I could already feel my face beginning to heat up as Itachi continued to stare at me. He probably wants to know what I had said, even though I was pretty sure he heard me correctly…
"She says you look like a weasel, Nii-san." Sasuke…I hate you.
"Ah…" was all Itachi said, his gaze never once leaving me.
…
Okay, I have my limits and I know it isn't exactly the best decision I have ever contemplated, but running away seemed like a highly appealing option to me…especially when you had two Uchiha staring you down with their pitch-black eyes…yeah, I'm gonna go before I embarrass myself.
Those eyes are gonna haunt my fucking dreams…
"Kaa-chaaaan!" Welp, I'm definitely the champion of embarrassing myself. Running off, yelling for my mommy…doesn't get any better than that.
Ahahaha, there goes my reputation—whatever much of it even exists.
Now while I have effectively done a good job screwing up my chances at making a good impression on the Uchiha clan (only in my dreams, because as if I ever had a chance), or at least with Itachi and Sasuke, I managed to get some answers quite quickly through this method. Were there other methods that could have had the same outcome, minus the embarrassment? Possibly…but I'm still impulsive as ever.
Good ol' ADHD…
I was at least aware of the gathering of the Four Noble Clans after that…by the way, the Uchiha clan likes to show up early and I hate them for that. The reason why is because, until my friends show up, I was stuck with Itachi and Sasuke. And while I do appreciate that Chōji and Shikamaru are around, I really wish they weren't too busy playing shōgi with each other.
So it was just five of us, in a room, all on our own, while the adults were in another room. I believe they're trying to get us to socialize… I did hear Mikoto say something to Sasuke about being nice to me…
If he even tries anything funny, he's going through the door.
By the way, Sasuke's mother is also a gem (so pretty and nice and just lovely). I managed to keep myself from blurting out anything, if only because Mikoto seemed to have taken quite the interest in me (be still, my beating heart!). Apparently, Sasuke likes to talk about his classmates, and I happen to be the one he talks about the most. From my eating habits, to my glasses, to the fact that I have, within the span of a month, managed to break five sliding doors at the Academy, Sasuke has found me quite interesting.
In fact, I believe Sasuke's first words to me, upon recognizing who I was, were, "Hey, you're that glasses girl who eats a lot and broke those doors!"
So while I don't know much about Sasuke, he, apparently, does know about me…sort of.
Ahaha, god dammit all…
Is that how other people see me? Because if it is, that's just sad…I'm more than that. I think I now know how it feels to be Sasha, what with her "Potato Girl" status. Okay, new goal: Avoid becoming the next Potato Girl.
"How can you see with these things?" Sasuke asked, moments after taking my glasses and putting them on himself.
"H-Hey!" I need those things for reading and crap!
At that moment, Itachi poked Sasuke in the forehead and took my glasses from him, which he was quick to hand back to me. "Be nice to girls, Sasuke."
"Nii-saaan!" Sasuke whined as he rubbed his forehead. "Did you really have to do that?"
It's weird seeing Sasuke act like a kid. At the same time, it's kinda annoying because Sasuke is acting like a kid…I don't know what he'll do next! I'm too used to the cold, cynical and arrogant person he grew up to be because of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. I did not sign up for this!
You didn't sign up for anything, Chōko!
Thankfully, Itachi knows how to keep his little brother on a leash (figuratively), so I didn't have to put up with Sasuke trying to steal my glasses again. What I did have to put up was this:
"Why aren't you fat?" Sasuke asked quite bluntly as he poked me in the stomach.
What is my life? To have to put up with the curiosity of a four-year-old Uchiha…what did I do to deserve this— "Stop poking me!"
"But you're so skinny, even though you eat a lot!" Why thank you, Sasuke…for confirming something I already know. "Why are you making a scary face?"
Please stop talking.
"Chōko has a fast-metabolism," Chōji ended up answering Sasuke's question for me. "Because of it, she has a harder time gaining weight."
"If any, then it's not much," Shikamaru added. "Of course, there's probably more to it than just that, but that's as much as we know, for now…"
"Does that answer your question?" I looked at Sasuke, hoping that it would get him to stop asking questions. I've reached a point where I'm afraid I might snap at Sasuke, which is the last thing I wanted to do at a gathering like this.
