warning: unedited.
If I had not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other peoples
-May 11, 1931. Journals of Anais Nin
"Again." Akira orders, voice echoing off the many trees around them. She brought them deep into a nearby forest so their training wouldn't be interrupted by annoying villagers. Nothing ruined training like jeering assholes. "Slower this time."
Sweat drips down Naruto's brow as he falls back into the kata with practiced precision. Slowly he goes through the motions she had shown him earlier, movements languid but precise.
"Good. Now reverse."
He does so until he's back where he started, holding the position with bated breath.
"Again. This time breathe through it. If you hold your breath like that you'll pass out."
Akira begins a demonstration, inhaling when she draws her arms to her body and exhaling through a feigned hit. Naruto eagerly joins until they are moving in perfect synchronization, following her every move and breath.
At last she relaxes her shoulders and sends him a blinding smile. "Great job. That's enough for today."
Naruto, after hearing her words, flops to the ground with a loud whine. No surprise when they had been at it for hours. The sun was already halfway in its descent from the sky. She isnt teaching him much, but it was all she can do for him.
Akira spent months and years trying to get custody of her brother, but it was all for naught. She is constantly roadblocked by the Clans and Council–well that wasn't right. For some reason the Hyuuga agreed with her that the only way to prevent what happened at his birth was to train Naruto to harness his half of the ninetails.
Maybe Shin has something to do with their leniency?
Naruto's groans of complaint are interrupted when a cool bottle of water rests against his forehead. "Drink up kiddo."
Grabbing the bottle, Naruto glances imploringly in her direction. "Are we gonna spar today?"
She thinks on it for a moment, taking in his exhausted frame. He was still much too thin for her liking and it made him tire out faster than he should.
Akira shakes her head, "Not today."
"What? Come oooonnee-chan," Naruto whines loudly, flopping his body back onto the grass, "I just wanna spar, 'ttebayo!"
"Patience, Naruto. We'll spar when I'm sure you've got it all down."
"But I'm ready. I know the kata front to back–literally!"
Akira lets out a tired sigh, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting out a hip. "You're ten. You can take your time."
"Tch. you were genin at my age." he argues stubbornly.
"I didn't have much of a choice back then. You'll graduate–"
"-when i'm ready." Naruto quotes testily, arms flailing as if to prove a point. "But I'm ready now!"
She doesn't have time for this right now. There were too many things she needed to get done and she was already late in meeting up with Shisui as it was. "No. You're not." she says with finality.
This just fans the flames of her brother's ire. "I AM, 'TTEBAYO! If you would just let me show you–"
Akira cuts him off, voice cold and hard as steel as she speaks loudly, "The enemy won't go easy on you. All it takes is one wrong move and you're dead."
Tears fill her brother's eyes and she immediately softens. Cicadas buzz loudly in the absence of noise as she kneels by his side and brushes her thumb under his leaking eye.
"I'm not trying to hold you back, Naruto. I just need to make sure that when the time comes you'll have a fighting chance…" she swallows past the lump in her throat. "I can't lose you too. You're my everything."
Naruto wipes snot from his nose. "Like your mom and dad?"
The jagged scars on her back burn for but a moment. A reminder of all she lost… and what she gained. She stays silent for a while until, "Yes."
The setting sun reflects in his watery eyes. "Can you tell me about them..?"
She smiles sadly and forces down her regret. "Another time, I promise." standing up Akira dusts off her pants then extends her hand to her brother. "Come on. We gotta meet up with Shisui, like, five minutes ago."
Naruto leaps from the ground and begins running ahead, "Why didn't you say so!?"
"Akira Uzumaki defected from the village two nights ago-"
No.
"-from today forward she will be considered an S-class missing nin-"
Lies. All lies.
"-orders will be as such: kill or flee on sight. Any information on her whereabouts will be given money."
Nee-chan…
.
.
.
There are very few things Naruto could confidently call his. Being an orphan and sharing common places with fifteen other kids left little room for him to actually collect things.
But he hid a few, and that's all he needed. There's the obvious things like his clothes and toiletries. All given to him by either the Hokage or his 'Nee-chan'.
Then there are the stacks of books he kept, once read to him in a melodic, petal-soft voice. Arms that wound around him like his favorite blanket. A presence both solid and comforting.
