Obligatory Disclaimer: The series Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto; I only own the OCs, picture, and this story.
Still Water
After listening to the Hokage's introductory speech and separating from his mother, Shisui trailed behind his clansmen to his new class, anxious with every step. The academy was something all Uchiha children looked forward to entering, in order to demonstrate just how powerful the clan was. It was an honor and something to be celebrated, a stepping stone on the journey of becoming a great ninja, one who could raze the battlefield with ease.
But Shisui didn't have such aspirations.
If his father's letters from the front lines had taught him anything, the fighting and the war were more than just terrifying. While many of his distant cousins were excited to lend their strength to the effort- though Shisui was sure some of it had to do with awakening their sharingan- the idea of such a world brewed a storm inside his stomach. The letters had painted landscapes of war-torn battlefields in his young mind. Fields filled with wounded, dead and dying ninja of all sorts of loyalties. Forests razed to the ground and entire plains uprooted. It was frightening and almost incomprehensible, but it was the reality they lived in, a fact his father reminded him of at the end of every page that made its way into his waiting hands.
Shisui couldn't understand it, but had lived with the repercussions for all the years of his short life. He saw the effects in the village and in the sad, longing looks his mother would get as she went about her housekeeping, often looking at her own carefully worded letters. He heard it in the cries of his neighbors at the news of their children being killed in action. How could anyone crave war when it caused so much suffering?
Maybe it was just something he didn't understand in his naivety.
After they made it to the classroom and the others shuffled inside, Shisui stood by himself outside the doors, tugging on his collar. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that his parents and the clan were depending on him to uphold the Uchiha name. It didn't matter how he felt about the war and those thoughts wouldn't help him in the academy anyways. After all, it was unusual for someone as young as him to be admitted into the graduating class, so he would have to do his best.
Shisui stood as patiently as he could by the door and it wasn't long before another pair of students came walking down the deserted hallway, distinctly Hyūga from the light, pupil-less eyes on their faces. Living in Konoha, he had heard much about the other clans that were sprinkled throughout the hidden village. Hyūga was a name that came up often at home, though mostly because they were the only other clan within the village that also had a prominent visual dōjutsu.
The small Hyūga bid the taller one farewell with a smile and a very chipper goodbye, causing the older boy to blush before he scurried off to a room nearby. Shisui glanced down at the little girl that remained, who only looked up at him briefly before returning her gaze to her clasped hands, hidden underneath long sleeves.
She couldn't possibly be in the same class as him, right? To him, she was only a handful of inches taller than Itachi-chama who had just turned two a few months ago. He idly wondered if he should say something, but soon his question was answered when a long-haired woman peeked out of the door nearby and called them both inside.
A group of children about twice his age looked down at them and though Shisui kept his expression neutral, a nervousness tickled his throat, almost as bad as when he tried fire candies for the first time. When their sensei asked them to introduce themselves, he knew the feeling was mutual when the little Hyūga shared an uncomfortable look with him before she walked in front of the podium and bowed.
"I am Hyūga Junko. Please take care of me." Her voice rang out in a confident tone, and she even gave an innocent smile as she scanned the room with intelligent eyes.
Shisui joined her side, mimicking her as he introduced himself. There was a minuscule twitch in the little Hyūga's body when he said his name but as he glanced over, she was the epitome of etiquette and courtesy.
Weird.
Once Ikeda-sensei let them choose their seats, Junko moved first, taking an empty seat at the very back of the room. Shisui was surprised; that had been the exact seat he was planning to get. He made due with the seat in front of her, thinking it would be awkward to sit next to her as they didn't know each other. Considering their clan differences, it was probably for the best.
When the class was dismissed for lunch, Shisui joined the two from his clan, Yasu and Katsuo, who he had played with a few times in the past since he didn't know anyone else. He spared a brief glance at the Hyūga behind him, who was grimacing to herself as she stared off into space. It was the kind of expression he saw on the clan head's face when Itachi-chama had an accident and his aunt was out in the market. It was a face of muted dread and resignation, but he couldn't dwell on it too long when his clansmen ushered him away to the schoolyard.
Most of his nervousness dwindled as he took comfort in the familiarity of his distant relatives. He would have to get used to the looks and whispers from his much older classmates, though he hadn't expected another young prodigy to be seated within the same class and the same year. While it had come as a surprise, it also came as a comfort. He knew that both Katsuo and Yasu felt odd at the prospect that the young child they had watched over just a year ago was going to be graduating alongside them. He expected this apparent camaraderie between them all would fade as they competed to get the top rank of the class. So it was nice to see another young face, even if it meant that she was would also experience the war; at least he wouldn't be going through it by himself.
When they returned from lunch, it was only the whispering of his new classmates that Shisui learned what had happened in the hallway of their classroom. Apparently, the little Hyūga had gotten into a confrontation with her other relatives, though the most interesting tidbit was that Junko Hyūga was the heiress of her clan. His eyes along with the others drifted to the little heiress already in her seat as the room filled, her brows furrowed in concentration as she wrote something down.
Junko Hyūga was strange, there was no doubt about that. However, she walked with confidence despite her youth, talking back to Ikeda-sensei and assisting the civilians that first day in class. And the way she had fought him in their spar the following day had intrigued him so much that Shisui couldn't get her out of his head for days after.
