Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I, however, own the plot and any OC you encounter throughout this. Which is going to be a lot.
Warning: I still have no idea what I'm doing. I'm pretending that I do, but I really don't.
Do have a fun read, though!
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My relatives were not the most subtle bunch, especially for being widely feared ninjas. They were thunderous in their presence and adored destroying anything that dared to stand in their way, uncaring if they somehow broke all of their limbs in the process. Their over-hyperness was all thanks to the large, inherited chakra reserves and the children's still expanding chakra system. Because of that, we were the perfect people for living up boring parties.
In shorter words, being quiet was not in our DNA.
On a gloomy day that was a little bit cloudy and too calm to be considered normal, what I grew up knowing had completely changed during an on-going festival. I only learned about its existence when my parents helped me into a bright coloured kimono while explaining that it was held once every five years, and that we were going down to the river once they finished wrapping me in the formal garments.
I couldn't help but notice how odd I stuck out standing between them after I was dressed, my kimono glowing in comparison to dad's dull-earth colours and mum's navy blue. We soon met with Koyume and Kushina (who wore clothes like mine) on one of the bridges that would eventually lead us to the centre of the village.
The steps we took echoed in the quiet clearing, making it more obvious how there weren't any sound other than the moving river underneath the bridge and the steps we were taking. It terrified me a little, especially since my energetic cousin didn't try to announce herself to the entire village. Instead, Kushina kept muffling her giggles and was having an exciting, hushed conversation with thin-air.
While it unnerved me and made the fine hairs on my arms stand on edge, it looked like this wasn't something that should warrant the adult's immediate panic. They were actually looking at me weirdly, as if they'd expected me to act like Kushina. But since none of them mentioned anything, I patiently held mum's warm hand, awaiting her explanation about the theme of the festival.
As we passed another bridge, which connected two of the island's separated areas together, a person selling lanterns caught my interest. The papers he presented were colourful and had our village's symbol in the middle, along with various interesting patterns around the symbolic swirl. It seemed like he was our destination, since the adults stood rooted in front of the stall, looking over the man's wares.
"No, no… these wouldn't do," mum mumbled to herself. I didn't understand why she didn't just pick the prettiest one, but when I studied them, I understood where her indecisiveness came fromー Every single lantern was as beautiful as the one next to it.
But she wasn't the only one having trouble with picking a lantern. Different members of the clan were taking their sweet time too, while more people walked into the plaza with their own lights ready in their hands.
Mum announced that she found the one she had been looking for, and a look of pure sadness flashed through her eyes when she glanced at me. I was momentarily shocked by that, because she had never had that kind of faraway look before. I tugged at her hand in worry.
"Is… Is everything okay?" I asked. She leaned down as a hand settled on my head, light and comforting in a way only mum and dad could make me feel.
"Yes, honey. No need to worry too much," Mum said, pinching my cheek with her free hand.
"Uhm," I stuttered, looking at our joined hands. "If you say so…?"
"Don't worry about it, sweetie," Dad said, tangling our fingers together. I glanced at the lanterns sitting on the various shelves in slight puzzlement, but shook my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts from the weirdness of the day.
The only reason I kept my calm was because my parents and aunt hadn't gone into Uncontrollable Panic Mode. I glanced around, even up at the sky like Kushina was doing, then squeezed dad's hand to show him that I was fine. He smiled and patted my head.
Koyume tugged Kushina closer to us when she was drifting away from our small group.
"Is everyone ready?"
The women nodded while Kushina giggled again, babbling words and sentences that didn't make any sense to me.
"Mhm!" she suddenly exclaimed, surprising me by her loud voice. Koyume tightened her hold on Kushina, and my confusion only raised to higher levels.
..I really wanted to check Kushina's temperature. But alas, my urge died down the moment we started making our way to the river. I was finally going to find out what this festival was about, and the sheer number of people around us didn't help with my budding excitement. It was a change from the uncomfortable feeling I'd been having since we'd left the house.
Was it some kind of lantern viewing festival? Everyone held a lantern while we all went down a large set of stairs towards to the riverbank. After a moment of standing and watching as people filtered on either sides of the path, mum let go of my hand. I sent her a puzzled look right before the adults bowed down their heads almost at the same time.
I was too confused by the whole situation to properly question their actions, and followed suit on reflex alone. I glanced at Kushina to see if she bowed with us, but she already marched towards the empty area in the middle between the adults, bravely standing with the other children, but her eyes were fixated at something in the air.
The steady movements of someone descending down the stairs caught my full attention, and I blinked my eyes their way.
Long, neon red hair swayed behind the beautiful man, his pale skin a perfect match to his expensive looking, deep crimson kimono, which was obviously made for his lean body. I tried looking up his blue rectangular hat that had the kanji for Uzu written where the white triangle on the front was, but it somehow managed to hide half of his face while successfully showing off the bright smile that he had on his pink lips.
I wanted to see more of him, but dad put a hand on my back and nudged me forward towards the kids. It was pure luck I didn't lose my balance and trip by how sudden his actions were.
