A/N: I present my first ever attempt at writing. It is not canon compliant and will be AU since I will be manipulating the timeline as i wish. English is not my first language. Constructive criticism is welcomed but don't be rude. I am writing for fun and hope you enjoy as well.
I don't own Naruto and never will.
"Emphasis"
'Characters thinking'
a simple narration
"Characters speaking"
If you have any confusion, feel free to ask.
Let's start, shall we?
CHAPTER 24: Eye-opening
It's been a few days since Orochimaru has left for a mission. Naruto does not know how long, nor does she care she thinks, just focusing on getting stronger every day. With the way her chakra coils are burned, it will take some time (that she knows she does not have), she is focusing on relearning her taijutsu. She is still over reaching and stumbling like a newborn but she will not give up. If she gives up just because a few stumbling blocks, her name will not be Naruto.
She flinches when her mind conjures up her new name "Hina" well does that mean that I can give up? Another image is conjured up - this time of a person with long dark hair and white pupilless eyes with infinite kindness, a strong, strong girl how can she be so strong? Slapping her, scolding her and holding her hand, the warmth reminding her of what she is fighting for, of what they are fighting for right in the middle of a battlefield
"She is such a badass. Right Kurama?" Naruto asks absentmindedly while going through katas, pretty sure it was Kurama who subconsciously made that memory appear when she was thinking of her new identity in this unfamiliar Konoha.
He does not reply, she does not expect him to. After all he was very busy and working hard with repairing the chakra coils of this child's body.
No matter, Naruto thinks, she has to live up to Hinata's legacy, doesn't she? She can't let this name be sullied. She will not give up. She will not give up until this world is free of that rotten weed Zetsu, her nine friends have their freedom and Konoha does not have another Naruto or Sas-
She stops and exhales, deciding its enough for today. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply before opening them again, she starts walking after minutes of silence, letting her body cool down. She can feel it, as her body moves on autopilot, soundless footsteps carrying her. It's like a mirage in the desert, streetlamps and the dark silhouette of buildings, stretching into the distance, even the occasional shadowed flicker of a masked ANBU jumping from one rooftop to another. Although she can't feel chakra signatures right now, she knows that they are there from her battle honed instincts. She feels what she can of the village with her restricted body, practicing and commanding her child body to remain alert in this Konoha.
She is climbing the steps of the Hokage monument, slowly one by one, not in any hurry right now for the exhausted body could collapse any moment and watches as the sun rises shining and lovely over a village nestled between towering trees. The expanse of blue sky is nearly as breathtaking as the village seems to be. Naruto stands on the edge of the Monument and takes both in. There's no rubble, not one building destroyed, she observes from atop her previous reincarnation, Hashirama's head (she still cannot wrap her mind around that); there is peace inside the village and a useless war being fought outside of it.
From this height, she can see the full extent of how repeated attacks on this village will lead to the formation of her Konoha (the Kyuubi attack, the sand-sound invasion, Nagato's attack, the war-) There are many more trees than there used to be? will be? but the buildings are no longer as distinct as they once were in her past. All she can really see is bright and expansive and alive. The village that once was hers. The village that still hasn't been destroyed. The village before her father became Hokage. The village whose sixth Hokage stands before it, but never was able to take a seat.
"a war promotion" They said.
"a battlefield Hokage" They said.
Where every decision costed her someone's life, where the benefit of the mission outweighed the value of that person's life. (she never wanted to be that type of Hokage, she never wanted to put value on a person's life, she never-)
The illusion is that the village exists, at all, as a structure instead of a people. This is not her Konoha because her Konoha is Kakashi's ridiculous eye smile, Sakura's nagging, Tsunade's tired smile, Lee and Gai's challenges, laughter jumping from one jonin to another after a mission, chunin complaining at the gate, nine rookies in over their heads and blowing away their predecessors.
The village is an ideal Sai sketches idly, Ino's voice drifting merrily through the streets, Shikamaru's raised in lazy complaint. It's Choji's warm laugh, Kiba's ridiculous challenges, Hinata's stuttering, Shino's explanation. It's Kakashi reading porn, Yamato relaxing in a sunbeam, Shizune humming as she files paperwork, and Sas-.
Standing on top, Naruto looks for all of them, knowing they are not there and will never be but still looking out for them, burning splendid colors with the sunrise. Her Konoha may not be anymore but this village is standing and its villagers are alive. She failed in her duty, her fate. She was weak, still is-
Naruto recalls Obito telling her the words Madara had inscribed into his conscience -
"Wake up to reality! Nothing ever goes as planned in this accursed world. The longer you live, the more you realize that the only things that truly exist in this reality are merely pain, suffering and futility. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will also exist. The selfish intent of wanting to preserve peace initiates war and hatred is born in order to protect love. There are nexuses causal relationships that cannot be separated"
A (mostly?) sane Obito was made to listen to such words after getting smashed by a boulder. (well he was in a vulnerable position that Madara took advantage of).
Naruto doesn't quite know why his words were echoing as she looked over the village (not her Konoha, not her Konoha-) but would it make her seem like a villain if she confessed that she somewhat agreed with Madara's words?
Looking at the peaceful village she is reminded that even Madara wanted to achieve peace, he just went about it the wrong way, (he was also manipulated, a part of her whispers) still he has to die, because he is too far gone, tangled too deep in the web of lies that Black Zetsu has spun, too far from the shore of truth, drowning for too long in the sea of hatred towards the world.
