Twilight River

Chapter 4

September

Fall that year came quickly and suddenly. After the bathroom incident I didn't need to worry about the girls directly attacking me anymore, though they still made snide comments. I didn't really care too much about their words and did as I always did: focused on learning. Who cares about a six or so year old saying they didn't like me when I could be reading about Kumo!

My new subjects, as I reached the academy student limit on chakra theory books and fuinjutsu books, were all about foreign affairs. I found that what chakra affinity was common in each country, although that was obvious, and what jutsu were documented as being popular, fascinating. There was an interesting chapter on genetics and one day, when Shisui-senpai returned from his long mission, he looked over what I reading while we waited for Itachi-san.

Shisui-senpai made a face as he plopped down next to me, "Why are you reading about hair color in Suna?"

"Actually, I'm reading about genetics in all the main countries. It's fascinating." I said, flipping to the next page which featured a diagram I did not understand in the slightest. I had my self-made dictionary open next to me and Shisui-senpai flipped through it and cringed at some of the words.

"I really hope you don't make small talk about these subjects." he confessed.

I was copying down the diagram, "Small talk with who? Besides, how could you not be interested in this? What if you needed to know where someone was from!"

"Check their hitai-ate." Shisui-senpai answered smugly.

I rolled my eyes at him, "Listen to this: Kiri is noted for having the widest range of colors for hair and skin tone, as well as having genetically modified or mutated features. Suna residents are typically tan or light skinned with lighter hair colors although brown hair is not uncommon. Iwa is known for having darker hair and eye colors and varied skin tones, but light hair and eyes are not uncommon. Iwa residents are normally short and or stoutly built. Kumo is known for light hair colors and darker skin tones and they are built strong and tall. Konoha residents have a wide variety of normal hair colors but it's not uncommon to have colorful hair colors. Konoha residents are of average build unless specialized, so the Akimichi, and Konoha has a wide variety of eye colors and styles due to its various clans."

Shisui-senpai looked at me silently for several seconds before announcing, "Okay, so we need to put this to the test then."

"How?" I retorted, a bit confused.

He grinned, "Didn't you notice? The Chunin Exams just started!"

I gaped at him, "Really?"

Shisui-senpai nodded, "The second exam finishes today. They need to have the third exam a month apart and it's always the day after the equinox."

"Why?" I asked, leaning in out of curiosity.

With a mischievous grin, he answered, "A festival the night before, of course!"

I frowned. I hadn't gone to any festivals yet because Kotoko-san didn't want us embarrassing the orphanage for us not wearing yukata. However the shit eating grin on Shisui-senpai's face told me this festival was something big.

Shisui-senpai stood and gestured all around us, "Imagine, Miyako-chan, the entire village transforming for a single day into another world! Lanterns light up every street and carts line the closed stores. There are games everywhere and fireworks will light up the sky. Everyone has fun during the festival, adults and children both. Everyone transforms by wearing yukata and even kimonos. You can buy a mask from a stall too!" Shisui-senpai had tried sounding poetic but his excitement messed it up.

I did try to imagine it and I got something rather lackluster; a regular old rundown street far from my first life except without any rides. Shisui-senpai must have noticed my expression as he hummed, "I guess I'll have to show you the festival then. That's after we go judge all the foreign genin's appearances, though."

Laughing, I followed Shisui-senpai as we left the training ground. We didn't forget about Itachi-san: we left a note summarizing what my book said and where we were going to prove it right or wrong. What happened next I'm sure Shisui-senpai wasn't supposed to do but he ended up sneaking me into what appeared to be a break room for jonin. It had a few monitors, that were very bad quality and in black and white, that we looked at.

Shisui-senpai pointed out the builds of various genin. It was hard though to compare because genin were usually still growing so one of the short Iwa genin could grow to be super tall in the future. We were only there for maybe half an hour since we couldn't see colors. When we returned to the training ground Itachi-san was sitting there reading a book.

He eyed us, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"The monitors we looked at weren't very helpful." Shisui-senpai admitted, sitting down and gesturing for me to take a spot between him and Itachi-san.

I did so and pulled out my book. Shisui-senpai looked between the two of us and snorted.

"You're like twins!" he insisted as Itachi-san looked up at him.

I shared a look with Itachi-san who murmured, "Miyako-san and I enjoy reading, is this a problem?"

Shisui-senpai jumped to his feet, "No, but that definitely is! You're stilling calling each other Miyako-san and Itachi-san?! You're friends now, aren't you? Stop with those honorifics."

