The independence test was a breeze. No, seriously. There was a written exam, part of which tested basic math skills so they could ensure you had some idea on how to manage your finances. Then there was the practical test, where I demonstrated my sunny-side up and I managed to coach Naruto through a pot of rice. Afterwards, we were told to sign a contract that essentially sold our souls to the Ninja Academy for the next six years. Get kicked out of the Academy, get kicked out of your apartment. Ouch. It made sense though, considering we were basically walking, talking, monetary investments for the village. Once we made genin, we would be adults in the eyes of the law. Our contract would be over, and we could choose to move out or pay our rent ourselves.
I read all that in an agonizing eight minutes, shrugged, and signed my name with my best handwriting. Which meant it was shaky and full of blots. Ah, well. I was five years old. What could you do?
Naruto's wasn't any better.
The person in charge of the exam looked too bored to do anything but grimace in our direction. It's kind of sad how I considered that progress in our "adult interaction" experiences. He accepted our contracts and waved us out the door, mumbling something about "filing" and "a week". Grinning, Naruto and I took one exultant look at each other, before clasping hands and dashing into the hallway.
"Didja see that, didja see that? We did it, dattebayo, we did it!" he cheered, holding on to me with both hands and swinging the both of us around. I giggled, fighting to hang on and not bump into anything important at the same time.
"I did, I did!" I grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and jumped up and down instead, decreasing the chances of horizontal collateral damage. I ignored all irritated stares pointed our way and sang, "We're never going back to the orphanage, never never ever, and Miyagawa-san can kiss my—"
A loud cough interrupted our little celebration. We leapt together with not-so-little squeaks of surprise, latching on to each other like the second coming of Scooby Doo and Shaggy whatsisname. Standing in front of us was the Hokage, the fist covering his mouth not quite hiding his smile. "Good morning Naruto-kun, Minako-kun." He lowered his hand and let his smile grow into something kind and fond. "It's been a while. Do you remember me?"
"…You're the Hokage," I said at last, when Naruto was too busy gaping to reply. I fought to keep my body still, every limb screaming with the urge to fidget. There's nothing quite like the feeling of being stared down by the strongest man in the country. When the Hokage still looked expectant, I added, "S-sorry, I'm not really—I mean, Miyagawa-san said you visited, but…" My voice dwindled away. What on earth do you say to the strongest man in the country?
Naruto had no such qualms. His eyes lit up, and before I could even think long enough to stop him, he let go of my hand and threw himself at the Hokage. "Jiji!" he yelled with joy, throwing his arms around the Hokage's legs.
"Naruto!" I spluttered, waving my hands for lack of coherent thought to express. "I- you- don't just-" I threw my hands up. "You can't just call the Hokage, 'grandpa'-!" I cut myself off, deja-vu hitting me like a ten-ton truck.
The Hokage laughed, leaning down to rest one hand on Naruto's head while he waved off the alarmed staff with the other. "That's what you said the first time we met too," he told me, and held out his hand. "Do you remember me now, Minako?"
My eyes fluttered as I phased out, sorting through the sudden rush of memories in my head. "Naruto and I ran through the gate of the orphanage," I remembered, my breath shortening into gasps. "There were lots of lights, and everyone was in yellow… and then…"
A blank. "I don't remember," I realized, the thought shaking me more than I thought it would.
A hand plopped itself on top of my head, drawing me out of my memories. The same grandfatherly smile that I received to that day hovered above me now, with a warm hand that felt like hearth fire soothing my rabbit heart into a more natural beat. "It's alright." Jiji's voice was as gentle as the hand that smoothed back the hair from my face. "I wouldn't expect you to. You were very young then, and it has been a long time."
"No, but…" I trailed off. I should remember. It felt like I should. It was like there was a gap between my mind and the memory, and all I had to do was stretch a little more and I would reach it—
I shook my head, feeling my long hair swing through the air. It disturbed me, not remembering something I thought I should. It felt more and more like the things that made me, me were slipping away. Every day I lost more and more of the family I used to have and the world that I used to know. It would have helped if I still had the memory of an adult and could at least remember what I went through for the past few years, but I didn't. I couldn't remember much of my childhood at all, even though every night, dreams of tight spaces, lonely darkness, and senseless fear haunted me.
And this memory in particular felt so… odd. Like something was holding me back from touching it. I could remember the Hokage's office, and clambering all over Kakashi like a pair of monkeys (how could I forget that, that was comedy and fangirl gold, seriously?), but how we ended up there… Nothing.
"Min'ko!" Naruto smacked me in the face, catching my nose and lip and nearly poking my eye out. "Stop it! You're thinking too much again!"
I scowled at him, feeling my cheeks burn. He just hit me in front of the freaking Hokage Naruto how could you?! "Naruto…" I growled, my eyelid twitching. Naruto took one look at my flaming expression, yelped, and hid behind the Hokage. Oh, now he's in for it—!
The Hokage chuckled, amused by our little sibling squabble. That only made me blush harder. I opened my mouth to retort, only to be interrupted by a polite harrumph that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. The Hokage straightened, giving the man who coughed his full attention. It was the man who'd overseen our independence test. Sure enough, he had the clipboard with our grades and our contracts in his arms, half-hidden by the wide sleeves of his kimono-like office uniform.
Konoha fashion was weird.
"Hokage-sama," the man said stiffly, his eyes squinting with disapproval at Naruto and me. "Are these children bothering you? Please forgive their… exuberance, their guardian will be here any minu—"
Naruto chose that perfect moment to interrupt him with a yell. "Inu-jiji!" I whirled around, just in time to see him release the Hokage's robes and throw himself at one of the two masked ANBU flanking the man. Kakashi's movements were smooth and fast; he caught him right under his armpits and held him in the air, as Naruto bellowed his happiness for all the room to hear.
That's right, you heard me. Naruto just went from hiding behind the skirt of the most powerful man in the room to glomping the scariest looking man in the room. "I knew it, I knew it wasn't a dream, dattebayo! The other kids said I was just dreaming, and I was just making it up, but I wasn't, I wasn't, and now I'm right, dattebayo, I'm right!"
