Knitting Fate
Second installment in Canon Patchworking with Uchiha Ren series
Fifteenth Thread
•••
This chapter has been beta'd for you by hestia8639. Thanks a lot!
Official beta'd version posted 04.08.2017
"Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get"
― W.P. Kinsella
0
About three months into her career of child soldier murdering machine aka loyal ninja of Konoha, and Ren still hasn't found a proper apartment to move into. It reminds her of her life as Renee – that finding a suitable place for both one's tastes and wallet is, indeed, a challenge. There are cheap places, but way too cramped, or there is something wrong with neighbors, or it's in a purely-civilian district. And Ren would rather have a run-in with S-Rank missing-nin than live among civilians, honestly.
But at least her career is flourishing – as much as it could for a genin. As in, they are already running short C-Ranks. So far none of them have turned out to be anything harder, as it most likely still would for Team Seven, their only problems being bandits. But with Hana's nose and Hibiki's Byakugan, they know they are coming even before the bandits do. And Ren? Ren isn't good at finding her opponents, without a good nose or eyes that have a radius of action counted in miles. But she is damn good at taking the opponents down once they are found.
Shibi calls her vicious, but that is apparently a good thing, especially on a battlefield.
She's also created a new, very, very mean move to aid her fighting. In terms of Awai, who is constantly with her and is apparently affected by her chakra, making him basically a half-summon, especially considering how smart he's gotten? She's started throwing him at people's faces. At first it was a desperate move, because a bandit was about to hit the client, so she acted without thinking, and it worked. Magically almost. Arachnophobia is the phobia since forever for a reason.
And their surprised, frightened screams? Ren could get used to that.
But back to important matters, Ren really, really needs to find a place of her own. She doesn't mind being a bother to the Hokage, he's the grandfather she always wished she had, and the estate is big, but… but it's in the middle of goddamn nowhere, and Sasuke, having re-started school a month ago after the holidays is starting to get annoyed by it. It was fine when he walked with Ren, because they could talk, but walking for half an hour, all alone in the morning? That's boring, even if he is joined by the other kids from time to time – but that's once a week, maybe, when someone sleeps over. Mostly Naruto, but he lives quite far from the estate.
In one of the worst districts, actually, one right next to the red light district. That does spark ire in Ren because, jinchuuriki or not, who in their right minds would put a child in such place?
Danzō, most likely, because Danzō is the asshole of assholes.
(An asshole she's found lurking around the Aburame compound lately. She doesn't bother waiting, but goes with the fact to Shibi straight away, because she knows that he's eyeing Shino – even if canonically he would snatch Torune instead – as a potential ROOT brainwashed doll. So, she brings the matter up with Shibi, he with Hokage, and soon Danzō is nowhere to be seen around Aburame grounds. For a while, Ren's nerves are partially soothed.
Danzō would prove to be the menace of menaces, as, according to her at least, he is the villain of the whole Naruto series. Ren would honestly rather sit in the same room with Kaguya, Black Zetsu, and Madara – at the same time – than him. But she still keeps a lookout when she visits the compound, which is quite often, as Miwa – Shibi's wife and Shino's mother – absolutely adores having them over for dinner.)
Sakura is troubled, that much is clear. Maybe she thinks she's good at hiding it, but she isn't. At least not from Hinata, with whom she has grown really close ever since the birthday party. And that's how Ren learns of it – from Hinata, and when she looks a bit closer, fighting the haze of training and missions, she sees it, too.
And she had quite a bit of footing to make a wild guess as to what it's about.
And that's how Sakura gets cornered by an annoyed Ren, a confused Hana and a concerned Hinata the very same day.
"Is it about Yamanaka?" Ren asks the dumbfounded pinkette, when Hinata quietly explains to Hana what on earth is going on and why the hell she was dragged along. For no particular reason, actually, other than Ren decided to just take her with.
"Ino keeps ignoring me," Sakura sniffs. "Now that I know I don't like Sasuke-kun that way, I wanted to be friends again, but… At first, she was mean to me, she and those new friends she has, but Sasuke-kun told them to go away. And now she ignores me all the time, even when I try to talk to her. And she doesn't listen at all!" now the pinkette is crying, and, to her horror, Ren realizes that she feels bad for her. Ren, who never feels bad for anyone – better, who usually got all giddy and warm and fuzzy inside whenever someone cries within her hearing radius. She is actually, legitimately feeling bad for Sakura.
"Explain how she ignores you," Ren pushes those evil, positive thoughts deep down in favor of asking. "She says she doesn't have time, make excuses, doesn't talk to you at all?"
