Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I, however, own the plot and any OC you encounter throughout this. Which is going to be a lot.
Warning: I made a lot of original characters to give life to a part of the original story that we know nothing about. We only saw a couple of Uzumaki in the original Naruto, and even those were mentioned briefly. So! Since this is fanfiction, I took free liberties and built the Uzushio you've been reading about since chapter one the way I see it.
In shorter words: If seeing original characters left and right isn't your thing, then this fanfic isn't for you.
Quick Recap:
。Chapter 1 talks about Kayo's goal, which is not having any regrets in her new life, and discovering where she was.
。Chapter 2 is Kayo's resolve to change the future, and general world building.
。Bonus Chapter, the interlude, is a short story that talks about why Hinomi and Subaru (Kayo's parents) didn't try for another kid.
Have a fun read!
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In my previous life, the media portrayed ninjas as nothing more than silent assassins who lurked in the shadows, equipped with star-shaped weapons that would be effortlessly thrown at their enemies for various reasons.
However, I noticed they were so much more when I'd come to this reality. While I knew for a fact they could kill someone using a dull spoon if they had to, that was only when someone threatened them or their families. I couldn't write them off as just cold-blooded killers after I'd witnessed the love my clan held for each family member in it.
Their views on what was safe for children was crudely twisted beyond recognition because of their protectiveness, along with their common sense. They'd raise literal hell if someone close to them was injured, but at the same time, the grownups thought that spitting out fire was a great way for children to train, even if said kids didn't know what they were doing most of the time. It was fine as long as they were under strict supervision, even when it was life threatening.
It was a good thing that the adults made sure every child understood they couldn't run off to discover things on their own without them breathing down their necks.
The new genin, who usually got too excited about finally being enlisted into the ranks, quickly learned that it was idiotic at best to try and break the rules, because as soon as the kid thought about doing some mischief, a grave would be made for them by an irritated adult along with a very throughout lecture about how being a genin does not equate to being seen as a mature individual.
Simply put, I was a moron.
I knew ninja trained themselves to be wary of their surroundings at all times. It was something essential for survival, and Uzumaki parents shamelessly abused that particular skill on their children.
But even when I understood that, I still decided to experiment with my chakra. I had been a little worried about being found out, but I'd became too excited with the prospect of learning more about the 'magic' of this world to properly think about the consequences.
I only realised how utterly fucked I was the second the pencil, that had been comfortably secured in my hand, skyrocketed into the ceiling.
It thumped loudly, the noise echoing in my room as the part surrounding the pencil exploded. I wrapped my arms protectively around my head when pieces of wood showered down on me, nicking my arms.
This was the moment where I felt the familiar tingling sensation that was the sign of my parents using the shunshin. All I could do was let out a panicked shriek before I fell down on my backside when dad, who'd always been faster than mum, materialised on my windowsill in visible worry. A second later, mum barged in through the door.
"What happe- are you okay?!"
Mum's voice cut off in the middle of her sentence as she practically teleported and knelt down in front of me, her green glowing hands grasping mine in fear and panic because of the blood that was slowly dripping down my arms. My heart pounded loudly in my chest when dad bounded towards me to check my body for injuries.
Pain flared in my palms when I clenched my fists to hide my abused skin. Mum reached for my hands when he noticed the angry blisters and gently cradled them as her eyes widened in recognition.
"Chakra burns…" she whispered, her gaze flickering to the pencil still stuck in the wooden ceiling. I grimaced when her chakra faltered, remembering all the fishes that exploded because of her medical chakra. My breathing slightly calmed down when my skin didn't shred into ribbons.
"Kayo," dad called, and I fearfully looked at him as he crouched down to my height.
"Were you using your chakra?" he slowly asked, still trying to make out the situation. I bobbed my head up and down in confirmation.
"... Is that bad?" I hesitantly asked. I knew that what I'd done was dangerous, but I didn't think they'd react like this. I was once again reminded that I wasn't an independent adult anymore, but the loved daughter of these two people.
"Yes," mum said without missing a beat as she tilted my head up so I could meet her gaze. It was obvious to anyone that she was trying very hard not to hug me tightly from the way her lips slightly trembled.
"That was stupid!" I grimaced. "Why didn't you tell us?! You could have been hurt!"
"You should have known better," dad said, trying to sound calm. I looked at the floor in shame.
"I'm sorry." I said, nervously fiddling with my shirt.
"... Is this about earlier?" she asked. I nodded, unable to find my voice. It wouldn't do any good to deny it after she made the connection.
