To be a daughter of the Uchiha Clan in Konoha meant many things.
Honor. Faithfulness. Deference. Grace.
But above all, duty.
Uchiha Sayaka was, in her best moments, the embodiment of all these things. Now, as she served tea to her father's guests, she was able to make herself into an example for others to follow. The tea flowed smoothly from its pot, swirling inside the cups that lay out on the low table that the group of four men was seated at.
Over her head, Uchiha Fugaku led a conversation on things that Sayaka did not understand. She had suspicions, things that she didn't dare say to her father or her brother, things that her mother would look at her sadly about when Sayaka mentioned them.
"Is it wise, allowing your daughter to be here?" asked one of the clansmen. "Children's lips may not be so closed as they would hope."
"It is acceptable," said Fugaku, inclining his head at Sayaka. "Mikoto has taught her well."
Sayaka inclined her head like she was expected to, flushing at her father's praise, and very carefully placed her teapot on the side table. She glanced up as the men's attention turned back to their conversation and caught her mother's eye. Mikoto Uchiha smiled very slightly at her. Sayaka had done well.
The next hour passed slowly for Sayaka, and it became increasingly challenging for her to sit still. The extended time in seiza was making her lose feeling in her toes. The topics were becoming increasingly abstract as well, and Sayaka had long since lost track of what was happening. She instead occupied her time with daydreams and flights of fantasy, while keeping one ear out for empty cups. Twice, her mother fetched more tea, which Sayaka poured flawlessly.
As the cicadas began their nightly song, and as Sayaka thought she might genuinely lose her mind from boredom, the doors of the living room slid open.
"Itachi," Fugaku said.
Sayaka looked up, smiling, at her older brother. She had hoped that the meeting would end before he returned home so that she could badger him for training, but it was good to see him regardless.
"Father," said Itachi quietly. He looked around the room, eyes dark and tired. "I am interrupting. I apologize."
"Sit," said Fugaku, gesturing to his right. "Sayaka, fetch your brother a cushion."
"Yes, fa—" Sayaka began, but—
"There is no need," said Itachi, inclining his head politely. "I am not staying. Sayaka has asked for help in her studies. I am here to take her to the training grounds."
Sayaka looked from Itachi to her mother and then to her father. Mikoto was focused on the ground, while Fugaku's face had gone very carefully still.
"The situation is delicate, my son," said Fugaku, staring Itachi in the eyes. "Your… talents would shed much light on the matter."
"I am sure that Taka-san can take care of it," said Itachi. "It would not do for Sayaka to fall behind."
"Are you?" Fugaku asked, turning to Sayaka sharply.
Sayaka flinched.
"N-no, father," Sayaka said demurely, inclining her head again. "I-I merely wish to get ahead of the class, with onii-san's help."
Fugaku looked away, picking up his teacup and sipping it quietly.
"It is well that your daughter seeks further instruction," said Uchiha Aoku, one of the older clansmen, though not the clan head. "Let the young grow as they can, Fugaku-san. We can speak to Itachi later."
Fugaku sighed imperceptibly.
"Very well," he said. "Sayaka, you may be dismissed."
Sayaka couldn't hold back her grin as she bowed. "Thank you, father!"
"Mou, onii-chan, that was mean!" Sayaka whined as she followed Itachi to the training fields. "Why did you say that?"
"Hm?" Itachi asked. "I'm not sure what you mean, Sayaka-chan."
"You know what I mean!" Sayaka said, punching Itachi in the arm. "Saying things like I'm falling behind in class!"
"I am sorry, Sayaka-chan," said Itachi, dropping his hand on her head and ruffling her hair to elicit a squawk of protest.
"Nii-channnn!"
"Did you learn well from your brother today?" asked Mikoto as she brushed out Sayaka's hair.
"I did, mother," said Sayaka, carefully increasing the speed of the leaf she was spinning in the palm of her hand. The chakra control exercise started easily, but got harder when Sayaka began adding more leaves. "Onii-san helped me with my taijutsu. I am still learning to be faster."
"The Academy style is very solid, not so mobile," said Mikoto as Sayaka added her third leaf from the small pile sitting next to her futon, lifting it with a small string of chakra into the set that orbited around Sayaka's palm.
"Yes. Onii-san says that I should learn the Uchiha style soon, but that he cannot teach me the Woman's Form."
"Mm," hummed Mikoto. "It is usually taught later, but perhaps we can begin tomorrow."
"Really?" Sayaka asked, turning in her seat to look at her mother excitedly, leaves blowing away and forgotten. "Will you teach me, mother?"
Uchiha Mikoto laughed at her daughter and gently turned her back around. "Yes, dearest, now let me finish brushing your hair."
The training never came.
By the time Sayaka returned home the next day, the clan had already fallen. By the time that Sayaka had run home, her mother and father had already died.
And her brother's eyes…
What he showed her was burned into her soul forever.
A meeting was happening late at night in the dim offices of the Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. The aftermath of the Uchiha Massacre had left the village in a dazed limbo. The balance of power had shifted catastrophically, and those in power now had to do something about it. The duty of Konoha's shinobi clans was clear in such times: maintain order and secure the village. It was the duty of their leader, the Hokage, to consider other matters.
"Our most pressing task is ensuring the Uchiha do not die out," said Shimura Danzo, lacing his fingers over the top of his staff from his seat in the Hokage's office. He was an old, old soldier, and one of the Hokage's oldest advisors. "Uchiha Sayaka must be placed under guard immediately, and for the remainder of her life until she can defend herself."
"I have already placed ANBU around her hospital room," said Sarutobi Hiruzen, Third Hokage of Konoha. He sighed deeply, blowing a cloud of pipe smoke as he stared down at his desk. When he had inherited this office, he had hoped to prevent these sorts of events. Alas, that he had again failed. "As for your other comments…"
"For once, you cannot call me paranoid," Danzo said quietly. He frowned. "We may be at peace with Cloud and the other shinobi nations, but you know as well as I how much that peace is worth. The risk is still very high."
