4: Childhood Friendship [Edited and revised in 2026]
His mouth was dry and his body trembled slightly.
He looked at the blood on his hands: bright scarlet, with a strong smell of iron. Sweat dripped from his forehead, sliding down his cheek until it entered his eye. The sudden sting pulled him out of his daze.
"What's wrong? Hadn't you seen someone die before?" The voice made his head lift, his eyes meeting the gaze of the one responsible for all of this, pale skin with long scars and gray hair with a faint bluish tint.
The mocking expression on his face made something break inside him.
"It's a shame, but she was quite annoying, her ritual technique was far too inconvenient for me"
His breathing steadied, numbness filling his body, he looked at the blood again and then clenched his fists, cursed energy beginning to circulate through his body with force.
"Oh? I thought you'd be depressed for longer, she was your friend or something, right? After all she said your name before she died" more mockery, in a shameless tone.
His lack of words seemed to irritate him, the smile on his unpleasant face turning into a frown.
"Thank you" then came the surprise.
"Eh?"
"I had been hesitating, but now I understand," he said in an apathetic voice.
As the binding vow he had long hesitated to make was beginning to take effect within his being, he could feel it: how the blood in his veins grew cold and thickened.
The negative emotions that flooded the surroundings began to become unnaturally clear to his senses.
"In this world I cannot allow myself to feel anything". With those words, something seemed to leave his soul. It was as if his heart suddenly stopped beating; it was still there physically, but any warmth he might once have felt faded into nothingness, flooding him with a supernatural calm.
"¡At least not until I become the strongest of all!", he proclaimed, lifting his gaze abruptly.
The wind around him stirred, crackling and lashing out like a forming hurricane. For hundreds of meters in every direction, negative emotions were sucked in and dragged by an irresistible force into the depths of his soul.
"hahaha! What is this? Something has changed... What did you do, itadori?!" his enemy asked in astonishment as he felt the changes in the environment and how the cursed energy of the human before him was increasing by leaps and bounds.
Itadori Yuji took a deep breath and took his stance, his guard up ready to continue the battle.
"I signed your death sentence" he replied coldly and before his enemy could react his body launched forward at full speed.
.
.
.
Back to the present.
"That should be enough," Sukuna said, watching the small pile of branches the blonde girl had managed to gather while he fished in the river. Hearing him, Naruko turned toward him and, instantly, her clear blue eyes shone like stars when she noticed the four enormous fish he held in his hands.
"Incredible!" she exclaimed. It was the first time she had ever seen fish that fat!
Sukuna searched through the pile of branches and took out the longest and thinnest ones he could find, skewering onto them the fish that he had already previously cleaned in the river.
After placing them around the campfire at the proper distance, he pointed toward the stacked wood and, with a simple thought, chakra gathered at the tip of his finger until, with a flash, a small flame bloomed on it.
"H-how did you do that?!" the blonde girl exclaimed again, moving closer to his side with extreme curiosity, almost bumping into him.
"I used chakra," Sukuna replied as he pushed her aside. At the same time, the flame burning on his finger shot forward rapidly, striking the wood and causing it to begin to burn.
"Catra?" Her poor pronunciation of the word made him turn toward her, an eyebrow raised.
The blonde girl wore an adorable expression of intense concentration mixed with deep confusion, as if she were trying with all her might to understand that unfamiliar word, but failing completely. Sukuna could almost swear he was about to see smoke coming out of her head.
"Chakra. It's the power ninjas use," he explained, snapping her out of her thoughts and making her eyes widen in surprise.
With a jump, the girl sprang to her feet and pointed at him with a trembling hand.
"You're a ninja?!"
"No."
Her astonishment was cut off abruptly by his reply, making her stumble backward as if an arrow had struck her.
...!
"I'm just training to become one," he specified after a few seconds, pulling her out of her state of shock. As the girl stood back up, Sukuna picked up two nearby stones, of suitable size and shape, and placed them beside the campfire as improvised seats.
