Hey! Another chapter edited and ready for posting.

Thank you so much to everyone reviewing! It's helping me a lot with steering the story along.

This will be the start of less time skips, a few chapters at a time for her age. There will still be time skips, which I'm planning to have through the entire story, but there will be less and less time that's passed by between the skips starting now. I hope you're all enjoying my story and concept. Review answers are at the bottom of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own the naruto series, only my characters.


Sentences in this text means flashback of past life

Six years

The tension is slowly rising in the village; I can feel it. With how long ago since the last rainfall, people are getting worried now when they see clouds gathering in the sky. It's been building up by a lot in only a few minutes and everyone are hurrying back towards their homes or safety houses. In a worst case scenario everyone have to evacuate to the Kazekage tower, the largest and sturdiest building in the whole village, but I hope it doesn't come to that.

The school has instructed us on what we should do on a day like this but Yuuto told me we'd be safer at home. I've yet to experience a devastating rainfall, the last rain was over a year ago and it only made the streets into small rivers like it usually does. But since we've gone by over a year without any kind of rain, not even a two day rain period like I'm used to, this one might be bad. Especially with the bowl shape of our village... Thunder roaring overhead as I read, enjoying the sound of rain falling against the glass. I like the storms.

Me and Yuuto are running side by side from the academy towards our compound, both of us quiet due to the tense atmosphere looming over the whole village and dark clouds looming over us all. It doesn't take long until we reach our destination and open the gates, a loud boom of thunder bursting forth above us from the dark clouds. I find myself relaxing a little at the sight of my family gathered in the courtyard, some waiting for everyone to arrive and some mixing some sort of clay-like thing in multiple buckets. I stick close to Yuuto as we approach, looking around a little uneasy since people I rarely meet have also gathered here. There's a lot of people here….

The majority of them are people I've seen when I've exited the compound, people who live around us and can be called neighbors. Then there's Aiko's boyfriend, Kai, with Aiko's genin team that she's picked up now when she's 20. The older children are huddled close to their teacher… Then there's also Sho and Setsuko's third teammate but their teacher isn't here. Yohio and his genin team are also all here without teacher along with Sasori, who I'm relieved to see is safe, as well as a few other people I've met briefly. Why are everyone gathered here….?

"Taro-sama. How bad will it be…?"

Yuuto asks once we've gotten closer to the group, a frown on his face. Taro, who was giving instructions to an older child, turns towards us once Yuuto speaks up, smiling in relief. Is this what they always do whenever a serious rainstorm will occur? It makes me a little worried…

"Yuuto-kun, Mio. Glad you could make it. This is going to be a really bad one…"

Taro says, looking up towards the dark grey clouds looming over the village. His usually bright and cheerful neon green eyes are dark and serious as he's looking up at the thundering clouds. I rarely see our clan leader like this; the last time I saw that kind of serious gaze was when he scolded me for getting seriously hurt in school for wanting to protect a random kid from bullying. It's scary… Yet comforting to know he's got everything under control.

"I might need my fortress to hold off the worst of it. But we should have enough food for everyone for a week if we ration it well enough."

"That bad…?"

I can't help but speak up, stepping up beside Yuuto as I look around at all the different people gathered here. I've never seen this many people gathered in the compound before… Not even when we had a parts of our wall broken off by rainfall and genin teams came to repair it. Three genin teams.

"And so many people… Where are all of these coming from..?"

Taro walks over to me and lightly places a hand on top of my head, smiling widely in reassurance with his eyes still dark and sharp due to the current situation. I glance up at my uncle, still feeling very nervous over the upcoming storm. I can't feel my father anywhere... My mother is down in the large basement.

"It's going to be ok Mio. Due to my expertise in healing and barriers our clan compound is a form of safe room in case of a large storm, for anyone who don't have enough time to get to the kazekage tower. As you can see, most people here are elderly or children. This isn't the first time this has happened. I'll make sure everyone are alright."

I look around as he says this, that's true; I didn't actually think about it… And now when I focus on it, all the ninja parents are gone except for Taro. Maybe they're out in the village helping with evacuation; it'd make sense. There are still elderly and children elsewhere in the village who don't have this kind of safe room close by and need to reach the kazekage tower. I look up to Taro once more, a slight uneasy frown on my face before I nod. I trust my family with my life, Taro wouldn't lie when he says it'll be ok.

Taro then steps away from us to approach an elderly couple who just entered through the gate, guiding them further into the compound as the others continue to prepare. I stand stupidly in the middle of the training field with Yuuto, looking around to try and find something I can help with. When I can feel the first drop of water hit my head, I look up at the sky with wide eyes. The clouds are pitch black, the sky rumbling with thunder as it's preparing to let out it's enormous load. Yuuto nudges me in the side, making me flinch in surprise at the action and look up at my cousin in confusion. Should I have brought the mouse with me too…? That Kurisu girl better be alright during the storm…

"Save, Mio. Just as a precaution…"

I nod slightly and mumble 'pause' to enter my main menu. I hastily press the 'save game' button inside the white space, looking over the four save files I have. One save file has shifted into an automatic save space, that saves my progress every time I sleep. I've tried to sleep a little more after Yohio encouraged me to, but it's still difficult… The other three are save files I've overwritten on my own, one then I was 4 and had my first real fight against multiple opponents. Which is also when I got seriously injured and got a serious and long scolding from Taro about my health and abusing saving files; not that it changed anything, I just continue to protect others and get in trouble. But I have stopped using my saves for such things, so it's something. Those who can't protect themselves need someone strong, like me, to do it for them. I don't care if I'm hurt in the process, as long as I serve as some kind of distraction for the weak one to leave I don't care what happens to me.

