Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, unfortunately. I'm just here to build a story off of it for my own entertainment (and hopefully yours as well).

Cross posted in my account under luckycapri24

Drip. Drip.

Midori paused her coloring and blinked at the sound of the beginnings of rain. She sat up and slid off her bed to walk towards her lone window, her plush blanket dragging softly on the wooden floor behind her. With a grunt, she pushed herself up till she could see through the window and looked out, mouth parting in awe at the sight of the buildings of Iwagakure shining silver from the rain in the moonlight.

Iwagakure wasn't a stranger to rain like Sunagakure, no, but even still, it only saw rain approximately five times at most per year due to its dry climate. In Iwagakure, nothing grew and the village itself was made of barren rocks that made it harder for enemy shinobi to differentiate from the mountainous region surrounding their area.

Due to the previous shinobi before them taking advantage of the environment, there were no ground level for the civilians here to walk on, not like in the other hidden villages due to the sharp spikes of rock that littered the ground. Instead, many used the numerous bridges connecting one building to the next, though many shinobi with the skill to stick to the rock with chakra forgoed it and instead took to the spikes in an effort to avoid foot traffic.

It was somewhat of an unspoken rule here in the village. Civvies and shinobi-in-training used the bridges, everyone else used the spikes and risked the dangers of falling into one to avoid the heavily trafficked bridges.

On rainy days like today, however, many just stayed at home and the few shinobi lingering or fluttering about stuck to the bridges. Chakra or not, rocks were slippery when wet and one wrong step or imbalance of chakra would lead to a messy death.

From her vantage point, Midori could see two genin heading towards her own clan's building, their chakras burning brightly along with a few thousand tiny ones hidden in their body.

The Kamizuru. It was her clan and was once one of the most revered and well-known clans in the history of Iwagakure. Beneath the men's cape and the women's long sleeves were hundreds of bees lying in the wait, building hives and living in a sort of symbiosis with their host. Like Konoha's own Aburame clan, the bees lived in their host's body, feeding off their chakra and, in return, offering their various numbers during fights. Unlike the Aburame, however, the Kamizuru clan had long since fallen from grace after being badly defeated by the Aburame clan during an attempted invasion of Konohagakure.

Now, only her family and a handful of people remained a part of the clan. All in all, there was around thirty of them left and the numbers continue to dwindle as many of the women chose to marry outside of the clan and take up their husband's surname. In total, there were perhaps only three full families that remained under the Kamizuru name. Hers, her uncle's family, and the current Tsuchikage and his family. Everyone else were either single or had no current children.

Midori continued to watch the two boys until they disappeared inside. She was about to turn away and head back to her coloring book when she caught sight of a young boy sitting on the bridge, legs dangling, and hair sopping wet in the rain. Confused, she continued to watch the boy, wondering when he would finally gain the sense to stand up and rush himself inside from the rain.

Minutes passed and with every passing second, she grew worried. The rain here might be rare, but it was still chilling to the bone. If he stays there he's going to get hypothermia. Shouldn't someone go and get him? Hasn't anyone noticed? Looking around, she noted that everyone else was too busy with themselves to pay the young boy attention. Those inside were all comfortably curled up somewhere enjoying the warmth a house brought. No one thought about the young child shivering on the bridge. No one—except her.

Shaking her head, Midori pulled away from her window and went to her closet, tugging her raincoat and hat out of the dusty box she kept at the bottom of her closet and shrugging it on. Then, she crouched down and pushed aside boxes to try and find her lone umbrella. It took a few minutes but when she'd shuffled the last of the boxes out of the way, she found it lying broken, the metal wire bent beyond repair.

She'll have to use the family one then, but she'll have to find it first. Perhaps her mother would know. She knew where everything was located after all.

Midori pushed herself up and headed out towards the kitchen, intent on finding her mother and the umbrella.

She hadn't passed the living room yet when a hand reached out and tugged her coat, stopping her without much effort.

"Where are you going?" a curious voice asked.

"Places," she replied and tried to tug herself free. It didn't work.

"Why?"

Midori scowled—though it looked more like a pout to everyone else—and twisted to direct a glare at the owner of the hand.

Kurotsuchi stood there, blinking in confusion with her hand curled on her green raincoat. Midori resisted rolling her eyes and instead tried to wrench the fingers free. It still didn't budge.

"Just because," Midori muttered, "I like the rain and I want to take a walk."

"I want to come," Kurotsuchi argued, her grip unrelenting even as Midori tried her best to pry herself free.

"No!" She protested. "I don't want you to come!"