Letting himself drop onto one of them, he patted the other in a clear signal that took the girl a moment to understand, but when she did, she hurried over to his side and sat as well; her eyes, filled with fascination, watching him as if she wanted to ask him a thousand questions at the same time.
"Trai-ning? What is that?" she finally asked, almost stumbling over the word.
This time Sukuna could not stop his frown from deepening; this girl could not be that stupid, right?... Looking at her more carefully, only now did he realize how small she seemed, and that was when something in his mind finally clicked and he remembered the date they were in.
Right now it was still early January; just a few days ago it had still been December, and the whole affair with Kumo had taken place. If his quick calculations were correct, that meant Naruko was barely a little over three years old.
That she could not pronounce certain words correctly, or that she did not even know what they meant in the first place, should not be strange. Sometimes, Sukuna forgot that children were still just that: children. Even if, in this world, some behaved abnormally, showing greater maturity than they should, they could still be childish in many ways.
"Training means preparing to do or be something, you at least know what that is, right?"
That question seemed to irritate her a little; her blonde hair visibly bristled, like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.
"Of course I know! I'm not stupid!" she growled, baring her teeth, with two small fangs peeking out on either side.
She looked ready to fight him at any moment, but Sukuna didn't bother paying her any attention and simply turned toward the campfire, his green eyes focused on the dancing flames, reflecting their orange light.
That was what he meant by acting abnormally for her age: three years old, and although she seemed not to recognize some words or concepts, she could still speak and express herself far more clearly than she should. Or maybe it was his own lack of knowledge about infants that made him think that way.
No, it had to be something else. Though, in truth, he didn't care enough to try to study it in depth or anything like that; he wasn't a pediatrician and had no intention of becoming one, so figuring out such things was none of his concern.
"I didn't say you were stupid, I just asked if you knew," he replied calmly after a few seconds, noticing that her burning gaze was still fixed on him.
That seemed to be enough to appease her, as her blue eyes stopped throwing daggers at him and turned back toward the flames, her curiosity rekindling as if her earlier irritation had never existed.
"H-how... how do you train to be a ninja?" she asked with slight shyness after a brief silence. Her hands tightened and loosened their grip on the corners of her shirt, betraying her nervousness.
It wasn't common for other children to talk to her for long, much less for them not to seem bothered by having her around. Sukuna didn't pay her excessive attention, but unlike almost everyone else in the village, he didn't ignore her either, and even if he seemed indifferent, she could tell when people simply didn't want anything to do with her, to the point of not even acknowledging her existence; something that, this time, wasn't happening.
She had noticed it from the very first moment their gazes met. To him, she existed.
It was incredible, and she feared ruining it if she talked too much, but at the same time she truly wanted to know more about this magical 'chakra' and about ninjas. So she swallowed her doubts and asked the question, hoping that the pink-haired boy at her side wouldn't be bothered or decide to start hating her like everyone else.
While those thoughts, far too complicated for a girl her age, ran through her head, Sukuna pondered his answer.
'That's a good question,' he thought.
He himself didn't know exactly how people trained in this world beyond the chakra control exercises he remembered seeing in the series. Even so, he did know how to train to become strong; something that, in retrospect, should amount to the same thing.
"Do you want to be a ninja?" Instead of answering, he asked his own question, making the girl blink in confusion.
"They say it's cool... and all the other kids play at being ninjas," she replied, sounding somewhat unsure.
'I see,' he thought. No talk of becoming hokage or anything like that yet. It seemed she still hadn't learned what being a ninja really meant and believed it was just some kind of game.
His lack of response and the silence that followed made the blonde squirm in her seat. For his part, Sukuna simply kept an eye on the fish over the campfire, still lost in his thoughts.
Just as Naruko was about to insist and ask her question again, her attention was completely captured by an incredible, mouthwatering aroma that reached her nostrils. Saliva began to pool in her mouth, her gaze locking onto the nearly finished fish, stars in her eyes.
Sukuna noticed her reaction, raising an eyebrow with a hint of puzzlement, since they were just simple fish. There were no seasonings or salt, and while the smell wasn't unpleasant, it was nothing extraordinary either...
