Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

//Warnings for this book: Death, gore, blood, abuse, trauma.//

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Exhaling slowly, I stared at the blue sky which looked particularly bright today. Quite ironic, considering how this was supposed to be my darkest day. I had hoped for rain so I could prolong this pathetic life. My life. But seeing the clear sky now felt like even the weather was mocking me, waiting for my struggling to finally end. My eyes followed the few birds flying above me. I used to envy them for their wings and their freedom but now my mind was eerily calm and for the first time in what felt like — and probably was — forever, I relaxed, leaning my head against the wooden pole I was tied to. The rope cut into my wrists when I tried to adjust my arms, and I felt splinter digging into my skin.

Ah, the weather was so nice today. What a shame I'd be dead soon.

The pressure in my ears suddenly disappeared with a pop and I could hear the cheering again. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about them. I stopped staring at the sky and fixated my gaze on the crowd surrounding the stake I'd soon be burned alive on. What a fun way to go.

One of the knights approached me, a lit torch in his hand. A smile stretched on his face, excited he'd be the one to light the fire that'd kill me. Sick bastard. Anger bubbled in my stomach, and I glared at this weak shithead who would burn me, not the mage that actually caught me. The coward didn't even finish the job. Pathetic. I gritted my teeth to the point it hurt when I looked back at the crowd. They acted like I was the worst criminal even though none of them even knew who I was. It wasn't like I was wanted. I hated them, I hated all of them. It made my blood boil seeing them so happy and healthy, while the rest of the world starved and rotted away. Just because they were rich. Just because they were born into wealth. Disgusting.

Counting to ten, I took a deep breath, probably my last one, considering how the knight already lit the straw under my feet. I'd love to kill them all, but it was already too late. There was no way I'd survive this. And this wasn't even a fun death. Truly a shame.

First came the heat, making me sweat and cough from the smoke. But I'd have gladly inhaled all the smoke, if that meant I didn't have to experience the pain that followed. Oh, the pain. I thought I knew what being hurt felt like. I was wrong. Never in my life could I have imagined this pain, this agony. I screamed and cried, until the fire reached my vocal cords, and I couldn't scream anymore. The smell of my own burning flesh filled my lungs, engraving itself in my mind. I could feel how the fire slowly ate through the layers of my skin, then my flesh and muscles, then my bones. The pain grew worse and worse, causing my whole body to shake violently. Then it suddenly stopped, alongside my heartbeat.

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Screams. Someone was in pain. Why? What happened? A frown tugged on my eyebrows when I heard cheering and laughter. Someone was hurt, why did no one help them? But the voice kind of seemed familiar, who was that? Wait, where was I? Why couldn't I see? It didn't feel like my eyes were closed. I tried grabbing something, anything, but I couldn't move. Panic latched onto me, the gravity of it seemingly pressing me down and sending my mind into a spiralling mess. I couldn't understand what was happening, as the screams grew louder and louder, piercing my brain. Please just make it stop.

Warm hands cupped my face, pulling me out of the fog that started to cloud my mind. With wide eyes, I stared at the smiling face of a white-haired woman with emerald green irises. "Hush," she said, "you can calm down now, it's over." I stared at her for a second, trying to understand what she meant. Her smile widened a little when she saw my confusion. "Here, I'll give you your memories back." Memories? What mem—.

Oh.
Right.
I died. The war from which I ran away my whole life finally caught up to me.
And the person screaming was me.

I cringed, ignoring the smell of burning flesh still lingering in my mind, as I focused on the woman. She gave me a small nod, satisfied that I'd calmed myself and stepped back. Only now did I notice the big, black wings on her back, their faint green glow illuminating the darkness of our surroundings. She made me feel strangely calm, as if I was about to die again. But without pain this time. I tilted my head, relishing in the feeling while I stared at her. She felt like a sweet and peaceful death. Why?

"Please remind me, why do we have to take care of her again?" The other voice startled me, brutally ripping me from my thoughts. Only now did I notice the other person in this void. He — she? — moved to stand next to the woman in front of me, their short blue hair the same colour as their eyes. They also had wings, big and white, with a soft blue glow to them. In contrast to their obvious annoyance in their posture and voice, the feeling this person gave off was motivating but rather strangely alien. I couldn't classify this new sensation, looking at them helplessly.

"Well, we have to do something. Her-," the woman started, but the other being interrupted her.

"We don't have to do anything, Yami. Another god would've taken her case, but you were bored and because of that I'm involved as well. You do this shit every time. I want my own dimension." They placed a hand against their forehead, apparently pretty done with the white-haired woman — Yami. Said person just grinned, pushed them aside and faced me again. I stared at them, not certain of how to react. All of this was quite overwhelming, the anxiety making me feel nauseous.

"Listen well, little soul, I'm not going to repeat myself. It irritates me incredibly that no one ever explains this shit, so here's the short version." Great, this didn't ease my anxiety at all. I focused my gaze on her white hair which almost glowed in this darkness, trying to ease my nerves with her calming aura.

"You died," she said, her smile still not slipping.

"I'm sure she noticed," the other one muttered, but Yami skilfully ignored them.

"Which wasn't supposed to happen," she continued, "sorry for that, but nobody's perfect. Anyway, because your death was an error in our system you can't go to the afterlife." My stomach dropped and it felt like cold sweat rolled down my back, almost sending my mind into another spiral. Yami seemed to notice, her aura wrapping around me, like a comfortable blanket. A deadly blanket, but a blanket, nonetheless.

"Don't worry, you're going to be reborn in the world we rule as gods. You can even keep your special companion, as a little compensation." She winked at me, snapping her fingers. Immediate relief washed over me, as I felt Kage return to me — my very dear friend. He was like a shadow but had his own consciousness. Kage was always with me, protecting me and helping me survive the worst days. That damn mage suppressed him with a weird chain when he caught me, so the shadow with the purple texture couldn't prevent my death. But that didn't matter. He made me feel calm, he made me feel like I was whole. I wasn't myself without him. I didn't know how to survive without him.

The other person — who just stared into nothingness with unfocused eyes until now — suddenly cracked their knuckles. "Alright, let me do my part so I can go back to sleep." Yami looked at them, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "We only need half of it, and I promised Kai to give him the other half," they elaborated. "Why do you think I even came along?"

"Ehh... are you sure about that? We don't really need another god and making one of just half a soul is a little..." she trailed off, crinkling her nose sceptically. Wait what? I didn't quite like how this sounded like it had something to do with me.

Her friend just shrugged. "I don't see a problem with that. Besides, let the man have a child."

"If you say so," she muttered, wrapping her aura a little tighter around me, forcefully suppressing my growing unease. I couldn't do anything, as the blue-haired god moved towards me, placing their hand on my head. A sudden tiredness made me a little dizzy and I watched as they slid their hand to the side, eyes narrowed in concentration. A small blue light followed their motion, until they safely held it in their hands. I wanted to inhale deeply, but I felt like I was thrown into ice water, taking my breath away. No, they didn't just take my breath, they took me. What did they just do? It was almost as bad as when I couldn't sense Kage anymore. As if some part of me was missing. They said they needed half a soul. Did they just...

A hand was once again placed on my head, and I met Yami's emerald eyes. "I think it would be better if you forget what just happened," she mused, and I couldn't help but agree. I knew they wouldn't explain it to me. And forgetting was better than living with the questions that would never be answered.

The two of them looked at each other, before nodding. The woman with the white hair snapped her fingers once, opening a green portal beneath me. Before I could question the action, gravity suddenly switched back on and I fell, causing my stomach to drop uncomfortably.

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The pounding of my head made me wince as I tried to orientate myself.

The next thing I noticed was the crying of a baby, but it immediately fell silent when I opened my eyes. Stunned, I stared into the gray iris of yet another white-haired woman. Was that colour some new trend? But I couldn't really complain, my hair was bright red. Before I was burned, of course.

"Look, she has your eyes," the woman said to a man, whom I just now noticed. He was blond and had unusual violet eyes.

"And she has your hair," he said and stroked my head. What the fuck, dude? How about you didn't touch me?

Confused — and maybe a little offended — I wanted to say something. Well, more like insult him but only an undefined noise left my mouth. Worst of all, it sounded horribly like a baby. Realization hit me. That's why I had such a bad feeling about Yami's grin. She never mentioned how I would come to this new world. And it seemed like I was a new-born. Well shit. I wasn't quite sure if I should be mad or happy. On the one hand I was at the bottom of the food chain and completely defenceless. But on the other hand, I had all my memories and so was able to start a new life. A better life.

The ticking of a clock drew my attention to my surroundings. We weren't in a hospital — or at least not the kind of hospital I knew. But my guess was, we were at my new home. The walls were painted in a warm white and the furniture that I could see from my current position were either in a natural brown or black. The sun shone through the open window next to the bed and I could hear birds singing. But what made me tear up was the laughter of children and the bustling crowd outside on the streets. There was no scared screaming. No loud sounds caused by magic explosions. No audibly dying humans.

I turned to my new parents again, who looked at me with eyes full of love and fascination.

There was no war.

"How do you want to call her?" my father asked and placed a hand on my mother's shoulder.

"I thought of..." she briefly glanced at her husband before her gaze shifted to me again. I stared at her with big eyes. I didn't have a name in my last life. My mother probably gave me one, but I couldn't remember it.

"Kayomi. Jikan Kayomi."

ບຸດ

Here's chapter one, yay.
My internet is dying rn and my caffeine addiction is getting worse, pls send help

I am in dying need of a Beta reader!

English is not my first language and although I'm fluent, I'm not as confident in my writing. So please send me an e-mail or message me via Discord if you are interested and good at grammar.
Both are in my bio.

Chapter Text

After a month I was already done with my life. Being an Infant sucked. I had little to no control over my body. It took me forever to do something as simple as turning over. And when I finally succeeded, I nearly suffocated on my pillow. Exactly for that reason I didn't have one anymore. But that didn't matter much, the mattress in my crib was so divinely soft, I wasn't so sure my parents got it legally.

"Oh, already awake?" I looked up and directly into the gray eyes of my mother, who was leaning over the lattice of the crib and placed a kiss on my forehead, before lifting me out of my extremely soft prison. Aiko and Hajime Jikan were the perfect parents. At least in my view. The best I could have wished for. They were the only hope in my current situation. Without them I probably would have already thrown myself out of my bed. Without them and the lattice. I trained my muscles every day by clenching my hand to a fist and opening it again. But I still couldn't hold anything properly. All in all, it was pretty frustrating. And I still knew very little about this world.

Mama, Aiko, carried me into the kitchen, where she took a bottle with baby milk before she sat down with me at the dining table. She couldn't breastfeed me, for whatever reason. I couldn't really ask, could I?

While drinking, I looked around as much as possible, but I couldn't see nor hear my father. I turned my head from the bottle, so I had my mouth free. "Baaa?" I said and immediately wanted to bash my head against a wall. Oh, how much I was looking forward to my first words. I even had a small list of what I wanted it to be. »Fuck« was very high up, just so my parents would ask themselves where I got the word from. Mama was dead set on keeping every kind of curse word away from my ears, which would make it even funnier.

"Hmm? Are you looking for your Papa?" I loved my Mama. She always knew what I wanted. Seriously, she was a saint. To answer her, I clapped my hands a few times before I covered my eyes with them.

"Ba," I said again. My father "taught" me that. He did it every evening when he tucked me into bed.

Aiko made a squeaking noise, probably because of my cuteness. I had my parents wrapped around my finger. And of course, I took full advantage of that.

"Your Papa is on a mission, honey. He'll be back in a few days," she explained, even though a normal baby wouldn't have understood that. "Papa needs to protect the village, because he is a super strong shinobi."

I perked up at that. The term shinobi didn't mean anything to me, but in context with a mission and »protecting the village«, I assumed it was something like a soldier. And if a Village needed soldiers, it had to be big. Mama took me grocery shopping with her a couple of times, but it was always the same route. Meant I didn't see much of my new home. I just knew those weird stone faces, that were carved into the mountain. They were always there, watching. I didn't know their purpose, but I bet the view up there was stunning.

"Come on, little one. Today we're going to look around the village a little. It's about time you get to know Konoha. And how about we buy a new plant for your room?"

This woman could read minds and had given me the name of this place as a bonus. She was truly amazing.

Grinning widely, I squealed to voice my approval, which made her smile even wider. Aiko Jikan radiated such brilliant light; it was hard to look at her. I'd never seen a woman like her. She was gentle, caring, and so warm. I loved hugging her, or sleeping on her stomach, just listening to her heartbeat. It never failed to calm me down, especially after yet another nightmare. If someone dared to harm her — kill her, I would hunt them down and murder everyone they ever loved.

"I wanted to introduce you to the Yamanakas anyway. They also had a daughter recently."

I cooed affectionately, while she placed the now empty bottle on the table and walked into my room with me on her arm. After dressing me a little warmer, she wrapped a baby sling around herself, in which I was placed. Unlike the last times, my face wasn't pressed against her chest, so I was actually able to see shit.

We really did take another path today and I could finally see more of the village. The street we took today was way more crowded, which satisfied my curiosity a little. Parents were out shopping with their children, a group of teenagers left a shop to our right, big smiles on their faces. The atmosphere in Konoha was bright and friendly — only a few passers-by didn't seem to be in a good mood. And that's exactly what caused an uncomfortable feeling to arise in my stomach. The brighter a place shined, the darker were the shadows, hiding behind all those happy faces. It looked like someone placed a pink blanket of joy over the entire village. However, the nearly destroyed buildings in a certain area gave away the fact that something happened not so long ago.

And I doubted these people's hearts already forgot that.

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Yamanaka's flower shop shined brightly as well, but it didn't feel as forced as the mood on the street. Excited, I inhaled the flowery air and savoured the relief I got from the scent. I was slightly addicted to plants and flowers. They freshened the air and took away the stinging smell of smoke, which was deeply burned into my memory. I hardly ever saw plants in my past life — flowers were left to my imagination. I had actually always thought they would glow.

