Edit: I'm a moron. I put blah blah blah instead of actual sentences and forgot to change them. That's why you must proofread your work.

Edit 2 (31/08/20): Proofread! Thanks a lot!


Chapter 2 is here!


Chapter 2: Previously on: chaotic idiot.


Things started to change the day after she turned three.

Nagisa woke up to a handful of hair in her mouth and some drools on her pillows. But most importantly, alone.

The day before, her father, who had left before she even woke up, had bought her a set of brush and some ink, - a clear indication of what he was waiting for her.

Her grandmother had visited her that day, bringing some divine cake before gifting her with some earrings. She had received a carved bead from her grandfather, the meaning not lost to her either. And then some books, kimonos, some toys –in the midst, she had received a wooden kunai disguised as a toy - and a drawing from the daughter of Namiyo and Mizu - what was her name again?

But her mother's gift has been by far her favorite.


"Nagisa-chan, happy birthday." She sang lowly in the evening, a happy grin eating her face. They were eating together some sashimis - somehow her mother had discovered her newfound love for them. "Did you have fun today ?"

"Yes," she chirped, showing-off her books. Some were legends of a time before the Uzumaki came to be, some were stories filled with patterns and symbols she didn't recognize and one was about chakra manipulation. "I have a lot of new gifts."

Her relatives shone with their absences, her mother and she remained stuck together all day, so they compensated with a ton of gifts.

"Think you have the place for one more ?" She inquired, cocking a brow. She idly pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, unconsciously stroking her earring.

Something struck Nagisa at the time. It wasn't a detail particularly worthy or dangerous in the grand scheme of things. Still, her mother's hair wasn't entirely red. It was copper with dark red streaks that would shine differently under the light, sometimes red and other times bronze. A small detail, yes, but she found it fascinating, especially when she compared them to her own carmine one.

Her red hair curled around her face in a messy bob, and Nagisa blew them away before nodding vigorously. She was always up for another gift.

"There." She pulled something from her back. It was small and it was wrapped. A chuckle escaped her mother as she watched her tearing the paper, a huge smile on her face.

The ton of papers revealed a smooth wooden box with a small, golden octopus etched on the lid. She raised wide eyes to look at her mother. How was she supposed to react to tha-

"Open it, dummy," whispered her mother, laughing to herself.

The box was lined with a dark blue fabric, grey pearls sewed in it in a maelstrom pattern and at the center of the figure laid a necklace with brown strings, corals, white pearls, and what looked like the wooden shape of a fish. She tilted her head. The fishy thing was humming with chakra. She questioned the patient smile of her mother with a glance.

"See the fish? It's you, an angelfish." She pointed out the stone on the carved animal. "And that is a chakra stone-"

"A chakra stone? What is it?" Nagisa asked without missing a beat.

She has never heard of such a stone before. Admittedly, Maria hasn't been particularly interested in those things, preferring survival and immediate pleasure over useless knowledge and long-term satisfaction. Still, if a 'chakra stone' really existed, she should at least have heard about it. It would have been useful for the shinobi.

And he wouldn't have ki- Her heart throbbed, she pushed the thought aside.

Her mother's eyes creased and she folded her hands over one another. "A stone that absorbs and stores chakra - you've learned about chakra in your books, remember? And this one is filled with my chakra while the fish is inked with a special seal-" She carefully turned toward the wall. The fish nose turned with her, always pointing in the same direction. " -so that it will always point in my direction."

Her heart did a funny thing and her guts warmed at the thought.

It'll always point where home is.

She threw herself in her arms.


"Wherever you are, whenever you want, you'll always know where to find me."


Yet, her mother's chakra had felt stiff that day, almost worried.

It unsettled her. And waking up in the middle of the night alone did nothing to help her relax.

Nagisa tried to extend her chakra, searching for the familiar energy. It wasn't in the house.

Her heart started beating loudly, shallow breathing. Where were th-. Oh my god.

What if Uzushio was taken that night? Her parents are in-

That rush of fear was almost too much. She needed some fresh hair. Or better! To get out. Because the walls seemed to close on her and her head was spinning too fast. Her stomach clenched and she thought she would throw up. But as she opened the window, her parents' voices startled her. The wave of relief was almost too much and white spots danced in her eyes for a second. The emotional whiplash almost KO-ed her.

What were they doing outside? Nagisa frowned, once she managed to calm herself.

Her father's chakra was carefully controlled, the shifting pond that was his chakra reserve, that rippled with his every emotion, was frighteningly still. It was like preventing the sea from moving, it felt unnatural.

If Daiki's chakra felt like a frozen pond, glacial and unnaturally still, her mother's chakra was more akin to a tornado, wild and utterly unpredictable, waiting for a spark to give birth to a firestorm. She had never felt Kazashi's chakra like that. She was broadcasting her emotions through chakra: her anger, her disappointment, and her betrayal.