The sight of a stone-faced ANBU agent awkwardly holding up an ecstatic child made my face morph in interesting contortions as I tried to decide whether or not to scream, laugh, or cry. Clipboard-san didn't look like he was any better off.
"—and I remember when we went whoosh! and Minako went AAAAAAH! and then we left Tora-san behind, and—"
I'd like to think I shared a fond, mildly hysterical look with "Tora-san" at that point. It was hard to tell, what with the mask and all. The Hokage, trying to hide his smile behind a hand again, turned back to the twitching Clipboard-san. "As you can see, we're quite alright," he said, somehow making himself heard even as Naruto protested at his highest volume when Kakashi tried to put him down.
"If you say so, Hokage-sama." The clerk didn't even bother trying to sound convinced. In fact, he looked like he was having an aneurysm. His eye kept twitching and his face was turning an interesting shade of purple.
"—so I told them, one day I'm gonna be a ninja just like you, dattebayo! And then I'll show them ninjas really can fly, and I'll go really fast, and—"
Hmm, maybe Clipboard-san needed an even bigger headache. His constipated expression was starting to annoy me. "Hey!" I whirled around, feeling my hair whip behind me as I turned. "I want a hug too!"
Naruto looked at me over his shoulder and wiggled. "He hasn't even hugged me yet!" He looked even more offended than Clipboard-san did earlier.
"Well, I'm getting a hug," I declared, and did the most dangerous thing I'd ever done in both lives.
I hugged Kakashi's leg.
I hugged the leg of an armed man who could kill me with a finger, and hoooooly shit, was it an experience. I threw myself at that leg and almost brained myself on the sheer toughness of that hunk of flesh. Oh my god, that was real live muscle. Lord, was he made of rocks? Thank goodness I was so squishy, otherwise I would have broken my face on that. It was like trying to hug a tree at full speed.
I peeked at the clerk's face. He looked just about ready to keel over. Yes. Mission accomplished! Though, damn, Kakashi. No need to get all chakra excited on me. At least, that's what I assumed the prickly feeling on my arms and cheek was. You may not like hugs, but a little sparky is not going to stop me from hugging the fuck out of you!
Oh, gross, his pants smelled of dogs. And sweat. And dirt. And metal. With a hint of laundry soap and iron. Wait a minute—
"Hey! I wanna hug too, dattebayo!" Naruto flailed, trying to get his feet on the ground even as I jerked back from the leg I'd plastered myself against. Oh god, that wasn't iron, that was—!
It would have been hilarious seeing a stern ANBU looking to his Hokage for — Permission? Guidance? Support? Help? — if I hadn't been too busy trying to hide the fact that I was losing my shit over something else. Why the hell did Kakashi's pants smell of blo—oh wait. Stupid question, Minako. Honestly.
The Hokage just smiled at Kakashi (or was that a smirk?), leaving his subordinate to solve the problem on his own. Tora-san, meanwhile, was so still he looked like he'd turned into a tree. I'd bet my upcoming apartment it meant he was this close to losing his shit in public. Hell, I'd be losing my shit, except I was already losing said shit over—don't think about it think about it later suddenly throwing up all over the nice man's shoes will not help you!
Finally, Kakashi huffed, a soft sound that was only heard by Naruto and me. Our heads snapped up at the same time to stare at him. It was the first sound we'd heard out of Hound, the two times we'd managed to meet. Shocked into silence, he met no resistance when he put Naruto on the ground and pulled me away from his leg with care. Then he raised his hands and placed them on our heads. We just kept staring. I think even the other people in the room were staring, at the sign of humanity from what was essentially one of the bogeymen of Konoha civilians, children and adult alike. And no one could even tell what he was thinking, because all we could see was a painted Dog mask.
He moved his hands a bit, mussing up our hair in two, slow strokes, like… like he was petting a dog. I had to squint a bit as a bit of hair fell in my face. Naruto looked too amazed at the show of affection to even pout. Then Inu-san stepped back, pulled away and straightened. He was ANBU once more.
Everyone stayed a bit quiet after that. I was frozen stiff, too busy trying to fathom how… happy I was. That was it. That was the feeling fizzing in my gut and dancing all throughout my arms and legs and up the top of my head. Barely a noogie to the head, and I already had to struggle to keep from bursting into tears. Naruto and I turned our heads and shared one, gaping, wide-eyed look. His eyes were practically swimming with tears.
A different pair of hands clasped our shoulders and drew us away from the ANBU. The Hokage smiled, this one more honest and tender than anything he'd shown before. "Maybe next time you can ask Inu-san for a hug when he's not working," he said gently. We nodded, Naruto rubbing his eyes with a ferocity that surprised me. When he looked up, his eyes blazed with a fiery determination that sent shivers down my spine.
Do you know that feeling when you see something, and it feels like you've just caught the first, smallest sign of something great? That was how I felt when I looked at Naruto squaring his shoulders and raising his stubborn chin for all it was worth.
"I'll definitely become a ninja, dattebayo! I'll be an awesome ninja, just like Inu-san! Believe it!"
So it turns out dattebayo was different from saying, "Believe it!" (exclamation point included). I was so busy gaping I almost missed my own cue when the Hokage turned to me. "That's a great dream to have. What about you, Minako?" he asked.
"M-me too! I'll do my best too, -ttebana!" I stammered, then reddened and bit my lip when that stupid verbal tic came out on its own. Dammit, Kushina!
"Then I suppose I'll be seeing you two in the Academy next year," the Hokage said with a smile, stroking his narrow goatee. Naruto and I took one look at each other, then nodded furiously. Our hands clasped tight, like a promise.
"Yeah!" we chorused.
There wasn't much I could have said to the Hokage otherwise. I had to become a ninja. That path had been set for me when I was reborn as Naruto's sister in this world. If there was any chance that Naruto could not be a ninja, I would have taken it in a heartbeat. But he was the Konoha jinchuriki, and there was no way they would let him go. So I had to become a ninja, and one of the strongest at that. If there was any way for me to protect my brother and prevent a war, it would only be by his side.
And if announcing it to the world got us on the Hokage's good side, well, all for the better.