The air was kept fresh with magic, but that was a privilege of the rich. No one cleaned the air in the cites that were destroyed and where the poor lived. Most mages didn't even know there were still people alive in those places. If you could call those conditions being alive.

"Aiko!" A brown-haired woman hurried from a room behind the counter as soon as we entered the store. Mama hugged her dear friend carefully, as to not harm me. "And that must be your daughter." The warm gaze of the blond woman landed on me. I made an indistinct sound, which was meant to be a greeting.

"Her name is Kayomi," Mama introduced me. "Where is Ino-chan?" She asked, looking at her friends' empty arms.

"Sleeping. The little devil was up all night." The woman sighed before both lost themselves in a conversation about being parents.

I lost interest rather quickly and focused on the massive display of flowers. There were more in this shop than I ever imagined could even exist.

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I struggled quite a bit but finally managed to sit up in my bed, clutching the wooden bars to prevent myself from falling back into the mattress. A new addition to my room was a big mirror facing my soft prison. I frowned as I looked at my reflection. A little moonlight made its way through the curtains but the night light next to my bed and the slightly open door of my room were enough for me to see. I lifted my hand and placed it on my cheek, squishing the baby-fat. I really did inherit the white hair of my mother and the unusual violet eyes of father. I sighed, letting my hand fall to my side, and looked at the new flowers on the dresser that stood next to the mirror. Lilies. They were the same colour as my eyes and yet I felt odd whenever I saw them. They felt off, like they didn't fit me. I liked every sort of flower, but lilies and red roses felt strange and alien.

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I carefully peeked around the corner of our kitchen, watching Mama who looked through some documents at the table. Papa still wasn't back so I had free reign. As fast as my little body allowed me, I crawled past the kitchen and made my way to Papa's study. It belonged to Mama as well, but the woman preferred the dinner table.

Slowly I opened the half-closed door and slipped into the room. To my left stood a bookshelf, reaching all the way to the floor. Perfect.

This world had the same language as my old one, so I assumed the writing was the same as well. I pulled at the first book and caught it, so it didn't make a sound hitting the floor. A sigh of relief left my lips when I was able to read the title. »The history of Konohagakure«

I sent a silent prayer to the former noble girl who taught me how to read and write. It was by pure luck that I was placed in the same cell as her when I was captured. After she got executed and I managed to escape, I even found an old bookstore where I got my hands on a book about mathematics, teaching myself the basics. Although I gave up after some time. And due to not being able to practice my skills, my reading speed was abnormally slow.

Nevertheless, I opened the first page and got to work.

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"Baaa!" I shouted excited and reached for the man with my small arms when he walked through our front door. His tired eyes lit up immediately when they landed on me. I was about to crawl towards him, but Mama stopped me by picking me up.

"Welcome back. How was your mission?" She gave him a quick kiss. I struggled in her arms and squealed in delight when Papa finally took me in his, pressing a soft kiss on my head. I really missed him and felt relief washing over me at his safe return. Never remembering my parents from my past life made Hajime and Aiko oh so more important.

"Half successful." He sighed, handing me back to Mama so he could take off his green vest and the shoes. "We managed to eliminate our target but then someone else suddenly appeared. We were almost out of chakra, so we had to retreat. Hokage-sama will probably send a bigger team."

I perked up. The term chakra wasn't new. A book in the study had the title »Basics of chakra« but it seemed more important than I previously thought. It was still out of my reach — on the second-to-last shelf — and I still had to finish »History of Konohagakure«. Which would probably take several months. Fun. 

Chapter Text

"Shet," I yelled and slammed my hands on the table of my child's chair. A loud crack made me flinch. Mama literally crushed the glass in her hand as she stared at me. Papa dropped the spoon with baby food as he too, stared at me. "Shet," I proudly said again but frowned. I actually wanted to say shit, but my pronunciation was still bad as fuck. That didn't change the fact that my parents’ faces looked hilarious at my first word. I did want to say fuck first, but I couldn't get it right. The ck always messed me up. Sad life.

"No," Aiko whispered. "No no no no!" She rushed around the table and gently grabbed my face. "I won't accept that. Say Mama, honey. M a m a," she pleaded and shook her head.

I giggled and said it again. "Shet!"

Mama let out a frustrated scream before she turned her head to Papa. "Where did she get that from?" Uh oh, I might have sent my poor father to his death.

Hajime shook his head and put his hands up in defence. "Not from me, I swear." When she seemed ready to go over to him and strangle the poor guy, I stepped in and saved him.

"Mama!" I giggled and patted at her hand. Her head whipped back to me at such speed, I wondered how her neck didn't snap. A big grin formed on her face.

"Oh my god, her first word." Damn, her denial was strong. Papa and I looked at her and deadpanned. He wisely didn't say anything.

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I internally screamed as I wobbly set one foot in front of the other. Walking was hard.

"Come on, you can do it, firefly." Papa sat in front of me and reached his hands towards me. Mama stood next to him and was busy holding back her tears.

"Papa!" I launched myself into his arms as soon as I was close enough.

"You did so well, sweetie," my mama praised me while Papa placed a kiss on top of my head. I giggled and snuggled closer to him, satisfied with myself. Like I said, walking was hard. Especially since I didn't have much time to practice alone. Reading took longer than expected. And I could only do it when my parents weren't watching me. I at least finished »History of Konohagakure« last night and could start with »Basics of Chakra« today. I've been itching to read it — as I still didn't know what chakra was — but I held myself back. Probably the most patient I've ever been in this and my past life.

"Papa, tired," I said, backing it up with a yawn. I already hid the book in my room and just needed time alone. Sleeping was the perfect disguise.

"Seems like someone is ready for a nap." My father ruffled my hair before carrying me to my room. Mom followed and watched with loving eyes, as he tugged me into bed and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes and heard them closing the door. After counting to twenty, I sat up and looked at my dresser. A familiar feeling bubbled in my stomach as a black shadow with purple texture slithered across the room to the dresser, pulling a thick book from underneath it and bringing it back to me.

"Thanks, Kage," I whispered, as he rubbed against my cheek affectionately. I smiled at him and opened the book, glancing at the clock. If I was silent, I had roughly two hours before my mama would check up on me.

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While reading, a frown formed on my forehead. I flipped back a few pages and checked the definition of chakra again. "Huh," I whispered. Chakra and magic were basically the same. I was by no means a magic expert — heck, I wasn't even close to being good at using it — but the only difference I found was chakra being a mix of spiritual and physical energy, while magic and spells were based purely on spiritual energy, as it was formed by one's soul.

According to the book, chakra flowed through a system that existed in our bodies, alongside the nervous system. And its center was called chakra core — similar to the magic core. After reading that, a question formed in my mind.

What if I still had my magic?

I had been able to use simple spells. The basics everyone needed to survive. I never went beyond that. In my past world, it was better to be invisible than to be strong. If I stood out, mages would have killed me way sooner.

But now? I now lived in a world where I had the chance to peacefully grow strong. I didn't want to be weak again. I never wanted it. But I did it to survive. In the end, I still died. So maybe that method wasn't so effective. Maybe I should try something else and live my life to its fullest. That would be nice. I'd like that.

Closing my eyes, I began to meditate and search for my magic. I couldn't find it, but I sure as hell found something else. It felt similar to magic, flowing through my body like a small, warm trickle of water. That had to be chakra.

I opened my eyes again and grinned. Feeling it, knowing it was there, made me feel giddy. It felt so warm and comfortable, way better than magic. Maybe it was because of the mix between the two energies.

I flipped through the pages and stopped at jutsus. I wanted to know what chakra could be used for before I would learn how to use it. Because that was the next point on my list.

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Later that night — after my parents went to sleep — I placed the book before me and sat on my bed cross legged. The book stated that chakra flowed out of the body through tenketsu, mostly in your hands and feet, allowing one to perform jutsus. Although something confused me. The body had 361 tenketsu that controlled the flow of chakra, so why did people only use the ones in their hands and feet? Wouldn't it be more efficient to open them all, so you could release the energy from your entire body? At least that was how we used magic. I began to meditate again, searching for the small trickle of warm chakra. If it was similar to magic, I was sure I could force it through my tenketsu and open them all.

Easier said than done. My chakra core was so small, I almost missed it. In the end, I finally got it. It took me a few hours, and help from Kage, but now I could see it in front of my inner eye. I took a deep breath, before I reached forward and touched the small flame. Nothing happened, so I tried tugging at it. Kage hurried to my rescue once again and guided the flow of chakra through my entire body and eventually managed to force my tenketsu open. Good thing I had him, as I certainly would've never been able to do it alone. Chakra sure was hard to force through those tiny pressure points. When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by a faint blue glow and my whole body grew warmer and was all tingly.

The euphoria didn't last for long though. Because the warm feeling didn't stop. My body grew hotter and hotter until I felt like I was being burned alive again and my ears began to ring. I coughed, muffling the sound with my tiny hands, so my parents wouldn't hear me. But I guess that was the least of my worries right now, because when I looked at my hand, it was sprinkled with red dots. Blood. That's when the ringing stopped, only to be replaced by ... everything. Various sensations came crashing down on me. Confused and disoriented, I gripped at my pyjama, right where my tiny little heart tried to jump out of my chest. I could hear my own blood rushing through my veins, as the feeling of my boiling hot energy pressed down on me.

No ... it wasn't my chakra I felt. I was everyone else's.

"Shet," I muttered, before taking a deep breath. "MAMA," I screamed as loud as I could. Kage picked up the book and hid it again, while I struggled to catch my breath. I didn't hear, didn't feel her react immediately, so I screamed for her again.

After screaming for a third time, I finally heard her footsteps approaching. I felt her chakra approaching. What's happening to me?

"It's okay honey, it's just a bad dream," she said, opening the door to my room. But this time, I didn't wake up from another nightmare where I burnedburnedburned. I looked up at her, hands and mouth covered in blood. She dropped the stuffed animal she brought to comfort me.

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The rest of the night was rather blurry, as I had trouble staying conscious. I remember my mama shouting for her husband and then being carried to a hospital. The doctors mentioned something along the line of me opening my tenketsu, which was a bad thing at my age, apparently. Shouldn't have forced them open, I guess. But they couldn't seal my chakra entirely. The damage was already done, so it wouldn't do much. Instead, they only sealed my sensory ability, which seemed to be the reason I suddenly felt everything at once. This way, I wouldn't die from the pain the overload brought with it.

The next time I opened my eyes, the room was flooded with sunlight and my parents sat beside me, looking at me with worried expressions. "Everything is going to be okay, little firefly," Papa said, a pained smile plastered on his face, as he held my small hand. Mama had trouble holding back her tears.

I didn't know how to comfort them, so I just nodded. I hated their sad expressions — wanting them to be happy again. They gave me hope and showed me what it meant to be alive, not just to survive. I hated myself because they were sad because of me. Because I made a stupid decision. I regretted opening my tenketsu. I thought they would be happy if I turned out to be something like a genius. The exact opposite was now the case. And it was my fault. Now I could only hope I wouldn't die. I didn't want to leave them. They would never forgive themselves — I couldn't pass knowing that. They were my light, after all. 

Chapter Text

I actually found something that sucked more than being an infant. Spending days in a hospital. Even if I didn't die from opening my tenketsu, boredom sure as hell would be the end of me. 

As if hearing my thoughts, someone knocked on my door, before sliding it open. Mama entered, a smile on her face. Behind her was a beautiful woman with black hair and obsidian eyes, holding the hands of two boys. Both looked a lot like her and were just as pretty. I moved to sit on the edge of the hospital bed, looking at them with curiosity bubbling inside my stomach. 

"Good morning, little firefly." Mama kissed the top of my head. "I brought you some visitors today. This is my good friend Uchiha Mikoto and her two sons, Itachi and Sasuke," she introduced them, before she and Mikoto stepped back, giving us children a bit of room. 

I waved at the two boys. "Hi, I'm Kayomi," I cheerily said, feeling for their energies. They both felt very warm, helping me relax a bit. Strangers still made me cautious and having doctors and nurses around me all the time didn't help either. 

The older one, Itachi, returned my wave and smiled while his younger brother shyly gripped at his hand and hid half behind him. 

"Mikoto and I will be outside, call us if you need anything," Mama said, with a soft smile on her lips. She'd been worried a lot the past week, even though the doctors reassured her that I was stable and could soon be released from the hospital. It would take a few years before I could start removing the seal on my body though, considering I had to get used to all the sensation first, that came with removing it. 

"How old are you, Kayomi-chan?" Itachi asked, patting Sasuke's head to calm the little boy. 

"Almost two. What about you, Itachi-niisan?" 

Before he could answer, Sasuke seemed to have forgotten his shyness and stood before his big brother. "He's not your niisan! He's mine!" 

Itachi chuckled at his temper, smiling at the boy fondly. I held back my own laugh and hopped down from the hospital bed, before taking Sasuke's hands in my own little ones. 

"You're older than me, right?" I asked. He tried his best to not flinch from the direct contact and nodded. "Then you're my niisan too."

His face lit up like a candle and he looked at Itachi excitedly, who gave him an encouraging smile. This kid was way too easy. Someone who loved his big brother this much, would also love to be one himself. It was only a guess, but it seemed like I hit the nail on the head. 

I tugged at his hands, moving towards the table with a few of my toys and puzzles. "Wanna play with me?"

"Un!" 

ເງົາ

Itachi and Sasuke visited me a lot for the next week. Sometimes their mom would tag along but most of the time, they were on their own. Mama was happy I made some friends and got the opportunity to go on a few missions as a bonus. I was glad she felt better, and I genuinely enjoyed the company of the two boys. They were nice and their chakra felt so warm. Itachi even taught me a bit about shinobi and the village. 

