Battleship Chains

By TimeAndLife21

Chapter Four

I remember in my past life that I have been a bit...off. I had ADD/ADHD, a hearing impairment, and I didn't have the full spectrum of emotions that most people would have. I was faster than most people, I was a little bit stronger than the average woman, and my brain had been rewired to try and be more logical than emotional (I would still have emotional outbreaks, only because of certain situations), but when I went back to school to become a paramedic, I was in my element.

I can't remember what this condition was though. I knew I was different than my family. When I met my best friend, it was her husband that pointed out that I was similar to him, except that he has a different strain, and my nephews (Their kids) had one of each genetic strain. I can't remember for the life of me what it is called, but I knew that I had found myself when it all clicked together why I acted the way I did before I met them.

Why am I telling you this? Well, because I think I found someone who was similar to me in that aspect in this new world. My mother was normal, if not a cool normal that seemed to understand me and know that I'm not like normal toddlers. She knows that she has seen other kids before and they did not act like me in the slightest. Instead, she took my unknown situation in stride and treated me like not just her daughter, but someone equal to her in a few aspects.

It was Umineko Chisato who caught my attention when she came over to the house to watch me.

"Umineko-san." Kanna spoke blankly.

"Don't be so frigid around me, Taira-san, I'm fairly certain that your brat and I will get along just fine." I could hear an older voice speak.

I was mindlessly occupying my mind reading a children's book about animals, even if it was a short book. I read it quietly out loud with my stuffed bat plushie under my arm. When a foreign presence came into the living room, I snapped my head up and blinked.

My mother was ready to leave, and there was a woman who was dressed quite differently than my mother. She had a toasted skin color, chopped short dark blonde hair, and yellow-ish green eyes. She looked to be in her late fifties early sixties. She had some laugh lines around her face and crow's feet on her eyes. She looked a bit rough and strong. It was her clothing style that caught me off guard.

She wore black cargo pants and a dark green shirt with sleeves that reacher her forearm. She wore a black long sleeved undershirt, and a heavy looking vest that must keep her body warm in this cold winter. Her shins were wrapped in white bandages and she wore open toed black shoes. She had dressed so much differently than my mother that it sort of shocked me.

"So, This is your brat?" She spoke with a mischievous smirk, showing a bit of sharpened teeth.

I'm starting to see a bit of a trend here. Who the hell sharpens their teeth?

My mother gave Chisato a sidelong look before laying her eyes on me before coming over to kneel by me.

"Himiko-chan, this is your babysitter. Umineko-san." She told me as she ran her hand through my short hair. "Be good and don't give her problems."

She tapped her finger on my nose lightly, making me go cross eyed for a moment. She gave me a smile before she got up and walked over to the older woman who was to be watching me.

"If I come home and she…" My mother threatened.

"I wouldn't dare attack my dear friend's ward's kid. Who do you think I am?" Chisato huffed with a knowing smile. "Now go on. We can discuss a proper payment later."

Chisato flicked her wrist in dismissal and my mother narrowed her eyes in annoyance before turning her eyes to me and she smiled before leaving me in a house with someone I clearly do not know.

Most kids would be whining and crying being separated from their parents. Granted I should have been doing that, but I'm a grown-ass woman. A whole grown-ass woman in a toddler's body. Okay, maybe I did whine just a bit, but I quickly got over that toddler side of my brain knowing that Kanna will come home later tonight.

I felt the same foreign presence and I looked up to see the older woman bend down and balanced on the balls of her feet.

I blinked a couple of times before taking in her form. She was athletically slim, and a little short. I looked up at her face and noticed that her eyes were shaped just a tich differently. Her nose just a little bit sharper, her mouth having a rather mischievous smirk on her face.

I instantly felt a kinship with this woman. It was hard to describe how this woman could have similar genetics to me in terms of my old life. I have met people of the three different stains before and trust me that when we get together it's similar to a very strong kinship and knowing just who you are. No words were spoken, just acceptance.

"Well, kiddo, My name is Umineko Chisato. You may call me Chi-Obaa." She spoke to me as she patted my head.

I nodded before turning to my children's book and frowned. I have memorized everything in this book about every single animal that was in this world, it just was mind numbing. I don't play with the little toys that I have because I get bored easily. I just wished I had a TV again, and my Playstation 3 Console. Hell, I'd watch disney movies on repeat if it meant that my boredom can just go away.

"You look a bit bored, Himiko-chan." Chisato spoke with a curious lit to her voice.

