The sound of footsteps drew closer to Raven, crunching against broken stone and ash. Raven lay still in the ruins, her tiny infant body nestled against Yumi's warm fur. The white fox pulled in her power, appearing as a simple one-tailed fox, but her glowing eyes stayed alert. Voices carried faintly through the smoke.
"Dear, I think I hear baby noises from over there," a man said, his tone quiet but urgent.
"Are you serious?" a woman answered, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"Yes. We better check quickly," the man replied.
An elderly couple appeared from behind a crumbled wall. The man, Seijirō Kamazaki, carried himself with a sage-like calm, his lined face steady even amid the destruction. His wife, Chiyo Kamazaki, wore the same weariness but with a motherly warmth that softened her cautious expression. They stopped short when they saw the child lying in the rubble, the fox curled protectively at her side.
"Oh my…" Seijirō's voice faltered as he stepped closer. "There's a defenseless child here. The parents must have been killed in the Nine-Tails' attack."
Chiyo's hand flew to her mouth. "We can't just leave her here. She'll die exposed to the elements."
Seijirō's gaze hardened, his decision forming in that instant. "Chiyo… why don't we adopt her? We just lost our daughter, and we haven't reported it yet. She could take her place. They're the same age… and with the village in ruins, no one will notice. Even with her white hair and those strange purple eyes—" he paused, noting Raven's Rinnegans eye glowing —"they'll just be seen as a birth defect'
Chiyo hesitated, doubt flickering in her eyes. "But what about the village elders, and the rules…?"
"Our daughter died outside the village," Seijirō said softly, his voice edged with sorrow. "Nobody knows. If we don't act, this child will perish too. I won't allow that."
Chiyo looked down at the infant, her gaze lingering as Raven blinked up at her with impossibly steady eyes. After a long silence, she sighed and nodded. "Alright. Let's do it."
Seijirō bent down, careful as he lifted Raven into his arms. Her tiny body stirred against his chest, a warmth filling the hollow ache left by his own daughter's loss. At his side, Yumi rose and padded forward, her single visible tail swaying. Chiyo's eyes narrowed. "That fox… she's following us."
Seijirō gave a small shrug. "Ignore her. She must be attached to the child. Let her come."
As they walked through the ruined streets, Seijirō lowered his head to the infant. His voice softened to a murmur. "From now on, you are our daughter… Raven Kamazaki."
Inside her mind, Raven's thoughts stirred with confusion, but she accepted the words as part of the Outsider's design. Her new path had begun.
They arrived at a modest shop, its sign cracked but still hanging proudly above the door: The Krusty Kunai. A humble family-owned pizzeria, the smell of dough and ash still clung faintly to its walls even after the devastation. Chiyo pushed open the door, her voice warm despite the soot on her face. "Welcome home, little one. This will be your home from now on."
Yumi padded inside as if she belonged, her tails swishing lightly, unseen for what they were. Her voice slid into Raven's mind, amused and teasing. "Oh my goodness, your new parents own a pizzeria. How ironic, considering you loved ramen so much in your first life."
A faint chuckle stirred in Raven's thoughts, the first sound of mirth since her rebirth. "I suppose so, Yumi."
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