Chapter 3
The next day, Ayumi stood proudly in front of Sasuke as the ceremony started, and listened intently to the Third Hokage's words. As the ceremony was coming to a close, she turned around to look at her father, a proud smile on her face, but she noticed Sasuke didn't seem nearly as happy. Her smile faltered slightly, and she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He seemed to feel better, and the ceremony was over. They went to their father, who was talking to a sensei. "Well! Who are these young ones?" The man questioned.
"I'm Ayumi. This is my nii-san, Sasuke." "Your children?" Their father nodded, saying, "Yes. These are the twins." "Let me guess which is stronger...it's probably this little guy..." He said, ruffling Sasuke's hair. Ayumi's temper flared, and she looked away, obviously insulted. "Actually...Ayumi is the stronger and older of the two." Their father explained. "Oh...I never would have guessed..." "I'm not surprised." Ayumi muttered darkly, receiving a small smack to the back of her head.
She rubbed the spot, saying, "Well...a lot of people make that mistake..." "That's true...kunoichi aren't known for being stronger than shinobi." She glared icily, her eyes steely, as she said, "I'll be fixing that. My goal is to show that kunoichi can be just as good, and better, than shinobi." Her father sighed, saying, "I think we should head back home, don't you agree, Ayumi?" She could tell it was a demand, but she was feeling rebellious. "Actually, I want to stay...maybe meet up with some friends...we don't have to go home so soon." She said, smiling innocently, but she had a rebellious look in her eyes as she walked away, looking for Naruto.
"...A rebellious one, I see." The man commented. "Sometimes she has too much free will. I'll need to change that." Her father said as he followed her, with a worried Sasuke behind him. After a couple more hours, they were finally home, and Ayumi was ordered to the room. She was sitting on her bed, reading, when her father came in. She put the book down, and he said, darkly, "Why do you insist on disobeying me?" "Because you can't control me." She said stubbornly.
"When I tell you to do something, you should do it!" "But you didn't tell me to do anything. You ASKED me a question." The next moment, he had slapped her across the face so hard that neither person heard the door open. "If you didn't have the Ayaka Sharingan, you'd be useless! You should be happy for what you have!" "What do I have?! Why can't you let me be myself?! Every time I act like myself, you scold me! Am I supposed to be a slave, someone with no will of their own? I refuse to do that!"
Before he could smack her again, a hand grabbed his wrist. "Father, what are you doing?" Itachi questioned, lowering his father's arm. "Nothing...just some disciplining." He left then, and Ayumi glared at him defiantly, rubbing her stinging cheek. "What did you do, nii-chan?" Itachi asked, looking at her cheek. "I just talked back...its not that bad..." "How can you always smile when this happens to you?" "After a while, you just look for the good in life. I have a lot of things I love. Sasuke, Naruto, you..." She smiled. "And that's what keeps me going."
"I don't understand why he hits you..." "Because he wants me to be something I'm not..." "And what's that?" "...Perfect..." There was a moment of silence before Sasuke walked in. "Nii-chan, what happened?" He questioned, seeing her cheek. "Nothing, nii-san. It doesn't even hurt..." She sat up straighter, and Sasuke shrugged it off, going to his bed. Ayumi smiled, and stood. "I'm going to take a shower..." She left, thinking, 'If I can't be myself, then who can I be?'