Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
Chapter 4: Assimilate
"What are you doing, Ruka-chan?"
I look up at my mother guiltily and try to shape my face in to some semblance of innocence.
"Nothing, oka-san"
She raises an eyebrow. "Open your hands"
I obediently open my hands and a shard of grass falls out. She looks at me suspiciously for a moment longer and sighs.
"Come on then, we have work to do." She has a small wicker basket on her hip and I follow her around the meadow.
"What's this was called, Ruka-chan?" She asks.
Dandelions, I think. But I forget what they're called here.
My mother shakes her head. "Tanpopo, please pay attention Ruka. What do they help with?"
I make sure I look like I have a light bulb moment. "They help with the liver! It has potassium…" I tap my lip in a thinking pose. "Used for patients with eczema, intestinal problems and arthritis. It's also used to regulate blood sugar levels."
Jeez, what recently turned 3 year old even knows this stuff. But my mumma smiles proudly and ruffles my hair. Kami knows what she thinks of me, it's not like she's had a kid before; maybe she thinks this is normal. Or maybe she was just as smart and this is all very normal to her. I shrug. If she thinks I'm a prodigy, then so be it. I don't think I can dumb myself down to fit in, I just don't have the patience or will power to maintain that façade.
"And this one?"
"Rosemary" I freeze. Shit. Focus, Ruka. You're messing up.
Thankfully, my mother only looks at me funny for speaking out in English. "Rozu-mari" She enunciates clearly. I dutifully say it after her. Fuck, that's fucking close. I need to keep my head in the game. I can't afford these lapses.
"They're used as a preventive measure for Alzheimer's disease. And its oils naturally fight bacteria and fungi." I add preemptively. My mother is satisfied. "Good, come there's a new plant at the corner of the clearing that I'll tell you about today" It's a familiar looking purple flower thing. Lavender.
The next hour is spent teaching me several ways to harvest, crush and combine ingredients so that the plant provides us with an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic concoction. I learn that it is used for anxiety, migraines, insomnia and depression.
I'll be honest.. it may not seem too interesting to everybody but it's utterly fascinating to me. It also helps that my mother is absolutely passionate about the subject and is a fantastic teacher; the sort that can keep you enthralled by little facts and anecdotes no matter how boring the actual subject is.
Only yesterday she was telling me how the bark and leaf of the yew tree are extremely poisonous for humans and small doses of it can be incorporated in concoctions to relieve pain. Nature's poisons are more often than not incorporated into medicines, and the doses and mixtures of each ingredient is absolutely critical. Lucky for us, these methods have been tried and tested through generations in our family to give us exact measurements.
Yes, that's right. We are a family of experimenters and pharmacologists; we're nerds and proud!
"Alright then, that's it for today. Don't wander too far Ruka-chan!" My mother says and heads towards the encampment. I lie down to stare at the clouds with a sigh. I thank my stars that parenting is super lax in this world. Children grow up fast in order to survive.. I mean. I shrug. I'm not too bothered by it and the Shinobi world. My morals have always been a little grey.
It's been a week since we left Kumogakure, and we haven't even crossed the Kaminari borders. I have come to realize that our journey to the next town will be long and arduous as we are civilians. Any other time I would've resented this hiking trip (I was allowed to travel in the carts as a baby, now I am told to walk); but really, it's giving me the much needed time to assimilate everything I know. Being thrown into a fictional world theoretically should be impossible but here I am. Small grains of doubt still filter through, there's a tiny part of me that's certain I'm hallucinating.
I mean yeah The Void, yes, I remember. But all of this is just fantastical, ne? A bit much? Who in their right mind would openly believe they're 1) reincarnated and 2) into fiction. See what I mean? I'm having a hard time assimilating all of this. To be fair, I've mostly made peace with it. I mean, what if it's real right? Oka-san's real! I know that! The doubts there, but a larger part of me is optimistic. And I'm a rational person, on the off chance that this is real I'm not going to squander a second life. I nod decisively. Okay. So I'm real. The world's real. No Eternal Tsukoyomi-
Oh. My. Fucking. God. I shoot up sitting straight with my spine erect. How? Why? Oh my god. How the fuck did I remember that?
I'm losing the threads already. That thought process was entirely subconscious. I had nothing to trigger me to think that.. What did I say again? The Eternal Tsukoyomi? Why am I already losing this thought bubble? Why am I getting the chills? Fuckin' hell. So there's something called Eternal Tsukoyomi and I should be wary of it? That's what it sounds like.
FUCK.
WAIT.
STOP.
Think Ruka. I put my journal in front of me, the one in which I write my notes about the flowers and open to a brand new page. Okay, okay, okay. I need to be precise , logical. I can write in English, I think. Right.
So I am in the Elemental Nations, I am aware there are 5 major ones, and that I've been to Kumo.
Next. What's the time-line like? I pause. Bee's a fresh genin, A's a little older. Fuck, I don't know how old they were in the damn anime. I purse my lips in consternation. Who else do I know? My mind blanks. Well that's fucking fantastic, I think sarcastically. Well, there's gotta be a Naruto right? Wow, Ruka. Brilliant. You need a standing ovation. No, really.
I write Eternal Tsukoyomi in Block letters, make a box around it and draw three speech bubbles of various sizes that say. danger. Danger. DANGER.
Yeah ok.
I flop down dramatically.
Well that was utterly useless. I really need more information.
The other, very major thing I've been thinking about, is the feel of energy under my skin. This I did not have in my previous life... I know this, like I know my name. As an experiment, I feel my pulse point over my wrist. It's different. It's absurd, and honestly , the first time I felt it, I panicked a little. In my first life, I know I would be able to feel faint pulsating.. a lub dub.. my heart beat. Here though… it's like a whole new ventricle or chamber opened up or something. There's an additional sound, if only I had a stethoscope right now. An additional sound that I can only describe as a fub.