"Join them," he said with an encouraging smile, and I nodded at him in hesitation before I did just that. Everything had a reason with the Uzumaki. When I came closer to the middle, my blood ran cold, the whole festival situation momentarily forgotten.
It wasn't like I hated crowded areas or anything, but I was walking towards children.
After Kushina avenged her stolen hair strand almost a year ago, I was too wary of kids and their random urges. I was beginning to find it easy to predict the adults thanks to their quirky personalities that never changed. But children? I was nowhere close to figuring out that small enigma.
I focused on the white lantern in the pretty man's arms to stop thinking about where I was heading, and I soon was fascinated by the way he was cradling the item close to his heart, holding it like a dear person. It was almost like… he didn't want to let it go, but it was something that he had to do.
The lantern saddened me for some unknown reason, and I clutched the fabric of my kimono to stop myself from going back to the comfort of my parents' arms. I still glanced at them with my best imitation of the droopy, lost puppy look to make them feel a bit of guilt for not properly explaining what this whole festival was about.
The man halted his steps at the end of the stairs and smiled kindly at the children. I furrowed my eyebrows at their still strange behaviour before I looked at the man, intent on at least seeing his face. But I ended gulping down my raising nerves when his curious orange eyes found mine. He smiled and I awkwardly stumbled into a deep bow, my cheeks ablaze.
With an eye still trained on him while I slowly raised back to my height, I watched as he as he crossed the sea of children and stepped closed to the peaceful river. I thought he'd stop at the riverbank, but he surprised me when he moved forward and raised his clothed leg, walking on the surface of the water once the bare sole of his foot touched it.
The man's long kimono sunk into the clear liquid, making his once crimson outfit almost inky in colour. The new weight made the kimono slide to his elbows and I cringed as old, puffed up pink scars became visible on his bare shoulders.
Instead of going on the river to join him, the adults crouched down near the riverbank and gently put the lanterns on the water while the kids ran closer and waved at the sky. I joined them in curiosity, trying to find out what took away all of their focus but still keeping my eyes on the person standing on the river.
The man with the radiant smile and big hat, which I was sure was the leader's hat, turned around and walked in the same timed steps as beforeー
ーTowards me.
I held my breath.
"You…" he tilted his head to the side as his yellow eyesー they weren't orange, but a bright, golden yellowー settled on the happy children. "Can't see them?"
I looked at the ground in embarrassment. He was really beautiful up close.
"… I don't understand what I'm supposed to see, Oji-san," I muttered, twiddling my fingers together as I squirmed.
"This is the first time I encounter a child unable to see our dead before their innocence has vanished," he said while I hesitantly grabbed onto his outstretched hand with my own tiny fingers. "How peculiar."
I couldn't help but squeak when I processed his words.
"The… The dead?" I asked fearfully, looking around in search for any floating souls. A shiver ran down my spine when I felt an eerie chill pass through me, so I stepped closer to the pretty man and shielded myself using him. He comforted me with a gentle hand.
"They… visit us on this day every five years. We help them find their way back to their realm with the lanterns. They work as a beacon they can follow and a chance for their loved ones to say goodbye. Sadly… only the children and I can see those who've passed away," he said with a gentle but sorrowful smile, as he coaxed me to step on the river.
Tendrils of chakra wrapped around my cold arm down to my toes, seeping under my skin and probing my chakra into work. I was too afraid of sinking into the water and getting swept away with the spirits to freely admire his chakra control and how he was essentially using mine. Because I was, in a sense, a wandering spirit myself, and the thought of sinking felt dangerously real.
With a last tug, I moved onto the surface with shaky, deliberated steps.
"But I don't…" I whispered, my mind still in wonder as I walked next to the man, on the surface of the river, with my hand in his much larger one. A glint made me take notice of the wedding ring on his finger and winced. "I just… can't."
"But we must still see them off," the man said, a sad smile playing on his lips. I looked quizzically at the lanterns as they were swept along the flow of the now moving river and billowing wind, making sure the man's fingers were securely held in my palm. He was the only reason I still hadn't sunk into the water.
Suddenly, a specific lantern caught my attention. It was the lantern that had been in the beautiful man's arms, and my eyes couldn't tear away from it. The setting sun reflected on the water and the small flickering fire inside of the paper got brighter. A small gasp escaped my parted lips when an orb of multicoloured fire formed above the white lantern.
The man chuckled as the shining orb completely left its home and came closer to my face, its fiery flickering lights illuminating my pale skin. A will o' wisp, my mind marveled at the floating sphere. I brought up my free hand, feeling like I was in a trance, and touched it.
My palm came into contact with another, a hand that belonged to a woman I'd never seen in my entire life. She was a young Uzumaki who had some of hair tied up in a bun above her head, with the rest floating freely behind her. Her face only showed kindness and understanding as her glassy, fish-like eyes that appeared to be brown once upon a time, stared down at me.
"Wh- Who…?" I whispered, eyes widening as the woman put a hand over my cheek and smiled. She felt familiar, like she was a friend of mine whom I should have never forgotten. I knew her, yet I didn't. It was like meeting myself after a lifetime of not knowing who I was.
