Chapter 36: thirty-five: silent moonSummary:
The crown on her head is a heavy one, but it doesn't mean she has to carry it on her own.
Notes:
I do not own Naruto. I do, however, own Chiyuki, any original characters, and this story's plot.
TW: suicide.
Chapter Text
Becoming Hokage 101
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Section Seven
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Chapter Thirty Five
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Nara Shikamaru is, against all odds, a fussy baby.
He cries loudly every time there is even the slightest inconvenience - be it hunger, a wet diaper, or the simple fact that he can't find a comfortable position to settle in for his nap. His parents, both young and having never had any experience with babies before, sometimes struggle to find out just why exactly their son is crying this time, but true to his heritage, Shikamaru loves the deer and the deer love him, and whenever they can't figure out why he's making a fuss, the deer come to their rescue.
He's young enough he still has that knee-like face newborns have, and in her heart, Chiyuki thinks baby Sasuke was a lot cuter when he was the same days-old. She absolutely does not tell anyone this, even though Chou manages to give her a knowing, amused look.
That does not stop the blonde child from finding him adorable, though.
Shikamaru settles easily in her arms, nearly melting into her skin as his weight and warmth remind her why she's fighting, why she's struggling, and why she does everything she does. She looks at his slumbering figure and renews her promise to make Konoha a better place to live, if only so that he and Sasuke don't ever have to worry about fighting in a war they have no place in.
"You're good with him." Yoshino murmurs from the couch across from hers, watching the scene with love and warmth in her dark eyes. She looks tired but happy, skin nearly glowing from her contentment alone, and her smile is small but honest. Next to her, Shikaku observes the sight with dark, unreadable eyes, silent as a grave.
"I've had a bit of experience with Sasuke-chan." The Sarutobi Princess whispers, afraid of waking the baby sleeping in her arms. Her words finally get a reaction from the Nara patriarch, who seems to break out of whatever spell he'd been in and groans lowly.
"Don't remind me. That damn Fugaku." There's nothing negative about his words, only perhaps a bit of frustration. During the Uchiha patriarch's reign as interim Hokage, the two men worked together more often than not, and it brought both clans much closer to one another - and, consequently, the Yamanaka and Akimichi as well. Nowadays, it's a common sight to see members of these four clans walking and talking around together, as if it'd always been this way.
One might think that the Uchiha and the Akimichi would not get along well, but between one who is fiercely protective of those they care about, and one who is genuine and honest in their kindness, they get along wonderfully, thank you very much.
"Fugaku-taicho? What about him?" The thirteen year old asks curiously, watching in amusement as emotions fly across Shikaku's eyes. Finally, the man settles on a heavy sigh before he apparently steels his resolve. His wife squeezes his shoulder in silent support even as she's laughing with her eyes, which only makes Chiyuki more suspicious.
"We wanted to ask you to be Shikamaru's godmother." The Jounin Commander lets out in a single breath, looking slightly uncomfortable for a total of two seconds. "That damn Fugaku managed to do it first."
"Oh." She blinks slowly at the news, looking at the Nara couple, then at the slumbering baby in her arms. Shikamaru is eleven days old, and yet there are very few things she wouldn't do for him already. Much like with Sasuke, she just wants to wrap him in a blanket and keep him safe and sound within the village, in an environment where he can grow and develop his many skills as freely as he possibly can. She wants to see him thrive just like she knows he can, wants to watch as he achieves many great feats, and be there for when he inevitably falls and needs a helping hand.
'Is this what you meant when you told me to be prepared for the consequences of my actions?' The Sarutobi Princess asks Chou lightly, laughter in her voice.
'Perhaps.' The peacock butterfly hums in amusement, contentment radiating off them in waves. 'The consequences of your actions are not only bad things, but good ones as well. Remember this.'