Hiruzen sighed again. "Of course. You may call me soft, but I am not blind to the dangers to my village. Cloud needs only a pretense, and with the Uchiha gone they may discard even that. For a bloodline heir, the risk from Cloud can only increase. Sayaka will be secure."
"Good. Perhaps she would do well as—"
"I will not allow you to recruit her," said Hiruzen sharply. "Your… experiments have been questionably successful at best."
Danzo narrowed his eyes. "This old saw again? I thought we laid that argument aside long ago."
"You must admit, Danzo, that your theories have not panned out as you had hoped," said Hiruzen, arching an eyebrow. "Leaving aside my morals, let us speak pragmatically. The return on your investment has been inconsistent and often middling. Do you really wish to risk an asset like the last Uchiha on such methods?"
Danzo huffed, pulling a sour face. "I suppose."
"Furthermore, as much as it pains me, consider the impact on her later… suitability for marriage," said Hiruzen, grimacing. "ROOT does not…"
"No, it is not suited to that," said Danzo, shaking his head. He sighed. "You are right, in the end. We will have to keep an eye on her. I would hope that a suitable clan would have a boy her age available, but alas…"
"It is far, far too early," said Hiruzen, waving his hand through his pipe smoke. "Do not let yourself become carried away, Danzo. You have played this game long enough to know how unpredictable life truly is."
"Some things, yes, but matchmaking is comparatively easy," said Danzo dismissively. "So long as you make the necessary considerations, especially with this new fashion of marrying for love."
Hiruzen took a drag on his pipe. "It is no bad thing."
"Is it not?" Danzo asked, raising his eyebrow. "Perhaps for the common ninja, but in the case of Uchiha Sayaka…"
"It is of no concern tonight," said Hiruzen decisively. He set his pipe down. "Sayaka's future, in that regard at least, can be postponed until after she has graduated from the Academy. We have more pressing matters to discuss. How does our security posture change after this?"
Danzo nodded. "Well, it is more complex than we initially thought…"
Sayaka was officially made a ward of the Hokage, which was apparently some kind of great honor. Akin to being adopted by the Hokage's household, but separate enough that she wasn't tied to the Sarutobi Clan. It didn't matter, because her family was dead.
Upon discharge from the hospital, Sayaka was placed in the care of Chikurin Hiroyo, a member of minor nobility whose shinobi and samurai had made the clan well-off, if not quite famous, and certainly not at the level of the Hyuga or the Uchiha. It was a kind of honor for the Chikurin, but mostly it was because they were too minor to cause a political uproar if Sayaka was living with one of their members. This was lost on Sayaka, however, because her family was dead.
Chikurin-san's apartment was spacious, within spitting distance of the Tower. Chikurin-san herself was nice enough, and gave Sayaka the space she wanted, and wasn't a bad cook, but her eggs weren't cooked the same as Mikoto's, and Chikurin-san's soup used a little too much miso, but it was almost worse when Chikurin-san tried harder and one day managed to get it exactly right, because Sayaka's family was dead.
Sayaka tried very hard to stop crying, but it was no use.
"Sayaka? Sayaka what's the matter? Is something wrong?"
Sayaka shook her head, biting her lip as she choked down a sob and clutched at the hem of her skirt, as if the fabric would absorb the tears that tried to fall.
"Sayaka, talk to me, are you alright?" said Matsumoto-san. The older woman nudged Sayaka's plates away from the edge of the table and kneeled next to Sayaka and placed a worried hand on Sayaka's shoulder.
"It— it's good," Sayaka sniffled.
"Oh, Sayaka," sighed Hiroyo, pulling Sayaka into a hug as the young girl finally gave in to the sobs.
There had been few things that Sayaka had been able, or wanted, to recover from her home. Her stuffed animals she left behind. Of her clothing, she only took a few changes of her training wear, some bedclothes and underthings, and the nice, formal kimono that she had received from her mother on her last birthday.
The practice kunai Itachi had given her were thrown into the lake.
She also took her calligraphy set, a gift from her father, now that she was old enough to practice the art with steady enough hands. It was an art that she found challenging, her attention wavering at the slightest distraction. In his more tender moments, Fugaku had called her "his little ember", because she had always wanted to flicker this way and that. Mikoto had once taught her that embers must be tempered into candles, whose flames are no less bright, but steady and more clear so that others may see.
Sayaka's ink block whispered softly to her as she ground it against her inkstone, holding back her sleeve with one hand as the other pressed the ink block firmly against the dark grey stone. The bamboo writing desk that it was placed on was Hiroyo's. Sturdy, but unadorned. Not the fine lacquered wood that Sayaka's father used.
The hardwood floor bit at Sayaka's knees. There were cushions and blankets that she could use, but she had learned long ago that they did not help. Blankets did not dull the pain enough, and cushions made her kanji tilt to the right. She would endure the pain in her knees as she always had.
Sayaka set her ink block aside and picked up her brush, wetting it on the surface of the inkstone. It wasn't as fine as her father's, that instrument of his will that could speak volumes in a single stroke, but it suited her needs. It was made of weasel fur and bamboo, the tip firm but supple and the handle light and stiff in her hand. Not like the stiff hairs of the Academy brushes that splayed when she pressed down and whose handles creaked in her grip.
Sayaka breathed: four counts in, four counts out. Sayaka raised her brush and began to write, each stroke swift, precise, without grandiose gestures or pretentious airs. She simply wrote and, finished, placed her brush in its stand and leaned back to look over her work.
Akari. A light in the darkness.
Such was the fate of a daughter of the Uchiha clan.
Sayaka pulled out her calligraphy seal and the small ceramic dish of red ink reserved for this final step. She lifted the lid and dabbed her seal in the ink twice, then pressed her seal against the paper. The deep scarlet of the seal ink stood out vibrantly against pale white and deepest black. A moment to let the ink dry, then Sayaka pulled the sheet out from under her paperweight and set it aside.