Tears escaped my eyes when she directed the smile at the man standing next to me, and I finally noticed the matching rings on their fingers. The man patted my head when the soft faced woman silently giggled behind a palm, then she walked along with tens and hundreds of other spirits, who were equally, and a bit sadly, smiling at their family.
I couldn't look away, couldn't do anything as the spirits started fading one by one. I just stood there with the man rubbing my headー
ーAnd I understood.
The colours, they united us. They showed that the adults were still in grief, still mourning the loss of their loved ones. Be it loss from battle, illness, or old age. The lack of black in our clothes, however, showed that they'd moved on, even if they were still nursing their wounds, they were content and happy and so grateful for their ancestors' protection and guidance.
And the children with their bright colours and innocent smiles — The hope, the love, the kindness theー
The man pulled me into his arms.
"There, there," he said as he carried me back to the riverbed. "You're a smart one, little orange."
I looked at him, eyes glossy from the overflowing tears.
"Who… Who are you Oji-san?" I asked, running the back of my hand over my eyes to wipe away the tears, regulating my breathing as a way to calm myself before I was taken away to my parents.
"You don't recognise the leader of your village? My, my, I'll have to make more public appearances, then."
I froze.
I was calling our leader uncle.
Oh goddamnー
"Although I don't think I am old enough to be called 'oji-san'. I'm still young enough to be your onii-sama!" he laughed, grinning from ear to ear as the adults bowed down to him. His eyes were filled with mirth, the kind that twinkled when someone was saying an inside joke only they could understand.
My parents bowed down their heads in greeting once we were an arm's length away.
"Uzukage-sama, thank you for taking care of our daughter," dad said, bowing again, and the man gently ruffled my orange hair.
"I look forward to seeing the little one again," he said as mum took my hand in hers. I waved awkwardly at the man while my parents thanked him once again.
I just knew his words were serious, that he wasn't joking. He was going to be showing himself, and I was going to see him again. And soon.
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When the intense heat of the day proved to be too much to handle, most of my clansmen departed to the beach in united desperation. With our sweaty and sluggish bodies, we all listened to the weather's demands and threw ourselves into the nearest body of water in need of cooling our overheated selves.
My family didn't waste time and we soon arrived at the sandy beach before it was afternoon. Even though the sun wasn't in the middle of the sky, it was still beating down on us with its unbearable rays.
Dad quickly arranged an umbrella and mum unraveled straw mats so we could sit and shield ourselves from the unforgiving sun.
Even my chatty mum didn't attempt to hold a conversation because of the heat, but decided to use up the remaining energy in a straight sprint towards the open sea. Dad was more reluctant, each movement causing the heat of the day to enter deep into his tired bones, but still wanted to cool down his sweaty, golden skin in the cool water. It was a miracle none of us were panting for our breaths.
I did a couple of stretches underneath the umbrella as I watched my parents pull each other down. If there was a stamina bar above their heads, I imagined it'd be slowly filling up as their bodies cooled down. I snorted when dad dived underwater. While mum was a beast on solid ground, dad was in his natural habitat right now. He managed to yank her down with him, successfully winning their playful spar yet again.
Stretching sideways, I let my eyes wander to the people. It didn't take anything more than the Uzukage to grab my full attention, with the way he dragged his legs in the most elegant fashion I could've possibly seen, with Kushina and my aunt not too far behind him. The impossibly energetic girl waved towards me when our eyes met, and I put in a lot of effort to greet her back with a welcoming smile.
My eyes quickly found the man again. He was put his fold-able chair along with a box of supplies on a rock where he could oversee everyone's activities, and I took a moment to appreciate his sense of leadership as he propelled himself on a beach chair under a white umbrella.
The Uzukage visibly relaxed into his chair after he unzipped his jacket and put his legs up on a stone, sinking into his seat and tilting his head upwards, closing his eyes for a moment as he took a deep, calming breath.
My waist painfully strained when I leaned to the left side, forcing my body to bend sideways and touched the sand with my fingers, just as the Uzukage touched a seal on the scroll he'd brought with him, catching a feminine looking hat and heart-shaped glasses from it. He put them on as he unsealed a purple drink, which was cold judging from the small beads of water that slid down the outside of the transparent glass.
Once he took a sip and smiled at all of us, I knew the Uzukage had just reached the pinnacle of his day.
"Over here!" I called out once Koyume-obacchan was at earshot, putting a hand up in the air so my aunt and cousin could see me. There were a lot of people still making bases on the beach, hoping to start their water activities as soon as possible.
Kushina grip on the picnic basket tightened. She took bigger steps towards our umbrella, with Koyume-obacchan trailing right behind her.
My cousin dropped the basket, which got caught before it could reach the ground by a smiling Koyume, and caught my arms in a firm hold. My smile matched Koyume's - It was both loving and exasperated, with a lot of acceptance sprinkled into it. Kushina would always be Kushina no matter what, after all.
