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Ever since I could remember I always had these weird dreams, dreams of another life. They were vivid images associated with these faint feelings I barely could understand. Their meaning I didn't immediately get as I was nothing but a small child, but a part of me already knew what they were even if I tried my best to ignore it.
I didn't want to believe that they were memories. That they were real.
-FG-
I didn't remember much of my first years because of the dreams that continuously appeared. My days passed in a sort of daze. I knew I was too quiet to be real, doing everything in a sort of robotic way. It was creepy now that I looked back to it. I didn't cry or play with others and most mornings passed trying to make head or tails to my dreams so I was always busy, thinking.
(I always had headaches because it was too much.)
That didn't mean I was oblivious though. Even with the way, my thoughts were clouded most of the time, I noticed how the grown-ups treated me. They changed my diapers quickly, gave me food without bothering to teach me how to eat it, never spending more time than necessary with me. Probably I wouldn't have noticed without those dreams to serve as a reference of how children should be treated. They weren't abusive but the neglect was clear nonetheless.
"One shouldn't treat a kid like that," a part of me whispered. The older one, the one who apparently had a little more than two decades under her belt. I ignored her. Even if I hadn't been taught about what happens after death, I knew that what died, stayed like that.
(I really wanted to believe that they were only dreams.)
-FG-
It all changed when I was hit for the first time. The matron was cutting my hair, my gold locks so unlike the dark hair I had in my dreams. It fell on my tiny shoulders, itching on my skin, reminding me of others times where I was bigger and asked always for weird hairstyles because 'hair will grow anyways so why not'.
"May I use something to cover my shoulders, please?" I asked monotonously. The first time I talked in the odd Japanese language the people around me seemed to talk. It was accented but hopefully understandable enough. That day I could ignore the dreams with ease, include them to my day to day as if they had always been there.
She tightened her grip to a painful degree. I winced, not possessing the pain tolerance I had in my dreams.
"It hurts," I whimpered.
"Shut up," she said, her nails digging in my scalp. "You don't deserve better so shut p."
I tried to stay silent but fat tears were already falling down my cheeks. Apparently, the noise bothered her because when she finished she pushed me to the ground with the hand with the scissors on them. The metal clashing painfully against my head.
I grabbed my head, the memories of another woman, this one crying and also hitting me, saying, "Don't you see this hurts me too" in my head.
I sobbed as I saw that the matron left, not understanding why I was crying. I didn't feel sad or how I remembered a sad person felt. Not that it mattered, I still cried as I remembered my mom for the first time.
I missed her.
-FG-
With time I tried to explain these memories as some mistake from whatever being that processes the lives of newborns simply made with me.
It did sound plausible, right?
-FG-
It was when I was four that another revelation occurred. I was in the bathroom, a normal sized room with small toilettes against a wall for the younger children, the stalls for the older ones were in another room in front of this one, a bigger one with the showers in it. I was taking a piss, sitting as always. I remembered thinking about puberty and what a drag it was going to be to relieve it as I got up and robotically cleaned myself like many times before. The same routine.
The change came when I looked down, thinking about periods and how the day approached for me to suffer them through, and noticed a small little thing dangling between my legs.
"Holy shit, I have a dick," I said for the first time since the haircut accident, in my original language. It was as if the veil clouding my mind had been lifted completely by the revelation as I touched the small dick, pinching it just in case it was some sort of illusion.
It wasn't.
Crap.
I always referred to myself as a female inside of my head because that's what I remembered I was from those dreams. For a brief moment, I wondered if I should refer myself as a male as to fit the body I was living in but then shrugged it off as unimportant. I never really cared about genders, besides, twenty and some odd years of thinking as a female won easily.
I gave one last tug to the tip, feeling a bit disappointed I already pissed as I would have liked to try my new little dick by pissing while standing.
Oh well.
-FG-
I was five years old now, my time as a robot long since was gone. I still followed the routine I developed in those four years of life because I liked routines. Well, not really 'liked', but more like they were easy to follow, easier than to choose the alternative and try to find the motivation to do new stuff, which I didn't have and was a problem I still seemed to have maintained from my old life, something that didn't get on well with my new body, which seemed to be full of energy. The matrons didn't like that, often calling me restless demon when they thought I was out of hearing.
I didn't know my name as I was always called 'brat' and other more demeaning names. I would have used the name I remembered from my dreams but whenever I tried to speak it out loud or even thought of it, I fainted. Or well, not fainted, exactly. More like my brain couldn't process it. One second I was fine and the next I found myself on the ground.
Weird.
Anyway, since I started considering the dreams as memories, I tried to write everything I could remember on a notebook I stole from one of the matrons in a combination of Spanish, English and Italian -the only languages I knew well- because I was paranoid like that. I wrote about the places I visited, about the people I met, about books and comics and everything. It was the only thing I did as I was not allowed to play with others. Well, that and the hobbies that passed from my previous life to this one, which was drawing and writing. The drawing was easy, writing would have been too if I had not wanted to write in Japanese. I would have taken to reading, too, but the problem was the same: I didn't know the language well enough. I knew a bit thanks to having liked Japanese Before but while my hiragana and katakana were almost decent, my kanji sucked balls.