Nagisa sprinted outside, naked feet on the cobblestone and heart throbbing. It was the core component of hurt. Her mother was hurting and she couldn't stand the thought.

They were in the garden, her father - crossed arms, back stiff as a board and squared shoulders - was frowning at her mother as she walked back and forth the length of the garden, hair raised with chakra.

She managed to hear a few words before her parents spotted her.

"Do you think me stupid? Does your family think I'm blind? She's three!" She turned sharply around and stalked toward him. Shrouded in the dark like she was, she reminded Nagisa of a panther.

He tapped his toes impatiently on the stone floor of the garden, the first sign that he was getting agitated. Kazashi pretended not to notice, heavily breathing in his face.

"So? My elder brother started at two." It was said so casually, so matter-of-factly, her mother's blood boiled.

"And look all the good it did to him, a mass of scars as mental as they are physical. Do you want to inflict that on your own daughter? She is too young, dammit! Tell them to back off because if they don't," her voice lowered but Nagisa still heard the venom in her next words, "I'll make them."

His chakra rippled. He frowned, uncrossing his arms deliberately slowly - the movement so controlled, it was scary. "Cease that womanish fancy, Kazashi. You promised."

"Goodness me—!" The laugh was false, high-pitched—bordering on hysterical. "Another of my womanish fancy. I have so many of them, it's a wonder I can keep my head on straight."

She was trembling now, from head to foot shaking with anger—a trap just waiting for him to move, even a little, so the bars would snap around his foot and ensnare him.

"Caring about our daughter's happiness is not a womanish fancy. "

Nagisa faltered, unsure if she should come closer. There was a coldness in her guts and her cheeks she did not like. She took a step back. She has never seen her mother that angry, it shook her core.

It's Killer Intent. She realized a bit too late. She was already caught in it.

It was what made her eyes go round, her cheeks cold and her forehead breaking into a cold sweat. It was what tied her throat, shook her bones and squeezed her stomach. It was what made her terrified and her mother was emitting that. It was hard to breathe.

She knew all of that but that didn't change the fact that she was utterly and completely terror-stricken by her mother.

"Then, instead of deciding for her, maybe we ought to ask her." And they both wiped their heads toward her.

They probably weren't expecting her to be touched by killer intent - or simply didn't realize they were using it - but she could feel with more than her five senses -which was ridiculously strange if you asked her- and their killer intents, swirling and mashing furiously around them, creating a hurricane of fury, threw her off her feet and into the cyclone. It smashed into her, face first and she was left dizzy.

She recalled seeing their eyes widening, perhaps they even tried to talk to her but it was like she wasn't completely there. She heard the words but couldn't comprehend them. The wave of fear - run, run, you'll die! - embracing her was too thick, she could barely breathe, hear or blink. She was reduced to a terrified mess.

And then, her mother's chakra rolled and curled around her, easing the Killer Intent out of her system and she was back. Her head felt heavy and slightly foggy and she didn't expect to either meet Daichi's eyes, sparkling with concern or being crushed into her mother's chest.

"Are you okay, Nagisa-chan?" asked her father, a line appearing between his brows.

She nodded, throat clenching hard and eyes burning. He simply eyed her and Nagisa became faintly aware of herself.

Her heart was beating loudly and she was panting hard like she ran like her instincts were screaming her to do. She was trembling too, from head to toes, and clenching hard her hands, nails feeling like tiny bloody hairpins.

He took her hands in his, slowly helping her relaxing her grip. Her mother was repeating "I'm sorry" in her hair like a broken record, chakra, and arms tightly curled around her. They stood like that for who knows how long before adrenaline was flushed off her system and she relaxed in her mother's embrace, tears leaking from her eyes.

Then they went inside.


She slept with her mother that night. The tight embrace she almost loathed only an hour ago was a blessing.

She never has felt that small and terrified before.


She woke up with heavy eyelids, and her mother caressing her cheek.

Kazashi looked worse for wear with purple eye bags, bloodshot eyes and tired lines which all but screamed how little sleep she got. Still, she kissed her good morning, forcing a smile, keeping her head high.

She didn't expect to see Daichi at breakfast. He should've been long gone, signing away mission's scrolls. It was what her father was doing: he was the head of the Shinobi's department, assigning missions to the right teams or even designing them. It was a way to ease her grandfather's burden who had to overview everything.

Her guts knotted, heavyweight settling on her chest.

"Hello, Nagisa-chan. Slept well?" Daichi had adopted a neutral face this morning. His chakra felt less stiff, it moved but it was still unnaturally controlled.

She nodded. "Good enough, thank you Tou-san." And she started eating her breakfast.

He took no offense at her curtness, even finding the bite in her words a little amusing. That came from his side of the family, at least.

"I'm sorry for last night, little lionfish," Nagisa almost openly cringed at the nickname but stopped herself right on time. A shiver ran up and down her back as she feared the worst if he felt the need to stroke her. "but the subject concerned you too-"

"Daichi!" Kizashi interrupted, mouth set in a hard line, "Not now."

