D A T T E B A Y O !
We were assigned a simple observation mission by Hiruzen. Our objective was to watch over him and the Uzumaki orphan, Naruto, for the day. I found it odd, he didn't appear threatening. Though, Tenzo remarked that he knew the necessary seals to reinforce Naruto's if the Kyuubi decided to manifest.
I could remember the event clearly. I was six when the Nine Tails struck, it had been a night before my parents had kicked me out. The fearsome roars of the Kyuubi shattered the windows in the apartment and we were forced to evacuate to the surrounding hill.
Instead of staying with the second branch for roll call, I climbed one of the trees to survey the village. Two men stood on the head of the Kyuubi as it thrashed about wildly. I'd never seen one before, but I knew that there was something wrong. Instead of holding a normal pupil, the Kyuubi held the Sharingan.
"Etsuko?" Tenzo waved his gloved hand in front of my face.
"Hn?" I blinked.
Kakashi landed next to me, followed by Naruto and Hiruzen.
"We need our guard up today," Tenzo murmured to me as he nodded at the Hokage. "The Kyuubi is unpredictable, and you mustn't tell Naruto of what he contains."
It was cruel, really. Naruto was a smiling blonde boy with such oblivious intent to become Hokage like his guardian Hiruzen. Nothing seemed to faze him, not even three lethal ANBU staring him in the face―keeping the secret from him that he held the Demon Fox, would only hurt him more in the long run.
"Ah, Tenzo, Etsuko, Kakashi," Hiruzen smoked on his pipe. "There's no need for your masks today, you don't need to hide anything from Naruto," he looked down at the pouting ten year old at his feet. "Etsuko, Shisui informed me earlier to tell you to meet outside the village boarder. I assume it is to train. I believe it would be appropriate to accept. Tenzo and Kakashi can accompany me today to watch over Naruto."
I tried to conceal the blush, "Yes, Lord Third."
[Time Skip]
I opened one eye to see Shisui pouting at me. We'd been trying the summoning jutsu for over an hour with no result. We'd gone through the list of summons: toads, slugs, snakes, dragons, dogs, turtles, everything.
Shisui scrubbed at his brow and narrowed his eyes at the large scroll, "I don't get it. . .you were able to summon a cat during the Uchiha Trials with no contract and now they won't speak to you."
"I tried using a forbidden summon, a dragon," my fingers twitched, they'd been in the tiger seal for too long. "It said I wasn't worthy and disappeared. But nothing is showing up. . .did I break the summoning jutsu by using it in the arena?"
I knew that before an animal summoning could be performed, the summoner had to sign a contract in blood with a given species of animal. I had to sign my name and place bloodied fingerprints on the scroll to sign that it was valid―I then had to mould my chakra with the hand seals and then summon the creature from their respective dimension. I didn't understand why no animals wanted to bridge with me.
"You can't break an S-Class jutsu like this, Etsu-Chan," Shisui chuckled.
"Hn, well I have no idea what's going on," I huffed and poked my bottom lip out in frustration. "I've given blood and everything."
Shisui thought in silence for a moment, a slight breeze ruffled his curls as small leaves drifted through the space between us. I was about to stand up and walk off but Shisui bit his thumb and began forming hand signs.
In a cloud of smoke, Karasu flapped its wings and kawed.
"Maybe I can request a summon on your behalf," Shisui smirked. "I did the same with Itachi. Unlike other summons, we can substitute our bodies with crows and utilise them for more than battle."
"Crows," I echoed. "Huh, I never thought I'd have that as a summon."
"C'mon Etsu-Chan, one last try," Shisui extended his elbow to Karasu. "Can you transport us?"
Karasu squaked again and opened its mouth. A dull red glow emanated from the back of its throat and before I could scream, Shisui and I were sucked into it.
We landed in a huge nest made out of twigs. When I moved my hand, pieces of Uchiha robes were weaved into the side. I flinched slightly and looked around, we were wobbling. The nest was suspended on top of a long thin tree trunk surrounded by darkness.
In front of us, a large three legged crow raised its wings. As it did so, the darkness turned into what seemed like twilight. The light originated from nowhere in particular but the surrounding nest became easier to discern.
"Yatagarasu," Shisui nodded. "I've come for another favour, I request a summon. This is Etsuko Uchiha."
