The Moon Always Shines Over Konoha
Chapter 3: Parameter Check, and here we go!
Weeks came and went after that.
I was suspended in an always-the-same loop: Waking up, getting fed, baby-babbling to mother, using my as of yet laughable physical strength and stamina to move my body as much as possible to train, getting tired, sleeping, repeat.
Even though it had been boring after just a few times, I was determined to use every waking hour to further my new self. Be it the training of my inferior infant body or the better apprehension of Japanese by listening to my new mother: I was sure it was all going to pay off when I finally was able to do something else then drooling on my romper or wiggling in my crib.
Time passed quickly.
I hadn't seen my new father since the day I had accepted my situation. He seemed to be on some kind of mission, as my mother didn't seem all that worried that he hadn't returned for a single time since then.
Or perhaps I had just overslept his return. After all my ridiculously weak infant body needed, like, sixteen hours of sleep ever day.
Pffsh, who am I even kidding? That was my sleep schedule as a teenager as well.
After another uneventful day of parent-child bonding between me and my new mother, I was finally put in my crib to sleep. Mother was none the wiser that I didn't immediately fall asleep anymore, but pushed my wimpy infant body to its limits. My pre-sleep exercise consisted of a dozen sit-ups and at least as many laying-down jumping jacks to strengthen my baby-fat-weakened musculature.
Okay, the jumping jacks were pretty lousy even for the range of motion an infant possessed, and the sit-ups where even more half-assed, but the thought mattered.
After another round of repetitions I allowed my strained body to rest and focused on training my vocal cords. I was nowhere near talking yet, but the gurgles were starting to sound a lot more deliberate since I had begun training.
After finally deeming myself worthy of comfort and rest, the relief of slipping into sleep didn't keep me waiting for long.
Man, I could'nt wait for the day where I finally had full control over a decent body.
When I next awoke, dawn had just started. The first beams of warm light washed over my face and gave me the necessary energy to set my mind back on track. I went on to organizing my thoughts. I had to form a strategy, a way to proceed in this world. I already possessed intimate knowledge of the happenings of the Naruto world, from the end of the warring states period to the fourth ninja war, and that could save my neck sometime in the future.
Ha, watching TV was not that big of a waste of time after all!
But before I could go into planning, I needed some key parameters to build my as of now unstable thought house, threatening to topple over at any given moment if not properly reinforced.
First parameter: Time. When and where was I in the timeline? I could gather clues to piece the puzzle together, but the biggest hint would be the Hokage monument. The amount of faces on display would give me a decent idea of the current point in time.
Second parameter: Possibilities. What stand did I belong to, what power, be it manipulative, political or physical, did my new self reign over?
Third parameter: Goals. What were the goals I strived to achieve?
Humming under my breath, a technique to warm up my vocal cords I had learned from my gospel-angel of a mom (No, seriously. If by some kind of cosmic joke I was forced to hear 'Oh happy day' only one more time, I was going to throw myself in front of the next bijuu-dama), I concluded I was quite clear on what I wanted to achieve my second time around.
A better future for everyone, I supposed. I was certainly no do-goodie, at least not in my last life, but when everything played out like it did in the manga and I didn't happen to be one of the main characters -a fact I was quite sure of even with my limited access to the outside world, considering my parents were neither the famed Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, nor were they Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha- I wasn't going to live the high-life.
I had a duty to fulfil, if not for the sake of the other inhabitants of this world, then at least for my own sake: Prevent the ninja world from becoming crazy fucked up.
Or at least prevent the worse fuck-ups, for a world where children whose ages weren't even two-digit were sent to fight wars was inherently shitty.
All the tragic childhoods, the torn apart families, the crushed hopes and dreams- it was not going to happen again, if I had any say in the matter.
Huh. "A better Konoha for everyone!" could be my slogan. Maybe I should strive for a political career. Would be safer than having to do 360-spins to avoid getting shanked on a daily basis, too.
My stomach growled, and the infallible instinct of a mother came into play when my new mother slid the door open and called out to me. "Ohayo, Tsuki-chan!"
