Chapter 3 is here !
First of all, I want to thank abciluvpie also known as Deece on Discord for taking the time to beta read me. They did a wonderful job and this chapter wouldn't be as good without them.
You're wonderful Dee :)
Anyway, no special warning for this chapter.
Chapter 3: How my innocent mind was supposed to know?
The arrival of her baby brother took her by surprise. He was due a month later.
That night, the snow embraced Uzushio's shore for the first time in five years.
Nagisa jumped to her feet, tripping over some blankets before crashing into the living room, the cry of her mother still echoing in her eardrums. There, she went right for her shoes, her tiny hands reaching for the strings before she tried to make her fingers dance the way her mother had before.
"The baby!" Kazashi's voice was barely muffled by the wall. She heard a crash before her father sprung from their room, running across the living room to gather clothes and blankets. "Daichi, quick!"
From what she had gathered, giving birth in the Uzumaki clan was usually a fast and tiring affair. It took an hour at least, four at most – she has been an exception making her family wait for more than six hours.
"Tou-san," Nagisa said, raising her arms right as her father skidded in the room, her mother huddled in blankets in his arms. He crouched and she jumped on his back, his chakra gluing her against him. She clutched her mother and they were off.
Kazashi grunted quietly against her father's shoulder, cheeks growing redder and breathing, shallower. The usually happy woman looked strange with a grimace on her face. And Nagisa found that she liked her mother much better with a grin and a content glow.
"Dad. Mom is-" Nagisa choked on her words, her heart beating a heavy staccato near her throat. Kazashi patted her head with a strained smile.
Daichi sped up in answer.
They didn't take the stairs as she expected, as he should have with a pregnant woman and a child. No, her father ran straight and jumped off the cliff.
Nagisa or her Konoha's citizen counterpart had never wondered even once what it felt like to be a rock catapulted from a cliff, they were both pretty content with their feet touching the ground. Now, she knew how it felt.
They were free-falling the next instant.
Holy shi -
Her heart leaped straight into her throat, successfully stopping incoherent screams and screeches from escaping. Tears were ripped from her eyes, eyelids flopping in the cold wind like a pair of glorious flags, before her heart fell in her pelvis the moment they touched a roof. She didn't manage to catch her breath before he was jumping again.
Nagisa clutched at her father with a vicious grip, hoping he would feel a tenth of her discomfort, snuggling his neck with closed eyes, some prayers on the lips. She was pretty sure one of the roofs would cave under them.
They kept hopping down the whole way. They did not, in fact, fall through a roof. Astonishing. Unbelievable.
She tried to take a heavy breath but feared she would throw up the content of her stomach all over her parents. None of her organs was in the correct place. Her stomach had jumped right in her throat at some point and wouldn't come down.
It was the first time she was in the hospital, her father had an affinity for medical jutsu and he usually was the one to treat her small injuries. She had been a bit too busy observing their surroundings and the reddish-brown stones that she missed what the receptionist told them. She didn't have time to listen after either, because they were already striding down a corridor and turning this way and that before a doctor threw a door open for them. They were inside before she could blink.
Her mother was delicately put on the bed and she sat right next to her pillow, stroking her mother's forehead. It was sweaty and really warm but her gesture was greeted with her mother's small smile.
Her father strode out of the room to disappear in the corridor and Nagisa was left frowning. Why would he leave when her mother was going to give birth? That wasn't something you did, especially when your pregnant wife needed you. It left her with a sour taste in the mouth.
She must have been frowning for some time because her mother patted her hand.
"Don't worry about Tou-san, he went searching for Ashina-sama," Kazashi said after a pause, lips twisted in a painful grimace.
"Why?" She asked, partly to satisfy her undying curiosity and partly to distract her mother from the pain.
"It's a… tradition." She groaned, "The clan leader has to be present when a member of his family is born. To greet them."
She should have guessed. It was always about tradition here.
"You're almost fully dilated, Kazashi-san," informed the nurse, sending her an interrogative glance, before continuing, " A bit longer and you can start pushing."
Kazashi grunted, catching her small hand into her sweaty one, "You should wait outside. They should be back soon."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm not sure I'm ready to have my daughter scared of childbirth." Kazashi brought her tiny hand to her face, kissing it, "I would like grandchildren."
Nagisa nodded slowly, feeling queasy hearing about children already, "Okay, take care."
Three hours passed before a newborn's cry graced her ear.
And what a wail: loud enough to be heard from the corridor and high-pitched enough to shake her out of her slumber. Her grandfather's chest was quite comfortable, but she turned sheepish once she spotted drools staining his shirt, discreetly rubbing it off.
The man himself commented on it. "Hear that roar, Daichi? A fine set of lungs!"
Her father nodded, eyes shining.
Ashina-oji carried her inside and settled her against her mother's heaving chest where a small bundle of tears and screams was curled.
She had been wrong before when she thought her mother couldn't look happier than when she announced her pregnancy. It was nothing compared to her having her baby in her arms. Tired and in pain was all she could think when she first looked at her mother. Her mouth was set in a grimace, eyes closing a bit too long, and sweat drenching her hair almost black. Her mouth didn't convey the emotion but her eyes did. There was a brightness in there and with the tears slowly accumulating, they looked like stars. Kazashi was radiating pure unaltered happiness.
"It's a boy," she breathed out, a trembling finger pushing the cover away to show a red, tiny and wrinkly human.
Ashina-oji carefully took him, taking a good look at his, for now, ugly face. "And what shall he be named?"
"We thought about Hayase for a boy-" Her father started, he faltered at her mother's frown. "What is it?"
Kazashi stroked her little brother's cheek with the back of her hand.
"It is a good name, our little shore and our little waterfall." Her mother turned her face to the window, and her pensive smile turned into a grin as small diamonds, swirling and dancing with the wind, were falling from the sky. "But... Yukio. Uzumaki Yukio. What do you say about it?"
Her little brother was here. Yukio. Snow boy.
Nagisa huffed a bit. So they were going to throw away the perfectly good name she found for very cold water. Tch.
Daichi nodded his approval, eyes shining with tears, and Ashina-oji raised her little brother for everyone to see.
"Welcome, Uzumaki Yukio. May you strengthen the clan." He said, before giving the small bundle to her father, kissing her mother's hand and congratulating her on her ability to birth strong children –that's what he said, she didn't invent that one - before bending to kiss her forehead. Nagisa managed to catch a stray hair bead, caressing the smooth surface before letting go. Ashina-oji chuckled a bit before he left, leaving only her family inside.
The corners of her father's mouth stirred into a wide smile and one tear rolled down his cheek.
Her father was crying.
Nagisa held her breath, watching without really believing the last person she ever expected to see cry. She may as well have turned into stone, stunned as she was. She wasn't even sure she breathed. She never knew he could do that. Crying, being emotional, that kind of stuff. It was a foreign notion that never fit him well, she never associated him with it.
She knew he cared, in his own way. He was the one to always treat her injuries, he sometimes awkwardly showed his caring side through pats and forehead kisses but they were few and far between and even then lacked warmth.
A blotchy red face interrupted her musings. Her father was presenting her Yukio in all his glory.