Back when she felt like the weight of the world was on her tiny shoulders, Shikaku was the first one she chose to trust and share her burden with. Since then, he has not once failed her or betrayed her trust, just as she knew he wouldn't, and she knows just how precious and invaluable that unshakable faith in one another is. The man is one of the main reasons why she's alive and (relatively) well today, with friends and allies to care for and watch her back, well on her way to do some great, some not so great things - and she's immensely grateful to have such a reliable person standing next to her.
Baby Shikamaru continues to sleep soundly, unaware of the thoughts running in her head, and she sends the baby a rare, bright smile.
"Only if I'm allowed to spoil him rotten." The blonde states, grinning at the Nara couple. The man releases a heavy sigh as his body seems to deflate like a balloon, and only then Chiyuki realizes he might've been nervous to hear her answer.
She runs the thought again in her head, and feels both exhilarated and a bit afraid at how good - satisfying? pleasing? enjoyable? - it feels to have someone of Shikaku's caliber be anxious about her reply.
"Not too much, please. If he's anything like his father, we'll have our hands full." The Nara matriarch states, the smile in her face betraying the serious tone of her voice.
"Isn't that what godmothers are for, though? Someone has to undo all the parents' good work." Chiyuki hums, grin not leaving her face.
"I'll bet Fugaku was thrilled to hear about that." The Jounin Commander mutters dryly, resting his arm behind his wife's head on the couch. Still, there's something that screams contentment in this peaceful moment, full of light-hearted jokes and a love so pure and so earnest that it leaves her breathless for a moment.
"He knows what he was getting into when he asked me to be Sasuke-chan's godmother." The girl reassures, giving the man a teasing look. "Just like you."
To her surprise, he doesn't groan or sigh in faked exasperation like she thought he would. Instead, he watches her with dark, dark eyes for a couple of seconds, emotions too deep and too well hidden for her to properly figure him out. It makes her feel as if he's stripping all of her walls and masks off, leaving her emotions bare for him to see.
It's an odd, but not uncomfortable feeling. Chiyuki trusts the Nara patriarch with her life, and knows that she, in turn, has earned a very special place in his own heart. This is the direct result of their combined efforts, and back when she first came to him for help, she never could imagine things would end up this way. Sure, she knew he was a reliable and trustworthy shinobi who'd be able to stand up against Danzo - and her own father, if necessary - but she never imagined she'd feel this close to him.
Someone who is not only dependable and powerful enough to stand his own ground, but also someone who she'd consider to be as much of a father as Hiruzen is, maybe even more so. She does feel bad for her parents, yes, and they all are on much better terms than a couple of years ago, but Shikaku was there for her during one of the darkest, weakest moments of her life, and that-
Well.
When someone you trust so blindly betrays you like her aunt did, it weakens not only your ability to trust people once again, but your entire resolve and motivation. Most of that time blurs together in her head, but she remembers well how both he and Yoshino protected her so fiercely and so earnestly, keeping her safe inside their clan when they really had no reason to - worse yet, risked having a bad relationship with the Sarutobi clan for years to come, simply because they refused to let her out of their sight.
Next to her husband, the Nara matriarch watches the exchange with a hint of wetness to her eyes and a wobbly smile, chakra brushing soothingly and warmly against the man's.
"Yeah." Shikaku agrees easily, smile dancing on his lips. "Maybe I did know."
The thirteen year old knows he's not talking about the godparent issue anymore, but the motivation behind their fateful meeting, all those years ago. It makes her wonder about how long she's come, the lessons she's learned, and what's yet to come.
Most importantly, the exhilarating confidence that comes from knowing who exactly has your back, and how far you can go simply because they're by your side.
Baby Shikamaru groans, as if about to make a fuss, and the three ninja in the room immediately turn to look at him. To everyone's relief, he doesn't even wake up properly, only snuggles closer to his godmother's chest and peacefully goes back to sleep.
'Of course there's something to be said about clan relations and all that, but still.' The thirteen year old muses, and inside her head, Chou silently agrees.