Oh well, at least I could understand what others said and also talk passably, even if I had a weird accent.
I almost wished for the time for my schooling to start.
-FG-
I regretted my words as soon as I entered the room inside the orphanage that served as a classroom. And to understand this, one needs context. See, I was a pretty asocial person. Not only I had social anxiety, but I also had an actual personality disorder that made me unable to interact with others in a normal way. Hell, I didn't even possess feelings the way other people did, they always felt faint to me and weird. And that? That apparently passed over. And worse, it wasn't gradual as it occurred in my first life, it passed to the same level It was by the moment I was reincarnated.
I was so screwed.
Probably, I could ignore it if the people I actually interacted with were reasonable and fun, not obnoxious and loud as these kids were. It didn't help that I was apparently The pariah. Everyone treated me like shit, even the teachers. They ignored me when I held my hand up for a question, they didn't let me go to the bathroom and blamed me for everything.
The only positive thing that happened was finally being allowed to go outside. It was something new for me as the only interaction I had with the outside world came from the window inside my room, which had a view to a quiet street. The little park next to the orphanage was instead the other way over and was busier than what I was used to seeing so I was really excited.
Indeed, when I went outside it was as awesome as I was sure it would be. I didn't care if the other kids didn't play with me, that made me happier actually. I was one of the first to step out and as soon as I saw the big tree with the one swing, I immediately ran for it.
There, sitting with a slight breeze brushing my smiling face, I saw the people walking across the street. Some wearing kimonos and other normal clothes I remember seeing in my time. Some time ago I had realized I was in time older than mine, not only because the clothes but the technology and the style of life. However, to see the people mingling about just made it more real in a way.
It made me melancholic, or so I thought. Recognizing emotions or feelings never came too easy, so I wouldn't really know if-
"Hey, you." I looked over my shoulder, startled. Three kids were behind me, older, probably seven or eight. They didn't look nice, I thought as the one at the front looked at me with a scowl.
"Yeah?"
"Get out. It's our turn to play."
I frowned, annoyed. I wanted to tell him to 'fuck off' but I was the older one mentally, and I wasn't going to pick up a fight with a kid, so I stood up and with a shrug, I said, "Sure."
Wanting to go peacefully, I tried to keep my expression blank and body language subdued as I walked around them. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. As soon as I was next to them, the child closest to me pushed me off to the ground.
Ow.
I remained on the ground, thinking quickly. If I was a normal kid I would have made a scene if only to get them in trouble. And while I was petty like that, I was hated so I knew no help would come, so I merely stood up and glared at them. "Your mom didn't teach you manners or something- Wait." I made an exaggerated expression of surprise. "Right. You're an orphan, you don't have parents. Well, now that I see, with that kind of attitude it's obvious why no one adopts you."
With those words, I stood up and left.
Did I mention I was petty and cared less about hurting the feelings of a kid?
That doesn't mean I wasn't surprised that the brat threw himself at me after that with a war cry though.
And that's how my first fight started.
-FG-
I was thrown off the orphanage after that for the first time. They literally blamed it all on me. I was told to not return until the break was over, probably hoping I ended up lost or something. Not that it matters. I shrugged it off and went on to find an adventure. I walked, watching all the people around me, trying to get a better grasp of the language and customs. Some apparently recognized me as I saw the familiar sneers on some people faces, which confused me. I had been nothing but a polite child and while I could maybe understand the hate on the understaffed orphanage, for the hate to be so spread was intriguing.
As one could guess, I still didn't know why people were cruel to me but I had already resigned to it being something my parents had done. They probably were criminals or something worse. I toyed with that thought for about two minutes before I saw a young woman dressed in the most revealing outfit I had seen as of yet in this life with her revealing see-through shirt and mini-skirt, all under a brown coat. It clashed with what I thought of this timeline as women shouldn't be this forward, at least not now.
Had I been confused all along and I was closer to my time than I thought?
I looked at her, weirded out and feeling self-conscious all of sudden. It could be cosplay, but while that might be a thing, I didn't think so.
I did the wise thing and followed her.
It took her only a couple seconds to admit my existence, which was earlier than I expected. I thought I was being pretty sneaky myself.
"What's the problem, kid? Are you lost?"
Her face was blank so I couldn't tell if she recognized me or not, but she probably did. Everyone did here, apparently. Though it was surprising she didn't snarl or something like that. This woman was clearly made of sterner stuff, clearly.
"I'm fine." I pointed to where I came from. "I'm on a break now. I should probably go back though."
She didn't follow my pointed finger, but her expression turned thoughtful all of sudden. "The orphanage, right?"
I nodded, most of my attention going to her strangely dyed hair. Now that she was leaning down I could see it clearer and yep, it was purple.