Yukio... Nagisa wouldn't forget about that one. She poured a lot of thoughts into his name. Maybe the name came to her as she was watching children diving from the top of the waterfall. Still, to throw away a perfectly good name for one found in the heat of the moment... Nagisa pinched her lips. Still, she guessed, the theme was respected.
Her baby brother was ugly and weird. A head too big for his body, he was only vaguely human-shaped with no teeth and a scream that made her want to go deaf.
"Nagisa-chan, say hello to your little brother."
"Hi!" And yet, her voice turned breathless on its own accord.
Yukio had big red fleshy cheeks that begged to be poked and Nagisa was never one to resist her urges well. She poked him and deep blue eyes gazed back at her.
It felt like time stopped. His eyes were a carbon copy of her mother's but with something more. Something small and bright and fragile, like the light of a candle that flickers with every burst of wind. Something so pure and naïve that awake something deeply primal inside her.
Her breath hitched.
There was innocence in them, and during that small amount of time, she swore to protect it.
It was at this exact moment that Nagisa knew she fell in love with him.
So, this is what precious means?
How strange...
I never expected to ever feel that.
While the Uchiha fall in love deeply and wholly, the Uzumaki fall quick and hard. Nagisa was no exception.
One couldn't be more enamored with their little brother than she was. Well, except when he woke her up: she couldn't love much when sleep deprived.
Laid belly first on the couch, Nagisa was watching him like a hawk.
He had a turf of red hair with squishy cheeks and blue eyes with golden specks hidden behind closed eyelids. Her fingers tingled with the need to squish them. She bit her hand to contain herself. Her little brother was so cute! Even as a tiny bag of flesh, he stole her breath away.
Yukio snored softly, his tiny hand curled around her finger. Nagisa clutched her chest. Even his soft snores are cute.
"You can blink, you know. He won't disappear." Her mother laughed from somewhere inside the kitchen. Nagisa hummed in answer, blinking before taking her eyes off of him, searching for her mother.
It was strange. She had been used to feeling only two chakras. Feeling a third one inside really threw her off the first few weeks. It was like hearing a mosquito flying near your ear but in her mind. Frustrating but it was slowly getting better.
His chakra presence was just like him, tiny and just like her father, a small puddle that rippled during his outbursts.
Nagisa frowned and jumped on her feet when she noticed her mother putting her shoes on.
"Where are we going, Kaa-san?" Kazashi raised her eyes.
"We? My little angelfish is turning into a leech, I see." She teased, a small smile erupting once she noticed Nagisa pouting, cheeks reddening.
"You remind me of your father acting like that."
Nagisa gasped, as if mortally wounded. "I'm not!"
Daichi and she were complete opposites. He was mostly emotionless and too in control while she was lively and free.
Kazashi rolled her eyes, rubbing a hand over a tired face before she pinched the little girl's cheek. "Don't be like that. Your father is not bad."
The little girl huffed, crossing her arms, and watched as her brother woke up, brought his fist to his mouth before falling asleep again. "I'm much cuter."
"Aye, aye. Of course, you are. Now, put on your coat and your shoes."
Nagisa bounced off, putting her coat upside down in her hurry and stumbling on her shoes. "Where are we going?"
"We are going to baptize Yukio. He has to meet Shio-Zuchi-sama after all."
Nagisa froze. Uhh? Baptize? Meet our god, Shio-Zuchi-sama... Isn't that supposed to happen when you die?
Her face lost all of her colors. Are we going to kill my little brother?
Faced with her put-off expression, Kazashi sighed. "Just what are you imagining... Come, you will see." She presented her hand, huddling Yukio close to her chest.
Sounds suspicious... Still, her mother was nothing short of loving and she never put them into harm's way. There was no way she would hurt them.
Taking her mother's hand, the three were off.
Nagisa was happily humming to herself, skipping from cobblestone to cobblestone under the laughing gaze of her mother until realization hit her like a thunderbolt.
To baptize him they needed to get to the old temple which was on the shore, which meant stairs.
Ugh. We meet again. She thought darkly. She hated them with a passion and let everyone know about it as she scowled and whined all the way down. She swore her mother snickered but when she turned her head to catch her, her face was the epitome of calmness.
Nagisa squinted suspiciously.
"Was I baptized?" She finally asked the question burning her lips for a few minutes.
"Yes," Nagisa's eyebrows shoot into her hairline, she certainly didn't remember that, "You were asleep the whole time though. You cried the whole night before."
Nagisa smiled sheepishly.
She couldn't say she wasn't feeling guilty but she wasn't feeling entirely apologetic either. Babies could only handle complex emotions through crying and it wasn't her fault she was born different. - Well, technically, it was but she preferred ignoring it. -
The temple, situated near the sea was similar to a lot of Uzushio's buildings, as in big and made of stone with arches and pillars. However, there was a splendor to it that no other building had. Perhaps it was in the way the sand contrasted with the blackness of the rocks. Or in how the light reflected by the sea would draw moving patterns on the wall with each wave. It could even be the sweet scent of sea salt and incense that floated by.
A priestess - serene face, white kimono with koi pattern - greeted them.
"Uzumaki-sama, we were waiting for you," she showed them the way with one of her covered hands, "Everything is in order. We can proceed whenever you want."
Kazashi nodded and they were led inside.
Once inside, they were asked to leave their shoes at the entrance. Nagisa was confused just for a moment.
As they walked inside another room with black rocks, gold, wood, and stained glasses creating a patchwork of colors, it dawned on her. The floor was covered in water. The air felt suffocating: too damp and too warm, her clothes uncomfortably clung to her. She wiped the bead of sweat forming on her forehead, pushing her hair out of her face with a click of her tongue. She was surprised her little brother wasn't crying.
The water, on the other hand, was freezing, curling and splashing around her mid calves. She winced, goosebumps breaking out on her skin and chills running up and down her back.
In the middle of the room, an old woman - gold and white kimono and some kind of a hat - was waiting for them with some altar behind her.
"Nagisa, keep your head down in presence of the high priestess." Her mother whispered as she bowed to the woman before handing Yukio. Nagisa nodded good-naturedly and imitated her mother. They knelt in front.
The old woman started chanting something but Nagisa was far too busy observing the room. They were surrounded by water; it was running down the walls, immersing the floor which was not a floor but more an immersed bridge in the middle of a pool.
Below the ruffled water surface were shadows: of medium size, darts of silver and red that would catch the light, yet fast. They moved gracefully, dancing in the water as easily as if it was air and Nagisa wondered: Had I been born in the oceans with fins for limbs, would I have noticed the water surrounding me? Then it would have been her air and she would have moved within it more easily than a bird in the sky-
Tiny droplets of water smashed into her face. She blinked in surprise, frowning at the woman standing in front of her, catching a glimpse of her face before her mother pushed her head down once more.
Still, in the split second she had gazed at the older woman, she swore the corners of her lips wobbled in a grimace as she waved a simple wooden wand to which paper streamers emitting water – sealed paper streamers to be precise.
The next thing she knew the old woman dunked her brother into the pool.
…
Okay, so maybe she didn't dunk him per se but in the end, he was still drowning and-
Her response was almost immediate. Chakra flaring like a siren, Nagisa jumped on her feet with a shout, ready to jump in after him. Someone caught her arm and tugged on it, jerking her back. Lips showing her teeth in a none too friendly manner, she almost snarled.