Her father sighed, his shoulders dropping as he rubbed a hand over his face. "Then when? Once she reached adulthood? You can't shield her from everything. She needs to learn to protect herself if she wants to be a successful shinobi."

Her mother recoiled before her lips opened. "She doesn't have to-"

"Do I have to be a shinobi?" Nagisa interrupted her mother, slowly raising her eyes up.

Daichi watched her, tilting his head sideways while her mother put a comforting hand on her back. Kazashi refused to meet her gaze, eyes glistening as she sucked in her teeth.

"Yes," he finally answered.

"Why?"

Strangely enough, he didn't answer immediately, pondering on it himself. It has been so natural to him that he found himself at loss for words once she asked him. Slowly rubbing two fingers on his temple, his lips quietly parted, "Because you're my daughter and I'm my father's son. We are the direct descendants of the Protector of Uzushio."

But that makes no sense. Nagisa bit her lips. Simply because she had the blood of her island's warriors running through her veins didn't determine her future path. Traditions, while a nice link to the past, started during a certain period. But the world change and so should the traditions. Simply because they were shinobi didn't mean that she had to be a shinobi.

She wanted to tell him so, to explain that she didn't want to be a killer, she didn't want her life to be endangered. She wanted to lounge on their sofa all day, eating homemade daifukus and helping her mother with creating tags.

"So, do you want to start training?"

And yet, she cast her eyes downward, she was plagued with fears. Fear to be rejected by her new family, fear of pain, and that guttural fear of being hunted. She didn't want to feel it ever again.

She didn't want to live in fear, shivering at the thought of being watched, falling to her knees to beg for her life. She was tired of running away, it may have been comforting when she didn't have anything to live for but now-

Now, she wanted to live. Not survived as Maria did.

So, she had to become strong. But-

She didn't have a choice anyway. In a dogs-eating-dogs world, it was killed or be killed. Only the strong could be free, the weak would always suffer the tyranny of the strong.

Seeing her in such deep thoughts brought an amused smile on her father's lips. Yet, another proof that his daughter was smarter than the norm.

From as far as the writing recounted it, her ancestors were Uzumaki. The blood running through her veins was 100 percent Uzumaki. And while the Uzumaki weren't fanatics of blood purity, it was still held in high esteem. And all of that meant that she belonged to the main family and therefore, must become a shinobi. Being a part of the main house was an honor and there were three ways to obtain this status: marrying into the main family - only for the Uzumaki -, being born into it or achieving an impressive enough feat.

Her late grandmother, the wife of Ashina, was a member of the branch house and because of her unique chakra abilities - she had the healing chakra - she had married her grandfather with the hope she would pass these abilities on. Now that she thought about it, it may be the reason why the weirdest chakra mutation always happened in the main family. With all the abilities mixing here, it was bound to happen. This healing chakra was also the cause of her grandmother's demise - and the strange statue in the garden was supposed to be a tribute to her. From what Nagisa had gathered, her grandmother, in an act of selfless love that only someone who truly loved could have done, had abused this technique, draining her chakra's reserve to nil, to save the life of one of her children. This act had been greatly saluted and she had become a figure of motherly love, not that she was the first woman to ever sacrifice her life but-

Anyway. Back on the topic. Right, training.

She slowly sighed. As far as she could see, there was only one path to reach that goal.

"Okay. Yes, let me start training." It was better, an early start would always bring her more experiences. And she could start working on her sending-her-back-in-time seal early too.

Daichi nodded, a smirk inching its way on his face. Her mother muffled a sob.


"Nagisa..." Kazashi said behind her, hidden in the shadow. "You should be sleeping."

The girl jumped, a high-pitched whimper escaping her. She turned gingerly to glimpse at the silhouette of her mother leaning against the door with a cigarette going. A wooden wind chime sang above her mother's head, like a sigh.

The moon broke out of the clouds, and her mother appeared before her. Silver light caught off the curls of her hair. It turned it into a silvery sort of purple as it curled softly around her slender frame. It stole the color of her face, a woman so vibrant with life reduced to the shadow of herself.

It scared Nagisa. The change was too sudden and too unexpected. Kazashi had a forlorn glow to her, turning her eyes glassy.

Kazashi exhaled softly, turning her face away so the smoke wouldn't reach her. Still, she could feel it burned sweetly her nose, a scent she never smelt before.

"Smoking is bad for your health," the little girl answered, disregarding her remark.

"Now, who taught you that?" Kazashi chuckled, a soft sound coming from deep in her throat that still turned smooth, before she took one last drag of her cigarette and sat next to her on their front steps. "My smart little girl, already watching out for your mother?"

Kazashi turned to face her, strands of hair falling around her face like a curtain. Her eyes glittered with a strange vulnerability and her face always happy was marred by tension and worry.

