AN: So Timeline. The main character is born ~2 years before Naruto, so ~14 years before the start of the show. I also realised some 25000 words in that the hidden sound village was founded only ~1 year before the start of the show, so...oops. For the sake of this fic, it's founded ~11 years before the show. Enjoy.

Prologue – A Magical Start

Oblivion was a strange thing. All there was, was nothing.

No feeling.

No thought.

No Time.

Nothing.

Then suddenly. I was.

Everything was blurred.

No, wait…

My vision was blurry.

It wasn't just my vision either. My instincts were shouting at me that I was drowning, probably because the world seemed too buble and thrumm, in a distorted fashion.

Not the world, It's my hearing.

A feeling crawled in my chest.

'Cry!' It commanded.

I refused, and the feeling faded.

I tried to focus on the shapes. No effect.

I tried to focus on the sounds. No effect.

Just my mind and I then…

I tried to sigh.

Choke, splutter, cough.

Not doing that again.

Perhaps I shouldn't have been so calm or disconnected in this scenario. In my defence, I had just died.

Oh… I'd forgotten about that.

Forgotten wasn't quite right. I reckon that I hadn't quite processed it yet. As far as I'm aware, I saw a flash of light and then I was here.

Thinking it through, the shapes vaguely resembled giants, people, and some of the sounds had a rhythm or pattern to them. They'd start and stop in sequence. I could guess that it was a conversation.

I blinked.

Huh?

Things had focused slightly, the colours had more distinct shapes, and the ocean of sounds had some tonality to it. If I focused really hard, I could pull one out of the mess, but I couldn't otherwise recognise it as different from the rest.

I was also in a different position.

When had I moved?

I tried to turn my head. No result.

There was a heaviness to everything, my body felt sluggish, it almost felt like I was being pushed out of my own body-

I blinked.

Happiness.

Why was I happy?

…and it was gone.

I'd been moved again.

A sound source stopped.

I looked at it, one of the weird stick men blurred shapes had been the source. Were they facing me? Was the sound them talking?

I recognised a movement from it. A rotation?

The sound started again, same source, different tone… fainter too.

Ah, they turned to talk to someone else.

I followed the turn and the direction of the sound.

There was another shape there. Growing bigger.

No wait, it's approaching.

It reached me.

I felt contact, weightlessness, then the world moved.

Sound came from the new shape. It spoke. It was a similar tone to the earlier sound, in my direction. There was a segment that sparked a modicum of familiarity. I'd have to listen for that again.

I stopped staring at the shape and tried to puzzle the rest, but then…

I blinked.

I could see.

It was like a doctor had been slowly giving me stronger and stronger glasses. This time, I was in familiar territory, a degree of blur I was used to.

Moved again…

The shapes were people. I could confirm that now.

The sounds, voices. The language? Not one I knew. I tried to narrow it down. Asian… East-Asian… Chinese, Korean, or Japanese… Japanese. I couldn't tell you the differences, but you don't need to speak a language to recognise it.

Where am I?

I didn't know. I looked around, ignoring the ones speaking, I couldn't understand them anyway. Plain white walls. Mats. A low table.

A shadow behind the wall.

The wall moved.

It was a sliding door then.

The voices raised in volume.

Oh, they're talking to me.

It was a repeated phrase.

I listened closer. Didn't bother turning my head to do so. The phrase repeated. The familiar phrase. It was the only thing I could focus on. I started to turn to the source whenever the phrase came out to better listen. Then I figured it out.

Yumika-sama.

A name then.

Who's Yumika? Why are they important?

I didn't bother thinking about it any more, and then stared up at the roof.

I blinked.

I had been moved again.

My vision was perfect now, and I could hear clearly as well.

Something's not right…

Analysis Begin!

What do I know?

1. I was moving around.

2. No time seems to pass between each sudden movement.

3. No one around me is reacting strongly to the sudden movements.

Subject: What's going on?

From fact 1 and 2. I'm either teleporting, or not remembering what's happening in the passage of time.

From fact 3, unless teleportation is normal, I've forgotten what's happening between these bouts of consciousness.