Another sheet rustled into place under the paperweight, and Sayaka picked up her brush once more.
What did it mean, really, to be a lantern in the darkness? Before, she would have said it meant helping her clan however she was needed. Back then, things were very simple. She hadn't known what it meant to lose people she loved—hadn't felt that pain. It hurt all the time, and everything seemed to remind Sayaka of what she had lost. Hiroyo had said once that over time, the pain would fade, and she would learn to live with it, but that didn't matter to Sayaka. She couldn't make herself believe in the distant future that lay where she could not yet go, if indeed she would ever reach it. Who would teach her how to be a good kunoichi, now that her mother was gone? Who was she supposed to love and honor if not her father? And as for Itachi…
Sayaka's grip on her brush tightened. The tip of the brush trembled in her fingers, and Sayaka breathed in four counts, then out four counts.
A beat.
Her brush flicked across the paper, swift, sure, filled with unspoken anger and grief.
Fire. The heart of all Uchiha. That which nurtured and that which consumed in unholy, unforgiving rage, casting ashes to ashes and dust to dust, until all that remained were the whispers of the dead.
Sayaka's seal bit into the paper, and she cast the sheet aside.
Her brush dipped into ink once more.
She would have to find her own way. She was alone now, the last light of a guttering candle flame, the rooms of her home darkened by the hand of her own brother. So many lights—snuffed out.
Sayaka's brush set to paper once more. She thought of her family. Of cousins and aunts and uncles. Of the old and of the young. And of her mother. She thought of the days past and the days that would never come, and she wrote.
Vengeance. Fukushu.
She made it a promise, and pressed her seal down.
It was the height of summer.
The roof of Sayaka's apartment building was originally intended as a community entertainment space. There were grills and a small fountain and a small fenced-in area, kept clear for very light sparring. In theory, it was supposed to help all the tenants, most of whom were ninja, get to know each other and become good friends.
In practice, most ninja who lived on their own were relatively young chunin who were usually busy with missions or parties at local bars. Their dinner was usually simple, cooked over a stove or carried home from a stand. Inconveniently, the summer was when mission tempos were the highest, with warlords seeking to out-maneuver each other one way or another and merchants looking for protection of their goods and their services, and so the rooftop went largely unused.
This served Sayaka well. She needed a place to train, the Academy grounds were limited, and the training grounds off-limits to girls her age despite how good their marks may be. The sparring area had slowly become populated with her training targets and the fence grew nicked from missed throws.
Today, she was working on her ninjutsu. Sayaka sat near one of the many utilitarian grills under the noontime sun, her hair tied up to keep it off her neck and clothed in a light t-shirt and a pair of loose shorts. A textbook titled A Practical Guide to Fire Release sat on her lap, turned to the first chapter: chakra control exercises.
Sayaka set the textbook aside, marking her place with a leaf. She moved to stand before the grill, staring at it for a whisper of time. She had built a fire, something small enough that she could barely feel the heat that ran off it, but large enough not to go out before she had learned something.
The steps of the exercise were simple. Sayaka breathed in four counts, then held it, gathering her chakra into the air in her lungs. Then, when she was sure, she breathed out, holding on tightly as the chakra in her breath wavered and swirled towards the flames.
The fire leaped, latching greedily onto Sayaka's chakra. It raced towards her, following the fuel towards its source. Sayaka yelped and jumped back, losing control of her chakra, and the surge of flame died with a quiet thump of moving air.
Sayaka took a long, careful breath, and frowned at how unsteady it was. She shouldn't— she was an Uchiha. Fire could not hurt her.
She stepped forward and tried again. In four counts, then out, guiding the chakra this time instead of letting it billow. The flames surged once more, reaching out for her face, the heat drawing sharp lines on her cheeks and brow, until she couldn't bear it and cut her chakra, turning away as the fire dropped back to placidity once more.
It hurt. Sayaka pressed her hands against her face, her palms cool against the hot skin, and slowly breathed in, then out. It hurt, but Sayaka bit her lip and stood like stone, feet planted and shoulders held level. Then, when the pain had passed, Sayaka raised her head and walked back to the fire in the grill.
The steps of the exercise were simple. Sayaka breathed in four counts and then held it, gathering her chakra into the air in her lungs. Then, when she was sure, she breathed out, holding on tightly as the chakra in her breath rushed forward, the flames in the grill snapping it up and flaring upwards as Sayaka's chakra gave it life. The chakra swirled in the center of the flames, glowing embers flaring from red to yellow to brightest white as Sayaka breathed out again, chakra feeding the flames once more, so that the fire began to leap from the top of the grill.
It hurt. The heat of the fire burned her face, made her eyes water, but Sayaka breathed in four counts, mixed her chakra, and breathed out again, keeping her grip tight on the lashing tongues of chakra in the grill.
The air shimmered and rippled and the wood burned, burned, burned, clean and hot, until Sayaka was holding a swirling ball of fire fed by nothing but her own chakra. It danced with the beating of her heart, pulsing in tune with her soul, before she cut the technique.
Sayaka breathed in four counts, then slowly, slowly, breathed out again. The grill was intensely hot, the air above it rippling from the heat.
Sayaka turned and picked up another pile of kindling and began building another fire in another grill. She would try again, and do it faster, with more control of the flames.
She had much training to do.
Another birthday had come and gone, and Sayaka had grown stronger.
The unused rooftop atop Hiroyo's apartment building had become Sayaka's preferred practice area, at least for the basics, but she was rapidly outgrowing both the roof and what she could do on her own. It frustrated her, because the Academy's facilities were little better and she wasn't allowed to use the public training fields without supervision.
Her brother was still out there, and here she stood, unable to move forward.
