Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. The only things I own are my OCs and I gain nothing from writing this story besides the pleasure.
. Scarlet Waters - Chapter Two - Hazing Reveals the Truth.
"C'mon, Shizu-chan. Stop lookin' at your teeth." Gōzu said from behind me and I could feel his slightly bigger hand enveloping mine, trying to pull me away. "Nanami's gonna be back soon so we have to hurry and get some more stuff to read."
"Can't stop lookin'." I said, somewhat distracted by the rows of teeth that fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces, disturbingly enough. "Creepy but inter— interes— intre— Ugh." I huffed slightly at my inability to pronounce the right word. "Fun lookin' at 'em."
"Interesting?" Gōzu supplied for me and I nodded in affirmation. "I like 'em too but we gotta hurry before Nanami gets back, 'kay?"
I pulled back reluctantly, looking over my shoulder at the smiling brown-haired boy who had begun dragging me away from the reflective surface. I still didn't like the fact that I was the only person in the whole orphanage to have these sharp fangs but, after a couple years of having them, I just got used to them. Nowadays, I find them oddly interesting in the way that they fit together like a jigsaw without hurting my gums in any way. Still wish I had normal teeth and, in the future, I'm probably going to track down the equivalent to a dentist but, for now, I'll deal with the shark teeth.
"Think she got anything new?" Gōzu inquired as we padded down the hall and into the last door on the left.
I shook my head despite the fact he couldn't see the gesture. "No. Nanami not been gone for a long time these days."
He nodded absently, dragging me over to the chest sitting next to Nanami's bed. He let go of my hand to open the trunk's lid and dig through its contents, leaving me to stare at the books and scrolls he threw out at my feet. He pulled back a few minutes later, after he'd basically emptied all of Nanami's things onto the floor, and plopped down to begin sifting through for something entertaining to read. I followed shortly and picked up the closest scroll near me.
At three years old, my grammar still wasn't the best but it was better than when I was younger. Many days were spent cooped up inside going through the few books that Granny Kasumi had to better refine my speech. Eventually, those children's books weren't enough and, after invading everyone's privacy for reading materials along with Gōzu, we stumbled upon Nanami's trunk of books and scrolls. After that, it was like a whole new universe revealed itself. They varied from short stories and epic poems to subjects like math and other crap that I didn't care too much about seeing as I spent a majority of my first life learning it.
Out of all the stories that I read, my favorite story had to be the one about an ancient ninja who confused his enemies with illusions and then defeated them whilst shrouded in fog. Saizō Kirigakure was his name or, actually, Kirigakure Saizō. Surname first and all that jazz.
It was better than going outside to play with the others. They always played the same game: this game called ninja which was basically just cops 'n robbers but they used rocks as shuriken and held sticks like they were swords. I entertained the thought of swallowing my dislike of kids and playing—I really did—but, once they started throwing sand and shouting nonsense about mist techniques, I turned right around and strolled back inside.
Who actually throws sand as a substitute for fog when there's already fog hanging in the air to begin with? And it's not like the fog comes and goes—there is always fog outside, just the thickness of it varies from day-to-day. Said fog was another reason why I stayed inside instead of going out. Every time I lingered out there for more than five minutes, I'd always have to come back in for a bath to wash off the haze that clogged up my pores.
Ugh. What kind of place did I live in that constantly had fog? Were we in the mountains or something? I couldn't tell.
The farthest I'd been from the orphanage was into Granny Kasumi's garden—which was fenced off—and down to the beach with Nanami and some other kids for a change of scenery. As previously stated, I thought about playing but, as soon as sand and rocks were thrown, I promptly returned to the orphanage to help Granny Kasumi with dinner and I secretly laughed when Nanami got in trouble for not keeping up with me.
"Whatcha find, Shizu-chan?" Gōzu asked, not even bothering to look up from his book.
"Say word out loud." I pointed to the word on the scroll in my hands. I knew what it was but saying it aloud was a different story. One day, I would be able to speak like a civilized person! Just not today, I suppose...
Gōzu looked up from his pile of findings, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked over the word. "Map, I think."
Ooohhhh! How the hell did I miss this little gem of knowledge!? I finally hit the jackpot! Now, I could make heads or tails about where I'd been reborn! I unraveled the slightly worn scroll, spreading it out in front of me and smoothing out the creases for a better look. My eyes narrowed as I stared at the large continent and the faded colors, symbols and kanji that marked it.
