v.

chapter five - holding your fate

In my previous life, I had studied in the medical branch during my time at university. Though my time there had been cut short due to a freak disaster, the information I had learned evolved later on when I met up with a group of scientists and other medical practitioners. We learned from each other and worked together on what was to be a cure to the disease that had taken too many lives; both innocent and corrupted.

I'd say we got far, but the most we really accomplished was stalling the disease; with a dose of the serum we concocted, you'd get to live forty-eight hours longer than the usual "less than twenty-four hours" bullshit everyone else was stuck with. That was the last thing I remember us doing before I killed myself; which was stupid now that I've had all these years to think about it. I shouldn't have given up so easily back then. I could have pushed myself harder to get back to the base, take the serum, and then use the remaining time I had left to help as much as I could. Even after that I could have allowed the others to use me as a test subject.

None of that mattered now though, so thinking about it would only serve to frustrate me. All I could do was look forward and promise myself that I wouldn't give up this time around. No more being fucking weak. I was going to make myself stronger than I was before; not just physically, but mentally. Of course, my past life had already hardened a part of me, but in the end I had still submitted too easily when the end was in sight.

I was getting closer to my goal of "strength" with each passing day. It had been awhile since my slight mental breakdown (after I had seen that image of Kakashi and Sakumo) and Sasori was nine now. I was still only five, but not slacking in the least when it came to my training. Physical training was going smoothly, but what I was more focused on was studying the many venomous and poisonous plants, animals, and even rocks that existed in this world. Some were similar to the ones in my past, while others were completely new to me.

With all of this knowledge, I inched closer and closer to becoming adept in the use of them. I'd learn how to extract them, create them, and intermingle them with other objects (such as weapons, food, and clothing). Not only that, but I wasn't stupid enough to forget about researching the matching antidotes.

Chiyo was quick to notice my interest and, considering her prior knowledge of poisons, was proud to assist me with my newfound skillset. Sasori would give a helping hand every now and then when he was available, but Chiyo knew more than him at the moment, so it made more sense for her to teach me rather than my brother.

This all led to how I was practically becoming a master of poisons at only age five. Of course, to everyone else I seemed to be a genius prodigy, while the truth was that I simply had past knowledge on my side. With some more research and practice, I would become full fledged master by the time I was seven at the least. That's what Chiyo had cackled to me anyway, but I took the words as a challenge and decided I'd try to become one by age six. Telling that to my grandmother only made her laugh harder. She had high hopes for me.

Though poisons were my main focus, it wasn't the only thing I was working on. Chiyo had finally allowed me to work on my trap-making after I proved to be efficient in poisons. For now I was only working on basic Academy-level traps, but soon I'd move on to a whole different level of them. First I'd have to master the simple stuff… and then I'd have to learn fūinjutsu; no pressure. In the beginning, I knew that Chiyo would only expect me to learn basic and relatively easy seals, but eventually I'd have to learn more advanced ones if I wanted my traps to become stronger.

Fūinjutsu wasn't something I was interested in, but if it meant that another one of my skills would become more powerful— then I'd be willing to learn. No matter how much I was dreading the fact… my calligraphy was shitty at best, not quite having gotten the hang of this style of writing just yet. The memory of using pens and pencils was still oddly fresh in my mind. Amazing how something so mundane could remain when I would occasionally forget what my little brother even looked like.

Back to the subject at hand, trap-making was a priority of mine, but unfortunately the supplies for it went quickly when you practiced every day. This led to where I was now: perched on Sasori's shoulders as we walked through the market.

"What do we need again?" I mumbled, resting against Sasori's head. The supplies for me, but without a list I couldn't remember the specifics of what we needed to get. Sure, I could tell you which rock could create a lethal gas if you heated it as well as transfer poison onto your fingertips if you touched it, but god forbid I remember if we needed to buy ninja wire or not. Priorities.

Sasori neared a corner and opened his mouth to reply, only to stop short when someone rounded the said corner before us at a ridiculous speed, running straight into us. Of course, my brother had sensed the stranger moments before the impact and had moved to the side in an attempt to avoid this collision. Only, the boy seemed to have tried to do the same, moving to the right when Sasori moved to the left… In short, their attempts to save an accident from occuring had failed terribly, resulting in me flipping forward and off of Sasori's shoulders.

Everything had happened so quickly; I almost didn't realize I was falling. The boy who had rounded the corner let out a shout when he noticed my predicament and did his best to try and catch me. Sasori beat him to the punch however, grasping me with his chakra strings while I was in midair. There was a silent pause before I was placed safely onto the ground.