The doors do not need to suffer for this!
Sasuke thought for a moment…and then turned to Chōji. "Is that why she isn't fat like you?"
Oh shit, you've done it now, boy—wait, no, that's not what I wanted to happen! "Chōji, no!"
You're better than this!
…
When Hinata entered the room about fifteen minutes later, she and her clan having just arrived, Shikamaru was teaching me the basics of shōgi, Itachi was lecturing Sasuke about the consequences of lacking tact, and Chōji was on the floor in an unconscious heap. Hinata was quite confused with the scene and was about to ask what had happened, but after hearing the simultaneous "Don't ask" response from Itachi, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and me, she decided not to ask.
Itachi had made all of us swear that we didn't see him knock out Chōji…even though we did. Of course, the only reason Itachi even did that in the first place was because Chōji nearly tackled Sasuke. And, while it wouldn't be of much concern if anyone else had done it…Chōji is physically strong (just like me, minus all the door-breaking I've done) and the last thing any of us needed was for one of us to get hurt.
By the way, am I ever glad to see Hinata! "You're here!"
"Y-Yeah…" Hinata nodded her head.
I was so happy…then Neji entered the room and I could literally hear my happiness shatter like broken glass. Oh boy, this birthday is definitely turning into one that I won't be forgetting any time soon…and I mean that in a bad way.
At least, that was what I had thought until Hinata whispered into my ear. "N-Neji-nii-sama goes quiet wh-whenever your name gets m-mentioned…"
"Nuh-uh!" Don't tell me…
"Uh-huh…I th-think you've left q-quite the impression on him." Hinata tried to suppress a mirthful smile that tugged at her lips. "W-Watch…Neji-nii-sama!"
Neji turned his attention to Hinata. "What is it, Hinata-sama?"
"A-Aren't you going to g-greet Chōko-chan?" Hinata asked innocently, as if she wasn't doing it on purpose.
For a brief moment, a scowl crossed Neji's face before his expression went completely blank. He looked in my direction, without actually looking at me, and calmly said, "Good afternoon, Akimichi-san."
"Just Chōko is fine," I said almost automatically.
Neji stiffened, almost as if he hadn't expected me to respond at all. "Very well, Chōko-san…"
I didn't bother saying anything else, because I can tell that Neji was pissed off at me. At the same time, he was also very cautious of me, as if I was going to say something that would have caught him completely off guard, as I had done back at the Hyuuga compound.
If this is what the impression I left on him had, then I'm honestly amused…and happy, because I have accomplished my goal. I had made Neji pay.
Awesome.
…
Neji refused to look in my direction after that. In fact, he kept to himself at the far end corner of the room. He kept a watchful eye on Hinata, but whenever he caught me looking at him, he immediately averts his gaze. I had to keep myself from laughing out loud, because, even though Neji wants absolutely nothing to do with me, I didn't want to piss him off…at least, any more than I already have.
I wanna live, dammit!
Besides, I had much more things to worry about…like defeating Shikamaru in shōgi. Of course, I already know he's going to beat me, but that doesn't mean I'll won't try!
I'm gonna try my hardest, even if it means burning out my brain!
"Tch, troublesome…" Shikamaru remarked as he made a move.
Please tell me I'm putting him in a corner…I at least want to do that once, because even if I lose, I'll at least have put up a challenge to some extent.
…
…
Did you know that a game of shōgi can go on for hours? Because I certainly did—thank you, Shion no Ou, for preparing me for this… Only an hour has passed, but somehow…I haven't lost yet.
How the fuck—
I call it beginner's luck…actually, it's more like I'm bullshitting my way through this game because I have no fucking clue what I'm doing. Shikamaru tried his best to teach me the rules, but they just went over my head (living the ADHD life!), so all I know is the movement of pieces and I'm surprised I managed to get that down on the first try.
Then again, Shikamaru gave me visual examples for that…
This is probably why Shikamaru hasn't defeated me yet…because I keep catching him off-guard with my bullshit moves.
The power of bullshit compels you!
"That's a bad move," Itachi remarked after I moved a piece.
"Shut up, Itachi!" Gosh, I know I'm a horrible player, but you don't have to rub it in and…I just told him to shut up, didn't I?
Oops…
"Ch-Chōko-chan!" Hinata was astonished.