One week later, a different, and much more cheerful clerk handed us the keys to our apartment. "Here," she said, tossing the metal onto the table, not even bothering to look at us. She blew a gum bubble the size of a baseball, popped it, then waved her hand. "Blue for your door, red for the front, green for your mailbox and orange for the windows." A white envelope slapped down beside the keys. "Your monthly allowance. If you don't claim it, you don't get it." When she didn't hear the door slam closed, she looked up, her expression irritable. "Well?"
"Th-thank you!" I gasped. Naruto snatched the keys, and I, the money. We fled through the door and down the hall towards our new apartment. Unit 106 was at the very back of the building, right next to the exit into the backyard. The building itself was old but still serviceable. The walls were made of Hashirama wood and cement, depending on which side got smacked over by Kurama on his birthday rampage. At least, I'm guessing it was Kurama. The mixing of materials looked too random to be an intentional infrastructure design.
We stopped in front of a dark-colored door, tall and imposing to our kiddy height. On a small, bronze plaque were the numbers 106. "Our own apartment," Naruto said in wonder, his baby blues wide. "Our own rooms!"
"Our own home." We grinned at each other, identical beams lighting up our faces. Naruto looked adorable with his squinty eyes and whiskered cheeks.
It took a moment for Naruto to find the right key in his stubby little fingers, and another moment to unlock the door handle. He could just barely reach it. I was practically jumping with impatience by then, but it's not like I could have done it for him. We were the same height.
The click of the lock was music to our ears. We tumbled inside, giggling, and almost forgot to close the door in our excitement. Door closed, locked, shoes off at the genkan, and at long last, we could look at what would be our home for the next six years, if not more.
The first thing that greeted us was the dining table. It was square, with three chairs, one for each of us and another for a guest. Beside it was the kitchen, its three walls making a U that could fit the table if we wanted to push it aside for some space. The kitchen had a window overlooking the building's dingy backyard. When I ducked my head outside, I could see the door to the backyard to my left, and the trashcans to the left of that. Maybe that was why this room had been available. Well, their loss. The backyard was just big enough to accommodate two budding ninja kids practicing their kata after class.
"Min'ko, Min'ko, look, look!" Naruto's voice echoed back from the hallway past the kitchen. I followed it, passed the bathroom to my right, and ended up between the two doors opposite. Naruto's butt was sticking out of the one to the left. "We got two bedrooms! We can invite people over, dattebayo!"
I saw the opportunity and took it.
WHACK!
"YAGHRKK!" Naruto's squawk was a thing to behold. He must have leaped at least half his height into the air. "What was that for?" he demanded, clutching his butt with both hands.
I waved the hand I slapped him with, grinning. "You shouldn't stick your butt out like that! What if a ninja came up and stabbed you in it?" And he would, if Naruto wasn't careful. One day. Naruto pouted at me, his eyes watering at the injustice. "Oh come on, I didn't even hit you that hard." His lower lip trembled. I rolled my eyes and pushed his face away. "Oh stop it." I couldn't help the smile tugging at my cheeks though. He sniffed. "Oh, alright already, I'm sorry! Just stop making that face!"
Naruto grinned, the puppy dog look dropping away from his face like water. "Heh. Works every time."
I stuck my tongue out, mock-glaring at him. "Just wait. One day you're going to lose your cute fluffy-wuffy baby cheeks and your puppy eyes won't work on me any longer!" I grabbed him by the cheeks and smooshed the whiskered skin. His offended squawk was muffled by my hands. I grinned and kissed his forehead, then let go and entered the room to explore. He pouted and rubbed his reddened cheeks, still peeved, but followed anyway.
"Not gonna lose my cheeks," he grumbled under his breath. "Never ever."
I giggled to myself and took stock of the room. The room had an actual bed, a change from the futon we were used to. Whether or not it was a good change would depend on which was softer, the bed or our old futon. There was a cabinet on one side, and a smaller one beside the bed, but other than that the room was pretty plain. At least it had a window. This one overlooked the backyard too. The other room had a window pointed straight at the wooden fence surrounding the building.
"I'll take this one," I decided. It was for the sake of my sanity. If Naruto had to endure staring at a wall for a view every day for the next six years, we would both quickly go insane.
"Wait, what? But the view in the other one is so much better, dattebayo! We could even look at the sky there!" I had to stop and look at him for a moment, even as he ranted abuse towards my new room. "This one's boring. And the fence is ugly too! You can't even see outside!"
"Naruto," I said, cutting off the rest of his tirade. He didn't even look out of breath. "Naruto, this is my room. We can't- I'm not- we're not sharing it, Naruto." I raised my hands in a helpless gesture. How do you explain to a child the intricacies of adulthood and how it related to children not sharing beds as they grew older? "We won't fit," I finished lamely.
"What- but-" He stared at me, eyes popping out of his head, as if someone had just taken his world and flipped it upside down. "But we've always slept together!" he protested, shock morphing into panic. He scanned the room, as if it would hold an explanation for the absurdity he couldn't process. The sun rose in the mornings, his hair was yellow, and the two of us slept together every night. It was a fact of the world, and he couldn't understand why it had changed. "You're- you're not mad at me, are you? Did I do something wrong? Is it coz I stink? I promise I'll take a bath every night, dattebayo!"
"Naruto!" I grabbed him by the shoulders, both to grab his attention and to keep him from rattling himself to pieces. "No, Naruto, I'm not mad at you! It's just—we can't keep sleeping together anymore! We're older now." I searched my mind for any way to explain this to him. "We're going to become ninja soon, and then we'll go on missions, and—" I stilled, my mind refusing to understand the words even as they passed through my lips. "We won't always be together, Naruto." I whispered, feeling the truth of the statement like a rock on my chest.
Every part of me screamed denial. I'd built everything I was in this world on the only focal point I had in it—on Naruto. The thought of being separated from him made my heart seize and my breath quicken in panic. Naruto's reaction was even worse. He shook his head, backing away from my loosened hands.
"No… no, no, nonono no! I don't wanna! I don't wanna!" He stomped his foot, his cries turning into wails. He glared at me with watery eyes, and this time his tears were real. "I wanna stay with you, dattebayo! I wanna stay!"
"Shh, shh, I know, Naruto, I know," I hurried to say. It was our first day in our new home. The last thing we needed right now was someone complaining about the noise and getting us kicked out. "I'll still be here! And we'll still be living together. We just can't share beds anymore, okay? It's, it's just a part of growing up, dattebana."