The large crow tipped its head. Instead of squawking, it spoke, "Etsuko. . .eh? Does she wish to become a part of our murder?"
"Uh, y-yes," I raised my hands defensively. "None of the other traditional summons seem to want a contract with me."
Yatagarasu croaked, what I presumed was a type of laughter, "I couldn't imagine why. Very well. . .let's see if you're as gifted as The Body Flicker."
With a stroke of its wings, Yatagarasu caused the nest to overbalance. As we fell, I could see the row of spikes covering the ground. Screaming, I looked up to try and see Shisui. Somehow, Karasu was strong enough to hold him up by the collar of his shirt.
"You can do it Etsu-Chan!" he called down.
Yatagarasu floated above, staring down at me with beady red eyes.
Sweat collected on my brow as I panicked. The spikes grew closer and I could see that dried blood stained the tips. I had to make a decision. I inhaled deeply and bit down on my thumb, hard enough to draw blood. I ran a strip down my hand and formed the hand signs.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
The intricate summoning pattern formed in the air and I waited nervously. I continued to plummet, my hair flailing around me wildly. Five seconds went by until an enormous cloud of white smoke exploded around the centre of the pattern, enveloping me. I shielded my face with my forearms as hundreds of smaller crows appeared and swirled around me. They then swarmed together above my head to merge into a larger crow.
Its claws dug into my shoulders and it beat its wings. My toes were suspended above the spikes. I exhaled a long sigh and looked up at Yatagarasu and Shisui, both looked impressed.
"Welcome to our murder, Etsuko Uchiha," Yatagarasu flapped its wings again and the dimension distorted.
Landing back in reality, I tumbled across the scroll. Shisui summersaulted onto his feet with Karasu. What I suspected was my summon, hopped in a circle on the cracked earth. It was three times the size of Karasu―and instead of the small red eyes like Yatagarasu, it revealed a three-stage Sharingan.
"You must be Karasu's friend," the crow inclined its head with a deep voice. Hearing a crow speak like a human irked me slightly. "My name is Kuragari, the bringer of misfortune."
Just my luck, I thought.
Kuragari had a necklace looped around its neck. The cord dug into the feathers along its neck as I poked at it. On the thin string, three carved pieces hung from it. The stained wood were carved out like separate Tomoe, the three dangled and made hollow clunking noises when Kuragari hopped about.
"Etsuko Uchiha of the first branch," I introduced myself.
"The pleasure is mine," Kuragari chirped deeply. "Fascinating. . .I was Amaterasu's pet before Yatagarasu rescued me and brought me to the nest a century ago. I have never been a personal summon before, but can only appear in the presence of death. . .you're not dying are you?"
My eyes widened slightly and I waved my hands around, "N-no, maybe it's just luck!"
The rumours of the two murders had already spread throughout the Uchiha like wild fire. Unintentionally, it created even more tension between us and the rest of the village―since the Sharingan were taken, Fugaku immediately assumed it was an assassination by an outsider to exploit our clan's gifts. Shisui and Itachi agreed with the 'foul play' theory―in order to avoid them, I tried to request as many missions outside of Konohagakure's jurisdiction to keep a low profile but hadn't been successful.
I didn't know the boys I killed, but from the amped up guard around Fugaku's home, told me that they must've been sons of men under his direct control. I hadn't shown my face around the compound since I gave Danzo the Sharingan, but I knew my parents were probably being questioned about my disappearance. Perhaps that was why Shisui wanted to meet with me, did he want to know what was going on?
"You okay, Etsu-Chan?" Shisui cocked his head and Karasu evaporated into a puff of smoke. "We can get some food if you want?"
Kuragari beat its wings and perched itself nicely on my shoulder. Its sharp talons dug into the leather strap holding my breast-plate firm.
"It's nothing to worry about," I waved him off with a small laugh. "We can grab a snack, but then I have to rendevous with Tenzo and Lord Third."
Shisui nodded and the summoning scroll also vanished. We walked out of the clearing shoulder to shoulder. I kept looking at him from the corner of my eye, wishing I could tell him everything and be transparent. The other half of me wished it would be like the banquet, tender gestures and embraces.
"Shi-Kun," I murmured.
"Yeah?" he kept his gaze ahead towards the village.
I love you.
"Thank you," I blurted. "For the summoning contract. . .I appreciate it."
"Anything for you," he smirked. "Now let's eat."
