Worthy Shinobi

by Korrotix

Summary:

Waking up in the body of eight year old academy student Kimura Meiko before the Kyuubi attack, our protagonist will have to overcome hardships and become a worthy shinobi.

How will he, now she, get there? Read to find out!

Chapter 1: A New Body

Death was not something I'd recommend, especially when it's so slow. A stab wound to my abdomen, too shallow to kill me quickly, but deep enough that I knew it was the end. There was nobody else around, after all. My father, the bastard that he is, would be long gone with the money he'd deluded himself into thinking I owed him, whilst I'd lay there slowly dying, unable to move with my arms and legs tied up.

---

Opening my eyes again was not something I knew would be possible for me. So, when exactly that happens, they open wide in shock.

My surroundings were unfamiliar. I lay on a bed tucked into the corner. A bookshelf, entirely empty, was against the wall to my left, whilst a small dresser was stationed at the end of my bed.

A window was slightly open on the wall to my right. It looked broken, unable to fully close.

Standing slowly, pushing the pink blanket I had been snuggled under to one side, I took note of how short I was. Looking down I found my body to be about the size of an eight year old child.

I realised then that my new body was born female. I didn't much care, however. Though I knew puberty would be unfamiliar, I was sure I could handle it.

Glancing out the window however caused my musings of this new life to stop. The thing to catch my attention so abruptly was the mountain in the distance, large and imposing.

The faces of four Hokage watched me carefully, carved into the rock, and I had to resist the urge to scream.

---

At some point in the following two hours, I had crawled back into the bed I had first woke up in, muttering to myself as my mind raced.

Though thankfully, my panic was cut short by a sudden knock at the door. I wasn't sure my new life's living arrangements, or the layout of the home I was living in, so I simply tried to follow the sound.

I walked with careful steps through my bedroom before exiting, slowly pushing aside the curtain draped over the door rame in place of an actual door.

I found myself in another room, a living room of sorts, although a particularly bland one with a small kitchen in the corner.

The front door was on the opposite side, it seemed, and I approached it and slowly opened the door, barely wide enough to fit a fist through.

Stood on the other side was a shinobi. Dark brown hair tied up in a bun, fair skin and green eyes. He wore the standard flak vest, meaning he was at least a chunin. I reigned in my panic as I watched him carefully, not opening the door any wider.

"Are you Kimura Meiko?" The man asked calmly. I didn't actually know, but I nodded regardless. I definitely lived alone, so it would make sense. "I'm here to deliver this."

In his hand, which he raised to the gap between the door and frame in an effort to give it to me, was a scroll. I opened the door a fraction wider and held my hand out to take it from him.

"Good luck," was all the man said after I'd taken it, and I tilted my head in confusion. He didn't think it necessary to give me an answer, and left with a small puff of smoke.

I shrugged and closed the door gently. I noticed a latch on the door then, and pushed it closed, before taking the key from the small table nearby and locking the door. Call me paranoid, but living with a family like mine had been in my first life did that to you. I made a note to learn how to secure the apartment against shinobi at some point.

I made my way to the sofa then, and sat down softly, crossing my legs as I unfurled the scroll gently, watching as a letter fell out.

Reading the letter before taking a closer look at the scroll, I couldn't help but smile.

I was going to be attending the academy, starting in a few weeks. I took note of who the note was signed by, too.

Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage.

So, my place in the timeline, given this wasn't some alternate universe, was obvious. I was placed in Konoha after the third war, but before the Kyuubi attack.

I briefly wondered how long it'd be until the attack, and if I'd have a chance to make any difference. I doubted it though, and sighed as I began to look at the scroll.

The letter made mention of the scroll, and it was obvious that it was a storage seal inked onto the page.

"A test?" I wondered. I imagined most children recieving this type of scroll and letter would be orphans, or at least civilians, and as such had no way of knowing how to use their chakra.

But my suspicions were unfounded, as I placed my hand gently onto the surface of the scroll, a puff of smoke appeared before a backpack came into existence, the scroll itself disappearing.

"Huh," I mumbled, holding the pack with careful hands as I opened it slowly.

Inside sat what I recognised as a kunai holster, an equipment pouch and a small stack of books. On top of it all lay a note, a warning not to experiment with anything learnt from the book titled 'Beginner Chakra Theory' until prompted by a sensei at the academy.

I knew that I'd likely be breaking that rule, but I didn't dwell on it for too long.

Instead, I placed the bag to one side and stood up. I was wearing a set of purple pajamas with floral patterns, and I wasn't feeling like staying home for my entire first day in the Naruto world.

So I made my way to the bedroom again and opened my dresser's drawers one by one. Slowly I arranged an outfit I imagined acceptable, considering what I'd seen from the show.

So, I stripped down and changed quickly before heading to the other door connected to my living room, a small bathroom lay on the other side.

Gazing at myself in the mirror, I was happy to see I wasn't an ugly child, not that I was some stunning, perfect angel or anything either however.

I was pale, not as pale as Sai or Orochimaru, but pale enough that it was obvious I would probably fry in the sun. My eyes were blue, a lighter shade than in my first life, but instead of slightly curly blonde hair, I now had straight black hair reaching my lower back. I grabbed a hair tie from the windowsill and pulled my hair up into a fairly messy bun. I'd have to learn how to make it neater in future, I thought briefly.

Looking down, I wasn't particularly happy with my choice of clothing. I wore a pair of black bike shorts, relatively tight but breathable, and a green, short sleeved top with the Konoha symbol emblazoned on the front. I'd have to go shopping at some point for more clothes, but I'd wait to get advice from an academy sensei, or something other actual shinobi, about what to buy and where to go for it. I imagined I'd need to buy a pair of sandals like the canon character's I'd seen had worn, too.

But for right then my goal was to look around the village, so I made my way back into the living room and grabbed the kunai holster and equipment pouch. The holster was placed on my right thigh, with the pouch finding it's place at my hip. Both were full, the holster with kunai and the pouch with a small handful of shuriken and some bandages.

I approached the door and slipped on my shoes before turning to the small table and grabbing the key.

With a smile I opened the door wide enough to exit before turning to lock it.

I wasn't sure how this new life would turn out, but I was optimistic for the time being.

---

That optimism died relatively quickly as I wandered, eventually finding a store that sold shinobi gear. Walking inside I scowled at the high prices for anything useful.

The only thing I could afford with the measly collection of coins and bills I'd scrounged from my apartment was a set of shuriken, and they looked even worse quality than those provided by the academy.

It was as I was muttering curses at each price tag I glanced at that I heard a loud voice. "Is there anything I can help you with, young lady?"

I didn't realise he was speaking to me at first, but a moment later he coughed loudly, startling me and causing my eyes to snap towards him, stood beside me.

"Oh, ah," I shook my head quickly, avoiding the man's gaze. I'd always been somewhat anxious in social situations, it seemed that carried over to this body, too. "No, I'm okay thank you."

The large man, a bald head and a white mustache decorating his face, shrugged in response, and made his way back towards the counter of the store. I browsed for a moment longer in the quiet shop before I heard the bell above the door jingle, signalling another customer entering.

I was planning to slip back out then, avoiding the new customer and any further questions from the shopkeeper, but it wasn't meant to be.

"Oh, hey!" A child's voice called out, and this time I could tell it was directed at me. "Are you starting at the academy soon, too?"

I turned at the sound of his greeting, looking the boy up and down as I did.

He was a little taller than me, although not by much, and had a scar running across the bridge of his nose. I watched carefully as the character I recognised as Umino Iruka approached.

"Yeah," I said, shuffling my feet awkwardly as I nodded, "I just got my acceptance letter today."

"That means we'll be in the same class!" Iruka grinned, "I'm Umino Iruka, who are you?"

It took a second for me to answer, recalling my new name. "Kimura Meiko."

"Nice!" Iruka's grin somehow grew larger as he began to browse the wares I was stood beside, "are you buying stuff for training?"

I shrugged at the question, "I was just looking."

Iruka nodded at that, "it's so hard trying to figure out what you actually need. I don't know what I'd do without my parents help."

I didn't reply to that, simply continued to glance over various weapons, armours and other assorted equipment.

"Are your parents shinobi?" Iruka asked a moment later. I shook my head.

"I'm alone," I replied, which I was certain was true. The letter from the academy had mentioned my accomodation. Apparently I had moved in to a state owned apartment building a few days ago, since I was enrolled into the academy.

Iruka nodded, not seeming put off by my quiet nature. I appreciated it, although I didn't appreciate him grabbing my wrist a second later, as I let out a little surprised squeak.

"Then we should be friends." Iruka nodded, starting to pull me towards the shopkeeper. I knew a child version of Iruka would act differently, but the hyperactive boy was reminding me a lot of a certain blonde that was yet to be born.

"Ah, Iruka," the mustached man says easily, recognising the boy, "are you here to pick up Kohari's order?"

Iruka nodded at that, but didn't say anything. The man chuckled briefly before reaching down behind his counter, pulling out a storage scroll and handing it to the waiting Iruka.

"Thank you," Iruka smiled politely. I got a feeling my new friend, or at least according to him we were friends noe, was intimidated by the large man just as much as I was.

Iruka didn't let go of my arm until we exited the store, and I sighed in relief as we did.

"That guy's really scary," Iruka gives a chuckle, scratching the back of his head before he began to wander down the street.

I got the feeling he expected me to follow him, and since I had nothing better to do, I obliged.

We walked slowly as we made our way through various streets, eventually reaching a small but cozy looking house.

"This is my house," Iruka said before grabbing my arm again. He probably realised I was about to try and walk away, given the suddenness of the situation.

So instead, I ended up practically dragged to Iruka's front door, before being pushed inside.

"Iruka?" I heard a feminine voice call out, before a woman I could barely recognise as Iruka's mother from the one anime scene appeared around a corner, "who's this you've brought with you?"

"Kimura Meiko," I bowed as I introduced myself. I wasn't sure what the culture here found acceptable, so I defaulted to a bow.

The woman didn't seem off-put by the gesture however, so I imagined it was normal. "It's nice to meet you, Meiko. My name's Umino Kohari."

"She's my friend!" Iruka exclaimed a moment after when his mother's gaze landed on him, "I met her at the old man's shop.

The woman nodded hearing that, "so you're joining the academy in a few weeks alongside my Iruka?"

"Yes, I'm glad to have met a classmate before we start." I say softly, not making eye contact still. What I said was true though, I was glad to have someone I could call a friend at the school, even if I was hesitant to change too much about canon in the future through my actions.

Kohari smiled at me as I spoke, and it made me miss my own mother for a split second before I shook the feeling off. She had died when I was seven, during my first life.

"Well, if you're going to become a shinobi you'll need to train hard," she watched me carefully, as I nod at her words. "Iruka and I are supposed to begin our training session soon, if you'd like to join us?"

I hesitated at that. I had done no combat training in either life thus far, and starting so suddenly felt irresponsible.

"We don't get to spar or anything," Iruka mumbled then, "we just stretch, then practice taijutsu moves for ages."

Kohari stifled a chuckle at her son whilst I nodded. If there wasn't any real combat until I had learnt the basics, now was as good a time to start learning as ever, I supposed.

"Alright, then let's get started," Kohari clapped, with a smile, and began to lead us to their back yard.

Notes:

Edited on 5th September, 2024

Original Note:
Hey, thanks for reading! My other fic, Space to Breathe, will be taking a small hiatus for a bit. I burnt myself out writing the entirety of part 1 in such a short amount of time, and so I'm going to take it easy and work on this for a while. Once I feel able, I'm going to go back and edit every chapter of StB before continuing it.

I hope you like this, quite different, fic in the meantime! I'll be trying to slow down the pace of this fic compared with StB, but I hope you enjoy it regardless.

I'm writing this in my notes app, just as most of Space to Breathe so far has been, so catching spelling and grammar mistakes isn't very easy. If you spot any, please comment and let me know so I can go through and correct them.

Chapter 2: A Goal, A Friend

I sighed softly as I walked home later that day, one of my arms absently rubbing the other's sore muscles. My legs and arms were aching from the training with Iruka and his mom, and Iruka walked beside me in much the same way.

"Man, you lasted longer than I expected," Iruka laughed, "you're so skinny, I thought you'd pass out after the first few moves but you powered through like, over half of them!"

I let out a small giggle at that. Truth be told, the only reason I hadn't tapped out after the first few exercises I struggled with was because I was overly competitive, and seeing Iruka do them more easily than me made me mad. Iruka may have still lasted longer than me in the end, but at least I didn't give up.

"I'll outlast you eventually," I huffed, not really thinking about what me saying that implies before Iruka's smile turned into a grin.

"So you'll train with us again?" Iruka asked excitedly, causing me to pause.

I did have fun training with them, and it would let me improve much faster than I would alone.

On the other hand, I felt like my limbs were made of jelly.

"I guess," I shrugged, "what days do you do this, anyway?"

Iruka's grin remained as he answered, "every other day, usually."

I breathed a small sigh of relief at the training not being daily, glad to have time to myself for other things. Mainly reading, I wanted to get through the small stack of books they gave me, before the academy began in a few weeks. With any luck, I might be able to figure out how chakra works before I even start at the academy. Having a headstart would be very useful.

---

I gave a small wave as Iruka walked away, having taken me all the way home. I didn't need him to, but he seemed overly worried about the possibility of me collapsing before I made it, after how tired I seemed.

After the boy was out of my line of sight, I shut the door gently, closing the latch and locking it. A padlock for the latch would be a good investment, I pondered, before making my way further inside.

As soon as I reached the sofa I slouched down, grabbing hold of one of the dull grey cushions and holding it to my chest with a small smile.

It felt as though butterflies fluttered through my chest, and I couldn't think of a single time I had felt the sensation in my previous life. I had fell in love romantically, sure, and the feeling wasnt dissimilar, but making a platonic friend? A real, innocent friend with no ulterior motive?

It had just never happened to me, and thinking about Iruka brought a smile to my face as I reached for the stack of books.

"Basic Shuriken and Kunai techniques," I muttered as I settled down, the cushion between my chest and knees as my feet rested on the sofa.

The book was short and fairly simple, mainly containing illustrations of various stances, be it for throwing the weapons or for using them in melee combat. The words that were there were useful though, and I focused on taking them in despite my exhaustion.

I had always had a fascination with reading, especially non-fiction. Learning things through text had always been the easiest for me, even compared to directly learning from a teacher.

Honestly, the written word captivated me to no end, and by the end of the evening, I had read through the three shortest books from the stack of six. After each was finished, I would take it to my bedroom, placing them on the empty bookshelf.

I enjoyed watching the top shelf fill slowly with the three books, and knew then what my goal in this world would be.

To collect information on anything and everything, and that would start with me filling my bookshelf.

---

I yawned as I stood from my bed the following morning. I wasn't needed anywhere that day, as far as I knew, and I was glad for it.

My first day in the world of Naruto had been a busy one, which I had been grateful for. It kept my mind off more depressing things, but I was happy to have some time to reflect.

And that day of reflection would begin with a book, so I made my way to the living room and grabbed the next book in the pile.

"Beginners Guide to Taijutsu," was the title, and I huffed out a short breath as I felt my still slightly sore muscles protest at the idea of more taijutsu. Luckily, the book was mainly images again, with basic explanations of various stances, blocks, grapples, throws, punches, kicks. I tried a few of the easier ones, but decided to mainly rest as I focused on reading.

Eventually, I finished reading that book, and moved to place it on the shelf. Returning, I picked up the next book.

"Academy Hand Seal Guide," The title read, and how such a simple concept could be the second largest book in the pile, I was unsure.

Then as I opened it, flipping to the index, and I understood why.

Each basic seal, of which there are twelve, have multiple chapters written about them. The basics of each were explained, alongside diagrams of all from at least three angles, before it delved into more theory on them. How they affect the user's chakra, which elemental release uses them the most, how each affect the elemental transformation as well as the shape transformation of various jutsu, the list went on. Nothing went any more in depth than I could handle, but the sheer quantity of information was incredible.

It was interesting, and immediately felt myself settling in and scanning each page eagerly, hungry to take in the knowledge as I read.

---

It was evening by the time I finished reading that book, having spent a long time practicing the hand seals to the point where I could make them all reliably on command, although my speed was lacking.

I was going to read the final book then, but decided against it as I made my way to the small kitchen. I'd been eating small, easy to consume snacks throughout both days I'd been in the Naruto world, and it was about time I cook something decent for a change.

But opening my refrigerator, I found it lacking. A carton of milk a few days away from expiry, half of a carrot and a container of leftovers that definitely wasn't good any more.

So, I gave the appliance a quick scrub with a sponge, and threw asay the leftovers, before slipping into my shoes.

I was wearing a similar outfit to the previous day, but the short sleeved green shirt had been replaced by a long sleeved lavender colored one, and I found myself preferring it.

It was less loose, but still comfortable. The sleeves hugged my arms nicely, and the main body didn't flow with the wind, although it wasn't so form fitting as to be an issue.

It also helped with the fact I seemed to have kept my old body's tendancy to always feel cold, as well as my suspicion of my pale skin likely burning easily in the sun.

A hat or a hood would complete the outfit quite nicely, I thought to myself as I made my way outside, a small shopping list slowly growing in my head.

---

I had already bought a bag of groceries, and I was leaving a small store that had sold me a padlock when I spotted him. A black t-shirt with a high collar, the wearer looking away from me, the symbol of the Uchiha on his back. Despite only briefly glancing at what little I could see of face, I knew who it was and it hit me like a bucket full of cold water.

Uchiha Shisui, a young boy yet to even enrol into the academy. The sight of him brought me to thoughts of the anime, of the Uchiha and their downfall.

In about a decade, if my calculations were correct, the Uchiha would fall. I wasn't sure what to think about that.