"The...Elem— Elemen— Elemental Nations." I paused for a few seconds, burning the pronunciation into my mind before continuing my examination. "The Elemental Nations...?"
Why did that sound familiar to me...?
"Where we live?" I asked, hoping that Gōzu would know that nugget of information.
He looked over, staring hard for a few seconds before tapping the island in the bottom corner. "We live in the Land of Water. Don't know where in the Land of Water, though. I think near Kiri but not close to it."
"Land...of Water...?" I breathed out, a memory surfacing in my mind. "Kiri...?"
...Kirigakure...is in the Land of Water... A constant fog shrouds the village...
"Like Saizō..." I muttered under my breath. "Kirigakure Saizō..."
But it wasn't from the story... Kiri wasn't referring to the person. It was a place... A village...
Where had I heard that from? Was it Granny Kasumi? Or was it Nanami? Maybe...but... I think it was from before all of this. It was from in that other life but...what was it? Memories from before had most definitely faded but they weren't gone. I just needed a little reminder or a refresher. I rolled up the map and placed it beside me to study at a later time. Hopefully, Nanami wouldn't miss it.
"Gōzu!" A voice said from out in the hall and I smacked my forehead when I realized who it was.
"Meizu." I stated simply as Gōzu closed his book with a small sigh.
Did I neglect to mention that Gōzu had a twin brother? Yeah, Gōzu was the older one while Meizu was the younger. Their faces looked the same but other than that it was pretty easy to tell them apart if you were going solely by looks. Like how Gōzu's hair was straight and neat while Meizu's was a thick, messy mane or how Gōzu's voice was light and soft while Meizu's was loud and relatively deep for a four year old. In terms of personality, they were also complete opposites.
Like how Gōzu was a little sweetie pie while Meizu was an annoying, little turd.
"Found ya!" He burst into the room with a smile that soured once he laid eyes on me. "Ewww! Why ya always in here wit' tha icky girl?"
My eyes narrowed and my lips pursed as Gōzu placed a placating hand on my head. "Her name is Shizu-chan, Meizu."
"Shizuka. Not Shizu-chan." I asserted in a flat tone of voice. I wasn't Shizu-chan. Not to Meizu, anyways. Only Granny Kasumi and Gōzu were allowed to call me that.
The younger twin rolled his eyes and waved both his brother's and my words away. "I don' care." He perked up immediately. "Tha ninja man is here for a visit, Gōzu! We gotta go see 'fore Granny Kasumi finds us missin'!"
"What?" I asked somewhat skeptically as my brain tried to grasp Meizu's words.
Not exactly about the existence of ninja, per say, but because ninja were supposed to be shadow people that normal folks weren't supposed to be able to spot. Ever. Because ninja were supposed to be masters of assassinations and stealth. Either someone was pulling the wool over Meizu's eyes, this ninja was letting kids see him (which I doubted) or...the person Meizu was talking about was just a pretty shitty ninja.
He shot me a nasty look. "I said tha ninja man is here! I think he's talkin' to tha bigger kids 'cause Granny Kasumi won't let tha little-er kids go outside!"
"Really?" Gōzu asked suspiciously. "How did you see him if Granny Kasumi won't let the smaller kids go outside?"
Asking a viable question and correcting grammar at the same time? I knew there was a reason I stuck around this kid.
"I ain't dumb, 'kay? I got away from Granny while she was gettin' the other kids and I came lookin' for ya 'cause I knew you wouldn't be there with Granny but with her!" He gave me the stink eye while I rolled mine in response. "You guys 're always stealin' books an' stuffs from Nanami's room so I knew you was in here and, on my way over, I looked outta Tsunao's window and saw this guy with a huge sword on his back throwin' kunai an' stuffs!"
I wanted to disagree about him not being dumb but his line of thought was actually pretty sound. If Gōzu wasn't with him, he was with Granny Kasumi. If Gōzu wasn't with Granny Kasumi, he was most likely with me. If we were together, we were most likely going through Nanami's stuff. Tsunao—one of the older kids—usually had his curtains open for everyone to see in and out his room so Meizu most likely wasn't lying about that.
Meizu wasn't as articulate as his brother but he was right when he said he wasn't stupid. It was because of that that I found myself reluctantly believing Meizu's words about seeing a "ninja man." I mean, if people could have orange eyes and blue hair or have shark teeth naturally, then there wasn't much reason for me to be a non-believer.