The second one is when I was 5 and had a competition with my class on who could hold the 'paper sticking technique' the longest, I won that one. And the last one about two months ago when I had a eating contest with Sho just so we could go back in time and save ourselves from the tummy ache. Good times, good times. I ended up losing that eating game though, but I'll make sure to win the next one. Apparently if we hadn't used our save to go back in time I'd have gotten a 'gluttony' skill… But I don't care too much about something like that.

I overwrite the save where I was 4 years old before I go back to the main menu again. I glance hesitantly at the unlocked 'shop' button, glowing in the normal menu red like all the other buttons are. I still haven't looked over it... But I still don't have any money so I shouldn't look through it yet; it'd make more sense to browse once I can buy something in there.

I exit the main menu and blink a few times as I return to reality, noticing that the people around me are running around the compound with a sure purpose in mind. It's drizzling lightly now, already soaking through my thin clothes as I look around in confusion. Yuuto isn't next to me anymore, he's joined in on spreading the clay-like substance on the houses. What the hell should I do….?

Still very uncertain on where I should go, I search for Sasori's fierce but calm chakra signature, moving through the crown towards him. Everyone in my family are helping out, but without knowing what I can do to help it's better if I get out of the way…. Accidents happen frequently around here. I just walk by the yellow police tape without looking at the situation, something like that won't happen to me.

As I reach Sasori, he and many others who have come to our clan compound are standing underneath a large overhead roof structure we have against the right side of the compound wall right in front of the training ground we have in the middle of everything. Since the roof is right in front of where we all gathered, it doesn't take me long to reach him. He offer me a small nod when I step under the roof beside him to which I nod and smile slightly in return.

I look out over the compound, watching as people are moving from place to place to secure all the houses with that clay substance they were mixing before, to prevent the houses from getting any kind of water inside of it. I wonder where we will all gather and wait out the storm if we are not going to be inside the houses… The basement is the only other place I can think of, but that feels kind of stupid with it being a rainstorm and water gathering on the ground. One mishap on the opening and everything can flood in… I glance up at Sasori, the puppet master watching my family work with a blank look on his face.

"Sasori? Where are we gonna stay while the rainstorm is raging? They're securing all houses from the outside but being in the basement seems kind of stupid..."

The red head glances down at me with an eyebrow slightly raised in surprise, as if I should know everything about what happens around my clan. I just frown, crossing my arms stubbornly and wait for my answer. I can't know everything all the time.

"There's a tunnel leading to Taro-sama's house from the basement. They secure all houses from the outside, since it's easier, before we all go down to the tunnel. We'll then stay in Taro-sama's house while the storm continues."

I nod slowly after Sasori's explanation, looking out at the rain again. I'm a little surprised Sasori hasn't gotten irritated yet, he doesn't like to be kept waiting like this.. But that makes a lot more sense, I didn't know Taro had a secret tunnel down there.

"I didn't know that… You've experienced this kind of storm before?"

"Yes. It's also when I first met Yohio."

I nod once more and smile wider. I can kinda imagine that scenario without him telling me. A younger Sasori running down the streets, maybe looking for someone he knows to go to a shelter. Then Yohio is running in his direction and drag the puppeteer with him towards the clan compound for safety. I'd probably do the same if I saw a character I recognized… It'd be obvious that you'd want to get to know them. If I ever meet Yagura in this world, I'd want to be friends with him just so I get to know more about that ruthless jinjuriki.

Once everything is secured, everyone who were hiding from the rain moves towards the basement opening that my mother is guiding us towards. Puddles are already gathering on the ground around us and every step we take make mud splash up on our legs and seep water into our poorly protected sandals. Once everyone are gathered in the cellar, the majority shivering from the cold rain and equally cold cellar, Taro makes sure to properly seal the entrance with an earth jutsu covering it. Then we are all led in an orderly fashion through a secret tunnel I never knew existed in the basement, which have us emerge from the floor of Taro's living room.

I decide to help everyone with exiting the passage that need help, my mother and aunt Emi, Taro's wife, help with giving out blankets for everyone. Taro is the last one to exit the tunnel and he close the hatch behind himself and lock it. I don't hesitate to approach a nearby window, watching the storm in fascination as it's just getting worse and worse. It's raining even more now than it did before and I'm barely able to see past our compound due to the thick curtain of falling water. It's amazing in my opinion… A little unnerving but still amazing. And since I'm safe in here I can just stare at the storm without any kind of worry.