Shisui and I approached the circular spectre in the park cautiously to see that Hiruzen, Tenzo and Naruto were nowhere to be found. It was nearing sunset and for our mission to be a 'success' we'd have to return the Hokage and Naruto back to the Tower safely. Kakashi appeared by the bench, scratching his head.
From the trees behind the small stone wall, Tenzo and Hiruzen emerged looking flustered. Tenzo helped Hiruzen off the embankment and set the Hokage on the park bench, fanning his face with the Hokage headdress.
Kuragari squawked on my shoulder and flapped its jet back wings. I turned to my summon and frowned, Kuragari tilted its head at me and chirped.
Shisui poked my forehead and mumbled between chews, "I'll let you get back to work. . .gotta split, Etsu-Chan!"
He disappeared in a flicker.
"Is everything alright, Lord Hokage?" Kakashi ran forward to check the welfare of Hiruzen, who was still being fanned by Tenzo.
"Something terrible has happened," Hiruzen's breath came in heavy gasps. "Naruto overheard me talking to his Sensei at the Academy about his restrictions concerning the. . .beast. . .inside of him―when I wouldn't answer his questions about what I meant, he ran off into the village and I can't find him anywhere. Minato and Kushina entrusted their sons life to me. . .I can't believe I was so foolish to treat Naruto like the rest of the village."
All three men suddenly were up in arms over Naruto's exit. Kakashi started barking orders and Tenzo regarding his lack of vigilance which an ANBU should always possess, whilst comforting Hiruzen. Tenzo, on the other hand, looked ashamed with himself and lowered Hiruzen's Hokage headdress. The Hokage scratched his pale brown hair and sighed.
"I'll find Naruto," I spoke up.
"Etsuko?" Kakashi turned to me and quirked a brow.
"Trust me, Captain," I nodded when Hiruzen waved my dismissal.
** *
With the help of Kuragari flying overhead, I could cut the time of looking for Naruto in half. In every corner of the village there were tipped over stalls and angry business men and women complaining about the blonde demon child.
I knew that if Naruto's emotions got out of hand, the Kyuubi could break from its seal which Minato died to implement (or so Hiruzen explained). I'd only ever seen the Kyuubi once, when it attacked the village along with the two long haired men―but its appearance was unforgettable, as was the destruction it left in its wake.
I had to find Naruto quickly before anything went pear shaped. I sprinted through the village and knocked civilians out of my way as Kuragari signalled that he'd caught onto Naruto's chakra signature.
I wanted to smite every single civilian that whispered a bad word about the Fourth Hokage's son―yes, I agreed that they have hatred towards the Kyuubi, but Naruto wasn't given a choice whether he'd become the vessel for such a beast or not. It aggravated me that people's minds could be so narrow, Hikari must've felt the same way because she expressed her frustration in her scrolls over the Uchiha's trademark stupidity over the Sharingan.
Thanks to my ANBU rank, I was given the privilege to survey the village and its people. I knew that the Uchiha were under close scrutiny by both branches of the ANBU and that of the village, we were being watched―but I also observed the cruelty that the village showed Naruto.
"Go on, take it before you kill someone else!" shouted a stall clerk as he tossed the porcelain mask to the boy cowering on the ground.
I'd taken an interest in Naruto ever since Hiruzen entered my life as my advisor and guardian to my duties. Naruto was the typical underdog, like I was―despite everyone that put him down, he got back up and continued to prove them wrong. I pushed my way through the circle of muttering people to glare at the clerk.
"B–but I was just looking at the masks. . ." Naruto scrubbed his blue eyes.
"Get out of my sight Demon Fox!" the clerk continued to holler before Naruto got off the ground and clenched his sun-warmed fists. The clerk flinched back slightly from the boy and brought his arms up defensively to his face.
"I'm gonna become Hokage someday and all of you will show me the respect I deserve!" Naruto kicked the mask and ran off towards the Hokage Tower.
"Gah, nobody would want an abomination as Hokage," he muttered under his breath.
"That's enough," I apparated in front of the stall. My Sharingan activated in warning when he stepped at me. "All of you move on or else."
The crowd dispersed at my command but sent wearying looks towards the clerk who balled his fists at me and cursed. I rolled my eyes at the man and picked the mask off the ground. I examined the pattern of the animal print and smirked, it was an identical replica to Tenzo's.