"You're from the orphanage, right?" he asked, even though it was something he already knew. The girl paid attention to him again and nodded affirmatively, though without taking her eyes off the fish.
"Had you ever eaten fish before?" he continued, making her frown. This time she turned to look at him with evident dejection. At that moment, Sukuna could feel how the negative emotions lying within her intensified, something that even became visible in the way her blue eyes lost part of their shine.
"No... the others at the orphanage never leave me anything," she replied in a low voice, anger and helplessness mixed into her tone.
'I figured as much,' Sukuna snorted inwardly, stretching out his hand to take one of the fish that were already done and offering it to her directly.
"Here, it's hot, so don't eat it too fast or you'll burn yourself."
The girl froze, abruptly pulled out of her melancholy, staring at the fish in front of her with no expression, its aroma tickling her nose. She didn't rush to take it; instead, her eyes shifted to him, as if asking whether he was serious, and Sukuna simply nodded almost imperceptibly.
It was a small gesture, but it made her face light up instantly, the negative emotions that had been overwhelming her vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Awesome!" She obviously didn't listen to what he said, because she tried to take a big bite the moment she had it in her hands.
Fortunately for her, Sukuna was faster and stopped her easily before she could do it.
"I told you it's hot." His warning earned him a low growl, like that of a small feline, her blonde hair bristling like a cat defending its food. She was only missing the ears and tail to complete the image.
"You need to blow on it a little, like this." Sukuna took his own fish and calmly showed her, making her imitate his movements.
Thus, both of them blew on them for several seconds. She took great gulps of air and puffed out her cheeks almost exaggeratedly with each exhale until the moment came, and he nodded to her, making her smile excitedly before she hurried to take a quick, small first bite.
And then another, and another, and in a blur, even the bones were chewed up.
It seemed the sharp fangs he had seen in her mouth were not just for show.
Fortunately, she stopped before also eating the stick.
Licking her lips exaggeratedly, Naruko purred with satisfaction. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten something so delicious!
Of course, for a three-year-old orphan who was constantly discriminated against in various ways, a fish without salt or any other seasoning would seem like the tastiest meal in the world.
"Here."
Before she knew it, another fish appeared in front of her, making her look at Sukuna in confusion.
"I got them for you, brat. I'm not hungry," he told her. After all, he'd already eaten before leaving home.
Naruko looked at the fish, then at the other two still near the fire and, for some reason, felt her eyes beginning to well up with tears without quite knowing why.
"I-I..."
Sukuna frowned.
"Eat and don't cry, or you'll really ruin my day."
Without giving her time to respond, he shoved the fish into her mouth. He didn't want to hear any crying.
The girl chewed while looking at him with clear gratitude. As with all her other emotions, it was very easy to tell what she was feeling just by looking into her eyes.
Sukuna took a long leaf and shook off any dirt it might have before placing the two remaining fish on it, using it as an improvised plate and then setting it in front of the blonde girl.
Then he looked up at the sky, which was beginning to take on the colors of sunset. The wind was growing cooler, announcing the arrival of the night's cold. It seemed he wouldn't be able to use the rest of the day to practice as he'd wanted... Oh, well, he wasn't in a hurry.
While lost in thought, he sensed a change in the atmosphere. Something was happening. His spiritual perception activated automatically, and he forced himself to remain calm.
Something... No, someone was watching him.
Discreetly, his eyes swept the area in search of whoever was responsible, but the more time passed without him being able to find them, the clearer it became that something was strange.
'This isn't an ordinary gaze.'
It was as if it came from nowhere, from a source he couldn't reach or pinpoint.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember, and then some images began to fill his mind.
'The Third Hokage.'
It had to be him. Of course, it could also be a member of the Hyuga clan, but why would they be watching that place?
Naruko?
It was a good reason, and one that applied to both possibilities. Whether it was a member of the Hyuga clan or the Third Hokage, keeping an eye on the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki was a task of vital importance to the village and its security. The only thing he found strange was that it wasn't happening all the time and instead seemed to occur at intervals.
