"Daddy!"

"Sweetie!"

Crying, we hugged each other in the lobby of the police station.

Aunt Asa had a huge bulging vein as she spoke to my uncles.

"What were you thinking, putting Kenta of all people under house arrest?"

"He abetted the escape of a criminal!"

"Shao's not a criminal!" I defended angrily, still hugging my dad. "He's just a kid!"

"Who dumped eighty-five kilograms of explosive powder into the river."

"He didn't hurt anyone. And no, Mimi doesn't count, he didn't do that!"

"Can someone tell me who on earth is Mimi?"

Everyone spoke louder and louder. Finally Itachi's dad walked in, and everyone went quiet. He and Aunt Asa looked at each other.

"Mikoto doesn't need to know about this," he told her.

"Well, that will depend, Fugaku," Aunt Asa said. "I want to know what's going."

"What's going on," Uncle Yashiro growled, "is that this stubborn, undisciplined child has undermined our clan, having wasted and still wasting everyone's time by refusing to tell us where she is harboring a criminal."

Aunt Asa folded her arms. "Really," she said. "Because from my current understanding, you all have undermined Ayae and her authority when you barged into her school without warning or consultation, terrorizing the students and ruining months of delicate work repairing civilian relationship with our clan."

Before Uncle Yashiro could argue back, she continued, "As for the so-called criminal, what the hell are you doing, chasing after some civilian kid. We aren't dealing with a serial killer here, just file the report to Konoha and move on."

"And what are we supposed to file to Konoha?" Uncle Inabi demanded. "That explosive powder needs to be accounted for. Do you think the village is going to be satisfied with, oh it's gone, it's in the river, and by the way, we also want to call for a pardon for the person responsible? You don't think that's suspicious?!"

Itachi's dad shot him a glare. Uncle Inabi closed his mouth.

"That's exactly what we'll do because our clan has decided there is no crime," Aunt Asa said.

Uncle Inabi stared at her, not understanding.

My dad stepped up, rubbing his neck. "Hi yes! Remember how I told you Shaochin is my apprentice at the Research Facility? He's a smart kid, and you're right, honey, he is very nice, good observation—" I beamed. "—anyhoo, there is one tiny detail I guess slipped my mind, but I remembered now after last night, and that's, well…" My dad adjusted his glasses. "I told him to get that powder."

"In fact…" My dad took something out from his pocket. It was his work badge. "I gave him this, which, well, is what you need to get into the warehouse, no?" Smiling, my dad said, "So… if I have authority, which it seems like I do, and if he is following my instructions as my apprentice, he technically has authority, and so he isn't stealing per say, especially since that supply was supposed to come to the lab anyway. So… what's the crime again?"

"You told that child to dump explosive powder into the river," Itachi's dad said flatly.

My dad still smiled. "My fault, really, guess I wasn't very clear with the instructions, and you know apprentices, we all make silly mistakes when we're that young, ahaha."

"What in the hell did you need eighty-five kilograms of powder for!" Uncle Inabi demanded.

"Sorry, confidential!" my dad laughed, waving his hand. To Itachi's dad, he said, "So it seems like there were some miscommunications and mismanagement from my end, but still no crime, yes? And now that it's all cleared up, we can drop this?"

"You—we can't be—he's clearly lying!" Uncle Inabi yelled, gesturing to my dad.

"Fugaku, you don't want to send another kid away," Aunt Asa said grimly. "It won't look good for us."

"And it's better the Uchiha clan 'mismanage' eighty-five kilograms of explosive powder?!" Uncle Yashiro howled. "Asa, who cares what the civilians think, when—" He held it in and tried again. "Fugaku, please keep in mind our position and interests in this village."

"If Shaochin really is a criminal, then that makes me one too."

Everyone stopped talking.

Itachi's dad stared at me.

"I broke him out, remember?" I looked up, staring back at him. "So if he disappears... then I must too."

.

My hand touched the door. It turned to air.

As soon as I stepped inside, ink lit up, spiraling up the walls. Name after name appeared.

Ise winced, glancing up from Shao's lap. She saw my fat grin.

"It's all good now! You're free!" I exclaimed, pulling both of them by hand. I led them back up the secret passage.

They gave the Uchiha shrine one last look.

I could feel Ise wanting to tug her hand away when we approached the district gate. But she ended up not letting go of me.

The guards let us through.

After Ise and Shao, I thanked Gin. I owed him ramen. For life. I happily threw in an offer of teriyaki on top. We locked arms and hugged, before waving goodbye. We would meet up again during our next community service.

