Chapter 4: Her Path
Simply put, it was hard.
It was hard walking home from the hospital, being guided by her mom, knowing the stares and hearing the whispers that cropped up everywhere she passed when they were in the compound. The narrative had changed, like she was worth something now that she had activated her dojutsu, finally proving herself to be an Uchiha.
It's too bad, though, she can't use it.
Such a shame, she had some potential, activating it so young.
Well, it must have been her father's blood.
At the time, her mom had gripped her hand, and her brother told her not to listen to them, but the damage had already been done. She preferred the ire to this. People visited her house for a while to share their sympathies, she heard the muffled conversations then too from her bedroom and her mom's clipped tones.
It was also hard, having to feel the walls around her childhood home to get around, hitting side tables she always knew were there. It was hard having to eat when she didn't know where the plate was. It was hard asking for help for things she had used to do so easily.
But most of all, it was hard dealing with her family acting differently around her. Ever since she closed her eyes, her other senses had improved to keep up the slack. No matter how quietly her mom and brother talked, Kenma could hear their worried whispers.
They walked on eggshells around her, scared to upset her. Overly accommodating. And, they constantly asked if she was okay. She hated that question.
Kenma wasn't okay, but she didn't need a reminder every hour to know that. And, they didn't either.
Everyone thought her future was over.
Her mom was firm about her quitting the academy and forgetting about being a ninja. She was less overt about it, not mentioning it since the hospital, but Kenma knew her mom was simply giving her the space to accept it.
The only thing keeping her from completely going off the deep end was Itachi. He fulfilled his promise, coming to train her for the two days they had left and the days following that.
The relationship between her mom and Itachi did not improve, but she tolerated him reluctantly, either realizing that slapping the clan heir/a kid wasn't the way to go or that Itachi was one of her only friends, and he made a noticeable difference in her mood.
If her mom knew what she and Itachi were up to, she didn't mention it.
Their sessions were vastly different now. He taught her, seated in her room, about meditation. At first she was angry, but he explained that she needed to learn chakra sensing to get around.
Another new skill of his was revealed, proving how different they were. That was how he was never taken by surprise by Shisui's sudden appearances, he could sense him. As annoying as that revelation was, the benefits of the skill dawned on her. Depending on how far she could take it, it was possible that she could function with her blindfold on.
Of course, Kenma didn't have any natural affinity towards sensing or molding her chakra to that nature.
It had been a week since the Hyuga incident and three days since she got out of the hospital. Since then, Kenma had gotten as far as telling when there was a spike in chakra, in other words whenever Itachi flared his energy.
This would be equivalent to someone doing a particularly taxing jutsu… It was progress, but she had so much more to go if she was planning to pass the taijutsu final.
As of now, taijutsu was her biggest concern; after all not only was it a demonstration of the academy's katas, but it also involved a randomly assigned spar.
Even though Kenma had not been to school since the incident, she was still enrolled in the academy and had every intention of turning up to take the final exams. Her mother wasn't aware of this yet, but Kenma was sure she could get her approval somehow.
As long as she got good enough with sensing, she could win a spar (depending on the opponent) or show enough of her taijutsu skills to be passed.
If she passed, then… Everything was fine.
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Itachi's graduation was imminent. It was Monday now, and he informed her the day before that he would not be seeing her for training. She looked forward to when he visited because he was both the only person who believed in her and the only person who didn't treat her as if she was going to crumble, but she understood that he had other priorities.
It was already enough that he'd committed so much of his time to her already. Today, she would spend it meditating to get even further with chakra sensing. Her brother was home, but he didn't linger around her room in the same way her mom did.
She could probably get away with asking him to take her to visit Shisui. Kenma hadn't seen him since the incident, only knowing from Itachi that he would wake up soon.
Her mom didn't let her was the answer she gave Itachi when he asked if she wanted to see him.
But really, it was just a convenient excuse.
Sure, her mom was against the idea of Kenma leaving the house, period. But, if it was to visit Shisui… Even that was too cruel of a thing to deny.
The real reason Kenma didn't visit him was far more cowardly.
She didn't want to see him in bed, wrapped in bandages and strapped to a heart monitor. It was bad enough that she spent hours everyday secretly and futilely attempting to revisit the moment she activated her sharingan.
She didn't need to see further proof of her weakness. If she had been running, maybe Shisui could have dodged, or if he didn't have to protect her, or if she had never been there in the first place. Etc. Etc.
Her thoughts spiraled into guilt pretty frequently.
So she waited. It wasn't like she had no intention of visiting him. It was more that she needed to find the bravery to do it. Maybe it would come, falling from the sky like a shooting star. It'd be blue and it'd merge into her heart, and she'd light up like a firework. And then…
Yeah, no.
Shisui comes to her instead. No Itachi to ease the awkward tension between them. (Since when was Itachi the prevention and not the cause).
He slipped through her window, scaring her out of her meditation, in an all too familiar action. Shisui acted like nothing happened, and she let him.