His most prized possession had been his 'big-sis' Akira. Though they weren't directly related, she had treated him as if they were. She was one of his earliest memories: her brilliant smile whenever he came into her view.
The way she knelt to pull him in a warm embrace, nose burying into the crook of his neck as she inhaled deeply. At one point he had thought she was checking to make sure he was taking baths regularly.
When she failed to visit him for months he'd been consumed with worry. He knew she had gone on a mission overseas, but she promised to come back with souvenirs. Akira promised many things. Toys, books, training–A home when she returned–
She never did.
Seasons changed until he was faced with the truth: Akira deserted Konoha—abandoned him.
Naruto traded worry for anger.
Why would she spend so long building his hopes up higher than the Hokage mountains, just to leave him behind?
Just what secrets had she hidden behind her too-wide smiles?
When would she come back for him?
.
.
.
"Heard your so-called sister abandoned you and is a missing-nin now." says a haughty Ino Yamanaka. She stood next to Aoto, one of the kids from the orphanage. He grins nastily, chest puffed out in pride.
Naruto bites his tongue, refusing to rise to the bait his classmates dangled before him. It wasn't the first time and certainly wouldn't be the last. And that's okay–he didn't need to stand up for himself every time someone found an issue with him. He was bigger than that.
Free lunch is both a blessing and a curse for the young Uzumaki. The lack of teachers in the vicinity gave them the perfect opening to make fun of him once more. If it wasn't about his personality, it was about his absent sister.
Looking back, he probably shouldn't have bragged about her as much as he did. So what if he compared the frilly Yamanaka to his strong ass sister? It wasn't as if he knew she would abandon him!
It didn't bother him–he swore it didn't. It's just a little… annoying.
Some students watched as Aoto pushed Naruto's shoulder roughly, empty taunts filling the crisp afternoon air. They did nothing. No surprise there, either. Though Ino was beginning to look a little uncomfortable at the physical attacks, she didn't try to hold Aoto back.
Usually when a fight would start another someone would go running for the teacher. Instead, he felt their eyes on him. Burning holes in his flushed skin. They watch the interaction, waiting for him to fall under foot and be crushed.
Even that bastard Satsiki Uchiha stood watching, though she looked rather irritated for some reason. The fight was probably interrupting her quiet time or some shit.
Aoto pushed him once more, annoyance plain on his face that Naruto was keeping his silence. A dark smile lit up his face as he crossed his arms. "Don't worry. You'll see her again: when they bring her head back for identification." Laughter. Not just from him but from a few onlookers too.
Screw it. Naruto throws the first punch for the first time in his life. It was almost scary how easy it was to take someone down, body automatically following movements he's been taught.
It goes against everything he was taught, but he would do it again. The crunching of someone's nose under his fist lights a match in his belly and he doesnt stop until someone pulls him away.
Iruka-sensei yells at the other students but Naruto doesn't hear what's said. Too focused is he on the beaten bully crying and groaning on the ground. When he's taken away from the scene, he smiles.
Later, after breaking up the fight, Iruka takes Naruto into his personal office. The space itself is nothing special. A small room that fits a desk and an extra chair for students or parents to sit comfortably in.
Naruto was sitting in the proffered chair, cheek already bruising and a pout to his lips.
Iruka gets down to business. "I know you're a troublemaker but what on earth could have compelled you to start a fight? It's not like you." It wasn't. Though Naruto pulled pranks nonstop and disrupted the class, he never got into any physical altercations.
"Talk shit get hit." The child mumbles without an ounce of remorse.
Iruka is briefly shocked. "Who on earth taught you…" he trails off, understanding tapering off his words. Because there was only one person who could have possibly filled the child's head with such nonsense.
His sister.
That wild-woman wasn't known for her agreeable nature even before she defected—often shooting off insults without any care about consequences.
Kunoichi were often trained to be gentle yet sneaky creatures. A lot of their education made them so. Adaptable to various situations. Soft with wicked tongues that both cut and healed.
Not Akira Uzumaki. She had been the powerhouse of her team. Cutting through the enemy as if she were at home in the blood and gore.
Many who were teamed up with her ended up needing to seek psychological help to deal with the horrors she put those she deemed as enemies. How the rest of team twelve put up with her was far beyond Iruka's understanding.
