even though he's so young. Hazuki is terrified that one day she might never hear his enthusiastic greeting or see his radiant smile again.

The war had taken Kichiro to the frontlines, and it might just take Hazuki's son, too.

—------------------

One year later - 12th of April, 1bNb (before Naruto’s birth)

“Substitution Jutsu!” I announced to my Chuunin examiner. Without hand seals, I switched places with a book I had thrown into the air. I made sure that prior to our graduation, I mastered each of the Academy 3 to the point where I could omit their hand seals. Well I hadn’t quite gotten good enough at the transformation jutsu to use it without a seal, but that didn’t matter as much as the other two. 

“Well then, Daisuke-kun, it looks like you’ve passed.” The other Chuunin examiner said neutrally. Hell yeah! Hayashi-sensei, a man who I’ll seldom see after tomorrow, gave me a small smile, “You’ve come a long way, Daisuke. Congratulations.” Hayashi-sensei, the other examiner, said fondly, ushering me forward. We weren’t very close, but all teachers must’ve had a special sentimental connection to their students after a while. “Thank you, sensei.” I replied back, smiling right back at him. 

“With this,” Hayashi-sensei reached out his hand, my headband sitting there neatly folded, “you will become a shinobi of Konohagakure and carry on the Will of Fire. I wish you the best of luck out there.” Hayashi-sensei lowered his head in a shallow bow and I walked towards the door, the proof of my status as a shinobi tied around my head. “Come back to your homeroom tomorrow morning at 7 am for team assignments.” He reminded me, eliciting a curt nod from myself.

The years I spent at the Academy had blown by in an instant. I had grown quite fond of the routine I managed to build up over the years, but now it was all over. I was officially a Genin as of today… If I pass whatever exam I’ll be having with the Jounin I’ll be assigned to. 

I spent the past year and some honing much of what I knew already. I improved my skill in Nature Manipulation, chakra control, taijutsu and bukijutsu for the most part, along with becoming physically stronger over time. As promised, Obito taught me another Fire Release, jutsu, which was Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu, a very potent and yet exhausting technique. Even with my higher-than-average chakra reserves, I could only cast it once and then fall into mild chakra exhaustion, so it wasn’t an option to use in a spar or a fight. Obito mastered water-walking after only three weeks, which was a quick turn from before. 

On top of that, Obito, Gai and Rin managed to become Chuunin, along with much of the rest of their age group, just as I remembered in Canon. The Chuunin Exams were an internal affair, as it was in the midst of war, and the majority of Genin who reached the second stage were promoted to Chuunin. The village didn’t comment on the high number of promotions, but it was obvious that they were short on Chuunin. Legally, Genin had restrictions when it came to receiving missions above C-ranked, courtesy of the Third Hokage. 

A little under a month ago, I turned 10 years old, and Izumi turned into a 5 year old back in August. We were both steadily growing up. 

I wonder what my team assignment will be? Some team assignments will be chosen by village politics while others are chosen through grade balance, and since I’m not involved in any politics, I should be paired up with people to even out my score.

I wasn’t the rookie of the year, that title belongs to Hyuuga Momoku, but I was placed 3rd in the class, so I would probably end up with people who scored lower than me. It didn’t bother me, though, since even Konoha’s hero, Uzumaki Naruto, was dead last. Who knows what kind of hidden talent could come from a deadlast?

Or maybe that’s an unfair comparison. Naruto’s the protagonist.

I walked out to see Hayate and Anko showing each other their headbands. I tried to keep my cool but I had been eagerly awaiting my headband since I was like 4, so as soon as I saw the two of my friends showing them off, I ran up to them with unveiled excitement.. “Congratulations you guys!” I praised them as I approached. “You too, man!” Hayate responded, more energetic than usual because of our graduation. “Not suprisin’ that you passed, Daisuke, you’re a big ole nerd!” she chuckled, slapping my back. “Is that an insult or a compliment?” I deadpanned, but couldn’t help the slight tilt to the corner of my mouth. 

I might be put on a team with these two, considering their grade levels would balance out mine. Anko had poor test scores but great practical scores, and Hayate had slightly better than average of each of these scores.

No use thinking too much about it, I just hope I don’t get paired up with anybody too weird. Or rude.

—------------------------

“You’re going to meet your team today, right honey?” Kaa-san asked, handing me a plate of a special celebratory breakfast she had decided to make for me. She didn’t usually make anything too complicated for breakfast, but today she made a strange Japanese-looking variety of a pancake. She smiled sweetly at me, “Make sure to bring at least one of them home sometime soon, okay? Teammates are your second family!” I nodded in agreement. That’s right, team members have very close bonds. It would be a waste to not make friends with them.

“You’re a ninja now, nii-chan!” Izumi beamed at me excitedly in Japanese for once. “How do you feel? How is it like to be a ninja!?” she asked, her excitement growing as she practically jumped up and down. I patted her head. “We aren’t ninjas, okay? We are shinobi.” I corrected her, my index finger pointing up. “‘Kay,” she ignored me dutifully, before perking up, “Hey, you hafta tell me a ninja story soon!” 

I finished my breakfast and started getting ready. It was bittersweet since Tou-san couldn’t be here to congratulate me on graduating, but I would manage. He just needs to get home safe. That’s all I want from him.

I got to the door, my proud family coming with me to see me off. “Get along with your new teammates, okay? And stay safe.” kaa-san wished me off tearfully. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting?” I asked. She shook her head, “Nuh uh. Don’t be like that, Daisuke-chan. Overreacting is my right as a mother!” she shot back playfully. Her similar to my mother back on Earth stung a little.

I bent down a little to say goodbye to Izumi. “D’ya think you’ll find Otou-chan?” she asked innocently. I shook my head gently, “I don’t think so. Tou-chan’s off somewhere else, okay? I bet he’ll be home soon, though!” 

Izumi frowned, “I wanna see Otou-chan again,” she said sadly. It was heartbreaking. Kaa-san bent down as well, “I know, but he’s off protecting us, okay? He’ll be back in no time.” she said, comforting the girl with a brave smile. She looked down, “Really?” she muttered.

Kaa-san hugged her tightly, “Really.” she confirmed. 

Kaa-san then got up and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. “I know it’s just gonna be D-ranked and maybe a test, but be careful. Seriously. Or I will kill your sensei!” she threatened with a coy smile, “My sensei? Not me?” I responded, and she nodded exaggeratedly before letting me go. I stepped out.

“Kaa-chan, Izumi, I’m heading out!” I announced, waving back at them.

Well, time to see who I’ll be spending the foreseeable future with on a team.

—-------------------------------------

“Team 1, Gekko Hayate, Takahashi Tokara and Takehaya Kiruko, led by Aburame Shibi.” Hayate frowned at me, head shaking while walking off with his new teammates. I saluted him as he paced melancholically to the door. 

“Team 2, Mitarashi Anko, Hikaru Kamiki, and Hyuuga Momoku, led by Orochimaru.” I blanched upon hearing the name that I’d completely forgotten about during all my worrying. Well I hadn’t exactly forgotten about Orochimaru, but to think I didn’t connect the dots when considering the possibility of me and Anko being on the same team. For fuck’s sake.

I had to find a way to warn Anko about what he would do, but that can come a little later. I think I have at least two years to do that. I took a deep breath.

“Team 3, Uchiha Shodo, Uzuki Yugao, and Akiha Rumiho, led by Uchiha Mikoto.” I didn’t know she had led a team.

“Team 4, Uchiha Daisuke,” Oooooh, who am I paired with…? “Umino Iruka,” That’s great! I’m already friends with him! He also has the potential to become a Chuunin, which is great.

“..., and Nara Shimada, led by Inuzuka Tsume.”

I shouldn’t have jinxed myself.

I got up and went to meet Iruka. At least he would be something of a saving grace. “Hey, Daisuke-san, I’m looking forward to working with you on a team.” he greeted me pleasantly as we met by the door. “Likewise, Iruka-san!” I responded 

We paced out behind our new sensei, Inuzuka Tsume and our other teammate. Who hated us. Yay or nay? Probably nay. I can’t imagine the Matriarch of the Inuzuka clan to be a bad sensei, though.

“...Ikeda Ozaki, Nagatsuki Tapp…-” I heard Hayashi-sensei’s voice get quieter as we made our way closer to the academy’s exit. 

“I wonder what our new sensei’s like.” Iruka hummed as we watched Shimada try and fail to make small talk with her. I smiled, as I jokingly said, “Hopefully she’s not like Shi-”

“Quit’cher gossiping already, you stupid brats!” our feral teacher snapped, turning around to scowl at us, “Move any slower and I’ll send you back to the academy myself!” Then she darted off in the direction of one of the training grounds.

Iruka and I scrambled to chase her as our Nara teammate stuck her tongue out at us. I shot her the stink eye. The direction our sensei went was probably towards… training grounds 11. This was probably a test for how fast we could travel in a pinch. I pushed chakra into my legs, bouncing off of rooftops to make it there as soon as I could, teammates right behind me. 

I made it to where Inuzuka-sensei was a little faster than Iruka and Shimada, who arrived about 30 seconds after I did. 

Sensei was staring at us angrily, vein bulging on her forehead. “Why do I have to take care of a buncha brats…?” she mumbled to herself barely loud enough for us to hear. She sighed and then straightened up. 

“Listen up, I din’ wanta be a Jounin sensei, but Hokage-sama was adamant that we didn’t have enough available Jounin, so even a Tokubetsu Jounin like me works.” she pinched the bridge of her nose. “In other words, you brats had better not gimme a reason to fail alla ya!” 

“Yes, Inuzuka-sensei!” We all enthusiastically chorused. “Don’t call me ‘Inuzuka-sensei’! Teammates can’t be so damn formal! Call me Tsume-sensei!” she corrected, fist clenched in front of his chest as a warning.

“Yes, Tsume-sensei!” we parroted. 

Tsume-sensei facepalmed, before gazing at the three of us again. “Let’s start by introducing ourselves.” she nodded her head before pointing to Shimada. “You go first, Punk Princess.” Shimada pointed to herself as if to ask ‘Me?!’ before begrudgingly accepting it at Tsume-sensei’s glare.

I raised my hand. “Sensei, what do you mean by introducing ourselves?” She rolled her eyes and waved her hand at me. “I don't care. Just say whatchu think I should know, moron.” she explained dismissively, before Shimada perked up. “I’m Nara Shimada, 11 years old. I like to train and eat! I hate slackers and idiots. I can throw shuriken and kunai really good! I’m gonna become the Hokage!” 

“Yeah, and I'm gonna be the Goddess of Shinobi.” she said dismissively, much to my spikey haired teammates dismay. She pointed at Iruka. “You next, Mop head.” she said apathetically before mumbling berratingly about the ratio of ponytails on this team. Iruka grabbed his hair sheepishly before shaking his head and speaking up, “I’m Umino Iruka, I’m almost 11 years old. I like to read and study. I guess I don’t specialize in anything yet. My goal… I want to serve the village to the best of my abilities.” he explained, bowing his head.

“Pretty normal…” she hummed thoughtfully. “Now what about you,” she narrowed her eyes at me before they lit up with an idea, “...Blue noodle!” She giggled to herself, the ridiculous and unfunny nickname greatly amusing her. It was a horrible nickname, though, like Blue-What?? What kind of nickname is noddle? I couldn't even wrap my head around the rationale. “Outrageous nickname aside,” I sighed before flinching at the sound of her cracking her knuckles. “I take it back. The nickname is great.” I amended immediately. I had better watch my step. 

“My name is Uchiha Daisuke, I’m 10 years old. I like to spend time with my family and exercise. Oh, and I love sweets! I specialize in chakra control and ninjutsu. My goal…” I exhaled through my nose, “is to bring about peace.” 

She gazed  at me before smirking. “Flashy!” Then she looked between the three of us. “You lot mighta gotten confused when I said I’d send’ja back to the academy, but it’s true. I have the right, despite pressure from the Hokage, to fail all of you as Genin.” 

She stomped her foot on the ground and grinned wickedly at us. “Alright runts, meet me here at 7 o’clock tomorrow. If yer late, I might just kill you." She explained, eliciting a chuckle out of me, "That wasn't a joke," she growled, silencing me. "Be sure 'ta bring yer A-game, or back to the Academy with you!” 

Shimada pointed at sensei, standing up suddenly. “What about you, sensei? Introduce yourself, too!” Tsume-sensei’s smile widened. “No way I'm wasting my time on introductions to a buncha potential flunkies!” she taunted, “If you actually pass, then we can get to know each other!”

Before any of us could get another word in, she shunshined away. 

My first impression of Inuzuka Tsume? She seemed… difficult.

Chapter Text

April 19th, 1bNb

As the morning sun pierced through the dense foliage of the training ground, a sense of anticipation filled the air. Team 4 had gathered, ready for whatever their sensei would throw at them.

By a tree sat Daisuke, his black, curly hair framing his determined blue eyes. His headband covered his forehead, a symbol of his commitment to the path of the shinobi. The Uchiha’s attire made use of practicality and personal style. He wore standard black shinobi pants and sandals, and a zipped-up light gray turtlenecked jacket that he’d bought the day before, which covered some shinobi-grade chainmail underneath.

Iruka stood by him, making idle conversation. His brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he looked more presentable for the big day. His forehead protector was tied tightly around his head. Iruka's outfit remained similar to what he wore in the academy, with his pouch full of kunai and shuriken along with his sandals. A plain white t-shirt covering his light ninja chainmail underneath. He wore some slightly uncommon white pants to match his t-shirt.

Away from the two boys stood Shimada, stuck deep in thought, her short black hair tied into a typical Nara-style fox-tail. Resolve radiated from her as she adjusted her black Nara jacket, cut to the waist. Her black shorts were accentuated by bandages above her knee. Shimada’s headband was wrapped around her right arm, once again a common Nara choice.

Leading the young genin was their no bullshit teacher, Inuzuka Tsume, who had not yet arrived on the training grounds, instead choosing to observe her potential pupils before showing up. Her appearance was animalistic, as expected of the future head of the Inuzuka clan. Her long, spiky, untamed brown hair formed something similar to a mane on her head. Her elongated canine teeth added to her beast-like appearance, as did the Inuzuka clan fang markings etched on her cheeks. Intricate markings adorned her slitted eyes. Tsume proudly wore the standard flak jacket of a Konoha shinobi. Underneath, she wore a black suit with the sleeves rolled up, allowing freedom of movement.

Accompanying Tsume was her trusted partner, Kuromaru, a canine with a wolfish appearance. His black fur contrasted with his white underside. Missing his left ear, Kuromaru wore an eyepatch over his right eye. 

As the team gathered at the training ground, the air was teeming with restrained tension and excitement. The stage was set for Team 4’s test, their journey as a team about to unfold amidst the trials and triumphs that awaited them in their careers as shinobi.

—-------------------------

This was it. Despite the war raging outside the village’s walls, Tsume-sensei was going to test us to see if we were fit to become genin. 

I didn’t sleep very well before Tsume-sensei’s test. I knew that even if I failed, I would simply graduate in the next year, but my time to make a difference would end up even more limited. If I wanted to save Obito and Rin and by extension, prevent the Nine Tails’ attack and save the Uchiha, I needed every second I could get. Restlessly getting ready for the test, silent anxiety bubbled under my skin. A nervous pit formed in my stomach and wouldn’t go away.

Today was probably the most important day of this life so far, and it was also the start of my career as a shinobi, and all of the pain that was sure to come with it. As I stared into my now lukewarm breakfast, I wondered how my life had become like this. Just 10 years ago I was living a normal life as a highschool student, my biggest concern being the upcoming exams. 

I wondered, sometimes, how my death affected my friends and family from back on Earth. I hoped I didn’t cause them much misery or sadness, but I often found myself missing them these days. My heart ached thinking of my brothers and my mom in specific, how they would have been devastated at my death and how much I missed them. Normally I wouldn’t have the time to think about it, but on quiet mornings like these, it was hard to note fall down that trail of thought.

I sighed deeply, clearing my head of such thoughts. My life on the Earth was the past, and now is the present. Zetsu and Madara’s schemes wouldn’t wait for my homesickness to subside, so I had to suck it up and crack on. An image of Izumi popped in my head as I hastily finished my food. Accepting that I wouldn’t see my old family ever again would take some time, but I still had my current family and friends.

Since I hadn’t slept very much, it was still rather early when I left the house. I preferred waking up early to enjoy silent and chilly mornings anyways, so I didn’t bother wasting my time pacing in circles at home. I slowly made my way through the familiar yet relatively empty streets of Konoha, enjoying the cool breeze tickling my skin on the way to training grounds 11. I would have time to collect my thoughts and warm up before the test began, and perhaps even formulate a plan with Iruka and Shimada.

Finally reaching the training grounds, I plopped down on the slightly damp grass. I didn’t check the time nor did I have a watch, but judging by how the sky looked, it seemed like it was maybe 10 or 20 minutes after 5 o’ clock. I still had almost two hours until we would be tested Inuzuka Tsume. 

I took a deep breath, chakra circulating through my body to warm me up. Some stretches and meditation would calm my nerves. With each deliberate inhale, I ran chakra up and down my limbs, into my fingers and toes, and with each exhale I brought it back to my core. Something about the pattern was comforting and relaxing, the energy under my skin keeping me grounded. 

After much more than a couple of minutes of meditating, I began stretching my stiff muscles. The importance of stretching was often undervalued on Earth. The best case scenario if you didn’t stretch out was that your muscles and joints would be weaker and stiffer, and the worst case scenario was doing damage to yourself. Every shinobi in the elemental nations knew this. I guess technically my status as shinobi was still pending, but it didn’t take a genius to know that stretching was important.

While I was at it I practiced my taijutsu katas, my weapon throwing and my hand seals. My skill with bukijutsu was passable as a genin, and I still struggled with improving my hand seal speed. Micro-movements of my hand are still my weak points, even after being reincarnated. God knows that I’ll need to be at the top of my game in everything possible going up against a tokubetsu jounin and war veteran. 

During one of my sets of hand seal repetitions, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned my head and saw a nervously smiling Iruka approaching me. I got up and walked over to him to greet him.

“You’re here early,” Iruka remarked, blandly, “couldn’t sleep?” he asked out of concern. “Yeah, I couldn’t catch much sleep last night, so I thought I could clear my head if I came here early.” I explained thoughtfully. “I’m really nervous, y’know?” I chuckled.

Iruka nodded understandingly, “I get it. Luckily, I always sleep like a rock.” he joked, patting my shoulder, pointing me to a tree to sit under. “At least one of us is well rested.” I shot back with a grin, despite longing for that ability. I used to sleep like a rock in my past life, too, but Daisuke was more moderate a sleeper than Dean was. 

“You gonna warm up, Iruka-san?” I asked with a tilted head. He turned his head to me, “No, I already warmed up and everything at home.” I formed an ‘o’ with my mouth. “Let’s make some sort of plan for the test, then.” I suggested. Iruka opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted, “As if you slackers could possibly formulate a decent plan,” Shimada mocked, having appeared out of nowhere. I didn’t notice her arriving.

Iruka startled and let out a yelp. Her sudden entrance spooked me as well, but I didn’t show it. “That was uncalled for.” I responded, shaking my head, “Let’s just make a plan, okay? She’ll be here pretty soon, so…” I reasoned. Iruka perked up. “Good idea! Let’s get started. We have,” He looked thoughtful for a second before speaking again “about 20 minutes until Tsume-sensei arrives.” Shimada crossed her arms and faced the other way. “I’ll pass on my own merits,” she scoffed.

“But we’re a team, we have to work together!” I protested in vain. “He’s right, Nara-san!” Iruka agreed. She turned back to us, smirking. “Maybe you should’ve worked harder in the academy if you’re doubting yourself now!” she shouted, before walking off. I frowned at her retreating figure. She wouldn’t budge on this, for some reason. “Fine…” I whined before turning to Iruka. “So, let’s talk about our skills first…” I began, thinking back to Iruka’s spars and grades.

As Iruka and I shared ideas and came up with plans, I felt Shimada’s presence nearby. 

—---------

Inuzuka Tsume 3rd POV

Tsume was not happy about her assignment as a Jounin Sensei. Was there no one else available in this village? The Hokage couldn’t possibly be in his right mind to make someone like her a squad leader responsible for such fragile brats. She should be out on the field, not babysitting! Instead, she had to train such idiots with stupid hair! Did no one ever tell them to get a fuckin’ haircut? 

The three genin were plotting against Tsume, which was the right choice, but she reckoned the plans wouldn’t amount to much. It was funny, though, that the diva was pretending to ignore their plans behind a fucking tree. There was no doubt in Tsume’s mind that the boys could tell she was listening in as well. Kids were stupid.

Tsume wanted to fail the group, but despite their obvious shortcomings, she didn’t want to jump the gun. They were projecting an aura of confidence and surety. She could tell that they weren’t suicidal morons who thought being a shinobi was a fun hobby, all three of them were taking it seriously. It showed in their eyes. Despite their annoying hollering, inexperience, and their ponytails, (Are ponytails popular these days? Why the hell was the team two thirds ponytail?!) Tsume could tell they were determined, at the very least. She wasn’t the type to deny the village three skilled shinobi.

The Inuzuka matriach could also vividly imagine the Hokage’s disappointed frown. She could hear the lecture days in advance. She didn’t want to deal with the old fart’s puppy eyes and pleading, so she was willing to compromise and test them first, at least.

It wasn’t Tsume’s style to give them a complicated test. That kind of shit was for Chuunin. A Genin’s only responsibility was to be determined, fight well enough, and follow orders, so the test would reflect some of those responsibilities. She decided that beating the shit out of them with her partner would probably suffice. If they impressed her, good for them.

She winked at Kuromaru, as the two appeared in front of the trio of Genin with a shunshin, wickedly smirking. Tsume’s smirk widened in delight as they all startled at the same time. “Good morning, hope ya slept well, runts!” she boomed. “I won’t waste yer time with formalities! Today’s test is an all out battle. Three pipsqueaks against me ‘n Kuromaru! Come at us with the intent to kill!” she announced, and sucked in the air with a huge breath. “BEGIN!!!” 

The two boys backed off the moment they heard the word, so Tsume sicked Kuromaru on them. She took pride in her ruthless Inuzuka taijutsu, and immediately stared down at the girl with a hint of killing intent. Tsume was going to pull her punches – she didn’t want to kill the girl – but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be a little rough.

She threw an overhead at the girl. The Genin's eyes grew serious as she weaved back and dodged the punch. Tsume pressed her with a ferocious follow up combination. High kick to the neck, a straight punch to a temple, a sweeping kick. Moving suddenly and meaningfully like a shadow, the Nara managed to narrowly avoid each one. It was a Nara style of movement. Tsume decided to ramp things up.

“Try this on fer’ size!” she shouted, a sudden claw-like strike rushing at the girl’s face. Her eyes widened at the last moment, barely reacting to the increased speed. She threw her arms up in a block, but she clearly wasn’t used to blocking instead of dodging. Her body shot back from the force of my attack. Blood dripped from her mouth as she caught her breath.

Normally Tsume would chase down an opponent like this, she was testing the girl, not killing her. “Ya done already?” She taunted, grinning from ear to ear. Short-And-Angry flinched, but her gaze still hardened in retaliation. The Nara had some bravery, at least. “Y-you just caught me off guard!” she stuttered out. 

“Oh?” Tsume hummed,  “Then how about a second round?” she said, before darting at the Genin with Chuunin levels of speed. The girl jumped back on instinct, throwing four shuriken directly at Tsume. It was too simple. Tsume took a kunai and deflected three of them from the sky in a slick motion. Tsume’s eyes widened, before turning around and deflecting the final shuriken hastily.

The girl was crafty. She had guided it with wires. “Close one!” Tsume shouted gleefully, turning back around to meet her. The future Hokagess was gone, having taken the time to hide herself. Judging by her scent, Tsume located her behind a tree 10 meters away. Tsume charged at the tree viciously. A dark line emerged from it, slithering its way towards her. It was the Shadow Possession Jutsu!

Tsume wondered what the girl would do if she let the jutsu take hold of her, so she allowed it to latch onto her shadow. Her movements stilled, as it became difficult to move properly. It was a technique that Tsume had been hit with a few times, and she would never get used to how strange it felt.

Tsume’s body made steps towards the tree on its own, where the Nara girl emerged. “Is this what a Jounin Sensei is capable of?” she proudly chuckled, reaching into her pouch and grabbing a handful of shurikens. My body did the same, “You said to come at you with the intent to kill, right!?” she jeered, voice laced with arrogance.

“Do your worst!” Tsume mocked, sticking her tongue out at the brat. Foxtail’s expression was reddened with anger. “Take this!” she angrily yelled as she and Tsume threw their shurikens forward. The thrown weapons bounced off of each other, ricocheting into different directions until two remaining shuriken shot towards each of them. The difference, however, was that Tsume was 30 centimeters taller. The shuriken would cut into her head, while sailing harmlessly over the kid’s.

Tsume wondered whether Genin were normally capable of that kind of aim, before quickly flaring her chakra to break free of the jutsu. The punk’s strained expression was proof enough that she could not hold the Shadow Possession jutsu, and as it shattered, Tsume batted the shuriken away with her clawed hand. 

The girl’s eyes widened, “No way…” she whispered to herself, jumping back. “Yes way! Tunneling fang!” Tsume corrected as she drilled through the air towards the paralyzed pre-teen’s tense frame. 

Hot. It was too hot. Tsume veered away just in time to avoid a fireball from the Uchiha kid. It appeared that Kuromaru couldn’t deal with the two boys alone. Smoke was slowly rising off of the dog’s signed fur. He was licked by a Fire Release jutsu from the curly-haired boy, most likely. The two boys landed next to their shocked teammate, catching their breath.

They managed to push back Kuromaru and retook the numerical advantage. Three against two is bad odds for most, and it certainly increased their chance of victory. Not that they had a genuine chance of winning against Tsume, but tactically, they made the right move.

The trio bickered in the distance as the scar-faced boy tried to say something to the girl. Why the hell were these morons arguing in the middle of a fight? “Keep yer eyes on the battlefield! Fang over fang!” Tsume interrupted, zooming through the air alongside Kuromaru. Sky-eyes started weaving signs, but he was too slow.

He leaped away with the other boy just in time to ‘dodge’, but the Inuzuka duo changed directions and continued after them. Noodle boy was still weaving signs, and Tsume offhandedly noticed his hands were awfully slow. Finishing his seals, he dropped his hands to the ground just in time to create a defense Mud Wall.

Tsume registered that the boy was capable two chakra natures at his age, a rarity even for Jounin.

However, it would take more than a rookie’s Mud Wall to stop the Inuzuka Matriach’s Fang over Fang. “What’s this supposed to do?!” she taunted, drilling straight through the jutsu. The boy grimaced as he tried to keep the wall up. The meek one managed to get away, but the boy wonder couldn’t. “Daisuke-san!” Mophead shouted in alarm.

Lucky for the prospective Genin, Tsume was pulling her punches.

Tsume altered her trajectory, opening a painful gash on the boy’s right arm instead of ripping through his chest. She wondered offhandedly if it was his dominant arm. He hissed in pain, retreating further back. Tsume didn’t bother chasing him. After making distance, he still watched Tsume and her partner with a careful expression, despite his injuries. After a moment, the two exchanged specialized hand gestures. It was a plan from earlier.

Brunette hid himself while the Uchiha sluggishly flipped through hand seals. For a Genin, his hand seals were at the bare minimum level. Tsume threw a kunai at him but it was deflected by another one thrown by his hidden friend.

A volley of smaller fireballs erupted from out of the blue-eyed kid’s mouth, and shurikens emerged from the forest to mix with the fire. Fire shurikens! A common yet deadly combination, but it was only effective if it hit its mark. Tsume substituted with a log as Kuromaru kicked off and to dodged. The Inuzuka’s gaze shot back hastily, and the kid was still standing there. She shook her head dismissively, noticing the lack of a shadow – it was obviously a clone. 

Despite that, Tsume couldn’t smell him anymore. He was nowhere in the open, meaning he had either gotten far away or wasn’t exposed to the air. Judging by his Mud Wall, she reasoned he was underground. Kuromaru seemed to have come up with the same conclusion as they leaped up into the air to avoid emerging hands.

As Tsume approached the ground, she watched as a shadow raced towards where she would land. The little eavesdropper was pitching in now. It was a decent combination attack that could even catch a Chuunin if they were lucky, but Tsume was a Tokubetsu Jounin, and the Inuzuka Matriach at that. 

“Nice try!” She projected loudly, “But it’ll take more than that to stop me!” she jeered, throwing a flash bomb. The shadow dissipated as the light shined it away. The three kids covered their eyes a bit too late, and were temporarily blinded. “I’ll deal with you first, troublesome girl!” she exclaimed.

Internally, Tsume laughed at her own Nara joke. 

“Fang over fang!” she boomed, as Kuromaru and Tsume spun together once again. Suddenly, the Nara switched places with Scarface. A substitution like that took guts! “You idiot!” Nara shouted, running together with the Uchiha to stop Tsume. “Iruka-san!” the boy shouted in concern.

The attack struck true at the boy’s chest, not causing any fatal damage. Tsume had watered the blow down. There was no harm in scratching the brunette up a little, though. He spit up some blood, yelping painfully as he was thrown away. The boy hung on to his consciousness, clutching his chest in pain. Kuromaru ran after the other two while I approached the wounded Genin to knock him out. 

“Let us through, you damn mutt!” the girl demanded. The Uchiha went to fight the dog on his own to give Nara girl the chance to try to save him in time. Before Tsume reached the fallen boy,  a shadow approached her from the corner of her vision. By now, Tsume had figured out the range of the jutsu. It was a desperate bluff, and certainly a waste of chakra.

A split second later after Tsume judged the attack as pointless, an Earth Release construct rose from the ground, casting a shadow upon the Nara jutsu.

The jutsu raced further with renewed speed, taking control of Tsume, and before she had time to forcefully tear away from Nara’s control, the girl jumped away with everything she had, forcing Tsume to follow suit. She hadn’t taken into account the difference in their physical strengths, however, and inadvertently brought Tsume too close to the two of them. 

“Yer pretty cool for a buncha brats!” Tsume praised them, before dropping down on all fours. “Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All Fours Jutsu!” she boomed out in warning. Tsume had made her decision. Before they could react, She appeared behind the remaining two students kicked them viciously with the intent to end the fight.

The two of them went flying towards their bleeding comrade. Their heads snapped towards Tsume with wide, panicked eyes, likely dreading the Tokubetsu Jounin’s wolfish grin. “You must be th’most reckless Genin I’ve ever met!” she roared, “Yer arrogant, and self absorbed! Especially you, Princess!” Tsume exclaimed, watching as their shoulders sagged in disappointment.She held up a finger, “But yer also cunning lil’ rats and damn skilled for a couple of green Academy students! You all pass!” she chuckled, allowing them to calm down. 

As much as Tsume did not want students, she would be stupid to send them back to the Academy. They all breathed a sigh of relief before the scarred boy passed out. Possibly from blood loss. Or pain. Perhaps Tsume went overboard. 

Tsume internally shook her head. She never made lapses in judgment! He would be fine. She belatedly realised she never bothered to remember their names.

“Pups! Before ya take off, what’re yer names again?” 

—-----------------------------------------------------

Daisuke POV

“But Sensei, we introduced ourselves yesterday already!” I said in bewilderment, locking eyes with a pissed looking Shimada. “Yeah, you’re the one who asked us to introduce ourselves in the first place! Why did you even have us do that?!” she demanded, pointing accusingly at our brute of a teacher.

“I din’ ask ya to become smartasses! Why should I waste my time learning the names of sum brats! Just say tha names again before I put a dent in eacha yer empty skulls!” she threatened wrathfully while cracking her knuckles.

“You’re such as assh-” Shimada spat angrily before I covered her mouth. I gave her the look saying ‘now’s not the time!’ and I sheepishly turned to our sensei. “I’m Uchiha Daisuke, she’s Nara Shimada and he’s Umino Iruka!” I blurted out before bowing, “I look forward to working with you, Tsume-sensei!” 

Shut up, Shimada, I do not want to get hit by this wild woman right now! Shimada ripped my hand from her mouth and stomped off, spewing nonsense. I made a face as I glared at the girl. Ew, I got spit on my hand.

“Goodta see some manners on this team.” she said, violently patting my shoulder with a not-so-sweet smile. “I’m off, but tell yer friends to come tomorrow at 7 o’ clock for missions.”  She stepped back and waved us off with two fingers. “See ya!” she said as her body was replaced with a pile of falling leaves.

I walked up to the unconscious Iruka. Sensei said he may need medical attention, but upon closer inspection, he didn’t pass out from blood loss or anything fatal. She clearly didn’t intend to hurt us too badly if he’s in this condition. Looks like he passed out as soon as he calmed down.

I could take him to the hospital or his home, but this feels like a good opportunity to have Iruka over for lunch, like Kaa-san herself asked. We could patch him up while we’re at it. Surely his family won’t mind. It was probably fine.

Could this be considered kidnapping? 

Nah. As I threw the boy over my shoulder, I caught up to Shimada, who was walking around the training grounds picking up her weapons. “Hey, Nara-san, my mother wanted me to bring my team over for some lunch, and I thought we could go as a celebration for our team.” 

“No way, dumbass. Just because we’re a team doesn’t mean I have to get all buddy-buddy with you two.” she said, dismissing with a wave. I scoffed in disbelief, “Team members should be friends! And you can say all you want, but just earlier you tried awfully hard to defend Iruka-san!” I shot back.

Shimada growled, “I was just taking responsibility for him helping me, okay?! I don’t owe him anymore! And I’m definitely not going to your house, so just shut up already!” she snapped, finally turning around to face me. Jeez, I get it! 

“Okay, okay… I’m leaving now. See you tomorrow, Shimada-san.”

“What happened to ‘Nara-san’?! Don’t address me so casually!” she screeched, face reddened with anger. I shook my head as I continued to walk off, “We’re teammates now, you know?!” I shot back, continuing along with Iruka in tow. 

—------------

“When I said to bring your teammates here soon, I didn’t think it would be this soon!” Kaa-san chuckled, but couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice. She brightened up and squeezed me with a hug. “That’s my son for you! A social butterfly just like his Kaa-chan!!” she clapped in delight before ushering me forward. 

Calling me a social butterfly was an exaggeration.

“Think you can make something special for lunch, Kaa-chan?” I asked politely, then pointed to the unconscious Iruka. “Iruka-san here got hurt pretty bad during the test… I’ll try to patch him up in the meantime.” I muttered, remembering first aid training in the Academy.

“Sure, Daisuke-chan! How about something fatty like tempura?” she offered holding up her index finger. “Ooh, ooh! Or maybe something filling like ramen?” shouted excitedly. I perked up, “Tempura sounds great! Where’s Izumi?” I asked, deciding to pace towards our rooms. 

Kaa-san’s voice resonated from the kitchen, “She’s been asleep the whole time! It’s still only half past nine, and you know she loves sleeping in.” Kaa-san added conversationally, “You can try to wake her up. It’s no good if she sleeps the whole day away!” 

I guess children do need their sleep. Before I woke up Izumi, I took Iruka to the bathroom where we had our medicine cabinet. I cleaned and bandaged the cuts on his chest. I took to opportunity to patch up the scratch on my arm as well, and then took out the guest futon in Kaa-san and Tou-san’s room for Iruka and laid him on it. I put a wet towel over his head and left a glass of water near where he slept. I’ll try waking him up later. For now I have a sleepy head to wake up.

I snuck into my and Izumi’s room on tiptoes, because who even needs ninja stealth training, and I slowly approached her quietly snoring form. Her peaceful expression almost made me rethink what I was about to do. I sneaked back out.

Confetti. Cold water. Blocking her nose. Flour shower. The possibilities were endless. My mind was set on a particular method of waking someone up. A classic, really. I went back to the kitchen and regarded Kaa-san with only a sly look before fetching some whipped cream. I then fetched our duster and gleefully skipped back over to Izumi.

I couldn’t help but grin maniacally as I prepared myself for this elegant prank. As I approached her she fidgeted a bit but then stopped moving. Phew… I carefully placed the whipped cream on her hand, keeping myself from laughing early. This’ll teach you to sleep in, foolish sister.

I gazed over her sleeping form to see if it looked like she would wake up. The whipped cream stirred her sleep up a little, but she was still unaware of her impending doom. I took the duster and lightly tickled her nose. She shuffled and groaned softly. That’s right Izumi, scratch your face. It tickles, doesn’t it? Go on. Izumi reached up to scratch her face. This is it-!

My face turned cold and wet all of the sudden as I suddenly tasted something sweet. Wait a second. This wasn’t meant to happen, was it? A second later, I realized what had happened, Izumi had already sat up and was laughing at me. “W-What the?!” I shouted, trying to wipe my face clear of the whipped cream. She shoved the whipped cream in my face!

“ Nii-chan fell for it! Hahahahahaha!!!” she laughed even harder, doubling over. “How did you know?” I asked my burning question. I’m sure I was sneaky enough, and besides, who would expect a four year old to have the patience to pretend to sleep? I couldn’t grow frustrated at her, though. A prankster must always expect to be pranked back, after all.

After her laughter died down a little, she answered me. “You woke me up first! I felt you come in!” She felt my presence… and woke up? DIdn’t that make her something of a sensor type? My exacerbated frown turned into a grin. “Really? That’s amazing! You’re amazing! Good job! beamed with a thumbs up, blinking whipped cream out of my eyes.

“I did a good job?” she beamed back at me, “Then buy me dango!” she chirped shamelessly. The nerve of this girl… Still, I can’t say no to that face. “Later, okay?” I agreed, patting her head. “Yay~!” she cheered.

For now, I may as well bring her to the living room to wait for the tempura. “Let’s go see kaa-chan, okay?” I told her, “We have to use our inside voices, though. My friend was hurt during the test and he’s sleeping now.” I explained, with my index finger planted on my lips in a ‘shhh’ way. She nodded seriously and shushed herself with puffed cheeks. 

We got to the kitchen and after Izumi got to tell Kaa-san about my loss against her, which she found very amusing. She would not stop laughing after I walked in with whipped cream on my face. After I washed it off, we went to sit down and play in the living room.

We had a little while until Kaa-san would be done cooking  so we played Izumi’s doll game (which turned into a drama that surpasses the likes of ‘The Room’), and then I continued telling Izumi the story of Dragon Ball. Iruka groggily walked through the hallway into the living room-kitchen area of our house, where we were at the moment. 

“... And when it seemed like Tien might be stronger than Goku, Goku revealed that he was wearing weighted clothes as a part of Kami’s training.” I recalled with childish cheer.

“Woah! Who won?!” she wondered with starry eyes.

“In the end, Goku was too fa-” I cut myself off from the story seeing Iruka looking at us from the end of the hallway. It’d only been an hour, so I was surprised that he was already up. Tough kid.

“Oh, good to see you’re awake again, Iruka-san. Come sit with us while Kaa-chan finishes lunch!” I ushered him over to us and he stared for a second before slowly coming to sit. His brain was still restarting, it seems.

“We passed,” he said neutrally after a few seconds of sitting. It dawned on him. A smile formed on his face. “We did it, Daisuke-san!” he laughed happily, his memories processing in his head. I held out my hand for a fist bump, “Heh, of course we’d pass!” I bragged, “We wouldn’t even fail the Chuunin Exams!” He fist bumped me, but chuckled, “let’s not get too cocky!” 

He shook his head, “Anyways, I appreciate you taking me here and patching me up but I should get going soon.” said Iruka. He stood up, when a menacing shadow loomed behind him. “Iruka-kun,” Kaa-san murmured sweetly, “don’t you think you should stay to have lunch with us? You’re still hurt, aren’t you?” Kaa-san suggested politely.

Iruka turned around and thrusted his hands out in front, “Oh, no. I wouldn’t want to impose, Uchiha-san!” he yelped sheepishly. The atmosphere turned dark to contrast her glinting eyes as Kaa-san’s smile widened wickedly. “No, you’re gonna have lunch with us, Iruka-kun. A teammate is family. Come sit down, the food’s all done.” She ordered ominously with no verbal warning, though her body language was sufficient in showing it. 

Scary.

Iruka’s eyes widened as he began shivering. “If you insist, then I have no choice…” he muttered. Izumi clapped, “Rapunzel-san is a pushover!” she giggled and pointed at Iruka. Pfft, so she remembers that story. I can’t say that a ponytail is very common for men around here. “Lah-panzeru? What’s that? Why are you laughing, too, Daisuke-san? What does she mean?” He asked hurriedly, looking between the two of us for an answer.

I shrugged, feigning ignorance. “Let’s go eat already.” Iruka begrudgingly accepted, if only because he was hungry. Very hungry.

We sat down at the table and Iruka and I didn’t waste time to start digging in. As much as Iruka was shy about ‘imposing’ on our lunch, the two of us were very hungry to say the least after Sensei’s test, despite how short it ended up being. I used several ninjutsu and Iruka was practically mauled. 

“Mmmm, that was really good, Uchiha-san, thank you.” Iruka said in gratitude after finishing the meal in record time. “No need to thank me~!” Kaa-san responded with poorly hidden glee. She perked up. “Ah! Daisuke-chan! You didn’t tell me about your teammates or test yet!” she suddenly remembered that I had, in fact, passed.

I finished chewing, “Oh, uh, yeah, we passed.” I said lamely. “That’s it?!” she cried out in outrage. “C’mon, tell your Kaa-chan about it!”. My face turned red from the embarrassing way she phrased that. Right in front of a friend, too!

Iruka luckily responded for me, “Well, Tsume-sensei was pretty brutal while fighting us, but she definitely held back throughout the test.” He rested his fingers on his chin, “I think she’s a softy at heart.” 

“Really? You mean Inuzuka Tsume, right? They say she’s suuuuper irritable and always upset at one thing or another!” Kaa-san exclaimed in surprise. “What makes you say that she’s a softy?” she asked.

I nodded my head in agreement. “I thought so, too. She was brutal during the exam, but it felt like she was holding back the whole time. We nearly hit her several times, and she’s a Tokubetsu Jounin!” I argued. Kaa-san hummed to herself thoughtfully.

“And not to mention,” Iruka cut in again, “when she ended up landing a blow on me, it wasn’t too bad. She only hurt me enough to knock me out for a little over an hour.” he pointed to his chest where he was hit, which had admittedly been only weakly bleeding by the time we got here.

Kaa-san looked between us two and smiled. “Well, well well! I’m glad you like your sensei so much!” Iruka and I felt a tinge of heat on our cheeks. “What about your other teammate? They didn’t want to come?” We both looked down despondently. “Did something happen?!” Kaa-san asked in panic. 

I looked up with a sad smile. “Shimada-san is pretty strong, but she doesn’t like us for some reason. I think she’ll take some time to warm up to us. She’s always kinda mean to us.” I muttered, before my eyes lit up, “Ah! But she did save Iruka during the test!” I proclaimed hopefully.

“I thought I was delirious at the time…” Iruka mumbled in awe, “She really did that?” he wondered, looking at me to answer. I nodded in return. Kaa-san clapped with a bright smile on her face. “Your team may be a bit rough around the edges, but it sounds like you’ll get along juuuust fine~!” she beamed. I chuckled, “I’m glad you have some faith in us, Kaa-chan.” I said gratefully with a smile. She gave a pointed look to both of us, “My team was waaay less functional than yours! Your Tou-chan was the only thing keeping us from exploding!” she explained with a blush on her face.

“Really!?” Izumi interrupted in awe, the mention of Tou-san having woken her up from her gluttonous haze. “Otou-chan’s the best!” she declared with her chest pumped out. She turned and pointed to me “Nii-chan, you have to be amazing like Otou-chan, too!” Kaa-san and I smiled at Izumi’s innocence. I nodded to her and gave her a thumbs up. “Sure!”

“Ooh! I know why he’s so strong!!” she exclaimed without any change in excitement or tone, “He eats spinach just like Popeye -san!” Kaa-san and Iruka tilted their heads at us in confusion. “Eh? Are you sure?” I asked, caught off guard by the comparison. She nodded several times enthusiastically. To be fair, Tou-san did have big biceps.

Maybe I should tell her stories other than cartoons, though. 

—---------------------------

May 3rd, 1bNb

“You’ve gotta believe me, Shimada-san, the only way to catch this god-forsaken cat is with your Shadow Possession jutsu! Please!” I pleaded to Shimada the moment Tsume-sensei left us to our own devices. She smirked, “It’s just a damn cat! A Genin is scared of a little kitten…! I hope you’re kidding!”

“Maybe Daisuke-san has a point… He’s encountered this cat before, after all.” Iruka said sheepishly, mostly trying to break up the argument. 

“Both of you are pretty cowardly, especially for boys,” she remarked with a bored expression, as she sneaked towards the infamous Tora, “Just watch this…!” she said, jumping out of our cover to catch the daimyo’s demon. 

Shimada raced toward Tora at a speed you may not expect from a girl who was downplaying the situation. Iruka and I watched with bated breaths as she got closer and closer, almost like a slow motion movie clip. For a second, I almost thought she might do it. 

At the same moment her arms touched the cat’s front legs, Tora reacted at light speed and scratched across our teammate’s face, and then swiftly took the opportunity to fly off at an incredible speed. Shimada brought her hands up to her face, “AAAAAAAHHHHH!! MY FACE!!!” she shrieked painfully. Birds flew away, startled by the noise. She looked back at us with tears in her eyes, though they held an angry determination. “GET OVER HERE, IDIOTS!!! I’M GONNA MAKE THAT CAT PAY IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO!!!”

It was clear to me, though, that nothing short of Hiraishin would be sufficient.

In truth, we did manage to catch Tora an hour after Shimada got slashed across the face. Tsume-sensei had a good laugh, but she can’t fool me. She wouldn’t be laughing like this if she wasn’t reminded about her own experience in capturing the famous feline as a genin. And her almost certain numerous failures in doing so.

During the weeks leading up to now, Tsume-sensei put us on a routine to ‘make us less pathetic.’ Apart from our normal D-ranks, we had team training. She talked about giving each of us an individual specialized program as well, considering our skills were somewhat unbalanced, according to her.

The most significant part of her training programs for all of us was the extreme focus on physical capabilities and offense, which reflected on her own fighting style as an Inuzuka. 

She said that while I had good skills in Ninjutsu and physical conditioning, I lacked good enough taijutsu. Iruka was mentally a fine shinobi, being intelligent and decisive, but he was poorly physically conditioned and lacked a specialty. And finally Shimada was quite fast, had good aim and a good grasp of her clan’s jutsus, but she needed to focus on taijutsu, strength and her hot-headedness in case her main fighting style didn’t work.

She valued the endurance to keep up an offensive, the speed to catch an enemy off guard and most importantly the strength to crush your opponent one-sidedly. Tsume-sensei told us that she had no intention of sending us to war until she was satisfied with our abilities, which made Iruka and I breathe a sigh of relief and Shimada complained endlessly. 

Before that, she told us that she was going to focus purely on our conditioning, physically and chakra-wise. She wanted to bring us from academy level to genin level, in her words. Personally I thought we were already genin level, but when I mentioned that, I found myself laying on the dirt face first.

Anyway, that’s how Iruka, Shimada and I found ourselves constantly sore and exhausted. She would work us until we couldn’t move. Despite having gone through Gai’s training, I felt more exhausted than I’d ever been before.

I couldn’t imagine how bad it was for Iruka and Shimada, who were not used to this degree of exercise. 

And sensei wanted us to have greater chakra reserves, so we were put through the ringer to increase our chakra capacites. Not only were we training at Tsume-sensei’s hellish intensity, which increased our physical energy, but we were also forced to tiptoe the line of chakra exhaustion every single day. A simple yet ultimately effective way in growing one’s reserves.

Sensei wanted to make sure we were ready for the battlefield, so even while my bones were aching, my muscles were sore and my whole body refused to move how I wanted it to, I felt thankful. 

Pushups, pullups, sprints, squats, you name it, we did it. She had me add weights as soon as she noticed that I seemed used to what we were doing. Thanks to Gai’s present, I didn’t have to buy any when Tsume-sensei demanded we buy the weights with our money from D-ranks. Iruka and Shimada would be put on them later, though.

And after only a week of progress, Sensei grew impatient and decided to finally tack specialized training onto the program.

Me and Iruka were often paired up in taijutsu spars to improve Iruka’s reaction speed, taijutsu and defense and to help me develop my offensive taijutsu. At first he found it difficult to continue sparring as often as we did, but eventually he got used to the increased strain on his body and the fighting and started adapting.

I didn’t know much of what Shimada was working on individually since she didn’t want to talk with me, but I saw lots of spars involving her and sensei, probably to improve her agility and I overheard them talking about possible new weapons to add to her arsenal

Iruka himself told me that he was in the process of finding a specialization, and Sensei apparently told him that genjutsu or medical ninjutsu was a good idea because chakra control was something he was above average at. He was still considering other paths, as well, but he took an interest in genjutsu specifically. At the end of the day, it was important to find something that you felt would work.

Genjutsu is something that can completely change a battle, so I was all for it. That’s not to say that he didn’t have any other talents specifically.

Tsume-sensei was barely satisfied by my enthusiastic efforts to develop my taijutsu style, but she was completely unsatisfied by the speed at which I weaved hand seals. I tried to explain that I had been trying to speed up my hand and finger mobility for years now, but she didn’t want to hear it and put me to work on it. Through practicing and actually casting the jutsus

I didn’t mind. It ultimately helped me cast my jutsus easier as I committed the specific seals to muscle memory. She also gave me a scroll for Earth Style: Stone Pistol Jutsu, and I was still having trouble learning it.

Unlike the previous Earth jutsus I learned before, I had to create Earth in my stomach before spitting it out, and I had trouble concentrating and molding the chakra properly to achieve it. That being said, learning the jutsu would help me with my nature and shape manipulation skills, so I kept at it.

And with all of this happening, two weeks passed relatively quickly. We were finally getting our first full day off, which my restless sensei begrudgingly agreed to, seeing our declining performance firsthand for the last couple of days. She finally considered that we might actually need a rest day.

“Let’s go get some dango on the day off tomorrow. I’m gonna invite a few of my friends just to relax. You in?” I asked, holding my fist out for a fist bump. Iruka’s shriveled features came back to life as he fist bumped me back. “Sure!” he smiled gratefully, “When are we meeting up?”

“I know Obito’s gonna wanna sleep in after their recent mission,” I hummed mostly to myself, “so how about at around 13? At the dango place down by the Hokage Monument. The one with lots of seats. Y’know, Kobayashi Dango?” I explained carefully.

“I think I’ve been there once or twice,” he mumbled to himself thoughtfully, “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” he waved me off as he walked away. “See you!” I shouted at his retreating figure.

I had some people to hunt down and invite today, I guess.

Now, let’s see about inviting the antisocial Nara. I paced towards her, already pessimistic about the high chance of refusal. “Hey, Shimada-” I tried greeting her before she cut me off, looking up with an annoyed face.

“I heard you earlier, and I’m not coming!” she shot back irritably. “When will you get the message?” she pointed at me and then herself. “We’re not gonna get along! And stop calling me by my first name!”

“Why not, Shimada -san?” I smirked to her annoyance, “But in all seriousness, why don’t you wanna get to know us?” I asked genuinely, wiping my face of any smile. She seemed taken aback by the question for a second, before averting her gaze so she didn't face me.

“You wanna know everything don’t you!? You want to solve every crisis, give everyone a helping hand?! Well I don’t buy it! You’ve got no ambition, and you’re oblivious to everything, so don’t go around pretending like you actually care!’ Shimada snapped, her voice trembling with each word.

She turned back around, face contorted with anger and pointed at me accusingly, nearly growling. “You try to be friendly and humble with everyone, but you won’t trick me! You aren’t some hero who’s gonna save this brooding girl from herself! You’re just an empty shithead, looking to validate yourself by acting nice to everyone! You’re just a liar, lying to everyone and yourself!

“All those humble, ‘friendly’ exchanges in the academy, your politeness, everything about is fake! You’re pretending to be someone you aren’t! If you want to talk, then fuck off with those niceties and be honest with yourself and others for the first time in your life!” her expression grew angrier as she clenched her fists so tight her knuckles turned white.

“Everything you say is fake! You’re patronizing! You’re condescending! Don’t lump me in with everyone else!” she screamed out, taking a breath, “You’re going to bring about peace? What happened to protecting your family?! Was that goal too weak-sounding for Tsume-sensei? You don’t even believe in that dream! It’s disgusting! I don’t mind Umino, but I hate you !” She took a deep breath, before she shook her head and took off, leaving dust trails behind her. 

...What?

Chapter Text

May 5th, 1 bNb (before Naruto birth)

Before heading home after training, I stopped by my friends’ houses to invite them out for some dango. As a gesture of good will? Not really, I just wanted to see Gai, who I hadn’t trained with or seen in almost three weeks, and take my sister out for dango as promised.

Not to be mean to my other friends, of course, though I had seen them much more than Gai as of late. I’d encountered Anko and Hayate while doing D-ranks in the past few weeks. Iruka was on my team, so I saw him plenty. I managed to catch Aoba and Raidou before they were sent off on a C-rank, as well. Obito accidentally helped Team 4 finish a D-rank by accident while he was doing his usual friendly deeds on the way to his team training, so I got to catch-up with him and hear about the usual ‘Bakakashi’ rant.

I couldn’t actually be sure anyone would join us, considering how last minute I was about it. Sensei ruined any semblance of planning with her last minute decisions. Thankfully, though, Anko, Hayate, Obito and Rin agreed to come.

I wasn’t surprised that Anko or Obito decided to come. One had a notorious weak spot for dango, and the other would take any excuse to slack off with Rin. All in all, it was a strange set of people meeting up. Two chuunin and a bunch of genin, all of us were a bunch of weirdos, too. Except for Hayate and Iruka.

To my disappointment, Gai told me that he would be training during that time, and training is his number one, meaning he couldn’t make it. I can’t say that I disapprove of his discipline, and it truthfully didn’t really matter to me that he chose training over what many shinobi would see as a waste of time.

We agreed to meet up and train sometime soon, since it’s been a while. I’m anxious to see if I stack up any better against the brute, and there’s something that I need to talk to him about.

—-----------------------------

“...These damn D-ranks’re gonna rot my brain, ya hear?!” Anko exclaimed while slamming her fist on the table. Rin grimaced sympathetically at the raging girl. She looked at Rin and Obito who were sitting together and stood up, pointing at them.

“You guys’re chuunins! How long didit take ya to get a more excitin’ mission?” she asked hurriedly before realizing that she didn’t know their names, “... Rito and Obin?” she guessed. I chuckled at Obito’s offended expression. Rin thought it to be funny, though.

“Hehe, Anko-chan, was it?” Rin snickered brightly, “Because of the war, we didn’t have long to wait to start with higher ranked missions. I think it depends on Sandaime-sama’s and your sensei’s choice.” she hypothesized. “And our names are Obito and Rin!” Obito interrupted with a sigh.

Anko ignored Obito’s correction. “Orochimaru-sama isn't a softie that gets worried about a mission…” she said to herself, “and I’m plenty strong now! I can handle a lil’ C-rank!” she ranted.

I brought my hand up to my chin, “Then maybe it won’t be long, huh? I bet the Hokage is itching to get Orochimaru back on active duty. He’s one of the three sannin, right?”

“Yup, he’s a total badass! Scares everyone by just lookin’ at ‘em, and he’s crazy strong! My whiney-ass team is all spooked by Sensei, but not me! I wanna be like ‘im as a shinobi!” she bragged, absolutely obsessed with him.

Oh, yeah. Anko may be a gifted kunoichi, but she’s something of an airhead. She won’t realize that Orochimaru is just gonna take advantage of her and her team until it’s too late. Even with her proximity with him, her bias over the first adult to acknowledge her will prevent her from spotting anything wrong about him.

I felt a poke and looked down. Izumi was next to me, having of course come along for her promised dango. Seems like she wanted it now.

“Oh yeah,” Hayate bragged, “speaking of getting stronger, I’ve been getting a lot better with my sword recently, thanks to Aburame-sensei. He’s been helping me with bug clones….” he continued on while I got up to order Izumi’s dango. It’s cool that I can use my own money for things like snacks, though food is about all I can afford with D-rank payment. 

I kneeled down to the thinking girl, “Which one do you want? There’s- ” I was interrupted by a finger on my lip. “ Lemme read it!” she demanded before taking a menu. She scrunched her eyebrows in concentration. 

Kaa-san has taken time to teach the four year old how to read and write, as well as other basic skills like how to read a clock or count. Regardless of if she’s going to the academy or a civilian school, why not teach her?

She lit up. “How’bout Mi-ta-ra-shi dango?” I nodded and smiled at her. “Kobayashi-san, we’d like two orders of Mitarashi Dango, please.” I asked politely. Kobayashi Junko, who was apparently not related to kaa-san’s old sensei, nodded and got to work. “Comin’ right up!” she said.

Everyone was becoming stronger. Growing closer to the people I knew they would turn out. If nothing changed, Anko would get marked by Orochimaru. Hayate would be cut down for his loyalty to Konoha. Rin’s death would be organized by Madara to manipulate Obito.

Most of the people at this table have terrible fates. Some would die. Not unless I made some changes, and the time I had to save even Obito and Rin was running out. I’ll have to make some moves.

Kobayashi-san gave us the order with a warm smile. I paced back to our seating and overheard some kind of competition.

“Who cares about some snakes or a damn sword, I’m a chuunin!” Obito shouted, slamming his fist on the table. Was a minute all it took to get these idiots in an argument? “Nicely said, dunce! What’re ya gonna do? Use your sharingan? Oh, wait!” Anko smirked back in retort. “I’m still an Uchiha! You think you can deflect a fireball when it's sent your way!?” Obito shot back. “A swordsman wouldn’t even give you the time to form a hand seal, idiot!” Hayate mocked, gesturing a slash with an invisible sword.

Iruka and Rin were busy trying to play peacekeeper on each side, probably wondering how this happened. Izumi was loving it, though, turning her head enthusiastically to follow the banter, her eyes shining in awe.

This was probably the most specific she heard about the shinobi arts in a while. Kaa-san didn’t like talking about her service much, and I seldom went into details when she asked me about things like training.

While I appreciate conversation at a gathering I organized, the whole point was to relax, not make a scene in a public place! Other customers and even people on the streets were staring at our group because of this. Isn’t it embarrassing for them?

Enough’s enough, and I have a good idea. I knocked on the table a couple more times than I thought would’ve been necessary to get their attention given our legal status as adults in this village.                                                 

“What!?” they all snapped their heads at me at once, outraged that I dared to stop their bickering. “You guys should take this up in sparring,” I deadpanned, “that way we don’t have to disrupt the quiet at a local business, you idiots!” I scolded them.

“In fact, let’s organize ourselves a little group spar and see who comes out on top. We could make it a tradition.” I pointed specifically at Anko and Obito. “That way, I can shut both of you up!” I said smugly. Taunting is a sure-fire way to .

“Fight! It’s a fight!” Izumi cheered, throwing her arms up in celebration. “Shinobi battle!”

The offenders in question glanced at Izumi, and then turned to each other shortly, narrowing their eyes dangerously before turning back to me. “You’re on!” they shouted at the same time. An alliance? Rin raised her hand excitedly, “Then, I’ll come, too. The least I can do is provide everyone with some healing afterwards.”

“No, Nohara-san. If you come along you have to participate, too.” I argued with a disappointed frown. She frowned back at me before nodding reluctantly, and I pretended to not notice the scornful look Obito shot at me.

I knew that Rin was actually quite a talented medic. At her young age, she could use the Mystical Palm technique pretty well, but what’s more impressive than that happened during the Kannabi bridge incident. She was able, while exhausted, grieving and panicking, to transplant a Sharingan eye into Kakashi.

I might be wrong about this, but I think that she has more potential than Sakura as a medic. Now, if only I could prevent her from being kidnapped or killed in the first place. Isn’t that a nice thought?

A group spar would be great practice for all of us. Not only will it give us more live combat experience, but it can be yet another tool to analyze our strengths and weaknesses and give us more direction for our future skill sets.

The rest of the get-together was peaceful in comparison, filled with idle chit chat. We got lost in conversation talking about usual shinobi things like training and missions, and of course gossip. 

“But yah, Orochimaru-sama told me that the son of the Senju head just entered the academy. ‘pparently the little guy’s some kinda prodigy.” Anko commented thoughtfully, “Sensei says that the kid has an amazing heritage, his mom’s an Uzumaki.”

Nawaki has a kid, that’s news to me. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me considering I already know he was married to that unknown Uzumaki lady. “Do you know his name?” I asked Anko. She tilted her head and hummed. “Was it … Dokarama? No, wait. T’was Takarama. Sensei said that Tsunade-san’s brother wanted’ta honor Lord First and Seconds’ name.”

An interesting tidbit, but something tells me I shouldn’t get excited over more unknown variables this early on. I need to figure out what’s caused these changes, but I don’t know where to start.

On the other hand, Orochimaru doting on a Senju child who’s apparently a genius does nothing but fill me with worry. I’m not some kind of hero who has to save every innocent person, but I won’t lie and say that I don’t care in the slightest about what people like Orochimaru and Danzo are doing. 

As far as I’m concerned, a world without those two will only be better.

“Oh, I heard of that. A couple kids from the Clan are making a fuss about being his rival, but they say he doesn’t even have to try,” Obito said before grimacing, “reminds me of someone else…” he grumbled into his crossed arms. 

I guess he’ll graduate quickly, huh?” Iruka wondered out loud. That’s true, if he’s anything like Kakashi… “Maybe his clan will push his graduation back if they’re worried for him.” I added, “I mean, the Senju’s numbers are only shrinking!” I mentioned it with some urgency.

“Ya, and he’s only like 5.” Anko offhandedly commented, taking a bite out of her 3rd dango stick of tonight. “Poor boy, he’s awfully young, right?” Rin pondered, worried frown on her face. “Well, Sensei said he’s real mature for his age.” Anko said casually.

“He’s as old as me!” Izumi shouted with her hands up, like a kindergartener saying ‘pick me!’, “ I’m gunna meet him!” She buzzed with excitement.

Ah, true. If he’s 5 now, he’s around Izumi’s age. She turns 5 in 10 months. “Yeah,” I affirmed, looking down at her, “Maybe you will meet him one day,” I said, keeping myself from frowning. Sure, she might meet the boy if she enters the academy, but frankly, my feelings on the matter of Izumi becoming a shinobi were complicated. It would be safer for her to be a civilian, wouldn’t it?

Despite that, the boy Anko mentioned intrigued me. Takarama was seemingly a generational talent, only here because of Nawaki’s mysterious survival. What could have possibly caused him to survive?

—------------------------------------------

After a while, we all got sick of sitting around and eating sweets so we decided to call it quits. Between mine and Izumi’s love for dango, I didn’t have much of my own money left, not that I needed it very much. 

But first, I have a very important conversation to have. 

“Hey, Iruka-san,” I gestured at him to come closer, “could you take Izumi back home for me?” I asked sheepishly, shooting a guilty smile at the exaggerated betrayed expression she made. Iruka tilted his head with a frown, “I don’t mind, but why? Did something come up?” 

I guess you could say that. “Kinda, I want to have a chat with Anko alon-” I was interrupted with the others OoOoOoooOo-ing, “It’s nothing like that!” I irritatedly snapped my head back towards Iruka, whose face held a smug grin. “Anyway, I appreciate the favor.” I smiled fondly at my sister,  “Bye-bye, Izumi! See you later, Iruka-san” I said cheerfully, which had Izumi sticking her tongue out at me.

I turned to Anko, who had stayed behind because she, along with the entire group, had heard what I said as well. She stood with her arms crossed, an impatient scowl on her face. “So, is this a confession? I like ya Daisuke, but not like that,” she grumbled dismissively, before I interrupted her.

“No.” I took a deep breath, “What I’m about to say… it’s actually serious.”  Her smirk faded as she gazed at me with wariness and curiosity. “And what’s that?” she asked impatiently, tapping her foot on the ground. 

It was hard to think of a way I could bring this up normally. I had no evidence against Orochimaru, and at this point, Anko idolizes Orochimaru. Despite that, I felt obligated to say something… anything. Anko was a dear friend of mine. I wasn’t strong enough to fight Orochimaru, and I won’t be, not for a long time, so this is the best thing I could do to protect her.

“There’s somebody you need to be careful of, Anko – your sensei, Orochimaru.” Anko blinked, scrunching her eyebrows up in confusion, “What do you mean?” I leveled my gaze at her, as I hesitated, looking for words. “Look, I don’t have any real proof of this, but he’s dangerous, okay? You need to be careful around him.”

Anko narrowed her eyes at me, “You jealous, or something?” she asked with a smirk. “I’m being serious,” I gritted out, frustration slipping through, “Just hear me out. I know this doesn’t make any sense, but be on your guard around him, that’s all I’m asking.” Her face twisted into disbelief and confusion.

“Really, Daisuke? You never listened ta rumors before today, and now you’re crazy ‘bout them. What’s this really about?” she asked, staring at me with a sharp gaze. I shook my head, “I’m not talking about the rumors, Anko,” I said, voice low, “but that doesn’t mean he’s safe. He’s capable of horrible things. He’s terribly dangerous.” I warned again, a grimace on my face. I could tell it that everything I said sounded weak and nonsensical.

“Dangerous? He’s one of the Sannin! All of us are dangerous! Orochimaru-sama… he’s only dangerous to threats to the village – to enemies!’ she shot back, the argument growing heated. Her earlier confusion was turning into anger. My fists clenched at my sides. This wasn’t how I wanted this to go.

I opened my mouth to speak, my words coming out low and noncommittal, “I can’t explain all of it right now, but I just– trust me on this. He isn’t what he seems.” I pleaded, “Please just, don’t trust him fully, at least.” 

“You haven’t even met him, dude!” she snapped, stepping forward, “You call me out here, all serious, just to run yer mouth about Orochimaru-sama, and ‘ trust me on this ’ is all you can say?! How the hell can you ask me to turn my back away from my only teacher with nothing but a damn hunch?!” she demanded, grabbing my collar and bringing my face closer to hers. 

I averted my gaze as I forced myself to breathe. There wasn’t anything I could say to her that would make any sense. I couldn’t tell her that I was from another world, that all of this was laid out on a couple of comic strips. The words I wanted to say got stuck in my throat, and I fought to say something, anything that would be enough to help her. To convince her.

“Listen,” I blurted, “if he talks anything about a Mark or Seal – if he says he’s going to share some kind of power with you, you have to get away. Find me, or even better, go straight to Sandaime-sama or Lady Tsunade.” I murmured, my voice fighting to be louder than a whisper.

Anko froze, brows knitting as her expression hardened, “What the hell’re you–” she whispered, before she glared at me, “Do you have any idea what you’re telling me to do, Daisuke?” she asked, voice tight with anger and disbelief. “You want me to doubt my own sensei!” 

“I know it’s unfair!” I shot back, my voice suddenly regaining its strength, “I know how much Orochimaru means to you, but if he hurts you… if he were to betray you, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.” I said with a gaze. She flinched as she processed my words, before blinking away that hesitation, “Shut up! You clearly don’t know how much Orochimaru-sama means to me!” she accused, her voice growing sharper.

Her eyes softened for a moment, tears brimming around her eyes, “He’s… he’s the first person to ever believe in me! There was nobody else but him! Nobody has ever even looked at me before, except for sensei!” her voice cracked, her frantic words coming out in a desperate rush. 

Stunned silence loomed over us as I stared at her with wide eyes. I had no idea how much she valued Orochimaru. Anko was an orphan girl, and she had latched onto the first adult figure that had given her attention and praise. Anger boiled through my veins as I thought of Orochimaru, a man sick enough to take advantage of a desperate girl. 

“Tell me something that makes sense! Say something, anything that’s real!” she pleaded, tears falling freely down her face. I opened my words, but I once again found my words stuck to the back of my throat, a strangled sound bellowing out instead. Betrayal was in her eyes as she watched me carefully, waiting for me to say anything that would make this okay. 

The moment I closed my mouth and looked down, I found myself slammed face first into the dirt, a fist having struck my cheek in that instant, leaving me stunned. I raised my head, shocked, and found Anko’s expression filled with a betrayed fury as she glared at me for a few moments. Before I could say something, she turned to walk off.

“Anko, wait!” I scrambled up to my feet, wiping the dirt off my mouth, “Please think about what I said!” I urged, taking a step forward. She turned back to face me, “Screw off, Daisuke! Don’t say another word!” she shouted, before disappearing in a shunshin. 

I let out a sigh, the dull ache on my jaw echoing the emptiness in my chest. If I was lucky, Orochimaru would be different from canon, with Tsunade staying in the village to keep him in check. If the Senju Princess ever catches wind of any of the shady things Orochimaru got up to, she might just murder him.

But that guy is one of the most secretive shinobi out there. He’s the same guy who was able to evade all manhunts and spies trying to track him down for years in canon. The only person who might know about any of his actions would be Danzo. The child-experimenting, ROOT-leading, sleazy Shimura Danzo. 

I hoped that Anko wouldn’t tell Orochimaru about what I said, but if he thought I was some dumb kid who thought he was creepy like everyone else, he might overlook the story. 

I swiped at my lip, the faint metallic taste of blood on my lip. That hurt. 

—--------------

Instinct tells me that that is not going to end well. Though I suppose I don’t need instinct to tell me that, considering I’m about to have a spar with Gai. I felt my arms and legs aching in advance, looking at his enthusiastic stretching from across the training grounds.

Gai and I haven’t had time to train with each other recently. For the past month, something has always gotten in the way. Gai on a mission outside the village, team training for either of us, even my own puny D-ranks had managed to ruin our timing.

We were going to rectify that during the next little while. His sensei, Chouza, had put in a request to take a two weeks’ break from active service under the guise of his team needing extra training. Apparently what actually happened, according to Gai, is that Ebisu and Shiranui Genma have been complaining to their sensei about their workload, and the Akimichi head had no more patience in listening to their whining.

It’s kinda funny to me. Team 7 would whine to their sensei and Hokage about the opposite problem at some point. Differences in ambition? Or maybe they were overworked? The latter is probably true, not that I would know from Gai’s biased perspective, the guy’s (no pun intended) middle name is ‘Hard Work’. 

“Are you awake, Daisuke-kun? You have been staring at me for the last 10 seconds!” Gai shouted from a distance. Oh yeah, a spar was happening. “Yeah! Sorry! We can start now!” I shouted back, slipping into my stance.

With an unmistakable shared glance, the spar began. Gai opted for a full-on spar, which meant that everything goes, including ninjutsu. Gai may completely outclass me in taijutsu, but hopefully I could make up for it.

“Dynamic Entry!” Gai spun towards me using a signature of his. I sidestepped to the side to avoid it, weaving familiar hand seals. I took in a deep breath and Gai seemed to recognize the jutsu, quickly retreating to avoid the incoming fireball. 

The fireball roared forward, but I’d lost sight of Gai because of it. Not good. I scrambled to find him, but despite the open field, I couldn’t see him anywhere around me. I heard wind whistling above me. Shit!

Gai was sailing towards me, right leg rushing down towards my head. I hurriedly held up both of my arms to block the Guillotine drop-esque kick. The impact made my arms cry out in pain, but this was the type of pain I’d been made used to. The force had my heels digging into the ground under me.

Gai’s mouth formed a grin, which was probably not a good sign for me. His right leg pushed off my guard, and he landed in front of me. It allowed him to get his footing back. Before I could blink, he had a punched aimed at my temple. Making use of the distance, I hastily formed a snake seal, instantly sinking me underground with the Hidden Mole jutsu to dodge his punch.

Now underground, I sent 4 regular clones back up if only to distract Gai for a fraction of a second, and made my way up to Gai’s direction, expecting to find his feet. Find his feet I did, only in the form of another kick aimed at my face. 

I hastily substituted with a branch using the Substitution jutsu. Gai was relentless and was already on a mad dash to my direction. I took out a kunai and threw it at his head, causing him to slide down to avoid it, giving me the chance to get closer.

Training with Tsume-sensei had to have improved my reflexes and my taijutsu skills. If you want a fight, Gai, then I’ll see to it to give you one. While Gai was still sliding towards me, I launched a punch from my right, aiming for his  now lowered jaw. He raised his arm up to parry the blow and tried to sweep my legs down. I jumped to avoid his sweeping kick and spun my body to kick his side, but he closed the distance too fast and shoved me away from him. 

Even after all of this training, I still get this treatment in a taijutsu encounter, huh? He must’ve gotten stronger, faster than I did. My hands moved to weave hand seals, but I was interrupted by Gai appearing in front of me again. He’s faster than before…! 

