Plot:
Someone -your female OC- is born into the Naruto universe.
But not in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Oh, no, instead, she is born into the Village Hidden in the Sand.
And she's around Gaara's age.
Could a second life get any worse?
Like, don't get her wrong, she's grateful for the second chance and everything, but did she have to be born again in a world where the death rate is through the roof? Where a psychotic boy will murder her for looking at him wrong!? Or, even for just existing? And what about Deidara and Sasori? She sure as hell doesn't want to get caught up in that. And don't get her started on the climate...
Apparently, though, it can get worse. Because while she was born again, it wasn't with a family. Whether it's because her second parents died, didn't want her, or whatever the reason may be, she's been in the orphanage since she gained full awareness of her situation. Maybe that part is for the best, because she wouldn't know what to do with the second pair of people that gave her life. They aren't like her real mom and dad. And being surrounded by children helps her keep her cover. Don't want to end up being labelled a prodigy or something, because we all know how good of luck they have... (*Cough* Itachi, Neji, Kakashi, Minato, Sasori, Madara, etc, *cough*)
No, what really takes the cake is that because she's an orphan, she immediately gets enrolled into the ninja academy unless she's adopted.
Ha! No fucking thank you!
Dying once is enough for her! She ain't dying young again! So the shinobi, the Kage, and the law can take their 'Shinobi are so cool, it's a great honour to be one and to die for your village is the best way to go' bullshit conditioning and shove it up their ass.
Because she owes this village -this village that is worse than Konoha when dealing with neglected and abused little jinchuuriki- nothing. Zero. Zip. Nadda. Zitch. Any sane person, especially any sane person that knows the future, would choose the civilian life. The civilian life that doesn't have a 80% chance of dying before you turn twenty.
And if you ask her humble opinion, she is sane. She also knows the future -but so what? Everything turns out okay in the end. Team seven and company defeat Obito, Madara, the Rabbit Goddess, Zetsu, and all of the lesser villains. Why get involved? Why risk the butterfly effect's wrath? She knows she's capable of a lot, she isn't lacking in the self-esteem department, but that doesn't mean she's going to challenge fate, God, or whatever put her here.
If some sort of deity did put her here, and in this timeline, for a reason then they gambled wrong. Because she isn't going to needlessly endanger her life for some village. And for all the pain that characters will go through in their lives? The pain she could potentially erase or at the very least help lessen? Well, no pain no gain as they say.
Is that selfish? Yes.
Does she care? Nope!
The law may declare that she has to attend ninja academy, but that doesn't mean she's going to actually do it. They will have to drag her kicking and screaming -every single fucking morning- and she laughs in the face of any chunin trying to do their job! She is going to flunk every test that is unfortunate to cross her path.
Because she refuses to die young again.
Only things don't exactly follow the plan.
Because ignoring neglect and abuse you know is going on is one thing. You can distract yourself from it. It isn't happening to her. And Naruto will eventually take care of it. There's no reason for her to get involved. Her part isn't needed. She doesn't know Gaara personally, so why should she care and needlessly risk her life?
But being faced with the abuse and neglect? Seeing what it does to the completely innocent little boy? That's completely different.
It's easy to ignore something that doesn't directly affect you. It's not so easy when it and reality (no matter how fictional it once was) slaps you in the face.
She's a selfish person. She'll be the first to admit that she's usually always looking out for number one -herself. But that doesn't mean that she's heartless. It doesn't mean that she's emotionally unaffected when she sees how the villagers and shinobi a like scorn Gaara. Gaara, little Gaara, who is only four years old, who doesn't understand why people are so afraid of him and hate him so much. Who only wants to be loved and accepted.
So she breaks her rule a little. Seeing Gaara and how he's treated fills her with so much rage and pity that it almost blinds her. The two emotions twist her guts and closes her throat, makes her chest compress painfully every time Gaara is glared at and cries because he doesn't understand. He doesn't deserve this. No child does -no matter what they may hold inside of themselves.
So she breaks her rule a little. She walks right up to him and asks if he wants to play.
Gaara's bright smile and the fact that he's so grateful and happy only fuels her fury at the village. Damn what the caregivers at the orphanage say, damn the 'concerned' parents and strangers that try to warn and separate her from Gaara. Damn them to the lowest circles of hell.
Because Gaara is only a kid. Only four years old. His older siblings should not be strangers and his dad should not be planning on how to kill him. He should not be spat upon when walking through the streets and he should not be so deprived of love and affection that he immediately latches onto anyone that shows him the tiniest bit of kindness like his whole life depends on them.
