Chapter 2
The moment I got near the Izana complex, I made no motion or attempt towards getting back the money Kira owed me. All things considered, I had seen far too much of her for my liking, and I was fairly certain the feeling was mutual. I barely remembered the Izana clan's barracks. I considered myself lucky to even remember the location at all.
The branches were closed off, and the road towards branch one was filled with flowers, adorning the pathway and overlooking the large Zen Garden that was flowing and freshly raked. The fact that it really did resemble a Geisha house wasn't unfamiliar to me, and I found my eyes glancing over the surroundings, still rather uninterested.
I vaguely caught the glimpse of the back of someone's yukata. It looked brand new with its completely wrinkles form and bright color of crimson sheen. I glanced away from the bright white hair –a clear sign of branch three.
I continued walking towards the bridge, which was small and curved over a thin body of water. There was no creaking as I walked over it, as opposed to the last time.
The Izana branch one complex was…richer…than I remembered. It seemed like more money had begun to flood to the outside image of it, and I swiftly found myself vaguely impressed at the glamor of it all.
The house itself, where I used to recede, looked empty, and the doors were locked. Glancing at the sealed and windowless home, my tired and lazy eyes scanned the surroundings. Being away for so many years made it fairly difficult to decide just how I was going to get inside.
Having already knocked, I decided that Kira had either gone out drinking or was undoubtedly sleeping. I let out a quiet sigh as I looked down at my hand, forming it into a tight but lazy fist. My skin slightly discolored as I brought my Chakra into my hand, spreading out through my fingers. I glanced towards the door and brought my fist back before finally slamming it into the oak, shattering it completely.
I yawned, walking over the broken bits of wood and hearing it slightly break from underneath my steps. At this point, I didn't give two shits about where I was going to sleep and I walked towards a random room.
The walking I had been doing for so many days had finally caught up to me and I collapsed, my legs shaking and red as my body hit the soft and random mat.
Unable to stay awake for a moment longer, my eyes closed and my world turned black.
葉 ︎葉
I was fairly certain that the Izana family was probably the best and worst family I could have been stuck with in this vast universe. Best, because I'd rather not get close with my killer's family or any new family, thus making the distance and chill of the Izana clan all the more inviting. Worst, because they were all raging assholes that would sooner choose money over each other.
It was made even more obvious of this fact when my eldest sister, Izana Asa, walked into the room I had unknowingly fallen asleep with and kicked me out of her bed. Quite literally having no problem in kicking an eight year old out of her mat, never mind said eight year old was her sister, and settled for sleeping in her place. Asa Izana didn't spare me a single glance as she curled up in her blankets and closed her eyes.
"Shut the door on your way out," Asa murmured as I merely stared at the black haired girl, who almost immediately closed her eyes. In a mere instant, I noticed dried bits of red, decorating her hair as well as a bit more dry blood, stained against her neck.
I merely rolled my eyes and walked out of the room, paying her no heed as I shut the door behind me and walked out.
The house was just as empty feeling as I remembered, much different from the caravan with which I had traveled. Every morning was filled with light and laughter. It was new every day and back then felt like life was more in color.
I began to wonder why I had come back at all.
葉 ︎葉
Sinking into my seat, I found my eyes drawn onto that of the 4th Hokage.
For the first time, I knew what era death had thrown me.
Smug, pretentious cunt.
The conversation was long, boring, and rather uneventful. His questions were short and to the point. I hadn't met with the 4th in the past, as he had died around the time I was like one or two years old. Seeing him in person instead of on a mountain was pretty cool, I guess. He did look remarkably like the loud mouth Naruto, who, according to the local gossip as Misaki, is like his son or something.
I heard that the 4th Hokage had sealed the Kyuubi, so that just makes this hilarious. Dad of the year right here, no doubt.
"Follow up question, where were you?" He had asked, to which I, as an eight year old with an 18 year old's mind, didn't know how to answer without outing my family as assholes.
I really didn't want to deal with the backlash of pissing off a group of trained killers who had no problem abandoning a child in a different country.
"Family." I answered after a brief pause. "I was with family."
"Why is that?"
"My sister thought I needed to get out of the village and it would do me some good…" I was fairly certain that the report the Izana family had filled the time where I went missing would cover this, but I suppose he wouldn't be a leader if he just let it slide.
"Why is that?" He asked, glancing up from the report that Izana Asa had no doubt written. Being the head of a clan did have its responsibilities so I couldn't say that Tsukasa's eldest sister was a complete slacker. Shit babysitter though/
"My mother died and my father gauged out my eye," I answered in a deadpan, causing him to slightly wince. "Bad memories…you know." At this point I wasn't even trying to put emotion in my voice and talking about the memory didn't really, like, feel like I was talking about me. It was fairly easy to keep my distance from all things Izana related. He was obviously taken back from the lack of tone in my voice, which made me think he would have trouble conversing with me any further.