"I want you to think about this for a moment," I tossed the mask back towards the clerk. The older man fumbled for it but ended up catching it. "If you have children, I bet you don't speak to them in such a demeaning way. . .that boy has done nothing to you, but what's inside of him has―stop being so fucking narrow minded and accept him, Naruto Uzumaki is not the Kyuubi, he's like everyone else in this village."
The man folded his arms and in a gruff voice said, "Well at least my sons don't have the Demon Fox sealed inside of them! It's just a matter of time before that brat turns on the village and we're all dead!"
My Sharingan retracted.
The surrounding village melted away and was replaced by a red caste. Flower petals wafted around us and the man gripped his head. As each petal touched his skin, a burn appeared in its place. With a blink, I ended the Genjutsu.
Back in reality, I drew my Tanto and swung the blade. I used my elbow to knock him to the ground and cut the strings which all of his decretive masks hung on. They clattered to the ground on top of him and a few bystanders chuckled as the man cowered under the porcelain.
"If Naruto Uzumaki does turn on the village," my voice shook with hatred. "Then I will make sure you're the first to die. . .not by the Kyuubi. . .but by me."
The man's protests were lost under the gasps people gave as I walked off towards Naruto's diminishing figure. He changed his course from the Hokage Tower and Hiruzen's protection, towards a set of apartments.
Despite the bustle of Konohagakure life around me, I could hear Naruto's cries above everything. I'd never seen a child so alone and ostracised from the community before, I wanted to show him that he wasn't alone.
Kuragari circled over the stone faces of the previous Hokage. I shielded my eyes from the glare given off from the burning sun, to see a small blonde haired boy wielding a bucket of red paint as he scribbled slander all over the everlasting effigies of our village leaders.
I slowed to a walk as I scaled the stairs of the Hokage Tower, before launching myself up towards Naruto as he painted eyelashes on Hashirama Senju's impassive face.
Naruto had his tongue poked out in concentration as he dunked the thick brush back into the bucket to finish signing the hiragana of his name across Hashirama's forehead.
I reached up to grab Naruto's wrist just before the bristles connected with the stone. The boy flinched at my touch and the bucket dropped from Naruto's hold, sending red paint towards the Hokage Tower roof below us. I could feel the anger radiate from Naruto's body as he struggled in my grip.
"Get off me!" he growled.
"Easy," I cooed. "I'm a friend."
"Yeah? Well you don't seem very friendly," Naruto pulled from my grasp and threw the dripping paintbrush at Tobirama Senju's face. "Who are you?"
"Etsuko, loyal ANBU to your guardian Hiruzen Sarutobi. I assure you that I can be trusted," I dropped to one knee in front of the blonde haired boy as I tried to conceal my smirk. If I wanted Naruto to cooperate with me, I'd have to show him the respect he always wanted. "And I know you're Naruto Uzumaki, the wannabe Hokage of Konohagakure."
"Wannabe Hokage?" Naruto pouted and kicked the railing of the platform angrily.
"That's the truth isn't it, I mean, you're a bit too young to be titled as Hokage at the moment," I teased with good humour. "I know I'd certainly vote for you as our leader, you have this aura about you that makes me confident in the village's future."
"Un?" Naruto's blue eyes widened. "Y–y–you would? You wouldn't turn your back on me?"
"I've seen how the people of this village treat you," I looked up to have Naruto's warm tears drip onto my face. "I can understand your pain."
"R–really?" Naruto sniffed. "Y–you can stand up now, you don't have to look like an idiot and kneel there all a–afternoon."
I nodded my thanks to Naruto and outstretched my hand to him. He backed away slightly and shied away from my gesture, but ended up placing his smaller hand in my own. Naruto's lip quivered as he frantically tried to scrub the tears from his eyes to no avail.
"How about I tell you a story over dinner," I offered Naruto a piggyback as I landed back onto the ground of the village. I quickly ordered Kuragari to tell Team Ro and Hiruzen that I'd found Naruto and that we'd be back before sunset.
[Time Skip]
I ordered two bowls of Tonkotsu ramen for Naruto and I at the famous Ichiraku shop. It made me feel more at ease that Naruto was in a comfortable atmosphere eating his favourite food.