"With me. Now," Kushina said, already tugging me behind her. I let her lead me, pointing at my parents' general direction when Koyume glanced around for them.
"Good morning, they're there, goodbye!" I yelled, and my aunt waved at me before I saw her sprint towards my parents in her swimsuit. I giggled when Koyume cannon-balled between them and somehow dragged them both underwater, holding them there until they flailed their arms in defeat.
"Your mum just destroyed my parents, Kushina-chan." I grinned, shifting our hands so I could comfortably hold hers. It looked like her destination was a large rock that concealed the other area of the beach. The area was empty of people, only the random passerby making their ways to the main part of the beach.
"As expected." she snorted, still walking. I raised an eyebrow at her obvious dismissal. That was new. I stopped in my tracks, slowly trickling some chakra into my muscles just like my parents had taught me, and made Kushina almost trip by the sudden weight that tugged her backwards.
"Tell me your plan of action, co-captain." I stopped her from running away with a mock-glare.
"There's no plan, captain. Just come with me?" she said, using my ultimate weakness to get her wayー The puppy-eyes that I'd promised myself to become immune to, but actually epicly failed to do so.
"I love you a lot, Kushina-chan, but if it's something that could possibly get me on my parents' bad side, then I'm ditching you without looking back." I pointed at her. While she knew my threat was serious, it was embarrassing how she had manipulated me into agreeing without breaking a sweat.
I fear for my future self from Kushina.
"I can feel the love— It's so pure I think my next tooth is going to rot and fall," she said, grinning while pushing my finger away.
"Don't sass me."
Sticking out her tongue, Kushina started walking again, but didn't drag me behind her like earlier. We moved with our shoulders almost touching instead, and I glanced at Kushina with a heart too heavy for my small body.
She was growing up too fast, and the massacre grew closer with each passing month. My expression turned sour and I averted my gaze towards the rocky road ahead, adamant on not thinking any further about the future. I wanted to live in the now while doing my best for the future, not dwell on endless possibilities that 'might' happen.
But there was one thing that I was sure of— I wanted to tell Kushina everything I knew.
Kushina would leave the village to a safer place where she could use what I'd tell her to keep herself safe and alive in case I couldn't live to watch her grow older and stronger. While I thought it was something I had to do for her sake, my heart stopped me from taking that large step and answer her questions of why, exactly, was I trying so hard when we weren't academy students yet. She kept wanting to understand me, but I never took the big step of letting her in on every secret I had.
And… the pressure of what I knew could possibly hold her down from going forward, could pressure her rather than be of help. Her innocence would vanish, and I absolutely didn't want that to happen. Some might think I was playing God, but I was a selfish girl who'd go through with my plan and tell her. Maybe not now, but some time in the near future for sure.
My line of thought was cut short the moment we went up the rocky path and walked towards a small cliff. I blinked once, twice, thriceー
Standing next to Keiichi were three teens conversing heatedly to each other. One of them appeared to be soft spoken, his voice not travelling far like the two other girls' as he bowed his head in apology to one of them, uneasy smile barely visible on his lips.
Shock froze me because of the uncanny likeness to the Uzukage the timid-looking teen had, with the same neon-red hair and yellow eyes, both dim compared to the Uzukage's bright colours. Although, they both had the same tall and lean body type. The only difference was how the teen held himself, with his hunched back and bouncing eyes. His discomfort was obviousー he looked like he wanted nothing more than to disappear into the background.
He was, without no doubt, the son of the Uzukage. The description of him given by my aunt fit too perfectly for him to be a random relative.
A loud whistle made me put a hand over my ear, grimacing at the sound. Kushina blowed again as she brought attention of the the teens and Keiichi towards her.
"I brought her," Kushina announced, opting to drag me to the circle when I didn't move. Couldn't move. I looked at her for help, wanting her to explain to me why teens were the ones waiting for us, but the girl only smiled innocently. I shot her an exasperated glare before dipping my head down in greeting, wanting to get introductions over with.
"I'm Kayo, nice to meet you. Hi Keiichi-kun," I said in a clear voice, trying to keep a friendly expression on while Keiichi stepped closer.
"Hello, Kayo-chan, Kushina-chan." he tilted his head to the left, not an emotion visible on his face. A squeak left Kushina's mouth and I could almost see her storm-grey eyes sparkle with joy. She twirled away and hopped into Keiichi's arms that opened in reflex. She latched herself to him, causing the boy's glasses to slide down his nose.
"Neechan was being mean to me, Oniichan~!" she said, but her face wasn't frowning but
"Don't shout, Kushina," I said in reflex, glancing at the, if I wasn't wrong, Uzukage's son, who shyly hid his chuckles at the display that was unraveling before him.
Kushina didn't pay any kind of attention to the eyes that were trained on us, though, and kept hugging the life out of Keiichi. He somehow managed to keep himself upright even with her added weight, calculatively patting her back in a way that felt mechanic and hollow. But since I knew Keiichi for who he was, I could imagine a smile that showed all of his front teeth instead of the thin line his lips were permanently stuck in.