Mum sighed and tiredly pinched the bridge of her nose. "The seals are good, honey."
"... I don't want to rely on seals," I admitted, still unable to move.
"What about us?" Dad asked after a moment.
I blinked back my tears. Really, hiding this from them was painting me as a major idiot, and mum thought so as well, because her motherly instincts finally took control over her actions and her fist lightly settled on top of my head.
"That was dangerous, Kayo! I thought we made it clear to never do this on your own!" she scolded loudly, eyes dark with emotions. This was the first time I was on the receiving end of her infamous glare, and I was reminded about why I'd been terrified of my first mother whenever I had the metaphorical balls to defy one of her rules.
I followed the length of his arm, and my face fell when I wasn't graced by his usual soft expression. It made every word I wanted to say die in my throat, and I shrunk into myself in shame.
"You understand what could've happened, right?" he asked, sounding tired. I glanced at mum, who crossed her arms as she looked at everything but me, and slowly nodded. He sighed and rubbed his temple.
"If you do, then you're banned from any kind of chakra use," A pointed look from mum made dad sigh, but sternly look at me after she raised an eyebrow. "You're also grounded. No more sweets and no more leaving the house on your own."
My jaw almost dropped from disbelief and for a split second, the side of me that was nearly two years old nearly took over every rational thought I had. I wasn't an adult anymore, but a toddler who was barely out of her diapers.
Hurt and anger flooded me, making tears prickle my eyes and for my nose to start running. My mother didn't falter, and even my dad, who had always indulged every single one of my childish whims, didn't move. I nodded in resignation when it seemed like they weren't going to budge.
"I… I understand."
And so, the days passed.
They were agonisingly uneventful, with boredom welcoming me at every corner. I didn't have anything interesting to do since I was held in the confines of our house. If I wasn't forbidden from going outside, I would've went out to our garden to watch mum water the plants while dad read a book or did katas under the shades of the trees surrounding our backyard.
Now, though, I could only do the basics. Sleep, wake up, take a bath with one of my parents, eat, then sulk until the day was over, maybe even throw a tantrum if things became too slow paced for my young brain until mum or dad decided to continued our usual stretching sessions that had started a couple of days before getting grounded.
I'd thought that the sessions would save me from the never ending routine I was doing, but my hopes were in vain. Instead of it being light and fun, it turned out to be very… different.
Encouragements were replaced by stern lectures, and whenever I slacked off for a few seconds, I got lightly punished by doing more stretches. It got to the point where I started aching, which had never happened before.
Of course, they were still good parents, so after each session they let me relax in the tub alone where I splashed water to my heart's content before being bathed and then fed one of my favorite meals.
I couldn't hold a grudge for too long.
Kids my age weren't built to be living a lackluster lifestyle though, and things were extremely boring for me.
Maybe if I apologised properly, my life would snap back to its usual normalcy. I just… didn't want to be the one doing it again. It was obvious that both of them still wanted to drive in just how bad my actions were.
It was my fault yes, but I couldn't bring myself to look either of them in the eye and say that I wouldn't be doing it again.
I sighed and locked my gaze onto the dark clouds lazily moving in the sky. I was daydreaming when I sensed dad stand near the living room's door. I ignored him, and stubbornly dragged my eyes down to the trees swaying in our front garden.
His bright flame approached me from behind, but I still ignored his entire existence. It was a behaviour befitting for my age, but at this point I didn't care. I wanted their attention again, and I didn't know which side of me that craved it, the adult civilian or the Uzumaki toddler.
A part of me whispered that it was both.
Dad cleared his throat and tapped my shoulder. I reluctantly turned around, figuring that if I didn't acknowledge him now, he would probably end up sulking to mum. I didn't want him to do that, it'd be inconvenient for the both of us. For her because she'd have to comfort him, and for me because doing that would cancel our training session.
When I fully turned, I came face to face with familiar bright wrappers sitting on his open palm.
My eyes prickled with tears as I looked uncertainly at him and he smiled without saying a word. It was such a small gesture, but it still caused me to choke out a sob, because it meant that he finally forgave me. I didn't take the candy from him and instead launched myself into his warm arms with a loud hiccup.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I chanted as he rubbed my back, my fingers tightly gripping the back of his shirt.
"I could read. You love books." he offered in hurry , probably so I'd stop crying. I nodded after my sobs watered down into sniffles, happiness lighting up my entire face. It's been far too long since I'd gotten the opportunity to fully enjoy his presence, and I wasn't going to deny myself of his rich voice.
