viii.

chapter eight - dying to be unbroken

For a typical jōnin, the trip to Konoha from Suna would only take three days (accounting the hours used to rest and camp for the night). Due to the majority of us being Academy students, we were all reduced to civilian speed. Thus, this was going to take a lot longer than three days.

'No wonder we had to leave so early…' I inwardly grumbled to myself, already sick of walking. It had only been three hours and I was absolutely done with this civilian speed shit. I'd never tried to ninja-run before, but I was willing to try anything if it meant we'd get to Konoha faster.

My grumpiness must have been apparent on my face, because it caught the attention of another student walking beside me. It was a boy from a year above mine, seeing as he looked older than Jin and I. He was practically a whole head taller than me, with short black hair and light pink eyes.

He stared at me unabashedly, but I couldn't find it in myself to say anything. I— I was blushing. This guy (probably ten or eleven-years-old) was so pretty. He had long eyelashes, and smooth pale skin. His black hair curled slightly at the tips, giving it a wavy look.

"Um… I—" I began to blubber out, for some ungodly reason.

The boy blinked slowly, his eyebrows raising a bit in question before a smirk settled on his face. It was clear to me that he was amused.

"I'm Toshiki Dāku."

His voice came as a surprise. I expected him to sound more loud and confident. Instead, his voice was very mellow and calm.

"K-Kyojin," I stuttered quickly before facing forward immediately after. Toshiki snorted quietly to himself, making me huff a little.

'I feel like I'm the awkward kid in high school all over again.'

"Is this your first time outside of the village?" Toshiki asked, sounding genuinely curious. My mind immediately went to that quiet oasis Sasori had taken me to once upon a time.

"...Sorta," I ended up saying as I shrugged my shoulders. It wasn't exactly inside the village, but it wasn't extremely far from it either.

Toshiki supplied a toneless grunt as he nodded his head in acceptance of my answer. I thought the conversation was over, but then he quietly spoke up once again. "It isn't mine either. I've left the village a few times to visit family."

"Family…? Aren't you from a clan?" The name Dāku was somewhat familiar to me, having heard it more than a few times while walking through the village. The Dāku clan was just one of many to be tossed around within village gossip.

Toshiki nodded "Yes, but our clan reaches far and wide. Our members are not restricted to just live in one place. Not the civilians anyway."

"Interesting…" I mumbled, "Why did you bring it up? Going outside the village, I mean."

"Just because it seems like you've never left it before. I was going to try and comfort you, but…" He paused and looked forward, "I don't know how."

There was a moment of shocked silence between us before I had to muffle a laugh into my hand. This guy was definitely not what I pegged him to be. I grinned, covering up my laughter with a few coughs.

Toshiki eyed me oddly. "Are you okay? That was...sudden."

"Sorry, I just— I was really intimidated by you before, but now I realize you're pretty normal for a kid."

His eyebrows furrowed. "I'm older than you."

I snorted. "Right."

If Murai ever met Toshiki and found out that he wasn't really this "cool aloof" guy, he'd have a field day teasing him. That would certainly take the pinkette's attention off of me… Maybe… Probably not, but it would still be fun to see.

It was quiet once again between us, and I was beginning to feel a little awkward. Deciding to pick the conversation back up, I opened my mouth— only to shut it a second later when Jin forced her way in between Toshiki and I. Her sudden appearance startled me, whereas Toshiki didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

"Kyojin-kun, I see you're getting along with Toshiki-senpai."

"You know each other?" I asked, while Toshiki greeted the orange-haired girl.

"Bonding between clans," Toshiki answered— a grimace hiding underneath his blank expression. I could guess these little playdates weren't very enjoyable for him.

"Toshiki-senpai was a marriage candidate," Jin stateed blatantly. From beside her, Toshiki stiffened and coughed into his fist.

"That did not last long…"

"Yes."

Then nothing. The two literally just stopped talking, leaving me without a conclusion to their story. The longer they remained quite, the more irritated I got.

"Well," I huffed, "What happened?"

If I hadn't been eagerly looking at her, I would have missed the small smirk on Jin's face. Meanwhile, Toshiki's eyebrows knitted together. "It's not nearly as interesting as you make it out to be."

"I punched him in the face."

A cough. "Yes, that sums it up very nicely, Jin-san."

"Wha- Why did you do that?" I asked, on the verge of laughing.

Toshiki's ears were red now, and he was looking everywhere but at me. "Because I said… greetings my bride."

"And I am no one's bride," Jin concluded, a self-satisfied gleam in her eyes.

"I didn't know any better, in my defense," Toshiki tsk'd, "I was repeating what I was told; that you'd be my wife."

I laughed dryly, "That does sound like something you'd do, Jin… I thought you wanted to be someone's bride, though?" Mine, to be more exact.