While pondering this, he sensed three presences approaching. Strong presences. Three ninja who knew how to conceal themselves quite well.
He had been wondering where the blonde girl's guards were. It seemed they had finally decided to make their "presence" known.
Of course, Sukuna didn't simply assume they were her guards and leave it at that. They could just as easily be ninja from another village looking to kidnap the jinchuriki.
But he knew that wasn't the case.
He could sense the negative emotions coming from them, and none were directed at Naruko, although one in particular seemed to be filled with visceral self-loathing, dangerously close to being just one step away from suicide.
It had been a while since he'd sensed so many negative emotions coming from a single person.
He didn't act nervously or give any indication that he knew they were now being watched. After all, he was just a three-year-old boy spending time with another three-year-old brat.
There shouldn't be anything suspicious about that.
He waited a little longer, watching the blonde girl continue eating with delight, before standing up and dusting off his ass.
"It's getting late. I have to go, or I'll get scolded," he said, adding a little childishness to his voice.
Naruko blinked in confusion at the new tone and furrowed her brows slightly, but being just a child, she couldn't pinpoint exactly what felt strange. So she shrugged and brushed it aside without giving it any more thought, focusing instead on the fact that Sukuna was about to leave.
"Already? It's still so early," she said reluctantly, sounding disappointed. She still wanted to talk to him more and see more of those incredible ninja abilities of his.
Sukuna scratched his head, pretending to be a little reluctant as well.
"We can see each other another day. I'll catch more fish for you then," he offered.
That seemed to cheer her up enough to pull her out of her bad mood, as she jumped to her feet and nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! And we can play ninja and..."
And she didn't stop talking until she ran out of breath.
"Of course," he finally said when he saw her calm down, turning around and starting to walk back toward the park before she could keep babbling endlessly. He waved a hand in the air in farewell without even turning to look at her.
"See you later!" she shouted as she watched his back recede into the distance.
However, much of the enthusiasm she had just regained faded almost immediately. She sat down again and silently stared in the direction he had gone, her expression subdued.
"Come back soon..." she murmured with her head lowered.
.
.
.
Sukuna left the forest and walked through the park on his way home, acting as any other child his age would along the way. He bought some sweets and entertained himself by playing with several cats he encountered along the way for a while before pretending to notice with alarm that it had gotten even later and quickening his pace.
Throughout that entire time, that gaze remained fixed on him like an invisible observer.
"I'm home!" he shouted enthusiastically as he took off his shoes.
His parents, inside the house, raised an eyebrow when they heard him sounding so cheerful.
"Oh, Sukuna-chan seems happy!" his mother exclaimed happily to his father, who nodded, equally surprised, since their son normally didn't express his feelings very much.
Soon, Sukuna found them both in the living room and greeted them with a smile.
"Looks like you had quite a bit of fun, sweetheart. Did you like the new park?"
At his mother's question, Sukuna nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, it was great. I even made a new friend! Although they're a little strange," he said, starting enthusiastically before adding a hint of uncertainty at the end.
That immediately caught their attention, and his father put aside what he was doing to turn toward him with curiosity.
"A new friend, you say? Looks like our son is finally coming out of his shell!" he exclaimed happily.
Hearing his father's words, Sukuna pretended to pout, making them both laugh.
Of course, he'd never really bothered to make friends before. He normally hated dealing with brats, and most of the times he'd been forced to be around them, he only pretended enough to avoid drawing attention.
"Come on, tell us a little about this new friend," they insisted.
And so, Sukuna recounted a version of his encounter with Naruko that was similar, yet at the same time very different. Obviously, he omitted many things and exaggerated others in a deliberately childish manner.
It was exhausting and humiliating, but soon he felt that watchful gaze disappear.
Even so, he didn't relax and decided to postpone his plans to rob the local library for the day.
.
.
.
Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen exhaled smoke from his pipe with a contemplative look.
"I want the ANBU responsible for watching over Naruko Uzumaki in my office. Now."
At his command, some of the presences hidden in the darkness quickly departed.
'What a disaster,' he thought, his brow deeply furrowed.