With an awkward look towards Itachi-san, I spoke up, "I'm not sure, Shisui-senpai..."

"Miyako-chan," he replied very seriously, "Do you consider Itachi your friend?"

Feeling like I was thrust into the spotlight I looked between the two boys with wide eyes. I should have kept my mouth shut! I didn't want to be the one who defined our relationship. Were Itachi-san and I genuinely friends, or still acquaintances? Where was the line drawn?

I opened my mouth and some air came out. I licked my lips to give myself a moment more to think, before I whispered, "Well, I would like to be friends with Itachi-san, if he would allow it."

Shisui-senpai dramatically threw his arms up, "So formal! Itachi, I need you to look Miyako-chan in the eyes and say 'I want to be your friend, Miyako' and I better not hear an honorific."

Itachi-san saved his place in his book before setting it on the grass gently. He turned to me and I stared into his pitch black eyes. He said, "I would like to be your friend, Miyako-chan."

"Close enough." Shisui grumbled, taking his seat again as I stumbled over a response.

Finally, I managed a firm, "And I you, Itachi."

Smiles broke out across all three of our faces and the day seemed to get so much brighter.

.

One day, Ryu received wonderful news. He was being adopted! I'm not sure who would want him, considering he wasn't the cutest kid at the orphanage nor the friendliest, but Kotoko-san was pleased he was leaving. The orphanage was beginning to thin out its crowd and there was just one problem: no one wanted me.

I was an adorable kid, I had round rosy cheeks and big oval eyes. My hair was pretty bright and unique. But as soon as I was labeled Uzumaki Miyako, any prospective parents suddenly wanted nothing to do with me. I wasn't really sure why that was the problem. I wasn't Naruto and as far as I knew, I was in no way closely related. Was it just because of the name Uzumaki?

Regardless of my situation, Ryu still was a miserable shit in school. The bullying was starting to tone down that fall. I was no longer grossly targeted and a new transfer student was fresh blood for them. Ryu had a special place in his heart for me so he made sure to bother me every once in awhile. I was also starting to see my fellow classmates less as children and more as small people who needed to learn. They were getting slightly more intelligent. And I was getting slightly more fed up with them each passing day.

The bullying, one day I decided, would be put to an end.

I came to this conclusion while walking with Shisui-senpai and Itachi.

"Finally!" Shisui-senpai cried. He threw his hands in the air.

Itachi looked at me curiously, "What are you planning?"

"With our taijutsu practice I think I can win in a fight against Ryu and that should show I should no longer be messed with." I demurred.

Shisui-senpai snorted, "You should have been able to beat him anyway. He's so lazy with his practice!"

I paused and stopped walking, "Senpai, have you been watching him?"

Looking like a deer in headlights, Shisui-senpai looked to Itach for help. Itachi gave him a look that effortlessly communicated the message of 'You got yourself into this.'

Laughing slightly hysterically, Shisui-senapi rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I wanted to see who was giving our cute little Miyako-chan such a hard time and I heard he got adopted a week or two ago."

"He was watching him before that." Itachi piped in.

Shisui-senpai pouted at him.

"Why?" I demanded.

"As I said," Shisui-senpai huffed and started marching forward again, "I had to see who was giving you a hard time!"

"And?" I cried after him.

"You can totally annihilate him! Weight difference means nothing!" Shisui-senpai confidently replied. Itachi and I caught up with him and our destination ended up being a sweets shop.

I frowned. Shisui-senpai buying me a popsicle was nothing to me, they were inexpensive. I hated it when he tried to bring us to a restaurant and then insist that he pay for me too. It was embarrassing that he and Itachi could pay for their own meal but I, the pitiful orphan with no money of her own, had to rely on mooching off her friends.

"Think of it as incentive to defeat Ryu." Itachi suggested when Shisui-senpai told me I wasn't allowed to run like I usually did.

I pouted through the entire thing but I did allow Shisui-senpai and Itachi to pay for the sweets they decided I absolutely must have. I would get them back someday, but not today.

.

The day I fought Ryu it was drizzling lightly and sparring took place outside in the muddy dirt. The teachers observing the class watched from beneath transparent rain ponchos while the children of multiple classes huddled together in their friend groups. It was essentially a midterm day that took place in September before the Chunin Exams wrapped up. Today was the day that kids who were seen as especially talented would be marked to watch and they would potentially be moved to a higher class if they showed promise in all areas.

