Disclaimer: Naruto = not mine. Nuff said.


Chapter 2: The Mistake that She Meant to Make

Breath in, breath out. Everything will be fine.

No they won't! Who am I kidding?! I don't even know the stupid hand signs!

Then don't go first. Watch the others perform it and memorize the stupid hand signs.

What if I can't memorize them in time?!

... Try harder.

Personality versus rationality. Not good. But despite of her inner turmoil, Mitsuki was a perfect picture of calm and curiosity on the outside as she slowly walked to join the line-up. No one could have guessed that World War III was waging inside her head.

"Hey, you ok? You look kinda pale. Are you that nervous about this?"

...Or not.

"Please don't worry! Daijoubu!" Mitsuki gave a garbled laugh that died after several agonizing seconds like a strangled cat.

The pink-haired girl was by no means convinced, but decided against pursuing the topic with someone who may or may not be mentally unstable.

As she turned towards the front the line again, Mitsuki was genuinely perplexed. She had always thought she was a good actress (considering the amount of time she spent dramatizing stories in front of the mirror), so how did that girl know what she was feeling?

Shaking her head to clear it of unnecessary thought, she focused all of her energy into memorizing the necessary hand signs. She watched carefully as students repeatedly changed into, more or less, a replica of their teacher as her turn loomed nearer and nearer.

"Mitsuki-chan, do your best. All I'm asking is for you to alter your appearance in some way."

Iruka's voice was laced with worry. From what the Hokage had said, the young girl has no prior knowledge of simple jutsus. That means there were a million ways this simple exercise could go wrong, and at that moment, it was crucial for her to gain the respect of her fellow classmates.

His tone did not help the nausea Mitsuki was experiencing.

"H-hai."

They confused her, Iruka's instructions did. 'Alter my appearance in some way? What does that mean? I thought the exercise is about transforming into a replica of him.'

Oh, this did not help with her nervousness.

'Ok, I'll just have to wing it. I- I'll try shrinking myself. That way, I won't embarrass anyone else when if I mess up, and my mistake won't so obvious then.'

Slowly, with the utmost care, the little girl's delicate hands went through the hand signs, trying to block out the audible scoffs and sniggers from the others. She then named the jutsu with a wavering voice, closed her eyes tightly and left the rest to Kami-sama.


The silence was unbearable.

Mitsuki had steeled her mind against mocking laughter and maybe condescending remarks, but the silence had caught her off guard.

Timidly, she opened one eye and saw... legs. Pride swelled up in her chest for a moment before confusion took over.

It would seem as though she completed the jutsu correctly, so why is there no reaction? No scoffs, no 'yeah well, that's an easy jutsu, anyone coulda done it', or (more along her hopes) no standing ovation at the monumental task that she had just completed.

Nothing.

Hesitant and nervous, she turned toward Iruka-sensei for some sort of recognition, only to be gently scoped onto the large calloused hands of the dazed-looking teacher. Gazing at her reflection in his headband, Mitsuki froze, unable to comprehend the image staring back at her.

Even though the young girl had tried her very hardest, she failed to condense her body in the correct proportions. She was, indeed, shorter in height, but she neglected to decrease the thickness of her limbs and torso as well, resulting in plump stubby limbs - much like that of an infant's.

To Mitsuki, she looked weird, fat and awkward, but the sudden burst of squeals that erupted in the air didn't seem to agree.

"Kyaaa! 3 Isn't that kawaii?! And I thought she was adorable before!"

"Is it even possible to have eyes of that size?"

"Shut up, Shikamaru! It's cute, so who cares?"

"I wanna pinch those cheeks!" 3

"Ughh, that's what my grandmother says to us…"

"Shut up Kiba! Me too! I wish she was a plushie, I'd totally buy her!"

A mob of girls had materialized in front of Mitsuki in a matter of seconds, all trying to touch, poke, or pinch the miniature doll.

Nope, they were more infatuated with her facial features to care about her chubbiness.

A button of a nose, a small mouth, and rosy full cheeks, framed by a curtain of pale, almost translucent blonde hair; appearance wise, the mini-Mitsuki was, to say the least, the very symbol of all that is cute and endearing.

