The Third's eyes hardened as Inoichi recalled my memories to him.
"Hokage-sama, if you don't mind me asking," Inoichi said, "do you know about the Uchiha Massacre?"
The hokage stayed silent for a while, before answering. "No."
If I remembered correctly, the hokage wanted to work something out with the clan, but Danzo got in the way first. Even if the anime said otherwise, I doubt that the Hokage would be completely clueless about Danzo's plans.
"But you do know about the coup d'état, right?" I asked quietly, feeling a little lightheaded. The village leader's eyes remained trained on the table in front of him and didn't answer.
"Inoichi," the old man said, "did you see everything in Naka's memory?"
The blonde frowned. "I'm not too sure, Hokage-sama. I got kicked out of her mind before I can know what else happened.
The room started to swirl and I blinked several times to get rid of the blurred figures of the two adults in the room.
"Is Shikaku out on a mission? I will need him to attend the meeting," the Third said clearly but his voice echoed back and forth in my head in loud whispers.
I brought my hand up to hold my head that was throbbing wildly, noting that it was completely drenched in sweat. The room spun wildly, swinging left and right and my eyes widened as I staggered forward, unable to hold my footing properly.
"Naka-chan, are you oka-"
--
"-her mind... alter ego..."
"... exhaustion...young..."
"Why-.."
My eyes slowly opened and I found myself staring at a screen.
The screen was black and blank as if something was supposed to be there. It was so dark that I almost couldn't tell it apart from the background if it wasn't for the rectangle outline. The atmosphere was quiet and eerie, reeking an ominous feeling. I warily heightened my senses and turned around to survey my surroundings.
I spotted the three very, very familiar doors that appeared in front me.
The black door that led to my past life memories, the white door that led to Naka's memories and the grey door that led to my 'visions'. How was that possible? Weren't these doors supposed to be in my head? How-
"Hi there." A voice giggled loudly from behind me.
My heart skipped a beat in shock and my body remained frozen in place, fully knowing who the mysterious person was.
"C'mon, don't be rude! This is the first time we're officially meeting!" She whined.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and slowly turned around, dreading every moment of it.
"Hello." I greeted Julie quietly, my eyes taking in her form. She looked the same like she did earlier today but mirth was dancing around in her eyes.
"Oh no, it was actually yesterday. You've been sleeping for 18 hours." Julie replied easily. "This is your mind, Naka. I know what you're thinking."
"Why can't I hear your thoughts then?" I shot back.
"Because I am speaking what I am thinking, little girl." She shrugged with a face splitting grin.
"I doubt I can hardly qualify as a 'little girl', you would know. We're the same person... Julie," I bit out. Something about Julie- was she still me?- was off.
"Oh yes... but also no." The teenager in front of me barked out a laugh. "Your body, Naka. Your mind, Naka. Nothing to do with little, old forgotten Julie here. I'm just who you were before now."
"You've changed." I said in a low voice. The Julie that I was wasn't this... strange. Julie was less of a pain and easier to talk to, she was definitely not this strange.
"I did." She agreed.
Silence stretched across the never-ending dark landscape. Julie stared at me for a few moments with hard eyes before laughing maniacally. "Isolation tends to do that to you, little girl," she finally said. "Especially when your existence wants to be forgotten."
I tore my eyes away from her and stared at the floor.
"Nothing to say, eh? Guilty as charged." She scoffed and looked at me with a smirk. "You wouldn't mind if I take over the body for a while, would you?"
My head snapped up and I gave a low growl, a little surprised by the sound coming from my mouth. "Don't you dare."
"Psh, it will be fine, little girl," she dismissed before grinning. "I hope."
I lunged across the distance to try to grab Julie but she quickly vanished into thin air. My heart dropped in horror when the blank screen now took a scene of a white room.
A hospital, I realized, from the antiseptic and medicinal smell that drifted to my nose. I quickly ran to the screen, swearing at Julie when I saw the nurse's eyes widening in fear. What the hell was she doing? My fists fruitlessly pounded on the screen.
"Let me out!" I said loudly, a hint of desperation in my tone that I tried to hide.
"Don't worry, I'll play nice." Julie's voice drifted from nowhere.
"Why?" I asked, my voice echoing in my mind landscape.
"Your mind and body are exhausted, Naka. That makes it easier for me. I could've controlled your body while you were asleep but I believe a proper introduction was in order. And what fun will it be if I didn't?"