I flinch when a blanket is draped around my shoulders, turning around quickly and immediately relax when I meet my mother's beautiful brown eyes. I smile gently at her, pulling the blanket around me with a thankful nod. I was too distracted by the storm to notice her presence, I should get better at that…

"Thanks mom… This is my first big storm."

"Yes, it is. But there's nothing to worry about."

She says softly, looking out at the storm with her hands gently settling on my shoulders. I turn back to look outside, mesmerized by the violent rain and echoes of thunder raging across the sky. It's raining a lot more than it usually does during the usual desert rain we get once a year, which is a given seeing as we've gotten a two year drought.

"Your father is safe… He just called me and said the last villager was brought to safety and he'll stay in the Kazekage tower. He's there to help with rations along with your aunts."

A tightness I didn't even realize were in my shoulders relax when I hear this, my smile growing wider as I lean back into my mother's embrace. She knows just what to say before I even realize I was worried about it… She has a heart of gold.

"Mnhm… I never doubted he'd be ok. Thanks, mom. Why weren't my grandparents outside?"

Now that I'm actively looking for them, I can sense them on the second floor of Taros house, have they been there the whole time? They may be old, but they're still very strong and agile for their age, they could've helped out.

"Anytime my cherry."

Mother starts to gently comb through my wet hair with her hand, making me relax even further by the calming motion. She gently kisses the top of my head before she answers my question.

"And even if they are Masago, they are still old, Mio. They can't stay out in the rain for too long and help out, but they did help beforehand in arranging the food and unlocking the cellar tunnel. Jiro-san always prefer to stay away from the large crowd when a storm like this comes and your grandparents decided to join him today."

"Hmm…"

I nod and frown slightly at that, pulling the blanket tighter around me. Truth be told, I barely know anything about the older generation of my family. I know some about my aunts and uncles but I don't know anything about my grandparents. And even less about Shiro-sama on what he could do and how he was as a person. I should try and connect with the elder side of my family I suppose… Sometime and somehow. I have no idea what kind of abilities they have either, maybe I should try a little harder to connect with them and not only focus on my cousins…

"Also, Mio. Taro had a thought, while we wait for the rain to stop, which might take a few days, you and your cousins could use your alternate dimension to train. You unlocked a monster part yesterday didn't you?"

I look up at mom in surprise, blinking as my line of thought is broken by her statement and my eyes widen slightly. I know that Taro would talk to the council about my power; how it could be used for the village and who would be allowed to use it. I didn't know they'd come to a decision yet, why wasn't I the first one to know about this?

"Wait, so the council have accepted it? But I thought that it'd take a while longer."

"Taro has kept the reply secret until you unlocked the monsters, dear. He didn't want you to push yourself too hard."

Mother says, grinning down at me. My chakra starts buzzing loud and happy at the pure adoration in her eyes and I'm not able to suppress the happy blush on my cheeks. Mother never scolds me for my rash behavior like my aunts and cousins do, she and my father just love me for who I am; they love me for my determination to help others. I think it's part of their 'proud parent' title or whatever it was called, but I don't care why they are so warm towards me. I just adore their love and attention.

"But yes, the village has allowed it as a form of training and income. If it is what you've described, it might even become a source of trading goods. But it's only those having ties to the clan who will have any permission to use it, so only those who Taro introduce to you. Anyone else who just approach you on the street when the information reach the public, you can just ignore."

I nod at this, a wide grin spreading over my face. I can finally be useful to the whole village in some kind of way. I knew that it'd be a good thing to practice using ID create randomly when I got bored, it's leveled it up more than enough. I have also used it to get away from unwanted situations but that's beside the point. So that means any ninja present here, those who have ties to the clan, can use it. It'll be a great way to pass time during this storm for everyone. And add leveling up and training onto that and it's a win-win for everyone.

"Awesome! Then I'll ask Taro if I can enter it with the others today. Class got dismissed right before ninja training and I could use some work out."

Mother laughs lightly, nodding as she leans down to kiss my forehead. The happy buzz in my chest grows stronger when she does this and I force down a giggle that want to bubble out from me. My parents always do wonders for my mood.

"Sounds good, Mio~. But remember that you still have to come back for dinner."

"I will."

I tell her, leaning up to kiss her cheek before I slink out of her grip. I immediately zone in on Yohio with my chakra sense, soon seeing him talking with his teammates with a very uneasy look on his face. That's right, he's scared of storms… Well, I guess it's good that it happens so rarely in Suna. With the blanket still around my shoulders, I nudge Yohio with my soggy sandal and smirk widely at him when he looks at me with a slight glare. This will be the first time I enter the Zombie ID. Blood is rushing to my head when I slam my metal rod as hard into the rusty car as I can.

"Hey, hey. Taro-sama gave me the green light for monsters. Wanna help me gather everyone up so we can test it out together?"

This immediately get Yohio's attention, brightening up with a wide grin spreading over his face. But it's soon wiped away when he flinches at another boom of thunder ringing out through the sky. He looks uneasy once more, but still hopeful when he smile slightly at me.