"I'm coming,"

"You're gonna slip and die." Midori grumbled, irritated that her attempts at freeing herself was failing so badly. "And then no one will miss you."

"You will," Kurotsuchi pointed out. "You love me."

Narrowing her eyes, Midori sent her the harshest glare she could muster, "Not right now I don't."

"Hm. Fine. But," Kurotsuchi raised a finger, making her relief from being released crash. "If you die I'm telling you I told you so."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"It does too."

Before she could find the nearest object to throw at her annoying cousin, a gentle voice with soothing chakra appeared. A hand reached out to ruffle her black locks affectionately before placing itself on her shoulder. Midori couldn't help but relax, feeling the tension from the argument leave her without a fight.

A chuckle and then, "What's going on here you two?"

"Kaa-chan, Kuro-nee was annoying me. Why is she here again?" Midori stared up at her mother with a pout.

Her mother's gentle brown eyes crinkled with amusement, her lips curling into a smile as she responded, "Her parents are away on a mission, remember? And her grandfather is busy with the village so there's no one to look after her."

Midori just crossed her arms and huffed.

"Kurotsuchi-chan, there's some cookies on the table if you're interested. I'm sure you know your way around our house, but the plates are in the second cupboard next to the fridge and the glasses are in the first drawer by the sink." Her mother directed the older child into the kitchen and made sure she was well equipped before returning to her daughter's side.

Kneeling down, Kotone made eye contact with Midori before asking the question that's been on her mind ever since she'd walked out of the kitchen and spotted her daughter in her rain gear. "Where are you going?"

"Out on a walk." Was the short reply.

"Why?"

"Because there's a boy out there and no one cares."

Kotone's eyebrow rose at her the answer. She hesitated briefly before letting go of Midori's shoulders and pushing her towards the door. "Stay here, I'll get the umbrella."

"Are you coming with me?" Midori asked as she tugged on her boots. Pursing her lips, she thought of what the boy's response would be when confronted by two people, one of which was an adult. "I don't think you should come. He might get scared."

Her mother returned wearing her rain gear, an umbrella in her hand, and a wry smile adorning her face. "He'll just have to deal with it then."

At the look she received from her daughter, Kotone shook her head with a sigh, "I can't let you go out there by yourself, Midori-chan. I don't know what I'll do if you slip."

"Then you can stand at the end of the bridge and I'll be very careful. If I slip, you can catch me." Midori nodded sagely. "You'll catch me if I fall even from that far because you're a chunin."

"I don't know," Her mother trailed off at the sight of her pleading eyes. With another sigh, this one more resigned, she ushered Midori out the door and into the hallway. "Alright. But you have to be careful, okay?"

"Of course, kaa-chan!" Midori chimed brightly before running down the stairs to the first floor, leaving Kotone to shake her head in amusement while she followed at a normal pace.

When she arrived at her clan's doors, Midori waved her hand in greeting at the two chunin guarding it, grinning toothily when she received fond smiles and greetings in return.

If she hadn't valued having the element of surprise, she probably would've waved at the two hidden in the darker corners of the entrance. She knows though that she's not supposed to know they're there, but she just couldn't help it. Their chakra burned brightly and the bees in their bodies buzzed as they fervently tried to catch her attention.

She couldn't be distracted though. Kami knows Kurotsuchi had done it and wasted enough of her time.

By the time her mother had finally caught up with her, she was shifting restlessly from one foot to another.

"Calm down, I'm here," Kotone chuckled. She reached and tugged her daughter's hood over her rain hat, patting it and carefully checking everything was secure before she tugged her own on.

With one last wave at the guards, Midori and her mother left the protection their building provided from the rain with only one lone umbrella to shield them.

The two were quiet as they strolled towards the particular bridge Midori had seen, both eyes scanning their surroundings through the flurry of rain. It was during Midori's attempt to wipe her face clear of water that her mother had stopped her at the end of the bridge and pointed out the boy.

"Is that him?" Kotone asked, eyes narrowed at the sight of the curled up and shivering form.

She glanced up, pausing her attempts to wipe her face free and squinted at where her mother was pointing before nodding. "That's him. I'll go get him, kaa-chan."

Midori readied herself to head out from under the umbrella, but stopped when her mother gripped her jacket.

"Be careful." She heard before the hand released her. A second later, a smaller umbrella was placed into her hands before she's gently pushed towards the direction of the boy.

She wasted no time and walked as quickly as she could on the wooden boards of the bridge, her hands fiddling with the umbrella in an attempt to open it. By the time she reached him, the umbrella was open and clutched in shivering hands.

