The first indication I got that I was reborn wasn't the strange new language, nor the blurry faces. . .

It was the woman with pink hair and green eyes.

She seemed oddly familiar, as strange as that seemed. Her name was at the tip of my tongue, and yet I couldn't exactly recall her name. It frustrated me to no end, more so than feeling completely and utterly useless.

I was a newborn, again.

At first, I didn't know what to think about the idea of me dying in the first place. How did I even die? Car crash? Medical condition? Natural causes? The possibilities were endless, and yet, I had no answer.

I couldn't remember.

That's what terrified me the most.

The feeling of being so -

"-KUN!"

Startled, I looked towards the direction of my new. . . mother. Her squealing would have been endearing towards her new baby if I wasn't the one at the receiving end.

She was so loud.

I stared up at her, blinking once, trying to decipher what she said. 'Kun' was the only thing that I recognized, which I wanted to say was some kind of Asian language. I couldn't tell - couldn't remember.

My new mother said something else to me, but the only thing I could understand was her loving smile directed towards me. Admittedly, it made me feel special, and guilty.

After all, I felt like an impostor. I wasn't her child, or was I? Was I inhabiting someone's body that didn't belong to me?

Suddenly, her blurred features turned worried. I heard her ask something, 'Kun' being the only thing I actually understood. I was a boy, I mused, only to ponder yet again about my past. Had I been a boy then too?


By the time I was a nine months, I was able to walk. Sakura was ultimately bursting with pride, claiming how intelligent and amazing I was. I'm not gonna lie, her gushing made me want to improve myself further for her.

"Kaachan," I said one day, whilst sitting on her lap, her arms snaked around my waist. It was so warm, so safe to be here.

"Yes, Sadato-kun?" my mother said, turning me around so we were facing each other. She was smiling happily at me, like she always did.

It almost made me feel guilty for what I was about to ask next. "Where's Otou-sama?"

I was very adept at reading my mother. I saw the flash of sadness in her eyes, but it was gone instantly.

"Your Tou-chan is off doing very important things for the village," she told me, running a hand through my hair. She looked away from me briefly, contemplating her words. "I know you must be curious about him - he is too. You remind me so much of him, it's uncanny."

Uncanny, huh?

"Except, you have my eyes," she said, bringing me closer so that our noses touched. "You're proof of the love we have for each other, Sadato. You're perfect."

I sensed her melancholy, so I reached out to put both of my hands on her cheeks. "Don't be sad, mama."

Her eyes widened at the use of my rare 'mama.' "I'm not, I just miss him," she admitted. "You're my world now, Sadato-kun."


My first word was unexpected, even for me. It was a significant word that marked a turning point in my life - a call, a remembrance to things I should know.

It had been a normal day, really. I had met with new people that felt so familiar, just like with my mother. Yet, I knew I had never once met them in my life.

Like that man with blonde hair and the bluest eyes I've ever seen. He felt so familiar, and warm, I had to reach out. I don't know what caused it - maybe it had to do to the fact that he was a link to my unknown past? Whatever it was, I wanted to be close to him; to revel in something that connected me to what once was, even if wasn't.

"I like you already, dattebayo!" the man declared loudly, his words sounding familiar.

I looked at the man, with whisker like birthmarks on his cheeks. . . and childishly grabbed one.

"Oii - !"

Ignoring his surprised sputter, I pinched them. I realize now how comical it must have seen to see a baby pinching an adult's cheeks instead of the other way around - oh, if I had then realized the power he was capable of, I would have been much more careful. . .

"He likes you," my mother said, coming up to us with a sweet smile on her face.

"Unlike his kaachan and tousan, when I first met you two," the blonde man grumbled, still allowing me to squeeze his cheeks. How interesting - they were real, not drawn on. . .

I realized how foolish it was, for me to be so amazed by this. But I was a baby, and no matter how mature I was mentally, I was still allowed my childish moments.

"Cha! Don't talk bad about Sasuke-kun and me in front of Sadato-kun!"

Sasuke. . .kun.

Why is that ringing bells?

Sas-ke.

"Ne, he might be the first Uchiha I like at first glance," I heard the man confess, blue eyes boring warmly into mine.

U-chi-ha.

UCHIHA.

SASUKE UCHIHA.

SA-SU-KE U-CHI-HA.

SA-KU-RA.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, WHISKERS. . .

I'm an, "Uchiha."

At once, all activity ceased. I was only vaguely aware of my mother - SakuraSakuraSakura - prying me away from the man's grasp - NarutoNarutoNARUTO - and crushing me into her chest, all the while squealing some nonsense about how intelligent I was, just like her and Sasuke. . .

I was in a world where killing was okay. Where I was expected to kill, to dedicate my life to it - especially since I was the second Uchiha in Konoha's village.

The amount of dread that made my chest feel heavy was unbearable. It coursed through my body, weighting me down.

This was the first time in my new life that I consciously wept.


A/N: This is my first attempt at writing a Naruto fanfic. Hence the, "Pilot. Testing the waters" in the summary. Let me know if you guys want to see more of this. I have lots of ideas of how this story can go, I just haven't gotten around to jotting any of it down 'cause what if no one is interested? It's been sitting in my Doc Manager for a loooong time now (alongside many other unfinished [new] stories), so I decided what the heck, and published it.

Let me know in the reviews if you'd like to see more, or your thoughts.

Have a great day!