At school, my friends jumped on me, wanting to know where I was.

They had huge news. After the exam, they had figured it out. They knew who had hurt Mimi.

Later the same day, Mimi woke up in the hospital. Takahashi bursted into the room. The rest of us stayed further behind.

Mimi cried at seeing her brother. They hugged.

But then, the tears kept coming.

And soon, they had another fight.

I learned that the person who had hurt Mimi was… Mimi.

It was hard being the principal's daughter. It was worse being Takahashi's sister. She wasn't like him. She wasn't a perfect student. She didn't want to devote all her time to becoming the next student representative after Takahashi left. Mimi had been so relieved when I took the position.

The normal school was their family's legacy. Her mother had done so much for it, and their grandfather too. It was all they had. That was why Takahashi worked so hard to keep it running. And for the longest time, Mimi tried to keep up, studying day and night to keep up.

But she couldn't keep up.

She had to cheat just to keep up her grades.

Then came Yuuka and the school play. And for the first time, Mimi was having fun. She wasn't locked in her room miserably studying for hours and hours.

But she found out it was not possible for her to both have fun and get good grades.

Mimi tried so hard. Even shinobi pills and all-nighters didn't help her. And now that everyone only carried summoning scrolls, she couldn't even cheat. The summoning scroll didn't let her cheat the way she had before. She couldn't slip anything inside.

Desperate, she found Shao the week before the exam. Rumors went that he had explosive powder. At home, Takahashi had kept saying how summoning scrolls could explode, how an accident was bound to happen.

Trembling, Mimi had gone to the school rooftop, where she knew Shao would be. She had brought money. She had been prepared to blackmail. But Shao turned out to be surprisingly nice. He gave her what she wanted without question. He didn't even ask for money.

Mimi just wanted an excuse to no longer carry her stuff inside a summoning scroll. She just wanted to be able to cheat again for the exam.

Only…

Mimi wasn't very good with her hands. She wasn't good with measurements. She miscalculated the explosion.

She hadn't meant to cause this.

She certainly hadn't meant to get the police involved or Shao arrested.

Mimi broke down. She didn't care if Takahashi was mad at her, because she was mad at him too. This was her fault, but this was his fault too. When was the last time their family ate a meal happily? When was the last time they did anything fun? When was the last time she had not Takahashi the prodigy, not Takahashi the representative, but her older brother?

It was his fault.

For pushing her into this corner.

For loving the stupid school more than his own sister.

.

"I swear… I was only gone two weeks," Shisui said, dismayed, face in both his palms.

I showed the photograph to Itachi, who had also come back from his mission.

"Please?" I asked quietly.

I wanted to know if she was still there. And if she was there… could we bring her back?

Itachi nodded. He steadily stood up. He was about to go when Shisui grabbed him by the shoulder. "I'll go. You get some sleep."

"You are in no better condition than I am," Itachi said, taking Shisui's hand off him. "It's fine. I won't need more than two days."

I swallowed. Suddenly, my hand was on Itachi's wrist, stopping him from leaving. Even though I really wanted him to find Ryuu…

It was clear that whatever mission Itachi had just come from, it had left him exhausted. He deserved to get a good meal and sleep, not be immediately sent off again.

Itachi tugged himself free. "It's okay, Ayae," he whispered, smiling. "If she's there, I will bring her back."

"Bring who back?"

Michio cheerfully flipped onto the porch, joining us. He curiously stared at the photograph, listening to the story.

"Ah, I see, I see!" he said, holding the photograph. He looked at Itachi, before grinning madly. "Well, I hate to break it to you, honey doll, but Itachi dearest has, like, negative chakra levels right now. ANBU missions be masochistic like that. Don't worry, I'll go!"

"Michi, you're still a genin. You have the clearance to enter this type of place?" Shisui asked, skeptical.

Michio was not worried. "I'll get automatic clearance if it's assigned to me on a mission!"

"What is the chance there's a mission to the correctional facility?" I asked. That seemed like an awfully good coincidence!

"One hundred percent!" Michio chirped. To Itachi, he made grabby hands. Understanding, Itachi closed his eyes and threw him his wallet.

Michio whistled at the amount inside, before tossing the bag to me.

"They're going to charge you extra for me. But promise, I'm worth it." He winked.

It was a weird experience going to the Mission Office. Holding the money, I waited in line until I reached the right desk, where I gave my name. I followed Michio's instructions and placed my request, including asking specifically for his team.

