Chapter Text
THE LIGHT BLUE SKY HAD STARTED TO CHANGE ITS APPEARANCE; Orange and shades of red were preparing to leak out from the big bright sun to create a beautiful scenery that Shinobu had waited all day for, a scenery that threatened the people living under it that the moon would arrive soon. The few clansmen that were still outside of the district hurried back inside into the silent bustle of raven-haired people with tired faces. A familiar image everyone had grown accustomed to see.
Behind the multitude of people and close to a concrete wall that led to a dark alleyway, a little girl crouched on the ground to play with the belly of a small puppy. Her long ebony hair was tied back into a low ponytail, the short frontal layers that framed her face falling down loosely, they hid the small smile and the amusement on the young one's face.
The animal wriggled its tail from side to side in excitement, encouraging the young girl to keep playing with him with her oddly-calloused fingers, so she let out a faint chuckle — “Hehe! You sure are some playful little creature!”
— “I wish dad would allow me to have a pet as cute as you...!” — She dragged her words as she continued to pet the small animal.
To be honest, Shinobu wasn't someone with the time to waste playing at parks or petting stray dogs, she had different objectives and responsibilities to attend to or at least that’s what her father always said.
Her father, a very strict man, as expected from any clan leader. He had guaranteed that from the moment she started to rationalize her surroundings she would be centered on fulfilling one objective only. Because being the daughter of a clan leader was not something to be overlooked, as his only daughter she had a pride to hold onto and a district to represent and Uchiha Fugaku would never accept laziness or foolishness in his bloodline.
Ever since she could remember she had always been told how important she was, and as the only daughter of the clan leader, she did not want to disappoint. Even when the older people looked at her closely with some sort of disgust she had to ignore it and keep moving forward. As Uchiha Fugaku's only daughter it was what she had been told to do and what she had promised to do all of her life, and promises in this world were not something you could exactly break.
However, sometimes it appeared that everything surrounding her was about getting stronger and only that. It grew monotonous to hear every day how she had to be 'Stronger than the other girls and smarter than boys older than her. Better than everyone else: A proof that Uchiha women were everything but weak.'
— “I mean, it's not as if playing with you for a little bit will cause the end of the world… Even after playing with you, I would still be me, my destiny has already been sealed.” — It was nothing but another day that was never really over, nothing more than routine, every day would repeat like the chords of a neverending song.
Touching the floor with two of her fingers, her index and middle finger, beside the small creature she sighed, dinner time was getting closer and she still hadn't called her brothers in as she had promised to. If only time stopped she could stay longer, but rules were rules and she couldn't disobey them.
Mikoto, Shinobu's mother, had asked the young girl to run an errand outside the estate, something that never happened. So of course calling her brothers back home for dinner was a big matter, and as the obedient girl she was, she accepted. She couldn't spare too much time outside though, or else her parents would scold her. So when she retracted her fingers from the dog, the latter couldn't help but whine from the lack of contact.
Shinobu only smiled, holding her sadness in as she said: — “I'm sorry, but I can't spend more time with you. Mama asked me to call my brothers back home for dinner and I think I spent too much time outside with you already, but don't be sad, I promise to be good and then I'm sure we'll meet again.”
She finally stood up and took a deep breath, the air was getting colder. So with her usual calm pace, she started to make her way to her brothers. The two boys usually hung around in the forest close by, it was their favourite place to be, they always trained there, whether they were alone or together, it was a silent place where tranquility reigned. As if it were some sort of a magical realm, and honestly it could be.
The clanking sound of metal and the frustrated groans signaled Shinobu that she was getting closer and after walking for a while she finally found the tall figure of her older brother leaning in a tree with his arms crossed. She came closer to him and tugged at his shirt.
— “Nii-san! Mama said dinner is almost ready.” — Shinobu said with energy making Itachi peel off the tree and look up to the sun, as if he could tell time just by looking at the shade of colour painting the sky, although honestly he could be capable of doing so.
— “Is that so? I guess time really flies…” — He interrupted himself and called Sasuke but the latter only groaned and pouted. He didn't like being interrupted while he spent time with his brother. Itachi's gentle voice spoke again in consolation — “Now. don't be mad. We'll train another time. Strong people still need to eat dinner, isn't that right Shinobu?”
The young girl nodded her head eagerly, Itachi then offered both of his hands to the children and soon the three siblings were walking back home holding hands.