"You can't tell Nii-san to shut up!" Sasuke was mad.
"Troublesome…" Shikamaru couldn't give a damn.
"Wh-What happened?" Chōji just woke up.
And if you listen closely, you can hear the beautiful sound of Neji being quiet.
Such a majestic creature...
Meanwhile with Itachi, he was slightly stunned over the fact that a five-year-old girl (me) just told him to shut up without any hesitation. The fact that I did it while saying his first name without any honorifics just made it even more shocking. Yeah, about that…I wasn't thinking—please don't be mad!
"I'm sorry Itachi-san!" I looked down in shame. "I didn't mean to—!"
"I-It's fine," Itachi said calmly, his expression still that of slight shock. "You just…surprised me."
Yeah, I have that effect on people. Just hope you don't end up like dear Neji over there in the corner—hiiii, I can see you staring! Yeah, you better look away…I am enjoying this way too much.
Snap!
And I just lost my piece to Shikamaru!
"Itachi-san is right, that was a bad move." Don't even start, Shikamaru!
…
Shino showed up five minutes later, but we didn't know that for nearly ten minutes because he didn't say anything (that little sneak!). If he keeps that up, I am seriously tying a bell on him to notify any of us when he is in the vicinity. At least he'll be capable of doing stealth missions…
"Who is winning?" Shino asked.
"We…don't know." I'm honestly sad to admit that.
"At the moment, you have the upper-hand," Shikamaru remarked.
"Really?!" Holy shit!
Snap!
"Had," Shikamaru corrected himself as he took another of my pieces, grinning afterwards in response to my glare.
"Don't give me false hope!" You're just setting me up for disappointment, ya lazy jerk! Go back to your sloth-like ways! "Just for that…take this!"
Snap!
…
"You're bad at this." Shut up, Sasuke—wait, how come you know the rules?!
That's not fair!
…
…
It took a total of two hours and thirty minutes for Shikamaru to finally kick my ass in shōgi. I was mentally exhausted by then…never again! It's like playing a game of Munchkin Apocalypse and everyone is going easy on each other instead of backstabbing each other…things go on far longer than they should, when they could've ended earlier, but they didn't… The next time I'm playing Shikamaru, I want it to be when I know how to actually play.
Which will be like never, because I am shit at this game.
I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes, taking a moment to enjoy the sensation. "I think I need some fresh air…I'm gonna be outside."
I might as well see if Naruto has arrived yet—what the hell is taking him so long? I would have expected Naruto to be the first person to have arrived, not Shikamaru…then again, his mother was the one who dragged his lazy ass all the way over to the Akimichi compound.
Yoshino is a woman not to be crossed.
…
Huh, it's a pretty nice day outside, actually…maybe I should suggest a game of ninja to the others and— "Naruto, what took you so long?!"
Do NOT give me a Kakashi-esque excuse!
Naruto laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I just needed to do something first…hey, can you turn around for me?"
I stared at Naruto for a minute, wondering quite briefly if I should really trust this kid before deciding to take my chances. I turned around for Naruto, hoping that it wasn't one of his pranks that he was going to pull on me. I don't mind being pranked (to a certain extent), but I do mind when it's on my birthday.
"Hold still." Naruto, what are you doing—why are you touching my hair? "Don't move!"
"I swear, it better not be a prank." And if it is, it better be one that'll make me laugh, or else I'll get mad.
"It's not!" Naruto insisted. "Sheesh…okay, I'm done!"
Almost immediately, I touched the back of my head, wondering what exactly was it that Naruto had done…What is this in my hair? What exactly am I feeling in the back of my head? "Naruto, what am I touching right now?"
"It's a ribbon!" Naruto replied. "Course, you can't see it right now, but I thought it would look nice on you…"
"You got me a ribbon?" I actually like ribbons, but I never wore one in my hair before…until now! "Thank you!"
Naruto grinned widely. "It's nothing—oh, and happy birthday! I wanted to get something for Chōji, too, but the lady at the shop didn't give me enough time to look for something for him."
"It's fine!" I reassured Naruto. "You can just get him a bag of his favorite potato chips later on."
"Yeah, you're right." Naruto nodded his head.