"Shisui," she said, once she heard him.
"What, don't recognize my sweet voice," he teased. "Your memory of me is already fading, and it's only been a week." A heartbroken sigh and a thump. Something on the ground.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"I'm on the ground, curled up, crying, mourning. You're so cold-hearted." When she didn't respond for a bit, he added a "Boohoo."
Her lips thinned. Logically, she knew he was joking. He literally said boohoo, but the thought that it could be real sent a pang through her chest. The silence stretched on. Eventually, Shisui broke it.
"I'm not actually crying." He was walking circles around her and still smelled of antiseptic and sickness. "I'm glad you're okay." She was sure he smiled. She could hear it in his voice, the relief.
"I-" She swallowed. The courage didn't have to fall from the sky in a blaze of light, she felt it now. "I should be saying that. Because of me-"
"This isn't your fault."
"But-"
"No buts! I just snuck out of the hospital to visit you, I don't-"
"You snuck out!"
He sighed. "I was already out for a week, and the nurses wanted to keep me for more days. Puh-lease. I'm totally fine, see."
Then he did something to show how fine he was, but of course, Kenma didn't see. Instead she settled for an unimpressed look, well, as unimpressed as she can manage when half her face was covered by bandages.
"Oops," he sounded sheepish. "Totally, forgot about that. I heard kind-of what happened, but I don't know how much I can trust the source." Shisui moved in closer to her, and she could feel something moving in front of her face. "Can you actually not see?"
Annoyed, she swatted the thing and realized it was his hand.
"Would it be much of a blindfold if I could?" She snapped.
Before Kenma knew it, she was back to being mean to him, and as she noticed, she clamped her mouth shut. She was guilty. He saved her life. She should be-
"Heh, I guess it wouldn't. So what?" There was definitely a shrug there. "You can't deactivate your sharingan, no biggie. Everyone was just exaggerating."
On second thought, he was taking this too lightly, and it was starting to piss her off. "It is a big deal, Shisui. People are saying I can't be a kunoichi."
He hummed, taking a moment to respond. "But, what do you think?"
There was no hesitation when she answered. "I will be. I don't care what people say. I'll be a kunoichi. The best one you've ever seen."
Shisui slapped her on the back. It was ten times worse because she couldn't see it coming, and it was also as strong as ever, sending her stumbling forward. "Well said. I was worried for a second there. How could my little disciple-"
She threw a punch in his direction. It hit nothing. "Don't call me that. Who pushes a blind person!"
"You're not blind." He answered cheekily. She could hear his footsteps. He was backing away.
"Don't back away from me, Shisui! Let me hit you. Come to think about it, you also snuck up on me!"
He laughed. Her next punch, she couldn't even be sure it was directed remotely where he was standing, but he doesn't say.
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"So Itachi's teaching you chakra sensing. I can see what he was getting to. If you improve it to the point of being able to sense people's limbs, not just their presence, you can fight without the use of your eyesight. But, that would take a while," Shisui said thoughtfully.
It was times like this that Kenma realized the idiot was not as much of an idiot as he pretended to be. With a simplified summary of what had happened since the Hyuga incident, Shisui had deduced her and Itachi's intentions in a second.
They were now at a training ground after successfully sneaking out her house. Shisui had no intentions of following her mom's rules, and Kenma had already gotten tired of them too. So, she didn't protest when he carried her out of the window and dropped her on the dirt.
"I still think it's too early to give up on your sharingan. You just have to know your limits. Do you know how long you can use it before you pass out?"
She shook her head.
He hummed. "Have you used it other than to deactivate it?"
"No."
"I guess that makes sense. Itachi still hasn't activated his sharingan, so he couldn't teach you anything. Luckily, you have someone here who can." She wanted to ask who, just to mess with him, but decided to let him be.
They were seated in front of each other cross legged, and he took off her bandages, pulling it up and out of her eyes. It was a cue as any, so her eyelids fluttered open, revealing the sharingan beneath them, and immediately seeing everything.
Shisui looked the same, except for the fern-like burn marks that poked out from underneath his collar and climbed up the nape of his neck. She examined him, mapping out the vine structures that marred his skin, and the shades of peach on his face. He had gotten paler in such a short period. She noticed his sharingan as well, two tomoe spinning slowly.
Then just like that, she couldn't focus, seeing the ants crawling on the ground, counting the cracks on the training field. Specs of dirt moved as Shisui did.
He was going to kick her, she realized.
But even though she knew it was coming, her body didn't move fast enough. The impact sent her some distance. And he was there as well. He was fast, she thought.
She had seen his body flicker technique, seen his next blow, but she failed to defend against that as well, focused pathetically on a bird that had landed on one of the trees, a worm dangling from its mouth.
"You can see, but you can't focus," Shisui said as he moved again, and she clumsily tried to block, falling short of a complete defense as his palm hit her chest. She stumbled backwards.
He was pulling his punches, but he wasn't holding back.
