The next morning, Hitomi and Ensui left the village just after dawn. He'd decided this whole trip would be a new learning experience for her, that it would do her good, and she could only agree with him. She couldn't wait to discover the world the higher entity had given her for her second chance, couldn't wait to understand more about the challenges other people faced, from the most powerful shinobi to the most peaceful civilian. Knowledge was power.

It was strange still to see the Gates for real. Going through the village had left her feverish, so sick Ensui had had to carry her, but she had been able to see them before he took her far enough from them that she could breathe again without feeling set on fire. Shikamaru had done his best to describe them and Chōji had drawn them for her but seeing them in all their glory was still something she couldn't quite wrap her head around.

It was a mild autumn day. The tree leaves all around them were still mostly green, rare touches of yellow and red scattered here and there. The air still smelt of flowers blooming in the area. So close to the village, no one would have dared to disturb the peace and safety felt all around, almost as substantial as honey. It would have been a war declaration, and no one was mad enough to go against Konoha. Not yet, anyway.

"Why are you the one taking care of me, Ensui-san?" she asked after a while. "Yesterday, you hinted that you knew my… my problem well." Even if her mother wasn't there to chastise her, Hitomi still intended on being polite with the man who had taken her under his wing without any hope of reward beside Shikaku's gratitude. The word around was that Ensui had more than his share of that already. This decision meant a huge dedication to their clan. Putting his career in hold for almost two years, just for a brat he didn't know… Hitomi wasn't sure she would have done it, and she was all the more thankful that he did.

"Your condition is called Meridian Oversensitivity. That's what your medical file says anyway – as your shishou, I was able to look through it."

"How come you're my shishou?"

"Er… We had to tell that to the Third so he'd let me take you out of the village before you graduated from the Academy. You don't have to see me as your shishou, but I'm sure you'd make for one hell of an apprentice."

Hitomi thought about it for a while, silent and focused on the road so she wouldn't trip like a moron. She thought about the future, when the canon would really start to unroll and she'd need a reputation for some parts of her plan. Apprentice to the Strangling Shadow sounded like a good start, right? The kind of thing that would make someone think twice before attacking her.

"Ensui-shishou it will be, then. But wouldn't it stop me from getting a sensei after graduating?"

"Only if your class had a number of students that couldn't be perfectly divided by three. Then, I'd supervise you until you got promoted to Jōnin. But, even if you get a sensei, nothing will stop you from taking another shishou or coming back to me after you get promoted to Chūnin. It's your career, your choice."

"You don't seem to have any doubt that I'll graduate, then be promoted. How come?"

He shrugged then, after seeing the way she stared at him, he decided to explain. "You're a Nara, daughter to two incredible shinobi, and your uncle says you're as much a genius as his own son, which says a lot. I saw his file, too, the kid has as much potential as his father had, and look where he is now. He could be entering the Academy now and rank first with no trouble."

Hitomi giggled and nodded. They both knew Shikamaru would do his best to be a middling student at the Academy. He wasn't interested in glory or power over his comrades, didn't want to attract the teachers' attention to himself. She was different. Girls needed to work twice as hard for the same result. Kunoichi needed to prove they were strong, and as one, she fully intended to do so. She wanted to be taken seriously, wanted to instil fear in her enemies' hearts. For that, she would have to work incredibly hard.

"Now, to come back to your oversensitivity… I have the same thing. The sickness runs through our family and has done so as far as our records go. When I was born, I was diagnosed immediately – Tsunade-sama was there, you see, and she understood immediately. Everyone thought I couldn't become a shinobi, but I wanted it so much. One day, when I was your age, a kunoichi came to my parents and took me away from the village, just as I did for you. When we came back, I was able to turn my sickness into a weapon, and so will you."

Hitomi nodded, her eyes full of newfound respect. If he could do that… If he could allow her to go to the Academy, to become a ninja the normal way… She'd owe him everything. Even then, even when it was just them and he didn't use his chakra, she felt it against her skin, itching and pinching it. Going through the village had been torture. Without him carrying her most of the time, she wouldn't have managed.

"Will you teach me other things too, shishou?" A warm feeling pooled in her belly as she said the word, as she truly used it for the first time. Safety.

"Yes, but I don't know what exactly quite yet. I need to observe you for that. When I know what your strengths are… Well, let's just say I think you'll like my areas of expertise."

She nodded, encouraging him to continue, her big red eyes full of a hunger he recognised immediately: the girl wanted knowledge, was desperate for it even. She looked at him as if he was an oasis in the middle of the desert.

"First, there's the Nara techniques, of course. Since you're half-Yūhi, you probably have good chakra reserves, but you're still a bit young to learn more than our opening technique. I'm also good at battlefield control, which means I'm probably going to teach you how to set traps and use chemicals to your advantage. It's not overly difficult stuff, but I can assure you that even Sunajin puppeteers are jealous of some of my babies. Then, and that's if you're a really special girl, I'll teach you fūinjutsu basics. Do you know what that word means? It's…"

"Seal mastery!" she interrupted, almost shrieking in her enthusiasm. "Oh, I can't believe it! I want to learn everything so, so much! When do we begin then?"