In stark contrast to what it'd been Before, the Uchiha clan is considered once again one of the greatest noble clans of Konoha. Clan members receive thanks and praise from random villagers everyday, and if she's honest with herself, it's extremely entertaining to see such stoic-faced people get flustered and embarrassed in the face of such honest, earnest gratitude.
The same thing happens to the Nara, much to their discomfort and her amusement. People from their clan are a little bit more difficult to recognize in the streets, since they don't wear clothes displaying their clan symbol as often as the Uchiha do, but their signature slouch is nearly impossible to miss, and she has seen many a Nara stand awkwardly in front of a villager to wants to express their thanks for their efforts.
With such powerful clans being recognized more and more for their efforts, it's natural they'd want to keep their stance in the village, even if the Nara clan is a lot more laidback than most. Having Chiyuki be the godmother of the clan heads' children is, in everyone's eyes, a political move. Fugaku and Shikaku's motivations go beyond that, of course, but no one can deny the sway both clans will have with that simple move.
'A thirteen year old as the godmother of the sons of two impressive clans. A thirteen year old jounin who is being sent to Ame as Konoha's ambassador.' She runs the thought in her head, a bit incredulous of her own achievements. If that doesn't tell you about her own growing influence, there's not much else that can.
In this way, she's connected to the Uchiha and the Nara in quite an 'innocent' way - as in, something that doesn't involve marriage or anything of the sort, but it still means both clans will have immense influence from here on, and that will only grow as her own accomplishments stack up, until she eventually becomes Hokage.
'Don't you think it's crazy?' The blonde wonders, struggling to wrap her head around the fact that she, a child, already has that much influence. Powerful clans wanting to keep her linked to them is something she still can't quite comprehend, sometimes.
'Are you afraid of power, child?' Chou asks criptidly, looking at her with swirling compound eyes.
'A bit.' She confesses, closing her eyes for a second and finding herself in the lush meadow inside her mind's eye.
'The power you have achieved so far and the power you will gain from now on are yours, child.' The peacock butterfly seems to dance over to where she sits, lightly nuzzling her head. 'Do not be afraid of what is yours to use.'
Chiyuki opens her eyes to see the Nara couple looking at her with kindness and protectiveness, the kind of feeling that warms you to the bone, so much so that she nearly doesn't remember the cold, unflinching helplessness and dreadful loneliness.
But she does remember it quite clearly still. It sometimes nags in the back of her mind, like an itch you can't scratch, but one that you eventually forget briefly if you leave it alone for long enough.
That sort of icy cold despair, vicious and brutal in its ferocity, doesn't ever leave you, she thinks. You just manage to win over it most days, and the unwillingness to be so helpless ever again just makes you stronger, but there will always be a moment on those dark, ghastly nights, that those demons will appear and make you question if you'll ever be enough.
Baby Shikamaru wakes up then, and the first thing he does when he opens his brown eyes is to give his godmother a cute, toothless smile, and she can't help but smile back.
Maybe, just maybe, she is enough.
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A few weeks after that, Ino, and soon after that, Choji are born. The Sarutobi Princess meets them briefly before news of her deployment to Ame finally come.
'They said they wanted us to stay long enough to stabilize things in the village, but maybe they just wanted me to meet the babies?'
The thoughts amuses her at the same time it warms her heart, and a small smile plays on her lips.
"Things are too quiet. I don't like it." Genma's tense words snaps her out of her thoughts, and as she turns to look at him, she's not surprised there's a frown on his lips.
"It's good that things are quiet." She says lowly, trying to soothe him.
'It means everything is going according to plan, but I don't wanna jinx it.' The blonde resists the urge to bite on her lower lip, forcing herself to remain calm but alert.
In a tightly sealed room inside the Senju compound, Kushina is currently giving birth to baby Naruto. It's been a couple of hours since the contractions really began to come at shorter intervals, and the eery quiet of the night isn't quite fitting for a situation like this.