I struggled to block and dodge the next couple of strikes but I couldn’t make any distance. With each blow, pain exploded through my limbs, and I’m pretty sure that I just lost feeling of my forearm for a second there. 

The thing about Gai is that he has an insane battle sense and the strength of someone double his size. Even if you could keep openings to a minimum, you’re bound to fight a losing battle as your bones rattle and limbs ache.

A blocked uppercut aimed at my chin managed to hurt both of my arms enough for the pain to prevent me from reacting to a heel kick aimed at my abdomen. Even with my core flexed, the air was knocked right out of me. I may have distance now, but I can’t use a Fire Jutsu like this!

Gai made eye contact with me and instantly decided that the fight wasn’t over from my expression. I need something to stop his advance. 

Well, here goes nothing. I concentrated on the chakra in my stomach as I completed the necessary hand seals for the Stone Pistol jutsu. Rather than feeding chakra into the Earth that I formed in my stomach, much like I did for Fire Style, I condensed my chakra as much as I could. I could feel a stone take proper form. This was it! 

The high-powered stone flew out of my mouth at a higher speed than I could throw a kunai, which Gai didn’t expect. The jutsu, which I aimed at his chest, managed to pelt his ribs. Thankfully my first successful attempt at the jutsu lacked the power to pierce him, but judging by the pain on Gai’s face, it hurt much more than one of my punches would have. 

I needed to take the opportunity to hit him. Gai may have been incredibly fast - faster than me - but I had trained with Gai for years, and my speed was also nothing to scoff at, especially considering I was lighter and smaller than Gai due to our age difference. I took an enormous breath of air and in no time I was up in his face.

I had no delusions that I could actually beat Gai in a taijutsu confrontation, but I didn’t plan to play fair. I targeted where my Stone Pistol jutsu had landed, and I managed to shove my shoulder into his wound, which had Gai hissing in pain.

I desperately threw attacks at Gai after that, which forced him on the defensive. No matter how hard I tried, he wouldn’t let me near his ribs again. I was nonetheless happy to force him to go on the defensive.

It was obvious that the pain was fading for him, though. He’ll get a nasty blue bruise and maybe some scratched up skin, but adrenaline quickly dulled most of the pain. A punch slipped through my guard and hit my solar plexus, leaving me gaspingfor air for the second time in this fight. 

I bit down on my lip and tried to shake off the injury, but by the time I looked up, there was a kunai against my neck. 

I shot a pained smile at Gai. “You win.” I said with my hands up, satisfied with the spar. I took the hand he offered me to stand up. “That was a great spar! And long overdue! I am glad to see that you haven’t been slacking off, Daisuke-kun.”

I dusted off my clothes, “How could I slack off, with how much you beat me up during our matches?” I chuckled at his widening smile. “That jutsu was quite formidable. What was it?” he asked, feeling up his wound and wincing at his own touch.

“It’s the Stone Pistol jutsu. It’s actually the first time I managed to use it. Not bad for a first try, huh?” Gai slapped me on the back. “ ‘Not bad’ is an understatement, Daisuke-kun! I haven’t felt that much pain in a while!”

“Sorry, Sorry!” I laughed guiltily after he waved off my concern. “It’s been too long, Gai. I’m glad we’re gonna be training together more often again.” He nodded at me. “That being said, I’d like to add another person to our training.” I explained with my index finger raised. He tilted his head at me.

The person doesn’t know he’s coming, I’m gonna drag him out of his bed with Gai’s help if I have to. 

“I don’t mind! It is always better to train with others! So who do you propose, Daisuke-kun? A teammate of yours, perhaps?” he guessed, voice brimming with excitement.

“Uchiha Obito!” I answered with my own excitement. “Kakashi’s teammate? I didn’t know the two of you were on friendly terms.” he responded, clueless. Did he seriously not see me staying with Obito on several occasions after many of his own challenges to Kakashi? This guy’s attention span…

“Yeah, Gai.” I deadpanned, “We’re on ‘friendly terms’. And he’s gonna train with us whether he wants to or not.”

I know I’ve put some effort into helping Obito already, but it’s not an understatement to say that almost all of the world’s future problems will come directly from the results of the Kannabi bridge. I’m done with taking the sidelines so much. Obito’s gonna be ready for that damn mission. 

Gai was happy to hear about another training partner. “I’m glad to give anyone the opportunity to grow into a more youthful version of themselves!” he looked over to me, “Does he have any goals in particular?”

“He wants to become the Hokage, and I think he has the potential to become incredibly strong.” 

To make change, I can’t just be a reactive force. I can’t wait for these events to happen, only relying on myself and my foreknowledge at the last second. I knew of a number of examples where a problem could’ve been solved if only the person had chosen to get support in times of need.

The person who appeared in my mind first was Itachi, who was forced to make possibly the worst decision ever, because of his reluctance to properly communicate with the Uchiha and the Hokage, a decision that he would go on to regret and try to rectify even in death.

Ah screw it, “Or rather, I know how strong he will be.” I blurted out, nervously fidgeting. Gai shot me a confused look, “You are that familiar with his abilities?” he asked. I shook my head.

“That’s not what I meant,” I took a deep breath. I could think of ways this would go bad, but Gai is one of the safest people to tell this to, “Look, I don’t really know where to begin, so I’ll just come out with it.”

“You can tell me anything! he said, patting my shoulder, “Is something the matter?” 

“I’m not from here.” I said cautiously, “And I don’t mean I’m not from Konoha or the Land of Fire. I mean that I’m not originally from the Elemental Nations to begin with. This is the second life I’ve lived.” I explained anxiously, my tongue felt as heavy as rock.

Forcing those words out felt worse than dry heaving after a particularly bad flu. My statement carried a heavy claim, and it was a fact that being rejected by virtue of my origins was one of my worst fears. Watching Gai's eyes in mild shock sent a chill down my spine, and I immediately, paled. My hands trembled in anticipation. Had I made a mistake in deciding to come clean to Gai? Was I going to lose my best friend? I knew this was a bad idea. I shouldn't have said anything. I should have continued as normal, acting like I was a normal kid. I studied Gai's expression, watching as his features eased and he looked at me... neutrally. Like he had nothing to say. 

After a short silence, Gai opened his mouth. “Are you going to continue with what you had to tell me?” 

“W-wait. Gai, you heard what I said, right?” my voice was shaking.

“Yes! You are telling me that you came from another world. I thought your statement was still going somewhere, though.” he explained with a nod. “So go on, my friend.”

“You aren’t doubting me? Do you realize what I told you? Doesn’t it sound ridiculous, like I'm-I’m just messing around? You don't think I'm... lying to you...?” I asked in disbelief.

Gai’s lips drifted into a shiny grin. “Daisuke-kun, don't you remember when you told me you weren’t friends with liars?” He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. “It goes both ways! A man’s promise is the foundation of Youth!” 

I stared at him, speechless. “You believe me? Just like that?” 

“Yes!” he said with a thumbs up. “So Daisuke-kun, what were you going to tell me?” I shook myself out of my nervousness. I guess there’s a reason I wanted to open up to Gai. Maybe reincarnation is an easier pill to swallow in a world like this, who knows.

Was I being pranked or something? I felt like he should have been urging me not to lie pointlessly. I thought this was going to be dramatic. I expected a gasp, a look of surprise, at least. I knew Gai would be one of the safest people to say this to, but I couldn’t imagine it being so easy.

“R-right.” I regained my words, “Okay, so," I cleared my throat, "I had the opportunity to observe this world from several limited perspectives.” I explained. I wouldn't ever admit to anyone that I watched and read the history of this world through anime and manga.

Gai’s expression held some faint curiosity. “What does that mean?” he tilted his head. I straightened up, “It means that I have a certain degree of foreknowledge. In other words, my eyes sailed up to meet his gaze, “I know a lot about the future.” 

His eyes widened in surprise as they sparkled in realization as two and two came together in his head. “Obito-kun has something to do with the future,” he stated blandly. My grimace gave away that answer. 

“The future that I know is not necessarily a bad one, in the long run, at least. It leads to the most peaceful era that the shinobi world has ever seen, after all," I drawled with a frown.

Gai watched me wordlessly “But?” he asked, sensing an incoming twist. I wouldn't have been trying to change anything if there wasn't a catch.

I sighed, “...But not before terrible things happen. The Nine-Tails' invasion, a massacre, the village being destroyed, another war...." I listed off, not bothering to even mention the other nations, "Out of all of my friends and family, only you, Iruka and Anko will survive.” I stated gravely, “No matter how selfish it sounds, I would rather change their fates and let the world change than let them die.” I said, gazing into Gai's wide eyes.

Gai's widened eyes sharpened with resolve as a grin split his face. He offered a handshake. “Yosh! Then, how can we save everyone?” he asked enthusastically. I smiled, relief flooding my body. Gai's attitude was something to admire. I accepted his handshake, and began to talk about future events.

I told him about the Kannabi bridge incident. About how Obito would survive, witness Rin’s death and become Tobi, which would eventually lead to the Nine Tails’ attack and the Uchiha Massacre. I told him shortly about Madara’s plan and the Fourth Great Ninja War, and I told him… about his father’s death.

The whole explanation colored Gai all different types of surprised, angry and scared. His body stiffened each time Obito was mentioned, like he was in disbelief that the goofy Obito he knew could cause so much pain.

“I believe I understand your resolve more clearly, Daisuke-kun,” Gai breathed out, "None of that can be allowed to happen," he gritted out. His expression was more of a combination of nervousness and resoluteness than anger. I grabbed his shoulder, “The good news is that we should have enough time to stop or alter everything there.“ I mentioned, a disarming smile on my face.

The tension in Gai’s shoulders lessened to some degree. “I-I suppose you are right, Daisuke-kun.” he breathed out in an attempt to calm down, “I assume that our plan is to captivate Obito’s heart and prepare him for this upcoming mission.” he guessed.

Preventing Obito’s capture may have the added effect of delaying the Nine-Tails’ attack, because Madara, or rather Zetsu, wouldn’t know about Kushina’s pregnancy without Tobi stalking Kakashi. It probably wouldn’t outright prevent an attack, but it should, at least logically, delay it. There was no telling how things might change if Obito doesn't become Zetsu's pawn, but it should at least buy us more time until Zetsu's next move.

“We only have a few months’ time at most to train Obito, and we need to help him hone two of his skills in specific;” I held my two of my fingers up, “One, his speed. He’s gonna need to be able to reach Nohara-san quickly or be able to retreat with his team quickly.” I put down my middle finger, “And two, his reflexes and detection skills. If he can protect Rin and avoid injury, Madara will have no chance to capture anyone. It’s also a good idea to improve his genjutsu awareness and dispelling skills, but I have no skills in genjutsu, we’re gonna need some outside help. I don’t think it’s as important, considering Kakashi’s on their team. Seeing as you're here, we may as well bring his taijutsu up to speed while we're at it,”

He considered what I said with a thinker's face. “Do you know anyone who can help?” he asked. I had a few ideas of trustworthy people, though I would have to prove my knowledge to them. “I have a few people in mind, but we probably won't be able to get their help for a little while.”

Minato, Itachi and Shisui were the ones I had in mind. They are pacifists and would sympathize with my goals. I'm questioning whether I'll be able to smoothly inform them of the future (if I even will tell them about that), but I figure that having those three powerhouses on board will bring nothing but boons. Despite that, I don’t plan on opening up to them for a few years, especially considering how young Shisui and Itachi are right now. I would be a fool to approach them like I approached Gai. We haven't even met.

I realized that I was planning in advance to become some kind of recruitment stalker. Ugh. At least it was for a good cause...

“I see that you have put a lot of thought behind these plans,” he praised, and how could I not? I’ve had almost 8 years to think. “Do you have everything planned out?”

I swallowed my instinctual response of: "Absolutely not." By no means had I planned everything out. I couldn't plan much past the future, considering everything that would change if Kannabi's canon outcome was avoided. “The timeline I was able to observe is largely the same as this one, but there are a few key differences, apart from my existence, of course.”

“Really?” he asked, raising an eyebrow after hearing the ‘my existence’ part. He expected me to also exist in the other timeline, too?

I nodded for what felt like the millionth time. “Tsunade-sama, you know her, right?” He ushered out an excited ‘of course!’, “In the timeline I’m familiar with, she’s abandoned the village by now.” He shrunk back from his excitement. I mean, who wouldn’t. Konoha’s head of the Medic Corps and the head of its Hospital, leaving the village she’s done so much for? Impossible. I'm sure everyone in Naruto's timeline was in shock when she left.

“Originally, she left the village because of overwhelming grief. Many of her clan were killed off the in war, but the final nail in the coffin were the deaths of her partner Katou Dan and her brother Senju Nawaki.”

Gai’s mind quickly pieced it together as his realization showed on his face.

I gave him a 'You see what I mean?' look as I continued, “As you already know, Nawaki-sama is still alive, even if he’s been maimed. I don’t see this as a negative outcome, but I think the factors contributing to his survival and my reincarnation are linked somehow. There must be a common denominator there somewhere. I have no idea what it could be”

It was a theory of mine. The only two differences in this timeline, from what I could tell, seemed to be my existence and Nawaki’s survival. Something delayed his entry into that trapped building. 

It could be a coincidence. It could be a force of nature. It could be just about anything. Perhaps the divergence goes further back than I realized. It’s something that’s made me anxious for a while. In a world where I should know what’s coming, there’s an unknown that could derail everything. My money was on Orochimaru, since he was there when Nawaki died, but it was an educated guess at best. I couldn't act on assumption.

“Whatever it is, Daisuke-kun, we will do something about it!” Gai exclaimed, noticing my growing nervousness. I’ve gotta make that less obvious. He threw me a thumbs-up, paired with his killer smile, “Don’t get nervous now, Daisuke! The Springtime of Youth will never fail us!” He chucked his arm around my shoulders.

I smiled fondly at Gai. “You’re right. Thank you,”

“No problem at all, Daisuke-,” He hesitated and scrunched his eyebrows. “You had another name, did you not? During your last life.”

I chuckled. How considerate. “Yeah, it was Dean.”

“...Dinu?” he made a face as he tried to mimic the foreign sounds. 

“Not really. You don’t have to call me that, though. It'd be weird," I snorted, "I mean, Dean is dead, isn't he?” I smiled remorsefully at Gai. “I’m Daisuke. Dean died nine years ago.” I explained.

Well, probably. I still had no idea what happened to me.

Gai muttered a silent ‘I see…’ and didn’t pry any further. He perked up suddenly with a grin, "If you were reborn, how old would that make you?” he asked. I brought a hand to my chin. Hmmm, I died at 18, so… “27, I guess? I wouldn't think of myself as that old, though. I've basically been a kid my whole life.” I explained with a shrug

Many shinobi died before reaching their 20’s. Those in their late twenties don’t exactly have pretty chances for survival. Hell, 27 might be old in Gai’s eyes, imagine that! I nearly laughed at the thought.

“The Springtime of Youth never ends as long as you keep moving forward! You shall remain Youthful as long as you keep true to yourself, Daisuke-kun!”

His statement brought a smile to my face. I was suddenly glad that Gai was my first friend. “Can’t argue with that logic,” I agreed. 

I left the training grounds more confident than before. It was only natural, given I had Konoha’s Green Beast in my corner now.

—------------------------------

“You’re coming with us, Obito!” I laughed maniacally, watching Gai chuck him over his shoulder. Obito struggled but couldn’t get free of Gai’s tight grip. “What the hell are you guys doing!?!” Obito screamed wildly.

Kakashi was shocked at seeing Gai arrive to not challenge him, but quickly shook it off in relief. The blonde jounin was smiling sheepishly at us. Yeah, he didn’t care either. Well, probably because their team training is already over. I imagine he sensed us while we were camping out in the trees.

“Daisuke!? Maito-san?! What are you two doing?!” she shouted in alarm. I shot a reassuring smile at her. “Nohara-san, we’ll be taking him! This’ll be good for him, promise!”. She frowned at me thoughtfully for a second, then she shrugged and turned towards her sensei and teammate. 

“Sensei, Kakashi! Stop them!!” Obito pleaded but was easily ignored. “Rin, tell them to put me down!” his desperate whining raised in pitch at the last syllable. She turned around with a wide smile plastered over her face. “Have fun, boys!” she advised pleasantly.

“NOOOOOoooooo!!” his dramatic yelping filled the air.

(several minutes later)

Obito had exerted himself trying to break free. “What…” he said in between breaths, “What- Where did you guys take me!?” he demanded, trying to seem more intimidating despite his weariness.

Gai wouldn’t have normally been able to just take him like that so easily, but we strategically waited until his group training was over. He would be exhausted after that, and the rest of his team would be less likely to stop us. Although, Gai had some kind of talent when it came to forcing people to train.

“Training grounds 19, but that’s besides the point,” I glanced at Gai, “wanna do the honors of explaining?” I asked him. He nodded back.

“You may be wondering how we could possibly kidnap you, considering how truly villainous and unyouthful it is,” Gai started. “So you admit it-”, Obito was ignored by Gai continuing at a higher volume, “However, a necessary evil must be permitted in important times! I couldn’t keep still after hearing of Uchiha Obito’s Youthful desire to ascend to the ranks of Hokage!” he explained in his usual eccentric way.

“So we’re gonna help you, Obito. Forcefully or not.” I added with a devious smile at the end. “Wait, you guys can’t just decide that for me! It’s true that I wanna be Hokage, but…” he complained. It’s whining all the time with this kid!

“Obito, think about it,” I put on a thoughtful face, which slowly grew devious as I spoke, “don’t you think that after some extra training, you could maybe beat Kakashi?” Obito and Gai flinched for different reasons, “It might be enough to make Rin fall for you! Come on, Obito!”

His eyes widened before he made a giddy smile. Oh, he was so in. 

He faked an irritated expression as soon as he realized he was smiling. “Fine! Even I can work hard for my goal!” Gai offered Obito a hand. “That’s the spirit, Obito-kun! Let us begin!” Obito smirked and took his hand. “What’re we waiting for?”

–

As Gai and I discussed, we wanted to focus on improving Obito’s speed, reflexes and detection skills. Speed and endurance drills along with fast-twitch muscle training in the legs were great for the speed aspect. Another way to help develop his speed and reflexes, was, well…

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Obito screamed, narrowly avoiding attacks from me and Gai. Hopefully he’s screaming because the situation is not life-threatening. As you can tell, Gai and I have decided to brute force part of the training. By attacking him.

It was a little more complicated than that, obviously. We were hiding our presence and creeping up on him when he wasn’t running, making sure he was used to a state of tenseness. He needed to be used to keeping his senses spread out. 

Every once in a while, we would attack him and chase him around… It seems pretty primitive, yeah, but this kind of training works pretty well. A real experience will be better than a mock exercise, says Gai. If there’s anyone who knows how to train, it would be Gai.

And it’s not like we didn’t do any traditional training. I loaned him the chakra weights that Gai gave me and we did some exercises and drills. He wore them while running from us, too.

I wasn’t participating as much as Gai, besides occasionally throwing Earth Release and Fire Release techniques at Obito, but Gai knew exactly what level to limit himself at. A level where our unfortunate victim could barely keep up with. Functioning as a shinobi while teetering on the edge of exhaustion, being forced to remain aware and take action at the right time. It’s a skill that shinobi have to get used to at some point.

And for a chuunin, Obito was surprisingly lacking in the discipline department. He makes up for it in determination and resilience during the Kannabi bridge mission, yet the mission still ends in tragedy. Not this time, though.

By the end of the day, Obito was laying on the ground, looking pretty awful. He had scratches and bruises littering his body, having dodged attacks ranging from flying kicks to fireballs to shuriken throws. The training could be called pretty intense by some. Gai probably saw the intensity as standard, though. 

“A-are we done yet?” Obito asked, desperately looking at us for the answer ‘yes. I looked to the slowly setting sun. “We’ve been at it for a few hours, so it’s probably for the best if you get some rest.” Gai was disappointed at my judgment. I sighed, “Look, he’s gonna do this tomorrow too,” I explained to Gai, making Obito wince, “He’ll need a few days to get used to this.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” He turned to the fallen Uchiha, “Obito-kun, do not fret! We will get you up to par in no time!” the taijutsu master declared with a thumbs up, not realizing that he accidentally insulted Obito, who scowled right back at him. He was right, though. Obito was too focused on his ninjutsu, leaving his taijutsu and overall physical attributes less developed than they should be.

“You guys, how long do you plan to do this for me?” Obito asked, gulping in anticipation. Hard training it was, but he had to realize its value. “For a few months, at least.” I answered casually, stretching my shoulders.

He frowned at us, “It’s weird,” Obito started, scratching his face nervously, “I mean, to everyone else I’m just a dunce. No one thinks I’m even a proper shinobi, let alone Hokage material. Except you guys. And Rin, maybe.” he stared at the two of us, surprisingly speaking seriously. Not so typical of the chuunin. “What makes you two certain that I can do it? Become the Hokage. Why bother wasting time trying to help someone like me?” 

Me and Gai looked at each other for a second. It’s true that I probably wouldn’t try to bother helping him in my free time if I didn’t know about the future. It’s true that he’s kind of an idiot, undisciplined and loud. Kind of like Naruto, but more pathetic. It’s true that he’s kind of a crybaby.

Wow, I am actually mentally insulting a kid right now.

That aside, even without my foreknowledge, Obito has something special. It’s not his potential as a shinobi. Not (necessarily) his Mangekyo Sharingan’s ability. It’s something that even the likes of Madara spotted, and the reason he would choose to manipulate Obito.

“... It’s your kindness, Obito.” I finally said. He flinched, taken aback. “Don’t think I don’t know why you’re late to your training every day, or how much you care for everyone around you, or how much you love Rin. The front of annoyance and anger that you display doesn’t fool me.” 

Gai looked pleased, like he’d reevaluated his opinion of Obito. Obviously, I should’ve told him about this side of Obito. I kinda just assumed it was obvious. 

“A Hokage has to be strong, sure, but a Hokage has to be empathetic and caring. It’s the difference between a leader and a tyrant.” I explained, passionately clenching my fist. “You’re the right man for the job. There aren’t a lot of shinobi, let alone people who act like you.”

Obito’s mouth gaped. He opened and closed it, looking for a response. I could spot tears licking the corners of his eyes. “I won’t let you down.” he finally said, determination shining in his demeanor. 

Damn right you won’t.

—------------------------------

June 13th, 1bNb

It has not been long at all since my graduation in late April. Tsume-sensei has done a lot to prepare us for shinobi life. She mentioned it before, that she wanted to ensure that we were ready before we were sent to war.

A month of intense training, especially for genin, could really whip us into shape. It was kind of like ‘newbie gains’. Growth, for unskilled academy graduates, could be exponential for the first few months. As a hero from a certain story said, a Level 1 can progress much faster than a Level 50.

I guess the analogy applies poorly to this situation, but what I’m trying to say is that following the beginning of our Inuzuka Sensei’s training, we have all gotten quite a bit stronger.

Especially Iruka, who was the weakest of us three.

A fist sailed towards my head. The punch was much slower than what I was used to, having fought both Gai and Tsume-sensei. I planned to block it as I would a normal punch, but a smirk on Iruka’s face warned me of something else. 

I jumped back instead, watching Iruka’s smirk turn into a disappointed frown. I put my hands together in a Tiger seal. “Kai.” I whispered to myself, watching as Iruka’s position shifted about 20 centimeters to the right.

Iruka had been picking up genjutsu in the last month, and it was really irritating and impressive at the same time. Our teacher never fell for any genjutsu that Iruka would cast, but Shimada and I found ourselves getting hit by a punch we thought we dodged, running into trees, even getting cut by some kunai that we had ‘deflected’. Iruka’s genjutsu weren’t always successful, but we were forced to remain on our toes because of it.

Oh yeah, and he’d also gotten physically stronger. He leaped at me with his fist cocked back. My hands flashed with three seals. ‘Earth Style: Earth Clone Jutsu!’ I said internally, forming the necessary seals.

Sensei had been happy to see that I’d finally figured out the Stone Pistol jutsu, and was happy to get me started on this jutsu. A clone reached Iruka dove for his feet, dissolving into stone to prevent him from moving easily. 3 Earth Clones and myself surrounded Iruka from all sides. “Give up, Iruka-san! Or else!” our hands flew through familiar seals. Iruka recognized them, too, judging from the widening of his eyes.

It was a bluff. My earth clones could use some ninjutsu, but the best I’d managed with them were weaker versions of the Stone Pistol jutsu, which Iruka had seen me do. From his perspective, I was about to shoot four fireballs at him at once. Considering his feet were ensnared with stone, he had no chance to substitute with a nearby object.

Heh, like I could do that with these shoddy clones. The same clones that collapse after a fast enough kunai hits them, or with a well placed strike to a vital area.

“Shit! I yield!” Iruka announced without much disappointment. I let the chakra built up in my chest flow back into my tenketsu and coils as I exhaled deeply. I held my hand out in a seal of reconciliation. He returned it. “Good match, but for the record, those clones could not use Fireball jutsu.” He scowled at me good naturedly. “I’ll catch up soon…” he sighed, shaking his head.

Tsume-sensei approached from the spot she’d been watching us from. “Not a horrible spar, all in all, but…” she faced Iruka, “Scarface, ‘ye underestimate yerself too much. Learn when ta give and when ta give it yer all.”, then she faced me, “Mophead, stop relyin’ so much on ninjutsu. It’s a waste of yer well built body. You could give a newbie chuunin a run fer their money in a foot race.”

Iruka and I nodded at her advice, ignoring the nicknames. Despite knowing our names now, it didn’t seem like she wanted to use them. The advice was good advice, but it was easier said than done. Iruka and I had some nasty habits in our fighting styles.

Sensei took a second to sniff the air, and then faced a tree. “Diva, get out ‘ere! Big news!” she shouted. The trees shook a little before Shimada appeared before us with an apologetic face, aimed at sensei.

“Yesterday, the old m-, ‘er, the Hokage asked me if my pups were ready fer real combat.” she grinned at us, “and I said that ‘ye were.” 

We all stared at her in anticipation, processing her words. Our first real mission. A swirl of emotions swam through my body, fear, excitement, nervousness, pride. I’m sure the other two were feeling something similar.

“It’s a C-rank, of course.” I breathed a sigh of relief, eliciting a glare from Shimada. “A mission ‘ta deliver some intelligence to a Konoha outpost. Fairly close to tha village, so don’t shit ‘tcherselves. Rest up good tonight, and meet by the village gates at 6 o'clock sharp.”

And just like that, she vanished, leaving behind leaves in a shunshin typical of all Konoha jounin. 

My first real mission. Nothing bad will happen, right?

Chapter Text

June 14th, 1bNb

I knew I had to rest as much as possible, but similarly to the night before Tsume-sensei’s test, it was hard to get the shut-eye I would need for the mission. It’s not like I didn’t sleep at all, but it only came after hours of anxiety, nervousness and racing thoughts.

Dealing with a lack of sleep is something that shinobi did all the time thanks to chakra and soldier pills, but I learned in the academy that it wasn’t the healthiest habit. Your body and brain could become dependent on chakra saturation, or worse, the aforementioned soldier pills.

I’m not sure what’s in those pills, but with a little common sense, it isn’t hard to imagine some components of the pill being drugs. Dependency and horrible side effects were well known side effects of the soldier pill, which sounded an awful lot like the same drugs that were oh-so-popular back on Earth. Countries on Earth DID use drugs to their advantage in war, too.

You know what, maybe I shouldn’t be thinking about soldier pills.

I woke up at about 5 o'clock, anxiety prodding at my stomach like a dull blade. It would supposedly be a safe mission, but I don’t know… a mission’s still a mission. I got into the shower to wake myself up, and also because this would probably be my only shower in days. 

Sensei hadn’t told us many specifics about the mission. Iruka and I guessed that we would be briefed on the mission at the village gates. The outpost was nowhere near any border, still deep in the heart of the Fire Country, which helped to keep me optimistic.

Lazily leaving the shower, I dried myself off and brushed my teeth. Similarly to Before, my morning routine was a slow one. I preferred waking up a little earlier and enjoying the cozy silence for just a bit longer, without needing to rush. It’s why I woke up at 5 instead of a time closer to 6. I could probably shower, eat, brush my teeth and prepare my gear perfectly fine in under 30 minutes, but I needed this so-called ‘calm before the storm’.

Kaa-san prepared some rice the night before, so I treated myself with a small bowl of that with a fried egg. It’s important to not overeat before doing anything strenuous, after all. A little bit of carbs would energize me just fine, especially with this small body.

I finished my meal and started to get my mission gear ready. Kunai, shuriken, soldiers pills (just in case), ration bars, ninja wire and a shinobi-grade canteen were neatly packed within a standard and compact backpack I got myself with my money from the countless D-ranks my team had done.

Reaching for the door handle, I was startled by cold air being blown at my neck, which sent chills down my back. It was kaa-san, drowsily smiling at me. “You didn’t think I’d let you go without seeing you off, did you?” she teased as she ruffled her hand through my hair playfully.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I looked down shamefully. “I thought it would be better if you didn’t worry about me in the morning…” I muttered sheepishly. She sighed before kneeling down and cupping my cheeks with her warm hands. “Oh, sweetie. I’ll always be worried about you, no matter how much older or stronger you’ll get.” she said solemnly. Her expression held a worried smile, showing both pride and anxiousness.

“Kaa-chan, I’m sorry, bu-” I said before being interrupted by a finger covering my mouth. “Shhh, I know. After all these years, if there’s one thing I can count on with you, it’s your desire to be a shinobi. That Will of Fire blazing within you.” 

Love and warmth emanated from each word. She spoke fondly, despite the worry my insistence at being a shinobi brought her. Guilt incorporated itself into my smile. Her arms wrapped around me, squeezing me just hard enough not to hurt.

One of the many things I’m glad to have here is a mother who was just as loving as my previous one. Love and support went a long way, no matter the situation.

“Just be careful, ‘Kay?” she whispered into my ear, worry thoroughly present in her voice. “Of course.” I responded back with a heavy heart. She released the hug and stood up. “We don’t want you being late on your first mission outside the village, do we Daisuke-chan?” she affectionately chuckled.

I faced the door and stepped out. “Guess not. Love you, Kaa-chan. Tell Izumi that I’ll be back soon.” I waved goodbye as I looked back. “Right! Bye-bye, Daisuke-chan! I love you!” she waved back.

I still felt the warmth from her hands on my cheeks as I jumped along the roofs of Konoha, heading towards the gate. Neither the early morning cold nor the chilly breeze could take that warmth away. Nothing could.

The distance to the village gates did not take long to travel and I found myself gazing at the massive entrance to my home. At the front of the entrance stood my team’s leader and my sensei, Inuzuka Tsume, along with several other figures.

Approaching Tsume-sensei, she acknowledged me with a grin and nod. “Mornin’, brat. Yer here early.” she noted before her eyes glanced over to a pale man… with straight, long and black hair… and yellow eyes.

Is that Orochimaru? He’s here, why’s he here? My heart nearly stopped in my chest as my eyes glided over his neutral face. Sweat beaded on my forehead. Calm down, at this point, he isn’t an enemy. 

A side of his lips curved in a slight smile of amusement. My breath hitched. “Good morning, young one. I don’t believe we’ve met.” he remarked, interrupting my sharp intake of breath. Taking the hint, I straightened up my expression as well as I could.

 “O-oh! I’m sorry to be rude! My name is U-,” yeah, nope, “Daisuke.” I stammered out, trying not to trip over any words. “I assume you already know who I am?” he chuckled, hinting at my silent outburst of fear. I quickly nodded twice. 

A snort echoed out from behind me.

I looked around and realized there were other people with us. In fact, the first thing I noticed was a lavender ponytail. Anko, and… Hyuuga Momoku, along with a boy who I vaguely remembered as a fellow graduate from our class at the academy. Along with their sensei, Team 2 had been gathered here alongside Team 4.

I approached the genin to avoid talking with Orochimaru. The brown-haired boy waved at me, “Oh hello, Uchiha-san. It’s nice to see you again.” he said politely. Shit, I forgot his name. I think he was someone from the academy. “Nice to see you too, eh…” I said nervously, trying to think of his name.

He chuckled, “You can’t remember my name either? Don’t worry, I can’t remember your given name. It’s Hikaru Kamiki.” he reassured me sheepishly. I offered a handshake. “Thank god! I’m Uchiha Daisuke. Let’s get along during the mission, Hikaru-san.” He shook my hand, “Likewise,” 

I noticed the gaze of my Hyuuga classmate after that. I nodded at him, “Hyuuga-san.” he gave me a curt nod in response, “Uchiha-san.” he acknowledged with his usual formality. That only left one girl. “Hey, Anko...” I greeted sheepishly. She glared at me for even trying. I’d say it was worth a shot.

As I sighed in exacerbation, I heard footsteps behind me. Shimada and Iruka had arrived at nearly the same time. Before I could greet the two, a loud voice boomed, “A’right, everyone! Gather ‘round!” Tsume-sensei ordered.

“Ya pups look a little confused, so lemme fill ‘ye in. Team 2 and Team 4 are on a joint mission to bring intel to a Konoha outpost, code-named ‘Utahime’. It’sa new outpost, ‘t was put tagether 4 months ago. And lemme just cut out the bullshit, the real reason fer our groupin’ is that the Hokage thought it'd be an enrichin’ experience ta take as many o’ya as we could.” she informed us in the least formal mission briefing in Konoha’s history. 

“It is convenient that my team accompanies Team 4, as I have been assigned a mission not far from ‘Utahime’. It has been decided that Inuzuka Tsume-kun will escort my team back to the village.” Orochimaru added, his voice irrationally startling me.

“Does anyone have any inquiries? If not, we shall soon depart. The journey is a relatively short one. One day of traveling at genin-standard speed, which you all should be able to reliably maintain.” the sannin concluded, looking at each of us. No one had any questions, and so we walked towards the gates. Sensei and Orochimaru spoke to the chuunin guards, preparing our departure. 

What a great turn of events. A mission with two girls who hate my guts and a jounin who I’m deathly afraid of. Way to make a situation uncomfortable, Sarutobi Hiruzen… maybe it’s a little unfair to be upset at that guy, he wouldn’t know about any of that.

What’s done is done and I’ll have to spend the next week with those three. A nervous sigh escaped my lips. This’ll be a wonderful first C-rank!

—------

Being outside the village for the first time was exciting . In my past life I’d done plenty of traveling, so it’s not because I was sheltered or something, but the way the famous Hashirama trees of Konoha stretched out in front of us for miles, how we hopped for hours and hours, it all made the places I’d lived in on Earth seem pretty damn small.

This was the first time my endurance was put under this kind of stress, too. It’s not like I couldn’t handle some running, I had plenty of training done on that front with Gai, but it felt like what jogging for the first time in my original body felt like. Keeping at a pace I could technically maintain, yet the experience was foreign to my body. The slowly rising fatigue and breathlessness was oddly nostalgic to me.

The feeling of wind blowing past my body, blowing my hair back, the slight burn and strain of my muscles and the satisfying speed that a chakra powered leap would provide, it was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Combine that with the soothing silence, and I was able to forget about the fact that it was my first real mission, and that Orochimaru was just meters away from me.

During the journey, we were finally able to make use of Tsume-sensei’s teachings about discrete travel and clearing up our trail. There was no time or breath to be wasted on chatting, and we had to rely on the use of Konoha-style Shinobi code to communicate.

As expected, the team of Orochimaru was prepared physically for this kind of endurance. I couldn’t see much of a sign of struggle on Anko, Momoku or Hikaru-san. I was doing fine, too, but I was concerned about Iruka and Shimada, who were both breathing just a tad faster than the rest of us. Maybe Sensei had been a bit soft with our training.

Orochimaru said the travel time was about a day, but in reality it was approximately 26 hours. We left in the morning, and by now 16 hours had passed, and both senseis had stopped us to set up camp.

Finally stopping for something other than a ration bar or water break, we got to setting up camp, which was just a campfire and sleeping bags, which were brought using the convenience of storage scrolls. 

Shinobi didn’t always forage and hunt for food mid mission, but Tsume-sensei was able to convince the reluctant snake summoner that it would be ‘A crying shame!’ if we didn’t catch something to eat on our first day outside the village.

Us genin were split into little groups to find something edible, which had me and Hikaru-san paired up for hunting. I’m convinced even us newbie shinobi won’t have any problems finding a few rabbits or birds worth eating.

At first, the hunt was silent so we wouldn’t scare away any animals and to keep our senses ready for action. Hikaru-san was able to pick up the sound of two rabbits hiding in bushes, and swiftly killed them with a kunai. The way he threw the kunai made me think he’d done this before. I was able to catch a rabbit before it ran away as well, though I didn't have the heart to kill it, to Hikaru-san’s confusion.

Can you blame me when they’re just so cute? Anyway, three rabbits were okay just for a bit of stew, and we managed to kill two birds on the way back. 

“Uchiha-san-, wait, can I just call you Daisuke-san to make this easier?” I nodded, “Anyways, I was wondering… why Anko was glaring at you like that? Weren’t you guys like besties with that other kid back in the Academy?” he asked when we didn’t need to keep quiet anymore.

Good question, man. “I said some hurtful stuff that offended her, and before you ask I’m not elaborating. I was too hasty and explained myself poorly, and that’s how I got here. I hope I’ll get the chance to make up with her soon.”

My conversation with Anko came with no preparation and was probably a sign from above that not everything would go my way if I rushed things. I wasn’t sure what I would say differently if I could go back and do it again, but as things are right now, our relationship could put the squad’s communication or cooperation at risk. 

‘“Huh. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine much that would genuinely offend the Team’s resident tomboy.” he said amusedly. I snorted, “Heh, a tomboy? I didn’t see it before, but now that you mention it…”

He clapped excitedly, “Finally, somebody gets it! Orochimaru-sensei and Momoku-san are completely immune to humor, y’know? They just stare at me with this creepy glare if you try to make a joke!” he exclaimed, slapping my shoulder.

“Hyuuga Momoku and humor… yeahh, no. He’s way too formal AND he’s a Hyuuga.” I commented. “You can say that again.” he shot back with a huff. 

I chuckled before looking at him again, “By the way, is Orochimaru any good as a sensei?” I asked. He tilted his head, “Well, I guess he’s pretty stern. He trains us really hard, saying that we’re at war and that we need to be ready. And since he’s a Sannin, he’s always sent off to missions without us.” 

I raised an eyebrow, “Really? How often is he gone?”

He scratched his chin, “A few times a week, I think he’s something of a scientist. Whenever we ask, he says he’s off on official duty, or working on some kind of experiment.”

My eyes widened, “B-but he’s not being neglectful or anything! He always makes sure we have something to do when he’s gone! He’s more thoughtful than you’d expect.” he corrected himself hurriedly, misunderstanding my expression. 

Well, if he’s openly talking about his experiments it must mean he’s not doing anything morally dubious right now, but I can’t help but feel concerned. Is it possible that he feels some sort of compassion for his students?  Maybe he holds himself to some kind of standard. A sense of duty for Konoha? Who knows how long till that lasts.

“It must be tough. Has he gotten you started on a specialization already, Hikaru-san?” I asked with some curiosity. It’ll be a good idea to know what he’s capable of. 

“He said I’ve got some talent in stealth and bukijutsu, and I’m a sensor, so apparently I can specialize in infiltration and assassination type missions. He’s been working me to the bone teaching me to suppress my presence. What about you?”

“Ninjutsu and chakra control, mostly. I think my taijutsu is alright too.”

“Huh. Got a lot of chakra?” he said with a small amount of interest. I shrugged, “I think so? It’s not anywhere close to an adult’s amount.” I humbly admitted.

A sensor, though. The concept has always interested me. Sensors were, from what I could remember, extremely valuable for strategic purposes and somewhat rare. It’s a shame that I wasn’t born a sensor.

“Hikaru-san, how much can you sense from chakra?”

“I’m worse than my tou-san is, but I can sense peoples’ general emotional states, their chakra flaring up, their location. That’s pretty much it, for now at least.” he explained casually.

“Can you differentiate between signatures?” 

“Sure, but I need to concentrate,” he added.

“Then, how can you tell if they are hostile in a pinch?” I questioned further.

“That’s simple, actually. Malice and bloodlust will subtly leak out of anyone who isn’t experienced in reigning it in. Things like that, I can sense much easier. As my sensory abilities grow, it will become easier to sense more than just emotion from people.” he admitted easily.

Now I’m curious about something.

“You said if you focused, you could differentiate chakra signatures. Do they feel especially different from person to person?” I wondered. My own thought process told me that it depended from sensor to sensor. If Hikaru-san could judge peoples’ emotional state through sensing, perhaps proving that Orochimaru was dangerous was actually possible, at some point in the future,

“Kinda. I can sense some characteristics which seem to match their personality and chakra’s quality.” he confirmed after a short pause. He glanced back at me, “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering if you could tell me how my chakra felt to you.” I admitted with a sheepish smile. “You’re interesting, Daisuke-san.” he snickered, “Sure, but we’re gonna need to stop walking for a second.” I nodded, watching him close his eyes.

His concentrated expression shifted from straining, to surprise. “Daisuke-san, wow. You weren’t lying about having a lot of chakra.” he breathed out, his eyebrows scrunched again, “It’s… blazing yet… tranquil? Your chakra feels much more serene than a normal Uchiha’s. Do you have another affinity?”

I hummed in affirmation, and he shook his head in disbelief. “By the way,” I began, “how does, say, Orochimaru’s chakra feel like?” I asked, pretending that my question came from vague curiosity. 

“I guess…,” he murmured, “I mean, it’s a bit hard to describe. His chakra almost feels like it slithers. Most jounin have a sort of authority and power behind their signature, and Orochimaru-sensei’s signature feels the most overwhelming out of anyone else’s I’ve sensed.”

“Well, that’s only natural.” 

Before we knew it, we returned to the camp, meat on hand. A fire was blazing below a suspended pot. The adults stayed behind while us genin got water, herbs, vegetables, and meat.

For the cooking process, Tsume-sensei and Iruka took charge. They knew how to cook the best of us, and to be honest I didn’t want to know what kind of cooking someone like Anko or Momoku would produce.

The stew, a kind of amalgamation of different meat, herbs and veggies, was actually pretty good. Nothing like a genuine home-cooked meal kaa-san would make, but it was a filling dinner with a satisfying richness. It probably tasted better since we prepared the meal ourselves. And because we hadn’t eaten anything proper in a full day. Even Orochimaru, who was originally against the idea, admitted that the stew was worth the effort.

As the warmth from the stew settled into our stomachs, we divided our sleep time so we could always have someone keeping watch. We were heading to sleep by about 11 or 12 in the evening. And six hours of total sleep was enough sleep for any shinobi, according to the Sannin.

As some kind of a learning experience, Tsume-sensei and Orochimaru opted to make us, the genin, in charge of keeping watch. Makes plenty of sense, but to be honest, I could hardly imagine the two of them fully sleeping during any mission, let alone when green children like us would be put in charge. I bet they slept with one eye open.

We had six genin, which meant we could give each person an hour of watch to do, but we opted for pairs. It would be easier to stay awake if there was someone to chat with. Shimada and Anko would be the first to keep watch, then Momoku and I after them, and finally Iruka and Hikaru-san.

I knew falling asleep would be easy, with the faint exhaustion dulling my limbs and the warm food sitting in my stomach. Merely climbing into my sleeping bag had my eyelids droop immediately, as if a weight were placed on them. 

The light sleep I fell into was a dreamless one, and it was way too short. Upon being forced awake by painful slaps on the face, the heaviness behind my eyelids remained, lighter than before, but ever present. 

A grumble of irritation escaped from my parted lips and as I sat up and stretched my arms, cheeks stinging. I scowled at the two snickering girls, who unsympathetically walked away to sleep without another word. Rubbing at my tired eyes, my eyes glanced around to see Momoku, who was already awake, exhaustion cleverly hidden or nonexistent. I couldn’t tell which. 

“Not to offend you, Uchiha-san,” his expression held no disdain or anger, “but a shinobi must always be alert, even while others are keeping watch. Especially if you are being slapped.” he advised me. I frowned, “No offense taken,” I reassured him. “It won’t happen again.” I’m sure if there had been any real hostility from either girl, I would have reacted. 

I stood up with a slight groan and joined Momoku, who was leaning up against a tree. The Hyuuga were notoriously formal and stern, similarly to the Uchiha, though they were said to not be as socially stunted as their red-eyed counterparts. 

Apparently, Momoku felt comfortable in total silence for our watch. The absence of talking surprisingly didn’t end up being awkward. I imagine that he simply didn’t feel the need to make conversation in these circumstances.

That’s why it surprised me when Momoku suddenly spoke after about an hour. “Back at the village, you were petrified when you first saw him.” he said suddenly, narrowing his pale eyes at me. I blinked at him, blindsided by the abrupt statement, “Huh? Do you mean Orochimaru?” He nodded wordlessly. 

“He just startled me, that’s all. He’s kinda scary, and I freaked out a little.” I deflected with an awkward chuckle. His eyes narrowed further, “Do not lie to me, Uchiha-san. Even I can tell the difference between someone who is startled or terrified.” 

I grimaced at his prying words. Why the hell is every kid in this world so creepy? You’re supposed to be thinking about legos or something! His pale eyes bore into me, demanding an answer. 

“What can I say? I’m just scared of him, okay?” I looked down at my feet nervously, and then faced him again with a grimace, “I’ve always felt like there was something off about the guy.” I relented with a huff. “This sort of irrationality doesn’t suit you.” he stated after a pause, finally looking away. The famous Hyuuga gaze was just as stressful as everyone said it was.

 After that, he didn’t say anything. Despite the fact that I barely admitted anything to him, strangely enough, he didn’t ask me about anything else. What could I have told him? 

I’ve noticed that I keep asking myself that question nowadays: ‘What can I tell them?’, and it’s getting frustrating , to say the least. 

Our watch finished without incident. To be honest, I didn’t feel all that tired yet, but I knew that I should sleep as much as possible. The lack of sleep would kick in and later hit me like a truck if I didn’t take sleeping enough seriously. 

Momoku and I roused Hikaru-san and Iruka from their slumber. Both boys woke up in a more graceful manner than myself, alert and focused almost immediately. Momoku stared at me pointedly, unimpressed.

The morning passed in a blink of an eye, and considering how long I slept, another two hours, I was expecting more of a lackluster rest than I’d gotten. We ate some ration bars for breakfast and before I knew it, the six of us were standing in front of both of our squad leaders, whose arms were crossed impatiently. 

“I shall ignore the amount of time it took for you all to get prepared as this is your first mission. Next time, you will be faster. Let’s go, we are racing against the clock.” Orochimaru ordered us with an air of professionalism. “And try’da keep up, will ya? We’re uppin’ the pace!” Tsume-sensei added. We all turned to follow their lead.

The rest of the journey was short in comparison to the previous day’s one. Because of the quicker pace, Orochimaru and Tsume-sensei estimated we would arrive in just shy of 8 hours. Momoku, Anko and I handled the increased speed somehow, but it seemed like Iruka, Shimada and Hikaru-san were barely holding on.

I guess they would earn points in our senseis’ eyes for discipline. It took real perseverance to move at a level beyond their normal limits for so long, though I suspected there was something to boost us in those shinobi rations we ate. Hopefully just caffeine or sugar.

As we passed through the wilderness at these higher speeds, I could hear the scurrying of rabbits and deer. Flocks of birds flew by, their wing flaps sounding more like claps due to their numbers. 

The eight hours passed quickly and without incident, and we found ourselves just a small clearing from our mission objective. I let out my long-held breath, as I felt a rumbling sensation in my feet. Didn’t know I was that nervous.

The outpost was partially underground and had the appearance of a small hilly area covered in trees, not at all unique from the landscape around the area. From a distance, it was virtually invisible. It was impossible to tell the size or shape of the base from the outside. Seals and genjutsu hid the entrances, sealed off sound from the inside, and eliminated any possible smells. Utahime was an important base, after all.

We approached our mission objective, being sure to avoid making any tracks traceable to the base. Sensei led us to an otherwise normal-looking tree by the side of the hill. She took a sniff and looked around to ensure no one was around, and,

“A kunai whistles through the battlefield, and Hashirama’s leaves part as though they are air itself.” she said curtly.

A second passed before an unknown voice echoed out of nowhere. “Thereafter, His leaves surge forth,” they murmured, their voice heavily distorted.

“Razor-sharp.” she finished, saying what I now registered as a form of code. A slight glow of blue illuminated our faces as the ground shook, and a Konoha Jounin who I didn’t recognize opened an invisible door, seemingly parting space. Fuinjutsu is as intriguing as I remember… 

“Come in,” the man said curtly, his voice no longer disguised. His arm pointed us into the base. We nodded as we finally entered Utahime. The weird seal-door-hybrid closed behind us, and as soon as the sound reached our ears, Tsume-sensei immediately shouted. “Kousei! Ya ‘ol grouch, how’ve ya been?!” she asked as she roughly swung an arm around his shoulders.

The sudden change in demeanor had all of us genin gapping our mouths open in surprise. They’re friends? A loud scoff came from the Jounin - Kousei’s mouth. “Get your arm off of me, Tsume, before I lop it off.” he demanded, glaring at Tsume-sensei’s smiling face. 

No. Not friends. Definitely not friends. “You know ya love me!” she snickered before taking her arm off of the poor man. “Pups, this here is Kousei, one 'f my pals!” she announced with uncharacteristic cheer, pointing at Kousei's shaking head. Maybe they are friends? “As if we are anything as ridiculous as ‘pals’.” he said sternly before facing Orochimaru. “I assume you are all on a mission here to deliver intel, yes?” 

He nodded curtly, fishing into his Jounin vest for the scroll. He placed it in Kousei’s outstretched hand. “Good. You may all rest here until morning.” he allowed, walking further into the base presumably to deliver the intel to the person in charge.

The morning was quite the ways away. I checked the clock on the wall, sighing as I read 3:11. That left us with quite a lot of time, even if we slept early. “You’eard the man, go crazy! We’re leavin’ tomorrow at 5 o’clock, so get plenty’a shut-eye.” she ever-so-cheerfully ordered. Creepy. I was more used to her typical feral behavior. I saw Shimada and Anko scurry off together excitedly. Quick friends, they are. 

Looking at my side towards the remaining boys, I found their exasperated gaze meet mine. This kinda thing was not what we were expecting from a C-rank. I’d heard (and seen) stories of C-ranks gone wrong. Missions outside the village were hyped up to all of us shinobi-hopeful, and now we were given free time to explore like children.

Eh, whatever. I bet the Hokage and our senseis felt that we needed to go on a safe and easy mission for our first time out the gates. I shrugged absentmindedly as I stepped further into the outpost.

The main hall’s walls held signs, showing direction around the outpost. There was a main office, a few rooms to sleep in, a lounge, a first aid room, bathrooms and a cafeteria/dining room in one. Utahime’s accommodation for shinobi went all out, it seems. 

My stomach rumbled, making my next decision obvious. I made my way to the mess hall, belatedly noticing Momoku coming in with me as I entered. As I entered the room, I noticed an assortment of Konoha genin and chuunin, who glanced at the two of us as we entered before returning to their own matters.

The hall was filled with idle chatting, which surprised me. Vibrations reverberated through the walls, probably from the bustle of the shinobi. I didn’t think a gathering of ninja would be so lively, but I guess I was wrong. War buddies? Momoku and I walked in silence towards where food was given.

A genin stood by a large pot. “We’d like something to eat, please,” I said, speaking for Momoku. He frowned at us. “Woah. You’re all coming out of the academy younger and younger…” he commented, “Just grab some cutlery over there. Stew’s on the menu for today!”

We each got a plate and some spoons, because he was serving stew. He gave us our portion. It smelled good, but also unique from any stew kaa-san’s ever made me. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did you put in this?” I asked politely. A frown appeared on his face for a split second. It wasn’t a thoughtful frown.

Then he smiled warmly at me. “It’s been a while since someone’s shown interest in my cooking! Let’s see, I used beef, chicken stock, mirin, ginger, lemon, butternut squash, and onions. As for seasonings, I used the ol’ reliable. Salt, pepper and soy sauce.” he explained with pride. Sounds good.

“What’s such a good chef like you doing out here as a shinobi?” I asked as I held my plate out. He sheepishly rubbed his head, “You flatter me. I’ve been cooking my whole life, a stew is the least I can make! My comrades in the Genin Corps loved my cooking and I landed a position over here 7 months ago. I’m just glad to be out here feeding so many Konoha-nin!” 

That can’t be right. I kept my expression carefully controlled. “That’s great! Thank you for the food!” I said with forced cheer. Momoku and I sat down and I instantly caught his gaze. Good, looks like he isn’t a Hyuuga for nothing. I can’t believe kaa-san’s stew and small talk helped me find an infiltrator.

“We can’t eat this, Hyuuga-san.” he whispered to him urgently. “I’m aware, but most shinobi in this room have already eaten it.” he whispered back, voice sharp as a kunai.

The stew’s odor is something most would never comment on. It didn’t smell bad, in fact, its scent was very pleasant.  But as soon as I knew something was wrong, I could instantly smell that the stew was not normal. Like something else has been added.

On top of that seemingly ridiculous tell, we now had confirmation of his phoniness. My mind flashed back to yesterday morning’s pre-mission brief. The floor shook.

“...joint mission to bring intel to a Konoha outpost, code-named ‘Utahime’. It’sa new outpost, ‘t was put tagether 4 months ago. …” 

Tsume-sensei’s voice echoed in my head. 4 months. Utahime is 4 months old. How could he have been cooking here for 7? I may be overreacting. Maybe it was a slip of tongue, but the feeling in my gut told me it wasn’t.

Now I was gritting my teeth. Think! All of the Konoha-nin here could be poisoned or worse. It must be slow-acting, or hardly noticeable, if they haven’t reacted yet. Are they even poisoned? How the hell did a spy even manage to sneak his way in here?!

“Hyuuga-san, please use your Byakugan and look at the bedrooms. How many people are sleeping?” I asked quietly, voice shaking. He nodded as veins popped around his eyes. Jesus, those eyes are scary ! Shut up, me, there’s no time for that!

His pale eyes widened in surprise. “This is a problem. Far too many of us are sleeping at a time like this, and…” he hissed as he narrowed his eyes, “I can see some unconscious allies hidden in the restrooms and closets. This is a recent and ongoing infiltration…!” he whispered.

It had to be recent, otherwise the others in the outpost would have already noticed. Should we bolt out of here, and regroup with our teams? Should we shout a warning? Should we wait and counterattack when the base is attacked?! Everyone here’s drugged! I felt the ground churning under my feet. What should I do, no, what should we do?!

I found myself breathing harshly. Why now? We aren’t ready, not for something like this! All I could hear was my thoughts in my head as my vision blurred. This was supposed to be a C-rank! Clutching the side of the table, my breathing grew quicker. Calm down! This is no time to be panicking! 

Trying to calm down only had me shaking more. I can’t move! I can’t do anything! I–!

I’m scared!

A weight tugged at my shoulder and I looked up with panic at Momoku, who’s mouth was moving. I couldn’t hear him. I couldn’t read his lips. What’s he saying? His hands formed the Tiger seal, and-

“Kai!” he said, purging foreign chakra from my brain. Genjutsu? I roughly exhaled as the overwhelming fear was suddenly blown away, replaced by adrenaline and stress. This is bad . Really bad. 

Momoku gazed at me sternly. “Uchiha-san, we need to regroup with the others,” he ordered. I’ll need to thank him later for saving me. I looked back at the cafeteria to see that most of my fellow Konoha-nin were knocked out, though a few outliers sped toward the spy to engage him. I’ll leave that to them.

“Let’s go.” I agreed with him easily. 

The two of us sped down the main hall, but were stopped by a permeating rumbling sound beneath us. I could hear the ground under us being ripped apart as if being drilled through. What’s going on?!

I looked at Momoku for answers, he already had his Byakugan activated. He hissed and started running, ushering me to come with him, “Uchiha-san, we have to move faster! 10 Iwa-nin are coming from below using earth ninjutsu!” He informed me urgently, as I followed him as quickly as I could. 

“When do they get here?!” 

“...about two minutes,” he said tensely. The two of us prepared to speed up as we heard rapid footsteps echo through the hall. Our heads snapped in unison to meet the possible threat, and…

“You two,” a stern but recognizable voice ordered, “we must rejoin the others. Come.” the voice was none other than Kousei, Tsume-sensei’s friend/acquaintance/frenemy. Who knows, but the two of us welcomed a capable superior in the situation. We nodded without hesitation, a natural reaction for a shinobi.

The three of us finally made our way to the hallway connecting to the sleeping quarters and common area. Slowly, I was picking up agitated barking from Kuromaru. It wasn’t much longer until the three of us were met with the sight of a frantic Sensei running at us.

Her expression was not one I was used to seeing on her. The air in the room grew heavier as pressure mounted. Despite the situation, panicked, widened eyes and beading sweat wasn’t something I’d ever expect to see on her face, and I couldn’t help but grow worried.

She wouldn’t slow down as she approached us. Not all of us, but Momoku and I specifically. Was she an enemy who was transformed? No, that’s not right. Disguising oneself as a shinobi from a clan who works with ninja animals was a bad idea, and incredibly risky to any operation. A ninken or kikaichu would not mistake their partner.

Before I had time to mull over the questions in my mind, the two of us genin were grabbed and hauled away from Kousei. He turned his head with his usual cold calmness that I was getting used to. “Tsume, what are you doing?” he gazed unwaveringly at the… furious Inuzuka.

“Don’t say m’name so casually, you Iwa bastard!” she all but growled at him. Wait, another spy? But I couldn’t detect a transformation. “This is no time for your incompetence! This outpost is compromised!” he rebutted, trying to steer the conversation.

“That formal way of speakin’, yer bluntness, and yer damn professional attitude that’s always gettin’ in the way. Ya musta studied that grouch real hard, but,” she narrowed her eyes, “that guy ‘coulden get a code wrong in his dreams!” 

‘Kousei’ scowled dangerously at us and immediately got to forming hand seals. I moved to make distance, but, “He also woulda noticed me do this .” she murmured, voice unusually calm, but low and remorseful. Her hands made a simple snake seal. 

Without a delay, a sizzling hiss sound came from his back. A paper bomb-! The Iwa spy’s body was engulfed in an explosion that left my ears ringing, leaving behind only a gray, burnt up corpse. When we first arrived, that’s when she must’ve done something. She wrapped her arm around him back then. She must’ve already realized that he was a spy at that point.

Tsume wasted no time and turned to us. “You dumbasses, quit gawkin’ an’ meet up with th’rest of the kids!” she ordered. “Me ‘n Kuromaru can take care’o the enemies who’re diggin’ up here!'' She reassured us.

It was a safe option for us two, but what about her? I wasn’t sure how many Iwa-nin were gonna come, or how strong they were. She could get overwhelmed and killed. “Inuzuka-sama, with all due respect, you and Kuromaru-san cannot win against that many. There are ten of them, and they all appear to be chuunin, judging by their vests. We should consider retreating together.” Momoku urged before I could raise my own concerns.

She smirked at us,  “Don’ worry, stuff like this’s my specialty! Hit ‘n run. We’ll fight dirty! Buyin’ y’all time to get to the others is tha main priority..” she explained, still alert and looking out for threats. I frowned at her, unconvinced.

She just lost a friend and now she wants to fight a group of enemies with just the help of her partner. I didn’t think she was in the best condition for a fight like this. “Sensei, please! Let us stay and help! We may be genin, but…” she snapped her head at me, “No. Too dangerous for tha two of ya.”

Looking at our determined expressions, she smiled fondly. “Think about it. After you brats’re together again, y’all can come back ‘n we’ll have a better chance at beatin’em back!” she placated with a feral grin. I stared at her but my answer was made for me when the Iwa-nin began coming up from the ground around the area.

Momoku grabbed my sleeve and pulled me to run with him. Sensei flashed a thankful smile at him. “What the hell, Momoku!? We have to help!” I shouted at the pale-eyed boy. 

“Her strategy is sound,” is all the reason he provided, looking for the rest of our comrades with his Byakugan. We’ll probably be able to regroup with everyone, but, what will happen to sensei in the meantime…?

I grit my teeth in frustration and lifted my head up. “Fine! Let’s find them quickly!” 

—------------------------------------------------------------------

3rd person POV: Anko

Anko would’ve never imagined her first mission outside the village to be such a catastrophe. Orochimaru-sama said it would be a simple mission, with minimal chance of confrontation with even bandits.

It really was a simple mission. Sensei had seemingly prepared her for the mission perfectly. They traveled at speed well within her limits. She wasn’t used to the duration of the trip quite yet, but she would surely adapt and come out stronger than before. 

All in all, she was happy with the mission, even if Daisuke, who she’d been pointedly ignoring, was one of her squad members for the time being. Shimada Nara proved to be a fun friend, and they were even given time to rest and explore the outpost. 

Perhaps exploring Utahime was a bad move, because now she was separated from the rest of her squad with the exception of her newest friend. She’d heard rumbling on the way to the objective and had just assumed it to be sounds of nature. It hadn’t occurred to her until about 5 seconds ago (when the distant rumbling became sharper and louder than before) that maybe it was something to worry about.

‘Something to worry about’ turned out to be a gross understatement, when towering before her and Shimada was an Iwa nin with a vicious sneer on his face. He was wearing a vest. 

The two had managed to dodge an oncoming barrage of shuriken. The surprise attack had nicked some skin on their limbs, but none of the cuts were deadly or even painful with the amount of adrenaline running through the pair. The man who ambushed them appeared to be a teenager with straight, dirty brown hair and a nasty scar on his right cheek, nearly making a checkmark symbol. 

And suddenly, a wave of killing intent hit them. Anko's knees very nearly gave out but she grit her teeth and stood her ground. There was no way Anko would collapse in fear after everything she went through with Orochimaru. She glared darkly at her enemy.

"Two little tree huggers all alone, huh? Looks like fate's got a nice job for me."  He let out a low voice, focusing on Anko. "You've got a dangerous expression on your face, girl. Maybe it's for the best that I missed you. Now I can tear you apart myself."

Anko was ready to move at a moment's notice. Her whole body was tense with nervous anticipation. Orochimaru told her that when faced with death, she'll need to ground herself to avoid fear. Her heart banged so loud, it was all she could hear.

Their opponent's sight panned over to Shimada. "You look like you're gonna piss yourself, though!" He smirked, looking pleased with himself. Anko had been too focused on herself and had failed to take notice of Shimada, who was paralyzed with fear. The Nara girl's frantic eyes shot to Anko pleadingly.

A kick from the Iwa-nin nearly hit its mark on the terrified girl, who had been tackled down by Anko. She grunted in exertion and she led Shimada down the corridor.

The two would likely only have an advantage in mobility and speed. There was a massive size difference between the two child soldiers and their opponent. Between the two of them, there had to be something they could do.

Before that, though… 

"Shimada! Snap out of it already!" She shouted desperately. Shimada's pale face turned to hers. "I… we c-can't win… didn't you feel that earlier?" The terrified genin mumbled, voice shaking. "Look! It's not about winnin', okay?! We've just gotta survive!" She pleaded, her fists clenched so hard she could feel her nails drawing blood.

"Survive?" 

"Yah, survive! Look back," she said, looking back at the pursuing shinobi. "He's not takin' us seriously at all. We can totally get away! We're smaller and probably faster, and you have a damn paralysis jutsu!" Shimada turned her head back. 

Just down the hall, the Iwa-nin was leisurely jogging, kunai ready in hand. He was grinning hungrily.

"I don't think-" Shimada doubted before she was harshly interrupted by a shout. 

"Oh shut up! Don't you have anyone back in Konoha to return to?! We just hafta hold out !!" Anko demanded, thinking of home. Her mind flashed to a mental image of her two brother figures and Orochimaru.

Shimada's eyes widened, "Yeah."

“Then get up’n fight! Let’s do this!” Anko encouraged the shaking girl, offering her hand. Shimada took her hand with a slow exhale, “What do we do?” she said with a shaky but sure-sounding voice. 

"T’s about time! I have an idea.” Anko said confidently.

She might not have been a genin for long, but her sensei was one of the Sannin, for Christ’s sake. Her sensei hadn’t yet taught her his snake techniques (to her greatest disappointment), but Orochimaru encouraged her to take up poison, explaining that it would suit her fighting style.

“I can use one type of poison,” Shimada frowned in response, “beat it! Sensei says I have to be immune to a poison before I can use it, so it takes time!” she snapped, turning a corner to avoid a shuriken thrown by their pursuer. 

“It’ll be hard to poison a Chuunin if he’s focused on us,” Shimada commented with some melancholy. Anko felt her lips tilt upwards, “That’s yer job. Any chuunin worth their shit would never get hit by a kunai thrown by a snot-nosed little genin, but what if ‘e can’t move?”

Shimada’s eyes widened. “Shadow possession jutsu…” she murmured. Anko's smirk turned into a serious gaze. “Yep. Tha poison’s a non-lethal paralytic, we’ll just kill the bastard or get away, but that only comes after we make an opening for yer shadow.” Shimada’s eyes met hers, “Now I ’ve got an idea.” the Nara girl said.

Anko hummed, impressed. She hadn’t expected Shimada to think of something already. Anko was considering taunting him or using kunai to distract him, both being flimsy plans. “What do you have in mind?” she asked. The two ducked under a pair of stones racing for their heads.

“Clones.” Shimada stated simply. Anko couldn’t stop herself from letting out a quiet ‘Huh?’ in response. “There’s no way in hell even that lowlife would fall for a stupid clone!” she berated, annoyed with the suggestion. Anko felt that not even academy flunkies would fall for the Clone jutsu. The jutsu was a test of someone’s capabilities, but it wasn’t an actually effective jutsu! She shook her head in disappointment.

“Exactly. He won’t fall for it,” Shimada’s lips formed a knowing smile and Anko’s eyes widened in realization. It was a taunt. A trick. “He’ll know where we are right away. He’ll think that we think we’ve lost him in the chaos. It’ll be the ‘perfect’ chance for him to strike.” she finished for her squad member.

“That Nara brain of yers is churnin’! Okay, let’s-” Anko was cut off by Shimada pulling her out of the way of an impatiently thrown kunai. “-do it.” she continued, reminded that they were still being chased. 

It wasn't the best plan, but Anko felt it would work against their opponent. She off-handedly remembered that the Iwa-nin was still under the impression that Shimada was a quivering mess. Did Shimada think of that, too? Smart.

Turning the next corner, a horde of clones from both girls flooded the area, each one scattering in a slightly different direction. Anko exhaled harshly, trying to ignore the nervousness clinging to her stomach.

A curse echoed loudly from behind them. Anko readied her poisoned kunai, gripping it harder than intended. She looked over at her friend who was nervously smiling back, a rat seal shakily formed in her hand.

She found herself nearly chuckling. ‘Hah, so much for a tough front.’ She thought to herself grimly. Despite their resolve in trying to trick and immobilize the enemy shinobi, they couldn't stop themselves from shaking. 

The Iwa-nin turned the nearest corner in the corridor, arm primed to throw kunai. His expression was secretly terrifying to Anko, especially considering the circumstances. “You dumbasses must've just graduated, huh?!” He roared, shoving 3 kunai at Shimada, who not-so-gracefully fell on the floor to dodge. Her hands were visually hidden by a clone in front of her, which was being ignored.

Shimada's face was warped in fear, but Anko quickly noticed that the expression didn't quite meet her eyes. A wave of surety came over Anko. He didn't notice. He didn't see Shimada's hands, or her faux expression. 

“You're quite the jumpy one… Hold still, will you?!” He said, dashing straight towards the ‘scared’ girl. Anko's throwing arm was twitching in anticipation. A Chuunin would surely dodge if she threw it now. She had to wait for Shimada's jutsu to paralyze him, if even for a second. 

The speed of his pursuit of Shimada had suddenly gotten faster than both girls had expected. ‘He really was toying with the two of us earlier.’ Anko mentally confirmed. The shadow under Shimada's figure shot toward him nearly as fast as his mad dash. His eyes briefly widened, and,

He dodged it. Anko's eyes were carefully watching for an opening. He dug his heels in and leapt to his right, in the same vague direction as Anko. The girl had seen his speed when he was serious. She had seen the speed of the shadow, which was still chasing after the man. In that split second, she made her judgment. Shimada's shadow paralysis jutsu could no longer ensnare their enemy.

The realization didn't cause her to despair. It didn't overwhelm her with fear or panic. She accepted the fact and settled on a simpler attack. Throwing the kunai now. A calm came over her as she narrowed her vision.

The shinobi had leapt to dodge her squad member's shadow. His attention still was on Shimada, and his feet were not yet touching the floor. She readied her aim with a slow inhalation, and threw the kunai, aiming as close to his heart as possible. If enough paralytic actually reached his heart, it could spread the poison around the body through the bloodstream, or even slow down his heartbeat.

Orochimaru's words had helped ground the girl throughout the mission and this battle. She felt more and more grateful towards her teacher as she fought on. 

The sound from the flung kunai quickly alerted the airborne shinobi, prompting a last-minute sway of his torso. The kunai very nearly hit its mark, but all of their effort had barely managed to earn a graze across his side. The Iwa-nin made distance, as the shadow was still charging towards him unforgivingly. The jutsu stopped in its tracks like a fully extended rope after 10 meters of travel.

Shimada wasted no time and ran next to Anko. Both girls had expected to plan to work. “We nicked him! All that for a scratch?!” Shimada nearly shrieked. In truth, Anko was frustrated, too, despite her lack of outward reaction. Now they couldn't take advantage of a surprise attack and would have to fight him more ‘evenly’. The only silver lining was:

“The paralytic's still gonna affect the bastard. We've just gotta wait him out.” She pointed out, remembering Orochimaru's lectures about dosage and its effects. She was sure that it would still affect the man, with that large of a scratch, she just didn’t know if it would be fast enough.

“How much time do we have to buy?” Shimada asked with hope in her voice. Anko clenched her fists. “Considerin’ his build… about 2 minutes, but he won't be paralyzed, only slower. His arms ‘n legs will feel weak.” she explained quickly.

Two minutes against this foe is a gamble. The two were under no illusion that they were stronger or more skilled than their enemy. They haven't seen what he's capable of yet, making the fight extremely risky, since he was taking the pair more seriously.

The pair's morale may have been dashed by the initial failure, but despite the circumstances, their confidence had not yet fully disappeared. Anko firmly believed in her master's abilities, so how could she not believe in her own chances of survival, granted she was his student?  

Anko looked out at their opponent and something clicked in her mind. A few seconds had passed since their previous exchange, and yet the Iwa-nin had not yet engaged them. Dread filled her body as she threw a kunai at his forehead. The kunai hit its mark, but his head simply crumbled into rock. 

“A CLONE!” she desperately shouted at Shimada, who took too long to notice the enemy appearing in front of her in a blur. The shinobi had emerged from behind a previously-invisible earth wall before Shimada could get out of the way. A harsh punch to the chin caught Shimada completely unaware. She fell back a few meters away from where she previously stood.

The Iwa-nin had used genjutsu to hide his actions. Why else would both genin not notice him creating a clone and hiding behind a wall right in front of them? They'd underestimated the capabilities of their enemy, which was exactly what Orochimaru had told her never to do. Anko mentally cursed herself. This was all her fault.

Anko's dread only grew, suddenly feeling as if she took that punch and her previously formulated plans and ideas flew out of her head all at once. She blanked as she gazed at her amused enemy.

His self-satisfied grin greatly disturbed the girl - it made her sick to her stomach. “If I knew one of you was a Nara, then I would've been a little bit more careful.” He said calmly, cracking his knuckles. “She won't be getting up anytime soon. You're next.” He taunted, and then he broke into a sprint towards her with a kunai.

Suddenly, the air in front of Anko became hot. Burning-hot. A fireball had intercepted the Iwa-nin's path, forcing him to abandon his pursuit of Anko in favor of not getting burnt. She looked in the direction of the ninjutsu, and her eyes widened in surprise. It was Daisuke.

The feeling of relief came automatically and was quickly replaced by frustration and anger. Relief at Daisuke’s appearance implied that Daisuke was her friend and had come to rescue her, and both facts were not appealing to her. “What’s the situation?” he asked neutrally. 

As quickly as the emotions came, she took her frustration, anger and relief and shoved them to the back of her mind as her shinobi training kicked in. Now was not the time to be distracted and killed. An ally from Konoha had come to aid her, nothing more. She glanced at Daisuke, “The enemy is likely a Chuunin, with skills in genjutsu and ninjutsu. He was grazed with my paralytic, but it won’ kick in for another 90 seconds. Any chance someone’s on their way?” she reported efficiently. 