Analysis End.

So that's why my vision was improving, it was the passage of time.

How long has it been?

I couldn't tell. There was something else too…. Right, my vision.

I looked around in amazement.

…I'd needed glasses before the truck.

Practically paralysed and my vision was better than ever.

Well, since I had vision, I might as well use it. White walls, some sort of paste perhaps? No, it was paper, with wooden frames. That Lined up with the language. Behind me was a more solid wall, with an opening really high up with wooden bars.

Maybe it's not high… maybe I'm small.

I looked at myself… baby. I was a baby.

Isekai, really? Nope this is a dream

A gust of wind came through the window, the scent of leaves riding it.

I blinked.

This isn't a dream. Dreams don't last this long. Dreams don't have these kinds of details. These people have names.

It was about the only thing I could pick out from the sentences. Tones, expressions, gestures, and names…

"...Yumika-"

I looked in the direction of the voice. That name came up the most. Was it mine? It was hard to tell. Whenever I was 'awake', they'd stop talking to me. Which was fair enough, I couldn't exactly talk back or even listen. Even if I could, the endless wave of baby speak wasn't exactly the most informative.

Oh, the conversation had taken a curious note, I wonder if something happened.

"Yumika."

I turned back to the person. There was that name again. What was with that look?

Eh, it doesn't matter.

These people were another mystery. I was somewhat doubtful that I had that many parents. They all had the same simple black robes as well. If their hair was long enough that it mattered, they were styled into the same simple bun.

"Yumika!"

I looked back at the speaker, what was he so happy about?

He started lightly shaking the other person, and told her something, commanding tone, an order probably.

Oh, she's leaving. This Yumika must have done something.

I blinked.

Oh, he's still there, doesn't look like he moved much either. A good sign at least. I really don't like the idea of not existing for days at a time.

I felt hungry.

Nothing to be done, they'll feed me when I need it.

I stared at the wooden foundations of the floor above.

"Fail"

The thought worsened the oppressive heavy pressure.

I frowned internally. I had too much time to think if that's what came to mind.

Do I have magic? What would that be like? Maybe…

To no one's surprise I couldn't do magic… yet.

Instead I tried to focus more on my own situation, or at least the people involved. If I had to make a guess, based on the uniform and the kind of work they did: they were servants.

The door slid open, announcing the end to my solitude.

Alright, mission is a go!

I took a look at the man.

…I might have to rethink that servant theory.

He was a pretty large dude, and not just because I was small. If he'd been any taller, he would have had to bend over to avoid the roof. He wasn't a stick either, if anything he was a box, all muscle too. Confirmed by the fact that he was just carrying in a cabinet.

I could hear his smile more than I could see it, due to the absolute bush of a blue (!?) beard he had, and the little tune he sang to himself. He placed the black cabinet by the wall, to the right of the door. He looked satisfied with himself, good for him.

Then he turned and lunged over.

What's this madman thinking!?

Only to stop right over me, and start talking at me.

Baby speak, it was top tier baby speak.

He's gushing.

This man was a total teddy bear. Waving his arms around like some sort of lunatic with the stupidest grin on his face.

If I ignore him, he'll stop. I ignore- Is he… crying?

Real ugly crying too. My fault? No, impossible.

I heard the door slide open again and the teddy bear cried out.

"Ichino-Senpai!"

A name! A clear honest name!

"Alkaistdafenhhaejeklashdfglkjashdfglkashdlgkjhadfklgh..."

…and there's the fast forward button.

I considered the 'Ichino' who stood in the doorway with a wide eyed empathetic smile. Compared to the teddy bear, they were short, but I'd wager they were actually just below average. On top of the whole 'My vibe screams kindness' look, they had neatly combed brown hair, long enough to be tied back into the uniform bun.

She walked over and placed the tray with food next to me, and gave the teddy bear a reassuring pat on his shoulder. Saying some kind words, probably something like 'there there'.

Yes, fix my mistak- not my fault!