The final cost was indeed expensive. I nearly fainted at the number.

Hana was surprised to see me when she arrived at the office.

"Wait, you're my boss?"

"I guess?" I sweated, rubbing my neck.

Hana looked mildly impressed.

As it turned out, Michio's team was the right one to ask for. They specialized in tracking and infiltration. Michio in particular excelled at the infiltration part, changing his looks with the snap of a finger. He easily got inside and figured out what was going on.

Unfortunately…

Shiragi Ryuu was no longer at the facility.

She really was gone.

I… never thought that could be.

The entire time Michio was away, I had been excitedly preparing to surprise all of Ryuu's mystery friends, who would be so happy to have her back.

Afterall, Ryuu didn't look gone in the photograph. She looked happy.

Itachi was less surprised. He already knew Ryuu was likely not there anymore. Still, he didn't like what Michio told me.

Michio didn't care. He was going to be honest. He told Itachi that short of putting me in some genjutsu world, I was going to know.

I wasn't even a ninja, and I still found out some of these things. Because these things were everywhere. To hide them was to hide reality itself.

And that was just not doable.

The world was happy, but it was also sad.

It was okay to let me be sad.

Itachi had to let me be sad. He had to let me hurt. Better now than later, when everything fell, collapsing all at once like a house of cards.

.

The bad girls relaxed when they saw me come up the roof. They went back to their talk.

Shao looked up when I stopped in front of him. He didn't get up from Ise's lap. Ise herself paid me no attention, hotly debating with Murasaki about something, a pencil mindlessly swivelled between her fingers.

"Hi Shao."

"Miss Rep."

I took a deep breath.

"Sekai Heiwa..."

Ise's pencil stopped.

"I don't know how to talk back to them," I explained, pulling out the photograph. "I think this is theirs." It had to come from one of Ryuu's friends. "I think they'd like it back."

Ise's pencil spun again.

Calmly, Shao accepted the photo. He gave me a look that said, sure, he would take care of it. He waited to see if I wanted anything else.

"Were you also friends with Ryuu?" I asked.

"No."

Shao had only seen her in passing many years ago. But he, like everyone else in his grade, had heard her speech in that assembly. After another year or so, the last of the students who had heard her would have graduated.

And then Ryuu would no longer be a memory of the school, but a rumor, a myth, the cause of all the magically appearing buttons.

Shao saw my face and understood what I wanted.

Smirking, he brought the cigarette back to his lips. He gave a look that said, sure, he would see what he could do.

Shao had a reputation. Students of all different groups trusted him. Even if he wasn't one of Ryuu's friends, they let him in. They gave him permission to go and bring me with him.

Shao and I went to the park together.

There was a quiet spot far from the main trails. A single willow tree rested there. In front of the willow tree was a rock. The rock was blank.

Kneeling down, I brushed off the dirt and dead husks. From my bag, I took out a few sticks of incense before realizing I forgot the matches.

I turned to Shao, hoping he brought his lighter.

Shao didn't own a lighter.

He pinched the tips of the incense. My eyes widened when smoke appeared.

Together, we clapped our hands and bowed our heads.

I wished I could talk to Ryuu. If she had been loud, she must have had important things to say. I wanted to listen.

But there was only silence.

Ryuu couldn't speak anymore.

After paying our respects, Shao and I rested by the nearby lake. My pants were rolled up, my feet dangling off the stone edge. The water just reached my toes.

"You can do ninjutsu," I said.

Shao had spent a week in that jail cell and still managed to sit. Even Gin needed to lie down. My uncles had been wrong to assume Shao was just some civilian boy.

Suddenly I felt I didn't know anything all over again. Who was he?

Shao chuckled, his own feet in the water. "I can't do ninjutsu."

I pouted.

I was tempted to push him into the lake and test him. I bet he would be able to walk on the water.

Elemental manipulation was C-rank at least. And my clan specialized in fire. Fire came from the stomach. It left through the mouth. Only Itachi and Tomoe knew how to summon fire through their hands.

Shao looked at the sky.

"Ninjutsu is the philosophy of the ninja. I'm not a ninja. I don't follow their philosophy."

"But—!"

Shao chuckled again, shaking his head. He would help me where I was confused.

What he did was ninjutsu, sure. In the same way black powder was also explosive powder.

And the same way Ayae was also Uchiha or Miss Representative.

Different words could all point at the same thing but not mean the same thing.

Shao explained to me that the thing ninjas called chakra, others called chi.

