Snap Back To Reality 67

Suzuki Tsukiya

"Why should we trust you? Didn't your traitorous sister leave with Orochimaru?"

Tsukiya stiffened on the spot and turned to look up at Taichi who stayed upright and unflinching at the claims. His brother was strong, and just as tall as the adults confronting him so Tsukiya felt safe.

So the suddenness of an egg hitting his head caught him off his guard and he staggered forward. Large hands wrapped around his shoulders pulling him toward safety. He looked up in shock to see Taichi holding him close, glaring at the crowd that had gathered. Tsukiya couldn't understand why. He knew all of these people. He bought secret practice kunai from the blacksmith glaring at him. The nice obaachan down the street had fixed his kimono when it tore during a run. The woodsmith had fixed the panels on their wall and taught him how to nail poster boards. So why... why were they glaring at him? And why was Taichi silent?

"Got nothing to say?! I bet she killed Yua and Noritaka too!"

What? Tsukiya felt like he couldn't breathe. Felt like the world was spinning. He would have fallen to the ground from the sheer disorienting feeling of being so crowded if it weren't for hearing Taichi's voice again. This time it was loud and unrelenting, so unlike his soft-spoken older brother.

"Shut up!"

Taichi's voice quietened the crowd and when Tsukiya looked up there was a fierce rage on his brother's face, the kind of cold anger that silenced a crowd. It made him feel both terrified and safe.

"If a single one of you touches my brother again, it won't be a Shinobi meeting you, it will be me! And I promise you, it will be just as brutal."

When Taichi spoke, it wasn't with shouting, but his voice carried a loud promise with it that made the people crowding them falter. Tsukiya watched them throw some half-hearted curses before walking away.

"Good luck getting any customers after today traitors!" one of them hissed before leaving.

"Oi what do you fuckers think you're doing?!"

Tsukiya turned to see Aunt Mebuki storming through the crowd, blond hair spiking up like a threatened cat as she held her baby boy in a bundle at her chest. Kizashi walked behind with a particularly angry glare too.

Tsukiya could barely think through his tears. He didn't register the worried conversation that Taichi and Matsu were having with the older couple, or even that he was crying at all until they left and Taichi wiped at his eyes.

"Come on Tsu-kun."

Taichi picked him up and Tsukiya buried his face into his aniki's shoulder and cried. He hated this. He hated how scared he had become and how he couldn't breathe. The hatred in their eyes had been terrifying. Taichi's soothing strokes on his back eventually calmed him down and his brother washed the egg out of his hair as he hiccupped the last tears silently.

"I-It's not true... they're lying... neechan would never, she would never kill kaasan and tousan."

Taichi's fingers which had been carding through his long hair froze. Tsukiya looked up to see his brother almost frozen in place for a second, his eyes glazed over like it was far away, lost in some terrible place. He grabbed his shoulders and called out his name to get his attention and Taichi shook his head and came back to him. Tsukiya hugged his brother. He had a feeling that Taichi needed it.

"Tsukiya, look at me," Taichi said with a serious voice as he held his face. Tsukiya blinked up at his brother and wondered why he felt so small. "People will tell you many cruel things now. Sometimes it will hurt. But you cannot take it to heart. They will try to box you in and tell you what you are and are not, but ultimately you're more than your family, you're more than Hina, or me, or our parents."

Tsukiya didn't understand what Taichi was saying, but he burnt those words into memory. He wanted to understand. He was so confused and scared, and he wanted to go back... back to the way it was before.

"I don't get it! Why do they think neechan is a traitor? Why do they think she killed kaasan?"

Taichi's softened expression full of pain felt like a thousand needles in Tsukiya's heart. He shook his head. No. He refused to believe it. His neechan was a hero. She was a strong Shinobi who protected others and took down a tyrant. She was kind and brave and powerful. She wouldn't...

"She killed them both," he whispered.

Taichi nodded, his fingers gently stroking Tsukiya's scalp before he pulled him into a hug. His older brother's expression turned pained, and his hands began to shake, and Tsukiya realised it was because Taichi was scared too.

"I wanted to tell you myself when you were older... when you would understand. You weren't meant to hear it from someone else. I am... I'm so sorry," Taichi said, craning his neck up to stop himself from crying.

Tsukiya didn't know what to feel. He felt too much at once, all confusing emotions he'd never experienced before. It tightened his chest and made him feel angry, scared and something ugly too.