“Not in the short term. Momoku went to help Iruka-san and Hikaru-san, Tsume-sensei is fighting a group of Iwa-nin and Orochimaru’s whereabouts are unknown.” he explained with a grimace. The enemy shinobi started forming hand seals, prompting Anko to split off from Daisuke. Recognition filled his expression and he hurriedly flew in front of Shimada’s unconscious form and knocked away the stone that had been fired out of the Iwa-nin’s mouth with a kunai. 

Anko reached into her pouch and threw two kunai at him, which he easily avoided with a flip. A barrage of small fireballs were shot towards his retreating figure, prompting their opponent’s further retreat. She ran to pursue him while he had his hands full with Daisuke’s jutsu. 

Approaching her distracted opponent, she had her kunai ready at her side. She aimed a ruthless stab at his jugular following the Iwa-nin’s sidestep of a fireball. “Kai!” Daisuke shouted out from behind her. Suddenly, her enemy’s previously vulnerable position had changed into a kicking leg right in front of her body. She threw her arms up in front of her in a desperate attempt at a block.

A shout of pain turned into a squeak as she bit down on her lips. She had no time to reinforce herself with chakra or bring up a proper guard, and that coupled with the size difference between the two adversaries meant a world of pain. Anko realized very quickly that some had to have been broken, or dislocated, or both. 

Trying to move her arms, Anko quickly differentiated the source of her arms’ pain. Her right arm was filled with a numb, dull ache, but her left arm was practically screaming at her. With rapid prodding she felt a break in her forearm and that her shoulder was dislocated. As the glint of a kunai caught her sight, she threw herself away to dodge. Now toppled over on the ground and huddling her broken arm, she glared at the Iwa-nin looming above her.

“Get away from her!” demanded Daisuke, who was in a dash toward her while weaving hand seals. Anko couldn’t help but notice the shaky sluggishness of his hand seals and his squinted eyes. Four earth clones came out of the ground next to him and split off, two running towards Anko and the other two joining Daisuke to attack him.

Anko knew it was just a panicked effort to buy time for her to get away, which had her blaming herself for the situation. She felt that this was all her fault. One Earth clone helped her up while the other stood in front to guard. Sharp fragments of rock flew by her face as the Iwa-nin destroyed one of the clones up front with a stone-reinforced punch. 

The other clone launched itself blindly at the distracted man, latching on to his leg and hip, before losing its form and becoming a rock structure. Daisuke had dispelled that clone. His plan was to stop the enemy’s movement. Daisuke was aiming a punch at the Iwa-nin’s throat - at his windpipe.

The boy’s fist was blocked by the enemy’s remaining hand, producing a loud sound that echoed throughout the hall. Daisuke hissed in pain as the man’s hand grabbed hold of his closed fist and squeezed hard. “You’ve made my hand numb with that punch. It’ll be good to eliminate you before you grow up.” the Iwa-nin commented coldly, reaching for a kunai. “Wait!” Daisuke yelled in panic, thrashing around to get out of his grip to no avail.

Anko’s eyes narrowed and she knew what she had to do. She reached for a kunai with her good arm and threw it at the shoulder of the arm he was holding Daisuke’s fist with. Moments before Daisuke was stabbed, kunai sunk into the flesh of the shoulder with a satisfying noise. The kunai she’d managed to throw was covered in the paralytic solution. 

The Iwa-nin’s head snapped towards Anko as he angrily threw away Daisuke to the wall, eliciting a sharp exhale from him. “You’ve been a fucking nuisance this whole time!” he snarled, sprinting in a B-line toward her with the kunai he was going to use to stab Daisuke. 

Both clones had already crumbled when Daisuke was thrown at the wall, which left Anko little to do. He stabbed forward in a direct line, likely not expecting Anko to move. She pumped her legs full of chakra and jumped as far as she could in any direction. She needed to buy time.

He pursued her with no hesitation and before she knew it, there was a kunai being thrusted between her eyes. She closed her eyes, but nothing came. The kunai fell to the floor with a clang. “Back to save her again?!” he growled in annoyance.

Daisuke had knocked the kunai out of his hand with a kick. Something about him felt different. Anko saw his white-knuckled grip around the kunai. She gritted her teeth in frustration. Once again, she wouldn’t be able to do anything to help Daisuke and just stand back to watch. “You need to run, Anko.” he said in between deep breaths. She didn’t respond.

The older shinobi was not only much stronger and skilled than them, but he had also previously capitalized on their lack of experience on several occasions. By all accounts he should win this battle. At each separate close-quarter encounter, he managed to injure them significantly. Anko could see Daisuke’s hitching breaths as his back twitched in pain, and she was filled with dread.

In close quarters, Anko firmly believed Daisuke would just get caught again and suffer a potentially fatal injury, but as Daisuke managed to dodge three kunai strikes aimed to kill him in quick succession, she knew something had changed. He skillfully moved to dodge the kunai and instead of dying, he was simply being grazed and scratched. She was so distracted by the change that she hadn’t noticed Iwa-nin switch his focus towards her the moment Daisuke made distance. 

The kunai hovered in front of her neck but wouldn’t inch forward. The young man’s eyes widened as sweat beaded on his forehead. “I-I can’t–” he stuttered in panic, his bloodshot eyes suddenly catching Daisuke’s speeding figure jamming a kunai into the side of the paralyzed ninja’s neck.

The Iwa-nin slowly backed away, holding his neck as he gargled on his own blood. He slumped to the ground, hacking and choking on the destroyed flesh in his throat. “Those eyes…!” he spat out, still desperately trying to plug the bleeding in his neck.

She turned to look at Daisuke who was watching their former opponent die. “Thank y-” she said before stopping herself as she noticed Daisuke’s face. His expression was one that she’d never expect to see from him.

The color from Daisuke’s face had been drained, leaving him as pale as a ghost. His features contorted into a look of horror and guilt, and his eyes, wider than she’d ever seen them before, were now glowing bright red, with two tomoe spinning rapidly in each eye. He raised his hands up to his face, clasping his hands up close to his eyes. “What…?” he murmured.

—---------------------------------------

Daisuke POV

Footsteps reverberated through the long hall the two of us were running through, both tensed up and ready for an attack from anytime. Momoku and I were given an important task by Sensei: to reunite with the rest of the squad and defend the base as a group. 

Because of that, Tsume-sensei was forced to stay behind to buy us time to run, leaving her all alone to fight a group of chuunin. I was scared, not of combat or failure, but of the danger the situation posed to my team, squad and teacher. Not only was Sensei in danger, the rest of us were, too. 

One misstep meant death. I was already wrapped into retreating by Momoku’s forceful ‘convincing’, and I wouldn’t leave anybody else to die. I didn’t know what I would do if I lost somebody here. The whole point in my interference was to save the lives of my friends and family. If I couldn’t even do that, then…

I shook my head to rid myself of that train of thought. All we need to do is grab everyone and return to Sensei, and everyone will leave this place safely, that’s all that matters. In front of me, Momoku suddenly came to a stop with a harsh breath. 

“Uchiha-san, there’s no time. We have to split up.” he said shortly, his expression conflicted. “What do you…?” I started. He said that there’s no time, “What’s happening?” I asked. “Our squad members are being engaged by Iwa-nin. I’m watching with my Byakugan. Everyone barring Orochimaru-sensei is being engaged.” he informed me efficiently. “Where should I go?” I asked without hesitation.

He pointed down the other end of the hall. “You are the fastest of us two and the girls are currently at greater risk of death. Follow that path and take the second right and aid them.” He glanced at a diverging path. “I am heading that way to aid Kamiki-san and Umino, who are in a marginally better situation.” he ordered, and without pause ran off to our right.

He said the girls were at greater risk. Anko and Shimada, at greater risk. I shouted in frustration as I rushed at full speed with the directions Momoku gave me. The asshole couldn’t specify their condition?!

They had to be safe. Be save. Please be alive-

===========

… (nearing the end of the fight) 

My back hit the wall harshly, and my whole body screamed at me in pain. The air was pushed out of my lungs as my limbs spasmed in pain. I felt my heart beating in my head even louder than it had been throughout this whole fight. Our lives had been threatened enough to keep my body brimming with fear and adrenaline. I knew that I couldn’t stay here for long, Anko was still fighting.

I flared chakra through my body and drew it through all my limbs, feeling the rush of energy burn up my finger tips. The screaming pain in my back and chest was being overwritten with overwhelming heat. My eyes opened as I shakily stood up. Through my shaky and foggy vision (was it this foggy earlier?) I saw it. The Iwa-nin was about to stab Anko with a kunai.

Suddenly, the dizziness disappeared and the fog cleared, my vision sharpening rather than worsening. Before I knew it, my opponent’s kunai had clanged to the floor and I was glaring holes at the shinobi before me. The man had said something, but I couldn’t hear it over the ringing in my ears.

I said something to Anko, but I didn’t even know what I told her. My focus was on the enemy in front of me. It was hard to breath and my body still hurt, but for some reason everything was just so slow. So clear.

When the Iwa-nin charged at me angrily, kunai in hand, his movements were obvious to me. A jab to the throat, a jab to the stomach, a slash at my side. It was so obvious to me. My aching body couldn’t keep up. I felt three new cuts open, but it was nothing fatal. 

Each time he was about to move, some kind of intuition told me what he would do. I could see his muscles contracting and bulging in his uniform before each movement. His last swing left his body open and I aimed a kick at his thigh, causing his knee to buckle, if only slightly. I jumped away from the counter punch aimed at my face just in time.

In slow motion, I saw it. He smirked at me, before his eyes panned over to my unprepared squad member. I could tell. In the same way I could see Iwa-nin’s movements, I could tell that she wouldn’t move out of the way. She was going to die. She was going to be stabbed. She was going to be gone.

“No matter how selfish it sounds, I would rather change their fates and let the world change than let them die.”

My focus sharpened to a razor’s edge and my body moved before I could process what to do. Before I knew it, my hands were wrapped tightly around a kunai that was jammed inside of the shinobi’s neck. For a moment, everything was silent. I could only hear my quickening breaths and the sound of blood spraying out of his wound. 

My kunai dropped to the ground and my breathing sped up further. I looked down at my shaky hands, turned palm-side up. They were covered in blood, thick, warm blood. A human being’s blood. The human being that I’d just killed. I just killed someone, I took his life with my hands. Somehow, I felt like I would never forget the shade of red my palms had become.

I… What? did I…just…? Is he…dead? How…?

Choking and gurgling sounds brought me out of my thoughts as I looked at the man that was about to die at my hands. His expression as he stared at me showed no emotion other than fear and horror. I could see blood flowing unforgivingly out of the creases of his closed hands and chunks of flesh he kept coughing up. 

“Those eyes…!” he finally choked out as he slumped to the floor. My breath hitched as I processed his words. I raised my hands up to my eyes and grabbed my face. The Sharingan? That’s why I could see so well, why I could fend him off? But, doesn’t that mean…? 

An ache shot through my eyes as I looked back down at the writhing man in front of me. His struggling was slowing down, and his coughing was growing weaker.

“What…?” my voice echoed in the room, in the same way the nameless man’s dying moments echoed in my mind. 

Suddenly, a blur racing for me caught my attention. Another enemy was here to kill us. I needed to avoid the attack but I couldn’t move. I was pinned down with exhaustion and shock. I watched as a blade descended on me until a tall figure appeared in front of me, grabbing the blade with his bare, pale hands.

“Attacking a weary child, how dishonorable of you.” the familiar voice cooed as it turned sinister, “Surely you wouldn’t mind dying for such a thing?” they said as a horde of snakes shot out from their hands and bit down on the enemy’s neck. 

The man fell forward without a noise, instantly incapacitated by the snakes. The perpetrator was, no, had to be Orochimaru. He looked calmly between me and Anko, before Anko tackled his waist in a hug. “Orochimaru-sama, you're here! What took’ya so long?!” she screamed into his vest, voice breaking mid-sentence. He was holding the unconscious Shimada in his left arm.

His voice came out calm and composed, “Now, now, Anko-chan, it’s okay now. You’ll all be fine. It seems the three of you have had quite the eventful battle. You will have to tell me all about it later.” his yellow eyes snapped over to me as my red eyes widened in alarm. “Awakening the Sharingan at such a young age, how…” his voice held an unsettling serenity as he narrowed his eyes at me, “ Magnificent .”

Oh.

No. No no no. Magnificent. Orochimaru just called me magnificent... Couldn't this mission have gone smoother? Why did all of this happen? Go away. Leave me alone. Don't look at me.

I just want to go home.

Suddenly, all of the accumulated emotions in my mind hit a breaking point alongside my body’s exhaustion, and the world became black.

Chapter Text

3:39 p.m., June 15th, 1bNb

Tsume bit down on her lips as a kunai implanted itself into her left arm. The Jounin and her partner were in a pinch, and the two were tense, the possibility that they could was very real. She wasn’t a stranger to pressure, battle or injury, having already fought on the war’s frontlines before, but she was beginning to think that this might just be above her paygrade. 

There were 10 Chuunin after her and Kuromaru alone. Tsume was a talented Tokujo, specializing in ambushes and sneak attacking, but this was a direct confrontation. Don’t get her wrong, she could handle herself just fine in an ordinary fight. There were very few Inuzuka shinobi who couldn't handle themselves in close quarters.

Alas, this was not an ordinary fight, but a dangerous predicament she brought upon herself. She was buying time; a desperate gambit, really, but despite the precarious situation, she was determined to hold the enemies back. The order she gave to Daisuke and Momoku to retreat to gather the others was more of an excuse to get them out of the way of this fight. Tsume would rather eat shit and die than get her comrades killed on her behalf. The two were fresh Genin, and would sooner andater become hindrances. It was not to worry about their fighting chances.

That’s what had motivated the Matriarch to stand her ground and kill four of the pursuing Chuunin thus far. In the process, she and Kuromaru were spent. Their legs buckled from overuse, Tsume's breathing was ragged and sporadic, and she was bleeding from spots she hadn’t bled from before. The squad seemed to specialize in projectiles, and with the constant barrage of shuriken and high-speed stones coming their way, it forced the two out of their element.

Her trusty flashbangs had given her a much-needed advantage early on. The induced blindness added a shock element to the fight, allowing for swift killing and hit-and-run tactics. The squad, however, quickly got adapted to the strategy. After the first few flashes, her enemies had already gotten used to avoiding blindness by looking away or preficting when to close their eyes. One of the shinobi in particular, likely a sensor type, had opted to keep his eyes closed the entire duration of the fight.

One of the Chuunin got too close too quickly, confidently assuming she wouldn’t be able to counterattack anymore with all of her injuries and exhaustion. His throat bitten out by Kuromaru for his mistake, making their fifth kill. Deciding to remain cautious, they remaining Iwa-nin began to exclusively pelt the two with projectiles from a distance.

The constant weaving, leaping and deflection of sharp stones, kunai and shuriken was getting old. Tsume felt the bruises all over her arms, legs and torso pulsating in pain. Her legs felt like jelly from how much she had to maneuver and the blood loss made her dizzy and sluggish. The woman could only tough it out for so long.

Moments before another wave of shuriken were about to be thrown at them, a large snake surged towards the unprepared Iwa-ni , who were caught off guard by its sudden appearance and failed to properly avoid it. The speed of the assault blew Tsume’s hair into her face. Two of them were swallowed and another had an arm snapped off by the strength of its closing jaw. Tsume flared her chakra wildly and used the last of her strength, Kuromaru following her, to launch herself and her partner into a Fang Passing Fang attack and drill holes through the remaining, scrambling shinobi.

Tsume glanced behind her to see a neutral-faced Orochimaru. She smirked through her exhaustion. “Yer late-” she started before being interrupted by the Sannin’s clinical report. “We’re evacuating Utahime. The base has long been compromised.” She glared dangerously at him for his interruption, then quickly relented. “What about the pups?” she asked pointedly. 

He pointed at two medium-sized snake summons behind him, carrying both Shimada and Daisuke on their backs. The two were unconscious, but obviously not fatally injured. Tsume was relieved, but also furious with herself for her lack of earlier intervention. 

She had made the decision to not ensure the group of Kousei's impersonator, which led this. Her students were unconscious and injured, and it was her fault. Anko was wrapped with bandages around her torso, but was following along, conscious, unlike her peers. Tsume could tell she was pretending to be less injured than she was, the smell of adrenaline around her was very strong.

“What about the other three?” 

“A messenger snake I sent let me know that they won their battle without any major injuries. They will be led to us as we depart. No more dawdling, Tsume-kun. Waiting for more Iwa forces to arrive and attack us would not be ideal.” he responded, and then rapidly formed a few hand seals. He slammed his hands on the ground, causing a tunnel to dig itself out. “We will use this as an exit.” 

She looked back at her unconscious students and wounded Genin squad member and exhaled harshly. “What a shitty ass day. Yer right, let’s get outta here already.” she agreed, turning to follow the retreating Sannin. 

The fighting was finally over, but Tsume was definitely not looking forward to giving the mission report or filling in the paperwork. The one thing she knew is that her students would hate the extra training she would dump on them after the dust was settled.

Needless to say, Inuzuka Tsume did not want to see the sight of her Genin unconscious ever again. 

—--------------------------

I was in a void, an empty world surrounded me on all sides. Considering I was blanketed in nothingness, it was surprisingly nice. Strangely enough, it was… gentle, almost as if I was being comforted by the absence of anything. Is this a lucid dream or something? I always wondered what those were like. My friend Matt said he had them all the time.

Something was bothering me. This dream’s pretty cool, but I need to wake up and do some stuff, right? What was it again? I was supposed to do something important. It’s just… kind of hard to remember with all of this… fog. Huh, when did that get here? I guess I can just… wave it away, right? Let’s see…

I reached out to wave it away, but it seemed to grow denser. I can’t remember?

Maybe I was supposed to run to the store to get something for Mom. I could’ve sworn she was nagging at me about something like studying for my exams or sleeping properly. Right. Kaa-san was telling me that Gai came by and canceled our training again because of a mission. And Dad, he was supposed to call me... about my birthday, was it? But Tou-san hasn’t even been able to send a letter this whole time. And…

My birthday. It isn’t anytime soon, is it? Wait, that's not right. I don't...

The fog in my mind started to shift, swirling, as if it was being stirred by an unseen hand. New fragments of other memories began to make their way through – the telltale clang of metal, the rush of battle-fueled adrenaline, the weight of a kunai in my hand. These weren't memories from Earth; these were from here, from this life as a ninja. My life as Dean was already gone.

I remembered running through hallways, not to a store, but towards my squadmates. Memories of my life at school faded away in favor of grueling training with Gai and Sensei. The phone call from Dad morphed into the stern, focused report from Orochimaru and Tsume-sensei. In the place of my old memories, the harsh realities of the shinobi world grew more distinct. My path as a shinobi, the mission, the ambush – these were the pieces of my current reality, stark and unforgiving.

As the fog continued to clear, the full weight of my recent experiences came crashing down on me. That life-or-death battle. The near death of my friends. I was Daisuke Uchiha. And with that realization, the previously comforting void began to dissolve, pulling me back into the harsh light of reality.

The last shreds of my denial quickly faded away, leaving behind an image that has been burned into my mind with my newly-awakened Sharingan: His eyes, willed with terror and hate seemed to bore into my soul. Blood bubbled from the throat I had impaled with a disgusting shade of red. His mouth opened and closed, begging for air that it would never get. There was no void anymore. I was somewhere else, somewhere real. My eyes snapped open, visions of the battle I had just survived flooding my mind in painful and unrelenting clarity.

-

9:57 p.m., June 15th, 1bNb

I shot up with a scream, hyperventilating and looking around myself frantically.. I was surrounded by trees on all sides and… the mission’s assigned squad. The familiar faces of my teammates, Sensei and Orochimaru, all looked at me in mild shock as sweat dripped down my pale face. 

“Ah-! sorry…” I murmured, looking down at my hands, which were still shaking from the dream I’d just woken up from. Iruka stepped forward, handing me a ration bar and a canteen with water in it. “You okay? You look pretty spooked.” he asked me with concern, looking at my face for answers.

I forced a nervous smile. “I just had a pretty horrible nightmare is all, I’m fine!” I said, taking a bite out of the bar. Somehow, it was more tasteless than usual. He stared at me for a few seconds longer, “If you say so.” he dismissed. I took a sip of water to hide my face. Anko looked like she wanted to say something, but then shook her head and turned away.

After that, they filled me in on what happened. After my… confrontation with the enemy had concluded and I passed out, Orochimaru gathered everyone for a full retreat. Since then, we had been traveling at break-neck speeds to get back to the village, and six hours had passed since then. I woke up just as they stopped to recharge for a few minutes.

We were on track to get back to the village sometime in the very early morning, not stopping to even sleep. At the speed we were going, and with the injuries some of us had incurred, Kuromaru and Orochimaru’s snakes had to take some of us at times.

Not me, though. Would’ve been nice. 

The journey back left me alone with my thoughts. Uncertainty pressed down upon me, weighing me down while I kept on forward. I was naive. So very naive. My ambitions and goals were built upon an ideal that I had planned over the last nine years. I wanted to bring about world peace, I wanted to become a strong and influential shinobi to bring about change and so I could save my family and my friends. Clearly, I never thought of the most fundamental aspect of being a shinobi.

The necessity to kill. It never came to mind. I had never even begun to think about the concept that I would have to kill someone one day. That I would have to steal someone’s life away. Somewhere deep in my mind, I was in denial. With all my resolve and determination to stop these upcoming tragedies and the deaths of my loved ones, I had completely forgotten to consider the tragedy and death I would be forced to create following this path.

The image of that Iwa-nin’s dying moments were still etched in my mind, and when I closed my eyes, I swear I could see him. I just… don’t understand. He was going to kill us. I knew that fact very well. Anko, Shimada and I would end up dead if we didn’t fight back and kill him. That’s why my body moved on its own at that moment. I instinctively knew the consequences of my inaction. The cost of letting him live.

Then, why? Why do I still see that face? That man’s face, it’s always staring at me from the back of my mind, as if it’s a vengeful spirit hellbent on cursing me. Does this guilt stem from the fact that he’s a human, just like me? Maybe he had his own mom and dad back home, waiting for him to come back safely. They must be awaiting his grand return from his supposedly important mission, ready to celebrate with his favorite foods and drinks. Maybe he had a partner, or a sibling, or a teacher.

And I took that life away. He could have been incredibly talented at drawing. He could have been a friend to some. Maybe, he was rich, but then again he could’ve just as easily lived in the lowest slum in Iwagakure struggling to make ends meet, but I still tore that away from him, forever.

I wonder what my family back on Earth would think of me, their son, a killer in another lifetime. I wonder, would they even recognize me? The thought twisted around in my gut, making it harder and harder to keep up a front on the way back, but good shinobi don’t make a fuss, so I kept quiet. The blood staining my hands solidified that fact: that I am a ninja. 

My squad knew something was up, I could see Sensei and Iruka sharing glances with each other, and after I waved off their concerns a few times, they finally let up. I didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. I just wanted to go home, sleep and forget about today. Forget about everything.

Forget that moment.

-

We reached the village at a quarter past three. The Chuunin at the gates weren’t expecting anyone at the time so we needed to prove our identities with our mission scroll, but that was quickly dealt with. The sight of the village admittedly comforted me to an extent, even while I could barely see anything in the night’s darkness. The knowledge that I was home was enough.

“T’s been a long ass day, so go home ‘n get some shut-eye. Y’all can fill out the mission reports tomorrow. Ye’ve got tomorrow off’ah training, but drag yourselves to the Hokage tower ta give yer report to the Hokage.” Tsume-sensei announced with more energy than she had, judging by the bags under her eyes. 

Sensei looked at me, Shimada and Iruka. “Don’t forget ‘bout trainin’ after tomorrow. Or I’ll beat’cher asses.” she warned before disappearing in a shunshin. 

“Hai.” we said before turning to go our separate ways. Iruka frowned remorsefully at me before sighing, “I hope you’ll feel better after some rest, Daisuke-san. See you later.” he said, turning away without waiting to hear back from me. Before I left, I caught Anko blankly staring at me.

The streets of Konoha this late at night (or early in the morning?) were blissfully quiet. If it had been me from back on Earth, perhaps I would have been on edge with the ominousness of Konoha’s nights, but now I wasn’t frightened in the least. I quietly made my way home, listening to the occasional sounds of light tapping and wind splitting from other shinobi jumping on the roofs of the buildings surrounding me.

My home’s door unlocked with a click. An extra pair of sandals were at the door. I walked through without a sound, carefully making my way to my room, before I dropped down on my bed. I passed out an instant later.

—----------

I couldn’t remember the last time the family had gone on a trip to the lake. Everyone was here. Mom, my Uncle, my Auntie, Granny, my cousins, everyone. It was something like a tradition. We gathered everyone in a car and drove off with a grill and some blankets to Cranberry Lake and had a blast. It’s been a few years, though; there was an argument in the family that put a stick in plans for almost two years.

I was sitting on a blanket with Mom and Granny. “Hey Granny, do you remember when me and Adam were preparing that water balloon ambush? ” I asked with a wide grin. She chuckled, “ Oh, sure! The one where I absolutely humiliated the two of you! ” she recalled, before continuing. “ You were so excited about pelting little old me with all those balloons, I heard you screaming about it from across the house.” she said fondly.

“You two were gonna pelt Grandma? Why wasn’t I told about this?” Mom asked with faux offense. “ If it were me-! ” Mom continued before she was interrupted by granny, “ You would’ve done a lot worse than just drenching them.” granny supplied, shaking her head good naturedly. 

“The two of us were hiding like gremlins in that bush outside the back door, ready to ‘prank’ Granny. Unfortunately for us, the kitchen window was right above us. ” I snickered before gesturing a bucket being poured with an over exaggerated grumpy-old-woman expression. “ That is not how I looked!” Granny shouted in outrage.

“The two of you were such a handful when you were little, ” Mom commented with a nostalgic smile. “ Yeah. Sorry not sorry.” I said mischievously. I looked around at my family. Uncle Andre was grilling some meat we’d brought, holding the youngest of my cousins on his shoulders. I could see my Aunt Emma sun tanning and little Tom and Ella swimming in the lake.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to ask, but why isn’t Adam here? Is he busy with something?” I asked casually, facing Mom. 

She frowned at me, and it wasn’t an over exaggerated or humorous frown. “Oh, De-D-Daisuke… don’t you remember?” She asked, suddenly switching to Japanese. Mom doesn’t know Japanese. A chill ran down my spine.

“Adam is gone, remember? He died in that huge mission, right? To infiltrate that Konoha base.” her frown turned into a small smile, but her eyes were glossed over and dark.

“How could you forget about that, Daisuke-chan? After all…” her head began contorting and spasming as blood gushed out from her mouth and nose. 

“... You’re the one who killed him.” 

As the words parted from her mouth, a gaping hole appeared in her throat, blood bubbling out from the stab wound in the same way it did back then. “He suffered juuust like this, didn’t he?” she asked in a sickeningly sweet tone, as blood dripped down her lips. “Don’t you feel bad? Shouldn't you feel a little guilty?” Her expression suddenly transformed into a hateful glare, as she stared into my very soul.

"You murderer."

A sharp scream cut through the silent room as I jolted awake. My heart was beating frantically as I took breath after breath to calm down. It was a dream, just a dream, or rather, a nightmare. How long am I going to have to deal with this? It’d barely been a day, I knew that, but,

Did I really make the right choice, becoming a shinobi? What have I even been doing all this time? All of that thinking, all of that planning. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe becoming a ninja was a mistake. Why did I even choose this path? 

The moment I thought that, the door busted open, Kaa-san and Izumi rushing through the doorway to get to me.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Are you okay, Daisuke-chan?! What’s going on? When did you get home? Did something happe-!?” Kaa-san rambled on in a panic before her darting eyes spotted my eyes. I had activated the Sharingan as I woke up in distress. Her expression softened as she leaned in to hug me. “Oh, sweetheart…” he sighed.

That's right. The reason I chose this path. The reason I arrogantly resolved to be a shinobi despite knowing nothing of what it meant. The reason I could be so optimistic about this career path. They were the reason I decided to do this. I looked down at my little sister, who was struggling not to cry.

"Nii-chan, why are your eyes all red and swirly? ‘Re you crying too much? Please don’t cry, I'm here, too," she pleaded, voice breaking. 

Right then, upon hearing the worried voices of my family, the dam broke, and I cried in Kaa-san’s arms with my sister, like a real nine year old would. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably as my body shook with each sob.

“I-” I cried out, taking a sharp breath in between, “-with m-my hands! That man-!” I tried to say before Kaa-san's soothing voice shushed me. “It's okay,” she whispered softly, “Daisuke-chan, we’re here now. You can let it all out.” she said, her voice imbued with a reassuring warmth. 

Beside us, Izumi was looking with shaky, concerned eyes. “That’s right!” She shouted, latching on my arm. “It's okay to c-cry!” she sniffled at the last word.

The emotions I had been desperately keeping at bay had been festering me on the journey back. The guilt, the fear, the regret, I was keeping them down. The more I thought about the man who I’d murdered, the blood on my hands, the more I had to keep my feelings down, bottled up and simmering below the surface.

It was the sight of my family that had released that build-up. Seeing two of my most treasured people, I lost control of my emotions in the vulnerability and comfort their presence had brought. 

I cried, and I sobbed, and I shrieked, and I wailed. It wasn’t a pretty sound, and it certainly wasn’t a sound I ever thought I’d make. In the comforting arms of my mother, and by my sister’s side, my tears just wouldn’t stop. My arms were wrapped around her as tightly as they could. It probably hurt. It was a terrible thing to let her endure, but she didn’t shake me off or try to calm me down. She patiently rubbed circles into my back shaking back. I wondered if someone did this for her sometime in the past.

Gradually, the torrent of my sobs began to die down, growing softer and more spaced out. The hiccups between sniffles slowed down and my tears flowed less and less until they stopped. I carefully lifted my head from Kaa-san's shoulders. Oh wow, that's disgusting. There was a massive stain of tears and mucus covering her shirt.

“I-I'm sorry. I made your shirt gross.” I said weakly, sniffling through the sentence. She looked down and made an ‘o’ with her mouth before waving it off. “Tis’ but a mother's duty, Daisuke-chan!” She beamed with an exaggerated noble voice. She peaked at our reactions with one eye.

It made a ridiculous picture; Kaa-san, still in pajamas and bed head, proudly pointing at her ruined shirt, smirking with bravado. I couldn't help but chuckle, “You don't look as cool as you think you do,” I commented amusedly, voice still shaky and hoarse. “No way, I was super cool just now!” she glanced down at my sister, “Don’t you think so, Izumi-chan?” she asked playfully.

Izumi's head tilted on her shoulder, and she hummed for a moment. “Nii-chan's right, Kaa-chan's super lame.” she said seriously, before breaking out into a contagious giggling fit. Kaa-san and I couldn't help but join in. The three of us giggled like little children (two of us were, in fact, little children), breaking the somber atmosphere from just moments ago. It was warm and cathartic, and for just a moment, I forgot why I was just crying.

“Honestly,” a familiar voice drawled, “I leave for a moment and I miss something like this?” asked the man standing in the door frame. Almost 3 years had passed, but I could recognize that voice anywhere. 

“Tou-chan…?” I asked in amazement.

“The one and only. Good to see you again, kiddo.” he with a fond smile.

Maybe it would all be okay.

—------------------

Tou-san had finally come back from the frontlines. It was a long time coming, really, and the relief I felt when I saw him in that doorway was immeasurable.

Apparently, Tou-san arrived home on the same day I left for my C-rank. We missed each other by about 7 hours. I'm just glad we didn't run into each other at the gates. It would've been great to see him again, but that kind of timing would've kept me distracted during the mission.

I was worried that maybe Izumi had forgotten about Tou-san, but my worries were unfounded. Kaa-san described to me how ecstatic Izumi had been, seeing her father at the door, despite how long it had been. 

He told me about his deployment since then and how hectic it had been. The frontlines against Iwagakure were brutal, leaving many shell-shocked, wounded or dead. I could see scratches and scars on his face that weren't there before. Who knew what other injuries he'd sustained and scars he’d gained since then.

Tsunade's re-entry into the hospitals came with sweeping medical reforms, both domestically and on the battlefield. The hospital was expanded, new techniques and treatments were being developed and with the introduction of Frontline medics alongside field hospitals, shinobi weren't being sent home unless they were permanently maimed, and even then they were given a choice to continue.

That was the reason Tou-san hadn't been sent back to us in so long. With the war heating up and lines stretching themselves dangerously thin, they simply didn't have the manpower to send most people home. That being said, apparently there were outposts, similar to Utahime, meant to give shinobi time to recover if the stress of war was getting to them.

If Tou-san was allowed back, it meant that his presence wasn't as needed, that ninja on all sides were being withdrawn, and that finally, the war was coming to an end. I would guess that all that's left now is to hear news of the Yellow Flash's triumph against a thousand Iwa-nin in battle, and it will finally be over. Should be a few more months.

After that,

I dropped my head and sighed into my hands.

After that, I'm in for a crazy ride.

The next few months are going to decide the course of the future. The inciting incident for many important events after the third war is the Kannabi bridge incident. Depending on how that horrible mission pans out, history will be pointed into different directions and my foreknowledge could become useless.

It's a frightening thought. My safety net in this world, potential plans for the future, I won't have access to them forever.

But whatever comes next exists from my decision to change the course of history, and my resolve to see through its consequences. There's nothing to plan for, but in the same time, there's way too much to plan for. Obito has grown from the foolish dead-last weakling Kakashi knows him for. Obito won't be a fallen hero of the war. Instead, he will be a part of the legendary team to end the war. 

I can't be sure what Madara and Zetsu will do if they can't take Obito. I can't be sure if anything will take the place of Kurama's rampage. I can't be sure of the Uchiha's survival. 

And I can't be sure if I have what it takes to kill again, let alone be a shinobi. 

The only thing I can do now is move forward and act. I can't protect them if I do nothing, and I don't want to ever see a repeat of that man's dying expression on any of them. None of them will suffer that face.

—------------------------

The morning light was already seeping through the blinds by the time we left my room. The nightmare had left me without the chance to oversleep and indulge in the comfort of my bed, and my outburst meant that I was wide awake. There was no chance I’d fall asleep right now. Kaa-san was just about to make breakfast for us all, and sent Tou-san to the store for a loaf of bread and eggs just before I jolted awake.

It was just perfect timing to wake up right as he left.

Jokes aside, I only managed to catch a few measly hours of sleep. Couple that with all that crying, and yeah, some breakfast sounded just great right about now. Maybe I could get some energy back in the system. The sound of Kaa-san’s cooking is actually something I missed; with my recent training, I was mostly eating her premade meals or reheated leftovers. 

The aroma of egg and butter filled the room along with the warmth from the cooking and the sun peering at us through the window made me feel like I was really at home. That this wasn’t just another dream-turned-nightmare. Everything was too vivid for that – my emotions and my family’s words.

I sat next to Izumi, listening to her fondly as she explained to me the latest antics of her tiger plushie (Nyanō-sama) and her tanuki plushie (Tanu-chan). The story was actually pretty funny coming from someone as young as her. Nyanō-sama was the king of the animal kingdom and was trying to catch Tanu-chan, who had stolen the source of his courage: his magical whiskers. The problem was that Nyanō-sama no longer had the courage to do anything, let alone take back his stolen whiskers.

“N’ then, cus Tanu-chan felt bad for Nyanō-sama, she gave back his whiskers, and in return, they got married!” she finished at last, “Amazing, right?” she grinned, looking at me for approval. I scratched my chin thoughtfully, “So, did Nyanō-sama really like Tanu-chan?” 

“Tanu-chan secretly liked Nyanō-sama the whole time,” she added, “n’ when she told him, she was suuuper into it, so he fell for her, too.” she explained patiently, bobbing her head up and down. “I see. What a beautiful love story,” I said with as straight a face as I could make as I nodded seriously. She beamed at me. “Now you have to tell me another story!”

What else could I tell her about? Let’s see… Oh! “It all started on a certain Peter Parker’s trip to a genetics lab…”

–

“...Peter didn’t know if he could really stop the train, but Uncle Ben’s words gave him courage. Through sheer strength and determination, he sacrificed his own body and got himself hurt by sticking himself to the nearby buildings to stop the speeding train to save everyone inside. After that, he passed out, and even though everybody saw his real face now, they were so moved by his heroism that they promised to keep it a secret. And after that-” I got interrupted from the story, “ What’s a train, Nii-chan?” she asked, curiously tilting her head. “ Oh. It’s like a huge-” 

“Daisuke-chan, Izumi-chan, Kichiro, breakfast’s ready!!” she announced with a much louder voice than she needed. “I’ll tell you later,” I promised as we got up from the floor and waltzed over to the dining table. 

The dining table definitely looked complete with all four seats filled out, now that Tou-san was home. “Let’s eat~,” we said as usual before digging in. Kaa-san made us the classic omurice today.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” asked Tou-san in between bites. I nearly choked on my rice as I peered at Izumi. “...Maybe, but not with Izumi.” I said as I frowned down at my food. 

Izumi made an offended face. “But why! Am not a baby anymore!” she whined, “I wanna help Nii-chan too!” I sighed into my hands. “Thank you, but I don’t want you to be scared. And besides, I don’t want you to hear about this kind of stuff. Honestly I don't even want you to…” I took a breath, “Be a shinobi at all.”

My hands have already been stained red. I was a killer now, and after ending a life with my hands, I was sure of one thing. Izumi, she wouldn't go through the same thing. She was going to be a regular civilian. I didn't want her to have to kill. I didn’t want her to cry or be sad. I didn’t want her to be in danger. That was the whole point of my decision to become a shinobi in the first place, to keep my family and friends, and especially Izumi, safe.

And regardless of my own feelings, Izumi was too kind to be a shinobi. In canon, all she wanted to do was help others and was always deeply concerned about Itachi’s well-being. A girl who cares for others, that’s the kind of person she is. She shouldn’t, no, can’t be a shinobi.

“I already decided I wanna be a ninja, though!” she declared proudly. 

“Huh?” Tou-san, Kaa-san and I blurted out in unison. Kaa-san stood up, alarmed, “And when did you decide that, sweetie?” she asked, exacerbated. “Today,” she admitted, “Nii-chan was crying today, and I wanna be strong enough and save him and Kaa-chan and Otou-chan.” she explained, an uncharacteristic resolve glinting in her eyes.

I was speechless. The result of her kind nature and willingness to help others, of course. That was why she entered the academy in the first place. Izumi is almost five now. She’s almost at the standard academy age. But she can’t go. At this rate, she’ll… 

Itachi’s face flashed into my mind.

“No, Izu-”

“You sure, sweetheart?” Tou-san asked seriously, ignoring my outburst. Izumi nodded wordlessly. “Then you’d better be ready for some serious catch up. You only have about a year to prepare. Don’t complain if the training’s too hard.” he warned, pointing with his index finger.

“What?! Tou-chan, you can’t be serious! What if-”

“-Something happened to her? Your Kaa-chan and I both know exactly what you mean. How do you think we felt when you dedicated yourself to becoming a shinobi?” he shook his head, frowning deeply.

“Do you think we said to each other ‘Oh, he’ll be fiiiine!’ and went on with our lives? Did you think we weren’t worried?! After one C-rank, look what happened! I’m even more worried now !” he snapped at me.

“Kichiro!” Kaa-san shouted in warning.

“Then why did you let me become a shinobi?”

“... Because no matter what we thought, we could see how much you needed to do it. You looked desperate, Daisuke. Desperate to get started. What kind of 4 year old boy looks at his parents with begging eyes, confirming that he wants to risk his life and become a killer? If we ignore your sister, why should we have let you enroll?” He explained, “And besides, I will never deny my children what they genuinely want. I can tell she’s as serious as you were back then.”

Silence loomed in the air, the atmosphere suddenly becoming tense. If Izumi wanted to become a shinobi, what could I do? With how Konoha works and our growing shortage in numbers, Izumi would probably be allowed in even without permission. She would probably go behind my back and do something dangerous.

I don’t like it. It’s a horrible thing to let her do. She’ll surely regret it. We’ll surely regret it. One day, Tou-san’s gonna wonder if he made the right call. Realistically, I can’t stop her, not without Kaa-san and Tou-san preventing her, too. If she was really gonna do it, if she was really entering the academy, then…

“You aren’t allowed to die, ever.” I relented, but with a firm demand. 

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of breakfast was pretty quiet. We kinda killed the mood with everything we said, and not even a terrible joke by Kaa-san was enough to bring back a non-awkward conversation. The omurice was great, though.

After eating, I had a shower and got dressed. I wanted to see Gai, and chances are he’s at our usual spot, training with Obito. I brought along some water and tied my forehead protector to my head. I told my parents that I was going out to see Gai and I made my way to the training grounds.

I also had to go make a report to the Hokage. This failure of mission would obviously become a big deal, which I wasn’t looking forward to. Hopefully the actual adults took care of the brunt of the details. 

The morning chill was long gone already. It was June in the Land of Fire, after all. I used a slower pace than usual to enjoy the fresh air. Now that I thought of it, no air back on Earth felt as good as air here. Probably had something to do with the lack of pollution.

Arriving at the familiar training grounds, I saw Gai in the distance, doing some handstand pushups. Notably, he was alone. Obito was probably busy on a mission, then. Gai spotted me almost instantly.

“Daisuke-kun, it is good to see you back so early! Let us refine our Youth once again on this fine morning!” He greeted me with his usual enthusiasm. “Sorry, Gai but I probably should rest today. The mission was… pretty brutal, I guess.” I said sheepishly. “Fine then! We shall train with triple the intensity tomorrow in return! Would you be interested in a spar instead?” he suggested instead.

He wanted to spar. Frankly I was a little worried and scared. After yesterday, I’m wondering whether I’m fit to have a fight so early, even if it’s a friendly spar. Would I be able to do it? It was frustrating that I felt this much hesitation to have a spar even with my best friend. 

No, you know what, I have to overcome this. I have to get over that battle. My first kill. The only way to overcome anything is to continue to function as normal. To keep moving on. 

“Just a light spar, okay?” 

“Yosh! Prepare yourself, Daisuke-kun!” 

Just take a deep breath. It isn’t a real fight. I bent down into my usual stance, watching Gai do the same. I kept taking that same deep breath. Maybe I was breathing too deeply. And too fast. I have to overcome this. It’s just a spar, anyway. Nothing bad can even happen.

Staring at Gai’s Strong Fist fighting stance, I grew a little uneasy. It was obvious from his glinting grin and casual body language that this was a spar. A classic Gai-style casual spar. That nothing dangerous was going on, yet it ignited a spark of panic in my chest.

The match began at a casual pace. He was definitely taking it easy because of my request. It felt like we had exchanged these moves hundreds of times over the years, but as we progressed our speed and blows, each practiced movement felt more like a stumble as I lost composure. 

Gai’s punches were as controlled as ever. The punches he pulled showed his skill and restraint in fighting, yet to my eyes, each blow he threw was somehow growing faster. Each blow began to look more dangerous, more deadly. A pressure was building up behind my eyes

The spar started to appear less and less like a spar to me. His fists grew in size and his kicks increased in sharpness. Gai threw a punch from an overhead angle and suddenly the training grounds disappeared and were replaced by that hallway. His figure suddenly grew taller and his friendly smile shifted to look more like a vicious smirk.

Colors grew more vivid as the world around me snapped back into focus with so much clarity it hurt my head. The halls of Utahime once again became the same training grounds I had spent countless hours in. My eyes burned with a familiar pain as images from yesterday flooded my mind.

I collapsed to one knee as I gagged and nearly threw up on the ground. The Sharingan. I had activated the Sharingan out of panic in a spar with Gai. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t even have a spar with my best friend? What kind of asshole am I? He’s not dangerous, no one here is.

In the midst of my thoughts, Gai’s voice reached me, “Daisuke-kun… just what happened yesterday?” he asked, his voice lacking the usual energy it does.

“Gai… I killed someone.”

—

I told Gai about what had happened yesterday, everything from the mission’s start to the end. Throughout it all, my Sharingan was still on. It was hard to turn off. I knew I was meant to stop chakra from flowing there…

Maybe it would be better to try to turn it on often. Maybe I could get used to seeing that Iwa-nin’s death unfold, or the blood that my hands seemed to be coated in.

“Hey, Gai?” I asked in a small voice. “Did you kill somebody yet?” He nodded with a frown. “Unfortunately, I did. Back then, Genma-kun took his guard down around an ordinary bandit and that bandit’s blade came centimeters away from slicing Genma-kun’s neck. I panicked and kicked him as hard as I could, and the blow turned his head all the way around.” he explained pensively, looking down at the ground.

“I wondered for quite some time if I did the right thing, but in the end, I figured that it did not matter.” he started, “That person’s death was an accident. It was tragic and needless, but if I stopped being myself and let myself forget about my goals and lose sight of my path, then his death would not only be a tragic accident, but it would also be in vain. The least we can do to honor the people we kill is to stay ourselves and live on with purpose and integrity.” his gaze found my face.

“Daisuke, it does not matter whether that man was amazing or terrible or good or evil. As people who have killed others, we have a responsibility to those whose lives we have taken, and that is to keep living on and remember them for as long as we keep living.” he declared passionately, raising his clenched fist.

“Honor the dead, huh?” I whispered to myself. I should remember him and I should remember his dying moments to honor him. I could still see everything that happened yesterday, as if I was looking at a video. The Sharingan would never let me forget it, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it was my responsibility.

“Thank you, Gai.” I said gratefully, looking at his smiling face. The world details grew out of focus and the minor burning left my eyes as I deactivated my Sharingan. His smile turned into his classic grin as he gave me a thumbs up. “No problem!”

“Do you want to try another light spar, Daisuke-kun?” he asked hopefully. I was way too tired for that right now. Holding the Sharingan was still something I wasn’t used to, and my lack of sleep was starting to catch up with me at the same time. “I think I’m gonna go and take a nap, so I’ll pass.”

“Alright! Do not forget it is still the Springtime of our Youth! Be sure to make good use of your Youth tomorrow to make up for today!” He advised before going down to pushup position, “If I cannot hold this plank for an entire hour, then I shall sprint at top speed for two hours!”

I chuckled at the familiar display of his coveted ‘Self-rule’. “Come to think of it, Obito-san isn’t here today. I assume he’s out on a mission,” I assumed off-handedly. Gai got up from his planking position. Wasn’t he supposed to hold that for an hour?

His eyes were more serious than before. “Obito-kun has left on a mission to the Kannabi bridge.”

“Oh.”

Chapter Text

10:46 p.m., June 15th, 1bNb

(Namikaze Minato 3rd person POV)

Namikaze Minato is very conflicted right about now. Why, you may ask? Well, he’s got a lot going on at the moment.

First off, he was proud of his student who has just become a Jounin. Kakashi was only 12, almost thirteen, and he has already been promoted to the same rank as Minato. Even if Konoha was admittedly a little desperate for capable team leaders, obtaining the rank wasn’t by any means an easy feat. No matter how desperate the village was, they would never promote someone who wasn’t at least minimally capable of the duties the role demanded, and if there was one thing Minato had learned in the last 7 years with Kakashi as an apprentice, it was that the kid was frighteningly talented and most definitely capable. He still had a long way until he would stand on equal footing with Minato, but becoming a Jounin so early was unheard of, and Minato couldn’t be more pleased with his student’s growth.

Secondly, though, he was worried. The war has been raging for years already, and every hidden village was significantly weakened and exhausted. Nevertheless, they were all unwilling to surrender. After losing so many good men on the field and spending so much in terms of resources, it couldn’t be helped if the leaders of these nations were stubborn when admitting defeat. Minato was strong, though. He was Konoha’s Yellow Flash. He was confident in his ability to defend the village he loved so dearly, even if the war went on for another five or ten years.

It was a horrifying thought and it sent shivers down his spine.

What worried him most, though, was his upcoming mission, or more specifically, his squad’s upcoming mission. His own mission was simple, he had to run off to the Iwagakure front lines and wreck as much havoc as possible to create a diversion. It was a mission that suited Minato well. With his reputation, along with his famed Hiraishin, the Iwa shinobi would have their hands full trying to keep him and his allies at bay.

His students had a more important mission in the grand scheme of the war. Deep in the Land of Grass, the nation Iwa had been invading to open up a front against Konoha, lies an important bridge. The Kannabi bridge was used as the main supply route for Iwa’s campaign against Konoha. Their mission was to sneak through the Land of Grass, avoiding Iwagakure and Kusagakure forces, and destroy the Kannabi bridge, crippling Iwa’s ability to supply their forces. It was a move that could spell the end of Iwa’s war effort, a move that could force Iwa’s surrender, and subsequently end the war.

And that important mission was entrusted to Minato’s students: Jounin Hatake Kakashi, as well as Chuunins Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin. The mission would be dangerous for any shinobi: if they were caught, they would be forced to fight behind lines, where reinforcement or aid would be sparse or outright unavailable. A situation like that was a death sentence to most.

Minato didn’t doubt his students in the slightest, either. Kakashi is the most talented shinobi of his generation and is an incredibly versatile frontliner and fighter. His mastery of kenjutsu and Lighting Release could not be understated, especially considering his age, and he had a summoning contract with ninken who were great trackers, fighters and loved Kakashi as if he was pack.

Rin may be soft-hearted, but she is very loyal to Konoha without a fault, highly passionate during training, and is an up-and-coming medic, who’s talent in Iryo-ninjutsu makes her an important asset to Konoha and its future. He has seen glimpses of quick thinking and a strong determination, both in her work ethic and in her performance in missions and training.

Obito was… well, he is an interesting case. He is regarded as the black sheep of the Uchiha clan, a failure who represents everything an Uchiha shouldn’t be: clumsy, emotional, compassionate, and most importantly to his clan, untalented and weak.

Minato, however, saw a different side of the outcast. Most of what their clan said was true, at least to a certain degree, but these traits are not necessarily negative. What Minato sees is a loyal shinobi, who throws everything he has in order to grow stronger for the sake of those he loves. A person who, despite his treatment, unconditionally loves those around him and wishes to prove himself to those who don’t acknowledge him. He may seemingly lack talent, but Minato knows that one day, Obito will find a place in the world.

And his faith in Obito’s character was only getting stronger. In recent months, he has been improving at a rapid pace. Minato had no doubt that his student’s motivation to train harder was the main contributor to his rapid improvement, but ever since Kakashi’s rival, Maito Gai and his friend started dragging him around to train with them, he was becoming stronger at record pace, blowing away Minato’s expectation of the boy.

His once clumsy movements were becoming sharper and sharper, and his taijutsu style, strength and speed became more and more refined as weeks passed, evolving to fit his personality and adapting to whatever training he was going through. During stealth practice, he could detect others easier and hide his presence more efficiently, to the point he was able to outmaneuver Kakashi in various training activities.

The troublemaker who used to shed tears during practice was starting to make Kakashi sweat in spars, and that fact was being acknowledged by the prodigy himself. He was forced to accept it after Obito began to land solid blows on him during their spars. To the eyes of the Uchiha clan, the boy may have been a failure, but Minato knew that at this rate, Kakashi wouldn’t be his only student making Jounin in their teens, and he couldn’t wait for the day Kakashi would fall to him in a fight.

Not that Minato had anything against the prodigy, but he needed to be knocked down a peg or two before his arrogance got him into trouble.

No matter how impressed he was, no matter how much praise and respect he held for his students and their accomplishments, he knew just how dangerous a mission like that could turn. They all had great potential, yes, but they were all still children. They were years away from their prime. Even if Konoha saw them as adults, Minato still remembered when they were half their size. He remembered Rin’s childish eyes brimming with excitement on their first day, he remembered when kicking up dust was enough to make Obito tear up, and he remembered Kakashi’s dull stare after witnessing the death of his father.

Minato was their sensei, but after so many years, his students felt more like his family to him. It pained him to send them to this mission, and the danger they were about to face worried him to no end.

And so, even if he believed in them, and trusted in their strengths, he couldn't shake off the bad feeling he was getting from the mission. Perhaps he was more suited to the mission they had been assigned, but Sandaime-sama had explained that a smaller, less conspicuous force would have an easier time getting behind lines and completing the mission, insisting his students could handle it just fine.

The mission was going to be tomorrow, so there was no going back anymore. The best he could do was put up a strong front, to present himself to them as the confident and strong sensei they had always known him as. To reassure them of their success, and to believe in their ability to return safely.

He sighed deeply, face resting in his hand. His mind was loud and racing, and yet in contrast, the night was quiet and uneventful. No rain, no wind, no one was even making noise outside of his apartment. It was silent, except for the regular nearly soundless tapping coming from the roof-jumping shinobi, who likely had missions of their own.

She was by his side, a woman whose head was covered in bright red, her cerulean eyes were centered on him, filled with concern. “Minato, this isn’t like you at all. Kakashi-kun may be a bit of an asshat, but he can handle this, ya know.” she said in an attempt to console him. “I know. They’re all great students, but I can’t just not worry about them,” he said with a small smile, glad she was concerned.

She shook her head, exasperated, “You’re too sweet for your own good,” she sighed, then placed her hand on his cheek and smiled brightly, “but I guess that's part of your charm.” she teased. His face grew red, “Kushina…” he groaned as she laughed good naturedly. “You’re too easy to tease, ya know!” she chirped before her grin grew smaller, her expression becoming more serious. 

“Look, if you’re so worried, I’ve got an idea,” she said, prompting Minato to raise his eyebrows. “Really?” he asked. She nodded confidently, “Really. Look, if your mission is to distract Iwagakure at the frontlines, there’s another implication.” she explained, with a glint in her eyes.

“It implies that there is a frontline in Grass, so, if for whatever reason there was no frontline, then your mission would be completed, right?” she suggested seriously. Minato widened his eyes. “So you’re saying… I could find a way to end that battle completely? And in the matter of days?” he asked with wonder, “Can I even do that?”

“You’re the Yellow Flash, Minato. If I didn’t believe you could think of a way, then I wouldn’t have suggested this to you.” She smiled with pride, “You’re the one who saved me so many times, and the one who suppressed the raging Kyuubi all by yourself. When you finish your job, then you can rejoin those three and make sure they’re safe, ya know?” she added with certainty.

Assuming Minato could defeat Iwa’s army in the matter of days or even hours, then he could rejoin his students with the Hirashin Kunai he had planned to give to Kakashi. That way, he could be sure that they would succeed unharmed. Minato wasn’t sure if he really could beat Iwa’s forces basically by himself, he knew that there were at least a thousand shinobi on the front, but if it gave him the chance to make sure his students were safe, then he would find a way.

“Thanks, Kushina. You’re the best.” he said gratefully. This time it was her turn to blush. She slapped Minato’s shoulder, “... Jeez, you’re hopeless without me, ya know?!” she exclaimed, “Now let’s get to bed already, it’s late. You don’t wanna be tired tomorrow,” she said, averting her gaze to hide her embarrassment.

Minato was truly grateful to have someone as thoughtful as Kushina as his girlfriend. Hopefully the war would end soon, because he knew when that time came, that he would protect peace with everything he could, so everyone in the village could live their lives in peace and harmony.

As he settled into bed with his girlfriend, the Jounin idly wondered if Obito would be late to the mission tomorrow.

—---------

7:36 a.m June 16th, 1bNb

Obito was panting in front of the team, catching his breath after presumably rushing to their meeting spot. Obito did, in fact, come late this time. Even if he was late, he managed to avoid Kakashi’s little wire trap. “Did I make it?” he asked, noticing Kakashi’s glare and Rin’s frown. “No, Obito, you’re late!” Kakashi said scornfully.

Obito sighed, before Kakashi raised his voice again, “What time did you think we were supposed to meet? When you’re a full-fledged shinobi, you’re expected to follow the rules!” Obito scratched his face awkwardly, “Well… I was on the way, but an old lady carrying a load asked me for directions…”

“Come on, I know you’re lying!” Kakashi pointed at the boy accusingly.

Minato was getting tired of this comedy routine. If they didn’t get moving, they might actually be late. “That’s enough, Kakashi. Obito showed the old lady the way, isn’t that right?” He intervened politely. “I carried her bag, too,” Obito offhandedly remarked. “You’re too lenient with him, Sensei.” Kakashi criticized, “Besides, there’s no way that some needy person appears before Obito every single time!” he locked eyes with Minato, “Those who break the rules and regulations are branded as scum, isn’t that right?”

“What are you, a robot? Don’t you have any empathy?” Obito asked with disbelief, “All you ever talk about are rules! The key is to maintain self control.” he reaffirmed, shaking his head. “Stop it, guys. We’re on the same team!” Rin, ever the peacekeeper, pleaded. “You’re also too lenient on Obito, Rin.” Kakashi reminded her with a glance. “Today’s an important day for me, too.”

Kakashi was right to be entitled to some respect. Kakashi’s promotion to Jounin had been made official starting today, and so he now bore the same rank and responsibilities as Minato. Rin had gotten Kakashi a specialized first aid kit as a gift, and Minato had given Kakashi one of his own custom-made Hiraishin kunai, and when Kakashi held his hand out towards Obito, he wasn’t at all shocked to find that the boy hadn’t gotten him any promotion gift. Obito had probably just forgotten about Kakashi’s promotion, but he decided to double down and declared that Kakashi didn’t deserve a gift from him.

The two were as rowdy as ever, fighting like this even when they were about to have a mission.

Minato ended up stepping in, and finally got to the mission and their plan going forward. Kakashi would lead a squad consisting of himself, Rin and Obito, with the ultimate goal to destroy the Kannabi bridge, and Minato would split off somewhere along the way to join a large portion of Konoha’s forces at the Grass front. The group would initially consist of the four as usual, until they reached the border.

Their trip towards the border was swift and professional for the most part, even with the occasional bickering between the two boys. They may have fought more than needed, but when it came to missions, they could usually remain professional. The trip to the border lasted several hours, and the sun was soon to set. Kakashi may have been harsh and cocky, but Minato could tell that Kakashi was being more attentive than usual, bearing the weight of his new responsibility with quiet determination. His prowess was undeniable, and now he was determined to prove himself and his leadership capabilities.

Obito and Rin both understood the importance of the mission and the danger it posed. Obito, despite appearing carefree and ignorant to many, proved that he could be serious when he needed to. His gaze shifted between the members of the squad, lingering on Rin, and his surroundings. Rin’s nervousness wasn’t as well concealed as her teammates’ was, but despite her occasional fidgeting and the nervousness in her gaze, her eyes shone with the resolve to get through the mission.

Eventually, after reaching the Kusa border, Minato and Kakashi detected an incoming ambush, along with the presence of enemies. The scene was suspicious to the two Jounin, it was far too tranquil, the telltale signs of manmade tampering keeping even birds from entering the area. The path below the trees would be a perfect spot to rain down kunai and shuriken. The shinobi were clearly rather exceptional at stealth, as even Minato had a hard time detecting their exact location, but despite that, Minato could sense that there were a large number of shinobi.

Nonetheless, the two quickly realized that there was, in fact, only one enemy. Each separate signature Minato could sense had exactly the same chakra level, and the exact same scent coming from each ‘separate’ shinobi likely alerted Kakashi to that fact.

Kakashi, feeling the need to prove himself as a squad leader, decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to test his new jutsu. The jutsu, named Chidori – A thousand birds, was similar to Minato’s Rasengan, except it sacrificed Shape Manipulation for Nature Manipulation. Lightning crackled and chirped with the sound of a thousand birds like its namesake, and the chakra in his hand was incredible. Minato could tell it was a powerful jutsu that Kakashi had spent a lot of time developing, but he also knew it wouldn’t work. From the instant Kakashi began his mad dash, he knew the genius was in trouble.

Kakashi didn’t heed Minato’s advice, and after rushing towards the enemy, the tunnel vision caused by his increased speed allowed the enemy to counterattack and nearly kill the boy. He was able to eliminate all of the enemy’s shadow clones, but his overconfidence would cost him dearly. Obito eliminated the shadow clone that split off to attack him and Rin, so when the enemy swung his sword to counter Kakashi’s advance, Minato was able to save the boy’s life with his Hiraishin in an instant, teleporting him back to join the others. The Iwa-nin seemed to be rather skilled at kenjutsu and could produce an impressive amount of shadow clones, and to other Jounin the fight could easily turn deadly, but that wouldn’t matter, not to the Yellow Flash.

After all, Minato had marked him in the previous exchange.

Rin started healing Kakashi with her medical ninjutsu, and used supplies for the gifted first aid kit to patch him up. It seemed that so far, Rin’s gift was the most useful so far. Kakashi winced in pain as the green light forced his body to accelerate its healing process. The atmosphere was tense as Minato teleported behind his marked foe.

It was over in an instant.

He returned to his squad, donning a stern expression. “Kakashi’s wound isn’t trivial. We’ll retreat for now and set up camp.” Minato said, once again taking the mantle of team leader. Kakashi was arrogant and overconfident, but even he realized that he had messed up. “I’m fine!” he said, not wanting to burden his squad or the mission.

“You don’t look so ‘fine’! This is your fault for ignoring Sensei and acting so reckless!” Obito shouted angrily. Minato understood his frustration, but this wasn’t the time or place. “Don’t talk to me that way, failure of the ‘elite’ Uchiha clan!” Kakashi shot back.

“Oh, shut up, that’s all you ever say! At least I haven’t gotten injured, and now Rin has to heal you! Some squad leader you turned out to be!” Obito countered with a scowl. Kakashi glared back at him. The air was heavy and tense with their frustration and anger with each other.

“Guys, please knock it off already!” Rin finally said, attempting to break the tension. “Obito, it’s my job to heal you guys, so I don’t mind, and Kakashi-kun, don’t take your frustration out on him! We’re on a mission!” she reprimanded the two. “Rin’s right, you two. That’s quite enough.” Minato finally said, “Kakashi, rules and regulations are certainly important, but they aren’t everything. You may have been the leader, but it is up to each shinobi to interpret and adapt to all of the information at his disposal and act accordingly. Remember, moving recklessly doesn’t only endanger you, but also your teammates and the mission.” his gaze shot over to Obito, who fidgeted under its pressure, “And Obito, it’s okay to offer criticism and advice, but escalating an argument and losing your cool like that during a mission is unacceptable, understood?” Minato said sternly. Obito nodded stiffly, as Minato turned away.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Minato paused in his step, turning his head back, “Kakashi, about that new jutsu of yours, you probably shouldn’t use it,” he advised, and Kakashi widened his eyes at his sensei, “From what I saw, it’s a strike with a single focus. It’s certainly incredibly fast and powerful, but you move too quickly to react to an opponent’s counterattack. It’s still imperfect.” he added with certainty. Kakashi looked down with shame.

“Now, before we leave, listen to me carefully. For any shinobi, above all else, the most important skill is teamwork.” he declared, “Let’s go,” he ordered without room for refusal. The squad followed him without a word, reflecting on what Minato had said. He knew that this lesson would be the best lesson he could impart before they would separate.

The group ventured out and found a relatively safe place to set up camp. Tension was still running high, even with Rin and Minato trying to occupy the silence with normal conversation. In the end, it was decided that Minato would keep watch alone so Rin, who exhausted part of her chakra healing Kakashi, and Kakashi, who was wounded, could rest properly.

In the silence of the night, Rin and Kakashi sound asleep, Obito sought out Minato, who was sitting atop a rock, taking watch as promised. The young Uchiha was hurt by Kakashi’s words, and he felt that his words were unfairly harsh. Rather than offering Obito criticism, Kakashi merely attacked not only his discipline and prowess, but also disregarded his struggles and aspirations. He explained that even after taking the time to calm down and evaluate his sensei’s words, he felt that Kakashi was not only too critical of him, but also unprofessional in his remarks.

Minato listened to his student intently, his expression a blend of understanding and pensive sorrow. He knew Kakashi’s cutting words and disdainful comments were a mask for a deeper wound; the passing of the White Fang. His strict inflexibility when it came to rules and competence were not born from arrogance, but instead from a profound place of loss. The boy was projecting.

It was Kakashi’s way of caring for his teammates, even if the genius himself didn’t know that. Kakashi’s harshness was the only way he could express protectiveness over his squad. To him, breaking the rules was akin to a death sentence. On a subconscious level, Kakashi was projecting his regret over his father’s death onto his teammates, trying to protect them from the same fate. From ending up on a rope.

Minato hesitated at first, wondering if it was appropriate to expose a matter so private to Obito, yet he knew it would shed some light on Kakashi’s behavior. If Obito could empathize with Kakashi, it could strengthen the team’s bonds and improve their cohesion. So, he chose to open up about Kakashi’s father, the famed White Fang, detailing his final mission, its subsequent failure, and his eventual demise. It was a tragic tale, and it exposed deep-seated problems in shinobi society.

Out of everybody in the village, no one had loved Sakumo as much as Kakashi, so coming home from a regular day at the academy, expecting to tell his loving father all about his day, but instead being forced to stare at his father’s lifeless corpse absolutely destroyed him, and changed his mentality for good.

Obito may have resented Kakashi, ( he didn’t hate Kakashi, Obito hated no one) but he was fundamentally a compassionate boy. The tale of Sakumo’s downfall had moved him deeply, filling him with a newfound sense of empathy for Kakashi. Watching the boy’s body language as he walked resolutely to his sleeping bag, Minato could tell that the boy would have a greater understanding of his teammate when they next day came.

After the night passed, the group woke up early in the morning. They were already behind on the mission due to the slight detour, so they were all eager to get moving as soon as they could. Thankfully, the squad’s rest had freed the atmosphere of its prior tension.

Kakashi’s wound was healing well and was slowly closing, but he would have to be careful to not open it in the next day or two. Rin offered to heal it more, but he refused, deciding that she should conserve her chakra. He was still fit for combat, if needed, and if the scout from yesterday indicated anything, conflict was to be expected. There were probably two or three shinobi up ahead, who were going to notice that their scout had perished.

Minato was anxious, but if they took his lesson to heart, they could get through anything.

The time finally came to separate. The change in landscape from the previous hilly plains to a bamboo forest solidified the fact that they had entered the Land of Grass. “We’ll split up here. All of you, do your best.” he said professionally, “The enemy we met yesterday was a lone scout, but from now on, you should expect team conflict, so be on your guard.” he advised.

The group was silent for a moment before Obito piped up, “Let’s go then, …Leader.” he said carefully, averting his gaze stubbornly. Minato felt pride swell in his chest. Obito was acknowledging Kakashi as squad leader.. Rin and Kakashi stared in shock before Minato decided to take charge. “Right then, ready?!” he asked, “Yes sir!” the squad declared in unison.

He took one last look at his team and smiled fondly.

“Scatter!!”

—-----------------------

Hatake Kakashi 3rd person POV

Kakashi was a little ashamed. He had finally been promoted to Jounin rank, and it was his time to lead. Leaders had to take charge. They had to be decisive and strong. Kakashi thought he had it down, he thought he could take charge as the leader. When he detected an ambush, it was surely the perfect opportunity to show Minato-sensei that he was fit to be a leader, and to show his teacher the jutsu he had been working on.

But it ended in disaster. Not only had he failed to kill the enemy shinobi, he nearly died for it and pushed the mission back a day due to his injuries. Sensei explained that the jutsu cost him his perception and made him tunnel-visioned, and that the jutsu was imperfect. Kakashi was so used to being praised by his teacher that facing criticism from the man filled him with shame and embarrassment, but he knew he had made a mistake, and he could sulk later. Shinobi couldn’t show their emotions, it was against their code that they swore to follow, and he knew exactly what happened to those who broke the rules.

He knew it all too well.

It wasn’t easy for Kakashi to keep his emotions separated from his mission when Obito, the embodiment of what a ninja should never be, kept criticizing him. It was already enough for his mentor to take apart his behavior and jutsu, but for a failure like Obito to try? It was too much. The Chuunin let emotions rile him up and now it was Kakashi’s job to talk the fool down. Who did he think he was? Even the Hokage couldn’t afford to show his emotions, so what gave him the right to rant as he pleased? Who gave him a free pass in breaking the rules?

Kakashi had few complaints about Rin and Minato-sensei. Rin kept her emotions in check, was a fairly intelligent and talented Iryo-nin and followed the shinobi code. She diligently healed them, as her duty dictated. Minato-sensei was the Yellow Flash, a Jounin who’s name struck fear across the Elemental Nations. He was someone Kakashi could respect and obey. But Obito? He was stubborn, clumsy and emotional. Sure, he was getting stronger in recent months, his Uchiha genetics seemingly kicking in at long last, but his attitude and mentality was a fundamental mismatch for any shinobi. He would be a liability on missions until he could cut off his emotions. Shinobis have many tools to use in order to complete their missions, but emotion wasn’t one of them.

Admittedly, Obito proved earlier in the day that he might be ready to mature. After the failure that was yesterday and Minato-sensei’s reprimands, he finally acknowledged Kakashi as the squad leader. It was a shock to the new Jounin, but not an unwelcome one. If Obito could keep this up, maybe Kakashi and him would get along better in the future. Maybe the squad would be a proper unit.

After separating from Minato-sensei, they discretely covered ground for about half a day, crossing through the bamboo forest of Grass, avoiding pitfalls and traps, all while watching their surroundings with keen eyes. The squad eventually stumbled upon a suspicious pond, and after reaching the middle of it, Kakashi detected enemies by scent. Judging by their scents, the enemies were two adult males. There were no shadow clones present, as their smell was differentiated. Kakashi halted Rin and Obito and signaled to prepare for a clash. They would have to fight these two to complete the mission. For a moment nothing moved, like the calm before the storm.

… Before conflict broke out all at once.

Pointed bamboo surged towards them from above, threatening to impale them. Obito jumped in front of the group and burnt the barrage of spikes with his Fireball jutsu, and one of the enemies immediately emerged. The man had messy brown hair down to his chin, and two blades attached to his hands. His eyes were manic with excitement, as if he was itching to tear them into shreds.

Kakashi wouldn’t let him. He took a deep breath, focusing on the enemy in front of him, his body language, the twitching of his fingers, the bending of his knees. He wouldn’t underestimate an adversary a second time.

He pulled out Minato-sensei’s custom-made kunai and intercepted his bloodthirsty opponent. The clash lasted only three blows, as the two struck at each other with their blades, intent to kill the other, but Kaksahi could tell from the numbness of his hands, the force behind those slashes, and the Iwa-nin’s reaction speed. There was no mistaking it, he was surely a Jounin.

Following the clash, Kakashi briefly fell back to the water, his descent hardly making a sound even as he landed on the water, and his concentration turned back into awareness. A deep grunt sounded out from behind him followed by the distinct smell of blood, a sharp tangy copper with hints of earthiness. Someone had been injured. There were two scents earlier, and an instant before the confrontation, the second scent had disappeared. His head snapped back, following the scent of the blood, and…

Obito stood there, bloody kunai drawn, surprised huffs and grunts echoing themselves from the boy. An aged man with a large build and light hair was kneeling in front of the Chuunin, one hand frantically grasping at a large slash across his chest. Amidst the silence, only Obito’s mildly disorderly breathing and the other man’s frantic and pained huffing could be heard.

A red glint reflected off of the water in front of Obito.

“What’s… with those… eyes?!” he muttered weakly in between gasps, before collapsing face first onto the surface of the water, unsinking. Obito turned to face Kakashi and his opponent. He was shaky with adrenaline, and his breaths were uneven, but his gaze was filled with a resolve Kakashi had never seen from the boy, his eyes shining with an alluring crimson light, two black tomoe spinning rapidly in each eye.

“Rin, stay behind me – I’ve got this!” He said confidently, determined to protect her, before leaping forward to Kakashi’s side. Rin nodded and took up a defensive stance behind the two boys. Kakashi eyed Obito, “Stay alert, he’s quick on his feet,” he warned. Obito shared the glance, “Fine,” he reluctantly agreed and kept his eyes on the enemy in front of them. The Iwa-nin was visibly irritated, eyes narrowed, and barely stopped himself from grinding down on his teeth. “Ah, they’re all so pathetic…” he huffed with more frustration than worry, lowering into an aggressive stance. His body tensed like a snake, poised to strike at any moment.

The two boys ran at the man with surety, both with unbending focus on their opponent. The unnamed man was more skilled than Kakashi first thought. The confrontation was more like a dance than a death match. Each slash or jab sliced through the air or against another blade. Metal sang, and blades clashed as sparks flew wildly between the three. Between Obito’s heightened visual prowess and each Jounins’ full attention, Kakashi knew he needed to find an opportunity to make a decisive move. Obito wasn’t used to this level next, and his moves were losing their sharpness with each sidestep, parry and flip. Kakashi was nothing like a Nara, but even he could analyze an opponent's style. He could tell by now, that in the next few moves, their adversary would open himself up to a counterattack, whether it be a wide swing out of annoyance or stepping too far overzealously, the man wasn’t a rational fighter.

