* Present*
Naruto Uzumaki POV
— The five chakra natures?! — I asked, surprised after what Kakashi-sensei had told me. — Nee-chan had an affinity for all of them?! — He gave a weak laugh and nodded.
— Yes. And unlike the Sandaime, who developed an affinity for all of them over the years, your sister seemed to be born with a natural affinity for the elements. — He dropped the paper he was holding. — Amaya always surprised everyone around her. — He let out another soft laugh. — And that used to irritate me a little. — I stared at him, confused.
— Irritated? — He turned his attention back to me.
— It seemed like everything was easy for her, whether it was training, learning, understanding others... And her calmness about everything always ended up getting on my nerves.
— Why? — I asked, still confused.
— I had a limited view of her. I blindly believed it was just a mask she used to fit into the village. I couldn't accept that someone like her, raised to be a weapon, could be so... human.
— So... how did you start to see her like everyone else does?
— It took me a little while. It started after my father left on a mission, and after he died, I shut myself off from everyone around me. — Kakashi-sensei gave a weak laugh. — And even though I tried to push her away, she was always there, looking after me.
— Nee-chan was looking after you? How?
— At the time, I didn't understand why she was so insistent on making sure I was okay. — He looked at me. — But later, Amaya told me it was a promise she had made.
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Amaya Uzumaki POV
It had been almost a month since I started living with Sakumo and Kakashi. A lot had happened in that time, and I was starting to adapt to some of the village's customs.
After the chakra paper test, Sakumo tested me on basic taijutsu and ninjutsu. I remembered most of the information from what I had been "taught" in the laboratory.
After that, the Sandaime Hokage said he had seen enough to safely recommend my entry into the Academy.
He also told me to go with Sakumo on the day he went to confirm Kakashi's enrollment, because if everything went as he expected, I would be joining the boy.
Part of me was very happy about that. After all, the sooner I could learn what the Academy had to teach, the faster I could help those who had given me this new life.
I also found out more about my bloodline. According to the hospital exams, I was descended from the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans. My red hair was one of the most striking characteristics of the latter clan.
That explained what Shisui had told me when we first met, about me being the second person he'd seen with red hair: There was a kunoichi in Konoha who was also a descendant of the Uzumaki clan.
But I never saw her in the village, or even learned her name. Since Minato and Sakumo were often called away on missions due to the war, I tried not to bother them with something so trivial.
In a way, I was sad to learn that the people of the Uzumaki clan had mostly been wiped out. Our homeland, the Land of Whirlpools, had been destroyed during the war.
That was another fact I learned during this time. We were in a period called the Third Great Ninja War, where people fought each other, in my view, often for futile reasons.
A provisional document had also been created for me, officializing my details and my name as Amaya Uzumaki. Although the Sandaime had suggested I use the Uchiha surname, I preferred to adopt Uzumaki to minimize any potential backlash against Shisui.
If I officially carried the Uchiha name, people would soon link him to me, and I didn't want anyone to ever harm him because of me. Besides, the Uzumaki surname was more physically connected to me than Uchiha anyway.
I had also learned more about "common" customs. Although Kakashi still treated me indifferently, he would correct me on what was normal and proper to do in daily life and in some everyday situations.
Sakumo had probably asked him to do that, since most of the time the boy avoided being in the same room as me.
Speaking of the older Hatake, when he was home, he taught me some useful domestic things, like cooking. He also left me some scrolls with theoretical exercises, like the ones Kakashi had, to prepare me for the Academy and give me a basic idea of what to expect from their teachings.
Minato had also brought me some books on human behavior that I had asked him for — I thought that maybe by reading about it, I could learn to behave in a more "natural" way faster.
It was the day before the Academy enrollment results, and I was heading to the center of the village. Sakumo, before leaving for a meeting with the Sandaime, asked me to help Kakashi with some shopping.
Although the boy didn't seem thrilled with the idea, he didn't argue with his father. I also took some of the money I had received from the Sandaime. He said I would keep receiving it until I started my missions and could get paid for them.
