Reborn

"Shiran, sweety, we're gonna be late to the market if you don't hurry up."

(A/N: I'm going to put a picture of older Shiran in the chapter comments. Just imagine that he's younger-looking with short hair.)

"I'm coming Mom just give me a couple more minutes."

"Alright but don't take too much longer."

That's my new mom, or rather, the only mother I've had. I know it may seem cliche that I was an orphan in my last life without any parents or siblings but it is what it is. I didn't have anyone to care for me nor did I have anyone to care for in my 16 years of living but, it's just the way it was.

Being reborn has been a tremendous experience even if I have had to go back through baby life all over again. I mean come on, no one enjoys needing their diaper changed 6 times throughout the day but there I was. 

After two long years, I'm finally able to do things by myself. Although even that little bit is just because I've been classified as a genius early on in this life. With how fast I picked up on language, the way I talk, and generally do things in an accelerated manner, has made everyone give me the label of mini genius. 

And listen, I'm not complaining either, maybe if I were born in a different scenario then I would be a little paranoid but as of right now, there is no reason to be. You might be asking why, well I'll tell you. It's because I was born to the Uzumaki clan before the Second War started. Imagine my shock when I opened my eyes for the first time and saw a bright red-haired man and a light brown-haired woman looking down on me for the first time with so much love in their eyes that it made me cry happy tears. 

Anyway, it's been a fantastic experience to this point. So here we are, walking down the beautiful streets in a village that is seemingly hiding within the trees at the foot of the mountain range along gorgeous clear rivers. 

(A/N: there are some pictures of how the village looks that I generated using AI in the chapter comments.)

"So honey, are you ready to be a big brother yet?"

"Of course Mom! What kind of question is that? I'm ready to love them with every inch of my heart that I possibly can!"

My mom lightly giggles at that, amused and perhaps reassured that I'm not taking this in a way that suggests that they're tired of me.

A light blush spreads across my face because my emotions got a hold of me there for a second and I turn away. This just makes my mom laugh even more.

My mom has been pregnant for almost a year and I'm so ready to meet my new baby sibling that I can hardly contain myself. Since she is ready to pop at almost any time we always have a clan guard with us to make sure we're able to get to the places we need to go safely. 

"Well, that's good baby I know that you'll be the best big sibling ever."

As we are walking around the marketplace I just take in my surroundings because man, the anime just didn't do Uzushio any justice at all. This place is just spectacularly built and designed. The village setup reminds me of a mix of elven, druid, and traditional Japanese architecture. It blew my mind how peaceful the village looked when I got to go outside for the first time.

Needless to say, I got attached to this village and the people in it very quickly and I can practically feel the positivity and community that permeates the village. 

"Sometimes I wish Dad had the time to come with us, even if we are going out for small tasks like groceries."

"I know honey but he's a very busy man with all the clan matters at hand at this point."

"I realize that but it still doesn't keep me from wanting to spend more time with him."

As I said that I let out a big sigh, I know that he's the clan's head and all that but he is still around far too little for me to not care or want to spend more time with him.

As we were heading back to the house I started thinking about the situation in the village. A lot seems to have changed from canon, at least from the way that I see it. 

The first thing is the amounts of clans that live in this village. As of right now, there are around 8 main clans and many more minor clans that I haven't taken the time to learn about yet. Although I don't know what all 8 clans are, from what I've overheard through both my mom and dad, there's the Saoto Clan which specializes in close combat because of their special kekkei genkai: swift release. This is a nature transformation kekkei genkai that combines both wind and lightning to get possibly the fastest speed. I don't think that even the Raikages lightning cloak would be able to beat someone who has perfected this bloodline. 

Next is the Amematsu Clan which specializes in storm release. This kekkei genkai is a combination of both the water element and the lightning element. My mom is actually from this clan which is why I will end up having storm release. This clan produces some of the best long-range ninjutsu users in all of Uzushiogakure and it's not even close.

Up after that is the Yuki Clan that specializes in ice release which is a combination of both the water and wind natures. With the way that the Yuki clan can both attack and defend with their kekkei genkai, some might say they are the most versatile ninjas in the entirety of Uzushio. I'd personally say they're second in versatility only because the Mori clan exists in Uzushiogakure. 

Speaking of the Mori clan they are an interesting one for me to speak of. From what I've gathered they are an offshoot of the Senju clan that mixes earth, water, and yin chakra to make and use plants for combat purposes. This makes them practically gods while fighting in the forest. Also, along with the home-field advantage they naturally have, they possess lists of jutsu as extensive and versatile as the day is long.

I would also like to say, that I have on more than one account, seen a few people who look similar to sharks walking around. The only person I remember looking like that from the anime is Kisame and he was from the Hoshigaki clan. If I recall correctly they are chakra monsters and tend to use water jutsus and sharks in their main attacking style.

After I started to learn about all these different powerful clans that reside in this village I can wholeheartedly say that this universe is different from the one that is portrayed in the manga and anime. And it's not just the clans that are different, the fact that Uzu has had 3 different leaders over the time it has been established is also another major divergence in this world as well.

From what I remember there was only the Uzumaki clan that was living on this island before their destruction in the original work. At that point, they were led by Ashina Uzumaki but in this world, Ashina was the first Uzukage, and he helped bring together clans from both the southern part of the land of lightning and the islands surrounding the land of whirlpools.

Luckily in a twist of fate, Ashina was able to somewhat foresee that the peace brought by Hashirama was only temporary because of how strong Hashirama was. With that insight, he wasn't too over-reliant on the leaf's protection and was able to build a stable foundation upon which the Second Uzukage, Kenji Yuki, built upon.

I looked back to my mom and asked something that's been on my mind for a little bit of time now

"Mom, when can I unlock my chakra and train to become a ninja?"

"Both your father and I will help you unlock your chakra when you reach 4 years old honey."

"Ugh, but that's so far away, I want to be able to shoot lightning bolts like you can."

My mom laughs as if this is some trivial thing. I may be in a child's body but she has to give me a little dignity here.

"We don't even know if you'll have my storm kekkei genkai for sure yet bud, you'll just have to wait for that day to come"

"Hmph, I guess I can wait"

As I turn my head away and close my eyes I hit something. As I'm falling, I hear a little yelp nearby. Thinking nothing of it I ignore it and start to complain to Mom.

"What the heck? Who puts a wall in the middle of the road?"

"Shiran that wasn't a wall." My mom shot back at me with a humorous tone.

"Well, then what the heck was it."