My spider sense was tingling and damnit but that was always ominous.
"Want me to take you there, kid?"
"I'm not a kid," I answered immediately. I then mentally cursed because that was something stupid to say, though easy to ignore considering children said stuff like that all the time.
Luckily the only thing she did was raise an amused eyebrow. "You look like one to me"
I glared to the ground, trying to look childish and sad at the same time as I whispered, "No one calls me a kid. Everyone says I'm a monster."
Something in her face flickered and while I sucked at emoting, I considered myself pretty decent at reading emotions so I was pretty sure all the negative feelings she showed were not towards me but for me.
Aww.
"The orphanage, right? Let's go there."
She grabbed me around my waist, throwing me to her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Then she jumped. And I meant that word to be italicized because damn. It took her just a jump to reach the roof of the house nearer to us. She then continued jumping from roof to roof as if gravity just decided to retire for the day. I was amazed and awed and completely terrified. I grabbed her middle and held as if my life depended on it, which kind of did in my opinion.
"Fun, right?"
"It's not fun, you adrenaline junkie!"
She laughed as she kept on running, her whole body shaking. "Oh man, don't tell me you're closing your eyes or something."
"I'm not!" I answered back even though her words made me realize I totally was. I opened my eyes and turned around to see where we were. And there I saw it as soon as we turned on a rickety roof that leads to a wide street where a lot of merchants were selling their products. A big-ass mountain with four faces engraved on it.
Four familiar faces.
"Huh," I said out loud, once again thanking whatever powerful being out there for having the emotional capacity of a teaspoon. A normal person would have freaked out, panicked or started crying. I merely felt weird as I connected the dots. Mostly the fact my hair was blond and I was treated like shit.
I stood up as much as I could, using her back as leverage. "Down! Down!"
Something in my voice must have tipped her off because we touched the dirt. "What's going on, kid?"
I thrashed in the universally way one did when wanting to be let down. She complied, luckily for me because suddenly I wasn't sure I could manage to win anything against her if she so decided. Once my feet touched the ground I went to the one place where I could see it sell kitchen stuff to do something that I should have probably done a long time ago. I took the first look to my new appearance thanks to a well-placed shiny pot. I could not see myself very well but from what could distinguish I was a cute kid with blonde hair and blue eyes, my cheeks were with dirt but there were three distinct marks on each cheek.
I was Naruto Uzumaki.
Crap.
"So what's up?"
I jumped, wildly turning around. The same young woman stood behind me, hands on her hips and head tilted. "You looked pretty spooked there."
I scratched the side of my neck, thinking of something to distract her. "I saw these shiny things and I couldn't help it." I glanced at the pot. "This is the first time I saw my face... Is not as ugly as I thought it would be."
Which was not a lie. Before, I was scared of what I would see in the mirror because of all I heard about myself but now… well, I was pretty cute if I said so myself.
I shook my head. Not time.
Though if I was in the Naruto world…
I turned to look at the young woman again. She was still patiently waiting for me.
"Nee-chan, what your name?"
She looked a bit flustered as she grinned and said, "That's Mitarashi Anko to you, kid."
Double crap.
"Anko-nee-chan then," I said as if I wasn't suffering a mini existential crisis. Or was I? I wasn't really sure, actually. The downside of feeling stuff like I did. "So, the orphanage is very close and it's not that late. I can walk by myself now."
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to get rid of me, kiddo?"
I shook my head. "Nah, but it would be better if people didn't see you with me. I wouldn't want you to gain a reputation, you see," I said as if I didn't know the whole clusterfuck that was her life. Without bothering to hear her answer I turned back and waved at her. "See you later, nee-chan!"
I was so screwed.