"Hello," she greeted, approaching the boy carefully and making audible noise so as to avoid startling him. Holding out her umbrella, she stepped closer until he was protected from most of the rain. The boy was still shivering, but he'd tensed at her arrival. That was good, at least he hadn't passed out yet.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, his tone wary and carefully guarded all the while refusing to face her, but watching her from the corner of his eyes cautiously. And rightfully so, Midori thinks, considering not many approached the strays in this village with kind intent.

"Midori Kamizuru," she replied, "It's raining. You should head inside unless you wanna catch a cold."

Instead of replying, the boy just kept silent, continually staring down at the spikes.

"And also, you shouldn't jump." Midori added. She knelt down until she's at the same height as the boy and gazed at his side profile. "I'm sure your kaa-chan is worried about you and you shouldn't keep her waiting."

"What would you know?" Comes the biting reply. "You've lived most of your life under the safety of a clan name, which also includes the Tsuchikage's family. In short, you're a spoiled brat who's never had to deal with being hungry and having no home."

When the boy finally turned to face her, she froze. Midori could feel the handle of the umbrella slipping from her grip, but she paid it no mind even as it hit the ground and rolled a few ways away from them.

No, she was far too busy staring at the boy with wide, shocked eyes.

Images—once deeply buried—flashed rapidly in her brain. Many barely lasted for a second before it was gone, whisked away and replaced with something else. Grunting, Midori clutched her forehead and winced, as the onslaught of information continued their barrage against her brain. She could barely make sense of any of it, but from the short flickers of images she managed to notice that a blond, blue-eyed boy was often the focus along with a scowling raven-haired boy and a pinkette that developed from a girl too focused on the pursuit of love to a tough woman who could give most men the run for their money.

Staggering back, Midori's shoes slipped on the wet boards of the bridge and she fell on her butt, her hand still gripping at her forehead and her eyes closed at the pain.

The images were slowing down now and fewer and fewer were appearing until it finally stopped at the image of a blond boy similar to the previous one and a ravenette with glasses before finally cutting off.

Midori gasped and slowly lowered her hand to grab at her chest, panting heavily. A second later she scrambled to the edge and heaved, throwing up her lunch before sitting back and wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her coat and letting the rain wash it away, tilting her head back and letting the rain wash any residue left on her face as well as to soothe the burn the headache had caused.

She's a bit sorry for any ninja who finds her mess later on, but for now she couldn't find it in herself to care. Midori wearily peeked out of one eye and let out a snort upon seeing the boy gaping at her.

His eyes were comically wide and he had a hand outstretched to the gap between them, likely reaching out to help before he realized his reaction and stopped.

Midori just huffed in amusement and closed her eyes again. Right now she couldn't care less about her mother's worries at the end of the bridge. The mist surrounding Iwa had thickened anyways and for now served to hide her weakened state from her no doubt concerned mother.

Right now she was more concerned about the boy in front of her and what it meant for her.

Because Midori knew this boy. Or at least, she did now after receiving all that information. She knew him and knew that he wasn't supposed to be alive, wasn't supposed to be real. He was supposed to be part of a story that was inked onto parchment, bound into a book, and sold off to the masses for entertainment—not this.

Deidara. Akatsuki's bomber artist. Her mind helpfully supplied.

Oh fuck, he's cute. Her thoughts commented.

After a moment's pause—because really? Cute? That's what you think of when approached with this situation?—she decides to add to the brewing chaos that was currently her mind.

Wait, did he just call me a brat? Who the fuck does he think he is?

Instead of saying any of the words being carelessly tossed around in her mind, Midori's eyes narrowed. Pursing her lips, she stood up and picked up the umbrella and tipped it over the edge of the bridge to remove the water that had gathered. She shook it once, twice, away from the direction of the boy before returning to his side and holding it once more to provide them shelter from the onslaught of the rain.

"I may be a spoiled brat in your eyes," Midori calmly answered back, the childish light in her eyes dimming as she stared him down, "but at least I'm not the one sitting out here in the rain sulking and refusing offered help. Call it what you will, but to me that's the epitome of immature."

Deidara gritted his teeth and glared at her fiercely, the sky blue shining determinedly despite their solemn surroundings.

"I'm offering you shelter and food, but if you'd rather sit out here and die of hypothermia then so be it. Come visit me in my clan's tower when you change your mind."

And with that she turned away. It's up to him whether he'll take the offer she'd presented, but she already knew his choice. Deidara was stubborn and prideful as an adult; as a child he was bound to be even moreso.