For the first time that day, Ensui started laughing, throwing his head back to free his intense amusement. The sound was so deep it seemed to come from far, far below, husky and soft like an ancient melody. "Ah, kid, you're so freaking cute. We'll see if you're still so eager this afternoon, when we start training. You'll probably end up hating me, but it's still gonna be worth it."

They continued chatting, about banalities mostly. Hitomi was quivering with impatience, which made her skip more than usual. Ensui, of course, had noticed the change in her behaviour and, internally, was increasingly overjoyed by the decision Shikaku had made. The clan head hadn't lied about that kid. Of course, Ensui had already suspected as much while they were playing shōgi, but he was now sure that she was the type of apprentice he had always dreamt of. Of course, the Third had bitched about it when he'd seen the papers, but Ensui didn't give the slightest fuck when it came to the old man's opinion or feelings. How could he respect him? The man couldn't even put a leash on Danzō. He should have had him executed after his betrayal, nothing less.

Shortly after noon, they arrived at an inn that offered bedding and meals to travellers. After a quick check through his meridians, Ensui was sure that he was the only shinobi around. He touched his apprentice's back to make her go inside. They were now in a big room – inns were always big around villages. In a few days, they wouldn't be able to find one, big or otherwise. Then, he would teach the girl to find shelter, food and water wherever she was. No one would dare say that Ensui Nara hadn't done his job. This kid was gonna kick ass at the Academy, or he would swallow his eyeliner.

Their lunch was light and tasteful, just as Hitomi liked it. Since her mother left the physical part of training for the afternoon, she had gotten the habit of keeping her meal light before that. That way, if exertion made her puke, she wouldn't be too sick.

After Ensui paid, they left the inn and walked for about a mile, then he told Hitomi to stop once more. They were in a nicely sized clearing, a fallen tree marking the centre. Flowers were everywhere, touches of white, pink and yellow in a sea of green. It was the kind of place Hitomi liked, quiet and fragrant. She usually only found that kind of peace in the Deer Forest.

"Well, time to start then," he said. "First, I'm gonna test your writing and reading skills. Your mom would tear me a new one if I were to let her teaching slip. Take one of the books you packed and start reading."

Hitomi did as she was told, her hands shaking slightly with anticipation. She took a big book from her bag, a strategy manual Shikaku had given to her as a starting point. Her voice stopping at the more complex kanjis she didn't know yet, she started reading about the specifics of fighting on wet ground, after a few days of rain. Once or twice, Ensui corrected her on the meaning or pronunciation of words.

"You're doing great, kid. And that book, a very good starting point. Shikaku's pick?" She nodded. "Well, let's get to writing, then. Take a notepad and a pen and sit where you can, I'm gonna dictate…"

He took the book, opened it at random and started describing the different uses someone could make of hallucination powder. Oh, Hitomi could see herself doing all sorts of wicked things with that. A grin on her face, she wrote the kanjis trying to respect the stroke order, but she had to leave some space for the ones she hadn't seen before.

Ensui then tested her on the Land of Fire's history. Rather than just asking questions, he participated in the exchange by adding clarifications and information she didn't know about yet. After an hour, having spoken with him about medical procedures, strategy, and literature, she looked at him like he was a hero of the old times. Ensui noticed, of course, but he didn't say anything. It felt good, having a child looking at him that way. He suddenly got why Shikaku almost kissed the ground his son walked on, if he was the same material as his little apprentice.

The physical part of the day was what Hitomi anticipated the most, waiting with a mix of apprehension and excitement. She didn't need Ensui's guidance as she greeted the sun, as she had learned it almost two years ago. Sometimes, Ensui asked if he could touch her to push her limbs harder, testing the limits of her flexibility, and she accepted every time, surprised he even asked. She had been manipulated a lot by doctors and nurses in her prior life. They certainly never asked. They had mostly seen her as a broken thing that needed fixing.

After she was done greeting the sun, he carved a target on a tree and told her to throw some shuriken and kunai as close to the centre as she could. Hitomi wasn't the prodigy Itachi was in that field, but she managed okay, and she had trained a lot. However, she didn't put any weapon in the centre of the target. Ensui had to cheer her up so she didn't brood on that perceived failure.

"I guess your mother hasn't gotten you started on katas yet. They're the base for all forms of taijutsu. I'll teach you that, too. For that, I'd like to test your strength, speed and stamina. Start doing press-ups, please, as many as you can."

Obedient as ever, she dropped into position and got started. She didn't really like that kind of exercise, she found them to be boring. She had found something to fight that feeling though: she went in her Library and read a book selected at random. That way, she disconnected from her body, forgot all pains and aches, didn't feel tired and kept pushing herself while also keeping busy. She always surpassed herself that way.

And she did it that day, too. She surpassed herself so much she couldn't walk when the night fell on the Land of Fire. Ensui had to carry her back to the inn, but the only obvious emotion in his eyes was an intense form of satisfaction. In the span of time it took him to get them a room, the girl had fallen asleep in his arms. He climbed the stairs as smoothly as he could then decided to give her the only bed, tucking her in as he would his own child before settling on the ground.