Chapter 19: Meeting Naruto

The annual fireworks festival in Konoha Gakure was getting closer to the delight of all villagers, impatiently awaiting the fun. Everyone seemed to be counting the days except Itachi, deeply immersed in conflicts weighing on his mind.

This would never escape the highly perceptive Akira's notice, so he tried to avoid her more often now, to avert the uncomfortable questioning from her. There was only so much he could tell her, which only added up to his turmoils, as he knew how comforting she can be if only he could share with her all his pain.

Akira eventually took the cue and stopped asking. Decided to give him space, feeling down and rejected nonetheless. The mood in the clan was deteriorating, which was evident to the Nanusake sisters from the beginning, but they tried to avoid getting involved as much as they could. Akira, however, felt the growing pressure which gave her new fears regarding the future and safety of her and her sister. The coup d'etat of the Uchiha clan, which had been planned for a long time, meant that it could end very dramatically for the girls.

She talked about it often with Itachi, who felt more and more affection and the duty to protect the sisters. He eventually caved in, filling her in on the issues, and deciding to trust her after all.

'I promise you will be safe' He assured the girl.

X

The Nanusake sisters were offered a performance at the fireworks show, which Akira initially accepted with mixed feelings. Cultivating the family tradition brought to mind unpleasant memories and trauma. For a long time, the girls did not want to publicly identify with Nanusake, out of shame and fear of ostracism and guilt. For a long time, they felt deeply that they had paid a heavy price for freedom. Months passed, however, and the wounds slowly closed thanks to the soothing comfort of their new foster family and friends. It was easier for Izumi to come to terms with the past, as she was still filled with curiosity about the world and childish carefreeness, refocusing on getting to know the new village and making friends at school. Akira began to fill her heart with a growing affection for Itachi and days of longing for his return home.

The summer fireworks festival was also the culmination of the girls' third season in their new home. Summer has always been joyful and carefree despite the heat and Akira decided to do everything to make this year a good one for them as well. So she made a decision and persuaded Izumi to take part in a dance show at the festival. The boys' mother was excited, although she tried not to bring up memories of Nanusake's performances in front of her sisters, that fear of arousing unpleasant memories. After all, she was glad that the girls looked cheerful and happy with the decision. She bought them the most beautiful yukatas and helped them prepare their dance costumes.

The girls were getting ready day after day and Sasuke was sneaking in more and more often to watch Izumi practice dancing. At first, he counted on his friend's stumbling blocks so that he could make fun of the girl out loud, sometimes playing tricks on her and throwing a pebble at her or putting a stick under her feet. At first, Izumi would get mad and chase the boy around the house, making a mess, but later she started to also turn these moments into jokes, at the same time, feeling more motivated to perfect her moves.

Akira most often sat down and played tunes to her younger sister, while she, with her bare feet, moved around the boards of the exercise room like a graceful nymph. This time they practised dancing with drums and sashes. Clouds of turquoise moths followed Izumi with every move like stardust.

X

The fireworks show and dance performances were fantastic, but Izumi was starting to get tired of the crowd of people and the uncomfortable layers of yukata, limiting her movements. She would love to take it all off her body and breathe a sigh of relief, dreaming of a cold breeze that would be a salvation on this hot summer night. The atmosphere was bustling, with kids running around, adults clinking bottles of alcohol while laughing loudly, everywhere everyone was doing everything. Izumi quickly got bored and overwhelmed with the stimuli and decided to wander off to explore the less busy parts of town. Sasuke spent his evening with Itachi, something he always would put in the first place, especially considering that his older brother's free time was a luxury. Akira had disappeared somewhere, probably with Mikoto, preoccupied with talking to other adults.

Izumi let down her uncomfortable hairdo and ran barefoot in the opposite direction from the main square. There, closer to the trees, she could feel the soothing coolness of nature and breathe a sigh of relief. She strolled with a smile, lost in thought, she would gaze up at the sky, trying to remember the details of familiar constellations.

Suddenly she heard a rustle in the bushes. She turned around to see a boy her age with a messy blond head of hair and a feisty look on his face. She stared back with curiosity. He looked familiar, Izumi wondered if she met him at school before.

'Hey, do you like dango? I managed to steal a few while the adults weren't looking.' Izumi made a sly face and reached under the wide sleeve to reach out a hand full of sticky tasty sweets. She seemed completely different from everyone else. What was she up to… the little boy wondered, completely taken aback by her offering.

Naruto looked at her distrustfully, anticipating mischief. No one is kind to him just like that. Eventually, the hunger took over, and with a twinkle in his eyes, he ran closer to accept the sweet gift. They both sat on the grass under a swing and ate sweets. At one point they reached for the last ball and their fingers touched. They both gasped as if electrocuted, staring at each other in disbelief. Izumi felt the chakra of their demons, simultaneously getting a flash of complete understanding as if they knew each other's thoughts and feelings without words. Izumi shivered at the sensation of profound loneliness and exclusion that Naruto felt his whole life. The boy was petrified, sensing the deep trauma and the darkness hidden in the depths that Izumi was carefully hiding.

Suddenly Izumi's eyes lit up and she brightened up and her expression with excitement: 'a fellow jinchuuriki!' She cheered and threw her arms around the boy's neck. Naruto, full of dismay, froze for a moment, not knowing what to say.

'What, what… what are you talking about?'

'Show me where you got it, show me! Did it hurt you too? Tell me everything!' The girl couldn't resist her curiosity and started to pull up the boy's sleeves and trousers legs in search of the seals. From the first moment, she felt a strange chakra pull from the blonde-haired man and was happy knowing the reason. He, however, did not seem to understand at all.

'IZUMI, HE DOESN'T KNOW…' she heard a voice in her head, and in a moment she remembered. There may have been reasons for that. To quickly change the subject and focus the boy's attention on something else, she began to tickle him.

'Wait a minute, haha, what are you doing!' They both rolled around in the grass and their laughs reverberated loudly around the empty area.

'My name is Izumi.' The girl finally got up, catching her breath and brushing her tangled hair. "The last of the line of Nanusake..." The last words broke her voice, but she swallowed and returned to smiling.

'Nanusake Izumi…' The boy grinned 'I'm Uzumaki Naruto.' He pointed his thumb at his chest with pride in his voice.

'Do you want to be friends, Uzumaki Naruto?'

The girl asked, giving him the last ball of dango. The boy was still flabbergasted, but he nodded, and the brightest of smiles returned to his face. After a while, the kids went back to their carefree laughter.

'Will you show me a good place to practice skipping stones?'