"Nagisa, enough!" Her mother warned.
"But-"
The disapproving face of her mother stopped her.
Her little brother broke through the surface of the water the next second, crying and coughing, supported by fishes. Koi if she wanted to be specific. Big Koi that should not be living in freezing water if her bewildered mind that couldn't proceed with what she was seeing wanted to be specific. Summons, finally provided her brain after she froze for a minute.
That certainly did cool her down. Only for a few seconds though, because her temper rose the stronger his wailing was.
The old priestess took him back in her arms and Nagisa had a hard time stifling her urges to snatch him away, fighting against her mother's grip. Her mother forcefully sat her down, deeply bowing to the priestess.
"Please forgive her, Himiko-sama, she meant no harm. She simply was startled. I should have explained to her before."
Nagisa watched the woman who gave birth to her aghast, neither believing her eyes nor her ears.
"You should have or maybe it was Shio-Zuchi-sama's test for this small thing. Then, she obviously failed."
Nagisa gritted her teeth, her nails digging into the meat of her palm as she murdered the woman ten times in her head. She stayed knelt for the rest of the ceremony.
She was livid by the time the ceremony ended. The priestess didn't drown Yukio once but twice and perhaps she was overreacting but one of the only things that she could call hers - her little brother- was being mistreated like that - he was crying for fuck's sake! - and her mother didn't react at all.
Yukio was still sobbing in her mother's kimono, his pitiful hiccups breaking her heart.
She should not have felt the burn of betrayal in her throat. Her mother knew best and it was rationally not dangerous for Yukio.
But she did.
She had the whole week off as Yakihiro-sensei had a family thing to do.
She low-key believed he was getting married and he didn't invite his favorite student of all time, his words not hers… Right, maybe he didn't phrase it like that but that was what Nagisa heard. Anyway, she was sure she wasn't invited because she would have stolen the spotlight, she was the epitome of charisma after all.
…
His constant sarcasm was getting to her.
And as such, her mother believed it was the perfect time for Yukio and her to do some bonding. Nagisa had to blink at that. Yukio and she were sleeping in the same room. He was waking her at least two times every damn night, and if it wasn't for her unwavering love, she would have tossed him through the window. And her mother wanted them to bond more?
Kazashi was out of the house before she could open her mouth. Her mouth fell into a straight line, watching her little brother from the corner of her eyes.
"Uhh… Looks like babysitting duty is on me, little one." Yukio whined at that, "Come on, I'm not that bad and you should respect your big sister a bit more."
Something was going on if her mother needed a break that badly. Couldn't she have taken Yukio and her with her?
She frowned.
It wasn't like she had things to do. But taking care of her baby brother was a bit much for her. What if he cried? What if something happened while she looked somewhere else? What it he fell? He was a baby. He was fragile and innocent. Her father wouldn't be able to come here in time if his life was threatened and Nagisa wouldn't be able to carry him to the hospital fast enough.
Looking outside the window, she watched small snowflakes fall from a grey sky. The usual vivid colors of Uzushio she was so fond of, dull and lacking. Going outside was a big no. Perhaps that was why her mother left them behind?
Yukio tried to grab a strand of her hair, grazing a few with his saliva-coated chubby fingers before fisting the blanket he was on. As he was now, Nagisa could only compared him to a bug on his back, pedaling on the air to try to turn on his front. His head was too heavy. She poked his cheek with a smile, he gurgled happily.
Cute.
An unsettling theory caught her off guard and sent her into a maelstrom of thought and each time she tried to dismiss it, scoffing at her own stupid ideas, her mind kept going back to it.
"Listen, if you can understand me or you are an adult trapped in a baby body blinks three times."
A very awkward silence with no blinks answered her.
Ah. That's right. Nagisa stared at her fingers, watching as she fumbled with the strings on his blanket. She swallowed a sigh, shaking her head. "What am I doing? Talking to a baby like he can understand me."
Her smile faded slightly. "What was I expecting?"
There isn't anyone like me.
A sad pang vibrated in her chest, hitting all the right spots. It wasn't homesickness. How could she be sick of something she never had to begin with? It was a mix between the ache of losing the meager things she managed to save and simply the feeling of being alone.
She didn't remember the details but she knew that at one point when she was Maria, she had hoped Uzushio was never destroyed. Her life would have been so much simpler. She would have had a family and friends and she wouldn't have lacked of anything. She would have been happy. But now, she was in Uzushio and she had a family. But... she couldn't connect to anyone - except, maybe, her mother. Because she was not just Nagisa, she knew things that could- would happen. But she was not just Maria anymore either.
She was…
Who was she now?
Yukio gurgled again, trying to regain her attention and unknowingly stopping her train of thought from slowly spiraling out of control and going into that deep dark sea.
"Well, let's take care of you."
It took her two hours to get bored. Her mother was still not back and it was growing dangerously near his feeding time. She did not want to hear his ear-piercing temper-tantrum precursor screams. She already got her fair share.
She was still working on her calligraphy when the first sign of the end appeared.
Her brother's chakra rippled. Small waves at first, barely felt and easily dismissed but it grew in intensity over time until it smashed into her with a vengeance. She couldn't pretend anymore.
Sweat rolled down her neck. Oh no.
But what was she supposed to do? Give him food? Absolutely not, she couldn't trust him to not choke on anything and he was still breastfeeding anyway. A toy? Perhaps, after all, hunger can be easily forgotten when one is entertained.
His chakra stretched and thinned and- Please don't snap, please don't snap, please don't -
Nodding to herself, she quickly fetched a toy - a small fish doll - before moving it this way and that in front of his eyes. It worked... for six minutes. He threw the toy back in her face, growing angrier by the second. Nagisa tried to catch his attention, moving her hands this way and that. It proved to be as effective as a bucket of water on a blazzing forest fire.
His chakra snapped.
Yukio hiccupped, wiggling on his blanket before small whines became full high-pitched cries.
His serenade started.
All hell broke loose.
Nagisa was running like a headless chicken in the whole house, showing him things that may catch his attention and trying her hardest to please him when Kazashi opened the door, a few minutes later. She gladly left him in her care, hiding in her room so her ears would stop ringing. She only came out once she was sure he wouldn't cry anymore.
"What's with that face, angelfish?" asked Kazashi, one breast out for Yukio to suck on.
The little girl frowned some more, turning her face away in a stubborn show of unhappiness before she cracked.
"Where were you? You were gone for sooooo long," She threw her hands up, making brusque movement as if it would convey her point more easily. "Why not bring us with you?"
Her mother chuckled, affectionately stroking Yukio's head with a fond glint in her eyes. She winced, murmuring something under her breath when he bit her nipple.
"It's your father's birthday tonight, I bought him a gift."
Nagisa could give her that.
"But why not bring us with you then?" She tried again.
"You spoiled us, angelfish. You were quieter and far more disciplined than Yukio, so taking you with me was easy but now..."
She didn't end her sentence but Nagisa got the gist of it, and she understood that point too.
I love you Yukio, I really do, but you are too needy. She thought, warm eyes watching him.
"So why not bringing us to grandma?"
Kazashi laughed through her nose. "Your selflessness is impressive, Nagisa. To think you would willingly go back to your grandma after the tantrum you threw last time. Something about horrible kimonos forced upon you, ring any bell?"