-FG-
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Those
fuckers closed the door.I tried knocking and yelling but aside from an old matron yelling at me for coming late, I got nothing.Now what to do, I thought as I sat next to the doors of the orphanage, ignoring the small growl coming from my stomach. I could ask for food but knowing now why people hated me, something told me the vendors wouldn't be as generous as to offer me free food.Wait.There were ninjas who know better and didn't hate me, I only had to find them!Didn't Ino have a father who owns a flower shop? I could search for it.With new energy, I walked like a person with a purpose, mostly my hunger guiding me, at the moment. I tried to ignore the glares I received but damn if they weren't nasty and made me worried for my safety. So hunching my shoulders, I looked down to hide my whisker marks and went to a nice empty alley. I took out my long-sleeved shirt and being careful to not stretch it too much, I tied it around my head like a turban in order to hide the brightness of it and then when I was sure no hair showed, I grabbed a bit of dirt from the ground and spat at it until I had a bit of mud. Then I proceeded to shove it on my cheeks and some on my bare chest, so I would look like a kid playing with the dirt.… Damn if I didn't feel dirty after all that. And I hate feeling dirty.Oh well.(I still felt like they were watching. Their ugly gazes on me. I felt exposed with my naked chest even if I was a little kid at the moment. I wanted to run and run.)Stepping out of the alley I walk around with my head still tilted down (just in case) while holding a branch I found out on the ground, completing the look of a careless child. I went to ask around for a flower shop and was pleasantly surprised that while annoyed, the people at least acknowledged my existence and gave me some help.Alas, after three hours of walking and two flower shops, I haven't found the one I was looking for. I already tried asking for food with my disguise myself but it didn't work as I looked too much like an urchin for the people to give me more than a couple of directions. I was lost, tired and hungry and just wanted to sleep. Talking to those people didn't help my humor at all, either.Tears formed around the corner of my eyes and I didn't know why. Hunger? Stress? I didn't care. It was already late, the sun almost has hidden completely from the sky, making everything take an orange tint. There were people starting to light up small lamps, bustling around and being busy.It wasn't until an hour later when the color of the lamps changed from white to other colors. Blue, orange, and red. It was all very pretty.It was while I was across a street where most of the lamps where red that I started to see more women around. They were all pretty, even with all the makeup and the revealing clothes.It took me a couple of seconds for my mind to associate the men entering to the shadowed windows where giggling women could be heard with the red lamps hanging in the street.A-Am I in the famous red-light district?With renewed enthusiasm, I looked around, marveling at something I only heard in stories and movies. I was fascinated.Still, I was slightly anxious. While there were a couple of men who dismissed me without even giving me a glance, there were others whose gazes lingered and that creeped me out.I went to an open alley, ready to run if necessary so that I could go away.That was when I heard faint grumbling coming from somewhere above me. I looked up just in time for water to come down pouring towards my position. I didn't have the time to dodge, too stunned for that. I spluttered and tried to not breathe. When the water stopped coming, I ran a hand through my hair to put my bangs away from my forehead.I then looked up again, feeling more than a little annoyed."Hey, watch before you throw some water!"I heard a surprised, "huh?" and then a metal bucket was crashing against my head.Fucking Hell.I was gingerly cradling my head, sitting in a fetal position as I cried silently. I didn't know how long I remained like that, just that I didn't bother looking up until I heard hurried steps coming towards me. And lo and behold, some pretty girl was standing there, in front of me. She took a couple of breaths before leaning down to my height. I couldn't see her face well because of the lack of lights but I could still tell she was concerned."I'm sorry, are you okay?" she said before realizing her error. "Of course you aren't. I'm sorry, do you want to come inside to check you up?"I shook my head, not being able to talk as the pain was still too much for this little body. Then, my stomach decided to betray me as it growled quite loudly. I glared down at my belly."Oh, do you want some food? I could give you some to apologize for…" she trailed off, looking towards my right where the bucket still was.I tried to not look too surprised, but I knew I was failing if her look of understanding was anything to go by."When was the last time you ate something?" she asked me with an understanding smile.Oh
whelp. I probably looked worse than my situation was because of my dirty clothes. I now felt kind of bad."This morning," I answered honestly. "I'm fine, really."She nodded with a small smile and stood up. "Still, come on."I was wary but still not jaded enough to ignore her. She seemed honest enough, so I decided to follow her."So, what's your name, nee-chan?"She giggled at the name I gave her as we used the backdoor of what I was sure was a brothel."I'm Yuzu, nice to meet you."I nodded but didn't say my name in case she knew it and decided to then act like all the other people I've met so far.The
brothel may have looked plain from the outside but damn if it wasn't pretty. I only caught a glimpse, but it was still enough for me. Yuzu led me to the kitchen where she gave me some bread and milk before going to where the first aid kit was. In my previous life, I hated milk with passion, but I couldn't afford to be picky in this one, so I drank it with the face of a man ready to face punishment. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as my memories suggested.Still wasn't good, though."Who are you?"I looked up from where I was shoveling my face with bread to see a black-haired woman in her mid-forties, looking beautiful in a sort of mature way with her pristine crimson clothes with gold embroidery. Her posture was confident and severe. And a part of me couldn't help but awe at the grace she possessed with her tight bun and dark makeup, though most of me
was