Of course, this time around, there are a lot more measures in place to prevent anything like what happened Before to happen, Tsunade and Shizune's presence being one of them. Chiyuki's parents were also temporarily let out of their house arrest, and both Biwako and Hiruzen are helping Naruto's birth go as smoothly as possible. Naturally, Minato is also there, along with a Jiraya who had looked vaguely sick before they locked the place down with more seals than she can count.
Kakashi, well on his way to becoming a seal master, is also there, along with Rin and her medic-nin teacher. Obito and Yamato guard the Senju Main House, as well as a few ANBU - her babysitter and Tooru included. Team Chiyuki guards the north wall of the compound, Team Asuma guards the south, Team Ibiki guards the east, and Team Ensui guards the west.
The members of the police force are on stand-by, as well as the clan heads. Lastly, but certainly not leastly, Chou watches over a five kilometer radius, ready and alert to tell their summoner should any suspicious movement be detected.
Overall, the probability of something going wrong this time around is certainly smaller than Before, but one can never be too cautious.
"That's right! Our presence is just one precaution amongst many! It's an honor to be chosen for this mission!" Gai whispers loudly, pumping one of his fists in the air.
"Of course this had to be our last mission together." The sixteen year old groans, and if it weren't for the dramatic flair of his complaint, she'd find it cute how sentimental he's being.
'A standing ovation for Shiranui Genma, everyone.'
"This definitely isn't our last mission together, you drama queen." She huffs in amusement, sharing a knowing glance with the taijutsu expert. They both know that their eldest teammate likes to play the tough and unfeeling type of guy, but the three of them have been through too much for them to not know that Genma treasures and loves them, and just chooses to show it in an odd manner.
"Exactly! Besides, isn't this some sort of training?! We'll all learn different things and continue to grow stronger, fanning the flames of our springtime of youth until the day we meet again!" Their green-clad teammate continues to whisper-shout, trying to look at the bright side of a situation as always.
"How long will you be staying in Ame, again?" The senbon user asks in lieu of an answer, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall. Both boys know the answer to that as if it were their own birthdays, but somehow this is turning to be extremely hard on them - and honestly, it's starting to make Chiyuki hesitate as well.
The logical side of her brain knows that she'll learn a lot while in Ame, and that the training Nagato promised to give her is also invaluable - but they've survived so much together, have been through thick and thin, grown together and learned to trust and love each other, and now they're all going their separate ways, even if just for a little while.
It's… strange.
A bit lonely, too.
"It's just for one year." She tries her best at a reassuring tone, even though everyone present knows about the knot on her throat. Leaving her boys is tragic, but necessary, and although she knows everyone will be fine, it doesn't make her worry any less.
A sudden chakra fluctuation makes the three teenagers shut up immediately, suddenly tense and ready to spring into action. Kushina's chakra flares like a bright beacon of light, wild and untamed, and shortly after comes Kurama's own flare of chakra. It only happens for a split second, but it nearly brings them to their knees - that violent, unhinged roar of chakra, ominous in its promise to devastate and annihilate should it ever be let loose.
"Stay alert." The Iron Demon whispers, trying to focus her attention on possible attacks from the outside even as her brain keeps trying to understand what's going on inside the Senju Main House. Minato's chakra stutters not a full second later, but many familiar chakras swoop in and control the situation before it can escalate any further.
At the same time that Kurama's chakra becomes a mere whisper in the background once again, a new chakra signature along with an entirely different hum of iron are born. Baby Naruto is finally out into the world, and for now, no seals on the outside were broken, and they weren't given any signs that their help might be needed inside.
'Is this it?' She dares to hope, albeit cautiously, until she feels Chou tense up inside her mind.
'Things over here are fine.' The peacock butterfly answers after a few seconds, a slightly strained tone to their usual soothing voice.