Really though… I did not blame her for clinging to him.
Keiichi was a very huggable boy.
"Thank you for coming," he said with a bright and welcoming voice as he propped his glasses back atop his thin nose. "I did not doubt Kushina-chan would be capable of leading you here."
This guy… He was purposefully rubbing at my weakness against Kushina.
As expected, he put his nose up in the air, looking down at her. But that movement by itself showed how cheeky he was being. I tapped my chin while mock-glaring at him, trying my best not to get swept into the tides of the energetic Uzumaki chakra flooding out of Kushina and Keiichi.
"Mind telling me why I'm here?" I asked to get back into track, nodding at the rest of the kids. Keiichi looked like he was about to reply but was quickly interrupted by one of the strangers.
"We're interested about the upcoming war," the teen with her low hanging, bright red pigtails said matter-of-factly, flipping one of her long cowlicks with a delicate hand. She looked to be around thirteen years old, with her happy grins and cat-like eyes. But not even her inviting voice could have stopped my heart from skipping a beat at her admission.
Why was she so sure I had any knowledge about the upcoming war? The topic of war was as common as talking about the weather nowadays because everyone tended to fret over politics whenever they thought us kids weren't listening. So why me, specifically? My mind shrieked as I barely stopped myself from running away from their stares. Why. Me.
"Hello, still with me?" the girl said, swiping a hand in front of my face. She gestured at both my cousin and my friend when she was sure she was the centre of attention again. "Kushina-chan told Keiichi-kun who told his sister who told us about how you're always working hard to prepare for 'something'. She's not here cause she's not interested, though." One of her fingers flew to point at the timid teen as she scowled up at him, "And Kenma-sama found out by chance. At least he didn't rat on us. He wasn't useless this time, at least."
"That's… That's so mean, Natsuki-chan" Kenma muttered, rubbing his upper arm with his hand.
"Get some backbone, Kenma-sama! I can't keep looking after you," she snapped, poking his stomach with a bony elbow, her flowery summer dress fluttering along with her movement. I lightly laughed at them, still overwhelmed by the bomb that was their theory about me.
"Calm down, Natsuki-san. Keiichi-kun said there's still a margin of failure for his prediction," another girl softly spoke up. She had pixie-cut dark red hair and round eyes, and looked about the same age as Natsuki. What stood out the most to me was her long, vibrant red eyelashes.
"Shut it, Irie."
"Uhm, can someone explain to me why… why you think I know something about the war?" I said, fiddling with my fingers in an attempt to not look at anyone, whose eyes quickly focused on me. I was at least glad I'd stopped them from fighting.
"When I factored in your training ethics and the song you've taught us and how weary you get from the war topics, I figured you know something, Kayo-chan. It's simple deduction," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I didn't dare to voice any of my thoughts, stilling in my place while Kushina puffed out a cheek.
"We know you're up to something, neechan. You trust us, don't you? Just spit it out~!"
Kushina put her arms on her waist to empathise the fact that she wouldn't back down from this, followed by the two girls silently judging, then by Keiichi staring right at me with his blank eyes. I pulled in my shoulders, trying to fold into myself while my eyes strayed to Kenma, who looked at the kids and shyly put his arms up in a calming gesture.
"H-Hey, guys, let's all calm down. I'm sure this is troublesome for Kayo-chan. Let's give her some space, okay?" he said, smiling at everyone. Natsuki clicked her tongue and glared at him, but the timid teen surprisingly didn't back down.
The phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover' came into my mind as I could see Kenma in a more positive light thanks to this gesture, that he wasn't the timid boy I'd had initially thought him to be. Something about the lines of his set jaw and intense eyes gave the impression of subtle confidence that his hunched shoulders would have made it impossible to see at first glance.
With a toothy, but still hesitant grin aimed at me as the girls' apology was drowned by the sound of the crashing waves, I began to seriously consider what I could or couldn't tell these kids.
But… what could we, as children, do about it? How could we help without involving the adults, who might think I had a very active imagination? I didn't think I was ready to tell people I'd just met about my reincarnationー That knowledge was reserved to Kushina.
"This is a waste of time," Natsuki said as she twirled her hair in disinterest, obviously disappointed. I pursed my lips, wanting to say something but not knowing what to tell them, holding their gazes with a straight back and mind running a mile a minute.
"Keiichi-kun isn't omnipotent, Natsuki-san. He's already told us he could be wrong."
"Girls shouldn't fight with each other!"
I allowed Kushina's voice to be an anchor as I mulled over every possibility I could think of. The only thing I was sure of in the sea of scenarios playing in my mind was that if I let this opportunity slip, if I didn't tell them anything, I'd bite my nails in regret. That feeling was something I wanted to avoid at all costs. So with all the seriousness my childish voice could hold, I spoke up, looking directly at Kenma.
"No, Keiichi-kun is right. I do know something." I crossed my arms, leaning on my left leg. "I'm not sure if you'll believe me, though."
"Ha! He wasn't wrong. Don't doubt my niichan!" Kushina grinned, punching the air above her in victory. Keiichi put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down while my staring battle with the short-haired girl, Irie, and Natsuki continued.
