A/N: Thank you guys so much for all the support! You encourage me to post new chapters sooner c; This one's shorter, but there wasn't much to say. Also, I spent quite some time going to a school that supported a boarding school as well, so I used it, as well as a gorgeous book "The Grey House" by Mariam Petrosyan, as inspiration for the orphanage. Please enjoy!

See the end of the chapter for translations. *

Disclaimer: don't own Naruto.

Warnings: Language, description of death, reference to child abuse, pedophilia, rape and torture (not describing those, uh-uh).

Childhood Arc: Dear Nostalgia

Never forget who was there for you when no one else was. - Ritu Ghatourey

I'm a useless, worthless, stupid moron.

You might be wondering where that came from. Well, let me start at the beginning.

After the "bullies accident", Shin decided to teach me some katas. He made the proposal. It happened like this:

/Flashback start/

I was resting on my futon after another nightmare. It seemed like all the kids had them, so I wasn't feeling too odd. Iruka would occasionally wake up calling for his parents. He cries a lot, gets a lot of nightmares, and is very sad and closed of.

Sora, Koji and Kenta are seven-year-old triplets. They also have a younger sister here. They look exactly the same, but Shibire and Kenta complete opposites in character, while Koji is somewhere in the middle. Kenta is too active, and it seems like he has ADHD, but no one would check 'cause the Senseis here are lazy asses. He always tries to prank someone, do something, never sits still, always active and very clumsy. Sora, on the other hand, is very quiet. He reads, sleeps and rests. He's a very laid off guy, and he seems like a typical Nara. Strange one. And Koji is the peaceful harmony, spending his free time drawing. He also acts as the older brother to all of the siblings, even though it started not so long ago. They were orphaned before the attack, but they had an older sister that took care of them. During the attack she got wounded really bad, ending in a coma. The doctors say that she won't ever be the same again.

Shibire is very shy, and a poet as well. He writes stuff all the fucking day. In the middle of the night, when you're finally falling asleep, the bastard starts scraping the paper with the motherfucking pencil. And he. Won't. Stop. And he's also too kind and forgiving. He already forgave the bullies! I didn't even get a chance to gain revenge…

Got off the topic. So, after I woke up from that nightmare, the one about her dying again, about all the blood and destruction and-

"Hey, you alright?" Somebody to my left asked. Tilting my head, I'm met with Shin's worried gaze. He's gently shaking my shoulder. I nodded timidly, averting eye contact. I let my hand reach for the water cup, but my chubby fingers couldn't get a grasp. Letting my hands fall to my sides, I closed my eyes and slowly lean into the bed. That's when I felt a paper cup at my mouth and opened it slightly, taking a few sips. A few more moments passed before I heard Shin whisper: "You're hurt and you need help. I was hurt too, and I found a way to cope with the pain. Do you want me to teach you?"

I let my eyes wonder, taking in the room. The bullies were all having lighter nightmares, but nightmares nonetheless. The triplets were each doing their own thing, with one resting, other drawing and third doing… something. Iruka was staring at the wall, his gaze unfocused. Shin was sitting next to me, still concerned. Why's he going to such length to help me? Weirdo… but still.

I focus on Shin, feeling a bit more determined. "Y-yes, please. I would l-like that a lot." I was, my voice so small. My skin looks a bit paler, I guess, but it's hard to tell in such weak lightning.

He gave me a grin before saying: "Great! I'll teach you katas! I always wanted a Kohai! You'll teach me Sempai, right?" He asks eagerly. Now everyone was up, looking at us.

"Yeah, sure?" I say while sweat dropping.

/Flashback end/

This is how I found myself in the forest, after three weeks of everyday training, failing again.

He guides me from a log he's sitting on, "Ok. Now, bring your left leg out to the side, hands in front of your chest, lean onto your left leg and squat a bit. Great, now start getting up and lifting you right leg from the ground, slowly- oh, man!"

And so I fell face first into the ground.

Remember when I died tripping over my own leg? Yeah? Because it seems like this trait followed me into my second life as well.

I'm gonna die young. Again. Which is why I'm stressing out.

Ok, I'm still only two years. Maybe it's ok to be clumsy now, but, knowing all the shit to come, I'd rather not. Yes, I'm panicking. I might have laughed hysterically on a few occasions. I might have become twitchy because of constantly getting a feeling of being followed. I might have overreacted for a few times. But… ugh, life is hard, you know!

Getting up with Shin's help, I continue our session. We try again, and again, and again. You get the point.

Spotting a few new bruises, we head back to the orphanage.