And chi had been known for ages, long before it became visible to the eye, long before the first ninja was even born. One group of people claiming it one way, naming it one way, did not make it theirs. It did not make all the others go away.

Shao smiled. A koi fish had come up, swimming around his feet. It nibbled at his toe.

To me, he asked if I wanted to hear a story.

It was a story passed to him by his grandmother. It was a story that not many knew. And after his arrest, Shao had realized he would be sad if no one knew.

It was the story of a crafty inventor by the name of Tenchi. Tenchi could have been a woman or a man or a dragon, that part was never really clear. Shao always imagined her a woman, so she was a woman.

Tenchi was originally from the high mountains, in some place called Land of Heaven. The Land of Heaven was a very prosperous place with tall palaces and beautiful stones and delicious food. Everyone was happy in the Land of Heaven, except Tenchi, who wanted to share her homeland's prosperity with the rest of the world.

And so, she left her home, carrying with her three items of her people. These three items were the paper, the string, and the bamboo. And with these three items, she created many inventions that she gifted to the world.

With the string and bamboo, she created a fishing pole, to help feed a woman and her family.

With the bamboo and paper, she created a fan, to help cool a man after a hard day of labor.

With the paper and string, she created a kite, to help the children fly with the birds.

And finally with all three and a spark from her finger, she created a lantern, to help everyone find their way through the dark.

Tenchi lived many years that way, traveling the world, creating and gifting, until the day she met a person hiding in the shadows.

This person was named Yamatai.

It was not known whether Yamatai was a girl or boy, as Yamatai wore both girl clothes and boy clothes. But Shao always imagined him a boy, so he was a boy.

Tenchi learned Yamatai was hiding because he was badly hurt. He did not welcome Tenchi and wanted to run away from her. And he would have, had he not been so badly hurt.

Only after Tenchi took care of him, and he saw she would do him no harm, did he stop trying to run.

In fact, after he recovered, he followed Tenchi willingly, very curious and drawn to her kindness. He was a traveller too, so he declared they should travel together.

As they walked, Yamatai noticed her three items. He would point to each and ask what they were.

Smiling fondly, Tenchi was happy to explain.

The bamboo, she said, was the thing that supports.

The string, she said, was the thing that ties.

And the paper, she said, was the thing that shapes.

With these three items, many things could be accomplished.

Amazed, Yamatai accepted these gifts and adopted them as his own. He followed Tenchi as her apprentice, the two of them traveling the world.

Many seasons would pass like this. They became close. Close became inseparable.

After enough seasons, they walked no longer as woman and boy, but as equals. No longer as mentor and apprentice, but as family.

They eventually settled in a big, beautiful house, where they lived many blissful years.

Then one day, Tenchi decided she wanted to travel again. She missed her homeland. She wished to introduce Yamatai to her people.

She was surprised when Yamatai, who would have once rejoiced at the idea, did not share her wish. Yamatai claimed to be happy where they were. He was happy to just know her and be with her for the rest of his days.

And if Tenchi ever thought to leave the house, he would always coax her back inside.

At first, Tenchi let him. After all, they were very happy as a family.

But as time went on, and the door closed on her again, and again, and again, Tenchi grew suspicious. She demanded to be let out.

Ignoring Yamatai's pleas, she walked out.

She left their big, beautiful house and rejoined the world, where she was met with a horrific sight. Everywhere was fire and smoke, blood and screams.

See, Tenchi and Yamatai were both inventors, unmatched in their brilliance. But while Tenchi wanted to bring happiness into the world, Yamatai could not care less for the world.

When Tenchi had explained her three items, their perspectives had been as different as night and day.

In bamboo, while Tenchi saw something that supports, Yamatai saw something that strikes.

In string, while Tenchi saw something that ties, Yamatai saw something that traps.

In paper, while Tenchi saw something that shapes, Yamatai saw something that holds.

And with those three items, Yamatai had accomplished many things in the shadows.

He too had blessed the world with gifts. Only they were not gifts of happiness, but gifts of violence.

And using the same three items, Yamatai took Tenchi back. He knocked her down, bound her hands and feet, and covered her in tags, so that she could not leave. Their big, beautiful house turned into her prison.

However, while Yamatai was brilliant, Tenchi shined brighter still.

In the night, she broke free. She broke her own body to do so. Left behind on the bed was a paper doll in her form.

By the time Yamatai realized he had been fooled, Tenchi had already passed canyons and rivers. Step by bitter step, she ascended the mountains back to her homeland.

