Author's Note: I do hope I'm not making Mirai too strong too quickly, though I do have quite a bit of logic and reasoning behind her advancement. She has a huge advantage over basically every other little kid ever—a previous life. This not only gives her a ton of pre-knowledge and intelligence, but it also has increased her Yin reserves in a way that allows her own chakra to somewhat balance her crazy Uzumaki energy/Kyuubi youkai. This allows for extra useable chakra, which allows for longer practice sessions. Also, Sasuke was only about six or seven when he learned his first katon jutsu, so that shows that elemental manipulation at this young of an age isn't really that far off—especially for a 'genius.' In this chapter, Mirai continues to improve in her willingness to trust Naruto's safety to others, but her anxiety is far from gone.

We're officially 100% caught up with everything I've pre-written. Let the waiting begin! I will do my best to get updates out ASAP, but there will only be so much I'll be able to do. In the next chapter, things will hopefully really start to pick up. Mirai will learn her elemental jutsu, she'll only have a few minor panic attacks, the Academy will actually start, and Kurama will finally lower himself to training with a human. Not to mention, I'll have the pleasure of introducing some more wonderful (canon) characters.

Don't forget that feedback is always welcomed and encouraged. So please read and review!

DISCLAIMER: Kishimoto-sensei own Naruto. Me no Kishimoto-sensei. Me no own Naruto.

I give you the sixth installment of Samsaric.

Chapter Five - Cognizance

[Cognizance—noun. 1: awareness or realization; notice; perception 2: the range or scope of knowledge, observation, etc.]

Is this plagiarism? I asked myself, sitting my crying brother across from me on the couch. Technically, no one in this world has said it, I thought, answering my own question. With that in mind, I cleared my throat. "You see, Nato, every person has two wolves inside them." I pressed a hand to my chest to illustrate my point and smiled when he did the same, his eyes wide in wonder and confusion. "One of the wolves is named Evil, and he represents all the bad things in the world: hatred, lying, envy, slothfulness, pride, and cruelty, just to name a few. This wolf is starved and angry and always screaming for more."

"More what?" he asked quietly, sniffling and rubbing his eyes. Though his sobs had stopped, the tears hadn't.

"More of everything. Evil wants everything for himself, and he hoards it. He's selfish like that."

"And he's inside?" he asked, curling his fingers into his shirt fearfully.

I held up my hand to let him know I wasn't done. "The other wolf is named Good. Good represents a lot of things too: honesty, love, happiness, peace—"

"Family!" Naruto cut in excitedly.

I nodded. "And family too. But Good is also hungry. Good also wants things, but he doesn't want them just for himself. He wants all people to have these things. And these two wolves—Evil and Good—are always fighting inside you, and me, and everyone else. Constantly brawling and biting and trying to beat the other."

His eyes widened. "But . . . who wins?"

I smiled and pressed my scarred palm against his chest, right over where his heart was. "The one you feed, Nato. It's the choices you make that decide whether Evil or Good get the food. And the one that gets fed the most is the one that wins." I moved my hand up and brushed his tears away with my thumb.

"So . . . you're saying those people . . . and the things they said to me . . . they feed the first wolf, Evil, dattebayo?"

"At least a little bit," I agreed. "But no one feeds just Evil, Nato, just like no one feeds only Good. We feed both of them at least a little. So even if they fed Evil today, Good is still in there somewhere. I feed Good as much as I can," I said, pointing at myself. "But sometimes, my Evil gets fed too."

He sniffled, pulling his legs up to his chest and hugging them. "It still hurts," he whispered.

"I know it does, sweetheart," I murmured, dragging him into a hug. "I know it does."

A loud knock on our door made us jump apart and I climbed to my feet. I walked over to the door and cautiously opened it, peering out. Then I blinked. What was the Hokage doing here?

It's been a year, you stupid brat.

A year? What— Oh. I really needed to invest in a calendar. Now that I no longer had Tenten or Lee to rely on for the date, I needed to keep better track. I had known our birthday was coming up, of course—I'd even managed to make myself leave Naruto at home while I got his birthday present—but I hadn't known that it was today. "Oyaji," I said, stepping reluctantly aside and letting him in.

He stepped inside with a smile, patting me on the head. I kept my features smooth, despite the scowl I wanted to give him. "Mirai-chan. Naruto-chan. You're getting so big, now. Six years old already?"

"Jiji!" Naruto cheered, scrambling up from the couch with his crying fest completely forgotten.

"Happy birthday, Naruto-chan!"

I locked the door and turned, watching as the Hokage pulled out a scroll. The Sandaime sat down at the table and then unsealed the scroll's contents. I winced at the chakra use, but joined them at the table. Two large, wrapped boxes landed on the table and I blinked, glancing at him curiously. The man chuckled. "I thought you might need somethings to furnish your home with." He looked pointedly around our rather bare apartment. "So I splurged a little for two people as important as you."

Tools, I amended mentally. Two tools as important as us.

Aren't you a positive one?

Instead of responded to the Kyuubi, I nodded to the Hokage and pushed the orange-wrapped gift towards my brother. Excitedly, he jumped to his feet and stood on his chair in order to properly reach it. Part of me screamed for him to get down and that he could hurt himself, but another part of me said that he had to learn eventually. Shinobi did things far more dangerous than standing on chairs.

Naruto squealed in excitement, ripping the wrapping paper away. He tore at the tape keeping the box closed and pulled it open. Then he gasped. "Rai!" He pulled out an odd wooden figure that was attached to a bright red ball with a piece of string.

