Chapter five: the discovery of reincarnation
Kaito quite liked his new friends; they were pleasant reminders of the past. Though he is still a bit uncertain about how he ended up in the academy—his parents didn't even want that for him—but...
He'd spent so much time wanting to be a doctor, and yeah, maybe the whole magic stuff got to him; there is just something so compelling about it. "Alluring" would probably be a better descriptor.
Either way, he can't wait for graduation. And maybe he could also help people along the way; shinobi is a profession where you kill and steal, they sell their bodies to the village, and while he finds it disagreeable, he must endure; he can be a medic.
He's also put off the whole "become a boy" thing since he wants to be on a team with his friends, and the best way to do that is to simulate Team Seven.
When it comes to tests, he and Itsuki are quite good at it, while Kage is also amazing; it's a bit more obvious that he needs more time than they do to study.
Itsuki has an excellent memory, while Kaito has already lived a life where he studied almost all day. Kage, on the other hand, was more of a class clown, if anything. They'd convinced him to be the "dead last," and now he consistently scored quite low. Of course, he wasn't completely last every time; there was still time to remedy that.
Kage was in the middle but is slowly going down and upping his antics; he's playing the classical "dead last" clown. And he's quite good at it too. It helps that he's having fun, but Kaito believes that Kage might be on the spectrum for ADHD, if only minor; he remembers there being something said about ADHD people and fighting.
Well, it's said in a book about Demigods, so maybe it isn't true. But if it is, then Kage will probably be having a better time than he will. Itsuki, on the other hand... Kaito thinks there's something wrong with Itsuki's family life.
There are no scars, but he looks like he's always on the edge of malnutrition or he's just overall too skinny for a child his age. He can't be restricting himself from eating; Itsuki is fully willing to eat anything Kaito gives him, that is edible at least.
Does that mean it's his parents' fault? He already told Kaito he isn't an orphan, which was my first guess, so he has parents. But parents that don't love him? Kaito shook his head, deciding to ask.
Itsuki's always had this blank look on his face, as if something surprised him, and Kaito is worried. A child shouldn't look so dead inside; no one should look so dead inside their friends, and friends help each other out, right?
He skips to the academy; he'll likely be able to meet the canon characters in around four years now when they're ten. The nine-tails attacked when they were four, and they'll be ten four years from now.
He nods quietly and smiles excitedly; ever since he was reborn in this new world, he had been so excited to meet the canon characters. And to have a certain time limit only strengthens the anticipation he is feeling.
He hopes to meet his favorite characters one day, even if not all of them are 'good.' But really, 'good' depends on perspective in this world. That's something he knew even in his previous life. A hero for them is a villain for another. It's sad, but the world isn't like the children's fairytales; it's not black and white; everyone is a shade of gray, whether that be dark or light gray. However, is important to know.
He has met people who manipulate and talk to get their way, but he's also met people who manipulate and talk to help others. One is darker than the other, or at least it's darker from the perspective of the one who was manipulated—he knows, somewhere in his heart, that he will never understand unless it hits him in the face–
The academy doesn't have classes for future mednins, but he knows that he needs good chakra control, something Sakura had in the original because she was a civilian, and civilians weren't bred with the thought of Shinobi.
Therefore, he must also be similar, right? He'll still have to work on more chakra control, and he won't be experimenting with chakra until the academy deems it safe.
He remembered a chakra control exercise that the main cast had gotten for the academy. He remembers tree walking and water walking as well, but he doesn't know the specifics of it, not anymore, and he isn't going to just dawdle around and find out.
He opens the door to the classroom; he was early as always and walks up to Itsuki. The guy wasn't his only friend, but they were certainly closer than he was with the others.
They wait there for Kage; Kage wasn't very consistent with when he shows up; he often loses track of time, and there's been times when he barges in mid-lesson.
It was a good call to designate him as the "dead last"; he has the tendencies of one. He had admitted to not doing very well in studies and said he'd probably be in the lower middle, especially in history.
To Kaito, history was exciting; it was one of the few subjects he wasn't very well-versed in. Sometimes it felt more like fairytales with the techniques being briefly mentioned. They aren't very inclined to go into detail about them, but maybe they'll get to know more when chakra theory becomes more relevant. Either way, he can't wait for it to start.
Kage barges in with only half a minute to spare and sits down a few rows behind them at the back because apparently that's where all the troublemakers sit. Kage needs to be there to play his role.