"Neechan would never... she would never—"

"She did it to protect us," Taichi said, catching Tsukiya's attention. "The bad man she took down had ordered her to kill them herself or he would kill us all. So she did the only thing she could do."

Somehow that felt just as unbelievable as her doing it because she was evil, because Hina was the strongest Shinobi outside of the Hokage of course. She told him she would protect him once he became a Shinobi, so he'd grow up to be just as strong as her. But that meant she wasn't evil... that she was...

"I don't understand," Tsukiya whispered, gritting his teeth and clenching back tears.

He didn't expect Taichi to hold his cheeks and agree with him. "Neither do I Tsu-kun, but I don't believe Hina left us because she wanted to. I cannot believe it. She loved us more than she loved anything else. That I understand," Taichi said, placing a kiss on his forehead.

That Tsukiya understood too. He was confused and hurt, but he knew Hina loved him. All that couldn't have been an act. She wasn't a traitor, and it didn't matter if the whole of Konoha didn't believe it, because he did, and he would get her back.

"Tai-nii, I want to become a Shinobi."

For once in his life Taichi didn't outright say no. Instead he looked like he'd been punched in the gut. Tsukiya hated that he did that, but he couldn't ignore this anymore.

"Hina-nee said that I could become a Shinobi if I found my purpose. I found it. I want to become strong so I can bring her back and get everyone to see she's not a traitor. I want us to be a family again!"

Tsukiya had found his reason to be a Shinobi. There was nothing he wouldn't do, no hurdle he wouldn't overcome to get his family back together.

Tsukiya yawned as he walked tiredly and painfully alone. Both Taichi and Matsu had picked up another job to make ends meet ever since their family's reputation had been tarnished. He had missed it before, the whispers that were directed at their family, the way there was suspicion directed towards them. Now he saw it in full clarity. What had been kindness before was because Hina was a Shinobi, and people respected the Shinobi who fought, bled, and died for their safety. They equally hated those that they thought went against the village.

Tsukiya was still coming to terms with everything, but it hurt to think he had to walk alone to the entrance ceremony. He'd always imagined doing it with Taichi and Hina holding either hand, swinging him in-between like he enjoyed so much. Tsukiya felt tears prickle at his eyes that he quickly wiped away.

"Tsu-chaaaan~"

Tsukiya looked up in confusion before he saw Mebuki running his way, baby Sakurai in hand.

"Mebuki-obaasan?" he said in disbelief.

"You bet it is brat. You think I'd let you go your first day alone. I told Matsu to tell you to wait for me. That delinquent shit must have forgotten," she grumbled before smiling and ruffling his hair.

Tsukiya held his head and grinned brightly. He took Mebuki's free hand and felt lighter. It wasn't the same as he imagined but it was still better than no one, and he made good conversation as they walked to the academy. It was all well and good until he reached the gates and paused.

"I... I don't want to go in. Everyone makes fun of me now," he mumbled, blushing in embarrassment and frustration as he remembered how all his friends turned on him soon after Hina left.

"Hey brat, listen up because I'll only say this once," Mebuki said, putting a weighty hand on his head. "Don't you ever bow your head in front of any of them. Keep your head up proudly, be a man with integrity, and people will come around."

Integrity. Tsukiya had asked Hina what that word meant a while ago. She'd used that word to describe their father. A man with integrity... someone who kept their word, someone who didn't lie, and someone who did their work diligently. He wanted to be that because it felt right... it felt like his tousan who he'd never spoken to, but could feel there next to him, nonetheless.

Mebuki grinned his way, giving him an exuberant thumbs up. "I know you can do it kid! You're the toughest of the bunch after all. Even your sister said so."

"She did?" he asked in surprise.

Mebuki nodded, although he could see the way her smile weaned at the mention of Hina. Tsukiya wasn't dumb, he knew Matsu and Mebuki were disgusted by her actions and supposed betrayal, but he'd change that soon enough.

He walked into the academy, this time Tsukiya did so without the self-conscious slouch or nervous tremble of his hands. He felt sick and terrified inside, but he forced himself to be brave, and to his surprise it wasn't so bad. The other kids were too excited chattering with their parents and each other to confront him. A few made eye contact and whispered, which sparked some doubt in himself at the back of his mind, but it wasn't enough to stop him from going forward. It helped that Mebuki was there beside him.

He looked up as everyone went slowly silent. Uchiha Fugaku entered the podium, garbed with his Kage hat and robes, running behind him. Tsukiya felt awed. This was the first time he'd really seen the Hokage, and he looked badass and strong.