She wants to protest and ask what's truly going on, but if the giant insect says things are fine, it's because they are - no matter how much her anxiety insists otherwise.
After another tense hour, Obito finally pokes his head out of the main house, giving them the sign that everything is fine. Team Chiyuki breathes a collective sigh of relief, tension slowly leaving their shoulders, and apprehension gives way to curiosity.
"Was Yondaime-sama's baby born?! I wonder what he's like!" Gai is the first to break the silence, unable to contain his excitement even as he tries his best to keep his voice down.
"I'll bet he looks like a knee." Genma retorts, senbon clicking in his mouth.
Chiyuki snorts, waving at Kakashi who had also poked his head out of the door to check up on her. "Don't be rude."
"He's a newborn!" The sixteen year old defends himself, glancing at the main house when they hear a strange mix of animated but worried voices.
"Sasuke-chan was cute even when he was a newborn." Her declaration gets a long-suffering groan out of their eldest teammate, much to her and Gai's amusement.
"Don't give me that bullshit. You're his godmother, of course you think he's cute." She opens her mouth to reply, an answer about how Shikamaru unfortunately was not a very cute newborn at the tip of her tongue, but Chou's urgent whisper makes her stop immediately.
'You should go check the Uchiha compound.' The peacock butterfly speaks in an odd, bland way, and that immediately makes alarm bells go off in her head.
'Chou?' She asks nervously, anxiety once again rearing its ugly head inside her brain. 'Did Zetsu do something? What is it?'
'Just go.' The giant insect clearly has nothing else to say on the matter, and Chiyuki has no choice but to disobey orders and leave her post before her team is officially dismissed, the strangeness of her summons' behavior too unsettling for her to leave it alone.
"Chiyuki?" Gai frowns, immediately serious once again. As her eyes focus back on the moment, she sees both her teammates' faces peering down at hers with worry, but the girl merely shakes her head.
"I need to go to the Uchiha compound right now. If Minato-sama asks, tell him I'll deal with whatever punishment he thinks is suitable." She replies tensely, not giving the boys time to react before she disappears in a flurry of small butterflies, using Chou's teleportation jutsu to arrive as fast as she can to the Uchiha gates.
When her feet touch the ground a few seconds later, the gates somehow seem to be darker and taller in the unnerving quiet of the night. The blonde flares her chakra in a mix of greeting and call for Fugaku, too anxious and worried to care about decorum and proper behavior. After being thoroughly spooked by the peacock butterfly's odd behavior, going through the usual visiting procedures is the last thing on her mind.
"Chiyuki-hime, how did you-?" The two guards that are by now on friendly terms with her give her mixed looks of concern and puzzlement, looking at each other questioningly.
Before she can answer, however, the Uchiha patriarch arrives, with a haggard, defeated expression. It absolutely does not suit him - the slight droop of his shoulders and the flat but resigned appearance seeming wrong on a man that is usually the embodiment of righteousness and power.
The guards bow to him and wordlessly let her enter, closing the gates behind them. The clan head says nothing as he guides her through the clan's compound, bypassing dark, quiet houses to where there is a small crowd of police officers gathered around a white tarp, covering something bulky and waist-tall. When they see their clan head and the Sarutobi Princess, they part quietly, allowing the two newcomers to see the sight clearly.
They both stop just a couple of meters before the tarp, and the sight takes the breath out of her lungs. There's no mistake it's a dead person, but death is not a stranger to her. Not only a natural part of life, but ever since the beginning of the war, Chiyuki has come to know death in the most personal, intimate ways, so it's not a complete surprise to her.
No, what trips her world off its axis and makes it crumble right before her wide eyes is the fact that the covered corpse belongs to Uchiha Mamoru, and her chest aches.
The lingering chakra that still clings to his body - even if the iron in his blood is muted forever - is unmistakable. Once a warm, bright, and powerful beacon of light, the fire nature of his chakra is nothing but a dying ember now, struggling to stick to a body that no longer has any life in it.