She shook off the cool look she had and replaced it with a childish, disappointed one as she neared her mother.

"No luck?" Kotone asked kindly, resting her hand on her daughter's shoulder even as she stared at the silhouette of the blond boy in the rain. The mist was still present although it had started to lessen on her way back. Midori couldn't help, but wonder if the cause of its appearance had been due to her sudden enlightenment. As soon as the words appeared in her brain, she discarded the thought. That was silly. She may have the knowledge of this world's future and past, but she was still a single person in this vast world. There was no reason that mother nature itself would make an exception for her no matter her circumstances.

"No, kaa-chan," Midori frowned, "He's really stubborn! I bet he'll get sick and then feel sorry he told me to go away!"

Kotone laughed and ruffled her daughter's damp hair, "But you're not giving up, are you, honey?"

Midori beamed. "Nope! I'll befriend him if it's the last thing I do!"

And hopefully save him from his stupid ass later in life. I'm no Naruto, but I can sure as hell try and channel him to save the stupid boy.

A sneeze from around the corner caught her attention. Midori let a smug smirk fall on her face for a split second before returning back to the innocent facade she often had to implement ever since her Enlightening. She wasn't used to having a dry attitude in certain topics that a child her physical age wouldn't have yet. Not wanting to unintentionally scare off her family with a sudden personality shift, Midori was trying to stifle most of her facial expressions by hiding them under a childish facade. Her attitude likely wasn't going anywhere though so she would have to begin slipping some of it and blending it with the personality she had before she met Deidara.

The person from Before wasn't fully her, after all. Maybe it was her soul, but those memories of hers weren't really memories, but facts and information. Her present brain knew the information, but it wasn't gained from her personal experiences. She wasn't having an identity crisis and her brain? Soul? Whatever part of her that this entire thing would have mattered to felt normal. She was still the same Midori Kamizuru just like before just… a little more well-informed and sarcastic now.

And right now her brain was shaking its head at the dumb explosion artist who cared more for his pride than his health.

"Got a cold, huh?" Midori asked, leaning against the rocky exterior of the Kamizuru tower.

"What's it to you." Is the grumpy response she receives and she laughs. "Leave me alone."

Midori ignored the order and tossed the boy a towel she'd managed to pilfer from her family's linen closet when she'd first caught sight of the boy's chakra from her window. "Use that and dry your hair off. It'll help some."

She almost missed the reluctant thanks he offered, but her clan had always prided itself for having sharp ears. It had often gotten one of her older cousins in trouble whenever he muttered something under his breath that he thought his mother wouldn't be able to hear. Instead, Midori smiles—this time pleased—and comes closer to crouch beside the boy.

"It's been raining an awful lot, hasn't it? Wonder why." Midori absently mused. It's been three days now of non-stop downpour and most of the Iwa shinobi were getting restless. The amount of water they've received in the past three days had so far exceeded the amount they usually received annually. Coupled with the fact that the trenches of the village had began to flood, it was no wonder people were getting antsy.

She was wondering just how Deidara had managed to stay warm despite the chill that's been present in the air recently. He didn't seem sick and wasn't showing any signs of hypothermia at all.

It must be the chakra that makes these bodies more resistant to illness. After all, the only incurable diseases she was aware of that existed in this world was the one Kimimaro had that eventually led to his death and Itachi's own disease that worsened with every use of his Mangekyou.

The boy grunted in reply, focusing on drying his hair before dabbing at his soaking clothes with a scowl. "Maybe the gods just hate us."

"Maybe," she murmured, "But I don't think so. And I don't mind the rain anyway. It's nice and pretty and I'll take the cool, humid air it brings over the hot and dry weather we usually get."

"You should've been born in Ame then."

"I should've," Midori agreed, "But I think there's a reason I'm here and not there."

"And what's that?" Curious blue eyes watched her with interest before sliding away to refocus on his actions.

"I don't know yet, but I'm willing to bet it's part of the reason why I saw you out in the rain the other day and went to help." And it's not just because you're a character in a book I've apparently been obsessed with for years in the Before. At least, that's not the main reason.

Deidara just grunted again and Midori could see the beginnings of his signature verbal tick forming. In another world, this boy would grow up to be a man who would only be used as a pawn for someone else's greater gain. In this one, well, she'll try her hardest to prevent that.

"Come on then. Let's get you inside and into some warmer clothes." Midori pushed off from the ground and began to head back in, not waiting for the boy to follow her.

