"Fusaaki, I'd like to speak with you," a voice said.
"Yes, lord Hiashi."
It was her father who answered the voice.
"I'm assuming you know of the crisis amongst our clan, correct?"
"That is correct."
"Ever since the beginning of this war, the Hyuga clan has declined drastically in terms of numbers, and therefore by power as well. Do you understand how this affects our reputation?"
"Yes."
"But recently, I've been keeping an eye on your daughter. Last time I recall, her name was Fumiko, isn't it?"
Her father seemed taken by surprise by this. "Just what are you trying to say?"
"I've seen her potential. In fact, it's undeniable she'll grow to be a powerful shinobi. But of course, that all depends on whether she has the person to train her."
"I don't get it."
"You fool, what I'm trying to say is that I think it's time I begin handling her training. That is, if you'd let me."
For Hiashi to have this much faith in a member of a lesser branch was considered absurd. But at this point, at a time of near desperation for status and honor, a decision like this could be seen as acceptable by the clan's standards. Almost acceptable.
"Do you think I'm not capable of enough to train her myself?" her father asked.
The voice let out a laugh. "Just think about it; if the girl can grow up to eventually become a prodigy of the Hyuga clan, she could make up for our recent disadvantages. Isn't that what you'd want?"
There was a moment of silence before the voice spoke again. "But, as you are a member of a lesser branch, I do require one condition to be met before this can happen."
Her father paused for a long moment before finally speaking again. "I'll agree to it."
-1 year later
At just 5 years old, Fumiko enrolled into the academy. During the war, some of the more talented students were allowed to enter a year or so early, due to the increasing demand for shinobi. Yet it was almost unheard of for someone to enter any earlier than that. Her peers were naturally curious of her because of this; which granted her unwanted attention.
"It's that kid!" they would yell, pointing at her.
"She's from one of the noble clans, isn't she?"
"Wow, I bet she's amazing!"
As they whispered and pointed, she only kept to herself as she silently walked by them. As she tried to avoid the unnecessary attention, she carelessly bumped into someone. She was instantly knocked to the ground.
Fumiko opened her eyes slowly to see the the girl she bumped into. She was an older girl— about several grades above her, with shoulder-length black hair and radiant brown eyes. She also had bangs, which were swept to the side. The girl held out a hand to her, and lifted her up off the ground. Fumiko quickly thanked the girl.
"That's odd, I don't seem to recognize you," she said, observing her.
"Oh, I'm new here."
"Then I have one piece of advice to offer you— don't focus on the other students. In the end, they won't matter."
She then silently walked off. But after taking only several steps, she turned around to face her once more. "Other than that, I wish you good look," she said.
She turned herself back, walking away from her again this time. By the way the students all held the same, visibly intrigued expressions as she walked by them, Fumiko could easily assume she was well known among her peers; and for a good reason. As it turned out, she was at the top of the class, acing every task she was given. She was a talented ninja who spent the majority of her time studying plants and herbs. Although she wasn't among the strongest of her peers, she was one of the smartest.
Less than a week later, Fumiko brought home her first test— where she got the highest score in the class. Her teachers could already notice her potential, and even remarked about it at times. Though Hiashi's training was gruesome, his expectations were justified.
A week had passed.
That day, Fumiko woke up well before dawn. She laid her bed, gently placing her soft, silk blanket on top of her mattress. She then grabbed a scented candle. She lit the candle, setting it aside carefully on the nightstand beside her.
Her mother politely knocked on her door before entering.
"Fumiko, aren't you supposed to be asleep?" she asked her.
"Yea but-"
"I don't want to hear any excuses." She then blew out the candle. "You'll be tired when you get to school."
Her mother tucked her into bed, gently kissing her forehead before leaving her room.
The next time she woke up, it was already about 7:00. Fumiko watched as daylight slowly crept through her window, gazing as the sun shone through the shadows of the surrounding trees. Refocusing her gaze, her eyes were suddenly drawn to the reflection cast through the glass of the window; it was her own reflection.
Her gaze now focused on the bandages covering her forehead. She slowly unraveled the bandages, revealing the cursed seal. The seal that now confined her to her destiny. By the mere presence of the mark, she felt a strong, lingering sense of disappointment which manifested on the expression of her face.
Carefully placing the bandages back on her forehead, she concealed the mark once more.
Her mother handed her a paper bag filled with fresh, homemade food.
"Thank you," Fumiko said, politely.
"Have a good day at school, ok?" her mother said.
"I will," she said before finally heading off to school.
Fumiko ended up being one of the first to enter the classroom. She sat down immediately to begin reading one of her books, waiting for her classmates and eventually her teacher to arrive.
The teacher announced in a rather grouchy voice: "In today's class, we'll be learning about the basics of the shinobi arts."
The class listened attentively.
He continued. "But before we begin, I would like to first discuss what it means to become a shinobi."
The classroom filled with the murmurs of the other students, until their voices quickly lessened down.
"So, I'll call on each and every one of you to define that in your own words. Would anyone like to go first?"
The students all raised their hands. The teacher chose Kazuko, a young boy in their class.
"To become strong," the boy said proudly.
"To fight for the village," a student called out.
"To achieve greatness!"
"To become a hero..."
The students continued to share their answers for the discussion. Soon enough, she became the only one in the class who hadn't answered. And for some odd reason, she felt a tinge of nervousness flow through her body.
"Fumiko, you'll be ending our discussion for today," the teacher said.
All eyes were now on her.
To protect and honor my clan, Fumiko nearly responded out of habit, just like she had been taught. But instead, she could only sit there in silence with the same, lingering sense of disappointment. So then, what did it mean to be a shinobi?
"I don't know..." she finally said.
The class was dismissed for recess.
Fumiko spent the majority of her recess pondering at that same question she was asked earlier in class. Though despite her pondering, she could still not find an answer. It was almost as if her mind went completely blank.
She encountered the girl once again.
"Do I know you?" she begun.
Fumiko remembered her as the girl she had unexpectedly met on her first day. She was an interesting individual, at least from her perspective.
Fumiko silently nodded her head.
At that moment, one of the teachers announced that recess was over. The students started to gather in a line.
"Well then, I was just wondering."
She turned away, as she began to walk off.
"Wait—" Fumiko said. She hesitated for a brief, passing moment before she spoke again. "I have a question for you."
The girl turned around to look at her.
Fumiko recalled the the question she was asked earlier that day: "What does it mean to become a shinobi?"
The girl gave her a modest, genuine smile. "That's only up to your interpretation."
Fumiko realized that she didn't have an answer to this. She was taught to fight for the clan, and only the clan. To them, that was her sole purpose. She could only wonder that maybe— just maybe, her clan had been wrong.