I mean, I'd been reborn. As much as I hate bringing it up constantly, it was an act that reinforced just about all suspensions of disbelief I could possibly have about anything.
But...
"Prove it." I said simply because I knew Meizu couldn't back down from a challenge and because I wanted to see the guy in person. "Show me ninja man. No proof means you lying."
Gōzu made a small noise of protest but I ignored him to instead stare Meizu down. It was hard fighting down the smirk as I watched the younger twin fidgeting, not in fear of my stare like the others, but in anger and in the need to prove me wrong. Probably to prove to Gōzu that he was a better companion than me—it must've been a sibling thing. Was Meizu jealous of me hanging around his brother constantly or did he just not like me?
Most likely, it was the latter.
"Fine!" He blurted out, his tiny fists clenched tightly at his side. "I'll show you tha ninja man then you'll see!"
I let my lips twitch slightly. "Lead away."
Meizu gave me one last lingering glare before tiptoeing from Nanami's room into the hallway. Gōzu made a face as he followed after his brother and I scooped up my newly-acquired map as I gave the mess we'd left on Nanami's floor a look. Too bad for her because I wasn't about to clean it up. Maybe if we got back with some time to spare, we'd put everything back where it belonged.
Maybe.
It didn't take long for me to catch up with the two brothers. Meizu was peeking around the corner of the hall, looking into main room where I could hear Granny Kasumi's voice mingled with other, higher-pitched voices. I tapped Gōzu on the shoulder, giving him a questioning look when he turned around. He just shrugged and pointed towards the kitchen, which was on the opposite side of the main room. From that alone, I could tell that Granny Kasumi must've been turned in such a way so that she could see anyone entering or exiting the kitchen and hallway, meaning we couldn't go that way without being caught.
I rolled my eyes as I turned on my heel, slightly pissed because Meizu hadn't taken into account the obvious obstacle that obstructed our path. Before I could turn completely and ditch the two boys, I had an idea.
"Just open Tsunao's window." I stated and I snorted at Meizu's confused look when he turned towards me. "You see ninja man from Tsunao's window, yes?" At his hesitant nod, I pointed towards the aforementioned person's room. "We open Tsunao's window. Ninja man maybe still near there."
Meizu's face scrunched in what was probably anger or irritation. "That's a stup—"
"It's a good idea, Shizu-chan." Gōzu interrupted, quickly grabbing Meizu and leading him back to Tsunao's room, presumably to keep him from giving us all away and to keep me from getting pissed off. I trailed after them at a slower, calmer pace and shut the door quietly behind me as I entered our destination.
Tsunao shared a room with another boy named Tatsuya that I didn't really know all that well, only that he was the next oldest after Nanami, putting him at about sixteen or seventeen after Nanami's twenty. I guess, in a couple years, he'd be old enough to go out into the world on his own.
It was weird. I never really thought about it until now but what was there after growing up in this world? The same occupations and opportunities that were present in my old world weren't even in existence here. I was a college student before, majoring in a subject that no longer held any significance in this feudal era. What was there to do? Become a farmer or some rich lord's young, unwilling bride? Those seemed to be the stereotypical occupations of ancient Japan. That or become a warlord, according to some of the games I used to play.
Maybe I'd become a scholar, traveling the world and imparting my otherworldly knowledge to a following of faithful disciples?
"Hey, you! Get over here an' help us get this window open!" Meizu hissed at me as he and Gōzu strained to push open the window. "You came up with tha plan so you gotta help us with it!"
Oh. I forgot about that for a minute.
"'m comin'..." I muttered as I padded over, swiftly looking around the room for an object to boost me up but to no avail. I puffed out a sigh as I took hold of the window's edge and pushed up to the best of my ability.
At one point, I had to stand on the very tips of my toes and, still, we only got the window only a third of the way open. My lips pursed as we all took a step back to examine our work. It wasn't that bad; it would just be a tight fit for us all to squeeze through it.
"I'll go first." Gōzu volunteered with a tiny smile. "I'm the oldest so I'll make sure it's safe."
"You sure?" I asked as I clutched the edges of my sleeves. "I go first for you?"
"That's dumb! Why would you go first when you tha littlest one of us? You prob'ly just get hurt, stupid!" Meizu groused as he crossed his arms but I could hear the daring in his tone.
He thought I wouldn't do it? I could totally scale the wall outside! It wasn't even that high of a drop! Get hurt? Please! I could take pain like a pro!