A few months have passed since I've started my training with Shin. It's January 27th already, the gorgeous white carpet covering the ground. I always loved winter the most, with the beautiful, frosty weather, the blinding white, the sweaters and scarfs, the cocoa and tea, the sparkling snowflakes all around me, and openwork patterns on the windows.

I got better at my katas, even if now by much. I still manage to fall while on flat ground, but at least I'm more flexible.

My chakra control keeps getting better. I can keep the leaf a good 2 inches away from my forehead, and I can stick to a bark for a few seconds. My chakra reserves are still tiny, but that's nothing to be surprised at.

My calligraphy is what got me to jump up a few classes. Turns out that normal kids don't start learning alphabet till they're three. As I already know both hiragana and katakana, and a quite a few kanji as well, I was placed in class with four year olds. And even there I sleep with opened eyes.

The caretakers thought that I was a prodigy. I was desperately looking for a way to bullshit my way out of it. Deciding to go with a "I was taught by…" line, I said that Oba-chan couldn't spend a lot of time with me, which is why she started to teach me how to read and write early on. I was saved the trouble later on, playing dumb with Saisu and Zaji.

During the months I managed to befriend Saisu, Zaji and, surprisingly, Kazumi. Shin was more of a Sempai to me, but could be considered a friend. I tried approaching Iruka, but he just wouldn't open up. And, in a few months, he'd be moving out. He'd only got five more months before the graduation and he's being provided with a small studio for himself. As I got it, his parents' money as well as accommodation are his now, but the higher ups needed all the money one can get to restore the village, which was why he's getting a smaller apartment and that's only after he graduates so he can pay the taxes. I could see the pattern: all of the academy students that lost their families in one way or another are being put into the orphanage so the village won't need to include the fees in the allowance. Smart, I must say.

Other kids were either too boring, too peevish, too arrogant or simply hooligans. I got along just fine with the guys in my room if you didn't count the bullies, but we just never bonded.

Saisu and Zaji are funny. A bit arrogant, yes, but way too funny. Watching them bicker feels like watching a stand-up back in my first life (will never get used to saying that). They really help me rest, with all the games and stuff. Saisu was trying to pick up on other kids, but a kick to the head was all it took to make him stop.

But there was Kazumi. She's a mystery, really. I've yet to find out where she comes from, but she looks pained a lot, as if her memories hurt too much. She told me that she loves knitting and even knitted me a rainbow scarf! That's just too cool. She also said that she wants to stay civilian and open a DIY shop in Konoha, explaining it with no desire to kill people for a living. She's a very creative person, and very introverted. We always eat together in our corner, comfortable silence indicating friendship's growth. She's by no mean a prodigy like Shin, but she's talented in her area of liking. I'd have definitely fallen for her if I wasn't a, well, two-year-old toddler.

Also, during the last months, I learned an important fact: our worlds are the same in some ways. At least in hooligans, that's for sure.

You remember the long notation about everything that's prohibited here? The one given to me by Shinju? Where I'd be beat to bloody pulp because I was late by two minutes? Well, good news. Nobody gives a fuck about those rules. Almost always a few kids are late, there are those that break the rules (are scum), and those that forget the rules. So, after scaring me shitless, the rules are just for show. For example, back in November a girl didn't wake up on time and, instead of rushing in like crazy, she simply didn't leave the room. No one noticed. Or that one time when a boy was bruised all over, but the initiators of the fight got no punishment whatsoever. Or when my roommates tried to steal my allowance, or… you get the point.

So that's why it's such a fucked up place. At least I have some friends to keep me company.