simply too anxious at meeting such a dominating personality. It didn't take me long before I snapped out of it."Hi, ma'am," I said, refusing to meet her eyes, feeling too much like a bug under that gaze. I tried to ignore the way my hands were sweating and how shallow my breath was turning. I only focused on the floor."Look up, kid." I did as she said, briefly meeting her eyes. "Now answer my question, who are you?""Yuzu-san brought me here after she accidentally hurt me.""I said: Who are you, kid?"Oh. What to do? I could tell her my name but if by some reason she talked to the matrons, she would realize they never told me my name and I would be in trouble. I looked down with what I hoped was a convincing sad expression, before mumbling, "They call me demon brat."She huffed. "Please if you're trying to lie, at least act convincedly."I narrowed my eyes at her. "I wasn't lying."She nodded. "I know. But you're still hiding something or you wouldn't have bothered in acting."Huh. Well, isn't she sharp?I shrugged. I didn't have to tell her the truth, though I—wait. She said 'I know'. That must mean…I slowly touched my cheeks, feeling a bit panicky. I wasn't really surprised to feel most of the dirt gone because of the water Yuzu threw on me before.Sighing, I looked up at the woman, waiting to be kicked out any minute now. Instead, I found her looking at me with a curious expression.And that's the moment Yuzu decided to show up.I was unsure but when she only gave a bow at the woman before giving her an abridged version of what happened, she continued her path towards me, as if I wasn't the demon brat the matron and other people liked to think of me. She was careful as she touched my head and went to feel up my bump. I cringed in pain when she found it and even hissed when she poured some alcohol, but other than giving me a too cheerful smile, I was treated with care.Damn, but my hope in humanity just restored itself a little, then.The old lady remained standing close, having taken out a thin pipe to smoke from. I got to admit it, she looked like a painting come to life like that. It made me want to draw her, to be honest.After my bump was covered in a bandage and my face was clean, the old lady once again opened her mouth, "Why are you out so late?"I shrugged, not bothering to exaggerate my actions too much for it to be noticed but enough to look like a kid. "I was kicked out.""Why?""I was on a fight. I won.""I see," she said, puffing out a small cloud of smoke. "Would you like to sleep here?"My eyes opened so wide it hurt. I wanted to ask her to repeat herself in case I hadn't heard it right, but I didn't. Instead, I asked, "Why?"This time it was her who shrugged, though to call it a simple shrug would be insulting. Damn, but that lady had grace. "Why not? You'll most likely hear things
someone
your age shouldn't, but it would be better than to let you roam alone at this hour."Still... "Why not simply ask somebody to accompany me there?"She scowled. "Do you think I have got the people to do that? All my workers are women who now are quite busy; they don't have the time to escort you."Oh. Okay, that was understandable enough even if it still felt a little fishy, though—Wait. I was Naruto. That should mean I had some creepy stalkers following me around, right? I mean, I was Konoha's
jinchuriki
and the son of the Fourth. I must have some pretty good surveillance following me around. People who wouldn't let any harm befall me, like unseen guardians ready to help me if things went wrong.That small revelation would relax most if they were in the same position I was in, everything considered. Not me, nuh uh. Not at all.See, in my previous life, I suffered from mild paranoia. I always had the weird thought that there were cameras spying me or that there were people stalking me whenever I went out. Luckily, my world had pills for that and with time I learned to ignore that little voice saying 'There is someone there', so while I still thought there were cameras or people spying on me, I just didn't care anymore.(Or at least not much. I still made sure to not do anything too suspicious alone or to put a show for fun, in case someone really was watching.)So yeah, one could guess what my problem with this was. I mean, I was in a world where being a super-powered ninja was normal. People could be in the same room I was in and I wouldn't notice.That freaked the hell out of me.I wanted to panic. I was ready to panic, actually, but a snap of fingers sounding in front of my face stopped me from doing so."Kid, what's going on?"I swallowed as I saw the concerned expression of Yuzu close to my face. I finally could look at her face and could tell she was a pretty woman in her mid-twenties with light brown hair, the same color of her eyes. She wore a yellow yukata with blue markings that went along with her makeup. "N-nothing. I just… realized how scary the world is at night."All day, actually. Overpowered ninjas existed and I was someone very important. Not only important, but I was also the freaking protagonist. An emotional protagonist who made friends by giving speeches and beating the crap out of them. Someone strong-willed and stubborn.I wasn't cut for that.I could count with the fingers of my hands the times I've won an argument. I mean, I was awkward and had the empathy of a teaspoon, what the hell I was going to do?No matter. That line of thinking is something to leave to
the me
of tomorrow. The present me needed to stop freaking out the worried Yuzu.I tried to smile, though it felt like a grimace. I then looked at the old lady and accepted her offer."Sure, kid. You can sleep on my couch for today. Name's Rika, by the way."Waking up without a matron shouting at you was incredible. Also, the couch I slept in was made of clouds and rainbows and no one could convince of the contrary. It probably said a lot of the hard mattress I used, but I ignored it. I also ignored how this was the best night I had in this life, even with all the moans and groans going on around me. I didn't want to think of my poor sleeping conditions, period.So I sat, yawning as I did so. The room I was in was small and slightly rectangular. Enough for a desk with books neatly aligned against the wall and a couch where a kid of my age can easily fit into. The walls were a nice cream while the floor was made of wood. There were a couple of decorations like scrolls filled with words on the walls and one plant, but no windows. Simple and pretty, really.The first hour I stayed awake (because of the sounds), Rika was busy filling some paperwork. At one point a girl came in but they spoked in hushed whispers so I didn't hear anything, but afterward? Blissful sleep.The door opened and Rika came in. She was dressed in comfortable clothes so unlike the exotic one she was wearing yesterday. She still looked like a goddess."Are you hungry, kid?" she said with a hand resting on a hip. When I nodded, she added, "Okay, breakfast will be ready in a bit. I only need to know something.""Uh. What?""What's your name?" she asked, her gaze intense.Half truths for the win