They reported their attentions to the horizon, to the reflection of the moon on the sea and the ripples of the maelstrom.

Her mother was warm, incredibly so, and Nagisa leaned toward her until their arms were pressed together. The tension in her mother's shoulders eased as she moved her arm to wrap it around her shoulders, bringing Nagisa closer.

"Mom?" She hummed in answer, planting a kiss on the crown of her hair. The little girl tore her eyes off the scenery in favor of her mother's face. "Were you a kunoichi?"

She grinned at the moon and the moon bathed her in its light. Her emotions were not easily hidden on her face. Her smile was too sharp and showed too few teeth to be a happy one. Her pain was evident in the crease of her brow. But her eyes, her eyes showed her soul. They were a deep pool of restless saphires, an ocean of hopeless grief. "No. But I used to dream about becoming one. I just never got around to really do it for some reason. And then, it was too late."

"Oh." was Nagisa only answer as she mulled on her next words. "But you're a fuinjustsu master."

"Civilian. A talented civilian one."

Silence fell over them as they watched the shadows of flowers swinging with the breeze.

Kazashi's finger drew patterns and symbols she didn't recognize on her shoulder. "Are you sure you want to be a kunoichi now? There is no rush, you can always start later or-" Her mother bit back her last words but Nagisa understood all the same.

Or never.

Nagisa pressed her palms flat against her knees, staring at the tip of her fingers.

"Yeah. I want to be a kunoichi." She cleared her throat, disguising the quivers in her voice as a cough. Still, her voice lacked enthusiasm. I want to be powerful.

The woman curled her arm just a bit tighter, taking a deep breath. "Nagisa, if you ever felt like it's too much or you don't want that anymore, you can stop. No matter what your father says. You're my daughter and I love you and trust you. That's why I will always support your decision."

Love. The word produced a strange reaction within her, a lot of warmth and a painful heart. How long had she waited to hear these words? How long had she yearned for that embrace and that warmth?

Nagisa turned her face to snuggle against her mother's side, hiding her trembling lips and her misty eyes. "Hmmm."

That precious moment and these precious feelings. Nagisa quietly promised to protect them.


Her training, as it would appear, was centered around dance practice, walking up the stairs - all the stairs, she couldn't be carried anymore - and meditation.

Climbing stairs was the ban of her existence. Each time, she lost her breath halfway through them and it took her more than thirty minutes to climb. She sure was such a lovely sight after that trial, cramping and hurting like hell, sweaty locks sticking to her forehead, and huffing and puffing like a bull. She had the stamina of a worm.

She was fine ten minutes after.

Meditation wasn't as fun as one would expect. It was nice... for the first ten minutes and then it became boring. Her body was growing impatient, she had to burn this excess of energy and she couldn't. It was like trying to contain an excited puppy. Incredibly tiring. The sheer amount of willpower it took from her was tiring and she usually fell asleep halfway through it. And then, they had to start. Again.

She could understand why the stairs and meditation. It made sense: one was to build stamina and physical energy while the other was for spiritual energy.

But dance classes? What was the point?

The day she had been presented to Yakihiro-sensei to learn the family katas, he all but threw her one look before telling her she would have dance lessons instead. Why? What did she do to be hated?

And since then, she had been unable to escape the dance classes every day on the beach. To build balance, her mother had said, rubbing her back after a particularly rough lesson. She called bullshit. The funny thing about sand and balance was that they didn't mesh well. She could walk, for all that matter, and still tripped. She stopped complaining about her twisted ankles or sand in uncanny places after a month.

Why did she need to learn dancing? They were supposed to train. She didn't need to move prettily, just efficiently and she doubted her enemies would refrain from killing her simply because that leg throw was particularly graceful. Moreover, the other children practicing were giving her the nasty look and she had no idea why. They glared and nearly managed to whisper about her, laughing at her failures.

Nearly. They still had the discretion of children.

She wasn't comfortable with them. They didn't like her, or at least, didn't care about her. She was different and she didn't know how to act like them. And she plainly refused to dumb herself for company. It was wrong: the kids would just like someone else she pretended to be, not her. She wasn't that desperate for company, anyway. And the kids were on most day immature brats and on the others, insufferable brats.

She suffered through four months of that before her temper exploded.

She was a slow learner, Yakihiro-sensei told her one day, right in front of the whole class. The little, immature children they were, laughed their tiny asses off and sniggered at her.

It pissed her off.

She answered that if he couldn't get why a three years old was slow, maybe she wasn't the only person slow here. He didn't like that. He also didn't like her mumbling or the hand gestures she made behind his back - a kid snitched on her as soon as she made them.

He put her on time-out for the rest of the lesson, freeing her only after all the kids left.

Sitting cross-legged on the sand, Yakihiro-sensei was fixing her with unamused eyes. "You know, for all the praises I've heard about you, you awfully act a lot like a little kid."