"You are beginning a hard and rewarding journey this day! To be a Shinobi is to understand sacrifice and duty. It is more than just a job, a title, or glory. It is what it means to be a part of a tree, a leaf amongst others working towards a singular purpose—to protect and serve this village."

Tsukiya didn't quite understand what the Hokage was saying, but it felt important, and it sounded cool, but apparently one of the Hokage's assistants didn't think so because the man handed him a paper and Fugaku cleared his throat to begin reading from it.

"You will learn and grow strong in the academy, forge bonds and friendships, and become a good Shinobi. Pour your hearts into your work. You are our future."

For some reason what he read out on the paper didn't sound half as cool, despite Tsukiya understanding everything the man said. The Hokage angled his head slightly before turning around, his coat fluttering behind him as he left. Now that was cool!

"Well he's certainly... stiff," Mebuki mumbled before turning to him. "Oh before I forget, I got something for you."

Tsukiya took the string from Mebuki in confusion. It was dark blue with metal bands on either end. It felt sturdy but not thick either.

"It's for your hair. I know it keeps coming undone and you won't even let me cut it," she grouched.

Tsukiya grumbled as Mebuki ruffled his hair again, but this time doing so to mess it up. He pouted. "It's how Hina-neechan keeps hers," he huffed, trying to fix the mess from the top.

Mebuki didn't seem very happy about his statement, but she handed over Sakurai to him for a moment before she got on her knees and began pulling back his long hair. She tied it around the middle of his head, pulling the string into a bow before admiring her handiwork.

"Looking handsome there Tsu-chan. At this rate you'll be getting all the ladies," she grinned.

"Ugh, no way," he said, sticking out his tongue.

"Ok, enough chatting brat. You better get to class before you're late," Mebuki said.

Tsukiya waved her one last worried goodbye before he took in a deep breath and entered the academy. The children all streamed in, some nervous, others excited, but all really too caught up in the moment to really think about anyone else. He felt like an ant in a colony, and it wasn't entirely a terrible feeling.

They were herded together into groups and Tsukiya ended up with a rather grumpy looking female teacher. She sent the entire class silent before showing them to their classroom for the year. It had a circular seating structure with a massive chalkboard and desk up the front. There were a few training dummies to the side, a storage room and a fake skeleton hanging on the side for learning purposes.

Of course Tsukiya barely noticed any of that. His eyes fell on two of his old friends, ones who had turned their backs on him when Hina had left. They didn't understand that his neechan was a good person, that she was just confused. He would get her back, then they'd see. She must have had a good reason. For now he chose to stay away from them. It still hurt to be rejected.

He got through class mostly fine, although it was boring stuff he already knew because Taichi often taught him useless things. His brother told him it was important to know, that he wished he'd learnt it when he was younger, and that education was important. Tsukiya had just wanted to go out and play instead of learning how to read and doing boring maths. He was grateful for it today because the class did a standard test and as it turned out most of the civilian students didn't know any basic maths or literacy. To his surprise he was paired off with the other half of the class, with most of the clan children, to move out with a different teacher to do a physical examination. The civilian kids all looked rather irritated or embarrassed by it and Tsukiya was grateful that Taichi spent the time teaching him now.

His gratefulness was cut short when their sensei began taking them through a physical examination. Tsukiya had always thought he was pretty fit but apparently, he couldn't compare to the naturally athletic Clan children with him. He tripped and fell during their second lap around the course, and groaned as he got up to rub at his bruised chin. When he looked forward he was already hundreds of meters behind the others.

"A-Are you ok?"

Tsukiya looked up to see a pale boy with even paler hair, and bright red eyes. For a moment he thought the boy was a girl, but then he noticed the way his kimono showed his chest. Tsukiya felt oddly connected to this boy in that moment. They both had long hair, and they'd both be mistaken for girls at times. He barely registered how terribly arbitrary that kinship was.

"Hai! I'm going to get even faster than them! Are you behind as well?"

The boy shook his head. "No… I um… I'm 2 laps ahead."

Tsukiya laughed. He was joking… right… "Wait you're not joking!"

The boy shook his head again.

"But—But you look so weak!"

He hadn't meant to blurt that out. The boy didn't seem all that hurt though. He just stared blankly at Tsukiya before helping him up.

"Nice meeting you Hina-san's brother," he said, bowing before running away.

"Wait you know—"

Tsukiya tried to grab the boy but he shot away just as quickly. He made to move but then he saw a streak of black hair pass him again and noticed Itachi running ahead of him too. Tsukiya let out a frustrated grumble before determinedly running behind them. He had a lot of catching up to do.