My mouth dropped in horror. Julie didn't seem like she wanted to give my body back anytime soon, for the fun of it. She was- "Crazy, right?" She said before giving an uncharacteristically high pitched giggle. "I know."
"Give my body back to me." I bit out slowly.
"If you're strong enough, then you'll have it back by yourself. Just go with the flow, little girl."
The screen shifted, and through Julie's eyes, I saw her roughly tear the IV tubes from her-my?- arms. She flashed a grin at the cowering nurse before sliding out of her bed.
"Y-You're not supposed to-"
Julie snarled at the nurse who immediately shut up. "Do I look like I care?"
She roughly opened the window, allowing the gentle breeze to ruffle her hair. For the briefest moments, I saw Julie's true nostalgic smile.
"I almost forgot how freedom feels like." Her voice rang softly.
I quietly watched the Konoha scene in front of me through the screen, rethinking what happened the past five minutes. Why was I so harsh on Julie? Julie- she was the old me. She was locked up, not by her choice, as an effect of reincarnation.
On one hand, I want to talk it out with her. To peacefully co-exist. But on the other hand, she had changed so much I couldn't tell who she was anymore. She was twisted in the head. Would she kill my friends? How loyal was she? I would never know.
And it was not a risk I would be willing to make.
Julie quickly, albeit sloppily, climbed up to squat on the window sill. Behind her, the door to the hospital room was starting to slide open. The teenager in a child's body tilted her head backwards to stare at the door in slight panic before quickly jumping out the window- doesn't she know that it was 3 floors above ground level?- and the Konoha in front of me blurred with speed.
A hand snatched the back of Julie's hospital gown and she was left dangling in the air like a naughty puppy being punished. She angrily whirled her head around to glare at the unknown person.
A tall, lean man in ANBU uniform and a dog mask with red markings. And silver hair. ...Ah, of course, the ANBU had to be the sensei of future Team 7. Fate hated Julie and I, didn't it?
Kakashi, not too gently, brought Julie back inside the room and dumped her onto the hospital bed, before quickly disappearing into the shadows of the room. Julie looked up from her place on the bed to see the Hokage, Inoichi and another man- very familiar too- already standing beside her bed.
"Naka-chan, causing trouble the moment you wake up? This isn't like you." The Hokage said kindly.
"Do I act like Naka to you? You stupid old man." Julie retorted angrily, her pride still wounded from the failed escape. You corner an angsty teenager and make her feel helpless, her witty mouth will be her only weapon.
The room fell deadly silent. The Third stared at Julie, his eyes unreadable before turning to Inoichi.
"Is this the alter ego you were referring to?" The old man asked Inoichi, his voice low.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." The blonde replied in disbelief.
The man beside them muttered quietly, but loud enough for them to hear. "Interesting. Will she pose as a danger?"
"I don't know, Shikaku." Inoichi replied honestly.
"How much do you know?" The Hokage asked Julie.
"How much do you think I know? I'm the same person as Naka." The teenager replied with a sarcastic tone.
"Who are you?"
"You can call me Julie."
"Julie," the Third tested the foreign word on his tongue before turning to Shikaku. "What do you think?"
The man in the high ponytail lazily scratched the side of his face.
"The kid says it's her alter ego but I don't think it is. She is most probably bipolar. Maybe it is in her genes? Who are her parents?" He asked.
"She is an orphan." Inoichi answered. "From the... attack."
Shikaku paused, his hand on his goatee. "Ah, that would be difficult. Konoha Hospital doesn't have parents records for most of the orphans during that time period, but we can try find it." It was understandable, seeing how Konoha Hospital was in ruins and keeping up with the patients was a very difficult task.
"If not genetics, then most probably trauma. Depression? Also possible. You mentioned she was hurt by the matron, right? Perhaps that has to do with it. Building stress since a young age."
Julie choked out a laugh. They were way off.
"Will she tell others?" The Hokage asked, still focused on the secrecy of the information.
Shikaku shrugged. "I don't know." He turned to look at Julie. "Will you?"
She grinned. "Maybe, maybe not."
"If you are a threat, we will eliminate you." Inoichi said slowly.
"But I have something valuable that you don't." She smirked up at him. "And admit it, you need the information."
Hokage turned to Shikaku. "What do you suggest?"