Shisui hadn't thought it would be hard to speak to the little Hyūga considering they were close in age, but trying to speak privately with her was proving to be difficult. Most of the time, she was surrounded by the two civilians Noburu and Akane. From his observations, the other boy didn't like Uchiha all that much, though he was sure it was because of his cousin's brash behavior towards the boy. He didn't want to make things awkward for any of them so he tried to find her on her own to ask her the questions that plagued his thoughts.
Like, why did she decide to join the academy at such a young age? Did she see the world the same way he did? Did she want to change it?
It was too bad that the first time he got the chance, he almost gave her a concussion with his boomerang. He had planned to throw it around a little, maybe get her attention and use it as a conversation starter- since he had just gotten it and it was really cool- but he had thrown it too far, too fast, and it had slipped from his grasp before he could correct himself. But Junko moved with a quickness that surprised him and just as he called her name, she disappeared over the edge of the bridge she had been sitting on, the boomerang passing harmlessly overhead. He rushed to the edge only to scramble away as the girl flipped back onto red railing, veins pulsing at the corners of her narrowed eyes.
The byakugan. It was the first time he had ever seen it. Shisui had heard both grumbling praise and vicious distain for the dōjutsu, many of his clan claiming that while it was no doubt useful, the prized sharingan of the Uchiha was a hundred-fold stronger. He didn't know which one was better, but it was clear to him that the byakugan had an intimidating quality. He felt tiny and exposed under her gaze, which was embarrassing considering he had a couple of inches on her normally.
She dropped her crossed arms with a sigh, dōjutsu fading with the gesture as she looked at him blankly.
"Weapons are usually meant for the training field, aren't they Uchiha-san?"
"I'm sorry," he said, rubbing at a heat that crawled up his neck. He hadn't meant to do that! "I just got that boomerang today and got a little too excited."
She looked over her shoulder before eyeing him and the other weapon strapped to his back.
"Maybe you should stick to the tanto," she observed, her tone neither critical or angry, but a bit exasperated.
Shisui shifted in place as she looked him over, seeming lost in thought. He wondered what she was thinking about, under her strong gaze. She was different than he had imagined talking face to face. She was rather straight-forward, not in a haughty way, though he hadn't made the best first impression. For all he knew, this was how she acted towards people she didn't like.
However, she startled him when she turned on her heel and leapt from the railing, landing onto the water below. He was amazed at her ability, though he guessed he shouldn't have been since they were both in the graduating class for a reason. He had just learned the water walk technique himself and to see her walking easily, though she did sink slightly, on the surface made her even more interesting in his eyes. She must've trained a lot to get that level of chakra control at her age.
Junko soon returned, walking up the side of the bridge post to his side where she handed him the source of the whole mess.
"It'd be best to hold your enthusiasm for the training ground next time, okay?"
Shisui was silent when he took it from her, watching as she shouldered her bag and went to picked up the remnants of the anpan he had caused her to drop. He didn't want her to leave. He couldn't miss his chance, but he didn't know how to put his thoughts into words. However, every thought in his head froze when something poked his forehead, and he stepped back, throwing his arms up defensively. He stared wide eyed at the Hyūga who was smiling as she lowered her hand.
"Just let it out, Uchiha-san."
Shisui stared at her, rubbing at the spot on his forehead. What a strange person. He dropped his hands to his bag, finally finding his words.
"Why did you decide to join the academy?"
Her eyes widened before her brow creased in thought. When it became known that he would be able to enter the academy's graduating class so early, his mother hadn't been all too happy and had to warm up to the idea. Although he didn't like the fighting, his best friend had been steadfast in his duty to the village and the clan before he died, and Shisui wanted to prove himself. To find a way of stopping the endless war that seemed to rule their lives.
It was a haughty goal for a five year old, but he had heard and seen enough life lost to the violence.
"My clan has many expectations for me," she said with a clear voice, looking up at him. "It is a duty and an honor that I must uphold."
Shisui understood the weight of clan expectations, was reminded every time his mother helped him with his sharingan and every time he reread his father's letters. Every time someone mentioned how great a ninja his grandfather Kagami Uchiha had been.
Though his father had told him much about the horrors of the world, he had also written important lessons; that one could learn important things about people from little things, like the way they spoke to the way they held themselves. That people gave away their weak points without even knowing, which you didn't even need the sharingan to spot if you knew what to look for.
And Junko Hyūga was hiding something.
She wasn't like the other kids in class; while they would whisper excitedly about hearing new battle tactics with cool sounding names, behind him he could hear her sigh and mumble something about their foolishness. She was always ready with an answer when Ikeda-sensei questioned her without missing a beat, and the way she got near perfect scores all around made it seem as though she didn't even need to be in the academy. Yet, she still studied with a veracity that not even he could keep up with. It couldn't all be for her clan, could it? There had to be something else that spurred her on.
A goal that she kept close to her heart.
"Is that the only reason?" he asked.
Shisui noted a slight change in her demeanor as she heard his question. She regarded him with those large pale eyes of hers with a tilt of her head, hands folded together properly.
"What other reason would there be?"
Shisui frowned- she was totally hiding something- but shook his head, bowing slightly. He had wasted enough of her time, and with his rather rude introduction he would have to retreat for now. Besides, who would want to reveal their secrets to someone they barely knew?
"I'm sorry for almost hitting you, and thank you for getting it back for me, Hyūga-san."
"It's Junko," she said simply, and he blinked at her. He had almost given her a concussion with a boomerang and she was letting him talk to her familiarly?
She was definitely a strange person.
"Junko-san," he repeated slowly, trying her name.
