Hitomi now had enough control of her chakra and large enough reserves to be able to travel at a decent speed. She needed a few days to master running on trees, the Konohajin way of travelling, but soon she was following Ensui's steps. The man took advantage of their last days together to make sure she was as sharp as she could. He didn't admit it, but he sometimes deviated from the fastest route to sleep every night in an inn and therefore stretch their time together.

Hitomi was aware of that but didn't hold him accountable for it. The same feeling, the same need was burning inside her. It was easier to cope that way. On the road, he made sure she knew everything he wanted her to, then told her about what he'd teach her in the village, when she'd come home from the Academy. They would have access to different resources in Konoha, like fully equipped labs. Hitomi couldn't wait to learn new ways to make things go boom.

Finally, they reached their destination, the huge Konoha gates standing open in front of them. A hand on his apprentice's shoulder, Ensui made her stop before she crossed them. "How are your meridians?" he asked softly.

He knew she had no problem with them, hadn't had one in weeks, months even. It was just his last card to delay their return to the village. Obedient as ever, the girl sank in her Library and checked her crystal cage. "They're good, shishou," she assured him when she came back.

He nodded, satisfied, then brushed his hand against her back to make her take her first step in the village. As she looked around, curious, he signed the registry the on-duty Chūnin gave him. When she had left, she was in such pain she couldn't really pay attention to the village. This time, she could and did so, drinking in the sights, smells and noise that would one day be as familiar as the palm of her hand.

A few minutes later, she walked toward the Nara land next to her mentor. Only the manner in which she held herself, one step behind and deferring to him, betrayed their relationship with each other. They had adjusted so subtly to their new environment and what was expected of them there that only other high-ranking shinobi could notice it, or the ones who had had a master for themselves. Only they could really understand what was conveyed in their quick glances to each other or the song whispered in the harmony of their gait. A few Jōnin greeted Ensui with a nod, but none deemed him popular enough to stop and talk to him. Hitomi clenched her teeth when she saw that. Her mentor was only a hero amongst his own clan. It made her want to punch someone.

Finally, they got in front of her house, away from the main streets of the clan land. A little brush against her crystal cage made Hitomi aware of her mother's presence inside. Silently, applying everything Ensui had ever taught her in that regard, she opened the door and took off her shoes. Her slippers were still there in the entrance, but they looked so tiny now… She chose to go barefoot, her voracious eyes taking in that environment she knew so well and missed so dearly.

Her mother was in the kitchen, doing the dishes. She had her back on the door, her curly black hair falling like a waterfall to the small of her back, her hands busy drying a plate. Suddenly, it was all too much for Hitomi, the ball of feelings in her throat bursting and bringing tears in her eyes.

"Mom!" She ran to Kurenai despite the sound of broken table-wear, reaching her in a mere two steps. Her mother's discreet perfume surrounded Hitomi as she hugged her. She closed her eyes, not caring one bit about the sharp shard she had stepped on. She knew Ensui would fix this with no trouble at all. All her new strength was focused on hugging her mom, on taking in everything her senses could to fill the void that had suddenly hit her.

Later, man, woman and child sat in the living room. Ensui had taken the couch to heal Hitomi's foot after she had dried her tears – and wisely decided to ignore that Kurenai was crying too, remembering how reserved she could be about her feelings. He held his apprentice's foot carefully, light green chakra pouring through his fingers to take care of her cut as he listened to their conversation.

"… and that's how I discovered you can find water in cactuses. Can you imagine, Mom? I won't ever be thirsty in a desert now!"

The two adults laughed gently. They were both trained shinobi, used to completing missions all over the known world for their village's sake, but the innocence Hitomi showed them was a sweet blessing in their eyes, putting their knowledge in perspective, reminding them how everything they had learned could seem precious and extraordinary.

The rest of the day was blissful. Soon enough, Ensui left mother and daughter to their reunion, going to find Shikaku to report on their trip. Hitomi needed help to settle back in her room and to assess everything that would have to change – mostly her clothes, a few sizes too small now. She only had her travelling and training gear, which would only get her so far. They took more than an hour to fold and store everything in the boxes Kurenai would give to the orphanage in a few days.

For now, it was time for Hitomi to discover what a normal life looked like in Konoha. For the first time, she was allowed to go in town with her mother, beyond the Nara land, to buy new clothes. Before, it had been out of question, and it was weird for the girl to walk past the guarded gate of the land she knew so well to the rest of the village. She didn't need to fear that kind of pain anymore, she was free to roam the streets Shikamaru, Chōji and Ino had told her about, walk peacefully amongst shinobi and civilians alike, without the tiniest discomfort.

With her mother's blessing, Hitomi chose her own clothes. She liked shades of grey and red, of course. She picked three dresses, two kimonos and a yukata, but most of her choices were angled toward the Academy, training and home-wear. The start of the school year was so close now. She couldn't wait.

That evening, they ate dinner at Shikaku and Yoshino's house. Shikamaru had a surprising burst of energy when he saw his cousin behind the door and hugged her so fiercely it probably hurt a bit – she wasn't sure and didn't really care. He had grown, too, and towered over her by more than three inches. He seemed to take after his father, tall and thin just like him, but his features had a softness that belonged to Yoshino.

During dinner, she agreed to tell her adventures again. She didn't go into details about Gaara but, for the rest, she went into extensive details to please her cousin. His eyes went wide with amazement when she described the couple of fennecs she and Ensui had seen during their second trip through the Sunajin Desert.

She had missed him so, so much.