"To be honest, if she really is bipolar, I highly doubt that this... Julie will go around spreading information. After all, if Naka's loyalty is with Konoha and they are the same person, deep down, Julie's loyalty is with Konoha too."
Shikaku paused, looking at Julie. "But that is only a theory and we cannot take chances. I suggest we keep her watched 24/7 and to be treated with caution whenever Julie appears."
He looked into Julie's challenging eyes before turning to the Hokage.
"If the personality change is not subtle enough, and I highly doubt that will be the case, her eye color changes." The three men turned to look at Julie's eyes. "From light brown to dark brown. Although I am not certain if this will happen every time. The only reason I can explain her eye color change is because of the pupil size contraction."
"I'm surprised you know her original eye color." The Hokage commented.
Shikaku shrugged. "She's friends with my son."
Hokage turned to look at Julie before looking at both Shikaku and Inoichi. "I hope you understand that this is an A-rank secret, its status as S-rank secret is pending. No one else will know about this situation. Understood?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Both of them replied in unison.
"Dismissed." Hokage waved his hand and the two men body flickered away.
"Inu," The old man said and the ANBU mysteriously appeared in front of the Hokage, kneeling on one knee.
"Yes?"
"We cannot discuss with you further details on this matter but you will keep what you know to yourself. I will ask a few more of the trusted ANBU to help you watch over the girl at different times. If she is deemed as a threat, do whatever you have to do but do not kill her. She is a valuable asset. Understood?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi replied.
"Dismissed."
"In case you have forgotten, I am still here." Julie drawled out, her voice raspy.
The Hokage gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten."
"I know you're in there, Naka, and I know that you wouldn't let Julie hurt Naruto." He said. "So rest well, and I'll see you soon."
The Third walked out of the hospital room.
Julie slumped onto the bed, her head softly hitting the pillow.
"Amazing. Even though I'm taking over your body, they're still talking to you."
Julie closed her eyes.
"Get out."
I looked at the blank screen before looking at Julie who was right in front of me. She was back in her teenage form.
"What?"
Julie stretched her neck to the side, letting it pop.
"My chakra ran out." At my confused face, she continued. "What? Did you honestly think that the Hokage was just there to talk to a 'threat'? He set up a seal or some kind of jutsu that kept sucking on my chakra. I was basically exhausted near the end I could barely speak."
She rolled her eyes.
I frowned at her. "You're lucky they didn't kill us. You could've wisely agreed with what they said instead of putting us in danger."
But to be honest, Konoha is known for their soft heart. They wouldn't kill a little girl just because she was bipolar, right?
Julie giggled. "That's not how I do my things, little girl. What's the fun in life without a little danger and thrill?"
I scoffed. "This is going to be the last time you are gaining control over my body, Julie."
I was not going to let her put me in danger anymore. The said girl simply winked.
"We'll see about that."
I woke up in the middle of a night to a soft humming in my stomach.
It was a weird but an oddly calming sensation that I had never felt before. I curiously placed my right hand on my stomach, feeling th-
Chakra.
I froze, my eyes widening in realization. So that was chakra. I quickly recalled the first training session with Shisui where I had said I felt chakra. And boy was I wrong.
That stupid me didn't feel chakra, I only knew that it existed. But now? I'm feeling chakra. I was completely mistaken. Chakra exists in everyone, even in myself in the past life.
The civilians here have chakra too, but what differentiates them from shinobi was the ability to feel chakra and the ability to mold and utilize it.
The soft buzzing was concentrated in my stomach but seemed to spread around my body and settling in small balls of energy near the tips of my fingers and my feet.
How interesting.
I closed my eyes and concentrated into the chakra center. Would I be able to mould chakra if I focused hard enough? I frowned, trying to force the chakra outside the tenketsu. From what I've read, chakra is released from the chakra pressure points called tenketsu.
What the book didn't say was how difficult it would be.
There was nothing. Nothing. No crazy chakra flying out of my hand and no fire jutsu exploding from my mouth.
The soft buzzing slowly subsided almost into nothingness, humming ever so quietly.
--
"That was physical energy." Shisui said the next day, ducking under the dango shop's fabric banner and I quickly followed.
I had just been discharged from the hospital this morning, with the approval from the Hokage. Julie had disappeared back into my mind, and like usual, I couldn't contact her.