This should never have happened. Leaving Naruko, the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki and, above all, the daughter of the Fourth Hokage, completely unsupervised for so long went directly against the surveillance protocols he himself had established.
Especially now, when tensions with Kumo remained high.
How had this happened? He needed to find out, although he already had some suspicions in mind.
Even as the Hokage, Hiruzen knew there were people pulling strings from the shadows. In the past, something like this would have been impossible, but Hiruzen was no longer the man he once was, and neither his power nor his influence were what they used to be.
Tensions continued to rise, not only outside the village but also within it. It was like a glass filled to the brim with water, getting closer and closer to overflowing, and he was no longer sure he could prevent it from happening.
Or perhaps it was already happening.
It was fortunate that he always took a moment each day to check on Naruko's situation. Realizing that there wasn't a single guardian near her to ensure her safety immediately ignited his anger, and one after another, images of everything that could have happened because of such negligence began flashing through his mind.
Of course, the villagers probably wouldn't do anything truly harmful. They were too cowardly, and the risk that the Kyubi inside the girl might be released if they hurt her was something everyone knew about, mainly thanks to some of the shinobi who had witnessed other jinchuriki in action during the war and understood that if they took things too far, it would end very badly for everyone.
And that was another reason why no one wanted to approach the girl, treating her as though she were a ticking time bomb that could explode at the slightest touch.
Of course, Hiruzen and many others knew that all of that was nothing more than nonsense. The Fourth Hokage's seal was far superior to any other, and Naruko wouldn't release the Kyubi as easily as the villagers believed.
Even so, he allowed that narrative to continue without correcting it because, although it was harmful to the girl's social life, it also served as an additional way to protect her.
Of course, it wasn't something that would last forever. Eventually, the villagers would realize that breaking the seal wasn't so easy, and their treatment of her would change accordingly. Even so, Hiruzen hoped that all the accumulated hatred and resentment would have subsided by the time that happened or, failing that, that Naruko would have already learned to defend herself at the Ninja Academy.
What had happened today proved that he had been right to choose that approach. Naruko was fine and hadn't suffered any harm. Even so, it had been far too risky. While the villagers probably wouldn't do anything stupid, the same couldn't be said for foreign shinobi.
The recent attempted kidnapping of the Hyuga clan's princess had made that quite clear.
Another complicated matter.
Sensing that a headache was about to come on, he decided to think about something else and looked at the crystal ball, which now showed him nothing but his own reflection.
"Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno... It's been a while since I last heard about them."
Of course, as Hokage, he had immediately recognized two of his former shinobi as soon as he saw them. Learning that they'd had a son hadn't been a surprise either, since they had always been quite close.
At least, amid all the bad things, something good had happened.
He didn't know whether that little friendship Naruko had formed would last, since he didn't know exactly what his former shinobi thought of her or to what extent those opinions might have influenced their son.
The boy hadn't gone into much detail when telling them about Naruko, something perfectly understandable for someone his age who seemed much more excited about telling them how he'd managed to catch a fish with his bare hands.
Because of that, the couple had simply assumed that their son had met another girl his age and nothing more, something that seemed to make them quite happy. But that could change if they ever discovered who their son's new friend really was.
"For now, let's wait and see."
He wouldn't interfere. Whatever was going to happen would happen.
Right now, he had far more stressful matters to deal with, such as the growing complaints from the villagers regarding the Uchiha clan.
"I'm too old for this," he sighed before taking another puff from his pipe, letting the smoke fill his lungs once again.
.
.
.
Note:
A somewhat relaxed chapter with a glimpse into the past. Poor Hiruzen, forcibly pulled out of retirement. Oh well, at least he has Icha Icha to keep him company on his lonely nights.
The hardest part to write was Naruko's. I apologize if it's not very good. As an adult, it's difficult to think about how a child would act/think, so I need to practice more. Fortunately, it will get easier as she gets older, and the magic of chakra starts affecting her brain, just as it did with Itachi, though without overdoing it...
Remember that if you want you can support me on p/atreon (p/atreon.com/EmmaCruzader)