But I didn't have time to think about that for too long, then and there, as the Uchiha turned and saw me staring.

I averted my gaze when I realised he noticed, but the black haired boy didn't drop it. Instead, he began walking over towards towards me.

Ducking in to the ramen stand to my side and sitting, I hoped that he would pass by. Instead, immediately after I ordered a bowl of miso ramen, his voice called out beside me.

"Make that two bowls of miso," Shisui grinned taking a seat beside me. I resisted the urge to groan. Messing with canon characters would only serve to make the future more difficult, but I found it hard to care when I thought of Iruka, or when I saw Shisui's goofy grin.

Neither of us spoke for a few minutes until our ramen arrived before us. Shisui began digging in to his food before I lost patience and spoke.

"I didn't mean to stare at you," I said simply, my face likely slightly red from embarrassment, watching as Shisui glanced up, a noodle hanging from between his lips.

"Okay," the Uchiha boy shrugged, going back to his meal. I shrugged at his response in return, before begining to eat my own ramen slowly, savouring the taste.

I sighed after we finished, realising I had meant I cook my own meal, rather than go out and buy one.

But, as I began to count out the change to give the man behind the counter, I saw Shisui place double the amount for his order on the counter with the same grin.

"Oh, uh," I struggled as the boy looked towards me, "thanks?"

Shisui snorted at my attempt at gratitude before smiling again, "it's no problem, you looked hungry."

How Shisui could tell I was hungry from our brief exchange of eye contact, I couldn't tell you.

"Ah, I was," I admitted, "but I was going to cook for myself."

I motioned towards my bag of groceries then, before Shisui scratched the back of his head with a chuckle.

"Sorry," he replied, although his tone was not apologetic in the least.

"I saw your kunai holster and realised you're probably joining the academy in a few weeks, right?" The question caught me off guard, but I nodded in response after a moment.

"Sweet, do you mind helping me out?" The boy practically begged then, and I realised what the ramen's purpose was. A bribe.

"You want my help? What for?" I wondered, and the Uchiha nodded excitedly.

"I'm going to be joining the academy too," he explained, "but I don't have anyone to train with."

I tilted my head in confusion at that, "don't your clan help you train?"

"Not really," Shisui pouted a little then, "they help with my fire release, but not much else."

I understood then, and nodded to communicate as such. Instead, Shisui took it as agreement.

"Sweet!" The boy said with a smile, reaching out to grab my hand. "Come on, we'll go to a training ground now!"

I was going to resist, but I simply sighed as I let the boy take my free hand, picking up my grocery bag with the other. I was glad nothing I bought would go bad in such a short time, mainly vegetables.

---

"Holy shit," I muttered under my breath as another kick shot into my shaky block from Shisui. The Uchiha trained much more intensely then Iruka's family it seemed. Almost immediately after initial stretches Shisui challenged me to a spar.

I was hesitant to accept, and when I did, it was clear just how right I was to be hesitant.

I was losing, hard. The Uchiha boy was faster than anything I'd ever seen, and I supposed that made sense. He was known as Shisui of the Body Flicker, in the future at least.

But even without using the technique once, he could run circles around me.

After another heavy strike to my arms, the boy came to a stop with a small breath.

"Don't worry so much," he said reassuringly. "You'll catch up if we keep training together."

I groaned at the proposal. I had been in this world for a total of two days, and already evil children were forcing me to train like Rock Lee or something.

Despite my reservations, I slouched down to the ground, looking up towards Shisui with a small smile.

"When will we meet up, then?" I asked, tilting my head curiously, "I train with my other friend every other day. Today was my day off."

"Then how about we meet up once a week?" Shisui suggested, and I was glad he didn't expect me to use him to fill my entire schedule, "On the weekend, whichever day you're free."

"That means we can carry on after the academy starts, too," I nod in agreement. Training with the prodigy of an Uchiha was bound to be utterly brutal, just like that first spar had been, but I knew it would pay back its value tenfold.

---

"You look tired," Kohari mentioned as she led the two children to the back yard, "did you get enough rest yesterday?"

I hesitated to tell her about my new training partner but spilt a minute later after her gaze remained on me.

"I had a spar with a friend," I said, hoping Shisui didn't mind the idea of us being referred to as friends.

"We only train every other day to help your body recover between sessions," the woman sighed, "you'll slow your progress if you work too hard."

"I know, we decided to only train together once every week, an it won't usually be sparring," I explained.

"Alright," the woman relented, "let me know the day before, and we'll take it easier that day."

I smiled and nodded with a quiet "thank you," in response.

---

"Who's your other friend?" Iruka asked innocently as he walked me home. Yet again I was walking slowly, my legs aching and my arms swinging tiredly by my sides.

"His name's Uchiha Shisui," I say, "I met him yesterday, he bought me ramen."

Iruka chortled at that, but doesn't say anything further. I was worried the boy would be jealous of something, but it didn't seem he was that kind of person.

Eventually, after a long, mostly quiet walk, we arrived at my apartment. Iruka turned to leave as I closed the door and locked it up, first padlocking the latch closed before locking the door itself.

Slowly I made my way into the living room, leaving my shoes near the door. With a small groan I lowered myself onto the sofa and gazed upon the largest book I had received in my academy welcome package.

"Beginner Chakra Theory," was the title, and I got myself comfortable as I cracked open the first page.

I wasn't expecting to finish the book that evening, but barely getting through two dozen pages before needing a break was unexpected.

Chakra was unbelievably complicated, and I thought deeply about the energy supposedly dormant within me as I walked towards the kitchen, begining to cook myself a meal.

Notes:

Edited on 5th September, 2024

Original Note:
I was planning to take writing this fic slow, but I'm having fun, so I can't stop.

I hope you guys are happy with the canon characters Meiko is meeting! Next chapter may contain smol child Itachi, as well as more Iruka and Shisui of course.

Let me know if you're enjoying in the comments, and feel free to leave any corrections of my spelling or grammar there, too.

Chapter 3: Left Behind

"Tell me again," I glanced back at Iruka, who was walking one step behind me and to the side, "Why are you following me?"

It had been a few days since my arrival in the Naruto world now, and at this point Iruka and I were becoming more and more friendly. The boy had been to my apartment once now, and we spent a day off studying the required academy reading. Iruka was still working through some of the shorter books whilst I chopped away at the chakra theory book, bit by bit.

Now, however, it was Sunday, meaning it was time for my first proper training session alongside Shisui. I hadn't planned for Iruka to follow me, though.

"Because," he said with a shrug, "I wanted to meet this Shisui guy."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't think it necessary to respond verbally. Slowly, we made our way through the streets of Konoha and found ourselves at the same training ground Shisui and I am had used previously.

"Meiko!" Shisui waved with a smile, before glancing briefly at Iruka with a confused expression.

"Shisui," I greeted him with a small wave in return, approaching him slowly as I smile. Iruka remained just behind me. "This is Iruka. He's being weird and followed me here."

Iruka gawked at the utterly honest analysis of his actions recounted to a stranger, but shook it off quickly, sending Shisui a wide grin.

"I'm Umino Iruka," the brown haired boy said, "I'm Meiko's friend."

Shisui smiled back, and I couldn't help but smile too. The pair both had contagious smiles, and them both being together somehow increased the potency of the ability.

"I'm Uchiha Shisui," he replied, "do you want to train with Meiko and I?"

Iruka glanced towards me, to which I nodded. He looked back at Shisui and nods too. I watched as Shisui grinned wide and began checking his equipment carefully.

I did the same, and after a moment Iruka caught on and did so too.

"Let's start with a spar," Shisui said, a confident grin on his face. "You two versus me."

Iruka seemed surprised by the conditions then, but I understood easily. Even with Iruka's help, it was unlikely we could even hit Shisui. Nevermind actually win.

---

"What th-" Iruka cried out as Shisui gracefully swept his legs from under him. I watched carefully as Iruka regained his footing swiftly though, charging forwards.

Iruka stood no chance alone though, and so I rushed in too, hoping that we could possibly catch the Uchiha boy by suprise.

But as I expected, he shifted his weight and hoisted Iruka off the ground, as the brown haired boy got close, swinging him right over his shoulder and directly into me.

We both tumbled a moment, with me barely just catching the flying Iruka and setting him down as gently as I could, a hand on his back in an attempt to help balance him, after being thrown around.

"He's as strong as you said he is," Iruka mumbled, and I couldn't help but shake my head.

"I think he's actually stronger." I replied, watching the boy's eyes.

"You don't mean..?" Iruka whispered, but I had no chance to answer as Shisui charged forwards again.

But this time, I was his primary target, and barely managed to raise my arms in time to block.

---

"I have bruises on my bruises," Iruka complained as they walked home from their training session with Shisui. The Uchiha boy was truly a terrifying opponent.

"I know what you mean," I agree, rubbing absentmindedly at my arm. I was less beat up then Iruka, but not by a lot.

Eventually, we reached my apartment, and I waved Iruka off as I went inside. Locking the door, as well as the padlock on the latch, I placed my key down on the small table before settling down in the sofa and opening the book on chakra theory.

I was hoping to manage an understanding of chakra before the academy began, but as slow going as reading the book was going it was unlikely I'd get it done, I thought.

I was only about halfway done, and everything up to that point was discussing the potential of chakra, all theoretical. Everything useful was on later pages, but couldn't really be understood without the understanding of the basics, which were taught throughout the first pages.

It was a particularly difficult to understand part of the book I'd reached that evening as I rubbed at my aching limbs. It was always a point of irritation for me when I had trouble understanding a subject, but unlike the world of my first body, I had no access to the internet to solve any gaps in my knowledge here. I had to just power through it, use context clues.

It was exhausting, and by the time I turned the lights off to sleep, I had gotten through a single page.

I was definitely not making it through the whole book before classes began in another week, I was almost certain.

---

"You're late," Iruka accused with a pointed finger as I arrived, fifteen minutes later than usual and with a couple new pieces of gear.

On my head sat a hat, similar to that worn by the Akatsuki in the show, although coloured black to match my hair rather than their more tan colour. The white pieces that fell to either side and the back of the wearer's head were missing, also. A thin string fell from either side instead, meeting under my chin and holding the hat more steady.

Secondly, atop my usual purple top and black shorts I wore a cloak, a deep purple bordering on black itself.

"What's with the new get up?" Iruka asked with a tilt of his head after noticing. I laughed a little briefly before sighing.

"The sun is being annoying, but somehow I'm still cold," was my response. Somehow despite the sun burning my skin, I was still feeling like I was stuck inside a block of ice. That was one thing from my first life I didn't miss, but somehow I had to deal with it all over again.

Kohari made her appearance then, chuckling at the sight of me.

"If you wear too many layers, you'll lose mobility," she explained, and I nodded. I wasn't planning on adding any more.

"You'll be able to learn how to regulate your body temperature with chakra once you've learnt how to access it," the woman continued.

That excited me, given my predicament. If I could just simply use my chakra to keep myself warm, then that was definitely something I wanted to do. Unless it wasted it, then I'd probably just survive without that use. I had a feeling that as a civilian orphan turned shinobi, my chakra supply wouldn't be allowed that much.

"Anyway, let's get started with your training, shall we?" Kohari said, with a small smile.

---

It turns out, the potential to actually feel warmth was a fantastic motivator. By Friday that week, I had finally finished the entire book, although I had yet to put anything from it into practice. I was almost scared to try, with how dangerous chakra could surely be.

As much as I'd love to break the rule, to try and make use of my chakra before being instructed in how to do so, I refrained. I only had one more weekend to go until the academy year began, and I get to start learning to become a shinobi.

But then it hit me, imagining myself sat beside Shisui and Iruka in a classroom.

Shisui was a genius. A prodigy, someone incredibly talented and skilled at a super young age. He was sure to graduate early, no matter what.

I didn't want to be left behind, I realised with startling clarity. I had spent a lifetime being left behind last time, and I refused to let it happen again.

So, despite aching muscles and tired eyes, I stood up and slipped on my sandals, cloak and hat. The sun was setting, but even a setting sun could leave me red and burnt, without my cloak and hat.

Slowly I walked, making my way down the street as I approached my destination.

Shisui may be a genius, but I wasn't a slacker either. Slowly I opened the doors to the Konoha Shinobi Archive and Library.

"Name and registration?" The tired and very bored looking chunin behind the reception desk asked.

"Kimura Meiko," I said, "I enrolled into the academy this year."

The chunin eyed me with a hint of suspicion as he jotted my name down on the records, "Shouldn't you be trying to get a head start on your required reading rather than looking in the level zero?"

Ignoring the bomb that the stack of a measly six books was all the required reading for academy students, I shrugged, "I finished them already."

The chunin smirked at me in a condescending manner, clearly not believing me, but didn't make an attempt at continuing our conversation.

So, I made my way forwards, passing the stairs that lead to higher levels which I didn't have access to and instead making my way into a door marked 'Zero'.

Level zero was where things accessible to anyone in the shinobi system were kept. It was also the only level where it was perfectly legal for me to create copies of any documents, books or scrolls found there.

As such, I began searching.

---

The section I was interested in was the section focused on chakra theory. Chakra was the greatest equaliser after all, and if I was going to catch up to Shisui, to avoid being left behind by him, then I needed something like him.

Shisui was a combination of a broken ability, unnatural intelligence and skill.

The broken ability, the sharingan. Something I'm almost certain he already has, although I've yet to see it.

His unnatural intelligence was the thing I could actually keep up with. His ability was to think fast in a fight, aided by his sharingan he was surely an incredible fighter.

But planning before hand was something he was likely less capable of, and as such, I could fill that role.

His skill on the other hand, was his Ninjutsu. Currently, it was his fire release. Soon, though, he would discover the potential of the body Flicker technique and it would become his most used jutsu.

I needed something like that. Something I could actually use to level the playing field, to help me graduate early. To be comparable to Uchiha Shisui.

Then, I found it. A scroll labeled simply 'Leaf Concentration Exercise.' It wasn't what I needed, but it was the first stepping stone.

The scroll was small, barely the size of a standard piece of printer paper when fully unraveled, but the information contained inside was invaluable.

I carefully copied the words and diagrams down to a separate, clean scroll purchased for a discount from the receptionist. Konoha was known for investing in it's shinobi, this being another example of that, alongside the academy welcome package for orphans and civilians.

The technique was simple, and I had known about it since before my arrival, but chakra is a fickle beast, and one wrong move could have catastrophic repercussions. As soon as I got this technique down, I could make moves towards my goal, to keep up.

But with clearcut instructions from a scroll held in the Konoha Shinobi Archive and Library, the chances of me frying my chakra coils, or worse, my brain were slim. I was confident in that.

---

"You aren't supposed to know how to do that," Shisui said the next day as he watched me concentrate on the leaf stuck to my forehead. I was glad Iruka chose not to follow me again, likely trying to avoid a beating.

"I taught myself from a scroll," I replied, slightly proud of myself. The scroll in which I wrote the instructions sat on my bookshelf now, signalling me having read it.

"That's impressive," Shisui said, and I would be lying if I said it didn't sour my mood. It felt like an insult from the Uchiha prodigy, even though I knew the boy had no bad intentions.

"Yeah," I muttered, but didn't let my concentration fade. "It's kind of easy."

Shisui nodded in response, "you should try walking up a vertical surface, next."

I paused at that and let the leaf drop, the boy continued, likely thinking I was confused by the technique rather than the suggestion I learn it already.

"It's like the leaf sticking, but you need more chakra, and it's at the soles of your feet instead of your forehead." Shisui explained as he took a careful step up a nearby tree.

I nodded at the explanation and made my way towards the horizontal boy, before placing a foot of my own on the tree beside his.

Then, a blast of chakra pushed me away, leaving a foot shaped crater in the bark, as I catch my balance, sighing.

"You need less," Shisui supplied his sage wisdom unhelpfully, and I tried again.

Slowly but surely I made progress. My chakra control was nowhere near perfect, but it was good. Eventually I was capable of running up the tree and standing still, as well as carefully hopping from branch to branch.

"You got the hang of it faster than I did," Shisui praised and I actually felt a proud smile slip onto my lips in response.

"Now, on to water walking!" Shisui chuckled as I stared at him, a look of slight surprise on my face.

Notes:

Edited on 5th September, 2024

Original Note:
I can not stop writing.

No baby Itachi yet, maybe next chapter?

Also, don't worry for Iruka being left behind, I have a plan for him, too!

Chapter 4: Bukijutsu

I sighed as I entered the busy classroom, bustling with students. I recognised Iruka chatting with a familiar looking white haired boy, Mizuki. I made a mental note to avoid the future traitor, it wasn't my job to steer him away from that temptation. And honestly, I already had a bad vibes from him, seeing as how he was clearly in the process of telling Iruka he couldn't sit with him.

I also saw Shisui already sitting down at a seat in the back corner, beside the window, his backpack on the seat beside him as he looked out at the yard below.

I approached the Uchiha, waving to Iruka but moving past him fast enough to avoid having to talk with his friend.

"Hey, I saved you a seat," Shisui declared, and I gave him a grateful smile and nod as I shifted his backpack from the chair to the ground beside the boy. I took my own bag off a moment later, before shaking my cloak to hang off the back of my chair. I also placed my hat, which I had learnt from Kohari was called a jingasa, carefully to one side.

I waited then, Shisui rambling quietly about how his younger cousin and aunt had walked him to the academy that morning.

I had a feeling he was talking about Itachi and Mikoto, but I didn't have a way to ask without sounding awkward or strange, so I kept quiet.

I was worried when I noticed Iruka still hadn't taken a seat beside us, but a moment later he jogged over and gave me a smile. He gave Shisui a short nod, too.

"Meiko, can I sit next to you?" He asked, to which I immediately nodded in reply. He seemed relieved, and as I guessed, Mizuki had rejected his attempt to sit beside him already.