Those words just made him cry harder. I winced, and moved forward to try and calm him down. But he refused to let me touch him.
"Then I don't wanna grow up! I hate it, dattebayo, I hate it!" He took one look at my apologetic face and knew he hadn't won this one. His face reddened, and his eyes were indistinguishable through his tears. "Fine!" he shrieked. He stomped his foot one last time, then bolted out the door. A moment passed, then the door of the other bedroom slammed closed.
I sank to the ground, curling up with my arms around my knees and my head buried in between. My hair fell like a red curtain around my face. "I'm too young to be a mom," I groaned to myself.
Naruto wasn't the only one crying in his room.
When Naruto didn't come out two hours later, no matter what I did, I decided to do something about our gastronomic situation before stomachs started growling and children started starving.
In short, I was hungry.
More knocking and promises of food didn't lure my brother out of his room. I sighed and pressed my forehead against the door, trying to bleed the exhaustion weighing me down into the wood. Naruto was a child. He wasn't immune to tantrums. His first one ended with that oil-floor trap that sent Miyagawa-san crashing into a wall. But this was the first time he had gotten angry at me.
"I'm going," I told the door, unable to keep the numbness in my heart from leaking into my voice. "I'll try to get back before it gets dark. I'm not sure where the grocery is yet. But there's food in the fridge if you get hungry." Two sandwiches—our last souvenir from the orphanage. Minoru-san was silent and fearful, but she was also fair when she tried. Miyagawa-san didn't even protest. She was too happy to see us go.
The door didn't answer. I pressed my hand against the wood, one more time, then pulled away. "See you." I turned away and trudged for the door.
Looking through the white envelope had showed me several 500 and 1,000 bills. A number on the front told me that it contained 60,000 ryo. A quick calculation told me that gave me roughly 2,000 ryo per day, and 14,000 a week, until our next allowance day. That didn't mean I had any idea how much things cost here in Konoha. I debated for a moment, before grabbing 2,000 and tucking the rest back into the envelope. I decided I would just buy a meal for myself and food for dinner for today, then figure out how to budget the rest of our money later. I also made a mental note to hide the bills throughout the apartment when I got home. Keeping them in one place was just asking for trouble, if anyone ever thought to break in.
I glanced back at Naruto's door one last time, sighed, and left the apartment, locking the door behind me. With the keys in my pocket and money in the other, I set out to explore the village I've read about but never actually seen in full—the legendary Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
It was hard to hold on to my glum mood as I walked through the streets filled with so many new things. Every other time I'd walked through Konoha, I had been busy making sure Naruto didn't run off without me or our companion. Finally alone, I could take my time and look where I wanted to. My stomach churned at the thought of being without my brother, but there were plenty of people milling around, so I didn't feel so alone.
For a person stuck in a toddler's body, Konoha looked huge. I counted an average of three floors for the regular buildings I passed by, with five being the highest—most of which seemed geared as residential buildings, like our apartment. The smaller buildings looked like shops with apartments on top for the owners. The Hokage's building towered over all of them, looking like it totaled a whopping seven floors. Above us rose the Hokage monument, the four great heads watching over the village. Not very subtle, but considering the oldest Hashirama trees were tall enough to brush Hashirama's chin, it was doubtful anyone could see it from afar. Once they made it close enough to the village, the sky would be too filled with branches to see it anyway. Flying scouts would be a problem, but I was several years too young and a clearance level beyond zero to know how Konoha coped with that.
Konoha was big enough—or I was small enough—that I couldn't see the fourth head well from the street I was walking down. The angle was terrible. I got a nice shot of half his profile before the Sandaime's hair blocked the rest. I spared all of three seconds trying to look for my second father's face before I had to return my gaze to earthly matters. Namely, trying not to bump into anyone.
Most of the people I saw were civilians, or at least had mostly-normal hair. I didn't see that many clan members that I recognized, which made sense once I remembered they had compounds of their own. Thinking of all those people stuck in one plot of land all day made me twitch. No wonder the Uchiha were so isolated, or the Hyuuga so haughty, or the civilians so clueless about actual ninja-ry. If everyone stuck to doing their own thing, then how on earth would anyone learn about anything beyond their own, narrow lives?
My first sight of ninja using ninjutsu in everyday life was a uniformed man walking out of a grocery. The telltale headband glimmered on his forehead, if the flak jacket wasn't telling enough. He waved goodbye to the grocer, then leaped for the roofs. It was as if he wasn't even carrying four bulging bags of groceries in both hands. He simply leaped for the side of the building, and from there for the roof, and out of sight. All in three seconds flat. Or less. I could barely see him move.
I looked after the man with jealousy. If I could roof hop, I would have a great view of the village, and might actually be able to find out where I was headed. As it was, I was stuck looking at buildings without any idea where I was going. There were a few convenience stores and restaurants around, but from the looks of it our apartment was deep in a residential area. Restaurants and convenience stores were fine, but I wanted to know where the market was. I had been raised on fresh produce in my previous life, and I wasn't going to stop now. The best part was, farming in this world would be more natural compared to my last one, considering the focus on developing arms more than agriculture. Hooray for all-natural products!
"Excuse me," I started, approaching a random lady holding a basket. She glanced up from her basket with a smile, but it fell once she set eyes on me. She turned pale, waved her hand in front of her face in a 'no', and scurried away. I looked after her in dismay, but shook my head. I had to expect that. Damn, did everyone in the village know?
I moved to another lady, this time two young girls gossiping as they left a shop. "Excuse me," I tried again, giving them my best innocent kid smile. "I'm a bit lost…"
"Oh, are you a clan kid? I haven't seen anyone with eyes like yours before." Smiling, one of them knelt down to my level. "Where do you need to go?"
"Saki…" The other one tugged her up, her eyes wide in her small face. I felt my own smile falter.
"Chie, honestly—"Her partner whispered in her ear. The girl's own eyes went wide, and I knew my chance was gone. "Th-that is, I—" She glanced at me, then at her companion, and shook her head. "S-sorry, we have to go—" They fled, leaving me standing on my own in front of the small perfumery.