And finally, the Iwa-nin, feeling hasty or bloodthirsty, Kakashi couldn’t tell, swung both blades at once in a wide arc, aiming to kill Obito in one move. The spin of Obito’s tomoe accelerated as he smoothly leaned back to dodge the fatal strike, leaving the man’s chest and head open. Kakashi knew it was now or never, tensing his entire body before racing forward to take advantage of his opening. He swung his Sensei’s kunai down, aiming to slash down his chest. His wound screamed in pain as a dull heat filled his side and slowed his approach.

“ Remember, moving recklessly could endanger the mission and your team.” Minato-sensei’s words echoed through his mind.

The blades suddenly changed trajectory and were closing in on Kakashi’s exposed neck with a vengeance. His injury had opened him up to a counterattack. He cursed himself mentally for being stubborn about Rin healing him. The man’s face lit up with a ferocity unfit for a shinobi. He had messed up. His judgment would cost him his life, he was sure. He tensed up in anticipation for his death, but the blades never came. Obito’s legs drove their opponent’s arms, keeping the twin blades from reaching Kakashi’s vitals. The Uchiha had risked a dangerous opening just to cover for Kakashi’s mistake, and had consequently forced the man’s guard open. The silver haired boy’s focus sharpened as his wide eyes took in the situation before him.

There was no hesitation in his next move, no remaining regret for his mistake. His grip on the kunai was so tight he thought he might crush it, and he slashed down the man’s shoulder, creating a satisfying crunch of bone and cartilage, with enough force to be thrown face first into the water below. The wound wasn’t necessarily fatal, but the man wouldn’t be able to use his right nearly as freely. If they kept it up, the fight would be theirs. Kakashi prepared himself to finish the man off.

A scream echoed out from behind them. The two shot their heads back hastily and they saw it. A kunai was pressed against Rin’s throat, drawing drops of blood. Rin’s body was slumped over, unconscious through either physical force or genjutsu, Kakashi couldn’t tell at the moment The man who had taken her hostage was the one Obito had defeated. Kakashi’s mind snapped to a realization. The larger shinobi hadn’t sunk into the water, not even a bit. If he had truly been knocked unconscious, he would’ve sunk a few inches into the water and floated like a dead man. He took that time to recover and find an opening to grab Rin. It was an embarrassing oversight for a Jounin, and a devastating failure for Obito.

The man’s ragged breath felt to Kakashi worse than a chalkboard getting scratched. The fact he was still breathing was an insult against his capability as a Jounin of Konohagakure.

The situation wasn’t ideal, Kakashi reminded himself, but the mission could go on. Kakashi and Obito just had to finish off their opponent, and continue with the mission before that man would alert his comrades about their presence. With those injuries, he couldn’t move at full speed. Rin wouldn’t be killed, and would likely be spared as a prisoner of war because of her abilities as an Iryo-nin.

She would be freed as the war ended.

“Don’t you dare move…!.” The man boomed with an intimidating tone, but it would take more than that to stop Kakashi. His mind was racing with thoughts. Minato-sensei had told him yesterday that a shinobi had to adapt to any situation, and that was exactly what he would do. That man, he was clearly bluffing. No shinobi would waste a potential source of intel. He scoffed and turned back to face his opponent.

“RIN!!” Obito screamed as he ran at Rin and the shinobi who had taken her hostage, full of rage and worry. The boy was fighting so well that Kakashi had forgotten how emotional Obito was. Of course that dunce would charge, full of openings, right into the enemy’s hands! Kakashi’s chest tightened as he dreaded the next moment. “Wait, it’s bait, Obito! Stop!” he ordered, but his voice didn’t even register to the desperate boy. The Iwa-nin with the twin blades vanished from behind Kakashi and reappeared in front of Obito.

Time froze to a standstill as Kakashi watched the blades dig themselves into Obito’s abdomen. The nauseating sound of flesh being forcefully split apart filled the air. The twin blades slid through the skin and across his innards like a hot knife against butter, splattering blood onto the man’s pleased face. Even if his right was weaker at that moment, Obito was completely unguarded. It was a fatal blow, Kakashi could tell. Nine times out of ten, that kind of wound was fatal, and he didn’t like those odds.

For just an instant, silence prevailed. No panting, no shouting, no steps were taken, only the drips of blood could be heard. Kakashi felt both repulsion at Obito’s naivety and disobedience, yet strangely enough, he felt he couldn’t let them get away with this. He needed to act, and right now. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head to focus up, and observed his surroundings. Freezing up wouldn’t win him this fight.

In that instant the larger shinobi had been shocked by the fatal blow on Obito, Kakashi reached for his tanto and ran towards him and Rin. He bent to sweep the brute’s legs, before using the tanto to chop his right hand off at the forearm. He screamed partly in agony and partly in shock, attempting to back away in panic. The man’s eyes ignited with aggression through the pain. As long as the man was near her, Rin would remain in danger.

Kakashi flipped and spin kicked him, striking decisively at his temple. He dropped Rin, equilibrium shot, and wobbled backwards, legs dropping into the pond due to the sudden head trauma. His hold on his chakra had been compromised. The boy grabbed Rin and took her a short distance away. He held up the snake seal, “Kai.” he whispered, pulling Rin out of the genjutsu she was trapped in. Kakashi was quietly relieved that she wasn’t simply knocked out. Without delay, he gestured towards Obito’s now unconscious form. “Rin, grab him and take him away from the water right now!” he demanded with the most stern tone he could muster. Her sharp gasp echoed through the clearing, she barely held back a sob, but she obeyed without a word in order to grab Obito. Kakashi knew Rin was a capable shinobi, and that she would push her emotions down to ensure his safety.

Kakashi also knew the messy haired shinobi would try to hastily finish Obito off, so he flung eight shuriken at him as he was about to finish the unmoving Uchiha off. Each shuriken was aimed at a vital point, so he couldn’t afford to commit and swiftly retreated, and in that moment, Rin sprung herself towards Obito with great desperation. She grabbed his body in a hurry, and yet with all the care in the world. Leaping towards the grass with the wounded Chuunin in her arms, she was no longer in proximity of the pond.

“Stupid little runt!” he screamed with fury, stomping towards Rin’s position. He reached for her with his right, but the sudden movement worsened his slash wound, causing him to hiss in pain and slow his advance. Kakashi had made enough mistakes for today, and it was now up to him to finish this, it was his responsibility to see the mission through. Considering the enemy’s injuries, he wouldn’t get out of range in time. Monkey, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Ox, Snake, Dog, Tiger, Monkey, Kakashi powered through the seals faster than he ever had before. “Chidori!” Kakashi shouted, bending down to the water as lightning crackled from his right hand and spread across the entire pond in an instant. All three shinobi shouted in pain as lightning screamed and screeched around him, electrifying the whole pond. Both men who were left on the pond’s screams increased in volume as the lightning coursed through their bodies.

Kakashi’s skin stung and burnt with the abundance of lightning, but his primary affinity was lightning. He would be fine with some rest. The enemies, on the other hand, seemed to not possess the same affinity. Tortured wails bellowed out from the two men, slowly becoming hoarser and quieter as their vocal cords fried in their throats. Their stiffened muscles refused to hold them up and each of them fell into the water, the sound of the water splashing more quiet than their painful cries. Their skin was sizzling and cooking in the lightning and its heat. Kakashi tried not to gag from the overwhelming smell of their searing flesh.

After 15 seconds of electrocution, the two went silent. Kakash reasoned that they could be faking their unconsciousness, but they wouldn’t be able to fake their way through temporary paralysis, as lightning still lazily flicked out of their smoking bodies. Kakashi forced his stiff muscles to work as he rushed towards the groaning men, slicing their necks open in two slick movements. The larger shinobi died nearly instantly, but the bloodthirsty one desperately clutched at his neck as it sprayed bleed, vocal cords refusing to produce even a sound as he screamed a silent death. Kakashi watched to make sure his eyes would lose their light before moving on.

The fight was finally over. Kakashi exhaled deeply as he took note of his surroundings. The lack of noise or incoming scents indicated a lack of reinforcements. For the moment, they weren’t in danger. He panned his head over to his slain opponents. He sensed no disruption in his chakra pathways or the environment, there was no genjutsu. Their blood flows freely into the pond, its color shifting to a light red.

He looked over the now calm clearing, and if you ignored the steam, bodies, and blood staining the pond, you could almost imagine a fight hadn’t even broken out. Kakashi shook his head, who was he kidding, the spot now carried the unmistakable scent of charred flesh. Even the blind could tell how hectic the battle must’ve been, how much agony the fallen had been in. This wasn’t his first time killing enemies, but these were by far his most gruesome kills.

“Please–!” a sob bellowed out from Rin, “Wake up, Obito!” she pleaded, tears running down her face as a brilliant emerald light coated his stomach wounds. Rin was sobbing by the boy’s side, her trembling hands hovering over his injuries. Kakashi sighed as he carefully stepped over to Rin.

He looked at Obito’s face, more serene than he had ever seen it. Obito’s face never bore such a calm expression; it was always animated with smiles, scowls and glares. Kakashi remembered how the boy’s face lit up with triumphant glee the first time he landed a hit on Kakashi during a spar. He remembered the countless times Obito would launch himself into arguments, fueled by his beliefs and sense of justice. They were never logical, always full of naivety and idealism, but admittedly, he argued more passionately than anyone Kakashi had ever met. Seeing this side of Obito, it was jarring. His previously uncontrollable flame of life was now extinguishing, barely holding on to its last embers. Every version of him Kakashi could recall felt so distant now, as he watched the dying Chuunin take tiny breaths, clinging to life.

“Rin,” he stood over her, “We can’t afford to waste time here. Get up.” he ordered curtly. She didn’t budge. If anything, the light shining from her Mystical Palm Jutsu intensified. “There’s no way Obito’s going to survive that,” he sighed, “so from here on out, the two of us will proceed with our mission without him.” he justified his decision reasonably.

A strangled cry escaped from Rin’s lips. She was devastated, that much was obvious to Kakashi, and while he could understand grieving the loss of a friend, there was a time and place for everything. They were shinobi, and they still had a job to do. There would be plenty of time in the future, in front of a memorial stone.

“If he’s still alive, we can spare some time to stop his bleeding and hide him somewhere nearby, and retrieve him on the way back, but his chances of survival are slim. You should know that, you’re an Iryo-nin, right?” he rationalized, “a few minutes should be enough,” he allowed, tossing the first-aid kit over to her. It slid across the ground next to Obito.

It was truly unfortunate. He had finally proven himself with that battle. He may have blundered at the last moment, but he fought valiantly for the mission’s sake. Kakashi wouldn’t forget about his former teammate, and would respect his memory so he could move on in peace. It was the least he could do. His gaze lingered on Obito’s fallen form.

“... Kakashi-kun,” she muttered, “We can save him, if we act right now.” she hiccuped miserably in between each word. “Part of his intestines were perforated, and bacteria is leaking into his bloodstream and abdominal cavity. We don’t have much time, but if I c-cut away any remaining infected tissue with my Chakra Scalpel, it’ll buy some time to stop his sepsis from progressing and I can extract bacteria with the Poison Extraction jutsu… a makeshift herbal solution might work... a-and I have some practice with the jutsu, too! So if I can concentrate for a few hours…” she said hopefully, stuttering and slurring words in between.

Kakashi’s eyes widened in shock. He wasn’t completely medically illiterate, so he knew how complicated a procedure like that could be. Was Rin really capable of saving someone with this kind of injury? Performing that level of treatment? It didn’t make sense. Even if she knew what to do in theory, the procedure she explained was extremely complicated. Isolating bacteria had to be done carefully and on a microscopic scale, and sepsis was notoriously difficult to prevent. It was a job for a Senju medic, not a grieving teenage girl. Yes, it was blind hope.

“We both know you can’t manage that, Rin, and even if you could, it would take hours or even days. It would exhaust your chakra and mind too much. Saving his life and completing this mission at the same time is not possible, so you have to get up, We’re proceeding with the mission.” he ordered seriously.

Again, she wouldn’t budge. Instead, she worked harder on Obito’s abdomen. The bleeding was noticeably slowing down as she doubled down. Tears continued falling freely from her eyes, staining Obito’s clothes, but even as she cried, her hands steadied themselves. Her chest stopped heaving, making way for greater precision. “I-I’m going to heal Obito, Kakashi-kun.” she declared, voice hoarse. Kakashi narrowed his eyes on her. “We can’t afford to heal him! The shinobi regulations state that the mission is always the first priority! Leave him be!” he ordered once again, frustrated at her lack of professionalism.

She was being too emotional, and now she was being indecisive. Kakashi thought she was a decent shinobi before, but he had clearly misjudged her resolve.

“What about Obito?! He’s our teammate! He fought to protect us, too!” she demanded an answer, locking wet eyes with Kakashi stern gaze. “And that was his duty, Rin! He fought well to the end, like a real shinobi. As long as we succeed, he’ll be praised as a hero of war and his name will be engraved in the memorial stone. Wasn’t that his goal, to be acknowledged by his peers?” Kakashi shot back, acknowledging Obito’s contribution to the mission.

She had to let go, she had to let him die. Kakashi knew all too well what failing this mission would entail. Even if she could save Obito, the three would return home as scum who couldn’t even follow the rules and regulations. They would be slandered, harassed, and threatened. The village would never forgive them, and Team Minato would find themselves hanging lifelessly, as Hatake Sakumo had. As his father had.

“Real shinobi?! Obito doesn’t care about anything like that! He just wants to protect everyone, and become the Hokage, and I will not be the one to strip that dream away from him!” She picked him up again, straining from exertion. “A shinobi who doesn’t abide by the shinobi code is regarded as scum, Rin. Is that who you want to be?” Kakashi asked calmly. “I’m the squad leader, remember? No matter the circumstances, I have the authority to make our decisions. Team members must follow the command of their leader without question.”

Losing Obito was his responsibility as the leader, and he wouldn’t disgrace his death by failing this mission. Now that Obito was dying, he could tell that he had appreciated the boy’s energy, on a deeper, more emotional level, but it was a shinobi’s job to suppress his emotions. He would continue the mission with Rin in tow; moving forward as a single unit was dangerous, and she was a medic. The success rate of the mission would go down without her participation, and if they failed because of their fleeting emotions, then…

A figure appeared in his mind of a man with silver hair and a tanto on his back. It was the last time that man would stand proud.

“If you’re the team leader, then Obito is your responsibility. Use your power and authority and just help me save him, please…!” she pleaded, facing away from Kakashi. “If you give in to your emotions and fail an important mission, you’ll regret it later. That’s why shinobi have set rules about suppressing our emotions. You have to understand that much.”

“Obito… he was starting to open up to you. Even though he didn’t like you, he tried to tolerate you, he tried to understand you. He called you ‘Leader’, didn’t he? He even fought alongside you, Kakashi-kun. Does all that mean nothing to you?”

Kakashi thought back to the beginning of the day, when Obito had acknowledged him as leader, he thought back to how obediently Obito listened to his commands as they traveled. How they fought side by side, and how he had… Kakashi sighed, hiding sorrow from his expression. The Jounin wasn’t emotionless. Losing a comrade was never a good thing, but…

“For any shinobi, something like that shouldn’t mean anything while on duty. We need to prioritize using tools suitable to the mission at hand,” he paused, “Emotion isn’t one of those tools.” he concluded with surety.

“...I see. Good luck with the mission, Kakashi-kun. The next stage of treatment means I can’t afford to be distracted, so I’m going to hide with Obito.” Rin said calmly, her voice now calm. She started walking away with the unconscious boy. His throat tightened, watching her walk away, the sight bearing an uncanny resemblance to his father’s figure, leaving on the mission that would result in his death. He was just trying to help her – to spare her from that same fate.

“You don’t understand, Rin. Do you know what happens to those who break the rules?” he asked, a final push to stop her. She stopped and turned her head just enough to gaze into the prodigy’s eyes. Her eyes were red and puffy from her tears, still stained with them, but her gaze was firm.

“I don’t know what will happen when we return empty-handed. Will I be demoted? Punished? Will Sensei look at me differently?” she inhaled deeply, “Will I regret not going through with the mission? I don’t know, Kakashi-kun, but there’s one thing I do know.” she turned to fully face him.

Her eyes met his gaze steadily, alight with the same flames Kakashi had seen in Obito’s determined glare. The resolve in her eyes was unwavering, firmly communicating her stance. She would not abandon her dying comrade. Her grip on Obito’s body tightened.

“If I don’t even try to save his life, then I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Even if his chance at survival is low, I know that no matter what, I’m going to try to save his life every single time, and if I’m regarded as scum for breaking the rules as you say,” she lifted her head with intently and raised her voice, “then I'll embrace it proudly for Obito’s sake!”

Kakashi’s eyes widened as he registered her words. If it meant saving Obito, she would gladly become scum. Her words reminded him of his father once again, the man who saved his squadmates instead of completing his mission. Hatake Sakumo loved the village and its inhabitants on an irrational level that Kakashi could never agree with.

Kakashi recalled Obito’s final moments of combat, and how he saved Kakashi’s life. The battle was far out of his league, and yet he stood his ground to protect Rin… and even Kakashi, who he hated. Kakashi wondered if Obito had ever even hated Kakashi. Rin’s words echoed in his head over and over.

“ Even though he didn’t like you, he tried to tolerate you, he tried to understand you. He called you ‘Leader’, didn’t he? He even fought alongside you, Kakashi-kun. Does all that mean nothing to you?”

Everytime Kakashi or Rin was in danger, he moved recklessly. During the heat of battle he gave up his footing, a fighter’s lifeline, in an instant, and trusted in Kakashi to finish their opponent off, and then he charged after Rin without a shred of care for his own life. He didn’t hesitate, he simply acted, guided by his unwavering desire to protect. And he was rewarded with a slash across the abdomen. With death. If Kakashi had just finished the twin-blade user off at that moment, maybe Obito’s guts wouldn’t be spilling out of his stomach.

The way Rin’s voice, laced with determination and remorse, replayed in his head over and over. Her words were so fiercely spoken, she was so sure of herself. How were his teammates able to make the decision so easily? Kakashi weighed every move he made against the regulations as he evaluated the pros and cons of those decisions, but he never once wondered if his strict adherence to those regulations had blinded him to the value of a human life.

Did his father hold that same resolve? Did Sakumo have a similar outburst? Did he, too, know the consequences of saving his comrades, and chose to go through without despite the consequences? Was the thought of them dying so unbearable that he would sacrifice himself for their sake?

Were the lives he saved truly worth more than the chance to watch Kakashi grow up? Were they worth more than the pleasure of raising his only son? Did he really have to die, and leave Kakashi behind?

A gust of wind blew through the clearing, leaves rustling. Kakashi could hear the distant cries of animals, the flapping of birds’ wings, and he could smell the powerful scent of petrichor, even among the nauseating scent of burnt flesh and metallic scent of blood. It was a reminder to him that the world wouldn’t stop for him and Rin. The mission was still ongoing: it would only be a matter of time before Iwa would notice this disturbance.

Her declaration was loud and clear; Kakashi knew she wouldn’t be convinced otherwise. He stared at her retreating figure until she was no longer in sight, and as the gust of wind died down, a single tear traced down his cheek, betraying his stoic shinobi facade. He didn’t dare wipe it away.

Maybe if he had tried to understand his father’s motives instead of outright rejecting him, Obito might’ve been spared this fate. Maybe if he had paid closer attention to Obito’s motivations, he would have had the foresight to prevent this tragedy.

Maybe, just maybe, if he had tried to understand his father’s motives earlier, he wouldn’t have spent all this time cursing the man he had missed so dearly.

Had he truly made the right choice?

—---------------

????

A lone figure stalked a rocky cave from a distance, well hidden in the shade of the trees. The cave was an Iwa hideout, and while it was rather suspicious-looking, it served as a solid shelter against enemy attack and a good rendezvous point for Iwa-nin.

“This is pointless,” they snarled venomously, their deep voice distorted with malevolence and frustration. They didn’t know why He had given them such an order. That man was growing old, and they had been ordered to find him a successor. They weren’t in a position to deny the order, but it felt like a waste of their precious time. They could be in a region of greater interest, perhaps Mist, Fire or Cloud, but instead they were stuck in the uneventful woods of Grass.

If He wanted a successor so badly, it was a better option to simply manipulate a capable youth, rather than waiting on coincidence, and out of all places to stumble upon a promising pawn, the wilderness of the Land of Grass was unlikely to be of any note. Fighting was a constant during the war, but they seldom came across anything of promise on the frontlines, where shinobi were thrown into the meat grinder as cannon fodder.

Agonized screams resounded from an area not far from the creature. Another fight between shinobi had likely broken out. They faced the direction of the battle, intent on spectating. Orders were orders, after all, and observation wasn’t hardly ever a waste of time. The ominous figure of black and white silently slid into the ground beneath them.

Chapter Text

9:18 a.m., 17th of June 1bNb

Nohara Rin 3rd person POV

The girl could hardly stop her hands from shaking, barely stop herself from hyperventilating. Obito’s life was in her hands; how could she not freak out? Her hands were painted a sickening velvet, from applying pressure on the gaping wound. Rin wasn’t unfamiliar with the sight of blood, but this much of it was almost overwhelming to the young Iryo-nin.

Obito was dying, he was dangerously close to passing on, but despite the odds and his injuries, his heart just kept beating, no matter how weak it got. His breaths, though long and drawn out, continued stubbornly. His body was rejecting death with everything it had, and Rin was eternally grateful for his willpower and strength. It was like the boy was giving her a chance to save him. Silver-lining was perhaps the wrong phrase, but the fact certainly did well to stop Rin from breaking out into a full-blown panic attack.

Kakashi’s decision to abandon the pair for the mission had broken Rin’s heart. If not for the fact she had better things to focus on (i.e., saving Obito’s life), she would still be by that pond, sobbing her eyes out. Sobbing wasn’t going to save anybody, though, so even as her chest ached with the bitter feeling of betrayal, she still ventured out with Obito. She was putting on a tough front.

A short while after separating from Kakashi, she managed to find a relatively well-hidden spot under a rock formation. It was something like a shallow cave, a place that was naturally concealed from plain sight. They were meters from a flowing river, likely the very river Kannabi bridge spanned over. The area would have to do for now: she would need to collect some water from the riverside to aid in Obito’s treatment. Setting up a rudimentary genjutsu that blocked sight and scent, the smell of sweat and herb could give them away otherwise, she got to work.

Obito’s wound was horrible, and its severity utterly terrified Rin. The injury spanned from one side of his abdomen to the other, threatening to spill his intestines out. The attack was ruthless, and the attacker’s intention was clear: guaranteed death. Luckily, the girl had gotten started on his treatment earlier while arguing with Kakashi, but the nature of the wound meant that he had bled more than Rin would’ve liked. That Iwa-nin used twin-blades, meaning that the slash across his abdomen was more like two large slices that joined to make one. There were no ribs to protect the intestines, and the blades cut through muscle like nothing.

Blood performed lots of important functions, but most importantly in this circumstance was that a person’s immediate immune response was almost all white blood cells. When more than half a liter of blood was missing from someone of Obito’s stature, it was already dangerous, as his organs wouldn’t get nutrients and oxygen as efficiently, but if his body had to fight sepsis from the bacteria that would seep into his bloodstream from his intestines, it was basically a death sentence. Sepsis as a result of a burst appendix was well documented, and even uninjured people could easily die of it. Obito was decidedly not uninjured. Severe perforation of the intestine. Rin knew she would have to manually deal with the bacteria to aid his immune system, because in his state, his body would stand no chance of fighting it off alone.

After carefully placing him down, she made sure to first cut away heavily infected tissue to slow the bacteria’s progression, and to seal the perforated intestines. The Mystical Palm could be used to close almost any wound, and along with the first-aid kit she had originally made for Kakashi, she was able to stop more bacteria from spilling out by sealing the perforation. 

She then raced out of the area to gather the materials she would need. The Poison Extraction Jutsu she would use to extract the invading bacteria from his bloodstream and the surrounding tissue normally required medicinal fluid, but she didn’t have that. She would have to improvise with an herbal solution, and adapt the Poison Extraction Jutsu to extract bacteria instead.

It was a monumental challenge. Poison and bacteria are fundamentally different; poisons inhibit cellular processes causing cell death, but they are not living and differ greatly in size. Bacteria, on the other hand, are persistent, living beings which reproduce and attack the body’s cells through direct cellular invasion. Chakra could be used straightforwardly to catch, neutralize and transfer poison, but bacteria could hide, reproduce, or even grow to adapt to treatment. Gut-derived sepsis itself would cause an uncontrollable immune response, which was a necessary process in eliminating the bacteria but could cause widespread inflammation and damage organs and tissue. 

There were people who praised Rin’s talent in Iryo-ninjutsu, namely hospital workers, Sensei and Kushina, but personally, she credited most of her ‘talent’ to her studies. She was mostly a self-taught medic, using resources from the Konoha’s extensive library religiously, whether it be a jutsu scroll for Iryo-ninjutsu, or an academic text, she was constantly reading and absorbing information like a sponge. Rin greatly enjoyed learning. None of the studying she had done ever felt like a chore, and in fact it was something of a hobby to her. Through her efforts, she hoped that with everything she was learning, it would bring her closer to her image of an ideal Iryo-nin. Someone who wouldn’t falter in the face of death, who could bring hope to her peers and the people. A person who could save lives.

Well today, it seemed that all that studying was paying off. She technically had practice with the Poison Extraction Jutsu, using hospital resources and water to practice on animals, and now she had no choice but to not only try the jutsu on a person for the first time, but also adapt that jutsu on the fly to fight against infection. It was an understatement to say that her nerves were on fire.

Obito had bacteria in his bloodstream and an immune response had already likely begun, but too little time had passed for him to be in full-blown septic shock. Luckily for Rin, Obito was a shinobi and his body’s health and fitness was great, meaning that even with his weakened immunity he should be able to give the invading bacteria a run for its money and stave off the worst stages of sepsis. If she could aid his body’s initial immune response with bacterial extraction and her herbal solution, then the worst of his injuries would be over and his body could start properly recovering. That being said, if she failed to properly fight the infection, he would die. 

She knew exactly which herbs could make a sufficiently potent solution to act as medicinal fluid; wild thyme – which contained thymol, yarrow – which possessed antimicrobial properties, and echinacea – which helped to boost one’s immune system. There were other herbs that may prove more effective, but here in the Land of Grass, they were either more rare or exclusive to certain ecosystems. These were the only ones she would find in a short time. She hunted down the necessary herbs and plants, moving with great haste. Obito’s life was on a timer, after all, and she didn’t have enough time to rest or dawdle. 

She returned to Obito with the necessary herbs after about eight minutes, and then she kneeled by the riverside. She took a summoning scroll out of her survival pack, unfolded it and produced a cooking pot alongside a few clean rags. After filling the pot with river water, she brought it back to where Obito laid, sighing in relief when she found him still breathing, she set up a fire using some dry grass, sticks and the E-ranked fire-starting jutsu Minato-sensei had taught them during their survival training. The cooking plot was placed atop the fire and she placed the herbs inside. 

The solution would be ready after a few minutes of boiling, and she could use it when it cooled down to about forty to fifty degrees. The specifics of the jutsu meant it was most effective against poison, not bacteria. The main difference to take into account was that while bacteria was vastly larger than poison, bacteria would prove more difficult to extract. Extracting bacteria means first ensuring she has properly identified and isolated the bacteria without damaging the surrounding area, and it also meant taking into account their perseverance. While she is dealing with the ongoing infection in the body, she would also have to maintain his blood pressure with fluids and support any organs undergoing dysfunction as a result of the body’s immune response.

The next couple of hours would be hell for Rin, but she was willing to do it if it meant Obito wouldn’t die for her mistake. It was her fault, Rin knew, that Obito had received the injury in the first place. The fact filled her with regret, and yet it also filled her with the resolve to save him.

For now, she took a canteen out of her bag. Obito was definitely dehydrated. Rin tilted his head up and forced his mouth open. It was risky to force water down an unconscious person’s mouth; as there was a risk of aspiration, but there was a basic Iryo-nin technique: it used chakra to guide water down someone’s throat, mimicking basic Water Release, to ensure none of it got into the trachea. She carefully poured water into his mouth at a medium pace, expertly directing it into the esophagus. She took a clean rag and soaked it in some of the water from her canteen, placing it delicately on Obito’s forehead.

Careful stitching of the wound would have to come later, as she couldn’t be sure how far the bacterial invasion had progressed. The only saving grace was that she had already stopped the bleeding earlier, so he wouldn’t bleed out while she was delivering treatment. Rin carefully covered the abdominal wound with a sterile tarp she had kept in her pack, and finally got to work. The Diagnostic Jutsu was a fundamental Iryo-ninjutsu technique, and she had used it earlier on Obito to assess his wounds, but the jutsu could also be used in conjunction with greater chakra control and focus to get a better view on parts of someone’s body. It would be instrumental in getting better insight into Obito's condition in order to adapt the Poison Extraction Jutsu to extract the infection. 

In the dim light of her makeshift hideout, Rin knelt closer to Obito, her hands hovering anxiously above his chest. The boy was still soundly unconscious, and she knew the treatment she was about to do was immensely painful. She would have to use another essential jutsu for Iryo-nin, the Neural Pathway Blockage Jutsu, which temporarily cuts off the body’s pain signals from reaching the brain. It was a crude technique, which many considered too dangerous and risky to be used in most circumstances, but if Obito were to wake up from the pain and thrash around, his abdominal wound could be worsened, so Rin decided to trust her own judgment.

Rin closed her eyes as she drew a deep breath to center herself, focusing her chakra towards her hands. As she exhaled her shaking hands produced an azure light, flowing smoothly in circles. She pressed her fingertips on Obito’s abdomen, above the wound, and she was ready to analyze his condition. 

The diagnostic technique was one Rin was intimately familiar with; all Iryo-nin resources encouraged using it before healing anyone. It was a great way to practice and to ensure nothing potentially life-threatening escaped their view. Focusing down and ‘zooming in’ to his body took more focus, but Rin was used to worse. The technique used a person’s intimacy with chakra, knowledge of anatomy and medical theory, as well as their intuition. To a normal shinobi, they would feel their chakra flowing around the person’s body, but the amount of information would be overbearing and nonsensical. To an Iryo-nin like Rin, though, the technique was more akin to a detailed medical report. 

Her chakra, guided by her intent, flowed through Obito’s body layer-by-layer. To Rin, each pulse of her chakra was important feedback to help her interpret his condition. It flowed from his chest and around his body, and she could feel that the upper part of his body had not yet been heavily affected by the bacterial spill. He was not suffering from bacteremia, likely because of how quickly she closed the perforation earlier. She breathed a sigh of relief as she directed her chakra towards the danger zone: his abdominal cavity. 

The difference was night and day. The mostly unaffected upper body, which, while overflowing with adrenaline, was relatively unharmed, but the abdominal cavity was like a maelstrom of terror. The amount of bacteria was horrifying, both in his bloodstream and around his organs. Rin’s brow furrowed as she differentiated each sensation through her chakra; her hold on the jutsu recoiled as bacteria from the gut’s microbiome attacked all cells in the area. She could feel his immune reaction, panicked and overzealous, causing dangerous inflammation all over, which would take away from the blood organs and cells desperately needed.

Rin perceived areas of immense heat first; a clear sign of inflammation. Her chakra collected itself in his abdominal cavity. The peritoneum, the membrane which coated abdominal organs to protect them, was suffering massive inflammation. It was peritonitis. Peritonitis, like sepsis, was deadly, as it could cause fluid build-up, dehydration and a loss in blood pressure, and that didn’t even mention that it could lead to further progression of sepsis. Dealing with peritonitis was her first priority.

The deviation from expectation was a disturbance that set Rin on edge. Truthfully, she should have expected the complication. She knew there would be widespread inflammation. Rin shuddered anxiously, but panicking wouldn’t do her any good. She could deal with peritonitis using basically the same procedure she had planned to do, it would simply be a more difficult endeavor, requiring more precision and control with her chakra.

Withdrawing her chakra with a light breath, she wiped sweat off her forehead. Rin focused chakra into her middle and index fingers and pressed them to the back of Obito’s head, a deliberate jolt of chakra firing into a spot above his nape. The chakra would serve to forcefully block the electrical impulses that caused pain from reaching his brain. The blue light entered the back of his head and flowed towards his spine. Users of the technique were instructed to never use the technique unless they could precisely block specific pain signals, but Rin was well practiced with the technique, having used it on herself on occasion. It was a bad idea to use it in combat, or in situations where pain was an important sensation, but in a controlled setting there was little danger.

After playing closer attention to the bacteria in his body, Rin knew how she would need to extract it. Poison was not living, it was a collection of molecules that were injected into someone’s body. Toxins and Poisons followed no instinct to reproduce, they were merely guided by the laws of nature and naturally underwent harmful chemical reactions that could kill someone. The Poison Extraction Jutsu simply drew poison into the bubble of medicinal fluid gently, but bacteria would resist this. To extract bacteria, she would have to scoop them up forcefully. It would be much more exhausting both chakra-wise and mentally.

Rin sterilized her hands with disinfectant gel she brought in her pack, and then dipped her fingers into the pot of herbal solution. It was still warm, but not hot enough to burn her fingers, and more importantly it wouldn’t burn Obito. She focused her chakra, mentally preparing herself to adapt a technique traditionally meant to extract poison for a purpose it was never designed to serve: treating gut-derived sepsis and peritonitis.

Her breaths were unsteady and filled with anxiety. She didn’t doubt herself, but then again, she wasn’t Senju Tsunade-sama. She thought of Obito’s bright grin, his energetic mannerisms and the determination his voice consistently held. She thought of how they had first met, before even attending the Academy. He was much clumsier and smaller, but his personality hadn’t changed a bit from back then. She imagined a world without her oldest friend, and it was a duller world, void of its usual excitement and vibrant colors. Void of the joy Obito brought it.

It was an unacceptable world. It was a world she couldn’t, no , wouldn’t let exist. 

She looked at Obito, whose flushed face showed his own internal battle. He was covered in sweat, his face scrunched in discomfort. He looked awful, his breaths deep and urgent. The boy probably wasn’t quite in pain anymore due to her technique, but with his body was doing everything it could to fight off infection, the signs of struggle were obvious. Seeing him in this state was absolutely gut-wrenching.

She straightened herself with a sharp breath and picked up a bubble of the solution in her hand. The jutsu required the Iryo-nin to push the fluid into the patient’s body with one hand, collect the poison (or in this case, the bacteria) into it, and use the fluid to aid in the recovery of the damaged (infected) tissue, and then the used fluid, alongside the collected bacteria, would be transferred to the Iryo-nin’s other hand to be deposited elsewhere. 

Rin realized that it was actually a boon that she was using herbal fluid. It was completely safe to absorb for the body, so as she treated him, she could use it to hydrate Obito by absorbing part of it into his body. It would also strengthen his body, lessening the after effects of recovery from his condition.

She pushed the bubble of the herbal solution into the wound and the surrounding area. Rin watched Obito for any indication of discomfort, but luckily he didn’t even fidget or squirm. A concentrated expression etched on her face, she visualized her chakra as tens of thousands of tiny needles, sweat beading on her forehead, not from physical exertion (yet), but from the level of concentration the procedure demanded. 

The peritoneum is a semi-permeable membrane, it’s flexible, smooth, slippery and lubricating. It exists to not only protect the abdominal organs, but also to allow the organs to move against each other without risking damage. Because of its permeable nature, it can absorb fluids. Rin understood instinctually that while its permeability is a strength, it is also a weakness. In the case of bacterial spread, it enabled peritonitis, since it carried contaminants throughout the abdominal cavity and contributed to bacterial spread.

For Rin’s current treatment, the permeability of the membrane was perfect, as she was making use of a fluid: her herbal solution. The solution easily pushed into the peritoneum and the rest of the abdominal cavity, giving her a great starting point. The chakra she had infused into the solution could be used similarly to the Diagnostic Jutsu to locate the extent of bacterial spread and as a weapon against said bacteria. She spread the tendril-like needles she had meticulously generated out of her chakra around the affected area as Rin strained with effort, focusing on her chakra’s sensations.

Chakra control to this degree was on another level than what most shinobi would ever have to do, including most Iryo-nin, but here she was. Despite all the practice she had done; string exercises, water walking on river currents, and difficult exercises prescribed for Iryo-nin, it took everything she had to keep her chakra from dispersing. Rin felt as though she was balancing five medicine balls in one hand, clinging to a tree branch with the other, all the while solving a complex integral equation in her mind. 

Her concentration wavered and flickered as her abilities were pushed to their limits. Retaining focus on the chakra tendrils, while also keeping her attention on her chakra sensations was pushing her to the limit of chakra control, but the moment she painstakingly tugged the tendrils to capture clumps of bacteria she located, the organisms would do its utmost to avoid it. The subsequent attempts she made to correct her failure ended in further failure, frustrating her to no end.

She hated this. It was uncomfortable, frustrating, angering and painful. Her hands stung with little needs as she exerted more and more control. Her fingers shook with restlessness, the blue sheen chakra in her hands blinking. This would be impossible for other shinobi her age, even Senju Iryo-nins, so why was she even bothering? It would be okay to give up, wouldn’t it? Nobody would blame her. 

When she was about to give up, she opened her eyes for a moment, ready to drop her control on the chakra, and she was immediately met with the sight of Obito’s face. He was unnaturally pale, unusually still, and still very much on the verge of death. His subdued expression felt so wrong to the girl. It was uncanny and terrifying. 

If Rin let him die, he would stay like this. She would never see his grin ever again.

It wasn’t just about her discomfort or pain, it was about his survival. So what if her fingers stung like she stuck her hand in a thorny bush? So what if she hated the discomfort, if she couldn’t stand the mental strain? They were all signs that the treatment would work. If her head felt like it was going to explode, then let it. If her joints screamed at her to stop tensing, then keep tensing. Her exhaustion clawed viciously at her, but her fires of determination wouldn’t wane anymore. Her own discomfort was nothing in the face of her friend’s death. 

So she ignored her body’s demands and dove back in once again, keeping steady hold of her chakra. Rin could perceive the bacteria that invaded the sanctity of Obito’s body and attacked every cell they could perfectly, but it was the killing of these bacteria that was the hard part. She flared her chakra as the tens of thousands of needles rushed with speed Rin hadn’t mustered before, each locking onto a target. She didn’t have to carefully wrap the tendrils around the masses of bacteria, she could pierce through the cells themselves. After they were stabbed through, she could drag them into the herbal solution, and with each cell she drew into the heart of the solution, she used chakra to trap them before sending the freed up chakra tendrils to find a new target.

Between thousands to billions of individual bacteria cells could exist in a typical infection. In an ongoing infection like this, there were at least a few hundred million colony-forming bacteria. Her fluid did a good job of weakening and sometimes killing bacteria, but it wouldn’t be enough on its own. Even if she could trap tens of thousands per second, it would take a long time to eliminate them all. It was impossible to fully sterilize or eliminate an infection, but it wasn’t needed. Rin just had to do the heavy lifting and make way for Obito’s body to have a fighting chance.

That being said, the heavy lifting she would have to pull off would last for hours. Rin’s concentration didn’t waver as she pulled the first of many batches of used solution out of his chest and emptied it a safe distance away. Her grip on her chakra, no matter how difficult it was to keep hold of, never grew weaker. Rin had found the location of each and every individual bacteria threatening Obito’s body and she was destroying them at a rapid, and yet mind-numbingly slow pace.

As testament for her desire to save Obito, she wouldn’t let go, even when her head was splitting apart, and when her hands were stiff from tension. Minutes felt like hours, and hours felt like days as she worked on and on, only taking a break to chuck a soldier pill into her mouth, the burning sensation in her stomach only serving to keep her concentration grounded and absolute. Rin was tiring at a steady pace, but at the rate she was going, she might even finish before fully exhausting her reserves and stamina. Her whole body ached from reduced chakra flow, and dull pains echoed through her hands, but she continued on all the same.

Time passed impossibly slow for Rin. She didn’t know how long she had been at it, or how many hours she had left to go, but her dedication was unshakable, her resolve more solid than the earth beneath the two. The cave was filled with silent gasps from Obito, the soothing hum of Iryo-ninjutsu, and the splashing sounds of used herbal solution being disposed of. Rin couldn’t hear any of it, though, her heart kept beating deafeningly in her ears, a constant for an amount of time Rin wouldn’t dare estimate.

And after a while, the treatment was beginning to show results. Internally, the previously overwhelming quantity of bacteria was diminishing faster and faster: She visualized the battlefield within Obito, her chakra needles becoming more precise, more efficient with every passing moment. Her technique was improving. Each extraction of herbal solution extracted an exponentially larger quantity of bacteria, his chances of survival increasing with her efforts. His sweating slowed down as his fever began to fall. His reflexive and yet desperate gasps for air slowly turned into deep, controlled breaths as his skin began to regain normal color.

Over the hours, a noticeable shift occurred. The peritoneum, having been cleared of most of the invading bacteria, meant that with each extraction of used solution, it became clearer and clearer, contrasting from its previously yellow-ish green color.. It was a sign that her treatment was paying off. She was that much closer to saving Obito, and her heart swelled with relief and pride; pride in her own technique, and pride in Obito’s persistance. There was still some bacteria floating around his bloodstream, but through her earlier mapping of the area, she knew the majority of the bacteria had been extracted.

And with the majority of the bacteria cleared, she allowed herself a momentary breath of relief. He was still heavily injured, but his life was practically guaranteed. Rin had given him a fighting chance and now it was only up to his body’s immune system, bolstered by her intervention and his will to live, to finish the fight. Her body becoming more relaxed, she gently took the last bubble of herbal solution and lowered it into his abdomen.

Working with the peritoneum was a significantly more challenging process than simply extracting bacteria from the bloodstream. The local blood supply had a smaller total area than the entire peritoneum membrane did, and the bacteria was confined to this narrow space. With delicate control, bolstered by the desire to complete her treatment, and with the proficiency she had gained over the last couple of hours, the last of the bacteria was dealt with incredible haste. 

Rin was finished, almost incredulous as she lifted her hands away from Obito’s abdomen. Her hands were quivering at her sides, numb with the intensity of her exertion and the saturation of her chakra. Rising off the ground for the first time in hours, a broad grin split her lips apart, a spark of glee animated her weary face. Laughter bubbled through her exhaustion, brief and uncontrollable, each passing chuckle growing more and more hysterical until it collapsed into tears. Relief, pride, fear and exhaustion, an unbridled storm of emotions overwhelmed her.

“Obito…” she sobbed, ugly tears running down her face, “I’m so glad you’re okay…” she muttered weakly. 

She leaned back, her energy was spent. She was utterly tapped out, her mind and body exhausted beyond belief. Rin idly wondered if she had even consumed a soldier pill. She laid on the hard ground beneath her for a few moments, totally unmoving. She still had to stitch up the massive wound on Obito’s stomach so it would heal properly, but upon inspection of her hands’ shakiness, she realized that she needed a short respite, at least. 

She knelt near Obito’s head and poured water down his throat the same way she had done it a few hours ago. It would be important to keep him hydrated now of all times, to keep his blood pressure normalized. She mixed salt from her pack into the water, too, since he had probably lost most of his electrolytes in his sweat. The most she could do for him now was restoring his sodium levels, though. Better than nothing.

Stitching Obito’s wound would take over an hour for civilian doctors, considering the disinfection process, anesthesia, and their lack of advanced Iryo-ninjutsu, but the process wasn’t so tedious for proper Iryo-nin. In Obito’s case, the most difficult part of the disinfection was complete, the rest could be done using some of the remaining herbal solution or with field-ready disinfectant gel. Anesthesia wouldn’t be necessary as Obito’s pain signals were still being blocked with the Neural Pathway Blockage jutsu. Rin would have to get the sutures in the old fashioned way, but field Iryo-nin were trained to be both quick and precise in their duties, and stitching somebody up was one of the most common jobs for them. Rin could work her way around those just fine, so long as her exhaustion didn’t get in the way.

Rin stretched her joints in her arms, loosening her shoulders and elbows, and relishing in the popping sounds her hands and fingers produced. The numbness in her hands was going away bit by bit, and along with her unease fading away, the trembling began to finally die down. Sterilizing her hands once again, she reached for her sutures stowed away by the bandages and gauze. 

Rin reached to uncover the tarp she had set over the wound and grimaced at the injury. The biggest threat to Obito’s life, the bleeding and infection, may have been stopped, but the injury would take him out of active duty for at least several months, considering the time it would take for the wound to close up naturally and the subsequent monitoring and rehabilitation. She had only seen wounds on this level in medical textbooks, so she took a breath to prepare herself.

Rin knew she could stitch him up in about 20 minutes, give or take, even with her decreased dexterity and exhaustion. The application of sutures was almost therapeutic to Rin, a rhythmic motion that brought her some semblance of peace, especially considering her previous efforts. It was not nearly as challenging. She glided across his skin, gently and yet diligently stitching the enormous opening back together. 

Despite her weariness and the slight tremble in her hands, there was a steady sureness in each move. The thread, imbued with a faint glow of her chakra, flowed effortlessly, as if it were routine for Rin to close wounds of this caliber. As she worked, Rin found herself thinking back to the previous hours she spent saving Obito’s life. She recalled all of the time she took to practice Iryo-ninjutsu, all of the reading she had done, and most of all the determination which never seemed to wane. More than anything, she was eternally glad for all of it, no matter how much it all had taken out of her, she had managed to save a life today. The weight of exhaustion weighed heavily on her shoulders, but at the same time a new sense of purpose served to lighten that weight. She came to an understanding all at once, despite the swirling and contrasting emotions racing around her mind, she was sure of one thing.

Her purpose as a shinobi was to save lives.

Before today, she became an Iryo-nin in part to help Obito and in part because the subject had simply interested her. With the confirmation of Obito’s survival, the pure sense of relief and accomplishment she felt was unmistakable. As Rin tied the last suture, she couldn’t help but smile from a sense of accomplishment. For now, Obito's treatment was finished. The road home would be surely filled with challenges, considering the care they would have to take, but this moment of triumph fortified her spirit. She sat back on her heels, taking a deep breath once again, as she took another glob of disinfectant gel. She disinfected the area before weaving bandages around his abdomen, tight enough to keep everything together, but loose enough to allow the area to breathe and for blood flow to not be constricted.

Obito would probably wake up in a day or two, which wasn’t a problem to the young medic, as she would definitely need that rest. All she had to do now was keep him hydrated until he woke up. She tapped the back of his head with her index and middle fingers again, undoing the Neural Pathway Blockage jutsu. He may feel some minor pain and dull aches, but he wouldn’t be in agony. Rin made sure of that much. 

…

“How impressive, girl,” a voice slithered through the air, horribly distorted and dripping with an unimaginable malevolence and irritation. Its tone was terribly twisted, never stable, never predictable, an unnaturally calm present in the guttural screech of its distorted sound. An oppressive weight overwhelmed Rin and sought to crush her where she stood.

She snapped her head towards the voice, betraying the fear that threatened to freeze her solid. A disgusting smell of petrichor, blood and rot filled her nostrils. She didn’t throw up, but it was a close thing, as she forced herself to hide a gag. The thing before her was a monstrosity, taking the form of a human, and yet it couldn’t possibly be mistaken for one. Tree-like growths protruded from its left side, colored with an unnatural white. Its right side was black like the void, not a speck of light reflecting off of it. An orange circle resembling an eye impassively stared at her.

Its skin carried an artificial quality, like an empty husk crafted out of rotting wood, but it was undoubtedly a living being, squirming with lifeforce it shouldn’t have. Rin couldn’t tell if she was simply delirious with fear and exhaustion, but she noticed that the creature before her wasn’t even breathing. It stood eerily still, stalking her with unblinking and unmatching eyes. 

Cold dread washed over Rin, and it took her everything she had to stay standing. The creature’s killing intent and her exhaustion were a potent combination, threatening to drag her to the ground. Obito was right behind her, and he was still recovering. It told her that it would take it from here, and it made its intentions crystal clear. The monster’s target, it was most likely Obito. Her expression hardened into the most threatening glare she could muster as she lifted a kunai in defiance. “Don’t you dare t-touch him!” she growled through her exhaustion, voice cracking in the middle. She mentally cursed herself for the show of weakness.

“Settle down,” it sighed in annoyance, “I’m here to turn your existence into something of value.” It shook its head before it pointed its open palm in front of him, a crunching sound from the earth splitting piercing the air as roots materialized from out of the ground and rushed towards Obito. Her perception slowed to a halt as the spokes closed in on the unconscious boy she had just healed. If Rin wasn’t so exhausted, she could grab the boy and try to make a run for it, but her weary muscles denied her the luxury of movement. She had no more energy, no more chakra. She was dead weight. 

Rin let her knees buckle under her weight, falling in front of Obito, and importantly in the path of the creature’s attack. She raised her arms in front of herself weakly, covering her vital points. “Ho?” it taunted, a filthy smirk forming on its left side. Searing pain shot through her body from several points at once, eliciting a terrible scream from the fallen girl. The sickening sound of flesh being pierced rang inside her head before she could even realize what had happened. Roots had impaled through her shoulders and hands, effectively immobilizing her, an involuntary wail erupting out of her very soul.

A torrent of burning agony radiated from her shoulders up her neck and down to her fingertips. The roots were lodged firmly through her arms, violating their integrity. Reflexively trying to move her arms resulted in the bones, muscles and tendons of each arm to scream in protest. She could hardly move a finger before a sharp cry bellowed out from her core, stretching the muscles by her shoulder causing more anguish, making even the act of breathing painful. It lifted her into the air with the roots, her body limp with exhaustion and pain. Her body weighed down upon the roots, creating pressure and squeezing her wounds. Molten heat burned out from the holes in her arms as she thrashed in pain.

This… thing … it possessed the Mokuton – the Shodaime’s Wood Release. Even through its oppressive killing intent and the pain wracking her body, she could still hear pure boredom in its voice. To the creature, attacking Obito and Rin was child’s play – bothersome and irritating, sure, but ultimately a simple task. Rin was nothing in the face of this aberration. It clearly thought less than nothing of murder. 

Helplessness washed over her, and it was almost as agonizing as the pain she was in. She had just healed Obito, just saved his life, just found a purpose for herself. Despair was a strong word, but today Rin understood the feeling for the first time. She was going to die, and Obito would be next, she knew, and she despised the fact to no end. This situation was all her fault. If only she hadn’t been put under genjutsu back in the pond, the boy wouldn’t have almost died, and this creature from nightmares wouldn’t be attacking the two. The mission would have simply continued as normal. 

She was too weak. 

Despite the intense, blazing pain emanating out of her entire body, the undeniable helplessness that threatened to crush her spirit into nothing, and the fear of death freezing her in place, she tried to calm down. Tried to think. She drew long, harsh and yet controlled breaths, tensing her core even as it contracted her muscles and made it hard to breath. She couldn’t clench her fists, she could hardly even move, but she figuratively stood her ground.

The creature binding her and threatening the pair’s lives was impassive, bored, and irritated. It would have killed them already if it wanted to. It was here on some kind of obligation, maybe it was here to draw out information or to capture Rin and use her Iryo-ninjutsu. If Obito got away, maybe it wouldn’t be bothered to chase him. Rin would be the only one in danger.

Somehow, Rin had to take responsibility. She steeled herself for the incoming wave of pain, “Wake up, Obito!! Run!!” she hacked out, the agony forcing tears out of her squinted eyes. It was a final act of defiance, the only thing she could do at this point was to wake the boy up. It was unfair to try to wake him up, and truly desperate, but if he somehow woke up, and ran away, at least he could survive. For a second, the creature turned its haunting gaze over to the boy, and smirked as nothing happened.

Obito remained unmoving, like Rin thought he would. She had hopped differently, but she knew it was impossible for him to wake up in this state. The creature narrowed its ill-shapen eyes. “Perhaps I should take both of them.” it wondered seemingly to no one, before a meek voice stammered out of the same mouth, “But He only wanted one, right?” it said to itself with a frown. “ He wouldn’t mind having more options. He’s a picky one,” it spat angrily, voice ever distorted, its frown transforming into an irritated scowl. 

Rin belatedly realized that the two sides were individual beings, merged together as some sort of freak of nature, and an insult to mother nature’s beauty. The dark side and white side weren’t one and the same. The other half hummed in agreement, as it pointed an open palm towards Obito, mirroring the stance he took just before. He was next, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She watched in horror, tears streaming down her face, as the same roots that had immobilized her, raced towards the Chuunin’s unconscious form. 

Was this really her fate, to be suspended in the air, helpless, watching in horror as she is captured alongside her best friend?  She tried to use the last of her chakra to do something, anything, but her chakra wouldn’t move like she wanted it to. Her tenketsu in her arms were damaged by the roots that impaled her arms, restricting her chakra flow. Her arms screamed in outrage, flexion stretching the wounds she sustained. 

It’s over for us, she thought, I’m sorry, Sensei, Kushina-san.

Silver blitzed through her line of vision as she fell to the ground once more. The roots burrowed in her arms were cut into pieces as crisp snapping accompanied the sharp echo of a sword’s slash. She cried out as pain flared through her body from the impact of falling, the relief from being freed outweighed the pain she was feeling. Raising her head cautiously, she was greeted with the back of a familiar boy with gravity-defying hair. His right hand clenched his tanto with a white-knuckled grip.

“K-Kakashi-kun!” she cried in wonder, “You came back!” she exclaimed, voice hoarse but full of relief. Relief in the fact that Kakashi hadn’t abandoned them, and relief in the fact that Obito would be okay. “I’m sorry, Rin, Obito,” he said, tone full with remorse, before he straightened himself. “Pakkun, the rest of the pack is under your command. Take my teammates to safety.  Bull, you’re with me.” he ordered professionally, voice serious and undeniably full of wrath. 

She winced as the group of ninken hastily hoisted her up along with Obito. “On it!” shouted Pakkun, “Oh dear, Rin-chan, let’s get you two out of here.” he reassured her, voice low and gruff despite his size. Kakashi had likely already identified that the monster was using Wood Release, so Rin opted to share another piece of intel, “Kakashi-kun! They are two beings, merged into one, and they each belong to a side!” she shouted in warning with the last of her strength, ignoring the flames escaping out from her wounds as she strained herself to raise her voice. 

As she was carried away, her energy hit its limits. Her continued consciousness was a miracle brought about only through her determination to keep Obito safe. The girl had hit her limits long ago, and a steady flow of adrenaline and resolve could only take the girl so far, so as her world turned to black, a single desire remained. One wish resonated through her entire being, even as she collapsed onto Shiba’s gray coat.

Obito, Kakashi-kun, stay safe.

—--------------

Hatake Kakashi 3rd person POV

Kakashi's mind was like a whirlwind, a tempest of deep disarray. Rin's words, his reflections, and his father’s choice, they were all sending his thoughts into a frenzy. He was caught in a storm of emotions and questions, all boiling down to one pressing question: What now?

He stood at the fateful clearing with the pond where so much had happened. After Rin had left with Obito in tow, Kakashi was stuck, trying to make sense of what had happened. Rin had so easily made her decision, and yet Kakashi, a once in a generation genius, was stuck in place, indecisively weighing his options. 

Seconds passed, the clearing filling itself with an oppressive silence, and without having made a single judgment, he took off to complete his mission. It was an automatic response – shrugging his emotions off was always the path of least resistance for the prodigy. His actions were almost mechanical: traveling at breakneck speeds, covering his tracks, and focusing on one objective: they were all skills Kakashi had honed long ago, a mindless endeavor. It was dangerous to sit still in enemy territory, and terribly inefficient to be rooted in place with indecision. Above all, the shinobi code forbade an emotional response.

The shinobi code, like a compass, had always been Kakashi’s guideline. Any time the prodigy found himself stuck, his mind racked with the implications of each decision he could make, the rules had always made his decisions for him. It was simple, wasn’t it? Kakashi was a shinobi, so it made sense to obey. 

Well, Kakashi wasn’t so sure of that anymore.

The world wasn’t black and white like Kakashi had believed before. Follow the rules. Complete the mission. Leave useless burdens behind. Fulfill your duty, no matter the cost. It was the bottom line. A simple, stark philosophy that had served him well. The rules dictated the ‘correct’ choices, noble choices that would work out for the greater good of the village, and emotion dictated the ‘wrong’ choices, naive choices that would ultimately hurt the village and its citizens. All you had to do was follow the rules, and everything would be okay, right?

Passing through the quiet forests of Grass, time seemed to stretch as he wrestled through his thoughts. He couldn’t keep his mind off what Rin had said. Her acts defied everything it meant to be a shinobi, and Kakashi knew he should simply forget about her and move on, but her words and decision had somehow shaken him to his core and challenged his very beliefs. Her actions may have been irrational, but it was her passion to save Obito that had brought back Kakashi’s memories of his father.

His father, the famous White Fang of Konoha, had foolishly broken the rules to save his comrades. He was scum, the same as all other shinobi who broke the code, and for a second after those rebellious thoughts betrayed his logical mind, he prepared to mentally curse the man he had grown to resent, but he found himself unable to do so. Instead, an overwhelming sense of loss plagued him. He found himself mourning the very father he had rejected for so long. 

This sudden wave of grief struck him with an unexpected clarity, unraveling the tightly wound threads of anger and misunderstanding that had bound his heart for years. The memories of the man who had raised him had grown distorted over years of resentment. How had he come to define Sakumo's entire legacy by one moment of mercy? Why had he allowed the village's scorn to overwrite the years of love and guidance Sakumo had provided? It was a stark, painful realization—recognizing that his fear had pushed him to a cold detachment, a safety mechanism against the pain from the loss of his father.

That same father had smiled with nothing but joy as Kakashi picked new skills, he was the one who brought the pack out when Kakashi felt sad or lonely, He was the one who had raised Kakashi all alone and yet never complained. He was a splendid father who was endlessly admired and loved by Kakashi. When that same father had died, shunned by the entire village, Kakashi seemed to forget all the love he had for the man. All the love he held for the man became void, replaced with hate. 

In Kakashi’s mind, Hatake Sakumo was a superhero. He was a beacon, a perfect parent, and the man he had admired. 

When that superhero was suddenly crumbling away as his reliable facade turned to nothing, he had no idea what to do. The empty looks his father sported after that mission had haunted the child. He didn’t know how to help his dad, hell, he didn’t think his dad would ever need help. So when one day, he came back from the academy to see nothing more than a lifeless corpse that used to be his father hanging from the living room ceiling, Kakashi couldn’t handle it. Sakumo, his perfect father, had killed himself?

The villagers berated him, calling him scum. Exclaiming how useless he had been. How much pain he would cause with his mistake. Don’t end up like your father, they told him. The man hadn’t followed the rules, and see what happened? He may have been a capable shinobi, but in the end, he was just scum.

Ninja who break the rules and regulations are scum.  

And just like that, Kakashi’s philosophy was born. It was terribly unfair to Sakumo, to hate him with such an intensity. Even if he was now dead, blaming a single man for everything wrong that had happened after his death was one-sided. It was what had gotten Sakumo killed, wasn’t it? The entire village had blamed the man and his compassion for the start of the war, including his only son. Kakashi bet Sakumo could hardly even rest in peace, having been cursed by the very son he had cherished so much for the past few years.

Were the lives he saved truly worth more than the chance to watch Kakashi grow up? Were they worth more than the pleasure of raising his only son? Did he really have to die, and leave Kakashi behind?

In the end, it all boiled down to the absence of Sakumo. Kakashi didn’t hate his father, far from it. What he hated was the fact that Hatake Sakumo had died: the fact that he had taken his own life. He hated that his father was gone forever, he hated the prospect of never seeing his father’s face ever again, and he hated himself for not stopping his untimely demise.

Kakashi hating Sakumo and worshiping the rules was a coping mechanism.

And now that Kakashi realized that, the longing he had held for his father for years came back in full force, unforgiving and ruthless, keen on punishing Kakashi for his failures. His stomach was in knots, his thoughts were obstructed by fog, and his heart felt like it had been impaled by a kunai. At that moment, the boy’s pursuit of the mission came to a screeching halt, as he landed on the next branch, refusing to move forward. 

Hatake Sakumo’s decision to save his comrades had saved two lives, but it had also been the spark that had ignited the Third Great Shinobi war. But Sakumo didn't know that, no one had that certainty. His actions just so happened to cause the war, and he was blamed for the immeasurable death toll it brought. 

The shinobi world was a cruel place. It killed indiscriminately, spared few, and devastated entire regions, so why not direct the peoples’ fury to a shinobi who had failed his mission? It was an easy solution to the unrest surrounding declaration of war. Scapegoats were hardly rare anywhere in the world, especially in a world that revolved so heavily around violence. A Third war would’ve broken out regardless of his father’s actions, perhaps fueled by another incident. 

And now the war might end, with the completion of their mission. Destroying the Kannabi Bridge was supposedly a mission of incredible importance, as it could end the war, but even that wasn’t guaranteed. It wasn’t unheard of for fronts to collapse, even if they were major. But what was stopping Iwa from simply rebuilding the bridge, taking that time to recuperate for another invasion? They were still fighting on foreign soil, so who said they were in any existential danger? The completion of their mission at Kannabi Bridge would simply buy time. 

The mission could end the war? Failure would prolong the war? Sacrificing his comrades is a small price to pay for the mission’s completion? They were all excuses. Even if the war were to end, ushering in an era of peace, how long would it take for another war to break out? This is the Third war, after all. A shinobi’s lifestyle was dependent on violence, and what better way than war was there to create violence?

The mission was in shambles already, anyway. Kakashi wasn’t sure if he could do it alone, but more importantly, he abandoned his teammates. If the team returned to the village having failed to complete the mission, maybe they would be branded as scum, perhaps Sensei would look at them with disappointment or hate. The Hokage might even punish them for it, but Kakashi had something Sakumo wasn’t given – a team that would stick together.

The trio would have each other. Team 7 wouldn’t be alone, as Sakumo had been. All Kakashi knew now was what his heart was telling him at that moment. 

They could die, and it would be my fault.

Sakumo’s decision began to make more sense to Kakashi. Once someone died, they never came back, it was a fact everyone knew, but that reality seldom dawned on a person before it was too late. Those two were still alone out there, weren’t they? Rin was fighting to save Obito’s life, and Kakashi stuck between his decisions, pondering a choice that should be obvious. The lives of his indispensable comrades, or the mission?

Gods, was he stupid.

Without delay, Kakashi turned around, sprinting back in the direction of the clearing which had fundamentally challenged his beliefs, convictions and sense of duty.

He had spent an unknown amount of time making his way towards Kannabi Bridge, and his earlier indecision was frustrating now quite frustrating to say the least. The only silver lining was that the speed he ran towards the mission objective at a moderate speed, as his chakra was suppressed and he was taking care to keep his tracks clean. If he chose to go at full speed, he could make it back in record time, at the risk of being intercepted.

Kakashi wasn’t too worried about that, though. He was faster than most, being a small and light 13 year old Jounin, so it was unlikely he would be intercepted before he reached his team. 

Time passed quickly as Kakashi’s mind came to be occupied by thoughts of his teammates’ safety. Was Rin hiding somewhere? Had she succeeded in healing Obito, with a wound that serious? Her face spoke volumes about her determination to save the boy, but telltale signs of uneasiness Kakashi recalled through her determined front meant she wasn’t fully confident, or at the very least she was worried about her chances of success. 

If Obito succumbed to his injuries, would the death be Kakashi's fault? 

The scenery changed ever so slightly as he raced through the land, jumping from tree to tree. He hadn’t noticed his surroundings, deep in thought as he was, and it served as a reminder of his mistakes, but he knew he was getting closer. He didn’t exactly like the smell of burnt flesh, but it was a pungent one that Kakashi could smell from a fair distance away, indicating his relative distance to the fighting ground.

Rin wouldn’t be far from there, he knew. She was in a hurry to get started on Obito’s treatment, she likely had less than an hour to hide somewhere, and alongside his ninken, tracking her scent should be easy enough. 

He dropped onto the center of the clearing not so long after, made the necessary hand seals and slammed the ground. “Summoning Jutsu!” he shouted, creating a buff of smoke as his pack of ninken appeared in front of him. “Long time no see, Boss.” Pakkun greeted playfully, smirking, before seeing Kakashi’s serious expression. “Whaddya need help with?” he asked after straightening himself.

“I need to track my teammates. We were,” he paused, thinking of a way to put it, “... separated some time ago. The two are most likely in the open, and last time I saw him, Obito was heavily wounded. I’m… concerned about their chances of survival.” He looked at the group of dogs in front of him. “Can you catch their scent?” he asked with an uncharacteristic hopefulness. Pakkun smiled fondly, “ ‘Concerned’, huh? Alright, Boss, you’ve got it!” he reassured Kakashi, barking orders to the rest of the ninken.

They made their way out of the clearing with haste, following the trail Rin left as she fled in a hurry, as well as the faint scent of blood Obito had emitted. The path she left behind wasn’t a linear one, which Kakashi mentally applauded her for. She had made some effort to confuse a potential enemy’s attempts in tracking. The scent was becoming stronger and stronger, indicating they were getting closer.

Gradually, Rin’s natural scent grew mixed with more and more adrenaline and sweat, and before they knew it, an inconspicuous riverside welcomed them. Pakkun and the pack looked up to Kakashi for orders. “She’s probably hidden herself nearby, split up and signal us if yo-” he started, before being interrupted by the most ungodly scent he had ever smelled in his life. It flooded their noses, nearly forcing a gag out from Kakashi and the rest of his gag. The smell of rot and mold, weaved together so thoroughly he almost couldn’t identify it. An unholy aftertaste of hold blood filled Kakashi’s mouth, the tang stabbing at his gums. The closest comparison was rotting corpses or a diseased cyst popping.

It was a scent that cursed life itself, and Kakashi was scared to see what kind of creature could possess such an odor. He caught another scent that was mixed in with the rest of the horrid smells. Adrenaline, and not Rin’s. It was just a hint, the smallest amount Kakashi could possibly register. Irritation, his mind echoed without thought. It was the telltale sign of frustration, the slightest bit of anger. Whatever the smell came from wasn’t some kind of rotting corpse, it was something sentient. Something with consciousness.

Before he could finish the thought, a blood curdling scream came from a cliffside 15 meters to his right, just across the river. A genjutsu. Rin had placed a genjutsu over a cave opening or something of the like, and was likely treating Obito there. Something had attacked them. 

And it was Kakashi’s fault. 

With a glance, the group of ninken rushed across the currents and with a silent Genjutsu: Kai, a wall of stone in front of them faded, revealing Rin, who held up by roots impaling her arms. The culprit was clearly not human, a being covered of black and white, with menacing roots protruding from its body. That was the source of the terrible scent, and the thick layer of killing pushing down upon Kakashi.

In an instant, he drew his tanto and chopped the roots with practiced ease, the suspended Rin falling to the ground with a gasp. The feeling in his hands was all wrong. The wood he had just chopped through, it was filled with chakra. The chakra present in the roots was malevolent, and it was all wrong. The vibrations that went through his hands almost felt like screams and wails. As unnatural as the chakra itself was, the concentration of it within the roots was reminiscent of elemental ninjutsu. The implications spoke for themselves.

Somehow, this amalgamation possessed Wood Release, a legendary Kekkei Genkai only ever used by Konoha’s First Hokage. 

Unease pricked at Kakashi’s spine, but he pushed it away and ignored it. Wood Release or not, it was his duty as the team leader to ensure Rin and Obito survived. This sense of duty, it must have been what his father had felt. He bit down harshly, resolving to buy time for their escape. Without looking behind him at Rin, he could tell she was heavily injured. The cave area she had set up camp in was layered with the thick smell of blood, along with slight hints of sweat, adrenaline and… thyme? 

He ordered the ninken to take the unconscious Obito and barely conscious Rin away, leaving Bull behind to assist him. Bull was the biggest and strongest of the pack, and Kakashi reckoned that he would need support against this thing. Before leaving his earshot, Rin shouted a piece of intel, “Kakashi-kun, they are two beings, merged into one, and they each belong to one side!”

With that information he stared at the creature, who was growing increasingly frustrated, scowling furiously at the prodigy. Sure enough, the creature’s halves had distinct differences, the black side seemed to be more of a shade, with an orange eye, while the white side held its tree-like characteristics – the roots and the texture of its skin. He wasn’t sure what he would do with the information, but if the opportunity to separate them came, Kakashi would take it.

“The White Fang…? No, you’re just a runt.” it asked before shaking its head dismissively,
“No matter. Perhaps you will suffice.” it decided, more roots coming out from the ground, primed towards the boy. Kakashi had learned from the day before not to act hastily. He watched the jutsu carefully, before it thrust out sharply, cutting the wind in its advance. Its speed was fast, almost fast enough to catch Kakashi…

But his Sensei’s attacks were faster. 

He slipped out of the way, well-practiced in avoiding quick attacks. The attack kept continuing, seemingly endless. One root split into three, branching off to create more and more attacks. Individually, the creature’s Wood Release attacks weren’t very deadly, but facing off against the unpredictability of its attacks. The way it diverged, split, and swayed around Kakashi made one thing sure. The creature was more skilled than the average Jounin. 

The barrage of hundreds of attacks was pushing Kakashi to his limits. Sure, Minato’s attacks were faster, but the sheer number of the enemy’s attacks made up for it. He rolled, swayed, and jumped around the plant-like spikes, rushing at him from every angle. Roots sprouted from behind him as he leaped backwards, they chased him as he rushed forward. Through the liberal use of his tanto to parry and slice oncoming strikes he couldn’t avoid, along with Bull shoving, clawing at and biting the roots, Kakashi could just barely keep up. 

The nature of the creature’s assault was indeed ruthless and unforgiving, but Kakashi could tell after a short time that it wasn’t aiming for vital points. He was aiming for the joints in his arms and legs, it was aiming for his shoulders, and his feet, just like where it had struck Rin. He recalled the statement the creature had made earlier, that he would ‘suffice’. Its goal wasn’t to kill Rin and Obito earlier, it was to capture them, otherwise Rin would have already been dead. And now that they were gone, Kakashi was the target.

Now, Kakashi had a plan. At the rate Kakashi was moving, he would eventually run out of energy and slip up, causing bad injury. Bull wasn’t faring much better, either, despite not being the main target. If he was going to get pierced, it was going to be by his rules. He glanced at Bull and nodded curtly.

Stumbling briefly, a sharpened branch raced towards Kakashi’s uninjured left shoulder. The boy’s hand redirected the blow to barely miss the shoulder directly, instead digging into flesh right below his shoulder. Kakashi hissed in pain as the creature smirked. It had forgotten about Bull, it seems. He ignored the pain surging from his left shoulder, charging his White Light Chakra Sabre with Lightning Release chakra. With a hiss, he threw the crackling tanto, a white, electrified streak trailing behind the blade as it rushed towards the creature’s chest, easily piercing through it, pushing it back and pinning to the cave wall. In the next moment, Bull burrowed out from right under the pinned monster, ripping its leg off.

Kakashi took a kunai out of his pouch and cut the root out of his chest, stepping back cautiously. The creature was stuck now, impaled through a vital point. A vital point for humans, that is. He watched the creature intently as it stood passively, looking down at the White Fang’s namesake. Bull leaped back towards Kakashi, dropping its severed leg on the ground by his side.

He took a breath, “What are your motives?” Kakashi demanded sternly, six shuriken in his hand. It twitched briefly, prompting the Jounin to raise his shuriken arm in a throwing position. “Don’t move,” he threatened. The creature stared at Kakashi, before a malicious grin stretched across its haunting features. “Ridiculous.” it remarked menacingly, before a stabilizing root replaced its severed leg. It walked through the blade, unaffected by the hole through its chest.

Kakashi clicked his tongue, throwing electrified shuriken at its face in an arc, attempting to cut its head off. “Shinobi ought to be wary of their surroundings,” it said casually, roots exploding from the ground, batting the shuriken away. Kakashi widened his eyes, his gaze racing around him. No branches or roots were threatening to impale him like he thought, but the leg Bull torn off had already expanded and transformed into bulky roots, swiftly wrapping themselves around Kakashi’s legs before he could get away. 

Bad. This was bad news. Cutting through the thick wood keeping him in place would take Kakashi time, precious time that could be spent avoiding attacks. Now, he was wide open no matter what he did. Bull tried biting through the wood right away, but was immediately sent flying into the cave side by an effortless attack, turning into a puff of smoke as he crashed into the rock painfully. Kakashi reached for a kunai, but his pouch was stabbed through by an incoming root, grazing his leg as it was knocked away. 

