After that, I became a lot more wary. About literally everything. I didn't even trust my shadow, because what if it was one of that shadow jutsu and I would be left paralyzed? Sure, I understood my fears were unreasonable and utterly stupid, but I just couldn't bring my subconscious to understand too. Somehow, every time something moved I panicked. Every time I heard a sound, I cringed and crouched my tiny body in prepares for attack. I saw enemies in everyone and everything. And I unintentionally fed my paranoia with remembering images and people from the show.

Slowly, I distanced myself from everything… beside that damned dog.

I learned that lazy ass dog's name was Hinata, and I had to laugh at the irony of it all. Mainly because his personality didn't even remotely resembled the shy girl's. That fucking dog was lazy, ungodly funny and annoying. And that was precisely why I loved him to death. I would, when I was old enough to actually carry something without falling under the weight of it (I couldn't carry things for a long, long time), always bring him treats or sometimes I would steal something from the fridge and give it to him. He would eat everything, as long as it was fresh. He was better than any expiration date. And never mind Aiko always raged because she couldn't find her favorite ham or tartar sauce (that sauce was my favorite food, because I wouldn't steal for someone else and not take myself something good), and I would always just smile and nod like I didn't have an idea. My old habits were starting to surface.

Sometimes, when I was really bored, I would wrestle with him. I told myself I needed to train for all that shit around me, but in reality I just never wrestled with a dog, and in that time it seemed like a good idea. It ended horribly, with me coated in saliva with some of my hair I finally grew bit out or chewed to the point I could make dreads. And look pretty damn cool with them, but I pushed it down. Imagine, in Naruto world, a girl with black eyeballs and dreadlocks. Now that would stand out. But because I failed, I returned again and again for revenge. It became a routine of some sort, not that I complained. At least I had something to kill time with.

I still haven't spoken a word. At age of three, when most kids were babbling nonsense at their parents, I didn't utter a single word. No 'mommy' no 'daddy' nothing. When I wanted food, I had to bring it myself because Aiko, such a model mommy, was never present. I learned how to open and close fridge with my small height, using climbing techniques that usually involved a dog to be successful, and then jumping as high as possible and use as much force as I could to open that fucking thing that was too complicated for a toddler. Didn't they think of me while making it?

When I needed to do any of my other necessary acts, or as I called it operations, it would always be me with a helpful paw of Hinata. It was cute how he was always present when I needed something or when I was bored. This dog was a damn sensor when it came to my feelings. When I wanted to go to a toilet (my mother stopped with diapers when I turned one), I walked to the bathroom and then stood on my dog to get a better access to the toilet, and then sat on the edge to prevent myself from falling down. The first time I tried this system, I fell right into it and poor Hinata had to drag me in his mouth through entire flat. We couldn't explain the wet stains that evening.

Basically, I formed a two man squad with Hinata. He was the only supervision I got as a child, and that gave me so much freedom I didn't know what to do with. Going out and drinking wasn't an option for me yet, neither was some good LSD. So, I had to do with adventuring through the entire flat, and later our street and shops where I always nicked snacks from our local shopkeepers. They didn't even notice it thanks to my height. My fingers were tiny but as quick as when you run to the toilet after the fourth beer.

Then I climbed back through my window, and munched on them in silence, sharing with Hinata who would pester me until I gave him his half. He helped, of course, being the best distraction ever. When everyone was busy keeping a stray dog from their goods, I quickly sneaked in and took everything that seemed valuable for me, which was mostly food or some shiny stuff like earrings that I would love to use in the future. Call me girly, but everything that was flashy and preferably gold, I would snatch away as soon as I could. I would put them to good use, after all.

Aiko never noticed the jewelry that piled up in my bedroom, mainly because she never entered it, and when she did, she was usually on her phone and she just stuck her head in the doorframe and wish me good night, which was usually followed with 'no, that wasn't for you, idiot. I was talking to my child'. She never called me by my name, most likely because she didn't remember it.

I didn't care at all.

As long as Hinata remembered my smell and sound of my voice, everything was alright. I didn't know what I would do without that dog. My dog.

On my fourth birthday, he brought me his best dog treat (I still couldn't believe he was intelligent enough to know it was my birthday, but hey, this was the ninja world and people could walk on water. A supper smart dog was nothing I would lose my sleep for), and he spent the whole day jumping and barking all over me, tugging me to my window. Call me stupid, but I believed he wanted to show me something special. It was a special day, after all.

Need to remind you I still haven't spoken a single word. I was beginning to be labeled as weird.

So, I climbed out of the window with ease, my sneaking skills rapidly improving. I swelled with pride over my own abilities as I jumped steadily, landing in crouched position that I was so familiar with from my past life. After all, running from gun-armed men was no joke. Getting shot multiple times made me adopt this escape routine. Better be a living coward than a dead hero. That was my philosophy that battled with the ninja one. I didn't care at all, simply because becoming a ninja was never my goal.

The streets were illuminated by street lights, and the moon was shining brightly over my footsteps. A small smile was playing on my lips, my short ginger hair getting into my vision. I inherited Aiko's hair color, but mine was even more vibrant so I couldn't even call it ginger without laughing at myself. They were bright orange, as if I didn't already stand out enough. Yeah, thank you god or whatever you were, for making me a walking practice dummy. Yeah ninja just stab one of your flashy weapons in me, I am right here! I think it was karma for all of my past doings.

I laughed out loud, and Hinata only turned his head at me, and cocked it to a side in confusion. He was watching me with his bright blue eyes, and I walked up to him and ruffled the fur on his neck while scratching him softly with my long nails I always forgot to cut, because that was on Aiko's list-of-unimportance.

Then, with a black dog larger than me, I walked out of the long street I was familiar with, determent to discover a whole new world.

All around me were dim city lights, and the buildings were taller than I had imagined before in my four year old life. I remembered that they looked fairly normal size in the television, but the image of the actual show was blurred. It has been four years, and I didn't even have an idea what village I was in. I supposed it was a hidden one, considering Aiko was a weapon seller. That smuggling business was beyond the borders of the country, of course, but her main operation spot was here. I wanted to know where.

I was an idiot, and never looked upwards.

As I was left in awe from the night life around me, where people were buzzing around like flies and the restaurants and shops were still open, I didn't notice the forehead protectors I've seen for the first time in my life, because after all, I've never seen a ninja near my street. So I clutched to Hinata's fur because he knew where to go unlike me, and continued noticing only things important to me. The shining lights, the smell of food and the beautiful dresses around me were swallowing me into a flashy, glittery whirlpool, and I was beginning to feel too overwhelmed with that all. It was my first time after four years of isolation and loneliness, that I was outside, completely outside and I was thrown back into the familiar yet new city life.

Hinata suddenly stopped, as if sensing the eruption of feelings and emotion inside of me, and gently tugged on my giant shirt with his fangs. It made me look up on him, and thus, something else caught my eye.

It was the Hokage Mountain.

The fan-fucking-tastic Hokage Mountain itself.

I wanted to gauge all of the giant stone eyes that were staring at me and fueling my panic attack.