I tried to be patient, I really did. I walked up to men. I walked up to grandmas, and grandpas. I walked up to children, only to have parents pull them away and flee. Any ninja I could see took to the roofs before they even saw me. I guess no one liked walking through crowded streets much, which I totally related to, because if one more person looked at me like I was going to kill them all, I really was going to kill them all!
Or, maybe just kick a wall. I might even be strong enough to break it now. Homicidal jokes weren't as funny when you realize you're actually going to do it later.
My stomach rumbled, reminding me I hadn't eaten lunch yet. I started looking around, trying to find someplace I could eat. More and more houses and apartments were appearing—meaning I was headed the wrong way. There should be a shopping district in Konoha, every city and town has one. And what shopping districts definitely did not have were an abundance of residential buildings.
I muttered an English curse under my breath and turned around, looking in vain for some sort of sign that would tell me where to go. Should I turn back, or should I keep going? At this rate, I was going to hit the village wall. But if I hit the village wall, I could at least circle around and find a main street that would hopefully lead me to the market…
Someone seemed to be looking out for me today, because turning around let me find just what I was looking for.
"Dango!" I said to myself, clapping with glee. It looked like a small restaurant, with tatami mats, low tables, and cushions for kneeling on. I've read about dango before, and I was looking forward to tasting it now. Maybe I could even get some for Naruto. I was not above bribery to get back in his good graces.
I jogged over, mindful of bumping into anyone as I crossed the street. I had yet to see any form of transportation. Looked like everyone just walked here.
There was a middle-aged lady greeting customers at the door. She had her hair bound up in a traditional bun to match her simple kimono. She was really pretty, in a homey sort of way. She looked like she would make the perfect mom. Beaming, I lined up behind a mother and child pair, waiting my turn to be seated.
Her customer-ready facade fell the moment she laid eyes on me. "We're full," she snapped, moving to block my way. I gaped, unable to process the unfairness of that statement.
"You're lying!" I waved at the mother and child taking a seat in one of the many empty tables. "There are only four people there!" Or six. I couldn't be sure, she was blocking the way.
"We don't serve children," was her rebuttal. She crossed her arms, making herself look even more imposing. Her motherly face was twisted in hatred and disgust.
"You're a sweets shop, and you're telling me you don't serve children?" I gave her my best incredulous and condescending look. It probably didn't look as impressive on a child. The lady certainly didn't look impressed. "You let that kid in!"
"We don't serve children without a guardian to accompany them," she insisted, her stance not relaxing at all. I could feel my face heating up as my temper rose. I fought to keep it down, knowing if I blew up now, I would wreck any chances I had of getting dango, or any other food anywhere near here.
"I'll just pop in and out," I said, trying to keep my voice steady and reasonable. "I won't take long, I just want a take out—" The lady was already shaking her head before I even finished. I clenched my fist and tried to plead. "At least let me take some for my brother!" Her glare didn't lessen one bit. I exploded, curses bursting from my lips in a virulent mix of Konohan and English. "Dammit you nasty old hag, I have had enough of this bullshit all fucking day—"
Her face colored at the torrent of angry words. She might not have understood the meaning, but she certainly understood the intent. "Get out," she snarled. "I have tried to be polite, but you are making a scene. Don't make me call the police!"
"Go ahead!" I challenged, standing on my toes in a vain effort to meet her glare. "Then I'll tell them you refused to serve a girl that just wanted to buy some dango for her brother, you—"
"Is something the matter, Isane-san?" A cool voice interrupted our fight, sparing me the effort of throwing mud at the lady in question. We turned to find a dark-haired girl in a dark sweater and loose shorts, her thoughts masked behind her impassive expression. A Konoha hitai-ate glinted on her forehead.
"U-Uchiha-san!" the lady stammered, her arms dropping to her sides. "F-forgive me, I didn't see you there—"
Uchiha? I did a double-take, taking in the wide, upturned collar and solid black eyes. So this was an Uchiha!
"Understandably." The girl nodded towards me, her expression not even twitching. "You seemed to be occupied."
The Uchiha were supposed to be the police, right? I took my chances and rolled with it, before the saleslady could warp the girl's impression of me any further. "She won't let me in!" I cried, drowning out any protests the lady might have made. "I just wanted to get some dango for me and my brother, but then she—"
"The brat was making a scene!" Isane-san interrupted, her pale cheeks now flushed with color. "You saw what she was like, Uchiha-san, acting like a savage—"
I raised my voice. "—said that they were full, which they obviously aren't—" If there was one thing Naruto and I had in common, it was an impressive set of lungs when we put our mind to it.
"The customers would be scandalized! Our reputation will go down!" the lady argued, forging through when I took a breath.
"That's enough." The girl said it without any special inflection whatsoever, but the two of us shut up all the same. The lady was flushed and trembling with fury and embarrassment, while I was red with indignation. It said a lot about the Uchiha if a small teenager could have that much authority with a middle-aged civilian. Or was it because she was a ninja?
I kept a wary eye on the Uchiha, waiting for her verdict. Would she discriminate against me too?
"Isane-san. You say you do not want—" Here Uchiha-san paused, her eyes on me. I realized what she wanted after a few moments of staring.
"I'm Uzumaki Minako -ttebana!" I said as firmly as I could. It was distressing, understanding canon Naruto more and more. If they were going to kick me out on the streets, they should at least remember my name!
Uchiha-san nodded, acknowledging my words. She turned back to the lady. "You do not want to let Uzumaki-san enter, in fear of turning away your other customers."
"Y-yes," the lady stammered, realizing she was waiting for an answer. "That's- that's true."
"Uzumaki-san." Uchiha-san settled her dark eyes on me. I was surprised to discover I found the action… comforting. My old life had been filled with dark-eyed people. None of them had eyes as dark as the Uchiha's, of course. But still, it was something familiar in a place filled with light browns, greens, and blues. It was stupid, but… I felt better anyway. "You simply wish to purchase food for you and your brother. Correct?"
"Yeah!" I nodded, unable to help the little flash of hope in my chest. If she was listing our arguments like that, then maybe, just maybe… she would be fair?
"Then it would be no problem if I collected her purchases in her stead?" Uchiha-san asked the saleslady. The lady froze, her mouth working as she tried to find a way to refuse her without… well, refusing her. She was an Uchiha, after all. I could feel my smile growing as I watched.