It was as Shisui struck up a conversation about Iruka's training that our sensei walked through the door.

He was tall, much more than I had expected, and his head was bald. He wore the standard chunin uniform and had a harsh face.

I wondered briefly if the man was Morino Ibiki, as he entered, but he would only be in his teens at this time point in the story, so that hypothesis was out the window.

"My name is Mamoru Wakaba, and I'll be your sensei for the duration of your time here at the academy," the man said as he placed the files he was holding gently onto his desk. "The war with Iwa may have ended, but our relationship with Kumogakure has not improved. I expect you all to work hard, because for all we know the war will still be waged upon your graduation."

I gulped slightly hearing that, realising my understanding of the world's situation was fairly mediocre at best. I had assumed, given the Yellow Flash's position as Hokage, that the third war had been totally ended, but given what would happen to a four year old Hyuga Hinata in the future, I suppose the idea was fairly naïve.

"This also means our policy on early graduation is the same as it has been since the war began," he went on to explain, "at he end of the year, given the war continues, those deemed worthy will be allowed to take the final exam alongside the fourth year students."

My eyes widened at that. I had expected to have to ask about the process, but he was simply explaining the system right off the bat.

I understood after a moment of thought that they were trying to push high achievers out of the academy quickly. Manpower was likely low after years of combat with multiple other villages.

I decided I was going to take copies of some history, and geography, books from the archive later. My knowledge was sorely lacking.

But for now, Wakaba-sensei continued. He seemed overly patriotic to me, but it seemed most of the other kids were used to it. I supposed it was unlike my previous life here, where such strong patriotism wasn't something all too common in the average person.

Eventually, lessons began and I was excited for the chance at learning again.

---

"Most of the stuff we did today was so easy," Iruka said, sounding confused.

I nodded, alongside Shisui, as we walked towards he training grounds. We were all expecting the chance to work off some energy it seemed, and were left disappointed.

"I know," Shisui groaned, "like, we know how to do basic math. We could have at least practiced Taijutsu stances or something."

I found it hard to disagree. The day was mainly focused around learning in the classroom, and the one period of physical activity was just running laps and doing basic exercises.

And even that wasn't very hard compared to what Kohari had put us through, and compared to the couple of sessions with Shisui I'd had it was like nothing to me.

The only part I actually learnt something new was during the history and geography classes. But we were moving so slowly, I was sure I could just read a book or two and know everything for the entire year.

Eventually we made it to our usual training field, and shrugged off our bags. I left my cloak and jingasa on, though.

"So, do you want to practice walking on the water again?" Shisui asked, and I nodded. Iruka however look slightly confused.

"You're already working on water walking?" He questioned, to which I nodded with a shrug. "I only just managed the leaf concentration exercise."

"Her chakra control's pretty good," Shisui explained, which was news to me. I thought I was pretty average, but I guess getting the leaf exercise in a single day, and then the tree walking exercise in another, without it being particularly intense training to get there, was pretty good.

Not Sakura or Tsunade good, but it was pretty impressive nonetheless.

"That's cool!" Iruka smiled towards me, "I think I'll try tree walking today, then."

Shisui decided he'd be of most use helping Iruka, and so the pair of boys made their way to a tree, the same one I'd used to learn the technique. I made my own way over to the small pond a dozen or so meters to the side of the treeline and began working.

---

A few more days passed like that until Friday. I didn't go to Iruka's house every other day anymore, and we agreed it was best that I go only on Saturdays instead, given we had academy classes during the week, whilst I now planned to meet up with Shisui on Sundays.

"Can anybody tell me the name of the Nidaime Hokage?" Wakaba-sensei asked as he looked over the class during a history lesson. I smiled slightly as Iruka raised his hand, subsequently being called to answer.

"Senju Tobirama," he said proudly. Iruka had been answering a lot of questions since the academy began that Monday, and I was pretty sure I understood why.

He was worried about being left behind, just like I was. I was training hard, every single day after class before heading home and reading. Shisui was a genius, and he wasn't a slacker either.

Iruka didn't have the drive I had, or the natural talent Shisui had, so he decided instead to try and show off his knowledge, and studying almost twice as hard as even I did.

He knew getting to take the graduation exam alongside Shisui was going to be impossible without something to set him apart.

Shisui had his raw talent and sharingan, whilst we didn't.

So, just like me, he was working hard to bridge the gap. We were his only real friends, I think, and being left alone in a class who had already made their friend groups after we left would be hard.

I planned to bridge the gap by a mixture of study and training, and whilst Iruka still trained hard, he planned to take the more specialised approach of being not only strong, but incredibly smart.

I also understood that our theoretical scores were likely to be the difference maker in the final exams compared to Shisui. The Uchiha was smart, but not so much in an academic sense as in an instinctive way.

He always knew what to do in a fight, and he could do math quickly, but when it came to calculating long problems or coming up with a longer term strategy even he was outclassed by Iruka, and I.

---

"Meiko," Kohari smiled as I entered their house, forgoing knocking as instructed after the first few days of training there. It was suspicious how the woman was always there to greet me at the door, and I imagined it was likely due to an ability to sense chakra signatures. "Head into the living room and I'll be there in a moment, dear."

That was different, but I complied easily enough. Usually our lessons, even when more focused on theoretical subjects, were held outdoors.

I shrugged it off though and walked into the living room, where I found Iruka writing carefully onto a slip of paper the size of an explosive tag.

When I looked a bit closer, I realised it was an explosive tag.

"Huh?!" I stumbled slightly in suprise as I lowered myself to sit on the floor beside Iruka. "I didn't know you could do that."

Iruka would usually have laughed awkwardly at being caught and scratched the back of his head, but this time he didn't lose his concentration.

"I forgot to tell you," was all he said, although his tone was apologetic.

"It's no big deal," I said then, because it wasn't really. Shisui hadn't told me or Iruka about his sharingan that I was sure he already awakened, and I hadn't told them about my foreknowledge of the future.

Hidden abilities, skills and knowledge were par for the course in life as a shinobi.

"What else can you do?" I decided to ask next, only softly in an attempt to not break his concentration.

"Explosive tags are kind of my most impressive thing right now," Iruka said simply, "but there's a dozen or so basic seals you have to learn before them."

"Like what?" I question, feeling my curiosity grow. I knew Iruka used some barrier ninjutsu type stuff in the anime, after all. Was this what led up to that, perhaps?

"Like seals that emit dim light, start a small fire, put out a small fire," Iruka listed as he placed another stroke to his tag, smirking in success as he did. "They're kind of boring."

"How hard are storage seals?" I wondered in response. I wouldn't mind getting a few from Iruka, they were very expensive to purchase elsewhere.

"Pretty difficult," Iruka mumbled. "Dad says I have to master the explosive tag, then the flashbomb tag, and like a few other things before learning them."

"Is your dad home?" I asked in then, watching carefully at the tag as Iruka worked. I had met the man once, just before the academy year began, but it was brief, and I hadn't seen much of him since then.

"He broke his leg during his last mission," Iruka answered, nodding and finally placing down the ink brush, shifting to face me slightly more. "It's been healed, but apparently it's brittle for the first week or so after, so he's taking it easy."

"Ah," I hum in response before hearing the door open. Kohari walks in with her usual kind smile followed by Ikkaku, Iruka's father.

"Have you finished the tag?" He asked, glancing down at Iruka, who nodded excitedly and picked up the tag, handing it to the man.

Ikkaku examined the tag a moment before smiling down at his son, ruffling the boys hair proudly. "Good job, this looks perfect."

Iruka sent a giant grin at the man before his mother spoke.

"As lovely as that is, dears," Kohari sighed, "we have a guest, and we're going to be starting our lessons now."

I shifted myself to face Kohari and Ikkaku then, Kohari sat on the ground opposite me whilst Ikkaku didn't sit at all, motioning for Iruka to follow him out of the room.

"We'll be working separately today," Kohari explained as Iruka gave me a small wave, one I mimicked.

"Is Iruka going to start working on his next seal?" I asked, and Kohari nodded with a smile.

"He's become very motivated in his sealing work after meeting your other friend," she said. "I imagine the bruises I had to heal had something to do with it."

It wasn't phrased like a question, so I didn't respond. A moment later Kohari coughed before speaking again.

"Anyway, we're going to be working on something different. Ikkaku is very particular about sealing, he didn't even teach it to his old genin team."

I nodded in understanding at that. If all went to plan and I ended up on a team with Shisui and Iruka, we wouldn't need two sealing exerts anyway. Maybe some time in the future I'd pick up the basics, if I felt a need.

"We're going to be working on my specialty, actually," Kohari smiled, and I became slightly shocked.

"Medical Ninjutsu?" I asked, but Kohari stifled a chuckle and shook her head.

"I'm well versed in medical Ninjutsu, that is true," she began to explain. "But since before I even learnt the mystical palm technique, I've focused most of my efforts on bukijutsu."

"Weapons," I mumbled to myself. "What kind?"

"Well, the thing about being a Tokubetsu Jonin is that you don't do things regarding your specialty by halves." Kohari smirked, and I felt a sense of foreboding as she reached for a sealing scroll in her pocket.

Placing her hand on top and unsealing the contents of the seal, my eyes went wide.

A second, much larger scroll appeared. I watched as she opened it, and inside lay intricately detailed seals.

"Ikkaku made it for me," Kohari smiled, "before this I used to have to carry around every single weapon I acquired."

I had a feeling she meant 'stolen from enemy shinobi corpses' rather than acquired, for most of them, but didn't comment.

Instead, I voiced my most pressing question. "Which weapon will you be teaching me?"

Kohari's grin went wide at that, before shrugging. "I don't know, maybe you should choose randomly?"

I sighed quietly at that, but obliged. Looking over the mass of storage seals lined neatly side by side, I chose one, right beside a tiny water stain.

"A good choice," Kohari smiled as she unsealed the object.

A moment later, a metal club almost the same height as me clattered to the ground.

"A kanabo," Kohari explained, seeing the immediate confusion on my face. "Like Oni use I all the stories."

I gave the long metal weapon a look and thought for a moment before nodding. It was vaguely shaped like a baseball bat, although longer and definitely heavier, and a baseball bat was the only weapon I had any experience wielding in any sort of altercation.

Although I'm not sure a single fight from my first life, which I lost, counts as experience.

---

If I thought Kohari was a harsh teacher before, she was practically the devil herself after I picked up a weapon.

She was passionate about bukijutsu, without a doubt. No matter how tiny a mistake I made during a spar, and trust me an eight year old girl waving a heavy metal club around caused mistakes in her form, she would hit back three times as hard just to ingrain the mistake into my head.

By the end of the first session, I could easily say weapons training had become my favourite thing, though. It was freeing, somehow, to have a tool of war in my hands and just focus on using it to hurt my opponent.

So, I promised Kohari that day that I would practice whenever I could, and that I would take bukijutsu seriously.

It was as I was walking home, the kanabo safely returned to Kohari's possession before I left, that I spotted it.

I had decided to take a longer route on a whim, the evening air felt fresh, and in that moment I was unsure whether I regretted that decision.

But no matter if I did or not, I couldn't pass up a meal at Ichiraku Ramen, not a chance.

Notes:

Edited on 5th September, 2024

Original Note:
Wooah, our favourite little isekai protagonist has a new thing to focus on, lol. Weapons are gonna be a big thing in her skillset, alongside one or two other core elements.

I don't want Meiko to become a shinobi that simply slings jutsu around at things, so close quarters combat with melee weapons and medium to long ranged combat with ranged weapons will be her style for the immediate future. She will be adding a couple of weapons to her skillset before she leaves the academy.

Also, Iruka's dad exists, but he's running a lotta missions back to back. When he is home he likes to spend it with his son, and teach him sealing.

ALSO, wanted to let everyone know that ages have been jumbled around a tiny bit. We are circa two years before the canon Kyuubi attack, with Kakashi's generation being 12-13 ish. Shisui has been made the same age as Iruka, who I think would have been 10 at Naruto's birth, and is thus 8.

Chapter 5: New Jutsu

Walking towards the stand, I was somewhat surprised to see all the seats empty as I slipped inside quietly and hoisted myself onto one of the seats at the end. The man I knew to be Teuchi, although younger than I recalled, turned with a large smile and looked at me kindly.

"Hello!" He said, his voice jovial and welcoming, "what can I get for you today, little miss?"

"Just a bowl of miso ramen please," I said as I glanced around. It looked just how it had during the beginning of the anime, although a little bit newer, perhaps. It was making me nostalgic.

It was as a steaming bowl of the famed ramen was placed in front of me that I heard someone else walk in, but I didn't even bother to look to the side until I heard them speak.

A vaguely familiar voice ordered three bowls of ramen, a few seats away from me.

Turning my head, I saw a blonde man with bright blue eyes. His face was familiar to me both from my previous life and this new one.

It was the face I saw on the Hokage Mountain every single day, the fourth in line.

I barely noticed the pair of teens following him as I shot to my feet and bowed, "Lord Hokage." I said in the form of a greeting, but Minato simply laughed it off with a wave of his hand.

"Ah, no need for that," he said as I straightened, hesitant to go back to eating. "Please,keep enjoying your meal."

Slowly I sat myself back on the stool, whilst the two others with the Hokage took seats between us.

One had gravity defying white hair and covered his lower face with a mask. The other had brown hair and purple markings on her face.

Hatake Kakashi and Nohara Rin sat between me and Namikaze Minato. Rin sat directly to my side, whilst Kakashi was between her and Minato.

"Are you an academy student?" Rin asked a moment after her own bowl was delivered to her.

I stuttered slightly as I answered, "Oh, yeah."

"What year are you in?" She asked further, and I refrained from taking another bite to avoid talking. I was very nervous. These were very, very important canon characters, and just me speaking to them could change the future, and make me lose what little advantage knowing the future could have given me.

But, again, I found it hard to care too much, when I looked up at the girl’s kind smile.

"I just started," I admitted, before realizing what this opportunity meant. Anything I said here would be heard by the Hokage himself, after all. "I’m hoping to graduate early, but I'm worried that my friends will do better than me."

Praising my friends whilst in the Hokage's presence could only help, and stating my own ambition could make him take my interest more seriously when the time comes.

Rin looked me up and down a moment later and smiled, "judging by the bruises on your legs, I'd say you're training hard to keep up."

"Well, Iruka and I are training hard to catch up, really. Shisui's really strong." I said honestly, watching as Kakashi's head tilted to glance at me.

"Uchiha Shisui?" He asked simply, and I nodded. I wasn't entirely sure why Kakashi had taken note of the boy yet, but it worried me slightly.

Minato spoke up a second later, though. "How is he?"

That confused me even more, why was the Hokage asking about my friend?

But, I answered regardless. "He seems okay, as far as I can tell.”

Minato gave me a small smile then and nodded, Kakashi and Rin seemed a bit relieved.

"He was related to our teammate," Rin explained in a whisper, leaning a little closer to me. "Well, all Uchiha are related, but they were first cousins and both lived with their grandmother."

I understood then, and sighed in relief. There wasn't anything nefarious about their questions, simply concern for a fallen comrade's family.

I was also glad to have more information about the timeline so far. Obito was ‘dead’, it seemed, but Rin wasn't. Given her age, I imagined we weren't far away from that eventuality though, and even just thinking about it made me a little sad. She seemed really nice, both from the show and the little interaction I just had with her.

We sat mostly in silence after that, with Rin making occasional small talk with me quietly. It only made me more upset that she would die, though, and I knew that it would probably be impossible to save her on such short notice.

---

The first month of the academy year passed mostly the same. I would read various books in the mornings, mainly history and geography books, then I’d attend classes during the weekdays, heading to the training grounds with Iruka and Shisui in the afternoons for some light. On Saturdays I would go to Iruka's house where I would mainly focus on my weapons training with Kohari. The Kanabo was a tricky thing to learn, though, being heavy and awkward to maneuver in any meaningful way and so I was still working on it. Luckily Kohari had been kind enough to find another one in her stash of weapons and allowed me to keep it for myself.

On Sundays I would meet with Shisui at the training grounds, occasionally alongside Iruka, and work on anything I felt we needed to. I managed to master water walking by the end of the month, and I couldn't help but pull Shisui into a hug. Many long hours of getting wet and freezing cold during training had finally paid off, and the boy's proud smile made it all worth it.

It was a Sunday when Shisui offered a one on one spar between us, and I couldn't help but agree on the spot. Detaching the Kanabo strapped to my back and entering my stance, I watched as Shisui smirked at the weapon and lowered himself, too.

A moment later, the Uchiha charged, faster than I'd ever seen him, but not unmanageable.

I'd been sparring with a Tokubetsu Jonin, so his level of speed was just about manageable for me.

A harsh kick to my side came a moment later but my Kanabo crashed down to the ground first, blocking his leg as it bashed into the studded metal club.

Shisui seemed unfazed however as he bounced backwards, surging forwards at another attempt at Taijutsu.

But wherever he was aiming for, my Kanabo just managed to meet him there. Eventually he stopped, taking a slightly more relaxed stance, back in position at where the spar started.

Then his hands formed seals, and his form blurred into motion.

His fist met my cheek in less than a second, and I couldn't help but scowl as he smirked at me. I fell to the ground after his legs sweeped my own from under me, a kunai pointed at my throat.

His eyes were no longer black, but instead red with two tomoe circling each pupil.

"I knew you had it," I mumbled as he jumped back, his eyes morphing back into the usual black color.

"I know," Shisui shrugged and placed the kunai back in his holster, "you were always watching my eyes during spars."

I chuckled at that and stood, carefully placing my Kanabo away.

"Was that the body flicker?" I asked, although it clearly was. "I didn't know it could be used in combat like that."