Feeling eyes on her she swivels her head (how long were they watching? Curse this damn body!) For a moment she thinks she saw Jiji but she is not sure since her chakra is shot and she is only relying on her instincts (that were so sharply honed because she needed them in her childhood to avoid crowded places where people would sneer at her, not that she remembers that's where her instinct came from)
Shisui Uchiha appears from the same direction and she lets her guard drop a bit and lets out an exhausted sigh that should not have come from a child's body.
She ignores him turning her head back to the village and misses the falter in the Uchiha's steps due to her complete ignorance.
"Hey Hina-chan I have been looking for you all over the village. Where were you? Where do you stay? Is Orochimaru-sama training you in secret?" Shisui asks, concern shining in his eyes with a bit of envy but continues before Naruto can get a word in-
"I got to know from Obito-ni-san that you will be joining the academy. Did you give the test? Oh! I know you must have obviously, and passed with flying colors right? So do you know when is your first day? Which class will you be in? which section?" Shisui rambles and Naruto's brain tries to comprehend the questions and the relationship between Shisui and Obi-
"Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that if you have any problem you can approach me since I am in the graduating batch and will be able to help you!" Shisui finishes and takes a deep breath and waits for his friend's reaction (it doesn't matter to Shisui if Hina-chan does not consider him a friend (yet), he will make sure this sad, sad friend of his can smile that brilliant smile that he first saw her with. Afterall that's what friends are for right?)
Hina-chan looks at Shisui with a blank gaze that he does not like. He instinctively knows that the person standing before him is supposed to smile and not look like the weight of the world is breaking her down bit by bit. He patiently waits for Hina-chan's reply knowing his personality sometimes overwhelms the opposite person.
...
Naruto was about to snap at the Uchiha once and for all when Kurama's voice startles her.
"Wait don't snap at him. We both know that you need to relearn your taijutsu." sounding strained he continues working on his host's chakra coils and giving advise.
"Maybe...maybe he will be good for you. We know that he was the one who taught Itachi, you can test and practice your moves on him. He does seem a bit too eager" Kurama grumbles the last part as he tries placating and make his host see reason on not to shun a boy who might or might not be a prodigy.
(Plus he secretly wants Naruto to form new bonds, because even a tailed beast like him knows the value of a true bond. Not that he will tell Naruto to do so directly unless he wants to face a vehement rejection.)
Naruto considers his advise and exhales a hot breath. Where before she was quick to anger now she is quick to get irritated because even talking to someone without a purpose seems like she is losing time. She thinks she understands how her soul brother felt when dealing with someone as energetic as her. She looks at Shisui -
"sightseeing. Orochimaru's place. yes, though it is not a secret. yes. I don't care about the results. Tomorrow. I don't know the answer to your last 2 questions." Naruto frowns when she is forced to answer his questions and realizes her information is not up to the mark. You see she has become somewhat of a perfectionist during the war since even a slightest mistake could take someone's life. So she resolved to find out about her class mad section. And anyway it would be useful to her if she ends up in the graduating batch.
Shisui's eyes widen because this is a first for him that someone answered all his questions at once. Being a genius himself he knew that the answers were given in the same order that he had asked his questions in.
"Woah! don't worry you will get to know you class and section if you ask the teacher at the academy's entrance, tomorrow. If you want I can pick you up from Orochimaru-sama's house if he is not there to show you the way." Shisui offers kindly.
Naruto's eyes narrow in irritation-
"I very well know the way around this village. I don't need your pity." She answers in response to Shisui's kindness and startles when he smirks and suddenly a face overlaps with his donning the same victorious smirk.
Naruto lurches forward grabbing his collar-
"what is there to smile about hm?" She asks in a hissing voice.
This time Shisui did see her coming but did not make a move to get out of her way, starting to grasp that her personality was more of a confrontational type when she was angry and not the passive aggressive type like he thought she might be with all the gloomy air that sorrounds his friend.
His smirk turned into a smile full of teeth like the cat that got the canary and he answered - "Well I just got an answer to my unasked question, which you would have otherwise not answered."
"..."
"..."
Getting annoyed she did not want to think on this ridiculous interrogation any longer and let go of Shisui's collar.
"And?" She crossed her arms and impatiently tapped her foot against the floor demanding answers.
"And...what?" Shisui asked tilting his head and playing innocent.
He was an Uchiha alright, born just for the sole purpose of irritating Naruto. He can never begin to comprehend how much it hurts just by gazing into his eyes.
She leaves because Orochimaru's warning rings clear in her head at the moment (stay away from the Uchiha) and jumps down from Hashirama's head so as not to prolong a conversation she wished she did not have.
Only, only she forgot she cannot use chakra and now she is falling from a huge height that she voluntarily jumped from.
Haaaaah, she sighs internally. She twists mid air and prepares her body to take the minimum amount of damage. only the damage never comes and she is surrounded by warmth of a camp fire and-
red-red-red eyes that stare at her soul.
TBC
I am so sorry for the late update. I was very busy and got a block as well but I will update the next chapter early, I promise, since the draft is already half made.
You will finally see Orochimaru returning to Konoha in the next chapter. Maybe. Maybe not. Well keep guessing what's happening in the Mist Village while I also sort Naruto's timeline a bit.
Take care and see you later! Ja ne!
Signing out
Yuki Race