The fight continued for awhile. If you could call it that. Eventually, he stopped. Arms crossed, he critically looked her up and down and said "I think that's your limit."
She rejected it, not feeling faint, but he reminded her that the drain continued even when she had the blindfold on, tacking on that they'd start up again when she rested a bit.
The method he was using to train her was sink or swim. That had become clear early on, when she was starting to focus more on him than their surroundings. Bitterly, she still thought he could have explained that before he jumped straight into fighting. Itachi would have.
With her bandages back on, Shisui started talking. "Your safe limit with no jutsu is about 7 minutes, maybe longer if you wanted to push yourself."
That was a pathetic amount of time, but apparently enough time to be thoroughly beaten into the ground.
"For now, that works for your purposes," he reassured.
"What do you mean?"
"You were worried about your taijutsu fight, right? 7 minutes is more than enough time, especially when I'm done training you."
Kenma tilted her head and thought aloud, "Wow, you almost sound reliable."
He huffed, but let her comment drop. "I'll let you rest for now. But, we need to work on your speed. I'm sure you noticed, you could see my attacks coming, but you couldn't block them?"
She nodded.
"This is normal in the beginning. The sharingan gives us the ability to see things better, even predict our enemy's movements, but even though our eyes can follow it, our body cannot. So, we have to train your body up to speed."
The way he said it was concerning. This would be the moment for a loud gulp, but Shisui continued thoughtfully.
"Everyone pretty much thought your ninja career was over-" painful reminder, but he was right. "So I'm guessing nobody bothered to explain to you what abilities the sharingan grants its users?"
To her nod, Shisui sighed. "Figures. What do you know?"
"Uh, well. I know it's unique to the Uchiha clan." She felt dumb opening with something obvious, but Shisui listened. It would be even worse if she said anything wrong, so she answered truthfully. "Outside of what I've experienced and what you've said. Nothing."
"Okay, that's fine." There was no judgment, but she heard something that was definitely a curse at the elders.
He didn't acknowledge it and neither did she as he continued his explanation like it didn't happen at all. "The Sharingan is activated under extreme duress. In your case, seeing me…" he trailed off. They both knew what he was going to say.
Kenma had seen him die, or at least it looked that way. If help had arrived any later…
She shook her head. Wondering instead what Shisui had seen for him to activate his, what Izumi had seen too to have activated it even younger than Kenma had. To think there was a time when she was jealous of her. It was a morbid condition, and for a clan as cruel as hers, Kenma couldn't help but think it was fitting. But she ignored this train of thought, focusing back again on Shisui's explanation.
"The tomoe you see represents the maturity of our sharingan. Every stage is triggered by extreme emotion and with greater maturity comes greater proficiency. The primary abilities can be broken up into two categories called the 'Eye of Insight' and the 'Eye of Hypnotism.' You've used mostly the 'Eye of Insight'-"
Then he talked on FOREVER, explaining what might as well have been mystery abilities.Even Itachi's explanations were less wordy than this. If she knew he was going to blabber on, she would have brought a pillow because then she might have been doing something useful. The moment he started bringing out technical words… It was over.
"Did you get that," he asked eventually. Shisui had somehow even managed to throw in a short history about Madara Uchiha and the "Curse of Hatred." Like she gave a damn about that.
But she nodded, lying through her teeth. "Yeah. Crystal clear."
"I totally lost you, huh."
"No, no, that was good," she reassured quickly, nodding her had like a fish hook bobbing to the surface. She didn't know what she was going to do if Shisui started up all over again, so she smiled in what she hoped gave a good student vibe, "I completely got it."
"Sure," he said slowly. "Maybe you're more of a practical application person."
"That…" She trailed. "Could be true."
"Well then, since you've rested a bit. Take off your bandages."
Before her eyes were even completely uncovered, Shisui proceeded to complete a series of hand seals and say, "You haven't learned the Fireball Jutsu, right. Well, here you go."
"Wait!" She yelled, but by that point, he had already started to blow fire in her face. And she threw herself to the ground, ducking and rolling to avoid the flames which still burned off pieces of her shirt.
"'Eye of Insight' allows us to copy any jutsu," he explained. And then with what could only be described as an evil smile, he said, "Let's try again."
She only got to say "wait you psycho" before Shisui threw out another fireball jutsu, even faster than the first and replied innocently.
"I'm just trying to be reliable. Hurry up, we have less than 7 minutes. "
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When Shisui had dropped her off at home, it was late. She was covered in dirt and grime, parts of her sleeves and shorts were burned off, and she had light bruises and nicks all over her body. She couldn't hide that she'd been training even if she wanted to. And Shisui had bailed faster than she could curse him out for treating her like a punching bag.
Kenma didn't even get a chance to choose whether she should attempt to sneak to her room (fuck the fact that she would probably end up tripping on a twig while she circled her house) when the door creaked opened.
It was a blessing that she couldn't see the outline of her mom at the doorway because she was pissed. Her voice booming in the dead of night, the insects had been quelled into a scared silence as well.