"S-Seriously? When did you get approval? Why didn't you tell me you got it?"

"I am now, idiot."

I let out an amused huff, knowing what Yohio is going through and ignoring it as a way to help him calm down. As long as I don't make a big deal out of it, I'm sure it'll help my cousin. I remove my blanket from my shoulders and completely ignore the confused glances I receive from Yohio's teammates. They can think whatever they want until we get Taro's official approval. While I talk to Yohio, I start to fold the blanket into a somewhat neat pile, someone else can have it while we're gone.

"I got it leveled enough yesterday and mom told me a few seconds ago that it got approved. Without Taro actually telling me about it. Now are you going to sit there and gawk at my amazing self or are you going to help me gather the rest of the brats?"

I toss the recently folded blanket over Yohio with a wide smirk, making him sputter at being caught off guard and hastily remove it from his face. I'd have never caught him off guard with that if he wasn't so uneasy over the storm. Once he placed the blanket in his female teammate's lap he stands up and flicks me in the forehead like I usually do to him, telling me how I'm not so amazing before he walks off towards Aiko and her team. I give a polite nod to Yohio's teammates, to hide how irritated I am over their confused stares, and then set off towards Yuuto and the twins. The two teams are talking with each other and helping one another stay calm during the thunder and rain raging above us.

Only gather those directly connected to me and my cousins, no one else. After telling Sho, Setsuko and Yuuto about the monsters getting the green light, they all get as excited as Yohio did and follows me to where Taro is. The twins teammate follow as well, curious over what is happening. Taro is sitting in the dining room, overlooking a few papers as a clan head, probably rations we have in the cellar or council work, when we all approach him. I can feel Yohio not too far behind so I'm guessing he's gathered everyone else along. I lean against the table in front of Taro, lightly knocking on the wood to get his attention.

"Who's there?"

He says amused, still looking at his papers. I blink slightly at his response, taken off guard by it and it takes me a few seconds to register it. A knock knock joke… I straighten up, placing my hands on my hips.

"Narito"

I say after a few seconds of thinking. It's hard to do a knock knock joke in japanese…

"Narito who?"

He ask back, Taro looking up from his papers to smile widely at me. I gesture to the people gathering behind me with a wider grin.

"Everyone*. We wanna use my monster hunt!" (*Darenarito is another unusual way to say 'everyone' and 'who' is dare. So Taro said 'Narito Dare' which Mio then used as 'Darenarito' in the joint word.)

Taro let out a surprised laugh as I gesture to the people behind me, leaning back in his chair as he look over those who have gathered in the dining room, all children who have some sort of tie to my cousins and me. Taro looks highly amused as he glance over everyone that's in the room.

"Hanami told you already? Well you really have no patience. But I can't let you have this many join at once; it's too many. Bring only family the first time around, alright? Then we can talk about who gets to use it."

"But Tarooooo. It'd be fun to get away from the gloomy rain."

I whine playfully, crossing my arms with a fake pout. I'm sure that if any of my classmates saw me now, they'd think I've gotten crazy. My family is really doing wonders for my temper whenever I'm around them… with so many family members my chakra has a constant happy buzz to it. It's hard to get angry when your chakra is happy. Besides, I enjoy this kind of playful side of myself. I just wish people didn't constantly annoy me to let me be happy more. I don't really like human nature in general is what I've realized…

"Can at least Sasori join?"

"Sure, he does have medical knowledge and it might be needed. Just return before dinner."

I cheer silently when Sasori get to join, moving to hug Yuuto tightly around his neck and loudly declare he'll be coming with me whether he like it or not. He just accept it like the good bro he is with a light pat to my head. Then comes the process of deciding who else will join, Yohio and Sasori being obvious choices. Yohio's teammates and Aiko's genin team wanted to argue in coming too but was shut down when Aiko reminded them it was a family business. Sho and Setsuko decided to sit out on this one, rather staying with their teammate to keep them calm during the storm. And with a promise from Kai to take care of her genin Aiko decide to come as well just to keep an eye on us all. Not that we'd need someone to keep an eye on us, really. We're all strong!

So in the end everyone but me, Yuuto, Yohio, Sasori and Aiko exited the dining room and went back to the living room. Two puppet masters, one weapon expert, one really fast twin tanto user and one free-for-all. A bit overpowered combination… but I'm not complaining. I look to Taro and salute playfully towards him, the excited feeling of my chakra spreading through my whole being. This is going to be so much fun~.

"We're all set to go, Taro-sama~. What time should we get back?"

"16.30 and not a minute later. Which is in 3 hours. Make sure to give me a full report on how it all works later. Good luck."

He says the last part towards Aiko, nodding towards her with a slight smile. Aiko nod back, a almost feral grin on her face as she show him a determined thumbs up in return.

"Alright, everyone place a hand on me!"