Misaki had been so emotional, but as Tsukasa, I had found that emotions seemed to come to me slower. I suspected this was how she had been able to kill people so easily. Not that I was planning on killing people – I just feel like if I did, I wouldn't feel guilty for long.
It helped that I was detached from 'Tsukasa' and I think that the perceptive 4th Hokage was beginning to understand that.
"Why aren't your family with you now?" He asked and I blinked in return.
I shrugged.
"How is your life at home?"
I shrugged again.
"Are you happy where you live?" He asked and I gave a deadpan blink.
"Ecstatic…can you not tell?"
He seemed taken back, and he gave a slight smile, but I could tell he was growing increasingly uncomfortable. I almost chuckled.
"I would very much like to speak to your guardian." He finally said after a long pause of us just staring at each other.
I wish I could say that she would like the same. "I don't think you would." I replied after a pause.
He sighed, leaning back against his seat. "I'm afraid that I must insist. While I admit you are very advanced and mature for your age," so he could tell, "but you are still underage and I can't renew your citizenship until I speak to your legal guardian."
Wow. I'm like, super bored.
"I see." I replied.
"I will send someone to escort you back home," the 4th said, and I had to stop myself from frowning. So now I can't even walk home by myself. "Once home, you can get your sister and bring her in.
"That's sort of annoying." I said and he raised a brow, but didn't dignify my comment with a response.
A minute didn't even pass until a silver haired Jounin that I recognized as a much younger version of Kakashi Hatake, walked into the room. He looked a lot grumpier than the laid back teacher I remembered.
I wasn't that familiar with him on a personal level, but it was hard to not know the annoyingly famous unit of team seven. Especially when a member goes rogue and the others are trained by legendary senin. I even remembered my old, long dead (or…alive now? In this time he was definitely alive) teammate Hikaru would often make jokes that their team got special treatment despite there wasn't much special or remarkable about their abilities.
It was bullshit.
"You called," Kakashi said, and the more I looked at him, the more I noticed that he was in fact younger by at least 8 years. Good look for him. I'd say about 21.
Mentally, we were almost the same and yet he was no doubt going to treat me like a child. The thought still kind of pissed me off.
"Escort mission." The 4th said, his face empty. Kakashi's expression didn't look very amused.
"Is this a punishment?" Kakashi asked, and I leaned back into my chair watching the interaction with very mild amusement.
"Seems so." I commented before standing.
"Take her back to the Izana complex and then be sure to bring back her eldest sister, Izana Asa," the 4th mentioned, before writing a quick note on a piece of paper and handing it to the silver haired Jounin.
Kakashi looked visibly irritated, but took the note regardless, reading it before glancing towards me. He shrugged and turned to walk out of the room while I silently followed behind.
The silence was rather nice, as both of us were obviously displeased with the development. A part of me was slightly curious as to what the note had said to silence the irritated future sensei, but the more dominant part didn't give two shits.
The walk would obviously be long, as the Izana complex was annoyingly close to the Uchiha complex, which was on the farthest end of Konoha. If I were a Jounin, I'd be pissed to walk back with an eight year old too.
"The fourth thinks the Izana house is an unsuitable environment…doesn't he?" I asked, boredom outdoing my desire for silence. "You're here to make sure?"
Kakashi glanced at me, his hands in his pockets. It was strange to see him not reading his perverted book, as when I was Misaki that was what he always read when walking through the streets. Maybe he doesn't whip it out in front of children.
I scrunched my nose in disgust, not liking the sound of that last sentence.
"You're a rather perceptive kid, aren't you?" He said, continuing to walk.
"Not really." I replied, yawning into my palm. I can just see through men. It had become a natural thing when I was with the traveling group of entertainers. I had met more people, interacting and watching, than I had in my entire life as Misaki. You learn things when you travel with freaks, swindlers, and jokers.
And people naturally let their guard down when faced with a child. It's like they want to make it easy for me.
Kakashi raised a brow, but didn't respond. I had a feeling that he didn't believe my rejection of his statement.
"If it was a hostile environment, what then?" I asked and Kakashi shrugged.
"Usually, kids get sent to the orphanage and then get assigned to a new family based on the family's desire for a child." He said, as nonchalantly as if he were talking about the weather.
I noticed his one visibly eye drift to my bandaged eye, and at that moment I didn't have a doubt that he didn't know about the Izana massacre five years ago. The obvious event, which had turned me into his fellow one-eyed buddy.
I hadn't heard much about it in my last life, as the Uchiha massacre had put it in its shadow. It seemed like Konoha could only remember so much tragedy at once. I wasn't too surprised since the Uchiha massacre was obviously more…famous. And the clan was obviously more…known. An assassin clan didn't really like to become a hugely known family while the Uchihas had no such affliction.
Hell, maybe I could get a front row seat to said disaster. Make a party out of it.
Especially if I go to an orphanage, judging by Kakashi's expression, it was likely no one would want to adopt a one eyed child of a murderer. Izana had never been well liked.