"Morning, mother!", was my instinctive answer. Only it didn't come out of my mouth that way. It was more of a sad gurgling sound, and I closed my mouth in embarrassment. Way to go, Tsuki. Japanese certainly didn't come fluidly to me, or any form of speech for that matter. But it was going to be better, I was going to make sure of that. I may have lacked the practice, but I had some semblance of muscle memory.
If there is a will, then there is a way, my brother had always said, and I was going to honour his endless optimism, even if it was the last thing I did.
My mother looked awfully happy after my miserable attempt at speaking, clapping her hands together and grinning widely. "Hanashite mimashita ka?"
And before I could do anything else my mother picked me up and hugged me affectionately, mumbling "Okaachan wa anata o hokori ni omoimasu!" into my shoulder. I squirmed in her arms, my stomach coming forward again.
My mother –okaachan, if I remembered the term correctly- proceeded to go through the same ritual as yesterday. She took me to the kitchen, sat down in a seiza and breastfed me. Craving for a distraction (I was never going to get used to the process of feeding), I wondered idly where Takeo- uh, outousan was. Did he ever stay at home over night?
Well, I didn't have much to speculate on, given my as of now short time in this world. Come to think of it… How long have I been here?
Starting to speak was something most infants started to learn at an age of one year, and I hadn't been there that long. Something must have happened, because I was sure a child at an age of about a few weeks, maybe a month or two, wouldn't be capable of doing what I'd done. Sure, I'd been training, but that couldn't make that much of a difference. Right?
Or maybe it was just because of this world's own distinct rules. It was a world where people could spew fire, for god's- uh, Kami's sake. Would it be that outlandish for a much too young child to start the process of speaking?
Well, gurgling and babbling certainly were not to be classified as 'speech', but it was a start.
I stared at the Konoha sigil on the white rice paper wall behind my mother.
Probably not.
I remembered quite distinctly from the anime that five year old Kakashi had already been a lethal ninja. Children back in my old world had trouble expressing their thoughts and here they were already going on missions and experiencing the terror of war.
And that's the world I'm now an inhabitant of.
I sobered up quickly at that thought.
I really prayed for the right amount of willpower to become strong enough to defend myself, or the future didn't look especially bright.
After helping me burp up the redundant carbon dioxide, mother bundled me up in a blanket of some sort and draped me in a complicated arrangement of cloth. With an air of finality, okaachan fastened the straps behind her back, securing me at chest-height. She grabbed the wicker basket from the kitchen table, slipped on a pair of pastel zori and conclusively shut the front door behind us.
We were going outside!
Finally! That was the chance to secure the first parameter, time.
And it certainly was more exiting than staying inside all day.
What I saw when my eyes had adjusted to the morning sun was not entirely expected.
A distinct red-and-white symbol plastered over everything. Walls, market stands, amphorae, but most prominently on the back of every person walking and talking in between.
This changes everything.
Parameter one was as of yet unconfirmed, but I definitely had a good idea on parameter two.
I had been born an Uchiha. A freaking Uchiha.
Of all clans to belong to, I just had to be part of the one driven by rage and hatred, hadn't I?
My mother had left our house behind and rounded a few corners, but to me everything was going by in a blur.
Uchiha.
Why did it have to be the Uchiha of all clans?
Why the elitist, arrogant, responsible-for-a-big-part-of-the-Leaf's-drama Clan?
Suddenly hands were all over my face and I was too stunned, still too caught up in my thoughts to do anything.
"Kawaii!" Another hand pinched my left cheek and the sharp pain brought me back to reality.
"Enough!"
The exasperated outcry did not have the intended effect. Instead the stroking and the pinching intensified, a constant barrage of cooing and squealing stabbing my sensitive ears.
I tried for another word, but my inferior vocal chords only produced an embarrassing gurgle.
Not enough training yet, my traitorous mind supplied helpfully.
Thankfully mother came to my aid, and the hands obscuring my vision disappeared.