“Enough of that.” it snarled, still walking towards Kakashi. The wood restraining his legs squeezed tighter, and he could feel his blood flow getting cut off. Now, even if he freed himself, it would be more difficult to make distance. If he didn’t get out soon, the fight would be over, so his mind scrambled for a way out of his predicament. Kakashi had no more ninja tools, but his hands were still free. The creature had its guard down, so if he could just break through the wood…

Kakashi blinked in realization. The Chidori. The jutsu was Kakashi’s own creation, so the creature couldn’t anticipate it. The jutsu may be incomplete when it comes to offense, but Kakashi wouldn’t use it to attack the creature, he would use it to free himself instead. His eyes shone with a fierce glint of defiance.

Ox, Rabbit, Monkey, he signed the hand seals resolutely, the creature’s eyes widening as roots rummaged from the ground towards Kakashi. His hands sparked lazily at first; with Kakashi injuries, it was difficult to concentrate, but with an exerted grunt, his hand sparked with an unstable current, chirping with the sound of a thousand birds. He swung his hand at the incoming roots, destroying them easily, before bending down and piercing through the wood restraining his feet. 

His feet stung with dozens of tiny needles, half asleep from a lack of blood flow, but he ignored the discomfort and flooded his legs with chakra. Making as much distance as he could, he leapt out of the cave. A torrent of sharp roots followed him with a vengeance, giving him little time to react. The chakra cost of the Chidori was steep, it was a jutsu he could use up to four times, and that was only if he hadn’t expended any chakra. He had some time to recover earlier, sure, but using it twice in one day was already demanding. The lighting had already flickered away by the time his feet hit the ground behind him in an attempt to conserve chakra. His reserves were below half, and with that he could feel the debilitating onset of mild chakra exhaustion, inhibiting his movements. Now that his tanto and ninja tools were left behind in the cave, his only option was to avoid the roots. 

He barely avoided the first wave of precise stabs, sidestepping and ducking around them in a not-so-elegant dance, dizzily stumbling and rolling at several instances, but surges of pain across his side and legs alerted him to the fact that he wasn’t properly avoiding each attack. When Kakashi barely avoided a root that pierced the air where his mid chest would be, followed by two jabs to his legs from behind forcing him to nearly roll into three stationary roots, he realized it would only be a matter of time…

… Before a vine toppled his feet over, making him stumble, his equilibrium shot. He sprung himself off the ground with his hands in a desperate attempt to get away, but as his frantic eyes registered a root charging at his side, it was too late. The attack missed a vital spot, but it created a deep gash above his ribs. Kakashi growled painfully, clenching the wound with his hands, and as fire spread from the wound across his side, it easily overshadowed the dull pain from his shoulder wound.

An injury like this was terrible news for any fighter. Any movements Kakashi made would cause the already horribly painful wounds to twist and turn. Each stretch of his muscles tugging at the freshly exposed injury. Harsh movements were practically impossible, and pair that up with blood loss…

At this rate, he would probably be taken. He didn’t know the creature’s plans with him, but it couldn’t be anything good. He glared at it as a last act of defiance, staring intently at its appearance. He hadn’t noticed just how horrifying it was earlier. Nothing about it was natural, the hue of its skin white, bearing a wooden texture, squirming as if a sea of bugs crawled under its appalling skin. Its unmatching eyes held a malice that frightened even Kakashi, staring him down like an uninterested hunter who had caught a mere hare. 

That’s all he was to this… hellspawn. He was just prey, like an injured deer who struggled to move.  “Stay put, will you?” it said, voice dripping with irritation. More roots floated above his head, ready to restrain Kakashi the same way he had seen them restrain Rin before. 

Kakashi had to stop the bleeding, at least. He could cauterize the wound with his Lighting Release, but he had no idea if he could bear the pain or if it would even buy him enough time. Hesitating to release his chakra, he grit his teeth in anticipation for the creature’s attack.

Suddenly, the air was pierced by a sharp, piercing hiss, a sound that sliced through the momentary silence like a blade. The high-pitched zip disappeared as fast as it had appeared, a tall, blonde-haired figure appearing in the cave, by his fallen pouch. In Kakashi’s desperation, he could clearly smell the familiar scent of his mentor, Namikaze Minato. 

The creature turned around apathetically, hissing in annoyance before the roots rushed at the immobile boy. Attempting to avoid the blow, he strained his muscles to move, raw agony exploding out from his wound, mercilessly immobilizing him. He fell forward, before being grabbed by a lighting fast figure. 

The feeling of being teleported wasn’t the greatest, light nausea bubbling inside of his stomach, but he was nonetheless grateful for it in this circumstance. They landed back at Kakashi’s pouch, where the custom-made kunai laid. “Sensei! How did you…?” Kakashi asked in part wonder and part relief. “The formula engraved on the kunai I gave you sets a mark, allowing me to quickly hop to it using my transportation jutsu.” the blonde explained with patience, “Speaking of which, it looks like that thing knows about my jutsu.” he said, glancing at the Wood Release user, who was ripping its arm off..

“I marked it when I grabbed you, but it wasted no time in removing the limb that held the formula,” he remarked to Kakashi, and stood up to stare down at the freak of nature. “What are you, and why did you attack my student?” he demanded answers fiercely, switching to the demeanor that earned him Flee-on-sight orders from multiple hidden villages. It spat out a curse, “Of all the insects to appear…” Kakashi barely picked up as it spoke to itself. Without delay, it sank into the ground to escape. Minato-sensei hopped to its discarded limb with a sharp zing, now mere meters away from it. A bright azure light swirled in his hand, forming a rotating sphere of pure chakra. The Rasengan crashed at the descending monster, ultimately missing its mark and instead creating a small spherical crater in the dirt below his hand.  

Minato sighed in disappointment, standing up straight and making his way back towards Kakashi. “Sensei, that thing was using-” Kakashi started, before Minato interrupted, “Wood Release, I know. It’s hard to believe, but that isn’t what’s important right now,” he regarded Kakashi with a questioning glance, “What happened to Obito and Rin? Their chakra signatures are too weak.” he asked with worry. Kakashi looked down guiltily, “We were ambushed not long after we split up. We won the battle, but the enemy severely injured Obito with a slash to the stomach,” he clenched his fists as he continued, “and I… I chose to abandon him. Rin took him so she could heal him, and I…” he shook his head angrily, before he went silent.

“By the time I decided to come back, Rin had already been attacked by that Wood Release monster. It’s my fault they were injured so badly, Sensei,” he looked up remorsefully at his mentor, locking eyes with vulnerability he would never expose before today, “I’m sorry,” he muttered softly. 

Minato smiled at the boy, ruffling his hair. “You should tell that to them,” he advised gently, “It’s an emergency situation, so we’re going back to Konoha.” Kakashi flinched, Sakumo’s figure appearing in his mind, but then nodded. He had come back acknowledging the mission wouldn’t be completed, he knew this would happen in the end. “Stay here, I’ll grab Obito and Rin and take them here. If your life is in danger, pulse your chakra through my custom kunai.” Minato said before leaping off in the direction of his teammates. 

What a relief, Kakashi thought. Minato-sensei coming in the nick of time was a stroke of luck and a massive coincidence, especially considering that Kakashi hadn’t known about the formula on the custom kunai he had been gifted. If his teacher hadn’t come when he did, not only would Kakashi have been captured, but his teammates could have died. Obito’s condition was unclear to Kakashi, and Rin could have just as easily bled out with her injuries. 

He wondered what that abomination’s aim was. There was no sign of a headband or a symbol to signify its loyalties, meaning it likely didn’t belong to any of the Elemental Nations. If its aim wasn’t to capture Kakashi as a prisoner of war, then what was it? He shuddered at the thought, because even if he didn’t know the first thing about it, what he did know was how inhuman it was, its lack of empathy, its ruthlessness and how objectively malicious it had been. 

The thought only served to enlarge his gratitude for his Sensei’s intervention. Kakashi didn’t know what would happen next at the village, or how much trouble his team would land themselves in, but most of all, he was relieved none of them were killed. Now that sensei was here, even if Rin hadn’t succeeded in healing Obito, they would have access to the famous Senju medics, who were renowned across all the Elemental Nations as the best medics the world had to offer. 

As the adrenaline flowing through his body died down, pain pulsed through his wounds in waves, as if they were still being stabbed through all the same. Kakashi had been cut, punched, burned, and zapped during his career as a shinobi, but being impaled by roots was a first. His wounds certainly weren’t fatal, but they were most definitely painful. 

Kakashi wouldn’t cry out, though. He wouldn’t complain. The wounds he had suffered, they had all bought him time. Time for Minato to arrive, to drive the monster away, and time for the pack to take Rin and Obito away from its reach. It was hard to regret the injuries he had suffered, and if anything, he was glad he didn’t have to burn himself to stop the bleeding. So he sat against a rock, applying pressure to his side to stop the bleeding, doing his best to bear the pain. 

Suddenly, he could feel the pack reverse summoning themselves back to the summoning dimension. That meant that Minato had caught up to them and had the two injured Chuunin in tow. An instant later, Minato appeared in front of Kakashi with a startling swish, Rin and Obito draped over his shoulders. He stuck his hand out, “Let’s go home, Kakashi,” he said with a kind tone. Kakashi took his hand, and an instant later, they stood in front of the Konoha gates.

At long last.

Chapter Text

11:17 a.m., 16th of June, 1bNb

“Oh.” was the only response my brain could conjure up in that moment.

The silence was palpable, and suddenly, the lighthearted atmosphere that had come from our improved mood turned tense and stifling. In my head, I knew the mission was going to take place soon, but I had forgotten about its existence for a moment because of my turmoil. Kannabi Bridge was a crucial event, and I wasn’t even here to say something to their team as they left. No awkward, out of place advice I could give to the team whose lives were about to forever change as a result of the mission they were forced to complete.

There was nothing I could do anymore, ultimately. It wouldn’t make any sense for me to have been there with Team Minato; in fact, it would be awfully suspicious of me to have pushed to come along with them, even if I had that opportunity. Regardless of those facts, my head hung with faint disappointment. I didn't even have the chance to wish them good luck. Whatever happened in that mission, I hoped Obito would be prepared to change it for the better. The plan in making Obito stronger was that maybe, he would have the extra speed to get out of the way of the boulder, or prevent Rin’s kidnapping all together, but the problem with the plan was that there were too many variables to accurately predict what would happen. A changed outcome at one point of the mission would surely affect the rest of it. 

Ultimately, the reason I decided on such a hands-off plan was because I trusted in Obito’s judgment, and in his resolve to protect his team. He was the closest thing the world had to Naruto right now, and I would bet on Naruto any day.

Gai stood in front of me. I had imparted him with much of the knowledge I had, along with my planned courses of action. Despite the boy’s usual energy, it seems he couldn’t quite muster an enthusiastic response, “I have never once doubted either of our abilities, but considering the situation at hand, I cannot help but wonder whether we have prepared Obito-kun enough to face his fate head on.” he said with a certain melancholy. It was a tone that didn’t suit him.

I mustered a small smile, “It’s hard to say, Gai, but if nothing else, I trust Obito. He’s made an incredible amount of progress in a short time. At the very least, we can rest assured that he is fighting as hard as he can.” I said, attempting to reassure not only Gai, but also myself. There was no point in acting stressed or doubting anybody, especially since we had no way of knowing how their mission was going. He shook his head before breaking out into his familiar energetic grin, “That is true. Knowing that boy and his boundless Youth, it is foolish to worry!” he agreed easily.

I will need to keep my ears open in the coming days. The news of their mission is sure to come quickly, and when that happens, I will hear every detail of that mission. Hopefully it will be Obito telling me about those, because if not, the world might just tremble under Tobi’s vengeful mission, and that would be the worst case scenario. 

I was glad the tension was semi-broken, as it made my departure that much less awkward. “Right then. You’d better get to sprinting, Gai,” I joked, reminding him of his failed planking, eliciting a ‘you’re right’ expression from him. “I’m going home to do some thinking. That nap will have to wait.” I sighed disappointedly, before waving at my friend. “Let’s talk later,” I promised, walking off. “Please take it easy, my friend, for tomorrow I will not allow you to rest!” he said back, waving me off. “Remember: triple the intensity, Daisuke-kun!” I scowled at him good naturedly.

Give a break.

—-----------------------------------

I made it back home at a relaxed pace. I wasn’t really in the mood for roof-hopping, and the idea of a casual morning stroll had put me at great ease. I opened the door and shouted the obligatory ‘I’m home!’ as I stepped inside. As I slipped on my indoor slippers, I walked through to the living room area. Kaa-san frowned at me pensively, “Did you have fun with Gai-kun?” she asked, worried by my expression. I smiled, “Yeah. Talking to him really helped me out, I just…” I paused for a moment, deciding on a choice of words, “have a lot to think about.” I finished with a shrug. “...Okay sweetheart. Let us know if you need anything,” she accepted my answer. “Right. I’ll be in my room.”

As I walked through the hallway to my room, I caught a peak of Tou-san and Izumi in our parents’ room. He was going over Taijutsu katas. Oh yeah, that was a thing. Izumi was going to be a ninja, just like in canon. I shoved my discomfort away as I got to my room.  Immediately I took out my old notebook where I jotted down all of the information I could recall. It was a decision I had made early on to avoid forgetting something important. 

I need to be more proactive, and for that, I needed a plan. Even if Obito wasn’t kidnapped (which was a possibility I dreaded), there was no telling what could happen. Sure, the Kyuubi incident played a big role in speeding up the Uchiha clan’s ostracization from the rest of the village, but the key word there was ‘speed up’. As things stood, the Uchiha were still seen with a fair amount of scorn, and if it’s in Danzo’s agenda to remove the Uchiha as a threat, who knows what kind of fabricated events could lead up to this timeline’s Massacre... 

The family I loved so dearly wasn’t out of danger quite yet. 

I needed to be influential, or have access to an influential figure. I brainstormed for various routes to that outcome as I flipped through my notebook, scanning titles, names and ability summaries idly. The most obvious path would be getting along with the Hokage somehow, but it wasn’t an easy feat. I wasn’t a Jinkuuriki like Naruto, his grandson like Konohamaru, or the last Uchiha like Sasuke. When it came to strength, I was marginally above a Genin’s level. It would’ve been nice if I had gotten a Sarutobi as a sensei, but that shortcut hadn’t been afforded to me. Tsume-sensei wasn’t quite the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan, so using that connection was out.

I could try to rank up as fast as possible and add to my training, but that was too slow. Besides, I was already going to do that, considering the results of Utahime’s infiltration. Was there an option to apply for apprenticeship in other departments of Konoha’s shinobi force? The most direct path was to be intertwined with village administration: so the Hokage or perhaps figures like clan heads, or to be close with the… Uchiha. 

A flip was switched in my head as I rampantly flipped pages of my notebook towards the Police Force. Right, the Uchiha. The Uchiha clan isn’t so big, it isn’t so complicated, and moreover, I am an Uchiha. There was nothing suspicious about a young Uchiha’s interest in the Police Force, was there? If I rose through those ranks and landed a position where I had the opportunity to acquaint myself with Fugaku, I could actually have some leeway to change things for the better.

According to my younger self’s memory, the Police Force was an organization founded by Senju Tobirama to give the Uchiha responsibility and to display Konoha’s trust in the clan. Entry was restricted to those in the Uchiha clan. I wasn’t sure of the requirements apparently, but I theorized that it was age-related or rank-related, judging by the fact that every member of the Police Force wore a vest. Should I go and ask about it? At my age, perhaps they wouldn’t take me seriously.

Perhaps Kaa-san knows. She may seemingly have little remaining connection to the clan, but she must hold some kind of information. Apart from that, I couldn’t really think about what to do next. To receive any sort of great recognition from the village, I would probably need to achieve a meaningful feat, or contribute to Konoha in a significant way. It was something that would likely come with time. Becoming closer to the Uchiha wasn’t the only step I needed to take, as well. Itachi was the literal son of Fugaku, the rising star of the Uchiha, and the youngest Anbu captain ever, and yet he couldn’t do anything to stop the Massacre. Whether his inability to stop the tragedy came from his own inadequacy or not was unclear to me, but it was definitely safer to have as many connections to the top as possible.

The whole process will surely be stressful, but it was the only way to make change.It was a real shame that I didn’t have nepotism on my side. Sasuke and Naruto had contact with Sannin purely based on the circumstances of their births. Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade were still in the village at this time, and they had a great deal of influence. 

“...,how… Magnificent.” 

A shiver went down my spine at that mental reminder. That’s right, Orochimaru had said that. Maybe it was nothing, but receiving unwanted attention from the snake summoner was a chilling prospect. I remembered the unsettling tone he spoke with, and the way his eyes narrowed at me, and god did the idea of his interest make me uncomfortable. The bastard was going to act soon, I was pretty sure, and before he left the village in canon, Anko was his target.

Despite our recent disagreement, she had still been my friend through the duration of our academy days. She was one of the people I cared for. If Anko wasn’t going to believe me, then I simply won’t afford Orochimaru the chance to impart that Mark on her. His interest in me, as unsettling as it was, might be what I need to take his attention away from Anko. 

That being said, I have some more time. Orochimaru was considered as a candidate for the Fourth Hokage position, and he was also able to watch Itachi’s training as a kid, meaning he wouldn’t desert Konoha for a few years. There wasn’t a great amount of a rush quite yet, that being said, being complacent never helped anybody. I waited for the last minute to interfere with Obito in any significant way, and look at all the worry it has caused me. It was time to finally act. I grabbed my notebook and started writing.

Nothing ever came from inaction, after all. 

—-------------

I found myself at the usual training ground a day later, as requested by Tsume-sensei. Yesterday was quite the rollercoaster, and after a good night’s sleep, I was feeling a lot better. A bit tired, maybe, but I was definitely on a level where I was ready to function. After spending some time in my room yesterday and reading through my notebook, I went to the Hokage tower to give my report as our Sensei requested. I assumed the report I gave was consistent with the information that had been handed in already, as I was sent away without incident. There was much to be said about the outcome of that mission. I assumed that Sensei would tell us about it when she arrived.

Looking to my right, my two teammates were visibly better looking than when I had seen them two days prior. The fact gave me relief. A small victory, sure, but my mental state at that time meant that I hadn’t checked to see whether they were even okay. The three of us understood from her words after the mission that we were to return to training as normal, which meant we met up at the usual time: six o’clock in the morning.

It seems, though, that all three of us were here early. Not exactly a rare occurrence, but given the context of the last three days and the mission, I figured that my teammates had come early for the same reason I had,

Nervousness. Tension. Anticipation. Inadequacy.

That was the reason I couldn’t stay in bed, at least. I had begun to wake up periodically after three o’clock, drifting in and out of sleep. My attempts to get a few more hours in were ultimately fruitless, and I eventually gave up on that and got up a little after 4 o’clock. I didn’t have another nightmare that night, thankfully, but my brain was doing its best to keep me awake. Anyway, the lack of sleep wouldn’t kill me.

I approached Iruka with a small smile, “Iruka-san, how are you doing after the missiona? I forgot to ask about what happened on your end,” I asked with some guilt. His mouth made an ‘o’ shape, “I should be asking you that question,” he shook his head disappointedly, “We were attacked by an Iwa-nin, but we held out until Hyuuga-san appeared. With the three of us, we managed to defeat the enemy without much problem,” he explained before looking at me pointedly.

I tilted my head in confusion before I realized what he meant, “... Oh. Yeah. To be honest, I was lying about being alright after the mission,” I admitted sheepishly. He mumbled something along the lines of ‘thought so…’, “Thankfully, I was able to spend some time with my family and best friend, so I feel much better today.” I reassured him. “Is your best friend the green senpai who kept kidnapping you?” he asked innocently. My face instantly reddened. To think it was that memorable to a bystander like Iruka… “For the first few times, I thought you might’ve actually been in trouble, but after a while,-” he continued, smirking at me before I shut him down. “Okay Iruka-san, you can shut up already!” I huffed, embarrassed.

Next time I sparred with Gai, he would surely regret those days.

Iruka’s smile shrunk slowly, “I know it doesn’t mean much, but if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me,” he said warmly, before flexing his bicep, “And next time, we’re both going to be strong enough to deal with anyone who’ll try to get the better of us!” he said, holding his fist out for a fist bump. I chuckled, returning the fist bump, “You know it,” I agreed easily.

My eyes trailed over to Shimada, who was not-so-subtly facing another direction. I shot a glance at Iruka, gave me a look that said ‘you should probably talk to her, too’, before I paced closer towards my other teammate. Distinctly recalling her unconscious form around the time I joined Anko, I grimaced to myself. No one could shrug away a brush with death, especially not on their first mission. I was close to falling apart myself after that day, and I never got to hear how the two had fared before I arrived. Anko told me something about a paralytic. “Good morning, Shimada-san,” I greeted, eliciting a sigh from the girl, “Are you… alright?” I asked carefully, concerned. I wasn’t very close to Shimada at all, but she was still a teammate. What she said to me not so long ago was hurtful, but it obviously hadn’t come out of a place of genuine hate or malice.

She turned her head and glared at me. Her eyes were red and swollen, eyelids puffy. Had she been crying? “You asshole, you’re really gonna rub it in?” I narrowed my eyes, “What do you mean?”. She stood up suddenly, stomping towards me to make eye contact. “Yes. I am fine. Thank you for saving me.” she ground out, “Is that enough for you? If it is, then screw off!” she demanded, a fiery anger burning in her voice. “I’m being serious! I mean, that Iwa-nin was too strong, so of course I’m worried! That fight… it was too close.” I shot back, frustrated with her defensiveness. I was frankly sick of that stance she took with me.

“He was stronger than us, and yet you managed to kill him, didn’t you?” she smirked self-deprecatingly, her gaze averted from me. My eyes widened as I recalled that fight once more. The coppery scent of blood that filled my nostrils, the thick crimson that covered my hands. That man’s face, twisting with hate and fear. My hands clenched at my sides as my chest tightened. “I was in the way, wasn’t I?! Just say it! You don’t need to lie to me!” she shouted, grabbing my shirt as I stared at her. The air thickened as we stared at each other, silence blaring loudly in our ears.

Are you kidding me?

“Do you even hear yourself?!” I yelled back, as my whole body tensed with an undeniable anger, “Is this really the time to be spewing that shit!? What does it matter if you were ‘in the way’ or not?! I don’t care if you were the one who jabbed a fucking kunai through his throat, Shimada, I’m just trying to be a decent person!” I exclaimed, glaring at her, watching as her facial features scrunched back defensively.

As the argument heated, my vision suddenly sharpened, colors intensifying, and details becoming clearer than ever. Shimada’s face came into startling focus, every tiny movement, every bead of sweat, even the slightest glints from the tears secreting from her eyes. The world had suddenly gained a new level of detail.

I didn’t care to notice.

“Get over yourself and that stupid complex of yours! We could’ve died, you know?! All of us could’ve been murdered, and you think I’m trying to belittle you?! That I saved your life so I could ‘rub it in’?!” I was breathing harshly, my heart racing faster as my head spun.

“In that case, why did you protect me!? We aren’t even friends! I made a mistake in the heat of battle, and paid for it, so why?!” she asked just as fiercely, baring her teeth angrily. At that time, my mind was plagued with uncertainty, and despite that, I fought on to protect Shimada, Anko and myself, and as for the reason? Shimada may be annoying, rude and downright insulting, but at the end of the day, I still wanted the chance to properly get to know her. 

“I didn’t protect you to prove a point or to earn your approval! We may not be friends, but we’re a part of the same team, and believe it or not, I don’t want my teammates to die!” 

I hated it, that know-it-all attitude she had about me. Shimada thought she knew my character because she felt I was lying a few times in the academy. The need to protect my loved ones and my concern for them: that was the entire reason I became a shinobi in the first place. I couldn’t push myself so far if I was getting stronger just to protect myself. If I were reincarnated as an orphan with no one to call family, I already knew I would have simply run away to the next safest place, be it as a civilian or a missing nin. Training is fun. Sparring is a blast. But fighting? Now that I’ve had to face death, I hate it. It’s terrifying, painful, and uncertain. If it weren’t for Anko’s poison at the last moment, all of us would be dead.

And yet, despite being faced with the prospect of death once, I’m holding on to my motivation and determination to continue, because I have a reason to keep going. Her beliefs are not only getting in the way of the team, but are also frankly insulting. 

After a moment of stunned silence, she hastily shoved me away, “Get outta my face!” she bit out, voice cracking. “Don’t misunderstand me, Shimada! If nothing else, I want to be there for the people around me,” I said slowly, beginning to calm down, “including you.” I continued. Iruka grabbed my shoulder, “Daisuke-san, please calm down. Your eyes, they’re…” he pleaded with worry. I brought my hand up to my face with surprise, blinking in surprise before smiling self-deprecatingly. I’m really going to have to work on controlling these eyes. With a deliberate sigh, the flow of chakra to my eyes slowed down, the red hue from my Sharingan fading back into their usual blue. “Maybe I’m not as put-together as I thought…” I mumbled, looking down before I looked back up at Shimada.

“I shouldn’t have given out to you like that, but what you said was very hurtful,” I apologized softly with a frown. I had definitely overreacted, and as someone who’s supposed to be an adult (at least mentally), that was definitely not the greatest way to deal with that. Shimada probably had a lot on her mind. She wasn’t the only one who almost died, and in that state, it would only take a small spark to ignite an outburst. 

Despite her hurtful words, guilt found its way to my expression.

Her narrowed eyes slowly fell back into a neutral gaze as she regarded me closely. “I really hate you,” she added with a scowl. As if I didn’t know that. “Good for you,” I shot back with a small smile. She narrowed her eyes at me before turning away.

Iruka stared back and forth between the two of us with a held breath, before finally releasing it after a few seconds, “That was intense…” he sighed, as his shoulders sagged in relief. “Right?” agreed an awfully familiar voice. The three of us turned towards the voice instantly. “Tsume-sensei!?” we shouted at once, bewildered at her sudden appearance. Shimada pointed accusingly at the Inuzuka, “How long have you been here!?” she demanded, her face red as a beet. “Just got here,” nodded with an honest surety, watching me and Shimada visibly relax. “I’m kiddin’. Been ‘ere th’whole time!” she laughed heartily, relishing in the twofold return of our humiliated faces. “Can ya blame me? Yer little shoutin’ match was A-grade drama! A real spectacle!” she howled with laughter, slapping the back of our heads.

 I had to try very hard to push down the blush growing on my face. She saw my face and chuckled, “And look at you, whippin’ out those fancy red peepers!” she continued laughing at my expense, slapping her knee and letting out a laugh-sigh. God, what an asshole. I glared at her through the embarrassment all the same. She shook her head to stop herself, “Right. Gotta remember y’all’re still brats. Sorry ‘bout that.” she apologized, a lingering smile disappearing as her face turned professional. “Fer now, I’ve got some shit ‘ta say,” 

My blush died down. She must be talking about the mission at Utahime. We stared at our Sensei with bated breaths, waiting for her words. The result of that mission was on all of our minds.

Tsume-sensei opened her mouth for a moment, before closing it again, seemingly pondering choice of words. Finally, she spoke, “As a Tokubetsu Jounin of Konohagakure, and on my pride as an Inuzuka, I formally apologize for endangering yer lives during the battle at Utahime.” she bowed, speaking with an unfamiliar formality. Woah, am I dreaming? She was bowing? I pinched myself, which my Sensei dutifully ignored, though I caught a suppressed snort from Iruka. “Thanks to the combined efforts of Inuzuka Tsume and Orochimaru of the Sannin, Iwagakure's infiltration and invasion of Utahime has ended in failure.” she said mockingly, “That’s tha spiel I hadta sit through, anyway.” she shook herself before making eye contact with each one of us.

“Now, runts, fer the news ye actually care for:'' she grinned before coughing and straightening her expression. “To compensate Team 2 and Team 4's efforts: their missions shall be henceforth registered as A-ranked. The increased payment and records are to be adjusted accordingly.” she announced to the three of us, obviously parroting the speech from a higherup. I understood that as a ninja, and especially as a Tokujo, Sensei had to be able to keep mannerisms out of speech, but the professionalism in her speech at the moment was fairly uncanny.

That aside, our mouths gaped open at once. A-rank?! Before any of us could say a word in protest, Sensei stomped the ground, “And before ye morons try'ta argue; yes, you deserve this recognition. Utahime was a ‘real important base, and ya gave yer lives ‘ta protect it. So if ya still wanna argue, prepare ‘ta get a beatin’ from yours truly.” She warned with a clenched fist. Damn. Message received. 

Still though, A-ranked pay was seriously high from what I heard. Not only would it be an absolutely gigantic payday (to be spent on Dango), but I would also have the completion of an A-ranked mission in my files forever. Logically, it was a huge step forward in my career, but practically, it meant that I was more likely to be trusted with more important missions in the future. The prospect frightened me to some degree, but I knew not to complain. Scary as it is, it was a crucial stepping stone for me as a shinobi.

“Now that tha formalities’re outta the way… I hope y'slept well, cos yer gonna need it.” she said menacingly, “The morons at Utahime grew complacent, ‘an there’s no way my Genin’ll ever be caught with their hands in their pants. Clear yer schedules and rejoice, brats, cos it’s time to train.” she said, cracking her knuckles. I smiled nervously, sensing the imminent danger. The training was going to be pretty hard, that’s for sure, but there was no way it could be worse than anything Gai had put me through. Surely.

—-------------------

I was wrong. Very wrong. My naivety and foolishness knew no bounds.

In all seriousness, Tsume-sensei was not kidding. Clearly, the events at Utahime had affected her as much as it had affected us. Her intent with the training was obvious, to me, at least, and that was to vastly progress our physical capabilities. Utahime had shown her and us that not only were we inexperienced, but also we were far too weak for our ranks. If we wanted to fight on a Chuunin's level, before learning any new jutsu, we needed to hone every skill we already had. 

At first, it seemed simple. Intense physical conditioning. I was used to conditioning at a high level with Gai, obviously, but she knew the limits of each of our physical abilities fairly well, so she thought of different exercises for each of us. For Shimada and Iruka, she bought beginner training weights for them to keep on at all times. It could be seen as a generous gesture on her part, but the two were under no illusions that she was anything close to generous with that decision. Weeks ago, Sensei had offhandedly mentioned that training with weights could come later for the two, and while I had already been using mine for a while, she saw no reason to brute force through our growth.

Well, now there were certainly goals in her mind concerning our growth. Obito still had my chakra weights with him somewhere, so for a moment I rejoiced as smirked at my teammates (who were in disbelief in how hard it was to move in their new weights), but then Sensei dug into her bag, I paled as she emptied a suspicious looking set of leg warmers, vest and wrist bands. She was well aware of the fact that I was using weights before, and to ensure that I didn’t ‘fall behind’ my teammates in time, she demanded I wear them, stating that as it was a gift from her, and that it would be disrespectful not to do so. Now the chakra weights that Gai had gifted me allowed me to freely control the weight on them using chakra, but these were standard, fixed weights. The normal load I would carry as I trained was about 20 extra kilograms in all, which meant that my body practically weighed 53 kg while training before. Now, however, the combined weights were fixed at an extra 60 kilograms.

Nearly double my body’s actual weight.

I blinked at Tsume-sensei, looking up and down from the extremely heavy vest in my arms and back to her repeatedly. “Sensei, you don’t really expect me to wear this, do you?” I asked with disbelief, fearing her answer. She shrugged, a lazy smirk resting on her face, “T’s not that heavy,” she said casually, “but ‘fer now, put on the wristbands ‘n leg warmers. Should raise ya weight by ‘bout 40 kilos. The vest’ll come later.” she allowed begrudgingly with a sigh, watching my eyes widen. That meant that the pieces were equal in weight. Thank god she knew something about progressive overload, but I would really rather go up by ten kilogram intervals…

Oh, well.

I slipped the weights on and similarly to the first time I added weight to Gai’s birthday gift, the effort I needed to put in to simply move was intense. The difference this time, however, was that the jump I had made was simply much bigger than before. Getting used to this weight, it would be a tough endeavor. After feeling it out, my sight panned over to my teammates. They seemed equally unused to their weights, and while I was unsure of how much Sensei had forced them to put on, I knew she wasn’t stupid. She may have a few screws loose, but I trusted that she likely hadn’t overdone it with their own weights. 

In essence, this new branding of training was not far-removed from what we had done before. With a focus on physical conditioning, it was much of the same. Except no, it wasn’t. The type of exercises, sparring and jogging we were subjected to were quite similar, but with a great twist. Of course, the aforementioned weights that we had posed an immense problem, but contrary to what you might expect, Tsume-sensei expected a higher range of repetitions, longer sprints, and more spars. It was our only first day, and getting used to the increased weight in a single day is impossible. 

What that meant for us, was pain. Our muscles grew fatigued at a greater rate than before, and as they faced failure again and again, we were instructed to continue despite that. I had trained till failure plenty with Gai and even back on Earth, but the weakness I felt in every muscle in my body was different that I had ever felt before. There was no energy to take from them. No effort to squeeze out. And when the point came where the three of us could hardly stand, we were given thirty minutes to eat and rest, before going back and doing the same thing. The food and rest served to give us the smallest amount of stamina back, but it muscle soreness didn’t heal over a half hour; it healed as a person slept, so despite any energy we had gained back, it was spent just as fast as we continued on.

Pushups. Squats. Sprints. Punch, Kick, Block. Sprint. Pullup. The order became lost to us as we obeyed. When we couldn’t move by physical strength alone, we were instructed to feed our muscles with chakra, a crude and last ditch effort to keep one moving. I was reminded of when I had done the same while fighting that Iwa-nin, except this time, I was in a far worse condition than back then. Despite that, we kept going at it. The threat of Tsume-sensei’s wrath spurred us on. The three of us could tell: considering Tsume-sensei’s perceived bad mood and her earlier words, the price of disobeying here was going to be worse than what we were doing now. 

And after five hours of grueling training had passed, we well and truly couldn’t move anymore. Tsume-sensei, don’t ask me how, could somehow tell when we had drained ourselves of everything we could give, both physically and mentally. Call it a teacher’s wisdom. 

She stood in front of us, sprawled on the floor, the only movement we were capable of was breathing, as our chests moved up and down, desperately taking in as much oxygen as we could. I could feel my muscles twitching from overuse, and the sweat covering my body certainly wasn’t comfortable. “Color me impressed,” she said with amusement, “I didn’t expectcha ‘ta seriously give it your all. Great survival instinct.” she praised us, though I could hardly take it as positive reinforcement. 

“...Sensei,” I breathed out in between painful gasps, “Are we… done… for today…?” I asked with a great deal of hope. I was exhausted, well and truly. Even if she ordered it, I severely doubted my chances of getting myself on my feet. She hummed at me mockingly. “There’s no way we can move on,” pleaded Shimada, barely tilting her head to meet Sensei’s eyes. Iruka didn’t even bother addressing anything to our feral teacher, simply staring at her with an emotionless gaze. Iruka had been rendered into an silent asylum patient. May God bless his soul. 

“Well,” she finally said, “it is yer first day with those new toys, so maybe I’ll cutcha sum slack,” she finally decided, instantaneously eliciting sighs of relief from the three of us. “Shut up, you morons!” she groaned, “Makin’ me look like a damn villain,” she ground out under her breath. “Maybe you are one…” I commented lightly. Tsume-sensei leveled me with an unimpressed glance, as she turned away casually, “Go home ‘n think’bout how you’ll cover yer weaknesses, and rest well fer tomorrow.” she explained, a bit more seriously this time. After the quick debrief, her body disappeared in a flash, leaving behind only falling leaves.

Iruka was seemingly revived by the news and strolled off without a word as soon as she disappeared. It’ll probably be good to follow his lead.

Guess it’s time for bed.

—------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, it was much too early to sleep. In fact, mere hours had passed since I had woken up, and the sun wasn’t going to set for another nine hours. Today’s training, which had felt to me like it took up a whole day, had only just carried us a little past 11. I brought myself home slowly, my aching muscles betraying my desire to get home quickly. Considering that I was still supposed to train with Gai later today, I needed to sit down with some food and just rest for a moment. Despite how tired I felt, I knew that as long as my body got enough energy, I would have something to work with. 

If there was any consolation, it was that we basically always had something to eat at home. Even if Kaa-san wasn’t quite cooking yet, our family was in the habit of leaving snacks around to munch on. After the seemingly long walk home, I eventually arrived. Entering, I made a B-line to the kitchen and grabbed a plate of berries. Mmm, sugar. As I sat down at the couch with a satisfied sigh, Izumi ran into the room excitedly, taking a place next to me on the couch. I blinked at her.

“Hi!” she greeted, clearly more energetic than me. “Yo. You’re in a good mood,” I commented amusedly, shoving a handful of berries into my mouth. I frowned lightly. Mixed wild berries are all well and good, but I sure do miss blueberries. They were sadly absent from my day-to-day diet here in Konoha. Izumi nodded brightly, “Dad’s teaching me a lot,” she kicked off of the couch, “see?” she asked, falling into the stance I saw her practicing with Tou-san yesterday. I narrowed my eyes as I scrutinized the posture. Well, for someone so young who’s only just started, it was pretty good. “Your left hand is too far from your body, try to bring it closer to your chest. Bend your knees and tighten your stance, but keep your shoulders a bit more loose.” I advised carefully. She tilted her head briefly, correcting the stance part by part. Konoha’s basic taijutsu style was about a balance in offense and defense, which demanded a fairly compact form, with the arms to act as sturdy and protective ‘branches’, ready to protect the ‘tree’. The arms were positioned in a way where they could accommodate for changes in the circumstances of battle, and while certain offensive forms were taught a bit later than the stance itself, it was good to encourage good habits.

“How ‘bout now?” she asked after changing her stance accordingly. I hummed, as I looked at the areas that I had her change. “Well, it’s better than before. Your arms are still a bit too tense, but it’s a good start. Get used to that.” I concluded with a thumbs up. Really, it wasn’t bad considering she had barely started yesterday. She might be in the academy by the time she’s five or six. I silently grimaced at that reminder. We’re sending my only sister to be a ninja. If I have anything to say about it, she’s going to surpass her canon self and stay safe. Her birthday was coming up in two months, which meant she was about to be five years old, which was the unofficial minimum age for an academy student. It was something of a meaningful milestone.

To be honest, I was proud to see her motivation, even if I was very worried about her future. Thinking more clearly, in the off-chance the Massacre would happen in some shape or form, Izumi wouldn’t be spared, even if she were a civilian, so the logical answer was to encourage her and support her shinobi training. The logic behind that thought process didn’t make me any less nervous, not really, but what’s done is done. 

Izumi held the stance for a few seconds, taking my advice to heart, and then put her arms down with a calm breath. For someone as bubbly as she was, her genuine effort and seriousness impressed me. “Hehe, I’m awesome!” she giggled, literally patting herself on the back. I take it back. She sat back down, pleased. “So, has mom taught you anything yet?” I wondered casually. My sister perked up, “Mmm, only dad. Mom says she's gonna teach me to use, uhm,” she brought her hand up to her chin in a thinking pose, “catra.” she explained, settling on that word. No way. “Izumi, it’s called-” I was interrupted by chuckling, “I know, Chakra! Dad was right, that was funny!” she admitted, her laughter slowly dying down as I stared at her, speechless. Holy shit, she’s definitely my sister. I smacked her over the head, “Ow!” she cried, exaggerating, considering how much force I had actually used. “That was for stealing my joke, even second handedly,” I shook my head good-naturedly. I stole that joke first. I have dibs.

“Pssh. Meanie.” she complained, rubbing her head for good measure. I gave her a look that said ‘really?’, prompting her to make her face more pained. “By the way, are mom and dad out?” I asked idly, ignoring her completely. Izumi scowled lightly before falling back into her resting face. “Mom’s talking to some lady from across the street, and I dunno ’bout dad.” she answered. It’s a little weird to leave the girl home alone, though I suppose she’s hardly gonna hurt herself. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. “Huh…” I hummed idly for a few seconds, before turning my head to her. “So what now? Wanna play a game or something?” I asked, knowing she was bound to get bored at this rate. She thought for a moment before breaking into a wide grin. “Daisuke, I know! Tell me what happened to Spider-Man next!” she exclaimed with a renewed enthusiasm, jumping into the cushions of the couch. Fair play. Spider-Man it is.

“You wanted to know what a train was, right?” I asked, watching her nod eagerly. “Like I said before, it’s like a huge metal carriage that moves people around. Or stuff for shops to sell. Like toys, or metal, or something.” Izumi gasped at the explanation, “How many people do you need to move that?!” she demanded an explanation. Well, I wasn’t about to explain electricity or combustion to her. “No one, really. It was powered by some kind of energy. It was like chakra, I guess...” I offered a half-hearted explanation. In a way, Chakra is just a different type of energy, so I’m not really wrong.  Her expression was puzzled for a moment, before she brushed it off , “Woah! Hey, did you ever ride in a train?” she curiously wondered, seemingly forgetting about Spider-Man. Scatterbrained today, aren’t we? “Well, yeah. Not everyone used trains often, but I did. Traveling was pretty easy back there.” I reminisced with a small smile, looking back at my old life. Europe used trains much more than the US for personal travel, at least.

“Your old home’s all fun ‘n cool ‘n stuff,” she hummed idly, “so why’d you come here?” she asked genuinely, not realizing the weight of the question. I suppose I wasn’t very clear when I said I was from somewhere else, and considering her age… it made sense if she hadn’t connected those dots. I sighed, “I… don’t really know. One day I fell asleep, and then I woke up as a baby with mom and dad,” I answered semi-honestly. It was true that I don’t know how I got here, and honestly, I don’t even know if or how I actually died. It was an assumption I had held on to for my whole second life, but maybe I had never actually died. I had long since dismissed the notion that I was having a long dream, but the question made me wonder.

What even happened to me? Why am I even here?

“You woke up as a baby?!” Izumi shrieked, snapping me out of my fairly sorrowful thoughts. Woah. “I mean, yeah? I mentioned that I had grown up just a second ago, didn’t I?” I said back incredulously. Now I’m confused. “You’re older than me, so I thought-” she gasped dramatically, covering her mouth, “ Nii-chan, how old are you?!” I leveled her with a glance that said ‘Seriously?’, but she continued staring at me for an answer, undeterred. She wasn’t joking. “If we take my age from before and now, I should be a year or two younger than mom and dad,” I admitted defeat, grumbling out the answer. 

Izumi gasped once again, even more dramatically than before. She must be messing with me, at this point. I rolled my eyes at her, “That’s… awesome! She exclaimed, making me blink. The hell? “You’re like a wise old sensei, or something!” she said, losing herself in the stories I told her. “Sensei Wu!” What the? “Genkai!” … wasn’t she a woman? Her eyes sparked with excitement, “Master Roshi!” she… praised, comparing me to them of all people. “Don’t call me-” I shouted in outrage. Listen, I was eighteen when I died. How is that in any way old? I stopped myself before it got any worse. There was a better way to get her to not compare me to Master Roshi. “You know what, let’s just talk about Spider-Man, okay? You forgot about that,” I said slowly, my eyes twitching irritably.

“Oh, yeah!” she remembered suddenly, dropping the subject as if it were the easiest thing in the world. I shook my head for what felt like the millionth time today, “Anyways, after Spider-Man passed out, Doctor Octopus…”

-

“... The black suit brought out his inner aggression, that much was obvious, but Peter quickly realized that it made him stronger, and that it gave him the confidence he lacked. He decided to start wearing it everywhere, and-” I stopped, hearing the front door open with a click. “Well, I can continue another time,”  I said to placate Izumi, who was pouting at the fact that I had stopped. “But I wanna know what’s next!” she whined, truly acting her age. Honestly, I had spent the last few hours walking through the plot of a legendary movie trilogy with her. She could be a little more grateful. I shook my finger at her, “All good things must come to an end, young one,” I explained with a wistful tone. “Geezer,’ she insulted me immaturely with a frown. I walked right into that one, to be honest. Maybe I shouldn’t have used that tone.“Oh come on-” I protested, before spotting Tou-san coming into the living room area. “Welcome home,” I said, doing a 180 with my impression. 

“Hello there, wonderful children of mine,” Tou-san smiled at the two of us, clearly happier than usual. “Did something good happen?” I asked, an easy grin resting on my face. It was nice to see the usually weary man in a good mood. “You can say that,” he responded cheekily, with an annoying smirk. “Oh lord, just spit it out, Tou-chan,” I pressed with exaggerated annoyance.

“The war seems to be coming to an end.” 

—----------------

Tou-san had come home with quite the news. While it wasn’t a done deal, the war was believed to be coming to an end. The reason why? It was Minato. Konoha’s Yellow Flash has just come back from a mission, where he had forced the retreat of one thousand Iwa forces. He didn’t actually kill a thousand shinobi, apparently, but his presence alone was enough to collapse the entire front, stopping the impending invasion. By successfully eliminating several of Iwa’s best battalions stationed at the center of the front, Konoha forces have been able to rush through the opening and are on the verge of flanking vast swathes of encircled Iwa shinobi. It was a big victory. 

From the perspective of an ordinary person, it was hard to say whether Minato’s actions would end the war, but because of my knowledge of Naruto, I already knew that the battle marks the end of the conflict. With this, there will finally be some peace, and Namikaze Minato will become the Fourth Hokage. 

The news was great, of course, but to me, the outcome was guaranteed. I knew for a fact that the war was going to end soon. What was more important to me at the moment, was how things turned out with Obito, Rin and Kakashi. The outcome of that mission, alongside the team’s survival, would change everything. If Obito was kidnapped, I was back to square one. There was always the chance that the butterfly effect from my intervention would result in disaster, too, and it was a possibility that frightened me greatly. I almost stayed home and did nothing, but above every anxiety that filled my body, I needed to know what had happened to them. 

Not just for the future. If one of them had gotten killed, it would be my responsibility. My fault.

I began to rush to the shinobi hospital moments after hearing Tou-san’s words, the only explanation I offered was that I had to check on something. Maybe they weren’t injured, but if they were in any danger, they would be there, right? As the familiar scenery of Konoha flew by me, the nervous pit in my stomach grew and grew. A sense of unease washed over me as I got closer and closer. What if something really happened? What if I have made a mistake with my intervention? Had I even done enough? Were they even in the hospital?

Before I realized it, the shinobi hospital shadow loomed over me. The building wasn’t exactly far, but the trip had gone by in an instant. It took great effort to step into the hospital, but once I had gotten inside, the sterile smell helped me to calm down. I walked towards the reception, where a young woman sat. “Excuse me, are Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito or Nohara Rin admitted here?” I asked politely, managing to keep my voice from shaking. She looked at me curiously, “Your relation to them?” she asked professionally. “I’m their friend. Are any of them here?” I asked again, carefully controlling my tone. Her response… it likely meant they were actually here. 

She let out an even breath, “...Yes, all three are currently admitted here.” she relented after carefully studying my expression. My eyes widened, “Is it possible to visit them?” I said, with an excess of eagerness. “The three were all admitted in rather worrisome states and are hardly in any condition for chit chat, especially Hatake.” she started critically, before sighing once again, “Visiting Hatake is out of the question, however Nohara personally requested to allow any visitors inside her and Uchiha’s room. She was very adamant. Considering the relatively stable conditions of the two, we allowed it under the condition that a nurse wait outside of the door in case of further complications.” she stated blandly, before leveling me with a pointed gaze. “Do not do anything to exacerbate their injuries. We have strict policies regarding the protection of patients. The two of them are resting in room 29.” she warned with a tone that spoke for itself. Her voice was stern and uncompromising, and while mildly scary, it was also reassuring to know that the hospital’s reception was in good hands.

After looking at both hallways on either side, I found that the room was much closer than I had prepared for. It was on the ground floor, no more than forty steps to the right. As I walked towards the door, I once again began to feel squeamish. The room was practically a beacon, with the nurse standing next to the door patiently. It was seemingly the only room with that privilege. The nurse regarded me with a glance as I awkwardly smiled at him. I stood in front of the door for a couple of seconds, debating whether I should actually enter. Rin specifically wanted visitors, right? Surely I would be welcome. The nurse by the door cleared his throat as he stared at me with an annoyed expression. 

Agh, fine.

Three badly paced knocks resounded throughout the hall.

A soft voice murmured from the other side of the door. “...Kakashi-kun?” Rin asked, exhaustion and weariness leaking into her tone. “No, err... it's Daisuke. Can I come in?” I said awkwardly, shaking my head self-deprecatingly. For a few seconds, silence reigned from behind the door, “You can come in,” she finally said, eliciting a sigh of relief from me. Honestly, I thought she was going to send me away. I opened the door carefully, saying ‘excuse the intrusion,’ making sure to follow the directions given to me by the receptionist. Getting in trouble with the Iryo-nin at the hospital was probably something to avoid. 

Entering the room, what entered my vision first were the sights of Obito and Rin. The boy, laying on the hospital bed without a sound, was evidently unconscious. Considering Rin was the one who had spoken, the fact wasn’t a big shock. Apart from a few scratches on his face, Obito didn’t look to be badly injured, though the rest of his body was hidden under the blanket, so it was hard to tell. Rin on the other hand was in a seemingly terrible condition. Her silent gaze was half-lidded, and something about her expression spoke volumes about the mission she had just been through. Having sat up, Rin’s torso was in clear view, which forced me to push back a shocked gasp. Both of her shoulders were covered in bandages, and upon closer inspection, a sharp-looking brown-ish green… branch was sticking out of her left shoulder. I paced anxiously to her bedside, taking a seat on the hospital chair.

In my last life, I heard that if you were impaled by something, it was best to keep it in the wound to prevent bleeding. In the case where a major artery was nicked, the object that had cut the artery in the first place was the only thing preventing you from bleeding out.

Rin saw my expression and gave me a small smile. “It looks pretty bad, right? The one on my left grazed an artery, so they’re keeping it in just in case.” she explained, wincing as she raised a finger to point at it. Her hands were covered in bandages, too. “Nohara-san…” I found myself even more uneasy than before. Just what happened over there in Kusa? “Look… you don’t have to worry about me,” she sighed, looking down, “more importantly, how did you know we were back so quickly?” she asked with a slight tilt to her head.

“Gai told me you were out on an important mission, so when I heard of the Yellow Flash’s return…” I started slowly, “Anyway, when I got here, the receptionist let me through. I was allowed to visit you guys, but not Hatake-san-” I explained halfheartedly, before being interrupted by Rin, “Did she tell you anything about him? Is he alright?!” she asked frantically, before hissing in pain and shrinking back with a self-loathing scowl. “I wasn’t really given much to go off of,” I supplied, “He’s alive, but his injuries are more dangerous than yours. I wasn’t given permission to visit him,” I explained, trying to ease her anxiety. 

The relief on Rin’s face was palpable as she released a breath of relief. “Thank goodness,” she sighed gratefully. I assumed she would know more than me about his condition. My gaze trailed towards Obito, lingering on him for longer than it should have. “You want to know what happened, don’t you?” Rin spoke out somberly, a frown on her face. Guilt filled my chest with a familiar tightness, “You don’t have to-” she shook her head, “It’s alright. I know you’re worried about Obito, too.” she said with a fond smile, the expression souring a moment later.

“... To be honest, it was my fault.” she admitted grimly, clenching her fists. “Obito, he was amazing. He had just defeated an Iwa-nin, and was fighting alongside Kakashi-kun, but then they got me.” Rin had a self-loathing scowl on her face as she looked down. Did they capture her after all? “I wasn’t paying attention, and before I knew it, Obito was floating on the pond with a huge slash on his stomach.” she revealed with an expression that spoke volumes of the injury. I looked back at Obito, who hardly looked injured. Then, did she…?

“I decided to heal him. It was the least I could do to make up for my mistakes. I abandoned Kakashi-kun and the mission to save Obito.” The smallest bit of pride shined through Rin’s smile as she recalled what had happened. If that’s the case, how did she get so badly injured? Her smile fell, “But then, that monster appeared,” she spat out grimly. “Monster?” I repeated dumbly, eliciting a confident nod from the girl. “It was an actual monster,” she confirmed, “Daisuke-kun, that thing was using Wood Release.” the girl added with a shudder, seemingly remembering its appearance. The implications of her account were clear. 

Zetsu. The ‘monster’ she had described was without a doubt Zetsu. Even without a proper description of his appearance, the only ‘monster’ that could use Wood Release at the moment could only be Zetsu. My eyes widened in realization. I hadn’t considered it before, but of course Zetsu would be in the area. How else would an elderly Madara grab Obito and bring him to their hideout? In canon, Zetsu must have taken Obito from under that boulder. In this scenario, he was spying on them if he was around the area, patiently waiting for anything of use to happen. He appeared after Rin healed Obito, probably to take Obito as a pawn like in canon, but if that’s the case, how is he safe?

“The last thing I remember after I was attacked by it, is Kakashi-kun saving me. Next thing I know, I’m in the hospital covered in bandages.” she elaborated as she looked up and down at her bandaged arms. At the end of the day, the three had managed to survive. The outcome was undoubtedly better than in canon, but clearly all three fought hard for it. A pathetic “... I see.” was the only thing I could say at the end. The two of us sat in silence for some time, unable to bring ourselves to say anything.

I didn’t come here to have fun or to enjoy myself. I knew a heavy atmosphere would greet me, and that I would have to choose my words carefully. None of my expectations, however, could have prepared me for this occasion. It was unlikely that I could understand Rin’s feelings, or relate to what she had just been through, but… 

“Do you regret it?” I asked, breaking through the silence. “What?” Rin asked back as her gaze shot up to me. “The choices you made. The injuries you suffered. The outcome of the mission. Would you take it all back?” I elaborated shortly, leveling her with a solemn gaze. 

What Rin wanted now wasn’t pity, it wasn’t approval, and it wasn’t even renown. I could tell from the look in her eyes. She was giving me answers despite her adversity. The way she flinched in preparation before speaking made that conclusion clear. She sought something far deeper, a sense of closure. Despite everything that had happened to her, she wanted to be acknowledged as an equal, not coddled or pitied, but respected for her choices she had made and strength she brought out. During the mission and even now, she yearned for the well-being of her comrades and fought to ensure it. With my question, I hoped to drain away some tension from her shoulders, because if nothing else, the kunoichi Nohara Rin needed to breathe.

A bright grin blossomed on the injured girl’s face, despite everything she had been through. “No.” she said resolutely, “Maybe I would take back my incompetence, but everyone’s still alive. I wouldn’t change any of the decisions I made on the mission.” she confirmed with a determined glint in her eyes. 

The grin was contagious, and I found myself imitating her. “Great to hear!” I responded with a thumbs up, unconsciously reminiscent of Gai’s nice guy pose. Her eyes wandered towards Obito unconscious form once again. “You know, the hospital staff couldn’t believe that I was the one who healed Obito,” she chuckled conversationally, “maybe it’s because I’m young or because my skills are self-learned, but the Iryo-nin who treated me, a Senju, ended up offering me an apprenticeship with a skilled user of Iryo-ninjutsu.” she revealed, eyes locked onto the boy’s abdomen.

Well, that’s certainly not canon. 

“That’s amazing! Are you going to accept?” I asked excitedly, scooting forward with the chair. The girl smiled nervously, “After what just happened, it’s clear that I need to become stronger. I can’t afford to be a burden to those two again.” she admitted easily, the smile falling into a self-deprecating frown, “In the end, I agreed.” I nodded understandingly, “Did they tell you who’d mentor you?” Rin hummed in thought, “I wasn’t given a name.” she responded after a brief pause.

I wonder, who would they assign to Rin? If she didn’t know yet, the teacher will probably come to meet her later on, probably after she has recovered. While it would be incredible if it were someone like Tsunade, something tells me this younger and (supposedly) less patient version of the Sannin wouldn’t take kindly to the idea, especially considering the war and the workload it gave her. Despite that, the Senju Iryo-nin who had offered Rin the apprenticeship had to have some kind of influence if she could organize such a thing. 

In this timeline where Senju Nawaki survived and Tsunade stayed in Konoha, many more Senju were around. Their numbers were dwindling just like in canon, and the decision made by Nawaki, the head of the clan, was to shelter the clan and turn it into a clan of healers. The decision served to save the last forty surviving Senju. A transformative effort, it was, because that decision gave birth to the most skilled group of Iryo-nin in shinobi history who, with Tsunade as the head, kept Konoha’s war-time shinobi mortality rate significantly lower than all other shinobi villages. The famed Senju vitality gave them the physical capability to keep healing for long periods of time before they ran out of chakra. Few of these medics were sent on missions outside of the village, but in return, more than 60% of fatally injured shinobi who managed to return to the village were saved, most of whom returned to active duty shortly after recovery. The Senju Medic Corps was so successful that Iwagakure, Sunagakure and Kumogakure were forced to imitate it (albeit to a lesser extent) to compete with Konohagakure. 

An influential group of healers whose proficiency in healing was second to none, and a group that was respected throughout the entire Elemental Nations. It was that same organization that was offering Nohara Rin an apprenticeship. There were people who would literally kill for the opportunity. The only Senju in this era I know about are Tsunade and Nawaki, but there was no doubt that amongst their Corps, there were many whose talent in Iryo-ninjutsu was on par with Tsunade’s. Whoever had the privilege to teach Rin was going to take her to incredible heights.

“Well, whoever they are, I think they’re super lucky to get to teach you,” I commented offhandedly. Her eyes widened before she chuckled sheepishly, “Thank you for the vote of confidence, but I can't help but feel under-prepared.”  I stood up from the chair, “Just do your best. A teacher is meant to teach you things, right? You’ll do fine as long as you do as they say.” I retorted, eliciting a less hesitant nod from the girl. “Are you leaving now?” she asked with a tilt to her head.

“Yeah. I’m running late for my training with Gai, so now that I know you guys are okay, I've gotta run.” I said, turning my back. “Maito-kun, huh? Sometimes I’m surprised by your ability to keep up with him,” she admitted with a nervous chuckle. “I’m surprised too, you know,” I shot back, shaking my head good naturedly, “I’ll come again once Obito wakes up. Don’t push yourself, okay?” I said as I paced towards the door. “I’m glad for that. See you soon.” she said, waving, as I waved back from the door. “No problem. See you!” I looked back to say bye. 

The three all severely injured, but it looks like the outcome of their mission was… a success? I mean, no one has been captured or killed, and Rin’s about to get mentored by a Senju Iryo-nin. Was it the right decision after all, to trust that Obito’s actions would result in a better future? I guess so.

With that, I stepped into the hallway. The nurse, who had been standing by the door, was standing still after shifting his position. His eyes briefly flicked away from me as I exited the room. I offered a polite nod, to which he nodded back, albeit delayed, as if distracted. I ran off to go after Gai. The boy was extremely serious when it came to punctuality.

That same nurse who had scoffed at me with annoyance, his body language had become guarded and professional. It struck me as odd, considering his open expressiveness just before. Was I chatting with Rin for too long? I wouldn’t want hospital staff to be upset with me for overstaying my welcome.

Chapter Text

12:00 p.m., 28th of July, 1bNb

Politically, a lot happened in the last six-odd weeks, the most significant of which occurred near the end of the Third Great Shinobi War. The war wasn’t the first of its kind, but its scale was absolutely massive, spanning across the entire continent and involving every Great Nation, most minor nations, and taking the lives of more than ten thousand shinobi, alongside hundreds of thousands of civilians, mostly hailing from minor nations.

After Team Minato, led by Kakashi, failed to demolish the Kannabi bridge, Minato tirelessly took it upon himself to finish the mission, which ultimately turned the tide of the war. With an army of one thousand Iwa-nin retreating, and a key supply hub for the rest of their offense into the Land of Fire destroyed, the Land of Earth was wide open.

As talks of an armistice were raised, Iwagakure and Earth, the nominal losers of the war, fretted over the reparations that would surely follow their capitulation. The expectation was that the defeated would take full responsibility for the devastation caused. The fear of punitive action was what kept both sides from surrendering for so long in the first place, and the war was now over.

That’s why Sarutobi Hiruzen’s decision to pursue a policy of reconciliation shocked the world. He opted to not impose any punitive action on the losers of the war. It was an unprecedented move and was met with widespread frustration across the village and the Land of Fire. The Third Hokage’s rationale was simple: if Iwagakure did not hold any grudges, there would be a smaller likelihood of a future war. I agreed with the Hokage’s rationale, but it was a little too late for them to not hold grudges.

Of course, not everyone agreed with him, and to put dissatisfaction to rest, the long-suffering Sandaime Hokage decided to pass on the mantle of Hokage. The decision seemed to quell most of the unrest, and while there was an air of bitterness for weeks following the armistice, that unrest gradually turned to anticipation. Who was going to be the next Hokage? 

Many figured Orochimaru or Jiraiya of the Sannin to take the hat. Others favored Nara Shikaku, the Jounin Commander, or even Uchiha Fugaku, whose exploits against Kumogakure and the Bloody Mist dubbed him the ‘Wicked Eye’. Contrary to the expectations of many, Namikaze Minato was declared as the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure just weeks after the armistice was signed, despite his young age. 

Things were going as expected now, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before the new result of Kannabi bridge would change canon. My notebook was basically complete, and I had already given it a read with my Sharingan to make sure I remembered everything, and I decided to get myself a notebook and fill it with any theorized ‘butterfly effects’ that I could come up with. 

-

Leading up to the inauguration of Namikaze Minato, a lot more happened. About two days after I visited Rin, Obito woke up from his short coma, and despite all of my expectations, the boy hadn’t changed nearly as significantly as his canon self. Of course, having gone through a deadly mission with his teammates and unlocking the Sharingan had affected him and surely changed him for good, but Uchiha Obito was still the same boy as before. He was still a proud shinobi of Konoha, who would protect his friends at all costs. 

Obito’s bout of unconsciousness was swift. He woke up 50 hours after his treatment, and due to Rin’s skill with Iryo-ninjutsu, his recovery was relatively short. He only stayed in the hospital for a week to ensure he recovered his stamina and lost blood. Rin had applied stitches to his wound mere hours after the fact, so his injury was healing nicely, though he would be left with a long, nasty scar across stomach after everything settled. 

He followed the hospital and Rin’s directions, slowly adding more and more training as he recovered, and one month after the mission at Kannabi Bridge, Uchiha Obito was back at full strength. 

Kakashi’s injuries were more severe, as he didn’t have immediate access to treatment, and he lost a similarly large volume of blood. Along with mild chakra exhaustion, he was about an hour from bleeding out, and with flesh wounds all over his body, his recovery marginally more grueling. He woke up on the same day as Obito, and after a lengthy twelve-day period of recovery, he was discharged with strict orders to take it easy. He wasn’t to begin any training until his check-up at the hospital three days after that. Despite everything, Kakashi was able to make a full recovery, and recovered all of his strength mere days after Obito had. 

During that time, Rin began training under a Senju Iryo-nin I have yet to get to know. Obito didn’t know much about them either, apart from the fact that she was a woman. With Minato busy preparing for his duties as Hokage, the team were left to their own devices, giving Obito and Kakashi plenty of time to recover, and Rin enough time to devote herself to her apprenticeship. 

Team Minato had recovered well. 

Today was a historical day – the inauguration of the Fourth Hokage. After almost thirty years under Sarutobi Hiruzen’s leadership, the hat was to be passed on to a new, promising successor. Most shinobi, barring those on long-term or exceedingly important missions, were present in the village to witness it. 

I decided to swing by Obito’s house and grab him so we could watch his Sensei’s big moment together. I couldn’t locate Gai prior to today, so Obito was my only option. My greatest guess was that Gai was busy bothering Kakashi to hang out with him. By the time I arrived, Rin was already patiently waiting outside of the boy’s door, humming to herself. It seems that I had the right idea assuming Obito would take his time getting ready. Despite everything, he still finds his own ways to be late. 

Rin’s gaze found me as I approached, her passive expression turning into a pleasant smile. “You’re waiting for him as well?” I asked, “I figured Obito would take his time, but to think he’s making you wait,” I said with disbelief. She shook her head, “I don’t mind waiting. I haven’t seen him for almost a week by now!” she explained with a candid smile. 

I chuckled, “Well, if it’s all the same with you…” I approached the door, knocking loudly, “Are you still getting ready, Obito!? You’re making two people wait now!” I shouted, unable to keep the smile out of my voice. I heard some scrambling from the other side of the door, “I’m coming! Just a second!!” he responded hurriedly. I turned my head to Rin, “How have you been? I haven’t seen you since… since Obito woke up, I think.” I asked to pass the time. 

Looking at Rin, I could see some differences. Her typical long-sleeved black top and apron-skirt was replaced by a more loose, white top with a chin-high collar, a Senju emblem embedded in the left side of her chest. She wore standard-issue plain black shinobi pants. She had ditched her outfit for what I thought was a uniform for the Senju Medic Corps. She had slight eye bags, indicating a small amount of lost sleep, but otherwise looked bright and healthy. 

She scratched her cheek, “My mentor came to meet me a few days after Obito woke up. Miyako-shishou is a very quiet person, but she’s very serious about Iryo-ninjutsu. I thought she would test my skills to make sure I was up to par, but she started interrogating me instead. I was asked some strange questions, but she was satisfied with what I said and agreed to be my mentor.” she recounted, thinking back with a grin. 

The name Senju Miyako didn’t remind me of anyone, so she was probably still alive because of Senju Nawaki’s Medic Corps. “What have you been learning with her?” I asked, intrigued by this so-called Miyako. Rin gave me a nervous smile, “Well, she’s quiet, but also very intense. She has a strong belief in an Iryo-nin’s duties. Apparently, I already have a good foundation, so we’re going to work on my efficiency. Things like keeping my calm under stress, healing injuries at a faster rate while maintaining high quality. Shishou’s speciality is poison neutralization, so we dedicate some time to that as well,” her eyes sparkled, “She synthesizes her own poison, Daisuke-kun, isn’t that exciting?” 

I nodded hesitantly, considering the personality of someone who makes their own poison. Rin’s mentor sounded like a handful, but I could tell through her tone and expression that she admired her stoic mentor a great deal. Before I could respond, Obito busted through the door, suited up in his regular shinobi outfit, bar his goggles. “I’m ready! Let’s go!” he exclaimed, double-taking as he saw me, “Daisuke? I could’ve sworn you’d be with Gai,” he said to himself.

I shrugged, “He’s nowhere to be found, sadly,” I said dramatically, before rounding in on Obito’s face, staring at his forehead protector, “Hey, where are your goggles?” The boy put his hand up to touch his forehead protector, “I dunno. It must’ve fallen in the last mission,” he frowned, facing Rin, “Do you remember if I had it when we got to the hospital?” 

Rin squinted her eyes, “...No? I don’t think so,” Obito grunted in confirmation, “Well, there you have it,” he responded casually, as we began making our way from his apartment. The official inauguration was being held around the Hokage tower. “D’ya think you’ll get another pair?” I asked offhandedly, prompting a grin from the boy, “Yuh-huh. I wouldn’t be Uchiha Obito without goggles. Maybe I’ll get some that’ll compliment the red of my Sharingan,” he bragged, pointing at his eyes with his thumb. 

We continued making idle conversation as we approached the Hokage tower. A crowd surrounded the tower, eagerly chatting away, waiting for the man of the hour. There were more people than I had ever seen in one place before, and the atmosphere radiated with a bright excitement, in contrast to the tension that shrouded the village just weeks ago. Minato was meant to come before the crowd at around one o’clock, and we barely arrived three minutes before, courtesy of Obito, the scoundrel. 

Atop the Hokage tower, stood Namikaze Minato and Sarutobi Hiruzen. The two faced the crowd, the older of the two giving a speech to the gathering of shinobi. Surrounding the two Hokage, stood the village’s various clan leaders. From the distance, I saw who I believed to be Fugaku, Inoichi, Shikaku, and Choza, among several other clan leaders who I couldn’t seem to recognize. Tsume-sensei was also there, paying rapt attention to the speech from where she stood behind the Third and Fourth. The Hokage’s advisors, whose names I had never bothered to learn, stood amongst the clan heads. Noticeably, Shimura Danzo was nowhere to be seen, perhaps bitter of Minato being appointed the position of Hokage rather than his candidate, Orochimaru. I knew the snake was not going to become the Hokage, but it was still relieving to have confirmation in person.

By the end of the speech, Hiruzen faced Minato, lowering his hat and offering it to the younger man. He put it on his head, and faced his audience atop the tower, swearing that he would protect the village even if it cost him his life. Those lines were a bad omen in canon, but Minato and Kushina wouldn’t share the same fate as their canon counterparts.

Stepping towards the edge of the tower, he presented himself to the crowd, a charismatic smile spreading across his face. It was at that moment that I realized why Minato was such a popular Hokage. A war hero responsible for putting an end to the war, with a gentle, yet comforting face, capable of putting anybody’s worries to rest. He was charismatic enough to speak to crowds and officials alike. At that moment, he wasn’t just the Yellow Flash – he was Konohagakure’s pride and joy, the Fourth Hokage. As he looked down upon the crowd a ray of light seemingly came from the heavens, shining upon him. His features were illuminated, presenting the new Hokage with a profound glory. 

I watched, awestruck, at the inauguration of the new Hokage, taking in his proclamation. I wasn’t obsessed with Konoha like many of my fellow shinobi, but I would be lying if I said the moment didn’t stir patriotic feelings within me. In the corner of my vision, Obito grumbled, “It’s like he was made to be Hokage!” he complained, “Now I can’t even be jealous that he made it first!” 

I nodded, “Yeah. I wonder if the previous Hokage had ceremonies this moving.” Rin hummed in thought, “Maybe it’s my bias speaking, but I don’t think Sensei’s could be topped. The Fourth Hokage might just change the world – that’s the kind of feeling he’s trying to project to all of us.” she said, extremely genuine. I couldn’t help but mentally agree, despite the doubts lingering in my mind. The overwhelming sense of a new era befell everyone in attendance. Whether this new era would be a good or bad thing, well, that depended on the person.

I could imagine two bitter men in a foul mood, their days ruined. 

The three of us were caught in an admiring silence for a few moments before I perked up. “Hey, does this mean that Team Minato is disbanded?” I wondered, my gaze going back and forth between them. Obito nodded slowly, “I think so,” he confirmed, “We’ll still get missions, but not as a team. Rin and Kakashi are busy with their stuff anyways, so it’s probably good timing,” he shrugged. 

I blinked, “Kakashi?” I asked. I hadn’t heard much of Kakashi since Kannabi. “I know that Rin’s got that apprenticeship, but what has Kakashi been up to?” I tried to remember what he was doing around this time in canon. At this point, he was being inducted into ANBU, if I remembered correctly. If that was the case, Obito and Rin probably didn’t know about the specifics of it. The two teammates looked between each other before nodding, and Rin’s lips parted in a bright grin.

“The last mission has changed Kakashi a little,” she explained, “He’s still reserved and stern at times, but he isn’t…” she paused, searching for the right word, before Obito interrupted her, “As much of an asshole,” he supplemented, receiving a slap to the back of his head for his efforts. “Ugh, fine–!” he cried out in pain, eventually sighing, “He isn’t as cold anymore. In training, he actually gives me pointers now. He hasn’t called me a failure since the mission!” he explained, prompting Rin to continue. 

“I don’t know why he changed, but he’s suddenly gained an interest in politics and diplomacy. He’s always off training or studying, and he’s been asking Sensei for a mentor incessantly. He told me he wants to make a difference. I’m not sure what he meant, but it looks like Kakashi is trying to become something of an aid to the Hokage.” she explained deliberately, as if she wasn’t completely sure of what she was saying. Her confusion was something I could relate with, though. 

Hatake Kakashi… as an advisor? I was sure he was supposed to be assigned a position in ANBU, but this news shocked me. A version of Kakashi not overwhelmed by grief… would opt for this path? The mission clearly had a profound effect on him, considering the words of his teammates, but it was hard to conceive the battle-hardened child prodigy as a diplomat. 

What kind of epiphany did he have to change so much? 

I stared for a moment, “Wow,” I breathed out. Obito cracked a small smile, “Yeah, wow. I had the same reaction, but he’s serious about it. He’s a more genuine person than before.” he said seriously. 

Team Minato had changed a lot. Just two months ago, and Obito would’ve growled at any mention of Kakashi. Rin would have shied away from any opportunity to branch out and put herself out there, and Kakashi would have abandoned his comrades. The success that came from my intervention spread a pleasant warmth in my chest, filling me with confidence. Maybe I was capable of making a difference. Of saving my family. 

As the crowd slowly died down and the ceremony ended, people began clearing out from the area. The pubs and bars were sure to be at full capacity tonight, but there wouldn’t be large-scale celebration until then. The inauguration ceremony was just that – a ceremony, so there was little reason to stay to celebrate too much in front of the Hokage tower. After some more conversation and catch-up, we decided to part ways. I was working on something special, and I was on the cusp of getting it right. 