Her cheeks burned red as she shrivelled on herself. Well, it was true that she raged but only because her grandmother forced her into clothes she didn't want to put on. She wasn't a doll! "The kimonos were horrible and itchy and uncomfortable."
"Of course, they were~ But ultimately, it's because I trust you Nagisa." The woman bent down to her level, patting her hair with soft eyes and a beautiful smile. "I know you will take good care of him."
She sucked her teeth in, lowering her face until her burning cheeks were hidden behind her hair. She suddenly felt shy and uncomfortable as a flower of warmth bloomed in her chest.
Still, that didn't change the fact that her mother left her alone with her baby brother and anything could have happened or that she suffered from his cries. Again.
She wasn't going to throw a temper tantrum like she had thought about half-heartedly but she would have her small revenge regardless.
And tonight's setting would be perfect.
It was after the birthday song that she released her trap.
"Kaa-san, the babies. How are they made?"
The reactions were immediate. Her father spat his food, choking and her mother turned bright red, eyes the double of their size. And Nagisa... She was laughing gleefully in her head, struggling to keep her composure.
Tilting her head, she opened wide eyes, appearing confused and innocent because-
How is my innocent mind supposed to know?
Not much happened in the next two years, her days were spent the same way.
Her schedule was evenly split so she was busy all day.
Dance lessons took her whole morning and she had gotten so good at this, she was even ahead. Calligraphy lessons with her mother were next in line; the seiza position was a pain to keep, but she was learning many styles! Who would have thought that holding the brush at a different point could change so much. Maria hadn't been taught that, only the most adequate position.
Then endurance training at the end of the day, which was really just running on the beach with someone.
Her evenings were spent with her brother, usually she was reading stories or teaching hiragana if her mother asked. The good old meditation was her last task and she did it while laying in bed as it actually helped her falling asleep.
But this year was different, she could feel some nervous energy shaking her bones and tickling her muscles, screaming at her that change was coming. It gripped her gut and wrenched apathy aside, forcing her to always put a step in front of the other. It was a strange feeling, being sure of something with no proof.
Except, not exactly.
She knew one thing: Yesterday was her birthday, she was six years old.
And that meant she would start her shinobi training.
Seated in front of Yakihiro-sensei, Nagisa waited for him to say something, a hopeful smile on her face.
"Will you stop bouncing?" He growled, not even looking up from the scroll he was writing on.
Her smile fell a bit. That was not what she expected but she would not let his bad mood affect her.
"Did you become blind during the night, Sensei?" Nagisa teased, "I'm sitting right in front of you, not bouncing."
An annoyed look crossed his feature, twisting his red lips - he had lips women would kill for - into a grimace. "Your chakra is all over the place, it's pissing me off."
Nagisa stared.
"You're awfully on edge today, is it because I'm leaving the nest?"
He looked up, eyebrows raised. His eyes widened a bit, mouth slightly opened before his face settled for smugness. Nagisa did not like it one bit.
"How can you leave the nest when you can't even fly? You have shaky wings, barely able to keep you from falling. So no, I'm not worried about that."
Ah... What?
"Wait does that mean..."
"I'll be the one teaching you katas. Now if you could shut your mouth, I need to finish the report."
There was no heat behind his words so she didn't take it to heart but he wasn't jesting either. If he was in such a mood, she wasn't going to be his punching ball.
She rose and turned on her heels.
"What are you doing?"
She stopped, not even turning around. "I'm going for a walk. You can join me once you've ditched that attitude."
She left.
The beach felt nice, the water was a bit cold but it didn't stop her from enjoying it. She had been walking for a good hour now, her calves were starting to burn but she pushed past it.
Soon, the beach would leave space for leaf-strewn and half-cracked cobblestone streets and old abandoned buildings ranging from small cottages to large estates: The historic part of the island, where the very first Uzumaki lived before their megalomania forced them to settle for the very top of the highest mountains they could find. And for that, they decided that the worthiest would take the higher ground while the peasant took the rest. That way they would be the first to get butchered.
Oak and pine trees lined the streets, acting as bodyguards against the sun and singing wistful songs with the wind. When the leaves all turned orange and gold in the fall, it was the most beautiful sight. When they all looked dead in the winter, it was the creepiest.
Here, time moved slower. Everything was quiet, muted almost. It was the perfect setting to take a step back and simply breathe, regaining her balance. And being alone made it just twice as effective. She just felt in tune with herself and everything that she forced herself to deny -her reincarnation, herself- everything related to her could come back full force at the front of her mind without getting automatically repressed.
She had time for it, after all, she could deal with it. Or so that was what she told herself.
Today was not a good day.
She didn't like being berated, true, but that wasn't the reason today.
The day after her birthday always felt off, like a part of the island was not the same. She couldn't really describe it but if she had to it would be something like a shift in the energy entwined within the island, like the small tendrils of chakra that reached for her were filled with... sorrow. As if a part of the island was grieving. It felt strange, different, and not in a good way.
She didn't like it.
Strolling through the street and humming to herself, Nagisa kept walking forward. After the old broken fountain, she would reach the forest and just before that, the river. She could probably take a swim, cooling her head before going back to Yakihiro-sensei.
That was what she assumed she would do but the back of someone fishing in that very river stopped her.
This chakra is familiar. Nagisa frowned, debating if she should continue on or leave.
There was no indication of acknowledgment, that he was even aware of her presence but the other person chose for her: he patted the ground next to him before saying: "Nagisa-chan, come here."
With cautious steps, she approached. "Oji? What are you doing here? I thought you were busy with your Ho-... Eddy-leader things."
A long-suffering sigh escaped from his lips at the mention of all the papers accumulating on his desk. "Not today. You're a bit far from the communal part, don't you think?"
Nagisa simply shrugged. "I like exploring."
Ashina looked tired, more than usual. His face was still the same, a long white beard, an old sun-kissed skin marred with brown specks and wrinkles but his eyes, old and wise that sparkled with something, seemed dull. There was no glow.
"Oji?"
He hummed in answer.
"Why is the island grieving today?"
If anyone would know the answer, it would be him.
He looked vaguely surprised before he chuckled, unamused and bitter. "I shouldn't be surprised you managed to see that, you're like my firstborn."
She tilted her head.
"A prodigy." He added for her sake.
A prodigy? Her? Not really, Maria had been good with fuinjutsu, but not enough to be called a prodigy. She was just... older.
"Twenty years ago on this very day, the island had been invaded by a mercenary clan, the Yohei. It was before the barrier unit implementation, mind you. A day with no mercy. The earth drank blood and tears, " He sighed, looking at the sun, "and everyone lost someone. Your grandmother died that day just like the husband of Kasa-san."
Ah.
She scooted closer to her grandfather and curled into his side. She wasn't good with situations like that, she never knew what to say to comfort. She was only good at putting her foot in her mouth.
Would saying sorry be appropriated? It was a long time ago and it wouldn't do anything but-
"I'm sorry."
Perhaps it would help.
He put an arm around her, tightening his grip before letting go again.
"It was a long time ago, but thank you."
They basked in silence and sunlight together. It was nice, she was at ease.
"Do you want to learn?" He asked her after some time.
"Hm?"
"Fishing. Do you want to learn?"
The answer was obvious, she nodded.
Nagisa was a strange child.