"It's a kendama," the Hokage explained. "You have to catch the ball."

I peered at it closer, cocking my head at the wooden spike and three cups. Well, if Naruto liked it. He set it aside and dove back into the box. He pulled out a blue ball. It looked oddly like a volleyball, and man, I hadn't seen one of those in a while. He pulled out a large sketchbook and a set of paints and paintbrushes. I shuddered, already imagining the mess. Last, but certainly not least, he pulled out a potted plant. He oohed and aahed over it while I looked closer. "A succulent?"

The Hokage nodded. "Echeveria, to be exacted."

"I'm going to call it Itchy!" Naruto announced.

I blinked at him and slowly asked, "Why?"

"Jiji said it was a itchyria."

I sighed but didn't bother to correct him. "Was that everything?"

He nodded and squealed excitedly, running off to put his new friend on the windowsill. I slowly opened my gift, balling up the wrapping paper and tossing it inside Naruto's empty box. I opened my box and cocked my head at its contents. First I lifted out the pot, which contained what seemed to be a small stick stuck in the soil.

"It's a cutting. Eventually, with care, it'll be a bonsai."

I nodded. The pot was rather large, quite wider than my lap, and I noted the pruning tools and handbook sitting atop the soil as well. "Arigato," I said, setting it aside. Then I reached in and pulled out a thick notebook and the equally large sketchbook that accompanied it. Always useful, but I wasn't sure exactly why they were included. There wasn't anything particularly special about them. The next things I pulled out made it clear: a calligraphy set and a book titled Fuuinjutsu for Beginners.

"Oh," I murmured, equally thankful and angry for the fact that he was pushing my intelligence again.

"I looked through the records of the books you'd gotten from the library and noticed your interest."

"Arigato, Oyaji," I said again. I peered in the box and frowned, pulling out two things I most definitely didn't expect to see. "Are these—"

"A bo staff, made to fit your size, and a tanto." He smiled gently. "I noticed how avid you were in your training. Bukijutsu is always useful to a future shinobi, after all. Even if you don't end up using these later on."

I set down the staff and unsheathed the tanto just enough to see the blade. I flicked my callused thumb across the edge and arched an eyebrow. The thing was actually sharp, unlike my training kunai.

"There's one more thing, Mirai-chan."

I peered into the box and then curiously took out the plain wooden case. I opened it and blinked. "Shogi?"

"I thought it was a game you might enjoy," he said, smiling.

"I do like shogi," I agreed, storing my others gifts away in the box and setting it on the floor. Then I lifted out the board, laying it flat.

"You've played?"

"Hai." I nodded, placing the pieces on the game board with a grin.

"In that case, Mirai-chan, would you fancy playing a round with me?"

I glanced up at him. Play with him? Well, there couldn't be any harm in it. Maybe it would give me the practice I needed in order to win a game against Shisui. I set the pieces out on the board, placing myself as the black player, who always went first. The Hokage arched an eyebrow at that but he nodded to me. We began to play in silence, listening to the noises Naruto made as he played with his new toys. Finally, the Sandaime broke the quiet. "What is it you enjoy about shogi, Mirai-chan?"

It took me a moment to answer as I contemplated my next few moves. I wouldn't beat him—I knew that much. But I could make him lose as many pieces as possible. That's why, for a while now, my strategy was to go after his warriors rather than his king. "It's realistic." I pulled my silver general backwards and to the left, trying to draw his knight in.

His response move was almost instant as he slid forward his rook. It seemed he was still going after my king, as expected. But he also seemed to be ignoring my change in strategy, if he had noticed it at all. "How so?"

I moved a pawn as a temporary block. A delaying tactic to allow me more time for capturing pieces. "They're all different. Different abilities and ranges, even the ones that are the same. A pawn that starts over here," —I gestured to the right side of the board— "will never be able to do the same things as a pawn that starts over here." I gestured to the left side.

His lance moved across the board. "I've never heard anyone describe it that way before, Mirai-chan. Quite imaginative. Which piece is it that you like the most?"

I let my gaze flick across them, considering my options. "The gold general," I answered, moving my bishop. "He can move in almost any direction, with just two options missing. But with just a little patience and an extra move, he can get there anyway."

He moved his knight, obviously expecting my bishop to be headed for the purposeful opening he'd left on his king. "The gold general can only move one space at a time. Not terribly quick."

He was closing in on my king and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop him. So I moved my knight and captured his. "You don't have to be quick to be powerful."

He quirked an eyebrow at my move and moved his lance again, headed towards my king. "You know you're losing."

"Hai. Two more turns." I moved my bishop over his rook, capturing it.

He shifted his knight forward and to the right. If I moved to block it, that would leave his lance open for attack. If I moved to block his lance, his knight would capture my king. "You're not trying to win."

I ignored his lance and his knight, instead capturing his gold general with a pawn. "No, I'm not."

He moved his knight, the piece knocking my king out of its place. "You've tried to damage me as much as you could, knowing you couldn't win."

I glanced at him. "I couldn't just give up."

"No," he said, smiling in a bewildered kind of fashion and withdrawing his pipe from his robes. "Mirai-chan?"

I swept all the pieces onto the table and put the board away. Then I began putting the pieces in their slots. "Hai, Oyaji?"

"What's your favorite thing about shogi?"