But there was something else, too. Something about the way she trembled, wide-eyed and so helpless, that just broke your heart and reduced you to baby-talk at poor Mitsuki.

Whatever it was, at least it worked well in captivating her new classmates' attention and good grace.

Well, the girls' anyway.

Tired of all the affectionate bruises she was surely getting from the pokes and pinches (and more than a little traumatized by the experience), the Chibi doll gave a little smile, blushed, and announced that she was to change back now. Too caught up in the dazzling smile, the girls made no move to protest. In fact, they made no sign that they had heard her words at all. Instead, they melted into a puddle, 'aww'-ing all the way.

"Excellent job Mitsuki-chan!" Iruka exclaimed, positively beaming with pride. "That was very imaginative. With a bit more practice, that may even be used in a battle for distractive purposes. Well done! You may go back to your seat now."

Mitsuki smiled and thanked the teacher, then turned and bowed quickly for the rest of the class that chose to remain in their seats; needless to say, most of which were boys. Boys who were sitting in their seats, looking bored. Boys who were too masculine to admit that the chibi-girl was cute.

Mitsuki smiled brightly as she walked back to her seat, nodding politely at those who met her eyes. 'I guess everyone thinks I prepared that little stunt beforehand. Lucky me!'

"Oi, good job, kid. Though I doubt you thought it out as thoroughly as Iruka-sensei claims you did," her desk-mate said indifferently.

Was that a compliment?

"Umm, arigatou, Inuzuka-san." None-the-less, the small girl smiled (rather dubiously) at him.

"Just call me Kiba. 'Inuzuka-san' makes me sound like my old man."

"Hai, Kiba-san."

"Just Kiba is fine."

"Gomenasai, Kiba...san."

Silence fell between them as the boy turned to stare at her.

"Gomen, I-I'm not used to calling someone by just their name. May I call you Kiba-kun, instead?"

The said boy's dog woofed in reply... And was that a little doggie grin on his face?

'Well if the dog approves, who am I to argue?'

"Kiba-kun."

"What?" Kiba sounded more than a bit annoyed.

"N-nothing. I just wanted to test it out."

Exasperation swirled about them as Kiba's right eye started to twitch. "Oh for the love of... DON'T SAY-"

"Yes? Is there something you'd like to share with the class, Kiba-kun?" Iruka asked, a thin, forced smile stretched unnaturally across his face.

"Ah... no, nothing," the boy mumbled, openly glaring at the younger girl beside him. He said no more after that, leaving Iruka-sensei to continue on with that day's lesson.


"...And that is all. Class dismissed!" Iruka yelled over the clatter of chairs as everyone ran towards the doorway for lunch. As he spotted the visibly incongruous outfit of the new arrival, he was instantly reminded of his previous mental promise.

"Come here, Mitsuki. I need to speak to you about something."

"Yes?"

"Your outfit... I'm pretty sure Hokage-sama didn't pick that out for you, right?"

"Hai. Obaa-san gave them to me! She said the outfit Ojii-sama told me to wear didn't suit me."

"And who, exactly, is 'Obaa-san'?"

"She's the sweet elderly lady who owns of the costume shop right down the road. She's also the one who used to design all of my clothes from when I was, you know, alone. They're beautiful aren't they? I bet everyone would be happier if they had something as pretty as this! Would you like one, Iruka-sensei?"

"A-ah, no, er, thank you..." Iruka coughed awkwardly, "As pretty as it is, it's not appropriate for the exercises we'll be doing at the academy. So make sure to wear something more suitable starting tomorrow. You'll need it for the up-coming taijutsu examinations."

"Hai, I understand." After bowing to her teacher, Mitsuki promptly left the room.

As she stepped outside the building, the small girl let out a long sigh. As unreasonable as it might be, Mitsuki was a bit miffed that Iruka-sensei didn't share her sentiments about the power of pretty clothes in solving the world's problems and had asked her to stop wearing her pretty dresses to class.

Shaking her head to clear such negative thoughts, Mitsuki resolved to find the perfect place for lunch instead of brooding on past matters. And that was how the new arrival spent a good portion of her lunchtime: wandering carelessly around the academy, before deeming the rooftop to be a quaint place to enjoy her bento.