"Of… of course, Uchiha-san." The lady's eyes flickered between the Uchiha and me. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, she made the smart decision and bowed, stepping aside for Uchiha-san. Uchiha-san turned to me, her gaze as impassive as ever.
"Will two orders of dango be enough?" she asked. My eyes widened.
"Ah- y-yeah! Wait—" I dug around my pockets, until I came up with one 500 ryo bill. "Will this be enough?"
Her movements were smooth, but precise. It was the kind of elegance that made you want to stare but also sent a shiver down your spine. She nodded, took the bill, and entered the establishment, the half-curtains over the entrance swishing behind her.
The moment Uchiha-san disappeared, the saleslady turned back to me. Her pretty face was gone, an ugly grimace erasing any illusion of kindness. "You should be ashamed of yourself," she hissed, "Imposing on Uchiha-san like that!"
"At least she was willing to help!" I shot back. Her face went through a funny set of contortions as she spluttered. I sneered. "It's good to know there are still some decent people left in this world."
"You're a demon," the lady spat, recoiling from me like I was diseased. "You don't deserve any decency."
That hurt more than it should. I flinched back, my tough act faltering for a moment. I wasn't a demon, and I did deserve decency! I deserved it, just like anybody else! How could she?
Uchiha-san returned before things got ugly. "Here." She eyed the saleslady but said nothing, handing a white plastic bag to me. I muttered thanks as I checked the contents. Two boxes of what I presumed to be dango lay inside, with the change nesting on top. The numbers blurred in my vision. I rubbed my eyes and gave up on counting them.
"I apologize for the bother, Uchiha-san. I won't let it happen again," the lady was saying. Her glare in my direction made it very clear how exactly she intended to do that. Uchiha-san said nothing, her eyes focused only on me.
You should be ashamed of yourself, imposing on Uchiha-san like that!
I ducked my head, unable to meet her gaze. Both hands wrapped around my prize, I bowed as low as I dared, letting my hair shield my face. "Thank you very much, nee-san!" I said, with all the sincerity I could muster. I couldn't bear to look up and see what her expression was like, so I turned and fled. I am never going back there again, I vowed to myself, my little feet scuffing dirt into the air as I ran. I made sure to remember to tell Naruto not to go there either.
If this was how they treated his sister… how much worse would they treat him?
Heading away from the village walls and towards the center of the village was a smart move. Gravitating towards the center of government in the village was an even smarter move. The main road leading from the village gate to the Hokage Tower was lined with shops. Food, clothes, books, and so much more were sold along the road. Bright banners and cheerful cries gave the lane a festive atmosphere. Even the smell was inviting—the musty smell of new clothes, the intoxicating mix of human scents from all over the world, and of course, the ever-magical smell of food.
Logic dictated that the shops here would also be the more expensive kind, but I was so relieved to see friendly—heck, even just polite—faces that I didn't feel any inclination to leave. Hashirama Road was home to the merchants that visited Konoha to sell and trade their goods. None of them knew the significance of my eye marks, and only one recognized my Uzumaki-red hair. Among them, I could act like the child I was supposed to be, and I could give up the rage and frustration I needed for other adults in the face of their kind and respectful behavior. It was thrilling to be treated like a minor clan child for my tattoos too, sometimes. I probably didn't look like any they knew, but people preferred to be safe rather than sorry. Several probably guessed I was an orphan, but that only made them nicer, not meaner. I won more over when I showed a hidden talent for haggling.
It was not my first time at a market, after all.
"B-but… I've only got eighty ryo left," I stammered, my eyes plastered to a cute pink sling bag. It was small, meant for money and a few precious items, and shut with a drawstring. Someone had taken the care to stitch a pretty sunflower on the front. A tag hanging from the frog keychain priced it at 120 ryo. "I worked so hard…" I bit my lip.
"W-well…" The salesperson glanced at the small frog purse already in my hand and scratched his head. "I'm sure you did…" He glanced around, then leaned close and whispered to me. "Okay, since you already bought your brother's purse, I can get you the bag for just eighty ryo. But don't tell anyone, okay?" He winked at me, green eyes sparkling. "It'll be our little secret."
I let my face brighten with hope, my own eyes going wide and my smile spreading across my cheeks. "Y-yeah! Thanks mister!"
"Not so fast." A hand descended upon the boy's head, almost sending him crashing to the ground as it grabbed him by the hair.
"Ow ow ow! Nee-chan!" he yelped, grabbing her wrist in an effort to save his hair. The lady in question peered at me, a small quirk to her ruby-red lips.
"Nice try, kiddo. But I saw you hand a 500 ryo bill to Hisane over there, and that dress was only 300 ryo at the most." She crooked two well manicured fingers at me. "Come on, fork it over."
I pouted, busted. The boy gaped at me in shock and betrayal, which almost made me giggle. "Ninety," I demanded, letting my chin jut out in its most stubborn pose.
Her lips twitched. "A hundred, for being a clever brat," she countered. "That's final."
I basked in that, more than I should have.
By the time I finished shopping and exploring, the sun was setting and the merchants were closing their stalls for the day. I didn't even realize how late it was until the fat lady selling me dumplings patted my head and said, "Run along home now. Wouldn't want your parents to worry."
"Oh no," I breathed. I bowed and fled, yelling thanks over my shoulder.
I thought I knew where I was going, but as the light faded and the darkness came in, the streets just became more and more unfamiliar. I hurried along, my arms burdened by my spoils, too scared to ask directions from people who would be braver in the dark than they were in the day. I had wandered far enough from the shopping areas that there weren't many people wandering the streets anymore. Who strolled the residential area at sundown?
I could feel my breath start to hitch at the thought of empty roads and nothing but darkness to keep me company. It was late enough that people were starting to open the lights, but early enough that the moon wasn't even out yet. I kept my eyes on the ground, fighting the urge to look up in the sky for fear of seeing a monster staring back. Soon anything that would point my way home would disappear in the shadows descending on the streets.
