Author's Note: I'm going to try really hard to post two chapters a week.
Chapter 2: Midara's Story: Daylight, Part 1
Fugaku Uchiha jumped to his feet at the sound of the maternity ward doors flying open.
"How are they? Can I see them?" he frantically asked the medical-nin that had stepped out.
"Not yet," one medical-nin said, holding up his hand, motioning for Fugaku to calm down, "they're stable for now, but Lady Tsunade is the only one that can address their current condition. We've called for her."
"How long until she gets here?" Fugaku was desperate for a solution.
"Please try to be patient," the second medical-nin urged, "I'm sure Lady Tsunade will be able to help. Try to rest until then." The Uchiha scoffed at the idea, but took his seat on the bench, his leg still bouncing with agitation. How could he rest when his wife and child's lives were in danger? What a stupid thing to say.
Five hours and thirty-four minutes. It was the most excruciating five hours and thirty-four minutes of his life. Fugaku would have preferred to be shipped off to war again instead of experiencing this torture. But the thirty-fifth minute, when Lady Tsunade stepped out from behind the maternity ward doors with a smile, filled him with relief that he never wanted to depart from.
"Well," Tsunade called with a smirk, "you want to see your daughter or what?"
"D-daughter?" Fugaku stammered out embarrassingly. Mikoto was a firm believer of not planning names until the moment of birth, and since Fugaku liked to plan everything, she had decided that the gender of the baby would be kept a secret until birth. Fugaku had hoped for a boy. But in that moment, when he entered the delivery room and held his daughter for the first time, he was just happy that she was safe. I will always keep you safe. "She's perfect, Mikoto…."
"Isn't she?" Mikoto agreed through tired eyes, exhausted from the labor. "We can't thank you enough for saving her life, Lady Tsuande."
"Ah!" Fugaku had almost completely forgotten those five hours and thirty-four minutes in the brief company of his new child. "Yes, thank you. What was wrong?" Tsunade picked up the medical chart and flipped through it.
"Well, I can't say for sure, but I've treated one other case like this in the past. I think it might be the same. I'll have one of the medical-nin take your blood, Fugaku. That should confirm it."
"My blood? What for?"
"The other case I treated like this was also an Uchiha child. His mother had extraordinary chakra levels, even for an Uchiha. She was the same as you, Fugaku." Tsunade explained. "Chakra reserves are inherited from the parents. This is why the Uchiha and Senju clans have larger reserves than other ninja. It's in our blood. However, with the Uchiha, there is a sharp increase of chakra when the Sharingan infrastructure beings to develop. This can occur at any time during infancy. The closer it happens to birth, the higher the likelihood of the physical energy of the body being overwhelmed by the chakra energy. The body begins to deteriorate. If this happens, the chakra begins to amplify to compensate for the lacking physical energy and heal the body, resulting in a gradual reserve growth, resulting in a greater imbalance of physical energy, resulting in more chakra energy compensation, resulting in more reserve growth, until it accelerates to the point where the body is deteriorating at a pace that cannot be healed by the internal chakra."
"How awful…." Mikoto whimpered. "So, is she—"
"There's no need to worry." Tsunade assured. "Her cycle was interrupted early on. She'll live a full and healthy life."
"The other boy you treated with this condition, is he alright?" Fugaku asked.
"No. Unfortunately, I was out on a mission at that time. When I returned, the cycle was too compounded for me to stop it. All I could do was delay the inevitable." Tsunade clenched her fist at the thought. "He died before his fifth birthday. I hope I never have to see a case like that again."
"How common is this?" Mikoto spoke up.
"Incredibly rare." Tsunade tapped her chin in thought. "In fact, the only other case I can think of is Madara Uchiha." A small gasp escaped from the young Uchiha couple. "At least, that's what my great-uncle told me. I can't confirm it. Allegedly, that's how he ended up with such monstrous levels of chakra: he was born with immense reserves that threatened to tear apart his body. A skilled Uchiha medic saved him at birth. Maybe your daughter will be the same." Fugaku glanced down at the small child in his arms, knowing that she was destined for greatness.
"I think I have a name for her." he said with a smile. "Madara."
"No!" Mikoto flatly refused.
"Really?" Fugaku asked, surprised by her newfound energy.
"It sounds too much like a boy's name. Besides, look at her, Fugaku." Mikoto took the baby into her arms and ran her fingers across her face. "I want a name that reflects how beautiful she is."
"But she's one in a generation!" Fugaku argued. "Shouldn't we give her a name that reflects how great she will be?"
"Look at you two bickering like an old married couple." Tsunade said with a laugh. "Why don't you split the difference and call her Midara?" The sannin scribbled the name onto her writing pad with the kanji letter for beauty and showed it to the couple.
"Midara…." Mikoto repeated thoughtfully.
"I like it." Fugaku replied.
"Are you excited to see where papa works, Midara?" Mikoto asked her daughter as they walked hand-in-hand to the Leaf Police Force.
"Yes!" the three-year-old called out excitedly, taking in her surroundings with the same cute smile she always had. Mikoto giggled at the young Uchiha as she led her into the building. "Papa!" Midara instantly broke free from her mother's hand and ran toward the pleasantly surprised Chief of Police.
"O, Midara!" Fugaku picked up the young girl and set her in his lap. "What are you doing here?"