That night, the Council was reunited in a nostalgic storm quite like the one five years ago. The only difference is they were brought together due to inner conflict within the circle. The thunder ringing overhead their heads was like a manifestation of their fury towards the Third Hokage.

"How could you!" the Kazekage spat venomously, pacing the length of the hideout "After we trusted you to keep her isolated, how could you agree t-to TEACH her how to fight!? Do you not realize what could happen-?"

"She's not Kukai Ame, Kazekage-san. Ame is dead."

"That doesn't matter." The voice of Mizukage stabbed through the darkness. "She's a danger to us all, and Kazekage-san isn't the only one here who can't understand why you enrolled her in the academy."

"We agreed to assign her to you, because you convinced us that you were best suited for the job, but this rash decision of yours is forcing us to distrust your dependability." Another voice injected.

The calm old man waited until the agreeing murmurs died down before replying to the statement.

"Before you start to regret your decision, I would like to show you why I agreed to her inclination. The question now is, are you willing to see them?"

The implication was left hanging in the stale air of the cavern: the Hokage was asking whether or not the others trust him enough to be brought into a genjutsu of his memories.

A rhetorical question, really; one that no one could refuse without causing some sort of offense to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. And none of the rulers wished to openly declare another full-scale war.

"...Very well."

Having received permission from the other prominent figures, the Third Hokage proceeded with the incantations and hand signs.

Colours flew by, some bright and others dulled and faded, all were too fast for the visitors to figure out what the pictures contains. The guide led them confidently down the unseen corridor, to the start of the flashback.


"But why not?!" the child's protests rang out clearly in the memory.

"Gomenasai, but I cannot tell you. Not yet."

"Stop it! You never tell me anything! I want to follow my parents' footsteps. I want to learn how to protect those important to me, unlike last time! Why won't you let me?!" She stomped her feet in frustration, angrily wiping away the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

"NO! It's too dangerous! Isn't your parents' death proof enough-"

"You've told me that! My heart is too soft to harm others, and that may cost me my life. The odds are stacked against me. I know all that!

"But if the worst happens...if I die...I'd be able to see my parents again. Up there with Kami-sama, I will be hugged and showered with kisses by Okaa-san and Otou-san who loved me more than life itself, isn't that what you said? That is why I'm not afraid.

"Everyone dies eventually; you also told me that, right? So, while I am alive, please let me take a chance to dream the impossible. Please give me just a little time to fulfill my selfish wish. Let me have a chance of finding happiness, so that I have lots and lots of stories to tell everyone in heaven. Please... Let me be normal for once in my life.

"That is my wish; I want to be happy. I will put everything on the line to make it come true. Tell me, Ojii-sama, is that so wrong? "

The Hokage rubbed his temples, in resignation, "But why must you insist on being submitted into the graduating class, Mitsuki-hime?"

Putting her thin finger to her lips, she said, "I have a feeling that I will find what I so desperately want there."

Then she smiled, sweet and serene, eyes filled with the hopes of a new future. In a way, she was the very picture of innocence and peace. That was the last image that the group saw as the image distorted and folded upon itself, signaling the end of the memory.

For a while, no one said anything; no one could bring themselves to continue the accusations of just moments before. But when the raging storm outside shattered the peaceful mood that had settled amongst them, an ugly notion dawned upon them. It was not until many moments later that Mizukage finally gave voice the unspoken suspicion.

"You never told her, did you? You never mentioned that should she pursue this dream, she would lose what is important to her regardless of the outcome... Whether it'll be her soul, or her life."

The old man looked away, hiding his guilt within the darkness of the room. But the silence was all Mizukage needed to confirm his thoughts.

"You never told her that no matter how she may try, she will never know the ultimate form of happiness... She will never know love again."


Muahaha, never knew before I started writing how much fun cliffies are! 8D -dodges thrown objects-

I'll admit the OC is a little sue right now, but I didn't want to create another sarcastic, strange, witty OC that's just as unoriginal as the other ones floating around this fandom (although there are quite a few good ones running around). Don't worry, I solemnly swear that Mitsuki will become unique and strong and quirky in her own right!

R&R guyz, please and thank you! :D