I may or may not have convinced Goro-sensei to pair me up with Ryu as my opponent. Initially he was against it, complaining, "You let those bigger kids beat the snot out of you and now you're looking for a fight?"

He agreed rather grumpily when I told him that if I beat the snot out of Ryu, I would be asserting my dominance in the grade's hierarchy and therefore end the bullying. Goro-sensei grumbled something about me being too smart for a snot nosed brat sometimes.

The fights were one on one with no weapons and for our younger grade, none of the three academy jutsu. In fact, no jutsu what so ever for our grade. A few clan kids were a bit too eager to show off what they were learning and singed a civilian student a few days prior which left the instructors jumpy and wary.

One of the girls from my orphanage got trashed into the ground by a bigger boy and I heard Goro-sensei marking down something on his clipboard. He was keeping time as well, likely to see how fast we could win or lose.

Goro-sensei cleared his throat and the other teachers snapped to attention. The crowd of children discussing the match with their friends took another moment.

"Uzumaki Miyako. Yamada Ryu."

The children burst into chatter and the instructors all tried to quiet them while Ryu practically skipped onto the field. I walked up slowly and felt the mud squishing into my toes and making my sandals distinctly uncomfortable. Ryu faced me with the academy stance and instead of mirroring him I stepped into the one Itachi had been teaching me. A few of the Uchiha's broke out into mutters as Goro-sensei called the fight to a start.

Ryu was taller than me and far broader. If he wanted to grapple then he could ultimately win by sitting on me. However I was flexible and far quicker than Ryu could even hope to be without Shisui-senpai's tutoring. That is to say, I was still only at the level of my fellow academy students. Itachi and Shisui-senpai hadn't taught me anything impressive yet. They stuck to reinforcing the basics. You need a strong base if you want to be strong in what you choose to branch into, Itachi explained when I asked for something more interesting one day.

The first move was made by Ryu. He charged in like a bull but he was smart enough to keep his eyes on me. I ended up with the first strike because I kicked him right in the chest, my tiny heel digging into his solar plexus. Ryu, so focused on charging, forgot the ground was slick and slimy. He tried to stop because learning to front kick someone charging is a very basic defense so he definitely anticipated what I would do. He just didn't put enough thought to his surroundings.

Ryu was bulky so my kick only knocked the breath out of him because I was cruel and made sure to dig in my heel. I was a fan of kicks despite the fact Itachi and Shisui-senpai said I needed to use my arms too. The two complained, and Shisui-senpai even tried to lecture me on the down side of kicks.

I flipped into a roundhouse kick and Ryu took it in stride, moving with my kick to negate the damage I would have done. He trapped my leg but the mud tripped us up and we both ended up on the floor. I did a log roll and promptly covered myself in a thick layer of mud. Ryu jumped up immediately and looked at me like I was some kind of monster.

I was now one with the mud and Ryu couldn't catch me. He tried to grab me again but I was too damn slippery. I poked him in pressure points and Ryu collapsed like a rag doll after a particularly mean set of strikes. He tried to get back up but he was only fast enough to look up before my muddy sandal cracked him in the face. There was a hilarious footprint on his face but it was less funny as blood dribbled out of his bent nose and mixed into the footprint.

"Uzumaki, fourty-seven seconds!" Goro-sensei called and a few of the other sensei looked at me with sharp eyes. I rubbed my hands off as best I could before I tried to rub mud off my face.

Fourty-seven seconds was an interesting time. For the clan kids, if they were against another clan kid they would end up with a longer time. They would be under it if they were against a civilian. However, for two orphans, or a civilian and an orphan, to go against each other and get a low time like that was something rare. Usually civilians and orphans traded light strikes and they lasted over a minute, potentially up to three. Never more than three though, because kids our age got tired and weary fast.

It was explained that in a real fight, it could either last seconds before someone was dead or incapacitated. Even fights could last from minutes to an hour depending on who was fighting. If two Kages fought, for example, the fight could last hours. Maybe days if they had the stamina. Academy students fought without life saving chakra while active duty ninja have honed their bodies to use chakra to reinforce them. Of course, we were fighting bare-handed so there were no weapons or jutsu to be accounted for.

Basically? I was now one of the top sparring students. I beat one of the better ones in our class and I also demolished him. I wasn't wounded at all and I trashed him in less than a minute. The rest of the students were quiet, observing with shocked eyes that I had just trashed Ryu.

.

Shisui-senpai, later that day, met me at the library. Whenever it was raining we usually didn't meet and I spent my time aggressively studying. Today though, Shisui-senpai clearly knew I was fighting Ryu so he intercepted me.