I got up on my feet and went over to the small bookshelf and carefully put back the book. If only there was some better material I can read. I looked over the titles of the small collection of books we have. I have 6 children's books in all, and there was some more books in my mother's room, but she had them high out of my reach.

"Bored." I managed to say.

"Well then, how about we go outside then. I'm sure the backyard sounds like a good idea to you." Chisato offered.

I turned to her and she had her arms crossed with a small smile on her face. She was serious. I smiled and went to the bedroom and grabbed a warm fur-like coat and put it on. I stumbled a little, but I didn't care. I put on the warm tabi socks and rushed to grab my geta shoes. They were surprisingly comfy to walk in. Being outside sounds a lot better than being cooped up in here.

"Ou'Side!" I quirked.

"My, my, aren't you an excitable child? Well then, let's go." She held out her hand and waited for me to take it.

She didn't say, "Give me your hand." She just held it out and expected me to take it.

I was tiny. I barely went past her knee, but I reached up and grabbed the tips of her fingers and we both went to the backyard door.

There was nothing in the back yard other than snow, snow, and more snow. Which suited me just fine. I let go of Chisato's finger and didn't stray far. I didn't squeal in delight as snow was coming down. I looked up and saw the grey skies. I was reminded of the winter days on my past life when I was a preteen. I would be in the front yard by my Parents driveway and whenever they would build up snow in the front, I would take my father's trench shovel and make a hidey hole away. I was very ambitious when it came to making things like that.

The snowflakes would fall on my face and melt. It made me smile a bit before I looked around. Chisato wasn't too far from me, so I decided to make a snowman. I clumsily mad a snowball and started to roll it around the backyard. It started to get heavier and heavier. Eventually it became a bit bigger than me and I was determined to make a snowman.

As I was trying to push the snowball over again, I slipped and fell onto my face into the cold snow. It hurt, but I didn't cry. I heard the crunching footsteps come up to me and I felt myself being picked up, and placed on a hip.

"Are you okay, Himiko-chan?" I heard Chisato ask seriously.

I turned to her and saw that she was observing my face with a careful eye, not letting any emotion through. It was a moment later that I licked my lips and a coppery tangy taste assaulted my tongue and got startled by something liquidy down the back of my throat. I coughed and I was taken inside to the warm home and taken to the bathroom.

"Strange child." I heard her say as she put me on the counter.

She grabbed a washcloth and wetted it, before using it to wipe my face. My previously chilled face from being outside, started to warm up and tingle as the warm washcloth was wiping away whatever it was on my face.

I then used my hand to wipe away whatever it was under my nose and I looked down at my toddler hand. There was a red streak on the back of my hand. It was blood. No wonder the copper taste is invading my mouth.

I lifted my bloody hand to my eyes and huffed. So my nose is bleeding a bit. I've had worse happen to me. I touched my little nose to see if it was broken, but knowing my toddler body, it was still pretty flexible. It was numb because of the cold, but I doubt that it was broken.

"Does it hurt, Himiko-chan?" Chisato asked as she bent over a bit to my eye level.

"No." I spoke. "It sti'gs."

I need to get my words down. Curse my toddler mouth and trying to get my lips around the words.

Chisato smirked.

"Heh, You are a tough child. I expected you to be bawling your heart out when you fell." She chuckled as she wiped my hand and then my face once more.

She gently pushed my head to my chest so that the blood from my nose can drain onto the wash cloth.

"I no' hurt." I spoke naselly.

"I can see that." She chuckled as she pinched my nose and lifted my face up again.

I felt the blood stop up and she washed the bloody washcloth in cold water. As she was washing it, I was looking at the blood swirling around in the white porcelain sink before being drained down. It was hypnotizing. I knew that I had some residue of blood left in my mouth, so I leaned over and spat out blood colored saliva.

"Bleh." I shook my head.

Blood had never really bothered me much. I have scrapped people off the pavement before, treated gun and knife wounds, and I have had my share of gross horror movies (I criticized and analyzed every single death, creatives deaths are interesting.) and yes, I have taken care of septic wounds before where pus and blood were prevalent. So blood had never been much of a problem for me.

Chisato went eye level with me again, I looked at her with curiosity. She had tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. As if I had become a puzzle for her to figure out.

"You are a strange kid. You are not crying for your mother, you actually trust a stranger in your house, and you are not even fazed by bleeding when you fell. Now, why would you be this way?" Chisato smirked at me.

