Three months before I turn five, I'm registered for the Academy. With the war cooling down, Mom decides that it's better to be one of the youngest in my class and still have material to learn than be one of the oldest and be bored out of my mind. Of course, I have a high school education, so there's not much to learn besides world specifics, but Mom doesn't know that.
"Time to wake up, sweetheart!" Mom says as she pulls the curtains back, flooding my room with sunlight.
I groan, flop over onto my face and reply, "Time is a meaningless social construct used to control the masses." I'm honestly not sure how Mom heard me because that went straight into my pillow, but she did. And then she laughed at me!
"You're always so philosophical in the morning, Yoru," Rai yawns. Rai might look fluffy, and cute, and adorable, but looks are deceptive. Her tongue is just as sharp as Arashi's. And Arashi is an unrepentant asshole.
Mom sighed theatrically, pulled my covers off of me, and left my room with a parting "Get ready, Yoruka." Since Mom and I discussed my nightmares, both of us have healed some. I only have the occasional nightmares, and Mom's smiles reach her eyes more often. Mom has also recovered some of her old cheer. I'm... happy.
I groan again, roll out of bed, and shoot Rai a glare as she laughs at me. Sadistic cat, laughing at other people's pain.
I pull on a pair of shorts, because even though it's winter, it's not cold enough for pants, a black t-shirt, and throw on a baggy green hoodie, so Rai can hitch a ride if she's having trouble keeping up.
Then I pull up my hair into a ponytail, brush my teeth, and walk downstairs for breakfast. Rai following me down.
Mom walks me to school. Rai, the lucky cat, is asleep in my hood. The Academy's courtyard is full of children and their parents. Mom goes to receive my information packet.
Someone behind me shouts "Haimaru, stop!" Wait, Haimaru? I turn around to be greeted with the sight of three puppies running at me. I feel Rai tense up and hiss, and next thing I know she's climbing me like a tree and sitting on my head.
The puppies scramble around at my feet, trying to get to Rai, as I stare at them bemusedly. This situation is so surreal. "Haimaru, leave her alone!" A girl shouts.
The puppies whine, then go to the girl who called them. "Sorry about them, it's just you have a cat, and they're still puppies," she says as she walks up to me.
I hear Rai mutter lynx under her breath, as I go to answer. "Oh, it's fine. I don't mind dogs, and besides they're pretty cute!" I reply, ignoring Rai's howl of "betrayal."
The girl raises her eyebrow at Rai, as all three Haimarus wag their tails at me. I snort, "Oh don't mind Rai, she's a tad overdramatic."
"Overdramatic?! I could have been licked!" Rai hisses. I snicker.
"Anyways," the girl says, "I'm Inuzuka Hana, and these are the Haimaru brothers." She gestures at the dogs.
"I'm Nara Yoruka, and this is my summon, Rai," I introduce as Rai swings her short, bobbed tail in front of my face in retribution.
"Yoruka, you're in class 1-A!" Mom approaches us.
Hana grins, "Really? So am I! Let's go!" Hana grabs my arm and drags me along.
I wave goodbye to my mom as Hana pulls me toward the building. She waves back and covers her mouth with her hand. Great. She's laughing at me.
Hana tugs me me into a room that's about half full of children, then towards a desk in the back corner of the room already sitting a small, dark haired boy with chubby cheeks. "Hey, Itachi! I found us a desk mate, and look, she has a cat!" Hana yells.
I give a small wave, "Nara Yoruka, and this is my summon, Rai," I introduce.
He waves back and says, "Uchiha Itachi." Rai jumps off my head and onto the desk, sniffs him, and promptly declares that she likes him.
Itachi, huh? There's no way I'm letting this adorable child grow up to murder his entire family. It's not happening. I'm going to save him through the power of friendship. Also cats. He's already petting Rai. He has to like cats.
Mom leaves a month later. She says that they're attacking Iwagakure directly. I can't help but feel the rush of excitement, because I remember this. Iwagakure is where Namikaze Minato distinguishes himself and ends the war.
The Third Shinobi War is almost over!
Itachi invites Hana and I over for dinner after school. As we walk over to his house together talking about school and hobbies (Hana likes to help out in the Inuzuka clinic and "No Itachi, training doesn't count.") Hana and I resolved to find Itachi something to do besides training after that conversation.
When we reach the gates, the guards let us in with small smiles. Walking through the Uchiha Compound is an experience. It's basically a village inside a village. The Nara Compound is just houses and forests.
We meet Uchiha Mikoto and she basically extends an invitation to come over whenever we want to bother Itachi outside of school. Fugaku doesn't really look happy about this, but alas Mikoto is a literal goddess and one should never argue with her.
My fifth birthday happens with no word from Mom. Hana and Itachi decide to celebrate it anyway and take me to a little café on the outskirts of the Uchiha District. There I try dango for the first time at Itachi's instistance.
From that moment on, Itachi and I teamed up against Hana, our heathen friend who doesn't like sweet things, whenever the frequent argument about different foods happens.
Hana gets me a stuffed dog as a gag gift (She's also outnumbered there, Itachi and I are both cat people much to her irritation.) I receive a set of charcoals from Itachi.
Despite the fact that Mom is still away, my fifth birthday is nice. Having friends is nice.
When the Shinobi from the warfront come home, Mom is not with them. I was already half expecting it, when a Jonin handed an identical scroll to the one Mom received when dad died to Uncle Shikaku. That didn't make it easier.
I couldn't move, even when Uncle Shikaku drew me into a hug, I was numb. Mom was dead. Something is shaking, no not something. Me. I'm trembling. And there's water falling down my face, I realize distantly. Tears.
Uncle Shikaku is saying something, but I can't hear anything other than the roaring in my own head.
Mom's dead, Dad's dead, and I'm alone. A wretched sob tears it's way out of my throat, and I'm on my knees clinging to Uncle Shikaku.
At the end of the day, Konoha won the war, but I lost my family.