Said girl shook her head, "Only if I decide it on my own. I don't want someone to choose for me."

"You should have just said that instead of punching me in the face…" Toshiki muttered to himself.

"What was that, Toshiki-senpai?"

Jin was given a polite smile. "Nothing, Jin-san."

Once the Sunagakure students reached Konoha, they were assigned hotel rooms to stay in for the duration of the training program. They also received a class schedule for the Konoha Ninja Academy, and a list of supplies that they would need to aid them during lessons.

As it turned out, our roommates were to be a random chūnin from Suna and the other student that was representing our year. In my case, that would be a shinobi named Taikan and Jin.

We had three days before the program would officially start, and I was hellbent on using those days to familiarize myself with the village. A part of me also wanted to look around for a specific soul, but I knew finding Max in this world would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Some things came to you on their own; hopefully I'd stumble onto Max like that.

I wasn't just thinking about my previous family (Ebizō's words definitely stuck with me), the warning Sasori left me with was also on my mind.

Konoha-nin killed our parents, and though I had never concerned myself with the thoughts of them before… Being in their territory definitely made me feel on edge. It was weird, to never entertain an issue but to then suddenly have it thrown in your face.

It was one way to bring up our parents' deaths, that was for sure. The memory ws distant to me now, but I knew it was there. Whereas, the actual memory of my parents themselves? Nonexistent, really. I didn't have a relationship with them like Sasori did. I could, however, compare them to my old, first-life parents.

My father was irreplaceable. My mother on the other hand? I could have done without her, but Max loved her, so I would put up with her anyway.

"Kyo-kun."

"Hm?" I jolted a little, Jin's voice knocking me out of my thoughts. She was standing next to the dresser in the room, gesturing to an open drawer.

"I asked if you wanted to put your clothes in this drawer. If not, I'll be taking it."

"No," I absently refused her offer, "You can take it."

I didn't plan on unpacking my bags, anyway. After the outbreak in my other life, I learned to always keep my things organized and ready to go in case a horde was to invade our camp— or worse, other people.

"Suit yourself," she said before returning to unloading her things.

"I will," I huffed, standing from the couch and stretching my arms. "I'm gonna go exploring. Catch ya later!"

At that, Jin's head shot up and her narrowed eyes follow me as I head to the door. "You should find our instructor first and—" I shut the door behind me before she could finish her sentence.

xxx

I made it out of the hotel.

That's it. That's all I managed to do.

Despite my hopes, Konoha didn't have any maps laying around for foreigners like me to use. So, I had no way of knowing where the marketplace was— if such an area even existed. For all I knew, the shops were scattered across the village instead of being grouped together like they were in Suna. It was a shame the anime never gave me a clear picture on the village's layout, otherwise, navigating wouldn't be such a hassle.

Probably.

I could always ask a local for help, but at the same time, no. I'd rather not involve myself with any of the Konoha-nin unless I had no other choice. I didn't know their views on outsiders, and I was already wary enough due to the unfamiliar environment.

Civilians were also an option, but they probably wouldn't know where the local weapon shop was.

With a weary sigh, I rolled my shoulders and looked down the street I was on. It was the early morning so the streets weren't packing much traffic yet. However, a small group of civilians seemed to linger nearby, their curious glances at the hotel made it obvious what they were here for.

Couldn't really blame them, since seeing a foreign ninja probably wasn't a common thing for them, nevermind a huge gaggle of them— and mostly children no less.

'Now, to more pressing matters… Do I go left or right?'

The group of civilians made this choice for me. They were to my left, so, obviously, I was going to go right. I had no interested in being potentially stopped to be asked questions. Nor did I feel comfortable passing by a large group of people anyway— civilian or not, I was paranoid.

'At this point, I don't know if it's because of Sasori's words or my past life's conditioning.' Either way, it was fucking up my little "vacation".

Walking down the street, I was confident I was getting somewhere. There seemed to be more people around as I walked further into the village, so my hope was that the shops would be just a few turns away…

"How the fuck—" A few minutes of walking mindlessly and I was already lost. Far from my objective, because the once crowded streets were now bare as shit. It would be no surprise to me if a fucking tumbleweed blew across the street right now, because that's how barren it was. Honestly, would it have killed them to put up some damn signs?

'Cursing more than normal? Yeah, I'm definitely panicking right now.' Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down. 'Getting lost in a foreign village isn't that bad, right?' I laughed a little. 'This is seriously, just my luck.'

It'd be easy to just retrace my steps, but admittedly, I was too busy trying to look for a shop sign rather than remember which way I was going. Not the smartest thing to do as a future shinobi, I knew. Rather than continue wandering around the large village, I was going to try a different method. A method that I honestly should have thought to use earlier: use my chakra sensing to locate a large group of people, which should be at a busy part of town— which should be a shopping district.