Besides, it's not like he's psychotic yet, right? Right? She knows that she promised herself to not get involved with the plot, to avoid the canon characters as best as she can, but that was before she actually got to know Gaara as a person. Not as a fictional character in a fictional world, but as a real life person with real life feelings and wishes and dreams. Sure, he's only four years old right now, but that doesn't matter. He needs someone to care a damn about him, to offer love and support. Someone that isn't his uncle, because we all know how that ends. He won't be four years old forever, either.
And so despite herself, she ends up being Suna's monster's best and only friend.
Doesn't mean she's going to be a ninja, though.
Rules:
1. Your OC has to enroll into the ninja academy via law, she can't want to become a ninja (at first) and nor can she be adopted for the same reason. Although she doesn't want to graduate, that doesn't mean she's going to refuse to learn anything. Because even if the civilian life is less dangerous, it doesn't mean that it's peaceful either. So while she may try her damnedest to fail she's still going to train secretly. Who wouldn't want to pull a Spiderman or Jesus, after all? And if she's ever attacked by a fellow civilian, if a genin or below ever tries to hurt or use her she's sure to make it hella difficult.
1.5 Despite the OC's greatest efforts, she is still passed. Her teachers passes her and she graduates -becoming a genin. This is only because the Kage either wants to use her to help control Gaara and his (possible) bloodlust, or because he sees her as a threat towards his 'weapon' and wants to get rid of her in a way that Gaara can't blame him.
You can also have Suna's ABU, the ones stationed to watch Gaara, testify that despite what her grades says, she can do all of the coursework. That she (may be) one of the most promising students. This is because she and Gaara are attached to the hip and it is unavoidable that they witness her secretly train.
2. If you turn this into a romantic story, don't have your OC and Gaara do anything romantic (AKA become a couple) until they're at least fourteen.
3. Your OC must be present at the famous Chunin Exams's arc, whether's she's a contester, emotional support, or something else.
4. Keep all characters in character -within reason.
4.5 Please keep realistic consequences for the characters', primarily Gaara's, psych. Neglect and abuse -especially in the important developmental years- is a deep scar and doesn't disappear because of one person. And on that note having that one person, that one person who loves the neglected and abused unconditionally, that much more important/precious to the victim.
Similarly, it's not possible to just brush off dying and losing all of your loved ones and the only life you know and lived so many years in. So please let your OC have a proper grieving time, and show the scars that come with fucking dying and losing (practically) everything she once knew and loved. Show how and why the pain changes her as a person, compared to what and who she was in her first life. It doesn't have to be major personality changes, but did she gain new fears? Is she more determined to do something, because she didn't get to do or experience it the first time around? Is she slower to trust/is it harder to become emotionally attached to another person because of her pain? Is she more impulsive, or more cautious in her second life? Is she less dramatic because she learned that petty things don't actually matter in the grand scheme of things, or not? Does she try to be funnier, to enjoy life and live in the moment more?
5. For the love of God, address characters with a proper comma. Learn the difference between speaking TO someone vs speaking ABOUT someone!
Ex: "Let's eat, Grandma." -One is calling for their grandma to come and eat with them.
"Let's eat Grandma." -One is proposing to literally eat their grandma for dinner.
Furthermore, make a new paragraph every time someone new speaks, the place, time, or idea changes. Really, just try your best to be grammatically correct.
Suggestions:
* Have your OC be one the same team as Gaara. Maybe one of his older siblings is given to a different team or the high ranking shinobies decide to make an exception for Gaara and your OC's tight (and let's be honest; dangerous for anyone who tries to take the OC away from Gaara) friendship.
* Make it so that Gaara is only able to get some actual and restful sleep when embracing/being embraced by your OC. Maybe the OC is the only human Shukaku likes, whether it's because she's so gusty/brave to face him as a tiny child, or because something has always felt so incredibly off/strange with the OC. Maybe her chakra is so abnormal because this is her second life, with her first living without chakra. This could either fascinate Shukaku or, amazingly, frighten him.
* One of the OC's goal could be to get Gaara's messed up seal fixed by a proper seal Master.
* Having your OC being new to chakra offers a lot of options. You can make her a sensor, have her aware of her coils since she was extremely young, have large chakra pools via the soul side, or be very good and molding and controlling it. Or maybe she has trouble controlling her chakra because of the reasons above. Maybe her chakra is so imbalanced because she has so much of the spiritual energy but not enough of the physical energy, and acts up a lot as a result.
* At the end of the story, have your OC become a jounin and teach her own genin team.
* Other story title ideas -aside from My Best Friend Is A Monster- are: Over My Dead Body, Desert Flower, When It Rains In The Desert, Monster Under My Bed, Hand In Hand With My Demon, Second Breath And Damned At Birth, Damn The Fates, Fate's Last Laugh, At Sunrise, A Ripple In Destiny, One Person Can Make A Difference, and Of Monsters And Masks.
Please review or message me if you're interested in accepting this challenge.
PS: I might be able to be your beta if you want.