Kaito thinks he's enjoying it a bit too much but doesn't dispute it and simply lets the case be. They let class go by in a haze, and before they know it, they're once again in the tree they always meet at. It's become a designated spot for them, and all the other children respect it.
Except for this one girl who keeps bothering them. Honestly, she's a bit annoying, so they keep their distance most of the time and try to discourage her from joining them. It doesn't always work, and the girl is persistent. Also, Kaito is pretty sure that Itsuki doesn't notice how annoying she is; he just acts that way normally.
The girl seems to know that and is using it as an excuse to continue her advances for friendship. She can't climb the tree, though, so instead, she forces them to come down. Luckily, from what they've seen, she isn't here today, and they can spend their time undisturbed.
They sit in silence since there's nothing more they can say until Kage suddenly blurts out in a hushed tone, "So, do you believe in reincarnation?" It was sudden and out of place. Kaito stiffens up, and for some reason, Itsuki just nods along.
"What was your previous name?" He asks, as if this was completely normal for reincarnation. Kage deflates. "Nicolas," he says, and Itsuki nods. "Neo," and it's Kage or Nicolas's turn to be surprised.
"As in Neo Moreno?" Kage sounds hopeful, and the name sparks recognition for Kaito, that and Kage's old name too.
Itsuki nods. "And you are Nicolas Jackson?" Kage was delighted. "Following the current trend..." Itsuki frowned, looking at me. "Are you perhaps... Adrian Nirvana?" Kaito nodded, biting the bottom of his lip.
It wasn't unfounded; he couldn't believe himself to be the only one to reincarnate with memories. But this meant that theoretically, anyone they meet could be a reincarnation, someone from their old life, and any one of them could expose the truth of reincarnation.
"Isn't it a bit weird?" Kage asked, and Itsuki nodded. "Yes, it is odd that we find each other again despite not knowing..." He frowns, fingering a pebble he'd picked up, perfect for stone skipping. It's unlikely he'll use it for that, though, since it's a personal favorite to fidget with.
"What if it's just us...?" Kaito asks suddenly. He hasn't come to a conclusion yet; they don't have enough information, so all they can do is speculate and perhaps also do some reconnaissance.
"That's... unlikely. There are hundreds of people in the world; for only three of us to reincarnate with memories here, well... what are the chances?" Kage looks to be in thought.
"It can be 1 in a billion or it can be completely normal. There's no way to judge it right now, no mathematical question that we can answer... we need more information," Kage and Kaito nod at Itsuki's words.
"So then, Danchō, what're your orders?" Kage had a mischievous look in his eyes, and I let out a huff of amusement. Itsuki's eyes twinkled. "We'll treat everyone as a potential reincarnated until proven otherwise. If they even give as much of a hint that they aren't who they seem to be, then abort immediately." This part was said with a dark tone, and they felt as if something had been restored in a way.
Kaito and Kage nodded; they would follow what they've been told to do. This was Neo after all, and they've trusted him with worse, like that one assignment which was worth like half of their grades. That teacher was a slave driver.
Kaito skips home, acting the part of a naive little girl, and opens the door to the smell of bread baking. He's noticed the fact that many of the things he used to bake aren't on the menu, nor can he find them anywhere else. He has tried asking people if they knew of some things, but they said no, so he decided to make them himself. Why not? And if there are other incarnations, then maybe this'll lure them out.
His lips twitch up as he starts making it. He plans on following the story that the original was and say he tried "saving a failed batch of dough." This was a personal favorite of his, maybe it's because he likes sweet things and butter. Kouign-Amann was made with a lot of butter and sugar. He hopes that he can do it justice. Next time he'll make the Kringle; he has much more experience with that one.
Time passed as he waits for it to be done, and when it is, he leaves it out to cool for a while. But before he knows it, there's a commotion in the kitchen. He lets a smile cross his face for a second, sure that he knows exactly why, and when he walks through the door, he sees exactly what he thought he would.
Kaito covers his smile and makes a nervous expression. "Um, sorry, I was trying to save a failed batch of dough, and, uh..." he cuts off nervously and looks down. Hands were around his waist, and he was pulled into his mother's embrace. "No, no, no, no, this is amazing! Do you remember how you made it?" He felt a kiss on his forehead. "My little girl is a baking genius," he smiles at his father, seeing him grin.
Kaito buries the feeling of being called 'little girl' in the deepest part of his mind. This was what he wanted, wasn't it? He decided that this was necessary, no? He smiles through it and quietly instructs his cousin on what he did, careful to not be too exact with the measurements.