It was with those thoughts that I pushed the protesting Gōzu out of my way, hoisted myself up and began to squeeze through the opening of the window. Already I could feel the disgusting fog clinging to my skin and I choked and hacked a bit as the breath I'd taken managed to somehow suck in some of the haze that was slowly soaking into my pores.
What was this? I know there were days that it was hard to see through the haze that descended but this... It wasn't natural. It couldn't be. Not with the way that it was dense enough to be solid! Something wasn't right about this mist...but something kept me from retreating back into the room. I guess I was too stubborn to go back—I was prideful like that, prideful enough to possibly get myself hurt or worse.
Pride comes before a fall, as they used to say in my old world.
I coughed a bit more, squinting my eyes and scowling furiously as I struggled to pull myself through the window, achieving my goal an inch at a time. After a few more seconds of pulling, I fell to the ground with a tiny cry, landing on my side as I twisted my body so as to not land on my neck. Turning back towards the window, I smirked smugly at the furious look on Meizu's face and nodded slightly to show Gōzu that I was uninjured.
I watched with amusement as Meizu pushed his brother out of the way and forced himself through, much like I had. Fearing that he was too much of an idiot to try and protect his head, I helped out by cushioning his blow the best way that I could i.e. by becoming a human pillow because there was nothing else.
Not because I cared about Meizu but because I didn't want Gōzu to be sad.
He glared at me when he picked himself up off of me and I think I might've heard him grumble out a thanks but I was probably just hearing things. Gōzu was the last one to leave the room and Meizu and I united together to catch the older boy before he could hurt himself. Once we were all situated, we allowed ourselves to examine our surroundings.
"Why tha fog so thick?" Meizu asked as his head whipped around rapidly, probably trying to make something out in the white mist. "It wasn't like this earlier when I saw 'im... "
I stayed silent, merely covering the lower half of my face with my sleeves and hovering close to the brothers' sides. This fog was unsettling with the way the clung so thickly, almost like it was suffocating, and the way that it felt as if...something was watching our every little move from within its depths.
But what was I afraid of? The Bogeyman didn't exist.
"I don't like this..." I heard Gōzu breath out. "I think we should go back..." The soft-spoken boy turned on his heel but abruptly stopped in his tracks. "W-what...!?"
"Gōzu, wha—" Meizu cuts himself off and his brown eyes practically took over his whole face in surprise.
What was wrong? Slightly alarmed, I craned my neck but nothing was there. And that was the problem. Nothing was behind us despite the fact that we hadn't moved from in front of Tsunao's window.
"Where's tha window!?" Meizu whispered harshly, nibbling on his thumbnail in distress. "We didn' even move 'nywhere...!"
I suppressed the urge to gnash my teeth together and I turned my head back forward, desperately searching through the fog for...what? Somehow, we'd left the orphanage and entered Wonderland without noticing. Was Tsunao's window a portal to a fog world like the one in that horror game I can't remember the name of? Was it called Quiet Knoll? No, that didn't sound right. Regardless, I just hoped I wouldn't see any monsters coming out from the bleak expanse of white...
"Meizu... Shizuka..." Gōzu's voice was soft, breathy and it took a little effort to actually hear him despite the fact the he was standing behind me. "Mei...zu... Shi...zu...k...a..."
Something's wrong.
Why did Gōzu sound so far away? And why hadn't Meizu responded to him? I turned around. I chocked down the gasp of astonishment as I realized that I was alone. I hadn't been turned away from them for more than a few seconds and, yet, they were gone.
There was no sign of Gōzu.
No sign of Meizu.
They had just disappeared into thick mist, without so much as a scream or a gasp or a cry.
And there was only me remaining, trapped in a void of foreboding silence and fog.
...
Something's wrong.
I could feel it.
...
..
.
Someone's watching.
~{II}~
"Pathetic."
These little brats had nothing of what it took to be shinobi of Kiri. They were sickeningly pathetic and weak. They flinched when he threw kunai near them, they cowered away when he swung his Kubikiribōchō at them and they fled back into the building once the haze of his Hidden Mist technique rolled in. He hadn't expected to find such...such wastes of breath on the outskirts of Kirigakure. The only people who had a right to be so pitiable were civilians, like that blue-haired girl who practically pissed her panties every time she saw him.