But when she reached her home, it was already gone.

The world below, using Yamatai's gifts, had already broken through. Tore down the tall palaces. Robbed the beautiful stones. Burned the delicious food.

The once prosperous place was no more.

The people, too, were no more.

The only proof that the Land of Heaven even existed were the many wonderful items that had been discovered there, now dispersed across the lands.

Powders, white and black.

Liquids, clear and cloudy.

Metals, thick and thin.

But these things, too, were no longer recognizable. Things that had been once used for cleansing now only dirtied. Things that had once been used for healing now only wounded.

Tenchi had met many people in her travels. She had met the wise and the foolish, the peasants and the kings. She had thought she understood darkness. After all, she had met smugglers and thieves, conmen and opportunists, soldiers and mercenaries, demagogues and despots.

She didn't know how she had missed this one group, who, when it came to the twisted and the cruel and the insane, outdid them all, and outdid them in pride, waving their banners and boasting their names. Even their own children, they did not hesitate sending to the slaughter.

A group who once hid in the shadows. A group who now, thanks to her help, came to rule the world.

It was said that her grief had been heard by all that lived under the sky. A grief so powerful, that by the time Yamatai reached the mountain, crying for her name, crying for her return, she had already shattered into the wind.

Shao was silent.

The water at his feet had gone still. There was not a single ripple.

Seeing me, he chuckled, teasing me for my tears.

It was just a silly story, he said. If I didn't like it, I could always read the one in my history textbook.

You know, the one about the bad woman eating an apple.

Or the wise men who then came and made everything great.

.

My dad noticed I wasn't eating, just shuffling my beans back and forth.

"Daddy?"

My dad waited patiently.

"How do you know what is true and what isn't?" I asked.

He blinked. He was surprised by the question, but he also looked proud.

"Well, honey, you don't. Never really."

I looked up, my brows furrowed.

"Huh?"

He explained.

There were things you could be more right on, and things you could be less right on.

Things you could be more confident in, and things you could be less confident in.

Things you knew more about, and things you knew less about.

You could do things that brought you closer to the truth, but my dad hadn't heard of anything that guaranteed the truth.

So whatever belief I had, it was important to know… it was always possible for that belief to be wrong. And if someone came with an opposite belief, it was always possible that theirs was right.

I lowered down my chopsticks, my brows furrowed. "Then... how do I choose what to believe?"

My dad huffed, smiling softly.

"You don't." No one did.

My eyes widened.

Belief was not a choice. Belief was a consequence.

Three things shape belief, my dad explained.

The first is what you observe.

The second is what you are told.

The third is what you feel.

You only need two of the three to have a conviction.

If something was not possible to observe for myself, then I had to rely on what I had been told. And if told opposing things, it came down to which my heart would accept. Some things would ring true more than others.

I already had my beliefs.

Those had long been decided, by every moment leading up to now, by everything I had seen, had heard, had felt, by everyone I had met, had befriended.

But just because beliefs were decided, did not mean that they could not change, or grow, or evolve. Weren't changing, growing, evolving every day.

Beliefs were simply a consequence of our experiences. They shaped to the things we saw and the voices we heard. Most importantly, they shaped to us.

Someone who had never been hurt, it would be difficult for their heart to understand pain.

Someone who had never been forgiven, it would be difficult for their heart to acknowledge mistakes.

Someone who had never been loved, it would be difficult for their heart to imagine compassion.

Someone who had never been unloved, it would be difficult for their heart to imagine the lack of it.

.

Aunt Mikoto saw me standing outside. She opened the door, ready to welcome me inside.

Her expression fell.

I held up the book. The Little Ninja.

"I couldn't sleep last night," I said, my throat hoarse. "I found this. I thought I'd read it. The words aren't that hard to understand anymore."

Quiet, Aunt Mikoto took the book from me.

"I didn't remember it being that bad," I said.

"Oh, Ayae dear…" she whispered, her shoulders lowering.

My eyes went watery. "I swear there was a princess and pie and a magical kiss and—and—!" My voice got louder. "I was waiting for the princess to show up. But the princess doesn't even exist! Why did you tell me a different story, Auntie!"

Aunt Mikoto didn't know what to say.

In the end, she crouched down and told me the truth.

"Because I didn't want you to fall in love with this one."

Because she and her husband grew up with this book. And because they grew up with the book, they loved this book. And because they loved this book, they were trapped by it. Trapped by its world, even though the world was horrible. Trapped by its ideas, even though the ideas were horrible.