I call out excitedly, rubbing my hands together with an excited gleam in my eyes. This is going to be so much fun~. I hope we can have this be a regular thing to pass time during the storm, that'd be so awesome! Everyone do as I say, hands placed on my arms and shoulders. I nod slightly and stretch my hand up towards the sky, gathering my chakra in it and neutralizing it. I can feel a few kids stand by the doorway and look towards us curiously. Three hours here means about 6 hours there since time goes 2 times slower. Or I think time goes slower in there like my empty ID. But three hours will be more than enough time on its own…

"ID Create: Zombie."

I say clearly, my chakra expanding around us with a low sounding 'dooom' as it creates invisible walls around us. It hasn't done that before… As the normal world around us disappear, our surroundings shift slowly into the world full of zombies. Everything looks more worn down, claw marks scattered on the furniture with dirt and dust covering the house surface. I slowly lower my arm as I look around, everyone including me tense up as our surroundings is shifted from safe to dangerous. It's almost as if there's been monsters here fighting a long time ago…

"What-... What is this place…?"

Sasori ask uneasily, taking a step away from our group as he look around. That seems to break the 'surprised' spell hanging over the group and I straighten up when the others remove their hands from me. It's time for an explanation to the only one who doesn't know of my ability. How to explain without making him confused or weirded out by my ability...

"This is an alternate dimension. I can create an opening into these dimensions with my chakra and bring people who are touching me with me. It's an ability I've created myself through a lot of practice."

I walk forward to gently touch a claw mark on the wall, frowning as I can feel the foul chakra drifting in the air. It's… strange. The chakra in the air feels artificial, as if it's trying to replicate the feeling of normal nature chakra without actually being nature chakra. It's unnerving… I turn to look at Sasori, feeling a small sense of pride that I have his attention. He seems impressed and interested.

"In this dimension, a fatal disease broke out through the land and made everyone a living dead through a jutsu gone wrong. This is what I call a 'monster dimension'. Thanks to me and my family's Kekkei Genkai, these monsters will be different from an normal human. Once defeated the monsters would burst into 'smoke' or dissolve to leave trinkets behind. It's like being in a game."

I smile widely at Aiko, the older woman nodding in approval at my explanation. I don't want to leave Sasori out of the loop so I used an 'official' version to describe this world. At least something I came up with on the fly right here. Taro said something to Aiko about a report so I'm guessing she'll tell Taro about this story too.

"So since we're still in the dining room, anywhere in this dimension would be a perfect reflection to the real world we live in."

Yohio says softly, nodding his head. He remember how it is in my empty ID and it's the same in essence. Yohio slowly make his way towards the living room, taking care to silence his footsteps to not stir up any dust or make any sound. The rest of us follow him, with my footsteps being a little louder and more disruptive of our surroundings since I haven't learned 'cat foot' yet, and I can see the front door wide open as if something busted it open with force. I twitch when I start to feel chakra signatures around us outside along with a foul smell of rot. Aiko place a hand on Yohio's shoulder before I do, her eyes narrowed on the doorway.

"Let's exit through the roof to have higher ground. Mio, are there enemies outside?"

I nod slightly to Aiko's question, glancing at the others. I'm just as nervous as I'm excited over this, it's a first time doing this and I have no idea what to expect… Out of all of us, only I am mostly focused on sensing the presence of chakra. I recently leveled up my chakra sense, so...

"Yes, there are 5 signatures walking through the compound. They all have different level of strength…"

I'm still giving a report to what I can sense as I follow Aiko and Yohio up to the second floor. To finally be able to beat monsters, to gain more EXP and money, I'm looking forward to it; a lot. I can finally go all out and not worry about someone whining to me about it later. This will be fun, I'm sure of it.

"It seems like they're moving slowly."

I continue, looking towards the wall as I try to get a feel for their movements. I can feel them looking at me, but I ignore it in favor of concentrating on their chakra.

"The closest has step… drag… step… probably a leg injury. The ones closer to the gates seem stronger than the ones towards the houses but I don't know in what way… The chakra in the air seems to almost cling to them like a second skin, I don't know what to think of that either. Perhaps it's some type of shield."

"You've gotten better, didn't know you could sense that much."

Yuuto praise me from behind me, making me twitch and look back towards him with a slight frown. Well, my chakra sensing is at level 26 cause I use it often when I'm bored. And I mean very, very often… The level 25 bonus was a clearer sense in chakra level, chakra movement and density in nature chakra. So it's kinda new for me too…

"Should I take that as doubting my ability to improve or should I take it as a compliment? Because the first would earn you a fist to the face."

I know Yuuto meant it as pure praise since he never got the patience to just 'sit down and feel the air' like I do. None have really focused on chakra sense among us kids, which I'm really surprised about. It's so useful after all. Yuuto laugh, seeing through my fake irritation and hold up his hands with a grin.

"Praise, praise. Take it as praise, cherry."

"How long have you been able to sense chakra that well Mio?"

I stop my slight bickering with Yuuto when Sasori speak up behind him and look over to the red head. I'd hate to admit it, but my voice kinda get stuck in my throat when I see his grey eyes. They're… Is that affection? Or pride? Is he proud of me!? Proud of my abilities!? What the hell should I-!? My inner thoughts are cut off when I suddenly step on thin air, stumbling under my lack of footing with a sharp intake of breath. I struggle to regain my balance, quickly stumbling forward along the floor and try to ignore the snickers from my cousins. Traitors… I didn't know the stairs were going to end right there!