"We're ninja, we've seen weird things," she simply said with a shrug, as if being a ninja was enough. "Try us."
We were both challenging each other. I was hoping they wouldn't question what I was about to tell them, while she didn't believe I held any kind of notable information. Good thing I wasn't a child, in the mental sense. I wanted the future to change, not attention, so I wasn't baited by her.
"I can't imagine you know anything… Honestly speaking, I'm only here because Kenma-sama is," the girl with the pixie cut hair said. I crossed my arms. I had a bit more hope now, so I didn't want to back down after I'd made this step. Closing my eyes to I wouldn't have to face them, I took a deep breath.
"... I saw the future," I said, trying to articulate every word properly so I wouldn't be misunderstood. At least it wasn't a lie. "And I've seen the clan dead."
"... Huh?" Kushina voiced what everyone was too stunned to say. My breath hitched as I tried not to let the burn in my eyes win. The weight that was lifted from my chest at admitting a portion of my secret was replaced by suffocation under their unblinking stares.
"I-" Keiichi's words stopped somewhere in his throat, his face painted with so much emotion I previously didn't know was possible for him to show. "... That's not what I've expected…"
A contemplative Kenma pinched his chin. "That's crazier than what I'd imagined, but not entirely unbelievable" he said, raising a vibrant red eyebrow. "We have records of Uzumaki having chakra so in tune with nature, it would give them glimpses of things to come. But it has been said it wasn't clear enough to follow, but make them have a feeling of what they should or shouldn't do."
"Seers?" I said in surprise. I was a reincarnation, though, it shouldn't be too strange to have people who could predict the future in this universe. I lightly shook my head. "It's… something like that. I only ask you to believe me when I say I know our clan dies as an aftermath of the war. But… I don't know when or how." I tugged at my clothes. "Only the why- We're going to be targeted because other countries fear our seals."
"What a load of crap!" Natsuki scoffed and crossed her arms. "Don't tell me you actually believe her, Kenma-sama?"
"I agree with Natsuki-san for once. It's very unlikely," Irie said, narrowing her eyes.
"But it's not unheard of…" he said, sighing as he closed his eyes for a moment. "What else have you seen? Other than our clan's doom."
My eyes involuntarily snapped towards Kushina's still surprised face. Kenma caught on and his head tilted, calculative eyes going back to meet mine when I found myself trying to hide how I looked at her when he'd asked that.
"Uhm," I stuttered, staring at his sandals, hoping he wouldn't notice I was avoiding his questioning stare. "Uzushiogakure won't have any residents after the war, and those who survive will be scattered across the Elemental Nations. Our home will be too ruined for them to return to. That's, that's the only thing I know about future in a few-" My breath hitched, remembering Kushina's age. "-Months, a year at most."
"Uzushio taking damage in the war isn't a baseless worry, so our home getting… It's not impossible for it to fall, but that timeframe is too small... Especially when Konoha hasn't stationed units here yet," Keiichi muttered, addressing himself rather than the people around him, seemingly forgetting that he was with us. "Now that I think about it, we haven't traded with any ships lately, so we might run out of supplies at the worst possible time…"
The older boy looked like he needed some time to swallow the information, becoming paler by the minute. Kushina glanced at him, worry itching her face, before she easily wrapped her arms around me, aiming her wide eyes and pinched eyebrows at me.
"I don't exactly get what's going on, but if this is the reason you're always trying hard, then it goes without saying that I trust your words 'ttebane," she said, pursing her lips in determination. "I promise to follow whatever plans you come up with no matter how crazy they'll be."
Left with a loudly beating heart while I processed as my chest felt like it was about to burst, a wobbly smile broke my lips. "They're… They're not that crazy."
"We'll never run out of seals!" Natsuki's voice raised, gathering our collective attention. She was speaking directly at Kenma, scowling at him. "I don't get what you're worried about. I can make something that can destroy a ship with my blood and one finger," Natsuki said, words filled with confidence only an Uzumaki could have for their seals.
"You know that's not true, Natsuki-chan." Kenma frowned. "While they're a strong weapon, we both know a drop of water is enough to ruin any type of seal. If you haven't noticed, we're surrounded by it on the island. Let's say her words are true, then we'll get attacked because of them. Our dependence on seals might as well be our death warrant. We should be looking at other ways to defend our home other than seals," he firmly said, looking at every one of us as he stated his opinion. My eyes darted across his face as he spoke with a crooked smile, "Is that all you wanted to tell us, Kayo-chan?"
I nodded, unable to break our eye contact with him.
"I'll admit that I'm half convinced," he said and my breath hitched, unable to form any coherent words as the overwhelming feeling of newfound hope suffocated me. "If a future without our home is a possibility, I can't shrug at any information that I come across."
"If Kenma-sama says so… I'll lend a helping hand as well. For now," Irie said, fidgeting as she stole glances at Kenma from underneath her long eyelashes.