Obedient child. It was fitting from the proper way she spoke and how she held herself. A person who listened to her superiors without complaint. However, she was also willing to speak out if she saw injustice, using the rules given to her and twisting them to fit her uses, as with Ikeda-sensei and the civilians who now clung to her side.
She smiled at him, pleased with him or something else, he wasn't sure.
"If that is all, I have other things to attend to."
As she left, Shisui vowed that he would get her to talk. Though his embarrassment rose when she turned to look at him over her shoulder.
"Just so you know," she paused making sure he had met her eye. "I'd appreciate it if you just came and talked to me instead of concocting this random encounter. Easier that way."
The lingering heat returned as he was exposed. How did she know?
But as she turned to leave, Shisui couldn't help but feel that his goals had been met, even if not according to plan.
Although Junko had basically invited him to talk to her, Shisui needed it to be the right moment. Perfect timing wasn't only essential to ninja life after all. Following the disaster that was his first plan, this one had to be perfect, something she wouldn't expect. For a reason he didn't know, he wanted to make a good impression on her; maybe to prove to her that he wasn't like the others who didn't see what they were really training for. To get to know if she shared the same thoughts he did. He had managed to find the shop she had gotten her anpan from with some detective work, a little restaurant from the Akimichi district, and was planning to give it to her as a way of apologizing. However, he hadn't planned to find her walking toward the forests, a dark expression on her face.
What happened?
Shisui found himself trailing behind her, gift stashed away in his bag as he stepped over roots and fallen branches. He tailed her for a while until she stopped at the edge of a clearing. It was quiet for a moment and all he could hear was the hushed flow of the river he knew existed beyond the cliffs, until a broken sob shattered the silence and Junko lashed out, striking a nearby tree with her fist. He could only stare, frozen as he watched, a pang in his chest growing the more she swung and cried. It was a visceral thing, something he felt deeply, something he had felt before. Maybe when his father had left the first time, or when his closest friend left for the last time. He had felt that way, wanting to scream and cry at a world that was unfair.
He didn't try to stop her until he noticed the bright blood on her split knuckles and the way she continued to strike the broken bark, becoming more vicious as she did.
He made the mistake of walking too close as he called her name.
"Junko-san-"
He had to dodge when her fist came uncomfortably close to his face as she turned on her heel with a strike. She connected with the tree behind him with a wheezing breath, bark flying in every direction. A silence stretched between them as she turned to him, slowly. Her eyes were filled with tears and she stared blankly at him, the burden falling down her cheeks as she did. Shisui didn't know what to do and Junko didn't say a word, her reddening eyes dim in the muted light of the afternoon. The Hyūga bowed her head, heading further into the clearing which startled Shisui into action. If she continued, she would walk off the cliff. He began to call her, following after as she stepped closer and closer to the edge.
It was the worst thing he could've done in that moment because as he went to grab her arm, to pull her away from the cliff side, she jerked back.
Right over the edge.
Everything slowed down as she fell, his vision turning red. Junko didn't even seem to notice she was falling until the moment she disappeared over the edge. What should he do?
How could he save her?
As she disappeared from his view, he moved, pulling out rope from his pouch and attaching it to a kunai with a simple loop as he leapt from the edge. She seemed so close and yet so far as he fell towards her. Her eyes were closed and she didn't make a sound, not that he would've been able to hear her otherwise over the rushing air around him. The two fell together until he finally caught up to her, wrapping an arm around her tiny middle. She responded automatically, grasping his torso with both arms. Shisui had no time to feel relieved as the length of the rope ended, his arm being tugged painfully as they stopped more than half way down the cliff side.
That was going to bruise.
He tried calling out to her but she simply stared, in shock or mesmerized by the sharingan, he couldn't tell. He squeezed her in his hold as she stared up at him.
"W-why…?" she wheezed and he offered a smile that he hoped was comforting.
"Why not?"
He couldn't enjoy the incredulous look on her face as debris began to fall around them and the rope failed.
The pair fell and fell until they landed in the water of the Naka River. For a moment he was disorientated, but through the water that splashed into his eyes he spotted the shoreline not too far away. Both clambered onto the shore, gasping for breath as the cold water stole their breath. Shisui composed himself first, sharingan fading as he looked over to the little Hyūga who had just gathered her bearings and was looking up at him with trembling lips.
"W-what w-were you t-thinking? You could've d-died!" she gasped.
He stared at her. Had she not expected him to come after her?
"W-what, do you think I s-should've just l-let you fall to y-your death?" he asked as he stood over her on shaky legs.
She didn't reply, staring down at the torn and lightly bleeding skin of her knuckles. Shisui winced, rubbing at the ache in his shoulder while he watched her. She seemed so small sitting there, vulnerable, very unlike the ninja in training who had spared against him and who seemed to move through life so assuredly- as though she had everything planned out in her head about how she should go about life.
He offered his uninjured hand down to her and she stared blankly, causing him to sigh. He grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the damp shoreline. He took a step back to give her space and tended to his arm while she took a deep breath, seeming to recompose herself. The rope had done some damage to the skin of his forearm and the pounding in his shoulder was becoming increasingly painful. This seemed to break whatever haze Junko had fallen into as she immediately noticed and moved forward, hesitating a bit before coming to examine his arm.