was
my new motto, so I carefully said, "the matrons never told me my name."She nodded, her gaze unfocused a little bit as she looked at the side. "Your name is Uzumaki," she said softly with a small fond smile. "Uzumaki Naruto."Oh my god. That fond smile.Was my dad a client here? Or did my mom work here?"Did you… know my mom or dad?"Probably seeing the bemusement on my face, Rika laughs. "Perhaps one day I'll tell you about it."I did notice how she didn't say no.Breakfast
was a lively affair. We went down where the room to greet the clients was. It was large and full of small tables where all the thirteen girls sat, along with the bartenders, forming their little cliques, eating a typical Japanese breakfast. It was delicious and no longer unfamiliar for my palate, so I enjoyed even with the milk they gave me. They all drank the same tea and when I asked to try they told me it was for women only, so I guess it was something to prevent pregnancy.It was homey and I liked it even if the smell of smoke and alcohol was still strong, even with their windows wide open to let fresh air inside.I turned to where Rika was sitting at my left and asked, "Why there aren't guards?"She hummed from the papers she was shuffling. "We live in a ninja village. They are only just a scream away.""Still, what about if something serious happened?""We call the police."Oh yeah. The Uchiha were alive at this time period."What about those masked guys? Do they help, too?"She briefly looked up with narrowed eyes. Crap. Did I say something weird? "The ANBU can only come inside a place like ours if they have the permission of the Hokage."So that meant those creeps weren't inside the building, looking at me. Nice. Now I wanted to stay here, where the glares of the people weren't there to bother me and I could eat nice food every day. But nothing is free so I looked at Rika and said, "I would like to work here."She didn't look up from the papers she was reading, she only made a vague gesture for me to explain myself."I can clean and—and I can help to prepare the food. I learn quickly, too."She finally looked up. "Why?"I tried to not squirm on my seat at the intensity of her gaze; I always had a problem meeting other people's eyes. "I like it here.""This is no place for a kid like you, sorry."I could feel my eyes tearing up, the stress of the day finally getting to me. Whoa, but having the hormones of a kid sucked. "Please. I don't like how the matron treats me. Or how the kids are." Actually, I didn't like to interact with children who thought I was a child demon. "I don't like it how the people glare at me and whisper. I—I don't like it outside."And wasn't that the truth. Before, when I felt I was being watched, I could ignore it by using my phone or thinking 'No one's watching you, relax', but now. People
were
watching me. It was like feeling an itch I couldn't scratch, but in all my body. And I hated how my skin prickled with every glare and how I just wanted to run, run and hide.Rika gave me a considering look, then she asked if I already started the Academy, with the tone of voice that let me know she already knew the answer. She never once doubted I wouldn't go, as if I hadn't had an option. I still explained I was just learning how to write and in two years I would go to the Academy because I understood.I was the village's
jinchuriki. I was their weapon."Well, you can stay here until the Academy starts and help around to get the place ready for the night."I smiled because that was what you did when one was glad, but if anything that only made Rika huff in amusement. "And we will help you learn how to act. You're good enough to mislead a civilian, but a ninja would never fall for that." Did that mean she was a ninja? I couldn't ask, however, as she continued talking, "And we will help you learn how to blend yourself and make disguises. That will help with your problem of being outside."I blinked. "How—?""While most of our clients are looking for some company, most of them are ninjas wanting to learn our art."Well, color me curious. "Art?""The art of seduction. And, while we are not geisha, we do know the art of being an excellent consort and have some of their skills.""What kind of skills?""Skills that we will teach you, as you're too young to learn other things. Writing, dancing, singing and serving are the main topics."Oh crap. I hated dancing. "But—""Do you want to stay here or not?"I meekly nodded my head, a small smile growing on my face.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The first thing they taught me was how to use makeup to conceal my birthmarks. The second thing was how to dye my hair. I wanted the color to be the same violet my hair was dyed in my previous life but it was too uncommon even in this world to pull it off, so in the end I chose an auburn color, in honor to Kushina who, while I did not view her as my mom, still died for me.It went well with my new blue eyes, got to admit it.With that job done, I could safely go outside to buy the groceries and send small messages Rika gave me for other shopkeepers.And of course, like anything good, it didn’t last.I was called into the Hokage office three day after I made the deal with Rika. She was the one who took me there, her hand secured around my own, in what seemed like reassurance.“Can’t you adopt me?” I asked when the Village tower was in sight, slightly nervous of what was to come.“I can’t,” she said in her usual blunt tone, but didn’t apologize and for some reason, I felt better because of it.I didn’t ask why because I was pretty sure I couldn’t be adopted. I mean, I was a political piece, too important for someone to have. So I just sighed and nodded. She gave me a curious look, probably at my easy acceptance, but didn’t say more.Damn, but being a jinchuriki was a piece of work.Wait.I was jinchuriki and that meant I had a tailed beast inside me. The Nine-Tails, to be exact. And if I’ve got to admit, my favorite one. How could I have ignored this?!“Are you okay?”I looked up at Rika, a smile still on my face. I shook my head. “I only realized something.”“Care to inform me?”“Nope,” I said popping up the ‘p’. I should probably make a diary to Kur—no, no. I couldn’t say his name. He hadn’t given me permission. So yeah, I should make a mental diary. Maybe he could hear my thoughts and…Double wait.Did that mean I’m not even alone in my body? Could he see through my eyes? Feel through my senses?... Did he see me while I changed?Wow, what a way to feel violated.