CHAPTER 4: MEETING OF THE MINDS

Author note: Thank you so much for your reviews and feedback! This chapter took me forever to write since I'm not satisfied with the way the story's progressing. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please don't hesitate to leave reviews. I read all of them3

There's definitely romance later on, but the main cast are still too young so friendship first *wink*


"She bargains with the world

So everything she wants will come to her

With no greed inside her mind

She knows what she deserves" - Aurora


It is five o'clock on a fine morning of June; the night rain has long ended, and the unclouded sun flooded the Uchiha mansion in its splendor. Uchiha Fugaku is getting ready for his first shift of the day when he notices a small girl standing in front of his house. Her tiny body leans casually on the wooden gate as she crosses her arms, gazing at him disinterestedly under long eyelashes.

The Uchiha patriarch immediately recognizes the girl, as she has left such an everlasting impression on him yesterday. Though the man briefly wonders why her mother has left her child unattended next to his house this early in the morning.

"What're you doing here, child? Where's your mother?"

To his surprise, Naori responds by nonchalantly tilting her head back to get a better look.

"Didn't you ask to meet me yesterday, Fugaku-sama?"

He did ask. Yet he didn't expect the meeting would happen this soon, judging by the horrified expression on her mother yesterday. Fugaku has a sneaky feeling that the girl has come to see him on her own without her mother's notice. Well, prodigy tends to think differently from other people after all.

Instead of probing her any further, Fugaku opens his gate as a sign of invitation, in which she happily complies and casually floats herself into his home with such grace that's rare to be possessed by such a little girl.

This unusual pair is walking to Fugaku's office in comfortable silence when they encounter Makoto. The Uchiha matriarch's making breakfast for her son when she notices the little girl passing her kitchen.

"Oh my, isn't that Naori-chan? Why are you here this early in the morning? Itachi's still sleeping…" Mikoto trails off when she sees her husband walking together with Naori. He cuts her off abruptly.

"She's with me, Mikoto. You can spend time with her after we finish our discussion."

Mikoto's face immediately darkens as she understands his meaning too well. Her husband is not the type of fun adult who would welcome children into his garden for a playdate. Whenever he has to spare his precious time, especially this early, it means serious business, probably something concerning clan's affairs or the upcoming war with the Iwagakure. Whatever business he has with Naori, the mother's certain it's not something a 5 year-old girl like Naori should be concerned with.

Although this's not the first time Mikoto has seen young children involving in the war, and definitely not the last, she still feels sorry for the girl's mother. The woman holds back her sigh as she watches the duo disappear after the shoji door.

From the moment Naori settles her small legs comfortably on a seiza, the Uchiha head has been assessing the girl carefully. Naori is unusually calm, for many grown-up members of their clan have fidgeted under the relentless eyes of his. Uchiha Fugaku is not praised as "The Wicked Eye" for nothing. Yet her stare remains untroubled and unfazed, not breaking eye contact as both of them silently seize each other up and down.

Finally, It's Fugaku who gives in, breaking the silence with his first question. The man's cutting straight to the chase.

"Do you understand the reason why I want to meet you?"

"I'm well aware, Fugaku-sama!"

"Good!" he nods. "Can you show me your Sharingan once again?"

For any child who awakens Sharingan the first time, it would be difficult to them to re-enact the feeling since their clan special dojutsu is severely linked with emotional loss. Practice would make it easier each time though, as they remember the sensational flow of chakra rushed to their eyes, forcing their heightened vision and perception.

Fukagu's question is a test, and an official confirmation that whether she's worth his time.

The little girl complies to his request with a blink. The next second she's opening her eyes, her three tomoes are back. Clearly visible, blood red, and dangerously beautiful.

"Very well…" The Uchiha leader is about to offer one of his rare compliments when he notices her pupils. To Fugaku's astonishment, her tomoes begin to spin violently the moment her eyes meet his.

Suddenly, everything around him begins to blur.

