Shizukana's P.O.V

Just like my father promised, he took me to the library and got me a Civilian access card. It was strange having access to this many books considering I haven't been to a library for 3 and a half years: a new record and not one I am proud of.

The interior of the library was neither small nor large. Just the right size, I would say, for a library. There were windows lining the top of the building, allowing plenty of sunlight in, but not a person. Not that anyone should want to sneak into a library, that's just strange. Several large shelves lined the walls in long rows, organized by the Dewey Decimal System. But that was only for the Civilian section. At the back of the room was a door, most likely leading to the Chunin and up section. I wouldn't be able to wander through THOSE doors for a while, but in that time I could read the entirety of the Civilian section.

As soon as I was registered, I walked past the Librarian, as well as my father, and went to look at the shelves. I giggled in glee at the thought of all the books. Yes, I giggled. A strange sight to see, considering I practically never show any emotion. However, this burst of excitement was missed by anyone nearby and my face soon returned to its stoic expression. I looked back at my father to see him chatting with the librarian. She appeared to be young, probably in her 20's. Taking note of her features for future reference, I glanced back at the shelf. Grabbing the first book I saw, I made my way over to one of 3 small tables that lined the front of the room.

'Political History of The Leaf.'

Well, it's a start.

This is what I have been doing for the past year: waking up in the morning, having breakfast, and walking to the library. I was lucky enough to be only 3 blocks away, allowing my mother not to worry about my safety and allowed me free access to the knowledge I craved. However, she still walked me there in the mornings and walked me back in the afternoons. Not long after this routine started, however, my mother began to be overwhelmed with work. So she asked the librarian, Hanako-chan, to pick me up and drop me off. Every morning, she would come to my house and leave with me. Mom would sometimes pack us lunch. Then Hanako would then drop me back at 7 pm.

At 7, when Hanako-chan dropped me off, my mother would go out to talk to her for a couple of minutes. Depending on when Dad came back, we would have dinner around 7:30. If he was late, we'd have dinner at 8 pm and go to bed.

By now, Mom and Dad have accepted the fact that there was nothing stopping me from visiting the library. One day, I got sick and couldn't leave the house. The staff workers got worried and Hanako-chan (as well as one of the staff members) came to the house to see if I was okay. See? Daily routine. Well, that is, until today.

The day everything changed for me was like any normal day. I woke up at 7 am and got dressed in a kind-of-flowy green shirt with a grey skirt that reached just below my knees. Then, I went downstairs and had breakfast. Hanako-chan came by and picked me up at 7:30 and I waved goodbye to Mom. Dad had left early in the morning, something about a rogue nin from Kumo-

We walked through the streets with Hanako by my side and entered the library. I greeted the staff and made my way towards my table. Yes, I had a table. I came every day except on Sundays. It's been a year-

I picked up the book about the economical status in Konoha. I had read the History, Political, and Trading business of Konoha already as well as covered all the books regarding Wars and International affairs. The books in the Civilian section weren't very detailed, but I managed to get a clear picture of all the Clans. I thought that if I became familiar with Konoha, it would be easy to focus on my academic career. No doubt being a ninja was in my future since both of my parents were. It was in my blood now. And I planned on using this new body to do wonderful things. Not just learn and understand, but become strong. A Shinobi's duty is to protect those around them.

I couldn't protect my family, I will do it now.

I read and read until finally, it was time for lunch. As of late, the staff began to eat with me and let me ask them questions about various topics. At first, they were surprised at my knowledge and vocabulary skills, but it began to wear off after time progressed. After lunch, I continued to read.

Everything was fine until around 6:15 pm.

It was starting to get dark, and I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. I don't know if it's just instinct, but something seemed off. On most nights around this time, it was fine for me. I would not notice a slight emotion of fear creeping into me. Why...? I picked up the book I was reading and walked towards Hanako-chan. She looked at me and frowned.

"Is something wrong Shizu-chan?" she asked with worry in her tone. I shook my head.

"I'm quite alright, but I would like to go home now."

I noticed her glancing at the clock as she checked out the book I handed her. It was a bit early to go home- normally I was begging to stay longer. I think she picked up on my anxiousness, for her face became one of worry too. She packed her bag and told the workers that she was leaving early.

As we exited the library, a lady and a man walked up to her. The lady had wild black hair and red eyes. Yuhi Clan, I thought to myself, remembering the book about clans I had read a couple of weeks ago. The man had brown spiked hair and had black eyes. He had a senbon in his mouth as well, which, to me, seemed pretty dangerous. From the looks of it, both of them were Shinobi and by their jackets, I could define them as Jonin.

"Hanako-chan, it's been a long time," the lady spoke, walking up and patting her on the back as if they were old friends. I noticed a glimmer in the lady's eye as she smiled, she appeared to have a genuine happiness. Hanako-chan simply smiled and greeted the two of them.

"Kurenai-chan, Genma-kun. Pleasure seeing you here."

