HELLO TO THE BEST READERS WHOM I LOVE THE MOST IN THE WHOLE WOOORLD ❤
First of all, I really really want to thank you for your reviews, and for being so patient and encouraging with me 〒v〒 I may have read your messages so much now that I know them by heart, and I'm really, really grateful for your understanding and for waiting despite all the time I take to update. I had taken a little break because focusing on 'a plot' was tiring me a little, but now I'm finally back with a new chapter ᕙ ( ⇀ ‸ ↼ ‶ ) ᕗ
Second of all, I hope you'll enjoooy~
Edit: After posting, I noticed soooo many typos and mistakes and dialogues that made no sense omg, I'm sorry for those who came early! You may enjoy now (hopefully, haha)!
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Chapter 15
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"Can you get started with the dishes while I finish the crunchies?"
"I said I wanted to learn how to cook. I already know how to do the dishes, thanks. Just show me how to make the rolls by myself!"
Anko had asked Shisui to teach her a new, simple recipe to make, and had dragged him to her apartment upon realizing he had some time for himself on that day. Even though he had grumbled a bit while following her, Shisui was pleased to help her and spend time with her.
After all, he hadn't had much of a chance to see her lately. Not only was he quite busy with his missions, but even when he was free, he tended to spend his entire time with his family. Given the current tensions within the clan, despite the fact that the coup was put on hold, Shisui wanted to enjoy their company while he still could, just in case... Just in case it would be harder for him to do so if something changed in the future.
During the last two months, he had seen Anko approximately three times.
She was one of the few people he considered a friend. They had met during the war; being both among the reservists at the base, and of young age, they had quickly formed a sense of camaraderie. At the time, Shisui was only seven years old, and "so polite and cute, aw, what are you even doing here, Chibi?", Anko had asked, before immediately declaring herself his senpai. Even though they were of the same rank, she had undertaken to take him under her wing and "teach him the ropes of being a badass ninja", much like herself.
And now, not only did he surpass her in rank, but it was his turn to share his skills! Sure, it was about cooking, but Shisui basked in the fact that he had the upper-hand nonetheless. It always felt nice to rub it in her face once in a while (when he was guarded enough to dodge the senbons that might come his way in retaliation).
The recipe that she had asked him to teach her was not very complicated. They were making Crunchy Crab Sushi Rolls, which were rice rolls topped with avocado, cucumber and crab pieces wrapped in seaweed, and the icing on the cake consisted of adding fried onions and soy sauce to enrich the taste.
They had already made significant progress in their preparation. Now, only the finishing touches remained; it wasn't complicated, but it did ask to be focused and some practice.
"We've done most of it, we just need to roll the rice, add some fried onions, and slice them into equal pieces."
"Good, I'm cool! Give some room to the artist now, will you?"
"You have to make them tight if you don't want them to open and all the ingredients to escape."
Anko applied Shisui's instructions carefully. "That's fine. Easy. I could have done it all on my own-... Why is the avocado out."
"It's normal, you don't- Is that what you call squeezing tight?! Stop rolling it, you better start over, it won't hold!"
"What do you mean? I did exactly as you said!"
Shisui walked over to her and took her place to continue the work. "You have to press on the outside before you push, like this."
"... What are these waves? It looks nothing like those you brought me."
"Because you messed it up from the start! I'm doing my best here!"
"Oh, it's my fault now!?"
"Here, that will have to do," Shisui said and stepped back. "Can you cut them? It's not much different from using a kunai, you should at the very least be able to do that."
"It's your tongue that I'm going to cut!" Anko threatened with a shout as she pulled a sharp knife out of her drawer and moved back to her place, facing the work surface.
As Shisui was leaning against the counter and watched her carefully as he continued to give her instructions ("Not that large, it's going to be impossible to eat", "Don't forget the fried onions!", "They look more like rice balls than crunchies..."), a gentle tickle made him look down at his left arm, where he saw a message written there.
Hello! Do you have some time?
"Do the next one yourself, I'll be back! And press tighter this time!"
He heard a strangled noise behind him as he walked out of the kitchen. "Where- Shisui! Bring back your sorry ass right now!"
Leaving her on her own - he knew that despite what she said, she must have understood how to roll them correctly by now -, Shisui went to lock himself in Anko's room, grabbed a brush on her desk and sat comfortably on her bed.
Good evening. I'm free. How's your day going?
It's okay. And you?
Shisui stared for a moment.
She was not okay. She would have blabbered and given him a detailed report of her activities and added exclamation points everywhere had she really been doing fine.
Thinking over how he should go about it, Shisui decided not to push for now and to initiate the conversation casually.
A friend of mine wanted to learn how to cook, so I'm giving her lessons. She's terrible at it! She keeps messing up, and then she puts the blame on my very clear explanations.
Then, he drew a crying face (and tried to make it look as ridiculous as possible. Which didn't ask much effort, since he was rather bad at drawing; the result was ridiculous by default.)
In a momentary moment of paranoia, Shisui raised his head and checked his surroundings. Technically, he knew that Anko was still in the kitchen, but always be better safe than sorry. He was caricaturing her on purpose; Anko wasn't so bad, she was just too rash and impatient for cooking lessons that demanded meticulous work. But she learned fast.
To make sure that it wouldn't come out as serious complaining (since he couldn't pout exaggeratedly to show he was just being dramatic), he added for good measure:
I do make fun of her a lot, though, so I think she's frustrated with me AND with her bad skills.
That should do it for now. He'd adapt depending on her reaction if it turned out not to be the way to go.
It's nice that you're with your friend.
Shisui raised an eyebrow at her answer.
So, that was where her focus went.
His soulmate often talked about her friends like they were the most precious people in her world. He knew she had no family. Now, Shisui had a feeling this was a loneliness issue.
You're a good teacher, it will be okay.
Oh no. She didn't have to say that, that was not what he meant-
Shisui pursed his lips and buried his head in his hands in a sudden movement.
She was after his heart.