Nagisa frowned, crossing her arms. "Because I am a little kid."

Why couldn't they understand that? Her body couldn't keep up with them. She was a tiny and weak little girl, a danger for kneecaps but not for lives.

Strangely enough, Yakihiro didn't immediately answer. Instead, he scratched the nape of his neck and watched her with bemusement. "You really are weird..."

The little girl almost physically took a step back, the blow hitting something deep in her. She bit her lip, turning her head away to hide the grimace. That was a low blow. She watched him from the corners of her eyes as he sighed, physically deflating before rubbing a hand over his face. Without his frown, the man looked younger, barely older than a teen.

"I know you are a kid and I can't expect too much of you but... you have so much potential and all you do is slack off. I- I don't understand."

Nagisa was surprised by the reappearance of his frown as if he was genuinely upset.

"Me neither," she answered, "I came here with the intent of training, yet, all I am doing is learning some silly moves instead of katas."

He made some noise, finally understanding where the problem laid. "You think it's pointless."

Well... It is. His tone was deadpanned enough that she actually paused.

The young man sighed, scratching the acne scars on his chin. "This will help you with your katas. It improves your flexibility, your balance, and your agility. These three are the core components of the Uzumaki's taijutsu style. Do you understand now ?"


From this moment, Nagisa begrudgingly decided that she would give a shot at that dance practice.


"Very well, Nagisa-san. Again, but seamlessly."

Huffing, red cheeks and sweat rolling down her face, she was ready to flip him the bird but with an excessive amount of self-control, stopped herself before.

"Seamlessly, seamlessly..." she murmured under her breath, "I would like to see him try."

Right leg thrown up, behind into a roundhouse and swirl, wrists, elbows and future breasts aligned, stop with feet beside one another.

She had mastered the Senpu Sutomudansu, the whirling storm dance, in less than a month. Yakihiro-sensei's expression had been a cross between smug and vindictive. As revenge, he corrected every tiny mistake until her dance was perfect.

"Sloppy."

"Faster."

"Legs are too close."

"Arched arms, not angular."

It really wasn't good for her temper but she took it in her strides.

Step forward, turned, swirly motions with hands, arms going up, turn again while bringing back the foot behind.

She had asked how long she was supposed to keep up with the lessons. His answer, "Until you're at least six years old."

She would have cried tears of blood if she could.

Hips lift, bonelessly fall on knees, roll into a crouch and move into a handstand.

Oh, and she was having private lessons now, because she was a bit too behind and the other kids had moved to the Ryusui Ugoku, the running water moves. Therefore, Yakihiro-sensei really took his time teaching her, drilling her everything until she could do it in her sleep.

Rolled into a stand, two swirls, aaaaand final posture.

She eyed her sensei with a hopeful gaze, telepathically telling him to end her suffering the lesson. Her arms were trembling, sweat dripping down her forehead. A strange whiny noise escaped her throat. He thought long and hard before nodding to himself.

"You did well."

And with this acknowledgment, she broke the posture, falling on her back. Her body hurt, her muscles were tingling and sand was sticking everywhere. Even between her butt's cheeks. Especially between her butt's cheeks.

He crouched at her head, patting it. "See. When you want it, you can do it." His smile turned into a smirk. "Don't rest too long, you still have 349 stairs to climb."

He's sadistic, she thought tiredly. And he counts the stairs.

Fixing his gleeful smirk, she made up her mind. He's a psycho. Period.


This evening, she had been greeted with baffling news. True, she would have preferred if her mother had announced that she was ending the dance lessons buuuut it was the next best thing.

Nagisa was rubbing warm scented oils on her bruises when her mother called for her.

"Nagisa," Kazashi said in a breathy tone.

She looked up from her position on the ground, watching where her mother stood, a small, disbelieving smile on the lips.

"Nagisa." She repeated, eyes wide and slightly glassy. "It's incredible."

"What is it, Kaa-san?" She asked, worry slowly filling her chest. Kazashi wasn't acting like she used to. "Something bad happened?"

"No. Nothing bad." Her mother sat on the ground. Nagisa hurried to her, trying to understand what was happening. "It's good actually." She took her small hands in hers, successfully stopping her from checking her pulse and forehead.

Kazashi laughed, tears leaking down her face. She took Nagisa's face in her hands, eyes glowing. "I'm pregnant Nagisa-chan."

Nagisa froze. "Pregnant...? Like... a baby?"

Kazashi nodded, her smile impossibly wide. "You're going to be a big sister."

It took her a few seconds to process that. Her eyes slowly widened. A baby. She was going to have a baby sibling.

Something exploded in her and she bounced on her mother, giggling. She let herself be swept in her arms, hugging each other.

She couldn't help but be carried away by her mother pure, unadulterated joy, squealing at some point.

Her mother put her forehead against hers, glancing into her eyes. "Are you happy?"

