"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could"
-Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
Prologue
"Lord Hokage, I request permission to take a short leave from Konohagakure"
The Sandaime momentarily glanced up from his paperwork to lay his eyes on the Konohagakure Jōnin Commander.
"May I ask why?"
The Nara's face tightened. The Sandamine pretended not to notice how hard the man clenched his fist.
He dipped his brush back into his inkwell.
The young Nara Clan Head is a known sluggard but to take a break a soon after the Kyuubi attack was hardly reasonable. He was a father with a child and a wife in a village low on shinobi forces, the question why Shikaku was so urgent to leave probed the Hokage's curiosity.
"...I received intel from the border patrols. My younger brother, Shikaden, was found dead in his home in the Land of Hot Springs."
The Sandamine stopped mid-stroke, carefully laying down the brush to analyze the new information.
Shikaden Nara.
Younger brother to Shikaku Nara by fours years. Graduated the academy ranking in the middle of his class. Served eight years on active duty as a medic-nin. Left Konoha two years ago to study medical ninjutsu.
The last time that the Sandaime has heard from the Shikaden was that he settled down in the Land of Hot Springs with a civilian wife.
"I see. I'm sorry for your loss." The Hokage chewed on his pipe, "Are you retrieving his body?"
It wasn't unusual for a major clan to retrieve the body of a clan member living outside of Konoha. A foreign shinobi can discover clan secrets through the corpse of a dead member.
Clans like the Hyuga, Uchiha and even the extinct Uzumaki, take the matter of disposing of the body of a clan member very seriously. Even the lax Nara clan will not allow foreigners to collect the bodies of their beloved clan members.
"Yes, we would like to give my brother and his wife a proper burial. However…" Shikaku's face softened.
The Hokage waited.
"It has come to my attention that my brother has a child."
"Oh? How old?"
"No older than Shikamaru, I was informed that the infant born only two weeks ago."
The Hokage chewed on his pipe, "The infant was spared?"
"She was not present at the home during the attack. In fact, the child was adopted. She was still in the orphanage's care.
"So you want to bring the child back to Konohagakure."
Shikaku nodded.
"I'm assuming she will be a part of the Nara clan as well."
"Any child of my brother's is mine as well."
"Even if she is not by blood?"
"She is a child born from his heart. Blood or not she is a child of the Nara. The Nara Clan will protect her if he could not."
Hokage inhaled deeply. He paused going over the information in silence.
"Very well, prepare the documents when you return."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage. I shall take my leave", the Nara said turning towards the door.
"Shikaku."
The Nara stopped.
"What is the name of this infant child?"
Shikaku let out a faint chuckle, "Tsuno. Tsuno of the Nara Clan"
The world was like a kaleidoscope. Blurry shapes and smothering voices.
It was warm.
"Tsuno. Her name is Tsuno."
Tsuno? Who's Tsuno?
"Madam! You can't! You can't leave! Your body is still-"
Leave? Where are you going?
"I love you."
The warmth was gone.
I screamed.
The notion of time was incoherent. Day and night merely faded into dreams and loud wails for help. There were always shapes gravitating around me. Shades of light and darkness dancing in cohesion. I was lifted, carried and fed repetitively. Sometimes shapes will hold me for a long time. Tickling my stomach until I burst into giggles and tears.
But not all the shapes responded.
Some shapes don't answer. My wails drowned and faded into the bustling background. No one came. I didn't want to cry. But I couldn't move. I couldn't see. I was scared. I cried for help as it was my only defense.
"Crying won't solve your problems, kid."
The voice was stern but kind. I instinctively stopped my wails and waved my grubby hands into the air, reaching for the source of the voice.
"Darling! She likes you!"
There was a grumble.
"Go pick her up!"
"How troublesome."
A warmth surrounded my body. The hands were rough and ever so gentle. The shapes got closer and I wiggle trying to distinguish the shapes in front of me. A man?
He froze. Hesitant. Slowly wrapping his arms around me.
I giggled. It was warm.
"So you're Tsuno."
Light airy laughter filled the room. They carried me, fed me, and patted my back. Change me so I didn't roll around in my own filth.
"We'll take you home soon, Tsun."
I giggled in glee.
As dreams came and past so did the days. Hushed voices surrounded my crib as if they were trying to keep a secret.
"-disappeared into thin air"
"-loved her like their own child"
"-were good people."
"How unfortunate"
Voices came and went like the nights and dreams.
"Sorry for the wait."
It was similar. A rough gentle voice.
"I'm taking you home."
Author's Note: I've been thinking about this story for a while. While I'm inspired by the wonderful work of Dreaming of Sunshine by Silver Queen, Tsuno deserves to have her own story, even if she's never going to be cool as Shikako.