Thank you, Sunshine. I'm feeling re-energized thanks to you.
You're welcome!
Oh, exclamation point. This was good!
Now, how to go about what was bothering her...? He couldn't make her feel like he was forcing her to speak about her problems. Hmm... Stay casual.
What about you? Got anything you want to talk about? Tell me all about it.
Was it too much? No, nope, he should erase the last sentence, but wait, it would be weird if he did that now, right?
Shisui ran his hands over his forehead before lifting his head back and ruffling his hair. Ugh, so much for being casual.
Still, she was rather comfortable with him, and a child, so she probably wouldn't mind...? He wasn't dealing with a tight-lipped person whom he had to dance around in order to get them to talk, all the while calculating how to not hurt their pride, etc, etc. Like he would have to do with, say, Anko. Or, in some specific circumstances, with Itachi. (Especially regarding training; for as much as he was a genius and loved to learn and progress, he really didn't appreciate having his weak points highlighted.)
But in the end, racking his brains like that was useless since he was really just over-thinking everything, and he had his answer soon enough.
It's my birthday today.
Shisui took the time to digest the information.
He quickly took note of the date in a part of his mind to memorize it.
The 10th of October.
A frown quickly took shape on his face.
That was also the date of Kyūbi Attack, seven years ago.
It couldn't be...?
She had mentioned before that both her parents had died when she was young, and she had only found out their identity recently. The fact that they had both passed away before she was old enough to remember them... It was entirely too possible that they had both been killed on that day.
Unfortunately, that would mean that she would be sharing her birthday with the day both her parents had passed.
He sure hoped he was wrong, but...
Usually, birthdays were a special day for children; even more so for someone as cheerful and positive as his soulmate. So he would have been more inclined to think that it was a time of the year she'd look forward to.
And yet, she sounded so sorrowful.
Whether he was right or not, she wasn't enjoying the day, and was spending it alone. After all, had she been with her friends, she would have been able to keep her mind busy, and she would be enjoying her time with them instead.
He thought for a moment about what he could say. A simple "HB" wouldn't suffice, but he didn't really see what he could write that was personal and encouraging enough... He wished he could see her directly. He was better at dealing with people face to face.
Ideally, he'd get her a gift, and spend the afternoon with her. He could even have taken her to Anko's house and they would finish cooking together and eat together; he had the feeling that his soulmate and Anko would get along well.
But she wasn't comfortable with the prospect of meeting him any time soon, so there was no point delving into that.
Happy Birthday, Soulmate of Mine.
Um, yeah, no, that wouldn't be enough.
I'm glad you told me about it. Today is the anniversary of your coming into the world, and I'm very grateful that I got to meet you.
This was awkward. He wasn't used to this kind of speeches. Sure, Shisui was the encouraging type, but he was still more of a man of action; he showed his love through little gestures, like gifts and hugs, and, just, by being there...? It was a bit more difficult with the distance.
Oh, well, he was a jōnin and an Uchiha.
Writing a letter with good vibes wouldn't be the end of him.
He could do it.
Especially for his precious little one.
You know, every time I talk to you, I feel less lonely. If I'm sad, you lift my mood and I find myself smiling and feeling lighter. You mean a lot to me. Thank you for writing to me all those months ago.
He still remembered vividly that day. A short while after his promotion to jōnin, he had had an outing with a few of his comrades who were in the village at the same time. They had dragged him out to celebrate, and he had drunk more than he should have that night - considering that he was fourteen, and shouldn't have been drinking at all yet. (But ninjas didn't respect that rule. After all, becoming a jōnin meant being part of the elite, being strong in mind and body; being allowed to go on more dangerous missions, and facing death more often than not.)
It had been his first time drinking, which would be a rather exceptional occurrence. He didn't want it to become a habit.
And that was not only due to the killer-headache that he had had the next morning.
That was when he had found his soulmate's scribbling plastered on his arm for the first time.
'Hello. Will you be my friend?'
He hadn't answered immediately back then, not thinking much of it. He had first thought that it was one of the guys who had written that for a game or for a bet that he couldn't remember.
Now, he realized just how meaningful that simple and innocent question had been.
So, to make sure his message came across, he added in remembrance:
I am honoured to be your friend.
He couldn't explain to her just how much she had helped him during his moments of doubt and loneliness. When he felt like he was drowning and completely lost, she brought him back to his true self just by telling him about the trivial moments and joys of life. These moments, all the simple things; it was something that he was not fully aware of at times, that he forgot existed at all, and that he wanted to keep well anchored in his memory from now on.
He wasn't sure what else he could add.
Should he offer that they meet again?
He didn't want to take advantage of a moment of emotional weakness, either; he just wanted to give her some company and as much support as he could.
Although, on second thought... It would be better if the suggestion to meet came from her, if that was what she wanted.
Seeing that her answer took time to come, Shisui debated with himself for a moment.
Or maybe he should start her on a new topic of conversation? And just help her keep her mind busy from a distance? He could tell her about his last outing with Itachi, when they were looking for a present for Sasuke- actually, no, not at all, he would be plainly rubbing salt on the wound if he mentioned that.
Alternatively, he might as well tell her about his afternoon with Anko. After all, his soulmate seemed somewhat interested...? Or not so much... He knew she had good friends, as she talked about them all the time. But for whatever reason, they must not have been able to make it today, and he didn't want to remind her of her loneliness by boasting about his own company.
While Shisui was racking his brains, his neurons on fire, his soulmate exceeded all his expectations by answering him with her infectious joy and bright respondent.
Thank you I'm very happy now! You know, you're like
Pause. Then, the last sentence was erased.
Thank you I'm very happy now! I don't know how to say everything, but you're the most awesome soulmate ever!
As he read these words, Shisui's shoulders relaxed and his eyes softened as a big, wide smile stretched his lips. He pursed them to contain his expression, but he could already feel his cheeks aching as a silent laugh escaped him.