The two strangers smiled at Hanako. Hm... I can't tell how deep their relationship is by their actions so far. Hanako has maintained a work-like posture, but that may just be how she is. The one named Kurenai was quite friendly though. Then again, that might just be her character. Genma looked at me and gave a small grin. "Who's the little one?"

This made both of the female members look at me. I hugged the huge book and narrowed my eyes at the strangers. Even though the lady had seemed a bit nice, I couldn't trust either of them. Not with my instincts going haywire and telling me something was off.

"Oh, this is Shizukana-chan," Hanako-chan said as she pushed me forward. I stared straight into the strangers' eyes, almost like I was reading their souls. They got uncomfortable by this, but Genma smiled. This was new, no one ever smiled when I did that...

"Hello, Shizukana-chan. My name is Genma," the man said. From his voice, I could tell he was a lazy sort of person. Lazy, but not so much that he was easy to defeat. He almost radiated a vibe that said, If you try to hurt me, I will kill you while yawning. Interesting. I nodded and looked over to Kurenai. She smiled as well, giving me the relief of knowing she wasn't angry at my analytical behavior.

"My name is Kurenai," she said. Her voice was pleasant as if she expected me not to understand what she was saying. I did look 4, after all. But though it was pleasant, I got a feeling that she was a serious person, not one to mess with. I nodded again before pulling Hanako-chan's hand. She smiled down at me.

"I need to get going, I have to drop off Shizu-chan," Hanako-chan said, glancing back over to the two, "She wants to go home early today..."

"We wanted to invite you to dinner. Gai and Ebisu would be there and we thought you might want to come," Genma said, chewing on the senbon needle a bit. It appeared to be a habit of his, as he hasn't taken it out once, not even to talk. Impressive, I can't speak properly with something in my mouth. He must have been doing this for years now.

"I'd love to come. But first, I'll get her home. Then I'll join you guys," she said motioning to the direction we were to take on our path.

"Why don't we come with you? That way we can all go together," Kurenai suggested in her 'serious voice.' In all honesty, it wasn't a bad idea. if they came along, it would help ease the worry in my stomach and help Hanako get to her dinner on time. So of course, Hanako-chan nodded and we took off.

They kept talking about all sorts of things. First, they talked about how new stores have been opening up in the market, then moved on to fashion (Genma not contributing much since it wasn't interesting for him), before finding themselves talking about their training. Apparently, Hanako-chan used to be a ninja, but she retired to work on Medical studies. She works at the library as a part-time job. Hm, maybe when I'm old enough I can work part-time at the library too. I mean, I already practically live there, I might as well get paid for it. But that's a discussion for older me.

We reached the gate to my house in 3 minutes. Hanako-chan and the two of them stayed outside while I walked through the gate to the front door. It wasn't that dark yet, the sun was just a sliver on the horizon, but in my eyes, the world appeared to be in a dark state already. The shadows grew long across the yard as I made my way to the door. When I reached for the handle, I noticed something. Something that made my heartbeat spike.

The lock was broken.

I narrowed my eyes and pushed open the door. I hadn't noticed before, but there was a strange smell coming from inside. It's hard to describe, but I guess it would be best called 'rusty' or 'salty'. The house was quiet. Normally, I could hear my mother in the kitchen. She would hear the door open and run over to greet me with a hug and a kiss...

"Tadaima?"

My voice echoed through the house.

No response.

The ticking sound of the clock broke the silence as I entered the dimly-lit hall. It appeared one of the lights had gone out, leaving just a single light to brighten the path. But maybe it was better that way.

Because what I saw in front of me was something I never wanted to see.

Hanako's P.O.V-

When we reached Shizu-Chan's house, Shizu-chan opened the gate and went through. I stopped and looked at Genma and Kurenai.

"Why did we stop?" Genma asked, "She's inside now."

I smiled.

"We wait. Shizu-chan will go in and her Kaa-san or Tou-san will come out. Then we will talk for a while and I can leave right afterward. It's routine."

"So this happens every day?" Kurenai asked in a curious manner. Of course, they didn't know as much about Shizu-chan as I did, but Kurenai's voice had a hint of a question in it. I simply nodded.

"Everyday, I pick up and drop off Shizu-chan from the Library." Kurenai looked a bit surprised, but I guess that's to be expected.

"Isn't she 4 years old? Why would she go to the Library?" Genma then inquired.

"Oh, she's no ordinary four year old. She has the Vocabulary of a 15-year-old and has read a quarter of the Civilian section already. I believe we've got ourselves a prodigy," I said, chuckling when Kurenai and Genma's eyes widened.

"Like Hatake?" Genma asked.

I nodded.

I looked at the watch on my wrist and furrowed my eyebrows. What's taking so long-

Just after that thought, a scream was heard from the house and I looked at Genma and Kurenai. The three of us bolted through the gate and into the house.

Nothing prepared us for the sight inside.