"Grandma, what was she like?" An innocent question asked by a curious child was all he could think about.
She looked at him with bright wide eyes that always looked at her surroundings with a kind of wonder non-natives had. She always asked questions a grown-up would and was astute enough to back down should she cross a line.
Sometimes, when the deep scar of her death heaved his heart, he couldn't bear looking at that child. From their stubbornness to their mole, they shared many similarities. Kindred spirits in a way that made him believe that if there was some divine being up here, he had to have a really fucked-up humor.
His wife would have loved Nagisa. They shared the same love for scholarly subjects and that same uncontainable curiosity… But she wasn't there anymore, so he would have to love her for both of them.
The irony of the situation wasn't lost to him and it left a bitter taste, for Nagisa's father was the son Honoka had died for.
He gazed into her green eyes - green like her father and him - and sighed.
"Always curious and never satisfied." A smile that slightly fell. "That streak of stubbornness is strong in every Uzumaki woman and particularly in your grandmother. In that way, you are a lot like her."
Nagisa smiled into that particular way of her, a bit sad, a bit melancholic, and a bit too wise.
There was potential in her, though. He could see a path that would bloom in a bright future if only he placed his pieces carefully. Shogi had never been his forte, it was more Honoka's thing; she was the strategist to his fighter, but he would give his best this time. For the sake of the clan and his family.
"One time, she looked at an enemy ready to cut her down dead in the eyes and told him: 'I won't die today.'" He scoffed at the memory, watching her reaction from the corner of his eyes. "I think that the day I fell in love with her."
The corners of her eyes crinkled as she stared at her fingers, rubbing them together mindlessly. Then, she rose her head to gaze at him thoughtfully. From her slightly furrowed brow and her pursed lips to the glint in her eyes, everything screamed that her next question would be a hard one.
"You said "strong stubbornness like in every Uzumaki" but what makes an Uzumaki an Uzumaki?" She tilted her head again, curling her hair in a tight ringlet around her finger. "Is it our red hair or our use of seals?"
Nagisa really was a strange child. She could ask deep philosophical questions that threw him off just as she could ask the evidence. Mature yet innocent and only peripherally aware of her surrounding. A true wonder of nature.
"Our lineage isn't defined by such triffle things such as hair color, despite our pride in it," Ashina started, pausing to mull a bit longer on his thoughts. "And while fuinjutsu is our pride and greatest asset, it isn't a kekkei genkai and not every fuinjustu master is an Uzumaki-" He sounded bitter, even to his ears. "-so neither the hair nor fuinjutsu. An easy answer would be our life force and our strength but there is another clan - a sister clan, the Senju, have you heard of them? - with whom we share these characteristics."
He shook his head, scratching his beard for a bit before nodding to himself. "No, what makes an Uzumaki an Uzumaki is that we live true."
"What?" Nagisa blinked her confusion, frowning as she leant back on her hands. "What does it mean?"
Ashina's smile was teetering on the fine line of between a mysterious smile and a grin. "Whatever you want it to mean."
"But-"
He tutted his disapproval. "Find your answer yourself."
She closed her mouth with a huff. Her brows furrowed and she looked as if she had been wronged before searching the sky for an answer.
She was still just a child, and he would let her grow at her own pace before he tried to chisel her. Patience and time were the keys to polish this diamond in the rough.
"Good morning, Nagisa-san!"
Nagisa blinked. She had never expected to receive such a warming welcome early in the morning. The blond little girl smiled sweetly, scrunching her nose. It was too early to be that happy. It kinda pissed her off.
"I'm Senka, daughter of the Kujira's clan leader."
It was the fifth time this week that something like that happened. One time she even got a bento offered - fried fish and rice balls - and she had no idea why.
And just like the four other times, she gaped stupidly at her, scraping her brain to find a good comeback only to remain dumbstruck. It would soon turn awkward. Thankfully, her fuinjutsu teacher opened the sliding door, saving her from her own awkwardness. She jumped in her seat, unusually eager to start the lesson.
Please don't let them talk to me again, I'll stutter and make a fool of myself.
She sweated profusely every time someone crossed her gaze.
"Kaa-san?"
"Hm?"
"Why do they keep coming to me?"
A sigh. "I'm sure you know how important you are for this island. They are trying to create connections through you."
"Oh... I see."
Nagisa wisely ignored how her heart throbbed and focused on playing with her baby brother.
Hope was the worst.
Yakihiro-sensei and she didn't talk about what happened the day before. He ignored it and she was content following his lead.
The Uzumaki's katas were all about balance, control, and swiftness. To strike first, once and true.
They used a lot of whirls and kicks and sometimes, whirling kicks. Always moving, never static.
What made an efficient taijutsu user was also what made a good fuinjutsu user: their ability to predict. A good fuinjutsu user cannot go into a battle unprepared, they had to hazard a guess over what could happen and act on it, creating seals before the fight. Over a shorter period, a taijutsu user was the same: predicting the enemy's next move and reacting to it were the core components of a fast victory.
Beyond the katas, Nagisa was learning to read someone's body, to foretell. And it was hard.
It really was the small details that betrayed the intention, the imperceptible change in the centre of gravity, the flinch of a muscle. Analyze everything and act accordingly.
Now, fights were too fast-paced to analyze and Nagisa couldn't react. That was why she would be beaten to a pulp for the next few years, going over each possible scenario and drilling them into every cell of her body until it became instinctive.
"Oof."
On her side, Nagisa was panting, cheek against the sand, eyeing with distaste the red blotch of her blood on the sand. He hit her hard this time.
Yakihiro-sensei crouched down.
"Get up."
Her body tensed, she tried to move her legs. It hurt so bad.
"I can't." She was so tired and in pain.
"Get. Up."
"I can't!"
"Nagisa. I said get up."
"I CAN'T!" She bit back a sob, eyes watering.
Something passed on his face, a flickering of emotion that she could not decipher before he sighed.
"Very well, take a break, do the katas once more and the session will be over."
She nodded.
"Why do you push me so hard?"
"The Uzumaki have enemies. A lot of them. And they won't wait for you to catch up. So grit your teeth, clench your fist and get up. If you want to survive, you have to endure."
It was two months into her training that she realized something. The katas were familiar, incredibly familiar.
First kata: Right leg thrown up, behind into a roundhouse, high kick.
She exhaled loudly.
Second kata: Step forward, punch, forearms protecting the face, evade left, bring back the foot behind.
The sequences were too familiar. She knew it from somewhere.
Third kata: fall on knees, roll into a crouch, move into a handstand and end in a back bridge.
Wait... If you add a swirl here and some moves there, it's...
She eyed Yakihiro-sensei, unamused. That little-
He raised an eyebrow.
"Improve my flexibility and agility, right?" She deadpanned, rolling on her feet. "You could also have told me they were the dances without the fancy moves."
Yakihiro snorted. "And what, miss an opportunity to mess with you? Your reactions are too funny for that."
The nerve... Asshole.
Her being six years old also entailed that she would start her training in every field. That is to say, in fuinjutsu but also in every other thing a noblewoman was supposed to know. Like the infamous tea ceremony.