With a relieved smile on my face, I closed my eyes and began to feel around the neighborhood. I detected a cluster of signatures nearby, undoubtedly of ninja. Awesome, that had to be a supplies shop of some sort. Though the signatures weren't all grouped together and were actually scattered around the area. So, maybe that meant it was a marketplace for ninja wares?

Either way, I was happy that I knew where I was going now.

'This was such a great idea.'

xxx

"I change my mind."

Those words quickly left my lips as I stared up at my destination; the entrance to the one and only Uchiha Compound. I literally had the worst luck ever. The worst thing that could happen, happens and yet— I'm always surprised by it.

I was probably standing outside of it, looking up in abject horror at the large fan insignia, for five minutes before a voice finally called out to me. I had sensed the incoming signature, but I still flinched a little at the sheer volume of the voice.

"Hey, are you lost?"

Turning around, I was more than a little shocked at who had come to my aid. A boy, no older than twelve, with short, spiky black hair and onyx eyes stood there. Generic Uchiha, obviously, but that was not the kicker here. This boy was clad in a blue uniform with an orange collar and trimming, and to top it off? He was wearing orange-lensed goggles.

The boy was none other than Obito Uchiha.

Despite my quaking mind, I answered his question in my usual fashion... "Wow, how'd you figure that out?" With sarcasm.

His reaction was both instant and dramatic. He scrunched his nose up in offense and squawked loudly. "Haa?! You're pretty rude for a kid!"

"And you're pretty loud for a ninja," I returned snidely, eyeing the forehead protector on the boy's head. I couldn't help but wonder where I was in the official timeline for Obito to still be alive. I couldn't remember when he died, but I knew he looked about the age he was now. Maybe soon, then?

It would be ideal to prevent his "death", but honestly? I had no way to do that in my current state. So, instead I'd focus on things I can control. Like Sasori's fate.

"Here I was, trying to be nice and help this cute little kid— only for him to turn out to be a brat!" Obito was still fussing to himself, while I stood quietly in front of him with a dry expression on my face (cheeks a little red at the cute comment, however).

Sighing, I finally decided to cash in on the miracle that was Obito Uchiha's unexpected arrival.

"Hey," I interrupted his rant about 'how alike this brat is to certain baka'. He paused, mouth hanging open comically before he shut it with a huff. Obito crossed his arms expectantly, and I almost felt that a senpai and kōhai relationship was something akin to this.

Rolling my eyes, I continued, "Is there a marketplace around here?"

"Huh?" Obito seemed a bit put off with my sudden forwardness, but nevertheless took it in stride. He certainly was as eccentric as he was portrayed in the series. Scratching his head, the older boy nodded before saying, "Yeah— There's some market stalls set up near here. Did you need to do some grocery shopping or somethin'?"

"No," I pulled out the crumpled materials list from my pocket and presented it to him. "I just need to pick up some supplies for the Academy."

"Academy!?" The list was quickly snatched out of my hand. Obito's eyes squint as he tried to read the paper; those tinted goggles probably weren't helping his eyesight any. "Are you a new student? You're, like, really old for a newbie though…"

My eye twitched the longer he stared at the paper. With an exaggerated sigh, I snatched his goggles off his head, nearly throwing him to the ground as I did so. He was taller than me, so stealing the ugly things was no easy task.

"Fucking idiot, I don't have all day! I can tell you can't see properly with these things on; at least just wear them around your neck if it's for fashion's sake."

"Y-You— You— Language!" The Uchiha attempted to snatch his goggles back, but I leaned away from his reach. "And I can see just fine! I was just taking my time reading the list."

"It's not that long."

"I reread it several times, too!"

Seeing that this was going no where, I rolled my eyes and shoved the ugly orange things into Obito's chest. He grabbed onto the goggles with scrambling arms before securing it over his eyes once again. His face was red in either embarrassment or irritation, I didn't know— Either way, he still looked as dumb as ever; I was sure to tell him as much.

"You look fucking stupid."

"S-Stop saying that!" Obito looked exasperated as he pulled his hair in frustration. "Look, I can help you get these supplies, but, what is it you need them for?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it— I'm Kyojin. I'm here for the joint-training program."

"Wow, I completely forgot about that! Geez, I wish we had done something like that when I was in the Academy!" That would have been a little hard, what with the war and all, but I kept that little tidbit to myself. "Huh— Well, nice to meet you, Kyojin! I'm Obito Uchiha."

"Now," Obito continued as he snatched the list of supplies out of my hand, "Let's go shopping! I'll show you all my favorite spots— I mean, of course, we'll get your stuff, too! I've never been a tour guide for someone before though, so I'm gonna go all out!" An arm got thrown around me as Obito began to lead me down the street.