Decades later, they had yet to break free.

She didn't want the next generation of children to fall into the same trap. Especially not me, who was ready to embrace anything, ready to love anyone.

She didn't want all that love to go to waste. So she had the princess receive my love instead.

I was quiet.

It was no good to yell at Aunt Mikoto. Getting angry at her didn't make me feel better.

I felt too sad to be angry.

Aunt Mikoto noticed something was different about me, more than just finding out that she had lied about a book many years ago.

"Auntie, can I ask for something?"

She held my hands in hers. "Absolutely. What do you want, Ayae dear?"

"Explosive powder."

Her eyes widened.

"I want explosive powder."

.

At the back of the Uchiha district was a quiet lake. It was a bit bigger than the one at the park, and surrounded by trees and cliffs on most sides. Along one edge were temples, and a bit farther, Tomoe's mansion. It was the same lake where Aunt Mikoto showed me her secret garden.

I brought Shao and the bad girls to this lake. Aunt Mikoto brought Sasuke and his friends.

My dad was the last to arrive. He brought someone too.

"Hey! It's you!"

Sasuke stiffened. He said nothing when Naruto came and punched him in the arm.

"You here for the secret too?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Talk that loud, and it won't be a secret, will it," came a voice behind Sasuke.

"Eh? Ino?!" Naruto's eyes went wide. "S-Sakura?"

The two girls stepped up.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked, pointing back and forth. "And with him!"

"We're his friends, why wouldn't we be with him!" Ino said.

"We're in the same homework group," Sakura said.

"I heard of no homework group! Why wasn't I asked?!"

"You do homework?" Sakura said, raising an eyebrow.

Naruto closed his mouth.

"Maybe I do," he said.

"It's smart people only," Ino said, crossing her arms.

Naruto tucked his arms behind his head. "Heh, well that's good. Because you're talking to Uzumaki Naruto, smartest person in the world!"

"In what world?!" demanded Ino.

"I don't know about him though," Naruto continued, ignoring Ino. He jerked a thumb towards Sasuke. "He needs to prove he can be in our group."

Ino's eye twitched.

They bickered some more. Caught in the middle was Sasuke. He just glared at me. This was all my fault.

I rubbed my neck, laughing.

By the pier, Shao talked to my dad and Aunt Mikoto. He held onto his yo-yo.

Ise and the rest of the bad girls kept distant. They sat in the grass. They never got up to introduce themselves, not even to the adults.

They didn't come to be polite. They came to protect Ise in case something bad happened, and Ise came for Shao.

The sun was setting fast.

Smiling, my dad patted Shao on the shoulder. Shao blushed and looked away, nodding. He gripped his yo-yo harder. My dad and Aunt Mikoto exchanged a look before stepping away together.

Right before everything was about to start, Ise went to Shao. She grabbed him.

"You don't have to do this," she whispered.

Ise saw that I could hear. She decided she didn't care.

"It's okay," he said.

Ise looked at me. Then she looked beyond me, at Naruto and the other kids. She frowned.

"Can't they go away?" She was talking to me now.

I opened my mouth.

"I want them to see," Shao answered.

"And her?" Ise demanded, referring to Aunt Mikoto.

"She can see too."

Ise was getting upset. "Shao! This is..." She breathed. "This is too many people. And those buildings there. If someone's in there, they can see too. I just got you back, I can't—"

Ise couldn't say it.

Shao smirked, leaning in. "Can't…?" he teased.

She hit him hard in the chest.

Shao snickered.

He softened. "Letting them see is the whole point." He glanced at me. "And Miss Rep won't let anything too bad happen to me, will she?"

I shook my head furiously.

It was decided. Shao retracted his yo-yo. Alone, he walked to the end of the pier.

Ise returned to her friends, and I went to my dad and Aunt Mikoto.

Shao stepped onto the lake.

He didn't sink in.

He kept walking.

My dad was amazed. Even though he knew people could walk on water, it was his first time seeing someone do it.

Aunt Mikoto just watched with a soft smile. Then her expression changed.

She looked alarmed.

Shao kept walking.

The lighting was getting worse and worse, the sun already over the horizon. Shao was turning into nothing more than a silhouette.

But in the little light there was, I could see something was off. This didn't look like all the other times someone walked on water.

I realized what it was.

Ripples.

There were no ripples by Shao's feet.

In fact… there were no ripples at all. It was as if water had stopped moving just for him, becoming as smooth as glass.

And then, the wind came. It was a strong wind, hitting my back and fluttering my hair.