Shisui froze as she activated her byakugan and lifted her hands to lightly press them against the bruised muscle to examine the damage. His eyes widened in surprise as she undid her obi and began cutting it up with one of the standard practice kunai given to academy students. He hadn't expected that. She secured the fabric around his arm in a sling, almost expertly done, and then lifted her hand to manipulate the tenketsu in his arm. It was an uncomfortable feeling to say the least, though it dulled as her chakra mixed with his own. The pain in his shoulder became numb, and soon he could move it a little with the barest ache.
"Thank you, Junko-san," he said with a smile and she stared at him in disbelief.
"You shouldn't be thanking me. I'm the reason you're injured," she murmured.
Shisui simply smiled and shrugged his good shoulder. Considering everything, coming out with an injured shoulder was better than the little Hyūga being fatally injured or worse.
"We should get going, it's going to get dark soon," he said instead, checking his waterlogged bag.
She let out a sigh but did the same with a nod, and with that the two trailed off into the forest.
Shisui was hyper aware of her tiny hand in his own as they trekked deeper into the forest. They had made it part way inside when his grip on her hand faltered and she looked up at him.
"What's the matter?" she asked with a tilt of her head.
It was slightly embarrassing to admit, but it was weird having the younger girl lead him through the forest. Shisui wasn't sure why, but maybe he didn't want to seem weak in front of her. It was also the first time he had ever been close to a girl like this other than his mother and aunt, though that was obviously different. He hadn't grown up interacting with them a whole lot before entering the academy. A blush spread across his face.
"You don't need to lead me, I'm okay," he stuttered. She raised a brow.
"You are injured and the forest is almost pitch black Shisui-san. My byakugan is our best bet of moving through the forest without any further injury," she said blandly.
It was sound reasoning and as if to prove her point, he stumbled on an exposed root and almost fell, her hand on his shoulder keeping him from eating dirt. She didn't say anything but in the dim light that managed its way through the thick foliage overhead, he noticed her lips quirk slightly into a smile before she tugged him along. Although his face burned, in their trek out of the forest and their eventual meeting with the blonde jōnin and his team, Shisui learned a lot about Junko Hyūga.
She was a lot more observant than he had thought, having seen all of his failed attempts at speaking to her. While she was an avid student, she was unaware of her class ranking which surprised and amused him. But the most impressive thing he noticed was that she seemed to have bounced back from whatever had been troubling her with an almost startling quickness. Though, despite her façade of maturity, she was still a kid just like him, not unbothered by the state of their world, a sentiment the both of them shared.
After the entire ordeal ended and he was back in the safety of his home, he could still hear her laughter when she saw the anpan in his bag. Over his building embarrassment, he enjoyed how free she sounded, so unlike her prim and proper appearance. Granted, he had gotten a cold after the ordeal, Shisui decided it was worth it, even if he had to stay with his aunt when his mother had to visit some relatives on the outside of the village.
Even that became a chance of fate, as the little Hyūga managed to wander into the park where he was watching Itachi-chama. And finally, after the crisis of the young Uchiha heir was handled, he was able to ask her the questions that had plagued his thoughts since the beginning of the school year. While Shisui didn't exactly agree with her definition of happiness, he understood that it was a part of the goal she strove to achieve. The goal that kept her going despite all odds, seemingly simple and yet very dear.
And in that regard, that resolve to protect those she cherished, Shisui wholehearted agreed.
The day after he had seen Junko at the park was also the day he returned to class, where they were having their first overnight trip in the forests of Konoha for the year. The exercise was held in a gated training ground specifically for cadets of the academy, not unlike the infamous Forest of Death though a lot less deadly. Still, the faculty and instructors were sure to have them get their parents or guardians sign waivers for the possibility of injury and death.
Ikeda-sensei clapped her hands gleefully as she looked over them. Shisui's class had been combined with the other graduating class and their instructor, Nakano-sensei, seemed to shrink at the power of her excitement.
"This trip is to see if you brats have what it takes to survive out in the wild."
Shisui stood amongst his peers, only slightly affected by the gleeful maliciousness that rolled off his sensei as she outlined the parameters of the exercise, noticing the extra chūnin present around them. Over the months of training and studying, they had been taught a lot about hunting and surviving out in the forests, but this test would demonstrate if any of that had sunk in. Everyone would be separated into teams, a four-person squad with one person as leader, mimicking the genin teams they would eventually be promoted to at the end of the year. Their goal would be to survive for three days out in the wildness, where they would be given a signal by flare for the 'extraction' point on the fourth. The teams would need to get there by the fifth day to pass the test.
As they usually did, the woman's purple eyes drifted to the little Hyūga, who seemed resigned at the gesture.
"Since our dear Junko-chan received the best score out of everyone this term," she grinned, and everyone's eyes drifted to the little girl in question, "she gets to choose her team first as team leader."
There was a murmuring throughout the group of cadets and even Shisui could feel the muted hostility being sent to the younger girl in waves. Only the slight tensing of her shoulders let him know that she felt it, but soon her tension eased and she walked over to where the woman stood by the yawning gates of the enclosed forest.
"Thank you, Ikeda-sensei," she said simply and turned to regard the group of them with an inquisitive look on her face. It didn't take long for her to speak again.
"I choose Akane-chan, Noburu, and Shisui-san," she spoke and his eyes widened.
He had expected her to pick those two- they were close and probably knew each other's strengths and weaknesses- but he hadn't thought she'd choose him of all people. The pair of civilians shared a look before gazing at him with varying levels of interest as they joined the younger girl's side. Shisui followed them at a slower pace while the rest of the class broke out in whispers. Junko gave him a nod in greeting, ignoring the intensifying stares, and soon their attention was diverted as their teacher began to address everyone once more.