For a moment, she forgets her standing and the crowd watching her every move, and turns to Fugaku with an anguished expression that the man matches all too well.
"What happened?" The girl whispers, the pain in her voice reflecting the one she feels right in her chest, agonizingly familiar.
Sakumo-oji's smiling face flashes in her mind, and the following pain is gut-wrenching. It feels like she's re-watching an old movie, scars that she thought were healed opening anew, and bleeding once again as if they were fresh wounds.
The Uchiha patriarch also seems to not care about their audience, closing his eyes and mirroring her pained expression as he puts a warm hand on her shoulder.
Warm just like the fire running in their veins, like their fierce love, like the burning trail of sorrow that Mamoru leaves behind.
"He suddenly started to act unlike himself. As if there was someone controlling his body."
'No.'
"He kept on activating and deactivating his sharingan, as if struggling with himself, until he-." A pause.
Fugaku never hesitates or pauses in his speech. He's always sure of himself, of his beliefs and his strength-
Chiyuki grips onto his sleeve, and he gives her a look of deep hurt and regret, one that just rubs more salt into the old scars turned anew, and she feels like ripping her heart out of her chest, just so that it wouldn't hurt ever again.
"He decided he would not let himself be used like that."
The height of the tarp seems eerily similar to the length of the sword Mamoru used often, and the realization comes along with a fresh wave of tormented agony.
'Zetsu came. Zetsu came and attempted to control him and he wouldn't- couldn't-'
The Uchiha clan head squeezes her shoulder, and she forces herself to continue breathing, even as guilty-filled bile rises up her throat.
"He always spoke fondly of you." She's sure Fugaku's trying to comfort her, but it becomes a double-edged sword as it only twists deeper into the bleeding wound, making more blood pour out of her poor, abused heart.
She swallows thickly and tears her sight away from the white tarp, too bright in contrast to the dark, dark night, and focuses on the man's face. "I owe him a lot. He is- was- precious to me."
The frown on his face seems to deepen even further as he nods, solemn and defeated. No more words are shared between them, and Chiyuki doesn't know how much time passes as they both continue to stare silently at the covered body, until that too is eventually taken away, and all that is left are the memories of a stoic but good man, who chose to believe in the words of a seven year old genin who knew nothing about the world.
A sincere, battle-hardened shinobi, who had seen and done unspeakable things for his clan and for his village - who believed that she, a naive kid who was still struggling to get out from under her mother's overwhelming shadow and find her own self, could one day lead Konoha in all its military and economic glory.
Shikaku comes to pick her up in the wee hours of the morning. He wordlessly offers his hand and she latches onto it without hesitation, and the two of them slowly start their trek back to the Sarutobi compound. When they arrive, Tooru and Asuma are there waiting for her, and someone ushers her to bed, but for the life of her, she can't remember who it is, or how she managed to change into her pajamas, or how much time passed before the first rays of sunlight started to drift through the curtains.
There's no way she can fall asleep when all she sees when she closes her eyes are the proud faces of Sakumo and Mamoru, telling her she'd make a fine Hokage.
.
.
On the day of her departure to Ame, a couple of days after Mamoru's funeral, Chiyuki learns that Naruto ended up with the Kyubi's ying chakra, and that Kushina got the yang chakra. Apparently, when the baby was just about to be born, Kurama took advantage of the fact that everyone seemed to have their guard lowered and acted out. No one got too badly injured, but Minato's chakra coils got permanently damaged from trying to forcefully hold the Kyubi's chakra back down before it became uncontainable.
No one tells her that, naturally. These are all things Chou quietly whispers into her ear, when the butterfly thinks she's recovered enough from Mamoru's death to focus back on the current situation.