"W-Well, I'll always follow you no matter how weird your beliefs are, Kenma-sama! But you better not be joking, Carrot-head."
"Was it even something to think about?" Kushina asked, glaring at them, her arms still wrapped protectively around neck.
"I'll ask my dad about Konoha and our supplies, see if he has anything to add," Kenma said. "In exchange for the things you've told us, I'll share something only a me and a handful of people know about." He crossed his arms, tiling his head at Kushina and I. "I think this should be known by you two beforehand. You're going to participate, after all."
"Don't tell me, it's that? Didn't Uzukage-sama want it to be a surprise since it's the first time you'll be leading a ceremony that big?" Irie said in surprise and Kenma shrugged a bit too innocently. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him, though… I didn't want to be in the spotlight anyways. He forced me into agreeing," he said, scratching the back of his neck with a closed-eye smile. Natsuki crossed her arms.
"That's irresponsible! There's a high chance you're going to be the next Uzukage because of your ability, so don't try to run away from your obligations," she scolded, glaring at Kenma, who apologised instinctively at her tone.
"Ah… I think I know. The children haven't gotten their chakra checked yet this year. I was Kayo-chan and Kushina-chan's age when they researched mine," Keiichi, who was being quiet until now, spoke up as he adjusted his glasses, the gleam in his eyes returning.
"Checking our chakra? What for?"
"I'm getting there, Kushina-chan." Kenma smiled at her. "It's like Keiichi-kun said- but before I start, do you guys know what 'Kekkei Genkai' means?"
"Mummy told me it's like a superpower. Like those heroes in books!" Kushina exclaimed in excitement, finally finding something she fully understood. Natsuki blinked at my cousin.
"You've got books? We've only got a few on our shelves. Papa said they're hard to get since it's not easy to manufacture them. Something about writing is a pain in the ass."
"Language, Natsuki-san. And it's hard to get books because printing them takes time, and the lack of interest in importing them from other nations doesn't help either. Frankly, books are a waste if you can personally go on adventures. Paper is best used for Jutsu scrolls," Irie said, putting on an air of superiority. Before Natsuki could retort, Kenma made a barrier between the two girls using his arms, chuckling as he stopped them from fighting.
"While our clan typically has large chakra capacity at birth, a baby might have a hidden quirk alongside that. Though some of them can be life threatening, so it falls on the Uzukage to discover if a child has it or not." He scratched the back of his head, smiling lightly at us. "My dad used to make this complicated seal until he discovered my quirk."
The girls knew this already from the looks of it, while Keiichi seemed uninterested since it appeared like he'd already done that ceremony. Kushina and I were obviously the only one intently listening to him. I was beyond curious about Kenma's quirk. The teen coughed into his fist.
"Anyways," the teen continued, "Because not many childbirths happened this year, the task of finding children's abilities fell on me as a test to see how reliable my quirk is, someone whose chakra reacts to the second quirk. A ceremony will be held in a week's time to check the quirks of children your age, unlike the previous times where they were taken at random times to find out what their special chakra was."
At Kenma's admission, Keiichi's eyes gained a spark of curiosity.
"... That's really amazing," the boy said, awe filling every note in his voice.
"As expected of Kenma-sama. This information never fails to amaze me," Irie said, smiling at the teen.
"Stop saying that, Irie-chan… I'll get stage fright," Kenma said, tone wavering. "But, uhm, that concludes what I have to say. Don't tell anyone, though. It's supposed to be a secret, just like how I won't mention Kayo-chan's possible seer abilities to my dad."
"Umu, I understand. So we're going to see if we have cool superpowers next week, I can't tell mummy about it, and I might not have a superpower?"
"Yes, Kushina-chan," I said, and the girl shrugged.
"Okay. The last thing is uncool, but whatever! Seeing everyone's superpowers sound amazing 'ttebane. Can you guys give me a strand of your hair now? I'm making this super cute bracelet-"
Natsuki suddenly froze mid-nod, followed by Irie and Kenma's bodies stiffening in response to her reaction. Their lightly tanned skins became a shade lighter, and Irie looked fearfully at Natsuki.
"Truce?" she quickly said, and Natsuki sealed the deal with a handshake.
"Of course! I can't handle your crazy older brother."
But they weren't fast enough, it seemed, because at that moment, a guy who looked to be in his mid-twenties was running towards us at his top speed, which was admittedly not that fast, and his steps were audible even from a distance. He probably wasn't a ninja, I concluded.
"Irie! You KNOW this place is off-limits!" the man shouted, startling me with his loud voice. I didn't expect it to travel this well from how far he was. He must have extremely strong lungs.
"Shi-" Natsuki started, and Irie quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Language. Run!"
She pushed Natsuki away, who didn't have anywhere to go, sliding down the cliff in panic. I winced at the sound of her shriek. Her sandals looked thin- which were the exact opposite of the ones made for ninjas so they wouldn't hurt their feet from the running and jumping they did.
"How does he always find me?!" Irie hissed, looking like she couldn't choose whether to escape alone or grab Kenma and run.