"Are you okay, Kyojin?" Sasori asked me, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. I nodded before needlessly dusting myself off and looking to the other male that was there.

The boy that had run into us looked to be around Sasori's age, if not maybe a bit older. He had chin-length brown hair with long bangs that were kept parted in the middle. His eyes were green and seemed to be abnormally large; then again, I wasn't too sure if that was due to the awestruck look on his face or if they were just naturally that big.

Honestly, it looked like he was caught between apologizing and commenting on the stunt Sasori had just pulled with his chakra strings. It was only after Sasori turned his attention to the boy, a cold glare on his face, that he snapped out of it. With genuine shame on his face, the boy bowed his head, "S-Sorry about that! I managed to see you when I turned the corner but when I moved to dodge you… you did the same."

Sasori's eyes narrowed, "Are you saying that it was my fault?"

"N-No! Of course not! I was just explaining what happened, I— I don't have time for this!" The boy suddenly stood straight, a serious look on his face. "I have an urgent message to deliver!" At that, he pulled out a scroll and presented it to us.

Sasori and I shared a blank look. The scroll looked to be just that; a scroll. There were no coded markings on it that labeled it's importance. Not to mention that nothing about this kid screamed shinobi. The so called "urgent" message was most likely civilian related. Hah, perhaps it was a letter to one of his parents, letting the other know that they were going to be home late tonight or something of that nature.

Either way, the kid's seriousness seemed ludicrous enough for Sasori to grace him with a reply. "Oh really now? For whom is it for?"

The brunet froze for a minute, either surprised Sasori had taken an interest in his task or because he had forgotten just who he was supposed to be meeting up with. "Uh… Oh yeah! It's from a Chiyo-baa-san to a Sasori-kun. I was heading to the address she gave me when I ran into you."

I shared a look with my brother once again, but our blank expressions were now replaced with ones of confusion instead.

"Obaa-chan gave you a message for nii-sama?" I asked, cocking my head to the side absently.

Sasori held his hand out, "I'm the Sasori-kun you were referring to."

"Eh— You are?!" The redhead nodded once again, to which the brown-haired boy studied him carefully for several moments. His scrutinizing expression disappeared quickly however, a grin replacing it as he handed over the scroll. "Oh, okay then. Here you go~! My name is Komushi by the way."

That name… seemed very familiar.

。。。

As it turned out, Chiyo's little "message" was only a ruse to get Sasori and Komushi to meet. The little scheme had been proposed by Komushi's mother, who worked at the hospital with Chiyo. The woman had been worried about her son's lack of friends, so the moment she learned that Chiyo had a grandson around Komushi's age, she jumped at the chance to introduce him to somebody.

Apparently, despite his bubbly and friendly personality, not many of the students at the Academy took well to his loud demeanor. Chiyo went along with the plan for some reason or another...

Either way the message Sasori had been given told him to keep Komushi occupied until his mother was off duty. Which was why my brother and I were now back home, but with an extra guest. I had no problems with this situation, finding Komushi to be… a little overbearing at times, but nevertheless likeable. He kind of reminded me of Naruto in some ways, but not all.

Another one of the reasons I didn't mind Komushi being here was because I wasn't the one in charge of him; that was Sasori. Currently the two were discussing puppetry, as the brunet couldn't stop asking my brother about the cool trick he did back when he prevented me from falling onto the ground. At first, Sasori was very stubborn and resistant when it came to teaching someone else about his techniques. Eventually however, Komushi's eagerness and determination won out.

Having a friend that wasn't me would be good for Sasori, so I tried not to get in their way too much (which was easy since I had no interest in their current topic). A part of me felt a little irritated though, not liking how someone else was taking up Sasori's attention for once. It was very childish of me to think that way —and probably a little possessive too— and I knew that, but it couldn't stop how I felt. Sasori didn't even look interested in the least while he was with Komushi, a blank expression on his face the entire time they talked, and yet I couldn't get rid of the pang in my chest whenever I saw them interacting.

I really needed to get some friends of my own, or distance myself from Sasori at least. I was starting to see why exactly Chiyo agreed to this little set-up. It was for both my sake and my brother's. We were far too attached to each other, and while that could be great, it was preventing us from branching out and meeting new people.

The thought of putting even a small gap between Sasori and I left a sour taste in my mouth, but I knew it would have to be done at some point. That point just happened to come now in the form of a doe-eyed ten-year-old named Komushi.