Thinking of him still hurts, of course, but she's let the wound drain and heal for two days, and that makes it ache dully instead of the sharp pain she felt on the evening of Naruto's birth. There's a new scar on top of the old one, and sometimes it throbs agonizingly as if it were a fresh wound, but Mamoru's death was not in vain.
She wouldn't let it be.
The man fought bravely against a formidable opponent like Zetsu, even if it was inside his head. Not only that, but he won - in a very twisted, sad way, but he did it, nonetheless. Naruto was born safely with only one casualty, in stark contrast to what happened Before, and she should be happy about it. Zetsu's plans failed once again, the village didn't get destroyed, Minato and Kushina are alive, and Konoha is flourishing now that the war is over.
'I should be happy.' The thirteen year old looks at her reflection in the mirror, a tired, pale face staring right back at her. When she blinks, Chou's huge figure is behind her, if only for a split second.
'Someone precious to you died. You have no reason to be happy.'
'But-'
'A good outcome is not above your sorrow, and it certainly does not invalidate your feelings. Let yourself mourn for your loss.'
She takes a deep breath in, then out. Tears spring up in the corners of her eyes, but she closes them tightly and refuses to let the tears fall. When she opens her eyes back again, her reflection on the mirror has a slightly better complexion.
'I wonder if the new clothes suit me.'
It's an obvious attempt at changing the topic, but the peacock butterfly thankfully just goes along with it, sensing her summoner needs some more time to settle her feelings on the matter.
'We believe they suit you quite well.'
Her new outfit is a mix of presents from the many people that care for her, and that alone gives her self-confidence a small boost. The girl stands a little bit taller, raises her chin up the slightest bit, and appraises her reflection, as if she were judging someone else and not her own self.
The short, black jumpsuit she now wears is loosely fitted, the light and soft piece of clothing a gift from Mikoto. The knee-high black compression socks are a gift from her parents, who had given her proud looks when she announced she was going to Ame. She'd given them both a hug and a kiss, and the smile on their faces had healed her own heart that little bit more.
On top of the jumpsuit, she wears a gradient dark blue and soft pink haori, with sleeves long enough to cover her hands. In the back, there's the kanji for iron inside a circle, both in white. The haori had been a present from Nagato, who somehow seems to have great fashion sense underneath all the dark, loose clothes he wears. Her brothers had given her new, black sandals, her teammates had replenished her kunai and shuriken, and Shikaku had added a seal to the ones on her wrists, one that allowed her to use the Shadow Possession Technique once.
Choza-sensei had given her enough soldier pills to last for two years, Rin had given her a new med kit, Kakashi had given her a scroll containing one lightning technique, and Obito had given her a set of kunai that lit on fire the moment they hit something. Tsunade had given her a very stern talking to about being safe and a kiss on the forehead. Chou had given her hair a trim, keeping it short in the front and long in the back, and with the Konoha headband wrapped around her neck plus Tsunade's necklace dangling almost innocently on her chest, she looked more ready than she felt.
'You look fine, but you might want to leave soon, or else you risk being late.' The butterfly whispers in her head, and a look at the clock on the wall tells the girl that the giant insect is right, as per usual, and she hurries to grab her backpack. With a final, silent goodbye to her house, she closes the door behind her and starts to walk towards the Sarutobi compound's gates.
Asuma left with the envoys for the daimyo's castle the day before, and Tooru's unpredictable (and hush-hush) schedule as ANBU didn't allow much room for farewell parties, so the three siblings had sat for a nice dinner the previous evening. She's going to miss them terribly - already does - but Chou is keeping a constant watch over them, and aside from praying for their safety, there's not much else she can do.
"Have a safe trip, Princess." One of her cousins exclaims as she passes by, which makes everyone around her do the same. A chorus of 'be safe' and 'have a safe trip' follows her during the brief walk to the compound's gates, and even though some of her relatives are more sincere with their words than others, she appreciates it all the same.
Being estranged from her own clan was also her fault, after all.