The evening continued through the night, the two children starting a shōgi tournament to assess their opponent's progress. Shikamaru had got so much better, his style really close to his father's now, but Hitomi hadn't lazed around: she had played against Ensui at least once a day and even more often when they were in Sunagakure.

Before going to sleep, she opened her communication notebook and wrote to Gaara.

Dear Gaara,

I'm so happy you're starting the Academy at the same time as I will! We'll be able to compare our teachers and classmates, if you want. Today, I got back home, in Konoha. It's so strange, after so much time on the road. My mom had to get me a whole new wardrobe; rumour is I've grown up in a year and a half, but it doesn't look like it from my perspective.

I understand it's hard for you to talk to your siblings. I think they know the village gossip about you better than they know you, as a person. Show them the sweet, amazing boy you were with me. You'll win them over, especially Temari, based on what you told me about her. They'll be your best allies, Gaara, and you know you need those. Of course, you can always count on me, but I'm too far away to help if something happens to you, something serious and urgent. I'd feel better if you had someone on your side there, in Sunagakure.

At lunch, my mom took me to a gyoza place in town, outside the Nara land. It was the first time I could really go anywhere outside the clan's territory. Tomorrow, my cousin Shikamaru will take me on a tour of the rest of the village. Gyozas, Gaara… I have to make you try those if you come visit one day. They're just so good, I promise.

I hope you're okay. Take good care of yourself and talk to you tomorrow.

Tenderly,

Hitomi.

After sending her letter, Hitomi got in bed. She was exhausted, but it was only the kind of healthy exhaustion she felt after a great day, the edges of her mind softened by a deep, deep feeling of belonging and happiness. In the guest room, next to Shikamaru's bedroom, she closed her eyes and waited for sleep, smiling in the dark.

The next day, Shikamaru kept his word. Konoha was beautiful, like a gem gleaming under the cheerful sun, and Hitomi was delighted to finally discover the village's little secrets, the places where kids liked to hang out to play ninja, and the ones where parents waited for them, chatting about politics and their past missions. Children, here, were incredibly free. In the Previous World, it was unthinkable to let a five or six years old walk alone on the streets. But cars didn't exist in this world – even horses were only used by nobles who wanted to show off – and safety was assured by the joint effort of the Uchiha police force and the General Forces, composed of Genin who hadn't managed to get into a Genin team after the Academy but had refused to choose another career.

When she was alone with her cousin, Hitomi gifted him one of her communication notebooks. She had prepared it for him, after all. He was amazed by the possibilities this new way of communication offered and tried to convince her to sell it to the Research and Development Department, but she refused. She couldn't deem the concept ready for shinobi or even civilians, not when she had so many improvements in mind for it.

Then, she showed him other things she had learned. He looked at her tantō with respect but refused to touch it. If Hitomi seemed made for frontline battle, he definitely wasn't. Hidden behind people like her, he could scheme and plan in peace, and save thousands of lives – win wars, really. Most children didn't think about that when they were their age, but they were Nara by blood, raised to think about strategy almost from the crib. He was, though, very interested in the new field control skills she had developed. He particularly liked the flash bombs, so useful to naturally stretch his shadow just for a second. It was all he needed to connect it to the person he wanted to catch.

As they talked about their time apart, the two children also established their plans regarding the Academy. Most students shared the same goal: doing their best and graduating. The Nara Clan, though, didn't raise kids to just do their best. Shikamaru, for example, had decided to hide in the middle of the class, which necessitated a level of cunning, intelligence, and patience far beyond what was asked of any Genin twice his age. Even some Chūnin wouldn't be able to do it, but Shikamaru would succeed, she knew it, and he'd manage to pretend it was all involuntary. He was just that good.

For Hitomi, though, this strategy wouldn't work nor fit her ambitions. She was from two clans and knew it made her future place in one of the three teams to graduate in her year almost certain. By elimination, she had deduced she'd take Haruno Sakura's place in Team Seven, which meant a whole shitload of trouble in her future. Besides, she felt a moral obligation to find an alternate way for Sakura to get where her canon-self had been: Senju Tsunade's apprentice, and one of the best medics in the world.

If that wasn't complicated enough, she also wasn't satisfied with the idea of taking the First Kunoichi place in the ranking of her year. It would be easy to get, what with all the training Ensui had made her go through, but there was no glory in the position of First Kunoichi. All glory went to the boy who was deemed First Genin. She knew it would be Sasuke and wanted everyone in her year to know she was as good as him, or even better – she doubted she would be, though, she knew what crazy shit he was able to do thanks to the canon. She had to leave her mark on her teachers' mind, and the only way to manage that was to do her very best to be ranked first at both the theoretical and the physical tests, without failing or any sign of tiredness. Fortunately, it was the kind of thing Ensui had shaped her to do these past eighteen months.

She talked about it a lot with Shikamaru. He would be her closest ally at the Academy, after all. He had had a chance to really socialise with his peers, and she knew he would help her find a place she would like in their class' dynamic. Sure, she only knew Chōji and Ino outside of the Nara Clan, but that would change.

Another problem would appear then: she wasn't good at direct socialisation. In the Previous World, she had been isolated and laconic, quick to chase people away, led to loneliness by an extreme wariness and loads of disappointment since her childhood. She hadn't known anything of the sort since her second birth, but those memories still haunted her. But she needed to befriend some people to make her plans reality.

She still had time to prepare for the Academy, though. When the time came, she would be as ready as she possibly could be, and would do her best to reach her goals. It had to be enough. Failure was unthinkable.