She seemed to scold (Yeah, tell'em, okaachan!) the other women –four, between the ages of 20 and 30- for harassing the sweet, innocent baby that was actually a fully sentient twenty-one year old.
The women seemed disappointed, but obliged. They weren't above sneaking a peek at me once in a while, though.
Okaachan continued to squabble happily, if sternly berating everyone trying to touch her child, and I was left to my own devices. Now that the horrid women weren't plaguing me anymore, I could finally take in our surroundings. The Uchiha district looked much like I remembered its looks from the rare peek at it in the anime. Wood and rice paper houses, lampions and chains of lanterns everywhere. The district was littered with the red and white Uchiha fan, some walls displaying even expertly painted renditions of the stylized Konoha leaf.
That caught my eye.
The Uchiha had the symbol of Konoha, the symbol of their estrangement and alienation, painted on the walls of their precious district?
The Clan under Fugaku Uchiha would have never approved of that. Too deep was the rift between the village leaders and the elitist clan.
Maybe… maybe it had not yet come to this kind of mutual resentment?
The split had only really come to full fruit after the Uchiha had been accused of controlling the Kyuubi and wilfully laying waste to the village. Before that the relationship had been a festering wound, with people like Danzo only fanning the flames.
Danzo. Oh, I despised that old bastard with a passion. He had brought loss and hatred to so many people's lives, only because of his very own feelings of inferiority and burning need to prove himself. And now, with my new self belonging to the clan he was hell-bent on destroying, I had a very personal motive to stop him from enacting his costly plans.
I just hoped I had enough time to grow up and train to become stronger before he put his plans into action.
If Danzo acted before I'd had become a capable ninja, or even a person with political sway, there was nothing I could do besides standing by and watching the Uchiha clan -my clan-get slaughtered. Me included, because there wouldn't be mercy for anyone besides Sasuke, not even for the children. And I didn't fool myself with glorified ambitions to defeat that guy in battle. He was way above my league in skill, if even geniuses like Obito and Kakashi feared his powers. And yes, I considered Obito to be a genius. How could a boy who never really received proper training for his very special abilities keep up with the legendary Fourth Hokage at age fourteen, if he were anything short of a born prodigy? Although even that incredible ninja had pledged to keep an eye on the eldest son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, and that certainly spoke volumes about what a fully-trained Itachi Uchiha could do.
Oh Kami, please don't let Itachi go through with the massacre until I can do something to stop him. Otherwise everything would go just as it did in the anime, and that was too much sadness and death for my liking. Not to mention I would loose my second chance before I had even done anything meaningful.
Okaachan had left the women behind after waving goodbye and purposefully strode towards a bustling mass of people. It seemed to be some kind of weekly market, with countless stalls and colourful merchandise on display. Men and women ambled through the tightly wound corridors and children scurried playfully through the gaps between stalls.
Merchants advertised their goods with boisterous voices and shooed the kids away whenever they barely missed the vast number of items on display when darting across the market.
There were people of all ages and in numerous stages of emotion, ranging from pure, unimpeded happiness to extreme annoyance. Each and everyone wore the Uchiha fan on their clothing.
Okaachan's steps had me bob up and down at a relaxing pace, and I fought the urge to yawn. I had so much more info to take in and clarify the situation, there was no time for getting all sleepy!
What exactly was my purpose here? Was it just a second chance?
Or… or was I supposed to change something, anything?
They stopped in front of a simple wooden stall and the middle-aged merchant thankfully toned down on the promotion of goods after catching sight of me. The constant background hum of voices and the odd tradesman's praise for his ware had started to put a strain on my still sensitive hearing.
Maybe it was pure dumb luck that I had been reborn in this world. Or bad luck, depending on your point of view. It had to be a cosmic joke to be part of something I had always been able to enjoy from afar, never getting more involved than praying my favourite characters didn't get offed. Only I didn't quite see the pointe.
For all I knew I might wake up in my bedroom at any given moment, chuckling over the crazily realistic dream I had and vowing to tell my mother about it when I visited on the weekend.