I looked at Sasuke who was sitting on the floor next to me, eyes concentrated on the picture he was working on.

"Do you know how to control chakra?" Asking the little boy was my best bet, as I was sure none of the adults would give me an answer right now. Not while I was still in the hospital. But I was tired of just sitting around all day. I needed to do something. Needed to learn, so I could one day protect the people I came to care about. 

Sasuke looked up in surprise, probably not expecting me to ask him about something like that, instead of his brother. His face quickly brightened with excitement though, as he straightened up. 

"Yeah, Itachi-niisan showed me the leaf exercise," he proudly proclaimed.

I inched closer to him, curiosity making me lean forward. "Leaf exercise?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, you make a leaf stick to your forehead with chakra. Here, I'll show you." He ripped a little piece of paper from my notebook and slapped it against his forehead. My gasp of surprise put a big smile on his face, when I felt the energy in his body shift and concentrate on the paper, sticking it to his skin. "Itachi-niisan said you get better at chakra control if you do this while doing other stuff," he explained, picking his pen back up to continue his picture. He was able to draw a few lines before his energy shifted, and the paper fell back down. 

"That's so cool," I complimented him and ripped a piece off for myself. Making it stick to my forehead was easier than I expected. But I felt every shift of my chakra, helping me at knowing how much I needed to make the paper stay in place. I turned back to my own drawing, and the paper fell immediately. Multitasking had never been my strong point, but it was fun to practice with my new friend.  

We both sat like that for a while until Itachi came to pick Sasuke up.

"Your parents are out on a mission and should be back tomorrow. Will you be alright on your own?" the older Uchiha boy asked, smiling at me gently. I gave them both a happy grin and held my thumps up in confirmation. I needed time for myself to practice more, so this was very convenient. I waved them goodbye when they left, before going back to keeping the paper stuck to my skin while trying to complete a puzzle. 

ເງົາ

"Congrats on getting out of that stupid room," Sasuke said hugging me tightly. I smiled at him brightly, giddy with the excitement of being able to go back home. I was in that hospital for way too long. Mama stood next to Papa, looking like a burden was finally lifted off her shoulders. Itachi and Mikoto couldn’t come, but it was alright. Seeing Sasuke outside the hospital made up for it big time. The boy wriggled his way inside my heart very fast, spending a lot of time with me and becoming my best friend. He genuinely enjoyed my company as well and was glad he had someone to train with. Keeping the practice a secret from our parents and even Itachi made us grow only closer as well. 

"You wanna sleep over today?" I asked him, stepping back from our hug to look at Mama for approval. She gave me an encouraging nod, clearly pleased I took the initiate at being social. 

"I already asked my parents. They said it was okay." Sasuke bounced a little in excitement.

"Great! Let's go, I'll show you my room. Mama took care of my plants." I grabbed his hand and pulled him along as I sprinted down the street, leaving my parents in charge of carrying my bag, after I just abandoned it on the floor. 

As we raced towards my home, I adjusted my hair, so the piece of paper on my forehead was covered up once more.  

ບຸດ

Not a very long chapter but I'm just glad I finally managed to finish it.
Lot's of stuff happened lately (moved to another city, switched jobs and finally got my own apartment), so I didn't really have time to write and when I did, motivation said nope.

Sorry for the long wait. I'll try to upload more, should be easier since next chapter is a small time skip.

Chapter Text

Mikoto's hand was firmly wrapped around Sasuke's little one, keeping the excited boy from dashing ahead. Her other held mine, even though we both knew I wouldn't leave her side. Being in a child's body and holding a guardian’s hand was strangely comforting and an experience I never got to enjoy in my previous lifetime. Now I took the chance any time I got, and the dark-haired woman wasn't one to pass it up either. Sasuke rarely let her hold his and Itachi was already too old and too much of a shinobi. She seemed to miss the times when she had a kid on either side of her. Maybe that's why she was happily humming to herself as we walked.

"Keep bouncing like that and no one will think you're cool," I teased my friend and looked at the building we were headed towards. The academy. Sasuke would start today, a year before me. But that was fine, I simply had to catch up when it was my turn to be enrolled. I craned my neck and held an arm above my eyes, shielding them from the early sun. The entrance was kept in a light red, while the rest of the structure was a mix of the same colour, a bit of orange and mostly white. It looked rather plain, the only thing standing out being the round front build.

The Uchiha boy didn't bother to answer but he stopped fidgeting so much, which almost made me laugh. He cared way too much about other people’s opinions.
"I can go the rest by myself. It's too embarrassing if you come inside with me," he decided and let go of his mother’s hand. Mikoto probably already expected something like that and covered her giggle with her sleeve. I sighed and shook my head. Like I said, he cared way too much.

We waved after him, as he disappeared into the school. "The first day will be introductions and making a supply list, so it won't take long," Mikoto informed me and looked at me with that gentle smile of hers. "How about we go get some breakfast in the meantime and go shopping for what he needs after he's back."

I lit up at the mention of food and my stomach rumbled in agreement. "Sounds perfect."
She laughed at my enthusiastic reaction and led the way to a bakery around the corner. My mouth instantly watered as soon as we stepped inside, and I had to close my eyes while inhaling the delicious smell of freshly baked goods.

"You won't be able to decide on what you want if you keep your eyes closed," Mikoto commented, clearly amused.

"I can live with just getting everything," I said, but followed her advice and stared at the selection. I almost didn't hear her laugh, too distracted by all the variations of bread and sweet pastries. Getting one of everything sounded even better by the second. But then I would have to prioritize on what to eat first and what to eat after it cooled off. I wasn't confident I could decide on something like that. So, I had to pick something now and try the rest on other days. Sasuke would have to get used to me accompanying him to school, it seemed.

"Kayomi, dear." Mikoto gently nudged me, bringing me back to reality. I looked up in confusion and made a small 'ah' sound, when I realized we were next in line and the young man behind the counter was waiting.

"Please excuse me, I had an important decision to make," I explained to him, keeping my serious expression. Mikoto was already turned away while giggling and the man in front of me struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching as he packed our order.

I took a bite out of the cheesy bread and had to stop in the middle of the road. "That good?" Mikoto asked, but I couldn't answer, too busy marvelling over how soft the bun was. Yeah, Sasuke definitely had to get used to me tagging along in the morning.

ເງົາ

"How was it?" I asked my best friend as soon as he left the building. I had been sitting on the swing in front of the academy and now hopped off to greet the boy. He tried to keep his face straight to seem relaxed, but I could tell he was still bubbling with excitement.

"It was alright," he said, still trying to look cool in front of the other students. He handed his supply list to his mom and was already pulling me down the street the next second. I shook my head with a smile and followed him into a weapon store. Of course that was his first stop.
Sasuke and Mikoto went to get some kunai, while I stopped to look at the dagger and katana section. Mama would freak out if I brought one home, but it didn't hurt to look. Most of them were very beautiful, with sturdy lacing at the handles and some even had intricate engravings along the blade. I could see myself using one of these in the future, but sadly today was not the day I would buy them. Maybe once I started at the academy.

Mikoto was already paying once I was done looking around and Sasuke immediately took my hand to drag me to the next shop. "I can walk on my own just fine, you know?"

"I know but I don't like it when you walk behind me. You walk so silently, I never know where you are," he explained and entered a store for paper, ink and other stuff a budding ninja might need for basic school supply. I looked at my feet and shrugged. He wasn't wrong. I never made a noise while walking since I was little, a not so voluntary habit from my past life. It was actually Itachi who noticed it first. The Uchiha was pretty surprised when I managed to sneak up on him, after I finally got my chakra under full control. But Sasuke was my ultimate scaring victim. It was hilarious standing behind him when he least expected it. He once jumped so hard he almost twisted his ankle. I got an earful from Mikoto afterwards, but his reaction was well worth it. He might have become a little paranoid since then; often checking over his shoulder if I was there, and keeping a hold of my hand when walking, like right now. I'd say I just prepared him to be alert. Or something like that. But to be fair, he got his revenge. And he was quite smart about it as well. He asked Mama a few things and got wind of my failed first word. So that cheeky brat has completely scratched the wort 'shit' from his mind and replaced it with 'shet'. Which was only fair I suppose.

ເງົາ

"Wanna go train now? You said you wanted to show me a new jutsu?" I asked after we were done with shopping. Sasuke lit up like it was his birthday.

"Yes! Let’s go to the lake." He didn't wait for an answer and even forgot to grab my hand, already running towards our usual training spot. I smiled at Mikoto and waved before following him. He would complain if I took too long, so I hurried a little, avoiding some walking civilians by jumping to the side. The sun was high up in the sky and I was glad for the few clouds that kept the air from heating up unbearably. I inhaled the watery smell from the lake as I came to a stop next to Sasuke, who was already stretching. "I'm gonna show this to father later to impress him," he declared, puffing out his chest in pride. I took a step back and signalled him to start. Slowly he formed a few hand signs before holding a finger to his lips. The boy inhaled deeply and then blew a massive fire ball across the lake. A huge grin spread across his face as he turned to me, feeling on top of his world.

But mine had already stopped as soon as I saw the flames. My body went rigid, and I couldn't tear my eyes from the spot the jutsu had been at only a second ago. Non-existent smoke filled my nose and travelled down to my lungs, making each breath sting. But was I even still breathing? I couldn't tell. Everything spun. My ears couldn't decide whether they should let every sound in at once or none at all. It was a mixture of everything, just ringing and then nothing. As if I was dropped into cotton, lifted back out and then dropped right back in. The only thing I could clearly distinguish was my hammering heart and the cheering crowd. But weren't we alone just now?
We?
No, it was just me.
Me and the stake I was tied to. Oh, and the fire that was consuming me, accompanied with agonizing pain as I slowly burnedburnedburned.
My eyelids melted shut, my red hair got reduced to smouldering strands. I felt something drip down my arms and when I touched them, I realized it was my own skin, slowly dissolving from my body. I tried screaming but my lungs had too much smoke inside them.

A different kind of warmth wrapped around me, making me blink in confusion as I looked around. There was no crowd. There wasn't even a fire. I just stood there, in front of the lake, as the memory faded and the world came back into focus. And with it Sasuke, who was hugging me with tears streaming down his face, soaking my shoulder. I exhaled slowly and patted his back.

"Kayomi!" He pushed me back a little to study my face. "You didn't react and- and your face was so pale," the young Uchiha hiccupped, pressing me against him once more.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, rubbing his back to comfort both of us. "I think I'm scared of fire." He hugged me tighter, probably thinking my panic attack just now was his fault. But now that I had calmed down, I was getting annoyed at myself. Fear of fire was not an option in the line of work I wanted to do. A lot of shinobi used that element and I'd be at a huge disadvantage in a fight, if I froze like that every time. Or maybe I shouldn't say disadvantage, considering I'd die immediately.

"I'm alright now," I told Sasuke and carefully peeled him from me, a cheerful smile on my face to back my words. He looked me up and down sceptically, before accepting it. "You still wanna train?" A weak grin formed on his face, and he moved into a defensive stance as answer, waiting for me to attack first. Which I did a second later. The fire thing was something I needed to get under control, but it could wait a little. Cheering Sasuke back up was my priority number one. I also didn't think I could ask for his help building an immunity. Seeing him cry was not something I wanted to experience again. Maybe I could ask Itachi if he wasn't too busy. 

ເງົາ

"I'm home," I called into the house, bending down to take my shoes off. Mama returned my greeting and peeked her head around the corner, just to wrinkle her nose at me. 

"You better wash up before dinner," she commented on my dirty appearance. I nodded and picked a small branch out of my hair. "Is Sasuke-kun not eating with us today?" She looked at the door behind me, half expecting the Uchiha to just randomly show up, like he usually did. 

I shook my head. "Fugaku-san is back from his mission and Sasuke wanted to show him a new jutsu he's been practicing," I explained while taking off my jacket. I inspected it for a second and then decided it would need to be washed. Like the rest of my clothes. Mama sighed but said nothing about the Uchihas’ complicated relationship. She always said the head of the Uchiha clan was his own special case. Whatever she meant by that. I didn't really know why she didn't like him, but I also never asked. He seemed pretty normal to me. Sasuke once told me he felt a little ignored by his father and I tried my best to understand him, but I was pretty sure he noticed that I couldn't see his problem like he himself did. He never mentioned it after that. Which was alright with me. I didn't really know how to offer someone social advice. People and their feelings were too complicated for me. It happened more than once that I accidentally upset children my age, just by being too honest. Ino — the daughter of the woman who owned the flower shop we often went to — was not a fan of mine for that exact reason. That was something I was working on, though. So far, I was only getting better at reading someone’s reaction and how I had to adjust myself according to that. Which was something, at least.

Chapter Text

Removing only one layer from the seal on my body per year felt painstakingly slow, but I had no other choice. If we did it faster, I was at risk of another trip to the hospital. Which was something I very much wanted to avoid. That would mean I couldn't go to my favourite bakery ever morning. A tragedy.

I shook my hands out in nervousness, while holding Itachi's gaze. With a nod I told him I was ready. He hesitated for a second before shooting a small fireball at me. I stared the flames down, ignoring the flickers of my past, that tried to take over my mind. But I still couldn't move my body, so the Uchiha had to tackle me out of harm's way. Again.

I exhaled deeply, taking the hand he offered and let myself be pulled from the ground.
"It seemed a bit better than the last times," he praised my efforts in that gently voice of his. Ever the big brother.

"Yeah, but it's far from being enough." I grit my teeth to keep myself from biting my lip. I had done that so many times today in frustration, it was already bleeding.

