5 Age 5/Year 5
To say that things were tense at my home would be an understatement. As the days turned to weeks, my father became more and more stressed. At times, he'd snap at the littlest of things. Even I wasn't safe from his grumpiness.
"Try again!" I winced at his loud voice but nodded. My kunai swerved slightly to the left, but it struck the target nonetheless. No doubt I was already better than anyone else that'd be going to school, but it wasn't good enough.
"No! Sasuke, try again." Fugaku loved to spend time with me Before. Watching me train would calm him down, but now all it did was stress him out.
My family was drawing further away from one another, and it was my fault. Truthfully, I did have regrets about making Naruko my friend. It was worse than I thought, but at least it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Yue's wish had relieved most of the problems, but it was clear Fugaku and the Uchiha were now under scrutiny.
"S-So you're going to be a ninja?" I nodded and turned to Naruko. She had a small smile, which was weird, to be honest. I was so used to seeing Naruto's humongous grin, so such a reserved expression looked alien.
"Yeah. What about you?"
She hesitated for a second before looking me in the eye.
"M-Me too!"
Still, even as my family was slowly pressured, I continued to be her friend. She wished for it and I wouldn't be taking it back.
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Eventually, after a few gruelling months of investigation, the Uchiha got a break. It became clear that no one was planning anything, but that didn't mean the pressure stopped. At the end of the day, this was a village of paranoid ninjas. They would keep an eye on me, whether they said they stopped or not. The only thing that went away were the constant arguments and discussions with my father and the clan.
With this small reprieve, I wanted to try and help my family relax. What better way than a surprise party, right? Still, I was just a five year old, so anything I could do was limited. Convincing Itachi to help was easy, though I felt a bit guilty about using his time off. He had recently become a Chunin, so he was getting busier and busier too.
"Of course I'll help, little brother." Squeezing my nose, he listened to my plan. Through some eavesdropping, which would have made my father proud, I learned that his and Mikoto's anniversary was coming up. It'd be an incredible undertaking to set up the decorations without them noticing, but I was ninja!
...
Well, Itachi was.
Anyways, all that was left was to get them a gift.
A frame would be best. I'd use it to capture my family and every time I'd looked back, I'll know that I was loved. Of course, no one let me out of the house alone. Even here, in Konoha, I was never safe, at least not yet. Thus, I asked my brother for some help. Grabbing all the money I needed, I flew off into the village with Itachi. There were many, many stores to visit and so little time to do it.
Eventually, after spending about an hour and a half going through stores, looking for the perfect frame, I found it. Itachi even managed to haggle it down to a price I could afford! All that was left was to start the party.
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"Surprise!" To say Mikoto and Fugaku were caught off guard would be an understatement. Perhaps the stress had been getting to them a bit too much. Suffice to say, I was almost kicked across the room by my father.
Maybe I shouldn't have done it when he was walking with his eyes closed.
Thankfully, I actually managed to avoid the blow, though I had to call on my sharingan for it. No one noticed, which was a blessing in itself. Seriously, that was crazy!
After a quick apology, my father asked what was going on. I, of course, took centre stage and explained the situation.
"It's a party for your anniversary!" I said, pulling out the hand wrapped gift. "Itachi and I went and got you a gift."
Both of our parents widened their eyes in shock. It looked like they had forgotten what day it was.
With a motherly smile, Mikoto pulled me and your brother into a tight hug.
"Thank you, my little angels." She gave each of us a kiss and then stood up.
Finally calming himself, Fugaku looked around at the room. The decorations and small cake must have really left an impression on him. He looked proud.
"Did both of you set this up when we weren't looking?"
"Yes, father." Itachi replied. "It was quite a difficult task, but we managed."
For the first time in the last few months, Fugaku smile.
"Dear, do you want to-"
Fugaku raised a hand, stopping my mother in her tracks.
"I think we should just sit down and enjoy the rest of the day."
I smiled, knowing that my little plan had worked wonders. In the coming days, I saw my parents smile more.
Things were slowly getting better and better.
[Reward: Family Stress Down!]
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Our first teachers weren't Iruka or Mizuki. They were most likely teaching the older years or hadn't started yet.