The scorching sun burns and sets in a glorious sky high above his head. The heat is so intense that Fugaku has to squint his eyes hard, and only discover that he's now standing on a boundless grassy sunny field. He's not alone though. Next to him, there're many unfamiliar people, with unfamiliar face and accent, either walking, cutting grass, or talking with each other in an eerily similar accent to his late grandfather that he knows so well which doesn't belong to his timeline.

Before Fugaku could react to this outlandish situation, just like his office, the field is now gone, and Fugaku is transported to a wind-swept and ancient graveyard full of blackened tombstones.

This time in front of him stood a tall and slim woman dressed in the standard Uchiha warrior uniform, eyes in red and hair dyed in the darkest shade of purple, holding out her hand.

This could be a beautiful scene, if not for them standing in the middle of the ancient cemetery, and the moment she raises her head to meet him, her eyes bleed.

"What do you think you're doing, Naori? Casting a genjutsu on me?"

Ignoring the strange woman, Fugaku clasps his hands together to form a series of hand seals.

"Dissmissed!"

The illusion is now gone, and Fugaku is back in his neat and well-organized office, boring his eyes into the girl in front of him. This time, both of them have activated their Sharingan.

"I learn Genjutsu from the books in my father's office." After a long moment of silence, Naori finally closes her eyes and fidgets her hair playfully, as if she didn't just cast a genjutsu on the Head of her clan a few seconds ago.

Fortunately, Fugaku doesn't seem to be the nagging type, as he doesn't press into this matter. The man only leans back on his seat and sighs.

"Very impressive." He notes. "But quite careless of you to practice Genjutsu alone. It could backfire and damage your undeveloped brain. Next time, try to do it when there're adults around, shinobi recommended, not a civilian like your mother."

"Yes, Fugaku-sama." The girl nods, not quite fond of the impertinent tone her Clan head voiced towards her mother. Fugaku is the epitome of the Uchiha supremacy, for him, the weak just doesn't matter. And the weak in his book means anyone who is not shinobi.

"You have quite a…vivid and peculiar imagination, clearly shown though your genjutsu. Or that illusion is a hidden message that you're trying to tell me?"

"It's just a dream I had last night, Fugaku-sama." Naori responds with the same clear, steadfast and innocent tone of voice she makes whenever she tries to get away with something.

Her explanation doesn't fool him, but the man only scratches his chin and smirks knowingly.

She's indeed worth his time.

"This is the first time ever in our clan history that a child can awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan at first try. You have shown astonishing potentials, Naori! I can't wait to see how powerful of a shinobi you would become in the near future."

Naori wants to laugh at his praise, contemplating on how his words sounds so awfully similar to Indra's, Uchiha do think alike after all.

She gives one of her innocuous looks, pouting her lips a little in an attempt to look like a proper five year-old. "Does it mean that…I'm special, Fugaku-sama?"

"Yes you're. In fact, it's time for you to stop playing house and start your enrolment in the Academy. Your talent cannot go wasted." He strongly affirms.

"Huhm…so the Academy would teach me how to use my eyes? To defeat enemies and protect our clan?" The child tilts her head and eyes him curiously. Her black orbs are so bright that he could see his reflection through them. The Uchiha Head only furrows his brows.

Fugaku had thought about this matter before. Like any other clans, the Uchiha takes great pride in educating their own children about their clan signature jutsu and dojutsu - the very same things that couldn't be taught at the Academy.

Shisui is taught by his father – as Koga's also one of the best shinobi of his generation. Itachi, even at the age of 3, is also personally trained by Fugaku himself. But Naori is different. Her father – Rei was a shinobi once, but the man already quit to work as a merchant due to his mediocre fighting skill. It's a miracle that such weak man can birth such a wonderful talent.

Naori wouldn't prosper under the guidance of Rei. She needs a decent Uchiha teacher to help her grow into a deathly warrior who could rival the genius Shisui.

"Yes, and no! The Academy can teach you useful skills, and it's the official entrance to become a shinobi in our village. But you'd need to learn how to grow your special prowess under the guidance of me. Naori, do you want to train with me?"

Naori curls her lip into a self-satisfied smile, knowing full well that she has achieved her goal. Only the first, though.