It was one of the many reasons why so many feared her. It wasn't just the Kyuubi trapped inside—there was just something off about the girl.
As if she lacked that one key ingredient that made someone human. Didn't help that her looks were far from average. It drew people to her just as much as it repulsed. If not for her (many) faults, she would've been chased after by many pursuers.
Ahem. He was straying from the point. All in all, he's not surprised in the least.
Iruka shakes himself back into the present. He lets out a weary sigh, discreetly rubbing at his temples. "You can't get into fights every time someone runs their mouth. There would be no end."
A sad truth.
With Akira gone, Naruto was put in a rough spot. The similarities between the two and the fact many knew the full truth… It was only a matter of time, really.
For all a shield his sister had been, she left Nautro vulnerable in the wake of her absence.
Said boy shrunk in his chair, arms crossed. "Whatever," he grumbled. "We done here?"
Another sigh from the poor, underpaid in his opinion, teacher. His hand moves in a shooing motion, "Yeah. Go ahead."
Once the boy was gone Iruka sank back into his seat. He thinks back to his first—and only—meeting with the now missing-nin. The way she had sat in the same chair her brother had just vacated, mirroring the boy's own body language.
It wasn't a long meeting and mostly consisted of the demon-girl threatening his life if he didn't treat her brother fairly. That if Iruka needed to hate someone, to hate her.
It was sweet, barring the threat of broken legs and cut off male anatomy. It was the first time he had thought of her as being human.
Iruka stretched in his chair with a loud groan. "Well," he said aloud to himself, "no use thinking about it any longer."
She would never come back. Alive, that is.
Which was a blessing in disguise. No matter what he did he was sure she would find something he did wrong and snap his legs in half. After what she did to that impoverished port town before defecting…
He shuddered, crossing his legs.
Yeah. It's for the best that she doesnt come back.
"Spar with me."
Naruto stares up to a bored looking Satsuki, brows raised high. The sun shines behind her, casting her dark hair in a halo of dark gold. He looks around but there's no one around but him and the tree he's sat under.
After his fight with Soto the other classmates gave him a wide berth, which suits him well.
"Me?" he asked, both confused and, if he were honest with himself: hopeful.
Satsuki narrows her eyes, "You're the only one around, dumbass."
Hope falling flat Naruto pulls a face of indignation. Ugh. She was so full of herself! He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes, pretending she wasn't there. "Nah, I'm good. Go play with flowers with the rest of the girls."
"...I knew your sister."
That got his attention.
At once he's in Satsuki's face, anger boiling under his skin and fists balled tight. "So what? You gonna talk shit, too? I won't hold back just cuz you're a girl, 'ttebayo!"
"Hey, back off," she began, lip raised in annoyance, "My nii-chan, Itachi, and her were close. She was…nice." a light flush dusted her alabaster cheeks as she looked away bashfully. "Very nice."
That gave him pause. So she wasn't trying to start anything? He took a step back, eyeing her up and down suspiciously. "You're Itachi's sister?"
She blinked a few times, stunned. "Uh, yeah. He picks me up from school every now and then…"
"I thought that was just a clan thing!"
"...Stupid."
"Hey!"
Satsuki shifts on her feet awkwardly. "So, did you want to spar or not?"
Affronted Naruto sits back down and crosses his arms stubbornly. "Nah. Go find someone who isn't stupid to play with."
"Whatever." she stomps away.
Danzo walks away from Hiruzen, fuming from the confrontation. The stale stench of death hung in the air as he made his way through what was once the Uchiha district. Bodies lay about, blood sprayed behind them. The moonlight reflects off the wet blood like macabre angel wings.
How his old friend didn't see the necessity of what he'd done was beyond him. The Uchiha Clan needed to be taken care of and he had done it. He alone orchestrated the downfall of a once mighty clan and he alone would reap the rewards.
Two ANBU members fall into step beside him. Boar is the first to speak. "Lord Danzo, the body count doesn't match up." he said in a monotone.
Danzo slows his stride to a stop. "What did you say?"
"It's like they disappeared."
It takes every inch of willpower not to smile then. 'Good.' Everything was going as planned. Soon he would be more powerful than Hiruzen himself. People would bow beneath his might as he came back again and again-
A familiar voice interrupts his inner monologue, sending an icy chill down his spine. "I witnessed everything."