My throat choked up at the thought. I shouldn't have stayed out so late. I shouldn't have wandered so far. I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have—
I perked up when I heard the sound of music and laughter in the distance. The thought of company spurred me on where terror threatened to paralyze me. I turned my mind to other things, worries that I could actually do something about. Like how I was going to get home. Like how scared Naruto must be, wondering where I'd gone and where I would be back. Like how I would make up for the promise I'd broken, and hug him extra hard when I returned.
Bright light bathed my face and pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up, hope filling my chest until it felt like I would choke with it. All I needed was someone who would stop long enough to talk to me and show me the way home. I still had the apartment address in my pocket—a forgotten blessing. My only wish was for someone, anyone, who wouldn't care about the demon fox and just see a little girl lost and alone in the dark.
I should have remembered instead what kind of establishments made that kind of noise when the sun went down.
I froze at the entrance of the street. A willow tree bowed over the road, its long branches trailing like women's hair. Beyond it, red lanterns glittered in the night, bonfires lighting what they couldn't. People walked through the street, dressed in bright colors and loose clothes… in more ways than one. Geisha with heavily painted faces strolled along, weaving a path through the chaotic river of life. Men with abs that would make my old friends cry showed off their wares in open happi coats. Sound rose and fell as melody interwove with chatter and giggles.
I didn't realize I was backing away until my back bumped into something hard. I croaked, too shocked to scream, and whirled around. A woman with a thick jaw and even thicker face paint cooed at me. Her shadowed eyes looked monstrous in the flickering lights of the fires in the distance. "Aww, honey, are you lost?" I shook my head, mute with terror. She reached out and clicked her tongue, her finger brushing the corner of my eye before I jerked my head away. "Who's your matron? I'll help you get back. Those are a lot of bags, aren't they?"
Her words registered in my head faster than the hand that reached for mine. I threw myself at the gap between her arms and her legs, fear and imagined futures giving me flight that pushed me faster than clubs and torches ever could. I barely even felt it when I crashed into another pair of legs. I just took a deep breath and shoved my way forward, away from the lights, away from memories of stories of little kids disappearing in the night, away from fire and broomsticks and screaming and pain—
But there was no crowd around me. No riots. No people. Just me, alone in the dark, panting in an alley with nothing but rats running away for company. I collapsed on the ground and burst into tears, burying my face in the plastic bag that held the meager possessions I had managed to obtain that day. It was too much, just too much. I was stressed, I was afraid, I was hated by everyone and they didn't even know my name. I had been this close to becoming a child prostitute, and my brother was trapped in an apartment he couldn't leave because he didn't know where I was.
I want to go home. I want to go home, I want to go home…
"I want to go home," I croaked into the plastic bag, tears bathing Naruto's new Gama-chan with an unhealthy amount of saltwater. It made his skin look mottled with spots, like a miscolored poison frog.
I wanted to go home. I wanted to go home to where I wasn't a child, where I was a teenager who let her parents take care of her, where my biggest worry was the paper I had due the next day and people didn't glare at me like I had the plague when I passed by. I wanted my mom. I wanted my dad. I wanted the brother who would roll his eyes when I demanded hugs and ignored me until I resorted to smacking his elbow for kisses.
I was scared. I was miserable. I was alone.
(DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE—!)
A small growl filled the silence. I shivered, and shuffled further into my corner. I had nothing to defend myself with. If a dog wanted to fight over its possession of the alley, then someone was going to find my dead body in the morning. I tried to think of Naruto, of his crying face, or his smiling face, in an effort to get some motivation in me, but it slipped away like water through my fingers.
Why did it matter? Why did this all matter? He would be fine without me. He'll grow up into a proper chakra monster, with proper superpowered friends, save the fucking world, and everybody will love him. Not like me. I didn't matter. For all I knew, this was just a dream, and I was actually locked up in an asylum screaming crazy words and trying to Rasengan all the doctors.
The growl sounded again, much closer this time. Suddenly, I felt pissed. A dog? Seriously? When I was feeling fucked up enough, and the day felt like a goddamn migraine sent by Satan, he sends me a dog? I raised my head, glaring with all my might at the shadows hiding the animal from sight. Goddammit, couldn't I even mope in peace?
Something glinted in the dark. The dog growled again, and moved forward… revealing a tiny pug with a hitai-ate over its head. In its mouth was the lumpy shape of a drawstring purse, its handle trailing behind it as it walked.
"…Oh," I whispered. All the fight left me, until I sank the few inches left between my butt and the ground. "That's mine," I said stupidly. It must have fallen when I bumped into that person while I was running away. Something told me I would have known who that person was if I had bothered looking up.
The pug whuffled, nosing at my shin until I started scratching it between the ears. I felt a smile tug at my lips, only for it to wobble, then fall apart. I sniffed, and then tears were pouring down my face and I was bawling onto Gama-chan. Again.
The plastic bag got decidedly violent and started shaking in my arms. I raised my head, my grip on the bag loosening. A determined dog nosed its way past the bag, shoving it aside, and squirmed until I hugged it instead. Then it started licking my face. The tears just poured faster at that, but it didn't stop licking.
"I don't know why you bother," I told the pug, trying to sound coherent around the huge block of snot up my nose and the dog kisses it was showering on my face. "I doubt I taste anything near appealing."
It huffed, like it agreed, but kept licking anyway. I scratched its ears and buried my face in its tiny shoulder.
I've never had a dog. Just a guard dog. She was big enough to reach my nose with hers with both of us standing, and her claws hurt. She was an affectionate dog. I was just never encouraged to play with her. She ended up trapped in our backyard. It made me feel bad when I thought about it, so I tried not to think about it. She had puppies once, but we had to give them all away. I was very sad.
What that basically meant was that I'd never experienced hugging, or being hugged by, a dog. When I cried in my old life, I cried into a ratty old teddy bear, held together by nothing but love and stitches. I read somewhere that pets were good for being there for you when you had nobody else, but my mother refused to have pets inside the house, and I died before I could live the dream of having an apartment with just a cat for company.
It felt good to be comforted, even if it was just a dog.
My sobs turned to hiccups, then sniffles. Kakashi's dog – because it was Kakashi's dog; what other pug would have a hitai-ate and a tiny dog vest? – snuffled, then sneezed. I'd like to think it was in approval.