What was I supposed to say? That I was reincarnated from a different world and I have no clue how to act? I am a 28 year old woman in a 1 year old toddler body, I'm bored as hell, and I don't have many books around here that I could read to keep my brain busy, and I haven't had the chance to voice to my mother that I want to write. Besides, who's gonna believe a small child that had been reincarnated?

"Bored." I spoke again, before I carefully turned over and slowly dropped myself to the floor, my geta hitting the floor so I could keep my balance.

I had to take them off because I know that this home was very much japanese styled. So I took them off and took them to the small stoop and placed them down in their place. After doing that, I sighed. There was only so much I could do. I could sing a song...and run around the place. At this point of my life, it could be passed off as typical kid behavior. Nope. I didn't feel like it.

Ugh. It sucks. Maybe I could go back outside.

"Okay kid, I have an idea." She kneeled by me at the stoop with a grin, before heading to the small sofa.

I followed, curious to hear what idea she had. I followed close before she sat on one end. I scrambled to get on the other end, slipping a couple of times before managing to sit in the corner of the sofa so I didn't fall off.

"Do you like stories, Himiko-chan?" Chisato asked with a gleam in her eyes.

I nodded. The small collection of children's stories that my mother would read me were synonymous with japanese folklore tales from my old past. Although, they were tweaked differently for some reason. I didn't care to find out why. Curse my toddler mind and short attention span.

"Let's see…" Chisato placed a finger on her chin and smiled. "Let me tell you the tale of the Sage of Six Paths."

I blinked once. Twice. I could feel my face contort into confusion. That sounded familiar. Why does that sound familiar, it's driving me crazy!

"Your mother never told you this story? Bah, Young people these days, never passing on history to the next generation." Chisato huffed before she jumped into the story.

I sat there enraptured by the story she was telling me. My mind eventually imagined of thousands of years past. A Sage that created Chakra to spread ninshu across the nations. Eventually many descendents were able to use chakra and become practically superhuman in their own right.

She then moved onto the tales of the Tailed beasts…

Familiar...It's so familiar I can taste the nostalgia on my tongue…

She spoke of the one tailed Tanuki to the Nine tailed fox…

She spoke of Ninja and Shinobi and Kunoichi, and then it all clicked into place whens she spoke of the Hidden Villages, and the 1st and Second Shinobi Wars.

Flashes of the past came rushing to the forefront of my mind. Reading on the computer of a manga I had gotten into as a preteen. Watching the anime over the course of 8 years for the conclusion, loving the characters as they went through hard times, brother against brother, friendship prevailing, pasts revealed and secrets out in the open, a war on the horizon...

I didn't pass out from shock, but I thought I did. I felt my heart constrict and it took all my pure strength of will to not breakdown crying. I just sat there eyes wide as Chisato explained about the world at large.

Realizing that I was in a world that should not exist, a world that was just pure fiction created for entertainment, I was shaken to the core. I'm pretty sure my silence prompted Chisato to tell me the history of the village we live in.

I had found that we live in Kirigakure. The Bloody Village of the Mist.

I had jerked violently and almost fell off the sofa, if it wasn't for Chisato's quick reflexes, I probably would have bashed my head into the wooden floor. I wanted to laugh hysterically. I wanted to have a mental breakdown after realizing that I was pretty much fucking screwed.

I have been reincarnated into the world of Naruto. I have been born in a world of War and Bloodshed with short periods of Peace, and I just had to be born in a Village that churns out more bloodthirsty missing nin than anywhere else, not to mention that constant genocide of people happen a lot too. I would rather have been born in Kumogakure than here. Damn It.

I wrestled all my emotions and locked them away, putting them behind a shield in my mind. I will deal with said emotions later, I needed more information on the time period I'm in and hopefully figure out what the hell my life will be like.

Chisato continued to speak about the Shinobi world, even as she made dinner for us, she would tell me the tales of the Village's Seven Swordsmen, and the Shinobi and Kunoichi that lived here. She would skim a bit over the fact that there was litteral blood on everyone's hands here. It was bizzare to say the least.

She was telling me about some of the clans around Kirigakure, The Hoshigaki, The Kaguya, and the like as a bedtime story, when my mother came home. My mind was wrapping around the fact that all thise stuff I had hear from Chisato was real. After my little mind wrecking daze, I could hear her and Chisato talking in the other room. I hunkered down in the large bed and pretended to sleep.