Sayaka stepped to the side and quelled the spark of anger that thought brought before it translated into a punch that would put her opponent in the nurse's office. Instead, he merely wheezed and staggered. The boy was unremarkable, a typical Academy student two years from graduation with much enthusiasm and some talent. The two of them weren't a good match-up; her agility outpaced his and his lack of subtlety didn't help. But there were worse match-ups too, and Sayaka didn't begrudge the practice.
A leg sweep, missed as the boy jumped back, clutching at his midriff. Sayaka raised her hands again, stepping forward—
"Time!"
The boy looked relieved to be spared another round of Sayaka's taijutsu. He bowed quickly, making the seal of reconciliation before scurrying off to his friends.
"Group two, take a break and get some water," said their sensei, flipping through his clipboard distractedly. "Group three, your match-ups are…"
Sayaka tuned him out, making her way over to the water cooler and standing in line with the rest of her class, who very carefully gave her a wide berth. It was understandable; Sayaka had, despite Hiroyo's best intentions, picked up a reputation as someone who was pricklier than she was soft, and so her classmates avoided her.
Sayaka made a face as she poured herself a cup of water, then stepped aside. It was a little lonely, but the quiet was nice too.
"Sayaka-san," called the sensei in charge of the sparring matches. Sayaka looked up questioningly. "Sayaka-san, we're short one person. Do you think you could help?"
Sayaka blinked and looked over at the small, blonde boy that was missing a partner for the spar.
"Sorry to cut your break off," said the sensei wryly. "It shouldn't be too much for you though. We'll give you a little longer between rounds to make up for it."
"Yes sensei," said Sayaka, nodding shortly and setting her cup aside.
"Very good. Naruto?"
The two of them stepped into the sparring ring. Sayaka bowed demurely.
"Just so you know!" Naruto said loudly. "Even if you're the top kunoichi, I'm not gonna hold back!"
Sayaka raised an eyebrow. "…Okay?"
"I'm gonna kick your ass!"
"Language, Naruto!"
Naruto winced. "Sorry sensei."
Sayaka gave him a nonplussed look.
"Is everyone ready?"
"Yes!"
"Yes sensei."
"Begin!"
Sayaka slid to the side as Naruto promptly attempted to rugby tackle her. She blinked as he tumbled into the ground, popped up, and tried again immediately.
"That's never going to work," she said as he went flying past her a second time. "I'm faster than you. You need to keep me from moving out of the way."
"What do you—" Sayaka dodged a third flying tackle "—think I'm doing?" Naruto asked.
"Missing."
Naruto growled something incoherent and launched himself at her again. Rolling her eyes, Sayaka leaned to the side, then found herself dodging a wild clothesline that flicked through her hair as she dropped to the ground. She pivoted, snapping her hands up to block a rough roundhouse that made her wince at the impact against bare skin. A follow-up punch was deflected easily, and responded to with a swift knifehand that made Naruto choke and gag but didn't put him down like every other boy she'd ever fought.
Instead, he surprised her with a shoulder throw that she had to punish with a leg sweep. Naruto went down with a yelp and Sayaka took the opportunity to lock his arm and twist the shoulder joint unnaturally until Naruto tapped out.
"Guh, that hurt," Naruto groaned, sitting up and rubbing his shoulder. "What's that called?"
"…a shoulder lock?" Sayaka asked.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"Where did you learn it?"
"It's in our textbook for the Academy style," said Sayaka. "In the back, in the appendices?"
"Cool," said Naruto, nodding seriously before he jumped back up. "Alright! You beat me that time, but this time for sure I'm going to kick your ass!"
"Language, Naruto!"
"Sorry!"
Sayaka and Naruto became regular sparring partners. It was mostly a matter of convenience—Sayaka was good enough that none of her classmates were really a good match, and Naruto was always the odd one out. Sayaka was glad for the additional practice, even if Naruto was less than effective most days.
Far more interesting was training with Hiroyo.
"Kenjutsu, as practiced by a samurai, is very static," Hiroyo began one day, as they stood across from each other in the sparring area on the roof of their apartment. Hiroyo carried her sword in one hand, and a bokken for Sayaka in the other. "It is very hard for a ninja to use it effectively, since mobility is very important in shinobi combat. However, samurai kenjutsu provides a good foundation to build off of."
She offered the bokken to Sayaka, who took the wooden practice sword carefully. It was heavy, more than she had expected, but of a length suited to her stature.
"It is difficult to train when partners are of unequal height," Hiroyo continued. "But we will do the best we can. We begin with the Foundational Form."
It was indeed difficult. Sparring was nearly impossible, even when Hiroyo defended and never attacked. The disparity in reach could not be overcome, at least not with the extremely grounded forms of the Chikurin Clan's kenjutsu teachings. The Academy standard taijutsu style was itself quite static by shinobi standards, but kenjutsu was even more fixed, focused on footwork and stable movement that, between samurai, was key to victory, but between ninja was a deadly liability.
That didn't make it slow. Hiroyo could strike faster than Sayaka could see, her blade flashing in the time between breaths to strike down her target.
"For samurai, the key is always to strike swiftly and decisively," Hiroyo said one day as Sayaka recovered from a punishing series of drills. "A fight between novices begins and ends with explosive movement and maximum economy of motion. It is not a dance, the way it is in books and stories. It is a battle, and only one will emerge victorious."
Sayaka nodded. Such things were not new to her.
"For ninja it will always be different," Hiroyo continued. "We must hide beneath the underneath. Striking directly like this is not our way. We use words and insults, weaken our foes with poison and infection, then kill them when they are at their weakest. There is a time and place for battlefield ninjutsu, it is true, and the ninja who can employ them have their unique strength. Now, are you ready?"
Sayaka swallowed a gulp of water and nodded again, raising her bokken as Hiroyo stepped forward.
"The Foundational Form again," said Hiroyo. "Your footwork has improved, but we will train until you cannot be toppled but for the will of the kami. Begin."
