It was night when they came. Gaia couldn't remember much aside from the screaming and the fire.
His sister had woken him with a strange man he had never seen before at her side.
"Come on, we have to hurry!"
"What's happening, nee-san?" he had asked in a sleep-laden voice.
"There's no time for this hurry up," the Stranger had said.
His sister had helped him out of bed, grabbing clothes for him to throw on quickly over his nightshirt.
When they left his sleeping chamber he noticed the smell of smoke in the palace.
"What's happening?"
"Tou-san is dead," his sister cried.
The Stranger hurried them along until they were outside of the palace, then he helped them onto a sledge he had prepared previously that was pulled by multiple dark dogs.
"Come on, we have to go now."
Gaia clutched his sister to him as they watched the palace that they had grown up grow smaller and smaller in the distance.
That was the last time he would ever see his home.
—
"I don't understand what's happening, " Gaia cried.
"Your uncle has killed your father," the stranger said without any sort of inflection in his voice.
"But why would he do that?"
The Stranger shrugged, "How should I know?"
"Who are you anyway? " Gaia asked.
"I am Hatake Kakashi from the Hidden Leaf," he introduced himself, "It was my mission to get you to safety."
"What are we going to do now? " his sister asked.
"Do you know if someone who could take care of you, where you would be safe?" Kakashi asked.
Determination set itself and his older sister's face. She clutched her fist to her chest and vowed, "I will find something for me," then bowed, "Please take care of my brother!"
"What? No!" Gaia protested, "You can't do that, nee-san!"
"If I take him with me there is no guarantee he will survive. The shinobi life is a dangerous one and not everyone is made for it." Kakashi replied, ignoring the younger boy's outburst.
"Even if he will just be a civilian in your village," she pleaded. "He would be safer than as the son of a daimyo."
"You can't just leave me! " Gaia exclaimed, tears now running down his face.
"I am your older sister, it is my job to protect you now that tou-san is dead." she, too, had tears leaving streaks on her cheeks.
"If you want to go, we need to go now," Kakashi urged.
"Go," his sister told him, "Leave, now."
Leaning down, she pressed a cold kiss to his forehead.
"You were never really meant for this kind of life anyway. "
Gaia protested as Kakashi slung an arm around his waist and started dragging him along.
" No! I don't want to leave you!"
His sister watched him go with her crystal necklace clutched in her fist.
—
Immigrating to Konoha felt like a daze. Gaia could barely remember it, it was like he was numb somehow.
He vaguely remembered being in the hospital for a while and meeting the Hokage at some point but that was it.
"You can decide whether you wish to attend the village's academy or not," Gaia could remember the Hokage saying. "There's no guarantee that you will be able to succeed as a ninja."
Gaia had gone to the small apartment he had been given in the civilian district that night. It was about as big as his previous bed-chamber was and he'd had to take on a loan for it.
The Hokage might have said it was his choice but really Gaia saw no other way he would be able to make a living for himself. And, he thought, if he was a shinobi, he would probably one day be strong enough to go find his sister again.
He had made up his decision and informed the Hokage of it the next day.
"Very well, Gaia-kun," the old man had smiled slightly, "Then you will be attending the Academy with the first years starting next month."
Gaia nodded and left as soon as he was dismissed, determination in his eyes.
—
Most people started at the academy when they were five years old. At ten, Gaia stuck out like a sore thumb, even without his bright blue hair.
"Class, this is Gaia-kun, he has just moved to Konoha and will be joining our class from today onward," the teacher introduced him before motioning him to a seat.
Gaia had never been shy in front of crowds but usually, he would have his sister by his side or at least a few familiar faces around. Now though he was all alone.
He quickly sat himself down in the indicated seat, next to a blonde girl with pigtails, and got out the notebook and pen he had bought the day before.
The teacher started lecturing and Gaia scribbled down everything he could. His handwriting was terrible–even more so because he was rushing–but he would be able to decipher it later.
When lunch break came along, the girl next to him nudged his arm, "Hey, do you wanna eat with us? I'm Baabara."
Gaia looked from her to a group of other girls before nodding, "Sure."
Sitting between a bunch of girls half his age was not Gaia's idea of fun but his father had always told him that making connections was important.
"So why did you move here?" one of the girls asked. Gaia had missed her name.
