Disclaimer: The usual reminder that Naruto was never and most likely will never be mine...
Chapter 1: Identity
(Time skip of 5 years)
Dear diary-san,
I'm writing in you because I wish to document an account of my life.
I suppose I have nothing to complain about. I live in comfort, my every need attended to by servants and the occasional masked shinobi. They never stayed though, so I rarely got the chance to talk. To another living person, I mean. Issuing commands to my biomechanical animals don't count. To fill up free time, I am given mountains of books and scrolls; and that's how I learned of things such as 'clouds' and 'animals' and 'fairy tales'.
Sometimes, I feel this really sad emotion. It's like a ball of ice on my heart, draining my energy and replacing it with an intense longing for...something. I'm not quite sure what. Even if there is a fancier name for it, I think I shall call the emotion Cold Sadness; it deserves a name, since it swings by and visits me on a fairly frequent basis.
But really, I think any other person would be happy to live where I am now. The crystalline dome that is my home is always held at a temperature of my choosing, the air is always fresh, and the animals can make such beautiful music when I tell them to. Oh, and the ceiling... each and every panel of the dome was painted to reflect the perpetually calm beauty of the 'sky' that lies just outside it. It really is all very beautiful. Only when the Cold Sadness visits do I wonder if the real sky looked as boring as the painted one I wake up to each morning.
Even since five years ago, I have stayed in this man-made utopia, sheltered from the realities of life. I don't remember anything from before, just that something bad had happened involving the death of my parents.
Whatever happened, it must have scared Ojii-sama pretty badly. He thinks I don't know, but it's no secret that the countless pairs of eyes of my metal pets are equipped with surveillance cameras.
It's how he keeps an eye on me.
Ojii-sama said this was to protect me, but what is there to protect me from? I reckon it must be connected to the incident that killed my parents. But every time I try to bring up the topic, he always uses the same excuse to divert my questions, "it's nothing you need to concern yourself with, hime-chan, really."
I never pressed him for more. It's rare that he comes to visit me, and I didn't want to spend the time arguing and upset. But it all added to the resentment I felt towards him. As childish and senseless as that is (for I am most grateful for everything he's given me), because of the confinements he placed on me, I blamed him for the fact that few people know of my existence, and of those, even fewer know my name. So as time went on, I began to feel almost forgotten, as if my existence is a pigment of someone's imagination. I felt locked away and unwanted. These feelings built inside me, and I feel now more than ever, that I am trapped in a faded, old photograph, forced to live out a moment captured in time put on an infinite loop.
You may be wondering, diary-san, why I have decided to keep a diary now, after all this time. Well, I can't take this sort of life anymore. Although there was never the need to do so since nothing new ever happens to me, it's all going to change now; I am going to make sure of it.
A voice spoken through one of the birds perched on a nearby tree distracted the young girl from her writing, "Miss, your presence is requested."
"Hai... I will be there shortly."
The pitter-patter of her formal dress shoes echoed in the deserted halls as she and two other silent escorts headed towards the designated room. Sunlight danced upon her knee length golden locks as she ran. A genuine smile graced her childish features, displaying the excitement she felt; she knew why he wanted to see her.
She was promptly ushered in upon her arrival. The awaiting person turned and smiled at the practically glowing girl. He knew how much each meeting meant to her, seeing as it was one of the only times she gets to be in human company.
"Happy birthday, Mitsuki-hime. You're eleven now, ne?"
"Hai, Hokage-ojii-sama!" she beamed, blue eyes sparkling.
"Gomen, but I did not have the time to plan out a party." Despite herself, a rush of disappointment coursed through her heart.
"Daijoubu, really! Though I have a request... Will you listen to my wish?"
"Hokage-sama, are you sure this is the right chose of action? With her being a year younger than the graduating class, I mean." A near frantic sensei asked while following the retreating back of the respected old man. "Questions are about her origins are already unavoidable, and her young age will only make her stand out more! Please, I beg you to rethink your decision!"
Exasperated, the said man turned to address the issue, "I understand that, Iruka, and I will apologize for the trouble it will cause you beforehand. However…" He trailed off, recalling her hopeful eyes and desperate pleas. "Tell me, if you were in my position, would you be able to deny her?"
He paused and sighed deep and long, before continuing, "She told me this will be her first and last act of selfishness. For Mitsuki, who has never asked us for anything, to voice this request, she must have wanted this very badly for a very long time. Therefore, it was a sense of duty that compelled me to agree."
So that she has a chance to alter the path she was meant to walk along. So that she has a chance to find real happiness.