She nodded, putting a trembling hand on her mother's stomach.


Her father had been ecstatic that night, hugging and kissing both her mother and her.

Nagisa had never been happier. The household had never felt happier. Her mother was cooking, humming and dancing. Her father was grinning and humming too. Grinning! And! Humming! Like what? She was pretty sure she was in an alternative universe at that point.

A big sister... A sibling younger than her was going to be born. A real family. Her heart grew twice its size as she thought about it. She wouldn't be alone anymore.

The only downside was... she didn't know how to feel about knowing her parents still had active sex-life.

Like- No, ugh, let's not think about it.

Still, it was strange. She had already established the fact that her parents did not love each other, maybe they like each other a lot, but love? Absolutely not. She knew how in love people looked like and her parents weren't.

It was as simple as that.

"So, how was practice today?" Her father had asked, a smile never really leaving his lips.

"Good!" But tonight, she wouldn't ruin the mood with her whining. It could wait until tomorrow. "Yakihiro-sensei said that I almost mastered Senpu Sutomudansu perfectly."

Daichi, in his own way, beamed at her before patting her head for the second time today.

Her soul entered a new state of blissful nirvana.


The look of gleeful joy when they told her grandmother was something she would always remember.


During the next few months, Nagisa continued her training, even upgrading it to Ryusui Ugoku, which unlike the whirling storm dance, did not need much swirling, just a perfect control of her body. Which was... worse because she was clumsy and young.

It was a more brutal dance, a swift balance between sudden sharps moves and slow arabesque-like moves.

The meditation was going along nicely, with all her energy being consumed by her training, she was left with less excess and could concentrate better. That didn't mean she stopped falling asleep.

The stairs... Ugh, what a pain. She could still not climb them in one go but she was breathing better.


Kazashi's stomach was rounding every day and Nagisa's eyes kept doubling their size every time she looked at it. She still could not believe it. She was so excited. She even found herself humming happily more and more to herself.

Singing, just like writing, was a must on Uzushio. It was quite a common occurrence to hear songs sang by the deep, rough voices of the fishermen while they worked or the clear voices of the beggars, entertaining the citizens with the hope of a coin or a seal at the end of the song.

Though, unlike writing, singing was not capital.

If nothing else, you had to know about writing here. Uzushio was littered with seals, therefore one had to know how to write to understand them. It was a necessary skill to survive and it was badly viewed if an adult were to set seals off unnecessarily. Not knowing how to write was closing any potential future one could hope to have on Uzushio. Everyone used seals and seals were used everywhere. Hell, seals could be used as money here. If one were to be short on money, they could use seals of similar value to pay for the goods.

Needless to say, the rarer and the more complex the seal was, the higher his value was.

In short, seal masters were filthy rich.

-Words have power here, little Nagisa. Use your words wisely- and -use your words to protect the clan, make us proud- made suddenly sense in her mind.

That was the reason why clay tablets -or sand tablets, their cheap counterparts- were so expensive. And the ones who could not afford it were teaching their offspring with a stick and the sand of the beach.

Nagisa hummed, a hand on the stomach of her mother, feeling moderately baffled. "It's kicking."

"I know," she laughed, her sharp canines showing. "You were fussier, though."

Kazashi paused, her eyes turning crescent while she pushed some unruly strands out of her daughter's face.

"Don't let your hair hide your lovely face, angelfish. What gender do you want it to be?"

Nagisa thought about it for a bit, biting her cheeks to stop the embarrassing squeal forming in her throat.

During her life as Maria, she never had any siblings. So being a sister, not alone, was a first for her. A little sister would be nice, she could dress her and talk about more sensible things in the future. But she could do just as much with a little brother.

"I don't care, Kaa-san," she shrugged, scrutinizing her mother's stomach, oddly focused. "It doesn't matter. I'll love them all the same."

A pause.

Her mother suddenly sniffed. Ah?

Looking up to meet her mother's teary eyes, snot dribbling from her nose, Nagisa flailed a bit. Did I say something I shouldn't?

"What did I do to deserve such a wonderful daughter?" Kazashi sobbed, pushing her face into her tiny shoulder.

A flush crept up her face.


"Kasa-obaa, what's that?" asked Nagisa, pointing to the sketch of a seal on the wall.

Her mother had left her with her grandmother today. She had an appointment with the doctor, for the baby and Nagisa couldn't come along. She had asked to, but sadly, had been denied. And because she had only been allowed to go to and back from her dance practice alone, she had been left with her.

"Hm?" Looking up from her work, she raised a brow before smiling at her. "It's a seal, dear. It's very usefu-"

"I know what seals are," she interrupted. She didn't mean to be a brat but her grandmother had a tendency to treat her like a baby and it grated her nerves. She could survive the cheek pinching and the cooing but if someone insulted her intelligence, she would go apeshit crazy. She never understood how much her parents were treating her like a small adult and not a child until now. "What is the purpose of this one?"