Asakura-sensei was not Sayaka's favorite.
"Sloppy," she said, poking at Sayaka's flower arrangement with a pen after class had ended. "Your blossoms are well-chosen but the arrangement is vague and unfocused. You have done better than this, Uchiha-san. Why are you allowing this to represent yourself?"
"It was the most effective use of my time," Sayaka said, eyes politely focused somewhere at the base of the desk. "I have other training as well."
"Be that as it may, you are also a kunoichi," said Asakura-sensei. "It is necessary that you develop these skills."
Sayaka breathed in very carefully, then out again, and resisted the urge to make eye contact with Asakura-sensei. It would only aggravate the situation. "I see."
"You are clearly capable of achieving good grades," said Asakura-sensei. "You are the top of the class in the shinobi arts, surpassing even the boys. Perhaps you believe that you have learned enough? I understand that you are already familiar with much of the material."
"There is always more to learn, sensei," said Sayaka demurely.
"And yet that does not seem to be reflected in your schoolwork," said Asakura-sensei. She folded her arms and looked down at Sayaka. "If you do not feel that I have enough to teach you, I would not take it as an insult. Indeed, it is always an instructor's honor to have a student who learns the material more quickly than one can teach it. But this—" she gestured at the arrangement "—this is unacceptable. This is more of an insult, though you most likely do not mean it that way."
Sayaka frowned, biting her lip, then bowed shallowly. "I apologize. I did not think, and have been disrespectful."
"You are young, no apology is needed," said Asakura-sensei, waving it off. "It is more important to me that you put effort into your work, at least enough to do well."
Sayaka breathed in very carefully, then out again, and bowed once more. "I will work harder. I apologize for making you have this conversation with me."
"Very well, you may go. If you wish, you may resubmit an arrangement, and I will grade that one instead."
Sayaka bowed a third time, hands very carefully at her sides. "Thank you for the opportunity, sensei."
That afternoon, Sayaka found a sapling in a training field and burnt it to a cinder. A nearly perfect flower arrangement appeared on Asakura-sensei's desk the next day.
Sayaka never had another problem in her kunoichi coursework.
Sayaka received her first arranged marriage request from the Hyuuga Family in mid-July, on the eve of her eleventh birthday.
It was the strangest occasion she'd ever been to. The Hyuuga did not truly want her to marry into the family. The Byakugan and Sharingan bloodlines were rivals, of course, but more importantly they were almost certainly genetically incompatible. Nobody knew what would happen if they crossed, but it was almost certainly not good. It seemed more that the Hyuuga head wanted a useful excuse to entertain Sayaka in his home.
"I am glad that you accepted my invitation," said Hiashi. The settings were filled mostly by Hyuuga Main Branch members with Hiroyo and Sayaka seated opposite. Hyuuga Hinata kneeled across from Sayaka, with her father to her left and Hiroyo across from him. Sayaka caught her eye briefly as they sat down, before the other girl looked back down at her table setting.
Well, the dinner may not be for marriage, but it wouldn't do for Sayaka to be the only child at the table. That would have entirely different implications, ones that would be very bad for Hiashi. Hinata was safe—girls didn't marry girls, after all.
"We were glad to," said Hiroyo, inclining her head. "It is an honor to be here."
"The honor is ours," said Hiashi, returning the bow. On cue, the food began arriving, starting with Hiroyo, then moving clockwise to Sayaka, Hinata, Hiashi, and then several Hyuuga members that Sayaka wasn't familiar with, until everyone had been served. A small cup of sake was served afterwards, even to the children, though Sayaka noticed that she and Hinata were given noticeably less than the adults.
That was fine. She didn't like sake very much anyway.
"Kampai," said Hiashi, raising his cup to the table.
"Kampai," Sayaka said, with everyone else, before taking a polite sip and leaving her sake otherwise untouched.
"Itadakimasu," Hiashi said, gesturing for everyone to eat.
The table was silent for several moments as everyone sampled the first course. Sayaka was unable to identify what exactly it was, though it was very light and ethereal. Whoever it was that was cooking was doing a very good job.
"I hope it is to your taste," Hiashi said, setting his chopsticks down.
"It is," said Hiroyo, setting hers down as well. "I commend you and your household."
"Thank you. And you, Uchiha-san?"
"It is delightful," said Sayaka. "Thank you for the food."
"Of course," said Hiashi. "I understand that you are doing well in classes, Uchiha-san. My congratulations on such continuous success."
"I am lucky to have good instructors, Hyuuga-sama," Sayaka said, bowing her head deferentially. "And Hiroyo-san has been very helpful when I am revising."
The meal progressed, touching on several minor topics.
"Flowers?" Sayaka said as dinner wound down and the last dishes were cleared away. "I am familiar with many flowers for kunoichi classes."
"Hinata has some interest in flower pressing," said Hiashi. A pair of attendants appeared on some unseen signal. "Perhaps you two could obtain some of the late summer blossoms together."
Sayaka bowed from her seat. "Of course."
"Hinata."
"Otou-sama," murmured Hinata, bowing as well. The two girls got to their feet and departed, bowing again before the paper door slid shut.
The crickets were chirping outside. Hinata dismissed the two attendants with a small gesture, and the Branch family members bowed and retreated.
Both girls sighed softly.
"Your home is remarkable," said Sayaka, looking around the garden they had ended up in. It was done in the traditional style, consisting mostly of large stones and carefully tended trees. The garden wasn't terribly large, but it wasn't terribly small either. Just enough to give a potential couple privacy from prying eyes and ears, but small enough that it couldn't be used somehow to attack the compound from within. "I hadn't realized how large the Hyuuga compound is, nor how beautiful."
"Thank you," said Hinata quietly. She smiled very slightly. "There is much need for training space, so the compounds have grown significantly. The gardens were only natural."