I'm not blushing deep red like the cherry I'm so fondly nicknamed as when I turn around to face the group. I cough lightly in my hand, eyes closed to try and dissuade the embarrassing scene I just created. That's just mortifying… A ninja… stumbling… Over some lack of stairs. That has to be the most embarrassing thing I've done in this life as of yet… Fall over a chair and drop my heavy engineering book on the top of my head, it's just worse when everyone snicker at me…

"Well… I've been able to sense chakra as long as I can remember… I've gotten really good at it."

"Ah, don't be modest, you're the best in our family after my mom. No one else have the patience to deal with that boring shit."

Aiko says calmly and I can hear her footsteps walking away from the group. I open my eyes just in time to see Aiko open a window and look back towards the rest of us.

"Now, even if I'd love to continue this chit chat, we're supposed to explore this world yeah?"

The others nod and I walk back to my cousins and Sasori once more. Yohio affectionately ruffle my hair before he walk towards the window Aiko just exited through. I hadn't ever thought about what level the others have their chakra sensing at… I'm just so used to feeling the chakra around me as a way to keep myself calm that I never considered it to be boring to others. I should ask what level they have in chakra sense later… And ask Chiyoko about it as well. And my grandparents… Wow, I should really talk to more people, I'm just too busy with myself to think about it.

Once I step outside after Yuuto before Sasori, I notice that there's no wind in here just like in the empty ID. the second thing I notice is how the moon is full and high up in the air, shining brightly down on the streets and is the only source of light in this world. The third thing I notice are the sounds of hungry moaning and dragging feet across the sand, soon followed by a disgusting smell of rot. The same smell we felt down by the front door only a little stronger.

"Ew, if I'd known it'd be this disgusting I would've second guessed my decision on coming…"

Yuuto mumbles beside me, pinching together his nostrils with his fingers. I only frown at the smell, managing to ignore it as I finally get a visual representation of those I sensed before. I, along with my cousins, mumble 'observe' on the five visual targets down below. I bet Sasori is looking at us weirdly since we didn't even try to hide it, but I don't really care right now.

They are all zombies, of course, and all of them have a grey skin tone with various lethal injuries. The level 2 zombie closest to Taro's home is dragging their broken foot behind them and a huge open wound in the middle of their chest where their heart should be. There are two Level 3 zombies a little further away, both sitting against a wall each on opposite sides of the road, easy targets while they're sitting down. The two zombies by the gates are level 5 though, clearly stronger than the other three and even have weapons on them. I then notice their eyes. Completely white; completely void…. They're dead, gone, never to come back… Dead light…

It's lifeless, dead, so terrifyingly void of life. That empty gaze continue to haunt me as I see the light, soon fading from the world yet desperate to hold on. Then, everything is black, a pure black void, but even in the void I can see those once beautiful bright eyes devoid of any light. Dead light…

"Mio."

I can hear someone say firmly and I quickly snap out of my inner panic to turn towards them. I flinch when I see Sasori frown down at me and I can't help but shrink slightly under his gaze. I can't see what he's thinking, too focused on controlling my emotions. Just don't tremble, don't think about it.

"Don't freeze up… They look terrible, yes, but there's no reason to fear mindless monsters."

I swallow when he says this, nodding slightly as I start to fiddle with my thumb as some sort of distraction. I force a small smile on my face, doing my best to push the memory of those eyes to the back of my mind. Don't think about the eyes… I never realized I might face this kind of difficulty with Zombies.

"Y-Yeah... I'm ok; I'll be ok. T-Thanks, Sasori…"

I nod slightly to him, ignoring the worried gazes I can feel on me as I look down at the monsters below. I-... This is my world; I need to be able to do this. I can't freeze up… Maybe- Maybe this will help me get better in more than one way.

"... I'm going for the limp legged one. I'm the weakest out of us all and if I go against the weakest we could gauge their abilities accordingly. If I have difficulty with a level 2 then that might say what kind of challenge we have ahead of us…"

"You sure?"

Yohio asks me and I immediately silence him with a fierce glare. We will NOT talk about that kind of thing here. Not when Sasori is here… I need to be strong. I need to show everyone that I can do this, I need to prove it to myself. I can't run from war and I can't run from death. The best way to deal with it is to meet it head on and beat it into the ground.

I look to Aiko, holding out a hand silently. I want a weapon. She look into my eyes, holding it for a few seconds before she sigh heavily. I can see her pull a bo staff out of her inventory, tossing it over towards me so I can catch it.

"Stubborn brat… Fine, beat your problems. But if you get so much as a scratch, we're coming to help you, understand? It's still a virus and we have no idea how their wounds will affect us."