She reached behind her back and pulled something out of hiding. It was not a knife, despite my instincts suggesting such for some reason. It was a yellow and red flower crown, which she placed on his head. Aww, that was really sweet.

…and he was crying again. Well at least it was happy tears this time.

…and there he went in with the teddy bear signature tactical attack hug. With a personality like that, he probably got a lot of practice.

A short conversation later and he sped out the door, determined to do something… he hadn't removed the flower crown.

The door slid closed.

Why is it suddenly cold here?

"Tsk"

Was that Ichino?

I snapped my gaze to the remaining servant.

Who the hell is that!?

No way that was Ichino, she seemed so nice! This imposter had a resting evil frown, a fist leaning on her hip, shoulders back, chest forward. Their eyes shot from the door down to me. No way those were human. Human eyes were definitely not that sharp. He looked like he wanted to eat me!

They sat down by me, grabbed the food, and then, with silence and a glare, began to feed me.

It's poisoned, it's totally poisoned!

I heard the door slide open.

This time I'd been facing the stranger and I could see the transformation firsthand. Their whole posture softened up. The frown snapped up to a smile, and the eagle eyes widened into a friendly glint.

…this was ichino.

"Ahhh…"

They said, with a spoon in hand. They hadn't bothered earlier.

I gave them a closer look, searching for any sign of the demon I'd seen earlier.

Nothing.

I did realise something else though…

Analysis Begin!

Subject: man or woman?

Inconclusive.

Analysis End.

Wait, no, that didn't make sense!

Analysis Begin!

Subject: man or woman?

Inconclusive.

Analysis End

Better play it safe then, they it is!

I didn't want to piss off and miss-gender a psychopath… or any person for that matter, but especially not a psychopath!

My saviour announced their presence with a knock on the door frame.

Bored, unamused, slightly irritated.

That was the vibe I got from this person. Their longer black hair was loosely tied into the bun with bangs and stray hairs indicating that they probably didn't spend any notable amount of time on it.

Her black eyes addressed Ichino, doing a quick scan in the process.

She said something plainly.

Ichino answered pleasantly.

The woman pointed behind her and added something, some form of sarcasm I would guess.

Ichino answered pleasantly again. Very much a 'someone has to do it' tone.

The woman rolled her eyes and indicated her head towards the hallway.

Ichino left with a satisfied hum. Fake!

Ok, they're gone…

I tried to look out for more, but it seemed like it was just those three. Sure, others occasionally got involved, but they didn't seem to be assigned to me like the teddy bear, Ichino, and my hero. I'd managed to learn their names:

The teddy bear was Issai and the woman was Natsuhi.

I looked over the two servants who were in the room with me.

Issai and Ichino.

The door slid open, providing a new entry.

"Daimyo-Sama."

The servants greeted the man.

I brought my focus to the new entry. I didn't know much Japanese, but I'd seen enough anime to recognise the term. He had a short crop of black hair and dark coloured eyes. His face was adorned with thick eyebrows and a thick moustache. Dressed in shades of grey, with a flat square black hat on his head. Heh, the hat had those little tassels. I would guess his clothes were made of silks, compared to the servants' probable cotton wear. It would fit the title.

Being that he was much larger than me, he struck an imposing figure staring down at me. He commanded the servants here… all things considered that didn't mean they were his, he could probably walk into any local house and command the servants there, but the servants had addressed him comfortably, so they were probably used to his presence.

Why was he here?

This is probably his home if these are his servants…

Then why was I there?

A thought struck me. I was a baby, I could afford to make mistakes about this.

Now what was that word again…

"Father?"

If I'd been older, I probably would have been executed for the presumption, but who executes babies?

…Feudal lords. Feudal lords did.

What am I doing?! Why did I think I was safe!? I've played crusader kings, executing your enemies' children is common practice… or your allies if they're trash, but it's not like my stats are visible or something.

Oh no! Isekai, what if this world has game logic!? I'd have stats. Please be good, please be good-

A smug smirk took over the man's face. He laughed, said some congratulatory sounding words to the servants, and left.

Safe… well thankfully my panicking was all internal.