When they entered the compound it was inevitable not to grab everyone's attention. As the children of Uchiha Fugaku, they were often unable to control the focus of a couple of dozens of pairs of eyes on their backs, looming and dark analyzing eyes that seemed to wait so eagerly to spot even the slightest mistake on them.
Itachi squeezed Shinobu's hand, slipping her out of her trance. Shinobu looked up waiting for him to speak, he knew she didn't like the unnecessary attention on them, so Itachi signaled the Senbei shop and said: — “Why don't we buy some and eat them tomorrow after training?”
The statement brought excitement to her, it wasn't every day that their busy older brother could spend so freely his time with them. She asked him with excitement — “Really..!? Do you promise we will?”
— “Huh? Not fair, I want to eat senbei with nii-san too!” — Sasuke said while huffing, but Itachi looked at him with amusement. Suddenly, the little boy's expression changed to one of light concern and anxiousness. — “But... wouldn't father get mad if you slack off training to eat just crackers, 'Nobu?”
At the statement, Itachi furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Sasuke with evident and pure confusion. — “I don't see any reason for him to be mad. Sasuke, is there something I'm not aware of happening...?”
— “Well, lately father has been stricter than usual with Shinobu. We barely even have time to play anymore…” — Sasuke pouted as his sister looked anywhere but at her brothers. Sasuke had always had a tendency to be a little too honest with their brother.
Itachi smiled softly at Sasuke and poked at his forehead, the latter brought a hand to his forehead to soothe the pain. Itachi then turned to Shinobu and spoke, this time more firmly: — “Then I'll talk to our father myself.”
At that Shinobu stopped dead in her tracks, making the eldest of the three to look at her in confusion. Her head hung low as if she were embarrassed and so he couldn't see how blown her pupils were.
— “But it's fine, nii-san. I really don't mind training longer and harder, as I too want to get stronger. Besides, a real ninja shouldn't complain about training, only the weak do... So really, it’s fine if you don't talk to papa.”
Itachi hesitated as he stood in silence but soon he took a deep breath and agreed with his sister — “...Fine then” —. He said before entering the Senbei shop of the Uchiha estate, one of their district's most popular places. An old lady greeted the three young kids with a discreet smile asking the oldest what they wanted to order. — “A dozen senbei, please..!” — Itachi asked the shop owner, another second aunt from the clan, who quickly delivered the crackers in a paper bag with a sticker of the red and white fan.
The bag was passed down to the small girl and soon the three started to walk in silence back to their house.
The main house was big and traditional, though everything in the estate was old-fashioned. A lot dared to say that even their way of thinking. The walk to their house wasn't long, it was located just in the middle of the Uchiha Compound, near the Uchiha elders and close to a private field and a pond.
— “We're home!” — The three said in unison as they took off their shoes, Shinobu was the first to sprint off from the siblings. She rushed to the kitchen and placed the senbei into a jar, helping her mother in the process to place the food on the table.
Shinobu then sat on the cushion near the window as she waited for everyone to sit, losing herself in a trance with the beautiful view locked outside the window. Time always seemed to pass by quicker when she locked eyes with the outside view.
Sunsets were always Shinobu's favourite time of the day. Ever since she could remember she held an unknown chemical attraction to the beautiful mosaic the bright sun created when the day started to end. The way it bled so profusely and slowly begged to disappear, there was something quite poetic in it. How nostalgic and pathetic something as majestic as the sun could end up being.
She found warmth in such pitiful scenery.
It was a familiar sight for her to sit all the way close to the window when the family ate in the wooden chabudai of their kitchen, entranced more by the sky outside the house than the food placed in front of her. In fact, she would've kept herself in the never-ending daze if only her father hadn't snapped her out with the low baritone of his voice.
— “Shinobu.” — He said in a stern tone, making her head snap to the right. He signaled her with his chopsticks her own plate, still full of the soba she had served herself earlier. — “You haven't touched your food, eating is important if you want to get stronger.”
Shinobu finally took a mouthful of the soba on her plate, her dark onyx eyes getting lost once again in the portrait outside the window. It felt as if she couldn't waste a single minute of the afternoon with anything other than observing the closure of the afternoon, and honestly, it would be a shame if she did because the sky had already changed so fast in sixty mere seconds.
So, to say she liked the burning red of the sky was little in comparison to the complete addiction she had.
A sigh was heard loudly from across the table, it happened every day. Uchiha Fugaku was not an impatient man, however, it exasperated him how unbothered his daughter was with her surroundings just because of some limbo she had created within her mind. Never uttering a word, just following around every command and nodding her head.
