Chapter Four: Happy Birthday

Things didn't change too much with Sakumo taking on more missions. A few more household responsibilities were taken on but otherwise their routines were steady in place. Though, the house felt emptier and Yuina felt more alert the longer he was gone.

Having a father strong enough to live as long as he had was apparently a lot more reassuring to her subconscious then she ever realized.

Yuina practiced her throwing while Kakashi practiced making more Shadow Clones. He even made one to stand beside her to ask questions mixed with the occasional pointer. Pointers that would be more useful if she didn't have a child's grip. She was still improving though despite her body's limitations.

"My chakra isn't connecting with other chakra." Kakashi thought back on the explanation that even if thinned out, as long as there was potency he should theoretically make use of other chakra sources. If that was true then it would be an invaluable source of energy. Finite sources like chakra and weaponry were important sources that could change the tide of a fight. It was also why father stressed the importance of taijutsu and having a reserve.

Yuina frowned as she threw three kunai at once. "Is it tightly bonded?"

Kakashi's eyebrows scrunch inward. "Bonded?"

"Like does the chakra seem isolated, unwilling to attach to anything else." Yuina humed as she thought over her words. "Like boulders in a stream. Think of the water and the current as your chakra and the boulders sources of chakra you are trying to connect to. Are the boulders steady forcing the stream to go around or is it breaking down the boulder and carrying it downstream?"

Technically, water erodes at rock either way but it wasn't supposed to be a perfect analogy. Some molecules just bind themselves more strongly to each other than others.

"Like boulders. It's just there."

"Okay. Are you actively trying to break down the boulders or have you been hoping the boulders turn to water." Either would be a valid response. At the very least chakra wasn't highly soluble according to Kakashi's statements, but that still left the question to how tightly bounded the molecules were. Not to mention this was only based on Kakashi's attempt. One trial made for horrible evidence and also didn't include variables like chakra types which may or may not be influencing results.

"Hoping to turn it to water?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "You just said to dilute the potency of the foreign chakra," he said accusingly. Like it was her fault he hadn't succeeded in his attempts.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm still trying to figure it out too. If I knew I wouldn't have so many notes." She never had anyone question her intelligence either. At least not to her face. She didn't interact with most people past a superficial level. At first she just thought it was another difference of this world but she was slowly coming to the realization that genetics probably played a role in it after Sakumo dumped them at a park one day.

Light sparked in Kakashi's eyes as he asked, "So will you teach me the code?"

She didn't want to tell him no when he made that expression. She didn't know if it was genuine or he had caught on to that fact. "I'll think on it. Next year."

"I'm not waiting on you the next time we train with Otou-san." Kakashi's clone dispelled himself.

Yuina sighed and looked up at the sun high above. Maybe it was time for a break.

She grabbed her bag from her room and left with a quick notice to Kakashi who was still training but moved on to katas.

Yuina walked into town and found an empty bench to sit on. She took out her sewing supplies out of her bag and sewed as she listened to what gossip she could hear.

She doesn't care what anyone says. Not all gossip is bad. Talking negatively behind people's backs and falsifying information wasn't a good habit, but there was more to gossip than that. It's a valuable social information tool. For example, learning about what people have been up to through other people because you don't see them often enough is gossip. Reporting on people's behaviour can be considered gossip. Talking positively about others can still be gossip.

For Yuina's intentions, gossip was a grand way to collect information on the people, village, and world. Even if everything wasn't accurate, perception matters quite a bit.

Sakano-san got engaged.

Tatsumi-san returned from a mission.

A group of friends are headed to a restaurant to eat BBQ.

The last person in charge of the Archive stepped down and they haven't chosen a replacement yet. Likely someone internal. The security and clearance needed to work there was supposedly insane.

"Yuina-chan. You're hair is especially cute today," the elderly lady from one of the street food stands complimented. It wasn't anything fancy. Yuina just braided the front stands of hair and pulled them back to tie so that it couldn't fall in front of her face.

She didn't like to be reminded of her hair though. Most people had seemingly normal colours like black, brown, and blond, but she was born with grey hair. Grey. She would have even preferred white or the occasional odd colour hair like purple or pink over grey. She luckily only just began to get some grey hairs in her last life, but now she had grey hair for life.

"Thanks, Rohaki-san." The woman meant it as a compliment so she should just accept it.

Yuina finished her project as she continued to listen in on conversations before walking back home. Only stopping to longingly stare at some equipment that would be useful for an at home lab.

She returned home to the smell of grilled eggplant. After eating, Yuina washed the dishes as Kakashi dried them.

Kakashi was about to leave for his room when she called out to him. "I've got something for you."

Yuina walked to her bag that she left against the wall before she approached Kakashi once more. She reached into her bag and held it out towards him.

"Happy Birthday Kakashi."

Kakashi looked at the dog plush in her hands.

She wish she could have gotten him a real dog, but that wasn't something you do without discussing it with the person who would be taking care of it or the person who owned the house. She could do some sewing though which is how she came up with the idea.

Kakashi was silent.

"Do you not like it? I can make some adjustments."

"…I didn't get you anything," Kakashi whispered horrified.

Was that it? That didn't bother her. She can't remember the last time she really cared about her birthday.

"I didn't expect anything, but if it bugs you that much then your punishment is to take extra good care of it." She placed it in his hands.

Kakashi walked to his room and stared at the small dog plush before his head snapped around the room. There had to be something he could give her.

His room was quite bare so it didn't take long to realize he had nothing he could gift.

He would have been fine without a present.

Yuina shouldn't have given him anything.

His eyes stared at the plush. It was soft to touch and its features were distinguishable. He really did like it even if it only ignited his desire to own real dogs. Lots of dogs. He was jealous of the members of the Inuzuka clan that get to grow up around dogs.

Kakashi wondered for hours whether Yuina only said she didn't expect anything to spare his feelings.

His door slid open and he pretended to be asleep. He didn't think he had it in him to have another conversation.

Kakashi could hear the shuttering of his door shutting once more. Felt the right side of his blanket raise and then the warmth of another body laying down next to him before curling in on his side. "I love you, Kashi-chan. Sleep well. Goodnight."

He leaned into the warmth, steadied his breathing against her own, and the two lulled into peaceful sleep.