The servants were giving me weird looks.

What's the big deal guys, I just called my father, my father…

I held off trying to sigh as they fell back into casual conversation.

"...Yumika…yada yada blabla… Yumika… yada yada bla."

Ugh they're talking about me. Wait, me? Nah, I'm not Yumika, that's a girl's name.

They paused for a moment.

Glanced at me.

Whispered something.

Then continued.

…

They'd stopped mentioning Yumika.

….

After they noticed my staring.

…

I'm Yumika… So am I a girl now, or do my parents just hate me?

I considered the nuances of the roof again.

Eh, I'll let future me figure that one out.

Weirdly enough, the answer was yes I was... but everyone was treating me as a boy despite that, so I'd roll with it.

I'd gained some basic motor skills, hurray! I could vaguely make use of my hands, look around, and if I tried hard enough even manage a crawl!

That was probably what prompted the new entry into my life.

He was a lean man of average height. The pale blond curls on his head did not cooperate with the bun. He had narrow eyes that seemed to twinkle, and a snake-like grin. Not a speck of dust found itself on his black robes and his hands stayed cooped up in the opposing sleeve.

Natsuhi was there as well. She was trying to cover it up, but I hadn't missed the suspicious glances she'd thrown his way.

"Yumika."

She addressed me, slowly. That had been a change as well. They had started talking to me again, and it wasn't baby speak. Actually, Natsuhi seemed to actually put in effort to scold Issai when he naturally reverted to it.

I wasn't sure, but it almost seemed like they narrated and explained what they were doing. I think I'd even started recognising some terms.

Could I translate them? No.

Could I generally guess, kind of, what they loosely implied? Sort of.

Though I wasn't quite listening, rather it was more that I was learning to read their body language and associate that with the context clues.

Natsuhi indicated to the man.

"Tatara."

He gave a bow, and I nodded. I could pick up on that kind of thing.

Then things went to their default case.

One of them hung around to make sure I didn't hurt myself, and me just sitting there because moving was really exhausting. Everything still felt sluggish and heavy, but that was probably just what being a weak baby was like. It was literal pain, and was distracting enough that thinking was difficult.

Huh, Natsuhi hasn't left.

After a moment, I figured that made sense. Couldn't just leave me with the new guy.

I had no clue what this guy's deal was.

Hmm, maybe I can test him?

I crawled over in his direction.

No reaction yet.

He had his eye on me, but that was sort of his job.

Here goes…

I tried standing.

Natsuhi started to rush over. Ah, but she knew I couldn't stand yet. I was bound to fall over, but this wasn't a test for her, this was a test for him. I'd placed myself out of her reach and within his.

I'm a genius!

He let me stand.

I held it for a full second!

…then I started to wobble and fall.

Oh no!

He caught me by the armpits. No shift in his expression.

Phew.

Alright, he's not negligent, also not a 'don't do that you'll get hurt' kind of guy. Hm, acceptable.

He helped me sit down and Natsuhi eased off, just in time for the door to slam open. Not smart, I don't think those sliding paper doors can take too much punishment.

Natsuhi engaged the nameless newcomer. Huh, it seemed like something was wrong, so they headed out.

Welp, so much for not leaving me with the new guy.

He reached into his sleeve.

Oh, he seemed surprised, and he looked around for a second. Meh, I didn't particularly care.

I saw something under the table.

A knife.

…

He must have dropped this when he stopped me from falling. Well, no good deed goes unrewarded…

I picked up the knife by the blade, carefully.

"Sir…"

I said to get his attention, hell yeah, second word hype. Then held up the knife for him.

His unmoving expression watched me for a second, head tilted.

Cmon… this thing's heavy.

With that glint in his eyes, he took the knife back and slid it back into his sleeve.

Ah, secret knife.

I brought my finger to my lips and gave him a wink.

Hell yeah, apple slices available at all hours!

Alright, full body motion acquired! Walking, running, and eating myself.

