Pov; Yuki

  “Ugh, my head hurts” I open my eyes blearily, my vision a mess of swimming lights and dark spots. I rub my temples gently with my hands, but the headache won’t stop.

  “Looks like someone is awake.” An unfamiliar voice takes me out of my funk shortly, my eyes have yet to accept light as a valid source of input and my headache feels like my head is about to explode, but I face the source of sound. “I wouldn’t expect you to clearly understand me, not yet at least,” the new person, a female, has a slight lilt to her voice. She sounds amused, probably at my plight. “You’ve had a severe case of chakra exhaustion and you took some damage to your lungs as well, so expect a bit of pain for a few weeks,” My eyes slowly adjust to the light, enough that I can see the woman standing next to me. “But at least you’re good to go otherwise.” She says.

  A tall and very slender woman with long brown hair and a pair of round glasses looks down at me, smiling warmly.

  I can’t understand anything… chakra-exhaustion? Lung damage… why? What the fuck happened to me? Actually, now I realise that I am lying on a bed, in what seems to be a hospital room. I carefully look down at my hands, then back at the woman; who’s still smiling at me.

  Finally, it dawns on me. Right, I am a little girl again. And I am in the fucking naruto-verse. It’s not a damn dream.

  We were on our way to Kiri, Mitsuru-san and I… and we got… ambushed? “Mitsuru…where is Mitsuru-san?” I rasp out. Suddenly, my head hurts even more and I clutch my temples in agony. My vision is swimming once more again.

  “I apologise, dear, but only you made it here. Your sensei didn’t make it. I am sorry.” She sounds apologetic, yes. But I know this kind of response. She’s just a nurse trying to be considerate. Fuck… I remember. Mitsuru, she…she..

  I don’t get to finish thinking that string of thoughts. With a sudden lurch from my stomach, I barely have time to lean over the bed. Just in time, as I retch all over the damn floor, straight in front of the kind nurse. Fuck!

  “Oh dear, don’t worry honey. Let it all out. This can happen to the best of us.” I feel a calming hand on my back. The nurse gently comforts me and also carefully folds my hair out the way.

  As I empty my stomach onto the floor, memories rush to the front of my mind again. That’s right, that Uchiha… his red eyes stare at me. Then Mitsuru’s eyes, glazed over, lifeless and cold, stared into mine. Blaming me. I shudder and my whole body feels as if a sudden cold snap embraced me.

  My eyes well with tears again. “It’s not my fault,” I manage to whisper-retch out. My thoughts non stop tormenting me with dead bodies. And pictures flashing before my eyes, then memories of white bones, a carnage festival of spears and lances, erupting from my body. “I…I killed them.” The whine escapes me, high pitched and accompanied by yet another lurch from my stomach.

  “Hush, it’s okay, it is okay, dear. You had no choice. You have done all you could.” Her soothing words sound experienced and calm. I bet that’s not her first rodeo with traumatised patients.

  In the pictures, I can’t get the horrified look from the uchiha boy out of my mind. He was just a kid, maybe a little older than me. Even so, the abject desperation in his eyes as he realised he got impaled by me, burns into my vision... Yet an underlying part of my mind enjoys this, likes the look of absolute terror on his face and finds it pleasing to know I killed him. I cringe at these thoughts. Massive guilt bubbles up within me, and I just can’t deal with it. Not right now, fuck! Am I a bad person now?

  My mind spins and something nasty feels like it crawls up my throat. With teary eyes, I whip my head up towards the nurse and without thought, the question bursts out of me in sheer desperation.

  “I…I wanted them dead! Am I a bad person now?” I quickly stare back at the floor, my vomit the only thing entertaining my blank stare, as I begin to cry. Fat, hot tears mix into the vomit on the floor and I start wailing like a kid.

  I hang there, pretty much just supported by my frail and shivering arms stemming from the edge of the bed. Until warm hands snake their way around my middle and I am pressed into the warmest hug I've ever felt. Yes, maybe there is the desperation and the utter helplessness talking. But I don’t care right now.

  I am pressed firmly into the bosom of the kind nurse, her hand drawing circles on my back and she whispers calming nothingness in my ears. And I cry, I bawl my heart out. All the guilt flooding through me and all the desperation and loneliness extending their grip on my new life here.