"You understand, don't you Iruka, the pain of constant solitude? Then you should know why I can't shield her from the world anymore. Be ready for her admission by Monday."
"...Hai, Hokage-sama."
The new school year began with nothing amiss. Greetings were thrown back and forth between the students, and casual conversations filled the classrooms, as usual.
Overall, the morning was off to a peaceful start….
That is until a certain pair of kunoichi showed up. The hallways shook precariously as the duo stampeded through, leaving a trail of dust and astonishment behind them.
"Move it, Forehead! That seat will belong to its rightful owner today!"
"For once, Ino-pig is right!"
"HOW STUPID CAN YOU GET?! I MEANT ME, DORK!"
"STOP DREAMING! SASUKE-KUN OBVIOUSLY LIKES ME BETTER!"
The stream of insults slowed to a halt as they neared the classroom doors, both putting every drop of concentration into stepping through the entrance first. After spending five minutes wedged firmly in the doorway, they managed to squeeze themselves through, almost denting the doorway in the process.
"I'M FIRST!" they chorused at the top of their lungs. This, of course, initiated a whole new wave of bickering.
By this point, most people had developed the skills necessary to ignore the ruckus. Sad as it seems, this had become a most common scene for everyone in the class. There were other things on everyone's mind at the moment, like the possibility of a new and - if the rumors stand correct - horrifying new student.
"I heard the guy's 6'5" with red eyes and will kill anyone who looks at him wrong."
"Oh my God, I heard almost the exact same thing! He had to change his name and everything, which is why there's absolutely no information on him."
"No way! Doesn't your dad have access to most of the files in Konoha? That must mean the new student is, like, some kind of stowaway or outlaw."
Outrageous speculations circled the classrooms, each more terrifying and unbelievable than the last. After all, this newcomer supposedly registered after the deadline, and surprisingly, had been accepted. Adding to the mystery, no one knows what the guy looks like, nor what his name is, let alone any other type of information on him. Imaginations ran wild as the clocks ticked away merrily, the hands a blatant display that the class's ever punctual teacher was late.
Meanwhile, the ever punctual Iruka-sensei was pacing the length of the administration office in a futile attempt to suppress his growing anxiety. The Hokage's granddaughter is more than 10 minutes late, and the frantic teacher was a hair-width away from calling in an Anbu search party.
Oh my god, where on earth is she?
Moments later, Kami-sama decided to answer his prayers. The said girl wandered into the office, a wondrous, happy expression plastered on her face.
"The outside is beautiful! There's so many...things!" She gushed, constantly shifting her attention. Eventually, her azure eyes found who she thought to be her future teacher.
"The real birds, they're so different from my birds! Did you know, sensei? They don't have a mute button, so they're really loud. And they eat and drink without breaking. Oh, and they go potty, too! Isn't that amazing?" On and on she sprouted her discoveries to the bald middle-aged secretary, who looked too stunned to reply (not that he was given the chance to).
After the initial shock of being mistaken for an overweight, not very physically appealing secretary, the real Iruka-sensei managed to capture her attention and spare the poor flabbergasted victim by clamping a hand on her small mouth.
As she turned to face him, Iruka took note of the clothes she decided to wear to school. Pastel pink, puffy, and full of ribbons, the Lolita-styled dress was hardly considered appropriate for the ninja academy. Worse still, she had chosen to let her insanely long hair down, with a couple of decorative ribbons intricately woven into the thick length.
Trying to swallow the panic that had built up at the daunting task of turning this girly child into a proper shinobi, he decided he would talk to her about the dress code later. Instead, he quickly steered her towards the designated class, "You're late, Mitsuki-chan, so there's not enough time for a tour today. Please try to be on time for class in the future."
Without waiting for a response, he ushered the young child into the classroom - before the watchful eyes of her future classmates.
"May I have everyone's attention please!"
Apparently not, she thought biting down a nervous smile as dozens of eyes immediately shifted to the porcelain doll that was shyly clutching Iruka-sensei's leg, acting as if they were her only line of defense (which, in a way, was true). The petite figure looked, give or take, a couple of years younger than the rest of the class.
Wow she's so tiny!
Aww... how cute is she?! 33
Do you think she's related to anyone here? Like a younger cousin?
Ino, do you know her?
How about you Naruto?
When the young girl noticed she was the topic of the sudden curiosity, she tried to retreat further behind the teacher only to be cruelly pushed forward by her self-designated protector.
"Everyone, this is Mitsuki-chan, our new student."
A brief, stunned silence followed the declaration. Then conversations resumed with a new intensity, only this time, it was fueled by disbelief.
No way! He's joking right?! That kid's, like, 3 years younger than us!