It was strange. Usually, if someone had said that exact phrase to Shisui, he would have thought they were lying in order to simply change the subject. Or to please him and make him feel that his actions had had an impact.
But here, he knew that his soulmate's answer was sincere.
She was always so honest and transparent, it was nice not to have to play mind-games and over-analyze everything to understand the hidden meanings of their conversations.
(Yes, he did still over-think every last word and period, but that was a product of his hyperactive brain.)
You're welcome, Sunshine of my life.
With his legs still crossed on his bed, Shisui leaned on his right thigh and silently watched the response on his left arm, his cheeks flushed and a tender smile on his lips. The affection and warmth that rushed through his body was becoming familiar and recurring, and the beating of his heart echoed gently in his chest. At that moment, he just wanted to enjoy... her companionship through their bond, in a way.
It was a strange feeling.
A nice kind of strange, overall.
But of course, of course, good moments never lasted.
"What's with that goofy face now?"
Shisui's smile disappeared from his face almost immediately.
Why was he so bad at choosing his friends?
With a hard expression (that may or may not have looked more sulky than threatening), Shisui hid his arm full of ink and glared at Anko with vindication. "Weren't you supposed to finish your poison?"
At the doorway, Anko stood proudly, a long plate full of rolls in one arm and a bottle of juice in the other. With an air of blaséness, she approached him nonchalantly before settling beside him on her bed. "I'm done, and I'll have you know, it's delicious," she informed him as she put everything between them.
"I'm the one who took care of the delicious part," he muttered and grabbed a piece.
Hm, it sure was tasty!
"So," Anko started curiously, "why were you grinning like a fool? It was that soulmate crap again?"
Shisui did not answer her. She didn't seem to totally believe it yet.
He realized, however, that he still hadn't answered his soulmate either. Focusing again on his conversation, Shisui resumed.
I could never be as awesome as you. So, planning anything for today?
"Oh, ignoring me now? You know, I could hear you giggling like a smitten princess from the other side of the corridor."
No, Shisui, the will of fire did not approve of amicicide. Calm. Down.
I think I'm going to study today, then I'll eat at the ramen stand tonight!
Study, huh? Shisui's eyes twinkled at the word.
She had developed a strong interest for studying ever since her discovery of her mother's book two weeks prior. A book where she described their family's techniques. (That piece of information had confirmed to Shisui that she was from a ninja family, and learning to be a ninja - and thus, she was most definitely an academy student. He wasn't prying or trying to uncover her identity, though; it was just his brain braining logically, without being asked to.)
However, studying was a fun activity only in two cases with her: when working with her friends, or when learning from the book. Seeing that she was most likely alone today, he guessed easily that she was going to study her family's jutsus.
"Seriously? Right in front of my crunchies?" Anko tsked with a shake of her head as she took another bite. "I can't believe you dare make me feel like the third wheel in my own bed."
Shisui side-glanced back at her. "What. You jealous?"
Anko stopped her munching all of a sudden, and stared blankly at him. "... Jealous? Of what? Last time I checked, I wasn't the one who got dumped by a kid."
...
Ha-ha-ha.
The will of fire did not approve of amicicide.
Even if said-friends undoubtedly deserved to be murdered once or twice per week.
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.
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As Shisui glared at her with his non-threatening kitten eyes (he could at least activate the sharingan to be a bit more convincing), Anko did her best to keep her expression as uninterested as possible, hiding her amusement in the process.
She didn't have many friends. And out of all of them, Shisui was the one she got along the best with.
They hadn't managed to spend a lot of time together these last few months due to his bouts of depression and his tendency to isolate himself. And although, lately, he had seemed to feel a bit better and to turn back to his usual - calmer, brighter, happier - self, their schedules never seemed to match for them to spend some time together.
So, it was possible that Anko had started to... miss him... a little.
And to miss teasing him a bit more.
And to miss his cooking. A lot.
That was why she was happy to be able to invite him today; and to see him find a childlike joy in talking with, uh, with someone on his arm.
Even if Genma had explained the concept to her, it still confused her as hell.
"It's gotten better between you two?" she asked casually as she pointed at his arm with her chin.
"It was never bad between us," he whined before laying down on his back, and lifting his arm to... write on it. Not the most comfortable position for that, but now, she couldn't even get a glimpse on it.
Meh, she wasn't that interested in reading their exchange of love letters anyway.
"She doesn't want us to meet yet, and I respect that."
Funny. He made it sound like he had never met her. Which was supposed to be the basis of developing a normal relationship with someone.
She squinted her eyes as she stared at him suspiciously.
"Don't tell me you still don't know who she is?"
His pout deepened and his brows furrowed as his eyes temporarily shone red. "Don't tell Genma."
No way.
That was way too ridiculous.
Shisui was having an anonymous relationship with a girl whose identity he didn't know, and sported the sappiest grin she'd ever seen on his face each time he talked to her, and the most annoying gossip detained more information on his mystery girl than he did?
Genma had somehow manipulated the events to follow a rom-com in live, the way he liked them. It had to be.
"You're sure this soulmate thing is real and Genma didn't agree with someone to prank you?"
Because as much as she had mocked Shisui when he had first talked to her about the ghostly scribbling at the beginning of the year... It just made more sense than some magical link of souls that Genma so-happened to know too much about.
As Shisui wrote on his arm, all his attention seemingly focused on it, he replied absent-mindedly. "No, she's not like that. And Kakashi-senpai confirmed it."
Anko closed her eyes in dejection. Somehow, the poor boy trusted Hatake Kakashi's honesty.
How could one be so naive and delusional.
Then again, Kakashi did seem to have a ""soft spot'''' for baby prodigies (that was, as soft as Kakashi could get), and although she wouldn't go as far as calling the both of them friends, they did have some... respect, agreement, and sort of complicity between them.
Did that mean that Anko trusted Kakashi's judgement completely regarding this soulmate matter? No. Not one bit.
Suddenly, Shisui sat back down, a grave and serious expression darkening his features as he stared at his arm.