Even though Naruto is still pretty much hated by the majority in this village, people have started to tolerate him to a certain extent. This is an example of how Naruto's been tolerated. It's not much, but it's a start.
It's as good as it's going to get for now.
"Come on in, everyone is here!" I exclaimed. "I was just thinking of getting everyone to play a game of ninja!"
"Really? Awesome, dattebayo!" Naruto really likes playing games with others. I'm pretty sure anyone would after years of exclusion and isolation.
Chōko, discard that train of thought now!
Ugh, my head hurts as much as my chest, now…
…
When I brought Naruto into the room where the others were, Chōji, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Shino were quite quick to greet him. Neji stayed silent, Sasuke started staring, and Itachi's eyes widened slightly. It took me a moment to realize that three of the people in the room have never interacted with Naruto…and judging by the look on Itachi's face, he knows stuff.
"This is Naruto!" I said out loud, as I introduced him to Itachi, Sasuke, and Neji.
Neji didn't even bother to look at Naruto, Itachi seemed to acknowledge the boy, and Sasuke just continued staring…what are you planning?
"Why is the dead-last here?" Sasuke asked in a typically blunt manner.
I…should have expected that…okay, yeah, I didn't. And yeah, even though Naruto knows how to read and his writing skills have improved (he can, in fact, write his own name); he is still dead-last in our class. Of course, it's only been a month, and I'm sure Naruto will eventually move up from his dead-last spot…at least, I hope. He at least has a better chance at improving than he did when he didn't know how to read or write.
"He is my friend!" I said as if it was obvious, hoping that Sasuke would stop asking questions.
Sasuke blinked. "…Why are you friends with the dead-last?"
God dammit, Sasuke, you have no tact!
"Stop calling me dead-last-ttebayo!" Great, now you've pissed off Naruto!
"But it's true!" Shut up, Sasuke, you're making it worse!
"That doesn't mean I want to hear it, dattebayo!" Naruto gets enough as is from the rest of our class, because let's face it, no matter who you are, bad grades are still a legitimate reason to be picked on for if you attend the Academy.
I am still trying to comprehend how legitimate this reason actually is…
Even though it's complete bullshit.
"Hey, is that a ribbon in your hair?" Chōji suddenly asked me, most likely in an attempt to prevent Sasuke and Naruto from getting into a fight by switching the attention onto me. I don't exactly appreciate this, but if it means preventing a fight, then I'll play along.
"Yeah, Naruto gave it to me!" I have no idea what color it is or how it looks, but I already love it!
Because it's from a friend!
"It looks weird." Way to be a buzzkill, Sasuke…anything else you'd like say—actually, don't say anything else. "And ugly…"
That was what set Naruto off and had him tackling Sasuke onto the floor.
THUD!
"Take it back-ttebayo!" Naruto demanded as he had Sasuke pinned underneath him.
THUD!
Sasuke managed to flip himself and Naruto over so that their positions were reversed. "No—augh!"
Naruto just kicked Sasuke off of himself…right in front of Itachi.
Do you have a death wish, friend?!
Itachi, why are you just watching? Why aren't any of us doing anything?! Don't tell me the bystander effect is still a thing—no, don't fight back, Sasuke!
"Augh!" And that was the sound of Naruto crying out in pain from having Sasuke kick him in the crotch. "You!"
And there's the obligatory "teme" I should have seen coming…why didn't I see it coming? I should have expected it the minute Sasuke started calling Naruto, "Dead-last." Seriously, Itachi, why aren't you doing anything? And great, now Naruto and Sasuke are wrestling each other on the floor.
Well, it could be worse…
…
…
No wait, it is worse! The gathering of the Four Noble Clans is going on in the next room—this is not something that should happen now! Naruto, Sasuke…I know you two have this future rivalry in the making, but can you not establish it here?! For the love of—if you're not gonna do anything, Itachi, then I will!
"Okay, break it up, you two!" Do not make me use force—okay, fuck it. I'm using force. "Stop fighting!"
…
…
You know, when I ran up to Naruto and Sasuke and shoved them apart, I had been hoping that the adults in the next room wouldn't have heard the loud sound the two made when they landed on the floor.
"What is going on?!" Too bad they did, and now Uchiha Fugaku wanted answers.
Shit.