"Kenma Uchiha," she said. The full name too, she was pulling no stops. Footsteps, and Kenma flinched as hands pulled her into a hug. "Do you know how worried I was?"
Relief washed over her. Okay, if she was more worried than she was angry-
"You're never leaving again," her mom exhaled onto her shoulder and pulled her back, seemingly looking over her. "You were training."
She dragged her into the house, the grip around Kenma's wrist hurt. "Are you crazy? Who snuck you out, Itachi?" His name was said with the inflection of someone talking about a demon, and she apologized in her head to Itachi-wherever he was.
"I heard your other friend got out of the hospital? Was it him?"
"They're the reason you're like this in the first place. Now, they're pushing you to train? I know Itachi has been teaching you how to be a sensor, but combat. Do you seriously think you can fight?"
Her mom's hands roamed her body. They lightly brushed against the fresh bruises and scratches, but she might as well had been pressing into them as Kenma flinched. "What did they do to you?"
"They didn't do anything," she mumbled.
"What?"
"I'm saying." Louder this time. "They didn't do anything. I wanted to train. They're helping me."
Her mom laughed. It was a cruel thing. "You still think you can be a kunoichi."
It was crazy how easily her mom made her feel small. After training with Shisui, she felt like she was progressing. His words, no matter how she joked about them, provided her some confidence, but returning home had been a slap to the face, a reminder that outside the three of them, nobody had faith in her.
"Because you want to sneak out. You're forbidden from having visitors. You'll stay in your room until I decide when your punishment is over. This is dangerous, Kenma. I wanted to give you the time to accept that it was over, but I'll unenroll you from the academy tomorrow."
"No," she yelled. "It isn't over." Her nails dug into the palms of her hands, and blood slipped between her fists, the skin had broken. "You're being unfair. You haven't given me a chance to prove myself."
"Unfair?" She spit out, and Kenma recoiled at the tone. "I gave you a chance at the hospital. We agreed if you couldn't control-"
"We didn't agree to anything! You're always deciding things for me, controlling what I do. You never believed I could be a good shinobi even before I activated my sharingan!"
"That's not true."
"Then why did you never teach me anything!"
Her mom didn't respond, and Kenma felt spiteful. This was something they never talked about. The reason she had to go to Itachi for help in the first place was because she would never find it here.
She finally pulled away from her mom. The effect seemed lightened by her slow pace and having to steady herself by latching onto the wall, but what she couldn't do in pace she did in volume, practically stomping herself across the hallway and almost knocking over the side table that hit her hip.
And, her mom didn't follow.
Kenma didn't want her to, but it felt worse somehow. Was she not even going to try to deny it?
Whatever.
Her door closed shut behind her loudly and then with a click as she locked her family members out.
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Two hesitant knocks hit her door that night. Trying to find sleep, Kenma had settled into a meditation, feeling the soothing chakra beneath her veins.
"Kenma," her mom said.
As a whisper through her door, Kenma wanted to pretend she couldn't hear it, but she did. She waited for what felt like forever. Every breath felt heavier now.
Was her mom still there?
As if to answer her question, Kenma suddenly felt it, her mom's chakra signature. A thin tendril of her own chakra reached out to the other side of the door, and she knew her mom was there, waiting. If she reached further, she could feel her brother in the house as well.
Progress, finally, but she couldn't celebrate. Instead, keeping track of her mom's chakra seated in front of her door. The short and weighted breaths. Did she feel guilty? She should.
Kenma would win this waiting game.
Another soft knock. "Are you awake?"
Kenma stayed silent, and after ages, footsteps. She was finally alone.
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Itachi was there the next day.
Her brother had left earlier that morning. Not only had she heard his footsteps through the house, but she could no longer feel his chakra signature. On the other hand, her mom lingered in the halls and in the living room, probably keeping watch of Kenma's closed door.
She felt Itachi before she could hear him, facing his direction and making a motion to stop. He did. She could always count on him to catch on quickly.
With her still limited knowledge of Konoha's sign language, she spelled out, Mom. Did an 'x' motion with her arms and mouthed "Get me out."
He did. Carrying her, something she was getting disgustingly used to lately. And as he did, her mom banged on her door. Confirming to Kenma that she had been watching her room closely, probably also sensing Itachi's presence.
"Kenma, if you leave again-" her mom warned, but she didn't finish the warning.
"Get me out of here," she said quietly. And Itachi complied.
Wind against her face, she could smell the outside air, hear the chatter, and feel the people on the streets.
Itachi was moving fast, probably jumping from rooftop to rooftop. She didn't know where he was heading, and didn't care to know. She would have to return home eventually, but she needed to get out today.
"What happened," Itachi asked. It took him a while to ask and by then they had to quite a distance from her house, leaving behind the noise from the neighborhood.
"Did you graduate?" She deflected instead of replying.
"Hn."