He spat at the ground, chuckling lightly as he recalled the flush that surged into her cheeks when she laid eyes on him earlier. Little Nanami was still as cowardly as he remembered, which happened to be something he liked exploiting whenever he came around. He relished in the fact that she wasn't like the usual civvies woman who typically ran away when he came around. Nanami would always be on the verge of fainting around him but she never ran away from him and he supposed that counted for something.
She ain't too hard on the eyes, either. He thought with a light, lecherous smirk as he rubbed the scar on his cheek. Wonder if I can get her to my place one of these days?
The swordsman shouldered Kubikiribōchō, forming the tiger seal with his free hand to dispel his jutsu until, out of the blue, he picked up on three chakra signatures that weren't there before. By the size of them, he could tell they were kids but one of those signatures was a bit too large to be considered some small kid and was debatable. If he estimated, he would put it around the size of a newly-graduated genin and he doubted that an orphan brat had access to the proper training to be in possession of that much chakra.
He licked his lips slowly, their corners pulling up slighly as his excitement rose with each passing second.
I guess this place ain't full of weaklings...! His smirk was full of deviousness as he performed the seals for low-grade genjutsu (because why the hell not). We'll see how long they last now that they've wandered into my domain...!
Immediately after he finished the final seal, he could already tell it was a success due to the three brats slowly wandering away from each other, presumably unaware of each others' location in his thick mist. Giving Kubikiribōchō a few warm-up swings, he dashed off towards one of the smaller chakra signatures, deciding to leave that larger one for last.
"Hey! Gōzu! Stupid girl! Where are ya!? He— AAAIIIEEE!"
He yanked up the kid by the back up of his shirt, twisting the kid towards him and giving him a devious grin. The wild-haired kid gulped loudly and cowered away from him, making his grin stretch even farther across his face. The grin on his face only lasted until the brat opened his mouth and blurted, "I knew ya was here! HA! That stupid girl won't know what hit her!"
He gave the swordsman a beaming smile. "Say, when ya get that stupid girl, can ya like, I don' know, drown her in tha sea or somethin'? I don't want people ta know she's gone so ya gotta— OWW!"
The swordsman dropped the kid on the ground, already annoyed with his voice and words. Reminded him of Hiramekarei's wielder with how he talked too damn much. "Shut up, brat! Or do gotta lop ya head off an' wear it as an ornament!?"
"You was the one who came ta me, ninja man!" He growled as he glared up at the swordsman. "I was just out here ta prove that ya were— OW!"
He smirked as he gave the kid a swift but light kick in the butt. Enough to shut him up but not enough to hurt him much—he didn't need Mizukage-sama on his case again for injuring civvies. "Shut up, I said!" He grumbled as the kid scooted away from him. "Yeah, move away if ya know what's good for ya..."
The audacity of this kid... He glowered down at the boy who returned his look with an identical one. Still got spunk even though I can kill 'im in less than a second...
"Meizu! Shizuka!" A pause. "Where are you!? Are you all right!?"
He really didn't feel like bothering with Brat #01 anymore—too much lip and not enough of what he wanted to see. He shot the kid one last nasty look before dashing off towards the next chakra signature, one wandering close towards the building. The swordsman bared his teeth as he pulled out a few shuriken, flicking them towards the target. He smirked when he heard a sharp yelp and, within a few moments, Brat #02 was skittering towards him.
The swordsman almost wondered how Brat #01 managed to navigate through the fog so quickly but he immediately spotted the differences between them. Brat #01 looked like he'd been scuttling through the wild for a few days while this Brat #02 looked a bit more neater than that. Must've been twins or something.
But do they react the same...?
Brat #02 took a step away from him, his brown eyes wide and his shoulders trembling. The swordsman smirked viciously as he brandished Kubikiribōchō, intent on slicing off a few strands of hair—just to shake the kid up a little bit. He brought the sword up, vicious smile stretching his face...
Until the brat opened his mouth.
"You can't kill me."
What did this kid just say to me!? "...What did you just say to me, kid?"
The boy's voice shook but his words were firm. "I said...that you can't kill me." He paused before adding, "Shinobi-san."
What is up with these kids? First, I get a bunch that piss their pants seein' me, now, I get the ones who ain't even scared o' me? His sword lowered an increment. Can't I get a nice in between?
"You can't kill me because...you're a shinobi. A-and shinobi are supposed to protect us." The kid's gaze dropped to the ground.
The swordsman barked out a laugh. Poor kid. He still thought ninja were heroes. He must've been reading those stories about Kiri's founder or something. He'd learn real soon that those shinobi of legends were nothing but fakes and that those stories were used to lure unsuspecting children like him into becoming killers bound eternally to their village.