I paused and then slid the rook into place. I picked up the last two pieces on the table: a king and a pawn. "I suppose my favorite part is that, at the end of the game, the king and the pawn," —I slotted them into place— "both go back to the box." With that, I snapped the box closed and looked up at him.

You're awfully dramatic.

I suppose I really can't argue with you there.

I wasn't sure if I was imagining the tightness around the Sarutobi's eyes, or the interested spark inside them. He puffed on his pipe for a moment before murmuring, "You're quite the child, aren't you, Mirai-chan?"

"A child?" I asked pointedly. "Yes, yes I am."

There was a tense pause—or maybe I was just imagining the awkwardness—and then the chair scraped against the floor as he rose to his feet. "I have duties to return to. Happy birthday, Mirai-chan. Naruto-kun."

Naruto sprang up from his spot on the floor and dashed forward, throwing his arms around the man's waist. "Arigato, Jiji!"

He chuckled and patted my brother on the head. A glance was cast in my direction. I didn't move. At that, the Hokage nodded to me and left without another word. I rose to my feet and locked the door. But then a familiar chakra—Sasuke?—bit at my senses and just a few seconds later there was a knock. Frowning, I unlocked and opened the door. Then I lit up. "Itachi! Shisui! Sasuke-kun! What are you doing here?"

"We're here for your birthday, of course, silly." Shisui pushed me playfully again and the Uchiha stepped into the apartment.

"Look what I got!" Naruto cheered, waving some of his new belongings. Sasuke lit up and bounded forward to see.

"Thirsty?" I asked, watching as Itachi and Shisui glanced around. They'd never been to our apartment before, after all.

The younger Uchiha nodded to me. "If you wouldn't mind, Mirai-chan."

I grinned. "Of course not." Then I waved towards the couch and then the table. "Make yourselves at home." I hummed as I moved about, heating up water for tea.

"Mirai? What's this?"

I glanced over at them and noticed that Shisui had unsheathed my tanto. I wrinkled my nose. "Birthday gift. From the Hokage," I said, stressing the last word. Understanding flashed across both their faces and Shisui sheathed the blade, setting it down with a sigh.

"Oh, oh, oh! We brought you something!" Sasuke yelled, waving the small, wrapped gift in his hands. He set it on the ground. Naruto glanced at me.

"Go ahead, Nato."

He grinned, ripping off the bow and then tearing into the wrapping paper. Then he tore open the box and gasped. "Rai! Look!"

"Hmm?" I glanced over an blinked slowly at the ball in his hands. It was made of various cuts of cloth, all woven together carefully to make sure it stayed together well. I'd read about them at one point during my trips to the library. It was a temari—a handmade ball that meant a lot in way of family or friendship. Naruto, obviously, didn't understand the symbolism, because he just started giggling excitedly and tossing it from hand to hand. I, however, glanced at the older Uchiha. "You—"

Shisui laughed, interrupting me as he lounged in one of the chairs around the table. "Of course! Who else around is such a good friend to our dear, little Sasuke-chan, huh?"

Sasuke stuck his tongue out at him. "I'm not a chan!"

I giggled, moving forward and setting the two cups of tea in front of the Uchiha. "You're an adorable chan, Sasuke-kun."

"Am not!"

Naruto grinned, getting in on the conversation. "Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

I sighed, picking up the colorful remnants of Sasuke and Naruto's domino tower, which had long since been knocked over and scattered across the living room. I put them all away, stacked neatly in their wooden case, and set it in the end table drawer. Glancing around the room, I determined that was everything that had been left out. Satisfied, I padded down the hall and peeked into Naruto's room. He was fast asleep, curled around Ribbit with his new shuriken patterned blanket—courtesy of me—pulled tight around his shoulders. I smiled. I'd picked it up because I vaguely remember Kakashi having it in the anime.

Carefully closing his door without making any noise, I turned and made it to my room across the hall. I closed my door and glanced towards the new bonsai sitting on my windowsill. Then I glanced out at the lights of Konoha for just a moment before shutting my blinds and crawling into my bed. I closed my eyes.

Goodnight, Kyuubi.

It wasn't long before I was asleep.

When I opened my eyes, I glanced at my clock. It had been two hours almost to the dot. My internal clock was improving. With a sigh, I heaved myself up from my bed to go check on Naruto, like I'd been doing for a while now. Every two hours, like clockwork. I pushed open his door and peeked inside. He'd managed to move in his sleep, now sprawled out with his blanket lying half across his body and half across his face with Ribbit sitting down at the foot of the bed. I smile and shut the door. Then I turned.

"Shit," I hissed in surprise, taking a step back where my heel hit the door. I stared at the intruder, my heart still pounding in my chest even though I knew there was no threat.

He cocked his head at me, mask hard to see through the dim light. "Now, where did you learn a word like that?"

I let out a deep breath, forcing myself to relax. "'Nu-nii," I murmured. "What— Why—"

"I've got permission from the Hokage to visit you, now," he murmured. "Seems you've met enough shinobi to clear suspicion."

I knew the real reason, but I gave him an alternate explanation anyway. "For why I know an ANBU?"

He paused and then nodded, accepting my reason. "Hai."

I reached out and put my small hand in his, gripping his hand tightly. "Tea?" Without waiting for a response, I pulled him into the living room. Then I released him as I made the drink, trying to make as little noise as possible so I wouldn't wake Naruto. When I finished, I turned around and stopped short, blinking. He'd removed his ANBU mask and it was nowhere to be seen. But his cloth mask was also loose around his neck and I was seeing his face again. He glanced tiredly towards me and I could see the exhaustion on his features. I moved forward and held out the tea. "Why are you here right now? I think you need sleep." He took the tea and I crossed my arms.