This was a 'yes' in Itachi-speak; it annoyed her that she could differentiate it from the other identical "hn"s in his vocabulary. The inflection or whatever.
"Good for you," she said, reaching out to where she thought his headband would be. It was around his forehead, predictable and so him. Kenma felt the metal and then the fabric and then back to the metal where the grooves sketched out the symbol of Konoha.
"My mom might withdraw me from the academy today. Or maybe not. I'm not sure." She shrugged, but it was awkward and trapped in his grasp. "Where are we going?"
"I'm not sure," he said. "What are you going to do?"
At that moment, she couldn't bring herself to care about the next steps, it felt like life was stringing her along for the ride just as Itachi was now. She felt tired.
The sound confirmed that they were nowhere near Konoha proper. It was too quiet. She could hear birds and rustling leaves, some tickled her face, and by the angle, she felt like they were going up. She wanted to see the sky.
Finally, she shrugged again, a short, small motion, returning the words he had said to her. "I'm not sure."
"Hn." This was just an 'okay,' not an answer to a question; it was just a noise to tell her he had understood.
It was efficient of him to force others to understand his grunts. Kenma guessed that's how it was for people like him. Everyone else caved, clearing the way to let him pass. She wished that was true for herself.
They didn't say anything for a while, but the wind on her face felt good. "I can feel people's chakra now. Shisui's out of the hospital too. I saw him yesterday. I can use my Sharingan better, but I still can't turn them off."
He didn't respond this time and stopped instead, setting her down on smooth flooring.
"I have to meet up with my team this afternoon," he said. "I just wanted to tell you I passed."
He was telling her he had to go soon and that it was never his intention to take her outside. She had to go home. That's what he was telling her. She shot her head upwards, wanting to see the clouds. Was it going to rain or was the sky clear?
The heat against her face told her it was a clear day, but she wanted to see it.
"I knew you would," she said eventually. He didn't have to visit her.
She turned, unseeing eyes in his direction and crossed her arms. "So what, you have to bring me home then?"
"I can stay for a bit… But, that would probably be for the best."
"You think I can't make it home?"
It was as loaded as questions came from her tone to her posture. Smartly, Itachi didn't answer, but his silence spoke volumes.
Although his worry was understandable, Kenma wasn't feeling reasonable today. There were still things she could do by herself, and it was so frustrating when someone decided for her what she couldn't do.
"I'm not actually blind under this thing." She lifted her bandages a bit so he could get a peak of her red eyes.
His mouth opened slightly, before he closed them again, and she got a glimpse of their surroundings. He had taken her to the top of the Hokage Mountain. That's why the wind felt so good. She let her eyes roam the clouds and the people who looked like ants beneath her before she locked her vision away. The clouds had been sparse today, confirmation of what she already thought.
"I can manage to get home, just fine. Besides," she sighed. "I don't want to deal with the consequences of sneaking out right now."
"Okay," he agreed easily. "I'll stay with you for now."
She nodded, and they sat at the top of the hokages' heads; until it was time for him to go. He hesitated for a bit before leaving, but she shooed him away, reminding him she was fine.
"Just go, meet your team. Do you like them?"
"They're suitable." He replied and then he was gone.
She didn't know how long she waited there alone. She felt pangs of hunger and realized she should've eaten something. But she ignored this instead settling into another meditation, hoping to expand her chakra sensing and keep herself busy.
She barely felt anything in that state, feeling the thrum of chakra in her and stretching out thin bands around her.
Time passed.
Eventually, she felt someone enter her radius, a chakra signature she didn't recognize. It was bright and airy. They were climbing the Hokage's heads, she heard rattling. Metal?
"Hello," she called out.
"Woah!" A kid replied. "I didn't know anyone was here!"
It was a boy, and he got closer, until he was right next to her. She could finally smell the chemical scent of paint.
"Hey, you didn't see anything, did you?"
"Nope," she said, pointing at her bandages. "Can't really see with these, but you did disturb me."
It was supposed to be a mean comment, but it didn't have any of the usual bite to it, and the kid laughed sheepishly.
"Oh sorry 'bout that. How'd ya get up here anyways?"
She knew he was talking about the fact her eyes were covered, and that she seemingly couldn't see. Some kid was also doubting her ability. Even though Itachi did bring her all the way up here, she felt bitter, so she shrugged dismissively. "Same way anyone does. What are you doing with that paint?"
"I thought you said you couldn't see!" He yelled, accusingly, his loud voice caught her off guard, and she flinched slightly at the noise.
"I can smell it, idiot. Are you the kid that paints the Hokages' faces every other week?"
"I'm not an idiot," he denied angrily. "And it's not every other week. I do this every week!" He declared proudly.
"That wasn't a compliment."
He laughed again awkwardly, shaking off her words. He was a laugher and also thick skinned… The worst combination.
"Well, because you're here. I guess I won't paint the faces today! Do ya need help getting down?"
Now, he was acting like a good samaritan. Definitely, not someone she wanted to associate with.
