Coming back to class was a bit strange for Hitomi. Her friends welcomed her as if she'd been through war, even if she had just been wounded. Okay, it was a worrying wound for a child but, compared to what she would face as a shinobi, what they would all face, it was absolutely nothing. Hitomi herself only vaguely realised what was awaiting her in the future, and only because she had seen Ensui's scars, and knew what the canon had in store for her friends and her. She only had an abstract idea of the pain such terrible wounds would make her feel, and the consequences it would have on her mind.
She needed a bit of work to get back in shape for Mizuki's class. She hadn't run for a week when she came back, but the teacher didn't see it as an excuse to take it easy, and she had to agree with him. The opponents she would meet later in her life wouldn't politely wait for her to be back in top condition before throwing their worst at her, and she would always have to be able to give them her best.
No matter the consequences on her body, her mind, her soul.
No matter the guilt, the "I should have done better", the physical exhaustion, the mental weariness, the apparently insurmountable difficulties, the thousands of mountains she'd have to cross and the seas she'd have to reroute. Shinobi had a moral duty to always overcome the person they had been the day or even the instant before. It was the reason why children weren't allowed to skip classes anymore in the Academy. With Kakashi, Itachi, Shisui and so many more, the Third had finally seen the waste and consequences of burning all those flames too early, too fast, too hard.
In the theoretical class, she wasn't behind, thanks to Shikamaru. Naruto, however, had suffered from her absence. He had come to see her at home almost every day, all cute and careful around her, but he had refused to make her work, even if it was to help him as she wanted to. When she saw the public ranking of their year, the day of her return, she saw how many places he had lost – she wasn't ranked since she had not been able to pass any test the previous week – and couldn't help but feel guilty about not helping him. He smiled and pretended not to care, but she knew that, deep down, it affected him.
For that exact reason, she put him back to work with a renewed focus, and herself at the same time. She had to get stronger so that that kind of wounds didn't happen again, not against opponents that weren't worthy of her time and of the time she'd spend healing afterward. A similar flame burned in Sakura's eyes. The lucky girl had only missed two days of school. Hitomi was a bit jealous but also glad her wounds hadn't been as severe as the ones she had suffered herself.
During Iruka's lessons, Hitomi had started to take note of what he was saying but presenting it in another form, adding all the related information she had gotten from her family and Ensui on little cards for Naruto. This system had proven its efficacy when she was in college in the Previous World. She remembered full well the money she had made by selling her decks of cards, one per subject. It wasn't about money, this time. She just wanted to help her friends.
Her cards immediately got a lot of success in her circle of friends. They had even developed a memory game with the decks she started to hand them at the end of each week. They drew a card, read the first five words and the other player had to recite the rest of it. It was a good game that made them memorise all her cards and the valuable information on them.
The game ended up attracting Inuzuka Kiba's attention. He was friends with Naruto again, but had never really shown any interest in joining their study group, or even just in staying with them all during breaks. He was content enough with the playful rivalry opposing him and Hitomi during the speed tests in Mizuki's class. The girl hadn't ever won twice in a row against the Inuzuka boy, no matter how hard she tried, and that only made her try harder.
One day, as Sakura, Hinata and Shino played the memory game – Shikamaru and Hitomi had been forbidden from doing so and usually referred – Kiba approached their tree. Several times during the week, Hitomi's friends had noticed he was listening to their conversations. Only Naruto, who wasn't the most observant person, didn't know. "Uh… Hitomi-san?" he asked politely.
That was uncharacteristic of him. Kiba wasn't the kind to waste time with social niceties – most times, Hitomi wasn't even sure he knew the rules in the first place. Staring at him, she slowly nodded, leaving Shikamaru to supervise the game – her friends hadn't stopped but were on their guard, just in case.
"Yes, Kiba-san?" she answered in the same tone. She could play this game too, after all. She allowed a sweet smile to appear on her lips as Kiba got his dog Akamaru, perched on his head, to go down in his arms so he could pet him. He always did that when he was nervous and probably didn't have any idea how telling this simple gesture was.
"My ma… My ma says I have to get better in Iruka-sensei's class. My results aren't enough for her."
Hitomi nodded and gestured for him to continue. Oh, she had a rather precise idea of what he wanted, but she was still a bit crossed with him: a few weeks earlier, he had made fun of their study group and hadn't apologised. Okay, it was commonplace for children to laugh at each other, but she didn't want to make it easy for him.
He shifted his weight, scratched his cheek, and continued. "Uh… I heard you helped Naruto study and he's getting better. Could you help me too, please?"
Hitomi had absolutely no intention of refusing, but she feigned a slight hesitation, just to make him squirm a little. She hadn't liked the way he had laughed at her precious study group. It appeared that a childhood and adolescence spent, in the Previous World, bullied by her cruel classmates had taken its toll in a deeper and heavier way that she had initially thought. After a few seconds, she smiled and gestured for him to come closer. "Of course I can. Here, you can borrow my deck of cards while I create one for you."