Out of the corner of her eye, Anko recognized the words "you later!" but... that was it. Not very telling on what they were talking about.
"Something wrong?"
Shisui pursed his lips pensively, and when he spoke, his voice carried the weight of a thousand thoughts. "She'll be having dinner at Ichiraku's tonight."
He was way too easy to read.
"She doesn't want to meet you and you respect that," she reminded him in a monotonous voice.
"Wha-! What's wrong with you!?" Shisui's voice rose several octaves higher and cracked at the end in his spurt of indignation. "You're not supposed to be the voice of reason! You're supposed to tempt me!"
Anko stared. "Then go."
"You-" Shisui spluttered hotly. "What do you not understand in she doesn't want to meet? I can't do that!"
How did this brat have a higher rank than her? This was getting insulting.
"So what? Do you want me to go and see who she is?"
With a gasp, Shisui's eyes widened dramatically and he brought his hand to his mouth. "You wouldn't!?"
"Do you want me to?"
"What are you? A stalker?"
Where were her senbons- she was going to maim his tongue real fast.
"I'm a freaking ninja," she snapped with a twitch of her eye. "I take it as a no then?"
"Since when do you listen to me anyway?! Do what you want. Wait no, no, don't go, it wouldn't help, and you can't tell me in any case," he reasoned with a shake of his head. "But, Kakashi-senpai and Genma do know, and Genma's taking advantage of it. Maybe you could get in his way?"
Oh.
Adorable.
He trusted her honesty now.
"No wait, you get along too well with Genma," he realized with a frown.
At least, he could still think coherently. Occasionally.
Anko watched him as he kept rambling and contradicting himself.
She knew that he was way too honest to betray this soulmate; he wouldn't let her go and unmask her identity while he could help it.
It was nice to see him so invested in a relationship. As friendly as he was in appearance, Anko knew that he was way too suspicious to fully open up to anyone and he kept his distance despite giving the illusion of being close to people.
But, somehow, he wasn't even questioning this soulmate and her motivations. He was comfortable with her and truly appreciated her.
If she recalled correctly, this girl was supposed to be very young, and rather naive - she was most likely not a ninja. (Yet?)
That sure must have helped.
Anko was glad, though. The first time he had mentioned her, and that time he got disguised in Kabuki style during a mission, and when Genma painted his face (in orange), and even right now - each time Shisui had something to do with this soulmate person, he seemed to regain his liveliness. It was as if she pushed away all his worries to turn him back into the teenager he was supposed to be.
It was good that he had someone like this in his life. He needed it.
In fact, all ninjas probably did.
For a moment, Anko's attention trailed to her own arm.
...
Nah.
That crap wasn't for her.
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In the comfort of her small apartment, Naruto was sitting at the table, her fūinjutsu book wide open and a pencil in her hand.
That morning, she had had a hard time getting up. It was her birthday, but she hadn't planned to see her friends, and was likely to spend the day... alone. Naruto had never thought so before, but how she wished that her birthday was on a school day. However, Ino-chan had mentioned the day before that she had something to do with her family, and it was hard to see Sakura-chan outside of school when Ino wasn't there as well.
Ino-chan's birthday was a lot of fun. But... Naruto's birthday didn't really mean anything. She had never celebrated it; and there was nothing special that she could do anyway. There was no one to celebrate it with.
She had spent most of the morning looking at the picture of her parents, with her mother's book sitting next to her. She couldn't help but imagine them alive and daydreaming about them; replaying Ino-chan's birthday and twisting the events in her head, with her own parents decorating the house and baking a cake for her, when it would have been Ino-chan and Sakura-chan who were invited. And her father would have told them stories while they did her mom's hair and make-up.
Finally, it was only in the early afternoon that she got up to clean herself up and have a snack.
Suffice to say, her day was about to be empty and boring; full of what-ifs and melancholy.
But then… She had written to her soulmate.
And he had changed everything.
Naruto hadn't expected much. She had just wanted someone to talk to; and her soulmate was always the best at making conversation and making her happy, and feel like she was at the right place.
After she had mentioned her birthday, though, he had set fireworks to her heart with just a few words.
That simple Happy Birthday (and his affectionate nickname) had managed to lighten her mood.
And yet, he hadn't stopped there. He had said all those things and, and in the process, he had filled her soul with renewed and positive vitality.
She made him happy.
He was happy to be her friend.
All while she read his messages, her heart had been beating so fast and strong that she had been sure it was trying to get out of her ribcage. When she had finished reading everything, it had taken her one good moment to let the meaning of all those precious words dawn on her.
Then, all of a sudden, she had stood up, screamed, jumped out of her bed, crouched on the floor and hid her face in her hands, screamed again in a fit of delighted giggles, before she re-read all he had written to her and went back to jumping-screaming-crouching-giggling-etc. to diffuse all the energy within her. She had felt so overwhelmed with… all those… nice feelings and sensations, that she hadn't known how to react.
It took her a good moment to calm down, and when she finally managed to breathe again normally, she sat back down on the ground, against a wall, her cheeks flushed in bright red and her face glowing with a huge smile from ear to ear, and she finally got to thank him. She had failed to find the right words to explain to him how she had been feeling before talking to him and how she was feeling after writing to him, and how she was the luckiest to have him as her soulmate, because he was, he was so-
Ahhhhhh! (jumping, screaming, crouching, giggling)
In the end, they had resumed their conversation after she told him she'd be studying and eating out later in the day.
Still learning from your mother's book, I bet?
Yeah! I'm at the page 10, it's long and it takes lots of time and training but I like it a lot.
I'm sure you'll be great, keep working hard. I know you can do it.
(screaming, face-in-hands, giggling) He was awesome dattebayo!
I will! You too, you have fun with your friend!
Thank you, Sunshine. I'll try to survive her. You write to me whenever you feel like it, I'm free all day long.
Yeah, okay! I'll talk to you later !