"We brought you lunch." Mikoto said, setting three bento boxes on his desk.
"Hmm…well, I don't think I can eat all this on my own." Fugaku joked, eliciting a series of cute giggles from the toddler. "Can you help me, Midara?"
"Papa!" Midara playfully scolded. "Only one is for you!"
"O, is that right? That seems fair."
"I've never seen the chief smile so much." Fugaku overheard a police force member whisper.
"Yea, he's a lot less scary like this." another agreed. Mikoto giggled at Fugaku's troubled face over the insinuation that he might not be as wicked as the rumors suggest.
"Well, let's eat!" Mikoto said, unwrapping the boxes.
"That was delicious. Thank you, dear." Fugaku said, handing the empty box back to his wife. He glanced down at the leftover rice in Midara's box and reached for it with his chopsticks.
"No, papa!" Midara reprimanded, blocking his path with her hand.
"I can't have it?" Fugaku asked with a feigned frown.
"That's for Piiko." Mikoto explained.
"Piiko?" the chief raised his brow in confusion.
"Midara found a baby crow with a broken wing a few weeks ago. She helped me wrap it up to heal, and now he keeps coming back to our house." Mikoto replied with a shrug. "So, she named him Piiko and feeds him."
"I see." Fugaku said with a smile. He gently placed his hand on top of Midara's head. "It's important to be kind to animals. Crows have an important history in the Uchiha Clan."
"They do?" Midara asked with wide eyes.
"They do." Fugaku confirmed. "They're often used for secret missions. When you're old enough to use the Sharingan, I'll teach you all the secret jutsu of the Uchiha."
"When will I be old enough? Next week?" Midara could hardly contain her excitement.
"No, not next week." Fugaku chuckled. "Whenever you activate the Sharingan."
"When will that be?" Midara eagerly questioned.
"Be patient, Midara." Her father smiled. "You're destined for greatness. You'll learn in due time." The young girl tilted her head with curiosity. "I'll make you a deal: you try to be a little more patient and next week, when I have a day off, I'll show you something really special."
"Deal! Deal!" Midara wrapped her arms around her father's neck. "I love you, papa."
"Papa, papa, I'm ready!" Midara eagerly skipped to the door, reaching for the knob.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Mikoto called from the kitchen. Midara stopped, glancing down at her feet to ensure there were shoes, and over her shoulder to confirm her small backpack was still there. She shot a confused look to her father who smiled at her.
"Bento boxes." he whispered, cluing her into the missing item.
"Bento! Bento!" Midara cried happily, running to the kitchen with her father in tow.
"One for you." Mikoto handed Midara a small box to place in her bag. "And one for you."
"Thank you." Fugaku took the larger box and looked down at his daughter. "Is there room in your bag for one more?"
"Well…." Midara opened the bag, and her parents couldn't help but to laugh at the three stuffed toys she had packed.
"I think you better leave them here with me. You and papa are going on an adventure worthy of ninja. It'll be too dangerous for them." Mikoto reasoned, pulling the stuffed animals out.
"Okay!" Midara quickly agreed, replacing them with her father's bento box. Mikoto walked her husband and daughter out to the street.
"How long will you be?"
"Hmm…." Fugaku thought about the long journey and glanced down at his daughter. "I think we can make it there and back in three days." She gave him a confused look as he picked her up and held her against his chest. "Hang on tight, Midara." Midara wrapped her arms tightly around her father's neck and smiled at her mother over his shoulder.
"Have fun!" Mikoto said with a small wave. Midara barely had time to reply before she felt her father jump into the air and ground beneath them seemed so far away. A small gasp left her at his sheer speed.
"Don't be scared, Midara." If it had been anyone else, she would've been terrified at the quickly passing scenery and absurd heights, but she felt secure in her father's strong arms. "I will always keep you safe." Fugaku felt the small child relax in his embrace and smiled.
Midara yawned as her father set her down on wobbly feet.
"Are you tired?" he asked. She gave a small nod. "We're here."
"Where?" Midara's eyes darted around the field. It was beautiful, but she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be looking for. Fugaku laughed and took her hand, leading her to the edge of the field. Midara peeked into the valley, getting dizzy from the height. "River…."
"Look up stream." She followed her father's finger, gasping at the massive statues that stood in the valley. "This is the Final Valley."
"The Final Valley…." Midara repeated. She raised her finger and pointed at the statue on the right. "Papa, it's the First Hokage!"
"Very good, Midara. That's Hashirama Senju, one of the founders of our village and the First Hokage—the most powerful shinobi that ever lived. Do you know who the man across from him is?" Midara shook her head, but kept her eyes fixed on the statues. "That man is the only shinobi who could be called Hashirama's equal: Madara Uchiha."
"Madara Uchiha?" The young girl immediately picked up on the similarities of their names.
"That's right. He was the other founder of the Leaf Village, and one of the heads of the Uchiha Clan."
"Like you, papa!" Midara said excitedly.
"You were named after this powerful and insightful shinobi because like Madara, you are special." Fugaku explained proudly. "You're destined for greatness." Midara's smile spread from ear to ear. "I'm special like him?" She etched the stone carving of his face into her mind's eye. "Papa…."
"Hm?"
"I want to be like you and Madara!"