"Of course! Fugaku-sama, it would be my honor to learn under your guidance."

Her new teacher nods, and his usual business façade is back on.

"Very well! Then I'd meet you at 4 this afternoon in the Training ground no.7. Now if you excuse me, I need to end our meeting to leave for work."


Uchiha Shisui and his family lives in a pretty far-away location, compared to Fugaku's mansion, which is at the center of the Uchiha residence. His house is small and old, built in an octagon shape with a veranda around.

As Naori walks closer, she could see the old house's roof is crackling slightly with each strong gust of wind, a clear sign indicating that it will need to be repaired when winter arrives.

It's still early in the morning but the house is already lively. Naori observes with mild interest at Kawa busy preparing bento for her only son and waking up her lazy husband. She couldn't remember how many times she has witnessed this familiar scene in her past life.

Since Shisui was her favorite, Naori had visited his house often, thus gathered lots of information about his family. His father – Koga, is a powerful and respectable shinobi, though can be quite reckless and ill-tempered sometimes, which often resulted in the ridiculously high compensation fee he had to pay after completing his missions.

Kawa- on the other hand, despite being a loving and caring mother, is terrible when it comes to financial management and has a habit of going in a frenzy shopping spree whenever she's unhappy with something.

This disastrous duo's combined power has turned their household into one of the poorest family in the Uchiha clan – which, in the future, would burden Shisui greatly when he becomes the breadwinner for the family.

Reminding of the young boy's situation, Naori has to thank Indra again for reincarnating her into Naoko's household, instead of Kawa's. Her family might not be well-respected within the clan, but at least they're rich and able to support her career choice, no matter what path she chooses.

The door quickly opens to reveal the 7 year-old Uchiha Shisui. The boy looks exactly like how she remembers him in her past life. Short, unkempt hair with a relatively broad nose and well-defined eyelashes. His attire is also one of the Uchiha standard, high-collared shirt, dark pant with a weapon pouch wrapped around his thigh.

Shisui is probably in a hurry, judging by the way he has channeled chakra to his feet to run faster. He's ready for a sprint, Naori concludes, when the boy suddenly disappears from her sight. She's wondering where he went, when suddenly the cool sensation of a kunai presses against her nape, followed by a soothing voice.

"Who're you? And why are you spying on my family?"

Naori raises one of her eyebrows at the boy's little threat. Years of wandering as a lonely ghost has rob her off the very basic respect of privacy. She just forgot that she's no longer a ghost, and Shisui – being one of the best sensors her clan ever had – could notice her presence immediately.

Facepalming herself inwardly, Naori decided to do what every little girl would do when being threatened.

She cried.

This completely out-of-character move has thrown the boy off guard. At the same time, he also recognizes the Uchiha symbol on Naori's shirt, Shisui lowers his kunai awkwardly and walks pass to face her.

"Shussh! Don't cry! Mom will kill me if she knows I make a girl cry. It's your fault that you trespassed a private property anyway. Wait! You're not crying?"

Shisui gasps in shock when he notices the girl's fake tears. She's looking at him with such a smug look on her face.

"You fool! Like I'd cry over such a petty threat!"

"Petty threat? This kunai can kill you in a heartbeat." Shisui retorts, suddenly embarrassed over his own foolishness.

"It would take more than a kunai to kill me." Naori lowers her voice solemnly. "perhaps a Mangekyou Sharingan could…"

Abruptly, Naori grabs his hand in a deliberate attempt to takes the kunai, Shisui's going to protest, but seeing how the girl's just around his age and probably going to cry if he didn't let her, the boy stops his struggle and lets her take it anyway. Naori looks at the kunai thoughtfully, then starts to twirl it around her fingers, damn, she misses the feeling of being on the field again.

Her move prompts the boy to stop his fuming and regard her with an inquisitive look.

"Are you also an Academy's student? If so, why didn't I see you at school? And what is a Mangekyo Sharingan?"

The girl stops swinging and stares at him, as if she just doesn't understand his question, then she sighs dramatically.

"You're really talkative. Aren't you late to school already?"