Once their conversation was finished, she had been ready to study immediately (but since she had merely eaten and didn't feel like cooking, and she'd be dining at Ichiraku's afterwards), she had prepared a snack that she had hurried to ingest, before settling down at her kitchen table with her book.
The beginning of the book retold the history of fūinjutsu, and the way it was used through time; not only as a storage technique, but with both a defensive and offensive mode, and it even served in signing contracts between living beings!
The basis of it all, which was absolutely necessary in creating a smooth and efficient seal, was the art of drawing.
As the amazing artist painter Uzumaki Naruto, she concluded that fūinjutsu had always been in her blood.
Then, came the treachery.
Because the most important kind of drawing that she had to master was none other than the art of calligraphy. She had first thought the word was cool, until she reached the part that explained that it was the art of writing kanjis in a pretty way.
Now, she had to write important kanjis herself in the book. Her soulmate had already been annoying her a bit with learning how to write kanjis back when they had first met, and there was also the Police Chief who would try to kick her into the fine arts of handwriting whenever she had to copy the code of criminals.
And her mom wanted her to learn as well?
Fine, good, okay! She'd become a master of calligraphy and of fūinjutsu if it was the last thing she did!
One of the first things that she apparently needed to master was how to write in a steady and fluid handwriting, because that was fundamental when drawing seals. She was trying to write the kanji of wind, and she was at her fifth try.
First, she had tried to write the kanji of "fire", by retracing dotted lines, with a small example of how to write it in the top left corner of the page. When she had finished, her writing had suddenly been erased, and a small sentence appeared at the bottom of the page.
Too sloppy. Try again! You can do it, don't give up!
(It had kinda reminded her of the exchanges on skin with her soulmate, actually.)
After, maybe, the tenth try, she had grown frustrated and exhausted, and had closed the book and went to eat something.
When she came back later on, she had tried over and over again, with her focus at the max, until the sentence changed.
That's progress! Almost there! Keep it up!
She had screamed!
She loooved that the words could change and that she had reached the better level to make them change!
It was as if her mom had seen her progress.
She hadn't counted how many times she had to re-do it, before her writing stayed, and the sentence at the bottom changed once again.
Well done!
Afterwards, she had written on the next pages the words that were asked. Water, earth, and now, it was the turn of wind.
She was still at the Too sloppy stage, but Naruto was still proud of herself. Especially since she recognized these words as the five elements that she had learnt with Ino-chan and Sakura-chan! She had to write wind, then the next page would probably ask her to write lightning, and then she'd be done.
This was how Naruto thought she would spend her day; and in the end, she enjoyed it very much.
The energy her soulmate had given her was made of fire!
Suddenly, there was a knock at her door.
It was strange, she was not expecting anyone today.
Maybe it was Grandpa who came by to wish her a happy birthday? Usually he would inform her beforehand, but maybe he was able to unexpectedly get himself some free time?
As she got up from her seat to head for the door, she was startled to see that, when she opened the door, Ino's grandmother was standing with a box in her hands. "Ah, Naru-chan, good evening. May you let me in?"
What was she doing here?
Naruto opened the door wide and stepped back, looking lost.
Inohime, that she affectionately started to call Granny-hime, entered the apartment and hurriedly put the box that she had brought on the table, before turning to her impromptu host with a smile.
"Would you like to try this for me, please?" she demanded.
Naruto wasn't sure of what was happening, but whatever. Her focus had already gone out the window, and it turned out that she did like having someone visit her today. And Ino's grandma was nice, she had made good memories with her.
Moving closer to see exactly what she was supposed to try, Naruto gasped in surprise. A kimono! Like the ones her parents wore on their picture! She had never worn one before.
"This is for me?" she wondered aloud.
Inohime smiled at her with a nod. "Come on, I'll help you put it on."
Naruto complied without asking questions, her excitement getting the best of her. So this was a gift?! Maybe Ino-chan had asked her grandmother to bring it to her because she couldn't spend the day with her!
She quickly started to take her clothes off in the middle of the room, and had Ino's grandma help her put on her brand new ki-mo-no.
"Did you spend a nice day?" Granny-hime asked her as she fastened the belt while Naruto held the fabric in place.
"I did!" she answered with enthusiasm, and proceeded to tell her all about her talk with her most amazing and beloved soulmate, and about her studies.
Of course, their ultimate teacher in the matter of soulmates immediately got very interested and cooed at her retelling. "Isn't he a sweetheart?"
"Right?!" Naruto beamed.
All the joy that she had felt when talking to him came rushing back at the memory, and she ducked her face in the hem of her kimono to hide her giggle, which elicited a soft laugh from Inohime.
"Don't move too much, we're almost done. I'm glad to see he takes good care of you; Ino did mention him quite a few times."
Obviously, Ino-chan had. The girls were always gossiping about him.
Once Granny-hime finished helping her wear her kimono and styling her hair - it was so short, Naruto didn't know that it could be styled -, she stood in front of her mirror.
"How do you like it?"
"A lot!" Naruto chirped gleefully. She felt pretty. Like a lady. Like her mom, but with her dad's hair. She turned back to Inohime with a giddy grin on her lips. "Thank you for the gift!" she shouted as she tackled her in a hug.
"Oh my," the elderly woman said with a teasing tone in her voice, "what are you talking about now? We're just getting started."
Uh... Were they? What else could there be...? Could it be possibly...!
A cake, dattebayo!?
As Granny-hime winked at her and left the apartment with grace, Naruto followed suit hastily, wondering what was awaiting her outside.
What else other than a cake could it be? She already had received a gift, after all, and had gotten some company. Her day was already full, compared to when it had started.
Not far from where she lived, in a park where she liked to lay down on the grass and bathe in the warmth of the sun when she was in the mood for it, she was surprised to see balloons and garlands at the entrance, and more decorations embellishing the area upon entering.
Naruto gripped Granny-hime's dress, the pulsing of her heart increasing quickly as they walked.
Did she do all of this?
Was it... for her...?!