He chuckled weakly. "Well, I didn't want to miss your birthday."

I glanced at the clock. 12:09 AM. Technically, he'd already missed it, but I didn't say that. Instead, I tilted my head at him. "Your name is Kakashi."

He blinked, only one of his eyes open. "How did you know that, Mirai-chan?"

"Shisui got me a bingo book. I found you inside. It wasn't that hard, but only because I'd seen your face before." I pulled out the chair next to him and sat down criss-cross. I watched as he gulped down the tea like his life depended on it. When he set the empty cup down, I said, "You're staying?"

He blinked. "I don't live here," he pointed out dryly.

I rolled my eyes, unable to help the smile tugging at my lips. "I know that, Captain Obvious. I mean you're staying as in . . . family?" It wasn't until I said it that I realized how much it mattered, because suddenly I could taste salt in the back of my throat as it closed up. But I refused to cry; I hadn't cried since I was a little kid, and I intended for it to stay that way.

"I'm allowed to see you now," he agreed.

I nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. "You promise we'll always be family." The air was heavy for a moment, then he nodded. I held out my hand, my smallest finger extended. "Pinky promise? Family forever?"

He stared at my hand like he'd never seen anyone do that before and I wondered for a moment if it was just the result of his odd childhood or if I actually had just introduced a new form of making a promise to this world. I bit my lip as he didn't move, seemingly studying my hand. But then he lifted his hand too and his much larger finger curled around mine. "Pinky promise," he murmured, sounding both confused and sincere. "Family forever."

I stared at our hands for a moment before beaming up at him. Then I untangled our fingers and threw myself across the gap between our chairs. His hands caught me cautiously and I curled my fingers into his shirt as I settled in his lap. "I missed you," I whispered.

He was tense, but his arms came around me and hugged me tight. He didn't say anything in return, but that was okay. Then I lit up and pulled away, dropping to the floor. "Oh, oh, 'Nu-nii, look what I learned." I moved away from the table. Then I grinned at him and raced through my hand seals, focusing on the chair I'd vacated. "Kawarimi," I muttered, snapping forward. I heard the chair hit the ground where I'd just been and I could feel the smoldering splinters in my veins, but I turned proudly to him anyway. I only faltered when I saw the wide-eyed expression on his face.

He didn't say anything.

"'Nu-nii?" I asked cautiously, wondering if I had done something wrong. "Are you okay?"

"You've already learned a lot, haven't you?" he asked me, his smile small and tense and strained. "I always knew you were a . . . genius."

I blinked slowly. Of course. He'd grown up as a genius. He'd lived it. And he'd suffered the consequences. And now he was sitting here, watching me do the same. So I walked forward and dragged the chair back to its spot. "I want to get strong," I said, watching as my words only made it worse. "So I can protect Naruto. So I can protect those precious to me."

"To protect?" he asked, as if making sure I was serious.

I nodded. "To protect." With that, I took his hand and pulled. He rose to his feet and let me lead him to the couch. When he sat down, I crawled into his lap again. "Does it hurt?" I asked. When he glanced at me curiously, one arm around me to keep me from falling, I whispered, "Being a shinobi. Does it hurt?"

"I won't lie to you. It does."

I thinned my lips and nodded. "Okay." I curled up against his hard chest armor, closing my eyes. "Okay."

I paused in my breathing for just a second, opening my eyes. Shifting slightly in Kakashi's arms, I looked towards the clock that hung over the hallway. 2:48 AM. I listened for a moment to his deep, even breaths before moving to get up. His arms suddenly tightened around me and I felt him sit up completely. I squeaked. "'Nu-nii?"

"Mirai-chan," he slurred, voice heavy with sleep. "It's three in the morning. Where are you going?"

I pulled his hands away and jumped up from his lap. "I'm checking on Naruto. I'll be right back." I paced down the hall and pushed Naruto's door open. He was curled up tightly on his bed, Ribbit lying on the floor with his blanket shoved to the side. And he was whimpering. Nightmare, then.

Picking up Ribbit off the ground, I moved to the edge of the bed. Naruto shifted as I pushed Ribbit into his arms and his eyes fluttered as he struggled to wake up. I pulled the blanket up and tucked it around him. "Shh," I murmured. "It's okay. Go back to sleep. It's just a dream."

He clutched Ribbit desperately to his chest, sniffling, and I laced my fingers through his hair. "R-rai," he whispered, voice small and sleepy. "B-but . . . ."

I smiled faintly and ruffled his hair. "You'll be okay. I'm right here." I kept repeating those words until I heard his breathing calm and his chakra smooth out. Then I pulled back and silently left the room. Kakashi was still on the couch, his ANBU armor removed. He had moved to sleep on his side, the throw pillow tucked under his head. I hesitated at the end of the hallway, wanting to go back to him—I really had missed my older brother—but also not wanting to wake him up. With a muffled sigh, I turned towards my room.

"Mirai-chan."

I glanced back over my shoulder to see that one of his eyes was open and he had lifted his arm. Grinning, I skipped back over to him and snuggled against his chest, clutching his hand tightly. Then I closed my eyes.

Human.

I opened my eyes, staring up at the jailed fox. "Kyuubi. Why'd you bring me here?"

"Your training needs to improve. You're weak." He lifted himself, sitting up and glaring down at me. "I refuse to have a weak container."