  And for the first time in a while, all I want is to be a kid again. I want to be a true child! And I want someone to complain about how unfair the world is, and that I didn’t choose any of this.

  But there is also something else. Defiance bubbles in me, anger at the world surges through my mind and my emotions on a whole overwhelm me.

  The splitting headache intensifies, my head throbbing in pain as I cry. And my emotions split into two, at each other clawing beasts. Desire for power, to not be prey again, to fight back, give the world what it wants and guilt, guilt for killing someone and taking pleasure in it. Guilt for needing to become a

  killer, guilt for abandoning any chance at a childhood.

  My thoughts clashing at each other, the outcome unclear. But as the nurse comforts me, draws on my back and tries to soothe me with her voice, whispering about choices and no faults of mine, I notice… no. I acknowledge. It’s a different world I am in now. A world that operates under different rules. And one of my emotions, prevailing even now; amidst the battle of my inner turmoil; is the desire for survival. So a decision is made. I actively choose to stomp the guilt. I bottle it up. Let future me bother with these feelings.

  I had enough for now.

  I take a deep breath, the shiver in my body still present. But my tears stop and I am only left with small hitches in my breathing. The headache subsides in small waves and a calmness overcomes me. It makes me feel kind of cold inside or dry. My thoughts stop struggling and instead of tormenting me with pictures, they recede to the back of my mind and there is a sudden silence in my head.

  “There, there. You are not at fault, child. We are at war, and it is an unkind truth that such things happen,” The nurse lifts me up and straightens me on the bed. She smiles warmly again when she notices I stopped crying and, mindful of the vomit, steps away from me. “Would you like something to calm your stomach a little?”

  I nod numbly at her question, although my head stopped hammering with pain; I feel a sudden tiredness that slowly but surely overwhelms me. The nurse is leaving the room and I don’t recall her coming back. That is because my head hits the pillow as soon as she’s out.

  “...do?” A voice, male and with a low rasp. It’s waking me up…damn, I really could use some more sleep. But my bleary eyes flutter open and I cringe at the bright hospital lights. Immediately shielding them with my hands.

  “Kiddo, are you awake?” The man calls out to me again. I don’t move or answer for a few seconds, letting my eyes adjust first. Maybe I am not really ready to interact with the world again, although my mind feels strangely calm.

  I would have expected some part of the trauma, the heavy thoughts, filtering in the moment I wake again. But… I feel suspiciously alright.

  I blink the last sleep out of my eyes and finally acknowledge the man. He's lean and muscular. And has a cross scar on his face, as well as a weird red-tattoo, stretching across his mouth and lower jaw. Also… he carries a huge ass sword on his back.

  “Woah, is that even a sword!?” That's the only response my dumb brain can thread together right now. And I stare at him until I hastily close my mouth with a slight colouring to my cheeks.

  I must’ve looked like an idiot right now, great…

  “Well... I guess that counts as awake then,” He laughs awkwardly and scratches the back of his head. “So, listen Kiddo. I am Biwa Jūzū and that brat over there is Hoshigaki Kisame,” He gestures towards the corner of the room, and right there stands the next absolutely mind-baffling person, a grey-blue shark-man-thingy?! But I get no time to be in awe, the man continues already. “We saved your sorry ass from dying yesterday. And well…God damn Kiddo! Can you quit staring so much… that really makes one nervous.” he suddenly bellows out, probably referring to my wide-eyed look, I throw Kisame’s way.

  I hear fully well what that Biwa-fellow said and if it weren’t such a ridiculous situation, I would probably die of shame right now. But alas, I can’t cope with the reality of half-fish, half-man lurking in the corner of the room. So I stare at him, my eyes; and I know they have an unsettling thing to them; widened and unblinkingly observe that Hoshigaki man.

  And doesn’t he ring a bell in my murky memories… I remember him from the show, well, he is younger now. Much younger, maybe twelve or so years old right now. But that shark-ish visage of his would be hard to forget, even on good days and even only from an animated series. This one, though… is the real deal and he looks fucking scary. Those small eyes in combo with them damn other shark-features…Yet I can’t help myself and stare at him.