"No."
"Really?" he sounded confused. It was clear he thought she needed it which was offensive. "Someone's gonna pick you up then?"
Probably no one, but she could get down the Hokage's mountain. 7 minutes was more than enough time. Her silence though was taken as a go-ahead for the guy to keep talking.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki by the way. I'm going to be Hokage."
His name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it.
"Who?"
"I said Na-"
"Asked."
He went silent after that, and she felt bad before she could think it through and ended up saying, "I'm joking."
"Oh, okay!" And of course because of who he's proven to be in the minute they've known each other, Naruto recovered, bringing the bouncy overly comfortable energy back. "What's your name nee-chan?"
She sighed. "Kenma. And, thanks for offering. I guess-" she breathed, speaking quieter, "I could… Use some help getting down."
"Okay!" He held her hand- "I'll lead you down-" hesitated and asked, "If that's okay?"
She nodded. And she wondered how someone with such clear and bright chakra looked. He was nice, walking at a slow pace that she didn't bother to correct, and he also talked a lot.
About the academy, about his favorite food, about cool jutsus he's seen, about becoming Hokage.
It was something a kid would say. She didn't have much faith in him. She probably thought she would be hokage too at his age, and who was she to shit on some kids dreams.
Actually, it was a nice change of pace to talk to him. Because he didn't know who she was, and he didn't ask many questions either. He was mostly focused on himself, not in a conceited way. He just genuinely seemed excited to talk about the mundane things in his life, and her problems seemed further away listening to him.
"Where do you want to go?" Naruto asked, finally turning a question in her direction, after he finished talking about a "bastard" in his class and some girl he called "Sakura-chan."
"What time is it?"
"Uh," he thought for a bit. "I'm not sure. I just got out of the academy though."
"So painting the Hokage's Mountain is your after school activity?"
He didn't seem to catch on that she was teasing him and answered honestly. "Some days. Sometimes, I prank the academy teachers. The other day, I got Iruka-sensei, really good! He got so mad."
But then, he stopped. He had led her down the mountain into the middle of town. The chatter around them got louder, and his grip around her hand had tightened uncomfortably, probably from the stares directed at them.
She felt at the chakra signatures, realizing it was a mistake as she stumbled a bit from how many people there were.
"Nee-chan," he asked, concerned, holding onto her side where she had stumbled.
"I'm fine," she said.
She felt guilty because they were probably all staring at her. But then, as she listened to their whispers she realized they weren't talking about her. They were talking about him…
Naruto Uzumaki, the demon.
That's how she recognized his name. He was that kid. The one everyone blamed for the Nine-tailed-fox, the reason the Fourth Hokage died. Everyone knew him.
Suddenly feeling like an Uchiha (newsflash not everything revolves around you), she squeezed his hand, ignoring how clammy his little hand had gotten. She said quietly. "Why don't you take me to that ramen place you like so much."
It was a pathetic attempt at comforting him. She'd been where he was before, but ultimately, he was a simple kid.
He swung her hand, and said in that loud voice of his that she didn't think she'd ever be relieved to hear. "Ichiraku's! Be prepared for your life to change, nee-chan! They have the best ramen ever!"
"Sure," she agreed. And he led her down the practiced path. She heard the whispers wondering who she was, but maybe because it wasn't about her or maybe because the kid needed whatever comfort she could provide, she didn't acknowledge it, keeping a steady smile on her face.
If Naruto looked at her, at least he would see that she was unbothered.
They didn't make it to Ichiraku though. Stopped by Naoya's annoying voice. His chakra signature. She wished she never had to know how it felt.
"Do you know him?" Naruto whispered.
"No," she answered.
"Wow, the Uchiha failure hanging out with the village's demon. I didn't expect to see you crawl out of your house," Naoya said. "I would never leave. The embarrassment would keep me locked up forever."
Several laughs. He was with his goon squad, and she felt at their chakra signatures as well. Two others were with him, and someone else hiding a couple feet away. Watching? She wasn't sure.
Whoever it was left quickly.
"Don't you have better things to do, Naoya." Kenma sneered.
"Your mom's looking for you," Naoya said. "Made a big deal about it at the police station. Apparently, you've gone missing."
"Let's just go around them," she said to Naruto, pulling him along back in the direction they'd come from.
But Naoya grabbed her shoulder. "Let me just take you home, Kenma. My last act of good faith for a former classmate."
She tried to shake off his grip, but he dug his nails in. "Former." she spat out.
"Everyone knows," he said. "Our classmates are talking about it. How unfortunate you can't be a ninja anymore."
"Leave me alone, Naoya." This time, she dropped Naruto's hand, grabbed Naoya's wrist and twisted it. Hearing him hiss, she pushed him backwards and started to lead Naruto away.
"Big mistake." She heard him say behind her.
Naruto reacted first yelling, "Get away from her," before jumping between them. She heard a punch connect, and a thump.
"Naruto," she said and finally pulled off her bandages.