When they finally reached the garden, confetti explosions resounded, and voices started to sing a happy birthday song. Naruto's eyes widened in wonder.
There, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, and Ino's mother, Auntie Yurika, were all gathered and singing for her.
She was going to scream.
"Happyyyyy biiiiirthday, Narutooooo~"
In a burst of joy, she attempted to hide her face in Inohime's dress to contain her emotions-
-Not considering her friends who rushed to tackle her in a hug as soon as they finished singing.
"Surpriiiiise!"
"Happy birthday, Naru!"
She couldn't restrain her feelings anymore, and jumped on her friends to hug them as she squealed.
Naruto truly had found the most awesome friends she could have asked for, be it the girls or her soulmate.
(And they were her bestest gifts.)
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Hello Sai My Love! I hope your day went well! Today, it was Naru's birthday, she turned 7. With Sakura and my family, we prepared a surprise birthday for her. She didn't expect it and liked it a lot! We had dinner outside, a cake for dessert, and at the end, we gave her presents. We even played a few games that Mom prepared. It was a lot of fun! I hope you'll be there next time. Goodnight Love Of My Life!
Satisfied with her evening letter (she had mastered the art of writing in small and proper to save as much place as possible), Ino put down her paintbrush, hoping that Sai would enjoy hearing about the party. She wasn't sure if he'd ever been to a party, considering how little he'd confided in her, but she couldn't wait for when they could celebrate their birthdays together in the future.
When he was still talking - well, writing -, he'd gotten along fine with both Naru and Sakura. She figured he would enjoy knowing about the little surprise they had organized for her.
She hoped that he would start writing to her again soon.
In the meantime, she was content with the daily drawings he had ready for her every morning.
Unsurprisingly, when she woke up the next morning, all the text she had written the night before had been erased, and her drawing of the day decorated the back of her hand.
A cake with seven candles.
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In the darkness of his headquarters, Danzō listened intently to the latest report of the morning.
"Jiraiya just passed through the gates of Konoha at 11:45."
His hand tightened on his cane. He wasn't surprised by the news. In fact, he had been expecting him.
"He is accompanied by the Akatsuki leader, Yahiko."
Hiruzen's students were decidedly all weeds.
Not only had he interfered in Amegakure in the middle of a decisive fight, tipping the balance in favor of the Akatsuki parasites, but he had stayed there for three months to support them. It was already ridiculous that during the last Great Shinobi War, Jiraiya had trained foreigners. If he had at least kept in touch with them, and influenced them in a useful way; they could have become valuable spies within Ame, and in the surrounding smaller villages in general.
But no, Jiraiya couldn't think that far ahead. He had just helped them without asking for any repayment, had left them as free electrons, allowed them to fight in the interest of another village independently of Konoha, and now, a few years later, they had formed a group of fighters that was gaining more and more power and influence.
The other Great Nations were problematic enough. They didn't need more insignificant ninja villages to grow and become threats in turn; yet, that was precisely what was happening in Ame. It was a small village that did not have much power, despite the presence of Hanzō of the Salamander. However, joined with the Akatsuki, they could have become a threat to the flourishing of Konoha.
Truthfully, the Akatsuki was already one. Their achievements had spread beyond the borders of Ame, and other delusional ninjas and mercenaries were more and more attracted to the organization's view. They had even sabotaged one of his operations a few months earlier that would have served to taint the peace treaty with Iwa, giving Konoha a consequential advantage. They could not be allowed to roam freely and to take action uncontrolled.
To keep a good balance, and to ensure the peace of his village, Danzō had made a deal with Hanzō. Not only would this group of idealistic young revolutionaries no longer be a problem, but Danzō would also have gained important support in his quest to become Hokage.
And, once again, Jiraiya had meddled with Ame's affairs on their behalf.
His sudden appearance had made Danzō wonder. How could he have known that an intervention was taking place over there? It was true that his spy network was extensive and robust, but he wasn't supposed to be in the area at that time.
Something - or someone, had alerted him, causing him to move quickly to Amegakure.
Could it be that, contrary to what he had thought, Jiraiya had actually stayed in contact with them? The Sannin was supposed to be loyal to Konoha - as Orochimaru and Tsunade had been, in fact...
That said, could it be that his utopian vision had caused him to act in collaboration with the Akatsuki without him knowing it?
And if... Jiraiya had really been behind them, all this time?
The information he had at his disposal was missing.
Something was going on behind his back, and he would find out what it was sooner or later.
In the meantime, Jiraiya and Yahiko were on his land. And he would make sure to uncover what they were planning.
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"Kakashi! My favorite reader and greatest fan! How good it is to see you again," a loud, boisterous voice called joyfully in the middle of the road.
As he was perched in his favorite tree to catch up on his reading, Kakashi lowered his book in a move that he wanted nonchalant, while inwardly, his heart had started to beat profusely.
"Jiraiya-sama," he greeted, raising his hand lazily.
Jiraiya had returned.
And he was accompanied by a foreign ninja that Kakashi had never seen before. He must have been about the same age as him, and a headband from the village of Ame was tied around his tousled orange hair.
What was going on?
"We haven't seen you in years," Kakashi added as he stepped into his role. He wasn't supposed to have seen Jiraiya in five years, after all. "What brought you back?"
Jiraiya grinned with a side-eye toward his companion. "We have some business to attend to. Here, meet Yahiko," he said with an energetic pat on the Ame-nin's back. "Did you know that he and his comrades inspired me to write my first book?"
Kakashi's lone eye fell on the foreign ninja.
All Kakashi knew was that, in Jiraiya's first book, Tales of a Gutsy Ninja, the hero, Naruto, was inspired by one of his former students.
Did this mean that Yahiko was a student of Jiraiya's?
"They were all bright and brave as teenagers. They are even more so now! Still, the days when their cute little faces wore those toad outfits seem so long ago to me," he lamented with a fond sigh.
"Sensei!" came the shout of horror of Yahiko.
The spontaneous cry.
The heavy blush of his cheeks.