"It's hard to control without the sharingan active," Shisui nodded, "you go too fast to reliably hit anything without the added reaction speed of the sharingan."

"Ah, I see," I said, slightly disappointed I wouldn't be able to use the same style without plucking out someone's eyes. Bloodline theft wasn't high on my to-do list though.

Although if I met a Dojutsu user from an enemy village, I wouldn't be particularly against it. It was disappointing that all the Dojutsu outside of Konoha kind of sucked. Or they were held by people way out of my league.

"You can still learn the body flicker for travel and stuff," Shisui explained. "But you should probably try learning the three basic Ninjutsu, first."

I sighed at that. I had been putting off learning the Transformation, Replacement and Clone jutsu because I was hoping I'd be able to learn it during academy time.

"Don't we learn that in the academy?" I said, not wanting the lesson to end up a waste of time.

"Not until the second year, and I got the impression you weren't planning to stick around until then," Shisui said, and I nodded in understanding with a small sigh.

"I'm not going to let you leave me behind, Shisui," I said with a smirk, "so teach me the transformation technique!"

---

Another month passed much the same, and I was in the library yet again, searching for something to read.

The Shinobi Archive and Library's level zero contained basically everything that wasn't classified in some way or form, and the only section that, as an academy student, I had access to on my own.

So, it was a stroke of luck when I saw a girl I recognised approach me.

"Oh, umm," I mumbled, realizing I didn't actually hear her be introduced last time we met. "Ramen girl!"

Rin laughed as I said that, but nodded kindly, looking down at me as she approached. "It's nice to see you again, Meiko. My name's Nohara Rin."

My eyes widened when she said my name. I was certain I hadn't told her what it was.

"Oh, I asked Minato-sensei to look into your files, after we met." She explained, but my surprise only grew. She had taken an interest in me, and by extension, I had the attention of the Hokage.

"Ah, I see," I nodded, not really satisfied with the answer, only having more questions, but I decided not to voice them just yet.

"What are you looking for, anyway?" She asked then, and I shrugged gently.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I've studied most of the subjects they have books on, honestly. I wish they had jutsu instructions in here."

"Ah, only genin and above have access to anything other than the three basic Ninjutsu," she explained. "The only way you'd be able to read any of that would be by having someone ranked chunin or higher take you to the first level."

"They can do that?" I asked in amazement. I had assumed I'd just have to wait until I graduated to learn anything past the first three ninjutsu the academy students had access to.

"We can," Rin replied with a smirk, and my eyes widened. She was a chunin, after all. That had totally slipped my mind.

"Really?!" I bounced on my heels slightly as the older girl nodded, taking my hand and leading me towards the staircase. Usually I’d be a bit embarrassed to hold someone's hand like that, like the child I was in this life, but with Rin, it didn’t feel so bad, for whatever reason. She was so nice, she reminded me vaguely of my mother from my original life, who had died when I was seven. It didn’t help that she didn’t look dissimilar from the blurry memories I had of the woman.

"Remember, only chunin and above can make copies of things on levels one and two, whilst Jonin can make copies of level three Inventory, too. Nobody can make copies of level four stuff, and you need special permission to even go in there." Rin explained as we walked up the stairs.

Once we reached the second floor, level one, I smiled at the slightly smaller array of bookshelves whilst Rin led us to the reception desk.

Taking note of our names, and Rin's ID number, we were waved in by the receptionist, who was idly going through some paperwork.

"Do you want help deciding which jutsu to learn?" Rin asked as she finally let go of my hand. I nodded excitedly, knowing I would definitely become too indecisive given too much freedom.

"I don't know anything about elemental manipulation, so we should probably avoid that," I said softly as Rin led me across the room to a specific bookshelf.

"That makes sense." Rin nodded as she browsed the various scrolls, neatly lined up on the shelf.

Eventually, she picked up two and presented them to me.

"These two should be easy enough to understand," she said with a small smile. Glancing down, I saw one had a black stripe, the other a green one.

The one with a black stripe was labeled simply as 'Genjutsu: Minor Illusion,' whilst the green striped scroll was labeled 'Medical: Numbing Technique.'

I bit my lip as I thought. Genjutsu was useful, but in a world with the sharingan, there was always going to be someone better. Medial Ninjutsu on the other hand wasn't something that interested me in the slightest.

"I'm not sure I'll specialize in either of these types of jutsu," I said, looking down at the two scrolls. "I'm working on Bukijutsu right now. I was hoping to find something that could enhance that."

Rin hummed in thought at that, but didn't place the scrolls down and instead grabbed another and showed it to me. It had a gray stripe, and was labeled 'Ninjutsu: Poison Breath.'

"This one's C rank, rather than D rank, but I think you should be able to handle it." Rin said, "It's a prerequisite jutsu for the B rank Poison Mist jutsu, which is a lot more potent."

I nodded at that, memories of a sannin's student exhaling a cloud of purple smoke coming to mind from the Tsunade Search arc of the anime.

Slowly, I reached out to take the scroll, and Rin smiled as she placed the other two back on the shelf carefully.

"It may be a bit tricky, and you'll probably end up feeling a bit sick if you practice for too long at a time, but I believe in you!" She smiled, pumping her fist in the air encouragingly.

"Thank you," I smiled back before finding a chair to sit on. Rin followed along, and watched as I read, answering the few questions I had along the way.

"I can't practice this here," I muttered, content to sit there and read it again and again, until I had it memorized, but Rin had other ideas.

Taking a scroll from her equipment pouch, she opened it up to reveal it empty. I recognised it as the kind you could buy from the receptionist, for use of complying scrolls from the library. Placing the rolled up scroll on top of it and sending her chakra through the label, I watched as ink appeared on the once empty scroll, mirroring the one I just read.

I had my eyes wide in amazement when Rin looked at me with a confused stare.

"Every scroll has a seal on the back that lets it be copied into an empty one with a pulse of chakra," she explained, and my heart sank, "did you not know?"

I shook my head, dumbfounded. "I've been copying all the scrolls by hand."

Rin burst out laughing then, and my face went red in response. I'm just glad I learnt about this before I needed any more. So far I'd only taken about five scrolls, and when I needed a copy of a book I requested a copy from the receptionist.

"Do the books have the same seal?" I wondered, realizing why the copies I'd received had all had blank covers with labels hastily placed on.

"No, the receptionists all have to learn a jutsu to transfer their contents over." Rin explained, "But it's only possible on the specific paper the library copies are printed on so it’s not very useful in the field, usually."

I sighed but nodded at that as we both stood up. Rin let the receptionist know about her copying the scroll, which he noted in the records, before we left and she handed it to me.

"Aren't only chunin and higher allowed to have this?" I asked, but Rin shook her head.

"We are the only ones allowed to copy them, but we're technically allowed to give them to anybody in the shinobi system." She waved away my concern as we carried on walking. "I'll oversee your training with it for today to make sure you don't overdo it, okay?"

"The poison emitted with this technique is relatively harmless in the quantities you'll be able to produce, but we should be safe anyway," Rin explained, "It can make you feel nauseous, and way too much will still land you in the hospital."

"Doesn't that make it kind of useless?" I wondered out loud as we made our way towards the training ground.

"Not really. It's only so harmless because of a shinobi's greater constitution. Anybody who has never actively used their chakra would end up unconscious after inhaling enough of it," she explained further. "But against shinobi, it is pretty useless."

"Just because I'm making the poison with my chakra doesn't make it harmless to me, too," I pick up softly from her words, "sounds kind of dangerous."

"You gain an immunity after a while," she went on, "and having an immunity to this jutsu makes the poison mist technique easier to become immune to, also, since the toxin made by that technique is a more potent version of this one."

I nodded in understanding then, "so if I use this enough, I'll become immune?"

Rin smiled and nodded back in response, "Exactly."

Notes:

Edited on 5th September, 2024

Original Note:
Kakashi, Minato and Rin make an appearance, and time moves on. :)

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!

Please let me know of any spelling or grammatical errors you spot and I'll make an effort to solve the issue!

Chapter 6: Loss

Slowly, my hands weaved together and formed a string of seals, at the end of which I breathed out and watched a purple wisp of gas escape.

"That's pretty good for having only just picked it up today," Rin praised me as the poisonous air blew away in the wind. "Once you've got the technique down properly, it'll look something like this."

Then, she pushed her own hands together and did the same seals as I had, although quite a bit faster.

And when she breathed, a cloud the size of her head emerged, before being blown away by the wind too.

"It's more about chakra control, lacing your chakra through your breath to make the area bigger, than the amount of chakra used," Rin explained, "although the amount used obviously affects things, too."

I nod in understanding at that, weaving my hands through the seals again, taking her words into account, before exhaling.

The cloud was bigger than before, but not by a large amount.

"That was better," Rin nodded, "but that's enough for today, I don't want you getting sick because I decided to teach you a jutsu. Minato-sensei would probably get mad."

I smiled at the girl and nodded, as she said that, not wanting to get her in trouble with the Hokage. Softly, I grabbed my jingasa from the edge of the training ground where I left it and placed it onto my head.

Luckily it wasn't at all sunny, and the clouds in the sky were thick and gray.

"Plus I think it's going to rain," I mentioned, glancing at the sky, "maybe a storm?"

Rin looked up then and nodded with a small frown, "I think so, we should get home quickly."

Rin walked me home then, and I waved goodbye as she left, having politely declined my invitation to come inside.

I supposed she wanted to get home before the rain started falling.

So, instead I shut the latch and locked the padlock before locking the door itself. I hummed as I did, wondering what I should do for the rest of the day.

Eventually, I decided to get some more reading done and went and grabbed my current book, 'History of the Land of Fire.'

It was an interesting enough read, but aimed more so at viewing history through a civilian lens. Information on each Daimyo as the Fire Country grew from a small area of land in the old times to the large, powerful nation it now was.

It felt strange, realizing how much warfare was done with civilian combatants even still. So called 'samurai' that didn't know how to use their chakra were still deployed to front lines.

And not like samurai from the Land of Iron, but regular people who had trained in traditional sword techniques. Not even like old Japanese samurai who were usually of more gentle birth, but simple common soldiers bearing the title. Foot soldiers, basically.

I was reading the book quietly when I heard a knock on the door. Walking towards it and carefully unlocking both locks, I opened it just a small amount to find the face of Shisui, his hair and clothes drenched by the rain, and his face scrunched up and eyes puffy.

He'd been crying, something not common as far as I'd seen of the boy.

"Shisui?" I said, concern lacing my voice as my eyes meet the boy's. "Are you okay?"

Shisui didn't speak, but he shook his head in response.

"Do you want to come inside?" I asked, opening the door a bit more in an attempt at being inviting.

The Uchiha boy nodded a moment later, and I smiled as I opened the door fully, letting the boy enter.

He took his sandals off and walked inside beside me, sitting next to me on the sofa as I spoke.

"Do you want a drink?" I asked, "I only have water and milk, though."

"Water, please," he requested a second later, his voice small and quieter than usual, and I nodded, heading to the small kitchen in the corner and pouring the boy a cup of water.

Handing it to him, I sat down and faced him. He was avoiding eye contact now, but I continued regardless.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, and Shisui froze a bit, before letting out a small sigh.

"Granny died," was all he said, and my heart sank a little. My own paternal grandmother in my first life was probably the only family member I have fond memories of, beside my mother.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I replied, sliding myself a bit closer to him as I did. "Do you want to stay here tonight?"

The Uchiha seemed to think for a moment before nodding gently.

"Alright," I said, standing up, "I'll see if I have anything you can wear. You'll get a cold if you sit around in them too long."

Shisui didn't respond, but gave a small smile. I had a feeling I reminded him of her just then.

I walked slowly towards my bedroom and began rooting through my dresser for anything Shisui could wear. I realized a moment later that I'd forgotten I wasn't a boy in this life, and offered without thinking of whether I actually had anything he'd be willing to wear.

But luckily I found a pair of baggy shorts that were likely made for men at the back of one drawer and a large t-shirt that wouldn't even fit me in another. They wouldn't fit Shisui either, but it was better than his drenched ones.

I wondered for a moment if these clothes meant something to my body's previous owner, but I shrugged the feeling off a second later. It wasn't an attachment I had, and so Shisui could use them.

Taking the clothes out to the boy, I found him standing up already.

"Where's your bathroom?" He asked a moment later, taking the clothes with a small look of relief.

I pointed to the only door in the room other than the front door and gave the boy a deadpan look as he walked towards it.

About fifteen minutes later, Shisui emerged, having showered and changed, his old clothes carefully folded and in his hands.

"I can wash them for you if you want," I offered, and the boy gave me a small, grateful smile as he handed them to me.

"Make yourself at home," I said, moving towards the sink and pulling out the supplies I used for washing clothes.

Shisui hummed in response as he took my advice, literally immediately going to look around the one room he'd yet to enter, my bedroom.

I didn't stop him though, and just let him go in. It wasn't like I had anything embarrassing in there.

Except all of my clothes dumped onto my bed, but considering he knew I'd been searching for something he could wear a few minutes ago, it shouldn't be a problem.

A moment later he emerged however and had one of my books copied from the library in his hands. I couldn't see the label, but judging by its size it was 'Edible Plants found in the south of the Land of Fire'. Trust me when I say the most interesting part of that book was the title's length.

"That one's pretty boring," I warn Shisui as I rinse the clothes one final time. "The author uses too many words to describe simple concepts in order to sound smart. It's like he's trying to impress a toddler."

Shisui chuckles quietly then but takes my advice, looking at the book like it betrayed him.

"Do you like history?" I asked, walking back to the soda and raising my current book as the boy nodded. "I'm reading this right now. We could read it together?"

Shisui gave another nod at that and I settled in beside him on the sofa. I thought briefly about just reading it in my head, asking if he had finished the page after I had, but in the end I began reading it to him, from the very beginning.

It was good to refresh my memory anyway, and this way he could focus on my voice rather than his thoughts.

He deserved to rest for the night, the complicated thoughts could come the next day.

The next morning was a quiet one, with me shaking Shisui gently in order to wake him from his peaceful looking rest on the sofa. I had already showered and dressed beforehand in an effort to avoid embarrassing situations for either of us.

I had offered him the bed, but he had refused.

"Morning," I said quietly as he stretched himself awake. I could tell from his face that he wasn't back to normal, but that was to be expected.

"Morning," he echoed back to me before standing up and turning towards the bathroom.

I watched as he made his way inside before grabbing my book. It was about half an hour too early to start walking to the academy, so I wanted to get a little reading done.

When Shisui came back out in his outfit from the previous day on, I turned back to where we left off and began reading aloud again. Shisui shuffled up to me on the sofa and began to listen.

After about twenty minutes of reading, I closed the book with a soft breath and stood up. Shisui mimicked the motion and we wordlessly began to head for the door.

---

"We'll be starting our sparring lessons today," Wakaba-sensei declared as all of us lined up before him in the yard. "I'll pair you all randomly with one of your classmates. You are only allowed to use Taijutsu, and the spar ends when I say it does, or upon a forfeit. Anyone that takes it too far will be punished."

I smiled towards Shisui and Iruka as the man spoke, and watched carefully as the man called out the first names.

The match was uninspiring, to say the least. little more than two children wrestling, by the end.

Then, another pair was called, and then another and another after that.

Then, "Umino Iruka versus Uchiha Shisui" was declared.

And I settled down to watch what was likely to end up as the most interesting matchup of the day.

Iruka sighed as he made his way to the area in front of the whole class. He was confident in his abilities, and he reckoned he could beat any other member of their class, minus Meiko, but he was of course matched up with Shisui.

The combat began and Iruka barely took a step forward before being swept to the ground, then held in a chokehold from behind.

"Uchiha Shisui wins," Wakaba-sensei declared a moment later, and Iruka gave a dejected groan as he went to sit back down, although not before making the seal of reconciliation with his opponent.

I frowned slightly as I watched Iruka go down, but it was to be expected, really. Iruka wasn't a close ranged combatant, preferring to throw kunai attached with various fuinjutsu tags at his opponents, as well as utilize his pretty incredible mind to strategize.

In such close quarters, there wasn't time for his mind to come up with a plan, and he was unable to use any of his tags due to the rules of the spar.

But give both Shisui and Iruka a test, or an essay to complete, then Iruka would outscore Shisui nine times out of ten. Hell, I bet he'd outscore nearly every other student in the academy with how much time he spent studying.

A few more matches go by after that one, and all of them are as boring as the others. Simply children grappling one another and rolling around with the occasional attempt at an actual Taijutsu form.

Eventually, my name was called and I made my way up to fight my opponent, Mizuki.

The boy had a smug look on his face as he took his stance, and I sighed as I looked him up and down. His form was weak, his legs spread too far apart, his feet not in position, his arms raised too far from his body. He hadn’t been practicing the stances from the book we were given, when the year began.

In comparison, I took my stance carefully, one that I'd studied and practiced for hours both with Iruka and his mom, alone, and with Shisui.

Then, it began and I groaned at the ease of the fight. I pushed down on the ground hard and sprung forward, landing an immediate hit to Mizuki's face before landing a second in his stomach in quick succession.

He hadn't even moved an inch before he landed on the ground, winded and in pain, clutching his stomach.

"Kimura Meiko wins," Wakaba-sensei says, seeming somewhat surprised, his eyes watching me calculatingly.

---

"What jutsu is that?" Shisui asked as I practiced the Poison Breath technique one Sunday. It had been a week since his grandma's death, he seemed back to normal but he was still sleeping at my house. A box of his clothes had begun living beside my dresser, and I wasn't about to complain.

Having someone you trust living with you was fantastic. I hadn't experienced that before, and it made me quite happy for him to stay as long as he wanted.

"It's called the Poison Breath technique," I said simply, sat right next to my open window in the bedroom. "It's a C rank."