"Something like that takes time. Which you got plenty. I'm sure it will be better before you start at the academy." He patted my head, before tapping my forehead with two fingers, like he always did with Sasuke. At times like these he really felt like an older brother to me as well, which made me all warm and fuzzy inside. And just like that, the frustration was gone from my face and replaced by a smile. Damn, he was way too good at this.

We practiced for a little longer, until it was time for him to go back to his duties. And for me to go home. My plants needed watering. I hummed the melody Mama taught me, as I poured the liquid inside my precious pots. Kage slithered from inside my sleeve to lift some of the leaves, so the water wouldn't land on them and consequently on the floor after. I paused to listen for footsteps when I felt Mama approaching the house with a stranger. Glancing out of the window, I studied the blond woman. She looked familiar somehow, but I was pretty certain I had never met her.

"Welcome home," I greeted them as soon as they stepped inside. Mama smiled, happy that I was back from my training.

"There you are, my little firefly," she kissed the top of my head and then turned to the other woman, "Hana, this is Kayomi, my daughter I told you about." I bowed in polite greeting. No wonder she seemed familiar. Mama had shown me pictures of her. They went to the academy together, but the blond woman moved to the village her wife lived in, a year before I was born, so I was never able to meet her. "She's visiting some family and came over for some tea," Mama informed me and lead her guest to the living room.

"I'll make some," I said and was already off to the kitchen. Since I was still too small to reach the counter, I had to use a stepping stool. Which was a little embarrassing, but sadly not something I could change quickly.

As I balanced the tray with the tea towards the small glass table, I noticed Hana staring at me with a weird look in her eyes. She seemed like she wanted to say something to Mama in private, so I excused myself with the pretence of looking after my plants and headed back to the stairs. Instead of going to my room, I crouched down and made my chakra a little weaker, so it would seem like I was upstairs.

"Say, how old is she again?" Hana asked in a hushed voice, clearly talking about me.

"She turned five some time ago, why?"

"Isn't she a little mature for her age? It just seemed a little odd just now." How rude. I shook my head and Mama simply laughed awkwardly. But I heard enough and went back to my room.

Laying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling, while Kage wrapped himself around me like a blanket. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was acting a little too old. But how was I supposed to know? The Uchiha boys weren't a good example on how children behaved, and I didn't really have any contact with other kids my age. My parents never seemed to notice either, but maybe they just didn't know any better. I was their first child and maybe they just thought my behaviour was normal. Or they thought I was a prodigy. But people saw what they wanted to see, so it was also possible they noticed something and just chose to ignore it.

I sighed and turned to my side. I should probably read some books on human psychology and on how to trick people. But I already went through everything my and the Uchiha household had to offer. What a bother.

ເງົາ

"Say, where can I get more books without spending too much money?" I asked Sasuke and put my pencil down. The boy looked up from his paper. We were both sprawled out on the floor of my room, his school stuff all around us. While he was doing his homework, I was going through some of the things he was learning and copied a few practice sheets he got from class for myself. This was something we did every other afternoon after or before practice. He also taught me everything he learned. Which was great for him because he got to rehearse it and great for me, as I planned to skip the first year of the academy, when the time came.

He tapped his pen against his cheek in thought. "I don't really know any cheap stores, but wouldn't the library be better anyway?"

"I don't know what a library is," I confessed after a little hesitation. His face immediately twisted into a sneer at the thought of knowing more than me. Little shit.

"A library is a place where you can borrow books without paying. You just have to have a membership card," he explained, his annoying grin widening so much I was about to punch him. "Lucky for you, every student at the academy gets one." He pulled a little blue card out of one of his books and waved it into my face. I swatted at him.

"Can I borrow it?"

"Yeah sure. If you ask nicely," he teased, dangling the card between two fingers like it was a treat. I pressed my lips into a thin line and gave him my best dark look. Maybe a little punch was justified. Or a not so little one. "Alright, alright," he said quickly when I raised my fist. We both knew I would actually hit him. Wouldn't be the first time.

"Could you go with me tomorrow? I don't know where it is," I asked, daring him to tease me again with a challenging look. He was smart enough not to.

ເງົາ

The library was next to the academy to give students easy access. The lady at the front desk only glanced briefly at Sasuke's card, taking more priority in reminding us to stay quiet while we were here. Hand in hand, we walked along the bookshelves, when Sasuke suddenly hid behind me. I raised my eyebrow at him.

"There are some girls from my class," he whispered, pointing at one of the tables. I looked over and recognized Ino. The blond girl was sharing a book with another girl our age, who's pink hair stood out among the other two kids that were with them. Sasuke had told me how some of the girls in his class had developed a crush on him and therefore kept following him around whenever they saw him. He completely blew my mind with that information. Never could I have imagined someone at our age liking someone else romantically. Well, liking anyone romantically no matter what age was weird to me. Theoretically I knew how love and sex worked, but it was never something I felt like I needed to experience myself in the slightest. The idea of falling in love with someone and having that kind of intimate contact was rather repulsive. I tried reading some of Papa's romance novels, but I never understood romantic feelings, and I probably never would. But that was alright, the only love I needed was the one I had for my best friend and my parents.

So, I did what a best friend did and shielded Sasuke as best as I could. He was taller than me, so I didn't hide him much, but we were lucky. The girls didn't notice us, as we ducked behind a bookshelf. The raven-haired boy sighed in relief, and I pushed him towards the back of the library, where I felt no other presences. Sasuke sat on the floor and pulled out a random book from the shelf behind him, while I actually looked around for something specific. I found a few about human psyche and manipulation techniques that were commonly used in interrogations. I suspected the better ones would be in the sections for genin and the ranks above. Pity, but I was sure the ones I could read right now would still be very helpful.

"That's what you wanted to learn?" Sasuke stared at the books I returned with.

A shit eating grin spread on my face as soon as I smelled the opportunity to tease him. "I need to know how I can make you do stuff for me, without you noticing." I laughed at his horrified expression.

"Nuh- uh," he said and placed the book he was reading back where he got it from, before snatching one of mine. The next few hours were a race on who could read faster. Which was me of course, but it was pretty close. And it seemed like I was accidentally teaching Sasuke another skill. But it might actually be for my own benefit if he learned this with me, considering we could practice with each other. Either way, we had fun.

ເງົາ

"Papa!" I jumped into the man's arms, as soon I returned home. I already felt his chakra down the street and had started sprinting. He'd been away on missions lately, so I'd missed him terribly.

"There's my little firefly," he laughed, spinning me around, which made me giggle in glee.

"Did you beat up any bad people?" I asked as he put me down and helped me out of my shoes. He made a show of looking around, checking if Mama was listening, even though we both knew she was upstairs. I would have never asked, if she was in earshot. She didn't like him telling me about stuff like that, probably to protect my childish innocence. I didn't have the heart to tell her, that that ship already sailed a long time ago.

"Sure did, I saved my teammates butts." He winked before ruffling my hair. I enjoyed seeing him safe and sound, so I didn't comment on his lie. He was just trying to entertain me. I met his team from his time as genin once and knew they were stronger than him. A lot of people were. Papa's chakra was rather weak, something I noticed after I had a few layers from my seal removed and was able to feel more than people's presences. I was pretty sure he barely made it to chunin. Anything above was not possible for him, and I often worried when he left for missions. I hoped the only ones he was sent on, were escort missions for some unimportant civilian. That way he was out of harm's way. He sometimes had to do some fighting, returning with a few scratches and bruises every now and then. But nothing major, luckily.

"You messed up my hair," I pouted, struggling to remove his hand from my head. He laughed at my complaint and simply picked me up.

"Don't worry, I'll fix it," he promised and carried me to the kitchen, where he sat me down on a chair. I positioned myself so the back of the chair was at my side, to give him easy access to my long hair, while he left to get a brush and some hair ties. Swinging my feet, I hummed Mama's song and enjoyed the rhythmic feeling of the brush on my head.
"Braids?" Papa asked, already parting my white hair down the middle.

"Yes please."

He nodded and joined my humming while he worked, tapping his foot to the beat. Mama apparently heard us, because she came down the stairs with a big smile. She gave Papa a kiss and then took over the other half of my hair.

When I saw Sasuke later in the evening for training, he laughed at my mismatched braids, which were obviously the work of two people with a different style. But they couldn't have been more beautiful in my eyes, so I punched him in the shoulder as punishment. 

Chapter Text

I took a deep breath, before approaching the girl on the swing. The sun was relentless today, so I wasn't sure if the sweat on my forehead was from the heat or because I was more nervous than I wanted to be. 

"Hi, Ino-san," I greeted her, almost forgetting the honorific. It felt awkward calling a six-year-old san, but she was still older than me. And I wanted to make a good impression. She already looked suspicions.
"I wanted to apologize for being rude in the past," I said, playing the shy and hesitant girl, I wanted her to think I was. I even shuffled my feet and lowered my eyes to underline the persona I was portraying. Sasuke was watching, well-hidden atop a tree nearby, armed with pen and paper to rank my performance. We agreed that Ino would be perfect to try our new manipulation tactics, considering the girl didn't like me. Getting her to change her mind about me and befriending her would be a big step in mastering this art. It would also win me a lot of free pastries from my favourite bakery, considering Sasuke bet against me succeeding today.  

"It's just," I forced my eyes to become misty, which took a lot of self-control, " I don't really have a lot of friends, and I thought you were so nice and pretty, so I didn't know how to behave. I now know that I was doing it wrong." I fidgeted with my fingers, before finally looking in her eyes, making my voice quieter for the finishing touch. "I'm really sorry." 

She stared at me, visibly surprised and torn on what to think. For a second I thought I had to say goodbye to free baked goods, when she stood up and clasped my hands in hers.
"I'm sorry for not giving you a chance to explain yourself!" I had to hold back from twisting my face. Her voice was way too loud. Instead, I forced myself to smile shyly. "All is forgiven. And don't worry, I'll be your friend from today on," she declared. I beamed at her, which was very much genuine, because I heard Sasuke's quiet "shet" from the tree he was sitting on. Time to rob him of his allowance. But maybe a six-year-old naive girl was too easy a target. Not that I would ever say that to him, of course. It was his idea to bet, so it was his own fault. 

An hour later, Sasuke and I were sitting by the lake, looking over his notes, while I was happily munching on a chocolate bun, that came fresh out of his pocket money. 
"Shy is good, but I think you laid in on a bit too thick," he said, tapping his pen on the wooden dock. I nodded at his observation. It also felt way too awkward, something an experienced shinobi would definitely notice. I had to appear more natural. 

"I think I need to study some actual shy kids our age to properly learn it," I suggested. He wrote the idea down.

"I'll see if I can find someone like that in my class." He then circled a few words on the paper. "But maybe quiet and polite would be better for you." He was right, that would come more naturally to me. I was more on the quiet side, mostly because I was bad at talking to peers. But also, because I was so used to a hostile environment where I had to stay hidden and listen for other people, in order to survive. Old habits really did die hard, it seemed. 

"What persona do you want?" I asked the boy, flipping the paper over so we could start making notes on him. Sasuke apparently already thought about it, because he immediately wrote something down, a proud grin on his face. "Quiet, handsome and mysterious," I read out loud, and gave him a look. "Seriously?"

"What?" He crossed his arms and blew a strand of dark hair from his face. "I can look out of the window in thought and stuff like that. Trust me, it's gonna be awesome." I shook my head at him and his everlasting effort to look cool. What a drama queen. But I wasn't going to stop him, if that's what he wanted to do. For all I knew, it would probably work the best. I couldn't see him trying to be all extroverted and sunshine towards other people. The thought of a Sasuke like that gave me the chills. 

"Alright, but who will you talk to for practice? You don't have any other friends," I pointed out, which earned me a punch in the shoulder. 

"Neither do you!" he tried defending himself. Too bad for him, I knew he would say that.

I grinned at him like the cheeky brat I was and made a wrong buzzer sound. "Ehh, wrong! Ino said she'd be my friend." His face fell, realizing I now had more friends than him, ergo I was better than him at something. Which he didn't welcome at all. "She even told me to drop the honorifics," I added, basking in my sweet victory. 

"Shut up," he muttered, stabbing the wood with his pen. "I'll befriend five times more people than you," he declared, raising his fist to the sky, which was very much not quiet and mysterious of him. 

"Your fangirls don't count," I set my terms and held out my hand. Without thinking he took it, sealing the deal and his fate. And the fate of his wallet. The bakery would be rich once I was done with him. Maybe they would even open a new store and expand their selection. Sasuke didn't notice the diabolic grin on my face. 

ເງົາ

My fire training was making big progress, even without Itachi. It was a shame the Uchiha was too occupied with his duties, as he was spending less and less time with Sasuke. My friend tried not showing how disappointed he was, but he's always been bad at hiding it from me. Itachi and a lot of other Uchiha were behaving strange lately, even I noticed the tension between him, his parents and other clan members. But it was not my place to say anything, so I simply convinced Sasuke to spend more time at my place, when we couldn't go to the library or lake. I tried my best to keep him out of all that adult stuff, and it seemed like I succeeded. The boy didn't notice anything and was simply glad he got to spend time with me when his brother told him ‘Later'. 

"Are you excited about going to the academy, Kayomi-chan?" I looked up from the drawing I was working on. Ino and the other girls were looking at me expectantly, all having paused their own work, when the blond group leader asked the question. Being accepted into their little circle took less effort than we thought, in return, it took more for me to be able to tolerate them. But it was necessary. It was good practice for me, considering I had to adjust myself to each of them, without anyone noticing. Sasuke and I completely abandoned the idea of me being shy. He did find a girl in his class we wanted to learn from, but she couldn't even form a complete sentence when we approached her and almost passed out. Neither of us had enough patience to deal with that, so we scratched the idea from our notes. 

"Kind of? I just don't like being indoors the whole day, when it's not in my room with my plants." The girls giggled. To be fair, I had almost forgotten the academy would start again in a few days, too occupied with training and reading every important book in the library I could get my hands on. But I needed to be prepared when I wanted to look my best in front of the teachers. Sasuke often said I was overreacting, which I skilfully ignored. There was no such thing as not being careful enough. 