"These trees are very old," Sayaka said, stepping forward onto gravel until she stood beneath a gnarled pine, looking up at the darkened branches in its moonlit shadow. "How far back do the gardens go?"
"We are in the oldest section of the compound," said Hinata, joining Sayaka underneath the pine tree. "So, most likely, it was built just after the founding of the village."
"This tree would have been only a sapling then."
"It is possible that it was a gift from the Senju clan," said Hinata, "though it is unlikely."
"It must be challenging, caring for grounds this large."
Hinata nodded. "The Branch house works very hard."
Sayaka raised an eyebrow. "I see."
"It is the way of the Hyuuga," said Hinata, lowering her gaze to the roots of the pine tree. "The tree is only as strong as its roots, after all."
It had a recited, practiced air to it.
"Show me more of the garden," Sayaka said, pivoting in the gravel and stepping out into the moonlight again towards the main path. "Is there a pond?"
Hinata lingered for a moment, expression inscrutable, before following.
"Yes, please follow me."
They had wandered, shadowed by the Branch house, deeper into the compound until they had found a covered pavilion with stone seats and a table. An attendant appeared as they sat down.
"Hinata-sama," he said, bowing. "Would you care for refreshment?"
"Tea, please," Hinata said, returning the bow slightly.
"Of course." The attendant gestured, and another Branch member appeared with a tea set and a kettle of water. Sayaka watched as careful application of fire ninjutsu heated the water until it had reached the correct temperature, then warmed the teapot and cups. A tray was placed on the table for the teapot, before tea leaves were measured out and the water poured.
It was all conducted with a kind of grace and beauty that Sayaka found herself unexpectedly jealous of. She hadn't had time…
"Thank you, Oji-san, I have inconvenienced you," said Hinata, bowing more deeply than was necessary. "It was a beautiful display."
The Branch member smiled slightly, returning the bow. "It was nothing, Hinata-sama. Would you like some privacy?"
"Yes please, Oji-san."
Silence returned to the garden, save for the chirping of the crickets. The pavilion did not have a lantern, but the moon was nearly full and it was easy to see. Remarkably, there were no mosquitos in the cool summer night, though whether that was the work of seals or just good gardening, Sayaka was not sure.
Sayaka wasn't sure what to say, and Hinata appeared lost in thought.
"You are… nicer than at school," Hinata said eventually. She blushed, embarrassed. "It is rude of me to say so, I apologize."
Sayaka shrugged, then realized that the gesture might not be visible in the shadows of the pavilion. "It's fine."
"You…" Hinata began, then seemed to think better of what she was about to say. Instead, she poured Sayaka a cup of tea.
It was very good. Sayaka said so.
"O-otou-sama is being a little…" Hinata said vaguely, tipping her hand in a gesture.
"Mm."
They sat in silence again, the air growing awkward.
"This would almost be easier if you were a boy," Sayaka finally said, rising abruptly to stand at the railing of the pavilion.
Hinata laughed, a little, and Sayaka turned in surprise.
"You agree?"
Hinata nodded. A small gust of wind ruffled their kimono, and both girls took a moment to adjust their hair.
"N-nobody teaches you about t-this," Hinata said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I-it's always about how to s-sit and m-m-make yourself attractive for m-marriage, isn't it?"
Sayaka smiled and leaned against the railing, tucking her hands behind her. "Yes. Is there even a protocol to teach?"
Hinata shook her head. "I t-think girls normally are supposed to make f-friends knitting or s-something."
"That doesn't work for ninja though."
Hinata shrugged and drank more tea.
Sayaka sat back down next to Hinata, sighing deeply. "I could have been training today, but instead I was getting my nails done."
Hinata raised an eyebrow. "D-do you not h-have them done?"
"Not frequently," said Sayaka, looking down at her lacquered fingernails with distaste. She had nearly had a fight with Hiroyo in public over the affair, and had managed to negotiate down to simply having her nails buffed, cleaned, and polished with a clear finish. Next to hers, Hinata's hands were immaculate, like the heir of a clan's ought to be.
"Y-you have s-scars," Hinata said softly, looking at the spiderweb of cuts on Sayaka's fingers. Sayaka turned her hand over to expose a long one that traced across her palm, making Hinata gasp.
"Kunai training," Sayaka said simply, shrugging again. "Don't you have any?"
Hinata shook her head. "The G-gentle Fist d-does not emphasize weapons. I am a-adequate, but not p-proficient."
"I see."
"Y-you must train a lot, to get so many s-scars," said Hinata.
Sayaka was silent for a long moment. She thought of her family, dead for many years now, and the promises she had made to their memory. Something hot flickered in her chest, threatening to well up and overflow, but she tamped it down with a long, deep breath.
"It is necessary," Sayaka said, "so that I can grow stronger."
Hinata was quiet. They were both daughters of clans, and so nothing needed to be said. If their places were exchanged…
"Your t-tea is cold," Hinata said after a moment. "W-would you like a new cup?"
The two girls were still not quite to their eleventh birthday, and the evening's "festivities" were brought to an end soon after. Sayaka and Hinata exchanged pleasantries in the usual way before Sayaka departed. Then followed the usual bowing and talking and bowing again before Sayaka and Hiroyo were finally on their way home.
"What did you two talk about?" Hiroyo asked as Sayaka leaned against her sleepily. The tea was starting to lose its effect.
"Gardening," said Sayaka with a shrug. "Hinata likes flowers."
"Mm."
Sayaka read a lot out of that noise.
"What did Hiashi want?"
"Hiashi-sama."
Sayaka rolled her eyes. "What did Hiashi-sama want? It wasn't to marry Hinata."
"You would be surprised," Hiroyo said, laughing a little. "There are rumors of certain samurai clans in the far north."
Sayaka tripped over her sandals. "W-what? Seriously?"
