Red. It's red.
I'm not sure what part of that shocked me. Maybe it was a stark difference from the typical redheads I saw on the street. Most had orange hair tinted red. Ginger really. Never red. Not red like this.
My hair is plain, blacker than the night sky. A stark difference from my sickly pale skin and only making me appear all the sicker. My dark brown nearly black hair was bleached to look blond, and my skin a matching shade of brown.
The woman before me had hair the same color as my youngest brother loved so much. I don't have any siblings. Mom and other brother -who is he?- had to pull him away from her hair to stop him from chewing on it. Mom left us.
Father had left as soon as she had come knocking on the door. Dad never left no matter what happens. My rock. Mom had been sad but the new woman made her happy. This new woman was carrying bowls of ramen and offering them to us as we had never eaten before, even though we ate like royalty. We never have enough food.
Mom took the food gracefully and set it on the counter for later. She invited the woman in, the two chatting all the while leaving the three behind. Who are they? Family? It is only ever dad and me.
Who am I? My name is Hana Walst. No, that's not right.
"Makai?"
Yes, that's who I am. I fought hard as a frontliner chunin in the war five years ago. Women aren't allowed to fight in the war. I tried hard to keep all of my family out of the war. Father still took Itachi to the frontline. He hasn't been the same sense. I am worried about him.
I am Makai Uchiha age older sister of Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha. Mikoto and Fugaku are my parents. We've met the woman before. That's Kushina. To her, Ramen is the food of the gods. She's due to give birth soon too. Her child will only be a few days younger than Sasuke. Kushina thinks the two of them will be great friends. Father scoffs at the mere thought. We are ninja first then people. We are not able to have friends. The most they will be distant comrades.
Father trains Itachi to be the next heir. I am female, not eligible for the role. Itachi doesn't want it. I work to show father that the Uchiha will flourish under my care. I am a perfect ninja. I will be the perfect Uchiha too.
Red. Red like her hair. Red like danger.
The fox attacked when Sasuke was only a month old. Itachi left to take him to safety as I launched myself towards the large fox wreaking havoc on my village. Foxes are the same size as dogs. Never bigger.
Its tails smashed any buildings in their path and ninja died left and right saving civilians and young children. They would never get a proper funeral, their bodies eaten away by the corrosive acidity of the Kyuubi's chakra. There is no such thing as chakra.
The village would hold a ceremony in their honor to remember their sacrifice for the village. The fox vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, and the news that the 4th Hokage had died spread throughout the village within an hour. We were ruled by the first president.
Before the end of the day we had held a ceremony and the Uchiha had been moved to the outserts of the village where we were safe from the villages suspicious eyes.
Father was enraged when Itachi told him that nobody had paid any attention to him and Sasuke when he was trying to get to safety. It isn't unusual for people to turn their eyes away from the struggle of others. They have nothing to give.
Mother later explained that the people in our villages cared deeply for each other and Itachi was young enough for everyone to know that he would need help. Even if they thought he would be ok he had Sasuke with him. Five-year-olds aren't only enough to leave their mothers care and enter the men's world.
Itachi joined the academy for schooling on how to use his chakra a month later with the goal to bring peace to the entire world. There is no such thing as school.
The third Hokage took back his place as our leader and worked hard to build us back up again. I was rarely home, overworked with missions. I never left the safety of my settlement. I missed Sasuke's first word, his first step, his first birthday, and Itachi's graduation to genin two years later trying to make our village appear stronger than it was by taking more missions. Everyone retreated when weak. Our army was no different.
The village built itself up once again and the hatred of the people fell onto the Uchiha. We hate our soldiers for taking our resources but we hate the enemy more for trying to take everything. They stopped sending us on important missions and secluded us more and more. It made it harder for Itachi to climb through the ranks. Yet now, three years after his graduation they can do nothing more to stop him, and he and his team were finally allowed to partake in the chunin exams.
When he returned father was proud. Father never showed such a thing to me. Not when even after I had become a chunin when I was eight as a war promotion. He didn't even show any pride at my promotion to join three years later. People rarely got promoted.
The only thing he had to say was that Hatake Kakashi had done better and that he was ashamed of his own daughter couldn't do better. Dad was proud every time I did something new. He would always smile and give me a big hug. Afterward, we would each take a pinch of sugar and celebrate. I want to make Father proud. Mom says it's because I have not mastered my Sharingan. Itachi has his Sharingan and is one of our clans best users. They will use him until his dying breath. I never want Itachi and Sasuke to suffer the pressure the clan will no doubt place on them. I'd rather other people suffered in my stead. I'm scared.
Father is already pushing for Itachi to join ANBU. We are expecting the worst and are preparing to fight tooth and nail to save ourselves. The pride of my clan would allow for nothing less. I'd rather die trying.