"For someone who reads a lot," he continued dryly, "I'm surprised you don't know what it is."
"I do know what it is," I protested weakly. I simply generalized physical energy as chakra. That, and it... slipped my mind.
"Smartass," the teenager muttered, taking a seat at the back of the dango shop.
"Chakra is divided into two components: physical and spiritual energy," I recited from the book. "Physical energy is the energy taken from the body and its cells while spiritual energy is from the mental power."
Shisui nodded. "Physi-" He abruptly paused.
"Obaa-san! Two plates of mitarashi dango, 1 cup of green tea and 1 cup of water!" He raised his voice across the shop to the waitress and I was secretly impressed he remembered I didn't drink tea.
"I'm not a grandma!" She yelled back, a vein popping on her wrinkled forehead.
"Sure, sure" the boy said good-naturedly with an amused smile. The waitress simply muttered a few words before disappearing into the kitchen.
"Where was I?" Shisui asked, leaning back into his seat.
"You were at 'Physi-'," I replied flatly.
Shisui rolled his eyes. "Right. Most of the people are born with average chakra reserves, with the exception of many clan kids with powerful shinobi parents. Physical energy can be increased with practice. Run around, jump, train, yada yada. Do whatever I'm making you do."
I nodded in understanding. "What about spiritual energy?"
Shisui grinned. "That's the fun part."
"Fun part?" I asked, not sure where this was going.
"You see, to yield the most efficient chakra, physical energy and spiritual energy has to be balanced. Physical energy is the easy stuff, if you're hardworking, then you will be able to properly grow your reserves. Spiritual energy, on the other hand, isn't as easy to achieve."
"Why so?"
Shisui tapped his forehead. "It's here."
"I get it, mental power." I replied uneasily.
"Yes, it is mental power," he continued patiently, "but that is exactly why it is difficult. To achieve this, you need to meditate and to study. But more importantly, you need to have the willpower and a clear mind then you will find the spiritual energy."
"Willpower? Clear mind? Isn't that easy enough?" I asked with a frown, messing my hair in annoyance. This was getting frustrating.
"Naka-chan, there's something you need to understand. You need to have the willpower. You cannot just think that you have the willpower, you need to have it. Feel it." Shisui took a bite of the dango.
"Clear mind, just like a void, but at the same time, you need to concentrate. A good way to do this is meditation. You see, many people like to think that they have a clear mind, that their mind is empty. But that itself is a thought invading their mind."
Shisui took a sip from the green tea. "They think that they have a clear mind because they want themselves to believe so. And what they believe isn't always a fact."
"So I need to have the willpower and a clear mind, find the spiritual energy and that's it?" I asked hopefully.
"Of course not," Shisui answered with a laugh. "There is no easy way out in the ninja world. You need to train to balance the spiritual energy. Meditation, studying and training."
I finished my dango stick. "Are you going to train me?"
"For now? No." I opened my mouth to protest but Shisui raised his hand up. "This month, meditate for an hour at home every day. Make sure you meditate and learn to concentrate."
"Any tips?" I asked.
"Try not to doze off. And as for how to meditate?" He scratched his head. "Go read a book or something. It will tell you how."
I shrugged. It was a good plan. "Will I find my spiritual energy by the end of this month?"
"Maybe, maybe not." The boy replied. "It depends on each person."
"Well that was detailed." I said with a deadpan.
"Oh shut up, I'm already paying for your food." He mumbled as he stood up, dango now finished. "I swear I'm going to be broke one day."
I gave him a small smile. "Thank you." I told Shisui sincerely.
Shisui grinned back and ruffled my hair. "No problem, kiddo."
He paused. "And wash your hair too."
"I washed it yesterday." I told him indignantly, a little offended that the self-proclaimed teacher couldn't tell.
The Uchiha shrugged. "Sure, sure, whatever floats on your boat."
I was about to return his comeback with an insult when he quickly placed the heavy hand on my head once more. "Gotta go, clan meeting soon!" With that said, he body flickered away.
I scrunched my nose in distaste. Cheeky, little show off.
--
"Welcome to Konoha Academy!" The Third Hokage finished his speech with a large smile. The crowd below the stage burst into a mixture of excited cheers and polite claps.
Naruto turned to look at me from a row in front with a toothy grin and I gave him a barely visible smile back. It took me ten minutes to explain to him the system of arranging people according to alphabetical order.