Shisui hummed at that, "I thought they were all in level one of the archive?"

I nodded then, "a chunin helped me," I said simply, not revealing her name, since she was the teammate of his dead cousin, and I didn't want to cause more grief.

"Cool," Shisui smiled from his position sitting on my bed, where he'd been reading one of my books. "I usually just get my stuff from the clan's library."

I nodded at that, although slightly jealous of the convenience that would hold. A private library just for their family.

"I guess my bookshelf is my clan's library," I joked, and Shisui chuckled slightly.

"It's a bit small for a library," he laughed, but I pouted in fake exasperation.

"Excuse me, I've already filled the top two shelves completely!" I exclaim with a grin, glancing over at the bookshelf. "I only have to fill two more and it'll be a very respectable library."

Shisui waves his hand, "sure, sure, whatever you say."

I cross my arms in response and stick my tongue out, a gesture he returns quickly.

It felt good to act like a child sometimes, even if you were training to become a state sanctioned killer at the same time.

Notes:

Edited on 5th September, 2024

Original Note:
Poor Shisui :(

I hope everyone is enjoying, and a big hello to everyone who came here from 'Space to Breathe', my other (more successful) Naruto fanfiction on this site!

Also, I realise this fic is quite fluffy, so I'll probably tag it as such soon.

Chapter 7: Moving In

“It’s your choice to make.” Kohari said as she watched me, sat on the ground, looking down at my kanabo.

Kohari had just declared my skill with the weapon adequate for use on a battlefield, and had given me a choice. Either I further my training with the kanabo or we can get started on furthering my knowledge on a wide range of weapons.

Basically, it was a choice between becoming a specialist in the kanabo, or having my skill set more open, in terms of bukijutsu.

“The kanabo makes hand seals difficult.” I said, looking down at the metal weapon. I loved it, and I was good at using it, but in terms of utility, it was clunky and hard to maneuver in tight spaces, too. If I had a range of weapons I was skilled in the use of, for various use cases, it would probably be better. Even if I wasn’t the best at any single bukijutsu form.

“You’re right. It takes up both of your hands, and it’s hard to put away quickly.” Kohari nods in agreement. “I’m biased, because it’s the route I chose, but if I were you, I would broaden my horizons and learn as much as you can about as many weapons as you can.”

I nod at that, sighing softly as I look down at the kanabo with a small smile. “I think that would be for the best. But I still want to keep my kanabo as my primary weapon. I’m good with it.”

Kohari smiled at my words, and nodded with a hum, as she thought. “That’s certainly a smart idea, but it also means we should limit your next weapon to something smaller, and maybe with some amount of range, to compliment your kanabo.”

“What about something like a flail, maybe? I saw you had something like that, right?” I ask, looking up at her. “You called it uh… a Chigiriki?”

Kohari hums at that, nodding gently as she looks down at me. “That's a fair choice. It offers a bit more range and maneuverability than your Kanabo, and is more effective against other bukijutsu users, too.”

I smiled as she praised my choice, nodding gently. “Yeah, and I thought maybe that would be the case. I mean, you could tangle an opponent's weapon in the chain and pull it away right?”

“Then it’s settled, we’ll get you started working with the Chigiriki.” Kohari declared, and i smiled up at her as she did.

---

“Shisui… Never, ever, ask to train with Iruka’s mom.” I groan as I return home later that day, flopping down on the sofa. The Uchiha boy still hadn’t left, and I was happy about it, no matter how cramped my small apartment was.

“Oh, I know. You come back looking like death every Saturday.” Shisui chuckles softly, from where he stood in the small kitchen area, before coming over to the sofa and sitting beside me, placing two cups of water on the table gently.

“She’s evil,” I nod with a small sigh, picking up my cup and taking a sip. “But to be fair, she's a very good teacher.”

“I’m sure she is. You get better with that kanabo every time we spar. Your improvement’s kinda scary, actually.” Shisui said with a small laugh.

“Well you don’t need to worry about me getting better with the kanabo too fast anymore. I’ve started working on a new weapon.” I say with a small smile, before pulling my very own Chigiriki from where it was hooked onto my belt, showing it to the Uchiha boy.

“Oh, wow.” Shuisui chuckled softly, as he looked at the weapon. “You’re one step ahead of me, then.” He said, before leaning over to his bag, and opening it, pulling out a sheathed tanto a moment later.

“Oh, you started learning kenjutsu?” I ask, tilting my head curiously as I look at him.

“Yeah, I have some of my clansmen helping me with it, on the days we don't go train after classes.”

“I was wondering where you were going,” I nod with a small smile.

“Yeah, although I kinda hate going back. They’re trying to convince me to go back to living in the compound, but I don’t really wanna.” Shisui said with a small sigh.

“That’s fair. I mean, you shouldn’t have to go back if you don’t want to,” I say with a kind smile, gently patting his shoulder. “You’re happy here, right?”

Shisui nods at that, giving me a small little smile of his own. “I… I’d like anywhere that I have you with me, to be fair.”

My cheeks go a bit pink at that, as I look away, smiling softly. Did I really mean that much to him already?

“I m-mean, not in a weird way! It’s just…” He stutters a bit, trying to clarify what he meant. “You’re my best friend, and I’m not used to being alone, really. You make me comfy in a way mz clansmen don’t really know how to.”

“Ah, I… I think I get what you mean,” I nod gently, looking over at him. “I’m used to being alone, and I only realized since you came to live here that it hurts a lot. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to come into loneliness, from somewhere you aren’t used to being alone.”

“Yeah, but I think the clan head is gonna make me move back, soon.” Shisui says with a small sigh, looking down. “So I uh… Wanted to ask if you would maybe go back with me? I’ll try my best to convince Uncle Fugaku to let you live with me, in my grandma’s house.”

I freeze for a moment then, my eyes widening, before my face melts into a soft smile, as I nod. “Yeah, alright. If you can convince your clan head to let me stay in the compound, I’ll move there happily. It’s not like I have a particular attachment to this place, anyway…”

---

“I didn’t expect this to all happen so fast.” I mumble as I watch a group of older Uchiha carrying my things into the fairly large house Shisui grew up in. I glanced sideways at Shisui, who was grinning, clearly very happy about the situation. “Was it hard to convince the head of your clan to let me stay?”

“Not really,” He shrugs softly, looking over at me. “I offered to look after Itachi when they needed us to, and they agreed pretty easily.”

I hum at that, nodding gently. Babysitting Uchiha Itachi sounded fairly easy. He was a prodigy, and unbelievably mature, even when he was little, from what I recalled of the show. Plus, with how busy Shisui and I were, I doubted we’d be babysitting him that often anyway.

“All done, Shisui.” One of the older Uchiha who were helping us move my things said, looking down at him. “Glad to have you back.”

Shisui nodded at that, smiling up at his clansmen as they all made their way to leave down the street. A moment later he grabbed my wrist, and led me inside.

The house was nice. A traditional Japanese sort of style, and was cleaned carefully. Someone had been looking after it, for the time Shisui had been away.

“I’ll show you to your room!” Shisui said cheerfully, as he led me down the hallway, and into a fairly sizable room. It was larger than my whole apartment was, even. “Oh, wow, this is nice.”

Shisui nodded proudly at that, as he led me to the bed, sitting down, as I sat too. “Yep! And look, I even had them bring your bookshelf!” He says, pointing to where the bookshelf from my apartment stood, against a wall, where I was very glad to see there was space for multiple more, if I were to need them in the future.

“I can see that. Thanks,” I smile at his proud little smile, before sighing as I flop backwards onto the bed. “The walk to the academy is longer for us now though.”

“So? We can make it a race or something!” Shisui laughed, poking my side, making me squeak a little at the sudden action. “Don’t be so lazy.”

---

“You moved into the Uchiha compound?” Rin asked, surprised, when I sat next to her in Ichiraku ramen, where she happened to see me walk past as she was ready to order, and called me over.

“Yeah. Shisui didn’t wanna live alone, so he asked the clan head if I could stay with him.” I say with a small nod.

“Well, that’s good then. I’m glad Shisui has someone looking out for him,” Rin smiles kindly down at me, as our bowls of ramen are placed in front of us. “Any news beside that? How’s your training with the poison cloud jutsu going?”

“Oh, I’ve finished it!” I say proudly, smiling up at her as I swallowed a mouthful of ramen. “I finally got it to the right size!”

Rin claps her hands at that, looking down at me, a proud sparkle in her eyes as she does. “Well good job! I didn’t expect you to get it so fast.”

I chuckle at that, happy at her praise, as I take another bite of my ramen. A moment later I spoke again, “Hey, could you maybe help me with another jutsu soon?”

Rin seemed a little surprised as I asked that, her eyes widening ever so slightly, but she nodded a moment later, a warm smile on her face as she reached up and pats my head. “Of course. We can head over to the library right after we’ve eaten and find something for you, alright?”

I nod softly at that, smiling happily up at her. If anyone else pat my head like that, I was certain I’d be annoyed, but as Rin did it, I couldn’t help but smile and enjoy it.

Why did the world insist on having me befriend those destined to die, I did not know. For Shisui, I was sure I could probably fix it, but for Rin, I wasn’t so sure. I didn’t have long, and it wasn’t like I could physically go out there and keep her from being kidnapped.

---

“Now, you said last time you aren’t too sure about medical ninjutsu, right?” Rin asked, and I nodded as I looked up at her.

“Yeah, I don’t really see myself as the type to heal people, really.” I say with a nod.

“That’s fair. And genjutsu wasn’t something you wanted to explore either. I don’t think you’re quite ready for the B rank Poison Mist Technique either, just yet, so we only really have a few options.” Rin explains softly, as she takes me over to one of the shelves, and begins to retrieve a few scrolls.

“First, we could focus on the body flicker technique, but honestly I think you could figure that one out without me,” Rin says. “If you want my suggestion, I’d suggest this one.”

As she says that, she picks up a scroll, and holds it for me to see the title.

Immediately, my mouth opened wide, as I read the title, and immediately I understood why she suggested I learn this one.

Notes:

GUESS WHO'S BACK, BABY!!

It's me and Meiko, here to blow your socks off :3

Hope you enjoy this chapter! It's not my best work, and it's a bit shorter than the others, but I hope you find it adequate for the return of this fic!

ALSO! If you have a suggestion for the jutsu Rin works on with Meiko now, please leave your suggestions! I have an idea, but honestly I don't love it, so any ideas are welcome.

Chapter 8: What Cannot be Seen

"Transparent Escape Technique," I murmured as I read the title aloud, eyes wide. The scroll Rin held out to me bore a pale gray stripe, almost the same color as the paper beneath it.

Rin smiled as I stared, clearly proud of the reaction. “I thought it might suit you.”

My gaze flicked up to meet hers. Did she know this technique? That wasn't shown in the anime, as far as I recalled. “Have you used this in the field?”

Rin tilted her head slightly, considering. “Not yet. I only picked it up a week or so ago.”

My brow furrowed. “Why?”

She hesitated, just long enough to be noticeable. Then, with a faint, slightly embarrassed smile, she admitted, “Because I thought of you.”

I blinked, unsure if I heard her right. “You learned a whole jutsu just to..?”

“You have a certain... style,” Rin continued gently. “You’re not the fastest or the strongest, but you’re smart. You think before you act. You plan. You use the tools you have. This jutsu fits that. It’s subtle. Requires control, not brute force. Even if you are great at brute force, given that Kanabo of yours.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. So I just looked back down at the scroll in my hands, my heart doing a quiet little flutter in my chest.

It was a technique I vaguely remembered from the show, created by Jiraiya, used by Hayate Gekko. A concealment ninjutsu that blurred the user’s chakra and outline, making them functionally invisible to the eye.

“You really think I can learn this?” I asked quietly. “This feels like it's probably pretty hard.”

Rin’s answer was immediate, as if her confidence in me would make it factual. “Yes. But it’s difficult. Chakra control is only one part of it. You need to move like you’re invisible. Silent, low-profile, without intent to attack leaking through your chakra. Seasoned shinobi can sense that.”

I nodded, determination already forming. “Let’s get started, then.”

---

Later that afternoon, we found a quiet patch of woodland just outside the Uchiha compound, far enough from the training grounds that we wouldn’t draw attention< but close enough that I wouldn't collapse from exhaustion on the way home. Rin stood across from me, her hands behind her back, posture relaxed.

“First, I’ll show you what it looks like.”

She formed a small series of hand seals in a smooth, practiced motion, and then… She disappeared.

Not instantly. Not with a poof of smoke or chakra like a substitution. It was like watching a figure sink into fog. Her outline shimmered, blurred, and melted into the backdrop of green leaves and shadow.

I squinted hard. I could still feel her nearby, just barely. But if she hadn’t told me, I never would’ve known she was standing just five feet away.

Then her voice came, calm and clear. “Try to walk around me.”

I did, carefully placing each step. For a second I thought she was gone. Then I caught the faintest ripple, like heat distorting the air over pavement. She was right beside a tree.

“You’re still putting out chakra, but it’s controlled,” I said, stopping where I thought she was. “I can… feel it.”

The ripple disappeared completely. Then, Rin reappeared, smiling.

“You noticed the difference. Good. You have the right kind of awareness for this.” She nodded.

I breathed out slowly, then mirrored her hand seals. My chakra gathered around me as I tried to mimic the strange feel of her technique, not disappearing, but blending into the background.

At first, nothing happened.

Rin came up beside me and adjusted my hands slightly. My ability with hand seals was good, but yet to be perfect it seemed. “Don’t force the concealment. Let the chakra flow around your body, not through it. Think of it like mist condensation on glass.”

I tried again.

This time, I saw a flicker of distortion across my arm, like I’d become part of a reflection on water.

“Better,” Rin said with a nod. “It’ll take time. But you’re already starting to bend light. You’re on the right path.”

I let out a long breath, heart still thudding from the effort. “This... might take a while.”

Rin smiled and ruffled my hair gently. “So did the Poison Breath Technique. But you figured that out, didn’t you?”

I blinked up at her, smiling faintly. “Only because you helped me.”

“Exactly,” she said. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

---

I waved Rin off just outside the village center, the training scroll tucked carefully under one arm. She offered to walk me home again, but I declined. It felt like time I should spend alone, getting used to this new chapter of my life in the Uchiha compound.

The place was quiet as I approached, the kind of quiet that made you notice your own footsteps. The streets were cleaner here than most of the village, swept daily, lined with neat rows of stones and carefully tended plants. It was a peaceful place. Still, I couldn’t help but feel like I stood out.

Not in a threatening way. No one glared at me or whispered behind my back. But I could feel it in the way some heads tilted as I passed, in the way conversations quieted for a second before continuing. Curiosity, maybe. Or polite distance.

I supposed it wasn’t every day a civilian orphan moved into their place of living.

Shisui had told me not to worry about it. “Most of them just keep to themselves,” he said, “but they’ll come around.” Still, it was clear I was more of a guest than a neighbour.

I passed a small garden with an elderly woman kneeling over a bed of herbs. She glanced up and offered a small nod. I returned it politely, not slowing my pace.

Children darted between houses a few streets over, laughing as they tossed a red rubber ball between them. But I noticed the way one of the parents stepped between us slightly, a subtle but noticeable motion that felt more protective than it did rude. I was an unknown, really. Not family like the others that lived here.

It didn’t bother me, not really. I wasn’t here for them anyway. I was here because Shisui asked me to be.

Eventually, I turned down the familiar stone path to the house, the one that had once belonged to his grandmother. The front gate creaked as I pushed it open carefully, and I slipped inside, greeted by the soft hum of wind through the open windows. Shisui never bothered to lock the door, or windows. A shinobi village meant anyone could break in without effort anyway, I supposed, but it still kept me on edge.

The house felt different than my apartment had. Not better or worse, just bigger. It creaked more. The tatami mats were older, but well-maintained. It smelled faintly of old wood and incense.

There were no photos on the walls, no signs of warmth left by family. But there were two pairs of sandals by the door now. A bookshelf. A spare training weapon leaning against the entryway wall. Our things.

It was beginning to feel like home.

“Back,” I called out softly, slipping off my shoes. No response.

Shisui must’ve still been out training or running errands. That was fine. I could make tea and wait for him.

As I walked toward the kitchen, I passed the open screen door leading out to the side garden. The wind picked up a little then, and something small moved just out of the corner of my eye.

It was a child. Tiny, maybe three or four years old, crouched beside a row of flowering shrubs.

He was studying something with incredible intensity, his small brow furrowed and lips pressed into a line. I paused in the doorway, watching curiously.

Then he looked up and saw me.

Our eyes met, and I froze for a second. Not because of anything threatening, but because of the sheer familiarity of those eyes. I knew him.

Black and deep, but somehow sharper than a child’s ought to be. There was a stillness to them, like the world moved a little slower around him.

“…Hi,” I said softly.

He stood, brushing dirt from his hands without looking away. “Hello.”

“You must be… Itachi.”

The boy nodded. “You live here now.”

“Yeah,” I replied, stepping into the doorway. “With Shisui.”

Another nod. “You read a lot.”

That caught me off guard. He had looked around. “…I guess I do.”

“I saw your bookshelf,” he said simply.

He tilted his head slightly. “Do you like books more than training?”

I smiled at that, walking down the steps into the garden. “I like both. But books don’t leave bruises, or aching that lasts days.”

Itachi blinked at me. “But they make your brain tired.”

I laughed then, genuinely. He was innocent, in a way that everyone else I had spoken to in this world wasn't. “You’re not wrong.”

He looked back down at the ground then, crouching again beside the flowerbed.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked, kneeling beside him.

He pointed to the base of the plant. “There was a beetle. It’s gone now.”

“Oh,” I said, unsure what to say to that. He didn’t seem upset. Just… noting the fact. “Do you like beetles?”

