chuunin_archive | An Everlasting Flame

Author: ToeGirth
Tittle: An Everlasting Flame, WIP
Chapter Tittle: The Art of Making a Fool of Yourself
Rating: This is rated T
Spoiler Warnings: This will contain spoilers up until chapter 605, and more.
Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me. Everything you read hear belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Author's notes: Here is the third chapter for you peeps (if anyone is actually reading this,). I hope you enjoy.
Summary: Usually when one thinks of life after death they think of heaven or hell. They definitely don't think about being reborn, let alone in the world of Naruto. This was going to be interesting... Self Insert.

Chapter 3- The Art of Making a Fool of Yourself

Kotetsu had been excited all week. After speaking with our parents they had said Izumo could sleep over for the weekend. They had never had a sleep over before so naturally it was the only thing Kotetsu spoke about. It got annoying after a while but my parents just used it for ammunition.

Every time they saw him slacking on his chores or homework, our mother would make an offhand comment about having guests with a dirty house or him spending the weekend doing all the homework he missed.

It was all rather funny. I too was excited to see my brother’s friend. Kotetsu had said he was smart and I wanted to pick his brains. There were so many new things in this world and I wanted to know as much as I could.

At first I had assumed I had been reborn in my world just on the other side of it, but I was soon proven wrong. Before I could walk my mother would strap me to her back and carry me around the town as she did her errands. Peeking over her shoulder I could only stare wide eyed at everything around me. It was so different from what I was used to.

The streets were made of packed dirt, and the buildings were old but sturdy looking. Nothing had a set price, and this was proven to me when my mother haggled over everything she bought so as to get the lowest price (she can be a little cheap sometimes,).

After learning all of this I knew I had been thrown into completely new territory and thus wanted to figure out as much as I could. I had practiced my letters but it would be a while before I was able to read even the simplest of things, and my family only had the patients to explain so much to me.

So at the thought of meeting someone new, someone who hadn’t had it with my questions already, I wanted to talk to them. There was also a small part of me that wanted to play with them. Kotetsu had promised that he and Izumo would teach me how to climb a tree, something I hadn’t done since I was ten myself.

It’s weird, being older than your older brother. Every time I thought about it, it sent my head in never-ending circles that only gave me a head ache. It was with these thoughts in my head that I sat at the living room window trying to catch a glimpse of them. Eventually I spotted the two of them running down the street, chatting and fighting along the way.

I don’t like appearing excited, it makes me feel like the people around me have a nonexistent advantage and it makes me feel awkward. I don’t like awkward situations and for me the way to prevent them is to pretend to be in complete control.

So as they neared the door I sat on the floor and began assembling my toys with a calm air about me. I heard a snort and glanced to my left only to see my father give me a knowing look. I sighed in annoyance at myself for forgetting he was in the room. That was embarrassing.

The noise outside our house picks up and I look up just to see them come in. Kotetsu looks around, spots me on the floor and waves me over.

“Suikazura come here and meet Izumo,” I happily get up and brush myself off as I hobble over awkwardly. I still wasn’t quite used to walking yet. It doesn’t help that my lack of balance seems to have carried itself over to this world as well. I look up and smile brightly as the boy introduces himself.

“Hello, you must be the Suikazura I’ve heard so much about. My name is Izumo, it’s nice to meet you,” Kotetsu blushes a little at the first part as if embarrassed to have been caught talking about his little sister. And then the rest of his sentence finally registers.

I take in his appearance and I just don’t know what to do. The proof is in the pudding and, though I can’t say that everything blatantly says I’m in the Naruto world, there is enough evidence to point rather obnoxiously in that direction.

What are you supposed to do in a situation like this? Smile and accept it? Get upset? Have a breakdown? Faint? Okay I definitely wasn’t doing that last one. There really isn’t any way to check right this moment so I just push it to the back of my mind for now. I needed to think on it later. The boys noticed my silence and Kotetsu looked at me almost worriedly.

“Kotetsu you never said she was shy,” Izumo says lightly.

“I’m not, I was just thinking. Sorry. It’s nice to meet you Izumo,”

“You were thinking? But you never do that Suikazura! Are you all right?” I glare at Kotetsu. He always teases me like that. In my old life I often found myself saying similar things to my younger siblings. I had also been on this end many times before, but just because I’d done it doesn’t mean I like it. I push him lightly and he just laughs.

My father finally gets up off the couch and goes to greet Izumo. My mother wouldn’t be getting home for a while longer. She works as a seamstress and makes lots of beautiful clothes. She likes working in the store that she works for so she only brings a project home when someone in the family is sick, she didn’t get to finish something at work, or my father had a job.

My father is a carpenter so he only goes out when he gets a job leaving him at home with me a lot. In those times when it was just the two of us he taught me to read, told me stories and took me to the playground to swing.

I had been thinking again and had forgotten to pay attention to the conversation, only being pulled out of my thoughts at the sound of my name.

“Um what?” was my automatic reply causing Kotetsu to laugh and my father, who had been the one speaking, to grin a little.

“I said; it will be a while before your mother gets home and dinner is ready. Why don’t we have the boys take you to the park,” my eyes lit up at the idea as Kotetsu begins to protest.

“Aww come on Kotetsu. You promised you would show me how to climb that big tree,” so I was whining. But I was three okay? Well I might have been a bit older than three but they didn’t need to know that. Kotetsu’s mind was made up when Izumo interjected and said that teaching me to climb trees would be fun, and so the three of set out towards the park.

The boys walked ahead a little but would slow down every time I began to fall too far behind. Learning how to climb a tree sounded great but right now I was even more interested in the surroundings. If I was indeed in Konoha, like I believed I was, then I should be able to spot the Hokage monument at some point. I think.