Lest they wanted to be hunted down like dogs by Kiri's hunter-nin units and mercenary-nin, that is.
He snorted obnoxiously, patting the kid's head roughly and ignoring the sound of protest that the kid made. "Now why would ya say a thing like that, kid? I could ripe out ya spine and strangle ya with it. Who'd stop me?" He made sure to flash a sharp-toothed smile to unnerve the kid.
"W-well, if you wanted to kill me, you would have done it before I'd even noticed. P-Plus, my brother saw you earlier and, if he saw you, that means that you let him see you." The brown-haired boy explained in a soft voice. "I doubt you have any reasons to kill children... Unless you just don't like children?" He looked up at him through his eyelashes.
He stared down at the little kid, his gaze blank as he absorbed the kid's rather sound reasoning...and he subsequently grew bored of Brat #02, just like he had with Brat #01. One talked too much about nothing while the other one talked too much about logical shit—you could tell they were related to each other. The swordsman resorted to ignoring the brown-haired boy and preparing to go off towards the final brat, the one with too much chakra for an orphan.
The swordsman didn't even feel like getting his hopes up about this one because he knew he'd be disappointed. Maybe, after this whole failure of a hazing and the following lecture he'd get from Mizukage-sama, he'd take his frustrations out on Hiramekarei's wielder. It had been awhile since he knocked him around a little bit.
Within the next few moments, he was standing a few feet behind Brat #03 who had yet to turn around. He grimaced lightly at the brightness of the kid's hair—red wasn't a color often seen in Kirigakure. He took another step forward, stopping when he saw the kid look over their shoulder before slowly turning to face him. His eyebrow cocked once he realized the kid was indeed a girl, going by the flowery barrette holding her bangs back (and because who would put girly-ass barrettes in a boy's hair?).
They stared at one another for a time, neither saying anything or moving an inch until the swordsman pulled out a couple of kunai. He waved them in his hand a little, waiting for the kid to recoil in fear or say something in response to his threat.
Still, the kid just stood there, staring at him with an inscrutable gaze.
His eyes narrowed as he tossed the projectiles at the girl with a small flick of his wrist. One landed next to the girl, burying itself into the ground with a 'thunk' while the other sliced off a few strands of hair. The girl started slightly, her lips twisting downwards as she toyed with the ends of her bangs before she bending down to pick up...the kunai?
Really? He hadn't seen that one today. She was careful in handling it, too, which was surprising considering the fact that even kids that were older than her were too stupid sometimes to pick it up by the handle. She poked the point of it, blinking owlishly at the drop of blood she'd drawn from herself and the swordsman groaned silently and looked skywards as he waited for the girl to begin crying for someone to kiss her boo-boo.
"Meizu right." He heard her say and his head dropped down to see the girl holding out the kunai for him to take. "Ninja man was real."
...
Huh.
He squatted down and took the kunai held out for him. The girl watched him with guarded eyes and he couldn't stop the grin that stretched his face because this little brat had a pretty good poker face for her age. The swordsman ruffled the girl's hair, laughing a bit as she moved her head away from his hand and reaching her hands up to smooth down the mess he'd made.
"So, little girl, ya thought I was some illusion or somethin'?" He snickered as he formed the release seals for both his jutsu. "How's it feel to see the real thing?"
She didn't respond. Instead, she glanced around, presumably watching the fog dissipate. After a few seconds, her eyes landed on what he assumed was his forehead. Her eyebrows knitted together as she reached up to touch his face and he grabbed her wrist to stop her action.
"No touchin', kid." He grunted. He wasn't about to let some kid touch his face for any reason.
"What that metal thing?" She asked, pointing towards his face.
"What?" He tapped his kunai against the metal protecting his forehead. "This?" He smirked at her nod. "This here's my headband. Proof I'm a shinobi of Kirigakure. What? You want one?"
She stayed silent, the expression on her face contorting into another unreadable one. Then, her green eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh... That world where I am." She shrugged after another moment.
"What the hell are you tal—"
"Shizu-chan!? Where are you!?"
Right when he was about to ask about what the hell the little brat was talking about, the old woman's voice called out. The swordsman let out an exasperated sigh and he let his head tilt back. She was rushing past him in less than a few minutes (Damn, she moved fast for an old biddy) and scooping up the little girl in a swift motion. Brats #01 and #02 came trailing behind her a few seconds later with Nanami at their heels and the swordsman rolled his eyes as the old woman pinned him with a glare.