“I like watching them,” he said. “They’re quiet.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just sat beside him in silence, watching the dirt.

He didn’t say anything else. But he didn’t walk away either.

Eventually, we heard the front gate creak open again, followed by the thump of sandals. Shisui’s voice called out a moment later. “Meiko?”

“In the garden!” I shouted back, and Itachi stood, brushing off his knees again.

As Shisui appeared in the doorway, his eyes lit up with surprise.

“Oh hey, little guy. Didn’t know you were here.”

“I wanted to see the beetles,” Itachi explained.

“Well, I think you found the right house for it,” Shisui said with a grin, before looking at me. “Rin-senpai teach you a new jutsu? Or anything fun?”

“Started a new ninjutsu, yeah,” I said with a nod. “Gonna take a while.”

“You’ll figure it out,” he said easily. “Dinner?”

I nodded again, glancing back toward the small boy beside me. “You want to eat with us?”

Itachi shook his head. “Father says I’m not allowed to impose.”

“It’s not imposing,” Shisui said, already heading toward the kitchen. “Come on. I'll give you something sweet if you clear your plate.”

That earned a rare blink of interest from the child, and after a moment’s hesitation, he followed.

I watched the two of them go ahead of me, and felt something unfamiliar bloom warm inside my chest.

For the first time in either of my lives, this, whatever it was, felt like something worth protecting.

I just worried that I wouldn't be able to.

Notes:

Hey :) Been a while haha. I have been utterly not busy at all, beside a few more psychiatric hospital stays and practicing my writing a little. I'm doing alright as of this moment, and decided I could try and update this fic some more.

I hope you enjoy, Itachi finally appears :)

Chapter 9: Almost Family

The morning air in the academy training field was sharp and cool, carrying the faint scent of damp earth after the rain the morning before. Wakaba-sensei stood in front of us, arms crossed, his bald head gleaming in the sunlight.

“Today’s exercise is simple,” he declared, voice cutting through the chatter of the class. “Capture the flag. Two teams. The first team to bring the opposing flag back to their base wins. Understand?”

A chorus of “Yes, sensei!” followed.

Names were called out in pairs, and my stomach dropped a little when I heard, “Kimura Meiko and Umino Iruka versus Uchiha Shisui and Mizuki.”

I shot a quick glance at Iruka. He grimaced, already reading the situation the same way I was.

Shisui by himself would have been trouble enough. But with Mizuki as his partner… I actually relaxed a little. Mizuki was smug, loud, and even if he was probably fourth best in class, after Shisui, Iruka and I, he was not nearly as skilled as he thought he was. If anything, he might end up being more of a hindrance to Shisui than an asset.

We all lined up at the edge of the small forest where the exercise would take place. Two flags were set, one blue, one red, each tied to poles driven into the dirt at opposite ends.

Wakaba’s arm went up as we took positions. “Begin!”

We darted into the trees, Iruka and I keeping low as the other team disappeared in the opposite direction.

“They’ll come straight for us,” Iruka muttered, already tugging an explosive tag out of his pouch and attaching it to a kunai. “Shisui’s not the type to wait.”

“Which is why Mizuki will slow him down,” I whispered back. “If we’re careful, this might not be so bad. Just avoid fighting Shisui head-on.”

Still, my pulse thrummed. This was the perfect chance to test the Transparent Escape Technique. Rin had warned me it wasn’t just about the jutsu. It was about intent, posture, the way I carried myself. I wanted to prove I could do it when it mattered.

Iruka and I set ourselves near a tree just shy of the flag. I took a slow, steadying breath, then weaved the seals. My chakra wrapped around me like a thin veil, bending light…

…And then flickered. The distortion wavered, breaking apart in the wind. I stumbled, visible as day with chakra smoke around me.

Mizuki’s triumphant shout cut through the trees. “There they are!”

A kunai whistled through the air, forcing me to drop to the dirt. Shisui wasn’t with him. Of course he wasn’t. Mizuki had moved alone, even if Shisui likely wanted to work together.

Iruka hurled his own kunai in return, forcing Mizuki to take cover behind a tree. “You’re too loud!” Iruka barked at him, acting like a teacher already, even for his opponent. “You’ll give yourself away every time!”

I was surprised for a moment he didn't scold me too, but he understood that I knew exactly what I did wrong already.

I gritted my teeth, heat rising to my cheeks. My first real attempt at the Transparent Escape had crumbled under pressure, and now Iruka was the one covering for me.

We traded ground with Mizuki for a while, neither side gaining much. But then, from the corner of my eye, I saw it. Shisui, moving like a shadow, cutting Iruka off. Sharingan active as he Body Flickers against him.

“Iruka!” I shouted, but it was too late. Shisui’s speed pushed Iruka back toward the flag, cornering him.

This was it. If I didn’t try again now, we’d lose.

I ducked low behind the brush, heart hammering. Hands wove the seals. This time I didn’t force it. I let my chakra slide around me, like mist clinging to glass. The shimmer steadied. The world rippled faintly, and I was gone.

Or close enough, at least.

I crept, step by careful step, toward the enemy’s flag. Every crackle of leaves under my sandals felt deafening, but neither Shisui nor Mizuki turned. Iruka kept their attention with desperate strikes, buying me just enough time.

My fingers brushed fabric. I seized the flag and tore it free, breaking into a sprint back toward our base.

By the time Mizuki spun around, it was already too late.

“Blue team wins!” Wakaba-sensei’s voice carried through the trees as I planted the flag into the dirt.

Iruka stumbled back toward me, panting but grinning. Shisui, behind him, raised an eyebrow before letting the smirk spread across his face.

“You actually pulled it off,” Iruka said, thumping me lightly on the shoulder.

I was still breathless, too much so to speak, still buzzing from the attempt. The shimmer had held. Not perfectly, but long enough to matter.

And for now, that was enough.

---

The walk back through the compound was quieter than usual, going home that afternoon. The air smelled faintly of rain, heavy clouds pressing low over the tiled rooftops. By the time I reached the house, Shisui was already sitting on the front step, having rushed ahead with a Body Flicker, tugging absently at the strap of his sandal.

I had learnt the basics of the technique in my own time, but I hadn't felt like wasting chakra to get home. I had lots to think about, anyway.

“Uncle Fugaku and Aunt Mikoto are busy,” he said as I approached. “Clan stuff. They dropped Itachi off here.”

I followed his glance toward the side garden. The little boy was crouched near the shrubs again, utterly focused, like the rest of the world didn’t exist.

“What’s he doing this time?” I asked, slipping off my sandals.

“Counting ants, I think.” Shisui’s grin was fond, almost indulgent.

I chuckled, then stepped into the garden. Sure enough, Itachi was following a trail of ants with his finger, his lips moving as if silently naming them. Or maybe having a conversation.

He looked up when I came near.

“You’re back.”

“I am,” I said softly. “Shisui said you’re studying ants?”

“They’re organized,” Itachi said simply, pointing at the tiny column weaving through the grass. “One carries food. The others protect it. They don’t waste energy.”

I glanced at Shisui, who shrugged like this is normal. For Itachi, maybe it was. In fact, I was quite certain it was now.

“Want to see something else organized?” I asked, lowering myself to sit beside him. I pulled a leaf from the nearby bush and balanced it on the flat of my palm. “This is how shinobi train chakra control.”

His black eyes flicked to me, sharp with interest. He likely had already been receiving some very basic training, but not this.

I showed him the simple seals, then placed the leaf against my forehead. It clung there, trembling only slightly. “The trick is even pressure. Too much, and it bursts away. Too little, and it falls.”

Itachi’s small hand lifted a leaf of his own. He pressed it against his brow with furrowed concentration. It slipped off immediately. He caught it, and then tried again.

By the third attempt, it stuck. Perfectly still.

I blinked, then laughed softly. “That’s… fast.”

Shisui leaned over from the steps, whistling low.

Itachi didn’t smile, just kept the leaf balanced like it was the most natural thing in the world. “This is useful,” he said quietly.

I didn’t know what to say to that. At his age, a normal kid like Iruka was probably still stumbling over basic stances, if they had even started training at all.

It made me think, had I not been reincarnated with my memories, as much as I want to forget sometimes, would I be anywhere near the modest level of skill I had achieved so far? I imagine not. The real Kimura Meiko would probably have been utterly average, or worse.

Shisui clapped his hands once, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Alright, prodigy. Let’s eat before you start walking up trees next.”

I chose not to comment about how Shisui had probably gotten these same exercises down in just as little time as Itachi.

We gathered around the low table inside. The house creaked in the evening wind, bowls of rice and miso set between us. Itachi sat small and silent, but when Shisui teased him into eating faster, he rolled his eyes in a way that was unmistakably childlike.

I caught myself smiling, warmth curling low in my chest.

Here, in this quiet corner of the Uchiha compound, it almost felt like family. Not the kind tied by blood, but something made of choice. Fragile, maybe. But real.

It only made it hurt more, though, when I thought about what would come of these two, should I fail to stop it.

God, I hoped I could stop it.

Notes:

Another chapter :) I wrote this and the previous one yesterday, and was planning on releasing them a day or so apart, but I got excited, edited this one a bit, and now I'm posting it so soon after haha.

Chapter 10: Fragility

The training ground was quiet. Far too quiet.

I paced the edge of the clearing, sandals crunching against the dry leaves whilst the sun blasted overhead, the occasional flicker of chakra slipping loose as I practiced the seals for Transparent Escape again and again. Each attempt fizzled almost as soon as it began, unable to calm the chakra surrounding me, the shimmer of distortion stuttering before vanishing.

Rin was late.

She had never been late before. Not once.

I told myself it was nothing, probably just a mission running long, maybe, or her stopping to grab something before meeting me. But the longer I stood there, the harder it was to ignore the knot curling in my stomach. This was still the era of the Third Shinobi War, even if things were quieter now. A medic like Rin wasn’t sitting behind a desk. She was in the field, stitching people back together while kunai and fireballs cut through the night.

What if she hadn’t made it back?

What if this was the moment? The butterfly effect finally crashing down? Rin Nohara, dead weeks or months before she was supposed to be. I imagined Kakashi’s expression if that happened, or Minato’s. The canon threads already fraying because I dared to step on them.

I shook the thought off, trying to focus on my chakra. Seals. Breath. Transparent Escape. A flicker, a shimmer, but then it was gone. My hands trembled with the effort, or maybe with nerves. Maybe even fear.

A twig snapped behind me. Probably purposefully given the intentionality of the person whose weight has caused it.

I spun, chakra rising sharp and defensive, only to stop dead.

“Sorry I’m late,” Rin said, her voice tired but warm as ever. She stepped into the clearing, smiling just as easy as always, though her shoulders sagged more than usual. There were faint lines under her eyes, and the way she moved was slower, heavier.

“You’re never late,” I blurted before I could stop myself.

She blinked, then laughed softly, waving a hand. “My last mission ran long. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

But the sleeve of her uniform was torn at the edge, a faint smear of dried blood peeking through the bandage beneath. She noticed my stare and tugged the fabric down quickly, as if that would erase it.

It didn't.

I swallowed, the knot in my chest only pulling a little tighter.

“You ready to train?” she asked, like nothing had happened.

And because I didn’t know what else to do, I just nodded.

---

Rin stretched her arms out with a wince, then gestured toward the center of the clearing. “We’ll focus on concealment today. The Transparent Escape won’t help if your body language gives you away.”

I tugged my cloak tighter around my shoulders, the deep purple fabric heavy but familiar. The jingasa sat low over my eyes, shielding me from the late-afternoon sun.

Rin’s eyes flicked over the outfit, and her smile warmed. “Honestly, that cloak helps you. Shadow catches on the hem, and the jingasa breaks your silhouette.”

Her words pulled something proud out of me, and I gave a small nod.

“Your chakra flow is fine,” Rin continued, stepping closer to adjust the angle of my wrist as I formed the first seal. “What’s tripping you up is intent. Even if you’re invisible, shinobi can sense killing intent, or even just determination. If you move like prey, no one notices you. If you move like a predator, everyone does.”

I swallowed, thinking back to every spar where I’d pushed too hard, too openly. “So I have to think invisibly, too?”

“Exactly.” Rin’s voice was calm, patient. “Not just chakra. Breath, posture, even heartbeat. Believe you aren’t there.”

I pulled the cloak tighter, settling into its weight, and let out a long breath. The seals came smoother this time, chakra wrapping around me like a veil. I thought of fog seeping through the trees, or rainwater sliding over glass.

The shimmer spread, steady and thin. For a moment, even I couldn’t tell where I ended and the clearing began.

Rin’s expression shifted, approval, but also focus. “Good. Now move.”

That was harder. Every step threatened to shake the veil loose. The jingasa tilted when I ducked low, my cloak dragging lightly against the grass. At five paces, the shimmer cracked a little. At seven, it collapsed entirely.

How I had managed to move whilst it was active during the training exercise at the academy, I had no clue.

“Better,” Rin said, her voice even.

We tried again. And again. Ten paces. Then twelve. Then thirty. Sweat slid down my temple, but the veil held just long enough before it stuttered apart.

Finally, Rin held up a hand. “Enough. You’ve made real progress today. Any more and you’ll just burn yourself out.”

I exhaled hard, tugging my cloak back into place as if it had kept me steady through the whole ordeal. “Not bad,” I admitted, though the sting of failure still lingered.

Rin smiled, soft but tired, and brushed her hand against my jingasa like it was part of me. “Keep practicing. One day, they won’t even know you were ever there.”

---

Kohari circled me slowly, her expression sharp, a long wooden staff tapping against her shoulder like a metronome. “Again.”

I hefted the chigiriki, the weighted chain coiling around my wrist before I snapped it forward. The iron head shot out with a hiss, slamming against the wooden dummy’s side. The impact rang solid, but Kohari only frowned.

“Too slow. By the time you hit me like that, I’ve already gutted you.”

I bit back a groan. Every Saturday with her was the same, my body dragged home sore, my arms shaking, my shoulders aching, everything aching, and yet I kept coming back. Because no matter how brutal she was, I always left stronger.

“Keep your core tight,” she barked, snapping the staff down to knock my chain out of rhythm.

I reset, tightening my grip on the chain as it rattled, the iron weight whipping back into my palm.

This time, when I lashed out, I let the cloak swing with me, momentum carrying through. The strike landed cleaner, the head of the chigiriki biting deeper into the wood.

Kohari’s lips twitched into something that almost looked like approval. “Better. Now again. Faster.”

And so it went, over and over, chain and weight singing through the air, Kohari’s staff darting in without mercy. Every mistake I made was punished threefold, her strikes tapping bruises into my arms and ribs.

By the time she finally lowered her weapon, I was drenched in sweat, panting.

She nodded once, satisfied. “You’re learning. The kanabo gives you power. The chigiriki gives you reach. Balance them, and you’ll have the start of a real style.”

I bent over, hands on my knees, chest heaving. “Do you… ever go easy?”

Her smile turned sharp. “Easy doesn’t save lives.”

I groaned, but despite the sting in my shoulders, I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. She was evil, but she was right.

---

By the time I limped back through the compound, the sky was bleeding orange with sunset. My arms ached from shouldering the chigiriki, my ribs stung where Kohari had jabbed me with her staff, and my legs felt like lead.

“Looking lively,” Shisui called as he appeared around the corner, a wooden practice tanto slung over his shoulder. He looked almost as worn out as I felt, his hair sticking damp to his forehead.

“Lively isn’t the word I’d use,” I muttered, rubbing at my shoulder. “Kohari nearly beat me into the dirt with a staff for three hours straight. She says it’s training.”

“Brutal,” he said, though his grin betrayed him. “You’re getting good with that chain, though. I could barely keep up last spar.”

“That’s only because you weren’t trying,” I shot back.

He shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe you’re actually improving.”

For a moment, the exhaustion slipped away, replaced by a flicker of pride. Coming from Shisui, that meant something. Even if it felt a little like pity.

We fell into step together, heading toward the house. The compound was quiet at this hour, most of the neighbors tucked inside, lights glowing softly behind paper screens.

“Think it’ll ever get easier?” I asked after a moment.

“Training?” Shisui tilted his head, considering. “Probably not. But maybe we’ll just get strong enough that it feels easier.”

I huffed a laugh at that. “You’re too optimistic."

“Realistic,” he corrected with a smirk. Then he nudged my arm lightly. “Come on. I’ll cook tonight. You look like you’ll collapse if you even try to.”

I didn’t argue. He wasn’t wrong.

Notes:

I am here to feed you

Chapter 11: Quiet

The evening light filtered soft through the paper screens, warm and gold against the tatami floor. The smell of rice and grilled fish still lingered in the air, cooked by Shisui, after hearing they'd have guests.

Iruka sat cross-legged near the low table, head bent over a slip of sealing paper, his plate empty now already. His brush moved in careful strokes, tongue poking from the corner of his mouth as he sketched out the pattern. Itachi hovered close by, silent as always, watching with a quiet intensity that made Iruka fidget a little.

“This line connects here,” Iruka muttered, more to himself than anyone else, as if reminding his hands how to write the seal, “and then…” He glanced up nervously when Itachi leaned closer. “You’re staring too hard.”

“I’m learning,” Itachi replied matter-of-factly, not shifting an inch.

Shisui laughed from across the table, flopping onto his side with a grin. “Careful, Iruka. Once he figures it out, you’ll be out of a job.”

Iruka rolled his eyes, but Rin’s arrival cut off his retort. She slid the door open with a soft knock, stepping inside with a smile that seemed to brighten the whole room. A paper bag hung from her arm.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, smiling warmly. “I brought something.”

She set the bag down, revealing skewers of dango. Shisui let out a victorious cheer, Iruka’s eyes lit up, and even Itachi tilted his head with interest and quickly scurried over.