I nod slightly to her, smiling widely at her as a silent thank you. I need to do this… Without giving myself any more time to think, I jump down from the roof with my eyes set on my limping target. Long hair, woman, around 18 years old. Weakness on her left leg and neck bent in a strange angle. Once those small observations are done, I run towards the back of my opponent with my bo staff raised into the air. The zombie only have enough time to slowly turn her head before my staff collide right into her face and send the zombie flying towards the house wall head first. It collides with the wall and then sink down into a heap on the ground and I can suddenly see something I haven't been able to see on anyone else before when I've attacked them…

Severe Critical! -227 HP!

I blink and stare wide eyed at the screen for a few seconds and then quickly turn back to the zombie that's slowly getting up. I can actually see a health bar above it… In here it's really like a game. This is the first time I'm seeing it. The zombie has just a bit below half its health left and from what I remember by my earlier observation it has 350 HP. So only one hit away from death. The monster's breaths are ragged and filled with liquid as it slowly bring up it's head to gaze at me with those dead void eyes…

I twitch, a rush of fear running through me as I remember those void eyes from my past life. Instead of locking me up like it did on the roof, I move. I have to get those eyes away from me. I can't see them, I can't look at them! My bo staff collide hard with its head once more and the zombie let out a loud groan. I'm quick to follow my first jab with a second against its abonem, my eyes not really focusing on anything specific.

Severe Critical! -227 HP! -59 HP! You gain 16 EXP!

As the zombie is sagging over my weapon, I can see it slowly fade away into black smoke. I'm panting softly and trembling from my earlier memories, staring hard into the wall in front of me as I try to regain my grip on reality. They're gone… I destroyed those eyes. I hear a soft 'klirr' sound as if money grinding against one another and I blink a few times more. I'm safe… They're gone. I turn around when I hear people land behind me but I keep my gaze aimed towards the ground. Have to give my report…

"Their weak point is the head… If we manage to hit that there should be no complications."

I flinch at how detached my voice sounds, frowning in frustration as my grip harden around the bo staff I'm holding. Why is this so difficult for me? They're-... They're just monsters. Created by my power for the purpose of being destroyed. I force myself to look up and meet their gazes, only Yuuto is betraying his worry for me… And seeing how worried my cousin is makes me even more angry over my pathetic state of mind. I need to get over this and soon… I can't continue like this.

"They're slow and dumb so they shouldn't be too much of a problem, just aim for the head and it should be fine."

And now I'm repeating myself…

Yohio walk forward and flick me hard into my forehead, making me flinch back and press a hand over the now sore spot. I glare at my cousin, about to ask him what his problem is when he interrupt me.

"Stop it."

This makes me pause, blinking up at Yohio with my eyes widening. Stop…? Stop what…? My thoughts have barely caught up with me when Yohio continues, my eyes glued onto him. He has this air of authority around him; I can't explain it…

"Stop pretending that you're strong. Anyone can see that you're not ok with this. Leave the rest of exploring this world to us and just observe."

"W-What!?"

I shout out in surprise, eyes narrowing on him as I take a small step closer. He really think I can't handle this? I can! I need to! I can't let something like this bring me down; I need to be stronger!

"No way! This is my creation! I can't just let you do all the work! I need to do this too, I can't just-!"

"You can and you will."

Yohio effectively silences me, his purple eyes dangerously narrowed on me. I flinch at his harsh tone, instinctively shrinking to try an make myself smaller; less important.

"You need time to process this, you hate death. So be a good girl and sit down or I'll tie you to a rock until you've given yourself enough time to think. Stop pushing away your problems, Mio…"

I look down at the ground to avoid his gaze, struggling to keep myself standing. I can faintly hear the others engage in battle a little further away but I can't focus on that. Focus on my heartbeat; focus on my chakra. I'm ok… I'm ok…

"I-... I can't-. I have to be stronger, I can't just do nothing. I need to learn… I need to be able to handle it; I need this Yohio, I can't stop now."

"I'm not telling you to stop, I'm telling you to pause."

I can feel Yohio gently settle his hands on my shoulders, making me look up at him and meet his neon purple gaze. His eyes are warm now, a lot warmer than they were before. I never thought that he could show such authority. He's really suited to being the clan leader. Unlike me…

"You've never given yourself a break, always working on something new. Always pushing yourself harder and harder just to get stronger. It's admirable but now it's just downright stupid, you keep on hurting yourself physically and mentally. Take these hours as a break, ok…? No meditation, no unlocking memories, just take this time to evaluate yourself. Take this time to let your thoughts flow down onto paths you don't normally let them go. Take this time to reevaluate your priorities and let your emotions out."

"W-What if I can't…?"

I ask meekly, doing my best to force down the tears that want to emerge due to the sincerity in his words. I can't break now, not when I've come so far. I can't be weak; I can't show weakness… They'll all just use it against me, everyone in the village will just see me as a failure. My family will see me as a failure. I need to be strong, I need to be stronger. I can't let myself break here just because I killed a monster with dead light eyes… I can't. I need to keep going.

"I only want you to try, Mio. Just remember, no matter what, your family will always stand by your side. Even if we seem to be against you, we only do it to try and protect you."