After the rest of the class divided themselves into groups, the other chūnin handed each team leader a scroll.
"You are expected to open these on the third day of the exercise. Failure to do so will mean failure of the exercise," the hazel-eyed man warned. Most of the cadets made sounds of worry, looking at their team leader's scrolls and Shisui did the same, eyeing the object held in the tiny Hyūga's hands.
What role did that have in their test? He wondered.
The assembled cadets gave their affirmation, and afterwards they were sent to different gates to start the excursion. Shisui waited with his new team alongside a random chūnin as the other students disappeared. It was a bit awkward as Junko didn't speak, absorbed in studying the scroll, and the civilians were looking between him and the little Hyūga with silent questions on their faces. However, the brunet civilian soon broke the silence, nudging the younger girl.
"Out of everyone you could've chosen, you had to pick an Uchiha?" he whispered, not so subtly.
If he remembered correctly, Noburu and his cousin Katsuo didn't have the best relationship, but Shisui didn't let that bother him. The Hyūga was silent for a moment, giving the scroll one more pass between her hands thoughtfully before stashing it away in her back pouch.
"As team leader, I had to choose a three-person team to fit my needs," she said simply. "Plus, it's possible that you'll be placed on a team with people you are not familiar with when we graduate."
She tilted her head up to look at him.
"Think of it as a way of getting used to other people. I have to ease you into it since you're not very sociable." Her voice was lightly teasing and Noburu frowned.
"I've been alive longer than you have," the older boy said blandly. " You do realize that don't you?"
"And yet, I am the team leader. Imagine that," she snickered and he rolled his eyes, though it wasn't out of anger or annoyance.
Noburu and Junko had a weird friendship, Shisui was beginning to realize. The brunet said nothing more but continued to eye him distrustfully. The blonde, Akane, chuckled uncomfortably but before she could say something to placate the situation, the gates before them began to open. The group stood ready as the chūnin in front of them lifted what appeared to be a flare gun.
"Once the signal goes off, follow me in formation; Shisui-san at my back, Akane-chan in the middle and Noburu at the rear," Junko ordered in a no-nonsense tone.
Shisui was surprised at how stern she was, although he should've expected it. She did take studying and tests seriously after all, even if she paid no attention to the school rankings. They gave their affirmation just as the chūnin pulled the trigger, multiple flares going off nearby. Junko shot off into the forest, the trio following at her heels as ordered, her light colored yukata standing out against the earthy tones of the leaves and bark around them. The forest wasn't like anything Shisui had ever seen before; the trees were oversized, almost unnaturally massive. Around him, he could sense things with worrying levels of chakra slither by, hidden behind huge branches and hanging vines. He didn't know if it was from something lurking out in the darkness or from the trees themselves.
Noburu began to call from the rear, but Junko instantly lifted a hand with the sign for silence and the boy grumbled but fell silent. Five minutes passed, then five more until she stopped on a branch of a particularly large tree, and the rest of them followed suit.
"So, what's the big idea?" Noburu huffed, touching down on the branch next to Akane.
"I wanted us to get a head start before discussing anything. Haven't you noticed something weird about this test?" Junko asked as she pulled the scroll from her pouch.
"I haven't," Akane said with a shake of her head. "It doesn't seem any different from the outdoors trip we took last year. Though the scroll thing is different."
Noburu nodded. "Yeah, what she said."
Junko's brow furrowed, but she looked over to where he stood at her side questioningly. The fact that each team had been given a scroll, each looking different from the last, made it seem as though there was more to this than simply surviving in the forest for a few days.
"I think Junko-san is right," Shisui spoke up for the first time, causing the two civilians to look at him.
He paused for a moment under their gazes but continued. "The fact that the classes were given teams and sent to different gates to enter the forest makes me think that there may be another component to all of this."
When he finished, the civilian turned their eyes to the shorter child beside him who nodded. She broke the seal of the scroll and knelt down, rolling it open against the bark.
"But Nakano-sensei said that we were only supposed to open it on the third day!" Akane exclaimed, clasping her hands together worriedly.
The Hyūga shook her head, smiling assuredly at the blonde.
"He said that it was expected that we open it by the third day," she said. "However, he did not say it couldn't be opened on any other day."
Shisui nodded in approval; she had also caught what the chūnin did.
"Sensei phrased the rule in such a way to make us think we would fail if we opened it at any other day," he concluded. "By saying it in such a way, our minds would connect failure with opening the scroll before that time."
Junko grinned. "Meaning, that as long as it's open by the third, we'll be fine."
Realization passed over both civilians' faces, though Noburu's quickly fell.
"Why have such a stupid rule in the first place then?" he grumbled, crossing his arms against his chest.
"For the psychological impact like Shisui-san explained," Junko nodded. "But this other component of the test must be explained within as well. Those who open it later will have less time to complete whatever task we need to complete before the time limit."
The rest of them crowded around the scroll, which displayed what appeared to be a rough map of the forest that surrounded them, as well as a separate written note.
'For you, little Junko-chan, you and your team must find the four purple flags spread throughout the forest. And you have three days to complete your task. Good luck!'