When mother came back and found us curled up to each other, she gave a slightly strained smile, as if she was trying to hold back her tears. I forced myself to hold her gaze, and just when I thought she was going to walk away to the kitchen so she could start out her daily routine, arms wrapped protectively around me while red hair filled my vision.
"Kayo you idiot!" she cried, hugging me tighter. "I could have lost you!"
"I'm sorry," were my slurred words as I held onto her. Her arms tightened around me before she leaned back so she could slide a hand into one of the bags she'd carried inside. She pulled out a dull brown book. I leaned forward to inspect it in curiosity.
"This is a chakra theory book. I'll only read it for you if you're being a good girl."
I jumped into her arms again, this time thanking her and promising that I'll listen next time, and that I'd go to them in the future if I wanted something. I was beyond thankful that she brought me this book because, seeing as books were guarded by the dragons that were the Uzumaki clan, being given one was a huge deal. I had to prove to them that I was mature enough to be taught things above my age.
Dad's large hand ruffled my hair and I tugged his arm so he'd join the hug. He winked at me, and his hand stealthily slipped into my pocket. I felt the distinct but not entirely unwanted weight settle inside of it.
My smile widened.
Everything was back to the way it should be again.
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Two years had passed since my parents went back to being active duty ninja, and the day they went on their first C-ranked mission was the official start of my time in kindergarten.
The clan members, who were either new ninja parents or civilians, would usually take me from Koyume's house, since I stayed over at her place when she wasn't on a mission, and take me, along with other children, to another house or playground.
Koyume was actually the first person my parents thought of when they were trying to pick where I'd be staying over from now on whenever they had to do a mission outside of Uzushiogakure. It was a sound choice because this way, I had Kushina's antics to keep me entertained, while the other choices were random relatives, who I had to babysit half of the time.
I missed my parents when they were out, but when they were here, however, they tearfully proclaimed that I was growing up without them there to see. It was their typical way of fussing over the smallest of things that left me exasperated in a way only a parent could make a child feel.
Every time they did that, my resolve to change the outcome of the war strengthened. Like today, when they decided that using paintballs to teach me how to aim was a great idea, claiming that real weapons were too dangerous for my tiny, uncoordinated self.
Let it be said that at the end of the paintball fight, our house was so brightly coloured, it could be seen even during the foggy days. It was the reason why many of our clan members stayed over with their own children until the fog dispersed, since they didn't want their children, who didn't know how to maneuver in this kind of weather like they did, to get scared.
Which led to my current predicament; the children were bored from waiting, and were whining to their parents about how they wanted to go home.
The parents, including mine who were offering toys and candy to the kids as ways to keep them entertained, tried to calm them down, but nothing was working. I was developing a tiny headache from the jumping and crying children ranging from three up so, being a kid myself, I decided to take charge of the situation.
I stepped into the kitchen and snagged a pan from the lower cabinets and a wooden spoon from the shelf above it, and climbed one of our sofas. I hit the pan with it with a strong swing and everybody's attention zeroed in on me. I ignored the adults in favour of smiling sweetly at the kids, who looked like they were going to go back to crying.
"Do you want to play a game?" I asked, the reference falling on deaf ears as tiny heads bobbed up and down in newfound interest. I looked at mum and dad in pure smugness and dad crossed his arms with a huff. Before mum could relax, I asked her to clear away the middle of the living room so there would be enough space for all of us to play in.
Our living room was large. In the middle sat a couple of sofas, a table and a couple of coffee tables on the sides. There was also a bookshelf that was inside a wall, right behind the three person sofa. Dad and the adults worked while I explained the game to the kids, whose excitement grew the longer I talked. I smiled innocently at mum when she tilted her head my way.
With the area cleared, we gathered around and started a game of rock-paper-scissors so we could choose the winner. Although I left out the younger children, since they couldn't quite grasp the game's rules, they were still going to join when we started.
"Rock, paper, scissors!" we all shouted at once, and those who had played the same hand with the others stood to the side and waited for us to finish.
At the end, a boy with braided, washed-out red hair and a tiny nose won. He was older than me, and grasped the game quickly as I explained it to him again. I didn't mind that I hadn't won, because that would allow me to continue teaching them.
We all clasped our hands together as the winner closed his eyes and took his place on the floor, small frame vibrating from excitement as we started skipping in circles around him. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to sing.
Kagome, kagome,
The caged bird,
When, oh when will you come out,
In the night of dawn,
The crane and turtle slipped,
Who is behind you now?