As the Sarutobi Princess walks through the village, more people recognize her and send her their best wishes - some of them are ninja, some of them are civilians, but all of them make a different kind of warmth spread in her chest.
Perhaps she's happy about being recognized for her efforts. Perhaps she's just glad people are finally seeing her, and not her parents. Regardless, she can feel the honesty in their words, the kindness in their gaze, and something settles in her mind.
'This power is yours to use.' Chou reminds her gently, and with her confidence renewed, she arrives at the village's main gates, where a small group of people is gathered. Minato, Fugaku, and another Uchiha she has yet to meet are there, and soon after she greets her Hokage, Shikaku and Ensui arrive.
"Chiyuki-hime, this is Takuto. He will accompany you during your stay in Ame instead of his father." The Uchiha patriarch introduces the young man standing next to him, and her chest aches for the briefest of moments before she's back in the present.
'Ah. So he's Mamoru's son, huh.'
Takuto is an absolute brick wall, easily two meters tall with enough muscle to rival a horse. The man looks like he's in his twenties, just like Ensui, and aside from the nose and the jaw, he doesn't really resemble his dad much.
"I'll be in your care." She bows her head slightly, and as social norms dictate, the giant man bows slightly lower, but not before she catches a glint of a challenge in his dark eyes.
'He's measuring me up.'
Maybe he was curious to know the girl his father spoke so well of, or maybe he's just the kind of guy to challenge every single person he comes across. Whatever the reason, she gives her best Political Smile™ and lets the metaphorical bait drop back into his lap, untouched.
She doesn't want to force people to like her, or make them feel obligated to bow down to her. Sure, Fugaku's presence makes sure the guy shows a decent amount of courtesy, and no Uchiha (or Nara, for that matter) would dare to be disrespectful to her, but trying to be respected and being respected as a result of simply being who she is are two very different things.
Besides, she's not here to play nice.
Ensui steps up and introduces himself, albeit in the laziest, 'why-me' way possible, and Chou chuckles airily inside her mind.
'He's being protective.'
'Who, Ensui?' She asks disbelievingly, looking at his slouched figure.
'Yes. We suppose he did not like seeing you be assessed like that.'
'It's so… subtle, though.'
There's nothing about the Nara shinobi's behavior that indicates his feelings, but if she stops to think about it, there's certainly no reason for him to step up and introduce himself when everyone there knows who he is. She steals a glance at Shikaku, who seems to give her an amused glance, and she allows a small smile to play on her lips.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Fugaku subtly scold the young man next to him, and shrugs mentally. Whatever Takuto's personal feelings on the matter are, he knows better than to pull a Jiraya and leave her to die - most importantly, she trusts Fugaku's judgment, and knows he would choose only the best for her.
Minato clears his throat. "Well, if everyone's ready…"
They all stand that little bit straighter, ready to receive their orders from their Hokage. Shikaku steps close to her to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and soon enough she feels Fugaku's warmth on her free side.
"This is a great opportunity for us, and I'm happy to be putting this matter in capable hands. That being said, maintaining good relationships with other villages is important, of course, but your well-being takes place above everything else. Don't forget Konoha has your back." The young Hokage says while staring straight at her, voice light in contrast to his heavy words.
'In other words: play nice but don't be a pushover.'
The thirteen year old takes a second to look at the blonde man's appearance, and even though he looks fine outwardly, something about his chakra does feel slightly off.
Since she clearly isn't supposed to know about it, she keeps her mouth shut.
"Please look forward to it, Hokage-sama." Chiyuki answers with the same calm confidence she has learned to speak to her friends with, looking straight into his clear blue eyes.
"I am. I have high expectations." The Yondaime replies, a hint of amusement in his voice, as if he knows just what he's about to unleash in Ame.
"I won't let you down."
"I know you won't. Be safe."
The weight placed on her shoulders is a heavy one, but she's ready to show the world what the Iron Demon is capable of.
.