He lifted me and spun me around as I was approaching my destination. I yelped but otherwise knew it was Shisui-senpai and let him do what he wanted.

"This is great, Miyako-chan!" he said, still twirling us, "I was watching and you really showed him who's boss!"

Shisui-senpai put me down and I smiled at him despite being incredibly dizzy, "It was an easy fight once I got covered in mud."

"That was hilarious!" he laughed, "Everyone looked at you like you were crazy. You came up looking like some kind of snake and then your strikes were so fast, most of the other kids couldn't tell what was going on!"

I bit my lip bashfully, "It's not that great though. It was only forty-seven seconds."

"That's a great time considering your age!" Shisui-senpai announced.

I started to walk towards the library again but Shisui-senpai grabbed the back of my collar and pulled me back.

"I think you need to reconsider where you're going." Shisui-senpai told me gently. I looked down and actually remembered I was still caked in drying mud.

I frowned, "Oh."

With a mischievous grin, Shisui-senpai said, "I think I know just where to go."

Shisui-senpai ended up carrying me across the roofs and towards the Uchiha compound. Usually you needed strict permission to enter if you weren't an Uchiha but Shisui-senpai only paused for a few seconds to show the guards he had a visitor. Then he charged off despite them rather grumpily calling that he had to sign me in. We touched down a few moments later at a very nice house that I suspected belonged to Itachi.

This was confirmed when Itachi opened the door as we walked up. He took one look at me and called, "Mother, may my friend use our bathroom?"

A woman poked her head out as I kicked my sandals off outside so I wouldn't track mud into their nice genkan. She observed me for a moment and I eyed her in confusion. She was an average looking Uchiha: dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin.

Then I realized, this was the dark haired woman who used to visit me in the orphanage!

"You must be Itachi-kun's new friend!" she quickly covered, "Shisui-kun has told me a little about you."

I hummed a response, "Yes, my name is Uzumaki Miyako. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"You can call me Mikoto, just Mikoto." Mikoto said, smiling brightly. Itachi showed me to their bathroom, which was really nice, and I took my time rinsing off. Then I took more time making sure I cleaned up after myself. Mikoto wanted to wash my clothes for me but in the time that I took cleaning off she went and found a pair of clothes that were suspiciously my size.

Shisui-senpai and Itachi refused to tell me where she got them from. I still kept my suspicions that she went out and bought me new clothes. The clothes were comfortable though; a blue yukata styled top and the quality blue ninja pants that generally went with jounin apparel.

I spent the day just hanging out with Itachi and Shisui-senpai. I also met Sasuke, a bumbling three year old who wanted nothing to do with me but everything to do with his older brother. Shisui-senpai and I thought it was funny how Itachi spent half of the time trying to get his brother interested in something else. Yet there was this look in Itachi's eyes and subtle spring in his movements that suggested he loved his little brother more than anything else in the world.

We played some games that were vastly unfair because I couldn't keep up with Itachi or Shisui-senpai in terms of dexterity or cheating ability. Mikoto made a wonderful meal that she made me eat three plates of, not that I'm complaining because that was really good food. When her husband came home just before dinner he did a double take when he saw me sitting with Shisui-senpai and Itachi.

He and Mikoto moved to another room to discuss something and Shisui-senpai, Itachi and I, moved closer to try and hear.

"...daughter?" Fugaku was quiet and we strained to hear what he was saying.

"Of course! She looks just like her, doesn't she?" Mikoto was a bit louder, her voice going shrill.

"Her hair and eyes are a bit different."

"Well, I'm just glad she looks healthy."

"It is a bit convenient that Itachi is friends with her, Mikoto."

"I had nothing to do with this. It seems Shisui-kun found her first."

There was a snort, "As long as you aren't too involved with her-"

"There is nothing that can stop me from looking after that little girl now. Her mother was one of my friends and like hell I'm letting her be a nameless orphan!"

Fugaku sighed deeply, "If the council hears about this-"

"Tell them I'll shove something up their-"

"Please, Sasuke might hear."

Mikoto huffed, "You're right. But genuinely tell them that I am invested in that Uzumaki not because she is an Uzumaki, but because she should have had a mother!"

There was some rustling and Shisui-senpai and Itachi got the hell away from the door we were almost leaning on. I almost fell over after my support, Shisui-senpai, suddenly was across the room acting casual.

All three of us looked distressed, for different reasons, as the door slid open. I cursed them for forgetting I wasn't as ninja as them!

