Shizukana's P.O.V-
A few days passed, and I was discharged from the hospital. Apparently, no one wanted the '4-year-old-child-who-witnessed-her-parent's-murder' to be left off running around the streets. It was a tragedy that they died. I cared about them, and I wanted to protect them. But I couldn't. I was weak. But thinking about it will only keep me sad, so I have to move on now.
Inoichi Yamanaka returned for a second time not long after the Hokage incident. He asked me questions about my mental health, probably understanding that I was no normal child. I know this since he didn't mess around and use the 'child-friendly' voice that all adults have. It's good to know that people will give respect to a mature mind, even if the body isn't quite as caught up as their mentality.
Right now, I am standing in front of my new apartment. I had gathered my possessions from the house and sold it along with most of the things in it, since they were of no use to me. I'm just glad I won't have to look at that house again- I wouldn't want to be seeing that house for a long time. The memories there are best left untouched.
From what I knew, the apartment had 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room. Small, but more than enough for me. Dragging in 2 suitcases, I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.
Alright, three (alive) people in total know of my more-than-average intelligence. Four if you include Hanako-chan. Wonder what happened to her...
Letting out a sigh, I made my way to my room and shut the door. I began putting my clothes into drawers as I thought about my future. Multi-tasking, I know, but I was really good at it.
Alright, ninjas specialize in one main thing. Like, Yamanaka's specialize in their mind Justus and the Nara's on their Shadow Justus. If someone countered their attack or gained an advantage, the one-trick-pony would fail without the help of others. This is simply because they, themselves, only focused training in one style of Jutsu. I don't want that to happen to me. I don't have a problem relying on others, but if I learn a lot of different styles that don't rely on other people, it would be to my advantage if my opponent focused his attacks on one method. For example, if the opponent thought that I was a fire style ninja, then he should attack in water style (granted he knew it). With him focusing on trying to block the fire, I could easily switch to lightning style, which would use his water to my advantage.
So, in a gist, I need to focus on a lot of things.
I finished putting my clothes in place and began arranging books onto shelves. I didn't have many since most of the books I read were from the library, but I had kept my father's textbooks so I wouldn't have to purchase any for school. I also kept a small scroll on medical jutsu's. I don't know why, I guess I just wanted something from my mom. Allowing my mind to wander again, I found myself thinking of things I needed to master to complete my plan.
Speed. My small body will provide me with the agility I need.
Taijutsu. Speed and taijutsu will help me take down an opponent without needing chakra.
Elemental Chakra. If I could master at least 3 types then it would be great.
Puppeteer. Well, chakra strings are good. I won't be able to use huge puppets, but I could use the skills to control my opponent.
Ninjutsu. Of course, without this, I would never be able to survive. If I could master a lot of Justus then it would be easy to master different types of fighting styles. Close range or short range.
Alright, now that I have my objectives, it's time to make sure they are achieved. I flopped onto my bed and lay there, staring at the ceiling. I needed to formulate a schedule to get these things done...
As I was about to close my eyes, I heard someone knocking on the front door. I let out a sigh and went over to see who it was, passing through the sad-looking livingroom with nothing in it but what was already there: a couch, a small tv, a small table, and a mini-shelf in one corner. The walls were bare.
Opening the door, I was greeted with a tall man. He had black hair and brown eyes with slightly tanned skin. He also had a scar, running from the bottom of his left eye to the bottom of his lip. From his stature, I would guess his age to be around 24. I continued to scan him. He wore a black shirt with grey pants, accompanied by a black belt tied to his waist. His fingers were calloused, giving me signs that he could be a ninja. But I scratched that idea when I noticed the burn marks on his shirt and iron dust covering his hands.
Not ninja, more like a blacksmith.
"Hey, you're the kid the Hokage told me to watch," He said with a smirk. I could already tell he was judging me by my age. Just because you're taller than me doesn't make me any less capable of taking care of myself-
"Hmm, it appears the old man is worried about me. No matter, it wouldn't be wise to let a 4-year-old live on her own with no adult supervision anyway. What was I expecting," I replied with a shrug.
He chuckled, not fazed by my strange vocabulary. "Well, my name is Takada Yukimura and I Iive next door," he said, pointing to the end of the hall. I guess the Hokage told him about my maturity, seeing as he wasn't as surprised as most people.
I nodded. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Shizukana Tori."
He nodded in response. It was silent after that, so he then turned and left. Sighing, I closed the door.
And that was how I met Taka-kun.
He has a laid back personality, calm and lazy, but talented at the same time. He is sometimes sarcastic and would ignore me, but I can't blame him. I was the same way.
Apparently, he makes weapons in his shop down the road. He was once a Jonin, but he retired due to medical injuries. He hasn't said specifically WHAT injury he is talking about, but I don't want to pry. I wouldn't want anyone prying about my parents, so I can respect that he doesn't want people prying about his situation either.
I visit his shop every day to read. My schedule has changed to a new format. I now spend half of my day at the library and about 4 hours at the shop with him. He lets me hang out by the register and taught me how to use it, just for fun of course. Normally we just sit and enjoy each other's silence. After the shop closed, I would return home and have dinner. Every Wednesday, however, Takada would join me for dinner. He is an excellent cook...