It was Naoya and two of his Uchiha buddies. They were all in her class. Pathetic.
Naruto was on the ground, his face was bruised where he had probably thrown himself onto Naoya's punch. He had spiky blond hair, green goggles and was wearing the gaudiest orange pants she'd ever seen. Standing over him was Naoya with a nasty scowl on his face.
She saw his movements before he completed them. He was going to kick Naruto while he was down, and she moved, too slow to block the kick that sent Naruto crashing into a fence but fast enough to deck Naoya's cheek.
His goons jumped on her after that. They were easy to dodge under and hit in return. Maybe because she saw their moves coming or because of her training with Itachi, or probably a combination of both, they were thrown in Naruto's direction, quickly forgotten as she confronted Naoya.
"The Sharingan." His lips curled back in disdain.
"What? You don't think I deserve them?"
With a burst of speed, Naoya lunged forward, "You don't, and I'll show you why," a high kick directed at her head.
She dodged under his foot, and swept him off his feet, where he transitioned into a backflip. Closing the distance, she delivered three crosses, he dodged the onslaught all except for one jab aimed at his midsection. He recoiled slightly, but sent a knee up between them.
Anticipating the strike, she stepped backwards.
Undeterred, Naoya threw a rapid series of strikes, which she weaved between easily before countering with a roundhouse kick that connected hard at his side.
"Get out of here, Naoya. You can't win."
"Really," he asked, gesturing to their surroundings, and she zeroed in on Naruto. His goons had abandoned the fight hovering over Naruto's bloodied body. "Can't really use your Sharingan well, huh?"
Her blood burned, but he was right. Kenma had been too focused on the fight, predicting his movements, winning. She didn't even realize Naruto needed her help, and she could have. She should have.
"What does he have to do with this?"
"He's a demon," he shrugged. "A lot of people died because of him, I'm doing a favor to the people." Naoya said that, but Kenma knew Naruto would have never been involved if he wasn't around her. Why did people around her get hurt? Was she cursed?
"I'm okay nee-chan. Don't worry about me, just beat that bastard up." Naruto called out, trying to sound reassuring but utterly failing as the Uchiha kid kicked him again and told him to shut up.
"You'll pay for that!" She tried to go towards Naruto, but Naoya intervened.
He jumped into the air, kicking downwards where she met his legs with her forearms. Forced into a crouch, she tried to redirect his kick, but he springed off her arms.
Suddenly, the air went still, as a strong chakra presence descended on them. Her eyes followed the signature, seeing a man dressed in tidy beige robes with the distinct eyes of the Hyuga clan.
"What's going on here?" he asked. He looked between the two parties, and she noticed hiding slightly behind his frame was a young girl. Her head poked out, revealing dark hair and the same Hyuga eyes. Her chakra signature was the one she felt earlier.
And her appearance. She would never forget it. She had seen her every time she revisited the moment she unlocked her Sharingan. The Hyuga heir. Her name… Hinata Hyuga.
"Father," she mumbled, tugging onto his shirt, worry was written from the wrinkles between her brows. She was staring at Naruto. If this man was her father, than he must have been Hiashi Hyuga, head of the Hyuga clan.
"Nothing, sir. We were just having a conversation," Naoya said through gritted teeth. He must have recognized the man as well.
"A conversation doesn't usually involve violence does it?" Hiashi said, condescension in his tone.
"It's just a kids scuffle, sir, sorry to have drawn your attention."
His piercing gaze shifted from Naoya to Kenma and then finally to Naruto and the two hovering over him. "A 'kid's scuffle,'" he said disdainfully. "I would have thought such behavior was unbecoming of your clan."
There was a well known rivalry between the Uchiha and the Hyuga clan mostly from prideful arguments over the "better" dojutsu as well as their equally long histories. The Hyuga's words seemed to cut deep as Naoya's jaw clenched and his eyes fixed to the ground.
It was the weight of his position, that made Naoya withdraw, as his fists clenched at his side. "You're right, Hiashi-sama. This behavior is inexcusable." He threw an angry glare in Kenma's direction, in stark contrast to his submissive words, before exchanging glances with his friends.
Together, they bowed, making a quick escape. "This won't happen again."
"See to it that it won't."
Kenma got the sense that as long as it was away from authority figures; it would continue to happen. Hiashi probably knew that as well, but at least Naruto was safe.
Hinata joined her by Naruto's side. He was still breathing, but the two really didn't hold back.
Surprisingly as she looked over the damage, Naruto stirred. He gave her a weak smile. "You were pretty cool there nee-chan. I guess you didn't need my help. I just got in your way."
"No you didn't. You did really well." If anything, she should be the one apologizing for getting him involved in the first place.
"Is he going to be okay, Uchiha-san?" Hinata asked, staring at her with wide eyes.
This kid was also acting really comfortable around her, eyes sparkling in undeserved admiration. Soon, she thought sardonically, she could start a daycare, Sasuke, Hinata and Naruto.