"Suzuki get back to running!" his sensei ordered.

A bout of irritation stopped him for a moment, but he remembered Hina's words—don't complain. Do. He would do, and he wouldn't complain. He would strive to be better. That would be his Ninja way.

The physical examinations were the worst, and Tsukiya was laying on the grass, almost passed out at the end of it. He wished he was back with the civilian kids learning his ABC's again. He wanted to take a moment to have a break, but he heard a few boys come up and stand over him. He looked up to see his old friend group.

"Heard you came last in everything"

"Go away," he grumbled, sitting up.

Tsukiya wasn't in the mood to deal with Shinji or Tamo at the moment. The two boys had been friends with him, and he'd done much the same to other kids when they played. He didn't want it done to him. He suddenly understood why Hina had chided him for picking on Itachi. Tsukiya caught a wave of dark brown hair of the side and saw Izumi-chan pause to see what was going on. She was with a bunch of girls. He suddenly didn't want to walk away from this fight. She was watching him… he should be cool right now.

"Or what?"

"Or I'll take you down Shinji. I'm not scared of you!" Tsukiya replied with a snarl.

"You can't threaten us with your Shinobi oneechan anymore. She's a traitor just like you!"

"She's not a traitor! You don't know anything about her," he replied hotly, hands balling tightly into fists.

Tamo grinned. "You knew her, right? So you knew she was going to leave you then."

That felt like a punch to the throat. Tsukiya took a step back, taken off guard by how much a few simple words could burn like that. He let out an angry growl, pulling his fists out, and the two boys took a step back laughing.

"Look who got his feelings hurt~"

Tsukiya felt all the anger leave him at their laughter and it turned to shame when he realised, he had tears in his eyes. He lowered his head and rubbed at his eyes vigorously to get rid of the tears, so the other kids couldn't see, but it was too late. Don't you ever bow your head in front of them. He had already broken his promise to Mebuki-obaachan. He'd bowed his head. Tsukiya felt weak and terrible as the other kids laughed at him, all seeming to notice his weakness—his otherness. He expected he would cry even more pathetically, because he didn't have the strength not to, but he felt a hand gently hold his arm. Tsukiya looked up to see Itachi.

"Come on," the younger boy said.

Tsukiya didn't expect to be tugged away into a jog. They passed through the onlookers and bullies and into the seclusion of the back-end of the Academy before they finally stopped. Tsukiya sniffled as he wiped the tears away at his eyes in confusion, and gratefulness.

"Why?" he asked.

"You looked like you didn't want to be there," Itachi replied.

"But I… I always used to pick on you," Tsukiya mumbled, feeling pathetic that a younger boy was comforting him after he'd hurt him so much.

Itachi shrugged, like he didn't have an answer for why he decided to help him. Tsukiya knew why. Itachi was good. Everyone knew it. Tsukiya realised that was why he had picked on him before, because he was jealous that Itachi was better than him. Hina had been right. He shouldn't have picked on Itachi—he should have worked on himself.

"I-I'm going to be stronger," he repeated.

Itachi nodded. "Ok"

"I'm going to be a better person."

"Good."

Tsukiya didn't mind how stunted Itachi's responses were. It felt good. Just a simple acknowledgement of his goals. Itachi wasn't judging him or doubting him.

"Hey Itachi… I'm sorry," he apologised.

Itachi nodded again. Tsukiya pulled out his bento box and held it out in the universal sign of friendship—food sharing. Itachi looked like he was about to refuse until he saw the pocky stick pack. Tsukiya didn't mind that he had to give away his desert if it meant he could be friends with Itachi. He had a feeling Itachi would never betray him.

When school ended, Tsukiya didn't expect his brother to come pick him up. He didn't expect to see Matsu there either. But the Hokage himself—well that deserved a different level of shock. Even Itachi looked a little confused.

"What's going on?" Tsukiya asked.

"We're moving near the Uchiha compound," Taichi said. "Hokage-sama has organised us a storefront in the river district."

Tsukiya gaped. That was near the red-bridge river where all the fancy stores were that mainly the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans shopped at. It was also more of a hub for Shinobi than it was for civilians. Tsukiya smiled happily for his brother. Taichi always worked so hard and he deserved to have better. Plus… all the people they lived near were mean. Tsukiya wanted a change of scenery… but he wasn't so sure about if the Shinobi would treat them any better. Maybe it would be worse. The Hokage must have seen the concern on his face, because his expression softened just a little.