Kasa pinched her lips, frowning at her. "It's a seal that diffused perfume. I created it for my husband's mother, she was fond of jewelry and perfume."

Her forehead creased. "Why did you give it to her?"

"It's a custom. You're a bit young to know about that, though."

"Buuuuuut..." Come on, tell me.

She tutted disapprovingly. "Curiosity killed the cat."

"But satisfaction brought it back."

Kasa blinked, clearly surprised before huffing. Nagisa kept fixing her with wide eyes.

"Usually, the man offers a courting gift to the woman he hoped to woo. On the other hand, the woman had to create a seal for the family she wished to marry into."

Nagisa hummed, going over what she had just been told. Interesting... I wonder where Kaa-san courting gift was...

Satisfied, she relaxed against the couch, closing her eyes.

...

Before promptly opening them again as a jewel shone brightly in her peripherical sight.

"Obaa-chan, what are you doing?" This question seemed to brighten her grandmother's face, oddly proud of her interest.

"This, little Nana-chan, is how I gain money. I'm a jewel maker," she puffed her chest out, looking as proud as a peacock. "Do you want to learn?"

Nagisa nodded.

If she liked it enough, it could be a good hobby.


"Does your little one know about the island legend?" asked the same old woman who pranked her with the fruit two years ago. She proposed some rambutans again. Nagisa quickly shook her head, making the adults chuckle. Not today, you nasty Obaasan.

"Not yet, I was thinking of bringing her next week though."

The old woman smiled. "Oh, it'll be my husband's turn."

Her mother smiled back, eyes shimmering. "Wonderful, I've always preferred your husband better."

And they changed the subject after that, gossiping about whoever caught their interest.

She tuned out the rest of the conversation, watching the other stands.


There was another custom on Uzushio: children from ages three to ten were required to come to the cave on the east side of the island to learn about their history through story-telling. They had to hear it at least once but could hear it multiple times if they wished it.

After that, some kind of buffet was held. Smart because the only way to appeal to people was through food nowaday.

At least that was true for her.


The story-telling, it appeared, took place in a half-submerged cave in the cliff. And what a cave…

Safely secured in her mother's laps, Nagisa was eyeing the cave they were in. It was crowded, red hair everywhere: children, women, and men were all sitting on the ground. Nagisa felt small and weak.

It was huge and dark. But not too dark, some sunlight was reflected on the sea giving a greenish color to the walls. Painting, patterns, and symbols she vaguely recognized were inked all over the stone. Crystal strategically placed scattered the light all over, giving it a red, pink, blue or even green hue, creating a patchwork of colored light and ink.

Beautiful, was all she could think, a bit too awed for a child her age.

Now, the Uzumaki were not known for their painting –beautiful calligraphy? Yes. Painting? No.- and there was a reason: they could not draw to save their life. Nagisa couldn't fathom what they tried to represent, even after squinting this way and that. Was it a huge snake? A noodle? A string?

A young man with numerous tattoos neared the scene, ending her musing.

"Welcome everyone!" He opened his arms wide, a warm smile on his face. "You are all gathered here to learn about a legend." Sounds of drums and flute echoed in the cave, gently at first before being louder and louder. "But not any legend, 'tis the story of the mighty Shio-Zuchi-sama, the god of the Ocean, and Benten-hime of the flaming red hair. 'Tis the story of how we came to be."

The young man produced a scroll from the pocket of his pants before throwing it in the middle of the scene.

A burst of chakra.

"Have fun with your story-teller." With a cheeky grin, he winked before disappearing in the cloud of smoke created by the scroll. Another man appeared from it.

The storyteller was quite old, his long hairs were starting to lose their color, some strands were deep dark red while others, more light red and brown. Yet, he moved swiftly, like smooth water, as if age had no impact on him.

But most importantly, he had a huge beard. Like it reached his waist.

She curled her fingers in her mother's dress, patting her round stomach. The little one kicked in answer. She squawked, derailing her thoughts for a second before her eyes fell on the story-teller once again and she had to squash her urge again. She really wanted to pet his beard.

"During a godly feast, where everything was the finest of things, Susanoo-sama challenged Shio-Zuchi-sama to a singing contest. Every other godly beings would act as the jury."

His voice fluctuated, accentuating the tone here, moving there. All to capture the attention of the young ones.

"Shio-Zuchi-sama, proud and slightly tipsy, agreed. Their voices were smooth and clear and powerful and brought tears to the eyes, the magnificence of their songs echoing deep within the gods' chest. After the most magnificent songs were uttered, Susanoo-sama is declared the winner and Shio-Zuchi-sama, ashamed and furious, hid in the deepest cave on the shore and swore to never get out."

Even more awesome: they used seals to create shadows of the gods. It was like watching a shadow theater.