A month after turning six, Chiyo enrolled me into Sunagakure's Academy, which was due to start during the last month of summer. The old woman was quick to take me shopping, much like she had done for Sasori after he had graduated.

I stocked up on new clothes, weapons, and studying material. Though we didn't buy much overall, we spent several hours at the market since Chiyo was very picky with making sure I got the right quality and quantity of items. We were nearly ripped off a few times, to which Chiyo caught quickly and chewed the shopkeeper's head off. Needless to say we went home with a few freebies as well.

Unfortunately, Sasori was out of the village on a mission during our shopping trip, so he missed out on it. I'm sure he wouldn't count it as a loss though, seeing how Chiyo was when out in public. I was used to it, and by now Sasori probably was too, but— Our parents were probably the ones that used to take him shopping before, and so he had that memory to compare our trips with Chiyo to. I would imagine an outing with our father and mother would be much more pleasing than one with Chiyo.

I wouldn't complain too much though, because I loved Chiyo, and was grateful that she stuck around to raise Sasori and I (despite how much of a handful we could be at times).

My first day at the Academy started with a vision. My eyes bore blankly into the wall across from me, and my hand stopped mid-way from putting rice in my mouth. Chiyo was washing her dishes in the sink, having consumed her food before me. Sasori was nowhere in sight— still off on a mission to which he'd return from later in the day…

I focused on the events happening in my mind's eye, unsure if they were from the future or the present.

There was a boy, a year younger than me, and two other children that are at least three years older. More children covered the room I was spectating, but they were grayed out in comparison to these three. The other children did not matter, nor did I care to take note of their faces. Instead I remained focused on the trio that seemed to have a spotlight on them.

The child that is younger than me is quick to put a name to: Kakashi Hatake. I recognized him from the first and only vision I had before this one decided to grace me with its existence. He looked only slightly older now, seeing as it had only been a year since the events involving his father's passing, but there were a few changes to him nevertheless. His air screamed cold and serious, akin to the one I found my brother having when he was around anyone other than his family and sensei.

The other two kids were harder to identify, both thanks to my fuzzy memory and the fact that they weren't exactly the focal point of this vision. They were blurred at the edges, albeit still in the image.

It took a few more minutes before I finally discovered who they were, watching as they introduced themselves, along with the other students in their class... Ah, so the setting was a classroom. Kakashi stood before the students with the teacher at his side. He was being introduced as a new student— having been bumped up to a more advanced class once his genius was discovered.

Obito Uchiha sat in the back beside one Rin Nohara. His trademark goggles were on his forehead, sparking the memory I had of him instantly, just as his name left his lips. The brunette beside him had to actually say her name for me to comprehend exactly who she was. Even then, it took me a few more seconds before I could successfully remember her... Though the purple markings on her face should have been enough to trigger something.

The scene continued to play out before me, coming to a close as Kakashi took a seat in the front row.

I blinked back to reality and continued to eat shakily. The rice that had been held in my chopsticks was now cold, making me frown a bit in distaste. Chiyo was watching me, no doubt wondering what the hell had just happened. She said nothing though, probably recognizing my dull stare as the one Sasori had described to her a year ago before I had withdrawn into myself.

I wasn't crying like I had last time, something I was thankful for. It was good to know that I wouldn't be cursed to only witness horrible events; I would get to be present for the good ones as well, or at least the seemingly neutral ones.

"Hurry up or you're gonna be late!" Chiyo suddenly shouted, nearly making me jump out of my seat. At her insistence, I was quick to shovel down the rest of my breakfast so that we could depart for the Academy.

My grandmother saw me off without much fanfare, giving me a proud smile and an encouraging pat on the head.

。。。

My first day at the Academy was, if I had to describe it with one word, terrible.

It was incredibly boring, and though I had expected that, it was still hard to have to sit through the lessons and act like I was actually paying attention. Oh wait, I hadn't even bothered to do even that. The moment our instructor began to explain Sunagakure's history (something I had studied ages ago) I fell asleep in my seat. Luckily, I was sitting in the back so not much attention was sent my way; I'm sure my average coloring also helped a bit.

Point was, I basically slept through all of my classes due to how irritatingly basic and easy they were. Nothing of note happened other than that small fact. I didn't even meet anyone, not that I was looking to. I kept to myself the whole time during class and lunch, satisfied with the peace I was given.

I repeated all of this to Sasori, who was the one to pick me up after my classes ended for the day. His presence was a nice surprise, since I hadn't expected him to return home until much later.