It was a ceremonial way of preparing and drinking green tea typically in a traditional tea room with tatami floor and Nagisa was pretty sure the room she was in was the only room with tatami on the whole island. Beyond just serving and receiving tea, one of the main purposes of this ceremony was for the guests to enjoy the hospitality of the host in an atmosphere distinct from the fast pace of everyday life. Which meant the best moment to show off your wealth and rub it in the face of everyone.
The art of the tea ceremony was subtle and Nagisa hated it. There were too many rules: a dress code -no jewelry, no strong perfume, no gaudy fashion, a beautiful kimono but not too beautiful-, the whole preparation of the tea - tea whisk, tea container for the powder green tea, tea scoop, tea bowl, sweets container, and the kettle and brazier. Each piece of equipment was carefully selected according to circumstance and had its specific place, which meant you had to know all of that too- and of course, you couldn't pour it and drink it like that. Your body had to respect some angle and distance and-
She was making a mess again.
Honoka-sensei -a tall woman with an angel face, brown hair and a body to die for- eyed her distastefully, she clipped her fan back in one hand.
"What did you do wrong this time?" She asked in that haughty voice of hers.
"I have no idea."
And she really did.
Being a proper noblewoman also implied learning music, koto and shamisen, but because of an incident she would prefer to forget, she had been banned from the music room.
Now, some little girls were calling her the Shamisen Broker.
Nagisa loved fuinjutsu, really, but she had been put in a class with too many six or seven years olds who didn't know kanji that well and it was boring.
Careful now, she didn't know every kanji - and that was probably why she was here in the first place - because Maria's grandmother had been focusing more on the basics, the most useful, the ones she would use in every situation. So she didn't know them all but if Nagisa had to estimate, she knew at least two-thirds of them.
That alone, put her ten steps ahead.
She also knew most symbolism: the circle for a cycle, the square for stability -while the triangle is also a sign of stability, the square will always be stronger-, the spiral was usually used to design a sequence, straight lines for power and so on and so forth.
Finally, she understood a good portion of physics, the core of fuinjutsu.
It was at the end of a lesson that Nagisa-sensei -unfortunately, her name was quite common- asked to see her privately.
She knocked at the door, waiting for approval before entering. She bowed to her.
"Sensei, you wanted to see me?"
"Ah, Nagisa-chan," the blond woman grinned at her, "Please, take a seat."
She looked at her curiously. Nagisa-sensei was pretty in the most conventional way, a proportionate face with a cute nose and big black eyes. Except she had gills on each side of her neck, and she was from the Daiba clan, the pearl divers clan, which may or may not explain things.
"I wanted to talk about your notes."
Nagisa straightened in alarm. "Something wrong with them?"
"No," she smiled softly, "Quite the contrary. Your scores are perfect as always."
Nagisa tilted her head. "So, what's the problem?"
"People call you a prodigy," Sensei continued before she could interrupt her. "And you are a prodigy, it's true… I won't hold you back anymore. That's why I contacted a tutor on your behalf. I mean, if you want to! Of course, no one is forcing you, just that it would be a pity to prevent you from reaching your full potential."
"I see. Thank you Sensei, I'll think about it."
"Of course, of course!"
She already knew her answer the moment she walked out of the door.
At seven years old, Nagisa finally managed to meet all of her family: the youngest, the wandering sister, was back home.
It didn't take much for the two to meet. Whether it was fate or something else, Nagisa and Rina were drawn together.
She was visiting Ashina-oji when she bumped into the woman.
Nagisa felt it, the exact moment she laid her eyes on Rina, on her tattooed face, on her scarred arms, and her strong body, that this woman was far beyond anyone's reach. She was like the sun and smelt like it - a strong scent that was endearing to her nose.
Their meeting was like a spark, blinding and brief, and forever burned into her memory.
Nagisa bumped into her at the corner of a corridor. Her eyes flashed to hers, green and vibrant with life. She frowned for a second, lips drawn tight and she almost swallowed the scar on her lips before her face relaxed.
"Who are you, pup?" She asked, voice sweet and raucous. "What are you doing here? I didn't know the Lighthouse was turned into a nursery."
Nagisa had to blink at that before frowning. There was some heaviness in the air that tried to subdue her, she shook it off.
Nagisa held her chin high, a challenge in her eyes. "I'm Nagisa, Oji's granddaughter and I'm seven years old, not a baby."
The woman burst into laughter, the humor lit up her face displaying a softness initially hidden under layers of years and the aftermath of a shinobi's life.
"Really? But you're so small~ Could have fooled me." She patted her head, "I'm Rina and you're one of Daiki's brats, correct?".
Nagisa gaped at her, the expression bringing out childish surprise while erasing her previous seriousness.
"You looked like him." and Rina walked away.
Nagisa was left behind, gaping and still uncertain if she should take offense or not.
Nagisa became infatuated with Rina, as much as one could get with their aunt.
She was good and she told the best stories.
Yukio was three years old when he started expressing an interest in learning how to tie his shoes because he wanted to be 'a big boy like her'. Her mother softly explained the difference between boys and girls but the concept was lost to him. Nagisa was too weak to refuse him.
The boy almost docked her in the face with his foot when he offered her his foot, the strings wiggling as he balanced on one foot. "Big sis, show!"
The little girl in question smiled, a hand gripping her shirt over her fluttering heart. Yukio was too cute for her own good.
"Sit!" Nagisa patted the stairs, inviting him next to her. Yukio took back his foot and eagerly hopped closer, sitting right next to her. He was beaming so hard it overshaded the sun. "Alright, I will show you once and then talk you through it."
Nagisa patiently waited for her brother to nod before she took the two strings. "The first thing is to keep them straight and nice, like two algae, and then you make a knot. It's the story of two algae, one male, " she shook her right hand, "and one female. So, the two algae meet, create a little cave together before the male enters the cave, and pull! You've made the algae's cave. Then you make two fishes and tie them in another knot." Yukio nodded, eyes avidly trained on the two hoops.
"And now, we sing Mom's song: over, under, around, through and pull. You've tied them in a friendship loop."
Yukio laughed and clapped his hands in delight, chanting "Again, again, again! Make the fishes again!"
"Nah, it's your turn now. You're going to learn how to make the fishes."
With ease, Nagisa untied his shoe and gave him the two strings. "So, what do we do first?"
"The fishes!"
"No!" The girl immediately answered. Yukio frowned, pouting and mumbling that he really wanted to do the fishes, "did you really listen to me? The fishes come after. First you need to make the cave."
"The cave!" Her brother cried out, nodding, and then he almost flinged the string out of his shoe as he pulled only on one side. Nagisa stopped him, reminding him that he needed two algae to create the cave.
"Alright, the algae meet, one goes over, the other goes under. The one over goes around the other one and inside the cave. And you pull."
Yukio still didn't get it on his first try, moving the one under instead of the one above and somehow only knotting the end of the strings together and Nagisa was slowly getting frustrated. Was she that terrible at teaching? Though, she did a really good job at swallowing it back.
Once the first knot was finally made, Yukio struggled to make the two loops on either side, wiggling them like some dead fishes, then he looked up expectantly and mumbled something she didn't get.
"Yukio, use your words if you want to be understood."
"Sing, big sis!" He demanded. Nagisa smiled and obliged.
"Alright, so it goes-"
"Over, under, around, through and pull. You've tied them in a friendship loop." Someone sang right behind her, the warm breath tickling the nape of her neck.