When we reached the village center, I realized how busy it was. It was still early, but people were already rushing through the streets. I looked at Kakashi, seeing him quickly scan everything around us.
— This is going to take forever... — he muttered and let out a heavy sigh.
— Why don't we split up? — I asked, and Kakashi looked at me. — If we divide the shopping list, we'll finish faster.
— And will you know your way around here? — he asked, one eyebrow slightly raised and his arms crossed.
— I can ask people if I need to, — I argued calmly.
The Hatake was silent for a few moments, then came another heavy sigh. He took the list Sakumo had given him, tore the paper in half, and handed one piece to me.
— When you get everything, go straight home. — I gave a weak nod and then took the paper.
We each went our separate ways. Besides getting the things, I thought, I could learn a bit more about the village. I quickly looked over the part of the list I got from Kakashi to see what I needed to find.
I didn't have to look too hard to find most of the items. The villagers seemed a little less hostile to my presence, although I could still sense they were a bit wary.
I was heading back home with the bags in my hands when I passed by a small shop and stopped for a moment. A bookstore..., I thought, reading the sign above the door. I think I can stop to look for a bit.
I entered the shop, and a small bell rang on the door. There were a fair number of people inside. I passed by a few of them, my attention solely on the various books in the store.
Soon after, I spotted a red-covered book that caught my eye: "Complete Recipes," I thought, looking at the dark yellow letters on the cover. I briefly flipped through the book and stopped on a random recipe.
These are simple recipes, I pondered as my eyes ran over other pages. I think I could make them without much trouble. I closed the book. Maybe I could even prepare something for Sakumo and Kakashi based on one of these.
I nodded slightly, agreeing with my own thought. I went to the bookstore counter and saw an elderly man sitting behind it.
— Will you be taking this one? — he asked, and I nodded. — Would you like a bag for it?
— Yes, please, — I said, and the man gave a weak smile.
— It's rare to see someone your age thanking someone for something so simple. — I looked at him.
— Is it not correct to thank someone for that? — I asked, and he gave a soft laugh.
— Of course it is, — the man turned his eyes to me. — But it's a little unusual. — I gave a weak nod and handed him the money.
He gave me my change, and when he went to hand me the bag with the book, he paused for a moment. His expression changed instantly, and the man took on a more serious air.
— You wouldn't happen to be the girl they brought from that laboratory, would you? — He brought the issue up suddenly.
Although I couldn't see the other people in the small bookstore, I could feel their eyes on me, burning into my back. I looked at the older man in front of me and gave a weak nod. With that, he returned to his previous serene demeanor.
— You are very polite for someone who wasn't taught such things, — he gave a weak smile. — I hope whoever is taking care of you keeps you on this path. — I offered a faint smile.
— Thank you, — I said, and the man smiled more tenderly.
— Come back anytime, — he commented as he handed me the bag.
I left the small shop with a faint smile on my lips. So some people don't continue to fear my past, but rather wish to see what I will do with my future..., I mused briefly.
— Hey! — I heard someone call out loudly behind me and stopped, turning to look.
There were three boys, almost the same size as Shisui, coming towards me. They were in the bookstore..., I vaguely remembered, since I had passed by them in the shop.
— What do you think you're doing? — one of them asked.
He had messy black hair and dark eyes. The other two had straight black hair, but one had light eyes and the other had dark eyes like the first.
— In what sense? — I asked calmly.
— You think you can just walk around as you please? — the boy with messy black hair asked again.
— I don't understand the purpose of these questions, — I said, and they stopped near me.
— No one wants a freak walking freely around the village! — the boy with straight black hair and light eyes protested. — You need to learn your place!
I looked at them for a moment while they spoke. "Freak"? Yes, they are definitely part of the majority that still isn't comfortable with my presence. I put down the bags I was holding; I didn't want to ruin anything that wasn't mine.
— Are you listening, damn it?! — the boy with messy hair asked angrily.
I calmly approached the three, who looked promptly startled. I stopped in front of the boy who seemed to be their leader, the one with messy black hair, and stared fixedly at him.