Before we left, I remembered something. It seemed distant by now, but it was something I mentioned just under three months ago. “Obito, Rin,” I said, deciding to use Rin’s first name, “Remember when we talked about a group spar at that dango place?” I asked. Obito hummed, “Oh at Kobayashi’s? I remember! You wanted to make a tradition out of sparring or something. It feels like it’s been ages!” he laughed, echoing my thoughts. I nodded, laughing along, “Yeah. Well, I’m gonna invite everyone to make good on that promise next week. We’ll meet at Training Grounds 19 at around 2 in the afternoon. Invite anyone you want.” I continued, looking at the two.

Rin frowned, “I’m not sure if I’ll have the time, but I’ll cheer you guys on in spirit, okay?” she said, reassuring me. “Fair enough. What about you, Obito?” I asked, panning over to the young Uchiha. “I’m not as busy as Rin or Bakakashi, so I can make it unless I’m on a mission.” Obito confirmed, before smirking, seemingly remembering something, “Hey, didn’t you say you’d shut me up or something? You’ll regret saying that, you brat! I have the Sharingan now!” he gloated, activating them to make his point and gazing at me with his now red eyes.

I kept my expression innocent as my own eyes produced a bright red shine, rapidly spinning to form two black tomoe. “Oh, me too,” I smiled. Obito sighed as he shook his head, “Somehow, I’m not surprised,” he groaned, unable to keep a grin from forming on his face.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------

The weeks leading up to the 28th of July, 1bNb

After the mission at Utahime, my teammates and I went through more training than we had ever been through before. Tsume-sensei, who had decided to make us stronger (or kill us, I wasn’t sure), had been as unrelenting as she had promised. She really had let us off easy on the first day, because every day after that, we also trained to cover our self-identified weaknesses, as she asked of us. For Iruka, who lacked physical conditioning and a specific specialty, he honed his genjutsu and did extra conditioning on his own. For Shimada, who also lacked sufficient physical conditioning and had problems in close quarters, she did much of the same as Iruka, minus the genjutsu training. 

As for my own weaknesses, I was a little lost. At first, I was convinced that it was my taijutsu that had problems; my style seemed to lack offensiveness and decisiveness. I presented that conclusion to Tsume-sensei, and she actually disagreed. She argued that the problem would sort itself out as I gained more experience, and as for my physical conditioning, she assured me that I was already near the top for my age group. 

The conversation had left me stumped, because obviously I had weaknesses. No one, except maybe Senju Hashirama himself, had zero weaknesses, and I didn’t fancy myself the God of Shinobi. I felt like I was hitting a wall, where I had no direct route to grow stronger besides more conditioning. After almost two weeks of continuing my training with little real direction, I decided to ask those around me what they thought of my progress and weaknesses. The results… were eye-opening.

“Not that it matters much against me, but for a Genin who uses so much ninjutsu, you’re pretty slow with your hand seals.” 

“While I do not wish to offend you, Daisuke-kun, those fingers of yours are awfully sluggish!”

“Sometimes I think to myself that you’re better off using just taijutsu. With your slow hand seals, it’s not hard to interrupt you. As a kenjutsu user, it’s a good opportunity on my end.” 

“I always know what jutsu you’re gonna use!” 

“I’m gonna be brutally honest; yer hands’re slow as fuck.” 

My biggest weakness as a self-proclaimed ninjutsu specialist had been hand seals, or more specifically, the speed at which I could form them. I was semi-conscious of the problem since I had started learning to be a shinobi, but ever since I finished my first year of the academy, I had unknowingly pushed it aside.

Neglect didn’t seem to be the problem, though. During my years and years of training I had done thus far, I never failed to practice my drills in hand seals. I did them thoroughly. It was part of the reason why the issue wasn’t on my mind, it was because I was diligent in my training. I ended up talking to Gai and my parents, the three people who would be most knowledgeable about my progress throughout the years, and they told me that from the point I had fully committed all hand seals to memory until now, I hadn’t made much progress in hand speed or dexterity.

The skill wasn’t on the forefront, but years of work had gone into it nonetheless. Initially, I grumbled and whined to myself about it, before deciding to actually do something about it. Naturally, addressing the weakness meant hyperfocusing on my hand seal drills. I worked on it for the first few days after I acknowledged the weakness. Hours of repetitive hand seals, focusing especially on consecutive seals and long drills. I did the drills at home and at my team training, and while I seemed to be making progress, it was clear that I would have to work on it for a long time to reach a more acceptable level.

On our journey to cover for our weaknesses, Tsume-sensei had us not only work on the weaknesses on an individual basis, but also through sparring. Iruka’s genjutsu needed work? Then he’d use it until his chakra ran dry. Shimada had troubles in close quarters? Let’s just say she became well acquainted with our Sensei’s fists. My hands’ dexterity needed work? I was only allowed to use ninjutsu (which helped to steadily grow my chakra reserves). With these methods, we were not only quickly growing stronger, but we were also getting used to fighting at a disadvantage.

The three of us were rapidly improving. Iruka and Shimada grew used to their weights, and kept them on outside of training as well. I also grew used to the 40 kilos Sensei had assigned to me, and I added more weight shortly afterwards. The presence of chakra affects the speed at which people grow stronger, because the rate we improved at was physically impossible back on Earth. Clearly, chakra was boosting the human body’s natural adaptivity. Though I was going to eventually put on 60 kilos of training weights, Sensei mentioned we wouldn’t go much further than that for a while. Supposedly, it wasn’t healthy for children our age to go above a certain range. If we could move around normally with an extra person’s worth of weight on us, we were approaching Chuunin level in terms of pure conditioning. Now that our bodies were reaching that threshold, we would focus more and more on skills, rather than strength. 

One day in mid July, something Tsume-sensei told me gave me a spark of inspiration. During another ninjutsu-only spar, I was approached by her as I rested on the ground. As always, the spar left my chakra reserves in a pitiful state, hovering between the vague line of chakra exhaustion.

What she told me was simple. It was logical advice based on what she knew of my skills and what she observed from my spars. 

“If yer seals’re still too slow, ya can just stop usin ‘em. Like with yer Substitution.”

My first instinct was to argue that it wasn’t possible. That the Academy 3 were an exception because of their simplicity, and how little chakra each jutsu took to use. Then I realized – why would it be impossible? I could omit one hand seal on the Hidden Mole jutsu, so why couldn’t I simply omit every seal? There was no rule stating a jutsu needed to be casted with a hand seal. The Rasengan didn’t use a single seal. Hand seals are a shortcut for insufficiencies in chakra control, shape manipulation and nature manipulation.

They altered the way your chakra flowed to make it so jutsu were easier to use. With each seal, the flow of your chakra changed until it reached the desired flow to perform a jutsu. An average newbie who would use a jutsu for the first time needed the aid of hand seals to familiarize themselves with the jutsu and their casting. Hand seals were difficult for me to form quickly, sure, but once they were formed, my chakra was altered like anybody else’s. The next step was chakra control, which is my greatest strength. Theoretically, I am familiar with the flow of my chakra as I cast a jutsu. It’s all I had been doing for the last few wells.

Technically, if I could control my chakra’s flow without the aid of hand seals, I wouldn’t need to form hand seals. Initially, it might take me several seconds, but if I became used to it, then it would be worthwhile. It followed a similar idea to modifying existing jutsu. Take the Earth clone, which can’t cast jutsu properly. Vaguely speaking, a non-shadow clone’s capabilities are dictated by chakra spent, skill in nature transformation and chakra control. It was possible for me to create Earth Clones that were more sturdy or could use jutsu, but with my current skill, it was difficult to do so unless I took several seconds to concentrate, which made making such a clone a liability in combat. If that concentration became second nature to me, then it would prove to be useful

The next step was to try it out, and I decided on the Hidden Mole jutsu, because I could already omit one seal. The jutsu used two hand seals, each for a different purpose. The first hand seal, the Snake seal, also the first hand seal in the Fireball jutsu, relaxed the flow of one’s chakra, making it more easily malleable. I could omit that first seal already because I could manipulate my chakra flow to a fair point already. 

The second hand seal, Tiger, is often used to aid in one’s chakra nature transformation. It wasn’t tied strictly to a single element, because it aided one in the condensation of chakra, which was why it was commonly associated with Earth and Fire release. Considering I still needed to use the hand seal, I needed more refined skill in nature transformation. 

So over several days, I focused on nature transformation with Earth Release. I formed walls with differing properties, such as size, density, hardness and design. I made the ground soft with Earth Release, and worked on closely controlling the extent of said softness. At first I used the Tiger seal, but as days passed, I practiced doing that same softening without a hand seal, and gradually stopped using the Tiger seal. Using my Earth clones or my Stone Pistol jutsu, I focused on changing the properties of each jutsu as much as I could to familiarize myself with each technique’s flow of chakra and formation. 

In the same week, I revisited the Hidden Mole jutsu, resolved to cast it without a hand seal. I stood with my arms at my side, and resisted the feeling to bring them together and form a seal. Breathing in, I focused on my chakra, coils and my tenketsu, tightening my hold on everything, feeling the flow of it grow more controlled. Without much effort, I furthered my concentration, emulating the effects of the Snake seal. I spread my chakra around my body evenly to loosen its saturation, and began to allow it to seep into the tenketsu in my feet. The Hidden Mole jutsu was cast through the feet in most cases to allow one to slip into the earth without resistance. 

Then, I focused on the function of the Tiger seal. The most difficult part of nature transformation for most people comes with either its potency or control. A week ago, I could transform Earth Release chakra without too much of a problem, but without hand seals, it was difficult to transform a significant amount. After so much practice with Earth Release chakra, that fact was bound to have changed.

With a breath, I transformed my chakra into Earth Release chakra, pushing myself to make enough of it without forming a seal. The process came with less resistance than I thought, as I realized I already had enough of it gathered to use the jutsu. Carefully flowing it towards my feet, I let more Earth Release chakra form, feeding onto the chakra-saturated tenketsu in my feet and legs. With a sharp grunt, I pushed it into the earth as I had done hundreds of times before, carefully softening ground under my feet, not only ensuring sufficient softness, but also sufficient depth. 

Before I could collect my thoughts, I slipped into the ground, the softened dirt surrounding me as I nearly lost balance. As I took the time to process what had happened, I abruptly realized that I had succeeded in omitting the hand seals of the Hidden Mole jutsu. The technique felt the same as it always had – I have used the technique for years, after all – and despite having casted it without hand seals, it felt as familiar as ever. The jutsu nearly fell apart around me as excitement seized me, causing my control to falter. Before I trapped myself in dirt, I decided it was time to get out of the ground. 

With a pulse of chakra around my body, I slipped back up, landing on my feet with a bit of a stumble. An exhilarated grin split my face as I laughed to myself, relishing in the success. I stared at my hands, a little shaky from the adrenaline. Sure, it would take some more practice to do it with the same ease as with hand seals, but it meant that my thought process was correct, and that it was possible to omit hand seals, provided I had the chakra control and proficiency in nature transformation required. 

Going from one seal to no seals wasn’t necessarily a huge jump, but it proved that it would be possible to do other jutsu without hand seals as well. If I had that kind of mastery over my arsenal of jutsu, I could not only eliminate a weakness of mine, but it would also turn into a strength. How many shinobi could cast ninjutsu without the use of hand seals? As far as I could remember from canon, not a lot. I really had to thank Tsume-sensei for pushing us to correct our weaknesses.

Now, how far could I take this?

—---

August 4th 1bNb

A week after Minato’s ascendence to Hokage, a group of Chuunin and Genin met together in Training Grounds 22 for a group sparring exercise. The rules and terms of the spars weren’t set until today, and it was decided that we wouldn’t follow a strict structure when it came to our bouts. Most of us agreed that following a set amount of fights, with a set amount of combatants was too limited, so if somebody wanted to challenge another person, they could fight if they wanted to, and if we wanted to fight in specific groupings against each other, we would simply do just that. There was little need to overcomplicate things – we were here for combat experience, after all, and in the career or a shinobi, you never know what kind of situation you’ll face, whether it is a one on one battle or a non-linear fight with an uneven number of fighters on each side.

Now setting up the day was a little more complicated. Previously, we agreed to organizing this little ‘club’ a few months back, but no one had stuck their head out and gotten the ball rolling. Because of that, when I was reminded of the idea back on the 28th of July, I ran around the village like a headless chicken in between my training, looking for everyone I knew and inviting them to join us.

Out of everyone I could get a hold of, Hayate, Gai, Iruka, Obito, Aoba, and even Genma, who Gai brought along, showed up. Shiranui Genma wasn’t somebody I had met before, but I remembered him as part of Minato’s Guard Platoon, which meant that he must be pretty good. It was unusual to not see Aoba together with Raido, but Aoba explained that he was caught up with something and intended to arrive when he could. 

Despite my pestering, I could not convince Shimada to participate, either. The two of us still weren’t on the greatest terms, but since the argument we had after the mission at Utahime, the Nara girl didn’t outright dismiss me anymore. We weren’t friends, but she didn’t brush me off anymore. Rather than ignore me, we began exchanging pointers and advice during training, and while we still bickered from time to time, a serious argument hadn’t broken out. To me, it felt like she was treating our status as teammates more seriously, which filled me with hope for the future of our team. The fact that it took surviving a dangerous mission together and a loud argument to change things between us was disappointing on both ends, but at least things between us had started to change at all. Maybe one day we could get along better as teammates. 

Back to the present, I found myself facing off against Gai and Genma with Hayate and Iruka on my side. The idea was brought up by Iruka in an attempt to make a balanced match-up. Genma and Gai were both Chuunin, and they had about 3 years on us, so on an individual scale, they had the advantage. The difference was made by having three Genin on our side, making the fight a three-on-two battle. 

I took stock of my surroundings. Around the training grounds, the remaining two, Obito and Aoba, were having their own spar. I caught a glimpse of Obito retreating from a swarm of crows against, red eyes rapidly taking in their surroundings, a competitive grin splitting his face. He seemed to be having fun.

Looking back at our own situation, the area we were about to fight in was relatively flat without any major obstructions, which I frowned at. An environment like this was perfect for Gai, where his vision and path would be unimpeded. Another advantage our opponents had on us was Shiranui Genma’s unknown capabilities, which meant we would have to keep our eyes out for anything unexpected. My gaze fell to my arms and legs, deciding in the moment to keep the weights on. I wasn’t fully used to these weights yet, but I knew for a fact Gai wasn’t used to his either – the monster never let himself get used to his. 

I faced forward, peering at our opponents. “No potentially lethal attacks, and unconsciousness or surrender means that the person is out, and since we are avoiding lethal hits, real weapons can be used. Does that sound good?” I shouted loud enough for the two to hear us. I watched as the two shared a glance, discussing the matter amongst themselves before making a thumbs up. 

Hayate glanced at me and smirked, “You really want to win, don’t you?” he said, brandishing his katana, the steel glinting brilliantly off the sunlight. I shook my head good naturedly, “Not necessarily – we all need to get used to facing off against real weapons. We aren’t in the Academy anymore.” I defended myself with a smile. The truth was that the prospect of seeing Hayate in action with a sharp blade instead of a dull bokken for the first time was too exciting to pass up. 

Iruka tapped my shoulder, “So, any plans? You are most familiar with Maito-san, so I hope you can give us some advice,” he asked without wasting any time. I thought of what I should warn them of. Gai wasn’t someone who was easy to trick, despite his way of speaking and enthusiasm, he wasn’t stupid or single-minded. He wasn’t someone most in our age range could overwhelm physically, and he was extremely tough. The problem was that I didn’t know how good Genma was, and I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to split ourselves up or fight as a unit. 

I pitched the bridge of my nose as I compiled my thoughts, “Don’t fight Gai on your own – imagine an elephant charging you, that’s how it feels to receive one of his attacks. I’m most used to fighting him, so I could hold him off for a little while, but the success of that plan depends on whether the two of you can beat Shiranui-san, whose capabilities aren’t known to us yet,” I commented, before resolutely pumping my fist, “We should ward off Gai as a group, and keep him at a distance. That way we can buy time to figure out how Shiranui-san fights.” I suggested. 

Hayate and Iruka regarded me thoughtfully for a moment, before Iruka spoke, “It sounds like a solid plan, but its success depends on their aggressiveness.” he criticized, “Let’s see how they act. With your ninjutsu, you might be able to force Shiranui to reveal his hand.” he said curtly, dropping into his stance. 

Hayate lowered himself into a kenjutsu stance a moment later, his katana held in front of him steadily. “No point in overthinking, right? It’s not like we’re helpless,” he said, taking a composed breath. I found myself chuckling, before I adopted my own taijutsu stance, “Right.” I agreed, my vision sharpening as I felt a familiar burning in my eyes. 

As soon as Gai noticed we were ready, he threw a kunai into the air. The five of us watched the falling kunai, holding our breath, before it hit the ground with a sharp thunk. 

In that same instant, a green blur shot at us. Following the movement with my eyes, I threw myself at Gai an instant later, raising my arm to block the flying kick he had aimed at Iruka and Hayate. I met eyes with him, as we exchanged competitive grins. Even through the throbbing pain on my forearm, I felt excited to test myself against Gai, especially now that I had access to the Sharingan.

Using the Sharingan, I could still distinctly recall everything my eyes had seen in Utahime, but instead of feeling myself grow weaker, more hesitant, more terrified , I grit my teeth and let the pain from Gai’s kick distract me from those memories. If I’m never gonna lose those memories, there is no reason to let it control my actions. 

I owed at least that much to that man I had murdered. 

I thrust my arm forward, attempting to shove Gai away and create some distance. My eyes spun, and I found myself ducking involuntarily as Gai’s left leg sailed over me, where my head was less than a second before. The Chuunin landed at the same time I got up, as we mirrored each other, throwing our right arms out in a punch without a thought. I could tell Gai’s attack would get me first after a glance, an observation made possible with the foresight provided by my eyes. 

Instead of retreating, I leaned into my punch, swaying my head just enough for his fist to graze my cheek. A moment later, Gai’s head shot back as my fist cleanly planted itself into the side of his head. As I primed my left for a follow up, he snapped back into action, even faster than before, seemingly brushing off my counterpunch. 

I widened my eyes as he parried my next attack with ease. My eyes gave me a clear image of the next moment; his leg blurred forward in a front kick that I was helpless to stop in time. Air rushed out my lungs the instant I was hit as I was blown backwards.

I raised my guard as I gasped. Gai locked eyes with me, excitement coloring his features. “That Sharingan of yours is quite impressive!” he wiped blood from his lips, “However, it seems like you have not yet mastered it! Allow me to lend my assistance!” he offered graciously, in contrast to the beating he was promising. 

The Sharingan alone wasn’t going to allow me to face Gai on my own. The foresight and precision it offered me provided me with an advantage, but it didn’t mean I could easily contend with a physically superior opponent. Given more than a few minutes, cracks would appear in my endurance.

Seconds had passed since the start of the fight. Hayate and Iruka both hadn't expected such a quick start, and hadn’t intervened in that initial clash as a result. “I can’t take him in a one on one,” I said, harshly breathing, “I don’t think that first plan will work very well.” 

Hayate nodded, “I’ve got your back.” he said, before Iruka clicked his tongue, “Shiranui has disappeared.” he informed us with a frown, looking around frantically. Shit. An unaccounted for Chuunin was bad news. Before I could think of what to do, Gai’s figure darted at us for the second time.

I braced myself, preparing to receive his attack again, but instead of flying to our location, he crashed into the ground two meters away from us, grunting as he created a small crater in the ground. As I frowned in confusion, he rose without much effort, his hands beginning to form a tiger seal. A moment later, chakra flew out and dissipated from his head. Iruka had gotten him with a genjutsu.

As his hands still held a tiger seal, I raced towards him with Hayate by my side. My right leg swung, forming an arc, as Hayate swung his sword from the left. A dual-pronged attack raced towards Gai. I twitched as the ground under me parted, Genma suddenly thrusting a kunai up at me. Relieved that I had the Sharingan, I slammed my right foot down harshly, killing my momentum and grabbing my own kunai. With a fraction of a second to spare, the blades met with a high-pitched screech, sparkings flying through the air as steel met steel. 

Suddenly, Hayate and I were separated

I cursed to myself as I kicked at Genma’s rapidly emerging head, which he skillfully evaded by abandoning the clash between our kunai and swaying his whole body to the side. He fully emerged from the ground as I threw my kunai at him to force him to dodge. A senbon spat by Genma impacted the kunai, deflecting it off its intended course as it dropped to the ground fruitlessly.

A kunai stopped by a senbon? Could people even do that?

I mimicked Gai’s speed as I dashed towards Genma, spinning my body to avoid another senbon. I appeared in his face, my side facing him as I put my momentum into a spinning backhand. My attack was blocked as he budged a few centimeters, weathering the attack efficiently. He was used to dealing with this kind of force. At point blank range, I barely swayed back to avoid another senbon aimed at my neck, before I swept his legs from under him. On the ground now, I aimed punch after punch at him in his prone position, but he was able to roll away from the blows, and regained his footing after I attempted a final stomp. He jumped away as he got up to make distance. 

Genma wasn’t as good as Gai at hand-to-hand combat, but he knew how to hold his own against opponents like Gai, who was his teammate. If I didn’t have the Sharingan, he would probably be a little better than me, if physicially inferior. On top of his solid skills in taijutsu, I had no idea how good his ninjutsu was. Presumably, he used the Hidden Mole jutsu to interrupt my attack on Gai, and he kept shooting off senbon after senbon at me. I had to assume they were coated in poison, or that they were being aimed at areas that would disable my movement. 

I peaked over my shoulder, hoping to catch a glance at Hayate’s fight with Gai. I couldn’t tell who was winning, but Iruka had joined Hayate and they seemed to be holding their own as I glanced in their direction, so I felt confident enough to focus on Genma. 

“I see that you’re used to fighting Gai,” I commented with a smile. Genma shook his head, smiling as well, “And you fight too much like him. I was hoping that fighting against a Genin wouldn’t be so much trouble.” he said, tightening his bandana with an exaggerated sigh. “Say, how about we step away from taijutsu for a moment? I do enough of that with my team as it is.” he asked offhandedly. 

Considering Akimichi Chouza was his sensei, and Maito Gai was one of his teammates, I could almost understand his plight. His request, however, was intriguing. I had never had a ninjutsu battle against a Chuunin.

I grinned, “Sounds good,” I agreed, my hands making seals without pause. Having an opportunity to use ninjutsu from a distance wasn’t always going to happen to me. Not until I could omit more seals, at least.

I held my chara together carefully, spreading it through my body evenly to compose its flow, simulating the effect of the snake seal. Since last week, I had been practicing to make omitting those seals more and more natural. If I could omit the snake seal in the Hidden Mole jutsu, why couldn’t I do so on other ninjutsu?

Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger, I signed, omitting the first Snake seal, before I spat out a Fireball triple my size. I watched the Fireball I created roar towards him at top speed, the residual heat making me sweat even from my distance. Genma’s eyes widened a smidge, but he sprung himself out of the way without much effort.

I hadn’t used the Fireball jutsu to attack him, though. If he was so focused on the blazing death approaching him, he was less likely to notice my next move. It was a diversion. As the searing heat from my jutsu roared towards Genma, I slipped into the ground, leaving an idle clone above me. 

Digging through the ground, I silently hoped that Genma wasn’t a sensory-type. Thanks to the Sharingan, I was able to look upwards to find a higher concentration of chakra, which would presumably be Genma. I shot up from the ground, overcharging chakra in my feet to shoot me through the earth quicker. In an instant, I was behind Genma, the tip of my kunai pressing itself into Genma’s back. 

“Do you yield?” I asked, before realizing something was wrong. From underground, it was harder to tell whether the mass of chakra I saw was a person, but above ground, that was another story. My knife was pressed against… something that looked like Genma’s back. I strained my eyes, ripping away the illusionary genjutsu Genma had created, revealing a pile of rocks. The illusion took less than a second to tear away, but that time wasn’t enough. I was ready to bolt when I felt cold steel on my neck.

“Do you?” Genma asked back, his own kunai pressing against my neck.

Woah. 

“Yeah,” I sighed, deactivating my Sharingan. “You totally tricked me there,” I laughed, as I turned to face him. “Hey, don’t discount yourself too much. If you were more used to those eyes of yours, things could’ve gone differently.” Genma peered at his twitching hand with a slight frown. “Seriously, Gai’s made you into a beast. I don’t think I would’ve won if it were a taijutsu bout.” he admitted, turning to face the ongoing fight between Hayate, Iruka and Gai. I shook my head, “No way. You’d get the jump on me eventually,” I shot back, before turning to watch as well. “You’re as humble as Gai says,” he laughed, an amused grin on his face.

I nudged him with my elbow, “Hey, you won’t jump in, right?” I asked, noticing Hayate and Iruka’s struggling. With two opponents, one of whom using a katana, Gai was technically at a disadvantage, but I could tell the two were reaching their limits. Iruka had grown physically stronger and wasn’t quite out of his depth, but with Gai being aware of his genjutsu, he was limited to supporting Hayate as the main combatant. Iruka’s biggest weapon had essentially been sealed off.

Genma thought for a moment, “Nah. It would be overkill,” he made a face, “No offense.” he said, correcting himself. “None taken. We’re all quite aware that we need to catch up. I don’t think they would challenge that claim.” I responded offhandedly, as we settled into a silence, watching the rest of the fight.

After some back and forth between the two Genin and the Chuunin, it was clear that both Iruka and Hayate were moving at their limits and starting to slow down. Hayate slashes having previously been near misses, nicks and grazes gradually began to slice harmlessly through the air, and Iruka was becoming less and less capable of capitalizing on openings. The limiting factor for the two was stamina and endurance, which Gai seemingly boasted an unlimited reserve of. He hadn’t slowed down for even a second throughout the entire battle, because the two could not push him to fight at his very best. 

Gai was wearing weights and was still holding back on them.

In a final gasp of effort, the two threw out their last competent attacks at the Green Beast, before the two couldn’t maintain the same precision and effectiveness as before. In an instant, Gai grew satisfied with the bout, upping his speed another notch. Before they could react, the both of them were on the ground, wheezing and panting to catch their breaths, clutching their stomachs. 

Ugh, body blows. I could almost feel their pain. 

The two of us made our way to our fallen brethren. Truly, it was a shame they had to fight against Gai, but the two of them were surprisingly well-coordinated. Because Hayate was using his katana, his strikes couldn’t be blocked without a kunai or another weapon, so I’m sure Gai was pushed more than he looked to be. Iruka provided great support as well, despite being a more well-rounded fighter, compared to Gai’s hyperfocus on taijutsu and Hayate’s focus on kenjutsu.

“Good fight, right?” I asked sarcastically, a smile creeping up to my face as the two groaned in unison. Something about seeing others getting the Gai treatment always gave me a sense of satisfaction. Gai flexed his biceps as he laughed heartily, “Hayate-kun and Iruka-kun were a spectacular duo! They fought valiantly to the end, despite their opponent!” He forced the two on their feet, latching onto their hands and lugging them up. They yelped as they stumbled around, almost falling again. “You may have suffered defeat today, but your loss shall serve to fuel the spirits of your Youth! If this sparring is to become a common occurrence as Daisuke-kun suggests, then it will not be long until your labor bears fruit! Train well, for next time we spar, the tide of our battle may yet change!” he announced with fire in his eyes. 

A grin spread across my face as I admired his display of sportsmanship. Gai was seriously the best. “You’re so lucky to be on his team, Shiranui-san,” I said, expecting a ‘Yeah’, or an ‘Of course’, but he sighed instead. I made a double-take as he opened his mouth, “How long have you been training with him?” he asked, making me think for a second. When did I meet him again? When I was 3, or 4, maybe? “I dunno, like 6 or 7 years, maybe?” I responded without much thought.

Genma raised his eyebrows, “...and how old are you?” he asked again, causing me to frown. What’s he getting at? “I’m 10,” I responded. He facepalmed, before peeking at me from his covered face. “More than half of your life… No wonder you’re his mini-me.” Guh. I had always found Gai’s authenticity to be endearing, but I wonder when I started to enjoy the insane training we went through, or the constant sparring matches we had. I wonder if being friends with Gai has changed me in any way I didn’t realize?

Eh, whatever. I waved Genma off, “Meh. You’re just jealous of his Youth,” I said, shrugging. He grinned in response, shaking his head, “Hah. You’re too far-gone now.” he said, before turning himself to the rest of us five. “What now? We could change up the pairings and go again after you two have rested a little, or wait for Obito-san and Aoba-san to finish up.” he suggested, watching the two of them fight. 

I turned my head to watch Obito and Aoba’s match finish up, when I caught two figures approaching. Brown spiky hair clued me into the fact that it was Raido. I hadn’t seen him in months, and during that time he had a growth spurt, standing a good few inches higher than I remembered. Next to him was someone who I hadn’t expected to see, a girl with violet hair in a fanned out ponytail. It was Anko. 

Is this what Raido was late for, to bring Anko to our sparring? I didn’t mind if she was here, but I was caught off guard by her arrival. After everything I said to her about Orochimaru, after everything that went down at Utahime, I didn’t think I would interact with her for a long time, or rather, I didn’t think she would be the one to see me . I was reminded of Anko’s expression as we returned to the village. Back then, I was dealing with a lot, but I still found her blank staring and lack of aggression unusual. 

I locked eyes with Anko as she approached. I wasn’t the best at reading others, but something about her eyes told me that she had come for a very specific reason. They held resolve, an unflinching determination. The pair eventually reached the five of us, Raido waving his arm in greeting. “Looks like you guys have been busy,” he said, his eyes panning to each of us. He pointed his thumb at Anko, “I’m sorry for being late. I practically had to search the whole village to find her. She can be slippery when she wants to be.” 

Had Anko told Raido or Aoba about the conversation I had with her? Did he know that the two of us were on bad terms and brought her here anyways, or was it an innocent coincidence? No matter which one was the case, it was clear that Anko had come of her own volition. She wasn’t dragged to talk about her feelings – her expression told me that she had decided to come here by herself. 

“Daisuke,” she suddenly spoke, ignoring Raido’s comment, “I want to talk to you, alone.” Anko demanded sharply, her gaze piercing me as she waited for my answer, her expression practically daring me to refuse. Sensing the tension, Iruka nervously smiled, “...Mitarashi-” he said, before I cut him off. “Alright, lead the way.” 

My falling out with Anko wasn’t something that was ever outright known, though I could imagine that Iruka had made his own assumptions in the last mission. The group watched us with puzzled expressions as we made our way to a separate part of the Training Grounds, away from the rest of them. 

I was not thrilled to have this chat.

Chapter Text

August 4th 1bNb 

As Anko and I made distance from the others, we entered a forested area of the Training Grounds, I found myself at a loss for words. When Shimada and I had gotten into a fight, it was because the topic of Utahime’s events was brought up. I didn’t want to fall into a screaming match with Anko this time. As I looked into her eyes, she seemed calm and resolute. If our friendship was still salvageable, then maybe this could be the first step, and her demeanor clearly differed from Shimada’s. 

“Why’d you save me?” Anko asked, breaking the silence, “It’s not like we’re friends anymore,” she elaborated, her expression holding steady. I sighed, “Shimada asked the same thing,” I smiled bitterly, “What’s with that question, anyway? It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that I still consider you a friend, you know,” 

Her gaze became disbelieving before she continued, “Well, don’t expect me to reciprocate, but I guess you’ve earned yourself a pat on the back this time, so thanks for yer help.” Anko smirked, her tone genuine. Sure enough, she and Shimada were acting differently. A few silent moments passed where I didn’t respond, and her expression twisted into a scowl.

“I don’t get it – Orochimaru-sama saved you back then, he saved all of us, so why won’t you apologize? Why don’t you take back what you said about him?” she asked, crossing her arms. I grimaced at the mention of Orochimaru, which only served to make her more upset. I could tell what was going on. She was offering an out, a way to make amends and be friends again. If I admitted I was being insensitive, and paranoid, giving a sincere apology, we could go back to being as chummy as we used to be.

I thought about it for a moment. Two moments. I thought about it more than I care to admit. I wanted to be Anko’s friend again. Sure, we weren’t lifelong friends, but we got along well throughout our time in the Academy. We joked together, bantered, ranted about Hayashi-sensei behind his back, and did school work together. It didn’t take long for her to be a part of my list of precious people. The temptation to swallow my previous words and rekindle that friendship was strong. It was almost enough to cave. I wanted to pretend that nothing bad would happen if I let it go. I wanted to believe that Orochimaru was different from canon for whatever reason, but in the end, I bit down on my lips and shook those thoughts away.

If I paid lip service to Orochimaru and went on with my life, business as usual, would Anko be branded with a curse seal like in canon? Would she live with the same feelings of humiliation, bitterness and vengeance? She had been willing to commit suicide just to kill the man who betrayed her. The thought of Anko having to live like that made me nauseous, as if a snake had coiled around my stomach. If I took that out, then I couldn’t very well consider myself Anko’s friend. 

At that moment, I threw away the notion of reconnecting with Mitarashi Anko.

“I’ll admit that I’m glad Orochimaru chose to save us, but if you want me to take back what I said, you’re wrong.” I said, holding Anko’s gaze. She growled, her scowl deepening, “Why? There’s nothing wrong with him! He called you magnificent… he sees potential in you! You should have a chat with him, and you’ll see that you’re overthinking things!” she pleaded, once again offering me a chance to start over.

Here goes nothing. 

I locked eyes with Anko, “Do you remember that moment as well as I do, Anko? I don’t remember him calling me magnificent, I remember him calling my eyes magnificent. Do you remember the face he made when he said that, or his tone of voice? Did nothing about that unsettle you?” I pressed on, despite the pit in my stomach and my growing trepidation. Anko’s eyes widened for a moment, before she schooled her expression, shaking her head.

I may have made a mistake spilling my guts back then, but since my and Anko’s friendship was already ruined, maybe it was best to make use of the situation. If Anko hates me already, then she can stand to hate me some more, as long as she hears what I have to say. As long as she gives my words even a passing thought.

“That’s ridiculous-” Anko started, rolling her eyes, before I cut her off, “I… I think I get it. He’s the only one who’s ever believed in you, the only one who’s ever given you the time of day. Of course you’ll argue with whoever questions that,” I said gently, before frowning, “but there’s more to Orochimaru than you think.” 

Anko nearly laughed, “Again with this? Are you gonna tell me that I should ‘trust you on this’, or that he’s dangerous and I should be careful?” she mocked, forcing me to recall memories from a few months prior. She looked at me pointedly, “Why do-”

I interrupted her, “He’s a researcher, isn’t he?” I asked offhandedly, “Hikaru-san said he spends a lot of time doing his experiments,” I commented, my tone smooth despite myself. She shook her head, “Of course he does – he’s a genius. That's what they do” she shot back easily, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I lifted an eyebrow, “And has he ever trusted you enough to include you in his research? I can’t imagine he’s ever asked you for any help. I wonder if he trusts you as much as you trust him.” I said, tilting my head. Anko narrowed her eyes at me, “Trust–? Of course he trusts me, he’s my Jounin sensei! What does it matter if I’m not involved in his research!?” she defended him, taking a step forward. I hummed, “He doesn’t trust you with his research, even though you’re his student. He trains you, but does he show interest in your personal life? I don’t think he’s interested in you, Anko, not in the way you think, anyways.” I continued, thinking out loud. 

Anko winced, freezing for a moment, her mouth slightly open as if to retort, before her scowl returned, double as fierce, “What the hell are you talking about?!” she demanded, anger dripping into her tone. She took another step forward, daring me to continue. 

I stepped forward myself, accepting her challenge. “You said that Orochimaru is the only one who acknowledges you, but are you sure about that? How much interest does he express in your team? How much interest does he express in you ? I wonder if he really cares about you.” I taunted, face hard as stone.

The words felt like ash on my tongue. 

Anko grew outraged, baring her teeth at me. “Asshole. You don’t know anything.” she said, her hands clenched at her sides. I swallowed a lump in my throat, “Doesn’t it ever scare you, Anko?” I asked pointedly. “What if the person who means the most to you turns out to be somebody you barely know?” I wondered aloud, a voice at the back of my head screaming at me to shut up and mind my own business.

Last time, I tried to be considerate with my words, and everything I said came out weak, easily dismissed as childish fear. My attempts blew up in my face. If Anko is going to listen to anything I say now, I can't keep my words mild like before. All I did back then was confuse her. I have to be insensitive and uncompromising. The worst that can happen is that we'll never be friends again, but if she takes even one thing I say seriously, then there’s a chance she won’t be branded with the Curse Mark. If some harsh words and a ruined relationship was the price to pay for that outcome, then so be it.

I forced myself to meet her gaze as I stood straight, my heart beating out of my chest. I opened my mouth, barely keeping my tone measured, “Orochimaru doesn’t care about you. He only cares about what he can turn you into – you’re more like a project to him. A pet. An experiment.” 

If I said it enough, she might just believe it. 

Anko’s expression twisted as stared at me with wide eyes. Anger and shock flashed across her features like lightning, as her anger rose. I was hitting her where it hurt, and I hated myself for it. Every word was as sharp as a knife, and I was the one twisting it. I wanted to tremble, I wanted to reel back and apologize, but I knew what letting up meant. If this conversation could spare her from her future as Orochimaru’s victim, then the choice was a no-brainer. I schooled my expression, keeping up a sharp and cruel facade, even when guilt was eating at my insides like poison.

Anko’s fury flared up like a storm, “You don’t know him!” she screamed, “Y-You don’t know anything about either of us!” she choked out. A smile formed on my face, my lips grating harshly against each other, “Do you know him ?” I asked blandly, “It sounds like blind worship to me,” 

“Yer full of shit!” Anko cried, lunging at me, “There’s no way that’s true!!” Her voice cracking near the end. Anko’s sudden charge surprised me, but I was half-expecting a fight when I first saw her anyway. I threw my arms up in a cross-block as I took on the brunt of her punch. 

Her punch was heavy. Too heavy. It drove me back, my feet dragging on the ground to catch myself. The moment I dropped my block, her leg was barely an inch from my face, threatening to take off my head. Pain exploded across the side of my head as I flew back, disoriented. My teeth rattled as the impact reverberated through my skull, but I automatically caught myself in a landing, my hands scrambling to steady myself. 

I felt myself stagger, but the coppery taste of blood was enough to shake me out of my daze. The world around me blew into focus as I took stock of her form, a familiar burning coursing through my eyes. I wiped blood from my lips as I threw myself at her, a kunai in hand.

Anko’s eyes narrowed at me in recognition as a handful of shuriken fell into each hand from her sleeves. The shuriken sliced through the air in a deadly arc, sailing right at me. 

Was she trying to kill me?

I tracked the projectiles, vision darting from shuriken to shuriken in that split second, predicting their trajectory. There were fourteen of them in all. In that same movement, I sped up, avoiding eight of the shuriken in a mad dash and deflecting the remaining six with my kunai.

Anko brought her own kunai out, scowling. Her hand twitched, and I knew she wasn’t going to throw this one. I threw the kunai at her, a metallic hiss trailing behind it. She sidestepped the projectile, as my arm snapped at her kunai-bearing hand in the same movement, harshly smashing into her wrist. She hissed as the kunai dropped to the ground, but reacted in that moment with a punch aimed at my head. 

I tilted my head to slip past the punch without a thought, relying on my precognition. I regretted that decision immediately as I took in a strange movement in his shoulder, her body tilting slightly as her hips squared. She had redirected the attack and I was too committed to my previous head movement to move in time.

Anko’s fist struck my jaw, and the world turned on its side. I staggered, pain exploding from my gut and my nose before I could collect myself. I forced myself to stay upright, teeth gritted, catching her next movements. A sharp front kick came right for my jaw. I stepped less than a foot to the right, catching her leg and clutching it to my side. I swung at her head with my free hand. 

I couldn’t help but feel satisfied as my attack connected, her head snapping to the side. I went for another punch, clicking my tongue as she spun, her leg still caught. Her free leg’s heel was already a blur of motion, primed to burrow itself into my chest. I watched the sharp details of the attack with bated breath – the twist of her ankle and the strain of her muscles, and I let go of her trapped leg, leaping back before it could connect, barely avoiding the strike to my solar plexus.

The two of us got up, breathing harshly as we regarded each other with caution. Dull pain still radiated from the attacks she had landed on me. I found myself wondering what kind of training she had been doing since I last saw her. She was never someone who I would consider weak or helpless, but I was stronger than her during the invasion of Utahime. Even with the Sharingan and the last 6 weeks of intense training, she was somehow matching me. 

Anko caught my puzzlement, a feral smirk shaping her face, “Not so confident now, are ya?” she sneered, baring her teeth at me, “You can thank the very same Orochimaru you oh-so-hate!” she proclaimed, her stance loosening itself up. For a moment, I wondered if it was worthwhile to continue this fight. I had already used a decent chunk of chakra against Genma, and logically, I knew I shouldn’t be fighting Anko, but despite that, I found my lips curling up with excitement.

Even through the pain, adrenaline was coursing through my veins. Her words ignited a spark in my gut as a wellspring of exhilaration overrode my thoughts. My eyes hungrily took in the moment; the world was slow and as every detail became clear as day. The power of the Sharingan was intoxicating.

“So he did make you stronger!” I shot back, matching her intensity, “Let me show you what I’ve learned – without crawling to a monster!” I laughed, unrestrained, my hands forming shaky seals. If taijutsu wasn’t getting us anywhere, then what about ninjutsu? I flew through the seals as quickly as I could, automatically skipping over both Tiger seals in a spur of the moment decision.

Rat-Dog-Ox-Rabbit. Fire Style ; I thought, Phoenix Flower Jutsu! The fireballs roared towards Anko, a deep crackling eating through the air in a violent surge. She was already moving by the time I had completed the jutsu, zipping around the trees and avoiding each one. A few fireballs nearly got her, singing her cloak and sleeves, but she was otherwise unharmed.

Anko darted from tree to tree, rapid barrages of kunai emerging from the shadows. I had to break off my jutsu, abandoning my own barrage of fireballs. As my attention was split between her movements, and barrages of kunai.

Dodging a specific barrage of kunai, I landed by a tree. My senses screamed at me as I ducked on instinct, narrowly avoiding a kick. The arc of her leg was fast and ruthless, cutting through the air as it whistled above me. I shot up from my lowered position, leaning into my own gut punch. Anko was more agile than me, and she regained her footing easily. Without enough time to move out of the way, however, she caught the punch in an elbow block instead of dodging, the impact reverberating through the forest.

Anko’s face twisted painfully, and she bit down on her lips. A knee drove itself into my gut with immense force and bile rushed up my throat. My stomach churned in agony. She wasn’t the only one who could withstand some pain, though. I grabbed her shoulders, slamming my forehead into hers. Our heads collided, a deafening clang resonating through the clearing. A sharp jolt ran through my head, the world spinning.

We were wearing forehead protectors, sure, but if anything the metal amplified the impact. We were protected against full-blown head injury, but as for a mild concussion… 

I staggered back, regaining my senses, before my back impacted the tree behind me. I suppressed a surprised grunt as I looked onwards. Anko, for her part, looked worse off than me, and yet she remained defiant. She surged forward, throwing an overhead punch with her lead arm. The headbutt had clearly affected her precision, but it had also affected my own agility. 

I dodged, barely swaying my head around her onslaught of blows. After a glancing strike grazed my cheek, I raised my arms in a block, wrapping them around my head. I chose to prioritize defending against more significant blows, as I was trapped against the tree with seemingly no way out. The Sharingan was helping me block major strikes – temple, chin, even an attempted liver blow, but I couldn’t stop them all. I was taking a beating.

My arms were going to be covered in bruises tomorrow.

Even under the onslaught of strikes, the ringing in my head was slowly subsiding. Watching Anko movements for the next few seconds, she began to fall into a pattern. She tensed, twisting her hips and bending her knees in preparation for another uppercut aimed at my jaw. Behind my guard, I took in the movement unblinkingly as the world slowed.

It was my chance.

When Anko’s fist flew at me, I shifted my weight, stepping away from the tree and slamming a hook into her cheek, driving her against the tree I’d just been pinned against. I drove my other hand into her gut and she doubled over, allowing me to hit her exposed head with an elbow from my right, and raised my left to follow up with an overhead. 

Then, I heard the sound of wood cracking. 

Before I could identify the source of the sound, Anko was in my face and I was suddenly toppled over. I whipped my head around to search for her. She stood a short distance away, blood dripping from a cut above her eye, yet she stood against me, unwavering.

I growled in frustration as the chance to end the fight escaped me. Mitarashi Anko just refused to go down. She shot herself from the tree on purpose, using overcharging the chakra in her feet to propel herself away from her predicament. I couldn’t help but admire her quick thinking, despite my annoyance.

Anko unexpectedly grabbed her bicep with her arm, blood dripping down the side of her face. She raised her other hand up into the air and clenched it, dragging an invisible force down.

My eyes widened as I watched the flow of Anko’s chakra. As she completed the motion, her chakra flow became abnormal, directing itself to her right arm, as if she was casting ninjutsu. My breath hitched as I realized what she was doing. A modified hand seal!

Half a dozen snakes burst from under her sleeves in an instant. I could easily follow the serpents with my eyes, but my body couldn’t keep up, too hurt to muster the necessary strength in short notice. They coiled around my limbs, tightly enough to cut my blood flow. I hissed as a stabbing sensation burned through my arm, her snakes digging their fangs into me. Squirming against the constricting force of the snakes, I found myself unable to move. 

Anko, for her part, smirked at me confidently, “Don’t stress too much, none of those snakes are venomous,” she jeered, glee lighting up her features, “Now what was that about showing me what you learned? You were usin’ the same tricks as before,” she taunted, stepping closer. I groaned in exertion, but after one final push to escape with my raw strength, it became obvious I couldn’t break free.

I scowled at her, “What now, Anko? You gonna string me up here until you get bored?” I asked mockingly, when in reality I wanted nothing more than to get out of the predicament. Despite having trained as a ninja, being captured and tightly bound by giant snakes left me mildly terrified. My heart was beating in my chest as I felt my limbs grow numb from lack of blood flow. This didn’t bode well for me.

Anko’s expression shifted to a more serious one, “No. I want you to say exactly why yer so skeptical of Orochimaru-sama. Don’t think I’ll let you down ‘til I’m satisfied with your answer.” she said, her voice snappy.

I frowned. Even if I were fully honest, I didn’t think that my answer would satisfy her. I severely doubted she would take my words at face value like Gai had, and even if she did, a stubborn voice at the back of my head demanded I still fight back. I had already tried moving just moments ago, and it was obvious I wouldn’t go further with that approach. I couldn’t move, and therefore couldn’t muster up any hand seals for ninjutsu. I wasn’t skilled in genjutsu, past shoving a bunch of chakra into somebody’s chakra system, and I had no idea how to cast genjutsu with the Sharingan yet. 

Anko’s head tilted, “Well?” she said, goading me for an answer. The snakes’ hold on my limbs tightened, and I barely suppressed a wince. I couldn’t make hand seals, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t cast ninjutsu. 

I closed my eyes, focusing on my chakra. The only jutsu I could cast without a seal in the midst of combat was the Hidden Mole Jutsu. It was the only one I had practiced to do on the fly, however, now that I couldn’t move, I had all the time in the world to play around with my chakra.

I breathed in and took hold of my bouncing, panicked chakra, its flow returning to a normal, controlled state. I focused on transforming the chakra in my stomach to Earth Release chakra, condensing it tightly, grinning to myself as I felt the familiar rigidity of Earth Release chakra. Really, its rigidity and stability was what made earth easier to manipulate than fire. The Earth Release chakra in my stomach spun and spun, condensing itself further, forming a rock. It was a familiar feeling, and it marked the completion of my jutsu. A jolt passed through my head as I reminded myself to control the power of the jutsu.

I was trying to hurt her, not tear a hole through her head.

Anko, oblivious to my efforts, smirked at my grin, “What’s so funny-” she mocked, before her eyes widened. Earth Style: Stone Pistol Jutsu! I boomed internally, a fist sized stone flying out from my mouth at breakneck speeds. It crashed into her head, a loud clang echoing through the air, knocking her flat on her back. The snakes withdrew instantly, blood flow returning to my dull limbs as I dropped onto the ground. Despite being free, my arms and legs felt weak from lack of blood flow and low chakra levels, so I watched Anko with bated breath, my vision returning to normal.

To my relief, the girl was scrambling herself up to her feet before long, her equilibrium thoroughly disrupted. She might actually be concussed this time. She locked eyes with me, both of our breaths coming out as labored and uncontrolled huffing and puffing. “That,” I breathed out, “is what I’ve learned,” I said, a tired grin on my face. Anko’s dazed expression shifted into a frustrated sneer, “What’s the deal with you?! You’d rather it come to this than give me a proper answer?!” she demanded, clenching her fists to her sides.

My heart clenched as I averted my gaze. A long, deafening silence resounded between us, a familiar routine at this point. Anko stomped the ground harshly, turning to leave, “Again?!” she cried out angrily, her voice cracking at the end. She held my gaze for a moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her gaze became hurt as I watched her, a painful expression on my own face. “I shouldn’t have come to see you…” she muttered under her breath, before she shook her head and stormed off.

As I watched her retreating figure, I knew I had gotten ahead of myself during the fight. A hollow sense of loss squeezed at my chest.

—------------------------------------------------

A week passed after my fight with Anko, and I continued throwing myself into training. Despite how poorly the encounter went, I decided not to dwell on the outcome. Sadly, I had become accustomed to Anko’s unfriendliness. I hoped that I had gotten through to her, even a little bit.

Gai and I kept up our sparring routine, but with how we were becoming busier and busier with our missions and team training, we couldn’t find the time to train together every day. Our skill sets were quickly diverging, and our habits were slowly growing apart, so it was better time-wise if we simply sparred together. 

With Tsume-sensei, I continued growing accustomed to the training weights I was given alongside my teammates, but we were slowing down on that front as we approached our limits. There came a point where training past a certain point became much less effective until our bodies matured, so it was better to use that time and energy for ‘soft skills’. For me, this meant my endeavors in hand seal omitting, Shimada was still working on her close combat skills and honing her already amazing shurikenjutsu skills, but was also receiving tutelage from her parents in Nara clan techniques, and Iruka was continuing with his own close combat and genjutsu skills. 

We were still grinding out our weaknesses, and they were slowly becoming less pronounced. 

After managing to cast the Stone Pistol jutsu without any seals, I hung onto the feeling and began working on growing more and more used to omitting seals. Having already learned to cast the Hidden Mole jutsu sealless, along with my feat against Anko, I had something of a headstart in improving my nature transformation skills, internal chakra control and developing muscle memory when casting the Stone Pistol jutsu, and I ended up reaching a similar proficiency in casting it sealless as my proficiency in the Hidden Mole jutsu even faster than I had managed that first step in the last week of July. 

I came to the conclusion that it would only snowball from here. Even managing one of these Earth Release jutsus without any hand seals already improved my nature transformation, shape transformation and chakra control a lot, but if I went jutsu by jutsu, casting each one sealless, my skills would only grow. Learning jutsus will likely become easier, and years down the line, I could consider making my own. 

Anyways, casting a jutsu without hand seals had a lot to do with emulating the effects of hand seals. It wasn’t a simple case of ‘oh, just give your chakra good a good shake!’. Hand seals were called hand seals for a reason, and they altered the flow of a person’s chakra network, affected chakra concentration in tenketsu, caused vibrations in a person’s chakra, and even affected the properties of chakra. Being able to omit hand seals in quick succession took the culmination of 5 qualities: muscle memory, excellent internal chakra control, excellent nature transformation, excellent shape manipulation, and a vision along with an intent. Without a certain level of prowess in all 5 of these qualities, it took time to manipulate the chakra. I could only cast the Stone Pistol jutsu without hand seals against Anko because I had that leeway. 

At present, I was with my family in the living room, the four of us idly resting. It was a rare moment, as all of us were generally busy, especially Tou-san, who worked as an artisan even before he was drafted to war. Kaa-san always had household chores to attend to, and now that Izumi was old enough to be home alone, she went out for errands or to meet with friends of hers more often. Furthermore, as of today, Tou-san was permanently retired from shinobi service. A veteran of two Great Shinobi wars, he was awarded with a generous retirement stipend, an official field promotion to Chuunin and certain benefits from the village, such as various Konoha-supported discounts and access to training grounds despite his status as a retired shinobi.

More than anything, I was glad that Tou-san was done fighting. 

Importantly, much of both of my parents’ free time was spent bringing Izumi up to speed with training. Izumi’s birthday had come on the 5th, and we once again had a smaller celebration, complete with cake and dango, the latter likely being the most important part of her birthday feast. As a gift, I spent some of my A-ranked pay to get her an intricately made tanto custom-ordered from a blacksmith that Hayate recommended to me, because it was the blacksmith that his family exclusively ordered from if they needed a good blade. 

I didn’t know if she would like it, but I thought it was a good idea for her to learn some kenjutsu to see if she had a knack. Worst case scenario, she learns a thing or two about the art and drops it, but best case scenario, she gains a reliable skill that will serve her well. Izumi, for all my anxiety, was ecstatic when she got my gift, which was a relief. A blade is a blade, though, and Kaa-san promptly banned her from handling it until she had sufficiently trained with a wooden practice tanto, that I was unfortunately roped into buying as well, as it was my responsibility to ensure she handled my gift safely. 

Kaa-san had gotten Izumi a set of nice looking clothes for the academy preemptively, and they were both larger than what would currently fit her. The clothes were similar to what I had gotten back on my 6th birthday. The set included sandals, blue pants, a pouch for various ninja tools, and a high-collared sleeveless purple shirt. When I saw the outfit, I quickly recognized it as what she was seen wearing throughout the canon flashbacks, and it reminded me of the reality of her pursuing a career as a shinobi. 

Tou-san had gotten her a set of kunai and shuriken, and also a set of custom-made wooden kunai and shuriken he had been working on here and there for the past three weeks. The design itself didn’t differ very much, but he used a specific hardwood so that the weight of the practice weapons would match the weight of their metal counterparts. Clearly, he had better foresight than I did. 

With Izumi sufficiently spoiled on her birthday, having now turned 5, she was even more motivated in her training, eagerly practicing alone if she was left to her own devices (within the obvious boundaries). She was making progress fairly quickly, absorbing the basics like a sponge. It was clear to me that the academy wouldn’t prove itself much of a challenge to her, but being a shinobi was different. 

-

“Hear me out, okay? Rice porridge.” I proposed, watching Kaa-san as she wrinkled her eyebrows, considering the idea. “Rice porridge? Like Okayu? I don’t get it… we aren’t having problems with money or anything.” she frowned thoughtfully. I shook my head amusedly, “No, no. Get this; we only use enough water for the rice to puff up a little, and then we add milk and sugar and boil it together for like an hour.”

Kaa-san’s mouth flung open in horror, “What!! Daisuke-chan, that is an abomination!” she exclaimed in outrage, “Why waste perfectly good rice by drowning it in milk ?” she demanded, pressing the back of her hand on my forehead, “You don’t have a fever, do you?” she asked with exaggerated worry. I shook her hand off of my forehead before holding my hands up defensively.

“Just imagine it! A warm, creamy and slightly sweet porridge. Doesn’t it sound cozy, something to enjoy on a cold winter with your family?” I asked, fondly remembering the glory of the Danish Risengrød. “Then you top it with some butter, or even warm cherry jam… Mmmh~,” I hummed with my eyes closed, relishing my horrified mother’s expression.

Kaa-san’s eyes narrowed in disbelief after a moment, “How did you even come up with this idea?” she paused, before pointing at me, “Oh, I get it! You must’ve made it already!” she nodded to herself, “another one of your strange culinary experiments, right? I bet I’m right!” she theorized. I perked up, “Hey, the Pizza was good though!” I insisted, excitement shining in my eyes. Her face scrunched up, “That Piza-thingie was alright , but I don’t know about rice and milk – it feels wrong! Like pointing at the moon, or-, or, cutting your nails at night!” she insisted, spreading her arms wide. 

I rolled my eyes, “I’ll make it myself if I have to. You’ll see reason after you’ve had a taste!” I declared, eliciting a sigh from Kaa-san. Tou-san smiled fondly, looking up from his newspaper, “It sounds pretty good, to be honest,” he admitted, “What do you think, Izumi?” he asked, his gaze panning over to my sister, who was shaken from her silence. She had been meditating, an effort to learn to better control her chakra. 

Izumi got up and stretched, grunting softly, “I have full trust in Nii-san after the Pizza ,” she yawned. Hah, take that. Kaa-san grumbled good naturedly, “Okay~, guess we can try your weird, milky rice sometime soon,” she relented, before shooting up from the couch, suddenly excited about something. “What say we make use of today and do something as a family?” she asked the room, looking between the three of us expectantly. We all eyed her, before nodding in agreement in the same time. She pumped her fist, “I’m glad this household agrees with me on something ! Get ready, everyone, we’ll leave within the hour!” she announced brightly, before darting out of the room to get ready. 

I slowly rose from my comfortable position on the couch, groaning as anybody would. I looked at Tou-san and Izumi before frowning, “Hey, did she even say where we’re going?” I asked, a bored expression on my face. The two gazed at me, “No,” they deadpanned at the same time. I huffed amusedly, “Of course not. Classic Kaa-chan,” I said, before turning my head to Izumi, “All while you’re meant to be training,” I recalled with a sigh. Izumi shook her head, “It’s okay! This’ll be waaaay more fun!” she beamed, running past to get a change of clothes. I watched her incredulously as she sped off.

…Definitely Kaa-san’s daughter. 

Tou-san’s chuckle caught my attention, “Don’t worry too much. She’s making progress very quickly – at this rate, she’ll be more than ready to enter this April, and even if she isn’t, I’ll keep her from entering for another year.” he reassured me, sensing my worry. I found myself with a fond grin plastered on my face, “If you say so. She was getting bored of sitting still anyways,” I rationalized. It’s for the best that she has some balance to her training.

Kaa-san had apparently formulated the plan for our outing in the midst of getting changed in truly spontaneous fashion. I thought we might do something like a picnic before realizing we had nothing prepared, so I was pleasantly surprised when shaved ice was brought up as we left the door. 

It was prime time for a nice icy dessert, early August, and I was positively delighted. Shaved ice was something I had in my last life as well, though not very often, and I wondered whether the different flavoring or syrups would differ from Earth to here in Konoha. 

As we approached a popular stand at one of Konoha’s parks, I gazed at the menu longingly. There weren’t a huge amount of flavors available, at least as many as I had expected, but there was still a solid selection. Matcha, Strawberry, Brown sugar, and Yuzu flavors were available. There were options to top it with mochi toppings, condensed milk and sweet red bean paste freely, for a small extra fee.

I went for Yuzu without any toppings, Izumi got Matcha with Shiratama mochi toppings, Kaa-san got Strawberry with condensed milk, and Tou-san got Yuzu as well, but with condensed milk. After paying for our desserts, we set out to a more isolated part of the park and set down a picnic blanket to enjoy ourselves in the sun. 

As we enjoyed our shaved ice, Izumi quickly found herself busy quizzing me, having inhaled hers before we had the chance to blink.

“How do you do it?” Izumi asked, waving around a leaf frustratingly, “Otou-chan’s too lazy to help me, so you have to!” she demanded. I looked between her and the leaf, carefully holding myself back from grinning, before I grabbed the leaf and stuck it to the tip of my nose. I shrugged, “I dunno. It’s not too hard?” Izumi glowered at me, before tearing the leaf from my nose. 

How about some manners?

I chuckled, tapping her forehead with my index finger, “In all seriousness, I think you’re trying too hard. You should go back to the basics and keep meditating, unless your problem is controlling the adequate amount of chakra.” I suggested, giving her the space to give it a try. Izumi stared at the leaf carefully, before slapping it on her forehead. A second didn’t pass until it glided down to her lap. 

Izumi scrunched her nose in frustration, picking up the leaf stubbornly. I had a light bulb moment. “Hey, here’s a tip,” I said, her attention snapping to me. “You can practice with your hands first. It’s easier to flow the chakra into the tenketsu in your hands,” I explained, before crimson bled into my eyes, tomoe swimming in a sea of red, eliciting an excited gasp from my sister. “I’ll watch how much chakra you’re putting into your hands, and tell you if you’re on the right track.” 

I looked at my own hand for reference, flowing the perfect amount of chakra to stick the specific leaf Izumi was using to it. If she got the flow mostly right, it should work. “Okay…” she murmured, “From my tummy… to my arm… to my hand…” she chanted to herself, as her chakra flow awkwardly made its way to her right hand. I squinted, before shaking my head, “Too much chakra. Try to adjust the flow. You don’t need so much going into your hand right now.” I said. 

Izumi’s closed eyes fidgeted, as I watched the flow of chakra to her hand slowly calm down. Before, it was like a river of chakra was flowing into her hand, but now it was like a creek, silently streaming into the tenketsu of her hands. “You’re getting closer, Izumi,” I praised, “but you’ll have to constrict the flow a bit more. Your tenketsu are too highly saturated in chakra. The excess will blow the leaf away,” I amended, remembering the rough amount of chakra she should be molding. 

Now, her whole face was scrunched up in concentration. The flow of chakra in her hand was slowly spreading it more evenly, which was something of a short shortcut, but it was still a legitimate method she could use to control her chakra. The stream bounced against her skin, slowly straightening itself out, before it splintered and traveled to all the tenketsu in her hand. The flow of chakra from her arm began to slowly compensate for the decreased concentration. Her chakra shrunk and shrunk until…

“There! Keep it like that!” I shouted, startling her enough to where her control visibly shook, but she skillfully kept it under control after the initial shock. Woops. “Now, bring your hand or a finger up to the leaf and use the accumulated chakra to maintain a connection. Continue feeding some chakra flow into your hand to keep up!” I ordered, watching her open her eyes and slowly bring her right hand to the leaf on her lap. 

Her finger hit the leaf, and I watched as the accumulated chakra in her finger slowly began transferring itself onto the leaf. For a moment, she struggled to compensate for the chakra flow to the surface of the leaf, but quickly adjusted. She took a few breaths, before she lifted her hand up, leaf coming up with it.

Izumi perked up, “I did it!!” she cheered, the leaf sliding down in that moment of lower concentration to the middle part of her finger, which she managed to correct, a panicked frown appearing on her face. My eyes flashed back into their normal blue as I smiled, “You did,” I said with my thumbs up, “Good job.” I praised her.

Izumi hummed in delight, accepting the praise with an indulgent grin, “I mean, I knew I could do it with your help,” she bragged, acting casual. Time to rain on her parade. “Yeah!” I cheered, “Now you just have to learn to do it with any part of your body!” I exclaimed cheerfully. Her grin turned into a displeased frown and the leaf fell from her finger. “You’re mean,” she pouted, and I blew raspberries at her in return. 

Kaa-san perked up, amused by the interaction, “Now now, Daisuke-chan’s right! Now that you can do it with your finger, it won’t be long until the whole exercise is child’s play!” She encouraged her brightly. To be fair, I went about the whole process differently, opting instead to test the capability of the leaf to withstand chakra when I was first learning. I didn’t have the same experience with chakra control as my sister – I had fewer problems learning the exercise, so my method wouldn’t have worked as well with her.

Tou-san gazed at me, a smile tugging at his lips, “Don’t be smug to your sister, kiddo. Sure, you never had trouble with chakra control, but what about your aim? Need I remind you of that?” he teased. Oh lord. I gave Tou-san a pleading look, begging him to shut up, but he ignored me, “How was it explaining to me that you needed money because you owed your friend dango, because you wagered your aim would be better than his?” he asked, his tone buzzing with amusement. 

My face grew hot as 5 shades of red worked its way onto my cheeks. “I-, uh, well…” I murmured, “He challenged me, okay! I couldn’t help it! I was on a Birthday High!” I shrieked, looking between my family. Kaa-san, Tou-san and Izumi looked at me for a second, looked between each other, and then burst into obnoxious laughter. “Oh, come on!” I groaned, turning to my sister, “I’m sorry Izumi! I won’t tease you again!” I promised, an embarrassed grimace on my face. The laughter continued for almost another minute before dying down. 

Izumi sighed, her laughter subsiding, “Even if Nii-chan’s super strong, he isn’t good at everything,” she said, an odd look of relief on her face. I grinned fondly, glad that she could take some comfort in today’s outing. I shook my head, a slight smile on my face, “I would hesitate to call myself super strong. Try sparring with the Green Beast of Prey since your early childhood.” I said, eliciting a blink from each of my family members.

“The who?” Tou-san wondered.

“The what?” Izumi asked.

“A Beast?” Kaa-san demanded fiercely.

Silence reigned for a moment, until- 

“Ah!” Kaa-san snapped, “Gai-kun!” she realized. 

We didn’t spend too long enjoying ourselves at the park. The rest of us ran out of shaved ice pretty quickly, and there was only so much fun to be had sitting on a picnic blanket. We had packed up and began idly wandering home before I remembered I wanted to ask Kaa-san about something. 

“Hey, Kaa-san?” I asked offhandedly. She blinked, turning her head to me, “Yeah?” she responded, “I was actually thinking about joining the Military Police Force. Do you know anything about that?” I asked quickly, deciding to just rip off the bandaid. I knew Kaa-san probably had some opinion of her clan, considering she was presumably estranged from them after getting with Tou-san, but I didn’t know whether it was a sensitive topic.

Kaa-san’s eyes widened, “When did you become interested in the Police Force?” she asked, shocked by the sudden name drop. I relaxed, seeing as she didn’t become defensive, “I know I’m still a part of a Jounin’s team, but I thought I should know more about the clan we came from. I want to see what people mean when they tell me I’m not a typical Uchiha. I want to know why people generally don’t like the Uchiha. I think it would be a good chance to learn new skills that aren’t just fighting and killing.” I explained, intent on mostly telling the truth. These were all good reasons to enter the Force, but I also had political ambitions. I wanted to become acquainted with Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head.

She held my gaze for a moment, “It sounds like you’ve thought it through. I’ll tell you what I know, okay?” she relented. I nodded in excitement, prompting her to continue, “The general entry requirement to apply for the Force is to be a Chuunin from the Uchiha clan, but there are also special entry requirements. If you can get sponsored by an Uchiha Jounin, you can apply, no matter your rank, age, or clan affiliation.” she explained.

I would need to catch the attention of a Jounin from the Uchiha clan, or I would have to wait for promotion. I sagged in disappointment, “There’s a reason for these rules, Daisuke-chan. The Force is made up of elite shinobi who monitor fellow shinobi, so you must be strong enough to enter. No matter the route to take when applying, there will be strict examinations to undergo. A written exam, a challenging physical exam and combat aptitude exam are all part of the process,” she paused, scrutinizing me for a moment, “You’re waaay stronger than I was at your age, but I’m not sure if they would accept you just yet. And you aren’t a Chuunin yet, so…” she thought to herself with a frown.

My plans to join the Military Police Force would have to take a back seat for now, then. It was unfortunate, but at least I had more time to focus strictly on growing stronger, even if I preferred to begin making more moves.

As I contemplated my options, Kaa-san stopped for a moment, “Oh!” she realized, seemingly connecting some dots, “I know!!” she said with a broad smile, “Your Obaa-chan, she’s a Jounin!” she recalled with a snap to her fingers. 

I have a grandmother?

—---------------------------------------------------------------

We were twenty days into August when I was scheduled to meet my grandmother for the first time. My grandmother, Uchiha Reina, had disowned Kaa-san when she found out about her relationship with Tou-san. She was a staunch traditional Uchiha clan member, and marrying outside the clan was heavily frowned upon.

That was what Kaa-san told me, anyway.

Apparently, Kaa-san had still managed to contact her mother. Considering what I knew about my grandmother’s character, I was surprised that she would have agreed to see Kaa-san, but I didn’t have much to go off of. Kaa-san didn’t tell me what she wrote in the letter she sent, and I could only guess that she wanted to see her grandchildren. 

As my grandmother was a traditionalist, Kaa-san reckoned she would appreciate it if we showed up in formal wear. I didn’t have any formal wear as I hadn’t needed it before, so we went out to buy some in the days coming up. I wore a black montsuki kimono over grey hakama pants, and Kaa-san wore a modest blue kimono, a light obi tied around her waist. Her hair was neatly done in a smooth, disciplined bun, an elegant silver kanzashi keeping it all in place. My hair was brushed and combed down, a styling oil keeping it in place. Kaa-san had a really hard time getting my hair to stay down. 

I was not used to wearing this kind of clothing whatsoever. It was itchy, stiff and hard to move in. It was also hardly breathable, and my body was uncomfortable and hot. We had made quite the preparations to appease my grandmother, and yet I still found myself nervous. I knew at heart that worst case scenario, I’m forced to find another avenue into Konoha’s political sphere, but something about meeting a member of my family for the first time still left a pit in my stomach. 

We passed through the Uchiha clan compound, carefully ignoring stares and gazes. The attention we were attracting could likely be attributed to our dress, but it was also possible that the gazes came from a place of curiosity. Kaa-san had not lived in the compound for more than 10 years from what I knew, and it may have surprised people to see Kaa-san traveling through her estranged compound with an unknown boy in tow.

Kaa-san noticed my nervousness and patted my shoulder. Normally she might have ruffled my hair, but I bet she didn’t want to ruin her hard work on taming my mane. “Don’t be so nervous, sweetie,” she soothed me with a calm voice, “Okaa-sama might have kicked me out, but she’s prim and proper enough to not be too rude. As long as we’re respectful with your request, and maintain our manners, the worst she could do is refuse, right?” she said with a reassuring smile. 

I nodded, feeling a little tension leave my shoulders, “Okay. I hope she has a soft spot for kids,” I laughed, not actually joking, “I would really like to join the Police Force,” I said. Kaa-san looked down at me fondly, “My little boy’s moving up in the world! You just look so cute in that kimono!” she cooed, clearly resisting the urge to mess up my outfit. I sighed, a shade of pink lightly dusting my cheeks.

“I’m not gonna be your ‘little boy’ forever! I really hope you won’t be this embarrassing as I grow older…” I murmured, eliciting a snicker from Kaa-san, “No promi-” she said, before cutting herself off. “Ooh, we’re close! Let’s go!” she said, dropping her teasing immediately and speed walking towards the residence in question. 

A beautiful genkan spanned in front of us, presenting a humble and yet spacious wooden house with a tiled roof. A short series of steps led up to the entryway, the door looming before us, almost daring us to knock. We silently walked up the steps, before we stood in front of the doorway. 

“Are we supposed to knock, or-” I asked, before Kaa-san cut me off with a horribly loud ‘shh’, “It’s rude to talk in front of the doorway!” she whispered, her warning coming out as loud hisses instead, clearly louder than I had been. Absolutely clueless. I nodded anyway, suppressing the urge to smile. Kaa-san took a deep breath and made three deliberate, slow and steadily timed knocks. Silence resounded through the air as we waited with bated breath to be answered. 

We waited for fifteen seconds, and no one appeared. Another fifteen seconds passed, and the door didn’t open, still looming over us. Thirty more seconds passed, and I found myself growing impatient, yet I held steady. The silence was deafening. Finally, the second minute passed, and I caught myself fidgeting, my nerves betraying me once again. I was about to turn to Kaa-san to ask about etiquette in answering the door, before it finally opened, presenting a certain Uchiha Reina. 

My grandmother was wearing a kimono as well, though it was longer at the ends and bore more neutral colors than Kaa-san’s. A dark Obi was tightly secured around her waist, which appeared visibly uncomfortable to me. Her greying hair was swept up in a skillfully arranged into a high chignon bun, no strand out of place. She looked down upon the two of us with unflinching onyx eyes, boring into us, seemingly absorbing every detail of our appearance. Her face was set into a stern frown.

Kaa-san blinked, before she gave a deep bow, “It has been a long time, Okaa-sama,” she greeted in a tone completely alien to me. Her usual bubbly and emotional tone was now controlled and measured. She raised her head with a diplomatic smile, “I’m glad we could meet again after so long. Have you been well?” she asked robotically. 

I kept my expression schooled, but I was surprised by Kaa-san’s sudden 180 in attitude. Was this her homelife before she left with Tou-san? I followed up with a deep bow of my own. 

Finally my grandmother gave a curt nod, and then she spoke, “You remember your manners, at least, Hazuki.” she said, tone stiff and neutral. “Less can be said about you,” she commented, turning her head to me, “I suppose expecting even two minutes of patience was too much for a mere boy,” she said pointedly, deliberately pausing before her lips parted in a sneer, “Tapping your foot, shifting your stance, biting your lips – do you lack even the discipline to stand still, or has my daughter taught you that such restlessness is best left unrestrained?” her voice was sharp and direct, a disapproving glance on her face. 

