Thousand Miles from Home

Description:

Being reborn as Maito Gai's older sister was something no one should ever look forward to and I certainly didn't, however, here I am – attempting to survive my new personal hell as his beloved older sister. Oh God, why couldn't you just have sent me directly to hell? [Re-written]

Chapter 4: The Academy I

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'New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.' - Lao Tsu.


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It's been half a year since Mom discovered my will to become a Shinobi.

Since Mom stopped treating me like a child and instead concentrated her time on raising Gai.

Since Dad put all his free time on raising and training me, whenever he had free time. I've come to hate being at home alone with Mom (and oh well, Gai as well but he really doesn't count). The tension was high and awkward. Her words were harsh and straight to the point, constantly calling me Etsuko instead of Etsu-chan as she used to.

I missed the old times.

I really did.

However, it wasn't enough for me to beg forgiveness and pretend to have changed my mind, to attempted to win back her love and attention. No. Not when I knew what was coming.

Even as a child, I did my best to ignore those memories – those different voices.

Laughter.

Cheers.

Jeers.

Scoffs.

Screams.

Fights.

Cries.

And death.

I didn't want it nor did I ask for it.

A still blooming field took over my eyes sight, replacing that of constant houses and buildings of Konoha, making me to stop. I'd ventured a little outside of the village, not too far but not in immediate shouting distance. The Naka river lazily, but motivated, created its way through the ancient old road, heading to a bigger destination known only to the river itself.

It was empty of any presence but animals, making it a perfect spot to practice without disturbance.

Choosing to ignore all what would take place here in the future, I set up several kunai practices, hiding them out of my eyes sight. Much like the memories had shown Uchih Itachi to do. Yeah, I was going to copy a still unborn kid, I thought with a frown and pout. Finally, all preparation's were done and I took my place.

I closed my eyes in concentration, arms crossed as I imagined the trees and bull-eye spots that were my targets, before leaping up into the air and twisted my body as I threw seven Kunai towards the marked areas.

Thud.

Thump, thud.

Two hit bull-eye straight away, easy to see from my position as I landed.

Thud. Third one had been hidden behind a tree, been adjusted by another Kunai which hit its own designated target with a loud and resonating thud.

Thud.

And clank, clank.

I hummed, walking over to each spot, critically observing the Kunai and clicking my tongue as two out of seven had missed. Two, which had been positioned behind the first line of a target, making it to be my blind spot. That needed to be fixed, I thought putting the weapons back into my holster.

Before repeating the entire process, again and again and again.

Until the sun was replaced with the new moon, until my muscle's ached and whined against any movements. Dejected, I decided to head home.

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In retrospect, life in Konoha wasn't as hard as I thought it to be.

Sure, it wasn't a paradise, but to be honest – perfection doesn't exist.

Even as I was dressed in khaki colored knee-length shorts, short sleeved bright green T-shirt with a funny face on it (a gift from Dad, hence why I wasn't able to get rid of it, green really wasn't my favorite color due to a certain jumpsuit) and perfected with blue sandals. My hair had been tied up into a simple, messy ponytail. A couple of strands had fallen out of its hold, and there was dirt all over my body, including clothes. I could only imagine Mom's reaction, when she saw me.

Grumbling, I headed towards home.

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I was enrolled into the Academy early.

Under the recommendation of Dad's friend, who was a Jonin and had seen me training. Apparently, there weren't lots of four year old kids, who preferred studying and training over fooling around (I admit, I did those things with Gai, whenever Mom was at work or I had managed to sneak some time into my busy schedule. He loved to play with me, and I always came up with different game ideas, and more often than not both of us ended up giggling or laughing like a pair of mad nut-jobs as Mom once commented).

Majority of the kids were older than me, an average age being five or six, meaning despite of behaving like an adult they chose to either ignore my existence or make fun of my family's reputation. Mostly taunting me with Dad's incapability to use any form of Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, going as far as to use force against a four year old girl.

I was disgusted.

And angry, pissed even.

Four to five months after my entrance to the Academy, the kids had come to know not to mess with Maito Etsuko or insult my family members or they'd suffer under the wrath of Black Crow, the nickname itself was a jab at my often crow's nest resembling hair. Whenever I came from training, took part in Taijutsu training classes or chased those so-called future generation of Konoha.

During classes, I mostly kept to myself – reading and catching up to materials I may have missed or what intrigued me enough to pick up a scroll or a book. I spent limited time at home, mostly to play with Gai or hear stories from Dad in regards of the war and his own childhood. Mom's presence was fading from my life, from Dad's life.

It was only a matter of time before she'd forget Gai too, I thought during one rare family dinner as I watched her feeding and trying to get my little brother to say the word 'Mama'.

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It was half a year into me joining the Academy, when I officially met Airi and Saburou.

When I gained my very first two friends, who accepted me and my family as we came.

And the beginning of my life long tale that cannot be forgotten, no matter how much I might desire to do so.

It was on that day, when I vowed to never become like Hatake Kakashi eventually would, even if I might end up dwelling on the past and break that very vow years later.