"My Clan has been informed of the unfair treatment your family is going through. I've requested that they put aside any misconceptions that you were involved in Hina's defection."

There was an instinct there to support his sister's honour, but Tsukiya couldn't bring himself to back-talk the Hokage himself. He didn't think any Shinobi had the balls to do something like that, so he just nodded.

"Come along," the Hokage said.

Tsukiya took a moment to process the entire situation, staring ahead in disbelief before running up to catch up with his family. Itachi sent him a weird look and Tsukiya smiled back unsurely. People stared as they walked by, noting his distinct hair and appearance. It was all anyone seemed to talk about these days and Tsukiya hated it. Taichi had told him people would talk for a bit and forget, and the first few weeks were always the hardest. Tsukiya had asked how he knew. Taichi had told him the harsh truth of things he'd been kept away from before. Hina had killed their mother, and Tai-nii had watched. Tsukiya still felt like he was being kept in the dark from something… some dark history everyone around him seemed to assume he couldn't comprehend. But being a child didn't mean he didn't feel that edging darkness around the corner. He just knew he couldn't let it stop him.

Seeing their new house near the Uchiha district was exciting in a sad way. Exciting before he got to run inside to check out all their brand new rooms, and sad because he felt like he'd already lost a little part of his memory after leaving their old bakery. It had so many memories. The hallways had numbers etched onto the side, showing how tall they grew at their ages, and Tsukiya had always been proud to be the tallest at each age, beating both Taichi and Hina. There was that oddly broken wall near the kitchen, that he'd excavated to make into a dingy little hideaway when he wanted to play hide-and-seek. The old ally cat who frequented the back of their shop-front made a way through the broken window up the back, which Tsukiya had broken playing with Hina's nun chucks.

So while he was very excited to see these new halls and to ensure he got his pick of the bedroom he wanted… it did nothing to stop him from glancing out the window wondering if he could still go back home. It must have shown on his face because Cousin Matsu ruffled his hair with a smile.

"Everyone feels homesick at first, but trust me Tsu-kun, the feeling leaves with time," he said.

"Do you miss your parents?" Tsukiya asked.

Shame, anger, and sadness flickered through Matsu's face all at once and Tsukiya almost wished he hadn't asked. Matsu had always been open about why he'd left his family. He always wished they'd have him back one day… when they eventually accepted him. Tsukiya never understood, but he got an inkling of how Matsu felt now.

"I do… but time really does heal wounds. They're a lot less angry. I think they've forgotten why they were angry with me in the first place," he chuckled wryly.

"Do you… do you think Hina would have forgotten why she wanted to leave, so she can come back?" Tsukiya asked, a brief flicker of hope taking him.

Matsu nodded without falter. "Unless she's an idiot, she'll come back to you. She's always had her reasons, as secretive as she is. One day I'm sure we'll get to ask her why, and on that day, I'm smacking her into the Shinigami's belly myself for making Taichi cry."

"I'm going to smack her too… smack some sense into her so she'll come back," Tsukiya said angrily as he wiped his teary eyes. "But I'll be strong too, so if she tries to run again, I can stop her."

"She always did say your were the toughest of us all," Matsu said, grinning as he ruffled his hair.

Tsukiya smiled back. He really did love his cousin. He was brash and loud and altogether optimistic about life. Tsukiya turned to see Taichi by the door, entering in with the Hokage and Itachi in tow. Quickly he wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and shuffled towards the group trying to look alright.

"If you have any issues come talk to my wife," Fugaku said.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Taichi said, bowing low.

"Don't thank me. I'm repaying a favour to your sister. She may be a traitor now, but she's done more for this village than most realise," Fugaku said.

Tsukiya's head shot up and he stared at the Hokage in surprise. He hadn't expected that… not at all. Someone had acknowledged his sister. He felt comforted in some way to know that the highest power in the village was on her side… even if just a little. He looked back at his new room and figured that while not everything would be the same again, even if it was different, maybe it could be a good kind of different.

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, and Tsukiya spent his time working hard with a single-minded focus. He had tracked down Hanami to get a run down on Hina's physical training regime so he could catch up to the Clan kids and began the gruelling journey of somehow catching up to his prodigious sister. What she did at the age of 4 he could barely do half of, and he found with a growing frustration that his progress was a lot slower than hers.