“And now you’re grimacing.”Damn, I spent most of my previous life trying to be more emotional as to not seem like a robot and now that was coming to bite me in the ass. I mean, Before I was always practicing my reactions so they could look as real and be instantaneous when talking with someone. Now, in this world where wearing your emotions in your sleeve was a weakness, I was too candid. Luckily, I was still a kid so it wasn’t viewed as negative as it would be when I grew up.Though I was Naruto, so emotions were supposed to be my shtick.I was wool-gathering. So, the first thing to do after this visit was done: try to go to my mindscape and learn if the Nine-Tails could use my senses. Meanwhile, the mental diary wasn’t a bad idea.“We’re here, kid,” Rika said.I blinked and glanced at the building in front of use made of sturdy wood and so lively it made me want to hiss at the people walking around.We went inside, taking up the stairs, even with the metaphorical cloud hanging above my head. We sat where the secretary pointed us, not even glancing up from her papers, and had to wait a couple of minutes for the Hokage to be free from whatever thing he was doing. I used this time to take in the sights. There, on both sides of the big door leading to the Hokage’s office were two guards. Probably half a dozen more hidden from sight. I subtly tried to look around for them but didn’t find anything which only made me even more suspicious. And freaked out.There weren’t many chunins or genins around like the first two floors I saw, only a couple going to a door to the left of where they were waiting. It must have been an office or something.Fortunately, it only took a couple more minutes before the door opened and a jounin with three genins stepped out, the three kids looking happy as they talked among themselves, while the jounin, a Hyuga I think, was severe in his expression.“Enter,” a rough, gentle voice said from the office.We went in, Rika closing the doors behind us.“Hello,” the Hokage said with a gentle smile.I couldn’t help my eyes go wide at the sight of him. He looked so not like the manga, but at the same time he did. I was supposed to be a kid so I spoke the first thing that came to mind. “Woah. You’re like super old.”The Hokage merely chuckled, making me realize what I just said. I blushed, thankful for the makeup in my cheeks that hid it. Why that had to be the first thing in my mind? It was true, of course. I didn't often see many old shinobi people so this was my first.“I am, indeed.”I dipped my head. “Sorry.”“No need to be, child. You’re just honest, good quality for a kid to have. Enjoy being able to be like that, never be ashamed of it.”Was he trying to say to enjoy my childhood or something? I looked up at Rika, saying ‘what’s up with this old man?’ with my eyes but she didn’t even grace my look a glance.Rude.The Hokage motioned us to sit and we complied. He asked me weird questions about my life in the orphanage that I could tell were more for him to know if I had been abused while being there. Emotionally, of course. I was sure they kept security around me to prevent physical abuse. Though they couldn’t have known of the time the matron hit me with her hands full of scissors as it happened while inside the white bathroom and I didn’t think even the ANBU could have hidden inside.It took us almost an hour before he seemed satisfied with my answers, which I made sure to respond as
ambiguous and neutral
as I could as I knew the matrons treated the other kids well. I was their only exception. I thought he was going to ask about the place I currently lived in, but he never asked about it.Soon, we were outside the office and I couldn’t help myself anymore, so I asked, “Why he didn’t ask me to return to the orphanage?”Rika huffed. “Is that what you were worried about this whole time? Don’t worry, I already talked with the Hokage about it a while back.”“W—What? Does that mean you adopted me?”She never added anything else and that was that, but I knew she couldn’t have adopted me, so it must mean the Hokage simply was fine with me living in a brothel.What a weird world.Still, I couldn’t complain. I had a place to sleep and eat where I wasn't treated like shit...I was planning to return and go to one of the small rooms to try to search for my mindscape or something, but I was confronted with a new face as soon as I came into the brothel. A man with bright blonde hair and weird violet eyes was talking animatedly with some of the girls, which wouldn’t be strange if it wasn’t for the fact they didn’t open until five.He turned towards me almost as soon as I appeared within view. “Hello, Rika-san. And hello to you, too.”Damn but wasn’t he pretty, I could feel my cheeks heating up just because of his presence, so I did what I usually do when confronted with unique people I was nervous around- I exaggerated my actions.“Gah!” I exclaimed when he knelt in front of me, covering my face with an arm as if I was looking directly at the light. “W—what’s this? Why does he shine?!”I tried to uncover my eyes but he was looking amusedly at me. I covered my face with both hands and turned away. “He’s so pretty! I can’t!”Someone slapped me lightly on the head. “Cut it out. He’s Asahi. Our resident cuddler.”I looked up. “Cuddler?”“There are some people willing to pay for a night sleeping next to him.”I gave him a look and then quickly regretted my actions as soon as I saw his smile. “I prefer being called love sharer or that cute performer.”“Performer?”One young woman with dark pink hair holding a heavy box answered me, “We also do dances for some of the people in one of the rooms. We’re going to teach you that, too. Though Asahi is the best at it.”I wonder if I could introduce the wonders of pole-dancing to this world. Something to consider for later.I look at Rika, completely ignoring Asahi’s tries to get my attention. I can’t look at his face for too long, now. “Can I be a cuddler, too?” I said mostly to see her reaction but it backfired at me when Asahi held me up and hugged me.“Oh? Do I have a fan? Rika-san give him to me! I promise him to teach him everything I know!”Oh, fuck. He’s cuter this close. His violet eyes are the only thing disturbing he has as I’m not used to seeing people with these weird eye colors, but like these, with him holding me close, I can feel his muscles and his voice is just to die for.“I’ll throw up on you, I swear!”Instantly, I’m down, but the damage is done and I’m all flustered.As soon as I learn how to prank, he would go down, I promise..