"She acts like I don't exist!" and the dam breaks. Sakura lunges with a power she most definitely should not have, and wraps her arms around Ren's midsection. "When I try to talk to her, she just turns around and doesn't listen at all! And she walks right past me, and when I call to her, she doesn't react at all! It's so unfair!"
"Well then," Ren sighs, patting girl's back, "I suppose we have a problem. Do you think Ino still likes Sasuke?"
"Um, I think she d-does," Hinata stutters meekly. "I heard her t-telling her friends th-that it's unfair that Sakura-chan gets to s-spend time with him."
"Ren, what are you plotting?" Hana asks, cocking her eyebrow, and Ren's lips quirk a bit.
"A devilishly evil plan, that's what," she answers sweetly, and her grin is all teeth.
"Yamanaka."
Ino nearly chokes on air when Sasuke suddenly speaks to her out of the blue. Sasuke – Uchiha Sasuke, the guy half of the girls at school are crazy about – is talking to her. So, obviously, Ino gets all giddy.
"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" she asks, all sweetly, because is that possible, is he finally coming to his senses enough to realize that she's the prettiest girl in school? Is he finally asking her out?!
"Why do you keep being mean to Sakura?" he asks instead, and for a second Ino is dumbfounded. She is mad that he let the pinkette stay around him, but- But she really did not expect for him to care! Not for her!
"I-" she starts, but his onyx eyes narrow dangerously, and for a second there she's actually intimidated. This is so not the dreamy Sasuke-kun she envisions!
"She's hurting, you know," he says instead. "And she really wants to be your friend again. She's not interested in me anymore, so what's your problem, Yamanaka?" he asks, crossing his arms on his chest. And for that, Ino can't exactly find a proper answer. Just why is she avoiding Sakura? Yes, Sakura was the one to break their friendship before it even properly started, but then she apologized, and Ino is just so mad, because Sasuke acknowledges Sakura instead of her-
"Sasuke-kun, I-"
"Don't bother," he hisses. "Sakura is my friend, do you understand? And she wants to be your friend, too! And she's hurting because you don't want to be. So go on and choke on your pride if you want, but give her a chance!"
And with that, he walks away. It takes Ino quite a while to comprehend the fact that Sasuke had not only taken Sakura's side, but also called her a friend. Sakura, the only one who gave him up, he allows close to him.
That is so unfair it makes her want to cry. She is so mad at Sakura for that – for stealing Sasuke-kun away! But maybe, just maybe, she might give her a chance. A real chance, this time. If even Sasuke-kun thought Sakura is worthy of his friendship, then maybe…
Maybe Sakura is worth more than her mindless cronies.
"Nee-san, you really think that my talking the Yamanaka girl down will be enough to open her eyes?" Sasuke asks later that day when he, Ren, and Naruto (who became pretty much a constant addition to their duo, and Sasuke really doesn't mind him 'stealing' Ren away that much anymore) sit down at Ichiraku after school, once Ren had completed a particularly nasty mission that included chasing and putting down a rabid, crazed dog.
"I sure do hope so," Ren sighs, slowly rubbing her bandaged forearm. The dog actually managed to get at her and mangle her arm and muscle quite ugly, to the point she received a three-day-leave from missions, and a full-week ban from using her arm too much. She is still slightly 'drunk' on all the painkillers she was fed, because the dog actually had rabies, and she got two doses of antidote before the healers even thought of letting her go. At least Hana's dogs are safe, as Shibi straight-out refused to take them with, but, on the contrary, that pretty much reduced Hana to mere support.
"I don't know, she looked pretty stu-stupe-" Naruto starts, and both Uchihas smile. From being around them he's tried to start using difficult and 'smart' words that he has trouble pronouncing – which is mostly Ren's influence; she likes using difficult words just for the heck of it when they are at home.
"Stupefied," Sasuke snorts. "Stupefied is the word you want, moron."
"Oi, don't you call me a moron!" Naruto cries.
"Your academics are shit-"
"Sasuke!"
"What?" he huffs, looking at Ren.
"Did you just say shit, or are my ears finally failing?" she asks, cocking her eyebrow.
"I did," he confirms. "You curse a lot, what else do you expect?"
"That you will be smarter about it than me, you duck!"
"I'm not a duck!" Sasuke shrieks, nearly falling off of his bar stool.
"But your hair really looks like the butt of a duck!" Naruto chimes in, and when Sasuke glares at him, he starts laughing so hard that he ends up in a coughing fit.
