When I became four my mother deemed me old enough to go outside, but only with supervision. That means it was either her, Sasa-nee or Tahiko-nii. She somehow didn't trust Hige-nii to take care of her baby on his own.
Those three came by sometimes ( most of the time as a team) to visit me.
This time they had taken me to the training grounds were they would spar or throw shuriken or sometimes just sit on the grass and talk. Well, Sasame would talk.
I loved to watch them train. It was interesting and exciting.
Tahiko used mostly his familys technique and so did Hige. Sasame, I found out, was good with weapons and genjutsu.
Right now they were throwing shuriken and kunai at a poor wooden target.
Kumo was watching over me. I didn't mind Kumo that much anymore. I knew he wouldn't do anything to me and once I was even brave enough to pet him, but just once.
"Hey, squirt! You wanna try too?" the green haired girls shout tore me out of my thoughts.
"What? You can't give her a shuriken she'll cut herself!" Hige said. "Don't worry she'll get the wooden ones." I stood up and slowly made my way over to Sasa-nee.
Great, she wants to teach me how to kill. My stomach churned at that thought.
Shuriken weren't made to kill, they were often used as a distraction or to wound, but the could kill and that was all I could think about while holding the wooden weapon in shaking hands.
"Here, you hold it like this." Sasa-nee adjusted my little fingers. "And you throw it like that." She flicked her wrist and sent her own metal shuriken straight in the target. Bulls-eye.
I blinked. Okay... you can do this Taiyo... just like Sasa-nee. A flick of the wrist and my shuriken flew thru the air. Then it wobbled and embedded itself in the dirt in front of the target.
I hung my head. It was just like in my first life. I would try something and would fail miserably at it, then I would get disappointed and wouldn't try it again. It had always been like that.
"Wow, that's pretty far for your first try." Tahiko said. I blinked. What?
"And she can already throw a shuriken! My little Tai-chan is growing up!" the green haired girl whisked away some fake tears.
Hige deadpanned and so did I. "You know that she isn't your daughter, right?" the boy said.
Sasme happily ignored him and turned to me. "Right, Tai-chan! Try again. I bet this time you'll hit it!" I nodded and took the wooden shuriken. I threw it and with a twack it hit the target. Far from bulls-eye, but it hit nonetheless.
"I hit it!" I shouted happily. If it had been a human he would now have a shuriken in his leg.
I paled at the thought. I would've injured someone. It scared me.
Not the fact that I knew how to injure someone, in my former life I had known how to kill someone, but the fact that I was capable of doing so. I was capable of hurting someone. Just with a flick of the wrist. It was scary.
"Tai-chan, are you okay? You are so pale." Sasa-nee looked worried.
"I, uh... yeah. My my belly just hurts a little." I mumbled. "Oh, no! Don't tell me you're going to be sick! Your birthday is next week and we won't be here after that."
Huh? My birthday? Has it already been a year? And what does she mean, they won't be here?
"You won't be here?" "Yeah, you know the chunin exams are coming up. At the end of next week we'll head for Kiri." The bloody mist? Oh, dear.
"That means you all are gonna be chunin when you come back?" I grinned at them.
"You can bet on it!" Hige pumped his fist in the air and Kumo barked excitedly.
"Happy Birthday, sweetheart." my mother kissed me on the forehead and smiled softly at me. My father handed me my present. "It is from both of us." It was a kimono. It was the same green as my eyes and had a dark blue flower pattern. I smiled. Wow, that must have been expensive.
"Can I wear it today?" "Of course. Everything you want my little princess." my father ruffled my hair.
"Tai-chan! Happy Birthday!" Sasame picked me up and twirled me around. I laughed with her.
"Okay, now sit down and close your eyes." I raised an eyebrow at that, but obeyed.
I could feel something weird. "Are you doing something to my hair?" "Okay! Open your eyes Tai-chan." I blinked my eyes open. Sasa-nee was holding a mirror in front of me and grinned.
"Now you look just as cool as me!" She had tied my hair up in two pigtails, just like hers and she had used two black ribbons, just like hers. "Don't tell me you want to make her a mini clone of yourself, believe me Sasa one of you is enough." Hige grinned.
I couldn't help but giggle. "Oh, Taiyo-chan you look adorable." my mother smiled happily.
I'm more of a mini clone of kaa-chan than anyone. Really we had the same hair and eyes and I'm sure when I get older I will look just like her.
The first time I had looked in the mirror had been quite a shock. Despite knowing that I wasn't in my body anymore I had somehow still expected to see a teenager with unruly mud-brown hair, dark brown eyes and glasses. Instead a little girl had been looking at me with chocolate brown hair and green eyes.
I opened the gifts from Hige and Tahiko. Tahiko had gotten me a set of kunai and shuriken. I noticed my parents frown at that. Hige had gotten me a book. I looked at the title and my eyes widened. You've gotta be fucking kidding me. The tale of the utterly gutsy shinobi. I couldn't believe it. "I hope you didn't get her any other of Jiraya-samas books. And I really hope you aren't reading one of those yourself, are you?" My mothers face was only inches from Higes. The boy gulped.
"Ah, n-no Misaki-san. I-I would never read such s-smut." I smirked. He's totally reading it.
After that my mother was talking to Sasa-nee and Hige-nii talked to my father about weapons.
I looked around and saw Tahiko-nii sitting on the porch by himself, so I decided to strode over to him.
"Hey, Tahiko-nii." I said softly. I had a very quiet voice, just like in my first life. Some things never change.
"Hey, are you enjoying your birthday?" he asked. I nodded. "Yes, I am." Comfortable silence.
It was always like this with Tahiko-nii. With Sasa-nee and Hige-nii, I could laugh and play, but when I needed some quiet I would go to Tahiko-nii.
He was looking at the others talking, no he was looking at someone in the group. I smiled.
"You like her." He blinked. "What?"
"Sasa-nee, you like her, don't you?" The boy sighed and lifted his face to the sky, a small smile on his lips. "Maybe I do."
I stormed thru the village. Gotta reach the gate before they leave!
I was nearly at the village gate. There was a group of sixteen people, four adults and twelve children turning to leave. No, no, no, no, no! I haven't said goodbye!
I had to scream for them. Shit. I hated screaming. "Tahiko-nii! Sasa-nee! Hige-nii!"
Ugh, great now my throat was hurting. "Tai-chan!" Sasame crouched down in front of me. "Did you run all the way here?" I nodded, panting. "I've... got... I've got... something... to give you."
I took the packages out of the little bag I was carrying. "What is it?" Hige-nii asked.
"They're new kunai and shuriken. Tou-chan made them for you." I chirped after I caught my breath.
"We can't accept that." Tahiko-nii said. "Yes, you can!" I said handing each of them one package.
Then I hugged each of them around the waist and wished them good luck. "You three are ready to go then?" Mei-sensei asked. She was a tall woman with dark hair and dark eyes. She was from the Uchiha clan.
I watched them leave and waved after the three pre-teens.
Little did I know that only two of them would return.