Time skip... One year.
A year passed and it was time for me to start the academy. The Hokage had kept his word and sent Takada as my guardian to sign papers and stuff. He also still sent his monthly stipend.
So here I am, on the Opening day, listening to the Hokage drone on about the Will of Fire. This stuff may have seemed important to the adults in the room, but to most of the kids (except for a select few) this was about as exciting as watching paint dry. I saw a few kids asleep on their parent's laps. And I can't blame them, they were 5-year-olds for Pete's sake- And it wasn't just the children. I looked to my left to find Takada asleep. His head had bent towards the front and his eyes were closed.
Once the speech was over, everyone applauded and Takada bolted awake at the sudden noise. I snorted at his face and he glared at me. I continued laughing.
"Oh haha- laugh it off Shi-chan," he said, faking a glare. Ever since I called him 'Taka-Kun', he started calling me 'Shi-chan.'
"Well, I'm not the one who fell asleep and woke up like a maniac," I said with a smirk, "I saw some of the 5-year-olds acting more mature than you."
After a while, Chunin teachers stepped onto the stage and called out names. First, a Chunin with honey-colored skin and a scar on his nose called out his students.
Aburame Shino... Akimichi Choji... Haruno Sakura ... Hyuuga Hinata ... Inuzuka Kiba ... Nara Shikamaru ... Tori Shizukana...
Huh, A class with a lot of heirs.
Uchiha Sasuke... Uzumaki Naruto... Yamanaka Ino...
There were around 30 students in total. I was in the scar guy's class. And, sadly, the main characters were in my class as well. Uchiha and Uzumaki. I made a silent pact to myself: Keep to yourself and DO NOT ATTRACT UNNECESSARY ATTENTION.
I looked at Takada and stood up. I then waved goodbye, to which he just gave me a polite thumbs up. I followed the line of restless toddlers to the class. These were to be my companions for the years so come: these small children who may or may not be potty trained. God, I hope they are.
Deciding to try and stay out of sight, I sat in the corner at the back of the class with a boy who had circular black glasses covering his eyes. His hair was quite spiky, but I respected him. Especially since he kept quiet. Aburame Shino.
I looked around to find our teacher entering the classroom.
"Hello. My name is Iruka, but you can call me Iruka Sensei. Why don't we introduce each other? Let's start from the corner," he said pointing at me. I stood up.
Oh- of course, I have to start first. Fate just loves me.
Everyone was looking at me and I forced a smile on my face. "My name is Shizukana Tori and it's nice to meet you all." Their expression didn't waver. Oof, tough crowd. What else am I suppose to say?
"Tell us about yourself. What your hobbies? What do you like or dislike? What your dreams are for the future?" Iruka Sensei said with a calm voice. I looked at him and sighed.
"I like to read and visit the library. I dislike it when my house is too loud. I dislike crowds and loud people. My hobbies are reading," I paused when I heard a giggle from the background, "My dream for the future is to live past the age of 23."
With that, I sat down, ignoring the bewildered looks of pretty much everyone. I mean, the stares were mostly because of my completion, not because of my statement about living past 23. I think most of them are unable to count to 23 yet, and that's just sad. Iruka-sensei seemed to understand it, though, and tried to maintain his composure as he pointed to the Aburame next to me.
"Alright..." Iruka Sensei said with a nervous chuckle, "Why don't you go next?"
As my teacher went down the list of people, I picked up every detail and listened to all the things they said. I wanted to make sure I knew who to talk to and who to avoid. So far, I had marked the main characters and some annoying side characters as people to keep my distance from. It was either because they seemed mean, loud, or they were important to plot.
We didn't learn anything today, but we will be starting lessons tomorrow. Not like I would learn anything new, but I want to try to blend in.
When the bell rang at the end of the day, everyone began filing out of the class. However, I stayed until the rush was over. This caused Iruka Sensei to walk towards me and sit down on a desk in front of mine. He gave me a smile and asked: "Not planning on going home, Shizukana?"
"Rush," I said.
"Sorry?" Iruka Sensei asked.
I looked at him and deadpanned. "There's a crowd of overly enthusiastic children outside, impatiently waiting to tell their parents about their first day. Simply, they will be wreaking Havoc outside," I said, watching as he looked out the window to see the children running all over. "I don't like crowds," I said with distaste.
He nodded and glanced back at me. "Don't you want to say anything about your first day to your parents?" I shook my head.
"They're dead. Though, I suppose I could visit the Cemetery." I stood up and looked at Iruka Sensei, "Have a pleasant evening, Sensei." He nodded, his eyes widened.
He didn't know about the murder. Well, that was interesting.
A/N. She joined the Academy. I am going to be doing a time skip with a lot of flashbacks. (Maybe two or three.) Welcome, Takada. He's gonna be the 'Guardian' but he's actually a laid back guy. Hope you like the story.
Comment on who should be Shizukana's friend. I thought maybe Hinata. Let me know what you guys think.