"Hiashi-sama is more traditional than that," said Hiroyo with a smile and a pat on Sayaka's shoulder. "Besides, Hinata is likely to be married eventually to a distant cousin. There are other possibilities, of course, but it is unlikely to change."
Sayaka raised an eyebrow. "Then the point of this was…?"
"The Hyuuga would like to be friends," said Hiroyo simply. "My clan and theirs are friendly enough, so their focus was on you."
Sayaka looked back to the street and turned this over in her mind.
"I see."
Sayaka turned eleven a week later with very little fanfare. Once she would have had a party with her family, and her mother would have made something special, but Sayaka woke up that morning with nothing more than a hole in her chest where that wish was stored.
So instead she trained.
Hiroyo did make something special though. A bubbling nabe with tofu and mushrooms and fish crowned the dinner table that evening.
"Itadakimasu," the two of them intoned, before digging in.
"It's good," Sayaka said after a moment of eating. "What mushroom is this?"
"It's just the usual shiitakes," said Hiroyo, smiling. "I simmered them in bonito stock beforehand though."
"Doesn't it overcook in the pot afterwards?"
"A little, so eat them first."
Sayaka nodded and fished several of the caps out with her chopsticks. "I learned something new today."
"What was it?"
"I figured out how to transmit chakra down ninja wire," said Sayaka. She paused to bite through a mushroom, chew, and swallow. "It is… an interesting feeling."
"What can you do with it?"
"Not much, yet," said Sayaka. She set her chopsticks down and looked at her hands, thinking. "But. If it can transmit chakra, then it can transmit a technique, right?"
Hiroyo set down her own chopsticks. "There is a technique, called the Dragon Fire Jutsu, which often makes use of strings to guide a flame. It is not restricted to ninja wire, though ninja wire is easiest."
"Do you know it?"
"Not how to use it, no," said Hiroyo. "I am sure it is in the library, however, as it is fairly common."
Sayaka hummed thoughtfully, picking up her chopsticks again. "I should visit, tomorrow."
"It will be closed tomorrow, unfortunately," said Hiroyo with a small smile. "Why not spend some time with Hinata?"
Sayaka looked at Hiroyo with a suspicious expression. "…Alright. I suppose."
"Hinata-sama is training," said the doorman at the Hyuuga compound. "She is at Training Field 72."
"I see," said Sayaka, bowing. "Thank you."
Hiroyo would be upset if Sayaka returned home without at least attempting to find Hinata. With a small sigh, Sayaka set off towards Training Field 72 to see what she could see.
Sayaka suspected that Hiroyo was scheming to make her more social. Between ninja clans, there was a tendency to propose early and marry later, giving some time to find another in case your intended died, but even so eleven was at least two years too early for any serious consideration of courtship, and even thirteen was pushing it.
And for that matter, it would be very odd if Sayaka had children before she made jounin. She was an Uchiha, still, and if she had children she would be clan head. It would be terribly improper for the clan head to not have had a storied career as a jounin.
Sayaka tried to imagine having children as she walked. It was rather hard. Maybe it was because she was still a child herself, at least by any sensible evaluation. She would need to start worrying about it though. Time passed faster than she would like.
Sayaka sighed as she passed out of the commercial district and started entering the public training fields. Sometimes it felt like she had hardly made any progress. There were many expectations for a daughter of the Uchiha clan, especially because she was expected to be the source of its rebirth, somehow, which meant getting married and being a reasonable catch and all of that tedium.
Sayaka kicked a stone out of frustration. She needed to kill Itachi. Nothing mattered until Itachi was dead. Didn't anyone else realize this? Once she married and had children, there was no way that she would be able to hunt Itachi down. Not without abandoning one of the most important duties of being clan head, or exposing her progeny to Itachi's tender mercies.
And, well, maybe it was a sign of weakness, but all of that made her heart twinge and hot anger coil in her lungs. She would not lose her family again.
And wasn't that a girly thought to have? Then again, that had been what being the daughter of the Clan Head would have been: working hard, reaching jounin, marrying suitably to a cousin far enough away not to cause problems for the child, and then retiring to motherhood.
Sayaka sighed again as she arrived at Training Ground 72. When had these kinds of thoughts started intruding into her life? Things had been simpler when she was focused on killing Itachi. Now, here she was, musing over starting a family and what that might be like, and what she needed to do to make it happen.
"Tch," Sayaka tutted at herself, stepping into the training ground in search of Hinata. If she didn't find Hinata within five minutes, Sayaka was going to find another sapling and light it on fire.
Very unfortunately, Hinata was not exactly hiding.
"What are you doing?" Sayaka asked, peering over Hinata's shoulder and past a tree at Training Ground 71.
Hinata stifled an "eep" in her hands and whirled in place.
"Sayaka!"
"Is that Naruto?" Sayaka asked incredulously. She squinted. "It is. What is he doing out here?"
"N-Naruto trains here f-frequently," said Hinata, shrinking from Sayaka nervously.
"…were you watching him?" Sayaka hissed. "I— you like him."
Hinata's eyes went very wide and frightened as she flushed very red.
"Kami above you really do," said Sayaka. She glanced back around the tree, where Naruto was studiously kicking at a training post. His form was terrible.
Hinata covered her face in her hands and sank down to the roots of the tree, mortified. Sayaka glanced between the two of them, increasingly confused, before huffing a sigh and sitting down next to Hinata.
They were both silent for several moments.
"So, how long have you been crushing on him?" Sayaka asked.
Hinata made a noise.
"That long huh," Sayaka said matter of factly. "Well. I'm sure your father would be horrified."
Hinata made a noise again, this time of quiet alarm, and pulled her hands away. "Y-you won't tell?"
Sayaka snorted. "Of course not."
"T-thank you."
They were quiet some more. Sayaka sighed and leaned back against the tree, looking up at the branches. The sun came through the canopy, dappling across their clothing and skin.
"Boys, huh," she said, sighing morosely.