In the past lucid dreaming had always been something I wanted to experience, but not for this long.
Okaachan placed her basket on the counter and picked up different fruit and vegetables, only the best and most ripe ones managing to get chosen by her.
When she picked up another egg-plant, testing its ripeness by pressing her finger into the dark purple fruit pulp, I resigned to dealing with the situation at hand before I lost myself in the vague feeling of loneliness and full-on despair took over. I knew the steps, because I had gone through them countless times in my past life. The loss of grandfather, the betrayal of my ex-best friend, the incredible pressure during the waning days of school which had almost made me quit right then and there, screw the consequences...
Well, Mom and my friends had been by my side, then, always looking out for me and lending an open ear or a shoulder to cry on whenever the need arose.
I didn't have that anymore.
I only had myself and the oh-so precious memories of a life filled with so many ups and lows, I might get sea-sick thinking about it all.
Life oftentimes takes unexpected turns, and it might seem sometimes like there's no end to the dark tunnel. But if you keep on walking, you'll find the glimmer of light you need to pull through.
Mom had always been there for me, and even if she wasn't able to do so physically anymore, her words of wisdom sure were. Her presence in my mind and the wisdom she had shared were what kept me going instead of succumbing to the fear and loneliness trying to encompass my weak heart.
I'm going to do the best I can, Mom. I'm going to make you proud at least in this life, and I know you'll know somehow. You always do.
Returning my focus to okaachan, I silently thanked whom- or whatever had instigated my second chance in this world for the clear difference between 'okaachan' and 'Mom' -I would never tie the term 'Mom' with my shinobi-okaachan, no matter how loving and doting she may be. It would feel like I wanted to replace Mom with her, and well- Call me a nostalgic idiot, but that just didn't sit right with me.
Chestnut brown locks danced in the sunlight, when Mrs Takeo Uchiha turned her body as to allow me a look at our rich yield. Shiny purple egg plants, gnarled taro roots, bright orange carrots and a bundle of herbs and several cabbages filled the medium-sized basket.
Okaachan (I felt increasingly at ease with that term) picked up the smallest carrot and brought it up into my still sadly rather limited range. Seeing a chance to test the infant body's motor skills, I cautiously extended my hands and took the vegetable from mother. I felt the sudden urge to taste the familiar good and made to sink my teeth into the shining edible, only for it to slip into the corner of my tender mouth. Unable to make sense of the unusual behaviour of my jaws, I looked up, puzzled and confused. What I saw was equally unexpected. The usually schooled features of my new mother bore a broad grin, an easy giggle escaping the red-painted lips. When I tried for a bite again and the carrot bounced off my toothless gums again, I would likely have reddened in shame at my own stupidity (though I was quick to blame the stupid infant brain for it), were it not for the giggle maturing into full-on laughter.
Mrs Uchiha had never expressed sadness per se, but the heavy look she shot me whenever I had coughed or winced carried worry thick enough for my inferior senses to catch onto.
But now, for the first time since I had awoken in my new home, I had the honour to receive a glimpse at the carefree and happy person okaachan must really be underneath the tightly controlled surface.
At this moment, I added another important point to my to-do-list:
I would make the burden on the shoulders of the elegant chocolate brown haired woman disappear and bring her the happiness she deserved. I would no longer be the reason for her worry. No, I would be a model child so that Takeo Uchiha and his loving wife were able to lead the happy life they deserved to live.
And I would train till I dropped to gather the necessary strength to avoid possible future disasters. With two shinobi parents -and the graceful fluidity with which her okaachan moved left no doubt about her occupation before my birth- and hailing from one of the most feared clans in all of Konoha's history I had the best starting position I could possibly hope for.
The future would not be as dull and sad as the original timeline had been. Not if Tsuki Uchiha had anything to say about it.
Author's Note:
Tsukiko has been handed a deck of cards, but do they lead the way to a bright future or impending doom? See more in the next chapter!
Translations:
1. Did you just try to speak?
2. Mommy is so proud of you!
3. How cute!