A little smiley face was drawn at the end, and Shisui couldn't help but feel sympathy for the young Hyūga as he read the note over her shoulder. There was no doubt that it was from their overly eccentric teacher, Ikeda-sensei. Junko sighed deeply before handing the note over to the other pair. As they read it, Akane mimicked the younger girl though Noburu let out an impressive growl before crumpling the paper in his hands.
"That woman is a witch," the boy hissed.
Junko shook her head, pulling her longish bob back into a short ponytail.
"It is what it is," she declared and formed the snake sign, causing the veins at her temples to pulse. "Gathering our bearings and finding a base before night comes should be our first priority."
Junko was able to get a rough estimate of their location with the map sketch and her byakugan, noting that they were at least ten or so meters away from a river they couldn't see through the dense flora around them. They agreed that it would be best for them to find a place away from the river, since all matter of beasts and other unpleasant things would be there lurking. Luckily enough, they found a place in the forest where the roots of a gigantic tree had been uprooted, from some previous fight or jutsu, Shisui wasn't sure. It formed part of a natural barrier with enough space for each of them to rest easily inside with their bedrolls. The clearing in front of it was minimal, giving them extra protection with large tree trunks at the risk of limited vision.
Once they had gotten settled, Junko spread out tasks for all of them nearby. Her actions confirmed everything he knew about her; she was much more than prodigy. Shisui felt comfortable with her as a leader, despite her young age and short stature, a sentiment that the others showed as well even though they were older than both of them. Junko was anything but inefficient and the others hung on her every word. It was obvious that they trusted her wholeheartedly, and it seemed as though the feeling was mutual. However, that made a nudging thought pass Shisui's mind.
Why had she chosen him?
The Hyūga had tasked him and Noburu with making sure their base was secure, and so the pair went around putting wire traps and paper tags around the area. They would not only disable whoever or whatever tripped them in a cloud of pepper laced smoke, but also send a series of vibrations to their base where the wires were attached to their packs; if they were moved, the group would know something was nearby. It was all Noburu's idea and Shisui made sure to compliment his skill; honestly, he hadn't expected such ingenuity from the boy as he seemed to fail every exercise they did in class.
Noburu had just eyed him with that same distrust from earlier, before skulking off to do another task for their leader, taking the other civilian with him as he did. After finishing his portion of the traps, he returned to their base where Junko was waiting, byakugan still activated as she scanned the area. She switched the dōjutsu off as he approached, regarding him with a smile.
"Noburu is still acting like a brat, isn't he?" she noted with a tilt of her head. Had she been watching their interaction?
"I've noticed he doesn't trust Uchiha very much," he responded with a shrug.
It was a sentiment that was often shared through the village, disheartening but not something he was unused to. He was not oblivious to the looks he and his kind received whenever they entered the village center. All he could do was become a great ninja and put an end to the fighting; maybe then the Uchiha clan would be looked at favorably too.
"Just give it a little time," she tried to reassure him. "Noburu was wary of me at first as well, but he'll come around. He has way too many conspiracy theories about the clans."
Shisui simply gave a nod, watching as the girl turned back to the map set out in front of her. She had marked certain locations on the vague sketch and was slowly making it clearer. He deliberated on whether or not he should ask her the question that had been rattling around in his brain when their other teammates returned, silencing his thoughts.
"We found the mouth of the river like you asked," Akane began, carrying over a sling of canteens, a mixture of their own and a few extra the Hyūga had packed. "It doesn't seem like anyone has made their way there yet, or they haven't decided to camp around it."
"We even found one of the flags," Noburu boasted, holding it up for them to see with one hand. "It was buried in some bush nearby. This is gonna be easy."
Junko nodded in understanding and took it from his outstretched hand to stash in her pouch.
"Good find, though I doubt that finding the remaining three will be as easy."
Noburu deflated. "Yeah; knowing Ikeda-sensei, they could be attached to some bear or something."
For the rest of that first day, the team scouted the area, finding random vegetation that was edible and managing to snag a few sizable fish with a combination of water walking, team effort, and Junko's quick hands. The Hyūga also had them boil all the water for safety reasons, she wasn't willing to take any chances, though Noburu had complained all the while. They even explored the area across the river from their camp, but Junko made sure they didn't go too far from home base, wanting to avoid conflict for as long as possible.
The young team leader also gave them a watch schedule for the night.
"Do we really need to do that?" Noburu frowned. "It's not like there are enemy ninja about."
Junko gave him a look, a mixture of seriousness and calm understanding, much like Shisui imagined a teacher that wasn't Ikeda-sensei would be.
"This is a simulation of what we will experience when we become full-fledged genin," she began, taking one of the skewered fishes from the fire pit he had lit with his fire jutsu. "It is better to get used to it in a controlled environment rather than on a mission."
"Fine. Then who does what watch, Junko-sensei?" the blue-eyed boy sighed.
Shisui noticed with quiet amusement the almost gleeful shine that appeared in her light eyes at the title.
"Each person will have a three-hour watch, giving the others approximately two to three sleep cycles. It's the best way to divide the time so that each of us is adequately rested when it is our turn. As Shisui-san and I are the youngest, and thus need more sleep, I will be going first and he will take the last watch so we can get the most uninterrupted rest by daybreak."
They all stared at her silently. Shisui hadn't been prepared for her to be so precise.
"You calculated all that?" he asked. She simply shrugged and took a bite of her fish.
"It's pretty natural for Junko-chan to have such a plan," Akane replied with a smile. "She's always thinking of the best way to do things."
The Hyūga swallowed her mouthful and nodded. "It's how I get through life."