Between my small mouthfuls of noodles (while Naruto inhaled his ramen), I took in his appearance. He seemed fragile, but always on high alert. Naruto's spikey blonde hair hung over his green goggles. His bright blue eyes contained loneliness, but he tried to hide that behind his cocky persona.
"Tell me about yourself, Etsuko," Naruto wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jumpsuit.
"Um, well I'm an ANBU," I began slowly, unsure of how my seal would react. "If you hadn't guessed from the Trials. . .I'm an Uchiha and my best friends are Itachi and Shisui. When I'm not on missions I enjoy reading about history and drinking tea."
Naruto's face soured at the mention of my clan, "Uchiha, eh? So you know that annoying kid Sasuke. . .me and him don't get along, I suppose his brother's okay. . .he's a bit scary though."
"Itachi can be a bit imposing," I agreed with a slight smile. "To make you feel better, I don't like Sasuke that much either―but my reasons probably differ greatly from yours."
"Yeah well that idiot is such a show off," Naruto rolled his eyes and spun around on his stool to face me. "Sasuke's top of his class and has every girl drooling all over him and I'm barely noticed. He's my rival but I'm afraid that his big brother will kill me if I ever get into a bad fight with him."
"I'll make sure that Itachi won't do anything drastic," I bit my lip. So, Naruto and Sasuke didn't get along, that was problematic since the Uchiha and Uzumaki were rivals back when Hikari was in power. "Just focus on what you have to do to become Hokage, and don't you dare change for anybody because what's the fun in living when you can't be yourself?"
"I suppose so," Naruto scratched his head. "I guess it's my turn to talk about myself then. I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I hate Uchiha. . .but I guess you're okay. . .um, I love ramen . . .I don't really have friends, but Grandpa Hokage and Iruka-Sensei kinda count."
I chuckled slightly when Naruto started giggling for some reason. Something about Naruto seemed to make my world a little brighter―as if Danzo and Fugaku didn't exist, along with their threats. Almost like Shisui and Itachi were never apart of the resistance, that there was no threat to usurp the Hokage's power. . .it all seemed perfect.
"What do you want to become when you're older?" Naruto asked suddenly when his laughter quietened.
"Leader of the Uchiha," I raised my fist in the air and smirked widely. "Dattebayo!"
Naruto cocked his head at me for a moment before bursting out into more laughter. I frowned at him when I didn't catch onto what he noticed. Naruto laughed for three more minutes, causing Teuchi to wave his spatula at us since we apparently caused 'lack of revenue' form the noise.
"What's so funny, hn?" I tapped two fingers against the lenses of Naruto's goggles as the corner of my lips twitched up.
"You are," Naruto's eyes crossed when he focussed on my two fingers still pressed against his forehead. "For an Uchiha, you're pretty easy to talk to."
"Dattebayo," I snickered.
"Da. . .tte. . .ba. . .yo?" Naruto swatted my hand away.
"Haven't you heard that phrase before?" I clasped my hands on my lap and sighed when Naruto shook his head. "I rarely say it that much anymore, but it means 'believe it'. When I was a child, people used to make fun of me for wanting to lead the Uchiha clan because I was a girl―and I'd always say Dattebayo and prove them wrong."
". . .Dattebayo," Naruto repeated quietly. "Can I use that?"
"Hn," I smiled and then fished out the money for the dinner. "Think of it as a gift that I've been able to pass onto you. I hope I've made you feel better tonight―I've tried to keep the public from picking on you, but I can't be everywhere all at once."
"Thank you," Naruto inclined his head to Teuchi and jumped off the stool, ducking under the sign for the shop. "You don't have to do that Etsuko, if I want to be Hokage, I have to handle problems like that myself. DATTEBAYO!"
I put a hand over my mouth and giggled when Naruto started hopping around in a circle saying the word. He stopped and grabbed onto my arm once he got dizzy. Naruto laughed again and poked my armour absently, almost mesmerised by it.
"Do you want me to walk you home or back to Hiruzen's office?" I asked, grabbing Naruto's small hand.
"No I'll be okay," Naruto let go and took two steps away from me. "I hope I can see you again soon, you need to teach me about the Sharingan so I can kick Sasuke's arse!" Naruto stopped walking to wave at me. "I think you'll make a great clan leader, Etsuko Uchiha. Dattebayo!"
"And you'll make a strong Hokage," I whispered as I watched Naruto run towards the illuminated Hokage Tower. "Naruto. . .Uzumaki."