Hinata made another noise. She had pulled her knees up while they had been sitting, and they muffled her question.
"I was just thinking," said Sayaka. "One day, we're going to have to have children, and then we can't fight anymore."
Hinata looked at her.
"Doesn't that make you sad?" Sayaka asked.
Hinata slowly let her legs down, thinking.
"A little," she said eventually. "B-but isn't that the way of things?"
Sayaka frowned, then stood up and pulled Hinata with her.
"Naruto!" Sayaka called, bowing shallowly before stepping into the clearing. "Do you want to spar? Hinata and I were nearby and noticed you were training."
"Sayaka? What are you doing out here?" asked Naruto, pulling off his goggles to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Oh, hey, Hinata-chan!"
Hinata eeped.
"Anyway, sure, I was getting tired of kicking the stump anyway," said Naruto, stretching a bit before sighing. "Blah. So boring."
"Why don't you and Hinata go first?" said Sayaka blandly, pushing Hinata forward. The girl seemed like she was about to faint.
"Sure! Ne, are you okay, Hinata-chan?"
Sayaka poked Hinata subtly, but firmly, between the shoulder blades. Hinata jumped, then bowed sharply.
"Y-y-y-yes!" she said, a little too loudly. "I-I, um, t-thank you for the m-match!"
Naruto blinked, slightly nonplussed, but bowed back. "No problem! Let's get started!"
Sayaka blandly took her place as proctor, raising an arm. "Ready?"
Naruto dropped into his usual ragged stance. Hinata took a deep breath, centered herself, and then took the first stance of the Gentle Fist.
"Begin!"
It was not entirely clear if being friends with Naruto made Sayaka less popular or made Naruto more popular. Sayaka and Hinata becoming friends, meanwhile, when coupled with the apparently-widely-known knowledge of the courtship request from the Hyuuga clan, led to all kinds of scandal and gossip about clan relations.
Sayaka was very displeased. Training Ground 14 was soon closed for maintenance after she spent several hours burning everything in it to the ground.
At least it was productive. Sayaka now knew the Dragon Fire Jutsu.
Hiroyo had mixed feelings about the whole affair. On the one hand, Naruto's reputation as a prankster preceded him by miles, and there was something that Hiroyo wasn't telling Sayaka that seemed to compound Hiroyo's worries. On the other hand, Hinata was the sort of girl that any parent would hope their child made friends with. From what Sayaka could gather, Hiashi and the rest of the Hyuuga clan seemed to have the same sort of feelings, which left Sayaka feeling both flattered and very uncomfortable.
In the end, both sets of guardians seemed to decide that Hinata and Sayaka were good for one another, and if Naruto was mysteriously part of this package then everyone would have to do their best to deal with it.
"For what it's worth," Hiroyo said one night during dinner, when Sayaka had been complaining about the rumors surrounding her and Hinata. "I'm not opposed. It's a natural phase many girls go through when growing up, and Hinata would be good for you."
Sayaka nearly dropped her chopsticks. "W-wha— Hiroyo."
"I'm just saying," said Hiroyo with a shrug. She picked up a piece of food. "I had a girlfriend once, when I was your age. Her name was—"
"Please don't," said Sayaka, setting her chopsticks down with a clink on top of her bowl and covering her ears. "I really don't want to know."
Hiroyo had chuckled, but changed the topic.
And so Sayaka and Hinata danced around each other for a while out of mutual agreement, to try and make the rumors calm down, at least. Sayaka knew enough not to use Naruto as their errand boy, because that would only fuel the rumors with something about secret lovers with Naruto as the faithful friend or something.
Privately, Sayaka wondered sometimes what all the fuss was even about, and why this was even worth mentioning. It wasn't as if she was actually marrying Hinata, and even if that was allowed, the only real concerns that anyone should have were the political ramifications and how they would produce children. And that, Sayaka was certain, could be solved, if perhaps with difficulty, through judicious use of medical ninjutsu, and it was merely the case that nobody had bothered to look.
So Sayaka decided that people, on the whole, were incredibly stupid, and then put the thoughts out of her mind. She had training to do.
But finally, after two entire months, the gossip mill's attention shifted away, and Sayaka met Hinata and Naruto at Training Ground 72 again.
"Hinata," said Sayaka in greeting. It was a weekend late in October, and her breath frosted in the morning air.
"Sayaka-san," said Hinata, bowing slightly and smiling. "I-it is good to see you."
"It's good to see you too," said Sayaka. "It's been a while."
"It has been. H-have you been busy?"
"Oh, you know, training, studying, imagining strangling Ino, the usual."
Hinata gave Sayaka a reproachful look. "Sayaka."
"She's so annoying though."
"E-even so…"
"Fine, fine. Did you spend any time with Naruto like I told you to?"
Hinata went very red again but managed to nod. "H-h-he invited me to r-ramen at Ichiraku's."
"More than once?"
Hinata went redder and nodded, hiding under the hood of her jacket.
"Good work," said Sayaka, smiling. "Though I guess it wasn't a date, mm?"
Hinata shook her head, letting her hood drop back.
Sayaka huffed a little, then took a deep breath of the cold morning air. It was a clear morning, the sun rising over the trees, and the sky vibrantly blue. Her fingers and toes tingled at the chill.
There were days, many days, where Sayaka felt the pain of her family's loss more than she felt anything else. Those were bad days. Those were days that she spent pouring her anger and her sorrow into her training, pushing herself harder and faster until her legs nearly gave out under her and her chakra levels dipped to levels that had Hiroyo worried and fussing and had left her in bed over the weekend more than once.
Then there were the average days, where she was merely focused, training and studying and training and studying. She needed to be stronger, needed to be more powerful, and there was no time to waste, but at least those days didn't have the pain of her bad days.
Sayaka didn't have many good days. But today, Sayaka decided, as she turned at Naruto's shouted greeting and scolded him for being loud in the morning, today was a good day.