"During his disappearance, his brother, Omotetsu-Wata-Tsu-Mi-sama, the mischievous god of the deep Ocean, who has been waiting for this moment for all this life, takes advantage and steals the abandoned spear, the symbol of Shio-Zuchi-sama's power."

The shadow of a grotesque man was raising a spear over his head like a trophy. It snatched her a laugh. Her mother beamed down, looking oddly pleased.

"In his absence, Omotetsu-Wata-Tsu-Mi-sama is named god of the Ocean and his reign over the deepwater brought only death and despair over the watery world.

'Shio-Zuchi-sama needs to come back' cried the villagers. Yet, no men nor gods manage to bring Shio-Zuchi out of his cave, their voices too weak to reach the god.

Men, dishearten, start to lose hope and give up while the sea which used to be blue and beautiful is now tainted of crimson red."

Dramatic pause. Nagisa couldn't help but hold her breath.

"Everyone? No.

Young, boisterous and fearless princess Benten-hime's faith remained unwavering. In a last attempt, she sang her heart out in front of his cave.

Her voice rolled over the hills and inside the cave in sorrowful waves, swells of power rising up in her throat and reaching her god."

The storyteller smiled, like an old man telling his favorite part.

"Shio-Zuchi-sama, touched in a way he has never been before, felt his heart swelled and being pierced by the feverish disease named love. He fell deeply and truly in love with the young maiden. But as he finally stepped out, his brother, furious that she managed where everyone could not, killed her."

Nagisa sighed. Of course, it had to end like that.

"Upon seeing the body of his lover, Shio-Zuchi-Sama, enraged, wrestled for his rightful power."

The old man raised both hands, a burst of chakra, a big 'bang', drops of salty water fell on them and shouted, "And won!".

Nagisa jumped into Kazashi's chest, startled tears forming in her eyes. Some children shouted, others started crying. Who thought it was a good idea to use an explosion near small children?

"You okay my angelfish?" whispered her mother in her ear.

Nagisa nodded.

"Then mighty Shio-Zuchi-sama, wept over his lover's body, for his love was of the purest love and his ache was the most painful.

And from her blood, seafoam, and his godly tears, a baby with flaming red hair was born. To protect this child, Shio-Zuchi-sama made Awashima-sama, the drifting island, immovable and creates whirlpools around. Finally, before taking his mighty rest, he blesses his child with the ability to crave words and fill them with power.

Thus Awashima-sama becomes Uzushio and the first Uzumaki was born."

Ths shadow theater ended abruptly.

"And from Benten-hime, we got our hair the color of her passion and her strength of heart and from Shio-Zuchi, we got his vitality and physical strength." Kazashi was murmuring the same words, at the same time in her ear. "But do not forget that seafoam was mixed too, for our blood is water and our temper is as unpredictable as the sea."


Never forget that we're children of the sea with stones for bones and the blood of our enemies in our hair.

Our blood is water and the sea is our home.


Months passed, her birthday passed again and her mother's stomach became unbelievably round and the whole household became incredibly jittery. Nowadays, with the due date nearing, her father came back earlier, checking multiple times during the day on her.

It was strangely sweet.

It all changed one cold night. She had been awakened by her mother's scream.

Her water broke.

...

to be continued?


Hey guys ! There we are, Nagisa is on her way to becoming a shinobi! More worldbuilding too, hope you like that.

I'm honestly amazed at myself. I didn't expect to post another chapter so soon, it wasn't supposed to write itself like that but here we are.

Also, I want to thank everyone who favorited, followed and/or commented on this fic. I usually try to respond to everyone (even if it's not in English (google traduction is my friend)). It really helped me write this chapter. However, I must warn ya. I doubt I'll post a new chapter that soon, studies are coming. Yikes...

Ah, the gift... Quite an important one. I really hope I manage to portray two sides of parenting also known as good parenting and bad parenting: one is pushing his expectation on his child while the other is trying to protect them and letting them take their time. But then, not everything is black and white so there'll be good things coming from one and bad from the other.

Concerning her grandmother, the reason why she's seen as a figure for mother's love is mostly that Ashina kinda forced it. Plenty of parents died protecting their offsprings in the past.

Three is really young for a child to start training but if Itachi had the training (kinda) to kill someone at age three, I don't see why Nagisa can't start her own.

And she's slowly showing her true colors too. She's a curious and stubborn child who won't do the thing if she does not understand why.

She's going to be a nightmare to her future superiors. I'm already cackling but you have to wait for three or four chapters, at least, for her to become a full-fledged shinobi.

Also, for the legend, the Shinto Pantheon inspired me, and Benten-hime, Susanno and the other gods are real Japanese gods. (But that does not mean I'm changing the origin of chakra. It's just a legend that shows the Uzumaki in a better, arrogant light. I mean, they say themselves their ancestor is the god of the sea...).

Next chapter will cover her growth from four years old to nine. and its title is "How was my innocent mind supposed to know ?".