Fugaku loomed over me and I made an expression that said 'oops?' and his face softened for the briefest moment.

Then he said, "Boys, I know both of you were listening too."

"What gave us away?" Shisui-senpai pouted.

Fugaku gestured to me, "You wouldn't have left Miyako-chan to eavesdrop on her own."

I mean it was true. Then he gave me a stern look and I wilted away, "Listening in on conversations is only alright when you aren't caught. Mikoto, what should her punishment be?"

I gaped and Mikoto smiled brilliantly from behind Fugaku, "I think she should come back more frequently and learn how to eavesdrop the right way."

The two seemed to be on the same page and while Shisui-senpai and Itachi seemed relieved, I was more interested in why they were so invested in me.

"Mikoto," I asked, "Did you know my mom?"

"I'll tell you about her next time you visit." Mikoto replied sweetly.

I let my mouth drop again and I was pretty disappointed she didn't spill all the secrets right then and there. I went back to the orphanage after a nice, if a bit awkward, dessert. I also wasn't given my muddy clothes back and mysteriously the next day, there were two more pairs of nice clothes waiting in my drawer for me.

.

The first time I heard my new nickname, I was confused.

"What did you just call me?" I questioned, genuinely interested. The two girls who I heard it from scuttled away and I didn't find out until I ran into Izumi-senpai later that day. She beamed at me proudly after sitting down next to me at lunch.

I looked at her, a bit confused as to why she was in my classroom when everyone else was outside. Izumi grinned, "I hear you got one of the best scores on the Year 2 scores yesterday!"

"I did." I said slowly.

"I also hear you beat up that boy who started the bullying!" Izumi continued, her grin stretching wider.

"I did." I agreed again, also slowly.

"You earned yourself the nickname of Kiyohime." she told me, and I blinked at several times to show her I was confused.

Kiyohime, according to the myths, was a woman who was in love with a man who didn't reciprocate her love. When he tried to get away from her she turned into a dragon, chased him down, and killed him. I was... not sure how I was related to that.

Izumi rolled her eyes, "I think it's dumb too. The girls seem to think you beat down Ryu because Itachi-san rejected you-but that isn't what happened, I know it!"

"Of course not. I decided the best way to stop the bullying was to show I was stronger." I informed her. She nodded quickly and cracked open her bento.

As she, rather gracefully, shoveled down some food she passed me a pair of chopsticks and offered me her rice.

"You never have a decent lunch so I thought I'd share." Izumi-senpai stated. She said it in a way that I had no choice but to scoop up the rice, my favorite, and wolf it down.

"We are going to be friends now, I've decided." Izumi-senpai explained, "I was a bit nervous when we first met but now I'm sure we will be great friends."

"This is definitely a change in your confidence." I agreed and Izumi-senpai huffed.

"You could try saying, 'Yes Izumi-chan, I would love to be your friend' instead of that!"

I laughed, "Then, yes, Izumi, I would like to be your friend." She glowed at that response.

She reminded me strongly of Shisui-senpai in that moment; coming in very suddenly and confidently announcing friendship just like that.

Izumi wasn't actually as hyper as Shisui-senpai though. Her nerves, it seems, had her excited because over lunch she calmed down to be more calm and collected. When she was back to how I remembered her, we discussed how her fight went. She explained hers wasn't very special but she won over the other girl even though it was a struggle. She thought the Hyuuga clan was rather stubborn and wouldn't go down very easy.

It was an enjoyable lunch but after the academy my time was Shisui-senpai and Itachi's. Izumi understood but made me promise that I would spend some time with her at the festival coming up and that I would continue to eat lunch with her. It was a strange feeling, having an ally in the academy where people were no longer trying to pick on me.

.

The end of summer officially came the day of the festival. Kotoko-san wanted us 'urchins' to stay inside but I, as well as several other older children, hopped the fence before anyone could stop us. I followed the directions Izumi gave me to her house and found she lived outside the Uchiha compound. This was pretty surprising and when I knocked on the door, her mother answered.

"Aren't you adorable," the woman hummed, "You must be Miyako, right? I'm Izumi's mom but you can call me Hazuki."

"Nice to meet you, Haruki-san." I bowed.

Haruki-san looked, like Mikoto, just like your typical Uchiha. Black eyes, black hair, pale skin. But she had a beauty mark by her eye just like Izumi did. Izumi came thundering down the stairs and quickly dragged me upstairs before I had a chance to look at the pictures sitting on a mantle. Upstairs she took one of her older yukata, explained that her mom wanted to keep it for the memories, and dressed me in it. It was a shade of pastel blue with green and pink flowers dotting it. Izumi dressed herself in a purple yukata and Haruki-san fixed the yukatas and did our hair.