I had no doubts about which country I had been born into. My brother was the Kotetsu Hagane, and his best friend was the Izumo Kamizuki. They weren’t famous but they were there.

I didn’t know what part of the time line I was in because I never really paid that much attention to the ages of the minor characters, but I knew Izumo and Kotetsu.

My plan on spotting the monument would have worked except I had forgotten to take into account my height. I forgot I was short. Darn it. I could just ask one of the boys to point it out but now I was determined to find it on my own. That would be really hard (not to mention embarrassing,) if my hunch is wrong and I’m not in the Naruto world…

I sigh to myself in exasperation. I should really stop thinking because the only thing it’s doing right now is giving me a headache and ruining my day. If I wasn’t in the Naruto world then I would live a peaceful life here in this village. If I was in the Naruto world… well… I’d need to think about that one.

What am I supposed to do? Do I try to change everything? But everything worked out in the manga, or seemed like it would, and I can’t be too sure it would work out if I change anything.

And aside from all that I don’t even know when I am. Kotetsu and Izumo are ten. I think to myself, trying to figure it out. That doesn’t tell me anything. I sigh again and just decide to focus on climbing trees until later that evening.

In my old life I hadn’t learned how to climb trees until I was six, and I was never able to get very far. I usually just ended up reading a book on one of the lower hanging branches. I wonder how far I could get with two ninja in training at my side.

A new thought occurred to me as I entered the park, something that I probably should have thought of before (I am again embarrassed at my own stupidity,). If I could get to the top of one of the trees I could probably see the monument.

With a new determination, I entered the park and marched right towards our intended tree. We began and as I rested my hands on the tree something felt weird. I know that trees are alive, but this tree was alive.

It was warm and I could feel it practically vibrating under my fingers, as if it was happy to see me and trying to welcome me into its boughs. I wonder if this is the fault of the energy, chakra, my mind supplied. Either way there was, again, nothing I could do but store this information away until I have the chance to think.

Unfortunately I was still three and still chubby with baby fat, which makes actually getting anywhere rather difficult. Izumo seemed to catch on to my frustration and climbs up a branch higher before holding out his hand to me and helping me up.

Kotetsu from his spot higher up looks down and notices the trouble I was having. After laughing at me and teasing me he climbs down enough so that he too could slowly help me make my way up the tree.

The teasing was annoying but I wasn’t stupid enough to let that bother me. I know he was just playing and using my inability to climb as an excuse to help me without seeming nice.

Boys are funny like that. They hate being caught doing something good. Which just means, when we get home tonight I have to brag to my parents about my amazing big brother who helped me up the tree. That ought to be fun.

We never made it to the top but we were still fairly high up. I finally felt safe enough to take my eyes off the tree and look around me. Yep, there it was; the Hokage monument in all its glory. That was troubling.

So I was in the world of Naruto. I wonder how that happened. If I die again will I be reborn in another world? If so I hope it isn’t one about to be torn apart by war. That would be nice.

Oh right the war. I was probably going to die in that, if I was a ninja. Do I want to be a ninja? No, I don’t. But now because I knew the future I felt like I had an obligation to change it. But I still don’t know if that’s the right thing to do. This whole situation was so frustrating.

I felt like I needed help; like I would never be able to accomplish anything on my own. Maybe I should run down the streets singing Hakuna Matata and find everyone who recognizes it and form a club. The Try to Fix but, End up Making the Entire World Worse club. No I can’t do that, the name is too long.

These thoughts circle in my head the whole way down the tree and cause me to nearly fall out of it. At least I would have gotten down faster.

Sometimes when I think, I forget to think. As confusing as that sounds it’s true. There I was, thinking about all of these important-ish things, and here I am not paying attention to where I’m walking. I bumped into something and fell to the ground. That’s one good thing about being so short, I don’t fall as far as I used to.

I had bumped into a woman who was now bending over to help me up. Looking into her face my eyes widen. She must have thought I was scared she would yell at me because she smiles and tries to calm me down, but that wasn’t the problem.

She was beautiful. She had long flowing red hair, and such a large smile. Her companion, who I hadn’t even noticed, looks down.

“Is something wrong Kushina?” I look up at the voice and then I see him. You know; Him. Minato Namikaze. The fourth Hokage. I was looking at the fourth Hokage. A legend, a living legend. They weren’t dead yet.

My heart hurt. It was aching for these people I only knew through a book, but still, to me they were people. They had loved each other. They were building a life for themselves. Soon they would have a child together. They would be so happy and excited. Everyone would be happy for them. But none of them knew what would actually happen.

How when in labor, the fox would be set loose, how they would both so readily sacrifice their lives for their son. The son they would never get to raise as their own; their son who would change the shinobi world.

The boy they would not get to see again for a very long time and even then only as chakra, a mere memory of themselves. I was so sad for these people because I knew there was nothing I could do.

They were looking at me now. I had been silent for so long, maybe they thought I would cry. I stand up and the woman steadies me. Smiling politely I apologize for bumping into them.

“S-sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“It’s alright sweetie. Are you alright? Do you need help getting home?” I shake my head at her and say, “My brother is just down the street thank you.” I felt like I needed to say or do something anything. I wanted to help them so badly. With nothing better to do I look down and notice some flowers on the ground. I pick a few up and hand one to each of them.

“Thank you,” I quickly make my way past them and begin scanning the crowd for my brother. Looking back at them I see bewildered confusion on their faces. They shrug it off and continue on their way. As I walk further away from the two I hear laughter that makes me want to smile at them for their happiness and cry for what I knew was to come.

But I didn’t. Instead I found my brother and Izumo and quietly followed them home. Feeling overwhelmed I went straight to my bedroom and fell into a fitful sleep as I waited to be fetched for dinner.

Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review and come again.

ToeGirth,

Signing out