Gaia sat up and put on an easy smile, the way he had been thought act when meeting with important people, "My family wanted me to get a ninja education. They're civilians, so they didn't know that ten is a bit old," he lied and looked down at his bento as if he was embarrassed.
The girl that had asked nodded, "My family are civilians too. I'm just here because they want me to meet someone from a shinobi clan so I can marry up."
"So you don't want to be a ninja?" he asked.
"Not really, but if I'm good at it, I guess I could continue on with it," she shrugged.
"Me and Sayu are second-generation shinobi," Baabara told him and motioned to the third girl at their table. The little girl had her head on the table and was half asleep.
"My nee-san is about your age I think. She's super cool."
Gaia spent the rest of the lunch break talking to them and concluded that they weren't bad company.
—
The next day he was stopped in front of the academy by two girls his age. One of them was blonde and held a great similarity to Baabara. The other was a brunette with what seemed like an ever-present smirk on her lips.
"You're the new guy right?" the latter asked.
Gaia nodded, "Yeah, I am. Who are you?"
Ignoring his question, she went on, "Why are you in the first-year class with the little kids? Are you stupid or something?"
The blonde girl elbowed her friend in the ribs, "Sorry about her," she told him, "I'm Jin and this is Risa. My sister told me about you, Risa is just being an ass."
Risa protested at the sentiment and Gaia waved her off, "It's fine, I'm Gaia. You're Baabara's sister right?"
"That's right. So let me know if you need help with anything, I offer tutoring during lunch breaks on Wednesdays!" with that, she started dragging Risa off into the academy.
"Will do," Gaia grinned, watching the brunette complain to her friend about being manhandled.
—
A month later, Gaia was called to the Headmaster's office.
"Gaia-kun, your teacher has reported to me that you are a very fast learner and that you seem to already know anything he teaches that isn't related to ninja life. Tell me, have you been educated beforehand?"
Gaia nodded, "Yes, I've had a private teacher since I was four."
The headmaster sighed, "Hokage-sama told me of your origins. He should have known this was a possibility. If you accept, we can move you up into a class your age," he held up a hand to stop Gaia from interrupting, "You would be behind your classmates and would have to spend a lot of time catching up. I wouldn't offer this if your teacher hadn't praised your work ethic."
When he was done, Gaia said, "I accept. Can you recommend any full-time tutors?"
The man smiled, "We don't usually have any full-time tutors. However, Saito Jin has experience as a part-time tutor and has agreed to tutor you full-time if you agree to the offer. You are already familiar with her, are you not?"
"I am."
"Very well, here is a new schedule for you. You will be joining your new class tomorrow. You are dismissed."
—
"Those are the Hyuugas, they think they're better than everyone else because they're from a noble clan," Risa nodded to two dark-haired siblings.
"Don't you think you're better than anyone else?" Gaia teased her.
"Guys, focus," Jin reprimanded them. "This is going to be on the test next week."
They went back to studying their notes.
Theory came easy to Gaia. All he had to do was memorize their lectures. The physical exercises were harder.
As a daimyo's son, Gaia had been instructed in horseback riding and swordplay so he wasn't completely unused to exercise at least but he had never learned to fight with just his body, much less with chakra.
When Risa had first seen him attempt to throw a kunai she had snorted and said, "My blind grandma probably has better aim."
So while the written tests came easy to him, he still had a lot to improve on.
Luckily for him, Jin had been taught how to wield a katana from an early age on and as kunoichi of the year was able to give him a hand in his training.
Afterwards, she would invite him to have dinner with her family.
It would have been a lie to say he wasn't intimidated by Jin's father the first time he met him.
Saito Mitsuo was a tall man with broad shoulders and hair the same colour as that of his daughters. Half his face was covered in scar tissue, his eye on that side missing completely. When he wasn't sitting down, he moved with a slight stagger in his steps, caused by his artificial leg.
When Gaia had first entered the Saito household, the man's good eye had stared at him unwaveringly.
"You must be Gaia-kun," he'd concluded.
"Yes, Saito-san."
The man stared for a moment longer before his face shifted completely and he gave him a bright smile, "Come on in then, I've already cooked and you're welcome to join."
Gaia would deny to his dying day the sigh of relief he gave from himself.