…
Why is everyone quiet all of a sudden? And why are all the adults staring? I slowly turned my head in the direction they were all staring in and soon found myself looking at Naruto.
…
Oh.
Oh.
OH SHIT—I forgot Naruto's the village's pariah because of his jinchuuriki status! While the Akimichi clan has been pretty accepting of him, that doesn't mean the rest of the Four Noble Clans were just as accepting! I need to do something quick and—
"Is there something wrong, Otou-san?" Itachi suddenly asked, his question causing all attention to shift toward him. "Have we been too disruptive?"
Fugaku stared at his oldest son and turned to my father, who stood right next to him. I'm not sure what it was he said to my father, but almost right after, Chōza excused himself and everyone else for the interruption. Chōza closed the door right after and I was pretty sure he and the other adults were returning to the other room…probably to talk about something that involves a certain jinchuuriki.
Well, I fucked up…might as well try to make the best of this situation. I tried to suggest that we all play ninja, but then Naruto looked at me and asked, "Why were they looking at me like that?"
I nearly cringed upon seeing the look on Naruto's face. Even though he was smiling, the stream of tears that were trailing down his cheeks revealed how hurt Naruto felt.
"Wh-Why?" Naruto asked again, his voice cracking.
"I don't know…" was all I could even say.
Naruto started crying after hearing my response. I felt a pang in my chest and my eyes beginning to sting. I turned to the others, taking note of how shocked Shikamaru, Chōji, Hinata, and Sasuke all looked. Shino, as expressionless as he usually is, seemed visibly disturbed. Itachi had a melancholic look in his eyes and Neji actually seemed troubled.
This isn't supposed to happen…
God dammit, this was supposed to be a happy day… We were having a great time, and then this shit happened.
"It's not fair…" I'm crying…even though I'm trying not to. It's…hard…especially when you're barely five-years-old. To live in a world that I once thought was fictional was quite the different experience than viewing it from an observer's perspective. It just showed how cruel the world could really be…
"It's just not fair…"
…
…
…
A/N 4-10-16 More edits still on the way, aaaaayyyyyy! Also, Chōko may have the mentality of an adult, but she is also physically a child. Keep that in mind.
This was supposed to be a lighthearted chapter, but then this happened and now we got a crying Naruto. By the way, young Sasuke is fucking difficult to work with and because of that, he ended up becoming this blunt kid who lacks tact. Course, he's only like four years old, so he's bound to change as he grows up…but for the most part, he lacks tact.
And Itachi is sorta easy to work with…sort of, I dunno. I'm working with nine-year-old Itachi here, who is STILL a Genin, by the way. And I tried…I really tried, but somehow Shino still ended up getting little attention in this chapter. God dammit…
And if you're wondering about Shion no Ou, it's a manga with a plot revolving around shōgi, so I highly suggest you guys check it out. And Munchkin Apocalypse is this game I play with my college friends where we start at level one and work our way to level ten…all while either teaming up with each other or backstabbing each other. First person to reach level ten wins, so that's why there's the motive for backstabbing…yup. It's pretty fun. But yeah, Munchkin Apocalypse is basically another version of Munchkin, which has the same premise, but without the hassle of seals and more fantasy-oriented.
Also, thanks to Naruto, Chōko now has a ribbon in her hair. She doesn't know what color it is or how it looks, but she loves it nonetheless. AND JUST TO CLARIFY, Neji is the way he is because Chōko caught him badly by surprise in the last chapter. Neji has no idea what to expect and is extremely wary of Chōko…this amuses Hinata, by the way. Let's consider this some form of karma for the way Neji has been treating Hinata…yeah.
I should also clarify that Sasuke only has an interest in Chōko because she seems interesting (eating habits, glasses, and breaking doors) and if you're wondering about Sasha and Potato Girl, yes, I was making an Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin reference. Honestly, I don't think Sasha will ever live down her Potato Girl status…of course, that's why I love her.
And I'm not going into detail about the whole "teme" thing, aside from pointing out that it just really is an extremely rude way to say, "You." I'll leave it at that.
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! And thank you guys for the reviews, by the way! I really do appreciate you guys taking the time to do that, by the way. Someone asked me if I could post a picture of Chōko, but alas, none exist because KD can't draw for crap.
That's it for now, so until next time, everyone! KD out! XD