Despite the constant pressure, I started exploring. One of the servants would accompany me to make sure I didn't hurt myself, or go where I wasn't supposed to. Thankfully, Ichino seemed to accompany me the least. Honestly, I didn't actually pay too much attention to my surroundings, I just preferred to think on the move. Friends and family would always complain about my baking, back…

I'm never going to see them again.

I stopped in the hallway crossing. There'd been no goddess offering me a wish or return upon completion of some divine goal, and even if there was something here in this new land, it wouldn't take me home. Earth wasn't magical, nothing has ever been acknowledged as real magic there. If it was possible for someone like me to go back home, someone already would have.

On top of that, my memory has never been the best, the constant headaches from my baby brain not being able to handle me weren't helping. By now, familiar faces were beginning to blur. Names beginning to distort. I expected that my family would be entirely lost to me soon enough.

Suddenly, something crashed into me, knocking me down.

I was disoriented. I think a servant was trying to get my attention. I looked up and saw another figure, not the massive size of the adults, actually, they seemed about as large as me. Looked like me too. What were they looking at me so curiously for?

I'm not that interesting.

Another servant reached the boy, saying something about running and halls. Oh, so this kid knocked me over then. Wait, I think the servant used the -sama suffix…

Analysis Begin!

What do I know?

1. This boy was addressed with -sama.

2. This boy has a servant following him.

3. He is in the palace.

4. He looks like me.

5. He is around my height.

Subject: Who is the boy?

From facts 1, 2 and 3. He is important. Otherwise he wouldn't be here. Combined with fact 4, he could be family, added as fact 1.1.

Speculation on fact 5, he is my age. Added as fact 5.1.

Contradiction found, fact 1.1 and fact 5.1. We couldn't be the same age if we were siblings.

Solution: a cousin or twin.

Amendment to fact 4: he looks exactly like me.

Conclusion 1, he is my twin brother.

NEW RELEVANT FACTS

6. I don't know him.

7. Our father is the daimyo.

Subject: Why do we not know each other?

Contradiction found, conclusion 1 and fact 6. We should know each other if we are twins.

Hypothesis: he knows me, but I don't know him. Rejected, he is looking at me curiously.

Solution, fact 7: our father is the Daimyo. If the leadership functions on an inheritance system, us being twins could be an issue.

Problem, I don't know father well enough to understand intent.

Subject inconclusive.

Analysis End.

"Hello, brother."

The effect was immediate. His face lit up like the sun. His servants looked confused between his charge and I, while my own just seemed resigned.

"Really?" he asked his servant. Who nodded in response.

I didn't even have time to feel good about being right before my, newly discovered, brother pulled me to my feet and spurted out a string of words.

Something about awesome, beans?, fun, play, and run? Oh, he's running.

I looked to my helper for some divine guidance.

She sighed and gave me a slight shove.

Oh, I'm supposed to chase after him.

I let out a sigh of my own and gave chase, paying no mind to the raised eyebrow the other servant gave my help. I'm not taking after them, I'm sighing on my own accord thay you very much!

…

Why is he so fast!

I completely failed to catch up to him. Did he run every day or something?! Oh right, no playstation or lego, he probably did.

A few minutes later, I was on the floor heaving. Standing over me was my brother, no worse for wear. I could swear that he literally ran circles around me.

"You done? How boring, bye."

Then the smug bastard ran off, his escort keeping close. I looked to my own help with arms stretched out, pride be damned. I was tired.

"Natsuhi-chan, help."

She was surprised for a moment, before letting out a sigh, and a smile(?) before picking me up, and carrying me back to my room.

…

I must have run far, we had to pass by fathers court to get back. It looked like he had guests. Huh, they seemed to be standing at attention, some sort of militant professional then. It was hard to tell, they had their backs to me. I tried to pick up on what they were saying when one of them went down on a knee.

"Lord Orochimaru will be pleased with this agreement. Lord Daimyo."

Why did that name sound familiar?

"Indeed, and you may tell him that I am pleased with this hidden sound village he has built within my country."

Oh… oh!

"With your leave."

They turned to leave, and I got a look at them from the front, and got to see their ninja headbands, engraved with a musical note.