In the corner of my vision, I saw the adults tense up, their eyes widened while their hands balled into fists. But as fast as the tension came, it dissolved like sugar in water, and they clapped to the rhythm.
I didn't blame them for their reaction. The children didn't notice the double meaning to the song, since they were still kids. Judging from the tension, that I'd only felt because I was paying extra attention to our guests, they might have caught onto the meaning behind this innocent song. If they didn't, then it'd at least given them something that'd stick for a few more days until the meaning sunk in.
Cranes were the symbol for longevity in Japanese legends, which was what the Uzumaki were famous for, while turtles were a symbol of good fortune. In the song, both of them slipped, while the kagome were the holes in their thinking.
If you keep this up, then we are going to die.
It was a bold statement for me to drop on a dozen of ninja in my own home. But I was desperate to change their thinking, to do something. My parents didn't listen to me the first time, refusing to change their views about the seals and how if they didn't get ready for the upcoming war, something everyone was talking about, then we'd be stuck in the middle of the crossfire without any kind of backup plans.
Naturally, the kid in the middle said the wrong name after we stopped singing. They were new to the game so I wasn't surprised. Anyways, I had tweaked the rules a little bit, and the moment he got it wrong, all of us ran away to hide in the house while the kid counted until ten with the help of his father.
We played a few more rounds until it was the turn of Keiichi, a boy who had short, wavy strands of inky-red hair that caused me to blink from how dark it was. A thin pair of yellow-rimmed glasses, that had a string attached to them on both sides, comfortably sat on his nose. He looked much older than the rest of us judging from the expressionless mask his face was stuck in, maybe six or seven years old.
However, the image of the stoic and level-headed boy that I'd unconsciously built from this short encounter crumbled like broken porcelain when he opened his thin lips to speak.
"This game is giving me seventy percent fun and thirty percent loneliness. I wish my elder sister was here, but I'll still happily play my part with one hundred percent enthusiasm!" he exclaimed in a mixture of happiness and sadness.
… His tone doesn't match his face at all! I thought after a moment of baffled silence, my body automatically going through the motions of the game as the other children sang instead of me, stumbling over some words. When the song finished, I was even more surprised.
The reason was simple; the boy guessed that it was me who was standing behind him. Which, judging from how many times the other children had failed, made me freeze in shock.
"What?!" I exclaimed, startling some of the children with my high-pitched voice. The boy didn't move and merely leaned back so he could look at me upside down, face as emotionless as it had been a few minutes ago.
"Well, if you need an explanation, Kayo-kun. We are ten kids, eleven if you include me, and if you add the variable of how fast all of you were moving and who was right behind me at the start, it meant that there was about eighty percent chance that it was you, with twenty divided between the two who are holding your hands." he said, voice full of pride and joy, but face never twitching more than necessary.
My reaction was very simple and predictable; my jaw dropped.
A genius. A naturally born genius. There was a prodigy right in our midst, and the adults weren't even reacting! Well, to be fair, with how my parents had reacted to me, that was as expected. But still...
Really? A maths genius?
"A-Ah… good job Keiichi-kun," I praised, ruffling his hair when his eyes shone in a way that could only be translated to praise me, show me more love.
I was too caught up in my thoughts after that. Nothing major happened anyways, since most of the kids passed out standing, some even toppling over mid-song.
When the fog lessened, everybody bid their farewells. I waved goodbye, my eyes never straying from the form of a sleeping Keiichi.
If the kid had managed to survive in the original timeline, just how terrifying would he have become?
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A/N: First, please allow me to thank my honey bun slave, Fog ❤. I fucking love you. Sachiko13 was an amazing helpful bestie as always! Thanks you two~
A thanks for those who reviewed, favourite, and followed as well. All three give me life.
There's no excuse to why this took too long. Although as one of my favourite authors had said, knowing where something is going doesn't mean you'll know exactly how to write each scene. This chapter underwent major editing before it was posted, and I had to cut off the ending since It was becoming too long.
This chapter was kinda of a… filler, I suppose. Next chapter will have the plot in it, and more Kushina! Probably an interlude if I couldn't fit in the fluff :P
Notes: "Kagome" (籠目): The holes in a basket - Taken directly from wiki. The song and game are under the name "Kagome Kagome".
New Character Names:
As I'd stated in the last chapter, I'll use only one reading and write the name meaning of only the new characters.
。Keiichi (けいいち): Written using 'Firefly', hotaru (蛍 / ほたる), and 'One', hitotsu (一 /ひとつ).
See you next time! Soon, hopefully.