"—and then he told us to review the material, which I'm not going to do." I huffed, rolling my eyes at the degrading memory. Sasori and I were walking home hand-in-hand as I told the tale that was my first day at the Academy. Whenever I got too aggravated, I found that my brother would squeeze my hand slightly, a gesture used to comfort me no doubt. "I already know everything! Things were more fun when you were teaching me stuff, Saso-nii..." I sighed helplessly at that.

My hand was squeezed once again as Sasori smiled at me, "How about I teach you a few more things…? After you finish your homework that is."

I groaned, "Saso-nii!"

"I'm sure you'll finish it in no time, since you already know everything I mean." Sasori chuckled lightly, smirking down at me. This was obviously a challenge; a test that he was throwing my way. Something to keep me motivated.

"I will! I promise not to keep you waiting, nii-sama."

"Good," he ran a hand through my hair, "You know I hate that."

After a couple of months at the Academy, I got used to the boring routine that was forced upon me. Besides sleeping to help me pass the time, I began to practice on my chakra control. Of course, this was something I had been doing for years already but, in my opinion, too much practice doesn't exist. So, while our instructor would drone on about a topic I was already well versed in, I'd be discreetly sticking small pebbles onto my hand beneath the desk.

When I wasn't doing that, I was writing in a journal that I had found amongst my hoard; sketching out trap blueprints, and notes revolving around poisons. Occasionally you'd find a random scrawl in English, which would either translate to something about the original plotline of Naruto… or me just talking shit about someone in my class. More mundane things were written down too, such as a shopping list of things Chiyo asked for me to pick up or items that my instructor told us to bring for the next lesson.

Basically, my journal wasn't used for just one thing and had multiple purposes. I tried to keep it on my person at all times so I wasn't too worried about someone snatching it and taking a peek. Then again, it'd suck if someone did get a hold of it and take my ideas and credit them as their own, so I was sure to put a locking seal on it. Not just that though; if someone were to force their way into my journal (by breaking my seal or channeling their chakra into it) it'd just explode in their faces, courtesy of the exploding seal I placed on the inside. Sure, I'd be without my precious journal, but the karma that the culprit would get would make it all worth it. It would also mean that the seals I had spent hours perfecting actually worked.

Lunch time began just as I was finishing up on another sketch. Closing my journal and putting it away, I was ready to go find a quiet spot to eat when I noticed someone was standing beside my desk. Looking up with furrowed eyebrows, I met the gaze of a pale-skinned boy. He was smiling (deviously it almost seemed), his bright orange eyes narrowing at the action.

Even when I met his gaze with a questioning look, the boy remained quiet, apparently content with just staring into my soul. After a few more beats of silence, I gritted my teeth irritably and huffed, "...Yes?"

"Heh, so you noticed me?" He was leaning against my desk now, an amused expression on his face as he ran a hand through his short, curly locks. My eyes followed the action, examining the unique coloring —a pastel rose— for a moment before dismissing it completely.

When my classmate said nothing more, I rolled my eyes and slid out from behind my desk. The kid was still partly in my way, but I had no qualms with pushing him a bit so I could get past. If he wanted to be a creep and annoy the hell out of me for no reason, then fine, but I wasn't going to just stick around when I could be eating my lunch instead.

"He~y, where are you going?" The rose-haired boy followed after me with a playful pout, "I didn't even get to introduce myself~!"

His voice was grating on my nerves… It wasn't that it sounded bad, it was just that he spoke with an annoying lilt. Where had he even come from? Was he always in my class? I feel like I would have recognized him with that kind of hair color. I chose to ignore him as I made my way to the rooftop, but my silence apparently didn't bother him because he followed me all the way there. He even had the gall to sit down beside me— pulling out a lunch of his own.

"My name is Murai Niijima," I finally got a name to put to his face half-way through my meal. Murai was a fast eater apparently, because his bento was picked clean before fifteen minutes had even gone by.

"...Kyojin." I replied, deciding not to be a complete asshole.

"Just Kyojin, hm~? I'm guessing both your parents were no-name orphans."

Murai certainly had no tact. Did he even realize how offensive that was? If I was anyone else (read: Sasori) then he'd get a beating for sure. I shrugged, "Does that mean you're a clan kid then? It's been awhile since I've met someone so obnoxious."

My classmate winked, "That's right~! I'm surprised you didn't realize that right away, I mean, the Niijimas are pretty well known in Sunagakure." He sounded pretty knowledgable for a six-year-old, but considering he was a clan kid, I wasn't too surprised.