The trio did what they were told, slipping into their bed rolls after eating their share of the catch. The day had been exhausting to say the least, and the civilians were fast asleep as soon as they laid their heads down. However, sleep evaded Shisui, his eyelids refusing to stay closed.
He watched Junko through the roots of their base where she sat at the mouth, in front of their little campfire. The shadows that were cast stretched her silhouette to where he laid. She was still for a moment, possibly watching the flames, but then her back slumped forward and a tired sigh slipped from her and into the atmosphere. The little Hyūga propped her head on her knees before burying her face in them, squeezing them to her chest accompanied by the weak crackling of the fire. It contrasted with the strong, confident girl he had seen as all day giving out orders as though it was as easy as breathing. It felt like something he shouldn't be witness to, like the events on the cliff side.
A sign of a crack in that manufactured happiness she had told him about just the other day.
But soon she straightened herself, stretching her tiny limbs before moving to sit in lotus, meditatively. From where he laid, he could feel her chakra stretch toward him and the others nearby, as if checking on them. Strong yet calming, like a wave crashing against a shoreline. And as her shadow fell over him, his eyelids grew heavy, and sleep finally took him.
The second day came almost too quickly. Shisui watched alone as the sun broke through the foliage overhead, and almost as though by clockwork, Junko began to stir. Their other teammates were still resting peacefully as she rose from their little alcove in just her training clothes, her lilac yukata missing.
"Good morning," he offered and she gave a nod in response.
"I assume your watch went well?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, though it was a bit more…creepy sounding than I had expected," he admitted.
He had heard all sorts of noises while waiting for the morning sun to come up. It would be something he'd need to get used to.
She nodded with a smile. "I felt the same."
Stifling a yawn, the Hyūga moved to do some stretches. It was methodically done as she moved, flowing from kata to kata easily. Watching her made him think about just what they were doing here. It was a bit disorienting to think about how she and him were studying to become ninja and would meet that goal as soon as the year ended. He remembered playing with some clan mates his age just a couple of months ago in the playground, as carefree as a bird. And yet here he was now, training to become a certified ninja, just like his father out on the field.
While he had been taught that being a ninja was an honorable thing from birth, he never really questioned it until his best friend, who had basically been his older brother for the short years on his life, died out on the field, going out one day and never returning.
Could that really be what his life was meant for?
He thought about that a lot but never asked either of his parents about it. With activating his sharingan came lectures about shinobi life, that giving one's life for the village and the clan was more important than one singular life. Those types of rules were absolute. And so those questions about his purpose didn't reemerge until he had been surrounded by peers much older than him and the other little prodigy had entered his life.
Neither of them really belonged there, he felt. Adults could tell him time and time again that their lives were meant for this, but it would always seem odd to him. Especially when he had seen children his age in the village who lived untroubled, laughing and playing in the streets. They were unburdened by the truth of the world that existed beyond Konoha's walls. There was such a divide that Shisui couldn't help but notice how abnormal he was in comparison.
But maybe that was why he studied and continued to train in the shinobi life, so that future generations would have a chance at real peace that wasn't possible now, not for him anyways. Thinking about Junko's goals, he was comforted that he wasn't alone in that regard.
Shisui didn't realize he had been lost in his thoughts until something poked him on the forehead.
"I thought we already got past this point in our relationship," Junko said teasingly as she looked down at him, having finished her stretches and retrieved her yukata. He could hear their two other teammates stirring from the alcove.
"What's on your mind Shisui-san?" she asked, handing him one of the ration bars she had packed.
He took it from her hand, wondering what he should say as he peeled the wrapper off. Well, she had asked him outright; there was no need for him to hesitate.
"Why did you choose me to be on your team?" he asked as she slumped down next to him and unwrapped her own.
She hummed lightly under her breath as she considered his question.
"Well, considering our past spars and other events, I know I can trust you and your skills as a partner in tough situations," she began and he nodded.
From the boomerang debacle, to the cliff side tumble, almost being burned to death by a wayward grand fireball, and the diaper fiasco, they had gotten to know each other quite well honestly.
"And after our talk the other day, I kind of assumed that we were friends now, or at least close acquaintances," she continued and he looked at her with wide eyes.
She considered him a friend?
"Unless you don't want to be," she added, eyeing his wide eyed gaze with a hint of amusement.
"No, no that's fine!" he stammered. "I'd liked to be friends."
She grinned at him.
"I'm glad to hear it."
…
The team headed into newer territory after getting ready for the day, Noburu being a bit slow to follow suit. They returned to the formation Junko had set out the other day as they traversed the forest. The group spent most of that second morning and afternoon scouring the area beyond the river, making sure to be careful to not attract any unwanted attention.
Junko's byakugan was most helpful in this endeavor, as she noted other cadets moving through the forest and steered them away from them.
"I don't see why we don't just face them," Noburu mumbled as they traveled higher and higher through the trees.
"Considering our special deadline, I think it's best that we avoid unnecessary detours," Junko answered without looking back, leading their group in a sharp turn as she spied something out of their range.
They followed after her obediently and saw the corner of another purple flag peaking out at the entrance of a tree hollow. Noburu let out an exclamation of joy before darting up the side of the tree and attaching himself to the bark beneath it.
"Noburu, stop…!" Junko called out, alarmed as the boy dug his arm into the opening and instantly Shisui activated his sharingan.