Orphans without last names are forced to sit at the back. If I counted correctly, there were 12 orphans in total, including Naruto and I. With a total of 60 students, orphans acceptance rate was 5%. Rumors said that a chunin went to the orphanage to observe the children with potential on a weekly basis months before the semester started. I had no idea what strings the Hokage had to pull in order to allow Naruto and me to be accepted.
But what strings did he have to pull? He practically ran the whole village.
An instructor stepped forward as the Hokage went back to his seat on the stage.
"This year will be divided into a total of 2 classes. The following people are in Class 1A..."
I was with Naruto and the rest of Rookie Nine in Class 1A, surprise surprise. Naruto eagerly got into line and I quickly followed after him, not wanting to be left alone. The students followed another instructor into the Academy to our classroom.
"Same class, eh?" A voice said from beside me once I have entered the room and my eyes immediately brightened upon recognizing the person.
"Shikamaru," I greeted. "How are you?"
"Didn't want to come to school." He yawned. "But mom would throw a fit."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He just didn't want to admit he was excited for his first day of school.
"Oi, Naka! Who's this?" Naruto shouted from beside me, his blue eyes glistening with curiosity and wariness.
"Naruto," I said, looking at him, "this is Nara Shikamaru. Shikamaru, this is Naruto."
"Yo." Shikamaru said lazily.
Naruto was silent for a while before a giant grin split across his face. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto and one day, I'm going to be the greatest Hokage ever!"
Shikamaru gave me a brief look as if asking 'is he for real?' before turning to Naruto again.
"Troublesome." He muttered, before trudging to the untaken seat at the back of the class. Naruto followed hot on his heels, demanding to know what was so troublesome. I followed suit, trailing behind the two of them.
Shikamaru took a seat, Naruto beside him. Just as I was about to take the seat beside Naruto at the end of the table, Shikamaru reached his left hand out to grab my shirt and drag me to the seat between Naruto and him. I plopped down onto the seat, shooting Shikamaru a questioning look. He gave Naruto an annoyed look.
"He talks way too much."
I gave him a subtle amused nod with Naruto popping up in between us questioning what happened.
In that moment, an instructor with brown hair tied up into a high ponytail walked in.
"Class, settle down! My name is Umino Iruka and I will be your instructor!" He introduced himself. Iruka looked so young and I was a little impressed. He looked to be about eighteen at most and already an Academy instructor. His eyes scanned the whole class, pausing momentarily at Naruto. I could feel Naruto freezing in his spot beside me and I reached my hand out to grab his.
He turned to me and I gave him a small smile. It's alright.
He hesitantly smiled back. Thanks.
The day went by quickly. Iruka tested us on our physical strengths, the same thing Shisui made me do everyday. The morning push-ups, sit ups and running around the track. Fortunately, with my weights still on, I came in fourth place for the total of 10 girls for sprinting. First place was an Uchiha girl, second being the shy Hyuga Hinata and I was mildly impressed. Third place was Yamanaka Ino and it seemed like she wasn't just all talk.
For the boys, Naruto did not come in last place. He was slightly above average. Most of the people who finished sprinting faster than Naruto did are mostly clan kids. Seems like him doing Shisui's training regime occasionally had helped. Shikamaru finished in third, probably because his mom would give him an earful if he didn't, and I briefly wondered how long he will put in his efforts in this school year. Second place was Aburame Shino and first place was expectedly Uchiha Sasuke.
On lunch time, Naruto and I huddled together eating my poorly prepared onigiri with seaweed. It was tough buying cheap rice and I had to wait until the shop nearly closed to get a good price.
Shikamaru soon joined us and Naruto discreetly took one of Shikamaru's fried chickens, something the lazy boy pretended he didn't see.
Fifteen minutes into lunch, Sasuke joined us, greeting me with a bright smile before coughing and formally introducing himself to the two other boys with a light tone, and I recognized that as the tone of voice Itachi normally uses. I shrugged. How cute, trying to be like his brother.
"Do you know him?" Shikamaru questioned me quietly.
"I've met him one to two times." I replied. "He gave me a tomato."
The boy gave me a weird look before turning to Sasuke once more. He jabbed his thumb to the tree behind.
"Are you going to do anything about them?" Shikamaru asked Sasuke lazily. All of us turned to the tree and saw three young girls hiding behind it, blushing and giggling while staring at Sasuke.