"How so?"

"It's our kekkai genkai, of course~! We're all born with a low chakra presence, which makes us harder to detect than normal people. Those who are really talented and perfectly trained can even make themselves appear invisible; that's what I was trying to do earlier…" He frowned, "Hmph, but you noticed me anyway~! It worked perfectly on all the other kids, so you see—" Murai grinned at me, "I'm a little pissed off right now."

'Someone… please… come get this child.'

"I'm declaring you my rival, Kyo~chan!"

"...Go away."

"Eh~?" With a disgusted look on my face, I packed up my bento and fled from the roof. I didn't need this; I didn't have time for it. If he wanted to be my friend, then maybe I could put up with that. RIval, however?

'No. I'm too busy focusing on my own training and the future to worry about some competitive six-year-old…' With those thoughts in my head, I made my way back to the classroom. Exiting the stairwell that led to the roof, I almost sighed in relief that I was now alone once again— until I ran into someone.

A quiet 'oof' escaped the person's lips before they promptly fell to the floor. I remained standing, because really, the impact wasn't that bad. Resisting a sigh, I held a hand out to the small girl. She looked pretty weak for someone that was to become a ninja, not to mention she was awfully short. It made me wonder if she was really a student here… or maybe just some lost three-year-old.

"Are you okay?" I questioned as I helped her up. Slanted, turquoise eyes stared back at me without any emotion. It probably would have been less unnerving if the girl wasn't fixing her appearance as she did so. After she straightened her clothes out, two small hands reached up towards her dull orange hair to tighten her ponytail.

"Yes." She finally answered after that, her voice sounding as blank as her expression.

'Amazing. I get to meet two creeps in one day.'

"Good..." My voice kind of broke off into a whisper, "I guess." I was then moving past the short girl, being sure to give her a wide berth as I did so. Her body slowly turned to watch mine, making me grow stiff and start to walk faster. As I walked away, I tried to reach out and sense for her but… it was like no one was there at all. If I looked over my shoulder however, I could see a head of orange peeking out from around a corner.

"Oh my god." I practically whined to myself, quickening my pace all the more.

。。。

On my way home I thought over what I needed to do today. The homework I had been assigned wasn't even on my mind, considering how quickly I could get it finished. Training was obviously on my schedule… I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something and the burning gaze on my back was not helping me remember.

The sensation had been present since a week after I started the Academy but only now was I really noticing it. Running into the culprit probably triggered my awareness of it; said culprit just happened to be the short child from earlier. I didn't know why she had taken to stalking me, but as long as she kept her distance, it didn't bother me. Much.

'What else do I have to do? ...Geez.' My hand brushed up against the outline of my journal that was kept safely inside my bag— my memory sparked. I wanted to search through my hoard for possible supplies to make my traps with! 'Hm, speaking of my hoard; it's getting pretty big lately… Obaa-chan is probably gonna make me throw shit out soon— Better start putting everything under the floorboards.'

A hand wrapped around my shoulder, pulling me into someone's chest as they walked. I'm promptly knocked out of my thoughts, elbowing my 'captor' before putting some distance between us. The person grunts, and by the time I'm in a defensive stance and ready to fight— I realize it's just Murai.

"What the hell!?" I fussed, smacking him on the side of his head. He chuckled under his breath but also didn't fail to whine a little at my violence.

"Heheh… Did I scare you, Kyo~chan? S-Sorry," The orange-eyed boy coughed as he rubbed his abdomen, "I didn't mean to." He totally did, but I made no move to comment on it. Murai stood back up and winked before pointing over his shoulder, "I just wanted to let you know about your stal~ker!"

My eye twitched, "...I'm already aware of her."

"Huh~h? Wow, Kyo-chan really is impressive~!" Murai's eyes seemed to glint with...something. I wasn't sure what, but it made me shiver. "Jin-hime is a prodigy and can utilize our kekkei genkai perfectly, so I'm surprised that you can sense her at all…"

A lot of questions were going through my head, but I didn't really feel like giving the dog a bone so I just shook my head. "No, I didn't sense her. I can just feel her eyes on me."

"Oh, that makes a lot more sense!" He began to push me along, his hand resting in the middle of my back. Since we were heading in the direction I was originally walking, I saw no harm in it and allowed it to happen. "Don't worry though; Jin-hime is harmless~ Sort of. She may be small but don't let that fool you, okay!"