Kiba's eyes went wide as he took the deck of cards she was handing him. "But how are you gonna make a new one if you give me yours?"
From the root he was sitting on, Naruto snorted loudly. A smirk on her lips, Hitomi pretended to glare at him and pushed him with her foot, just hard enough for him to lose his balance without falling. "Study the set on Kirigakure instead of playing smartarse. If you know it well enough tonight, I'll convince Mom to cook ramen for us."
She let him choke on his own saliva then swear he was going to know them by heart, 'believe it!', turning back to Kiba. "Trust me, I already know them all. I'll bring you your deck in two days and, after that, I'll give you the new cards once a week, like I do for everyone here. Now, listen carefully, here is how the game works…"
Under Shikamaru's amused stare – the others were either busy eating, playing or frantically studying the Kirigakure cards – she started explaining the rules and briefly went over why she and her cousin only refereed. Before the end of the break, Kiba was perfectly integrated in their group, like he had always been part of it. Just like Naruto, he had that luck, those instinctive social skills that made Hitomi both slightly admirative and secretly jealous.
A few weeks later, Hitomi realised the amazing feat she had accomplished: eight of the nine 'rookies' from her generation in the canon presented an united front, and she was a member of that group, seen as a dear friend by each and every one of them, as someone they could count on. She would probably never feel the crushing loneliness that had been constant in her first life. Her family loved her, her friends loved her. She wasn't alone anymore and, if she had to finish this life in a hospital, she knew she wouldn't spend her last moments listening to the echo of her weakening breath against the walls of an empty room.
It was hard to admit how much her first life influenced the way she lived her new one. She was frightened by the mere idea of being alone, physically or mentally. When she studied in her room – she far preferred the living room – she couldn't spend an hour without checking for chakra around her, just to make sure she wasn't alone in the house; when she was, her gut clenched painfully. At the Academy, she always sat in the last row, but felt uncomfortable if the chairs next to hers were empty, which made her one of the last to sit down each morning.
Shikamaru had understood the unease she felt at the idea of being alone. He didn't speak about it, but his looks, his body language, were clear and appeasing. He always had an eye on her and, when she had to speak on the little stage in front of the class, mostly for exercises given by Iruka, he stared at her, consciously giving her someone to talk to rather than the group the students represented.
She knew she would grow out of this fear one day. As a shinobi, she would have to, but it was even more important considering the enemies she had chosen for herself. She would have to fight some of them alone, so no one was ever harmed by them again. Her path was still nebulous, hidden in deep and thick shadows, but she already had some certainties concerning her future.
Gaara hadn't been pleased to learn she had been attacked and stabbed – neither had Ensui, of course. Both had sent her long messages filled with worry and the adult had been very close to strapping the little jinchūriki on his back and taking him to Konoha. The mere idea of the diplomatic incident this would have caused made Hitomi shiver in anxiety. She had managed to reassure them by writing every day to explain the details of her health and remission. Even with that, she could still read the worry between the lines of Gaara's letters.
To shake off her frustration, Hitomi had started to work on a plan to get Sasuke to join the study group. He was always first in the ranking, but she was always so close on his heels she could have surpassed him by sheer luck. She was slightly better in Iruka's class but he always had a large enough lead in Mizuki's class to keep his first place. She approached him when he was leaving the locker room, taking advantage of the fact that he was alone for once. "Sasuke-san?" she asked politely.
"Yes?" he answered with a weary glance in her direction. He didn't have much luck with the girls in their class. Hitomi and Hinata were probably the only ones to leave him alone. Those kids were only six! How could they even think about having a boyfriend? It frightened the girl sometimes, to see her classmates pursue him with such intensity. As if Uchiha Sasuke was going to even notice them… The only important person in his life was his older brother. Still, her choice of particle, the -san rather than the -kun the other girls used, seemed judicious enough not to make him flee.
"I'd like to spar with you. I know you're stronger than me, but I want to get better before we start sparring in class."
He stared down at her, which was easy since he was taller than her; she didn't step back or let herself feel intimidated by him, though. "What is in it for me?" he drawled.
"I think you will make progress too by sparring with me. I know I don't look like it, but I'm strong and my shishou taught me how to fight. I could also teach you the basis of kenjutsu, if you're interested and, of course, I could welcome you in the study group so your results in Iruka-sensei's class would be even better." She kept a straight air during her plea. She didn't want him to think she was begging, it would ruin the effect. She was watching him, though, and she saw the interest he was trying to hide when she told him about kenjutsu.
"You know kenjutsu?" he asked warily. She knew how much he admired his brother, and it was a skill Itachi hadn't passed onto him, but was renowned for. Soon, the boy wouldn't be able to teach anything to his baby brother. She suppressed a shiver; she couldn't do anything about it. Not yet, anyway.