Ren just smiles, digging her chopsticks into her noodles, and shrugs at Teuchi. The old man smiles brightly at her and resumes his work. Life is good, for now – and even if they don't seem much still, Ren knows she caused some events vital to the future already. As in, Sakura hit the medical books and doesn't care about Sasuke anymore, and Sasuke in turn thinks less and less about revenge, and Naruto has people who openly care for him and help him get at the people who are stupid enough to voice their hostility. Not to mention the two dorks are on the path to becoming practically inseparable.
Ren wonders just how much that will change their respective character developments, but then she decides she doesn't care all that much. As long as they're happy, life is good.
Genma is a bloody revered saint, and no one can ever convince Ren otherwise, not in this life and this reality. Because guess what the first thing Genma says to her after he's back from yet another 'go there and kill this person' S—Rank is, on the second day of Ren's leave?
"By the way, an apartment in the compound I live in recently opened up, the family finally bought their dreamed cottage and moved there," and if Genma had an input in them buying said cottage, well, Ren doesn't know and she doesn't care. Because the apartment has two possible bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room with a kitchen. It isn't too spacious, but definitely not small either, and Ren could totally rent it with a few D-Rank pays. Also, the landlord is an elderly lady who is everything Renee's grandmother wasn't – she is grandmotherly, nice and caring.
So, Ren was sold. Sasuke seems quite convinced himself, too – as long as he wouldn't be woken up by Konohamaru jumping on his stomach. Besides, the flat is much closer to Academy and – most importantly, perhaps – only two streets from where Naruto lives.
(And by that, also only three streets from the red light district. Ren finds it difficult to care – it's near Naruto, Genma's next door, the price is reasonable, and, most importantly, it's theirs. Their own four walls to call home.)
"By the way," Shibi says on the third and last day of Ren's leave, as he and Team Four are seated under a tree, after Hana and Hibiki have completed the mission, "I signed you up for the Chūnin Exams in Iwa. They're next month."
For a moment, there's only silence.
"What?!" Hibiki shrieks. "Isn't that too early? We've barely been ninja for three months!"
"I need you to go there and see what it is all about," Shibi explains. "Even if you fail, I don't care, because I'm not signing you up for the next two, and nothing can convince me otherwise."
"Why is that, sensei?" Hana asks, surprised, and Ren thinks that she might actually know the answer.
"Because they're going to be hosted in either Kumo or Kiri," Shibi says. "Kumo will do all it can to get the Byakugan," he looks at the suddenly pale Hibiki, who apparently just now remembered what happened at Hinata's third birthday.
"And Kiri is widely known for its nondiscriminating hatred for Bloodline Limits of all kinds," Ren finishes for him. "Which means, obviously, that neither Hyūga nor Uchiha will be welcome there."
"I don't expect you to pass, just to see what it's about," Shibi clarifies. "Although I definitely won't be mad if any of you actually makes it to chūnin," he says, glancing at Ren, who grins.
"I think Ren could pass just fine, if she isn't so repulsed from using her sharingan," Hana chimes in, and Ren's grin drops.
"What makes you think I am?" she asks.
"Because you never do!" Hibiki argues, and the Uchiha sighs.
"I'm not going to be using it against rabid dogs and cats from hell!" she huffs, waving her almost-healed hand in the air. "Besides, I do train it. In private. With Sasuke, because nobody knows when he will awaken his, so he should at least know the theory. Besides, it's not like there's any other person who could teach me about-"
Ren stops dead in her monologue, the words choked down in her throat. She's so stupid, isn't she?
"You've forgotten about Sharingan Kakashi, haven't you?" Shibi asks with a smirk, and Ren groans, face-palming so hard the sound startles both of her teammates.
"Fuck, fuckitty fucking fuck, I'm so stupid," she groans, because for crying out loud, Kakashi is the ANBU that's been watching her most of the time before she made genin, and now, albeit more sporadically, tends to shadow Sasuke or Naruto. She's so stupid that she hasn't thought of him. "Can you contact him for me, or something? When do we leave?"
"In about a week and a half; your arm should be good by then," Shibi says. "And don't worry, I'll get him for you. You can at least ask for pointers, as you don't have much time."
"Somebody hit me, I've been so stupid," Ren groans in exasperation, drawing an amused chuckle from her sensei.
"I don't hit wounded patients, it's against the medic code," Hana raises her hands.
"I don't hit girls. And even if I did, I definitely wouldn't hit girls who like choking me anyway," Hibiki shrugs, involuntarily rubbing his neck.
"That's history!" Ren shrieks.
"Shut up, I still have nightmares!" Hibiki shoots right back.
Awai, at least, can be trusted and, albeit light, because what can a spider do, smacks Ren with one of his legs.