Murai continued to ramble, talking my ear off. "She's my cousin by the way. Pretty obvious considering our shared lack of presence but you know~! Jin-hime is also the clan heiress, so we all have high hopes for her and all that— She's also taken to following you around, but haven't quite figured out why just yet… I'm glad I was told to do just that though, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten to see how co~ol you are, Kyo-chan! OH— or should I say: Kyo-ouji~?" Murai began to break off into giggles.

I (embarrassingly enough) gasped, my face growing red as I tried to sputter out a response. "Wh-Wha— Y-You— ASSHOLE! How does that even—" I growled, having trouble forming the words. Murai just kept on laughing and it was making me even more frustrated! "I'm not a prince!"

"Yes you are." A new voice jumped into the conversation, sounding almost dead. There was no emotion behind it or any sign of life. It lacked any expression at all and was creepy as fuck.

I wish I could say that I didn't squeal really loudly but… I totally did. Murai was still laughing.

"Ah~! Jin-hime, you've decided to finally step out of the shadows, hm~?" Murai smiled, wiping the tears that had formed in the corner of his eyes. I glared at him before turning to frown at the living-dead girl known as Jin.

My displeasure didn't seem to faze her, because she repeated her words from before, "Yes you are." Not one for compliments, my face remained as red as ever. "You're very pretty, Kyojin."

'Hearing that in such a dead voice… Not sure how I'm supposed to feel.' I mused idly.

It wasn't something I heard often, or ever, for that matter. Sure, I thought I looked pretty adorable for my age, but that was nothing if you compared me to Sasori. My brother was far more attractive than I was; as good-looking as two kids could get anyway. A better example would be to say that, while Sasori had multiple admirers— I had a fair few, not a whole fanclub dedicated to me. This doesn't bother me; I just find being called a prince (when there are others far more prince-like than me) odd.

"...No. I'm not" I deftly refused with a sigh. "Anyways, I'm going home now," I gave them a dubious look, "So don't follow me."

I made my way home in relative peace, my mind already going back to schedule for the rest of the day— as if none of that pointless drama had even happened. Which was good, because pondering on the Niijima cousins any longer than needed would surely result in me getting a headache.

'I wonder what supplies I already have…'

Murai's presence became a regular occurrence ever since their first meeting. The rose-haired boy would sit next to me during class and eat with me during lunch. I didn't mind too much… despite how annoying the kid could be at times. He enjoyed teasing me relentlessly, but also shielded me from any admirers I might have. I only wished that Jin would follow his example and stop creepily watching me from the shadows.

During lunch as Murai and I sat on the roof and ate, not to far away from us, Jin was doing the same. She, however, was on a floor below us and sitting on a window sill. If I were to look over the roof's railing, I'd lock eyes with her… 'Creepy.'

"How's your mission going?" I began, wanting to distract myself from the feeling of eyes burning into my back.

"Hm~?" Murai wiped at his mouth, "You mean the one my clan gave me about Jin-hime?" I nodded, "It's… at a stalemate! Honestly, I just can't figure out why Jin-hime has suddenly taken an interest in you. She's never acted like this towards someone before~ It's really odd."

"Great," I stated dryly with a sigh. "Have you actually asked her?" My new friend (if you could call him that) remained silent, which was a first if you asked me. I rolled my eyes and frowned, "You never thought to just ask?"

"Ehe~ Well, you see—"

I waved my hand, shushing my classmate as I stood up to lean over the roof's railing. Jin was already looking back up at me when I looked down at her, "Come up here." I bluntly ordered before sitting back down, not even waiting to hear her reply.

Not a second later did a hand slam down on the railing near my head, making me screech and fall over into Murai's lap. Jin leaped over the railing so that she was safely on the roof and stood straight in front of me with her usually dead expression. "Yes, Kyojin-kun?"

Murai giggled at my reaction, squeezing me into a hug and pulling me closer to him. My face turned red as I quickly fought my way back to freedom. Some elbowing and screeching later, I was finally free from Murai's grasp and sitting back down in my original spot. Clearing my throat and absently fixing my hair, I replied to Jin (who literally had just been watching Murai and I's little scene).

"Why are you stalking me?" Probably something I should have asked a long time ago, but eh, priorities.

"Simple," Jin started. Murai and I listened with rapt attention. "Okaa-sama and Otou-sama are planning to marry me off when I'm of age," Clans were really weird about this stuff… Honestly, this girl was only six— How could they possibly already be thinking about an arranged marriage? "So I've decided that I'll choose my husband myself. I have already watched and observed everyone within our class. Kyojin-kun was the one who I found the most intriguing. He is a perfect." Murai started laughing his ass off but his cousin's next words shut him up. "Kyojin-kun is to be my husband, and I will be his bride."