I-, what? I felt a twitch tug at my eyes as I maintained my cordial smile. 

“My apologies, Obaa-sama. It won’t happen again,” I bowed again, dutifully escaping from her piercing gaze, “Be sure that it won’t.” she ordered firmly, prompting me to raise my head, my smile still in place, “I don’t believe we have had the pleasure of meeting yet. I am your grandson, Daisuke.” I said as formally as I could muster. She stared at me with an inscrutable gaze for a few moments, before an unreadable expression flashed across her face. To me, it looked like begrudging acceptance. 

“...We have not. It has been long overdue.” grandmother commented bitterly, eyeing Kaa-san, “Come in, Hazuki, Daisuke. We have much to discuss.” she ordered sharply, stepping away to allow us entry.

Chapter Text

10:03am, 20th of August 1bNb

The sliding door of the genkan groaned softly as it slid, revealing sunken flooring and a shoe rack. “Excuse the intrusion,” Kaa-san and I said in union, bowing. Taking my shoes off uniformly, I took the opportunity to have a proper look at the area. The genkan was neat and proper, smelling of incense. Polished wooden steps lined the doorway to the rest of the house. 

As I entered, I found my grandmother's house to differ from our family abode significantly. One word came to mind: Dignified. The decor spoke of someone of moderate wealth, the clean lines and simplicity of the interior spoke of her character. There was no grand piece of decor, but the combination of simplicity and pragmatism spoke volumes of her approach to the maintenance of her house. The scent of aged wood and tatami wafted through the air, not a speck of dust to be seen, and the hardwood floors were clear of any sign of dirt.

I almost felt self-conscious about the possibility of tracking dirt inside. 

Having removed my shoes by the genkan, my gaze wandered, searching for indoor slippers to put on. The standard in my home was that everyone wore slippers inside, but after a quick scan, clearly the rule did not extend to her home. 

I felt the urge to turn and glance with more than just my eyes to properly explore my surroundings, but I thoroughly buried that thought away. If fidgeting was enough to offend her, acting my age was probably enough to get kicked out. The hallway was lined with polished wooden planks, showing signs of age, yet thoroughly taken care of. At the opposite end of the hall, an open fusuma allowed golden rays of sun to shine through and illuminate the interior. 

Without further ado, my grandmother turned her back to the two of us, beckoning us to follow her. We made our way down the hallway as I held back the urge to make a sound of awe. I had never seen a house so traditionally Japanese in person. Despite the cultural similarities to Japan, The Land of Fire and Konohagakure were definitely not fully based on Japan, and many buildings were not very ‘Japanese’ looking. Of course, grandmother’s house seemed to be an exception.

Going down the hall, we took a right turn into a tatami room. Kaa-san nodded curtly before entering, and I wasted no time in mimicking her. The floor was covered in softly woven tatami mats, the scent of the tatami now melding with a subtly fragrant incense. The walls were pale and simple, keeping with the rest of the house, and a large, hanging scroll adorned the back wall, an Uchiwa painted upon it. At the center of the room, a low chabudai table laid, its polished surface glistening. Cushions were arranged neatly around it. 

Grandmother turned to face us, “Please, take a seat,” she said with an air of formality. Kaa-san and I bowed, and I looked back at the cushions. Two cushions were arranged side-by-side, facing the side where a singular cushion was laid. The two of us took a seat, as grandmother stood, pacing out of the room, “I will return with your tea,” she said, leaving the two of us to our devices. I made eye contact with Kaa-san, acknowledging her insistent look with a nod. At the genkan, she tested my patience with a two minute delay. It wasn’t clear whether she would continue to test me, but I knew I had to act with the assumption that she was. That’s what Kaa-san was communicating with her eyes.

Chatting with Kaa-san as grandmother fetched the tea was a normal way to pass the time she would be away, but maybe she was waiting to see whether I would amend my previous lapse in patience. I kept my body rigid and disciplined, not even shifting my weight as we awaited her return. 

After about a minute, grandmother returned with the tea as promised. I was relieved she wasn’t going to let us wait for a longer time. She poured the tea for us, not a drop wasted. Even her pouring was immaculate. I nodded politely, “Thank you very much,” I said, allowing the smallest degree of gratitude to color my tone. Kaa-san parroted me, and grandmother simply nodded, gazing at me with an unreadable expression.

My smile became strained as she continued to stare at me with unblinking eyes. What was she trying to tell me? My mind raced, looking for an answer in her expression. Her eyes were giving me no hints, the gaze neither positive nor negative. As I rummaged internally for an answer, my eyes darted to my tea and widened. I get it now! She was waiting for me to try the tea, right?

I carefully brought the cup up to my lips, the rising steam coating my face in warmth. I took a sip of the tea and nearly flinched. Searing pain scorched my tongue. The tea was hot, obscenely so, and I knew it couldn’t be an accident. Despite the mild burning of my tongue, I downed the mouthful of tea down as gracefully as I could manage, pretending I wasn’t swallowing lava. I set the teacup down with no urgency, “The tea is delicious,” I commented lightly, secretly mourning my tastebuds. 

I was not going to be tasting so well for the rest of today. 

Grandmother’s lips twisted into a frown. “The tea was only freshly prepared. Is it not too hot?” she asked, feigning worry. I didn’t scowl at her, but it was a close thing. Uchiha Reina was a prick. I shook my head, “Not at all, Obaa-sama. The tea is wonderful.” I lied, a pleasant smile on my face. The expression cleared from her face, “I see,” she said blandly. 

Neither Kaa-san nor grandmother had touched their tea yet. Kaa-san knew this might happen. 

Grandmother’s gaze shifted to Kaa-san, “It seems that Hazuki deemed it necessary to inform me of the birth of my grandchildren only when she required a favor – years after the fact.” she started, bitterness in her voice, “Naturally, I am not ignorant. Regardless of the taint of civilian blood, the birth of an Uchiha is a matter of great significance. I would be a fool not to remain informed.” she continued, revealing she had already known about me. 

Her eyes fell on me once again, “You seek to join the Konoha Military Police Force, do you not? And at such a young age, no less. Your motivations must be compelling, if you are seeking me out.” Grandmother narrowed her eyes, “You were not raised among us, nor were you taught our ways, and yet you wish to stand alongside the clan your mother abandoned. Why do you seek to join the Military Police force?” she finally asked, scrutinizing me with her onyx gaze. 

I swallowed a lump in my throat. Here goes nothing, “The Uchiha are the strongest clan in the village, and we have been entrusted with more than that. The Police Force is the legacy of the Uchiha, and if I am to serve, I see no reason to separate myself from my heritage. As you say, I was not raised as an Uchiha, but even so, I want to understand what it means to be one. The clan has always been respected, and even feared, and joining the Police Force might be the first step in figuring out why that is.” I responded resolutely. I was trying to appeal to my grandmother specifically with my words. I hadn’t known her for long, but I could tell she holds the clan in high regards. She has at least some desire for me to become more of an Uchiha if she agreed to speak in the first place. 

A pause hung in the air, before grandmother scoffed, “You seek to join the Police Force, not out of duty or responsibility, but to understand?” A bitter smile wrinkled her face, “You speak as an outsider, despite your apparent desire to embrace your heritage. The Uchiha clan is not some riddle to be solved. Daisuke, it is as you say – we are the strongest. Is it not a given that we command respect and even fear?” she asked rhetorically, her smile dropping from her face as she scowled.

I hesitated, taken aback by her words, “... Surely a sense of duty comes with a deeper understanding of our legacy.” I defended myself, keeping my tone measured. Grandmother sighed in disbelief, “Your mother, too, treated her duty to the clan with the same superficial regard. It appears that her misguided notions were carried down to you. How convenient it must be to approach me with such casual indifference, spitting upon the values of the Clan with your convenient motivations. You disappoint me." She leaned forward, shortening the distance between us. 

“Do not waste your breath embarrassing yourself. Lip service sickens me,” Her face was level with mine, “The Military Police Force was entrusted to us by the Second Hokage. Only those who possess the requisite strength, resolve and mental fortitude are fit to join its ranks. Do you truly believe that you fit those standards?” grandmother asked. There was no humour in her tone. I could tell she was not mocking me – she wanted a serious answer.

Despite the sudden change from what seemed like an interrogation, her pointed question calmed me down. Apparently, she was done belittling me. Previously, she was nitpicking at my statement, calling into question my sense of duty and my loyalty to the Uchiha, which – how could I even have the sense of duty she expects of me if I have never been a part of the clan? It was part of the reason that I wanted to enter the Police Force in the first place. 

I nodded deeply, opting to exude confidence, “I believe I do possess those qualities, Obaa-sama.” I responded, watching my grandmother’s dark eyes narrow at me, but without judgement. “Clearly, you are confident in your skills, however confidence amounts to little without wisdom.” she noted, properly hearing me out,  “I suppose it is not my responsibility to gauge your aptitude as a shinobi,” she acknowledged after a moment, “however, it would waste both the Clan’s efforts as well as your own to pursue the Police Force half-heartedly. If this is the path you wish to take, then you must demonstrate that your resolve is genuine. Do you possess the ambition to truly become great, or will you continue to endure scalding tea to appease your superiors?” she asked, a stern look returning to her face. 

Once again, I fought to keep myself from grimacing. I had misread Uchiha Reina, expecting her to appreciate blind compliance. I mentally shook myself out of my thoughts. When I tried to convince her to approve of me before, she could tell I wasn’t being completely genuine, that I had other thoughts on my mind. She didn’t want to hear blind praise, or a fabricated story on my loyalties. 

With a sharp breath, I locked eyes with grandmother, “About what I said before, I wasn’t being entirely truthful. I was not lying – I do have the desire to learn more about the Clan, but that is hardly my motivation for joining the Military Police Force,” I admitted, watching her neutral expression carefully, “You were right. To me, the Police Force is a means to an end. I want to protect this village and the people who live here, from the inside and the outside. There are threats that have not yet made themselves known,” I commented, attempting to convey that message more strongly than spoken. 

She gazed at me intently.

“I will not pretend that I don’t want to grow stronger, but strength alone is not enough to protect everyone. I need to be known. I need to be connected. I need allies. I cannot afford to be someone who is overlooked. Growing closer to the Police Force and the Uchiha clan to gain these allies – that is my answer.” I revealed firmly. It was a declaration from the bottom of my heart. Grandmother regarded me for a moment, and then spoke. 

“You speak with commendable conviction, but your experience and maturity is still in its infancy. How can you be certain of your words when you have barely stepped beyond the boundaries of the Village? When faced with the burdens of your ambitions – death, deceit… betrayal , will you still stand tall?” she asked in rebuttal, a challenge posed to my resolve.

Burning chakra flowed through my head and into my eyes, coloring the world in a familiar, red haze of clarity. With a blink, my Sharingan was active, “I may still be green, Obaa-sama, but I have killed to keep the village and her people safe. At the very least, do not compare my convictions with the naive daydreams of an Academy student.” I shot back, meeting her challenging eyes with an unblinking stare. 

For the first time since we met, surprise colored my grandmother’s features. She wasn’t an especially expressive woman, but from the slight widening of her eyes and the minute parting of her lips, I could tell she wasn’t aware that I had awakened the Sharingan. It took less than a second for her to catch herself and control her expression. She leaned her elbows off of the table, the tension clearing in an instant. 

“To unlock the Sharingan at such an early age is a remarkable feat, and I am sure it did not awaken without strife.” Grandmother murmured with a nod, “There is little to be said about your loyalty to the Uchiha, but it is only a matter of time before you embrace your heritage. You have shown that your motivations are not superficial, at the very least.” she acknowledged, before fixing me with a meaningful look.

I didn’t show it, but my relief was palpable. It wasn’t clear whether she would sponsor my application to the Police Force, but at the very least, she had accepted what I said. It was a risk on my end to be transparent about my thoughts. If she was a little bit less tolerant, she would have shut me down the moment I spoke my mind about how much the clan and their legacy meant to me. Now all that was left was to hear her final verdict.

A sigh resounded around us, “Very well,” she said, “I will sponsor your entry into Konoha’s Military Police Force,” she stated at least. A part of me was disbelieving; sure I had poured my heart out, honestly explaining my motivations, but I felt that her acceptance was too quick. Too easy. “Needless to say, your actions and performance shall reflect upon me, so I expect only the best of your abilities. Sponsorship exempts you from the interview process, but if I catch wind of any foolishness, my support will be withdrawn. Do you understand?” she said sternly as I held my breath. Was she agreeing to it? “However, I have one condition,” she continued, her tone allowing no room for argument. “Sponsorship with myself means Official Affiliation with the Uchiha Clan. Due to your… unorthodox lineage, you are not yet an Uchiha Clan member by law. Official affiliation does not equate to full-fledged clan membership, but you will have specific obligations to the clan.” she explained sharply. 

There it is, the reason she was so quick to accept. The condition came to me as a surprise, but I had already heard of official affiliation to a clan in the academy on a surface level. Non-clan members, generally civilian-born shinobi, can be inducted into clans. Official affiliation gradually grows into full membership if the clan is impressed with the candidate. It was an offshoot of a type of affiliation that allowed outsiders to marry into clans. They began with a small amount of trust, completing missions or tasks in the name of the clan that sponsored them, slowly gaining more trust and rights within the clan. They gain access to certain programs, funds and eventually even jutsu. It is an excellent opportunity for most shinobi, but it can also restrict one’s freedom, forcing the shinobi to act in the interest of the clan. If they eventually become a fully integrated member of the clan, they must follow the same rules as any other member, and bore the same obligations and responsibilities.

Grandmother’s condition confirmed my suspicions. She wanted me to grow closer to the clan, starting with affiliation. Maybe she even wanted me to eventually become a full member of the clan. I had never met someone so loyal to their clan. The ‘yet’ in her terms was consciously worded, she was telling me her intentions, plain and simple. From next to me, Kaa-san’s breath hitched. She, too, knew what it meant to become affiliated with the clan. Ultimately, it was the sponsored shinobi’s decision whether they would fully join the clan or remain affiliated, but from what I understood, if a shinobi chose to become affiliated, a series of contracts would be signed, legally binding for a number of years depending on the agreement. 

I breathed out, weighing my objects. I would be sacrificing a good deal of my freedom, and legally, my family wouldn’t be my only responsibility anymore. Specifics like where I would live or my deductible income to the Uchiha depended on the agreement between clan and individual, but it was still a life-changing decision. My plan to join the Police Force was to connect myself more with the Uchiha, and this would be a step further. I wouldn’t only grow affiliated with direct members of the Force, but also other Uchiha, potentially even influential members or elders. 

Simply put, accepting the deal would mean sacrificing some of my freedom to grow closer to the Clan and the Police Force. I wouldn’t only answer to the village, but also the Uchiha clan. I would figure out more while signing the clan affiliation contract, but despite my concerns, my choice was made since before I came here. I was going to join the Police Force, conditions be damned. In the end, the price to pay was small when compared to the potential benefits of the agreement. Despite the implications of clan affiliation, I wondered if there would be some crazy hidden clause in whatever agreement I signed. Would somebody like grandmother truly sponsor me so easily? I came in expecting to complete a test or trial of some sort; perhaps a spar or some kind of oral examination, but she seemed to be satisfied with my honesty, despite my admission of the Uchiha and Police Force meaning little to me beyond what they could offer me.

I shook those thoughts away. If grandmother was willing to do this, there was no reason to delay it. I straightened my back, meeting her uncompromising gaze with my own, “Your condition is agreeable. If that’s what it takes to stand with the Police Force, I’ll do it.” I said, lowering my head respectfully. Her features became less severe as she nodded, her characteristic sharpness leaving her eyes. It was difficult to tell for sure, but I imagined it was the closest her expression could get to a smile. “Good. Then, let us discuss the conditions-” she started, before being interrupted.

“Hold on, if Daisuke is going to be affiliated to the clan, he’ll be the one to set the terms of the agreement.” Kaa-san insisted, an unflinching edge to her voice. With her expression measured and her tone controlled, she resembled grandmother. Grandmother stiffened, fixing Kaa-san with a harsh look, before leaning forward, a displeased scowl on her face, “How insolent, Hazuki. Do you mean to sabotage your own son’s career? Let us not forget that this is his only entry point into the Police Force.” she scorned Kaa-san, threatening our entire agreement. My face paled, as I watched Kaa-san in horror. What did she think she was doing? 

A knowing smirk found its way on Kaa-san’s face, “You aren’t as unreadable as you think, Okaa-sama. To think you would allow an outsider to join under such modest conditions, even if he’s half-Uchiha. In the past, you wouldn’t have even humoured our letter with a response. You’ve changed.” she started, pointing her finger as grandmother, “You want Daisuke-chan to grow closer to the Police Force, to the Uchiha… and especially closer to you, isn’t that right?” she guessed, a satisfied grin forming on her face. Stunned silence filled the air. 

I studied grandmother’s features for a discernable reaction, but couldn’t find one. I knew grandmother wanted me to grow closer to the clan, but I attributed it to a sense of loyalty to the Uchiha. If what Kaa-san said was true, more was going on than I thought. I considered our conversation this far. I admitted that the Police Force, and by extension, the Uchiha clan was a means to the ends for me, and she still agreed, despite that disrespect. If she truly was a stern, unmoving Uchiha loyalist, then she would have thrown me out the instant I said that. I figured that she was agreeing early, but was it possible that this was her intention before we even arrived?

Grandmother’s jaw tightened as she took in a sharp breath, “That…” she stewed in her thoughts, frowning at the table, before speaking once more, “If Daisuke is to be affiliated to the Uchiha, specific binding terms must be imposed upon the agreement– it is a non-negotiable fact-” 

“No. Daisuke-chan will dictate the terms himself.” Kaa-san interrupted, “Unless you’re okay with us walking away now?” she winked at me, crossing her arms. “Uchiha Daisuke, a talented boy with Sharingan at the young age of then. With the help of a fellow Genin, he eliminated an Iwagakure Chuunin at Utahime. As much as he doesn’t know it, Daisuke-chan has options elsewhere.” she pressured further, her chest puffing out pridefully.

By now, I had already given up on controlling my features, and I was gawking at Kaa-san like a goldfish. She… had a point. Grandmother’s eyebrows shot up, her eyes blinking, attempting to process what she heard. Her hands opened and closed as her lips pressed together. Kaa-san smiled brighter, “I’ll run away again, Okaa-sama, son in tow. He doesn’t need you to succeed.” she threatened. Grandmother took a breath in, as if to respond, but quickly held it again. She was conflicted. My grandmother, an impossibly stern and uncompromising woman, was torn. She glared at Kaa-san, “You have become cruel, Hazuki,” she sneered, snapping out of her indecision, before she faced me, “I will hear your terms, Daisuke. Speak.” she ordered. 

I momentarily stiffened up, picking at my brain for knowledge on clan affiliation. It had been a little while since the Academy but I remembered certain clauses, both reasonable and intrusive. They ranged from simple matters like regular meeting attendance to unreasonable demands like being forced to marry within the clan, unless given explicit permission. Though rare, certain conditions such as inheritance rights being given to the clan, surveillance and restricted travel outside the village were also of concern.

As my gaze shifted to Kaa-san for a moment of support, I took a breath, collecting my courage to speak my mind before facing grandmother, “I agree to mission taxation up to 30%, required clan meeting attendance, clan training quotas, restrictions on jutsu sharing and an obligation to report to the Clan, but the Marriage Clause is not something I can reasonably agree to. Likewise, the Uchiha clan would only be my third greatest obligation, behind my direct family and the village  I reserve the right to decline missions or tasks issued to me by the clan that go against my personal code. Judging from these terms, I’m sure you understand that I will decline other significantly intrusive obligations if they make themselves known during the signing process.” I added. 

Grandmother subtly narrowed her eyes at me, as if attempting to pick away at my resolve. Her eyes flickered for a moment, as her mouth opened. “I…”, she started, before clearing her throat in an attempt to stay dignified, “...Very well, Daisuke. I will have a word with the Police Force about the sponsorship shortly. Regarding your affiliation, there is much to be discussed, but I must first consult the elders and Fugaku-sama. Due to your mother’s… unexpected interruption, I suspect your terms will keep me busy for a number of days. Expect to receive a second invitation delivered by Akira, the owl summon I am contracted to, in the coming days.” she explained, before fixing the two of us with a gaze, more emotional than any other I had seen from her so far, “Hazuki, Daisuke, it would do us well to stay in touch. I hope to see you soon.” she spoke, the edge in her voice having disappeared. 

For the first time today, I saw Uchiha Reina – she was a loyal Uchiha through and through, but she was also a grandmother who quietly longed to know her grandchild. The fact that Kaa-san’s threats affected her proved that much. Somehow, that longing resonated with me.

—--------------------------------

The next day

With a startled leap, I retreated from a vicious strike from Tsume-sensei, weaving hand seals. Rat-Dog-Ox-! I attempted, before my fists wailed in agony, being blasted apart by Sensei’s high kick. A strike to the fingers hurt like hell. I wouldn’t be able to properly move my fingers for at least a few seconds now. I hissed, glaring at my teacher, who wore a wolfish grin. 

“Din’ I tell you ‘ta work on yer hand seals?” she taunted, taking satisfaction in my irritation. I was about to show you that! is what I wanted to say, but I bit down on the response. She was just trying to rile me up. The angrier I was, the worse I fought. I would be unable to focus on my chakra, unable to hold back my aggression, and unable to make good judgments. 

Against Anko, I lost my cool and nearly lost. I didn’t need to headbutt her and trade damage. I didn’t need to be hyper-aggressive. I grew tunnel-visioned, and I engaged her in her preferred field of combat. I couldn’t defeat her before she caught me with her snakes, and I only won because she was being emotional, too. 

It wouldn’t happen again.

I could see Tsume-sensei’s movements with my Sharingan, but unless she was far enough away or holding back, I couldn’t dodge them very easily. It took all of my focus to defend against the Tokujo, a fact that wouldn’t change until I grew stronger.

Her muscles braced – no more chit chat. With a fwish, she was behind me. I turned around to meet her in the nick of time, instinctively raising my arms in a block. Pain exploded in my forearms as I slid back, but I knew I couldn’t relax yet. Anticipating a follow-up, I dropped my guard, straining my eyes to the maximum, the world around me slowing down further. 

Tsume-sensei bent forward, her clawed right arm primed behind her to swing at me. I slid into her left side, twisting my hips and kicking at her head in an arc, angled so my kick would reach her jaw before her hand would reach me. Her eyes widened a fraction of a second before my foot reached her head and she leaned back in a feat of impressive flexibility. 

I jumped with my remaining grounded leg, spinning to gain momentum. My left leg flew through the air as my body rotated 270°, finding itself rapidly approaching her awkwardly bent abdomen. My momentum was suddenly stopped as my leg was caught in an iron-handed grip. Instantly, the rest of my body plunged downwards, where I hung in her grasp. “Yer gettin’ better at hand-to-hand at least, Curls.” she complimented, before throwing me away harshly. I landed with a roll, rising to my feet panting. “I thought we were over nicknames by now!” I shouted back in outrage. She shook her head playfully, before curling her index finger back and forth in a taunting invitation, “Land a hit first, Noodlehead!” she jeered, daring me to attack. 

I took a long breath through my nose. What a shit nickname.

Gathering a sizable fraction of my chakra in my stomach, I converted it all to Earth Release chakra in just under two seconds. Condensing the chakra, I felt five distinct masses form. Rapidly rolling the stones in my stomach, the freely flowing Earth Release chakra practically gravitated towards the stones, adding more and more mass and power to the jutsu. Earth Jutsu like this was all about condensation to add density. With my current control over Earth Release, the rapidly-forming jutsu wasn’t gaining in size, but density and hardness. When all of my recently-converted Earth Release chakra depleted, I shrunk the stones to the side of a walnut. A component of the Stone Pistol jutsu was that the released rocks rapidly gained size as they were shot out. 

With a final flare of chakra to fire the jutsu, a volley of five stones flew out of my mouth, growing exponentially in size. Earth Style: Stone Pistol Jutsu! I shouted internally. Two of the stones were aimed at her head, two at her chest and one at right shoulder. 

Tsume-sensei’s eyes widened the moment the Jutsu left my mouth, bringing up her guard. The reason I shot five stones, dividing the jutsu's power somewhat, was because I wanted her to deflect it instead of dodging it. Sensei fought on the Iwa front during her service; she knew how to fight against the most common Earth Release jutsu. She could likely gauge the strength of any Stone Pistol jutsu thrown at her with a glance. 

The Inuzuka Matriarch swung at the first stone, shattering it to pieces instantly.

I thought back to my fight with Anko, pushing a wave of chakra to the flats of my feet. Borrowing Anko’s trick with chakra repulsion, I blasted forward towards Sensei. She knocked the second stone behind her with a backhand, and the third stone was clawed in half a moment later. Using the high speed movement Gai drilled into me, I maintained the speed the chakra repulsion blasted me with, making short leaps to sacrifice as little of my momentum as possible to friction. A meter separated us.

The fourth stone was deflected into a nearby tree, and I flared my chakra in anticipation, focusing on the rock behind Sensei. Just behind the fifth stone, I jumped into an uppercut aimed at her gut. In an instant, three things happened: 

Tsume-sensei swung her fist in a downward arc, aiming to destroy the final stone and smash my face in with one attack. 

Her eyes flickered in realization too late.

I disappeared, substituting myself with the stone that she had backhanded to her rear.

My fist buried itself in her side before she could fully turn around. Tsume-sensei grunted painfully, and I grinned in satisfaction. Before I could celebrate, my vision swam. Pain flared and the sky flew, and before I knew it, I was flat on my back seeing stars. Through the dizziness and confusion, I put together an understanding of what happened. Sensei was an experienced shinobi, and she had probably been hit harder than that. Shaking off pain was second nature to her, and the natural next step was to retaliate.

Sensei grinned down at me, her smile no longer carrying an animalistic edge, “Whoo!” she breathed out, feeling her side, “Ya sure pack a wallop, brat.” she smirked. I rose to my feet, staggering, “Daisuke.” I smiled through the pain. She tilted her head, “Huh?” she wondered, puzzled. I stood up straighter, pointing at her side, “ ‘Land a hit first’, was it?” 

The Tokubetsu Jounin gawked at me, surprised, before howling out in laughter, “S’ that what motivated you?” she guffawed, patting my shoulder affectionately, “Not bad, Daisuke! Might just make a fighter outta ya!” she praised, her laughter dying down. She looked down at the back of her hand and whistled, “That trick was yer solution to the ‘ol hand seal crisis, yeah? Not th’ strongest Earth jutsu I’ve seen, but I ain’t seen any without hand seals yet.” she commented, idly feeling at the scratches I made on her hand. 

“I realized that hand seals are shortcuts. If I do some of the heavy lifting with my own chakra control, I can omit signs. For the jutsu I’m really used to, I can eventually use them without seals all together.” I explained with a thoughtful frown, “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone’s already come to the same conclusion as me, but I can’t imagine it’s too common.” I reasoned optimistically. Tsume-sensei shrugged in response, “Beats me. I don’ fuck around with jutsu like that. Keep it up and iron out that weakness.” she said in encouragement, and with a quick pat to my back, she turned her head to the other direction, where Iruka and Shimada had finished up their own spar. Iruka lost, a testament to Shimada’s recent growth.

“Alright, runts, we’re done for today! I’m hittin’ the road! Tomorrow at 7 o’clock as usual, got it!? Sensei shouted out. “Yes, sensei!” Shimada, Iruka and I chorused, and with that, she disappeared with a shunshin.Sometimes I wondered why Jounin didn’t just, I don’t know, walk away? In fact, I brought up that question to my teammates as I approached. 

“Maybe they’re all super busy,” Iruka idly mused.

“They’re all socially awkward and want to avoid small talk.” Shimada reasoned.

Both valid answers, to be honest. 

I sat down by the two with a grunt, legs still shaky from being whacked by Sensei’s killer haymaker. “I’ve really gotta learn that jutsu soon. Can’t be a proper Jounin Sensei without abandoning your students, right?” I joked with a sigh. Iruka frowned, “That’s not true,” he disagreed, “and mean. Tsume-sensei doesn’t abandon us,” he defended. The boy was just too earnest. Shimada shrugged, “I mean, isn’t shit like that part of the job description? Sensei basically just beats us up for a living.” she pointed out, eyeing the various scratches on her arms. Iruka sat up straighter, “No, she trains us for a living!” he insisted, pointing a stern finger at Shimada. He glanced at me, “Right, Daisuke-san?” he asked, pleading for support. I hummed, scratching my chin, “I’m actually with Shimada-san on this one. If we become Chuunin without any brain injury, I’ll be shocked.” I responded half-seriously.

I didn’t want to jinx it, but I was pretty sure my skull was at least dented by the crazy woman by now.

Iruka eyed me, unimpressed, “You’re acting like you’re gonna forget your own name, or something,” he sighed. I held my head dramatically, “You’re joking now, but I’ll remind you of this conversation when I have dementia.” I said with a serious tone, a grin hidden under my arms. Shimada turned to Iruka, “That’s assuming he’ll even remember this conversation,” she smiled, getting in on it. Iruka groaned, “I can’t have the final word, can I?” he lamented, before perking up, “Anyways, how did your Police Force thing go?” he asked, eager to change the subject.

My expression became pensive, “Long story short, Obaa-sama sponsored my application, so I filled out a form before I showed up this morning. I’ll have to wait for an answer, but presumably they won’t take too long to respond,” I answered. Iruka nodded inquisitively, “And? Will you be accepted?” he asked curiously. I tilted my head minutely, “Not exactly. I’m lucky enough to skip initial interviews because of the sponsorship, but I’ve still got written and combat aptitude tests to do. My entry will probably be decided by that.” I clarified, thinking about the curriculum.

They wouldn’t tell us the contents of the test, but Kaa-san and I expected things like Uchiha, Senju and Konoha history, along with some politics and decent knowledge on Konohagakure laws. I was gonna have to hit the library for sure, because while I know some general knowledge from the Academy on Konoha history, politics and law, I needed a more in depth education and to learn more specifics on Uchiha and Senju history. I was excited, but also nervous.

After a pause, I shook my head and continued, “I don’t think I’ll fail, but I feel like I have a lot to live up to,” I grimaced, “I mean, Obaa-sama’s really doing me a favor, and I want to prove she isn’t making a mistake.” I continued, nervously fiddling my fingers. Shimada leaned forward, “Don’t take what other people say or think so close to heart. If this is the path to accomplish your goals, who the hell cares what your grandmother thinks?” she asked, her statement sounding a bit personal. I hummed softly, “But I want to care, y’know? Obaa-sama… I feel like I owe her. And I do. If I screw it, she’s the one who’ll look bad.” I insisted, eliciting a dismissive ‘hmph’ from the Nara. 

Iruka tilted his head, “Why’s that? She must have tested you, and you’re her family anyways. A bit of nepotism should be expected, no?” he commented, confusion coloring his features. I scrunched my face up, “Obaa-sama’s kinda strict. Actually, she only sponsored me under the condition that I would affiliate myself officially with the Uchiha-” I revealed casually, watching as my teammates’ heads snapped towards me, shocked. Shimada scowled, “That’s bullshit. I can’t believe you actually accepted that.” she shot back irritably. 

I threw my hands up defensively, “Wait, wait. That’s not the whole story. Kaa-san actually fought back on it, and managed to convince her to allow me to dictate the terms of the affiliation. She… called Obaa-sama’s bluff. I couldn’t tell before Kaa-san mentioned it, but Obaa-sama wants me to grow closer to the Clan… and to her.” I explained, “It’s part of why I’m so nervous. I’ve got a bigger reason to prove myself, and more expectations. There’s no doubt the Police Force and Uchiha will have their eyes on me.” I elaborated with an anxious smile.

Shimada regarded me blankly, as if contemplating whether she should speak, “I get it, to be honest. You aren’t the only one dealing with expectations,” she huffed. I raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue, “My little sister’s the clan’s golden goose. Let me tell you, it’s not fun hearing how amazing she is every day,” she mused offhandedly, her eyes a bit distant, “Won’t be long before she surpasses me, and she’s only five,” Shimada added bitterly. 

I tried to remember a specific talented Nara from canon, and the few who came to mind were Shikamaru and Shikaku, whose genders and ages wouldn’t match. I scratched my cheek, “I didn’t know you had a sister, Shimada,” I said blandly. Iruka nodded to himself, “You’d think we would’ve heard about it sometime during the Academy…” he agreed. Shimada leveled us with a bored gaze, “It’s not like we were having heart-to-heart conversations back then,” she deadpanned, before smirking, “I know you have a sister, Uchiha. You don’t shut up about her. You never have,” she teased, her annoying grin widening. 

I grumbled, mildly embarrassed by the observation. She wasn’t wrong, but like, shut up please? Iruka smiled, “I feel bad for people with siblings like that, to be honest. Couldn’t be me.” he chuckled as an only child, to which Shimada smiled faintly, “Must be nice,” she said vacantly. 

Whenever Shimada’s sister was brought up, she acted weird. She didn’t seem particularly sad or angry, but she looked… lost. 

I punched Iruka’s arm playfully, “The benefits of having a sibling far outweigh the trouble, Iruka-san. You’re the unlucky one,”  I pointed out, thinking back to Izumi and my siblings back on Earth fondly. I locked eyes with my Nara teammate, “Shimada-san, I don’t know about your home life, but you need to remember that your sister isn’t your rival, but your precious sibling. Don’t insinuate that it ‘must be nice’ to not have a sibling. You don’t mean that.” I lectured, my voice carrying some seriousness. 

Shimada regarded me, realization coloring her face, before a small smile split her lips. “I guess you’re right,” she allowed, before shaking her head. “Anyways, I kinda brought down the mood. Let’s get back to you whining about your clan’s expectations or whatever.” she suggested, a mocking grin on her face. I gawked at her, “It’s not whining, it’s-” I was rudely interrupted. 

“It’s definitely whining,” Shimada asserted firmly. 

“Yeah, stop whining!” Iruka agreed.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, “I’m never opening up about my problems ever again.” I declared, trying not to smile. Shimada shook her head, “No, no. It’s funny hearing about your drama.” she smirked, Iruka wordlessly nodded in agreement. They were complementing each other like Dumb and Dumber, and I wasn’t talking about their chemistry, but the fact that they were being morons. “If you two want to keep hearing my drama, then get me lunch. Shit ain’t free,” I demanded to both of them. They exchanged looks for a moment, before looking back, “Don-no-Ha?” Iruka suggested. That punny Donburi place? Shimada stood up, nodding, “Sure, but I’m not buying you a bowl, Uchiha. We’re not there yet.” she said, idly stretching. 

“Meh, worth a shot. Let’s go,” I relented, glad to eat with company at least. I leapt up to my feet, reinvigorated by a vivid image of Gyudon in my mind’s eye.

—---------------

26th of August, 1bNb

Days later, an owl delivered a letter to our residence as promised. It was Akira. I opened the letter with bated breath, Kaa-san standing behind me, impatiently demanding I open it. With an exacerbated huff, I relented, opening the letter despite my anxiety.

In the pleasant warmth of this bright Summer, I am delighted to hear of your continued good health. 

To my grandson, Daisuke, I hereby humbly report the following,

I confirm that the Konoha Military Police Force has received your application, and you may expect an update within the coming week from the Police Force themselves. I extend my sincerest wishes for your success in this endeavor. 

Regarding your affiliation to the Uchiha Clan, I have unfortunate news. Following arduous dialogue with the esteemed Elders of the Uchiha Clan and the honorable Uchiha Fugaku-sama, your proposed terms of clan affiliation have been declined. It was deemed that such terms impose upon the boundless generosity and honor of the Clan. It is with great shame that I must convey this message to you.

Despite my shortcomings in securing affiliation on your terms, I shall not withdraw my sponsorship of your Police Force application, as doing so would gravely disgrace your resolve and integrity. Instead, I offer an alternative path to Uchiha Clan affiliation if you so wish. The position of Shizoku Hi-koukkenin – a Clan ward under my personal supervision – is a path that remains available to yourself. It is a role of significant complexity, and should you desire further discussion in that matter, you are cordially invited to an audience with myself on the first day of September, Year 49. 

I extend my deepest apologies for my impudence in the insistence of your affiliation to the Clan.

As the gentle chill of Autumn settles in, I trust this letter finds you in good health and high spirits.

Humbly presented by Uchiha Reina. 

The twenty-sixth of August, Year 49

I was squinting like a forty-year-old trying to read a phone screen. I thought I had learned plenty when it came to reading and writing from my parents and the Academy, but I couldn’t read half of the kanji in this text. I kinda understood the message, but I couldn’t fully tell what she meant at some parts. Thankfully, I had a mother. Kaa-san ruffled my hair and took the letter out of my hands, explaining its contents to me like I was a baby. 

Which was helpful. I kept forgetting that Kaa-san was educated by grandmother, and was capable of that same formal speech. 

A few things surprised me. First of all, I didn’t know that clan affiliation was so serious. I should have expected it, given the culture revolving shinobi clans, but I hadn’t, so to hear that they declined the proposal because it would dishonor their name to allow me too many concessions was not something I expected. What surprised me more was grandmother’s efforts.

Not only had she presumably fought for my terms, but she also went out of the way to suggest an alternative, while giving me the option to simply walk away from the whole affiliation business directly. For a second, I was tempted, but I still felt like I owed grandmother, and I knew it was a method of becoming directly connected with the Uchiha. She wanted to meet me on the first of September, and I had no intention of skipping out on that. 

I didn’t know what being a ward entailed, but I was eager to learn about it.  

—-----------------

Two days later, my examinations were confirmed for the morning of October the 25th at the Police Force Training Facility, just under two months away. 

—----------------

?????, 1bNb

In the darkness of his hideout, a bandaged man sat, awaiting the arrival of his subordinate. The man was generally disappointed with recent events, especially the inauguration of the Yellow Flash as the Fourth Hokage over his chosen candidate, the Snake Sanin. The result wasn’t entirely unexpected for a man as cunning as him, but he was peeved by it nonetheless. That being said, it wasn’t the end of the world – far from it.

Recently, the man had received reports that were ripe with opportunity. Team Minato’s missions were likely to blame for Namikaze’s ascendence over Orochimaru, but it wasn’t Namikaze’s mission that intrigued the man; Namikaze’s students’ mission did. The son of Hatake Sakumo had led a young civilian girl; Nohara Rin, and an Uchiha boy; Uchiha Obito, into battle with the goal of neutralizing the vitally important Kannabi Bridge, and yet they failed.

The Young Hatake wasn’t known for being incompetent, and while all three young shinobi performed incompetently according to reports, their failure inadvertently uncovered a creature of great interest. According to the reports of both Hatake Kakashi and Nohara Rin, an unknown monster mounted an assault, using the legendary Mokuton – Shodaime’s infamous Wood Release –  against them. Learning more about this creature and its habits was at the top of the man’s priorities. 

That creature’s capture, dead or alive, was the key to replicating the Wood Release successfully. 

He had sent a trusted subordinate, a sensor-nin skilled in Iryo-ninjutsu, to protect the two sources of information, with the primary objective of learning as much as possible from nearby conversations. This agent was especially skilled in infiltration, being a great actor and highly adaptable, and possessed highly sensitive ears. Truly, Agent Myaku had bloomed brilliantly since his induction in the organization. 

A single knock resounded on through the closed door. The man’s wrinkles tilted upwards, a satisfied look on his face. The sensor was as punctual as always. “You may enter,” he allowed, his voice raspy from the unrelenting sands of time. The man did not need to look up to know it was Myaku. The talented agent’s chakra was always impossibly steady, unimpaired by hesitation. Few could match his prowess – especially his skill in reading the emotions of others from just the flow of their chakra. The man’s agent kneeled, utterly silent. “Report.” The man ordered. 

Myaku remained unmoving, “Yes, Danzo-sama.”

As Shimura Danzo, the Shinobi of Darkness, listened to the report, he noted most of the information to be unsurprising. He cared little for the inner turmoil of Team Minato, or their fleeting friendships. Although Myaku managed to secure some information on the behaviour of the beast in question, little of the report was particularly helpful. In the end, the report was within expectations. Danzo never relied on a single source: he had other agents investigating the creature in question across the Elemental Nations, so he wasn’t bothered. He almost cut Myaku’s report short, until something interesting came up. 

“... The boy, when faced with the news of a Wood Release monster attacking his friend, wasn’t surprised. The boy’s chakra flared up momentarily, his control ultimately unshaken – a telltale sign of recognition-” Myaku reported emotionlessly, before he was interrupted. “Myaku, what is this boy’s name?” Danzo boomed authoritatively. Myaku kneeled lower, “The boy’s name is Daisuke. Upon further investigation, I found that the boy was born to an Uchiha mother and a civilian-born father.” he responded robotically, without hesitation. 

Naturally, the name had come up before – Danzo kept tabs on important village matters, such as up and coming Academy students and significant missions. Uchiha Daisuke was a Genin involved in the defense of Utahime and was a generally skilled student during his time at the Academy. He was nowhere near the likes of Hatake Kakashi or Namikaze Minato’s talent, but he was notable. 

For all Danzo knew, the boy’s recognition of the monster was nothing more than a fluke, or perhaps a mistake on Myaku’s part. Some might see it as a waste of resources to investigate such a lead, but Danzo was hardly short on agents. 

Maybe it was a shot in the dark, but well, Danzo had a good feeling about the boy. 

“Myaku, you are now assigned to monitor this Uchiha Daisuke. Learn any relevant information,  and confirm whether his recognition of the Wood Release creature was a fluke.” Danzo ordered, his interest peaked, “You are dismissed.” he finished. 

Myaku remained still once again, “Yes, Danzo-sama.” he answered emotionlessly, before disappearing in a shunshin.

Chapter Text

Interlude – Nara Shimada 

Shimada was born to an ordinary Nara family. Her mother, Ichika, was a gentle and sedated woman. She often wore her straight black hair in a high ponytail and enjoyed gardening and daydreaming. Her father, Daen, was likewise a gentle and easy-going man. He, too, wore his spiky black hair in a Nara-style ponytail. He enjoyed reading his favourite books, coffee in hand. The pair were upstanding Nara shinobi, established in their community as respectable ninja.

As a baby, Shimada was well taken care of. As a family in a shinobi clan, Shimada was exposed to common Konoha fairy tales and stories. She learned about Konohagakure’s founding, the Will of Fire, and of course, the Nara Clan. Shimada knew she was going to be a kunoichi before she could even read. The stories her parents told her were always interesting to hear, but her aunt Haruka gave the best stories by far. They were stories told from the heart, always gripping, engaging and full of emotion.

Shimada’s interest in shinobi, however, did not truly begin until a cozy winter evening in the living room.

Her mind was blown. Shimada gazed at Haruka with starry eyes, “Tsunade-sama is amazing!” she gasped, watching a fond smile spread over Haruka’s face. Her aunt had decided to tell the story of Tsunade’s many successes in her career, and especially her success against Sunagakure. Tsunade was the world’s greatest Iryo-nin. She could extract any poison in no time at all. She was partly responsible for the survival of thousands of shinobi. Shimada couldn’t believe it. She had heard tales of the greats, and while she was moved by the stories, she noticed how few of these heroes were women. It wasn’t a fact that had bothered her, but it had given her preconceived notions. Those notions were being shattered by Haruka’s stories. 

Her aunt hummed idly in response, “She is amazing,” Haruka agreed, and leaned closer to Shimada, “D’you wanna hear about more kunoichi?” she asked, eliciting rapid nods from the enamoured girl. 

“Well, Konoha isn’t the only village with impressive kunoichi…” she began telling the story, as Shimada gave rapt attention. Haruka told stories of a variety of impressive kunoichi. Uzumaki Mito, Lord First’s wife and master of fuuinjutsu, Senju Miyako, an impressive Iryo-nin and master of poisons, Chiyo of the Sand, capable of puppeteering dozens of puppets at once, The Hero of Sunagakure, Pakura, wielder of the Scorch Release. They were all shinobi capable of defeating practically anyone, except perhaps the Kage, and even that notion could be argued.

Shimada wanted to be remarkable, just like them.

“Haruka, do you think I can become like them some day?” Shimada asked hopefully. Haruka tilted her head momentarily, “Only if you work hard,” she said, nodding enthusiastically, “it would take alotta work, but anyone in the whole world could become great. I think everybody should have lofty goals.” she added energetically.

Haruka shifted her sitting position, straightening up, before clasping Shimada’s hands together, “Listen, Shimada,” she looked the girl in the eyes meaningfully, “People are only remembered after they’ve done amazing things. You should carve your name into the world too, okay?” she urged, her dark eyes shining like diamonds. 

Even back then, Shimada knew the words would stick with her, that she would strive to follow Haruka’s example. 

A soft chuckle resounded from her father, sitting on the armchair, a non-fiction title in hand. His grin did not show reprimand, but amusement, “Haruka, don’t go around giving my daughter unsolicited advice when she’s only three. You were always a joker, but seeing you acting like an old lady is just too much!” he laughed, setting his book down on his lap, “Hun, you don’t have to make life so hard for yourself, okay? Feel free to live like any other Nara. You can fulfill your duties to the village at your own pace.” he patiently explained, a kind smile on his face.

His disarming gaze and caring tone should have given her a sense of  comfort or affection, but all his words did was make her feel confused and upset. Why should Shimada take her time, only to live as an unaccomplished ninja? What was the point of doing things halfway? Shimada resonated with Haruka's words – she wanted to do amazing things and achieve great things. She wanted to be celebrated. She wanted to inspire people, just like others had inspired her, and she was not going to live and die according to the Nara standard, nor was she going to live her life only known by her loved ones.

She wanted to be an awesome shinobi, too.

—----------------

Since that day, Shimada began to beg and pester her parents for shinobi training. If she ever wanted to be strong enough, she would need a headstart. The ambitious girl wanted to begin her training as early as she could, get through the Academy quickly, and join a Jounin’s team as soon as she was able to. Shimada thought her parents may see it as admirable, brave or impressive, but her expectations were not met.

Despite Shimada’s efforts, her words would not get through to her parents. She wanted them to train her, to teach her Nara jutsu, and to teach her to use chakra and taijutsu. She wanted to learn the basics at least, but they just wouldn’t heed her words. 

‘It’s too early for that.’

‘You’re trying too hard,’

‘Just wait for the Academy,’

‘Take it easy, Shimada!’

Shimada had heard every excuse in the book. She didn’t know if it was incompetence, laziness, or something else she couldn’t understand, but they wouldn’t listen to her. At this rate, she would have had to wait three or more years to get any semblance of guidance from her parents, a realization that discouraged Shimada greatly. 

Despite these setbacks, Shimada did not sit idly by. She took books from her parents house and snuck into the Nara library to learn about chakra. She scavenged discarded ninja tools from the outskirts of training grounds, and stalked Nara training sessions, trying to gleam as much as she could from observation. Her methods were not efficient and just barely effective, but she was going to take what she could get.

Shimada wondered if Tsunade went through as much trouble. She wondered if Haruka had the same problems. It hardly mattered in the end, because if a few roadblocks couldn’t stop them, then it sure as hell wouldn’t stop Shimada, either.

The only one who agreed to mentor her at all was her aunt. Haruka was keen on the dangers of practising chakra early on and forbade it until she was enrolled with the Academy, but she encouraged physical aspects of training and meditation. Shimada learned the standard Konoha taijutsu kata from the woman, and took her advice on physical conditioning. She learned about hand seals, had her questions answered thoroughly, and was guided through some basic theory that she would learn in the Academy’s first year.

Haruka was a busy Chuunin, and was often away on missions. Whenever she returned back home, she split most of her time training or in the company of her teammates. Shimada desperately wanted more of Haruka’s time and attention, but she did not dare ask for more. Shimada knew that being trained was already a drain on Haruka’s time, and she did not want to drag down her hardworking aunt, especially when her goals were as lofty as Shimada’s. 

Despite the relatively low amount of time Shimada allowed herself to monopolize from Haruka, the two grew closer. She joked with Shimada, taunting her for her poor form and making fun of the less driven of their clan together. She told Shimada more stories, not just about kunoichi but also about famous shinobi and important historical events and battles. She explained the ins and outs of Nara jutsu, taught Shimada to throw kunai and shuriken (where Shimada fell in love with shurikenjutsu), and she shared personal stories about her own trials, tribulations and successes in her career.

Day after day, Shimada often found herself thinking about Haruka’s words, following her advice, and training her body. She could hardly wait for the odd day when Haruka would swing by, happy to share her wellspring of knowledge, guidance and interesting stories with her ambitious niece. 

Weeks before Shimada’s fifth birthday, Haruka had volunteered herself for an important, long-term mission. Her impending absence made the girl sad, and she knew she would miss her aunt, but she knew that Haruka had specifically volunteered herself for the mission. It must have been important for her to take it. Shimada made a promise to herself that she would make Haruka proud when she returned.

—----------------------------------------------

Shimada’s parents knew she trained on her own. It was hard not to. Shimada routinely left the house right after breakfast, returning sweaty and dirty for lunch, and then went back out until dinner. Most days, Shimada was not home for longer than two hours excluding sleep. Neither Daen nor Ichihka had ever admonished their daughter about her training habits, but Shimada could tell that the two were reluctant to even offer advice. 

Any inquiry about training or assertion of her determination was met with a chuckle, a condescending remark about how hard she tried, or an insulting head pat. Sometimes all three. It got on Shimada’s nerves. It made her wonder if her parents even cared about her personal ambitions and dreams. They hardly even supported her, and even made jokes at her expense.

A rift between Shimada and her parents was beginning to form.

When Shimada showed her parents just how serious she was about her career, things would definitely return to how they used to be. No more dancing around each other, no more humouring smiles, and no more snide remarks. Yes, Shimada was just playing the long game, and her mother and father would come around eventually. Until then, she didn’t need to address her feelings. When Haruka came back and she became a Genin, everything was going to slide into place. 

The present hardly mattered to Shimada, because after she proved herself to her parents, everything was going to sort itself out. 

—--------------------------------------------------------------

Shimada had a gathering to attend.

Her extended family always gathered at the beginning of every summer, where they went out to a recreational Nara park, packed up with grills, plenty of meat, alcohol and snacks and enjoyed themselves. Despite Shimada’s training, she recognized that for one day a year it was okay to relax and enjoy her family’s company. Besides, she enjoyed the company of her uncles, aunts and cousins enough. 

This particular year was the year Shimada turned five years old. It was the first gathering without Haruka in attendance, no thanks to her mission. Despite the fact that seven months had passed already since the start of Haruka’s mission, she had yet to return. Tensions between the Elemental Nations were high, and rumours spread about a potential third war. Even the care-free Nara community had become shifty and tense. 

Shimada was not worried about Haruka. If a war was really on the horizon, then it was her aunt’s opportunity for valor. She would return to Konohagakure as a great hero. If anything, she was happy for her aunt, but it was true that if a war were to break out, the woman’s return would be delayed further.

Truthfully, it wasn’t a thought Shimada liked to dwell on, so she focused on her training.  

Shimada did not hide the fact that she trained on her own. Why would she? It wasn’t like she was ashamed of her efforts or dreams. Despite that, Shimada did not advertise her day-to-day actions because she thought telling others about it might make her complacent. Her parents were in the know, but her extended family didn’t spend enough time together to have pieced it together.

Shimada’s father, however, felt it was necessary to make sure everyone knew all about his daughter’s training without an ounce of tact or warning. The fact that it had come from mention of Haruka’s absence was just the icing on top.

“‘Ts a shame Haruka isn’t here. She din’ have to pester Hokage-sama for such a troublesome mission!” her aunt Miyuki sighed, hiccuping in between her words. Ichika nodded in agreement, “Honestly, that girl… she tries too hard. I wish she took it easy more often. She’s my sister in law, but we barely talk!” she continued, a regretful note coloring her tone, and then turned to her daughter, “Shimada, I know you look up to her, but wouldn’t it be better to slow down a little? Don’t you think it’s better to be there for your family?” she asked with a frown, the attention of the family now firmly on her. 

Shimada scowled at her feet. What did she think her mother was insinuating? That she did not care for her family? Months of tiptoeing around each other, and a bit of alcohol was enough to get her to speak her mind, and these were her thoughts? A feeling of betrayal ran down Shimada’s back, and she flinched involuntarily. 

Daen took it upon himself to step in and give context, rosy cheeks spread wide in a smile as he patted Shimada’s back, “Y’see, Shimada here’s following Haruka’s footsteps! She’s training so hard all the time!” he announced, graciously providing context. He squeezed his daughter closer, “Who knows, maybe she’ll be the Hokage one day! That’d be cute, huh? A Nara Hokage!” He laughed heartily, her uncles and aunts parroting his laughter, as if everything she ever wanted simply amounted to a joke to get a rise out of the family. 

Frustration boiled through Shimada’s veins, itching to burst outwards in a rightful anger. She looked down, her fists clenched at her sides as she vibrated in place. She took quiet, calming breaths, trying to shake off her annoyance. She couldn’t believe it. All of her hard work amounted to a punchline to her father. Was it so strange to put effort into something? Shimada focused on her thoughts in a great effort to calm down. This was fine. She was going to prove them wrong. There was no reason to blow up now. 

Shimada, still running on the fumes of her irritation, decided it was time to leave. The gathering was a waste of her time after all. She took two steps away before she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was her mother, looking down at her, a disapproving frown on her flushed face, “Honey, please , they don’t mean any harm. They’re just joking around,” she said, her frown turning into a small smile, “I’ll tell you what. How about when Haruka comes back, we’ll have a nice little picnic, just the four of us. I know how important she is to you and this little phase of yours.” she added, her gentle smile widening. 

Shimada stared at her mother in disbelief. For just a second, she thought her mother was going to try to make things right. She hardly needed to say much. Ichika could have apologized. She could have acknowledged how hurtful her father had been. She could have even said the same line without that patronizing sentence.

Expecting anything acceptance from her parents would get her nowhere.

Shimada wanted to bare her teeth and shout, letting all her emotions run free like a fiery inferno. She wanted to scream at her family to shut their traps, and tell her mother that she knew nothing. Her lips quivered, unable to move. Her mouth wasn’t moving like she wanted it to. She couldn’t even muster the strength to use her voice, failing to even shriek unintelligibly. 

Ultimately, Shimada was more hurt than angry.

So she swallowed the sob that threatened to tear itself from her throat and batted away her mother’s hand. She locked eyes with her mother instead, who had tried to grab her shoulder for a second time, and flinched back to avoid the touch, “D-don’t” she stuttered, voice cracking, “Don’t talk to me.” she muttered, vaguely acknowledging her mother’s shocked expression before she bolted off.

As Shimada ran away, she vowed to wait patiently for Haruka’s return. She just knew her aunt could fix everything. 

—--------------------------------

Shimada threw herself into training with renewed vigor. All her anger and frustration was just extra energy to train harder with, more momentum to dedicate to her sprints, force to add to her punches and clarity to throw the next shuriken with. If she had the energy to think and to get angry, she just wasn’t training hard enough. Like this, she wouldn’t have to process her emotions. Her plan was foolproof. 

She knew in her guts that Haruka would come back soon. She promised she would come back soon to tell her fresh stories and Shimada had to live up to that. She had to show Haruka her grit and how far she had come even without her guidance. If she made Haruka proud, then everything would be okay. 

Sure, Daen and Ichika were useless, but Haruka wouldn’t allow that to stand. Once Haruka came back, she’d give them a stern talking to, and her parents would finally understand how important her goals were to her. They’d apologize, and then all four of them would go on a nice picnic together.

That’s why she had to stay strong and keep training. She would uphold her side of the bargain, and Haruka, a soon-to-be newly-celebrated hero, would return and fix everything. She might even teach Shimada ninjutsu if she was impressed enough! Wouldn’t that be nice?

Just like that, time flew until two months after her sixth birthday. She hadn’t spoken to her parents since. She still lived at home, of course, but why should she exchange words with people who would just hurt her at the first opportunity? The two pleaded with her and even apologized, but it was too late. If they had truly cared, they would have addressed the growing rift before it had become a chasm too wide to cross. Hate was a strong word, but even Shimada knew that she had grown resentful of her parents. 

–

The first words Shimada uttered to her parents in months were: “You’re lying.”, because of course they were lying. Their words were clearly a part of some plan to try to shock her into speaking to them. If they caught her exhausted and got in her face, spewing bullshit, then they may just catch her off guard. Honestly, it was a plan that Shimada begrudgingly admitted to herself had kind of worked. 

What they claimed had sent a chill up Shimada’s spine, if only momentarily. They were that desperate to get a word in. It was so pathetic it made her angry. The two really were idiots. Did they even know who they were talking about? Shimada almost laughed in their faces.

As she opened her mouth to berate them, she looked them in the eyes for the first time in what felt like ages.

Ichika’s hair was messy and unkempt in contrast to its usual neatness and quiet modesty, and Daen wouldn’t even look her in the eyes. The outward appearances of the two were unusual. The sight made her breath hitch. Deep down, Shimada could not bring herself to truly hate her parents. It was wrong to see them like this. Perhaps they were the ones who had been fed lies. The urge to comfort them crossed her mind momentarily. 

Shimada shook her head wildly, recalling the words her father had greeted her with. Her temper flared as she tightly clenched her jaw. She turned the other way, breaking into a sprint as she flew out the door, her chest tight. Shimada’s bare feet moved without her consent, a dull stinging penetrating her feet as she darted through the streets. 

Why was Shimada so worked up? Why was she even running? They were just lying to get a rise out of her as always. It was low hanging fruit, and it should have been more insulting. 

Shimada’s mind latched onto the memory of her father’s eyes. The redness around them, the giant eyebags that spoke of a lack of sleep, and how he hadn’t looked even caught her gaze. Nara Daen never failed to lock eyes with somebody. Shimada thought back to her mother’s wide eyes, filled with an emotion Shimada wouldn’t dare identify, and the nervous fidgeting of her hands. Nara Ichika was too deliberate to fidget, and too tame to widen her eyes involuntarily.

Uneven, gasping breaths escaped her throat as she ran faster and faster through the dim streets of Konohagakure. Shimada laughed at herself, because she had just started to run and she was already out of breath. What a joke. No matter how hard she breathed, she couldn’t catch her breath. Her legs wouldn’t stop moving. Why couldn’t she stop moving? She needed to stop and take a break. A traitorous thought echoed through her mind. 

Maybe they were right.

Shimada grabbed the sides of her head as she fought desperately to breathe. They were talking about someone else. They were mistaken, or misunderstood what they had been told. Either that, or they were falsely informed. Her thoughts swam in circles as she kept running. They were wrong. Everyone was wrong. The village was wrong. Even her own team must be wrong. It was all a big lie–

The world turned into a blur as Shimada fell on her back, her head violently shaking. She rubbed her forehead as a pain throbbed through her head and down her neck.She distantly realized that she had run into something like stone. 

As the dizziness in Shimada’s head gradually began to die down, her splitting headache slowing down, she peaked up, and– 

Shimada’s racing thoughts stilled in an instant. What was she doing in front of the Memorial Stone? 

Something wet dripped onto her hands as she registered the sight. “Hah…” she breathed out, watching as tears fell into her hands. Why was she– 

Shimada was on her feet in an instant, and she tumbled back down to the ground a moment later. She was concussed? Shimada didn’t care about something like that. She stood right back up, careful to stay standing, and grabbed the sides of the Memorial Stone for support. Her gasps continued, ragged and unfocused.

It wouldn’t be here. Her name wouldn’t be here. 

She was hiding somewhere close by, wasn’t she? She was just waiting for the perfect moment to tease Shimada for how dramatic she was being. That’s right. Shimada was just a drama queen. A strangled chuckle tore itself out of her throat as her eyes desperately scanned through names–

Nara Haruka

Shimada’s heart shattered.

—

Shimada missed the next day of training. It was the first day she had missed for more than a year. The day after that, she woke up to the sunrise as usual, and fell back asleep, unable to muster any energy. On day three, Shimada’s bed was so comfortable she didn’t bother getting out of it until way past noon. On day four, she woke up, restless but exhausted, dried tears on her face.

Nine days after she visited the Memorial Stone and learned of Haruka’s passing, Shimada awoke to her father’s somber face at her bedside. 

The usual humour in his face was missing, “I know I told you to slow down, but you haven’t gotten out of bed for days,” he sighed, looking down at her with pity. Shimada thought she should’ve gotten angry at him for pitying her, but she couldn’t muster the energy to get emotional. She stared at his face instead, studying his features stoically.

Daen's face was covered with new wrinkles, stress lines splitting his forehead. His eyebags had grown larger since she had last properly looked at him, and he had a patchy beard coming in, as if he hadn’t shaved in a while. He looked like he had aged five or ten years. 

Shimada wondered if she looked as horrible, and then blinked the thought away. Who cares if she did?

Daen’s frown deepened, “Hun–” he placed a hand over hers, “Please, let’s go for a walk. We’ll get something sweet to eat, okay?” he pleaded, voice wavering. Shimada pondered whether she wanted something sweet to eat, and promptly decided that she would rather rot in bed. She remained unmoving, watching her father’s expression grow helpless. She frowned, wondering if her father really thought she would forgive him for what he had said at the gathering just because Haruka–

Just because Haruka was gone. 

Shimada shifted around in bed, and buried her face into the pillows. She decided she wasn’t in the mental space to talk to her father. Through her pillow, she heard a muffled sigh and the creaking of a chair. He was finally leaving. Tired steps paced away from the bed, before they abruptly stopped, a heavy silence permeating through the air. 

“Do you think Haruka would’ve liked to see you in this state, Shimada?” Daen asked, an edge to his voice, and Shimada’s emotions flared, and without conscious thought, she was standing next to the bed, baring her teeth at her father. Her legs felt weak – the effects of over a week of inactivity having caught up to her.

Shimada ignored the weakness, driving her heels into the hardwood floor despite herself. Clenching her fists, she stepped towards her father, “Haruka is dead!” she exploded, raising her voice, the dam sealing her emotions coming down all at once. Daen’s expression hardened as he doubled down, “Yes, Haruka is dead!” he shot back, as he shut his eyes helplessly, “Your aunt is gone for good, but I know that if she were still here, she would hate to see you like this.” he continued, opening his eyes to stare at Shimada. 

Shimada shook her head, “Since when did you care about me or Haruka? You don’t know either of us!” she accused, eliciting a growl from her father, “You are my daughter, and Haruka was my sister! I know you two have dreams, I know how hard you work hard, and I know you idolized her! I’m saying this because I care about you, Shimada!” he exclaimed, an ugly grimace twisting his features.

“How about we get ice cream together, and you can forget about your old goals,” Daen averted his eyes, realizing what he said, and raised a front of indifference, “Listen, I know you. You’re going to bounce back with or without my encouragement soon enough, and when you do, you’ll go straight back to training. Haruka will become a martyr for you.” he continued, grabbing Shimada’s shoulders and kneeling down to her level. “Please, don’t make the same mistake as her, Shimada. A Nara family like ours… we’re just cogs for the village, nothing more. We aren’t like the head family, the Uchiha, the Hyuuga, or most of the other clans for that matter.” he explained carefully.

Shimada tried not to show the hurt on her face.

“We support our squad members, just like we support the Village. What business do people like us have demanding more than that?” he asked out rhetorically, eyes trained on Shimada.

He was wrong. Two of the three Sannin came from civilian origins. The Uchiha and Hyuuga were so strong because they weren’t lazy like the Nara. They were strong because each and every single one of them were ambitious and knew their potential. 

If the Nara were half as driven as they were intelligent, maybe the clan wouldn’t be restricted to supportive roles. If everyone stayed in their lane, half of the world’s legends would never have been born. If Shimada listened to what others told her, she would never accomplish anything. 

The burning anger that once filled her chest had run its course, and only the ashes remained. A silent, cold anger was brimming under her skin.

As she watched her father struggle to rid his expression of emotion, her stomach twisted in disgust. He was lying to himself about how he felt about his sister’s death. He was a man in denial. A liar. By ignoring his grief to lecture his daughter, he had become a walking insult to his dead sister and her dreams, and that was the moment Shimada lost any semblance of respect for the man. 

Shimada’s father was a man who pushed down his values to fit a mold set by others, he was steeped in delusion denying his true feelings after the death of a loved one, and projected his insecurities onto his grieving daughter. Truly, he was a liar, both to himself and to those around him.

Shimada wondered anybody else was as pathetic.

Shimada took a breath, “You can pat yourself on the back,” she jabbed pointedly, “Get out of my way. I’ve gotta make up for the last few days.” she demanded, ignoring his previous words. 

Daen’s grip on her shoulders became tighter, “Don’t you know where this path will lead you? Shimada, you’re going to die an early death, just like...” his eyes grew desperate, “... just like Haruka,” he breathed out, scrunching his eyebrows as his forehead wrinkled. Sweat dripped down his temples as he squinted at Shimada, begging her to listen.

Shimada thought his expression was revolting. She would remember it for as long as she lived.

Shimada locked eyes with Daen, “I hate you.” she said firmly, watching her father recoil. She didn’t look back as she walked past him. There was no sense wasting time on her father, or the rest of her family. 

Huh, Shimada realized abruptly, that was where Haruka went wrong.

—-----

In the months leading up to Shimada’s enrollment in the Academy, her parents had big news. She hardly listened to the two when she could help it, but as she sat at the table, shoveling down her breakfast in an attempt to ignore her parents, she finally heard their words. 

Shimada was going to have a sibling. 

Ichika had been nine weeks pregnant when she had finally decided to confirm her suspicions and get tested. Shimada didn’t know what to think. She thought of family as a waste of time, but a sibling who had nothing to do with her parents’ past decisions was different. Maybe this sibling would be a waste of time to be around, but Shimada had been isolating herself for over a year.

Shimada would never admit it out loud, but she was alone. 

—-----------

Shimada was enrolled in the Academy in April, not long after she learned of Haruka’s death. Since then, she returned to her training with renewed vigor. Her aunt was dead, and that was a fact. She would forever miss the young woman, but Shimada would have been lying to herself if she said Haruka had died a meaningful death. 

Her aunt had worked hard, yes, but she hadn’t given it her all. There was no reason to spend so much spare time with friends and family. Haruka had been contradicting herself. If gaining renown was her real motivation, she should have spent her time more efficiently. She didn’t need to go out, she didn’t need to attend gatherings and she should have never wasted her time teaching Shimada. If Haruka had put her entire heart into her ambitions, she probably would have survived, and she would have been celebrated for it.

In the end, Shimada had to accept the passing of her aunt and move on. It was what Haruka would have wanted. Now, it was up to her to escape the clan’s underachiever habits and make a name for herself. She would do it in Haruka’s stead.

The Academy, she found, was a breath of fresh air. A place where she was encouraged to work hard instead of being made fun of for it. At the beginning, the class was asked to introduce themselves. Many of her peers took the opportunity to express their goals for their shinobi careers. It was here she realized that she didn’t have a fully concrete goal. In a split second, she grinned, having made up her mind.

“I’m Nara Shimada! My goal is to become the Hokage!” she announced, because it was what her father had joked about to her family. ‘That’d be cute, huh? A Nara Hokage!’ was what he had said. She couldn’t think of a better way to rub it in his face. Her announcement elicited some amusement from the room, but it wasn’t like she cared for their approval. 

The guidance she received from the Academy was, for the most part, fresh. She was not exactly fond of the amount of time they wasted on written work and theory, but she understood the importance of high Academy scores for her future as a Genin, so she worked hard regardless. 

Since distancing herself from her family, Shimada hardly spoke to them, only stopping by home to eat, sleep and bathe. Previously they had expressed the possibility of teaching her when she was enrolled in the Academy, but since Haruka’s death, her parents had gone from being hesitant in Shimada’s training to being outright opposed to it. The opportunity to learn Nara techniques through direct means had slipped through her fingers. 

Despite the development, Shimada had other methods of growing. The Academy was teaching her new practical skills weekly, and she still had shurikenjutsu to work on, among some other foundational skills. Despite that, with her sole guidance coming from her Academy instructor Hayashi Ton, she found her growth to be relatively slow. Without specialized training from her clan, she was behind on important aspects, especially when it came to chakra.

Daen’s words about the Nara Clan repeated themselves in her mind. She knew he was wrong, but sometimes her lack of success made her think traitorous thoughts.

Shimada grew envious of many of her classmates. Her classmates like Hyuuga Momoku had the support of his entire clan, and many other had similar support systems. Despite her envy, she respected the obvious hard-workers of her class, with their serious attitudes and exemplary performances in spars. She found herself frustrated with the many who didn’t take the Academy seriously. People like Uchiha Shodo, who was coasting on his potential as an Uchiha, or Gekko Hayate, who had kenjutsu mentors at home but evidently did not branch out so much. 

Slackers like them reminded her of the rest of her lazy clan. 

And then, there was an anomaly, whose name was Uchiha Daisuke. From his outward appearance, she could tell he didn’t slack off. He had calluses on his hands and his muscles were visible, an impressive feat for children their age. After the first two months of the Academy had passed, they were already sparring, and he was impressive, being able to keep up with Hyuuga Momoku in taijutsu for a short time, a feat few in their age group could accomplish. 

She couldn’t wrap her head around the reason for his impressive strength. His goal was plain: to grow strong enough to protect his loved ones, so why did he work hard in the first place? He would not be at his level if he trained like Uchiha Shodo – their match had proven that fact – so what drove him? Shimada speculated that it had something to do with his heritage, because somehow, despite spending much of his time in the Academy daydreaming or goofing off with his friends, he was ahead of her and many others. If he didn’t work hard at the Academy, what was he doing in his off time?

The boy seemed aloof, carefree and unserious in total contrast to his feats. Often times the tone he took with others was too cheerful, and at other times it was too meek. She wondered why he was so humble. The way he carried himself and his overt politeness felt condescending to Shimada. Why should he concern himself with the opinions of others?

Given everything she knew, there was no way he was honest about his dream. He had his eyes elsewhere, downplaying his true ambitions. Shimada had spent her entire life thus far chasing strength and renown, while Daisuke was waltzing through the shinobi career path half-assed, and it frustrated her.

Shimada wasn’t sure what Daisuke’s deal was, but she didn’t like him. 

With war on the horizon, the Academy curriculum was shortened and focused on getting the students combat-ready. The change suited Shimada well, and she was taught how to utilize her chakra, and how to improve her skills with chakra control exercises. Impatient, she reverse-engineered the Shadow Paralysis jutsu, a precursor to the Shadow Possession jutsu, over the course of Spring and Summer by watching her clanmates train and using books. 

Despite her slow growth compared to her peers, which was a great source of insecurity for the girl, she constantly kept herself busy, waiting patiently for her eventual graduation and subsequent assignment to a Jounin Sensei. It seemed that she would have to wait until then to have consistent guidance in her training. 

—---------------------------------------

For months, Shimada awaited the birth of her little sibling, who she later learned would be her little sister. In the meantime, she continued polishing her skills, learning how to use ninja wire and improving her accuracy, even beginning the process of learning to deflect her shuriken off of each other. She continued honing her chakra control using the leaf sticking exercising and brushing up on her katas. 

In May, five months after Shimada had turned six, her sister, Nara Yomiko was born. 

Shimada, despite her misgivings towards her parents, couldn’t bring herself to miss the birth of her sister, and was present with her father while her mother was in labor. When Yomiko was born, her sobs filled the room, dark eyes darting around the room as she cried helplessly. Shimada wondered to herself if she had cried so hard when she was born, too. 

In contrast to her birth, Yomiko was a quiet kid. She rarely giggled, squealed or laughed, opting to make noises when she was hungry or sleepy. Shimada didn’t have any experience with babies and she didn’t have many memories from before she was three years old, but she had assumed babies were more vocal.

Shimada started spending more time at home, if only to be there for her sister. She felt a sense of calm around her sister. There was no tension, no competition, no comparison. It was a break from her usual thoughts, and she was happy for it. 

To Shimada, Yomiko was a source of normalcy that she hadn’t realized she needed. She found comfort in the presence of her little sister. Shimada spent her time with Yomiko productively, whether it was practicing hand seals, working on written work, or doing her katas, she remained careful to not fall into the same complacency Haruka had.

From the very beginning, Shimada’s younger sister had an air of intelligence. She observed her surroundings with an inquisitive gaze, constantly attempting to figure out and understand everything around her. She tilted her head when she didn’t understand Shimada’s words, pointed out her needs with clarity, and began using simple words early on. 

Yomiko giggled when Shimada made an awkward movement in practice, paid rapt attention to Shimada’s homework, and even tried to mimic her hand seal practice, clumsily wrapping her chubby fingers around each other in an attempt to make sense of her sister’s actions. 