"I'm sure you'll manage," Ino patted my head, "I'm just sad we won't be in the same class." Liar. I already knew the girl was self-conscious of my presence, ever since she learned Sasuke was my best friend. I tried explaining to her that I was absolutely not interested in the boy like that, but she never fully believed me. Not like I cared enough. She was never a dear friend to me, more like an experiment. One I would probably have to end, once school started. 
I smiled at her as answer, not telling her I fully intended to skip a year and be in her class. 

"Alright, see you all later," I said, after looking at the park watch. 

Ino followed my eyes and waved. "Tell my mom hi for me," she said, before returning to her drawing. 

"Will do." I packed up my things and left the group, taking the main road towards the Yamanaka flower shop. The kind woman smiled upon my entry and had already prepared my daily order. White chrysanthemums. Armed with the flowers, I relayed Ino's greeting, before heading back out and toward the cemetery. Which was a place I only recently learned about. Otherwise, I would have started doing this earlier. 

I went around the graves and replaced some of the old flowers with new ones, taking my sweet time so as many people as possible would notice me. I went at the busiest time for this exact reason. A lot of the graves had no one taking care of them and it helped my image if people saw me doing it. Being among the dead was also very comforting for me.

I brushed some dirt from my pants and made my way towards the last stop. The big stone with all the names from ninja, who died in service of the village. Only today it already had a visitor. I studied the man in standard shinobi uniform. His spiky hair was silver and standing at an odd angle. But what stood out the most was his immense chakra, or at least what I felt of it, because he kept it well hidden. Too bad for him, Kage made me even more sensible to that, so I noticed it anyway. Carefully, I stepped around him and now also noticed the mask that covered halt of his face, through the corner of my eye. I felt him watching me as I placed my last few flowers in front of the stone, after removing some of the dust. I knelt for a second longer in a pretend prayer, before standing back up and smiling politely at the man. He completely ignored me as I left. Rude. Regardless, I made a mental note to remember his chakra. If he was that strong, I was sure I'd meet him again. And if he turned out to be a problem later on, was left to be seen. As I said, one could not be careful enough. 

Chapter Text

Mama's hand was firmly wrapped around my little one, keeping me at her side, even though we both knew I wouldn't dash ahead. Her other held Sasuke's, the boy being more excited for my first day of school than me. Papa walked behind us, and I returned his smile, when I looked back at him.

"Alright, firefly, have fun and tell us how it was later," Mama said when we stopped in front of the building. She let go of our hands and handed me the money I needed to go supply shopping later. I kissed both their cheeks and waved after them, as they left. Both had work they needed to get back to, so they didn't have time to accompany us after my first day. But that was fine, I had Sasuke after all. Said boy smiled as he took my hand and guided me inside. We still had some time before we had to be inside our classrooms, so he showed me around a bit. A few students stared after us, probably his classmates that never saw this side of him.

"See you later," he said, dropping me off at my new classroom, which I hopefully wouldn't see that often. I waved after him and stepped inside. A lot of kids my age were already present, some seemed to know each other, considering how they were split into small groups and laughing happily. I scanned the room for a second, before deciding on a window seat in the second row. Not too far in the front and not too far in the back.

"Settle down please," the teacher called, as she entered. Following the order, the excited kids sat down, and the room fell quiet. "I'm Miko-sensei, your main teacher for the next few years," she introduced herself. Miko-sensei was a tall woman, with brown hair and eyes of the same colour. She seemed gentle but also like she knew how to be strict, if needed. I felt for her chakra, trying to measure her strength. She was a bit above average.

"We'll all introduce our-self and then make a supply list. After that we go to the assembly room, where Hokage-sama will give a speech," she informed us, before motioning the first kid in the front to start. One after the other, we all stood up and stated our name, before sitting back down. I didn't understand why everyone was so excited. Some practically jumped, when it was their turn. It was dreadfully boring, and I was very glad I'd never have to to this again. Making the supply list was also a waste of time. I could have just taken Sasuke's old one. Too bad neither of us thought of this before he threw it away. Some of the students had a few questions, so we didn't even get a small break, before we were all herded towards the big hall.

I looked around the crowd in search of my raven-haired friend and spotted him near the front. But there were too many people around him, so I decided against joining him. I recognized Ino as one of the girls trying to get his attention. Slowly I was starting to understand why they annoyed him so much. I shook my head and focused on the leader of the village, who was saying something along the lines of 'being a ninja is a great duty'. Obvious stuff and a lot of bla bla. I stopped listening halfway through.

After the Hokage was done, everyone was free to go. I moved aside, to let the other kids pass, while trying to catch Sasuke's eyes. Standing on my tiptoes, I waved at him, when he finally looked over to where I was. Together we went back towards my classroom, where I felt Miko-sensei's chakra. The woman was standing behind her podium, but she looked up from her documents, when we entered.

"Kayomi-chan, Sasuke-kun, how can I help you?"

I let go of Sasuke's hand and plastered a polite smile on my face. "I would like to skip my first year," I informed her. She made an 'oh?' sound and now completely put her papers away. "I already learned everything from Sasuke, and I think I'm more than ready for the second year." The boy next to me nodded along. "Would it be possible for me to take a test to prove my ability?" I asked.

She looked at me in thought for a second, before giving us a slow nod. "If Sasuke-kun can vouch for you," he immediately did, "then I guess I can talk to Hokage-sama later and test you tomorrow before class. Be here three hours earlier." We thanked her profoundly and left the room, before there was a chance she changed her mind.

"That was a little easier than I thought," I told my friend, taking his supply list and comparing it with mine. There were only a few additional things on his, so I already stuffed mine in my pocket, considering I wouldn't need it anymore.

"No kidding," he muttered. We both shrugged and made our way to the weapons store.

ເງົາ

I tapped my foot while waiting for Miko-sensei to arrive. I already felt her in the building with Hokage-sama and was just waiting for them to come to my classroom, so I could start the test.

"Hello, Kayomi-chan," the old man greeted me as soon as they stepped inside. I bowed in polite response and took my seat, when he signalled me to. Miko-sensei placed a small pile of papers face down in front of me and also provided me with a pen. Probably to avoid all cheating.

"You may start," the sensei told me, glancing at the clock on the wall. I flipped the paper and carefully began reading the questions, before scribbling my answers next to them. The first ten pages were stuff I expected, all the questions being about stuff I learned from Sasuke. So far so good. I flipped to the last page and paused. Rereading the questions once, then twice. I stole a glance at the Hokage and Miko-sensei, who were watching me like hawks.

The last page was filled with topics no first-year should know. Well, no normal first-year. I knew some of them, simply because Sasuke and I had a habit of making everything a competition. So, we both learned some things in advance.

"Excuse me," I slowly said, not sure if I should fill out the answers. "I'm only trying to skip the first year."

Hokage-sama leaned forward with an expectant look in his eyes. "Why only the first year?" he asked.

I looked from one adult to the other. I knew there were some cases of students who graduated at my age, but I didn't think that was a good idea. "I'm severely lacking in my social skills, so I think being among my peers would benefit me. If I skipped multiple years or graduated early, I would miss this chance of learning from others my age," I explained. Well, I also wanted to stay with Sasuke. But they didn't need to know that.

Hokage-sama smiled, clearly satisfied with my reasoning. "Don't worry," he said, "just fill out what you know. We won't put you in a class you don't want to be in."

I exhaled in relief and shifted my concentration back onto my paper. I couldn't answer everything on the last page, but I was able to write a decent amount.

Both adults looked over my answers, while I sat in front of them anxiously. I tried my best not to fidget too much, only allowing myself to show a little nervousness. In the end, everything went well, and I passed with flying colours. Sensei patted my head as she guided me towards the teacher's room.

"Wait here for a second, I'll get your new teacher to introduce you," she told me and disappeared inside. I glanced around the hallway and let my senses flood the building. A few students had already arrived; Sasuke was among them. My friend was sitting inside his classroom, probably staring out the window like the edgelord he wanted to be. A crowd was gathering in front of the academy, as the rest of the students slowly made their way inside. Class would start soon, I realized when I looked at the clock on the wall.

"Yuto-sensei, this is Kayomi-chan. Your new student," Miko-sensei introduced me to a short, blond man. He studied me for a second, before smiling friendly.

"Nice to meet you," he said, which I replied with a bow. He laughed, probably not expecting me to be so well mannered. "Follow me, class is about to start anyway."

I said goodbye to Miko-sensei and hurried after my new teacher. "Sensei, would it be possible for you to seat me next to my friend, Uchiha Sasuke?" I asked, looking at him with innocent eyes. When he raised an eyebrow, I elaborated. "I'm worried that if I sit next to him by myself, the girls that like him will probably not want to be my friends. I don't know anyone else, so I would like to be able to befriend them."

His eyes softened. "I see. If I decide where you sit, they can't say it's your fault." I nodded, lowering my eyes in fake shyness. But it worked. "Alright, no problem," he said, giving me thumbs up. "Oh, and tell me if anyone starts picking on you," he added.

"Thank you very much." I smiled as we came to a stop in front of his classroom. It felt like everyone else had already arrived. Yuto-sensei pushed the door open and walked inside, while telling the kids to sit down. I followed after him, glancing at Sasuke, who was already smiling at me.

"Listen up class. This is Jikan Kayomi. She skipped the first year and will now be your fellow classmate. I expect everyone to treat her with kindness, understood?" The children answered in unison and Yuto-sensei nodded in satisfaction. I looked through the curios glances and noticed Ino staring at me in shock. It took great effort to hold back my sneer. "Take your seat next to Sasuke-kun, please," the teacher told me, ignoring the outraged sounds from some of the girls. I nodded and walked over to my friend, who winked at me. He patted my back for a second, after I sat down, congratulating me for succeeding in getting our teacher to sit me next to him. I could care less about the other girls' opinions, what mattered was getting Yuto-sensei on my side. He now pitied me and was more likely to take my side, should Sasuke's fangirls start anything I needed to finish.

At lunch time, Sasuke quietly matched faces to the names he already told me in the past. My eyes stopped at a blond kid with whisker like markings on his cheeks. He sat alone in the far back, his head lazily resting on his hand, as he stared out the window. But what drew my attention was his chakra.

"Who's that?" I asked, nodding to the boy. Sasuke made a face.

"Uzumaki Naruto. He's an annoying troublemaker. I don't know why, but the whole village kinda avoids him." He tilted his head, remembering something else. "When I asked Mom about him, she seemed sad and didn't want to talk about it. She just said he had an unfortunate fate."

I hummed as answer, sticking one of the egg rolls Papa made me into my mouth. Naruto — having felt my stare — looked at us and when his blue eyes met mine, I felt Kage jump. Which in turn made me jump. The boy wrinkled his nose and left the classroom. He didn't take anything to eat with him.

"What was that?" Sasuke jabbed his elbow into my side, but I dismissed him with a wave of my hand. I busied myself with my food, in order to avoid further questions, while I felt for Kage in my subconsciousness. The shadow couldn't speak, but that was not necessary between us. We understood each other without words. And what my friend told me was very fascinating.

Uzumaki Naruto had a special friend himself, but it was sealed so deep within him, he probably didn't even know. Kage was sure the being in the boy was similar to the shadow himself, which might help us understand what Kage even was. Neither of us remembered how he came to be sealed inside me, so our curiosity was very much spiked.

ເງົາ

"There's this kid in my class," I started the subject with my parents at dinner. "His name is Uzumaki Naruto." Mama dropped her chopsticks and the rest of my sentence got stuck in my throat, when I saw the dark look in her eyes.

"Do not ask any questions about that boy," she warned me. I studied both of my parents. They seemed stuck in bad memories, which sent an idea through my mind. Sasuke said the whole village disliked Naruto. A boy who was probably around seven years old, so he was probably born around the same time, when a tragedy struck the village. A boy who had a strong being sealed inside him.

"Is this related to when the village was almost destroyed seven years ago?" Mama closed her eyes in pain, while Papa ran his hand through his hair, also clearly distressed.

"Firefly, you really are too smart for your own good," he muttered.

"We are not allowed to talk about this," Mama said, giving me another warning look. Oh, I was so gonna talk about this.

"I know he has something sealed inside him. I felt it in his chakra." Which was a bit of a lie. I noticed something was abnormal about him. Kage noticed the rest.

Mama pushed her plate from her, seemingly having lost her appetite. "That day, seven years ago, a nine-tailed fox demon attacked the village," she slowly began, ignoring my father's dark face. "That demon was sealed inside a new-born by the fourth Hokage, saving everyone." I nodded along, biting my lip in thought. "Honey, you absolutely cannot tell anyone about this. It is forbidden by the third Hokage," she added, Papa voiced his agreement.

"I promise I won't." At least not in the next years. I might tell Sasuke when he was older. But for now, I was distracted by their words. They said the being was a demon. Kage said it was similar to himself. So that bore the question, was Kage a demon? Or did the people here simply not understand what exactly that nine-tailed fox was and only branded it as one? The terms 'demon' and 'monster' were very easy to throw around. Humans feared things they didn't understand. And that fear was quickly turned into hostility. 

Chapter Text

School was boring. At least for now. Looking at Sasuke, we both had to stifle our yawn, as we ignored his fangirl. They learned not to approach me very quickly and now only glared at me.
Our boredom was our own fault really. We were the ones that chose to learn ahead, so almost everything we heard in class was not new. My relief was immense when the bell for lunch rang. Time to visit my bakery. As Sasuke and I left, I glanced at Naruto. The blond kid was staring at the lunchbox on his desk as if it contained poison. Carefully, he opened it, after confirming the note on the lid had his name on it. I shook my head in amusement and pulled Sasuke along.