The teen was slightly smiling, but the corners of his lips pulled in obvious tension. "We're screwed if he catches us, y'know."
But if they were screwed, then what did that make Keiichi, Kushina, and me?
ーOn a second glance, never mind that. Keiichi had already vanished with Kushina. My lower lip puffed out unconsciously. Those, those traitors! I didn't dwell on their betrayal and looked around me for an escape route. I was the daughter of two ninjas! I didn't need their help.
Before I could make my grand escape, the man appeared in front of me. I avoided bumping into him only thanks to the reflexes my mother had ingrained into me from her seal-dance training, and quickly tried thinking of ways not to get caught by him.
"You're not a bad girl, Irie-chan! Why do you always cause trouble for your big brother?" the man, who didn't break a sweat running up the small hill, wailed, tears freely falling down his angular face. Because of how he looked and the lack of heavy breathing, my previous assumption about him being a civilian almost disappeared- Almost, because he simply didn't give off the feeling of a ninja, but he certainly acted like one.
In a show of true agility, Irie lept in the air, flipped, and stepped right on the man's face, deciding that her escape was more important than helping Kenma. I felt too bad for the teen to leave him alone with Irie's older brother, who seemed too… out of the top to be left alone with him.
"I am… a lifeguard! Kicking me won't stop me from delivering law!" the man shouted to the skies, but Kenma followed Irie's example and stepped hard on the man's back to stop him from getting up.
The man gave a groan as his cheek met the rocks underneath him.
"Wh-Why are you here…?" he said, looking up at Kenma from the corner of his eye, his face stricken in horror.
"Sorry, Oyaji. I don't want to tell you."
Kenma vanished in a blink of an eye after applying some chakra on the soles of his feet, the man giving another groan as the energy traveled across his back.
Shrugging at no one in particular, I tentatively avoided the man's long limbs and walked past him, the need to run away vanishing along with the man's will to move.
.
.
.
.
"I'm so sorry, Kayo-nee! Keiichi-niichan grabbed my hand and I grabbed his and tried grabbing yours but Natsuki-neesan was in front of me before I could reach you and then he said sorry to you even though you wouldn't hear and we went down the hill like woosh and weesh and it happened so fast!"
"Breathe,"
"... I'm sorry."
"It's okay, no harm done. But if you ever leave me again like that, I won't share my candy anymore."
"No! I'm so sorry! Please don't do that!"
"It's Keiichi-kun's fault for taking you without me, anyways."
"Mhm... What do you have in mind?"
I grinned, a perfect reflection of Kushina's cheshire smile.
.
.
.
.
Long A/N ahead!
While the pace seems slow, some scenes are important to the overall feel of the fic and plot, so I think they're necessary to it, (They're sometimes for my own amusement, too, since fanfics are supposed to be the author's guilty pleasure dump), like how I introduced the Uzukage for the sake of his son, and *spoiler* for something way later in the plot. (That probably didn't need a spoiler tag, but whatever.)
Chapter lengths are going to be like this as long as I feel it's necessary. I do plan on polishing the fic after it's done and when I have more time, which includes pacing and scenes that don't match or need tweaking, according to my readers and my own muse.
(Another thought; while you probably heard this from many authors before, but I truly don't plan on abandoning my child. I might take my time with finishing this because of my IRL responsibilities and hardcore procrastination, but I hope this fic is interesting enough to make you stick until it's doneー to see it grow with me.)
As usual, I'll put the obligatory apology here; Sorry for being late again! But this year was the definition of shitty. Although I'm trying to keep the habit of daily writing, I always get distracted with plot bunnies and other stories. E.g. My SAO fanfic, and fics for other fandoms that I might post here if I properly make plans for them~
Again, my problem with this story is having a visual road, but not knowing how to avoid the rocks on the way and smoothly write how the journey on that road was for the characters. Any advice for this? I'm new to writing, so I'll be glad if someone pointed me into the right direction. Tiny advices from all readers could become a huge pile of words I can go back to when I'm unsure.
Notes:
Festival name in the first part is a real thing done in Japan, it's called Tōrō Nagashi, Lanterns on the River. Taken directly from an article (I copied without bookmarking the page and I can't find it anymore, forgive me):
Tōrō is written in Japanese with the characters for tō (灯, light) and rō (籠, basket).
In Japan, it is traditional to worship or revere one's ancestors, a principle known as sorei shinkō ("reverence toward one's ancestors").
New Character Names:
。Kenma (けんま): Written using 'Polish', togu (研 / とぐ), and 'Improve', miga (磨 / みが).
。Irie (いりえ): Written using 'Enter', iri (入 / いり), and 'creek', e (江 / え).
I picked this name because of the fact that they meet in a cove-like area at the edge of a cliff. It could also mean Saltwater Crocodile if you say iriewani (入江鰐 / いりえわに).
。Natsuki (なつき): Written using 'Summer', natsu (夏 / なつ), the hiragana tsu (つ), and 'Seasons', ki (季 / き).
Her name literally means Summer Season… y'know, cause they're meeting in the summer… (I'm so original with names!)