  And wasn’t he together with that Uchiha… the clan-murderer?…

  As my mind reaches that conclusion, I remember another Uchiha. Red vivid eyes, spinning at me. Killing Mitsuru…mocking me with their disinterest, as I lay there begging him for mercy..

  My mind shorts out for a split second and all the calmness from before is forgotten.

  “Uchiha!...” I spit-whisper the words in Hoshigaki’s direction. Growling a little as anger seeps into my voice. And I feel something extending from my right shoulder blade. A sharp-looking bone-lance, my subconsciousness provides.

  Hoshigaki’s only response, though, is the miniscule lifting of his eyebrows. He then soon reverts back to a stoic and serious face. His arms crossed in front of him.

  Before I can utter anymore nonsense though or lose control over any of my bones, Biwa-san’s perplexed voice pulls me out of my thoughts and forces my eyes back at him.

  “No kiddo. I don’t think an Uchiha attacked you yesterday. But they were ninjas from Konoha.” He awkwardly tries to avoid looking at the protruding bone on my shoulder as he says that, not managing at all and throwing curious glances at my shoulder.

  But I registered a fact for later; he didn't know it was an Uchiha boy that attacked me. Which is strange. Shouldn't they have found the corpses? But I don’t care to rectify the man right now.

  Instead, I blink owlishly at him and wait for what he originally was to say. All the while as I feel the bone receding into my body with my recurring calmness. I have to note that it doesn’t feel strange at all to have the bone coming from my shoulder, and even the skin that it broke knits itself neatly together again. I can’t help but feel a little excited about that.

  But Biwa-san looks away from me, maybe in thought.

  “Okay!” So I chirp at him, my voice far more chipper than I expected. Even as I realised, he either forgot to talk any further or was lost in his own thoughts. So I choose to break the silence. “Thank you Biwa-sama, Hoshigaki-sama for saving my life then.” I make sure to hold direct eye contact with Hoshigaki, though. He’s a major uncertainty and a big walking alarm bell in my book. But the brat has the audacity to only smile at me, with those rows of sharp teeth. I suppress a shudder, but don’t avert my eyes.

  I may not remember much about the show, but I faintly recall Kisame being one of the bad guys… On the other hand, I am not in Konoha. Maybe he wasn’t a bad guy for this village…fuck this is so frustrating. Why haven’t I watched the show more?

  My unsettling rambling thoughts end soon, though. Biwa-san, noticing he actually had something to say, clears his throat a little too forcefully and looks back at me.

  “Mn, don’t mention it, kiddo. You were just lucky that we were in the region at the time.” I feel like there’s something he isn’t telling me. But I can’t put my finger on it for certain.

  Either way, he continues, now more in a drawl than before. “I do have a couple of questions, though. And I know it might not be the nicest thing to wake up to. But I have to ask them, so answer truthfully, right?”

  “I’ll try?” That takes me by surprise. And a small glob of uncertainty makes my voice waver a little. “What do you want to know?”

  “Well, for starters, why don’t you tell us what Mitsuru already told you?” He tries to smile, but I just quickly steer my eyes away from his mouth, as I spy two gleaming rows of sharp and shark-like teeth in his mouth as well...

  Why do they all have to look so fucking scary!? It’s one thing seeing those inhuman features animated, but looking at the real deal, my lord, you can’t imagine the creepers this gives me.

  Instead of focusing on those traits, I search for my memories. What did Mitsuru tell me?

  “She told me I would become her disciple…” Right, that’s not gonna happen anymore. And my head drops a little as I mention her. “She also told me I would become a student at the academy of Kirigakure; to train and become a ninja.” I finish out of thought, my left index finger playing with my lower lip.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Well, good news is, you are still gonna attend the academy and you’ll still train to become a ninja.” Biwa-san states in his drawl, then comes on a little more serious. “But, Kiddo, and you have to tell me the truth about this; you came from an orphanage, but you obviously have an innate ability.” He looks at me expectantly and I, unsure of what is to follow, nod in confirmation.