"I won't lie to you. The path of a ninja is an arduous, dangerous one. Only the strong will graduate." The teacher, an older ninja, said as he looked at the class.
I saw familiar faces, or at least what I thought as familiar. It was honestly very hard to recognize everyone, as they looked like real people, rather than anime characters. Untill I learned everyone's names, I'd probably have a hard time figuring out who was who.
"Nevertheless, I see a bright and courageous class in front of me. Work hard, don't give up, and all of you are sure to pass."
His words were optimistic, but I already knew not everyone would graduate, let alone get past the first year. The class was massive, even though it was only one of many others. If the show was to be believed, then the numbers would drop soon enough. After all, there were civilians in our class as well. Unlike Naruto, they didn't have a giant fox demon in their belly or the Hokage's favouritism to keep them afloat.
Speaking of Naruko, the instant she saw me in the class, she all but monopolized the seat next to my right. Thankfully, it was the first day of class and everyone was nervous. No one knew who I was or where I came from. No one aside from Naruko, that is.
"Now, to help you get to know your peers a bit better, could everyone from groups of four?"
I hated group projects. They always ended up the same. Either I did all the work and everyone did nothing, or someone else did all the work and didn't let anyone else touch it.
Anyways, the group assignment was easy enough. I all had to come up with a simple way to steal a certain piece of information from a fortress.
Suffice to say, Naruko instantly partnered up with me. The other two were ones I didn't knew from the show, but that was expected. The class was quite large and they were already in groups.
As for the riddle,my answer was the obvious one, and honestly, I'm surprised anyone got it wrong! Seriously! we're all ninja! There's absolutely no excuse to say anything aside from stealth! God, knowing that some groups said 'rush in and kick their butts' makes me embarrassed to even be in the same room as them!
I could tell the teacher wasn't surprised in the least, though. He must have seen this dozen of times, because all he did was nod and then move onto the next group. A saying came to mind.
A person's genius has limits, but their stupidity had no bounds. It blew my mind! Honestly, I felt sorry for the old man.
Anyways, the rest of the class went fine. Everyone walked up to the front and then introduced themselves, along with their dreams. I got to see the original cast and gawk at how different they looked like. Everyone had pudgy cheeks and lanky arms.
Aside from introductions, everyone shared their dreams. As expected, most gave generic answers like 'becoming a good ninja' or 'be the strongest.'
The only people that had more personalized goals were Shikamaru.
"I want to be a ninja so my mom can stop nagging."
Kiba.
"I'm going to be the best and become Hokage!"
Finally, Hinata stuttered out her goal.
"I-I want to be strong..."
Seeing everyone so meek and different from what they'd become was a shock. Even Naruko was completely different. Gone was her dream of becoming Hokage.
"I want to protect my precious people!" She shouted with a bright smile.
Still, she wasn't too far off from what she'd become.
As for me It was my time to go up to explain my dreams and goals. Putting my thoughts into words was surprisingly easy.
"I have a simple dream." I paused, making sure to get everyone's attention before starting. "I want my life, and those of my friends to be long and successful." Maybe being a ninja wasn't the best career path for that, but hell, it's what you wanted,
"I don't know much about the shinobi life, but I'm sure it's full of pain, loss, and much more." I'm a kid and so are they. Most of this stuff will probably just go over their head. "But most of all, ninjas are those who Endure!"
I smiled and look at everyone.
"As we grow, we'll develop our own code or ninja way. It might be but a seed, but my ninja way is to live life to the fullest and help my friends do what they want."
The stary eyed civilians look at me with awe. Most of the clan children are still that, children. They too find warmth in my words.
"I recently learned that we can find true strength by helping others. It was a scary choice, but one I made. I hope we can all be friends and help each other out."
With that, I take a second to breathe and watch their reactions. Slowly, everyone starts to calm. It's obvious that like, 80% of the class had no idea what I just said, but the core message was still there.
Let's be friends and help each other out.
Those that droped out would be the lucky ones, but those that endured would need all the help they could get. I needed help. Together, perhaps the future wouldn't be so bleak?
[Reward: Class Opinion Up!]
