Silence

39. Open Up.

I was sitting on the couch while Dad was sitting next to me. Mom was folding the laundry near the kitchen.

"My Shizu is growing up to fast," Dad said making me smile. I just turned four. "She was so little and now she's so close to becoming the strongest kunoichi in Konoha." He said with a big smile.

"Sozoshi." My mother said sternly. "Don't limit her options with your silly predictions. What if she wants to be a doctor or a teacher?" Mother said looking at me with a small glint in her eyes.

Dad pouted and started mumbling. I shook my head at his antics and replied with, "I want to be a ninja someday."

As soon as I finished the sentence, Dad started cheering and clapping. "How's that Mido? Shizu wants to be a ninja." Dad said smiling maniacally. He leaned towards me and pinched my cheeks.

"When Shizu graduates Genin, we are going to celebrate. And when she graduates Chunin, we are going to talk." He said making both my mother and me raise our eyebrows. "You know, about the skills you want to pursue and mainly about boys." He said giving me a playful glare.

I rolled my eyes while Mom chuckled. I widened my eyes when Dad was serious. But then he went back to the playful person he is.

End of Flashback.

"We never got to have the talk nor celebrate," I said. I imagined hearing Dads playful laugh echo through the cemetery.

I just stayed quiet and looked up at the sky. It was around 5 in the evening and the sky was orange with some clouds scattered around the sky. It was breathtaking but there was something that didn't make sense.

Why didn't Danzo make his move to take me before I joined the academy? He had eyes on me for so long. He could have done something.

Before I could ponder to that question. I heard footsteps headed my way. I looked up to find Takada staring at me. I instantly stood up and grabbed a kunai from my pouch.

Takada just laughed. "My, my Shi-chan." He said with a mocking voice. "What's with the haste? I'm just here to congratulate you on graduating Chunin." He said raising his hands in defence. I cautiously looked around to find the whole cemetery empty except for the two of us. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have backup hidden.

"Why are you here?" I asked softly. I had gotten over the fact that he had betrayed me but it still caused my heart to break.

"To congratulate you." He said walking closer. I lifted my kunai and stood in place. It didn't stop him from walking towards me.

"Put the kunai down. It's kinda rude isn't it?" He said pouting. I didn't put the kunai down so his face turned serious. His eyes became sharp and his mouth curled up into a sinister grin.

I widened my eyes at the Killing Intent that came oozing out of him. It made it hard to breathe but I raised my head high and took a defensive pose.

Just as he was a few feet away from me, he reached into his pouch which made me take a step back. He pulled out a piece of paper which I recognized to be one of my marker tags.

"I found this in my apartment." He said making me gasp in realization. I had forgotten about the marker. I just rushed out of there.

"I know you found the safe and I know that you haven't told anyone." He said looking at me carefully. He kept on walking towards me before he disappeared into thin air.

I turned around to find him. But he wasn't there until I felt someone breathing on my neck. I froze up. I didn't dare to move when I felt the cold feeling of a kunai placed at that back of my neck.