The mortified look in his eyes...
So, this man really was Jiraiya-sama's student.
His reaction was far too similar to Minato-sensei's whenever his teacher visited him for it not to be authentic.
"Hahaha!" Jiraiya turned to Yahiko and ruffled his hair. "Come on, you were adorable! Don't you worry, though, Kakashi has his own little-"
Yep, his real student, and he was about to dig into Kakashi's own shameful memories as well in front of a total stranger.
Not happening.
He quickly shunshined in front of the duo of ninjas, and eye-smiled tensely at the Toad Sennin. Thankfully, Minato-sensei had never been the type to display his students' embarrassing moments in front of others.
(Though, Obito and Kakashi used to do it for each other, anyway).
"Now, now. Didn't you have some urgent business to deal with?"
Jiraiya refuted him with a wave of his hand. "No, not at all. I said I had business, not that it was urgent. It's been so long since I last saw you, let me catch up for a bit, won't you?"
How did Minato-sensei deal with this man?
Then again, he did choose to marry Kushina.
"Do you remember the lake scene in the Land of Water? That was based on our training sessions when he was younger."
"The one where Naruto had to fight an army made of paper?"
"That one! Naruto was incarnated by Yahiko, and the paper-user was his teammate. It was a fight that really happened in a friendly spar, and I embellished it a little. His sparring partner was a splendid woman, by the way, you should meet her. Beautiful, cunning and strong; she could be your type. She's absolutely enchanting!"
Kakashi didn't have a type, and didn't want to meet any woman, thank you. He did understand better the character now, though. "Right, the blue haired Siren."
Yahiko's eyebrows morphed into a confused frown. "Jiraiya-sensei, you really wrote about us? And made her a siren? "
"Of course I did! The most inspiring and philosophical speech is a direct quote of Nagato, you know? Ah, I still have goosebumps when I think about it!"
"The one about how he'd break the cycle of hatred?" Kakashi asked curiously. He knew Minato-sensei had loved that line. That was the part that had convinced Kakashi to read the book in the first place.
"Precisely! And remember the subtle exchange of love letters? I tweaked it a bit, originally it was Yahiko and Nagato exchanging ideas about how to escape the toad costumes without me knowing." He laughed loudly. "Or so they thought!"
Now, Yahiko's eyebrows had almost disappeared under his headband. "I can't believe you."
"And let's not forget the family pictures moment, and the most infamous onsen scene! And the one where Naruto and the Gama-tachi valiantly fought the Dragon Curse to free the Sirens from the Hawk Summoners!" Jiraiya leaned towards his student with a teasing grin. "And my personal favorite. You remember that time in the cabin with the scrolls?"
Yahiko gasped in horror and grabbed Jiraiya by his haori. "You didn't!?" he screeched. "Sensei!"
On his part, Kakashi's mind had started racing.
Naruto and the Gam-atachi valiantly fought the Dragon Curse to free the Sirens from the Hawk Summoners?
There was no such scene.
He remembered the Raven Curse - which was the name of a kinjutsu in the book. But there was no Dragon Curse.
Neither did he remember the Gama-tachi, which literally meant, a group of Toads. In the book, there was the Naruto-tachi; Naruto's crew.
And what Hawk Summoners? Naruto was a toad summoner in the book, and there were a few other animal summons mentioned as well... But no hawks.
Besides, Naruto never fought to free the Sirens - a mercenary group in the Land of Water who fought for peace in their own way, constituted solely of women. They were his enemies at first, but eventually, they were the ones who lent Naruto some help. Not the other way around.
Kakashi figured quickly that this was a coded sentence. As Jiraiya-sama bickered playfully with Yahiko in front of him, he thought over its possible meaning.
'Naruto and the Gama-tachi'. The character of Naruto was inspired by his students; and he mentioned earlier that when they were younger, he made them disguise as toads. So he was talking about his group of students? Jiraiya-sama also happened to be known as the Toad Sennin. Did he mean they were Jiraiya's allies, maybe?
Then came the Sirens. In the book, Kanon, the paper-user Siren, was part of a group in the Land of Water; and Kanon was based on Yahiko's comrade and one of Jiraiya's students. So they had freed this woman? Kakashi's eyes trailed to the foreign ninja's forehead. He was from Amegakure, the Rain village. Was there a link with the 'Land of Water'? Maybe with Kiri? Jiraiya mentioned the group in plural though. Did they save a group of mercenaries in the land of Water? Or a group of people from the Rain village?
The Dragon Curse was more obvious. The leader of Ame, Hanzō, was known as the Salamander. His body had been infused with the venom of a Salamander, but the downside was that he had to wear a mask so as to not poison people around him with his breath; like a cursed technique.
So, somehow, Jiraiya's students had fought Hanzō to save... a group of which his female student was part of? He should be digging around that.
Lastly, the Hawk Summoners. This one was easy as well. In politics, the Hawk referred to the party that believed war was the solution to the survival of the hidden villages. That was why, within the military of Konoha, Danzō was called a War Hawk.
When Kakashi had reached Jiraiya-sama regarding his (and some clan heads') concerns about Shimura Danzō, he hadn't really known what to expect of him.
It turned out, he was moving faster than Kakashi would have ever believed possible, because in one way or another, all of this was related directly to Danzō.
He would have to notify Inoichi-dono as soon as possible. He was the most likely to have intel on what was going on in Amegakure.
"I can't believe you never sent us a copy! Nagato's gonna be so disappointed in you!"
"You mean you've never heard of the incredible writer, Jiraiya the Gallant? My books are masterpieces of romance and adventure. You should definitely read the Icha Icha Series!" Jiraiya boasted proudly.
Yahiko nodded, curiosity lighting his eyes. "Buy me the book, and I'll read it while I'm here."
"Buy you- Oï, brat! I'm the writer! Show me some respect and participate in my income, won't you?" Jiraiya complained. However, he faltered in an instant. "Ah, but don't mention this one to Konan. She should like the Gutsy Ninja better, Naruto's more the type to steal the heart of the ladies."