"As I said, I mastered the basis," she answered with a shrug. "My shishou was an ANBU captain once. Before we came home from our trip, he wanted to determine what kind of weapon I would like to use, so I could do okay with it, just in case. If you come home with me, I can show you."
"You wouldn't offer me knowledge without a proper compensation."
"Well, that much is obvious. I only offer knowledge without compensation to my friends. But, as I said, I want to get better at sparring."
She didn't mention the study group again. She knew she didn't need to, since she had Sasuke's attention. He was still a child, appreciative, jealous of a brother he would never surpass, saddened by his father's impossible exigences. So easy to play. She refused to feel guilty about it: one day, he would need the support system she was offering him without his knowledge. She knew she was doing the right thing.
She saw him measure her with a stare and did her best to adopt Ensui's posture, relaxed but vaguely threatening. Maybe she should start using the same dark green eyeliner… Nah, out of the question. She could hear from here the hysteric laugh the on-duty shinobi at the gates would throw at her if she did that.
"We can try, yes," he said reluctantly. "But if you're not good enough, I'm not going to waste my time training with you."
Hitomi nodded, a peaceful smile on her lips. She knew Sasuke was arrogant and a bit of a prick – everyone knew that. And everyone knew, too, that she was even more self-assured than he was. Eighteen months on the road with a living legend tended to do that to a child. If Ensui had been able to see her value, so would the younger Uchiha brother. Her gait a bit jolly – she couldn't allow for total exuberance, it was undignified – she took the boy to one of the Academy's training grounds.
They weren't as large or as interesting as the ones true ninjas could use, but they worked out okay. The one they picked had a little grove and was cut in half by a stream. Almost by reflex, she turned her back to the grove, allowing its shadow to embrace her. The sun was low in the sky, but they still had a couple hours of good light before sunset. Anyway, in case of trouble, she could still use the flash bombs Ensui had taught her how to make. She suppressed a wicked little giggle.
The two children started in a typical way, their still clumsy fingers forming the Seal of Confrontation. Hitomi didn't waste a second after that, throwing herself at her opponent. Ensui had taught her a style of taijutsu that was fitting her small, delicate build. It was all speed and flexibility, made her hit as close to vital points and nerve bundles as she could without seeing them – not everyone was born with a fucking Byakugan – then backing away as quickly as possible, before retaliation happened.
She managed to hit Sasuke on the right pectoral, her open left hand slamming against the flesh hard enough to leave a bruise, then rolled under his extending harm to dodge the hit coming for her shoulder. He only brushed against her harm, staggering from the impact. The time he needed to recover was enough for her to back a meter away from him and take the opening stance again, her muscles tense and her legs ready to react. Ensui hadn't put her through an extreme stamina or speed training – all training ended up extreme with him anyway – considering her too young to go through it without risking serious injuries. He had promised to do it after she graduated, and she shivered with impatience just thinking about it.
She hadn't even recoiled like he had expected her to that day, only beaming at him so hard her cheeks hurt a little. She loved training, even and especially when he pushed her so hard, so far beyond her prior skills, that she was in pain afterward. Deep inside, she had been overjoyed as he had made her stress her chakra reserves into expanding again and again, even if her body had made her feel like she was in agony, because she had felt herself progress every day.
It didn't stop her, the morning after sparring with Sasuke, from collapsing with a dramatic moan on Hinata, who blushed but caught her and stopped her fall, exactly like she had anticipated. That way, she of course attracted the attention of all her friends who had already arrived in the classroom, Shino and Sakura. A pained groan escaped her lips as she straightened up just enough to lie on her desk, her arm invading Hinata's space. The Hyūga girl didn't seem to mind: she patted her wrist, looking quite pleased with the whole situation. Hitomi filed that information away with another groan.
"Good morning to you too," Sakura said. "What have you done this time?"
Half offended – only half, because everyone knew how hard she pushed herself in training, and how little she listened to people telling her to be careful – she opened her mouth to answer and closed it so fast her teeth clanked when Sasuke walked into class. Without any hesitation, he walked to her, ostensibly ignoring the painful way she bore herself as she straightened up.
"When do you organise your study group?" he asked.
"Every day after class for two hours, and from two to six in the afternoon the Saturdays and Sundays."
"I'll be there. Add two hours with me on Tuesdays for kenjutsu and on Fridays for taijutsu."
She beamed at him then, so bright he recoiled slightly by reflex. Oh, she would love using the Stare on him, she was sure he would be sensitive to its effects. Still smiling, she extended her hand. "Deal!" she chirped.
He hesitated before taking her hand but, when she wiggled her fingers encouragingly, he gave in, his reluctance as obvious as it was overacted. "Deal, then." Without another word, he went to sit down at his desk, leaving Hitomi still beaming – so much it was upsetting, didn't she know shinobi were supposed to show dignity, restraint and impassibility? – behind him. He tried very hard not to wonder in what impossible situation, exactly, he had just stepped.