  “These abilities are called blood limits. And they normally belong to big clans. So, do you know what clan you come from and why you were in that orphanage at all?” Ah, there it is, the question I already half expected. And Biwa-san looks just as uncomfortable asking me this, as I probably look like having to answer that.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Well, it had to be revealed, after my very obvious actions in that clearing yesterday..

  “Yes, I know that I am from a clan. A clan called the Kaguya’s.” I sigh a little before I continue. “Mitsuru…told me that they abandoned me. She said they like to…create… ever so much better specimens of their clan who wield their blood-limit with more power. So that they could be weaponized. She said that they probably discarded me because they thought I was a failure. I didn’t look like them and maybe they thought I was blind.”

  Ok, I lied. Mitsuru didn’t tell me shit. But how believable would it be if I told them I remember everything from the moment I was born…

  Although, I didn’t lie about them thinking me blind. Even Mitsuru and the old Matron…pardon, Matarabi-san, thought I had an impaired vision and had me tested multiple times for it. Until they finally got the results from the doctor.

  Turns out, I have a rare condition of discoloration in my eyes, but all along well functioning, even a little better than normal, eyes.

  “Okay girl, now listen, she was right. You are from that particular clan. Haah…” Biwa-san exhales loudly and catches my attention fully again. “And there is the problem. Look kiddo, you have no idea, but you are a walking political nightmare right now. You see, Kiri has some problems right now and the Kaguya-clan is next to the ongoing war, the biggest.” He looks like he’d rather not be here at the moment as he says that, but his expression gets even more uncomfortable at his next words. “You have to avoid using your blood-limit.” My eyes widen at him and my mind tries hard to process what he said.

  “I-i have to train without my ability?” There’s disbelieving shock in my voice, and I stare at him flummoxed. “B-but that’s what saved my life yesterday!” The agitation seeps into my voice, my words coming more yelled than spoken. My mind races against my will, if I am not allowed my given power… in this shitty world; I’ll be dead… deader than dead.

  “You are not supposed to use it in public, Zōge-san.” My head whips in a surprised look at Kisame as he calmly interrupts; still standing in the corner of the room, his arms crossed as he looks calculatingly at me.

  “Ah, yeah right. What that brat over there said is correct. My bad,” Biwa-san then murmurs at me. “It will be required of you to not use your Kekkei-Genkai in public. So no using it at the academy. This doesn’t mean you are not to train with it. That’s actually why the brat…I mean Hoshigaki-san, is here with me." The scarred man scratches his chin and points at Kisame. “It was decided that he’ll be your sparring partner. He will teach you apart from what the academy already covers. And against him you are free, no, even required to make full use of what you got. So, with that I leave you in the very capable hands of Hoshigaki-brat!” Biwa-san actually has the audacity to cackle at that and puts a rough hand on my head, ruffling through my hair.

  “Make sure you become strong, yes? I don’t want to feel like I wasted my precious time saving a wuss” His words echo from a sudden empty spot and a swift breeze, smelling faintly like ocean, follows out of the now open window in the room.

  “But I have questions…” I stare bewildered and very perplexed after where the man went; through the obvious exit; the window.

  “Keh, don’t bother. He wouldn’t answer, anyway.” Kisame says as he walks over to my bed. “So…Are you able to walk?” I drag my gaze away from the window, staring at the tall form of Kisame; who is now standing next to me.

  “W-walk?” I ask him, bewildered.

  “Yes. standing up, taking a stroll, putting those legs of yours to work” He taunts and smiles his shark-ish features at me. “You can’t stay in the hospital forever, come I’ll show you where you’ll be staying for the time being.” With that, he turns and leaves for the door; expecting me to follow on my own.

  I look at him, a little lost at the situation.

  “...Do I have to carry you?” He calls over to me and effectively breaks my stare.

  I shake my head in denial and throw my legs out of the covers. I am thankfully clothed in a kind of pyjama, and someone took care of cleaning the floor. They must’ve come and cleaned it up whilst I was out… Guess I really needed the sleep, then.

  But it hits me as I stand up, to follow him. I am ONLY in fucking pyjama!?

  Nervously I survey the room, looking for any kind of clothing that is, maybe, prepared for me, but coming up blank, I bite my lower lip and turn to Kisame.