"It's Deidara."

She paused and turned to stare at him with slight confusion.

"My name," he reiterated, staring at the damp towel in his hands, "It's Deidara."

Her lips curled upwards into a small smile. "Nice to meet you Deidara. Now, let's get you inside."

"Come on, I'll get you some dry clothes." Midori herded Deidara towards her room and left him standing there, scanning the contents of her room curiously while she hunted through her drawer for something unisex and large enough for him to wear.

"You don't have a lot hanging on your walls." Deidara observed. Most of the walls of her room were blank, save for a few portraits of herself and various others hanging by the desk and some herbs hanged to dry by the door. A small desk with various scrolls was pushed to the side, a dresser right beside it with only a few trinkets placed on top in a decorative manner, two of which was a small music box and a small wooden puppet slumped over. On the other side of the room was a bed with its sheets carefully tucked in and the pillows arranged in an orderly manner, along with a tall bookshelf with more scrolls and bound notebooks.

The neatness of the room was also unexpected, seeing as it housed a child of about six years old. Deidara couldn't remember being that neat two years ago. Then again, he never really had his own room so he wouldn't know how neat he would have kept his things.

"No, I don't," Midori agreed, still searching. "I don't really need much of anything. I'm going to be a shinobi and the only times I'll be here is to sleep, eat, or visit my family. Oh! This should fit."

Deidara caught the bundle of clothes tossed to him and unfolded them. Black sweats and a gray shirt large enough to fit his size greeted him.

"Get changed. I'll meet you downstairs," Midori said as she walked out. She peeked back in and added, "Oh and if you see a girl about your age that's Kurotsuchi, the Tsuchikage's granddaughter and my cousin. She'll probably pester you, but just say you're with me and try to get out of there." Then she closed the door and went to reheat some soup her mother had left for them before work this morning.

Somehow, she felt calm about having a future S-ranked missing-nin with explosive tendencies in her home. Then again, she was sure he didn't have those hand-mouths yet and the boy was merely a year or two older than her. If she remembered clearly, he was nineteen when he first appeared in the series. He joined right after Orochimaru left, which was right after Itachi joined. If her math was correct, Itachi would've been thirteen when he joined, and from basic approximation, Deidara would probably leave the village when he's thirteen or fourteen and get taken into the Akatsuki a few months after that when he makes a name for himself.

That doesn't give me a lot of time. A lot can happen in five years.

Midori felt the boy's bright chakra descend down the stairs and frowned at the soup in the pot.

I don't know if I'll succeed, but I'd rather try and fail than do nothing at all.

"Uh," a hesitant voice interrupted her thoughts and Midori turned with a quirked brow. Deidara gazed at her before his eyes flickered to the pot and for a second, Midori thought she could spot the hunger and the desire in his eyes before it was gone, his gaze settling on the bundle of clothes he held in his arms. "Where should I put these?"

Midori gestured at one of the doors with the wooden spoon in her hand. "Just take it in there and dump it in the basket of clothes by the wall. I'll sort it later for washing." She peeked at the outfit the boy now wore and added, "Do the clothes fit you fine? I don't think I have any bigger sizes in my closet. I might have to grab something from my cousin if you need a bigger size."

"It fits fine, thanks," Deidara mumbled, "I'll go put these in the basket then."

"Mhm. You can go explore a bit if you want or you can just sit here and wait for the food. Doesn't matter to me as long as you keep any sticky hands to yourself," she said and turned back to stir the food. "I'll call you when it's done if you choose to explore."

She heard the door to the laundry room as it was shut and Deidara's footsteps come closer before he spoke up, "I'll just… walk around a bit. Find the bathroom and all."

"Sounds good. Come back in ten."

Midori stared unamused at the scene that played out in front of her. Deidara sat on the bar stool across from her, his eyebrow twitching and his fist clenched around the spoon he held in his hand. Beside the boy was her cousin who seemed to be enjoying herself since she was humming as she plaited the boy's hair. Deidara, on the other hand, was trying to ignore Kurotsuchi's ministrations and focus on eating, but the twitching eyebrow and the look he was giving the food gave away his irritation.

"Why am I not surprised?" Midori sighed and buried her face into her arms. Of course Deidara would manage to stumble across her cousin within the first few minutes of his exploring and of course Kurotsuchi would follow him around while badgering him questions concerning his hair and whether she could braid it. Honestly, knowing the girl's stubbornness, Midori wasn't at all surprised that Deidara ended up giving into her request. She was a bit surprised that Kurotsuchi ended up to be the more stubborn of the two though.