From all four directions, the wind rushed towards Shao, who spun his yo-yo before tossing it high in the sky. He tossed it hard and fast. The pieces broke apart, releasing explosive powder into the air.

The wind carried the powder higher.

I couldn't tell how high or where, until it ignited.

"WHOA—!"

Naruto's eyes went wide, his mouth opened in awe.

The sky lit up.

Fireworks.

Explosive powder… black powder... was what created fireworks, I realized.

It was not the normal festival fireworks. They weren't giant balls of light, but patterns. Weaves and spirals like moving calligraphy. Crackling. Expanding.

It was art. Beautiful art illuminating the night sky.

One spark ignited another in a chain, creating mountains and rivers, trees and blossoms, dancing swallows and looping koi.

The scenes flowed from one to the next, the sparks climbing higher and higher, like a dragon resurrected. A dragon flying back into heaven.

And then, with a final burst of light, it was over.

Shao walked back.

Ise was waiting for him at the edge of the pier.

He grinned. He took back his earlier words. Letting everyone else see was fine. But he mostly just wanted her to see.

He had been planning the surprise for months.

He kissed her.

"Happy Birthday, Ise."

.

After seeing Shao, Aunt Mikoto thought I might have discovered one of the greatest secrets in Konoha. She glanced at Naruto and sighed. And Konoha had a lot of secrets!

"What was that?" Sasuke asked his mom. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke tried to hide his excitement. He failed. "Isn't he a civilian? Why can he do ninjutsu? Why didn't he need hand signs? What kind of ninjutsu was that?"

Sasuke had lots of questions. Like me, he had noticed the strangeness with the water and wind.

"I believe that was senjutsu," Aunt Mikoto said.

Sasuke looked confused. It was rare seeing him hear something he didn't already know.

"Sen… jutsu," Sasuke repeated, testing the word. His eyes flashed. He abruptly looked up. "Sen… like sennin?"

Aunt Mikoto nodded.

"Impossible," Sasuke said, face serious. "Sennin is for the greatest shinobi of all time. Not even Brother is a sennin yet. How can a civilian be a sage?"

Aunt Mikoto did not know. She brought a hand to her chin, looking curious herself. It was indeed a mystery.

She had studied Shao with her own eyes. His chakra pathways looked like mine—sealed. He wouldn't be able to mold chaka.

But…

What Aunt Mikoto did know was that chakra didn't only come from our bodies. Chakra was everywhere in nature. And senjutsu was about the chakra in nature.

It certainly looked like the chakra in nature was moving, no?

"That still makes no sense!" Sasuke said, huffing. "How can someone who can't even control their own body's chakra, control the chakra around them? How can someone who can't do ninjutsu, do senjutsu?"

Aunt Mikoto smiled warmly. "That's a good question. Maybe we should ask him?"

The other kids had gotten to Shao first.

Ino was very much in love, switching between complimenting Shao and warning Naruto. She told Naruto that he better not ruin the secret.

Naruto was also very much in love, switching between complimenting Shao and getting very insulted by Ino. As if he was a tattletale! Of all the people to look out for, it was Ino the gossiper!

Ise didn't care who it was. She held her pencil threateningly and said if word of this got out, she was going to shank them all. Even if she died, she would come back as a ghost and haunt them forever.

She scared them good. Naruto paled at the ghost part.

Ise was holding onto Shao tightly. I realized she was scary because she was scared. There was a reason Shao had kept his ability a secret. If the village knew, Ise would lose him all over again. But he wouldn't be taken to some correctional facility. He'd be taken somewhere worse.

"Shaochin?"

Shao turned around. Aunt Mikoto smiled.

"My son would like to ask you some questions, if that's okay?"

Shao glanced down.

Sasuke got flustered.

"Can you… explain how you did that?" he mumbled politely.

"Did what?"

"Control the wind and water."

"I didn't."

Sasuke stared at him, trying to tell how badly Shao was lying.

Shao wasn't lying.

"I can't make anything do what it doesn't want to," Shao said plainly.

Sasuke stared harder. His brain tried to understand and failed. It tried again and failed again.

"The water… wants to go still for you?" Sasuke said flatly. I could tell if his mom wasn't right there, he'd be much ruder.

"Lift your hand?" Shao asked.

Sasuke did.

"Did you control your hand?"

"Yes." Sasuke paused. His answer sounded awkward.

"Your hand wants to raise for you?"

Sasuke didn't know what to say to that. The question made no sense. Just like how Sasuke's question to Shao had made no sense.