"Motherfu-" Nagisa almost had a heart attack, spinning with the intent of punching and she missed a step, tilting downward. She already saw herself rolling down all the stairs and could clearly imagine the state of her body: bloody and broken. Yukio would probably remember that day forever. He might develop a fear of stairs. That would turn his life on Uzushio into a real nightma-
She got caught by the collar, dangling in front of her brother like some unruly kitten. She was ready to claw her way out of this situation, pouncing on her assailant. Only she saw their face first. Her face. Any fight in her died and she became putty in her clutch. Nagisa promptly paled, the sudden memory hitting her like a kunai in the plexus solar. Like some wrapped, deranged film, Nagisa saw herself back a day before talking with Rina and promising that she would accompany her today and time of the meeting was-
Nagisa threw a shaky and terrified look at the position of the sun.
-an hour ago.
"Rina!" Yukio crowed, the little boy acting like a cute puppy before he pounced on their aunt to cuddle her thigh. Nagisa seriously hoped his cuteness would appease her.
The woman frowned at her and her pathetic display of aggression, first, throwing a particularly nasty glare - the one that feels like the Grim Reaper was knocking at her door - before she grimaced, awkwardly patting her little brother as he rubbed his face in her muscles.
"Yes, puppy, that's me. Hello to you too. I'm glad you remember me."
He saw you yesterday, Nagisa wanted to interject but she knew better than to dig her grave deeper. Rina, with her stupid sixth sense as if she already knew the little girl was talking back in her head, turned her head very slowly, a sharp edge in her eyes. It was all Nagisa needed to know that she was in deep shit.
"Nagisa-chan," her aunt smiled sugar and honey to hide the poison behind her words, "You wouldn't happen to have forgotten about me, would you?"
The little girl completely deflated, shaking here and there while sweating bullets. She mumbled something inaudible.
"What are you? A Yohei? Speak up, I don't speak cowards." Rina snapped back before she was all flower and delight the moment Yukio raised his head.
"N- No?"
Her eyes turned into two slits, she tightened her grip on her collar. Nagisa felt like dying. "Are you sure?"
"No?"
Her chakra snapped warningly, curling around her like a maelstrom ready to drown her. The dam broke, words spilled out of her like a geyser. She stared nervously at the floor, lips trembling as she swallowed and slowly said this time, louder, shaky and awkward."I- I'm sorry, it's not like I forgot- how could I, hahaha - but, uh, I was playing with- No! Teaching him how to tie his shoes and uh, time just- it just flew by and before I knew it you simply just appeared out of nowhere and I- I'm very sorry."
Her aunt put her down on her feet and Nagisa remained hunched over herself, miserably shaking like a sinner awaiting the final judgment. She closed her eyes as Rina raised her hand and waited to be smacked only to patted.
"Good, see, it wasn't that hard to admit it, was it?"
Nagisa blinked. Once, twice, three times until her brain finally registered what she just said. She was off the hook, just like that?
"Good girl." With ease, Rina grabbed her little brother and perched him on her hips, turning to her, "Let's bring him back to your home before we head where I wanted to bring you today."
Nagisa gaped, adrenaline still running strong in her, and watched Rina's back walking further and further away. She swore she heard her whispering, "I never knew disciplining children was like disciplining puppies."
After a short detour by her home, Rina brought her to the forest. She wanted to show her something. So, they trailed in the forest deeper and deeper, oak and maple trees leaving room for pine trees before following a path up into the mountain.
Nagisa was getting out of breath but kept on trudging forward, barely distinguishing her aunt ahead of her. Rina had warned her: if she slowed down, she would be left behind. Gritting her teeth, she jumped over a boulder, circled around another, cursing under her breath until-
Rina was there.
She grinned at her, perched on a rock, neither sweating nor out of breath. Strands of hair the color of blood fell from her braided buns, widely fluttering around her with the wide, creating a halo and the sun behind her, a flaming crown.
How fitting, Nagisa thought, a demonic queen.
Her green eyes sparkled with mischief and for a second the little girl thought she looked nice before she took it all back.
Rina didn't look nice or pretty. Her smile was too big and crooked, her eyes were sharp and intense. She was too bulky and lacked curves. Her nose wasn't straight and her face wasn't proportionate enough. Her aunt didn't hold a candle to Kazashi or most women.
No, Rina looked like art. A source of inspiration that didn't take into account the concept of beauty and consistently drew emotions out of her and ignited her soul.
Rina looked how she live. Vibrantly, wholely and true.
"Look," She opened wide arms before stepping aside, prompting her to walk forward. "See Uzushio in all its beauty."
Her breath itched.
Up here, it felt like the beginning and the end of everything, of the earth, the sky, and the sea, and she saw all of it.
Their city, colorful and shining, a setting sun perched on the end of the world. The sea was gleaming like thousands of jewels, limitless and beautiful. The whirlpools, the femme fatale of the sea, actually meshed together to create endless currents and foams, the white clouds of the water. Under her, patches of trees and rocks, gradients of green and brown, which had no real pattern but the one named chaos.
A soft breeze swirled through the leaves, warm and gentle before brushing past her, caressing her hair out of her face and pushing sweaty locks away from her neck.
Nagisa spinned on herself, her heart beating the tempo of a song carved into her bones, the song of her home.
It was beautiful, glorious even, but there was something else, something she never considered being there. Right behind her, on the other side of the island where other whirlpools should have been, there were other smaller islands as green as Uzushio.
She chuckled breathlessly.
Uzu no Kuni has never been just an island like Maria had believed; it was a volcanic archipelago.
"What do you think?"
Green met seafoam eyes, something indescriptibal passed between them.
"Like I'm on top of the world."
Rina smiled, wide and wild.
It was nearing lunch when they trailed down again, they stopped in a clearing to sip on water.
Or at least, that was what she was doing, downing the whole bottle in one go.
Rina presented her a kunai, a somewhat serious expression painted on her face. She tilted her head in confusion.
"You've learned how to use one, right?"
Nagisa nodded.
"Very well," Her smile turned sharp and wicked, "Show me what you got."
Nagisa fell into stance.
Their fight ended a few minutes later, Rina the unsurprising victor.
"You won't ever be a powerhouse." Rina said, circling around her as Nagisa was panting on the ground. The woman scowled, adding softly as if an afterthought, "You share more similarities with my brother than I thought and that makes you unfitted to the shinobi life."
It shook the girl to her core. Her fingers dug into the ground, as the fierce burn of her words stung more than she would have liked.
Was it all pointless? Everything she did, learning to be a shinobi. Was she fated to be weak?
Nagisa bit her lips, clawing the ground. It's not true, she is lying, how can she predict my future as if she knew it already. It's not true, not true, nottrue-
"My father isn't weak!" She spat back. Her argument, weak and childish. "And neither am I!"
Rina blinked, uncrossing her arms before considering her once more. "Surprising. I thought you would have quietly seethed, reigned over your emotions first before talking back. Still, why do think your father works in the Lighthouse?"
When Nagisa failed to answer, her aunt continued. "It's because he isn't suited for the battlefield, he lacked the strength and the mind. Your grandfather, as mighty and powerful as he is hailed, is still weak when it comes to his family. His heart grew fearful and meek after the death of my two siblings."