"Sorry for crying on you," I told it, giving its ear a soft scratch. It barked once, then butted my cheek until I found the right spot. "Thanks though. You're a very nice dog." The look it gave me screamed, damn right was he a nice dog, and maybe a hint of, the things he did for children… but that might be me projecting. I petted him anyway. "Good doggy." It huffed. "Now if only I could find the way home…"
The dog stilled. It cocked its head, like it was listening. I looked up, trying to see what had grabbed its attention. "What is it—hey!" It barked, then bolted from my arms, snatching the purse it had dropped along the way. Without really thinking, I grabbed my bags and ran after it, trying to keep it in sight. It was much, much faster than it looked. Goddamn ninja dogs. "Wait! Give that back!"
At that time, I was too busy running after it to realize how well the pug knew what it was doing. Oh, I knew it was leading me by the nose three minutes into the chase. But it was only later when I realized how it always stayed just in my line of sight. Even when I had to stop to catch my breath, or ran at a fraction of my best speed, so soon after fleeing the red-light district, it was always there when I looked up and started running again. It led me through side streets and alleyways that kept me out of sight and away from crowds. It kept me running fast enough not to question where we were going, or where it was taking me.
It led me past the willow tree that I'd run from and back to the road leading to the market. I expected it to follow the path I had taken all day, which made sense if it was finding the way by tracking my scent. But before we reached the main street, it changed direction and started going down a street I was sure I hadn't been through before.
"Wait! This isn't the right way—" I clamped my mouth shut before I did something stupid, like slip on some litterer's chocolate wrapping. Or argue with a dog. The dog shot me an unimpressed look, as if daring me to tell it just exactly where the right way was, considering I knew it well enough to get lost.
It was a struggle to keep track of the dog, where I was going, and look around at the same time. Anyone else looking would probably think I was trying to find something familiar in the streets we were going through, but I was more concerned with looking for white hair on the roof.
Hey, the dog had a hitai-ate. It was going someplace I hadn't gone through, so it wasn't tracking me. The only logical explanation left was that it belonged to someone, and someone was leading it that way. Pretty sure even a kid could figure that out.
I shouldn't have bothered though. After all, we were talking about ninja here. If Kakashi didn't want to be seen, then he wasn'tgoing to be seen.
I didn't realize we were at the apartment already until the dog barked. I almost skidded right past it.
"That's-" I gasped, trying to catch my breath and talk at the same time. Even if I knew it was leading me… seeing the building, actually being there, right in front of it… I was so relieved I almost cried. "We made it!" I turned back towards the dog, my lips stretching into a grin so wide it hurt. Except the dog was gone, and there was just a purse on the ground, damp with spit and streaked with dirt. Funny how I didn't mind at all.
I looked around, searching for any sign of the dog or its owner. Not a hint of white or metal-and-travel-dust. Not even the smell of wet fur or the feeling of lazy, warm dog piles was left behind. Goes to show that tracker teams knew how to cover their tracks.
The awful pun made me giggle, even as I reached down and picked up the purse. If it was touched with a bit of relief and hysteria, well, there was nobody around to notice.
Then I turned around and bolted for our rooms.
I barely got the door unlocked and open before I was covered in blubbering, weeping, clingy toddler. "You're- you're back! You came back, you came back, I thought you w-wouldn't, I'm s-s-sorryyyy…!" Bags dropped to the floor as I threw my arms around my brother, crying as well. At this rate my tear ducts were going to get more exercise than I did running back home.
"I'm sorry, I got lost, I shouldn't have stayed out so late, I'm sorry…" Comforting him was a lot harder than I thought it would be with my face buried in his shoulder.
"I thought you l-left me," Naruto wailed, almost strangling me in his desperate hug. "I th-thought y-you w-weren't c-c-coming b-baaack!"
Shock flooded me, enough to give me the strength to pull back when all I wanted was to plaster myself all over him. "What—No!" I grabbed his face with both hands and forced him to look at me. "I wouldn't- I would never- Naruto!" He looked. His eyes were red and puffy, tears and snot streaming down his face. The mix of relief and terror in his face was heartbreaking. "Naruto. I would never leave you behind. Never. Do you understand?"
His lip wobbled. "I thought you were mad at me," he whispered.
I shook him a little, trying to show how serious I was. "Even if I'm mad at you. Even if we're apart, even if we have to go different ways, I would never. Ever. Leave you." I shook him again, trying to blink away tears that were blocking my view. "I'll always come back. You hear me? Always."
Naruto looked at me, his eyes as wide as they would go while swollen with tears. "Promise?" he begged.
I threw my arms around him, holding him so tight it felt like he was going to leave a bruise on my heart. I wanted to hold him close until he would fill the empty spaces inside, and I would fill his. Hatred didn't matter; hostility didn't matter. If other people rejected us, we would be fine because we would be together. "I promise, dattebana," I told him. "I swear."
That night, I took one look at the shadows around my bed and at the moon shining through the window and quit. Bless Naruto, he didn't say anything at all when I crawled into his bed faster than you could say "Achoo!". From the bright blue eyes staring at me from the dark, it looked like he hadn't been trying to sleep either. He just shuffled over and reached out with his hand, weaving his fingers through mine. We curled around each other, me with my head under his chin and our legs tangled under the covers.
We fell asleep.
A/N:
edited 01/14/2020
1. Have some gratuitous Kakashi+children fluff.
2. 'Believe it!' never sounded like a verbal tic to me, because verbal tic implies that it's unconscious or unwilling (see: poor Minako's struggle with 'dattebana'). When I imagine Naruto saying 'believe it!', I think the reason he keeps saying it is because, well, nobody ever believed in him. Awww. Cue sad music. So he ended up saying it out of near-reflex just to convince everyone to freaking believe him. And yes, I know the English dubbers put that in just to have something to replace 'dattebayo'. But still, it doesn't feel the same without Naruto telling people to believe in him, so, there you go!
3. Fuck Konohan economy, I simply cannot compute prices with numbers that high. Especially D ranks — D ranks look like they're made for everyone to use, civilian, noble, or ninja, but how can anyone afford them if the pay is that fucking high? And if someone yells INFLATION at me, I will throw pancakes at you.
I'll put my actual thoughts on the Konoha economy in my writing blog. For now… did anyone notice the odd look the shopkeeper gave Minako? :^)