For some reason, I suspected that I would be deaf by the time this little trip was over and done with.

Surprisingly, my supplies were bought quickly. It was the tour that really took up our time. I ended up carrying my bags, while Obito carried a few of his own (groceries for a neighbor, books for a cousin, flowers for a girl). Silently, I figured Obito was one of those compulsive-buyer types.

"I showed you all the ninja shops… and all the generic ones…" Obito said, his face scrunched up as he tried to think of where to take me next. Despite how exhausting the Uchiha was, I was actually enjoying getting to know the layout of Konoha and all the hotspots within it. By the end of the day, I would probably be comfortable enough to sleep without an eye open.

"Is there any place you like to go to often?" I asked, trying to help quicken his decision.

"Yeah, I got it!"

Obito took off quickly, leaving me stumbling behind him. A few minutes later and we were in front of a very familiar ramen stand. As we took a seat at the counter, we were greeted by a young looking man: Teuchi. I was a little stunned at first, and almost didn't recognize him.

"I don't come here often, but I've come enough times to memorize the menu!" the Uchiha explained as he passed his menu to me, since he apparently didn't need it. I couldn't remember if Suna had any ramen stands, but I did know that I hadn't eaten the dish in years.

"Uh... " I stared dumbly at the variety of ramen on the menu. "Can you just order for me?"

Obito looked a little surprised at my suggestion, but the bright smile on his face made it obvious he appreciated the gesture. "Sure! No one's ever asked me to do that before… But trust me, you're gonna love what I pick you."

"I trust you," I said simply, a soft smile on my face. It wasn't often I gave those out...and they were usually reserved for Sasori, but, unconsciously, it appeared on my face.

Obito looked at me (very much resembling the male lead of a shoujo manga), stunned by my expression. "Wow, who knew a brat like you could smile like that?" I had thought he was going to say something more flattering, but I wasn't surprised with this energetic idiot— "You should do it more! Oh, wait— No. Nevermind, if you do it all the time then it wouldn't be as special."

Before I could say anything, Obito's mind trailed off as he started to mumble to himself about "special smiles" and somewhere within it, I'm pretty sure he mentioned a Rin. I didn't listen in for much longer, because soon our food was placed in front of us.

I was hit with a gust of steam, forcing me to lean back a little. Obito and the woman that delivered it laugh at the action, resulting in me pouting.

"Thanks, Hatsumi-san!"

"No problem at all for our favorite customer! I see you brought a new face with you. Is this another one of your ninja friends?" She curiously asked, eyes moving to focus on me.

"No, he's—"

"I'm Kyojin, his soon-to-be ninja friend," I interrupted with a sweet smile, bowing my head a little in greeting. From beside me, Obito's lip curled in irritation, only making me smile more.

"Oh? Well then I wish you luck. The Academy can be tough, I know as much!"

"Ehh?!" came Obito's dramatic response. "You were a kunoichi, Hatsumi-san!?"

The young woman laughed, shaking her head. "No, no. I dropped out of the Academy before that could happen. It just wasn't a lifestyle I could get into… I'm happy I did, too. " She looked over her shoulder at Teuchi as he cleaned the cooking area. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have met Teuchi."

'Oohhh. Now everything makes sense.'

I had been wondering who this mystery woman was. She had to be Teuchi's never before seen wife, and the mother of Ayame. Seeing as she was never mentioned or shown in the official series, I wondered what would become of her.

A few more customers arrived, taking Teuchi and Hatsumi's attention. Obito and I ate and chatted (mostly him, but I was more than happy to listen to his mindless chatter) to pass the time. By the time we were finished, it was the early afternoon.

"That was so good~!" Obito exclaimed as he rubbed his stomach in contentment. Then, he paused suddenly, body going rigid. "Crap! I'm late!"

I could only stare curiously as the boy scrambled to pay for our meal and get up at the same time. He nearly knocked over the stool in his haste.

After practically throwing the money down, Obito bowed to me so fast his goggles nearly flew off his head. "Sorry to just leave you like this, but I really gotta meet my team— I'm already three hours late! U-Um, it was nice meeting you— Let's hang out again sometime!"

With that, Obito was gone and I was left alone at Ramen Ichiraku with no idea how to get back to my hotel.

author's note: sorry for the long wait. it's been basically a year since i last updated so you probably had no idea what was going on when you first clicked on the link to this chapter. trust me, i had no idea either. i had to reread everything i had written and go off of that. on the brightside: i updated.

this chapter has been beta'd by fortheloveofb! check out her stuff, she's an excellent writer and she even has an ao3 with even more stories! wink wink

story rec: "aberration" by rin o' gen