"I'm not a thief!" a childish voice rang from behind them.
When Kakashi looked at the source of the loud cry, with the sensation that his heart had skipped a bit - as he already knew who he'd find there -, Naruto was standing and glaring at Jiraiya with all her might.
They hadn't even noticed her. Kakashi had been too engrossed in his thoughts, and Jiraiya and Yahiko wouldn't have paid attention to a Konoha child without reason.
Alright.
Time to get out of here.
"Wha-...?" Jiraiya started, his face blank.
It was true that he hadn't seen Naruto since... forever.
Kakashi himself only ever saw her from afar, and right now was far too close for his liking. It truly was the ideal moment to get out of here.
And yet...
For some reason, he hadn't moved yet.
"I heard you! You said my name earlier, and now you said I stole some lady's heart, dattebayo! Do you think I'm crazy?"
Jiraiya-sama seemed at a loss for words.
Kakashi couldn't blame him. Even if he saw where the misunderstanding came from, he didn't feel like using his voice right now to explain anything.
Maybe on another day.
Thankfully, Jiraiya's student came to his rescue, and approached Naruto with a friendly smile. "Hey. I think you misunderstood. We were talking about a book where the main character was very popular with the ladies; or, as the man here said, about how he steals their heart."
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Huh?" she said, her eyes trailing between Jiraiya and Yahiko.
Good, good, she wasn't paying attention to Kakashi, he could move away discreetly now-
But as he began to move backwards, Jiraiya-sama grabbed his arm, throwing at him a threatening look that dared him to leave them like this.
Kakashi glared at him exasperatedly.
Couldn't he be allowed to act like a coward from time to time? He didn't know how to react in her presence, she didn't know him. And he wasn't the type of person children should be around.
Not her. Not when she was so small and short and away from the shinobi life.
Suddenly, he glanced between Jiraiya-sama and Yahiko.
In hindsight, maybe the most infamous Super Pervert in the country and his foreign student weren't the best people for her to be around either.
"Okay, I heard of that expression, I believe you," she said with conviction.
Kakashi's heart did something strange with those words.
But he wasn't going to think about it.
"But you said it's Naruto who stole it?" she added, insisting on her namesake.
"Yes," Yahiko confirmed with a nod. "Naruto, that's the name of the main character of the book. He's a very cool ninja."
Naruto's eyes widened and shone brightly. "Really?! There's a book about someone with my name? And he's a ninja?!" she asked excitedly.
Beside Kakashi, Jiraiya mouthed "Naruto?" silently, with a confused look directed at him.
Ah, right. Since he hadn't come back in ages, he couldn't have known that she had started using this name about a year ago.
Yahiko crouched down in front of her with a smile. "So, your name's Naruto, I take it?"
"Yeah! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Future Hokage, -ttebayo!" she announced proudly with a grin.
... Was it a habit to give her full name to strangers?
Yahiko tilted his head at the information. Kakashi couldn't blame him; this certainly wasn't the wisest reaction a child should have in a ninja village. Especially in front of a foreign shinobi.
"Uzumaki, you say?"
Naruto's smile disappeared instantly from her face, and she took a step back with a frown and crossed her arms protectively around her chest.
"What?" she barked. "You have a problem with my family name?"
That reaction surprised Kakashi.
Yahiko hadn't said it offensively.
From what he recalled, the Pink Ribbon had told him that they had found information about Naruto's clan. Still, that didn't explain why her stance had suddenly turned so tense.
Jiraiya and Kakashi exchanged a look, silently deciding if they should intervene now.
But Yahiko beat them to it, and answered her calmly, in a still welcoming voice. "Not at all, I was just surprised. I didn't expect to meet another Uzumaki here."
Kakashi blinked.
What did he say.
He heard a sharp intake of breath beside him, and when Kakashi checked, Jiraiya had closed one eye in a grimace, as if expecting an incoming blow.
"A... Another Uzumaki?" Naruto repeated in a small voice.
"Yes!" Yahiko affirmed, pointing his thumb towards himself. "My best friend is also an Uzumaki."
"Of course he would," Jiraiya muttered, his palm pressed against his eyes. And yet, a small smile had made its way to his lips.
Oh. Dear.
Kakashi could hear Kushina cackling from above.
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After realizing that her cupboards were mostly empty, Naruto had been on her way to buy some groceries (okay, to buy ramen), when she passed by a group of men on the sidewalk. She hadn't paid them any heed at first, until she heard them call her name.
That had prompted her to stop, and she had stared at them curiously, but none of them seemed to be paying attention to her. Plus, she didn't understand much of what they were talking about. As she was about to resume her walk, she heard the tall man with hair longer than her mom's (but her mom's was still prettier), who had distinctly said "Naruto's the type to steal the hearts of the ladies."
Of course, she had to defend herself! Like she would steal anything, nevermind stealing hearts! Like, a bodypart, ew!
The misunderstanding had been cleared by the other ninja with orange hair and a foreign headband around his forehead, but within seconds, a much, much more important piece of information had made its way to her.
With her eyes wide and her breath still, Naruto stared at the grinning man who had just announced to her that he knew another Uzumaki.
As in, a member of her family.
...
This couldn't be.
No way.
(hands-on-mouth, jumping, screaming)
No waaaaay!
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To be continued
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Naru still needing to learn that she's not alone anymore ;v; I can't wait for her to grow more confident.
Also, DANZO'S SCENE WAS SO HARD OMG. I had to be so careful not to bash him, which is hard when he's so... bad. I just repeat to myself that not everyone thinks like me, and some people really view others as tools, the way Danzo does amfmnanmgag. That was a challenge.
And btw, see the scene with Yahiko? That was planned in 2019. And was supposed to happen in chap 6. *looks at the chapter number* Do you get now when I say that the planning keeps getting out of hand!?
Thank you again for your support, it really warms my heart, you're all lovely people 3 I hope you had a good time today!
See you next time~