"Jūzō! Why did you think it was a good idea to harm these children!?" She yelled at him and he winced in response. "Surely, all those years in Kiri's service hasn't made you into a complete imbecile!"
His grip on Kubikiribōchō's hilt tightened at the old woman's insult but he played off his irritation by giving her a nonchalant smile. "Look, old woman, those brats came out here on their own accord. It ain't my fault someone wasn't watchin' 'em right." He sent a sly look to Nanami, who jerked back in fear. "Why hold me accountable for her mistake?"
"Don't try to change the subject, Jūzō." The old woman paused. "Do I have to send a letter to Mizukage-sama regarding your performance?"
His expression tensed minutely. "...No, that ain't necessary." Reluctantly, he bowed deeply. "...Sorry about that. I let my excitement get the better of me and I put the bra— KIDS in possible danger."
He heard the old woman huff something out and he stifled the snarl that threatened to overtake his face. The old woman better be glad Mizukage-sama was fond of her because, if he wasn't, heads would most definitely rolling. He straightened up his stature whist putting Kubikiribōchō in its holster on his back.
The swordsman, Jūzō Biwa, offered them a strained smile. "I suppose I better be getting' back. Got other things to do other than this."
"Bye, ninja man!" Brat #01 said with a wide grin while Brat #02 merely nodded towards him. The girl stared at him for the longest moments until a slow, toothy grin pulled up onto her lips. He snorted a little because the girl looked a little demented when smiling like that and he couldn't help but think he had something in common with her on that note. He gave them all a two-fingered wave (and a devilish grin for Nanami) before disappearing in a swirl of mist.
...
It was time to report his findings to Mizukage-sama.
~{II}~
"Just what in the world were you thinking!?" Granny Kasumi ranted and I grimaced at the volume of her voice. "You could've gotten yourselves killed!"
...And that was about the time I began tuning her out because I had more important things to think about.
So, it looks like I was reborn into that world.
I realized it when I saw that headband on that ninja's forehead. It had these four squiggly lines on it and, then, everything clicked together once he said that it was proof he was one of Kiri's—as in Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in Mist that was in the Land of Water—ninja. What was the series called?
Namuro?
Nagato?
Sasuruto?
Oh, wait.
It was called Naruto.
All right, so I was in a world whose laws were dictated by people that could spew fire and walk on water and, by chance, I'd been reborn into one of the worst places to be, if I recalled correctly. Granted, things could've been a little better (I could've been born into a world where all you had to do was farm and get married) but it also could've been way worse (I could've been born in that fog world from that one video game I mentioned earlier).
I suppose I'll just have to make due with the cards I've been dealt. I mean, it isn't as if I have to be a ninja.
...
We all know I'm going to be a ninja.
Why bother trying to claim otherwise? I could be a regular girl but what was the point in doing that? I was always a bit fond of doing a few dangerous stunts—I mean, the whole reason I died in the first place was because I was being careless and driving a little too fast around a dangerous mountain curve. I'd already died once and I have enough intelligence to keep myself alive for a little longer.
Compared to other people—normal people—I was technically at the top of the food chain, considering I knew exactly what was going to transpire in the coming years. Besides, if I can recall correctly, shit hits the fan at some point and I'd like to be ready for when it comes.
...And the fame that comes with the position of a successful shinobi doesn't really hurt, either.
I mean, who was I even, in that other life?
Some college girl who had a daring streak in her but, otherwise, was hardly noteworthy when standing in a crowd of people. Honestly, had I really been important and great, I would've remembered every detail of my personal life besides the fact that I was a bit of an anime and gaming nerd and was careless enough to get myself killed.
Here, I had a chance to become something bigger and better than what I had been.
I mean, why else would the deities-that-be even bother reincarnating me if I wasn't destined for greatness? They had given me something no person in recorded history had ever been given: a New Game Plus.
With that in mind, how exactly can I gain my rightful reward if I repeat history by settling with becoming the same, plain girl I'd been?
...
So, that was that. I was going to become a powerful ninja.
A fitting goal, if you ask me.
.
Edited: 27/03/2015 - Changed the format a little. Changed Wakeru's name to the proper canon one (Wakeru Būdo - Jūzō Biwa). Added a bit more dialogue to the last section to better flesh out Shizuka's personality.