"Why are you bringing him lunch?" my friend asked. I just smiled and shrugged. Naruto didn't know it was me who placed the food on his desk and I didn't think anyone aside Sasuke noticed either. I had watched the blond boy the last few days. He never had any food with him. So, I asked my parents to pack extra, claiming I needed it after training. Sasuke and I were always the first ones in class, so it was easy to place it on his desk and collect the empty box when everyone left. I didn't really pity the boy. Pity was useless. It was more that I related to him. Food was a luxury in my past life, so I knew what it was like to starve. There were times when I let myself be caught by knights on purpose, so I could get at least some food in prison. Breaking out later was easy with Kage's help. They didn't know about him back then, after all.

ເງົາ

I stretched my tired limbs, still sore from training. It was later than usual; the sky had already darkened. Sasuke was pulling me along in a hurry, worried he would get in trouble for losing track of time. I was bringing him home, so he would get a lesser punishment. The perks of having his parents trust and being the responsible friend.

Following the boy into the Uchiha compound, I noticed something rather odd. There were less chakra signatures than normal. Kage seemed on edge as well, noticing the difference in the atmosphere. We ran further in and as soon as the entire compound was in my range, I knew what was wrong. The Uchiha clan was dying. And one of the killers chakra I knew all too well. Itachi was murdering his family. While he was taking out the shinobi, someone else took care of the smaller signatures — civilians and children.

I glanced at Sasuke, who seemed to notice something was off, as we neared the main house. He suddenly came to a stop, staring ahead with wide, horrified eyes. I walked around him and noticed the dead bodies. A woman and her small child. The blood that pooled around them looked like dark water at night, and I was glad Sasuke was already turned away throwing up. That way he didn't have to see the intestines that were hanging from the kid's stomach.

"What's happening," he breathed weakly. I blocked his view from the corpses and rubbed his back.

"I think someone is killing everyone," I said, not daring to reveal that one of the assailants was his beloved brother.

"My parents!" He jumped back up and sprinted full speed towards his house.

Itachi was already there, and I felt Mikoto's and Fugaku's energies fade. Kage readied himself to protect the boy beside me, should anything happen.

We entered the home, not bothering to take our shoes off. Sasuke went for the bedroom door of his parents, slowly sliding it open and freezing at the scene before him. His parents were on the floor — dead. Blood pooled around the bodies, sinking into the wooden floorboards and filling the air with the metallic scent I was more than familiar with.

I stepped next to Sasuke and looked at his big brother, who was standing behind the corpses with his back facing us. Blood dripped from his sword; clear evidence of what he just did.

"Itachi-niisan," Sasuke whispered, before he keeled over and emptied the rest of his stomach on the floor. "What happened? Who did that?" His voice was coarse, and a few sobs escaped him.

"Foolish little brother." I frowned when I looked into his red sharingan eyes. The symbol had changed. But what confused me more were the dried tear stains on his cheeks. Itachi had been crying, which contradicted his cold demeanour. It was also weird how the bodies in front of us were positioned, like they had just been sitting there, accepting their death without resisting. I glanced around the room. There was no sign of a struggle. Something was very much off.

I flinched when I felt his chakra shift. Genjutsu. Kage reacted before me. He emerged from my shadow and formed a protective dome around Sasuke, effectively shielding him from the illusion Itachi was about to put him under. I stepped in front of my friend and refrained from glancing at the corner of the room, where the other killer appeared, hiding in the darkness.

"I think that's enough trauma for him, Itachi-niisan," I decided and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Kayomi, what is that?" he asked, staring at Kage with a disturbed look on his face. I forgot he had that effect on humans. I was used to him and his ominous aura by now, so it didn't bother me. Kage felt like gruesome and painful death. He felt like war. At least that's how others described it to me.

"He is my friend." A part of Kage wrapped around my arm and rubbed affectionately against my cheek. "But that's not important right now. Tell me," I gestured to the two corpses on the floor, "why did the Uchiha clan have to die?"

Itachi put on a cold look. He knew I was a sensor and that I knew that everyone was dead, not just his parents.

"Because I wanted to test my strength."

That was the stupidest thing I ever heard. I couldn't help the little chuckle that escaped my lips.

"Sure." I shrugged. "But I think you'll wanna get out of here now, because I'm gonna scream now and we both know you won't kill me," I warned him, nodding towards the window.

"No one will hear you this far out."

I smiled at him. "Not that kind of scream." I flared my chakra, creating an invisible beacon for every ANBU and jonin in this village to notice. Within seconds I felt shinobi coming towards us, alarmed by the sudden energy. Itachi spared me one last look, before he and the other man disappeared. I pulled Kage back and caught Sasuke in my arms. The poor boy had lost his consciousness, probably due to Kage's disturbing aura.

"What happened here?" I stared at the familiar man with spiky silver hair. He was the one I often met at the cemetery. Rubbing the fake tears from my cheek, I hugged Sasuke tighter, perfectly playing the scared child I was supposed to be now.

"Itachi-niisan killed the Uchiha clan," I hiccupped and held Sasuke towards the man. "Please help him." The man inhaled with a hiss, sending a signal to the other shinobi, before picking us up and running full speed towards the hospital.

ເງົາ

Kicking my feet, I kept track of the chakras at the end of the hallway outside the room. The Hokage was talking with a few shinobi and my parents, who arrived a few minutes ago. He was probably telling them about the incident. Sasuke and I had been quickly examined, but we were both free of any physical injuries, so the Uchiha boy was placed in a bed to rest, while I told the adults and the Hokage what had happened. I relayed Itachi's reason for his action but left out the other man that helped him. There was no telling who was involved in this, so I thought it was better to keep my mouth shut.

I hopped off the chair I was sitting on, when Sasuke began to wake up. The boy sat up in his bed and stared at the wall in front of him. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart, when I saw the hollow look in his eyes. Jumping on the bed, I hugged my friend as tight as I could and buried my face in his shoulder.

"I'm here," I whispered, hoping that hearing my voice would somewhat help. It seemed like it, because Sasuke began crying and hugged me back.

"I- I thought," he struggled, swallowing hard, "he killed you too."

I shook my head. "He didn't. I'd never leave you," I promised, stoking his back and rocking us both from side to side. I heard the door open and felt my parents' presence. From the sound of it, Mama was crying and wanted to step inside, but Papa pulled her back, before closing the door again. Smart man. It was probably better to leave us alone, until Sasuke calmed down.

"Did he say anything?" Sasuke asked, peeling himself from my embrace. He had been crying for over an hour, his swollen, red eyes reflected that.

"He said he did it to test his strength," I said slowly, carefully reading his expression. Sasuke frowned in confusion, which made me sigh in relief. I had feared he had lost his reasoning and wouldn't listen to what I had to say next.

"I know that makes no sense," I said quietly and glanced at the door. He understood. We weren't alone. The whole building was surrounded by high-ranking shinobi. "Is it okay if the others come inside now?" I instead asked, carefully avoiding the term 'my parents'. He nodded, so I opened the door. Mama and Papa immediately rushed inside. Mama wrapped her arms around the Uchiha boy, while Papa swooped me up and held me tight. What followed was another hour of crying.

"We already talked with Hokage-sama." Mama wiped the tear residue from her face.

"We can be your legal guardians until you graduate. If that is something you would be alright with," Papa finished for her. Sasuke tried smiling — we all ignored how awkward it looked — as he nodded.

ເງົາ

I placed the last box on the floor, wiping at my forehead. It took a while, but we eventually managed to settle Sasuke into our home. My parents moved out of their room into the study downstairs, so my friend could have their old one. It was next to mine, something that would give him extra comfort, they hoped.

"Is it really alright?" Sasuke asked, a bit uneasy at the thought of kicking my parents out.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll enjoy the extra privacy," I muttered and rolled my eyes in disgust, as I helped him put his clothes into the dresser. He didn't seem to understand what I meant, lucky him. I stood again and looked at my work, satisfied with myself, when I noticed Sasuke looking at the bed, shifting anxiously. I felt my face soften.
"Wanna sleep in my bed tonight? I don't think I can sleep alone yet." The look of relief on his face was a little funny, but I didn't dare laugh at him. Now was not the time for teasing.

"You are lucky I'm such an amazing friend," he said, holding his head high.

I smiled. "Yep, sure am. Come on, I'm tired." I grabbed his hand and led him into the bathroom, so we could brush our teeth.

Tucked into my bed, we both stared at the ceiling, but it didn't take long until Sasuke turned his head to look at me. I knew he would ask soon, so I had prepared myself mentally as best as I could.

"Kayomi?" he whispered. I hummed to show him I was listening. "What was that black thing that surrounded me?" I sat up, he copied me. It was too dark for him to properly see what I was about to show him, so I turned on the lamp on my nightstand.

"He's my friend. His name is Kage," I began slowly. Sasuke watched with wide eyes, as my shadow darkened and my companion carefully rose from it. He took on the form of a black and violet cat, probably to appear harmless in front of the boy, but there was nothing he could do about his hostile presence. Sasuke's face went pale, but this time he didn't faint. He reached forward, his hand shaking like a leaf in a storm. Kage took a small step towards him and nuzzled his head against the child's hand.

"What exactly is he?" the Uchiha asked, eyeing the tip of the cat's tail, which stretched unnaturally long and was still connected to my shadow. Kage wasn't able to completely leave me.

"Honestly? We don't really know. He might be a demon. Or he's just a shadow creature. We're trying to figure that out. But no one knows about him."

"But he's your friend?" Sasuke asked and smiled when I nodded. "Then he's my friend too." A weight fell from my shoulders and I petted Kage's head, who opened his mouth in a silent meow.

"Listen, about what happened with Itachi." I couldn't wait any longer. He deserved to hear about my suspicions. "I think there is something else going on," I confessed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, everyone in the clan was behaving kind of weird lately," I started, fidgeting with my fingers. "When we," I swallowed, "when we found your parents, the way their bodies lay and the way the room looked was strange. There wasn't any sign of them resisting." Sasuke's eyes darkened, but he was thinking about my words. "Itachi was crying," I added. The boy looked at me in surprise.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, but I think the whole story about him wanting to test his strength was bullshit." I knew there was no one else listening, but I still lowered my voice. "He wasn't alone. There was another man that helped him kill them." 

Chapter Text

Word of what happened to the Uchiha clan spread like wildfire. A lot of Sasuke's fangirls tried extra hard to cheer him up, which was more of an annoyance to him. Fortunately, they got that message quickly. Well, one of them didn't. The pink-haired Haruno Sakura. I had to give it to her; she knew how to be persistent. And how to be a bother. Every day, she brought extra food for him, which neither of us could finish on top of our own portions. Throwing it away would have been a waste, therefore we tried refusing and giving it back, but the girl was adamant, and we had to give up. We resorted to giving it to Naruto. The boy could really use the extra. Although we once forgot to remove the little note that read 'love, Sakura', so now the blond troublemaker was under the impression that all his extra meals were from the pink-haired kid.

"I think he now has a crush on her because of us," Sasuke whispered to me. I looked over at the Uzumaki and noticed his face blushing, when Sakura walked past his desk. Shrugging, I turned back to my textbook. Oh well, not really our problem. I had bigger worries. The dark circles under Sasuke's eyes for example. He was nowhere near getting enough sleep, always being awoken by nightmares. It sometimes took the rest of the night for me to calm him down. He acted like everything was fine during the day, so none of the adults noticed. At least not until I said anything. We had a not so fun fight last week, after I told my parents how concerned I was. But it was worth it, considering Sasuke would start therapy next week.

"Alright, class," our teacher waved us out of the room, "time for taijutsu practice." We followed him outside and gathered at the training area, where Yuto-sensei drew a circle in the dirt.
"One on one fight, whoever leaves the circle, loses. Shikamaru-kun and Kiba-kun, you first."

The Nara boy voiced his annoyance, but stepped into the circle, nonetheless. Although his lack of effort still cost him the fight. Yuto-sensei sighed at the boy, not expecting anything else, before looking at Sasuke and me. We were both about to step forward, but sensei shook his head.

"Sasuke-kun," the girls squealed, "and Shino-kun." The insect boy looked up in surprise, and I stepped back in discontent. Sasuke was usually paired with me, considering our skill level was far ahead of our peers. He also won last time, so I was eager to even the score again. But I also understood our teacher's side. If we only sparred with each other, we wouldn't be able to grow after a certain point. On the other hand, being paired up with any of the other kids in our class wasn't much of a challenge. Sasuke's match reflected that perfectly.

I rubbed my ears and moved away from the girls, who were busy screaming Sasuke's name. At the same time, Naruto stepped up.
"I want to fight him," the boy declared, glaring at my best friend, while ignoring the fans' angry protests. Sensei allowed it, so they began fighting. Naruto wasn't bad, but he was no match for the raven-haired boy. He lost after three minutes. It was a shame he spent most of his time causing trouble instead of training. He had a lot of potential and if he learned how to harness the fox within him, he would have a bright future. But life was unfair and the only person who could change his was Naruto himself.

ເງົາ

Armed with my usual flowers, I marched towards the cemetery, throwing one braid over my shoulder. My white hair was already past my waist and Mama kept trying to get me to cut it, but I held strong in my refusal. I loved my hair. I was never able to grow it out in my past life, and even if I didn't cut it for a while, it was way too curly, so it always looked shorter than it actually was. Now, my hair was more on the wavy side. Papa was with Mama on that topic, saying it would get in the way in a fight and how easier short hair was when washing. But I didn't mind. Keeping it clean and healthy was therapeutic for me. Sasuke also liked helping me brush it, the boy even gave me a new one for my eighth birthday last month.

I finished my usual route, greeting familiar faces along the way, as I walked towards the memorial stone. Its usual guest was already there. If I didn't feel his energy in other parts of the village sometimes, I'd think he never left the grave. And like always, he didn't react to my presence. I placed the flowers in front of the stone, one for each name.