'How!?'
"and I will continue to watch. If you so much as touch Satsuki or Naruto, I will pass on classified Village intel to every enemy nation."
Before Danzo can so much as formulate a response Itachi Uchiha dispersed in a flurry of crows. Their cawing echoed off of the walls and rang in his ears long after they disappeared.
It would seem he would need to change a few of his plans. "Damn you."
Not that he is worried. Not when he has a brainwashed Akira Uzumaki and the cursed seal she made in his pocket. It wouldn't be long until he amassed his army to overthrow that bastard Hiruzen. He didn't need the power of the Kyuubi anyway.
All would be well.
"Hey, Freak!" A shove. Biting gravel digging into bruised knees and worn hands. One resigned sigh.
Naruto is many things. A prankster. Hyperactive. Loud. But above all else; he's tired.
Dusting off his hands the eleven-year-old glares through bright blonde bangs at the teenagers before him. Standing above him with a nasty smirk was Emi, Soto's elder sister, and her two henchmen.
He would feel bad about being bullied by a girl but he learned early on assholes come in all genders.
"Whaddya want?" Naruto asks, fixing the straps of his worn bookbag back onto his shoulders. Its weight against his back brought little comfort.
It was always the same with these types. Give them what they want and they would leave you alone for a few days.
Emi scoffs, tossing her silky brown hair over her shoulder and resting a hand on her hip. "Quit feigning innocence. You know what I want."
"A personality?" he replies under his breath. Apparently not quiet enough because her face burns bright red.
The satisfaction only lasts momentarily before she takes a threatening step forward, hand reaching for the front of his shirt. Naruto back-pedals, barely getting away fast enough.
"Grab him!" she shrieks.
One of her henchmen runs behind Naruto and pulls him up by his pack. His legs kick helplessly like a misbehaving kitten. "I don't get paid until tomorrow!" he says hurriedly.
"Liar! Get his bag,"
Blue eyes widen and Naruto fights harder. Holds on tighter.
Outnumbered three to one he stood no chance. One of the straps ripped. In a breath all his belongings are strewn across the ground. Someone sits on his back and his chest aches.
Helplessly he watches as they tear through his things like a pack of starved wolves.
Kicking a tattered book in front of his nose, the largest of the four huffs, "Just a bunch of junk."
At the sight of the aforementioned book, Naruto's blood runs cold. With renewed vigor he bucks, doing his best to toss the bastard off him. "Get off. I'll give you the money tomorrow!"
He's desperate and they see it. That night Naruto cries under his sheets, holding on tight to the scraps of his favorite book: The Little Ninja That Could.
.
.
.
Naruto walks up to Satsuki with purpose, shoulders squared and mind made up. She had been gone for weeks only to return with dark circles under her haunted black eyes.
You would have to be deaf and stupid to not have heard the news of the Uchiha Massacre. All of them were slaughtered in the span of a night by a single person: Itachi Uchiha.
Having met him a few times, Naruto is surprised by the news. Sure the older boy was oddly quiet and often reserved, but he never gave off the impression of being near a breaking point.
Then again after Akira's boyfriend died and she disappeared everything got all weird with the adults. People began whispering things that could never be true. How Akira and Itachi planned Shisui's death.
A buncha bullshit if you asked Naruto. His sister was borderline obsessed with the guy, there's no way she could have planned to kill him. Not when the three of them were to move in together when Akira got back from her last mission…
No, that isn't what's important right now. What had his sister told him once? 'Some things just don't need words' or some shit like that. It was a good thing what he lacked in words, he made up for in physical abilities.
When Naruto reaches Satsuki she barely acknowledges him, only the tightening of her shoulders and a barely-there glance.
"Do you want to spar?" asks Naruto, hand going behind his head to scratch his neck awkwardly.
Satsuki looks at him fully then, brows furrowed and ready to bolt. When she realizes that was all he meant to say she relaxes and looks off into the distance. After a moment of hesitation she stands. "Hn."
…he would take that as a yes.
END.
A/N: This is mostly just to get myself back into writing and dabble in a different tense. It's my birthday but this is my gift to those who still follow along. Thank all of you :*