"I know that. I'm trying."

"You're not trying hard enough!"

"What do you want me to do, then?" I asked, crossing my arms and sitting down on the cold floor. "It's not like I can put more time in the day."

He stared at me.

"Well . . . it's not. Right?" Suddenly, I wasn't so sure.

"Time within your mindscape and time without it do not move at the same speed."

"Don't move at the same . . . . Time is stretched here? In my mindscape?"

"At a ratio of about three to one."

"A ratio of— I can train, here. Only mental stuff, of course, but—"

"And yet again, your petty mind fails to see the larger picture." He leaned forward, snarling in a way that showed his sharp teeth. I stood my ground, meeting his hateful gaze. "You keep thinking of this plane of existence as merely another room in what is reality, bound to the same laws and rules as everything else you know. You're wrong."

I could feet the gears turning inside my head as I mulled over what he was saying. "There aren't laws," I said by way of clarification.

"There are laws."

"What are they?"

He settled back, simply watching me.

I sighed and glanced down at my hand. Not the same laws. Not the same rules. This was my mind, wasn't it? And if I had control anywhere, wouldn't it be inside my own head? First off, I needed to know how much time I was spending here. I lifted my hand and stared at the air just in front of me. It took a moment for me to concentrate, but when I did—

"A clock?"

"A timer," I corrected, picking up the object that was reminiscent of alarm clocks from Earth. "It will let me know how long I've been here and—through that—I'll know how long it's been out there." I set the clock aside and sat down seiza. "Supplies," I muttered to myself, picturing what I needed. A spiral-bound notebook and a ballpoint pen hit the floor and I sighed in relief and cracked my knuckles. Then I picked my new writing supplies up. "Alright, let's think about this logically.

"That will be the day," he muttered.

"Behave," I said absently, waving my pen at him. "I need to organize my training more. I need more focus." While Kurama grunted in agreement, I began scribbling down all the skills I needed to study.

Fuuinjutsu, taijutsu, ninjutsu, bukijutsu.

"At lot of this will have to be mainly theory for now. Just for a couple months until the Academy starts," I murmured. The rolled my pen between my fingers. "Medical knowledge would be helpful too."

"Are you planning to be a medic nin?" he asked sarcastically.

I sent a glare his way. "No. But it can only help, right? Though some healing knowledge would probably be good, and maybe I'll dip my toes a little in poison too," I said, writing it all down.

He snorted.

"I mean figuratively, you ass." Rolling my eyes, I glanced at him. "I'll need more work with my kunai, and hopefully I'll get my hands on some shuriken practice. What else?"

"Traps."

"Right, of course. Those can never not be helpful, right?" I scratched trap-setting down in my notebook. "Stealth works with that, too. And anything involving tracking and information gathering. Anything I'm forgetting?"

"Genjutsu."

"I won't be able to use it. Not with you," I said, frowning.

"No, you won't. But you should know the theory, as well as how to recognize and break it."

"Right." I wrote that down and then snapped the notebook shut. Frowning, I muttered, "I wonder." I clipped the pen on the book and held them out. I pushed them up and they disappeared as if I was putting them in some sort of invisible pocket. I pulled them down and grinned when they reappeared. I put them away and glanced towards Kurama. "And remember, if we're going to beat Madara, then we need to work together."

"Tch."

"That means learning how to get along. And training together."

He lowered himself back down on his paws, closing his eyes. "Wake me when I care."

I woke for the fourth time that night and glanced at the clock. 7:31 AM. Yawning widely, I untangled myself from Kakashi's grip and padded over to the kitchen. I hummed quietly as I moved around, making breakfast. It was a more convoluted process than I liked since I had to constantly drag my step stool around so that I could reach everything. But eventually, breakfast was made. I glanced at the clock as I placed the plates on the table. 7:53 AM. I looked up and found that Kakashi was already awake, his cloth mask pulled up over his nose. A grin split my face. "'Nu-nii, breakfast is ready." I waved at one of the plates.

He grunted and got to his feet. When he sat down, I nodded and moved to Naruto's room. "Nato," I murmured, opening the door. "Time to get up." I flicked on the light and he groaned, jerking the blanket up over his head. I giggled and skipped forward. "C'mon, Nato. Breakfast is ready!"

"I don't wanna get up," he muttered.

I ripped his blanket away. "C'mon! It's time to eat!"

He squinted at me. "But Raaaaai—"

"No, none of that," I warned. "We have a guest." I leaned down and dragged him to his feet. He slumped forward as I held him up.

"A g-gue-g—" He broke off, yawning widely.

"Hai." I ruffled his hair and then straightened out his pjs. "C'mon."

"I smell bacon," he muttered.

I grinned. "Bacon, eggs, bell peppers, and plenty of toast. I know you're hungry." I pushed him ahead of me and he shuffled out into the living room, rubbing his eyes. Then he blinked.

"Inu!" he shouted, a grin splitting his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Maa, you can call me Kakashi," he murmured, closing his eye in a faint representation of a smile. "I came to visit you. And I brought presents." He reached in his kunai pouch and withdrew two gifts, just as badly wrapped as they had been last time.

Naruto claimed a spot at the table and shoveled some food in his mouth before he took the gift. "Arigato!"

"Nato, swallow before you speak," I reprimanded, taking my own gift. I watched as he unwrapped his.

He squealed in delight. "Cool! Look, Rai! More coloring!"