"Probably," she said unconvincingly.
Kenma picked him up, but felt a rush of exhaustion. She leaned against the fence, feeling the throb of her eyes. Fuck, how long had it been.
"Are you okay?" the little girl said, wordlessly supporting the side where she had faltered.
She pulled her bandages over her eyes and took a steadying breath before standing without Hinata's support. "I'm good. Just feeling a little dizzy."
Then she faced Hiashi, bowing awkwardly with Naruto in her arms.
"Thank you for your help Hiashi-sama. But can I trouble you to guide me to the hospital?" She gestured at Naruto. "He requires attention, and I don't know the way."
She could no longer see the expression on Hiashi's face, so she was unsure if this was too presumptuous. Clan heads were annoying like that.
"That's fine," he said. "My daughter and I wanted to thank you for your help last week. This is the least I could do."
Then he started moving. Hinata stayed by her side, probably assuming she needed the guidance. Although she could follow Hiashi's chakra signature just fine, she let the girl guide her.
Maintaining a short distance behind him, Kenma said. "I didn't do much to deserve your thanks." Which was true, Kenma had been the one to undo Hinata's binds, but the ones to actually engage with the Kumo-nin was Itachi and Shisui.
He hummed. "Regardless of what you think, your presence was much appreciated. Without the Uchiha there, I fear the consequences would have been more severe."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"My family owes you and your friends a debt" was his non-answer, and she frowned.
Typical. Then she felt a tug at her sleeve.
"I- uh, also wanted to thank you, Uchiha-san. For saving me."
She nodded stiffly. Yeah. Gratitude that was a hard feeling to swallow. It felt good, maybe.
The rest of the walk was done in silence. Kenma spent most of it thinking about what Hiashi had meant about "the Uchiha there." It wasn't them that mattered, but their clan.
Really, Kenma hadn't thought much on the aftermath too focused on herself and then Shisui, but the culprit had ended up being a Kumo-nin… And what did that mean for Konoha?
She didn't delve further into it when they arrived at the hospital, and she was intercepted by the Konoha Police. Naoya had clearly snitched. The rat bastard.
The rest had been a blur, having to pass on Naruto to the reluctant Hyuga head, and having to peel herself from the crying Hyuga heir.
"She's not in trouble," the police had reassured Hinata. "Her mom is just very worried about her whereabouts."
So she was in trouble, but the police officer's comment had somewhat worked on the girl after Kenma promised to see her again sometime. She wasn't really sure when that time would be because Kenma would probably end up locked away for the rest of her life, but at that point, she had to say what she had to say.
Then she was whisked away to the police station, where her mom met her with a suffocating hug. Her mom apologized to the policemen, thanking them for their effort while throwing subtle jabs at Kenma the whole time.
It was infuriating and assured that the walk home would be tension riddled. Which it was.
She stayed silent all throughout the lecture she had already expected to receive mostly because she felt the amount of people around them, and she didn't feel like fighting in the middle of the street.
When they had arrived home, it was the Third Shinobi War. Whatever guilt had been born the night before evaporated.
Her mom had called out her brother, bringing him into the terrible argument where he decked it on her as well saying some bullshit about, "You're making our mom worried," like she gave a fuck.
It reached its peak when Kenma asked, "So! Did you withdraw me from the academy?"
Her mom went deathly silent before her voice dropped to a dangerous edge. "Did you think you could avoid this? Your actions have consequences."
She stayed firm. "I need to know. Did You Withdraw Me?"
Caught between the crossfire, her brother with a mixture of concern and apprehension attempted to intervene. "Kenma," he said. "Maybe you should-"
"Shut up," she said.
And finally her mom answered. "Yes. I withdrew you. It's time you face the facts. You-"
Kenma didn't let her finish. She knew what she was going to say. Her mother was a broken record. Kenma couldn't be a Kunoichi.
Rather than hear that, Kenma retreated to her room, not stumbling a step, and slammed the door behind her.
Silently she addressed the question Itachi had asked her earlier that day. What was she going to do?
EXTRA SCENE:
"Somehow," she told Itachi. "I thought Shisui would be a better teacher. He seemed so nice."
Itachi stopped mid-chew, something he never did while eating dango, and replied. "Is that so..."
The sentence was wrapped in pity and understanding, and she felt the thrums of friendship in her heart, born of mutual struggle. Overly serious, she nodded. "So you know…"
"What are you guys talking about," Shisui asked innocently to her left, slipping into the booth next to her. She was glad she couldn't see his evil face and pushed him.
She pointed an accusatory finger in his face, by luck touching his cheek, and feeling the stretch of them as he smiled. Vindictively, she dug her finger further in, "Who trains people like that, huh?"
"What do you mean? That's how I was taught growing up."
"That's cause whoever taught you was probably an Uchiha. Those crazy fuckers."
"You're an Uchiha, Kenma."
Itachi coughed in what almost seemed like a laugh, and her neck snapped in his direction. "Are you laughing?"