Lord Hokage

As I found my way into the village, surrounded by three people who seemed enormous in my eyes, I felt like a caged bird, civilians watching my walk through the streets in curiosity. Though I had been treated reasonably, the fact of the matter was, I was still oblivious to the situation at hand. Limping my way through unfamiliar roads, it was as if my tongue had been entirely cut from my head, unable to speak and unable to act in the face of what was, left to consider my predicament. Under the gazes of Akio, Nara, and the blond, I soon arrived to a grand red building of similar design to the gate, the largest in the village.

Standing in front of the building, the group came to a stop. The blond man went ahead of the group, pulling open the wooden doors. The three hastily led me inside, eventually bringing me into a particularly empty room, having little in it save for a desk. Nara, waving the others to the side, guided me in while Akio and the blond stepped outside. While Nara stood in silence, her eyes locked on a backwards chair just behind the desk, my attention was drawn to the voices behind the door.

"…So what, you really think the kid is Kiri?"

"If I guess the same every time, I'm bound to get it right eventually."

"You saw her forehead, right, Dai? Like hell they'd turn to the Kaguya, even in war."

"Fair point… Can I lower my bet?"

"Sure, if you'll pay for my dinner."

"That'll just cost me more. You're an awful bastard, Akio…"

While I was eavesdropping on Akio and Dai, I received a firm nudge on the shoulder from Nara as the chair calmly spun around to face us, revealing an old man adorned in white and red robes. Nara took a knee, dragging me down to do the same. The old man seemed to give a brief nod of approval, rising from his seat and gesturing for us to do the same. We each stood, Nara as still as a statue, as the old man raised an eyebrow, addressing her.

"Another child..? You seem to have a knack for this."

Nara nodded, disregarding the second comment. In a stoic, flat voice, Nara responded. Though she had seemed to be a very dutiful person before, when in the face of this man who I had assumed to be in charge of the village, it was as if she wasn't a person at all, so much as a machine.

"Yes, Lord Hokage. Dai, Akio, and I found her alive on what appeared to be a battlefield. Her name is unknown, however..."

As her words drifted off, Nara reached into the pouch on her upper right leg, retrieving a kunai knife and skillfully cutting the tightly-bound cloth that covered my forehead before placing the knife back into her pouch. The old man she had called "Lord Hokage" nodded once more, stroking his beard in consideration before speaking once more.

"You believe her to be of the Kaguya? Her hair and eyes don't match the descriptions I've heard, and she seems oddly docile."

"This is purely hypothesis, but I believe her to be of mixed blood…"

I began to grow frustrated in my mind, trying to tune them out as they continued to speak of me as if I weren't there, an animal less than human. I didn't want to just listen to a conversation about me. I debated what to do in my mind, though very little decision was needed.

"…she will be handled just as any other…"

With a single comment from the old man, a wave of rashness came over me. Against my better judgement, I chimed in, interrupting the two with a single word. I spoke with perhaps too much aggression, the built up confusion and stress of the day getting the better of me.

"Niharu!"

Nara and the old man fell silent, both turning to face me. Neither showed any change in expression as they seemed to wait for me to speak, save for the old man's eyebrow raise that he seemed so fond of. With all eyes on me, my confidence faded in an instant, followed by a muffled laugh from behind the doors.

"…My name is Niharu."

My response was practically a whisper, earning a smirk from the old name as he gestured for Nara to leave. Nara obliged, exiting the room and leaving me alone with the old man. It seemed I had doomed myself with those few words as silence once more filled the room. After a painfully tense few seconds, the man began to speak, wearing a large smile, though the atmosphere had drastically changed.

"Niharu, you said? I'm this village's leader, the Hokage. It's nice to meet you. Please, tell me more about yourself, Niharu."

I hated being spoken to as a child, though there was no going back. Staring into the old man's eyes, I was met with the same smile as before. Finding no answers in simply gazing into his face, I worked to muster up a response, the Hokage giving me plenty of time to think. In the end, I settled on the only response possible for me at the time. Genuine cluelessness and confusion.

"…I don't know. I woke up on the ground, and now, I'm here."

The old man's smiled dulled into a more neutral expression, apparently deliberating what would be done with me. After yet another set of dreadful silent seconds, he nodded to himself.

"I see… Well then, if you will, please step outside so I can speak with Nara in private."

Given my opportunity to leave, I hastily approached the door, pushing it aside as I stepped out of the room. Without a single word, Nara slipped in just after I left, leaving me alone with Akio and Dai. It seemed my appearance had dulled the mood, with both Akio and Dai locking their eyes on me, apparently waiting for me to try something. Dai especially seemed to be intent on me doing something, though I had nothing to do. Though I tried to eavesdrop on the two in the room, they weren't nearly as loud as Akio and Dai had been in their banter, leaving me clueless of what was going on inside.

After about a minute of nothing happening, I grew bored. Feeling that we would probably be there for a while, I took the initiative to sit down. Even the slightest bit of movement seemed to make the two flinch, which was amusing at the time. Call it childish, but after recognizing this, I began to abuse it. The thought of two grown men watching an eight year old girl like some kind of savage beast waiting to strike kept me entertained for some time as I made the occasional random movement, whether it be tracing random shapes in the air with my fingers or stretching. Dai gave the best reactions, apparently having bet a lot of money on me being "Kiri", whatever that was supposed to mean.

After some time of taunting the poor guys, Nara soon exited the room, her stern demeanor immediately breaking down the moment she left the room. After addressing Akio and Dai, Nara soon directed her attention to me. Her gaze made me uneasy, peering into the very depths of my being.