"Ah." I finally answered in my near tone-less voice.
I doubted it would come to that. The Izana compound wasn't hostile…just quiet. Silent as the grave, but beautiful. It held the eerie calm of a dollhouse, and everyone seemed to move at a slow and silent pace…and it always felt like you were being watched. Creepy was the correct word, which I couldn't doubt was the result of our…unique Chakra that flooded the shadows and lingered on your skin.
It was going to be strange, bringing an outsider into the first branch, as outsiders rarely ever visit for all the reasons stated above.
"I don't think it will come to that." Kakashi said, confirming my earlier speculation.
葉 ︎葉
Asa Izana didn't look too happy to be woken up, and when she looked at me, she looked like she couldn't even recognize me. Her long black hair, still thick with dry blood, fell over her bare and pale shoulders as her kimono dipped below her elbow. This revealed her skimpy, and tightly bandaged chest. Her murky brown eyes stared back at me, exhaustion clear in her face.
When recognition finally settled her expression, her two fingers raised and poked me in my bandaged socket before she giggled like a schoolgirl.
"We all thought you to be dead." She stated with another rather feminine giggle. "Which was a shame cause I had thought of so many jokes, ne, patches? Cyclops?" She yawned out the last demeaning name.
I found myself sighing; having seen the eye jokes already coming from the moment Kira opened her mouth to make the first one.
"Ichigo said he'd represent as my guardian in your stead," I cut right to the chase, leaning against the open door. "We figured you'd be too busy to get me reinstated in the village."
Asa's smile almost immediately disappeared as she straightened her back. "Who said I was busy?" Her voice was hoarse, and when she stood up, her kimono slipped down to her ankles, revealing her in pure bandages and skimpy black lace panties. "A branch 6, offering to represent you." She scoffed, ignoring her near naked state as she walked to her full-length mirror, her fingers drifted to the bloodstains on her neck. She wasted no time to use the damp towel, still soaked in a dish of water, and brought it to her body, wiping off the blood.
"Leave." She ordered, as her earlier amused tone had disappeared. I wasted no time to go, closing the sliding door behind me.
I scoffed as I walked down the hall. Mention anyone from any other house, and Izana's just flock in your hand. It was just too easy.
葉 ︎葉
I noticed that Izana Asa was actually likeable when she cleaned up and spoke to the Hokage on my behalf.
I was actually impressed at just how almost likeable she was. Complete two-faced witch, but at least she knew how to pretend to care. I can't say the same for me or any other Izana I've ever met, aside from Ichigo of course.
It seemed like it was physically difficult to care about anything. I tried when I was with the caravan. The amount of times they tried to make me laugh or smile…well, it just never ended right.
It was easy to medically diagnosis myself as a budding sociopath, and I wasn't that surprised. To be a hitman, you kind of need to be. It was annoying, however, that the change in my personality only hit me with use of my Chakra. Izana bullshit right there.
Still not worse than dying I suppose. However, being in a room with my sister's oddly charismatic charm made me doubt the alternatives.
Sometimes I saw a look flash through Minato's eyes, slightly giving me the impression that he saw through Asa's flood of bullshit. But the look would disappear before I could fully tell. I thought I had been excellent at reading men, but the 4th Hokage seemed to be that rare exception.
Thusly, I got my license renewed and by Asa's charm, I wasn't placed in an orphanage.
Can you say damn it? A part of me was slightly hoping for an orphanage.
葉 ︎葉
"I don't want my sister to go to the ninja academy. I'd rather have her trained at home like Izana custom." I remember Asa stating, much to my surprise.
So I wasn't going to have to live through my academy days again. Oh, sister, I could kiss you. I don't have to be trained by some idiot sensei or relearn how to fire a kunai or make friends with kids years younger than me.
This was probably the only blessing I've had in all my time as an Izana. Then again, I suppose it hasn't been too bad and traveling without consequence or work was rather enjoyable. Especially since I had see parts of the world that I hadn't even known existed to me as Misaki.
A part of me, that distant traveling glow, knew that isolation couldn't be good for me. It knew that half of me was still submerged in the darkness of this house and of our name.
I knew all of this, and yet the longer I lived as Tsukasa, the less I cared about the words and wisdom of Misaki.
My desire still stood up high in the distance.
I didn't want to die like she did, forgotten next to broken comrades. The ninja academy and the Leaf ninja's way brought Misaki's fate upon her.
And even if I have to submerge and drown myself into this darkness, well, it's not like I have anyone left to bring me back from it. An Izana isn't born to need friends or caring family members and no one cares if one of them dies.
I guess I have no other choice now, but to be Izana Tsukasa.
Being brought back here by the forceful fist of Kira Izana taught one thing.
Nothing in this world is so simple.
No matter how much I wanted to stay traveling the western and northern world didn't matter.
And my fate was sealed here from the moment I opened my eyes and from the moment I lost one.
I am Tsukasa now, no matter how little I want to be.