"You have such lovely hair." Haruki-san complimented me as she twisted a pin through my hair.

"Thank you. It's kind of bright though." I demurred.

She laughed, "That just means you're the beautiful star of the crowd, then."

I felt warm and fuzzy from her words and Izumi and I raced into the village to gaze at the decorations that genuinely covered the streets. Shisui-senpai's description was nowhere near accurate. The village became something enchanting with lanterns seemingly floating everywhere. Warm light lit every crevice and pushed away any cold feelings while bright yukatas caught your eye. The village smelled like something else with food stalls beckoning to you with their aroma. Children wore masks and ran around with the prizes they won from the various games. Laughter and chatter filled the night and Izumi and I enjoyed ourselves.

Academy students were allowed to play the games but you were only allowed one prize. Izumi won at the goldfish game and I was a bit too harsh to capture one. Other games included the roll the rock into the hole game, which I thought was a lot of fun, sling a band at targets which both of us won at, and various scoop stuff out of water games. By the time Shisui-senpai and Itachi found us, we were deciding what candy to buy with Izumi's allowance.

Shisui-senpai did an exaggerated dramatic gasp when he saw me, "Why, look at our Miyako-chan, Itachi! All dressed up for the festival and not with us!"

Izumi giggled as Itachi nodded his head to us, "Good evening. Are you enjoying the festival as well, Miyako-chan? Izumi-san?"

We both nodded and our duo turned into a small group as Shisui-senpai led us around and took us to all the food stalls he thought smelled especially good. Anything he ended up buying I was also given. The same thing happened when Itachi bought something. By the end of the night when we were laying on a roof to wait for the fireworks, I was a bit sick and very stuffed.

I groaned and pat my stomach, "Look what you guys did to me!"

Shisui-senpai poked my belly and I squealed. He laughed, "You're a little round now, I think!"

Itachi added, "You're probably going to be sick tonight. You look bloated."

"I feel like a balloon." I complained, "Careful, I might pop."

Izumi poked my stomach next and I rolled towards Itachi in my effort to get away. Then he betrayed me by also poking me.

We calmed down a bit as the time for fireworks came. Izumi was on my left and Shisui-senpai my right. Itachi was sitting up instead of laying down like the rest of us. The fireworks lit up the sky soon enough and we all oohed and ahhed at the colorful explosions. Itachi and Shisui-senpai wanted to see the Hokage's speech so we split up there. I went back with Izumi and changed out of the magical yukata.

That was the end of summer, and the start of a new point in my life. I just didn't know it yet.

AN:

Hey guys, just to let you know I just started college so updates won't be very frequent. But here's the not so funny news:

My school is in the path of hurricane Irma and the school is evacuating us. It's very nerve wracking, being displaced my SECOND WEEK AS A FRESHMAN and there are no flights for me to be able to get home in time. If anyone wants to check up on me, then check my Tumblr. It's a reblog Tumblr but if I'm reblogging stuff then I'm clearly okay. My Tumblr is ShadowBloodNinja, I will tag the posts as hurricane so you don't have to sift through reblogs. As of now I will be going home with my roommate, a twelve hour drive to where she lives, so I will be out of the hurricane's way. It's very awkward and I feel terrible having to go with her but there are no flights for me to catch home in time and I'd rather not stay anywhere near here.

This chapter is also a bit rushed because I wanted to update at least this or Out of the Ashes before the hurricane. If I come back to redo this chapter the only part I am unhappy with is I wanted more for the Uchiha house scene.

Also I'm sorry for any typos, my new laptop doesn't appreciate me typing weird non-dictionary words. I need to add all my fan fiction terms. But no, it changed Itachi to Itchy, Goro to Gore, etc.

AotC: My favorite Uchiha is either Shisui or Obito. I love stories that feature one or both of them! Itachi and Madara come next, and I love fan fictions that portray Mikoto and Fugaku like Deja Vu No Jutsu (Another highly recommended fic. It's unique because she's the Minato and Kushina age group).

QotC: Has anyone read the Naruto novels?

Thank you so much to the following for reviewing (:

Dark Rose Charm
Kenshin135
Fwee
Akira D. Ryusuke
popcornPAR
Guest
InARealPickle
Chamele
Guest
kaya
Silmr3