So a lub dub fub.
Or do I have some sort of congenital disease? Something tells me it's the chakra. I've got nothing. If I don't laugh at my predicament, I'll cry. I stare blankly at a very poofy cloud.
Regardless, the ever present thrum is electric and I don't know if that's so for everyone or just me. When I saw Ninja climb walls, I had the vague notion they're walking up with suction cups on the soles of their feet. But no, it's chakra. When I asked B, he told me to take something thin, coat my hand with chakra and try to glue them together. Up until my mother caught me earlier this morning, I was failing miserably.
But hey, this is my path to superhuman powers, blue haired mutations and all! 3 years is an okay age to start, yeah? Of course it is! With that thought, in mind, I pump my fist in to the air. This is it! I stare skywards in determination. I tear another piece of grass and begin what I like to call the 'Magnificient feat of ' Ruka's hands are suction cups!'
We trudge into the arctic Country of Frost a week later with very little to welcome us. The town we set up in is deserted and if it wasn't for the snow I'd almost imagine tumbleweed dramatically rolling past us. Thankfully, I am mistaken.
The atmosphere is lively and warm when we step into a small community area. A fire roars in the center, the buzz of conversation in the air. The area is lined with shopkeepers and food stalls and my mother immediately buys a thick white coat I can grow into. I am glad, this town isn't a complete waste and we are bound to get some buyers. We don't plan to stick around too long though, just a couple of days.
As if summoned by my thoughts, a man in his early thirties walks up to my stall.
"Good afternoon, ma'am! I am Tominaga Ryu, head of this town. Welcome, I hope you're liking it here.." he says with a bright smile.
"Hullo! Yes, we are enjoying it! We honestly did not expect such a warm welcome when we arrived. We look forward to our stay!" my mother responds.
"Ah, it is quite a party… more so than usual."
"Is that so?" my mother asks curiously.
"Yes.. You see, Kuwahara Toshio is in town. And a group of merchants followed him in.. " He points to a very energetic man in the distance. I squint at the generic looking blonde. I don't recognize him.. I mean, the man exudes charisma, if I knew him, I'd remember.
"Kuwahara Toshio?"
The man looked looks surprised. " You don't know him? Kuwahara Toshio is quite the daredevil. Famous throughout the elemental nations. Last I heard, he actually released bulls into a bunch of Iwa Shinobi because they were harassing him. Man's got guts, any other civilian would be fleeing for their lives but not Kuwahara!" Tominaga lets out a booming laugh. "Next thing we know, he's here setting up quite the party. I want to say he's squandering money, but I can't complain. We need the money to circling back into our economy.."
Kuwahara Toshio.. That doesn't sound familiar at all.
My mother though, doesn't flounder; her etiquette is impeccable.
"Ah.. Kuwahara Toshio.. the name does sound familiar" she says thoughtfully, then gives a bright smile. "Oh where are my manners. I am Aiko, and this is my son, Ruka." She pushes me a little so a stumble forwards. It occurs to me that my mother never gives out our last name.
"Hullo, sir!" I chirp.
"Oh ho! little one, looking after the family business, are you?"
"Yup! How may we be of service today?" Behind me, my mother radiates smugness.
"Well" the man thinks. "My wife has a little sniffle, doesn't seem serious.. but.."
"What are the symptoms, sir?"
He looks at my diminutive form, startled.
"He's going to go far isn't he?" he asks my mom.
"Yes, he is…" my mother says, proud.
I have decided that I despise the cold. Two days in, and I want to do nothing but get out of this country. We did not expect any business in the god-forsaken country, but there were a few buyers so we don't overly mind that we stopped. We begin our trek to Hot Water Country and cold winds blow in our faces. The snow ever present and we are completely wary about avalanches and frost bites... Not to mention bandits. Why bandits would want to try their luck in such a terrible country, is beyond me. But then again, tired merchants, weary from the climate are wonderful targets.
We reach a town in Hot water after another week without any trouble. I sigh in relief as we settle into a town fraught in tension. The town's outward appearance seems peaceful, but there's an underlying current. And I do not say this lightly. There are Shinobi of different nationalities everywhere. Hot water is supposed to be a neutral country but this place feels like a powder keg. All the ingredients are present, they only to need to light the match. It's not even like they actively interact with each other. No, they go as far as to avoid each other, unwilling to break into conflict in this nation for whatever diplomatic and political reasons. Frankly, I find this extremely stupid... Why let Shinobi enter a peaceful town when there are Shinobi fighting at the borders. I sniff. Like I said before. Politics.
Unfortunately, my mother is either oblivious to this tension or deems it unimportant to the rewards that can be reaped because she decides to stay in this town for a week. The sun is shining, and the weather is warm.. and the place is a tourist attraction for hot springs. Yeah, she's a weary traveler and she wants some luxuries, I feel that. Not to mention she is cunning and knows the number of buyers have tripled in this area. Injured Shinobi really are a treasure trove. I take a deep breath.
Alright… there's no need to unnecessarily worry..
I haven't met a main character yet!
I'm doing splendidly with my plan : 'Gather information, get stronger and fade into oblivion!'
This is going to great!
If it isn't for the mildly constipated feeling in my tummy, I would believe it. I distract myself by spending my days either at the onsen or at the stall, trying to relax or stick leaves to my hands.
Nothing's going to happen. I chant. Just a few more days.
Of course, that's when all hell breaks loose.