The only thing that made everything a little bearable was his blooming friendship with the strange looking white-haired boy with red eyes. Kaguya Kimimaro. He was quiet but not shy, just a kind of sullen demeanour, contrasted extremely by his twin Kota, who was loud and violent and didn't possess a bone of femininity in his body compared to his twin. Tsukiya preferred Kimimaro, just because he liked the quiet, and Itachi, while being a good friend, didn't like hanging out with others. He seemed to situate himself far away from his peers, being younger and all, but what Tsukiya had once seen as arrogance was simply awkwardness. Itachi was a square surrounded by circles. He was different from them, and Tsukiya was certain that he was as close to Itachi as anyone could be. To the outside eye they couldn't be more than acquaintances, but Tsukiya knew that Itachi interacted more with him than with anyone outside of his own Clan members.

Kimimaro however did not shy away from company, and soon the two ended up becoming partners. Neither had abrasive or loud personalities, and so they seemed to flit about classes intent on focusing on work, and outside of classes spent more time sparring and learning jutsu than going out to eat or watch movies. Tsukiya more so would spend all his time training, and even then, he found it hard to get anywhere. Their test results had come out and he found himself landing squarely underneath all the Clan children despite his best efforts.

"Hmph, guess you're still not all that good. You're gonna be just like the rest of us," Shinji sneered.

Tsukiya about near exploded in a rare bout of anger at Shinji, when he turned to see a similar anger in Shinji's eyes. For once his bully hadn't said that to tear him down… but because he was bitter with himself. Tsukiya couldn't help but agree and the anger was replaced with a growing frustration.

"Tsukiya," Kimimaro said, his voice showing a glimmer of worry as he held his friend's shoulders.

Tsukiya walked away quickly. He didn't want to see Kimimaro right now despite knowing he was being irrational for blaming Kimimaro right now. That was something Shinji would do—blame the stronger fighter because he was weak, and Tsukiya didn't want any of it, but he felt the ugly bite of jealous grip his heart and he felt ashamed by it. He found himself walking out of the Academy gate in anger, expecting to find a secluded spot to shamefully cry out his frustrations—that was until a ball of fur had crashed into him.

"Wha—"

"Yama, get off him you mutt," a rough voice laughed as he grabbed the dog's collar and pulled him away, but not before Tsukiya got a few wet licks all over his face.

"You're—" he said in realisation as he looked at the Jounin above him.

"Yup I was your sister's sensei."

"What are you doing here?" Tsukiya said defensively. "Are you going to tell me I'm going to become a traitor too. I won't stop. And she's not a traitor either! Nee-chan has a reason, I'm sure!"

"Wow, wow, calm down there gaki. I wasn't going to tell you to stop being a Shinobi… I was going to offer to train you myself."

Tsukiya broke.

"What…"

"Think of it as guilt. Think of it as a do-over. I failed Hina in more than one way, but she loved you more than she loved the world itself. I couldn't not take care of you while she's gone," he said.

Tsukiya knew Gaku. Gaku was a cool Shinobi. He'd come over to their place quite a few times with his wife Nami and their many adorable dogs. Tsukiya had loved the visits. He loved most of all the way Hina's face lit up when Gaku was around. He'd never seen his sister so happy than when she was with Gaku and Nami, sharing a meal together with them. Tsukiya wanted that back… he wanted his family back, smiling and sharing a meal.

"I want to get stronger," he said, balling his fists.

"I didn't expect any less," Gaku grinned.

"I want to get stronger than neechan," he reiterated determinedly.

Gaku's grin didn't falter. "Then you can expect to be in hell for the next few years. Come on we have work to do."

"What are you going to teach me first?" Tsukiya asked curiously.

"Nothing. We're going to go get some desert, and then we're doing a standard fitness test."

"What?! I wanna learn jutsu or something!"

"Desert first."

"…Ok"

Jutsu and training was important but what psychopath would pass on desert? So Tsukiya ended up riding on Yama's back, following behind his new sensei, wondering what the heck he'd gotten himself into.

A/N

CROSSOVER OUT! I'm putting up three chapters of Never Gonna Give You Up! You can find it by clicking on my account and searching up my stories. Warning, I have an excessive amount of Danny Phantom fics from when I was 14 so ignore them XD

Big thank you to Byakugan789 for helping me edit the entire thing. His input into the story is much appreciated!

Heck yeah, loved this POV! Tsukiya is going to go through his own adventures soon. Next few chapters will be in POV's outside of Hina's as well. It'll span a few years so you'll know what happened in the aftermath of her leaving. Then we'll pick up on a time skip with Hina's perspective again.