“You didn’t have to,” I said, though my grin betrayed me.

“Of course I did,” Rin replied gently, passing skewers around. “You’ve been working so hard. Consider this a reward.”

We crowded around the table, passing the sweets back and forth. Shisui cracked jokes between bites, Iruka launched into a rant about Mizuki’s arrogance during training that morning, and Itachi listened, absorbing every word without speaking unless asked directly.

At one point, Rin leaned back, watching all of us with that soft, patient smile of hers

I rolled my eyes at another of Shisui’s bad jokes, but I couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips.

For a while, it was easy to forget everything else, wars, exams, the weight of the knowledge I carried.

For once, I let myself stop worrying about the future, and just enjoyed the present.

---

The clearing smelled faintly of rain and earth, damp from a shower earlier in the day. Rin stood at the center, arms folded loosely, her expression calm but more tired than usual. There were faint shadows under her eyes, though her smile was still as warm as ever.

“You’ve done well with the Poison Cloud, and you're getting better at concealing your presence too,” she said, nodding toward me. “Now it’s time to take the next step. The Poison Mist technique builds directly from the Poison Cloud. Same principle, but on a larger scale.”

I straightened, heart thudding with anticipation. “How much larger?”

Rin lifted her hands, weaving through the seals with smooth precision. Her chakra pulsed out like a quiet hum, and then she exhaled. A rolling cloud of thick, purple mist spilled into the clearing, curling outward until it covered most of the clearing like a fog.

I pulled my cloak tighter across my mouth, instinctive, though Rin quickly waved her hand. The mist dispersed almost immediately, as she loosened her control, letting it fade back into nothing.

“In the field, it can fill a whole clearing like this,” she explained. “Against shinobi, it won’t kill without prolonged exposure. But it burns, stings the eyes, saps strength. Against civilians or untrained enemies, well, they'll drop like flies.”

I nodded, my mind already racing. This was exactly the kind of jutsu I’d imagined when I thought of building my style of combat. Suffocating, controlling, forcing the enemy into things at my own pace.

“Now you try,” Rin said gently, stepping back. “Remember, it’s not just about output. You can’t simply blow harder. You need to saturate your chakra through every breath, diffuse it wide, through the air, and hold that link.”

I worked through the seals, slower than Rin’s graceful hands, and let the chakra lace my lungs. Then I exhaled.

A cloud sputtered out, larger than the Poison Cloud, but still weak. Patchy. It didn’t cling to the air the way hers had, and dispersed pretty much as soon as it came to be.

“Better than I expected for a first try,” Rin encouraged, her tone patient. She came to my side, adjusting the angle of my stance. “You’re forcing it. Let it spread on its own.”

I tried again, focusing on the image, on control rather than force. This time the cloud was denser, clinging a moment longer before it broke apart again.

Rin clapped softly, smiling wide enough that it warmed my chest. “That’s it. You’re closer already. With practice, you’ll be able to hold it for much longer, and make the cloud bigger too.”

I wiped sweat from my brow, panting harder than I wanted to admit. “Feels like I might poison myself first.”

Rin chuckled at that, resting a hand lightly against my shoulder. “That’s part of the training too. Build the same resistance you got from the Poison Cloud even further. Strengthen your body to handle your own weapons. Every poison user does.”

Her hand lingered for a moment, steadying me. “We’ll refine it next time. You’ll have it down in a few weeks, I'm sure.”

I nodded, clutching that reassurance like a lifeline.

---

I couldn’t stop grinning as I paced the edge of the clearing, the taste of iron still faint at the back of my throat. It had been almost two weeks, and the Poison Mist clung thicker now, spreading wide before it faded. Not as good as Rin’s, not yet, but enough that I could feel it, real progress. A usable jutsu.

I couldn’t wait to show her.

The minutes dragged, the shadows shifting as the sun began to tilt west. I sat on a fallen log, bouncing my heel against the dirt, scroll propped on my knees as I re-read the seals again and again.

Any second now, I knew that Rin would step through the trees, tired but smiling, her hand warm on my shoulder as she said, better, keep going, you’re getting it. Almost there.

But she didn’t show up. Late again.

The sun dipped lower. Birds shifted in the canopy above. I tried the seals again, muttering under my breath, forcing myself to focus. Rin had been late before. Missions ran long. She was a medic, she was needed. That was all. No need to panic.

Still, the knot in my chest grew tighter with every hour. Something adjacent to panic twinged in the corners of my vision, as if desperate to see her emerge from the treeline and into view.

When the first chill of evening brushed the air, I snapped the scroll closed and stood. Waiting wasn’t helping. I needed to know.

I made my way back into the village, weaving through the thinning crowd of shinobi and civilians. Each face I passed, I expected, or maybe just hoped, to see hers. But I didn't. The tension crawled higher, faster, until I almost didn’t notice the two chunin leaning against the wall of a weapons shop, voices low but clear enough to carry as I paused nearby.

“...shame about Nohara Rin,” one said, shaking his head. “She didn’t make it back from the mission.”

The other grimaced, arms crossed. “Poor girl. Medic-nin never very last long on the front, not with what Kiri’s been pulling lately, always targeting them first.”

“That's the thing, it wasn't Kiri who killed her…”

The world tilted, sound muffling as if I’d plunged underwater.

I stood frozen, rooted to the spot, their words echoing like a kunai sinking into wood. Or a chidori fading, having pierced a girl's chest.

Nohara Rin. Didn’t make it back.

I wanted to scream, but I didn't.

Notes:

It was always going to end like this.

:(

Chapter 12: Grief

The Uchiha house felt far too big.

Far too quiet.

The paper screens rattled softly in the wind, and the lamp on the low table burned low, throwing long, thin shadows across the tatami flooring. I sat there with a scroll open in my lap, staring at the notes I’d written so many times I could probably do so in my sleep. The words blurred together until they weren’t words at all.

Shisui shifted in the doorway, arms folded, leaning against the frame like he’d been there for a while. He probably had, although I hadn't noticed. His voice was careful when he spoke.
“You’ve been at that for hours. Maybe you should rest.”

I didn’t answer. My fingers tightened around the scroll until the paper crinkled. I took a breath as if about to speak, but I couldn't. I exhaled quietly, frustrated, angry, grieving.

He sighed, stepping into the room, his movements light but hesitant in a way I wasn’t used to. “I know you’re upset. We all are. But Rin-senpai… she wouldn’t want you to tear yourself apart like this.”

That stung. The knot in my chest twisted tighter, but I kept my eyes fixed on the ink.

After a long moment, he gave a small, helpless laugh. The kind he used when he didn’t know what else to do. “You’ll burn out before you get stronger, Meiko. And then what? That’s not what she’d want.”

Still nothing from me. Not even a flicker.

The door slid open again, and Iruka’s voice cut in, softer, worried. “Shisui? Is she…?”

I didn’t even look up.

Iruka knelt across from me, setting his brush kit down like he always did when he visited, as if routine could make things normal. It didn't. “I thought maybe you’d want to work on seals with me. It helps me think when…”

I stood abruptly, rolling the scroll shut with a snap. My sandals scuffed against the tatami as I turned and left the room without a single word.

Behind me, silence. Then Shisui muttered something low, and Iruka’s brush clinked back into its case as he responded in kind.

I slipped into the garden, the air cool against my skin, hoping the night would quiet my head. But even there, the place wasn’t empty.

Itachi was crouched by the shrubs again, carefully tracing a line of ants across the stone with one small finger.

He looked up when I passed. His dark eyes searched mine, steady, thoughtful, too sharp for a boy so small, but not at all unkind. Sweet even. The kind of eyes she had.

“You’re angry,” he said simply.

I didn’t answer him either, as my breath hitched slightly. I just walked past, the knot in my chest a weight dragging every step.

---

The clearing still smelled faintly of her. It was probably just my imagination, but it did.

Rin’s sandals had crushed the grass here, her voice had carried through these trees, calm and steady, telling me to breathe, to be patient. To keep going, but never too hard.

Now the only sound was my own ragged breath, as I ignored that last instruction entirely.

The kanabo cracked against the trunk of a pine, wood splintering under the blow. I yanked it free, staggered two steps, and swung again. My arms screamed, shoulders burning, but I didn’t stop. Couldn’t. Not now.

The chigiriki hissed as I snapped it out next, the iron weight slamming into another tree. Bark exploded, shards of it scattering through the air. My wrist jarred with the impact, chain biting into skin already red and raw, but I lashed out again and again, until the wood split down its middle, the tree creaking as it collapsed in on itself.

Purple haze clung to the clearing around me, a faint shimmer that burned the back of my throat every time I inhaled. I’d been exhaling the Poison Mist over and over, forcing it out until my head spun and my stomach turned. My lungs felt heavy, my chest tight, but I pushed more chakra through anyway. Laced it over the same area again and again.

“Bigger,” I rasped to myself, forming the seals again. “Stronger.”

The cloud spilled out, patchy and unstable, but it spread wide enough to choke the air. My eyes watered, the sting making my vision blur, but still I pressed on. I couldn't look back. Couldn't.

I wove the seals for Transparent Escape next, chakra shivering unevenly across my skin. The shimmer flickered over my arms, over my cloak, never settling. My outline warped, half there, half gone, like a reflection in broken glass.

If I moved like this in a fight, anyone with eyes would spot me in seconds. But I didn’t stop. I stumbled forward, forcing myself to weave the seals again, harder, faster, until the world itself tilted around me.

My kanabo slipped from my hands, thudding into the dirt. My knees hit the ground after it, the poison mist curling thick around my face. I coughed hard, tasting blood at the back of my throat, but still dragged myself upright, one hand on the rough bark of a tree.

If I had been stronger. If I had been faster. If I had learned sooner.

Every strike, every shimmer and every breath of poison, all of it was a punishment. A sentence I’d given myself.

I swung again. And again. Until the clearing rang with the sound of nothing but breaking wood and my own hoarse breath.

---

Iruka hadn’t meant to follow her.

He’d only come to the woods to clear his head, case tucked under one arm, planning to sketch out another seal while the air was cool and quiet. But then he heard it. The crash of wood splitting, the metallic rattle of chain, the harsh coughs tearing through the clearing.

He froze at the tree line as he saw her.

Meiko was there, swinging her kanabo into the trunks like they were enemies, the chigiriki snapping out so violently it gouged bark from the trees. Purple mist hung in the air, thick enough that Iruka had to cover his mouth with his sleeve even from this distance. Her form shimmered faintly, like heat haze, before snapping back into full view with each staggering step.

It didn’t look like training. It looked like she was trying to break herself. And she was succeeding in that endeavour.

Iruka’s gut twisted. He wanted to run in, to stop her, but the memory of her silence at the Uchiha house the previous evening came back sharp. The way she’d looked straight through him like he wasn’t even there.

He clenched his fists, teeth gritted. She wasn’t going to listen to him. Not like this. Not now.

So he turned and ran.

By the time he reached home, sweat plastered his hair to his forehead. He slid the door open hard enough that it rattled, his voice louder than he meant it to be.

“Mom!”

Kohari was already sitting cross-legged in the main room, staff across her lap as if she’d been waiting for him. Her sharp eyes lifted, pinning him in place before he even finished catching his breath.

“It’s Meiko,” Iruka blurted. “She… she’s not okay. She’s in the clearing she used to train at with Rin, and she’s…” He broke off, gesturing helplessly, unable to find the right words.

Kohari’s gaze didn’t soften, but something in her expression shifted, the faintest flicker of understanding. She set the staff against her shoulder and rose smoothly to her feet.

“Stay here,” she said simply, already moving toward the door. As if assuring her son that she would solve the problem.

Iruka swallowed hard, nodding. Relief and dread knotted together in his chest.

His mom never was the particularly gentle type, when it came to sensitive matters. He just hoped that she was exactly what Meiko needed right now, though.

---

The clearing was heavy with poison haze when Kohari arrived.

She didn’t announce herself. She simply stood at the edge, staff balanced in one hand, and watched. Watched as I staggered forward, kanabo dragging a scar through the dirt, my breath harsh, my chakra wild and uneven.

“Pathetic,” her voice cut through the mist, cold and sharp.

I spun toward her, half-blinded by sweat and stinging eyes. “What…”

The staff cracked against my ribs before I could finish. The force knocked the air from my lungs, sending me sprawling to the ground.

“On your feet.”

I wheezed, coughed, dragged myself up. The kanabo came up too, sluggish in my grip.

She advanced without hesitation, her staff a blur. Every strike was precise, punishing, battering my guard aside like it was nothing. My kanabo rang uselessly against the wood, my arms too slow, my movements too heavy.

“Sloppy.” Crack. The staff whipped across my forearm.

“Wild.” Thud. My knee buckled as the staff slammed into it.

“Thoughtless.” Snap. The end of the staff caught my jaw, snapping my head to the side.

I swung desperately, kanabo cutting the air, but she wasn’t there anymore. The staff hooked low, sweeping me off my feet, and I hit the dirt hard enough to rattle my teeth.

I screamed, raw and furious, dragging the chigiriki from my belt and snapping the chain out. The iron weight hissed through the air, fast, deadly.

Kohari caught it. One hand. A twist of her wrist, and my weapon yanked from my grasp, clattering across the clearing.

I tried to counter, bringing the kanabo up, to bash it against her side.

When it hit, she didn't even flinch. Her hand gripped the metal club, and simply pulled it from my hands, as if my grip meant nothing.

Then it came down, barely stopping an inch from my temple. The force of the swing sent the purple mist around us outward, dissipating into the wind.

Her eyes were merciless. “Is this what Rin taught you? To die flailing like a child?”

The words hit harder than the staff ever could. My breath broke in my chest, rage and grief colliding until the dam burst. I lashed out with everything. Fists, kicks, wild chakra, the half-formed shimmer of the Transparent Escape. None of it mattered. Kohari dismantled me with brutal efficiency, my own kanabo cracking across my arms, my legs, and my side, until I collapsed again, gasping, sobbing.

I tried to rise, one more time, but my body gave out. My hands slipped in the dirt, my body shaking.

The kanabo lowered, planted firmly on the ground beside me. Kohari knelt, her presence heavy in the silence. She didn’t touch me. Didn’t offer comfort. Just sat there, her sharp eyes softer now, watching as the tears finally came.

It wasn’t words that broke me. It was the absence of them.

For the first time since hearing her name on a stranger’s lips, I let myself cry for Rin.

And Kohari stayed, silent and steady, until there was nothing left in me but the ache.

The ache of my destructive training. The ache of her beat down, but worst of all…

The ache of knowing that if I weren't careful, didn't get even stronger, Kohari dies too.

Notes:

:)

Chapter 13: Exam

The yard behind Kohari’s house rang with the sound of steel against wood. Not the heavy crash of my kanabo or the hiss of my chigiriki, but something lighter, sharper.

“Again,” Kohari snapped, her staff moving in a blur.

I gritted my teeth and swung the short sword, a tanto not dissimilar to the one Shisui had been training with, she’d shoved into my hands, the metal edge clashing against her staff before she twisted and smacked the flat against my ribs. The air rushed from my lungs as I stumbled back.

“You lean too much on power,” she said, circling me. “A blade requires precision. Your kanabo forgives mistakes. A sword doesn’t.”

Sweat stung my eyes. I adjusted my stance and came in again, somewhat lighter this time, the blade snapping forward with less force, but far more control. The staff flicked it aside anyway, but her nod said it all. I’d done better.

That was how it went. Short sword. Staff. Naginata. Even a bow, which felt wrong in my hands, awkward and sluggish and far too slow, but I suppose it wasn't meant for use in one versus one combat, so it was fine. Each weapon tested a different part of me. Be it balance, reach or patience. Kohari’s voice cut in every time I faltered, every time I defaulted to brute force.

“Don’t swing like it’s a club.”
“Don’t overextend.”
“Control. Always control.”

By the time she finally called a halt, my arms ached and my legs trembled. The weapons lay scattered in the dirt around us like the aftermath of a battlefield.

Kohari set her staff against her shoulder and walked to the porch. When she came back, she held out a scroll. Not the plain kind from the Archive, but a thicker roll of treated parchment with a neat pattern of seals across its surface.

I blinked at it as she offered it out. “What’s this?”

“A storage scroll,” she said simply. “Specially made by Ikkaku. Stronger than a regular one, with more seals. Each seal is keyed to a different weapon. Think of it as a walking armory.”

I took it carefully, running my fingers over the inkwork. “You’re giving this to me?”

“You’ll need it,” Kohari replied, her gaze steady. “A shinobi doesn’t always get to choose their battlefield. You could lose your kanabo. Your chain could snap. A shinobi who relies on one weapon dies when they end up without it.”

I swallowed hard, clutching the scroll to my chest as I nodded, internalising her words.

Her tone softened, just slightly. “Your kanabo and chigiriki will still be your main tools. But now, if you need to adapt, you can.”

A slow smile tugged at my lips despite the ache in my body. “Thank you…”

Kohari smirked, turning away. “Don’t thank me. Show me you can actually use them, and don't die.”

And just like that, the staff tapped against her shoulder again. Another weapon hit the dirt at my feet.

“Pick it up. We’re not done yet.

---

The training ground was still, insects buzzing faintly in the heat as Iruka and I stood shoulder to shoulder, both of us tense, both of us knowing how this would go.

Shisui rolled his shoulders a few meters away, relaxed as if he didn't have a care in the world. A wooden practice tanto held loose in his hand, his Sharingan already flickering lazily to life. “Two on one again?” he asked, smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “You know how this ends, guys."

Iruka crossed his arms, glaring and shaking his head. “Not the same as last time. We’ve been training really hard.”

“So have I,” Shisui replied, cheerful as ever. His tone didn’t match the danger in his eyes at all.

And then, before I could even blink, he was gone.