.It still takes me another two hours of socializing (Ugh) before I’m left alone. Rika made me sleep in the couch of her small room. She offered me to sleep with her but I was too self-conscious to accept. Besides, I was small. The couch was perfect for me.
Now, alone, I could finally try to go to my mindscape. Which was easier said than done. I tried meditation but my thoughts were in a disarray so, yeah, it was hard. The first day I slept while trying to meditate and Rika was the one who awoke me the following day to start my new routine.
Now I had to wake up at six in the morning to help get the food ready for breakfast, the hour the girls were together before going to sleep. Some stayed awake, like, Yuki, a beautiful woman in her mid-thirties with long black hair, was going to be the one to teach me how to read and write. Calligraphy was a hobby of hers and she always wanted to teach someone so it was a win-win in both parts. After that, I helped clean the place with Yuuma, one of the bartenders there. Then, when the girls were feeling more alive after sleeping, they were going to alternate between who taught me how to dance, sing and play an instrument, which Rika didn’t mention before but apparently was Important. Hanami, an Inuzuka young woman with dark pink hair was the one who was in charge of teaching me that. She wanted me to learn the sangen, which was like some guitar with three strings, but between all the choices I could decide, I choose the traverse flute which I learned how to play in my previous life and liked. This one was different from the metal one I used, called ryuteki.At five was when everything started coming to life and the red lights were turned on. I was a kid and even with my new disguise I still needed to be hidden to not put off some of the clients. And considering that some of them were ninjas, I must say that my stealth skills
needed to improve quickly.I didn’t help the ladies when they were done doing the deed to clean themselves, unlike some other of the girls who helped in that, but I still sometimes caught someone with red-rimmed eyes when I came inside with the bucket of warm water. They never cried in front of me, always giving me smiles, real smiles, but I knew that even if they liked their jobs, they had bad days and bad clients. The last one was pretty unusual as they were thrown out if they were caught in the act of treating bad to the girls.It wasn't until I had been living with them for a month that it occurred me to search for my chakra as I concluded futile my efforts to talk to my tenant.(I still changed clothes and took baths with my eyes closed or looking up, never watching my body directly, in fear of being seen. My body was that of a kid and I shouldn't feel so self-conscious about it but paranoia is a bitch so, yeah.)My chakra was easier to find. I lived all my life with no internal energy whatsoever so finding something so alien in my body was stupidly easy. It helped the fact that I had so much of it I was surprised not notice it earlier.
I spent days just admiring this energy, following its currents. First feeling it in my hands and then in other parts of my body. It wasn't until a week had passed that I realized I entered a semi trance-like state whenever I practiced with my chakra. So I used this and the knowledge that the seal was placed to my stomach to concentrate in the currents, starting by my fingertip and then following it to my stomach. It was hard at first, as I couldn't reach my stomach following that path, but after weeks of diligently trying, I knew I could do it. I stopped before reaching my seal but I knew that I could do it.I wanted it to be a day I had the morning free, that meant Tuesday, which was the day I could sleep in. So it was on one Monday night, I decided to do it. At first, I was nervous and excited but when nothing happened when I reached my seal, I admit being a little bit disappointed. I still tried, concentrating on my seal instead of other parts of my body.It was on a Saturday when I was on the bed, not really hoping for anything, that I felt it. The sensation of falling. It kept going and going until I stopped on my feet, stumbling as I tried to not fall. My feet felt wet, but the water was not cold. Its lukewarm temperature made it quite comfortable to be in. Though I couldn't help but think, did the kyuubi pee on this?A growl reverberated around me as soon as I had that thought and I looked up from my feet. And there it was. A large cage.
Oh shit.Why did I think this was a good idea, again?