  “Uhm… Hoshigaki-san, do you happen to have any clothes I could wear?” I rub my cheeks in embarrassment a little and warmth creeps up my face. But I genuinely have no desire to wander in pyjamas through who knows where.

  He stares at me, his small eyes slowly blinking, as if I just asked him to conquer the fucking world for me, then he grins. “No.”

  I gape, my mouth literally opening and closing in rapid succession. “But I can’t go out in t-this!?” I wildly gesture at my attire, hoping he would see what I see. The pyjamas I wear, a thin, but smooth pair of blue pants with white stars on them and, thankfully, a fitting long-sleeved shirt in the same style. Even though they completely cover me, they barely shield me from the cold. “I feel like a little kid in these.” I stammer out.

  “You are a little kid… So deal with it” He laughs, clearly enjoying my predicament more and more. “Now come, I don’t have all day.” his eyes crinkle a little in amusement.

  I bite my lower lip a little harder until I feel a coppery taste spreading across my tongue. That was a little too hard, then. Swallowing the blood, I huff and walk after him.

  “Fine! But you better answer me some things I wanted to ask Biwa-san.” I would like to think I am above pouting, but damn, this fish irritates me. So yes, I definitely pout.

  “If it’s nothing too complicated, sure, kid.” He says and walks through the door, making me scramble after him.

  I want to yell at him for calling me a kid, really I do. But considering my options, I’d rather have some questions answered than have an irate fish on my heels. So I swallow my pride… for now.

  The questions pop up in my mind like bad advertisement and I actually want to blurt out the first things that come to mind. But I get distracted as he guides me through a bunch of corridors that mostly look like generic hospital interiors. And it’s stacked. There are dozens of people swarming the hallways and tending to patients, partially even patients, who were just placed in the corridor.

  “Is the war really that bad?” I quietly ask, as he leads me around a bustling nurse and I have to duck behind him, not to get pushed back by the mass of people.

  “You tell me, kid. War is always bad. They call it the great second Ninja-war… never understood what’s so great about it, though.” His answer sounds clinical and all emotions have left his voice.

  I quietly follow after him, my questions not forgotten. But in view of the harsh reality… MY new reality, I fall into a silent contemplation.

  There’re plenty of emotions rioting through my vivid thoughts, as faces of ninjas in major pain, wounded and passed out… or in some cases, hurriedly covered stretchers that all too obvious hint at what kind of tragedy lies underneath, pass our way. And I, at some point, simply stare at Kisame’s back; trying hard to ignore the surrounding ongoings.

  Hoshigaki is silent on our way as well. His face focussed on the path ahead.

  And it feels like an eternity, but we finally make it out of the damn hospital. The mood and air seem to uplift the moment we pass the threshold of the doors.

  I revel in the change of air, taking a few deep breaths. To my surprise, I really like the air around here; it smells faintly like the ocean.

  Unfortunately, a stabbing pain in my chest ceases my attempts to breathe in more air.

  And I suddenly bend over, my arms crossed in front of my chest. “Ack!” That, of course, garnered Kisame’s attention.

  “Ah, yeah, that reminds me. The doc said you’ll have some chest pains for a few weeks. But You’ll live.” He says.

  “G-great to know.” I gasp out with a few breaths.

  “Here, take these,” He throws something at me and I barely catch it. “It’ll help with the pain.” he then looks around us and gestures at a road down off the side of the hospital. “That’s where we’re headed. Make sure to remember the way. It’ll not be the last time you are here.” With that, he smirks kind of maliciously.

  I absentmindedly nod at him, looking at the small plastic container he threw at me. It’s a handful of white-pills, probably pain meds, then. “Thanks…” I mumble at him and take one pill and quickly swallow it.

  He just nods at me and we start walking.

  There are a scant few people out and on the street and they all seem kind of downtrodden. As we pass them, they don’t even spare a glance at us.

  But It looks like we are walking into a more civilised area now. We walk upward, as the hospital is a slight distance away from any other building and positioned at the foot of a small hill. It is after a few minutes, when we reach the top of the hill, that I can finally see a massive structure made of high stone towers circling around and connecting at a much more massive cylindrical building in their midst. The rooftops are covered in a dense greenery and a thick fog is wafting within and atop the massive build complex. Stone houses of smaller, but still impressive height, like apartment complexes, are scattered between the towers and hills as well as valleys litter the city in uneven proportions. That has to be Kirigakure then?!