This was how Kotone found the three of them when she arrived home from her short mission. Blinking, she took in the new presence of the irritated boy, the humming girl, and her unamused daughter and laughed.

"Kaa-chan!" Midori was on her feet and beside her mother in seconds, tugging at her pack to relieve her while also leaning up to press a kiss on her mother's cheek. "You're back!"

"Yes, I am." The smile on Kotone's face widened as she leaned forward and hugged her daughter. When she pulled back, she directed her attention to the boy who had suddenly shrunk in his seat. "Midori, is this the boy from the bridge?"

The boy had stiffened at her words before his shoulders slumped. He began to stand and start to leave the premises when the woman's next words halted him.

"I'm glad you finally got him to come in. The weather's not getting any better and if he hadn't come in by today I would've gone and dragged him in for his safety myself."

Midori positively beamed. She'd been afraid her mother would kick the boy out upon seeing him in their kitchen. It was a ridiculous thought since Kotone was quite possibly one of the kindest people in Iwa, but it was still a reasonable one.

"Kaa-chan, this is Deidara! I lent him some of my larger clothes if that's okay?" she said hesitantly. She wasn't sure if that was okay. Her larger clothes were comprised of her new ones that she hadn't worn yet.

Kotone just nodded absentmindedly and ruffled her daughter's hair before scanning the kitchen as thoughts of dinner preparation began to appear in her head. "That's great that you're getting him settled in, dear. Now what do you three say to stir-fry tonight? I'm afraid I don't have much available in the fridge right now and need to pick up groceries tomorrow."

"That'll be great, kaa-chan!"

"I love your stir-fry, okaa-san!"

Turning to the last of the trio, Kotone gave what she hoped to be a kind and approachable smile and asked, "Will you be all right with stir-fry, Deidara-chan?"

"Y-yes, Kamizuru-sama," Deidara meekly agreed.

Kotone smiled, "Come now, Deidara-chan. Kamizuru-sama is my husband. Kamizuru-san or okaa-san will do just fine."

Cheeks red, Deidara softly murmured, "Yes, Kamizuru-san."

Beaming, Kotone ruffled the blond locks carefully to avoid ruining her niece's work and headed off to begin dinner, leaving the three children behind to continue their activities.

Midori eyed the other two with a bored stare before reaching into her pockets and drew out a deck of cards. "So… Daifugo, anyone?"

Midori watched tiredly as her cousin chased Deidara around.

A few weeks had passed since she'd first invited the boy into her house and her mother had taken to caring for him like he was one of her own. The spare room they've often left for the guests had been converted into his own personal room and the two Kamizuru children had taken to filling it to their delight despite Deidara's meek refusal. Kotone, for all her worth, didn't try and stop them and instead encouraged them, adding her own thoughtful gifts to the growing content of the boy's room.

When asked, she had simply sent him a gentle smile and murmured, "I'd always wanted a boy along with Midori." And that was that.

Today, the three were passing away their boredom at one of the fenced shinobi parks that surrounded the cluster of training grounds at the edge of Iwagakure, enjoying the beautiful day by playing around or, in Midori's case, basking in the sun like a cat with her eyes closed.

"Ne, Dori, why don't you play with us?" Kurotsuchi asked as she settled beside her, hands digging in the picnic basket Kotone had packed them for a sandwich and a bottle of water.

Midori opened an eye and raised an eyebrow in question.

Deidara collapsed on her other side and gestured for Kurotsuchi to toss him his own water bottle, brushing his sweat-soaked strands out of his face with an irritated grumble. He took a long swig and wiped his mouth with his sleeve before answering for the younger girl, "Midori doesn't like sweating and the thought of even doing so makes her skin itch."

Kurotsuchi tossed the blond a baffled look. "What? How are you able to understand her already?! You've only known her for three weeks!"

Deidara just scoffed, "I spend all my hours with her. She's kinda predictable with her laziness. She'll do the most efficient thing she can do to avoid doing more work." He paused and quirked his lips as he gave the younger girl an amused stare. "Though sometimes being lazy in her vocabulary constitutes to how little amount of muscles can she use to do the same job versus how much." At the glare Kurotsuchi gave him, the blond just shrugged and pointed at Midori. "Her words not mine. I'm just quoting them. What's the saying again, Midori?"

"Don't shoot the messenger," Midori answered. She glanced at Kurotsuchi with downturned lips and added, "I also hate getting stuff on me whether it be something sticky like jam or something simple and natural like sweat. Thought you would've realized this by now, Kuro-nee." She slid her eyes closed and tucked her arms under her head, one leg folded up and the other crossed over the knee, letting the others know that the conversation was done and she wanted to be left alone to nap.