Sasuke struggled.

I was surprised. Sasuke was smarter than me. In our past training, he picked up everything immediately.

I didn't understand why he wasn't able to understand this.

Control. Command. Force. Power. These were shinobi words. Shao was not a shinobi. So these words had no meaning here.

Shao was saying, stilling the water was as easy as lifting his hand. Shao was saying…

"You are the wind and water," I said.

Shao smiled. He gave a look that said, bingo.

He was more than that, I realized. He was also the fire. He was the earth. The mountains and sea and sky.

After all, chakra… chi... was everywhere. It had existed before the first ninja, before the first people. And it would continue to exist after the last ninja, after the last people.

Even though Sasuke struggled to understand, I could tell he badly wanted to.

One of the biggest limits for a ninja was how much chakra they had. Once their chakra was gone, their power was gone. But the chakra from nature was vast and endless. To know senjutsu was to have all the chakra in the world.

It meant being able to move the mountains and sea and sky as easily as moving your hand.

It would make you the strongest person alive.

Stronger than the Hokage.

Stronger than Itachi.

"Do you teach?" Sasuke blurted out.

Naruto overheard. He jumped in, bumping into Sasuke. "Hey, hey, if you teach him, teach me too," he said excitedly, pointing to himself.

Ino and Sakura stepped in too.

"Wait, we also want to know!"

Shao thought about it. "I suppose you can learn it…"

Before they could get too excited, he smirked.

"... if you're okay with giving up a few things."

"Like what?" Naruto asked.

I realized I already knew the answer.

"Meat."

Shao was impressed I caught on so fast.

There was more.

"Violence too," I whispered.

Animals and people were a part of nature too.

If nature was the same as your hand, killing an animal was the same as chopping off your own hand. Hitting another person was the same as hitting yourself.

You could be the strongest person alive, but you would never be able to fight again.

Not even in self-defense.

Shao wasn't going to be offended if they said no. It was hard to survive in this world without fighting. There was a reason we hadn't met anyone like him before.

In fact, he might just be the very last one.

"Okay!"

Everyone turned to look at Naruto, who was still staring at Shao with star-struck eyes.

Naruto's favorite flavor of ramen was miso anyway.

"Make me a sage!"

"I thought you wanted to be Hokage," Sakura mumbled, brows furrowed.

Naruto whipped his head. "You know?"

Sakura looked caught and embarrassed.

"Everyone knows," Ino said, hands at her hips. "You say it every day!"

"Oh. Well, I want to be a sage now."

His classmates collapsed.

For Naruto, the decision was easy. He liked lights. He liked explosions. And he wanted to be in the cool kids club.

"Please, boss?" Hands clapped, he looked hopefully back and forth between Shao and Ise.

Ise huffed. "Maybe."

Naruto punched the air. Maybe meant yes!

Naruto chatted excitedly as my dad escorted him and everyone else home.

As Shao walked, he tinkered with his yo-yo. He clicked all the pieces back in place one by one. One of the pieces didn't stick quite right and popped out.

I caught it. I handed it back.

"Shao?"

"Miss Rep."

"Your ability… can you teach me too?" I asked.

He looked at me.

Embarrassed, I explained that not being able to do ninjutsu made me feel helpless at times. The jail cell needed substitution. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't do anything.

So to know there was another way besides ninjutsu…!

"You don't need me."

"Huh?"

Shao smiled, looking at the piece of his yo-yo.

"You already have the best teacher," he said. "And you're already better than I am."

Shao said sure, he was connected better to some things in the world. But I had a better connection to other parts.

"Your friend risked his own life for mine. He did it without hesitation." He glanced at me. "Because you'd do it without hesitation."

Shao didn't think Ginjiro was the only person who had become my right hand, just as Ginjiro was not the only one who had me as their left hand.

He clicked his yo-yo together.

Shao told me his grandmother had warned him to never reveal his ability to the shinobi. Not even in the face of death.

They wouldn't understand, she had said. They would break him in hopes of understanding him… understanding him on their terms.

That day at Ryuu's grave, that day he touched the incense… it was the first time he had ever gone against any word of his grandmother's. Who would have thought he'd reveal himself to the Uchiha clan of all people.

But the world had changed since his grandmother's time, he felt.

He no longer thought it was impossible for the shinobi to understand.

I had changed his mind.

"It's one thing to move heaven and earth," he said. "It's another to move people."

The former changed landscapes.

The latter changed humanity.