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To say Naruko was bad at the basics would be an understatement. When the teachers started showing everyone how to use Chakra, most clan children picked it up in a week or so. At least, those that didn't already know. Like them, Naruko had no foundation, so she was walking blind. When it came to chakra, I was among these, as my father and brother prioritized teaching me the basic skills of a shinobi before giving me access to superpowers. Anyways, it took me about 2 or 3 weeks to actually start being able to do anything significant with my chakra. It wasn't amazing, but I was still ahead of most of the other people in the class. The civilians had a really hard time pulling out their chakra, and some already dropped out when they learned that they had minuscule amounts.
Naruko, however, was a different beast altogether. She had so much she could barely control it! The students were awed at her at first, but that soon changed when she couldn't do anything with it. As expected, the children scorned those that were different. They started making fun of her. Through all of this, I stood by her side and kept her spirits up. Whenever she'd make a mistake, she would laugh it off and try to make others laugh instead. It was her way of coping with failure.
Eventually, her frustrations started to become apparent. She'd stay long after school ended and practice her control. No notable improvements were being made, however.
"H-Huh? Shouldn't you be going home, Sasuke?"
I smiled and shook your head.
"No. I'm going to stay back and help you."
A smile instantly sprouted onto her face.
"Thanks! But you don't need to!"
"I want to."
And that was the crux of the matter. I couldn't just stand by and watch her stay back hours yet make no progress.
Now, what would I help her with?
Chakra was Naruko's greatest strength, so I decided to focus on that. It might not have been the smartest move, but I wasn't exactly a genius, was I? Sure, everyone called me that, but it was mostly thanks to my headstart on life. Eventually, I'd come to the point where everyone else would catch up to me. Hopefully, I'd be enough ahead by then that it wouldn't matter. Still, actual geniuses like Shikamaru outstripped me by insane margins. Seriously, how was he not the strongest ninja in the original story? His plans were insane!
Anyways, I wanted to make Naruko's even stronger than she was. It took many, many days, but I did my best. After every class, I'd stay with her and practice the basic chakra control exercises. A side effect of this was that it also helped me improve.
I wasn't the best at everything in the class. Shikamaru was smarter. Kiba was stronger. Hinata had better Chakra control. Still, I was the most well-rounded person in the class and that meant I was getting consistently good marks on all topics. Suffice to say, I was the best student in the class, which shouldn't have been all that surprising. I had a good 20 or more years on these kids. It would have been embarrassing if I wasn't #1!
"Thanks for always helping me, Sasuke!"
"No problem! Want to go get something to eat?"
It had been a hard day, and while Naruko's control only increased a tiny bit, it was improvement nonetheless. After all these weeks, she could still barely control her Chakra, but I could see she was getting better at it.
"Sure! Umm, is Ramen fine? I found this really nice place! The people are super nice!"
Well, that sounded great. Truth be told, I rarely ever had the salty broth in my old life. It'd be something new to try out! Naruko seemed very excitedly at least!
[Reward: Soul +1! Naruko control increased! | +1 WP]
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"Faster." I gulped and nod, sending another clumsy fist at my father. He easilly dodges, not even bothering to use his Sharingan.
In a split second, his fist lashes out. I kept my eyes open, just like Fugaku taught me. His fist stops an inch from my face.
"Good. At least you're not shutting your eyes." He steps back, a small, but proud smile on his face. "Still, you need to work on your form."
I nod solemnly and take the unfamiliar stance.
"Fighting your classmates will be easy, but even the greenest of ninja can spot the weaknesses in my form." He walks next to me and carefully raises my arms. He moves my legs slightly further apart and then rotates my elbows.
"You lack the Sharingan, but the style must be engrained into your head nonetheless." I see him chuckle. "It's quite smart of you to ask for lessons this early."
A sad, almost regretful look crosses his eyes.
"I hope the day you unlock our Clan's bloodlimit is an easy one."
Sighing, he returns to the lesson. I bob, weave, and try to hit him before he hits me. It's a simple, but an effective fighting style that's enhanced by the Sharingan. Essentially, I focused on predicting my opponent's attacks and strike before they do. The Sharingan's near precognitive abilities make it all that easier to execute, thus, it's a deadly combination. However, there are counters to it, and only the most experienced combatants can overcome them. Still, most people wouldn't specialize in countering the Uchiha clan's taijutsu. Sure, they might know some of the required techniques, but that's not enough to stop a strong person from just beating them.