A source of chakra pulsed within the tree and it was rapidly expanding. Shisui quickly took action, pushing off the branch he had stopped on and sailing into the air. His body crashed into the other boy's, pulling him away as a explosion went off inside the tree. Shisui could feel the heat against his back as they fell, gravity pulling them away from the blast radius. They landed unsteadily on another large branch below, and Akane quickly made her way down to them.
"Are you guys okay!?" Akane gasped, her hands glowing as she began to inspect them.
The pair of boys looked at each other. Parts of their clothing were singed by the explosion, but overall, it didn't appear that either had sustained any injury.
"Y-yeah, we're fine," Shisui nodded, looking back up into the tree where Junko was examining the damage.
He looked over to the brunet civilian who was still breathing hard, a lightly singed purple flag in his grasp.
"W-what he said," Noburu agreed, rising from his hunched position.
Junko returned to them, holding a burnt piece of paper between two fingers.
"I found this in the blast zone," the Hyūga said. "It looks like the remains of an explosive tag, though that's pretty obvious."
"No shit," Noburu groaned, handing over the flag to the little prodigy. "Do you think that it was one of the other teams?"
Junko was silent as she handed the burnt tag over to him in exchange. From his spot next to the other boy, Shisui could see a distinct smiley face untouched by the flames, the same one that had been on the note hidden within the scroll. The group of cadets was silent for a moment before the civilian boy let out an enraged scream.
"That woman is a demon in human skin!" he growled, crumpling the paper into ash.
The little Hyūga sighed.
"While that's possibly true, your recklessness could've been fatal Noburu. You're lucky that Shisui-san pushed you from the blast."
Noburu pouted, perhaps wanting to retort but having nothing to say. Junko crossed her arms over her tiny chest as she stared him down. As the pair fought some unspoken battle of wills, Akane tiptoed over to where he stood, checking him over with her diagnosis jutsu as he deactivated his sharingan. What a weird pair.
Shisui thanked the blonde once she finished and they both turned to see a defeated looking Fujioka and triumphant Hyūga. The brunet ran a hand across the back of his head, messing up his lopsided ponytail.
"Thanks for saving me, I guess," he mumbled, and Junko jabbed him not-so-subtly in the side. He glared at her and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants.
"I have a bad habit of being headstrong and don't take others' warnings into account until it's too late and it's something I need to work on," he continued, and Shisui got the feeling that the other boy had to say that line a lot.
Shisui offered a smile in response. "It's no problem, we are teammates."
The brunet looked at him critically for a moment before speaking again. "I guess you're alright for an Uchiha. Even if you are a weird adult baby like Junko."
Shisui didn't know how to respond to that but Junko was ready, a deadpan expression on her face.
"That is the poorest expression of gratitude I've ever heard," she said blandly. Noburu crossed his arms.
"Well, that's all I got so stuff it," he huffed.
The pair went back and forth until Akane inevitably stepped in, and Shisui couldn't help but think that his academy days were going to be anything but boring. The group he had found himself in was a bit disjointed, a bit outcasted as he would see in the future, but found that there wasn't any other group of people he would rather hang out with.
Even if finding the last flag had meant ruining one of his favorite shirts to the anger of a boar's tusks at the group's- mainly Noburu's- shenanigans.
Author's Notes
Posted/Edited: May 2nd, 2017
I have like eight drafts of this chapter, all different, sitting on my computer. Anyways, as always, thanks for all the favorites, follows and reviews!
Question and Answer Time
-Palaserece asked: "Would Junko consider obtaining a summoning contract?"
I have considered it and have thought about which animal would be best for her, but considering what I have in store for the next couple of chapters, it might be a while before she gets one.
-NaruNaruru asked: "Can I ask for more interaction between Junko with Hiashi or Hizashi or maybe both?"
Sure! Admittedly, I have pushed the Hyūga clan dynamic to the background in developing Junko's relationship with Kushina. The next chapters I have, the next one especially, has more clan interaction.
-Crazywordsmith asked: "Is her new vision ability connect to her Senju descent? Will Junko learn fuinjutsu, or other elemental releases and will we get to see more of Shisui's skill set?"
I will be sure to expand on her new sight in the future, but it is partly that and also connected to her reincarnated state. Since Kushina is her teacher, she will be learning some fuinjutsu, but I'm unsure how far I will go into it as a part of her skill set to be honest. Shisui is a major character to this story, so I will include more about his development as the story progresses.
-MemoriesOfBetterDays asked: "Where does the story mention Junko having the Mokuton?"
It hasn't been introduced into the main story yet; it was solely something I was discussing with readers in the Author's Notes. It will come about later in the plot. And on your comment about environmental descriptions, I have to agree with you; sometimes I'm vague on that part since I like to focus on the interactions between characters, and I should pay more attention to it.
(Serendipithy, I totally agree that the A/Ns are too long but I can't help it; I have a problem lol. At least this one was under 500 words.)
To those wondering about the mini interludes/outtakes: Since it seems like most of you like the idea, I will make sure they are beneficial to the main plot of the story, whether it be for character development or story development. They won't be at the end of every chapter, and I will (hope to) keep them a reasonable length. The full chapter interludes will still happen periodically, since I like writing them and you like reading them.
Also, I made another poll for the next character interlude chapter; I'd like to know your thoughts. Who would you like to see next? I'll have more distinct choices once I know which category you want.
I'm excited to see how you all react to future chapters.
Next time on For a Chance at Happiness:
Chapter 22: Of Snow Piles and Paw Prints