“Left!” I shouted, swinging my kanabo in a wide arc. The weapon smashed through empty air, biting a crater into the dirt as a rush of wind blew past my cheek.

Iruka stumbled back, a sweep of Shisui’s leg nearly taking him down. He rolled instead, hand already flashing into his pouch. A kunai came out, tag fluttering from its hilt, already burning, fuse lite.

Shisui tilted aside as the weapon cut past, exploding halfway across the clearing, as he landed light on the balls of his feet. He wasn’t smiling now. His eyes glowed red, the two tomoe spinning as he read the battlefield carefully.

I lunged, trying to take advantage of the lull, kanabo rising high. My strike crashed downward with enough force to leave a small crater on the dusty ground. Shisui slid just out of reach, dust spraying his sandals.

“Closer,” he teased, but his gaze flicked sharp between us.

Iruka didn’t waste the opening either. Another kunai whistled through the smoke. The tag flared, exploding heat and dirt between us. Shisui’s silhouette blurred inside the haze.

“Now!” I roared.

I came in low, kanabo sweeping wide. Iruka cut high, another kunai angling to clip Shisui’s path. For half a second, we had him boxed, nowhere to go…

And then the world rushed sideways.

Body Flicker.

My kanabo crashed into Iruka’s kunai instead, sparks skittering where steel met steel. Shisui reappeared behind me, tanto biting cool against my ribs.

“And now, you'd be dead,” he said lightly, and was already gone before Iruka spun. “Keep going.”

The fight didn’t stop. We pressed harder, forcing him to actually move. Iruka laid down traps with sealing tags, scattering kunai wide to limit his footwork. I hammered with the kanabo, driving him toward corners, cutting off escape routes with sheer force.

Shisui blurred through it all, but not effortlessly. His tanto rang against my kanabo once, the clash sending a shock down my arms. He twisted away before Iruka’s seal could go off, only to vault sideways into another of Iruka’s tags.

For a second, he staggered, the blast rattling through the clearing.

I charged, kanabo arcing like a thunderbolt.

He caught the swing on the flat of his tanto. My arms shook with the impact, the weapon refusing to move an inch. Shisui grinned through clenched teeth, eyes burning with the Sharingan’s red irises.

“Better,” he admitted, before twisting his blade and shoving me back.

Iruka came in fast, kunai angled for Shisui’s side. Shisui ducked low, swept Iruka’s feet clean out, then had the tanto kissing his throat before the boy hit the dirt.

I swung again, desperate, but Shisui flipped backward, landing lightly on a branch overhead.

From there, he lowered his tanto, breathing a little harder. “Much better. You’re actually making me work for it now.”

Iruka groaned, pushing himself upright. His forearm was red with bruises, his lip split. “Still lost.”

“Yeah, but not like before,” Shisui said honestly. He pointed the tanto at me, smirking. “You nearly clipped me twice. If you were able to use Poison Mist, I'd be in trouble.”

I exhaled hard, steadying the tremor in my arms. My shoulders ached, my palms stung, and I could taste iron from biting my cheek. He was still far, far ahead of us.

But for the first time, it felt like maybe Iruka and I weren’t just standing still. We were moving closer, one step at a time.

---

The compound was quiet by the time I made it back, sandals scuffing against the stone path. Paper lanterns glowed faintly behind the houses, their light soft against the encroaching dusk.

I slid the gate open, half-expecting Shisui to already be inside, having gone ahead, but instead I spotted a smaller figure crouched in the side garden before I even made it to the doors.

“Itachi,” I called softly. “It's a bit late for you to be out on your own.”

He didn’t look up right away, too focused on whatever he had cupped between his hands. When he finally did, his dark eyes met mine, sharp and thoughtful in that way that always unsettled me.

“You’re late,” he said. “My mom said you and Shisui should have been home earlier.”

“I was training,” I replied, stepping closer. “With Iruka and Shisui.”

He considered that for a moment, then asked, “Are you going to graduate soon?”

The question caught me off guard. I crouched beside him, watching as he let a beetle crawl along his wrist. “Maybe. Why?”

His brow furrowed slightly. “If you graduate, you’ll be on missions. That means I’ll see you less.”

I hesitated. There it was, not worried exactly, but a kind of calculation a four-year-old shouldn’t really be able to make so astutely. “You’ll still see me,” I said gently. “I promise. Even if I’m not around as much, I’ll still come back here. This is my home.”

He studied me like he didn’t quite believe it. I smiled anyway, trying to bridge the gap. “Want me to show you something? Something shinobi learn when they’re a little older?”

That got his attention. His beetle forgotten, he sat straighter. “What?”

“Tree walking,” I said simply, pointing to the trunk of the nearest pine. “It’s a chakra control exercise. Harder than the leaf thing I showed you before.”

I moved over and demonstrated, pressing my foot against the bark and letting my chakra cling. Step by step, I walked halfway up before pushing off and landing lightly. “The trick is focus. Too much chakra, you crack the bark. Too little and you'll slip off.”

Itachi was already standing at the base, eyes narrowed in concentration. He pressed his small foot against the bark. On the first try, it slid back down. On the second, he went three steps before tumbling off.

On the third, he walked five paces up before turning and dropping neatly back to the ground.

I blinked. “...That was fast.”

He tilted his head. “This seems useful.”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable.”

He didn’t smile, but there was a flicker of something. Not pride exactly, but satisfaction. Like he’d done what he expected of himself.

“Keep practicing,” I said, ruffling his hair lightly as I stood. “You’ll be running up and jumping between trees in no time.”

As I turned back toward the house, he called after me, voice quieter. “You’ll come back here, even after you graduate?”

I paused, meeting his gaze again. For a brief moment, the image of him older and bloodstained flashes behind my eyes, before I smile. I can change that now, I dared to hope.

“Of course.”

---

The exam itself passed in a blur. Written questions, basic kunai throws, the three academy jutsu. Nothing I hadn’t drilled a hundred times already.

And now came the part that mattered.

We sat in one of the larger classrooms, desks packed with students mainly from the years above ours. Everyone who had scored high enough to be given the chance to test early, alongside those finishing their final year, all crammed into one room while the instructors whispered in the hall beyond.

The air buzzed with tension.

Iruka sat stiffly at my side, his sealing brush kit tucked neatly away but his fingers twitching like he wished he had it out. His knee bounced under the desk, and when I glanced at him, he tried to force a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

At my other side, Shisui leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, the picture of ease. If he was nervous, he didn’t show it. His grin flashed when he caught me looking. “Relax. I'm sure you two did fine.”

I rolled my eyes, but my lips tugged into the faintest smirk anyway. Typical Shisui.

As for myself, I felt nervous, but more so due to those around us, than anxiety about my scores now. We were the only three first year students allowed to take the exam, after all. Attention I didn't particularly want.

Around us, the older students murmured in low voices. Some looked confident, others pale. A boy from the year above ours sat hunched over, muttering formulas under his breath. A girl near the back had her head bowed, lips moving in silent prayer.

The minutes dragged on. Every time a shadow passed by the door, half the room sat straighter. Every time footsteps echoed in the hallway, Iruka sucked in a breath and held it.

Finally, the door slid open.

A sensei stepped inside, one of the final year teachers, a clipboard in hand, eyes sweeping the room. His expression gave away nothing.

He stood beside a table of polished forehead protectors, ready for those who had passed.

“Results are in,” he said simply.

The classroom went silent.

I felt my heart kick hard against my ribs as his gaze flicked over the names, the anxiety over my score that had been missing came rushing forth in my mind. My hands curled into fists against my knees.

This was it…

Notes:

Woohoo! The final academy exam has arrived! Will Meiko and Iruka graduate early alongside Shisui, or are they destined to be split apart?

Find out next time, on Dragon Ba- I mean... Worthy Shinobi!

Chapter 14: Graduation

The sensei didn’t waste time.

He adjusted the clipboard in his hands, eyes skimming the page like he’d done this a hundred times before, and maybe he had. The room was so silent I could hear the soft creak of someone shifting in their chair two rows behind us, and the faint scratch of chalk from a classroom far down the hall.

“Those who passed will be called first,” he said simply.

My stomach dropped anyway.

The first name was an older student from the fourth year group. He flinched like he’d been struck, then stood too quickly, chair legs screeching against the floor. He walked to the front with stiff steps, face pale, and took a forehead protector from the table with hands that shook.

Then another name. Another. A girl near the back started crying silently when her friend was called and she wasn’t. Someone whispered a prayer under their breath. Someone else let out a shaky laugh that sounded more like choking.

Every time the sensei looked down at the clipboard, Iruka’s knee bounced harder under the desk. The table rattled faintly. He didn’t notice. His fingers were curled so tight around the edge of his seat that his knuckles had gone white.

Shisui, of course, looked like he was waiting for the next class to start. He leaned back, elbows hooked over the backrest, grin faint but present, like this was all a game. I could see the tell though, if I looked closely. His heel tapped the floor once every few seconds, steady, controlled. He was nervous too. He just refused to let it show.

My own hands were cold. I kept them on my lap so nobody could see them shake.

The sensei called more names, the pile of forehead protectors shrinking at a slow, cruel pace.

A boy from the year above ours stood, took his protector, and returned to his seat like he was afraid to breathe in case the air betrayed him. Another older student didn’t get called, and his shoulders slumped lower and lower with every name that wasn’t his, until he looked like he might fold in on himself.

Then the sensei paused.

He looked down at the clipboard again, lips pressing together for a moment like he was deciding something, then his gaze lifted.

It swept the room once. Twice.

When his eyes reached the front row, where the three of us sat, I felt my heart slam so hard against my ribs that it hurt.

“Uchiha Shisui,” he said.

Shisui stood so smoothly it almost looked practiced, chair barely making a sound. He walked up with that same easy confidence, but when he reached the table and took the protector, I saw his fingers tighten around the metal plate for just a second. His grin widened as he turned, and he held it up slightly, flashing it at us like a trophy before returning to his seat.

Iruka exhaled, but it was sharp, like he’d been holding his breath too long. His eyes flicked to the sensei again immediately, wide and hopeful and terrified all at once.

The sensei continued, calling two more older students.

Then he looked down again.

“Kimura Meiko.”

For half a second, I didn’t move.

My mind went blank, so completely blank it felt like I’d been shoved underwater. I stared at the sensei, and I knew he’d said my name, I knew he’d called me forward, but my body didn’t seem to understand that it was allowed to respond.

Then Iruka’s elbow nudged my side gently under the desk.

I blinked, sucked in a breath, and stood.

The floor felt too far away, like my legs were longer than they were supposed to be. My cloak hung heavy off my shoulders as I stepped into the aisle, the jingasa’s shadow cutting across my eyes.

A few older students turned to look. One of them frowned, eyebrows pulling together like he was trying to figure out why a first year student was walking toward the front.

I ignored them.

I walked up to the table, stared at the forehead protectors for a second too long, then reached out and took one.

The metal was cool against my palm. Solid. Real.

For a heartbeat, all I could think about was the way Rin had smiled at me when she said I could do it. The way she’d promised she wasn’t going anywhere.

My throat tightened.

I forced myself to turn, forced myself to walk back to my seat, and only once I sat down did I let myself breathe properly.

Iruka was staring at me like he didn’t know whether to smile or cry.

Shisui leaned closer, grin sharp and proud. “Told you,” he murmured.

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to smack him. I wanted to do both at the same time. Instead I just stared down at the protector in my hands and tried not to let my eyes sting.

The list continued.

Another older student. Then another. A fourth year girl took hers and clutched it to her chest like it was a lifeline.

The table of forehead protectors was looking noticeably emptier now.

Iruka’s knee was bouncing so hard the whole desk shook. He’d stopped trying to hide it.

He didn’t even look at Shisui or me anymore. His gaze was locked on the sensei’s clipboard as if he could will the ink to move.

The sensei called two more names, both from the older years.

Then he paused again.

This time, when he looked up, Iruka flinched like he’d been slapped.

“Umino Iruka.”

Iruka froze.

For a long moment, he didn’t move at all. He just stared at the sensei, mouth slightly open, like he was waiting for the words to change into something else.

“Go on,” Shisui whispered, low enough that only we could hear. It wasn’t teasing this time. It was gentle, almost.

I nudged Iruka’s shoulder with mine. “Iruka,” I said quietly.

He blinked hard, and then he stood so quickly his chair scraped loudly against the floor.

The sound made a few people turn. Iruka didn’t notice. He almost tripped stepping out into the aisle, catching himself at the last second. His face was bright red, either from embarrassment or the sudden rush of emotion, and his eyes looked suspiciously glassy.

He walked to the front with clenched fists like he was afraid his hands would give him away, then reached out and grabbed a protector from the table.

The moment his fingers closed around it, his shoulders dropped like he’d been holding up the weight of the entire world and was finally allowed to set it down.

He turned, and for the first time since we’d sat down in that room, he smiled properly.

It wasn’t a grin like Shisui’s. It was shaky and huge and a little disbelieving, like he didn’t trust happiness not to vanish if he blinked too hard.

He hurried back to us, sat down hard, and clutched the forehead protector against his chest for a second like it might float away otherwise.

Then he looked at me.

And he started laughing.

It was quiet at first, like a breathless hiccup, then it turned into a real laugh, one that made his shoulders shake. He pressed the heel of his hand against his eye quickly, wiping at it before it could become obvious.

“Shut up,” he muttered, voice cracking slightly, when Shisui opened his mouth to speak.

Shisui, unbelievably, did shut up. He just smirked wider and leaned back again, tapping his heel once, then stopping, like the anxiety had finally released its grip.

The sensei cleared his throat, pulling the room’s attention back to him.

“That concludes those who have passed,” he said, voice neutral.

A wave of quiet devastation spread across the room. A few students sagged in their seats. Someone swallowed hard enough that I heard it from two rows away.

The sensei didn’t look particularly moved by any of it. He had the same expression he’d had from the start, the kind you wore when you’d learned to keep your feelings tucked away behind duty.

He set the clipboard down, then looked over the room again.

“Those who were not called may retake the exam at the end of the year as normal,” he continued. “Return to your usual classes tomorrow. You are dismissed.”

Chairs scraped loudly as people stood. Some left quickly, heads down. Others lingered, staring at the table of protectors like it was a cruel joke. A boy from the older year stormed past, jaw clenched, blinking furiously.

We stayed seated for a moment longer, like none of us quite trusted that it was real yet.

Iruka was still holding his protector with both hands, thumbs rubbing over the leaf symbol again and again like he was committing it to memory through touch.

I kept mine in my lap, fingers resting on the metal plate. I could feel my pulse through it.

Shisui finally stood and stretched, cracking his neck like we’d just finished a boring lesson. “Come on,” he said lightly. “Let’s go tell everyone we’re geniuses.”

Iruka made a strangled noise and shoved Shisui’s shoulder hard enough to make him stumble a step. Shisui laughed like that was the best thing that had happened all day.

I stood too, slowly, and the moment my feet hit the floor properly, the reality sank in.

Genin.

We were actually genin now.

That thought should have made me happy. It did, in some small way. It also made my stomach twist into something sour and cold.

Because genin meant missions.

It meant responsibility. It meant war, even if the village pretended it was only politics and tension and peace talks.

It meant that Rin’s world, the one that had swallowed her whole, was now opening its mouth for us too.

We made our way out of the classroom and into the hallway. The light here was dimmer, the air cooler. Voices echoed from other rooms. Someone laughed somewhere down the corridor, completely unaware of how heavy everything felt in my chest.

Iruka bumped my shoulder gently as we walked. “You did it,” he said, like he still couldn’t believe it. “You actually did it.”

“We did it,” I corrected, and I meant it, even if the words tasted strange.

Shisui walked ahead a few steps, hands behind his head, already whistling some tune I didn’t recognise.

The three of us turned a corner, and the main entrance of the academy came into view.

I paused without meaning to.

Outside, in the sunlit yard beyond the doors, there were parents waiting. A few older siblings. Some shinobi in flak vests. People who belonged to someone.

Iruka’s mother was there, unmistakable even from a distance. Kohari stood with her arms folded, expression sharp as ever, but her posture was different than usual. Less like a teacher waiting to correct you, more like someone guarding something important. Ikkaku stood beside her, leaning slightly on a cane, his still-healing leg keeping him from his usual stance, but his eyes were warm when he spotted Iruka.

A few steps away, Uchiha clansmen lingered too, dark eyes scanning the crowd. One of them looked directly at Shisui, and Shisui’s grin sharpened as he lifted his protector slightly in greeting.

I swallowed.

For a second, I expected to see Rin there.

It was stupid. I knew it was stupid. My mind still did it anyway, reaching for that familiar smile and that gentle hand on my shoulder, as if routine could force the world to correct itself.

All I found was sunlight and strangers and the sting of something hollow behind my ribs.

Iruka stepped forward first, breaking the spell, and Kohari’s sharp gaze pinned him immediately.

He held up his forehead protector like he was showing proof of life.

Kohari’s lips twitched, almost a smile, though she kept it restrained like it was a dangerous thing to show in public. Ikkaku did not bother hiding his grin. He ruffled Iruka’s hair so hard Iruka’s jingling headband almost slipped out of his hands.

Shisui drifted toward his clansmen, still relaxed, but I saw the way his shoulders squared as he approached them, as if he was putting on a different version of himself.

That left me standing just inside the doorway, fingers curled around the metal plate in my lap, cloak heavy against my shoulders.

Kohari’s eyes flicked to me then.

They held for a moment, sharp and assessing, then softened by the smallest amount.

She jerked her chin once, like a command.

Come here.

I took a breath, stepped forward, and let the afternoon light spill over my jingasa as I walked out into the yard.

Notes:

I'm backkk

Hope you enjoy this chapter, edited and beta read by a friend of mine :) thank you for that bud