Sasuke shrugged. "They're probably lost. What am I supposed to do with them?"
I shook my head. Boy, was he going to be in for a harsh truth later. Shikamaru wisely dropped the subject.
"Hey! You're the one that got first place in class!" Naruto remembered, rudely pointing a finger at Sasuke.
"I am from the Uchiha clan after all," Sasuke boasted, puffing his chest out.
"You don't need a clan to be great." Naruto protested. "I'm going to be a Hokage one day!"
Sasuke stared at the blonde. "You?" He scoffed. "You're just a dead last."
Naruto's eyes dropped. "Be nice," I warned Sasuke, whose face turned a little guilty.
Naruto crossed his arms and huffed. "I will! Watch me. And when that day comes, you will be sorry for saying that!"
"I'll let you be my rival." The blonde added cheekily.
Naruto had obviously been watching Sasuke, the golden boy of the class. The Uchiha had already received the title on his first day of school, much to Naruto's jealousy.
"Let me be your rival?" Sasuke asked incredulously. "I don't want to be your rival, idiot. You are way behind me."
I grabbed a tomato from Sasuke's bento and tsked at him. "You never know, Sasuke. People change when they have determination."
Lunch time quickly passed by with Naruto and Sasuke bickering, Shikamaru rolling his eyes and me reading a book on meditation.
Iruka then taught us about the basics of reading and writing, the theory of chakra, history of Konoha, Will of Fire and I unknowingly tuned out. I had read it from the library a few months back. I may or may not have caught a pink haired girl in front shyly raising her hand to answer Iruka's question.
Before we knew it, the day was over. Students quickly rushed out of the classroom. The four of us were the last to exit, with Sasuke hurrying Shikamaru to quickly walk. Once we were outside the Academy, I wasn't surprised to see a crowd of proud parents standing outside waiting for their children. Sasuke gave us a quick wave before rushing to his mom and his brother. Shikamaru, less enthusiastically than Sasuke, said bye and walked to his grinning mother.
Naruto and I stood, and I caught Sasuke eagerly pointed to Naruto and I while talking to his mom, most probably telling them about his new friends. I wouldn't want to know Fugaku's reaction knowing his son befriended two orphans though.
Itachi looked up from his brother and gave me a polite nod, and I bowed back. Mikoto looked at the two of us with a kind smile but the smile was a little too forced when she looked at Naruto. The pain in her eyes was more evident when Naruto shielded himself behind me. When her eyes landed on me, they flashed with surprised recognition.
I grabbed Naruto's hand and muttered. "Let's go home."
He simply nodded. The two of us walked past the crowd of proud parents hugging their children. They were so proud, so happy... they were a family. On my left, Naruto's hand tightened on mine and I instinctively walked closer to him.
A lump rose to my throat. I never realized how much I missed my parents' hugs and voices until now. Were they this proud on my first day at the Kindergarten? Did they wait for me outside the school? I didn't remember. And it strangely... hurts. If it hurts this much for me, I wondered how much of a pain Naruto was in right now. The poor boy never had a parent figure in his life.
A hand landed on my head and another landed on Naruto's and Naruto gasped in surprise.
"How are my two little students doing?" Shisui asked from behind, his voice cheerful.
Naruto swiveled around to face the teenager. "Shisui!" He shouted in both surprise and happiness, jumping to catch Shisui in a bear hug. Naruto wasn't expecting anyone to see him on the first day of school.
I raised an eyebrow. I wasn't aware that these two knew each other. They must have bonded over while I was at the Hokage's office or at the library.
"Shisui." I greeted, internally glad that he was here.
Shisui quickly grabbed me into the hug. "Group hug!" He cheered.
"You're lucky I finished my mission early today!" He slung his arms around the two of our shoulders' with him in the middle. "I heard that you guys just finished your first day of school so I quickly rushed here." He grinned. "Growing up so fast." He sniffed. "Soon you guys will be a full fledged ninja and I will be a retired old man."
I rolled my eyes. "Stop being so dramatic."
Shisui laughed, using his arms to lock Naruto's and my neck.
"Come on! I'll buy you guys dango. My treat for surviving the Academy's first day."
And strangely, that one simple sentence seemed to wash away the heartache in me. If Shisui and I heard Naruto's strangled sob and saw him desperately trying to wipe the happy tears off his face, we didn't say anything.