Yeah, this has to be a joke! Where our fugitive murderer-kun?
Look at what she's wearing! There's no way she's a ninja!
I know! Just look how thin she is!
When the 'less-than-silent' exclaimations no longer satisfied the crowd, questions were finally directed towards Mitsuki herself.
"Oi! What's your name?"
The young girl shot the person a perplexed look. "I'm Mitsuki."
"I meant your surname. You know, your clan name? For example, I'm Kiba, of the Inuzuka Clan."
The boy drawled, emphasizing each and every syllable as if he was speaking to someone who's mentally incapable of comprehending his obvious question.
"I-I don't understand…. Ojii-sama said my name's Mitsuki, just Mitsuki…. That's all he told me."
Aware of the young girl's distress, Iruka-sensei quickly silence the rest of the impending questions by announcing the start of class. Realizing her dismissal, Mitsuki silently made her way to the empty seat beside the boy who had introduced himself as 'Kiba'.
She murmured a "Hajimemashite, Inuzuka-san" before claiming the seat for her own, fully aware of the intense stares of everyone in the room. Trying her hardest to ignore the unwanted attention, Mitsuki reminded herself, for the umpteenth time, the Hokage's instructions - or as he called it, conditions - for her attendance.
"Very good, Mitsuki-hime. Your speed and range of attacks are impressive for someone who, supposedly, had no previous training. It would seem someone's been practicing without consulting me." An amused voice commented, as the subject of the conversation lay in the grass, tried in vain to catch her breath.
After agreeing to enroll his granddaughter in the academy, the Hokage (upon Iruka's advice) proceeded to test the young girl in order to avoid... unpleasant surprises.
"Well, there's not much for me to do since I couldn't read all the time. And it is important to stay in shape. You know, if you didn't want me to learn jutsus, then you shouldn't have left me all those scrolls. You know how curious I am." She giggled and rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up with her elbows.
He felt the breath leave his lungs as a foreboding sense of dread formed in its place.
"What...scrolls?"
Mitsuki frowned and waved her hands airily, "you know, the ones you sent me a year ago. The sealed scrolls? It took me quite awhile to break all those seals. Turns out they don't take kindly to people smashing them with rocks." She grumbled, picking at the grass with a pout.
It was then that panic started to set in.
Struggling to keep his voice steady and his face pleasant, he asked, "and just how much of it did you see?" He inwardly winced at how unnaturally high his voice sounded and cleared his throat.
"I read them all! But a lot of it I didn't get. It keep referring to 'altering the balance of the elements', 'other basic jutsus' and stuff." She rolled her eyes, air quoting words with her hands.
The old man sighed in relief...
"But I managed to learn a few of the jutsus and chakra management techniques!" She exclaimed, practically glowing with pride.
...Damn it.
"You need to show me those ... techniques...later. But, first, we need to go over a couple of conditions for your attendance."
He paused to make sure he had the young girl's ever-wandering attention.
"Rule #1: Do not, unless under immediate danger or instructed by me, use your full speed at the Academy.
"Rule #2: Do not tell anyone of these jutsus you've learned on your own time."
"But, I wanted to practice them!" Mitsuki protested.
The Hokage sighed for the billionth time that day, "Just concentrate on learning the ones taught by your sensei. I will help you perfect your jutsus when I have the time for it." Though he sounded confident and sure of his decision, he was mentally smacking himself for adding yet another chore to his list of things-to-do.
"Finally, rule #3: Don't draw more unnecessary attention to your background than there already is, which is why it's best to observe the other kids and try aiming for their level."
He bent down to her level and fondly tousled her long hair. "But that doesn't mean you have to be anti-social. Make some friend and have fun."
He smiled, "This is all I can do to help you in your wish. The rest is up to you. Good luck."
She bowed low, then tackled the old man in a fierce hug.
"Arigatou gozaimasu! I won't cause any trouble, I promise. You won't regret this, Ojii-sama!"
She was jerked back to the present by an elbow to the ribs.
"You might want to hear these instructions. After all, he's saying them for you. Kami-sama knows we've all heard of all this a billion times before." Kiba mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, while not actually looking at her.
Mumbling a 'thank you', she tuned into Iruka's instruction.
"...And that is the reason why we're having a re-assessment test on everything this week. Let's start by reviewing the Transformation Jutsu." Judging from the groans and glares directed in her direction, Mitsuki can guess that she was one of these reasons.
Wait... what's the Transformation Jutsu?!
Yay! The first chapter up! Sorry it's so disjointed, but I needed to set the premise for the story first. R&R please and tell me what you think!
