Chapter One: Introduction

Looking for answers just lead to more questions.

Reincarnation, something that she only ever thought of when watching melodramas with her mom and granny, was apparently real. Unless this was all some crazy dream or she had gone crazy. It would explain the weird world, but it had been years and getting hurt – well, hurt.

Her memories and thoughts only became consistently rememberable as she approached three years of age. Everything before that was a bit of a blur. Sometimes she could remember remembering things, especially on stories shared like how her twin brother used to cuddle with her as a baby, their mom dying during their first year of life from illness, or how she had left the house on her own only to get lost. She couldn't remember the reasoning for most of her actions before that point, but they undeniable sounded like her for the most part making her suspect reincarnation rather than taking over a toddler's body.

The differences that she noticed could probably be summed up to new genetics. Like in her past life she liked dogs. They were cute and liked seeking affection, but she would never want to own one for various reasons: the slobber, the hair, and the smell. The smell of dogs no longer bother her. Actually, her chronic stuffy nose from another life was gone and everything smells so vivid.

She accepted her new family in her own way. She had two families before so a third didn't hurt. She emotionally adopted them. Sakumo, her dad, was always present in her life, and stepped up even more after his partner's death. He sometimes left on missions, but he was kind and clearly wanted the best for her and her brother. Kakashi was scarily smart and quick to pick up certain things. He was always eager to learn things and become more capable. He was also a big softy for praise, but only at home and when he thought it was something to be impressed over.

And home life is very important here.

She felt like home was the only place she could fully relax. She was sure people could still be spying but if she didn't allow herself one spot to relax she would go crazy.

She blamed the world.

It was like someone mashed familiar things of various time periods and fiction together. There's an array of colourful roof buildings, not a skyscraper in sight. This world's version of gated communities was for clan privacy. Thankfully there's plumbing and electricity. Markets were the standard. Technology like cars and phones didn't exist but she had seen at least one T.V. though she was still unsure how that worked.

And the language! She thinks it's Japanese based on the script, though apparently there was only one universal language. She recognized many of the characters as she could write in Han in her past life. Some had the same meaning, some were similar but different, others she thought she knew but had a completely different meaning and some she had to learn from scratch. Based on the strokes the language seemed like a mixture of old and modern writing styles.

There was also a mix of scroll and book usage. Though they seemed to be limited in distribution, and what was available seemed to be based around common knowledge, anatomy as understood, and fiction – and it was expensive! She couldn't even judge the quality of non-fiction wondering whether if it was accurate. History could be propaganda, and anything involving life or the world could be their best current understanding of things or it could be completely accurate to the world. There was already proof that what constitutes as reality was different than what she was used to since chakra exist.

Chakra – a physical and spiritual energy that could achieve magical feats. Like defying gravity and walking up walls and on water or use elements.

Whether the uses of chakra were utilized because that was the extent of its power or because she apparently now lived in a militaristic society with magical ninjas as a main military source. Or at least living in Konohagakure made it seem that way. The way of the shinobi was the main industry and every part of society here revolved around that. There was technically a Daimyo of the Land of Fire, but Konoha's relations with them wasn't one of servitude but rather a fragile power balance accepting different roles.

At first training was just something to do. Partially a hobby and in part to connect with her new family. It was something they did together and that felt nice. Then when her young brain could finally put together the implications of a shinobi society, it put her on edge and made her want to train for her own protection. Then she would hear the whispers of the grownups about increased political tensions with other nations, at which point she realized the biggest threat was the potential for war. A war in an unknown world. She wasn't a stranger to the news of war or the corruptness people and societies have potential of submitting too. Her uncle in her past life had been in the military and she had seen what that had done to his psyche. It was the deciding factor that pushed her into pursuing chemistry instead of psychiatry.

This life would likely end in tragedy. If so, she wanted to cherish the small things while she could.

"Kashi-chan!" She hugged him as she patted his soft floofy hair as he practiced his writing. Apparently head pats were semi-common in this world, and she secretly wondered whether it was a was to keep a distant affection. Kakashi's hair was so soft though that she often used that as an excuse to touch it. "I love you." The warmth of touch was a reminder that everything was real.

She wanted kids but never gotten the opportunity for parenthood, so Kakashi might be the closest thing she gets.

"Yuina." The impeccable naming capabilities of the Hatake's. Crops. Scarecrow. Vegetables.

Yuina didn't understand why Kakashi always wears a mask. The fabric is uncomfortably thick, and she was sure his expressions would be even cuter without it. It probably had to do with how seriously he took shinobi training and she couldn't say there wasn't an advantage in hiding one's face. One's face had plenty of distinctive features.

"What? Do you not want hugs? I can hug Tou-chan instead."

Kakashi placed a hand on her arm as she went to release him. "It's fine, but we're training later," he mumbled.

Yuina grinned as she hugged him tighter. "Sorry Tou-chan. Your hug will have to wait."

Sakumo seemed amused as he watched their interactions while cooking breakfast.

It felt good. Seeing the sides of her family others would never get a chance to see. Even if this world was cruel she wanted this home to be a source of warmth and kindness.