"Hmph, I'm not always at your house, Dori. Okaa-san's been pestering me to take my training more seriously. Tch, I'm only eight, you know!" Kurotsuchi scowled in retaliation, "And tou-san hasn't been home since his mission three weeks ago. Grandpa's getting irrida-irritable! After all, his main candidate for the next tsuchikage just up and disappeared!"

"You just miss your tou-san, Kuro-nee. Just admit it," Midori commented dryly, eyes still shut. Though the upturn of her lips gave away her amusement at the girl's round-about way of showing affection, one that she'd been subjected to enough times.

The girl just huffed and crossed her arms. Deidara smothered his laugh into his sleeve, not wanting to catch Kurotsuchi's attention due to her low-temper.

"Anyways, can you guys go back to being rowdy somewhere else? I wanna nap and you're both destroying the peace," Midori said, annoyed. It wasn't often that she managed to leave her house with nothing to do and she wanted to enjoy the day the way she wanted to. A few days from now, she would finally be entering the academy to start properly becoming a full-fledged kunoichi and she knew that it would end up taking most of her free time.

She supposed she could pull a Shikamaru and simply skip so she could laze around and she was highly tempted to, however, with the knowledge of the future that she had brewing in the back of her mind she knew she couldn't afford wasting any time that could be used to strengthen her skills and abilities. She was no Shikamaru with an incredible mind nor was she a Naruto with a demon beast with unlimited chakra at her beck-and-call. No, if she wanted to survive to see her children's graduation and transition to becoming a full-fledged shinobi, she would need to be strong, especially since she would come across plenty of S-ranked shinobi while fiddling with the plot-line.

Midori grimaced.

And there was still the first event that would signal the start of the canon events for her. Deidara's theft of the kinjutsu that gave him his hand-mouths and his eventual status as a missing-nin.

Yeah, I still have no clue what I wanna do about that. On one hand his hand-mouths are a part of the Deidara that I knew, but on the other hand, that path will lead to his death. And a bunch of shit concerning the Akatsuki who I'm really not qualified to deal with yet.

She considers abandoning the village to accompany her friend, but doesn't even let the thought settle into her mind before she scraps it. Again, that path would ultimately lead to her death and she would really like to live this time.

Her life from Before never really bothered her much simply because no memories from Before remained in her head. She assumes she's died in that world and was reincarnated in her new body, the knowledge of the future kept locked in a small corner of her brain until it was needed. Other than that knowledge, she couldn't remember anything.

There were bits and pieces of tropes that she'd read from fanfics that she thought she could utilize, but other than the sharp chakra sense, none of them really existed for her. Even the languages she knew from her old world were a hint of what it used to be. She'd tried writing things down in English so she could remember the events in case she slowly began to forget it, but found that she couldn't even remember the simplest of words to form a sentence nevermind the alphabet that made up the entire thing. Needless to say, her plan to write things down in her 'code' or teach it to others to ensure a private and secure conversation wasn't about to go anywhere.

Heaving another sigh, Midori pushed herself up and dug into the basket for her own sandwich and water bottle, ignoring the light banter her companions must've started while she was deep in her own thoughts.

This is really too much power for an six year old child to have. And far too much information for this young mind to process. I can already feel the start of a headache coming on.

"—and that's why! Dori agrees with me! Right, Dori?" Kurotsuchi turned her pleading eyes at her cousin who merely rolled her eyes.

Midori bit her sandwich and chewed it thoughtfully. When she swallowed, a little pleased at the impatient looks she'd garnered from her friends, she looked at her cousin and deadpanned, "I don't even know you're talking about."

"Ha!" Deidara pointed at Kurotsuchi's face triumphantly. "Midori doesn't agree with you!"

"I never said that. Quit putting words in my mouth."

Kurotsuchi sneered at the blond in return, "See? That means she doesn't agree with you either!"

"What are you guys even talking about? You're both giving me a headache here."

Sniffing, Kurotsuchi turned her nose up in disdain. "I really miss the cute Dori who was so easy to tease. She became this—this dry, sarcastic child ever since you came into the picture! I blame you!" She shot the blond a glare as she got up. "I still think I'm right! My grandpa will pull some strings, just you guys wait!"

Midori just blinked blankly as her cousin walked away, seething. Then, she turned to her friend with a quirked eyebrow. "What just happened?"