Anyways, I continued to train with my father for the remainder of the year. When sparing lessons finally start up in school, I'd go basically undefeated. The only one that even gives me a challenge is Hinata, but that's mostly due to her clan fighting style. Honestly, if she was just a bit more confident, I wouldn't at all be surprised if she could just crush me in melee. The saying about bringing a Hyuuga to a fist fight is no joke. All they need is a simple tap to burst blood vessels to cripple you. Of course, that hyper-specialization gives them a lot of weaknesses to exploit.
In any case, it was a long, productive year.
[Reward: Learned Intercepting Fist! | + 2 STR | +1 Dex!]
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"A-Are you s-sure this is safe?"
I smiled and nod.
"Yes. Come on, Yue. It's not like anyone can see you, right?"
Blushing, the small fairy nods and floats on by. She keeps going higher and higher, and soon enough, I stopped being able to see her. Even my Sharingan loses track of the tiny fairy.
I wait and wait. After about 15 minutes, she returns with a tired look on her face.
"Y-Yeah... I could s-see a lot of things!"
Yue goes on to explain how she flew up so high she could see the land around me for miles.
"I-It was really prety."
I smiled and gently patted her head.
"Told you it was worth it." If I could fly, it'd be the first thing on my to-do list.
"Y-Yeah. T-Thanks." Yue float by my cheek and gives it a tiny kiss.
"Ok. Next up is swimming." She stiffens and starts to look down in shame.
It's all part of the plan. I wanted her to experience a lot of things, even though she says they scare her. For her, the whole world is new and unexplored. I want to show her that not everything is out to get her.
"B-But there could be s-sharks!"
"It's only a small lake."
"G-Giant frogs?"
I chuckle.
"Don't worry, I'll be right there with you."
She trembles and looks away.
Hmm, maybe I should try something else if it's really bothering her?
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Dancing is a delicate art, one that most people actually put stock into, even though it's not all that useful. Thankfully, I'm a decent dancer, at least by my standards. Swimming's more my forte, but Dancing is ok too.
"L-Like this?" Yue asks as she glides forward, tripping on a small pebble. "Ah!"
I reached out and grab the little fairy before she can hurt herself. Her soft wings press against my palm. A part of me wonders what they're made out of.
"T-Thanks." I smile and right her little body.
"No problem. Come on, you almost had it." The tiny fairy blushes and takes another step. Slowly, but surely, she starts dancing on the spot. I chose something really simple for her. The box step as it's called has her moving slightly to the left and to the right. If she had a partner, there would be some turning as well, but Yue is sadly way too small.
"Here." That doesn't stop yme from trying to help, though. "Try and use my finger as a partner."
She hesitantly grabs hold and gets to it. Each step is a bit clumsy at first, but she perseveres. Again and again, she stumbles but gets right back up. Within the hour, she's dancing like a pro. The sweet smile on her face warms my heart. I can't believe my little fairy could be this cute!
"I-I did it!" Yue announces proudly. "D-Did you see?!"
I nod and pull back my finger, gently taping her head.
"Good job." Her little body surges with energy as she flies into the air and holds out her hand.
"C-Can I try it up here?" I didn't expect that. Dancing kinda requires something to stand on for it to work. Then again, who am I to tell a magical fairy what can and can't be done?
"Sure." Once more, I give her my finger. It quickly becomes apparent that the moved from before are not as good in the air, so she starts to adjust. Before long, she's guiding my finger through the sky. It's almost as if she were on an invisible staircase. Her moves are captivating, even though they're kinda clumsy.
"T-There." Yue comes to a complete stop, slightly panting at her exhaustion. It's surprising, but it looks like her endurance is prety crap. "H-How did I do?"
"I loved it." Her tired little face warps into a happy grin. Like a small child showing her father a drawing she worked really hard on, Yue tried to impress you with her dance moves. Aside from being sweet, it's also a bit amusing.