"I think the kid is smarter than she looks, Taira-san. You should think about training her." Chisato chuckled.

"At one years old, Umineko-san?" My mother spoke skeptically. "I understand my my daughter is not like most toddlers, but training at this age?"

"It's never too early to start. She slipped and fell outside today. Didn't whine, didn't fuss… in fact she just stared at her blood as if it didn't interest her." Chisato seemed to be smug.

I can picture my mother frowning.

"It could be a one off thing." My mother replied.

"Or...she could be a prodigy? Just think Taira-san, your kekkai genkei is rather strong." Umineko suggested.

Silence followed.

"Just think on it, Taira-san, That could be payment for me. I can help train your daughter, if you wish to keep working." I could picture Umineko smirking. "Ja-ne! I'll be back tomorrow."

The front door closed and I could hear my mother's footsteps coming to the bedroom. I was hugging my stuffed bat plushie Brucie (Yes, I named my stuffed bat Brucie, don't judge.) and I closed my eyes tightly. I didn't want to believe that I was in this world. Child soldiers, Authoritarian Governments, Genocide, Assassinations, and so much more have been wracking in my mind that it was keeping me awake.

I felt a gentle hand on my head and I opened my eyes. I saw my mother kneeling by my side of the bed. She looked a little tired, and I noticed that her clothes were slightly rumpled. My stomach turned and I couldn't help but wonder why she would work as a prostitute. Then again...This was my new life. I have to accept and adapt.

"Hello Himiko-chan. Did Umineko-san treat you well?" She asked gently.

I nodded and gave her a small smile, The woman did treat me well as I would listen to her intensely as she would give me the history of Kirigakure, as well as the history of the Shinobi world. She was nice, if a little creepy, but she and I seemed to click together and I enjoyed her company.

"I'm glad." She smiled as she rubbed my head a little.

"I like her." I told her. "She tell good story."

"Umineko-san is part of Kiri's Shinobi force, Himiko-chan. She is a Historian and was part of the T&I Department." She told me.

"T.I.?" I fumbled with the word.

"I'll tell you when you are a bit older. But Umineko will be your sitter." She looked a bit defeated for a moment before making eye contact with me.

"I do not regret having you. Not for a moment." Her eyes resolved in some sort of unspoken promise. "Himiko-chan, I wish for you to be an innocent as long as you can be. Whether you may become a Kunoichi or not...I will support whatever you wish to do."

Her eyes held a bit of hope and regret.

If I didn't have a hard time speaking as much as I could I would tell her that I'm not sure what I should do. I'm just a 28 year old from a world that had so much differences from here that I long for it. I wish I could just say that I could just be a normal person. Why was I born into this world? That is my greatest concern.

I suppose that I would find out in time. I blinked slow and looked up at Kanna, sat up and scooted over to her and gave her a hug. She wrapped her arms around my small body and hugged me close to her.

I would always hesitate in making choices in my past life, choices that I would always flip-flop on. Here, flip-flopping would result in my death. It would be considered suicide if I second guess myself. I could be a civilian. Not having to worry about being kidnapped, but could possibly be fodder. If I become a ninja, I would have to train to learn how to become a killer, but I would be able to protect myself. Would I be able to change things here, becoming an ninja?

Do I want to change everything?

Should I change everything?

I fell asleep with decisions floating around in my head: safety and comfort or danger and change.

I just wish I could do both.

TAL21: Ugh, this chapter is a bit awkward I think. We have a LONG ways to go before getting to the meat of the story. Fun Fact: I originally based this story to be in Kumogakure, then it faceplanted into Kiri. So, after working a bit on this, It's time to face the dilemma all SI-OCs go through. Change the Story? Or Stick with Canon? Mwahahaha, you will never know where the chips will fall. I'm super excited to keep writing. I hope you liked this chapter, If not, I'll probably redo it...maybe. XD I also have a couple of people who have lovely theories about Himiko's Sire. You'll find out hopefully, I think I've been dropping quite a bit of hints here and there. As for her mother's side of the family, I have a rather...interesting backstory for the Taira Clan, especially with Kanna. Well I shall leave it as it is right now, and I'm off to bed! Please leave aweosme reviews and opinions of what you think of the story so far! Reviews are my crack and I want them to fuel me! See you guys in the next chapter! :D

Question Time!: Who is your favorite Jinchurikki? I loved Garra's design and sort of wished that he kept Shukaku. It would have been awesome to see them work together.

KEEP ON READING AND WRITING!