I smiled at the coloring book and crayons and then opened my own gift. I blinked and then grinned up at him. "Arigato, 'Nu-nii." I would use the chakra balm religiously, and kunai pouches were something I'd been meaning to get.

He chuckled and then ruffled my hair. "You probably shouldn't call me that. People aren't supposed to know who I am, remember?"

"Niisan, then," I amended, sitting down and digging into my own meal. "I'm training with Yanagikage-sensei today. Do you want to join us?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

Kakashi blinked, pushing aside his empty plate. "Yanagikage-sensei?"

"Hai. Yanagikage Kokage. We made a bet, he lost, so now he owes me. And now he's going to teach me a jutsu."

"A jutsu?" Kakashi face drew thin. "What jutsu?"

"I'm not sure." I polished off my meal and licked my lips. "He did test my chakra nature, though. I'm fuuton natured." I gathered the plates and then glanced at Naruto. "Nato, finish your veggies."

He pouted. "I don't want my veggies." He shoved his plate away.

"You need to eat your veggies. That's how you get strong, remember?" I nudged his plate towards him. "So, eat up."

"But Rai—"

"Don't Rai me, Nato. Veggies are important for a shinobi. Right, Niisan?"

Kakashi glanced up and then nodded to Naruto. "She's right, Naruto-kun. Every good shinobi eats their veggies." Then he nodded to me as well. "I'll come." He rose to his feet and reached out, ruffling my hair. "I'll be back, okay?"

I grinned up at him. "Okay." He shunshined away and I curled my fingers tightly around the plate in my hand, wincing. Breathing deeply, I cleared my throat and began washing the dishes. After a moment, Naruto stood and brought me his plate.

"I'm done, dattebayo."

I glanced back at the table and then suspiciously at his empty plate. But given the pouty look on his face, I decided to trust him. "Alright. Go get dressed, okay? And don't forget to brush your teeth."

He nodded and scrambled away as I finished. I set the dishes on a towel to dry and hopped down from the stool. "Rai!"

"What is it?" I asked, disappearing into my room and leaving my door open so I could hear him. I began selecting my training outfit for the day and shimmied out of my pjs.

"What should I pack?" he called.

I wiggled into my black shinobi pants and tucked in my green t-shirt. After pulling on my shinobi sandals, I sat down to tape the ankles of my pants. "I'll bring all the training stuff. Just bring some things you can play with, okay?"

I didn't hear a conformation, but I knew he'd heard me. When I started packing, several things found their way into my backpack: my notebook, wallet, jumprope, my copy of Gutsy Shinobi, and a roll of bandages. After shoving in an extra set of clothes, I managed to fit in my bo staff and tanto into the bag and zipped the pack up to where only the ends were sticking out. I swung the pack on and glanced in the mirror, where I could see the tip of my weapons peeking out just above my head. Then I bent down and strapped one of my new kunai pouches to my right thigh. I pulled my hair into two small pigtails and tugged on my beanie. Then I packed my training kunai away in my kunai pouch and paced back out into the living room. "Nato, you ready?"

"Hold on!"

"Where are you meeting him?"

I refused to jump in surprise, though my heart didn't exactly follow that order. "Niisan, I didn't realize you were back."

He hummed in response, glancing at the weapons peeking out of my bag. "Well?"

"Um, Training Ground 6," I said after a moment of thought, moving into the kitchen and selecting some food—oatmeal bars, some fruit, and a few onigiri I'd made the day before. It all got packed safely away into a small travel box and stored in my backpack. By the time I turned around, Naruto was in the living room with his own bag.

He grinned. "Let's go!" He opened the window and waved to us. I chewed on my lip, glancing nervously at Naruto. Then I resolutely climbed through the window after him. Once Naruto had joined us, Kakashi shut the window behind us. The three of us crouched on the wide window ledge, staring down at the streets below us. I eyed the roof top across the alleyway, trying to decide if I would make it or not. After a moment, I decided it wasn't worth risking the loss of my training session.

Kakashi touched each our shoulders. "Here we go."

Chakra flamed inside my veins and I bit my lip hard to avoid making a sound. We landed in the middle of a street and I glanced back to see our apartment in the distance. "Shunshin?"

Kakashi nodded in surprise and then pointed towards the side gate in the wall only a little ways away. "This is the gate closest to Training Ground 6."

We walked at a rather slow, pace listening to Naruto rant on and on about how much he loved his new gifts. Finally, he pestered Kakashi until the man lifted him onto his shoulders. We stepped outside the walls and I dug in my backpack, pulling out my jumprope. I skip-roped alongside him as we walked, often having to jump in place so I didn't get too far ahead. When we reached the training ground, Kokage was already waiting. "Hatake-san," he greeted respectfully, bowing his head.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought my Niisan," I told him, packing my jumprope away and beaming at him.

"No, of course I don't mind," he said with a faint smile. Then he motioned me forward. "I'm going demonstrate the jutsu you'll be working towards. It's a very versatile technique and can be combined with other elements or tools to make it more powerful. I'll begin by simply doing it, then I'll slow down for you to see." He stepped a couple feet away from me and turned so that I could see his side profile. He zoomed through seals I couldn't see and took a deep breath. "Fuuton: Daitoppa!"

He lifted a hand to his mouth and blew out. Chakra turned alight in my veins as the wind shot outwards, zipping forward and gouging up some of the grass. I bit my lip to keep the pain at bay and nodded. He didn't even look at me as he continued to speak. "There are different ways to apply the jutsu, but through the mouth is the easiest to learn. Once you've learned that, you can move on to expelling the chakra through your hands. Now watch closely." He raised his hands and did the signs much slower, naming them as he went. "Tiger, ox, dog, rabbit, snake." He lifted a hand to his mouth. "Fuuton: Daitoppa!"