Blushing like a cherry red tomato, she flutters her wings and slowly flies onto my shoulder. Her soft rump lands on it and she leans over, giving your cheek a small kiss.
"Thanks, master."
Even after all this time, the name "Sasuke" still feels odd. It's probably why I let her keep calling me that.
"How about we work on swimming next?" Aside from being great exercise, it'll also help build up her stamina. So far her lack of it hasn't been a problem, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. When the time comes, it's best if she's fast enough to run away.
"S-Swimming?" Yue gulps and nervously grabs onto my shoulder.
"Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be in the water with you." Her tiny hands slacken just slightly. "If you get scared, you can just climb onto my head or back." There's absolutely no way she'll be hurt, not while I'm there with her. Though, I see why she would be. Her wings don't work in water and for someone that flies in the sky, being grounded must be scary. But it's ok; I'm there for her.
"I- Ok, master." Yue takes a deep breath and stares at me with determination. Her eyes blaze with the will of someone about to attempt a challenging task.
I smile and return the small kiss she gave me a second ago.
"Ah!"
Comically, she happened to lean into me at the same time, so she slides into my mouth; I almost ate her!
Suffice to say, a nice dip in the water would efficiently help her clean up.
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I slowly trudge through the small lake. It wasn't hard to find this place, as Konoha has a lot of close bodies of water. Still, I try to be a bit sneaky. It'd suck if it turned out people weren't allowed to swim here.
Anyways, because I didn't want to come back home with wet clothes, I basically went skinny dipping, which is why I had my Sharingan activated. Being found would be so embarrassing, so I wanted to at least get a heads up if anyone was coming. It'd also help to spot any mischievous pranksters that might have thought to steal my clothes. It could be funny to them, but you'd be prety pissed. Thankfully, no one stopped by during my quick dip.
"I-Is this ok?" Yue asked. I wouldn't call what she was doing 'swimming' but she was at least staying afloat. There was nothing wrong with doggy paddling, after all.
"Try and lift your legs. Put them flat against the water and kick off." Like me, my little friend cast her clothing aside. As before, she has no modesty and doesn't really care if anyone sees her tiny naked body. It's a fairy thing or something.
"L-Like this?" She furrows her brow, raises her legs, and uselessly thrashes in place. her body starts to sink a second later, so I quickly reach out and pick her up.
"Not quite. Try and 'crawl' forward with your hands while kicking." Yue coughs and nods, giving swimming another chance.
Her determination pays off, and while she doesn't cover much distance, her little body does move forward. For added effect, she even tries to flutter her wings to speed herself up. It actually works, though the effects aren't that noticeable.
In any case, the result is just what I was looking for. Yue takes the first step in conquering her fear of water. I'll have to come back here at least once a week or so to help her learn more.
For someone so small, Yue has an incredibly strong will.
With that, I leave the lake, get dressed, and then head home. My night is filled with sweet dreams.
[Reward: 1 WP! | Yue learns to swim!]
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Year 5 Ends
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[Name: Sasuke Uchiha
Age 5 Years~
Stats
(4) Strength
(3) Dexterity
(4) Agility
(8) Charisma
(6) Cunning
(4) Luck
(9) Soul
Skill Points: 1
Wish Points: 4
Money: 100 Ryo
Abilities:
Yue (Obsidian Crystal Gift): Supposedly, the fairy was born from your crystal?
Skills:
Taijutsu [1/10]: The basic art of fighting with one's body.
+Hakkyokuken [1/10]: A particular fighting style that focuses on striking power.
+Intercepting Fist [1/10]: The Uchiha clan's fighting style. Excels when used with the Sharingan.
Throwing [1/10]: The basic art of lobbing pointy bits into other's bodies.
Traits:
Enduring Soul: Soul +2!
Sharingan(4 Tomoe): Slowly, but surely, you're getting better at using your Sharingan.
+Tomoe [4/6]
+Dex/Agi
People:
Yue: Your wish-granting fairy. She seems... odd, but nice.
Itachi: Your 'big' brother. He's prety cool.
Fugaku: Your stern, but kind father.
Mikoto: Your mom. Love with a face.
Naruko: Your friend? Why is she a girl?]