He then leans down to lightly press a kiss against my forehead. I flinch at the contact, watching Yohio with a mix of emotions welling up inside me when he pull away with such a sincere smile. What did I ever do to deserve this…? To deserve such a kind hearted family. I want to make them proud of me, proud of who I am. They are worried for me, but I want to show them that I'll be ok no matter the hardships I face. Why won't they let me be strong? I don't want to be weak, I don't want to disappoint them or make them worry. Or am I just repeating my past mistakes…?

I hadn't even noticed that the rest of the group have engaged in combat with the two level 5 zombies and Yohio run up to Sasori to join in his puppet battle. The two puppet users have great teamwork, knowing what the other's puppets have as hidden weapons and working around it accordingly. I clutch onto my borrowed bo staff, watching them fight as conflicting emotions continue to well up inside me. Take this time to think he said… I can't waste that much time on only thinking. I- what is it that he want me to do?

Feeling a bit lost, I lean back against the house wall while I watch them fight. They cut the zombies apart, making them lose HP but they reform as if the cut never happened when they still have HP left. They're quickly dealt with though, since they are my powerful cousins, and Yuuto spare a glance towards me before the four of them move on outside of the compound. Now with nothing to focus on, I'm left with a feeling of emptiness… I can hear my heart beat, I can feel the others chakra as they move and engage with more enemies, but I don't have anything to focus on. I have no clear distraction.

I'm starting to panic slightly when my thoughts start to wander, something that Yohio wanted me to do. I try to think of a distraction and remembering how I'm almost finished looking through Bleach bring me some sort of relief. But I can't start… just the thought of distracting myself makes me remember Yohio's words, to let my thoughts wander. Now it sounds more like an order, an order I can't refuse. I can't help the small whimper from escaping me, struggling with myself. I don't want to be weak; I CAN'T be weak… they'll just use it- use my weak moment against me…

But there's no one here….

And with that thought, I let myself break down crying. I'm not sure over what though. For the loss of my last life, for the loss of my last life's friends, for the loss of my strength, for the loss of my last family, for the loss of my childhood, for the loss of my naive view of the world, for the loss of my positivity, for the fear of my future, for the fear of killing, for the fear of facing death. Maybe it's all of them… maybe it's none of them… But I continue to pray that no one sees me when I'm this vulnerable; I don't need someone to rescue me. I just need time...


Her first reality check! This has been a long time coming. XD She'll still require a few more before she'll make any kind of improvement to her personality but it's slowly getting there. Slowly but surely.

This chapter's question: Should the last anime where she can acquire powers from be either Overlord, Log horizon, Tokyo ghoul, Fullmetal alchemist or Slayers?

Please leave a review on your thoughts!

Review replies

Jotitoboy: Thank you for reading! And yuss, I'll write that up on the list. Sun flames are really useful.

bei1wolf3: Ah yes, thank you for pointing that out. I fixed it up as soon as I saw your review. It's not that she'll unlock everything with SSP points, but unlock the memory of that power so she'd be ABLE to use them. So those 50 SSP would help her to get the strongest power from any of those series she can receive powers from so it'd help her a lot.

hiareportsyou: Thank you for sharing your thoughts. And you're absolutely right, she hates people weaker than her and hates people stronger than her. What her hate can be summed up as is that she hates people in general, she hates humanity because she view them as complicated, annoying and lacking proper motivation or drive. She sees everyone she meets in a bad light no matter how much of a saint they are until she herself finds something to accept or like about them. She sees all kids as brats no matter how much older than her they are, and especially when she's certain she'll win a fight like when her cousin showed up. That's when she feels that she can REALLY look down on them.

It's not that her family is blind to it, but they still see her as a child despite her past life. She's only 6 years old! She'll get over it after a proper talking and with age; she'll learn to like people more, she'll learn to not put herself in danger for other's sake. Except she won't change in that way. Her body may be that of a child but her mind is that of a grown, spiteful adult. It's not that they're blind to her behavior, but it's that they think she'll change on her own with small pushes in the right direction. They don't like how she's acting, but her family thinks that it'll come with time rather than constantly scold her for it. They think: "She's just a kid who has a bad temper! She'll mellow out." So they're not blind, they are trying, it's just Mio who refuses to try and change.

The-Funeral-Pyre: Oh wow I never thought about the Haki! Thank you so much! :D

That sounds very much like something Mio would enjoy. Thank you again! I'll immediately add it to the list.

Yeah, there's a lot of useful magic from that series. Those two types of magic are actually magic I'm considering adding to the list, and memory magic. Anything from fairy tail is really cool. X3

That is very true... I'm putting a limit to all her powers, since it wouldn't make sense if she can use everything at the same time or unlimited amount of time, so if she chose that power she wouldn't be able to make technology in that way sadly enough. I am aiming to make her strong, but not too strong in her younger years. If she does acquire a very powerful ability before she's at least 15 years old, that ability will give her a lot of backlash due to her young and frail body. So yes, she'll become powerful, but not too powerful until she's an adult. She'll still lose against stronger opponents up until that point in time.