It felt as if nothing he said was taken seriously by her when she was seated beside that window.
— “Every day the same thing…” — Fugaku passed his hand down his face, covering his mouth as he stared at his daughter. He could never read her mind. — “What is so interesting about the sky anyways…” — He muttered the last part but everyone sitting at the chabudai still heard it.
— “Fugaku, let the girl be. Either way, she always finishes her dinner, the order of the process doesn't alter the final product.” — Mikoto said as she placed her chopsticks down to take a sip of the tea she had prepared previously, her husband only grunted in response.
Dinner with the Uchihas was always comfortable. Sometimes they talked about their day, and other times they ate in silence, but most of the time because of her zoning out, she got scolded. Tonight it was a silent dinner, her favourite type. Or so she had thought until she opened her mouth.
— “There is nothing interesting about the sky, in fact, its nature is so boring I can understand why everyone takes looking at it for granted.” — Shinobu said in a soft voice, earning the attention of everyone at the table. — “However, that itself is what makes looking at it interesting, father.”
Fugaku only sighed, somehow all of his children were unique in a weird way. Itachi was a gentle young boy with an unbeatable strength, Sasuke was a spoiled grumpy boy, and Shinobu was a silent girl with an innocent and pure way of thinking.
He only let out an amused breath before speaking once again. — “Whatever makes you happy, kid.”
— “You two have made some progress in your training, soon I'll also start training Sasuke. It's important that every Uchiha learns the fireball jutsu.” — Shinobu continued eating in silence as she zoned out of the conversation, still she could hear what her family talked about. It was always the same thing just paraphrased. Pride. Power. Uchiha's. Getting stronger. All different words that somehow held the same meaning. She already knew that speech and had heard it about a dozen times.
From the rear of her eye, she could see the smile her mom gave the three of them and such fondness made her blush in embarrassment at her pessimistic thoughts. Mother was always so nice and kind to them, saying sweet words even when they failed. — “Keep up the hard work, perseverance is an important trait for a fine ninja.”
Suddenly, Itachi straightened his back in order to meet his father's judgmental gaze. Leaving the teacup on the table and as he did, shivers ran through her spine, like she knew something bad was about to happen. The oldest sibling cleared his throat before starting, — “Speaking of training, was there a reason why I had not been informed about my father's haste in Shinobu's training program?”
A long silence followed afterward.
Mikoto looked up from the food curiously to meet her husband's gaze, the tension was compressed enough for it to feel suffocating. Shinobu clenched her fist in the fabric of her long shorts as she looked down with guilt.
'Why did I even open my mouth? I wish I had never spoken. God, I can feel it coming up my throat already... This is so embarrassing.'
Her eyes started to water, however, she couldn't show signs of weakness. As an Uchiha, crying and impotence were completely futile, it should not bother her at all. Why couldn’t she just suck it up?
Fugaku raised an eyebrow as he looked at his oldest son, placing his chopsticks in the wooden chopstick resting just beside his plate. — “Strict? I am training her like a ninja student of her age should. However, if the training is too complex for her to complete, then maybe she should give up instead of complaining, but she never complains so I wonder who has told you such rumors.”
— “Still... Shinobu is only five. Why not train Sasuke too then? They are twins after all-!” — He was cut off by the weary glare his father shot him, choosing to stay quiet was wiser than staying in an argument with him. Itachi would never win.
— “Enough Itachi. We will talk about this later, if you are finished eating you are all dismissed.” — At that Uchiha Fugaku stood up, a tick of annoyance covering his face and an evident scowl. He didn't like being told what to do. As a clan leader, he held far too much pride to let himself be lectured by his own son. He knew what he had to do and everything was going fine.
Mikoto started taking the empty plates to the kitchen in silence, Sasuke following by to help her. Leaving both, the younger daughter and oldest son to finish eating in an awkward silence.
Shinobu left her chopsticks at their rest before taking a sip of the tea that had now gone cold. — “You told me you wouldn't talk to him about it, nii-san. Why did you lie then?”
— “I… I felt the responsibility to say something. I'm sorry if I lied, I should not have done that, it was not in my place.”
Shinobu’s voice wavered as she spoke, evident that she was struggling to fight her tears. — “Papa will scold you, then I am not sure if he will allow us to eat senbei after training anymore... Maybe you should just eat them with Sasuke, he will be happy to spend time with you.”