Realizing what she means by "late", the boy yelps in horror and snatches his kunai back from her hand. He proceeds to run at full speed, but not before shouting back at her.

"Wait, I forgot to ask, what's your name?"

Naori is suddenly reminded of a particular scene in which Shisui had asked her the very same question. The only stark difference is that, in this timeline he's alive, and so is she.

She smiles, this time gives him the most genuine one she has.

"Naori. Naori Uchiha is my name."


"Where have you been this morning, Naori? Do you know how worried I was when I couldn't find you anywhere? Your mother almost had a heart attack!"

Naoko has been literally screaming her ears off for 15 minutes already since Naori came back home. She loves her mother, she really does, but sometimes Naoko's nagging habit really drives her crazy.

"I'm sorry, mother! I was just visiting Fugaku-sama and the meeting took longer than expected."

Naori replies as she takes her breakfast from the counter to eat, ignoring the way Naoko pales immediately at the mention of her clan head.

"Fugaku-sama? What're you doing at Fugaku-sama's house?"

"Didn't he ask for me? I overheard you and father talking about it yesterday so I came to see him. I and Fugaku-sama have discussed about my potentials as a shinobi. He also suggested I should enroll in the Academy right away. By the way, he's going to teach me ninjutsu as well so I'd spend more time training at his house. You don't need to freak out and check on me 24/7, mother!" Naori answers nonchalantly while taking another bite of fish.

Her mother doesn't miss the way she emphasizes the "check on me" part, as the woman shrieks furiously.

"Fugaku-sama is your teacher? You're just 5, you're not at the right age to enter the Academy yet."

"He said I'm too talented to waste my time playing house. My ability would be beneficial to the war. And I think I agree with him, mother. Our family trading business these days is also heavily affected…" Naori tries to explain calmly, even though her patience is already running thin. Naori could feel that her ears start to hurt over her mother's high-pitched tone.

"This is not something a child like you should be concerned with, Naori!" Naoko abruptly cuts her off. Her voice is dripped with anger as she pours another cup of coffee in an attempt to calm herself down. "And why didn't you ask for my permission before coming to his house? This matter is not something you can decide on your own!"

"And what are you going to do about it, mother?"

"What?"

The purple-haired child finally stops her eating, already exhausted with Naoko's constant nagging. She snaps.

"Can you stop our Clan Head from turning me into a mini soldier for the upcoming war with the Iwagakure? Or can you flee the country to avoid his wrath? Answer me, mother! Can you?"

The older woman's eyes widen as she drops her cup of coffee to the floor. The cup shatters, shards of glass splatter everywhere. Yet Naoko doesn't bother to clean it up, she's staring at her daughter with a shocked and horrified expression.

"What are you talking about?"

It's true that Naori is a strange child, but she still has her childish and cute side, like any baby her age should have. But the girl sitting in her kitchen, with her dark eyes gazing intently at her, is unfamiliar to her.

Naori doesn't like training, Naori doesn't like fighting and hurting others. Her baby is a kind and gentle girl who would flinch whenever her mother tried to teach her how to hold a kunai properly. Yet the girl in front of her has the same face, but her eyes emanated a strange light, something too old, too mature, too intelligent for a child to have.

"Who told you that? I can…" Naoko tries to reason, but her voice dies in her throat the moment her child speaks.

"You cannot do anything and you know it. A talented shinobi is a valuable asset to the Village, not yours. This is my fate the moment my Sharingan awaken. I accept it. And I hope you'd do the same, mother."

Naori tries to hold back a sigh when she looks at her mother sadly, since it would be too uncharacteristic for a 5 year-old. For the first time since her rebirth, the Uchiha feels immense guilt over her mother. With her memories awaken, she could no longer be the same child that Naoko raises and loves.

For she's also a ghost, a ghost whose existence only to save her clan.

Naoko doesn't say a word when her daughter takes out the remaining breakfast and leaves to her room. She doesn't say anything either when the sound of door knob clicks, indicating that Naori has left the house. For she knows that the little girl is no longer her baby, but a warrior whose path would be so far away from her reach.