Today's the twenty first of February. It's has finally stopped snowing, plus there's no wind, leading to a much warmer weather. So Kazumi and me decided to built a snowman. I remember that I used to do it all the time when I was younger. Putting on my rainbow scarf and a sweater, we rushed outside. The snow crunched as we walked, shining brightly under the sun rays. Going into the forest, we searched for a perfect place, finding a nice clearing in no time. It had a few frosty pine trees here and there. We ran in circles, laughing and fooling around for a while. After an hour we fell down simultaneously, creating angels in snow. I heard Kazumi giggle to my right. Turning to face her, I saw her looking into the sky, nose red and eyes sparkling. She radiated calm and peaceful energy. A small smile braced her lips, but it disappeared in a moment, her eyes glinting with unshed tears. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came. Moving her head so I won't be able to see her face, she spoke: "Two years ago me, my Aneki and Otou-san lived left our home village. It was near the outskirts of Kusagakure no Sato. The war was waging way too close to our home. So we tried to escape it, leaving everything behind. We traveled for month, always hungry and homeless. The little things we had left were taken away from us. My tou-san was no shinobi, and my Aneki was crippled, leading to us moving at a very slow pace. One day I woke up to a screeching sound, only to find tou-san hovering over Aneki's corpse, a blade in her hand, wrists slit. She left a note, but I couldn't read it. Taking my best guess, it said that she believed to be a burden to us and did it for us to pick up pace. We've only managed to cross Hi no Kuni's border, still close to the frontlines. We buried her in a nameless grave, mourning silently. Tou-san changed after that. He was always quiet, always hurt. His back arched, as if he was barely managing to hold all that weight on his shoulders. He barely slept, his hair greyed, his wrinkles pronounced. Six days passed since Aneki's death, and we stumbled upon mercenaries. Tou-san was on verge of exhaustion and I was simply no match. They laughed at they killed tou-san within a blink of an eye, his body dropping to the ground, a small smile on his lips, a dash through his chest. They took me in, they," her body was shaking; sobs escaped her mouth after every sentence, her voice reduced to a whisper. She stopped for a moment to regain her breath. I remained still and quiet, not daring say a word. She calmed down a bit before continuing: "T-they used me as a toy. They made me d-do disgusting things, tortured me, and a-abused me. It lasted for whole two w-weeks: daily abuse, p-pain, torture. I wanted to die so much; I've even planned it. I stole a kunai from one of them after he u-used me. I-I wanted to pierce my temple with it. My plan was almost ready, b-but that day Konoha shinobi killed the mercenaries, finding me chained up, a kunai poised at my head. They knocked me out and took me here. Two years passed, but I still want to believe that this was all just a nightmare." By then she was a crying mess, sobbing and sniffling all the time.

Oh, god. I... I don't know what to say. Her life… her life is literal hell. She went through all this shit, managed to survive so much, has seen so much, and yet she's still smiling. She's still strong enough to fight.

I'm afraid that if I touch her, she'll run away. But not responding to her life story at all can't be done too. What should I do about this?

I try to reach for her, very slowly. As soon as my hand meets her shoulder, she whirls around, her eyes puffy from tears, her cheeks and nose red from the winter weather, and her face full of gratitude – but for what?

She latched onto me, strangling me in a hug. I tried to bring my arms around her, but I was too small to succeed, so I started stroking her back, staying silent. I was always bad at expressing emotions, especially comforting people. Since childhood in my previous life I never really had friends, always keeping to myself. I had nobody to comfort me in time of need, as well as almost no one ever needed me. If it happened, I'd stay quiet and care for them, trying to comfort one with actions.

So we stayed like that for hours, definitely being late for lunch. But it didn't matter. Nothing did at that moment.

Omake: Codenaming

It was a beautiful afternoon. Streets were busy, shops were full and ba-chan was working downstairs, serving the citizens of Konoha with great tea and excusive mochi. Taking my time to do something productive, I opened my notebook and stopped at a new page. Time to get serious.

This pages should belong to the one person I'd love to see burn the most. The one that actually tried to do something productive, ending in managing the exact opposite. The one stupid enough no order a child to kill one of the most powerful allies of his village because he wanted new eyes. The motherfucking son of a bitch, the one with no strategic mind whatsoever. I present to you, Danzō!

This one's gonna be tough. A power-hungry, close-minded warhawk with a desire to create an army of mindless minions, to make himself the emperor of the world, to make every single person bow to him. How should I name him in my book?

Warhawk's too easy to see through. Can't be done. Maybe I'd name him after somebody he was alike, somebody that was after the same goals? Think, Isamu, think-

Oh. Of course! This is the obvious choice for de bastard!

Taking the pen with my little hands, the title "Putin 2.0" was brought to life.

* Kaa-san – mother

Tou-san – father

Aneki – older sister

Kusagakure no Sato – Hidden Village in the Grass

A/N: That's it for this chapter. It was on the shorter side, but I wanted to write it in order to show how Isamu's getting along with his new friends. Iruka is in his graduating year, Konoha is rebuilding. Danzō is literally Putin 2.0, like come on! They're the same, while Medvedev is Hanzō xD

Kazumi is a cutie in my story. I wanted to have a smart civilian as his friend. She's been bottling up everything all this time, and letting it all out hurt. Isamu's bad at comforting people (just like me), and bad with emotions. Combined with his awful memory, that's why he often slips up. I also wanted to ask you is you'd like for me to add fluff. Like, I have some crazy ideas that are really cute. Fluff's coming anyway (Naruto), but I might add some more before that. Up to you.

Thank you very much and please review!