"May I ask you a question?" It was the first time I ever talked to him and aside from him glancing at me, he didn't move. I took it as a sign to continue. "Do you have any good scrolls on fūinjutsu? Especially the ones about sealing living beings?"

"Why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I wasn't expecting him to actually answer and almost jumped in surprise. Carefully, I smiled and fiddled my fingers.

"I'm trying to do a presentation at the academy, but the library doesn't have anything about it. At least not in the section I'm able to enter. My sensei said we were allowed to ask for help, if we came across this problem," I explained, forcing a blush to my cheeks. It was only half a lie. I did choose this as my presentation topic, but only to see if I could find anything about Kage and his kind.

Instead of answering, the man just turned and left. I frowned. He really was rude.

"Any luck?" Sasuke sat on my bed and flipped through his notes. His topic was the sharingan. I tossed him one of the buns I bought from the bakery and shook my head.

"Rude bitch just left after I asked." He huffed on my behalf and hurried to eat his treat, before I could take it from him, after finishing my own. He learned from his mistakes, after all. Kage appeared from my shadow in cat form and settled himself in Sasuke's lap. The boy absentmindedly stroked his head. He was getting used to the dark being, but I didn't think he could ever be fully comfortable around him. Unlike myself, Sasuke took no comfort in the presence of violence. I picked Kage up and rested my own head on Sasuke's thighs, placing the shadow on my stomach. The boy brushed my hair from his notes, muttering something about redoing my braids. 

"Maybe you'll have better luck tomorrow," he encouraged. I nodded as answer and closed my eyes, as he began massaging my scalp with his free hand. Humming Mama's song, I scratched Kage's chin. He was becoming more and more like a real cat, his whole body vibrating in a silent purr.

The Uchiha was right, I did have better luck the next day, because instead of the man, I found a pile of books and scrolls in front of the memorial stone. I smiled as I brushed away the dust and placed the flowers.

ເງົາ

"Thank you, Kayomi-chan," Yuto-sensei said, as he and the rest of the class clapped, after I finished with my presentation. Despite not feeling any joy, I smiled. The books I got were very interesting, but there were too many things I couldn't understand. And they didn't really help me either. All I learned about Kage was that I had to go to a professional for help. The term jinchūriki popped up at some point, but there was no further explanation. It was highly likely, that the man only gave me stuff about the basic information. Which made sense, why would he give the good stuff to a little kid he only talked to twice. Meaning, I had to break into the higher-ranking section in the library. I would very much prefer breaking into the archive in the Hokage tower, since that was where they kept all the juicy information — like the truth about the Uchiha clan, we guessed — but that place was heavily guarded around the clock. I would need a very big distraction to be able to enter. One I wasn't sure we could create on our own, so all we could do was wait. And break into the chunin section at the library in the meantime.

"What even is your plan?" Sasuke whispered after I cracked the lock on the front door. He followed me inside the building.

"There are chakra detection seals on the door to the chunin section, that go off when someone who's chakra isn't registered enters," I explained, pointing at said door. The seals weren't visible to the naked eye, but since the seal on myself was fully removed, I had no problem finding them. "Kage doesn't have chakra, so I can temporarily disable them with his help."

"Then why did you even bother asking the grave guy?" I snorted at the nickname Sasuke gave the man. But fair, neither of us knew his name.

"To see if he would help me. Also, it would be really suspicious if I just held my presentation on a topic I shouldn't know anything about, without asking anyone for help." Sasuke nodded. I placed my hand on the door, letting Kage do his thing. Not even a minute later, we were able to go inside, not a single alarm going off.
"Good job," I told my companion, who formed a smile in the air.

"I hate it when he does that," Sasuke commented, "it looks so creepy."

I shrugged. "I think it's cute."

"That's because you're weird. Like, why does he need to add teeth?" Kage's smile turned into a sad face, at Sasuke's word. I rolled my eyes at both of them and started looking through the shelves. It took us longer to look at all the titles, neither of us daring to turn on any kind of light. When we found something interesting, we huddled together in a corner and used Kage as a shield, his dark body forming a tent, that completely swallowed any light trying to escape. We flipped through multiple books and scrolls, before finally finding something that mentioned jinchūriki.

"They are humans with tailed beasts sealed inside them," I read, sharing a look with Sasuke.

"There's more than the one in Naruto?" He took the book from me, flipping to another page. "It says they are chakra monsters," he quietly read and I sighed in defeat.

Kage was not made of chakra, so he couldn't be one of those tailed beasts. But I already thought so, considering my friend came from a different world and was only here, because a god allowed it.

"Maybe one of the tailed beasts can help you," the Uchiha said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "They seem to be really old, so maybe they know something, or at least can help you remember."

"Yeah, worth a try," I agreed and placed the book back where we got it from. "Come on, time to leave. The seals will soon start working again." We got rid of any trace that could indicate someone was here and headed for the training grounds. We still needed an alibi for why we were out so late, so we started sparring.

I slammed Sasuke into the ground, and watched as he rolled in the dirt, for good measure. I did the same when he tripped me. It didn't take long before we looked like we had been training the entire time. And just to be safe, we took the main road, collecting as many witnesses as possible.

"Where have you..." Mama stopped her lecture when she saw us, covered in dirt and grass. We grinned at her sheepishly. "Never mind, go wash up," she sighed and shook her head as she shooed us towards the stairs.

Chapter Text

I yawned and put my head on Sasuke's shoulder. Yuto-sensei's successor — Iruka-sensei — was busy lecturing Naruto, so we could only watch and wait. Again. I had tried approaching the blond boy in hopes of speaking to the fox inside him, but he was quick in evading any attempts. He didn't like Sasuke; therefore, he didn't like me. A bit unfair, but whatever. If he refused to talk to me, I simply had to find a jinchūriki that would. Tomorrow was our graduation, meaning being able to leave the village was getting closer by the second. The more years passed, the more restless my friend and I grew. We had reached an academic standstill, not moving forward in our growth, which was frustrating to say the least. We couldn't wait to be put in teams and learn from a jonin instructor.

"We are now about to begin the graduation test," Iruka-sensei announced. "When your name is called, proceed to the next classroom. The test is on the clone jutsu." I blinked in confusion and shared a blank look with Sasuke.

"That's it?" he whispered, just as baffled as I.

"Maybe he didn't give us the full information on purpose. No way, that's all it takes to graduate." I stood up after my name was called and walked to the testing room. Iruka-sensei and Mizuki- sensei sat at the front behind a desk, the headbands with the village symbol spread out before them.

"I just have to perform the jutsu?" I confirmed with them, still not fully convinced. They nodded, so I formed the seal and was promptly surrounded by five versions of myself.

"Congratulations, you passed," Mizuki-sensei said, handing me one of the headbands. Huh. Really that easy. No wonder every idiot could become a shinobi. I shook my head and left the school, waiting for Sasuke outside.

"Do you think there's gonna be a second test, after we are put in teams?" I asked my friend while we were waiting for my parents. We told them we'd be fine on our own, but they insisted on picking us up.

"Probably. There would be more shinobi, if becoming one was that easy." I agreed and glanced at the swing Naruto was sitting on. The boy didn't pass, his sad face reflecting that fact. I turned away when Mizuki-sensei approached him with a sly grin. That smelled like drama, and I had no intention of getting involved.

ເງົາ

Stretching my tired arms, I opened the classroom door. I was glad to be out of this building soon; the toilets were an eyesore. Speaking of eyesore. I sighed at Sasuke and Naruto, who were glaring daggers at each other. The blond boy was crouched on our desk; their faces so close, their noses almost touched.

"It's too early for this," I mumbled, glancing at the fangirls, who were anything but quiet. My ears would thank me once I didn't have to deal with them anymore. Stepping forward, I was about to say something when the inevitable happened. Someone accidentally pushed Naruto, and the boy lost his balance. He didn't fall far, but since they were already so close together, it was far enough. And I had the perfect view of their kiss. I snorted, desperately trying — and failing — to keep my laughter in, but it was no use. The boys separated quickly, so busy in retching, they didn't notice the angry girls that closed in. Wiping my tears, I took my place next to Sasuke, who was glaring at me, still wiping his mouth. Naruto had been dragged off the table by Sakura and her gang.

"Don't laugh," the raven-haired boy hissed, but took the handkerchief I offered.

"You should have seen your face," I teased and got an elbow in my side as reward. Nevertheless, the shit eating grin didn't leave my face.

Iruka-sensei entered the room, resulting in everyone taking their seat. I was surprised when Naruto settled next to me, but considering the hit he just took to his head, he probably couldn't move to another.

"As of today, you all have become full-fledged ninja," the teacher said, smiling proudly. "However, you're still genin and the tough part's still to come." I refrained from rolling my eyes. It was obvious that not everyone in this room would survive to adulthood. That's how this world worked. Sasuke nudged me when he noticed me losing focus.
"From here on, you'll be in a squad of three and carry out your missions under a jonin teacher," he announced, sending murmurs throughout the class. It was shocking how many students didn't know this. It was also pretty easy to guess a few teams, based on balance and family ties.

"Now then, next is group seven." Iruka glanced at his paper, as if he didn't already know who was in which team. He barely looked at his list for the previous six. "Uzumaki Naruto," the blond boy perked up, probably hoping to be grouped with Sakura, "Uchiha Sasuke and Jikan Kayomi." Like I said, obvious. I ignored the jealous glares from most of the other girls and glanced at the troublemaker next to me, who was hanging his head in disappointment. Maybe now I had a chance to talk to the fox.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto stood up and pointed at Sasuke and me. "Why does an exceptional student like me have to be in the same group with these two?!" Or maybe I should really just look for another jinchūriki.

Iruka sighed and tapped the papers he held. "They have the best grades of the graduated. Naruto, you're at the bottom!" The other kids laughed. "Of course, this is how it is when trying to balance the strength within groups," our teacher explained.

"Just don't get in my way, loser," Sasuke teased. Naruto was about to explode on him but stopped when I jabbed my friend's side so hard, he winced.

"Let's all calm down now," I said with the nicest smile I could manage. Naruto got the message and sat back down but inched away from me a little.

"In the afternoon, I'll introduce you to your jonin teachers. You're dismissed until then!"

I grabbed Sasuke's hand and dragged him outside. He still owned me free pastries after losing in yesterday's training.
"My wallet hates you," he informed me with a pained expression, as he watched me pick out multiple things. I acknowledged it with a smile.

"Say, what was that with Naruto about?" I asked, as we walked back towards the academy. Sasuke paused mid bite and lowered his bread.

"He's annoying," he muttered, refusing to look in my eyes. Confusion made me frown, but I didn't press him further. He knew I was trying to befriend the blond boy, and his behaviour was definitely not helping. But I also couldn't force him to like the jinchūriki.

We walked back into the classroom, where most of the students had already gathered again. It didn't take long before Iruka-sense stuck his head into the room, the first jonin instructor behind him. "Team one," he called. The group got up and followed him outside. More followed and trying to discern all the chakra made me a little dizzy. Most felt familiar, but that didn't mean I'd already met them. My sensor range almost covered the entire village, if I concentrated hard enough. And was alright with the nosebleed that followed. That gave Sasuke a pretty good scare the first time it happened. I laughed at his worried face, of course.

Soon, we were the only group left, and Naruto was beginning to grow restless. "He's late," the boy stated the obvious, sticking his head out of the door to inspect the hallways. Even Iruka left a little while ago. I sighed and watched, as the blond boy moved a stool to the door. He stepped on top and placed the chalkboard eraser between the door and the frame.

Sasuke harrumphed. "A jonin wouldn't get caught in such a weak booby trap." He glanced at me for backup, but I was already distracted by a certain chakra coming closer. No shot. I stared at the grave guy who opened the door, the brush hitting his head like planned.

"I got him, I got him," Naruto laughed while pointing at the man. Sasuke and I just stared. My friend never met him, but I described the jonin, so he definitely recognized him as well.

The man picked the brush up, and stared at it for a second, before placing his hand on his chin, pretending to think about something. "Hmm, how can I put this?" he began, "As for my first impression of you guys?" Lowering his hand, he looked at us with the bored expression I had seen every day for the past years. "Well, I hate you." Naruto and Sasuke hung their heads in defeat.

"Nice to see you again," I said instead, placing a nice smile on my face. He didn't answer, ever the rude bastard, and motioned us to follow him.

"Do you know him, Kayomi-chan?" Naruto whispered not so quietly, as we walked up the stairs, towards the garden on the roof.

"We met a few times," I explained vaguely, which clearly didn't satisfy his curiosity, but he didn't get the chance to ask further, because our new teacher told us to take a seat.

"Let's see," he said, sitting on the railing and crossing his arms. "First off, let me have you guys introduce yourselves. For example, your likes, dislikes, your future dream, hobbies, things like that." I raised an eyebrow. He said it like we were stupid. Not to mention how unnecessary this was. We already knew each other and he, without a doubt, read our files.

"Hey! Before that, please tell us about yourself," Naruto next to me said. I nodded in agreement. It would be impolite to not start himself. And I was curious about what his name was.

"Me?" he pointed at himself, "My name is Hatake Kakashi." Fitting. I glanced at his hair. "I don't feel like telling you guys about my likes and dislikes. I've never really thought about my future dream. As for my hobbies, I have many." He was starting to annoy me, but I managed to keep my smile. "Your turn," he added, nodding towards Naruto. The blond boy immediately forgot his irk and grinned, as he adjusted his headband.