— “Don't cry, I'll convince him. Besides, Uchihas look ugly when they cry.” — Itachi looked at his sister, tears silently rolling down her face as she clenched her hand on the fabric of her navy shorts. He used his hand to wipe her tears in one swift and quick motion, as a magician would. He brought his hand to the top of her head and messed with her hair softly and reassured her that everything would be just fine. — “Why don't you go wash your teeth and face then? I'll place the dishes in the sink so go first.”
Shinobu nodded before wiping her running red nose, she looked outside the window once again in hopes to find the beautiful bloodstained sky; however, the portrait displayed was now far too dark and cold. Only the round moon dominating the sky as the stars shyly appeared one by one signaling with a twinkle that everything was temporary. Even somehow, the current moment felt like a distant memory, but maybe that was just her being weird.
She stood up and walked to the bathroom and brushed her teeth looking at her reflection, noticing the burn marks at the corner of her lips from the continuous use of the variety of fire jutsus she still couldn't master. They stung with the cool and minty flavor of the toothpaste.
She had mastered the fireball jutsu last week, however, it wasn't enough for her to be proud of or at least for her father to be proud of. She still needed to train hard enough for the rest of the fire jutsus to come out naturally, even if she would enter the academy the next year, she couldn't call herself an Uchiha if she knew only one ninjutsu technique, 'It would be embarrassing.' her father would say, and just at the thought she felt the familiar acid coming up her throat. How could she even dare to dream about being satisfied? Only the mediocre think like that, and she was not raised to be mediocre.
After finishing up she went back to her shared bedroom, Sasuke was covering himself with the sheets. Shinobu did the same thing and turned off the bed light until only pitch black reigned their vision. There in that peaceful silence Sasuke called, — “Hey sis, when do you think father will start training me? He always says ‘soon’ but never tells me when…”
— “I don't know…” — Shinobu stayed in silence for a while. That question was a new one. Maybe it passed a few seconds or minutes, not like she could track the time she spent on her thoughts. She finally opened her mouth and spoke. — “Why don't you ask him tomorrow? I bet he'll be happy to know you want to start.”
— “Hmph. You say that but he never pays attention to me, I bet he hates me. I feel like I'm getting left behind in training, I want to be stronger than Nii-san!”
— “I don't think he hates you, maybe papa is just busy. He is the clan leader after all. Besides, I've noticed something lately.” — She said as she uncovered herself with the blanket, she walked to her brother’s futon and whispered in his ear as if telling him a secret. — “Out of the three of us, you are his favourite. So just ask him, I'm sure he will agree.”
— “You think? Then I'll tell him tomorrow, I am excited just to think about it..!” — Sasuke yawned. — “I’ll be the strongest Uchiha around, not even Itachi would stand a chance against me…!”
'Excitement: a feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness.' Such a normal word brought curiosity over her mind because as far as she knew, had she ever been excited about training?
It was just her duty; Why would someone ever be excited to train? Yes, she wanted to be a strong ninja and all of those terms and conditions, but it was just what she had to do. Being Uchiha Shinobu meant that she was strong, so training was inevitable. Then why was Sasuke so excited? Training was scary, it meant; getting thrown around, scrapes and bruises appearing every day, getting told to do better even when that's everything you can physically do, falling, and vomiting from exhaustion.
If anything, training was unsettling, disturbing, and suffocating. So why did he have a rush to train when he could still have time to play?
— “You know, I don't get it…” — Shinobu walked to her futon, covering herself with the blanked as she shifted to her right side so she could face the wall. — “Why are you so excited to train? I say it's not a big deal, besides, it's pretty boring…”
— “Hah!? You say that because you already started, but training is such a big deal. I really want to be a great ninja like Nii-san!” — Sasuke suddenly spat with energy, he then hugged his stuffed animal and yawned. — “Sometimes you're so weird and start saying stuff like that. I guess I really can't understand you and Nii-san... Both of you are really weird sometimes.”
— “I guess so... I'm sorry for saying dumb things.” — Shinobu replied softly, onyx eyes staring at the paneling in her room, it was once again time to sleep, what wouldn’t she give for the day to last a little longer, just for herself.
— “Mhmm, maybe you're just tired.” — Sasuke closed his eyes and said lazily, — “Good night sis…”
— “Good night, Sasuke.” — Shinobu said before closing her eyes and drifting to sleep, though, to be honest, she wished not. Even when she was tired and resting was everything she wanted to do, just the thought of another exhausting day made her anxious. But that was the price of her fate, one that had been decided a long time ago. There was no turning back.