Murai looked paler than usual; if that was even possible. I wasn't too sure on how I looked at that moment, but I knew that I felt sick. Very very sick. Laughing somewhat hysterically, Murai forced a smile. "S-Shouldn't you be asking Kyo-ouji how he feels about that first~?"

Jin seemed to consider this before she nodded and turned to me. Before she could even get the question out, I quickly shook my head. "No thanks! I-I'll have to pass on being your husband, Jin-san… We're only six, you know."

At this she perked up, which was only noticeable from the way she stood up straighter. "So when we're older, you'll change your mind?"

"I didn't say that—"

"It's decided then. I shall wait until then, Kyojin-kun." Jin bowed politely and made to leave, but I quickly reached out to stop her. With my hand on her arm, the orange-haired girl looked up at me. Surprisingly enough, her eyes seemed to be sparkling and a light flush was on her cheeks.

"U-Uh…" I said, my own face becoming red at her expression. "Instead of being creepy and watching me from afar, why don't you just approach me normally." I gestured to Murai who had long since returned to eating, a troubled look on his face, "Like Murai."

Jin got lost in thought, her eyes seeing through me for once before she finally returned to reality. "I see… I suppose I can do that."

I smiled and gave a relieved sigh, "Good, I'm glad to hear that!"

The young girl watched me, her lips parted and eyes taking on that sparkling appearance again. Quietly, I could hear her whisper, "...Kyojin-ouji…"

I groaned, hiding my blushing face in my hands.

。。。

I could officially say that I had friends. They were both very weird and eccentric, but I found that I liked them despite all of their flaws and weak points— and there were a lot. I counted. Of course I didn't think ill of them, or make fun of them for their faults. I just silently seethed over them when they became unbearably annoying. I'm sure my eternal grumpiness and workaholic tendencies irked them too, so I knew we were all on equal grounds at least.

For all our faults and qualities, we still appreciated each other and enjoyed the other's company. So yeah, friendship.

This meant that I had two new seatmates during class, with Murai on one side while Jin took up my other. I was sandwiched between them all the time— even when we sat together during lunch or stood in line during monthly health evaluations. Neither Jin nor Murai would let me stand/sit outside of the unofficial wall they built around me. It was weird (and kind of cute) but since it wasn't causing any problems, I didn't scold them for it.

We hung out together outside of school times too, with me sometimes going to one of their houses or them coming over to mine. Out of the three, I preferred going over to Murai's place the most. My house had a smothering Sasori and Chiyo, who either liked to embarrass me (Chiyo) or keep a protective eye on me at all times (Sasori). Jin's house had her overbearing parents and loud three month old brother.

Murai's place had no one. To be exact, Murai lived with his grandmother, who owned and ran her own stall at the market, so she is there for most of the day.

Besides hanging out at each other's homes, we trained together whenever we could too. Usually it's only Murai and I who did that though, as Jin's father trained her most of the time.

Out of the two, I am definitely closer to Murai. He was easier to be around (at times), but was also a constant thorn in my side. Honestly, he liked to randomly show up at my house during all hours of the day. He'd show up early in the morning to train or late at night to go and eat. It was odd, but I always managed to humor him (not without grumbling complaints first, of course).

Having friends was great, but I could never put them before my family.

I sat upside down on the ceiling of my room with my journal open on my desk. On one of the blank pages, I idly controlled a pencil with chakra strings and wrote (very sloppily) down all that I could remember about current events within the Narutoverse. All of it was English, of course; hardly legible English to be exact— writing with chakra strings was definitely something to get used to.

As far as I knew, this was the same year that Kakashi would graduate early from the Academy and become a genin. Perhaps Rin and Obito did too…? I wasn't sure. Komushi was also due to become a genin, but I only knew as much because he told me himself that he was in his last year of the Academy. The third of November stood out in my mind as well, so something must happen on that day specifically— a birth maybe?

With a sigh, I rubbed my forehead with my free hand, 'Remembering things is hard.'

The door to my room was suddenly slammed open, "Kyo-chan! Komushi-sama came to visit—" The unexpected intrusion scared the shit out of me and it was no surprise when I let out a high-pitched scream before shooting from the ceiling. In my surprise I accidentally channeled a lot of chakra into my feet, caused the surface to promptly explode and launch me towards the floor.