Deidara gave a sardonic laugh, "She thinks that us three will get to be in the same team. I think her idea is stupid."

"I'm two years below you guys. I'm not gonna get bumped up, you know," Midori frowned.

"Tch. Please. You will. You just underestimate yourself," Deidara waved his hand dismissively, "The reason why it won't happen is because there's never been a two kunoichi three-man team in Iwa. I've looked at the records in the library, you know. There's been a full team of kunoichi and shinobi and there's been more than one of each in teams with four or more people, but on a three-man team? Not likely."

"Well like she said, her grandpa could always pull some strings," Midori pointed out. She hadn't really accounted for the consequences and changes her presence in this world would bring. A simple change like the team distributions wasn't one she would outright disregard.

Deidara shook his head. "Nah. The old man would be playing favorites if he does that. Plus," he gave her a knowing smirk, "I'm pretty sure he wants her to be on the same team with one of his bodyguard's sons to give her that same protection and loyalty like he has for the future."

"That still doesn't count you out from being on her team," Midori commented.

At her words, Deidara's face fell. "Yeah. That's true. But—" he turned determined blues at her. "—we can still try and change that. If we prove that we're stronger together than apart, there's no way he'll separate us two."

"What about Kuro-nee?"

"She'll be fine," Deidara brushed off. He stood up and held out his hand, grinning at her all the while. "What do you say? Partners?"

Midori scanned the hand. A lot of things could go wrong if she accepts it. Then again, she thought, a lot of things could also go right.

A traitorous thought came to her. A Deidara loyal only to me would benefit me more than a Deidara loyal to the village or the Akatsuki.

Midori hid the grimace that resulted from the disloyal thoughts and instead placed a kind smile on her face as she reached up. Her palm met his and she grinned as she was tugged up.

"Alright. Let's be each other's partners till the end of time."

They shook on it, Deidara nodding fiercely. "Of course!"

Let's just hope I played my cards right. She hid another grimace behind a giggle and tugged the blond towards the bridge, the picnic basket held in her other hand. No one noticed the whitened knuckles caused by her suffocating grip on the woven fiber handle nor do they notice the steely glint in her eye. Deidara, tugged along behind her, couldn't see the grim look that had settled on her face. As soon as I introduced myself to this boy, he became mine to protect. There's more of them out there and who else can I fully trust other than myself?

A flash of a blond child with whiskered cheeks, sitting on a lone swing with sad eyes. An image of a red-haired boy with the tattoo for love clutching at his heart, crying out with despair into the night sky. A boy with dark hair and scarlet eyes facing against his pacifist brother who loved him enough to kill their entire clan despite what he personally stood for all so he could be saved. A lavender-eyed girl with her head faced down, unwilling to face a world filled with critics. Her cousin, a melting pot of emotions that will eventually fester into wrongfully pointed anger. A red-haired girl with bite marks all over her skin, left to be used till the end of time. A beautiful boy who would eventually die for his master, never knowing that his love was returned.

I want to protect all these people. I can't do it—not when I'm here so far away in Iwa, but if I play my cards right, I can put myself in a position where I can. Still—

The person that she loved the most from Before with his dark curly hair and his ever-bright smile, to her deepest regret, was already out of her reach.

I'm sorry Shisui. In another lifetime I may have been able to save you. As it stands, I'm too far to do anything before your death happens. Instead, I'll make sure to protect the village and the people that you love in your stead. I'll make it my nindo—my ninja way!

Additional Info:

Daifugo: a card game. The western version is named 'President'. I considered using Daimyo as the name until I found out President was actually originally a Japanese card game.

Author's Note:

Hello and welcome to Petrichor. This idea of an Iwa SI had been stewing for so long in my mind and the first part of this had been sitting in my WIPs folder for almost a year and a half now. It's only during this summer break that I'd finally gone and finished the first chapter with intent to finish the entire story in the future. I was going to wait till I finished the cover art (for ), but decided that I couldn't really wait any longer and finally decided to post it.

Hopefully I didn't miss any mistakes in the writing as I'd had to change some things the more I fiddled with the plot. I think I'd finally gotten tired of rereading and listening to a text-to-speech bot read it out loud with the amount I've edited it actually.

Anyway, please enjoy this journey. I won't be updating in a steady schedule since I felt that I'd only feel stifled if I had to keep to a schedule and that my work would suffer in quality. I'll try and upload when I can (especially with university looming so near again… Hopefully I can actually write this time instead of forgoing it for a whole year)

Many thanks for picking this up to read!