The blast was smaller this time, and it burned my coils less. Tiger, ox, dog, rabbit, snake, I told myself. Do you think you could help me remember that?

If I have to.

Kokage turned toward me and I excitedly straightened. I took a wider stance and slid one leg back for support. But when I pulled my hands into the tiger seal, he shook his head. "You're not doing to jutsu yet." He paced past me and pulled a leaf off the tree. "First, you need to cut this in half using wind chakra." The chunin placed it between his palms, I felt chakra flare against my bones, and then he unfolded his hands, revealing the perfect cut down the center of the leaf. "Once you have that down, then you can start learning the jutsu. Cut the leaf, memorize the seals, and then find me again." He disappeared in a shunshin.

I collected some of the leaves on the ground and then sat down seiza, setting them next to me. It wouldn't do to just dive in headfirst. A few feet away, Naruto pulled out his new book and began coloring away. Kakashi sat against the tree just to my left. "Well? Aren't you going to start?"

I merely hummed in reply, resting my palms on my thighs and closing my eyes. Elemental chakra in this world was simply a manipulation of the energy inside to reflect the nature outside. At least, that was what the book I had read said. So I relaxed, as if I was going to meditate. Then I simply listened. I blocked out the sound of Naruto's playing and the sound of Kakashi turning pages in his book. I listened only to the wind and the way it rustled through the leaves. After a moment, I matched my breathing to it. Long, deep, even breaths. In. Out. In. Out. I turned my hands over, feeling the way the air tingled on my palms.

"Hey, Rai!"

I snapped my eyes open to find Naruto right in front of me. I groaned, shoulders slumping. "Is this important, Nato? You know you shouldn't interrupt me while I'm meditating."

He made a face. "I know, but it's been forever! I'm hungry."

I blinked. "We just ate."

"You've been sitting there for almost four hours."

I glanced at Kakashi, but he didn't give any sign that he'd spoken. He just sat there with his orange book. "Really? Huh." With that, I turned to my backpack and unzipped it. "Fruit, onigiri, or oatmeal bar?"

"Onigiri!" my brother cheered, grinning.

I opened the box and took out the rice ball. Then I handed him an apple as well. He pouted at me but didn't argue. I glanced at Kakashi. "Hungry, Niisan?"'

He shook his head.

I nodded and selected an oatmeal bar. I munched on it, lifting a leaf to hold it between two of my fingers. I swallowed and turned the leaf around so I could see it from the other side. I brought the bar towards my mouth again, but then I paused, blinking.

"Is something wrong, Mirai-chan?"

I cocked my head to the side, watching the way the leaf fluttered in the wind. "No," I murmured. I let go and watched the leaf fly off. "Nothing's wrong." I bit off another mouthful of the bar and then set it down. Placing a leaf between my palms, I chewed and swallowed. I took a deep breath and then pushed my chakra to my hands, like I did with the chakra light. The energy hummed fiercely beneath my skin and I pulled it back. Wind. How was I supposed to make it feel like wind?

I pulsed my chakra gently forward, frowning. Then my eyes widened. The chakra paper. Of course. What was it I had felt when it tore? A chill, like wind during December howling against a window pane. I concentrated on that feeling, relating it back to the flow of the wind from earlier. I pushed it through my tenketsu onto the leaf, grinding the chakra against itself. I grinned as I felt that cold feeling of a winter breeze on my palm. Then I separated my hands to look at the leaf.

Nothing.

I sat against Genma's side, channeling my attempts at wind chakra through the leaf in my hands while keeping some of my attention on Naruto as he played on the floor just in front of the TV. I frowned at the leaf. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"You'll just have to keep trying, kiddo," Genma said, rubbing my head playfully in a way that knocked my beanie askew. I wrinkled my nose at him and then paused, sniffing the air. The ANBU arched an eyebrow. "What now?"

I wiggled my nose at the sour smell and whispered, "Uma."

He glanced back and grinned around his senbon. "Raidou! Back from your mission?"

I blinked slowly. Raidou? But wasn't that . . . . I groaned. Well, hindsight really was 20/20. I looked up at the shinobi, the left side of his face twisted by a burn scar as he grinned down at us. "And who do we have here?" he asked, crouching down.

I frowned. "You know who I am," I accused, crossing my arms.

"She's a smart one, remember?" Genma said.

Raidou blinked. "You mean— Really?" He squinted at me.

I nodded and then returned my attention to the leaf. I placed it between my palms, grinding the sharp chakra against itself just as I'd been doing for the past three weeks. After a moment, I opened my hands to look at the untouched leaf.

I blinked.

Then I squealed. "Look! I figured it out!" I held up the leaf, showing Genma the tear that went about a third of the way through it. Then I scrambled for a new leaf and placed it between my hands, doing my best to recreate that feeling. I ground my chakra together, forcing it to last much longer this time. When I released it and then opened my hands, two jaggedly cut half-leaves were sitting in my palm. I stared. I blinked. I stared some more. "I . . . I did it."

"Let me see!" Naruto yelled excitedly, jumping up onto the couch. "Cool! You did that with your chakara?"

"Chakra."

"Chakra," he repeated. "You did that?"