Nagisa sat, leaning back on her hands as she carefully considered her. "Does that mean Oji can't fight anymore?"
"It's not that he can't fight but more that he is no longer suitable for the shinobi's life." Rina walked back and forth in front of her, worrying her lip and mumbling to herself before she finally stopped, nodding to herself. She made a bee line toward Nagisa, crounching in front of her. Her breath tickled her nose, creasing at the bad scent, "Listen, it's a controversial view but I think very few people are made for living as shinobi - or samurai for that matter -. You need the strength and the mind for it, to endure the pressure and the horrific events."
"So, we shouldn't train so many children." She whispered, it felt like they were discussing something sacrilegious and they would be sent straight to prison if they were caught.
Rina fell into a flat foot crounch, throwing her head back as she sighed. "Idealy. If we live in an utopia, maybe - but then, we wouldn't need shinobi in an utopia. In reality, it isn't possible. We need to train as many as possible with the hope that they wouldn't get killed at the first opponent and are able to protect Uzushio."
Nagisa casted her gaze down, watching strands of her hair curled around her collarbones. The conversation had turned heavier and Nagisa found herself at loss for words. She never really thought about that before, both as Nagisa and as Maria. To be fair, she never really thought about anything as Maria. She never had the time to.
Rina blinked, a bit dumbfounded with herself as if she suddenly realized Nagisa was still a child and she was expecting too much of her.
"So, dad and his brother handle bureaucracy next to grandfather, elder uncle is a warrior of the sea and a diplomat while my last uncle is the barrier unit's leader." Nagisa counted her family down until one finger remained up. "So, what does that make you?"
"It makes me free." Her smile was soft but real and unlike any she displayed before. It was one of the prettiest thing Nagisa saw today, for it extended to her eyes and deep into her soul, unveiling a part of her well hidden behind her tough exterior.
Her smile lingered on her lips but lost its pure emotion, turning forlorn as her thoughts surged to the front row of her brain. Nagisa could only watch her aunt go to a place no one could reach her.
She didn't remain lost long, - not that the little girl tried to shake her out of her stupor, preferring giving her her time over appearing needy - and clapped her hands once. " Alright, back on topic. Your fighting style. You have potential, Nagisa. You're fast and you have good reflexes. Even physical strength wise, you're good. It's really your chakra which is a bit lacking."
She paused, nodding to herself. "Still, all that potential means nothing if you can't dodge nor hide."
She got up with difficulty, Rina approved with an appraising glance. "Hide what?"
"Your chakra, your intention. You're broadcasting everything through it. Learn to dissociate it and learn to hide and that way you will become a terror."
"And how do I do that?"
Rina sat down. The kimono she was wearing opened over her legs. Scars lined expanses of her skin, clustering all about. They told her story. Her battles. Things Rina kept quiet about and Nagisa yearned to learn more about.
She followed suit.
"Well, two ways." Nagisa tilted her head, "Firstly, after successfully dissociating your feelings from your chakra, you keep it contained under your skin. Imagine a flame and hide it from view without smoldering it-"
"Smoldering?" Dissociating feelings? What was she talking about?
"Yes. Smoldering as in stopping your chakra from flowing. You want to hide it while still being capable of using it, go it?"
No. "I guess?" Rina squinted her eyes, tilting her head. "Ask your sensei, he will be better suited than me. You can also create a seal. It could be your graduation seal. You haven't thought about one yet, have you?"
Nagisa hummed, shaking her head.Graduation seal huh? It was an interesting idea, one she would have to think a bit more about, especially considering she wanted to become a fuinjutsu master.
The only way to be acknowledged as a good one was to graduate with a seal.
The graduation seal was exactly what the name entailed: a seal of your creation that you presented at your graduation exam. If it worked and was deemed satisfying, she would be seen as a fuinjutsu master and a shinobi, if not, she would only be a shinobi.
"What was your graduation seal?" Nagisa asked.
"Nothing very wild, a simple seal that would light up the object it's written on. Easier to find your weapon on the battlefield, yeah? It didn't pass though, was deemed too simple and useless."
Nagisa hummed sympathetically, fingers carefully picking at the grass.
"So, let's teach you some stealth, alright?" She smacked her back, Nagisa spluttered, and jumped on her feet.
Containing your chakra in was easier said than done, especially when you were hunted down by seagulls, their family summons. Rina had the wondrous idea to test her stealth with her summons when she could barely keep track of it: you had to have a constant grip on it, your feelings, and your awareness; regardless of the time.
Anyway, the seagulls had a way to pinpoint people through chakra - easier to track prey down during their flight. So escaping their notice was her ultimate goal, it would prove that she mastered stealth like no other. Unfortunately, with barely an hour of stealth training under her belt, Nagisa failed spectacularly. The seagulls had a fondness for her hair which they kept pulling with their nasty, nasty little beaks.
At least, she was starting to dodge flying things successfully.
The little girl grumbled, massaging her sore muscles as she quietly swore to never ever sign this summoning contract.
The only other thing that she managed to grasp a bit - a very little bit - was dissociating feelings from chakra, but it was hard. Her emotions and her chakra had been entangled together for too long and Nagisa had neither the patience nor the skill to disentangle them.
Looked like the seal was something she would have to dig up.
Perched on her back, rubbing her cheek on her shoulder, Nagisa tiredly spoke. "I never pegged you as a pacifist."
The words she said earlier had been playing on repeat in her head.
"I'm not," Rina's eyes remained glued on the dying sun as she piggybacked her back home, "I'm simply tired."
Their time together was brief.
Rina had grown relentless and kept looking beyond the whirlpools with something akin to longing in her eyes. She stayed just long enough to satisfy Ashina-oji before she was back into the wild again.
It was only when she was saying her goodbye on the harbor and watched her back cross the gates that Nagisa realized what made her so special.
It was in her eyes: they were lit by an undying flame, a raging storm that promised battle and blood.
It was in her posture: she was proud and strong, ready to dodge everything the world threw at her.
It was in her chakra: she was defiant and challenging, she would bow to no one.
It was all of her: she would take on the world if she had to.
And Nagisa, holding the hand of her baby brother, wanted to be just like her: wild, strong and untamable. A warrior. A fighter.
An unstoppable maelstrom.
Yukio, would you be proud of me if I end up just like her?
…
Heya !
I would like to thank everyone who left a review, favorited and/or followed this story. You go people!
I hope it was up to your expectations.
Now, let's talk about this chapter. So Nagisa got a baby brother, Daichi showed emotion and Kazashi gave Yukio to some priestess (who then proceed to drown him).
So if anyone is wondering why Nagisa doesn't remember it (because almost drowning should have been a pretty traumatic experience and she should have woken up). Two reasons. One, she was pretty young and she's losing some of her memories (that topic will be broached in the next and the one after chapters) and she forgot the breastfeeding and all of that too. Two, she was not drowned like Yukio. There are two head priestesses, one is kinder in her method (she simply holds the children in the water) and the other is well... a bit brutish.
Hmm, we're learning a bit more about Uzushio and her family too.
Next chapter will be named "Enter Mito Uzumaki" and yes, we're going to see canon characters soon! So be prepared!
(I'll probably do a longer note but later because... Tired...)
Feedbacks are always appreciated!
Take care!
I'm out