Shimada intellectually understood that her sister was special. As time passed, Yomiko amazed her with feats expected of toddlers. She had heard about all the prodigies in stories – the Yellow Flash and Orochimaru of the Sannin came to mind – and she wondered if Yomiko was like them. It was a source of both pride and even envy for Shimada. For the first time since Haruka had died, she began to talk to her parents again, even if it only involved matters relating to the baby. 

With the birth of Yomiko, Shimada was feeling love again.

–

Shimada’s routine eventually solidified, spending time between the Academy, training grounds, and home. Time flew. Over the months and years, she managed to figure out the Shadow Possesion Jutsu, making use of it in Academy sparring for the first time to win a bout against the unprepared Gekko Hayate, and improved her existing skills. Despite her accomplishments, the gap between her and some of the more prominent faces in her class grew and grew over time. She couldn’t find a way to grow faster than she already was.

Shimada felt inadequate. Despite all the work she drowned herself in, she seemed to lack the same talents so many of her peers had. She could defeat the majority of the civilian-born classmates, but when she sparred with the upper echelon, those who generally put a similar amount of effort into their training as she did, she was often defeated. 

Even Uchiha Shodo, the slacker, had handily defeated her once upon a time.

The damage it did to Shimada’s self esteem was not insignificant, and unwanted feelings of insecurity had become commonplace in her mind. Almost two years had passed since she had entered the Academy, and she still could not compete with the best of her class.

One day Shimada was spending time with Yomiko, practicing the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Shimada’s sister had begun speaking early on from age one. Babies, she learned, began to speak around the period Yomiko had, but Yomiko was using full, intelligible sentences by the time she had turned two years old, unlike her babbling peers.

“Are you doing hand seals again?” she asked, with a composed expression Shimada had gotten used to. She nodded in response, focusing on her practice. Shimada continued manipulating her shadows, making various patterns and movements before she couldn’t maintain her focus anymore. Shimada breathed out, side-eyeing Yomiko, “I’m practicing the Clan’s jutsu. Cool, huh?” she asked, a playful grin tugging at her lips. 

Yomiko only hummed, “What is a jutsu?” she asked, tilting her head, a characteristic curiosity in her gaze. Shimada chuckled, “Shinobi use jutsu to defeat their enemies. You focus on your chakra, and if you get the flow just right…” she drawled, making the hand seals for the Shadow Possession jutsu, “...and bam!” she exclaimed, her shadow shooting out a meter, before retreating back to its usual shape.

Yomoki stared at her own shadow, impressed by Shimada’s display, “...Cha-ku-ra….” she murmured, before straightening up and bringing her pudgy hands together. Shimada watched as she hesitantly mimicked the hand seals she had just seen, getting them wrong along the way, and for several seconds, her shadow stretched six inches full to her right. The two girls stared at the outstretched shadow in shock, before Yomiko promptly fell unconscious, the body’s natural protection against chakra exhaustion.

Daen and Ichika were present for the moment, and they caused an uproar. A two year old toddler had, albeit partially, manipulated her shadow. She had not been guided or taught, only mimicking what her sister had done. The hand seals had not even been performed properly, meaning she had tugged on her chakra and instinctually manipulated her shadow. 

The damage had been done, and suddenly, Nara Yomiko was the number one topic amongst the Clan. 

New ideas spread through the Clan like wildfire. The Nara had never seen talent like this within their own boundaries. Notions of Yomiko as a potential successor to Clan Head as the future head were growing in popularity. People were even discussing the possibility of a Nara Hokage, as if it hadn’t been an inside joke for the Nara Clan just days ago. Shimada had many thoughts about the situation, but initially her foremost feeling surrounding the ordeal was protectiveness for her sister.

Yomiko was able to reproduce it when Nara Shikaku came around to confirm, and within the week, it was decided by the Council that Yomiko’s talents would be honed with one-to-one mentorship on all fronts. A toddler was going to be trained by the Clan’s best, and eventually represent it.

Yomiko’s reaction to the news betrayed Shimada’s expectations. She had thought that her sister would either react with childish excitement or childish outrage, but the girl was wrong. No, all she did was accept the news with apathy. It wasn’t the same impassivity she usually wore on her face, but a relentless apathy that had Shimada clutching at her chest. Her expression made Shimada wonder for the first time whether Yomiko was truly okay with it. Whether she truly wanted to go through with the training that had been thrust upon her.

To make matters worse, their parents, who she had believed would resist vehemently, happily allowed their youngest’s time to be split by the Council as they saw fit.

Out of everything that had happened in that long week, the fact that Daen and Ichika, who had so passionately denounced Shimada’s dreams, were now supporting the decision of the Clan for Yomiko to rise in the same way Shimada had wanted to in the first place, was the hardest pill to swallow. Confronting her parents was a waste of time, but the girl was furious at their hypocrisy. She bottled it up with the rest of her problems and continued her training. 

—--------------------------------------------------------

After that, Shimada didn’t see Yomiko as often. Despite their enthusiasm, the overzealous mentors the toddler had been assigned to knew how dangerous it was to push a toddler too hard. She was put onto an optimized diet for her age group, and taught foundational shinobi skills from a young age, including reading, writing, arithmetic and even basic history. 

Physical training was forbidden until further evaluation, but she meditated, studied, and did light stretches. Her only respite was meal time and sleep, which was the only break she was afforded.

Clearly, they did not want to debilitate their young golden goose, giving her all the physical care in the world. She was encouraged to sleep upwards of fourteen hours excluding naps, and given the best nutrition for a toddler her age.

Despite that, nobody, not even Shimada, knew what Yomiko felt about the situation. On a given day, six to eight hours were taken up by her schedule. Yomiko always behaved, listening to what she was told without complaints.

It bothered Shimada that she had never once heard her sister talk about what she wanted. 

—----------------------------------------------------

It was the fourth of May, a day before Yomiko’s third birthday. Shimada had decided to come early, cutting her training short early, to surprise her sister with a game in her room. The Nara girl was dissatisfied with how little time she had to spend time with and see her younger sister. Surely she could squeeze in an hour of fun and games with the overworked toddler.

With a picture book about Senju Hashirama and a bag of daifuku, she hid in their shared room, the lights turned off and curtains drawn. Shimada still didn’t know what Yomiko was interested in, but she reckoned that no one hated sweets or stories. Shimada was guilty that her little sister would miss her nap, but she was sure missing one nap wouldn’t ruin the toddler’s health. 

At the expected time, she heard one of her sister’s mentors explaining what their next session would entail from outside the closed door of their room. It was something about honing her muscle memory in handling kunai and shuriken. Yomiko’s passive voice came through the door muffled, “Yes, shishou,” she said, before continuing, “Have a nice day,” she wished, before steps made their way from outside the door.

The handle rustled and a moment later, the door creaked, opening to reveal the almost-Birthday girl. Yomiko stared into the darkness of her room, not outwardly reacting, and Shimada realized that her eyes weren’t adjusted to the darkness yet, and she probably couldn’t see very well yet. Shimada's childish excitement grew. It really was going to be a surprise. 

Yomiko’s passive expression held strong for another second, before it crumbled into a small frown. Shimada froze, her eyes widening. The prodigy sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping as she muttered something incomprehensible. Her gaze lingered on the ground for a few moments, before she corrected her posture and took a breath, her stoic expression returning like it never left. She turned her head to turn on the lights, and faced Shimada, who was gaping at her like she had grown a new head.

The silence was deafening. 

Shimada’s mind snapped awake, thoughts infiltrating her head. Was this a one time thing? How long has this been going on? Did she even want to train? Why hasn’t Yomiko said anything yet? Shimada needed to do something about it. She needed to talk to her sister, her parents, the clan–

She looked down at her little sister, who was barely half of her height. Her cheeks were round with baby fat, and her face didn’t have a sign of stress despite how hard she had been working for almost a year. Her widened eyes held more emotion than she had seen from Yomiko since her birth. A tear pricked the side of Yomiko’s eye, an aftereffect of her non-outburst from moments earlier, and she paused. A realization dawned on Shimada, and she hated herself for not realizing it sooner.

Yomiko was the Nara Clan’s only prodigy, but she was also a three year old girl. At Yomiko’s age, Shimada was still listening to Haruka’s stories without a care in the world. At Yomiko’s age, Shimada wasn’t a dreamer like she was now. 

Shimada’s worries for her sister had been suppressed by envy. She was envious of the sheer amount of guidance Yomiko had access to, and the opportunity she had been given. While she pondered Yomiko’s willingness to do all this training, Shimada had never done anything to confirm her suspicions because she had assumed it was what her little sister wanted. 

Because it had been what Shimada wanted, but maybe, Yomiko didn’t want to be a celebrated prodigy of Konoha or an important figure in the Nara Clan.

Shimada’s grip on the book and bag of dango weakened as she dropped them on the ground. She bent down to her sister’s stature and hugged her tighter than she ever had. “I’m sorry for being such an idiot,” she whispered into her sister’s ear, before she got up. Yomiko snapped her head towards her elder sister, “Shimada… I–” she started, before Shimada silenced her with a fond smile. 

Shimada released Yomiko from the hug, got up to her feet and stomped to the living room, each stomp louder and louder as her anger rose. She arrived at the living room, where her parents sat without a worry in the world. She recalled the panic in her sister’s eyes when she realized she had been caught, and couldn’t stand the fact that her parents were enjoying each other’s company, oblivious to their own daughter’s internal struggles.

The inferno in her chest grew hotter and hotter until it erupted all at once. “How could you let the Clan train Yomiko!?” she demanded, pointing her finger at her parents. The pair looked up at Shimada, expressions shocked and puzzled.

“What do you mean? She’s the most talented Nara we’ve had in ages–” her father retorted.

Shimada shook her head furiously, “ She’s the most talented Nara we’ve had– ,” she interrupted herself, “What about what you told me after Haruka died? Was that a lie?!” Shimada demanded, stomping closer to Daen.

Her father swallowed, “That was… different–” he explained meekly, licking his lips, before Shimada interrupted, “Different?! She’s your daughter too!” the raging girl spat, “What makes her immune to dying?!”

Shimada thought about Haruka, who had a drive to grow stronger, and wondered how many others like her had died nameless. “If I could die out there like Haruka did, then what about Yomiko?!” she challenged, voice dripping with venom.

Why the hell had her father got and discouraged her from following her goals because of how deadly it was, but suddenly turned around and not only allowed, but encouraged the Clan to snatch up Yomiko and turn her into some kind of perfect shinobi. Was it all an excuse, before? Did they not–

The thought had her clenching her fists so hard her nails drew blood, “Do neither of you care about her?!” she roared, glaring at the two with all of the fury she could muster. It took all the self control she had to give them the chance to speak.

Ichika and Daen glanced at each other, “Of course we do, but…” Ichika murmured, “she’s a prodigy! There’s no way anything bad will–” she argued weakly.

Shimada scoffed loudly, “You don’t believe that. Anyone can die, no matter how strong they are!” she insisted, her eyes narrowing, “Her being a prodigy doesn’t make her immortal!”

Daen stood up, “Shouldn’t you be glad for her, Hun? She is getting everything you wanted. Why are you so worked up?” he asked, those scrunched features of his rearing its head again. Ichika nodded, “This is what you wanted for yourself, right?” she asked pointlessly. 

A new wave of rage burned through her body at the reminder, alongside another, unwanted feeling, “Yes, I do want that training! Why did you bend backwards to get her trained, but not me ?!” she demanded desperately, her nauseating inner thoughts surfacing. Shimada bit down on her lip in shame. Despite sticking up for her sister, she was still jealous of her. She despised that feeling. 

Shimada grimaced in disgust, “Maybe I would have been happy for it, but what about her? Have you ever once asked her if she wanted to do this training?” she sighed slowly, her parents widening their eyes in response. 

After they didn’t respond, Shimada spoke again, “You were so happy to see her cast her shadow that you went and told everyone about it, but you never once considered Yomiko’s feelings!!” She accused them, hesitating for a moment, “...and I didn’t consider them, either!” she admitted, her voice cracking.

“When she came to her room, she was crying! She barely allowed her emotions to run free for… for just a few seconds!” Shimada said, taking a breath as she recalled Yomiko’s show of emotion. "Listen to me! She’s overwhelmed! Yomiko, she’s barely turning three tomorrow!” 

Daen widened his eyes, and turned his head to Ichika, who had a heartbroken expression on her face, “But–Shimada, the clan has already…” Ichika muttered, sorrow on her face.

Shimada stared at the two, “Then when Yomiko breaks down… she’ll have her wonderful family to blame for it.” she explained, voice shaking, “Please, at least talk to Shikaku-sama,” Shimada pleaded, watching the two as they agonized.

Daen straightened up, locking eyes with Shimada, “You’re right, Hun. I’ll try to talk to Shikaku-sama–” 

“No.” A familiar voice resounded through the room, silencing Daen. Yomiko gazed at her family as passively as she always had, “I am going to continue the training the Clan has given me. You don’t need to talk to Shikaku-sama, father.” she asserted, and stared at her family. Shimada and her parents watched her, speechless, before she spun on her heel and paced back to her room without another word.

Shimada followed her sister moments later, running back into their room and shutting the door behind her. 

“...Why?” Shimada asked Yomiko as she sat against her bed. She looked up to her older sister and smiled. It was a warm smile, one that Shimada had yet to witness, and despite her confusion, it brought her relief.

“Shimada, you don’t have to worry so much about me,” Yomiko told her sister, and the non-answer was like a knife to Shimada's gut. 

Shimada shook her head, “But that’s my job, isn’t it? I’m your big sister – I’m supposed to worry about you.” she said, frowning, before continuing, “You don’t really want to be a shinobi, right?” Shimada asked, her solemn gaze begging for an answer.

Yomiko’s smile dropped, “I don’t,” she admitted with a sigh. Shimada straightened up, confusion coloring her features, “Then why? I don’t know if they would have stopped training you, but maybe they would let up a little bit…” she murmured, tilting her head. Her younger sister stood up, and Shimada noticed for the second time just how small her sister was, and her heart panged.

“I need to become a shinobi, and learn about chakra.” she answered simply, and Shimada scowled when her sister refused to elaborate. She clenched her fists, “What do you mean?” Shimada asked for the millionth time, regarding her sister carefully, her gaze prodding the girl for an answer, but Yomiko only brushed past her in response. 

She reached down, and grabbed the book and the bag of daifuku Shimada had dropped. Yomiko turned back to Shimada, and her grin was as gentle as it was bright, “You wanted to hang out, right?” she asked, handing Shimada the bag full of sweets. 

—---------------------------------

Ultimately, Yomiko had managed to convince Shimada, Daen and Ichika to let her continue the training regimen the Clan had forced upon her. It was hard to accept her wishes, but even if her little sister wouldn’t explain herself, Shimada knew Yomiko was a smart kid. She reckoned she must have a good reason for it. 

Over time, Yomiko’s training progressed to higher and higher levels. She moved from stretches to katas and light conditioning, continued to longer forms of meditation, studied a more complicated curriculum and even began manipulating her shadow further under strict supervision. Through the years, Shimada couldn’t help but feel envy towards her sister, but it wasn’t as strong as her feelings of love and pride. 

Shimada and Yomiko often spoke about some problems, and despite her younger sister’s impressive poker face, Shimada knew that she wasn’t always there. Her sister was constantly lost in her mind, daydreaming about things Shimada couldn’t imagine. Ever since that day, she knew there was more to the intelligent girl’s silent appraisals and fond grins, but no matter what Shimada did to connect to her sister, Yomiko always had an air of hopelessness around her.

—----------------------------------------------------

Shimada’s mind had become more occupied thereafter, with thoughts of her sister and her unique situation, but her training had not been affected. As the years passed, she found it difficult to learn the rest of the Nara Clan techniques on her own as she had done with the Shadow Paralysis and Shadow Possession Jutsus. After running into that dead end, she decided to instead spend that spare time improving her chakra control and shurikenjutsu.

The Academy Three were understandably much simpler jutsu to learn when compared to the Nara Jutsu, and she was able to figure them out without issue. Over the course of the Academy, she had also learned to deflect shuriken against each other to accurately hit a target, and how to use wires in conjunction with both kunai and shuriken. In Academy spars, Shimada continued to reflect on her defeats despite how bitter they made her, ignoring any insecurity that sprung up as a result. It was a pity that weapons were banned, but Shimada wouldn’t cry about it.

Before she knew it, Shimada had graduated from the Academy, a proud eleven-year old. She was slightly disappointed with the scores she had passed with, ranking in tenth place in her class. Of all her notable classmates, she ranked the lowest of them all. After a day or so of disappointment and sulking, she figured it was a better use of her time to prepare herself for team assignments. She wanted to be at her best for her new Jounin sensei. 

As the Team Assignments were called out by her teacher, Hayashi-sensei, she pondered to herself about who she might be paired with. No student really knew how the teams were chosen, but there were a few patterns. One of them was that there was always at least one girl and one boy in a team, and considering the frequency of boys and girls in her class, she figured she would be paired up with two boys, but they could be anyone.

At the very least, she sincerely hoped she wouldn’t be paired up with somebody like Uchiha Shodo. 

As Shimada considered possible teammates, she involuntarily picked up the voice of Hayashi-sensei through her daydream, “Team 4; Uchiha Daisuke,” he announced, and Shimada internally sighed, pitying the poor soul who would be paired up with the the boy. 

“Umino Iruka,” he continued, and the girl nearly chuckled, idly recalling when the two had whined so childishly about some summer heat. She couldn’t imagine being an Academy graduate who couldn’t handle a bit of sweat in the Land of Fire of all places. What a joke. She was happy to be a part of another team, thank you very much–

“... and Nara Shimada, led by Inuzuka Tsume.” he finished.

Shimada cursed herself for jinxing it. 

—---------------------------

Needless to say, threatening to send the group back to the Academy for some idle gossip had not inspired confidence in Shimada. Their new sensei, Inuzuka Tsume-sensei, was a wild and straightforward woman. Shimada could tell from the get-go that Tsume-sensei did not want to teach them, as evidenced by her frustrated muttering and sharp words, but Shimada was going to convince the woman of her worth if it was the last thing she did. 

Arriving at a quieter spot of the village, the feral woman demanded introductions, pointing first at Shimada, calling her a ‘Punk Princess’. After some confusion surrounding the label she had been given, she obliged, eager to make her mark and impress her teacher.

“I’m Nara Shimada, 11 years old. I like to train and eat! I hate slackers and idiots. I can throw shuriken and kunai really good! I’m gonna become the Hokage!” she announced enthusiastically, pointing to herself with her thumb, but to Shimada’s disappointment, her teacher dismissed her, mocking her goal by stating she would become the Goddess of Shinobi. Truthfully, her teacher's words sent a wave of anger through her like a jolt, but Shimada had grown used to being dismissed or mocked. She pushed it to the back of her mind. 

Next, Umino Iruka was asked to introduce himself, having been dubbed ‘Mophead’. Shimada nearly laughed, but she was still trying to make a good impression on the Inuzuka. Iruka’s introduction wasn’t the least bit notable, not to Shimada at least, and it was no wonder given his lack of specialization. Not that she had a slight against the boy on a personal level. Iruka was a little soft, but there was plenty of time for him to become a useful teammate. 

Then Uchiha Daisuke, dubbed the ‘Blue Noodle’, which Shimada agreed was a stupid nickname, was told to introduce himself. He grinned and locked eyes with Tsume-sensei, “My name is Uchiha Daisuke, I’m 10 years old. I like to spend time with my family and exercise. Oh, and I love sweets! I specialize in chakra control and ninjutsu. My goal… is to bring about peace.” he breathed out. 

Shimada stared at him, confused. What had he said last time at the beginning of their enrollment in the Academy? That he wanted to become strong enough to protect his loved ones, she recalled. Previously, she saw his goal as uninspired. He had no ambition, and Shimada felt insulted that he could stand with her as a peer with that kind of goal, and still outpace her, but this? 

The boy had always acted carefree, pretending to be this polite and modest boy. He had always been looking to get friendly with others. Relationships and friendships. In the Academy, Daisuke had approached the entire class at some point, speaking sweet nothings into their ears to try to gain their support. 

Daisuke had been looking for connections, she realized.

The answer snapped into place all at once. It didn’t just sound like bullshit – it was bullshit. It was too sudden, too big, too… unnatural. She had never heard of someone who wanted to bring about peace, except maybe Shodaime-sama in all of those stories. She thought back to his approachable demeanor in the Academy, and suppressed a growl.

Daisuke had been lying about his dream. To him, ambitions were just empty words to announce to the next sucker willing to eat up his speech. He was willing to change his goal depending on the image of himself he attempted to project. Protecting loved ones. Fostering peace. What was next, becoming the Hokage? It was a shortcut, a way to make Tsume-sensei see him in a better light. A way to sound impressive without putting in the effort. 

Haruka had big ambitions, too, and while she didn’t give her all to chasing them, she at least followed them. She believed in her dreams and her own ability to fulfill them. In the end, Haruka had become complacent, but at least her aunt had believed in her own goals. She had been a genuine person.

Daisuke didn’t even believe in his own words. He wanted people to believe in his dreams for him, and view him in a greater light for it. He was deluding himself, Shimada understood, and she found herself thinking of her own father, a deluded man, steeped in denial and cheap insecurity. 

Daisuke was like her father, and she quickly found herself disgusted by the implications. To think someone like him was her peer, he was a classmate who was stronger than her, but the boy had no discernable reason to become a shinobi, relying on thinly veiled manipulation to do… whatever would win him the approval of others.

If the boy didn’t even have his own dreams, didn’t even have his own word, and his entire persona constructed by a desire to impress others, then he was even worse than the rest of her clan. Worse than her father. 

Tsume-sensei, a Tokubetsu Jounin, ate up his false declaration and left, calling his words flashy. Shimada resisted her urge to berate Daisuke, but she had grown up since her days as a child who exploded in emotion at every turn. She was a Genin, and legally an adult in Konoha.

There was no use wasting her energy at this stage, and besides, Shimada had a test to pass, and she was going to pass with flying colors. 

—--------------

Tsume-sensei’s test was one of pure combat aptitude. Alongside her announcement of a true Genin test, a jarring threat hung in the balance. The day before, their teacher had made it clear that she had no interest in teaching them. The implications were obvious: fail to impress the woman, and you’ll be sent back to the Academy. 

Despite the unease Shimada felt at the threat, her motivation to impress the Inuzuka Matriarch was not lacking in the least. It was for this reason that despite her general dislike of her two teammates, she would work with them if it meant carving a place for herself with a Jounin. She listened in on Iruka and Daisuke’s plans with the intent to work with the two. 

The test began with an abrupt announcement, and within seconds, Shimada was separated from her teammates. Tsume-sensei had clearly restrained herself in their confrontation, but it hadn’t stopped Shimada from receiving a nasty bruise on her forearms and expending half of her chakra before Iruka and Daisuke fought off Kuromaru. 

In the following engagement, Shimada and Iruka had taken a supportive role for Daisuke’s strategy, and came close to capturing the teacher in another Shadow Possession Jutsu. If it weren’t for her use of flash bombs, then the plan might have succeeded.

When the Inuzuka then rushed to Shimada, intent on taking her out of the fight, Iruka changed places with her with the Substitution Jutsu. The damage he took in her place was enough to keep Iruka on the ground gasping for rest of the battle. Shimada’s immediate response was to call the boy an idiot, because why? Why would he choose to save someone who had so obviously dismissed him on so many occasions? 

Shimada was standoffish and cold to both of her teammates at the first opportunity. She had some self-awareness, and knew that she had undoubtedly treated the boy disrespectfully. Watching Iruka’s face contort in pain as he took the attack meant for her… elicited complicated feelings in her.

Anger. Embarrassment. Shame .

However, chief among her emotions at that moment were concern and guilt. Shimada felt that she owed Iruka for his intervention, no matter how confusing or misplaced it was. 

Working with Daisuke, she managed to extend her shadow’s reach and capture their teacher, taking her away from Iruka with a powerful jump. And she watched Tsume-sensei fly through the air involuntarily, all she could feel was triumph. 

…That triumph turned into panic when, upon landing, Shimada found herself within three meters of the feral woman. 

Tsume-sensei dropped on all fours, and before Shimada could brace herself, an explosive pain wracked her entire body. In the time it took to blink, she was twitching in agony, laying neatly in a dogpile, together with her teammates. 

Shimada couldn't breathe for almost three seconds. Her subsequent breath for air came out as a helpless gasp, heaving and rough. She groaned in pain when she caught her breath, parroting her teammates, who had suffered a similar fate.

Isn't this, she had wondered, going a bit overboard?  

Tsume-sensei appeared before the Genin with a wild grin on her face. The three snapped their heads up to her, watching her with barely restrained panic. “You must be th’most reckless Genin I’ve ever met!” she roared. Shimada blinked in alarm, her mind in turmoil. “Yer arrogant, and self absorbed! Especially you, Princess!” the Inuzuka continued pointedly addressing the Nara girl, as she involuntarily frowned, a deep fear constricting her chest like a snake. Tightness took hold in her stomach.

The test was over, and Shimada couldn’t tell what her teacher was thinking. Was it over? Had Shimada messed up the whole thing? What would the boys say, if it were her fault that they ended up failing? Shimada had always known, deep down, that she was a step below her peers. It was her incompetence that put them in this predicament. Was she going to fail? Would Shimada be forced to return to the Academy?

… Did Shimada have what it takes to become a shinobi in the first place?

Her Sensei lifted her index finger into the air unexpectedly, and laughed , “But yer also cunning lil’ rats and damn skilled for a couple of green Academy students! You all pass!” she announced with a hearty grin.

Shimada’s relief was palpable, and her sense of dread subsided. Taking a long and shaky breath, she felt a smile creep up on her face. This was it. This was the start of Shimada’s shinobi career. She hadn’t messed up. It wasn’t her fault. A familiar voice resounded in her head.

You did it. Your hard work was all worth it – every agonizing second of it. This is only the beginning, but I know you can do it. I believe in you, Shimada. 

It was Haruka’s voice. 

—------------------------

Shimada’s mood was promptly ruined when Tsume-sensei revealed that she hadn’t bothered to remember her name. Moving to call the woman all sorts of names, she was stopped by Daisuke, who covered her mouth with his hand. He went on to fully introduce himself and the rest of the team in one breath. The Nara girl scowled at the boy, who pointedly ignored her. 

For his transgressions, Shimada decided it was only fair she spat in his hand before ripping it off her mouth and stomping off, raging to herself. Really, Daisuke was more irritating than her father. 

After informing the three of the rendezvous point and regular meeting time for their future team training, Tsume-sensei disappeared in a Shunshin, in classic Jounin fashion. Daisuke grimaced at his hand in disgust the moment their teacher was out of sight, which brought a petty grin to the girl’s face. 

The boy walked over to Iruka, who had long since passed out, and contemplated something to himself for a moment before hoisting the unconscious Genin over his shoulders. It was Shimada’s cue to leave. As she paced away, Daisuke stepped towards her, raising his voice.

“Hey, Nara-san, my mother wanted me to bring my team over for some lunch, and I thought we could go as a celebration for our team.” he suggested offhandedly. Shimada turned around and took at his expression. It was hopeful. Inviting. Approachable.

Shimada wouldn’t fall for it. 

Shimada scoffed, “No way, dumbass. Just because we’re a team doesn’t mean I have to get all buddy-buddy with you two,” she said dismissively, waving him away casually despite her irritation. Daisuke scoffed as well, “Team members should be friends! And you can say all you want, but just earlier you tried awfully hard to defend Iruka-san!” she shot back, and Shimada stilled, her mocking grin falling.

Iruka and Daisuke, Shimada had learned, were remarkably different, despite the fact that the two got along. Iruka be plain and a little dull, but he meant well. He had proven that much when he chose to protect Shimada in a high stress situation like that. Unlike Daisuke’s fake posturing, Iruka had actually shown himself to care for others. Iruka was a genuine person who cared for others. Even if his ambitions were lackluster, the boy was an honest, and well-meaning person.

And now, Daisuke intended to spin Shimada acknowledging Iruka’s goodwill to get her to fall into his trap. The thought was infuriating. Despite her anger, she sealed away her thoughts and growled.

“I was just taking responsibility for him helping me, okay?! I don’t owe him anymore! And I’m definitely not going to your house, so just shut up already!” Shimada shot back, opting to at least shout at the boy to scare him off. His expression became uncomfortable as he recoiled back, and a part of her felt joy at the thought of shaking his persona. 

Daisuke raised his arms in surrender, “Okay, okay… I’m leaving now. See you tomorrow, Shimada-san.” he muttered, referring to Shimada by her first name. Irritated, she stomped, “What happened to ‘Nara-san’!? Don’t address me so casually!” she screeched in protest, deciding it was time to leave. 

Shimada ignored Daisuke’s parting words as she left. No matter what she did, he was persistent with his attempts at ‘befriending her’. As always, the boy’s demeanor disgusted her, but something about his demeanor was somehow familiar. 

Because he’s a liar, just like father, she reasoned to herself and moved on. 

—----

Over the coming weeks, Shimada trained with her new Sensei and her teammates, taking D-ranks along the way. It was… different to what she was used to. Physically, she was being pushed further than she had been able to push herself. Continuing her own personal training, suffering through her brutal teacher’s training methods, and completing D-ranks was certainly exhausting, but the ambitious girl had been half-expecting this level of difficulty. She could bear with it. She would bear with it.

Her new schedule came with a side effect: spending less time with Yomiko, a sacrifice Shimada was unfortunately willing to make. With the two sisters being as busy as they were, however, it wasn’t as though they had the luxury to spend much time with each other either way. 

Still, Shimada missed that little time they used to spend together.

Two days before Yomiko’s fifth birthday, Team 4 had completed an especially… frustrating D-rank involving a cat. Shimada wouldn’t have been shocked if it was revealed the cat was actually a summon animal, because it took a substantial amount of time and effort to catch. 

As the three prepared to leave from their rendezvous point, Shimada heard Daisuke invite Iruka to get Dango with a group of friends. The girl knew where this was going, and began packing her things faster. If she simply left the Training Grounds before he got the chance to spew his bullshit, then she could avoid–

“Hey, Shimada–” Daisuke greeted, a pessimistic drawl to his voice. If he already knew her answer, then why did he bother trying? She narrowed her eyes at him to convey her annoyance, “I heard you earlier, and I’m not coming!” she clarified with a dignified growl, “When will you get the message?” she pointed between herself and Daisuke, “We’re not gonna get along! And stop calling me by my first name!” she further tacked on.

This was getting incessant. This routine of requests and denials. Shimada had previously begrudgingly thought Daisuke to be somewhat smart, but she was starting to reevaluate him. Had he not realized that she knew his deal?

The boy smirked in a taunting gesture, “Why not, Shimada-san ?” and then the smirk fell, replaced by a curious frown, “But in all seriousness, why don’t you want to get to know us?” he asked, suddenly dropping all pretenses. 

Shimada stared at the boy, taken aback by the lack of games. His fake smiles weren’t working, and now he was switching to a more straightforward approach? Why was he–

It had always been like this. Daisuke was always trying to make ‘friends’. First in the Academy with everyone he could get his hands on, and even know, with these invites for food. Even when he wasn’t trying to get Shimada to join them, it was always ‘friendly advice’, ‘training tips’ and fake compliments for the past three weeks, always with that saccharine tone, like he was doing her a favor. 

Shimada was tired of hearing that polite, insincere tone of his. He was a liar, just like every other Nara who chose to confine themselves to the Clan’s standards. He was a liar, just like his father. Even Haruka, who chased her ambitions, had lied to herself, and eventually became complacent–

Suddenly, Shimada knew why Daisuke’s demeanor felt so familiar to her. 

Complacency, laziness and especially lies, it was the story of her life at this point. Her father and the Nara Clan were all the same. Daisuke was just another addition to this pile, except he was worse. Everything he did was to feed his delusion and trap others in that same web of false validation.

On a fundamental level, Shimada could not tolerate Uchiha Daisuke, not after everything she had been through. She just wanted him to leave her alone, so she whirled on him, a fiery glare in her eyes.

“You wanna know everything don’t you!? You want to solve every crisis, give everyone a helping hand?! Well I don’t buy it! You’ve got no ambition, and you’re oblivious to everything, so don’t go around pretending like you actually care!’ Shimada shouted, her voice shaking with anger.

Daisuke must have thought himself so kind, extending an olive branch to this struggling, isolated girl. He believed she was like all the other nobodies in the Academy who would simply accept his words as truth, but Shimada wasn’t about to be a part of his delusions. 

The girl’s face twisted further as her anger intensified, and she pointed at Daisuke, now stunned by the outburst, “You try to be friendly and humble with everyone, but you won’t trick me! You aren’t some hero who’s gonna save this brooding girl from herself! You’re just an empty shithead, looking to validate yourself by acting nice to everyone! You’re just a liar, lying to everyone and yourself!

Daisuke constantly deceived and lied, and Shimada despised liars.

“All those humble, ‘friendly’ exchanges in the academy, your politeness, everything about is fake! You’re pretending to be someone you aren’t! If you want to talk, then fuck off with those niceties and be honest with yourself and others for the first time in your life!” she screamed, clenching her fists so tight her knuckles turned white.

Shimada would never get along with someone whose whole life was built upon nothing. He had no substance – no dreams, ambitions or personality. She remembered how eager he had been to please Tsume-sensei, weaving a clever line about making peace to skew her view of him, and bending to the woman’s every word. Nothing about the boy was genuine.

“Everything you say is fake! You’re patronizing! You’re condescending! Don’t lump me in with everyone else!” she cried out, and took a breath, “You’re going to bring about peace? What happened to protecting your family?! Was that goal too weak-sounding for Tsume-sensei? You don’t even believe in that dream! It’s disgusting! I don’t mind Umino, but I hate you!” 

Without another word, Shimada watched Daisuke as he stared dumbly in speechless silence. She growled after a few seconds and stormed off. 

Maybe that would get Daisuke to mind his own business.

—-----------

Yomiko turned two days after that, and the celebration was relatively small-scale. Daen and Ichika organized a few aunts and uncles to come, and they spent the day relaxing. Gifts and cake came later, and Shimada got her younger sister a simple black string bracelet with a silver, spherical emblem. The emblem didn't bear any actual significance – Shimada just liked how it looked. 

The personal celebration was small, but the next day Yomiko was taken to meet and celebrate with the Clan Head's family and various elders. It was clearly a statement that Yomiko would be involved with the Nara Clan as she became a stronger and more influential shinobi.

Clan politics aside, the girl was quickly growing stronger. Physically, it was hard for Shimada to gauge whether Yomiko had grown much since she was still so young, but she had overheard whispers about her aptitude with specific aspects for Shadow Manipulation. Yomiko admitted that she had already learned multiple Nara jutsu, like the classic Shadow Possession Jutsu, but she was also capable of the Shadow Stitching jutsu and more delicate control of shadows. She was only truly limited by a lack of chakra capacity.

She had a keen understanding of chakra and excelled in all things chakra control related. Yomiko wasn’t an Academy student yet, but she already surpassed Shimada in terms of Nara Clan ninjutsu.

Shimada still had the edge in all other aspects, but she did not know how long that would last.

—---------------------------------

After Shimada’s outburst, Daisuke didn’t bother her often, much to her satisfaction. It was an impulsive lapse in self-control on her end, but with it came the desired effect. The boy had finally gotten it into his head that she wouldn’t fall for his insulting mind games, and limited his interactions with her to be purely in the context of teammates who cooperate when necessary. They completed missions together and attended the same training, but that was it. 

For weeks, the disjointed team went about their duties, barely communicating. Ever since the Genin test, Shimada had actually grown to enjoy Iruka's presence, but the chances to interact with him meaningfully was limited by the fact that he was always spending time with Daisuke. Always . It was equal-parts frustrating and saddening that the kind boy had firmly befriended his teammate, unaware of the delusion he was indulging. 

If Tsume-sensei noticed any difference in Team 4’s dynamic, she didn’t mention it. Truthfully, little had changed from the very beginning of their Team’s formation, with the only meaningful shift being that the team was a bit quieter. For Tsume-sensei, whose main concern was training the rookies, Shimada understood why the Inuzuka woman was… hands off on anything that wasn’t training. The Nara girl had no particular complaints for her teacher: she was growing stronger at a rapid pace, and while the team wasn’t doing much but physical training and spars, she found that working on these fundamentals increased her chakra reserves, improved her performance in taijutsu, and helped to strengthen her throws.

For the first time in years, Shimada grew more secure in her abilities. She had known all along her lackluster performance in the Academy was due to a lack of guidance, but the empty reassurances to herself did not ease her nerves the same way proven facts have. Her recent results were proof that her reassurances weren’t so empty after all.

Satisfied with Tsume-sensei and her training, time flew by under Shimada's newly-solidified routine, and six weeks after Yomiko’s fifth birthday, the routine was broken with an announcement. A C-ranked mission. 

Personally, Shimada reckoned she could deal with a B-ranked mission, but she understood it was unrealistic for them to assign fresh Genin a B-ranked mission for their first mission outside of the village. With instructions to meet by the village gates at 6 o’clock sharp with the expected preparations, Tsume-sensei dismissed them.

The mission was a chance to show the village and her peers that she had what it took to reach her goals, that all her hardships and hard work thus far had meaning behind it. Shimada was not about to squander that chance. A mission outside of the village gates to deliver intel… not a bad mission, especially considering it was Shimada’s first step in her meteoric rise to the top.  

—---------------

Team 4’s mission turned out to be a joint mission with Team 2 to deliver intel to a base in a somewhat central position of the Land of Fire. The base, codenamed Utahime, was a relatively important base for Konohagakure’s war effort, acting as a regional headquarters for surrounding outposts. The Utahime was not a publicly known outpost and was apparently well-hidden, so the chances of running into enemy shinobi was low. 

Because the mission was deemed as safe by the Hokage, it was a good opportunity for the Genin to gain valuable experience on the field. In the unlikely event of an encounter with enemies, Orochimaru of the Sannin and the matriarch of the Inuzuka Clan were accompanying them and would protect them. Shimada felt vaguely embarrassed that Orochimaru and Tsume-sensei were essentially babysitting her, but she was well aware that the village couldn’t risk leaving the mission to the six children alone. 

The total travel time to Utahime was just over one day, and it was grueling. One hour in, and Shimada understood Tsume-sensei’s emphasis on conditioning, because if the girl had gone for this mission fresh out of the Academy, she knew for a fact she would not have been able to handle the intensity of the trek. Their first leg of the trip lasted sixteen hours, and the pace they took was just slow enough to avoid taking breaks apart from the odd water break or to cover their tracks.

Exhausting, yes, but also enlightening. It was more clear than ever why shinobi never stopped strengthening their bodies. Haruka had been so focused on physicality when mentoring Shimada for this reason. The girl made a mental note to tweak her training regimen when she returned from the mission. 

Stopping after nearly sixteen hours of nonstop travel, they went through full body stretches for almost a half hour, and by the request of Tsume-sensei, set off in groups to forage for ingredients for a stew. Truthfully, Shimada wanted nothing more than to collapse into her sleeping bag and allow her aching muscles to recover, even if it meant eating bland rations, but her teacher was very persuasive.

For the record, when referring to Tsume-sensei, persuasive translated to threatening .

Iruka was grouped up with Hyuuga Momoku, Daisuke was grouped up with Hikaru Kamiki, and Shimada was grouped up with Mitarashi Anko, all tasked with finding suitable ingredients for a stew. This meant meat, wild herbs, wild berries, mushrooms, or anything else that wouldn’t poison or otherwise kill them. 

Anko, Shimada found, was a very agreeable person. She was generally cheerful and energetic, if a little feral, but was otherwise a seemingly genuine person. The violet-haired girl had not expressed a dream or ambition back in the Academy, but Shimada had known for a long time that she was a talented hard worker. A fact she was happy to learn was that Anko, too, was not fond of Daisuke, and while it was for other reasons, something about denouncing her Sensei, Shimada was glad that she no longer entertained the liar after being his ‘friend’ for so long.

The two chatted idly as they foraged, and despite the weariness in her bones, Shimada felt… light, in that moment. She didn’t often have the chance to properly chatter like this, courtesy of her training and general isolation. Isolation and training were two facets of her life that were necessary to accomplish her goals, but they conversely made Shimada quite lonely.

…

The two returned to their little campsite and put together their makeshift stew. The stew didn’t contain any particularly special ingredients, but considering the hunger gnawing at Shimada’s stomach, her arching body, with the fact it was eaten in… mostly decent company, it was actually a really good stew. 

After finishing the stew, Orochimaru explained how shinobi slept in current circumstances, and it was by keeping watch. The Genin were encouraged to decide amongst themselves who to keep watch, and it was decided that they would split into groups of two and keep watch for two hours in each group. Shimada and Anko were to keep watch for the first two hours, Daisuke and Momoku for the second two, and Iruka and Kamiki for the last two, for a total of four hours’ sleep per group. 

Shimada would have preferred six hours, but obliged without protest when Orochimaru insisted it would be enough. He explained that shinobi were often expected to complete missions on minimal sleep if the situation called for it. Shimada figured that if her seniors could handle sleep deprivation, then so could she. 

The night watch had passed by uneventfully, and even though Shimada was still barely blinking away her exhaustion when she woke up, she remained on her best behaviour, eager to show her Sensei and Orochimaru that she meant business. Clearly, the sentiment hadn’t been shared by all present Genin, and they spent more time than scheduled getting ready. 

The squad was forced to make up for lost time by speeding up, turning the ten hour remainder of the trip into an eight hour race. Shimada was forced to expend chakra to keep up. Her sore body, her aching muscles hungrily ate through the chakra she allowed to seep through her limbs.

After eight hours of grueling travel, where the group was only allowed brief respites to cover their tracks, eat rations or drink water, Team 4 and Team 2 arrived at a small clearing in the forest, facing a small series of hills covered in characteristic Land of Fire trees. 

It was grueling work, but Shimada was not one to back down to adversity. If she was having trouble with a C-ranked mission, then she could only blame herself for not preparing herself for what was demanded of her. 

Tsume led the group to a specific tree at a hilltop, and muttered a code into open air. An azure chakra glow emanated seemingly out of nowhere, and an illusionary doorway appeared. A Jounin greeted the group and beckoned them into the outpost with a curt nod. As the doorway shut behind them, Tsume-sensei erupted into a boisterous greeting.

“Kousei, ya ‘ol grouch,” Tsume roughly swung her arm around the stoic man’s shoulders, “how’ve ya been?!” she asked, continuing to pat his back. Shimada blinked, barely comprehending the interaction. They are friends, right? The Jounin – Kousei – scoffed loudly in response, “Get your arm off of me, Tsume, before I lop it off.” he threatened, and the Inuzuka’s grin only widened.

“Ya know ya love me!” she snickered, her laughter dying down as she took her arm off of the scowling man to face Shimada and the rest of the Genin. “Pups, this here is Kousei, one 'f my pals!” She introduced him brightly. 

Kousei’s scowl deepened, “As if we are anything as ridiculous as ‘pals’,” he muttered dismissively, before he cleared his expression and turned to face Orochimaru. “I assume you are all here on a mission to deliver intel, yes?” he asked, receiving a prompt nod from the Sannin. 

Kousei received the mission scroll from Orochimaru with a curt nod of his own and regarded the squad, “Good, you may all rest here until morning.” he explained, before turning to make his way down a hall in the outpost. Shimada stifled the urge to sigh in relief, silently grateful that they wouldn’t have to return home without rest. 

The clock read ten minutes past three, meaning the squad would have about fifteen hours of rest before they would return home and finish the mission. For a mission outside of the village it was relatively short, but a C-rank was a C-rank and Shimada was eager for any opportunity. Heeding her teacher’s advice to ‘go crazy’ and ‘get plenty of shut-eye’, Shimada quickly tugged Anko along to explore the outpost. 

Shimada could be dispatched to Utahime again sometime in the future, so why not get familiar?

“Hah! Your sensei’s a riot,” Anko smirked as they walked through the long corridors of the outpost, “If I didn’t have Orochimaru-sama, I’d definitely want her!” she continued, a dignified snort escaping her nostrils. Shimada grinned, “She is great,” she agreed easily, “She’s a bit more brusque with us, though. I’ve never seen her act so friendly with someone else. She and that ‘Kousei’ must be close,” she reasoned.

Anko leveled Shimada with an amused gaze, “Close? That guy threatened to chop off ‘er arm!” she pointed out, smiling. Shimada shrugged, “Opposites attract?” she asked, eliciting another round of laughter from Anko. 

“Come on!” Shimada cried out defensively,  “Why else would the Inuzuka Tsume be so friendly with him? Maybe they have something!” Shimada tacked on, before grinning impishly, “A forbidden romance between the Inuzuka Matriarch and a civilian!” Anko chuckled, her laughter winding down. 

The thought was amusing, at the very least. Tsume-sensei was loud, boisterous and even somewhat bright, but she never acted outright friendly. Team 4’s Sensei wasn’t cold or heartless, but she wasn’t outwardly warm either. She didn’t even pet her own partner, Kuromaru, so it was hard to believe she had a friendship with that sort of dynamic. Shimada recalled all of her interactions with her teacher, and she felt Inuzuka Tsume did not belong to the beaming girl archetype at all.

Shimada thought about it again. Maybe she didn’t know Tsume-sensei that well, but something about her demeanor was different than usual. Strange. 

As she dwelled on the thought, a low, distant rumble resounded from below Shimada and Anko. Their gazes met, and the rumble began increasing in volume and frequency, the sound becoming sharper and closer. Panic and confusion battled in her chest as she froze. “What d’ya think that is?” Anko asked, her eyes widening as her head darted back and forth.

Shimada held back a shudder. Maybe Tsume-sensei’s behaviour was unusual after all. Maybe her teacher had caught wind of something threatening. Shimada stiffened when a realization dawned on her. Kousei – maybe he was somehow an enemy. If an enemy had infiltrated Utahime, then the source of the rumbling was most likely–

The sharpness of the rumbling peaked as a part of the ground nearby erupted in a fissure, a man jumping out of the newly-formed hole. A volley of shuriken flew at the two girls, which they dodged just in time. The man, an Iwa-nin who looked like he was just entering adulthood, sneered at the two Genin. Shimada’s gaze panned down to his chest. He was wearing a vest.

Killing intent rained down upon Shimada with a vengeance and suddenly, she couldn’t move. The air felt like mud as she struggled to breath, a phantom stabbing pain slashing across her chest. It was the girl’s first experience with genuine killing intent, and it was completely different from what her teacher subjected her to during the graduation test.

The Iwa-nin started talking, his wild grin widening as he spoke, but Shimada couldn’t hear his words. Her senses weren’t working like they should. Her ears were filled with water, her sight was wavering and dizzy, and all she could taste was the metallic tang of copper. Had she bitten down on her lips too hard?

The weight of his killing intent suddenly mounted as he finished speaking, and Shimada’s eyes darted to Anko, pleading for help.

A moment later, the wind was knocked out of Shimada. The pain helped to wrench her free of the paralysis. She quickly registered that Anko had tackled her over and saved her from taking a hit. She tugged Shimada up to her feet and they fled down the corridor without a moment’s delay.

Anko squeezed her hand as they ran, panting, “Shimada! Snap out of it already!” she pleaded. Snap out of it? The enemy had a vest! He was a Chuunin at best, and a Jounin at worst! Shimada turned to her friend, “I…” she stuttered, “W-we can’t win…didn’t you feel that earlier?” she muttered, fear taking hold. Anko shook her head, looking at her with the same pleading expression.

It was a terrifying expression to be faced with. Anko’s face communicated a clear message, ‘we are going to die if you don’t listen’. The burden of Anko’s expression was heavy, and Shimada wished she could just run away thoughtlessly. Instead of doing that, she deliberately took a breath to calm down and listen to Anko. 

“Look! It’s not about winnin’, okay?!” Anko reassured her, “We’ve just gotta survive!” she explained, squeezing her hand tightly. Shimada swallowed a lump in her throat, “Survive?” 

Anko nodded, a determined glint in her eyes, “Yah, survive! Look back!” she said, urging Shimada to turn around. Shimada reluctantly followed Anko’s gaze, and regarding the Iwa-nin as he approached. He was moving in a pleasant jog, a predatory smirk tugging at his lips. 

“He's not takin' us seriously at all. We can totally get away! We're smaller and probably faster, and you have a damn paralysis jutsu!” Anko explained, speeding up. Shimada was still worried. Standard Academy theory stated that two well-trained Genin with excellent teamwork could theoretically defeat a Chuunin without sustaining any debilitating injuries, but the two girls were neither trained enough nor familiar enough for that. They were freshly graduated Academy students who had basically just met. 

“I don’t think–” Shimada said, doubting herself, before Anko cut her off.

“Oh, shut up! Don’t you have anyone back in Konoha to return to? We just hafta hold out !!” Anko erupted, and Shimada nearly tripped. She had been so scared, so terrified of fighting this Iwa-nin that she had forgotten everything. Her entire life’s worth of training, her eagerness to complete the C-rank, and her dream to become the Hokage had all vanished at the first hint of danger.

A distant voice whispered at the back of her head. Haruka. What would she think if Shimada let herself die without a fight?

Yomiko. A much louder voice echoed, urging her to steel herself. What would become of Yomiko if she died? Would Yomiko go through the same grief that Shimada had when Haruka left her behind?

Shimada’s eyes widened, and the panic constricting her chest lessened. She was still terrified, but it would take more than terror to keep her from trying. She locked eyes with Anko.

“Yeah.” Shimada said, narrowing her eyes.

Anko grinned, and it was a bright one, “Then get up’n fight! Let’s do this!” she exclaimed, offering Shimada a hand. Shimada breathed out, grasping her hand, “What do we do?” she asked, her voice shaky.

From there, the two Genin formulated a plan. Anko had laced a number of her kunai with a paralytic. They acknowledged that most Chuunin would be more likely to die of cardiac arrest than be hit by a kunai thrown by Genin, but if they caught the man off guard and tied him down to Shimada’s Shadow Possession Jutsu, then they could guarantee a hit. From there, they could escape or even find the opportunity to kill the Iwa-nin. 

A horde of illusionary clones filled the room. It was a crude distraction at best, and it really brought home the inexperience of both Genin, but the plan hinged on the Chuunin underestimating the two. If he believed that Shimada was uselessly paralysed with fear, and that the two were truly dumb enough to rely on Academy-level clones, then he might show an opening. 

Shimada and Anko smiled nervously at each other as a curse resounded from the Iwa-nin’s mouth. As he rounded the corner, he taunted the two, “You dumbasses must’ve just graduated, huh?!” 

Shimada plastered a terrified expression on her face as she dodged the three kunai he had thrown at her by pathetically falling onto the ground. She went through the seals while her hand was hidden from his view. He ran towards Shimada in a mad dash, magnitudes faster than his previous speed.

Shimada released the jutsu, her shadow shooting out into a tendril towards the approaching Iwa-nin. His eyes widened for a brief second, before he managed to avoid it with a last-moment sidestep and leap. Shimada continued chasing the man down with her shadow despite the futility of the endeavour. Moments before he landed, a sharp sound filled the air as Anko threw her poisoned kunai. The Iwa-nin tilted his torso, and the kunai barely opened a graze across his side. 

Anko joined Shimada a moment later, “We nicked him! All that for a scratch?!” she screeched, frustration mixing in with fear. They had now lost the opportunity to surprise attack him, and worse, Shimada was still basically exhausted from the trip. Adrenaline was keeping her awake, but her muscles were fatigued, her bones ached and her joints were creaking. Worst of all, after using chakra to keep pace with the rest of the squad and using the Shadow Possession Jutsu against the Iwa-nin, she was running on fumes. Shimada thought she might have one more left in her, but they would have to make it count. 

“The paralytic’s gonna affect the bastard. We’ve just gotta wait him out.” Anko reassured Shimada, and for the second time Shimada swallowed the urge to sigh in relief. “How much time do we have to buy?” Shimada asked, regarding Anko carefully. 

Orochimaru’s pupil squinted her eyes for a moment, “Considerin’ his build… about two minutes,” she estimated, “but he won’t be paralysed, only slower. His arms ‘n legs will feel weak.” she elaborated.

Two minutes. Two minutes was a long time in a shinobi battle, especially when your opponent outclassed you in age, experience, rank, and pretty much all other combat metrics, but Shimada wanted to live. She was going to become the Hokage. She was going to be there for her sister. She was not going to let Anko down. They were going to survive together–

“A clone!!” Anko suddenly shouted. Shimada watched as a Mud Wall materialized in front of the Iwa-nin. Dread seized her body, and the last thing she felt was a resounding impact against her chin.

Just as the pain registered, Shimada’s vision swam, and the world turned to black.

—-------------------------

Shimada woke up groggy, aching and confused. She had difficulties remembering exactly what had happened. They told her she was concussed – that, when combined with fatigue, was supposed to explain why she felt like she had been run through a meat grinder. Distantly, her gaze wandered around the surroundings. 

Tsume-sensei. Orochimaru. Seeing their faces, she recalled that they had been sent to an outpost. An important one, and they’d gone to deliver… intel. Yes. Hyuuga Momoku and Hikaru Kamiki had joined them. It was a joint mission assigned to Teams 2 and 4. Her gaze panned over to Anko, who was staring down silently at an unconscious Daisuke.

… Why was he unconscious? 

All at once, memories flooded back into Shimada’s brain. She clenched her stomach as an uncomfortable nausea forced her to lurch forward. Shimada knew that the nausea was only part of the reason her stomach was twisting itself into knots. 

Shimada and Anko had been caught by an invading Iwa-nin. Their C-ranked mission had been derailed by coincidence: an Iwagakure invasion force must have been sent to clear out the outpost at the worst time. She recalled Kousei, the Jounin who had let them in. The Iwa leadership had been unlucky that their invasion had coincided with the arrival of Orochimaru and Inuzuka Tsume, alongside their six Genin. 

She had been a part of the Inuzuka Matriarch’s Team. Shimada thought that by now, she could hold her own weight. Her chest tightened as she recalled the sheer terror that had gripped her when she felt that shinobi’s killing intent. Back then, she couldn’t even move. Hell, even thinking about the encounter filled her with fear… and relief that it was over.

How pathetic was that? Shimada failed to carry her own weight, was tricked by a clone, knocked out without putting up a fight, and she felt relieved . Despite the overwhelming weight of shame that pressed down on Shimada, the relief she felt was greater. 

Before the mission, Shimada was so sure of herself and her abilities, but now, she was only sure of her own cowardice.

Shimada had put years into her goal. She spent grueling hours building up her physique, throwing shuriken thousands of times no matter how tedious it had been. Mindnumbing concentration had gone into her chakra control and learning the various Nara jutsu she hadn’t been given the opportunity to learn. She could do it all over again, but none of that effort mattered if she uselessly froze up in the face of the next enemy she faced.

And in the end, Shimada learned Daisuke had been the one to save her. It wasn’t Anko, or reinforcements from other Konoha shinobi in the outpost, but Daisuke. The thought tore her apart. How could Daisuke, a boy who fed his ego with delusions and the validation of others, have had the resolve to fight against a superior enemy when she didn’t? Why did he move where she froze? 

She couldn’t comprehend it. 

Eventually, Daisuke woke up screaming, and they began to make their way back toward the gates of Konoha. The journey back was as long as it was exhausting, but her mind was occupied with enough thoughts of her inadequacy to mostly zone it out. Scenarios of the mission replayed in her head over and over as she contemplated what she could have done had she not been so useless. 

By the time she had all but exhausted her ability to think, the squad had arrived in Konoha, ready to get home and rest. That night, Shimada’s dreamt of her little sister dying, an intense, paralyzing fear, and the desperate need to move.

—--------------------------------------

Shimada was awake in time for the sun to rise, having only managed a few measly hours of sleep. The girl knew the importance of sleep, but considering she couldn't sleep for longer than a half hour without waking up, gasping for breath, she found that it was a waste of time to keep trying. 

She glanced at the clock and sighed. Half past five. She had only slept for two hours. 

Well, it wasn't like Shimada had nothing to do. She had a mission report to give, and given her ineptitude, a few hours of extra training was the least she could manage. She rinsed off the layers of grime she had collected on her mission, slipping into her shinobi attire. She stepped out of her room, preparing to drop by the kitchen to grab some ration bars and fill her water bottle.

“A little early for training, isn't it?” Yomiko commented, gazing at her blandly.  Shimada froze for a moment. Had she woken up her little sister? She could have sworn she was quiet–

Yomiko narrowed her eyes in amusement, “You woke up gasping,” she huffed, “six times.” she added, having seemingly read Shimada's mind. 

Shimada scoffed, “Fine, I'm sorry for waking you up... Now, if you'll excuse me,” she apologized half-heartedly, scooting by her sister to go out. Yomiko sighed blandly, an unassuming action, before flashing a single hand seal. 

Shimada froze mid-step, ensnared by the prodigy’s shadow. She struggled against the jutsu fruitlessly for a second, before scowling at Yomiko. 

“Let me go!” Shimada whisper-shouted. Yomiko straightened out their postures, “I take it your mission went poorly,” she guessed, sending a wave of self-deprecating anger through Shimada.

The hall was quiet enough to hear the gritting of Shimada's clenched teeth. Of course this had to have happened. She failed the mission, failed to sleep properly, failed to stay quiet, and now she was caught in her five year old sister's jutsu. She was being pitied by her own baby sister, and there was nothing Shimada could do about it until Yomiko ran out of chakra or let her go.

Yomiko walked them into Shimada's room, sitting them down on the floor. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” she asked, voice uncharacteristically warm. Her nails pressed against her palm. 

No, she didn’t want to explain how much of a failure she was.

“The mission had a hiccup, but otherwise went well,” Shimada said, revealing nothing. Yomiko's shoulders sagged momentarily, but she perked right back up, undeterred, “Fine. Tell me nothing,” she didn't pry, and Shimada was momentarily relieved, “but you are going back to bed.” Yomiko said adamantly.

Even if Shimada wanted to go back to bed, which she evidently did not , she could not. She had actually tried to get some rest, but sleep wouldn't stick. Sure, her entire body felt like a giant bruise, but her nightmares had given her several rude awakenings. By now, Shimada was wide awake.

“I can't,” Shimada grunted, frustrated, “You don't think I've already tried?” she shot back. Yomiko muttered strangely to herself, and shook her head, “Then I'll make you. You're still trapped by my Shadow Possession Jutsu.” she decided, standing herself and Shimada up and laying them in Shimada’s bed.

Shimada sputtered, trying to break free once again. It was humiliating. She was a Genin, forced back into bed like a toddler was misbehaving. No matter what she tried, however, Yomiko’s hold on her wouldn't falter.

“What's the point?” Shimada asked with false-confidence, “You're just gonna run out of chakra, and then I'll leave,” she explained, forcing a smirk on her face. Yomiko nodded to herself in realization, before she sat up, and grabbed something from out of a pouch.

Yomiko held a bottle of black pellets up to her face, “Not if I use these,” she disagreed, giving them a shake for good measure. She had soldier pills. It had been a gift from aunt Miyuki for Yomiko’s fifth birthday, Shimada recalled. Concern quickly replaced Shimada's irritation. Even fully grown Jounin took soldier pills only if they had to. The fallback was too harsh to take any unless it was absolutely necessary. If a five year old child took one, then…

Shimada doubled down on her false-bravado, “So what? I'll just wait until you run out of chakra again. The pill won’t last you long enough,” Yomiko raised an eyebrow in response, “then I'll just have to take another, won't I?” she shrugged, as if taking a soldier pill was like having a coffee.

“No!” Shimada finally snapped, “Why are you–!?” 

“It looks like we're at an impasse,” Yomiko cut Shimada off, frowning, “I don't want you to kill yourself training, and you don't want me to kill myself overdosing on soldier pills. How about we compromise and both get some sleep instead?” she asked diplomatically, as if she wasn't threatening to kill herself. 

Shimada gaped at her sister, speechless. The first thought in her mind was that she should be angry with the prodigy. Why did Yomiko think she had the right to butt into her life and prevent her from leaving her house? How dare she say that Shimada was going out to kill herself? If anything, her lack of training had almost gotten her killed yesterday! Maybe Shimada’s exhaustion was making her docile.

“What do you –” Shimada began, and then locked eyes with Yomiko. She paused when she saw the look on her sister's face. A small frown framed the girl's face, her eyes wide, vulnerable and pleading. She was pleading for Shimada to listen.

Yomiko hadn't looked like this when she begged her parents to let her continue her training. Her face didn't hold so much emotion when she let her guard down in front of Shimada by mistake when she was turning three. 

…The thought of Shimada endangering herself with training was enough for Yomiko to attempt to force a compromise. It was enough to make her more distraught than when she was forced into shinobihood by a council of elders, most of whom hadn't even met her. It was enough for her to wake up as the sun was rising to stop her stupid big sister from overdoing it.

Suddenly, it was obvious why Shimada wasn't angry.

It wasn't Shimada who spoke next, “I've wanted to thank you for something,” Yomiko admitted sheepishly, having undone the Shadow Possession Jutsu.

“What do you have to thank me for?” Shimada asked incredulously. She couldn't think of a single reason Yomiko might be grateful to her. “I've always been distant. I focus on my own training without paying you any mind. I've never been involved with any part of your life!” she shot back, her eyes wet.

Yomiko's lips tilted upwards in a slight smirk, “Don't be so hard on yourself. Our schedules hardly match,” she put a hand on Shimada's shoulder, “You aren't a bad sister just because you have dreams. You aren't wrong for wanting more,” Yomiko said, reassuring Shimada, and the words sent an involuntary wave of relief through her.

Shimada opened her mouth to retort, and Yomiko slapped a hand over it, “Back when I was turning three, you stood up to our parents for me.” she smiled nostalgically, “Back then, you were right. I was at my wits end. I don't know how long I could've kept at it,” she admitted, slumping her posture, “but Shimada, you made me realize that there is one person here who loves me. One person who cares about me. It's you. You care about me. Without that, I–” her smile fell minutely, and she didn't finish the sentence, opting to shake her head instead, “Thank you, Shimada. Thank you for loving me.” 

Shimada opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She was speechless. All she had done was explode, letting go of most of her domestic baggage. Shimada had done that every few years for her entire life so far. Shimada felt unworthy of Yomiko's gratitude.

…But the love and care she felt for Yomiko were both real, and because of that, Shimada had no rebuttal. 

Shimada released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, “About the mission, I–” she started before Yomiko turned to her hurriedly, “You don't have to share your feelings with me!” she raised her hands up frantically, “I haven’t really shared mine–” she muttered softly.

Shimada shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips, “No, it's okay,” she reassured her before frowning, ready to delve into what happened.

Shimada told her sister how the mission began. Her expectations and aspirations going into the mission, its initial difficulties, and their eventual arrival. She swallowed a lump in her throat, and ran Yomiko through how the base was infiltrated. She explained that an Iwa-nin had attacked her and Anko, she outlined their subsequent plan to survive, and how she screwed it up by being useless. She explained that she woke up from a concussion, only to learn she had been bailed out by a squadmate she hated.

“... I just can’t believe all my training was for nothing.” Shimada admitted, voice barely louder than a whisper. Her eyes began to heat up and she blinked instinctively, her breath hitching as she felt wetness trail down her cheeks. She reached up and wiped the tears roughly, a shallow sense of embarrassment brimming under her skin.

Shimada spotted Yomiko’s deep frown from the corner of her eye, “I think I would have frozen up, too,” she sat up, ”If your squadmates weren’t there…” she trailed off, scrunching her brows in displeasure. 

She was right. If Anko hadn’t been there from the start, Shimada would have died in seconds. She would have frozen up, pathetically waiting for her miserable death at the hands of an Iwa-nin. Even after the Sannin’s pupil had talked some sense into her, she let her guard down in front of an enemy–a Chuunin at that. For that alone, she deserved to die. But… 

But Daisuke had appeared, apparently moments after Shimada lost consciousness, swooping in to save her and Anko both. The opponent she and Anko had worked so hard to graze with a fraction of a dose of paralytic was killed by Daisuke, and while Anko and him had worked together to do it, Shimada had to face reality.

She had frozen up where Daisuke had acted. She was knocked out, and Daisuke protected her. She slept, while Daisuke killed the enemy. 

Yomiko noticed Shimada trailing off and gently clasped her shaking hand. She turned her head, and her sister’s smile was warm and light. “I’m just so glad you didn’t die, Onee-chan,” she murmured, and her words held the most honesty than any other words she had heard. 

Shimada was inadequate. She was weak. She was a coward. A no-name show off. She was cocky despite her lack of accomplishments. She was a burden to her teammates and her mission. Shimada could think of a billion more demeaning ways to define herself.

But she was alive.

Maybe Shimada was weak, but, “I’m so glad I didn’t leave you behind, Yomiko,” she said as a watery smile spread across her face.

Shimada was relieved she got to see her sister again. She had almost left Yomiko behind, just like Haruka had. As a faint melancholy spread across her chest. She wondered what Haruka’s last thoughts had been. Had she regretted taking the mission? Did she think about her family?

… As Haruka died, did she spare any thought for Shimada?

The crying girl exhaled sharply as she slumped against her pillow, exhaustion weighing her eyelids down all at once. Before Shimada could properly register just how tired she was, she fell into a dreamless sleep. 

—----------------------------

Shimada ended up sleeping until evening. When she finally woke up, Yomiko was gone, probably training with her various mentors. 

She woke up feeling groggy and light. Compared to the weight of her thoughts before she had actually rested, the difference was night and day. Sure, she couldn’t help a self-deprecating thought or a bad memory worming through here and there, but everything felt… muted compared to before. More manageable. 

She fixed her bed head, intent on looking presentable to give her report, and headed out that evening. The mission report was a short affair. A few testimonials and a signature, and Shimada was on her way home. Tsume-sensei had likely done the brunt of the work for them.

Shimada spent the next couple of hours training to keep herself in proper shape and went to sleep relatively early. Tsume-sensei only gave them a day off before team training, and Shimada decided it was best to sleep early. She wanted to be on her A-game. Her teacher was always harsh with training, but something told the girl that she would ramp things up this time around. 

That morning, Shimada arrived at the training grounds relatively early. Iruka was there before her, busy silently watching the clouds. She had mostly ignored news of what happened with Hikaru, Iruka and Momoku when she woke up, so she hadn’t had the chance to have a proper look at Iruka as they left Utahime. He looked well. They sat a companionable distance apart, both unwilling to speak. 

Things were quiet until Daisuke showed up, and Shimada couldn’t bear to look at him. He immediately got to work, reassuring his teammate and collecting pity points. He asked about the mission and how Iruka had handled it. Her mild mood was quickly replaced by a familiar irritation. She was very glad that she had been saved, yes, but that didn’t mean she liked the boy any bit more than before.

As their conversation reached its natural conclusion, Shimada became acutely aware of the two eyeing her. Immediately, she knew what was coming. 

“Good morning, Shimada-san,” the liar greeted, and the supposed warmth grated on her nerves. Compared to her sister’s kindness the day before, his greeting fell flat. Shimada sighed, ignoring him, but he pressed on, “Are you… alright?” he asked. 

Without warning, Shimada was overcome with emotion. She wasn’t alright, not yet, but him butting in to take advantage of her vulnerable state did not help her feel better. She slowly turned her head to the boy, glaring through her blurry gaze, “You asshole,” she muttered, “you’re really gonna rub it in?”

Daisuke had the gall to narrow her eyes at Shimada, “What do you mean?” he asked, his warm demeanor shifting. On a normal day, Shimada would have grunted and stopped talking to the boy by now, used to his stupid facades, but today was not a normal day. Genuine anger had Shimada on her feet in an instant, and she stomped up to the boy, glaring at him as if she could sear holes through his head. 

“Yes. I am fine. Thank you for saving me.” Shimada gritted out, “Is that enough for you? If it is, then screw off!” she growled, having lost her patience. She thought that she had made it clear to the dense asshole that she wasn’t going to entertain his manipulation, but apparently it wasn’t enough. 

Daisuke widened his eyes for a moment, before frustration took over his features. A part of her was satisfied she managed to crack his friendly mask. “I’m being serious!” he exclaimed, “I mean, that Iwa-nin was too strong, so of course I’m worried! That fight… it was too close.” he reaffirmed, shaking his head. 

Suddenly, she was in front of the Iwa-nin in Utahime, frozen and shaking in her boots. Daisuke and Anko were there, looking at her like she was worse than dirt.

Why had Daisuke decided she was in need of some kind of check-up? He wasn’t a shrink, nor did he actually care about her. Even after the events of Utahime, he was the same as before.

Insecurity came flooding back, “He was stronger than us, and yet you managed to kill him, didn’t you?” Shimada forced herself to smirk, and then it fell, replaced by increasing fury, “I was in the way, wasn’t I?! Just say it! You don’t need to lie to me!” she grabbed Daisuke by his collar, screaming in the boy’s face. His frustration disappeared for an instant, before a full blown sneer appeared on his face.

“Do you even hear yourself!?” Daisuke shouted back, not waiting for an answer, “Is this really the time to be spewing that shit?! What does it matter if you were ‘in the way’ or not?! I don’t care if you were the one who jabbed a fucking kunai through his throat, Shimada,” his eyes flashed red as tomoe spun around his iris, “I’m just trying to be a decent person!”

The activation of the Sharingan had Shimada flinching back, growing defensive. She had seen the Sharingan in textbooks and heard about it during lectures, but having the eyes pointed at you was a different experience altogether. They were eyes that threatened violence. If Shimada wasn’t under threat, the fact that his statement about being a decent person had come out as he activated the Sharingan would have been amusing.

Instead of being amused, she froze as his crimson glare intensified.

Daisuke stepped forward, “Get over yourself and that stupid complex of yours! We could’ve died, you know?!” he spat angrily, “All of us could’ve been murdered, and you think I’m trying to belittle you?! That I saved your life so I could ‘rub it in’?!” he asked fiercely, and Shimada didn’t know if she could answer him.

Shimada grit her teeth at that realization, “In that case, why did you protect me?!” We aren’t even friends!” she clenched her first, blinking back tears as she recalled the attack that knocked her out, “I made a mistake in the heat of battle and paid for it, so why?!” she bared her teeth in an attempt to hide her emotional turmoil.

“I didn’t protect you to prove a point or earn your approval! We may not be friends, but we’re a part of the same team, and believe it or not, I don’t want my teammates to die!” he revealed, and for the first time since Shimada had gotten to know him, Daisuke was speaking honestly. No agenda, no underlying motives. His honesty may have come from anger, but a furious, ugly declaration of intent was still honesty.

A part of her was supremely relieved at the admission. The fact that the motive of her rescue hadn’t come from a secondary desire to manipulate her eased Shimada nerves, if only slightly. If her continued survival and the reason she had lived to see her sister again was because Daisuke wanted her to become one of his little friends, then any chance of even being cordial with the boy would have been thrown out of the window.

A moment of silence reigned, before Shimada noticed her close proximity to Daisuke and shoved him away, “Get outta my face!” she bit out, voice cracking. The Uchiha took a calming breath as his tension slowly left his body, “Don’t misunderstand me, Shimada! If nothing else, I want to be there for the people around me,” he explained slowly, “including you.” he finished, before Iruka grabbed his shoulder and began trying to calm him.

Daisuke took a breath, “I shouldn’t have given out to you like that, but what you said was very hurtful,” he sighed tiredly.

His Sharingan spun away lazily as his rage died down. Shimada took in his expression and looked at the boy properly for the first time in months. The sincere look on his face was impossible to dismiss as an attempt to deceive her. His features were different from all of the times he had placated his superiors, complimented his peers or smiled at strangers. His gaze was clear, mouth set into a clear line. It bore no similarities to Nara Daen’s scrunched eyebrows, self-deprecating smirk, nor  did it resemble the polite facades he constantly utilised.

He was telling the truth. 

Shimada didn’t know what his deal was with his dreams. She still couldn’t fathom why he suddenly wanted peace over his old goal, and what he hoped to gain from manipulating everyone who knew. All at once, the girl realized she knew very little about Daisuke. Maybe he was manipulative, but Shimada was sure of one thing at least now.

Uchiha Daisuke honestly wanted to protect the people close to him.

Maybe she barely knew the boy. She had never actually asked about his values or aspirations, and she let her mind run wild with assumptions and theories. Maybe he was a liar, maybe he deceived himself, and maybe he was trying to cheat his way to the top the easy way, but in the same vein, maybe he did genuinely care. 

Shimada decided she would ease up on her biases so she could find out what kind of person her teammate really was.

…But the process was sure to be long and arduous, so in the meantime…

“I really hate you,” Shimada scowled weakly, watching as his vaguely guilty expression stretched into a small smile, “Good for you,” he shot back amusedly. 

Shimada turned around, scoffing silently.