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I like instant ramen, but what I like even more is the ramen from Ichiraku that Iruka-sensei treats me to." Like I said, this was a waste of time. "What I dislike is the three minutes after pouring hot water in the instant ramen. My hobby is eating and comparing ramen!" Sasuke and I shared a done look. He sighed. "And my future dream... is to surpass the Hokage! And so, I'm going to get the entire village to acknowledge my existence," the blond boy finished. That was something about him I'd never understand. If I were in his place, I'd probably kill everyone, but maybe that was just me. Although sometimes I wondered if he was brainwashed when he was little. Or maybe he was a masochist.

Kakashi-sensei nodded and looked at me. "I'm Jikan Kayomi. I like plants, my friends, and training. I dislike rude people." I shot the man a pointed look. He ignored it. "My hobbies are learning new things, training and taking care of my plants. And getting Sasuke to buy me food," I added, resulting in said boy kicking my back. Maybe I shouldn't have sat on the step below him. "I don't really have a future dream yet," I lied. Telling the truth would entail mentioning Kage and our suspicion about the Uchiha massacre, so no thank you. The only graves I dug weren't for myself, so that would stay information someone would have to waterboard out of me. And I knew from experience; I could take a little waterboarding.

"My name's ... Uchiha Sasuke." I scratched my nose to hide the grin I couldn't hold back. Ever the edgelord. He even rested his head on his interlaced fingers, to give his role the finishing touch. "I have lots of dislikes, but only one I like in particular." He gave me a warning look, reminding me not to laugh. "And ... I don't feel like summoning up my ambition as just a dream, but I do have an ambition! The ambition to restore my clan and without fail... to kill a certain man." Naruto's face went white, while I still struggled to hold back my amusement. We had agreed that him acting like this would draw the least suspicion. Logically, he was supposed to hate Itachi, and in some way, he did. But not as much as everyone thought, and he certainly wasn't going to kill him. At least not without knowing the truth first.

"Good!" Kakashi-san said. "The three of you are very distinctive and interesting. We'll have a mission tomorrow," he announced. I raised an eyebrow. Already?

"Yes, sir! What kind of mission?" Naruto asked, full of excitement.

"First, we'll do what we can do with just four people." The jonin paused for dramatic effect. "A survival exercise." I leaned back. It seemed we were right. There was a second test. According to our new sensei, of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine would be recognized as genin. The remaining eighteen were sent back to the academy. Naruto stared, shocked by this new information.

"That's crazy!" he shouted. "To have suffered that much! T-then, what was the graduation test for?" Something we wondered as well. Especially since it was so easy.

"Oh, that?" Kakashi looked at a hawk that flew above us. "It was just to select those who have the potential of becoming a genin," he explained. "Well, that's how it is. I'll be determining whether you pass or fail," he added, ignoring Naruto's shout of frustration. "Bring your complete set of ninja tools! We meet at five in the morning." The teacher turned around and lifted his hand to say goodbye. "Okay. You're dismissed." Remembering something, he turned his head to look at us again. "Oh, and you'd best skip breakfast. You'll throw up." He disappeared, too fast for me to track him without concentrating. I turned to my teammates.

"Oh well, better go to sleep early," I said, stretching my tired legs.

"Aren't you worried?" Naruto pointed at me, face still horrified. I held out my hand to Sasuke, pulling him up.

"Not really, he was just trying to intimidate us."

"So... you don't think we'll be sent back to the academy?" he asked slowly, misunderstanding what I meant.

"No that was the truth. I mean about not eating breakfast and throwing up," I explained, sighing, as his hands began shaking in worry. Maybe the boy would really puke, considering he was already this nervous. 

Chapter Text

Sasuke and I showed up late, simply because I knew Kakashi-sensei was at the cemetery.
"You're late!" Naruto pointed a finger at us, but I waved my hand dismissively. Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets, turning his nose to the sky.

"Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet, so technically we're still on time." The blond boy grumbled something in return, but we ignored him. Sitting on the grass, I pulled Sasuke down with me and used his legs as a cushion, before resuming my morning nap. The Uchiha began braiding my hair, or at least as best as he could with the limited access. Naruto placed his bag next to ours and joined us on the soft grass.

It took another three hours, before I felt our teacher coming our way. Not bothering to hide my yawn, I stood up and stretched. Sasuke gave the snoring jinchūriki a soft kick, startling the boy awake.
"Huh? What?" He wiped at his drool.

"Kakashi-sensei is coming," I explained, tilting my neck until it cracked.

"How do you know?" he asked, looking around in confusion.

"Good morning," the Hatake said, before I could answer.

Wide awake, Naruto jumped to his feet. "You're late," he greeted our teacher like he did us. Kakashi used a black cat crossing his path as an excuse, before awkwardly coughing in his fist. He walked over to a wooden post and placed an alarm clock on top.

"Okay, it's set for 12 o'clock," he said, pressing the top. We stared at him, as he pulled two little bells on strings out of his pocket. "Today's assignment is to take these bells away from me by noon," he explained, shaking them so they made a soft ringing sound. "Those who can't do it won't get lunch." Ah, so that's why we shouldn't eat breakfast. Mean. "They'll be tied to that," he pointed to the three logs; the alarm was on the one in the middle. "And I'll eat my lunch before your very eyes." Double mean.

I stared at the two bells, frowning in suspicion. "There are only two bells." Kakashi closed his visible eye, the only indication that he was smiling under his mask.

"There are only two, so at the very least, one will have to go to the logs. That person will be disqualified for failing the mission and will return to the academy." He shook the bells again for dramatic effect. Sasuke and I shared a knowing glance. He was obviously trying to set us against each other. Tying us to the logs and forcing us to watch him eat, I believed. But sending only one person back to the academy? Lie. There were no teams with only two genin, so either everyone went back to school, or no one.
Kakashi provoked Naruto, so of course the blond boy attacked him, before he could tell us to start. Using the distraction, I turned towards Sasuke. We had come to realize pretty quickly, that in some fights it was better to communicate without talking. The only solution that made sense to us? Develop our own sign language. The standard one was pretty well known in multiple countries, increasing the risk of our enemies understanding us when we used it, so we decided against it.

»Distract him, I'll talk to the Idiot,« I signed, as Kakashi held Naruto's own kunai to the back of the boy's head. Sasuke nodded and readied himself.

"Don't be so hasty," our teacher chided, "I didn't say start, yet." He let the child go and smiled again. "We're going to start," he announced. I moved my hand a little, preparing to grab Naruto. "Ready... start!"

As soon as he gave the signal, I grabbed the troublemaker and dragged him into the woods. Sasuke disappeared in the opposite direction, hiding atop a tree.
"Kayomi-chan, what are you doing?" the Uzumaki complained, having probably planned to fight Kakashi head on.

Deciding we were far enough for now, I pushed Naruto down, so he crouched next to me. I didn't even bother hiding my chakra, considering my teammate forgot to do it. We wouldn't stay here long anyway. I already felt Sasuke attacking our teacher.
"Listen," I hissed in a low voice, "there is no way we can fight him one on one. He's a jonin. He's gonna wipe the floor with us." Naruto pulled a face, probably remembering his fast defeat a minute ago.

"What else can we do? I don't wanna go back to the academy while you two get to be genin," he complained, huffing in annoyance.

"That was a lie. There are no teams with only two genin. Either we all win, or we all lose. He just wanted us to fight each other," I explained hastily, keeping track of Sasuke's chakra. Kakashi had already beat him and my friend was now making his way towards us. We were running out of time. Kakashi wasn't in a hurry, but he was walking our way as well.

"Why?" Naruto was confused, but at least he was listening.

I drew circles in the dirt, searching my brain for an answer. Yeah, good question. Why make us compete against each other? What did he need to test us on? He already knew what we were capable of, from our files. So what else was there?
"Ah," I said, as Kage nudged me towards the answer. Perfect timing, because Sasuke came to a stop next to me. I looked at my friend. "Teamwork," I said. He understood, his face twisting into a not so pleased expression. The source of his sour face looked at me, still confused, so I sighed and explained.
"We need to work together. It's important that you can count on your comrades on missions, otherwise you'll die pretty quickly." I drew my thumb across my throat to underline my words. He swallowed heavily.

"What can you do?" Sasuke asked, nervously glancing around when I stood up, understanding it as a sign that Kakashi was getting closer.

"Huh?"

My friend took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to cuss at the blond boy. "Kayomi and I know each other inside out. She's faster than me and more agile. I'm a little stronger than her. We're both good with weapons. What about you?"

Naruto blinked, finally understanding. He stood up and pointed at himself with his thumb. "I'm good at stealth and I can make shadow clones." It wasn't much, but he surprised us both with the second part.

"How many?" I asked.

He shrugged but wiped his nose in pride. "Couple hundred."

I perked up, suddenly feeling Kakashi way closer. Grabbing both boys, I started running. "Run!" They followed my order, sprinting after me.
"Alright, Sasuke and I are going to attack him head on," I formed a plan on the go, "while we distract him, you send a clone in another direction, while hiding your chakra. Kakashi-sensei will expect Sasuke and me to come at him together, but he won't expect you to help us."

"He will think Naruto went another way, while the real one waits for the prefect moment to surprise him. He's the ace up our sleeve," Sasuke finished for me, once again understanding me perfectly. The blond boy seemed to like the plan, as he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Let's go," I said. We stopped and Naruto made a clone, suppressing his own chakra at the same time. Although he was a bit clumsy at hiding his presence. Well, it had to be pretty hard to hide one as prominent as his. Considering that, he did a pretty good job. I looked at Sasuke for confirmation. My friend nodded. It was a bit hard for me to judge if other people could actually feel the chakra I felt. While the energy of the boy was still a little present for me, it should be completely hidden for other people. At least according to Sasuke.
The clone moved away from us, so the Uchiha and I hid our chakra as well. We split from Naruto and circled around Kakashi, until we were on either side of him. My friend attacked first.

"You again," our teacher said, clearly bored and not surprised. He probably knew Sasuke was there. To be fair, the raven-haired kid still made some noise when walking. Not taking Sasuke seriously, the man pulled out a book from his satchel, casually reading, while dodging. I watched a little, analysing his movement, before stepping in. Kunai in hand, I guided some chakra in my feet to boost myself, as I ran towards them. Kakashi seemed not to expect me, his movement was a little slower than before, as he turned, barely avoiding my knife. I turned my blade away from Sasuke, who grabbed my arms and used my momentum to spin both of us, before flinging me back at the jonin. Faster this time, I stabbed at him again. With no time to dodge, he instead caught my wrist. I smiled at him and dropped my weapon, catching him by surprise once more, and he unwillingly followed the falling kunai with his eye. Therefore, he didn't see Sasuke, who came at him from the other side. My friend punched at him, while I pulled another knife from my bag with my free hand and swung it at him. Both of our attacks landed on wood. For a second, we stared at the log he swapped with, before turning to where he reappeared.

"Seems like I underestimated you two," he admitted and put his book away. I took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from my eyebrows. Yeah, no way we could beat him. But all we had to do was take the bells. Which was impossible as well when it was just the two of us, but as long as we didn't make any attempt at actually grabbing them, Kakashi wouldn't go all out, or run away. After all, he was trying to teach us, so he would fight, instead of just avoiding. That we could work with. 

»I'll go straight, you go around, « Sasuke signed to me, before he ran at Kakashi. I followed his example and came at our teacher from the side, after circling him for a second, to confuse him. It didn't work like we hoped, but we still kept him busy, throwing punch after punch, not giving him time to think about Naruto, who was slowly coming towards us. Kakashi blocked one of my fists with his hand, when I decided it was a good time for our big surprise. I grabbed his wrist and twisted myself over his shoulder, landing behind him and holding his arm behind his back. Sasuke grabbed his other arm. We only held him for a split second, but that was enough. Naruto came flying towards us, using his clones to throw himself. It was very effective, and the boy even managed to touch the two bells on Kakashi's belt, but it wasn't enough. Quicker than we could react, he freed himself and promptly slammed us into the ground. Coughing, I tried to catch my breath, as I struggled back to my feet. The frustration in the pit of my stomach turned into anger and I tried to suppress the growing desire to hurt the man. But it seemed I let some of it slip, because he reached for a weapon.

Before either of us could do something stupid, a loud alarm broke the tension. Taking a few more deep breaths, I calmed myself and put on a polite smile, while I helped Sasuke and Naruto to their feet.
"Oh well," I said, stretching my arms, "I guess we all lost."

"Don't be so hasty," Kakashi threw us the bells and smiled, "congrats, you all pass."

"Ehh?" Naruto held up his arms, as if he expected our teacher to attack again. "Why?"

"This exercise was about teamwork," he started to explain and basically summed up what I already told the blond kid. Naruto still listened with great enthusiasm. Sasuke and I didn't. While Kakashi gave a speech about trust and comradeship — probably quoting someone — my friend and I sat down by our bags and took out some lunchboxes. "Group seven starts their mission tomorrow!" Kakashi announced, giving us a thumbs up

"Yes, yes. Can we eat now?" I asked, ignoring his defeated look, when only Naruto shared his high spirit. But even the jinchūriki was quickly sitting next to us, at the mention of food.

"Yeah sure," Kakashi mumbled. Despite that, he joined us. I handed one box to Sasuke and, without thinking, another one to Naruto. Force of habit, I guess. The boy stared at the familiar lunchbox for a few seconds.

"Hey, isn't this Sakura-chan's?" he asked. I looked at it and realized why he was confused. It was the same box I always used, to give him food at the academy.

"Ah, no." I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. "That one is from me. The note you found at one point was because Sakura used to give extra food to Sasuke, but it was way too much for us, so we gave that to you as well."

"Wait, so the food that appeared on my desk at one point was made by you? Why?"

"Well, my mom made it but yes," I confirmed. "I noticed you never brought any. It's important for growing children to eat." Naruto threw himself at me in tears, declaring me his new best friend and saying other things I didn't fully understand due to his sobs. Sasuke grimaced and pried him from me. I just laughed at them, as they started arguing. I might finally be one step closer to talking to a bijuu.