  “It’s a sight to behold, isn’t it?” Kisame stops beside me and watches the city as well.

  “It is bigger than I thought.” I say.

  And I can’t help but feel a slight bit of nausea hitting me. As it truly begins to sink in. I am now really in a world totally different from my old.

  The City looks nothing like anything I know from earth. There are slight similarities to certain projects in Dubai… But Kirigakure has to be a wet dream for any architect of my old world.

  “It is your home now.” Kisame grins at me. “Let’s go kid, we have to go way over there.” he pinpoints a valley in the distance.

  I follow his blue digit and sigh. That means a lot more walking. “Haah… that’s a really long walk.”

  “Well, if you ask me very– nicely, I could bring us there… faster.” He grins sharply at me. And the goosebumps I feel crawling up my neck as he says that probably aren’t a good sign. But the temptation of not having to walk for so long outweighs my foreboding feeling.

  “Yes, please spare me the walking, Hoshigaki-sama~.” My eyes grow wide and I heavily exaggerate my voice into a perversion of cute reverence. His small eyes narrow a little at my display and he obviously cringes away.

  “Don’t do that again.” He says and looks blankly at me. “ But fine, I’ll make it quicker.”

  Without giving me time to prepare or retort, he grabs my hand and I feel my whole body shifting. It feels like being on a rollercoaster, only much…much faster. And as the world around me stops being a blurry streak, I fall on my bum.

  My world is still spinning. I feel very nauseated and try hard to regain my sense of direction. A heavy hand on my shoulder steadies me as I try to stand up again.

  Slowly turning my head at Kisame’s towering form beside me.

  “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?” I yell at him, while trying my best not to hurl any contents that might remain in my stomach all over the place.

  “Shunshin.” He laughs in my face. “Get over it you wuss, sooner or later you’ll learn it as well. It’s the ninja way of fast travelling. Really neat.”

  “Eurgh, My stomach doesn’t really agree with that kind of travel, I fear.”

  “Well, get yourself together. You wanted fast, and I delivered. Take it as your first lesson from me.” he retrieves his hand from my shoulder.

  “Also, we’re here. That’s where you will stay for the time being.” He says

  I look at where and what he means and try to orient myself. I look up at a hill behind us and see the massive cylindrical structure that poses as the middle of Kirigakure a distance behind us. We have basically made our way to the complete other side of where we started. Holy fuck, we travelled really far with that method of his…

  Then I stare at the small stone building in front of us. Plenty of other, identical buildings line the road here. It's a stone bungalow, made for one person. Grass and shrubbery cover the rooftops here as well and it has a dystopian feeling to it.

  Kisame goes straight towards one of the houses and proceeds inside.

  Well, here goes nothing. I follow after him.

  Inside the house, I make a quick note of how many rooms there are; two.

  The one we are standing inside of, a little larger, with a countertop at the back. It parts the room into the living room and kitchen, as there is a kitchenette behind the countertop.

  It’s far brighter than I expected as well, within this foggy territory; sunlight brightens the room from a round, hobbit-door sized window at the kitchen space.

  “You’ve got permission to live here from the Mizukage. There will also be a small stipend delivered to you at the start of each month. You are expected to care for yourself since… today. Get yourself comfy and I’ll be here tomorrow at sunrise sharp. You will start at the academy tomorrow.” I barely follow Kisame, as dumps me with all this info. Then, with a swirl of water, he disappears.

  Great… yeah, leave me alone, won’t you? I stand in the entry, my mind spacing out shortly.

  “Haah-” I sigh. “Well, I better get a good look at this place then.”

  With slight curiosity I confirm that my first impression was indeed correct. I wander into the second room and it is also the only other room. Thankfully, the second room is equipped with a bed, a small cupboard, and another door that leads to a bathroom.

  I have a shower and toilet at least.

  There is more I want to do, but a sudden tiredness crawls up my head and I really can’t be bothered. So I fall on the bed, pyjamas still on. So whatever.