"Hai." I let my shoulder relax with the knowledge that I'd finally managed it.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here."

I knew that voice. Grinning, I jumped up from the couch. "Shisui!" I dashed forward and threw my arms around him. "You're back from your mission!"

He chuckled. "That obvious, huh?"

"Do you think you could teach me how to use my tanto?"

I heard Genma's senbon click loudly behind me, a sound it only made when he was clenching his teeth. Shisui paused, blinking down at me. Then he crouched to me level and softened his voice. "Now why would you want me to teach you that?" he asked, voice heavy.

"What's the reason I gave you when you taught me kawarimi?" I shot back.

The Uchiha's gaze flicked towards Naruto and then back to me. "Do you want to learn now?"

"But Naruto—"

"We'll watch him, kiddo," Genma said. I felt him messing with my beanie again. "Don't worry. We'll make sure the little brat is home and fed and in bed, alright?"

I glanced back at him and lit up. "Really?"

He nodded once, rolling his needle across his teeth. Shisui pushed me playfully. "C'mon, Taichou, grab your stuff."

I rolled my eyes at his patronizing nickname and scrambled up onto the back of the couch, snatching up my bag from where it sat on the cushions. Then I hurried over to where Naruto was sitting on the floor. "Nato, you'll listen to Genma, right? And eat and brush your teeth and—"

"I'm not a little kid, Rai," he pouted.

I sighed. "As if," I muttered. Then I turned to Shisui. "I'm ready."

He nudged me ahead of him and I climbed the stairs, feeling my breath catch as Naruto's chakra got farther away. But I was getting used to this—I'd been leaving him at home while I went grocery shopping and too the library. I didn't like the feeling, but it was going away. When we stepped outside, I felt Shisui's hand rest on my head. "You're getting better at that."

"I've been working on it. He hasn't been with me even once in the past month when I've gone for groceries." I squinted a little at the light when we stepped outside. "Where are we gonna—"

"Leave it up to me." His fingers curled around my shoulder and I felt chakra burning, burning, burning as the world turned on its head. Then we were on the hill, staring down at the lake. I brought a hand up to my mouth, muffling my urge to retch and shuddering at the bile in the back of my throat. "Wh-what—"

"Shunshin. Mine's a bit better than everyone else's," he said cheerfully. "Maybe I'll teach it to you sometime."

I snapped my head up to look at him. "What? Really? When?"

"Learn henge and perfect water-walking first, then come to me. Shunshin requires precision that those help you learn." He beamed down at me. "Now, you wanted help with your tanto, right?"

"Right. That or my bo staff."

He nodded slowly and I slung my backpack off my shoulder, retrieving both weapons. "We'll start with the staff. It will help you get used to using a weapon, it has similar stances, the movements will translate somewhat, and it's wood, so you won't have to constantly sharpen it after training."

I nodded and moved aside, setting down my backpack and tanto. I gripped the bo staff and then walked back over to him. "Okay. What now?"

He spent the next hour adjusting my stance and grip before he would even let me take a swing. But finally he nodded and then crouched down, holding up his arm. He tapped two fingers to his forearm. "Hit me."

"Hit . . . you?"

"What, you don't think I can take it?" he asked, giving me a lopsided smile. "You're six. You can't hit that hard. C'mon."

Well, he wasn't wrong. So I took a deep breath, going through the motions he had taught me. A woman's power comes from the hips, I told myself, remembering what one of my sensei had told me Before. I swung, dropping the weight of my hands forward and making sure to rest on the balls of my feet. The wood hit his arm with a loud crack.

Shisui blinked and then pulled his arm back, shaking it out. "Alright, so turns out I actually can be wrong. Kami, where'd you get all that power from?"

I cocked my head at him, returning my bo staff to my side. "Well, I have been training for years."

He rubbed his forearm where it was going red and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. But still. Sheesh." He cleared his throat and straightened. "In that case, it would probably be better if you practiced on a training dummy. Grab your things."

"Where are we going?" I asked, moving over to my bag.

"Training Ground 4. It has training dummies and is a pretty ideal place for practicing bukijutsu."

I zipped up the backpack, adjusting the zipper around my two weapons. "You'll shunshin us there?"

"Hai."

I tilted my head in curiosity and paced back over to him. "I though shunshin was a short distance jutsu."

A cocky grin split his face. "It is for everyone else. But I've changed it for long distance. Only works when I know the place really well. But this is Konoha; I know this place like the back of my hand." At that, he held out his hand to me. "Ready? This one will be a little longer."

A frown twisted my lips and I dropped my small hand in his large one. "If I throw up, it's your fault."

He chuckled and then there was broken glass in my veins again as the world stretched and then snapped back in a nauseating blur. My knees gave way and I dropped downward. Then my arm snatched higher up, keeping me from hitting the ground as his hand gripped mine tightly. I felt my stomach clawing up my esophagus and I choked it back, hacking awfully.

"Easy, now." He lowered me gently to the ground and I shuddered at the feeling of the hard earth on my knees. I wrestled with the retch tempting its way up my throat and curled my fingers into the dirt. When I finally managed to blink my vision clear, I looked up at Shisui. He grinned. "Well, at least you survived."

"I hate you."

Chapter End

Fuuton: Daitoppa — Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

Answer: According to every demigod test I've taken, my godly parent is none other than our resident king of the underworld: Hades.

Question: What's your favorite of the five basic elemental chakra types: wind, fire, water, earth, or lightning?

Today's suggested fanfic: Gift by Margan.