Luckily, Komushi was directly below me so the drop wasn't too bad. For me anyway, Komushi however, looked pretty winded. "K-Kyo-chan…?" He asked with a dazed expression. I made to get off of him but stopped short when yet another person ran into my room.

"Kyojin! What's wrong—" Sasori stopped short of his worried exclamation when he caught sight of me, alive and healthy as I sat on his best friend (or maybe just friend? I'm not sure how close they had gotten yet) who was still mumbling in confusion. Slowly, Sasori's eyes looked up and I knew then that my fate was sealed. Gone was Sasori's concern, now replaced with a scolding frown, "Please explain why there is a large hole in the ceiling, Kyojin."

"Uh…" I trailed off and looked around my room, as if I'd find my answer somewhere. Komushi groaned as I shifted, reminding me that yes, I was still sitting on him. Quickly sliding off of the boy, I shamelessly pointed my finger in his direction, "It's Komushi's fault!" It technically was his fault; none of this would have happened if he hadn't scared me...

Sasori didn't seem to buy my lie though, because his eyes only narrowed, "Are you lying to me, Kyojin?"

I swallowed nervously under his hard stare, "U-Um… Shouldn't we make sure Komushi's okay?"

"'M fine…" Said boy mumbled, slowly sitting up as he rubbed his back. His eyes remained half-lidded until he rubbed at them, "Sorry I scared you, Kyo-chan— Didn't know you'd do that," Komushi's eyes zeroed in on the giant hole in the ceiling, "—WHOA! So cool, how'd you do that!?"

"Yes, Kyojin. How did you do that?" Stern Sasori was back on the case.

"...Iwasusingchakratosticktotheceiling...!" I blurted out the jumble of words, squeezing my eyes shut.

"I'm growing impatient, Kyojin."

Heaving a resigned sigh, I explained everything that had happened to cause the current problem. Sasori silently listened, along with Komushi because he really wanted to know how I managed to put a big hole in the ceiling.

At the end of my long winded explanation, Sasori sighed tiredly and pinched the bridge of his nose before inspecting the mess more closely. "Looks like you'll be staying in my room until we can get this repaired. Obaa-chan will not be happy when she hears about this; I'd prepare yourself if I was you, Kyo." I was surprised when Sasori ruffled by hair affectionately, a smile on his face, "I didn't know your chakra control was that advanced. Good job, Kyo. I'm proud of you."

Red dusted my cheeks as I grinned up at my brother, feeling a bit relieved that he wasn't upset with me anymore. Suddenly the grip on my head tightened, making me yelp. Sasori's smile grew as I gasped— looks like I just jinxed myself.

"However, that doesn't change the fact that what you did was dangerous. Chakra isn't something to toy with, Kyojin. You could have died if Komushi wasn't here to prevent you from breaking your neck, unintentional or not." Sasori loosened his grip on my head to gently stroke my cheek, "Don't be so reckless. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you…"

Leaning into his touch I nodded in understanding, "I understand, nii-sama."

Komushi cleared his throat, his cheeks red from embarrassment after having witnessed Sasori and I's moment. The boy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "N-Now that we've got that out of the way, let's go outside and try to walk up buildings! I definitely want to try it out!"

"Can we, nii-sama?" I asked as I looked back at Sasori, my hand holding onto the one that was still on my cheek.

Eventually Sasori relented with a nod, "Yes, but only because I'll be there to supervise…"

"Yes!" Komushi cheered, excitedly jumping in the air as if a six-year-old hadn't just flattened him. The brunet quickly snatched me away from Sasori and began to run out of the house, "Let's go!"

"Komushi!" Sasori huffed, running after the boy. I laughed along with the brunet, clinging onto him as we started a game of cat-and-mouse.

author's note: as you can see we have some new characters entering the fray~ most of which are going to be main characters. sorry to those who aren't too keen on having multiple ocs within stories (i don't like reading stories like that either tbh) but! a sacrifice had to be made since there aren't nearly enough canon characters that live in suna and are also kyojin's age. and this boy needs some friends; albeit weird ones who are more his fans (read: stalkers) than his friends but you take what you can get.

next chapter starts with a time skip! it's not big, just a year, but it's still one at least.

shoutout to fortheloveofb for beta'ing this chapter! everyone should check out her stories and give her some much deserved support. she's super amazing and puts up with me taking forever to reply to our messages :') she is a irl angel.

story rec: "ombre" by silent strikes