— I see. Your displeasure is regarding my presence, — I expressed in the calmest way possible. — So, please, tell me what makes you so angry.
The boy looked at me, surprised for a moment, and the next instant, his expression became even more furious. I saw him clench his fist and felt his hand hit my face.
But the pain from his punch didn't bother me. I'm so familiar with pain that I don't even feel something like that..., I thought. I hadn't even moved from the impact of the boy's punch, and I peacefully looked at him again.
— Was that your anger? — I questioned him in the same tone as before the hit. — Are you satisfied for venting your displeasure? — He clenched his jaw.
— You...! — he spat out in an enraged tone.
Just as he was about to lunge at me a second time, someone grabbed his arm, preventing him from coming at me.
Holding the boy's wrist was a beautiful woman with long red hair, wearing the standard uniform of Konoha's jounin-level shinobi and kunoichi.
She had a transparently angry expression. Looking at the boys, I saw they were scared of this woman. Terrified, I corrected myself.
— What do you think you're doing, dattebane?! — she asked, and I could perceive her irritation more clearly. — Three against one girl? And one who isn't even fighting back?!
She threw the boy back without hesitation, making him fall onto the other two boys with him. The three looked at each other briefly and got back to their feet.
— This... This isn't over! — the leader of the boys said, looking at me, before they all ran away from the kunoichi.
— Idiots, dattebane... — the woman with long crimson hair complained.
When she turned in my direction, I could see her better. Her face was delicate, with bluish eyes, though not as light as Minato's. Her long red hair was tied in a ponytail, with a few strands loose in the front.
She wore the standard Konoha ninja uniform: dark pants with a white leg warmer on her right leg, a dark green flak jacket, a dark short-sleeved shirt, and the forehead protector on her head.
But it was during this contemplation of her that I felt something different.
Although she had a gentle expression for me, I felt a kind of overwhelming chakra coming from her. Even the air feels heavy! I pondered. And that's when I felt a burning on my back.
— Are you okay? Did those imbeciles hurt you? — the woman asked quickly, and I stared at her.
— I-I'm fine... — I said, still intimidated by the energy I felt from her. — Th-Thank you...
— Can't you feel it? — I noticed her gaze was clearly worried as she looked at my face. — Your lip is cut.
I touched my lower lip and saw blood on my fingers. That same ruby red..., I thought, always following me...
— Let me... — the woman said and took a step closer to me.
However, I instinctively recoiled at that same moment. She stopped and looked at me, confused.
— I-I'm sorry... — I said, just for my reaction, and stepped back to where I had left the bags before. — Thank you again.
I picked them up and, without a second more, I started running immediately. I felt my blood running faster through my veins, my pulse was racing, and my breathing was uneven — just like the strange sensation I had noticed from that dark energy.
Why...? I wondered. Why am I like this? She's just a woman. She helped me, and I must have scared her with my behavior.
But...
What was that dark chakra of hers?
I only stopped running when I realized I had already reached the Hatake clan house. I stopped for a moment, pulling myself together. I took a deep breath, controlling my breathing to normalize my body. I went through the entrance and went inside.
— I'm home, — I announced.
I left my shoes at the entrance and went to the kitchen to put away some of the things I had bought. After putting away what belonged in the kitchen, I went to put away the rest.
It seems I came back before Kakashi, I noted, finally going to the room I shared with the boy. I left my book with my few belongings and went outside the residence, towards the back.
Besides the vast vegetation surrounding the house, there was also a Hatake clan training dojo. Sakumo had said I should feel free to use it to train whenever I wanted or just stay on its veranda.
I had been there a few times already. The dojo was very well structured, yet very simple at the same time. There were various weapons there, possibly used by Sakumo and even Kakashi.
I stopped at the entrance to the dojo and gave a slight bow. It was customary to do so when entering such a place. I left my footwear at the entrance and went to the small platform at the back of the dojo.
I bent both my knees, sitting on them. I closed my eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. I need to try once more..., I thought.