Like Hanabi said, Hiashi wasn't pleased at my behaviour, but he understood why I was angry even if he didn't approve of how I handled it. It still didn't stop him from making me kneel and then give me a long lecture on why I shouldn't hurt my classmates to the point that the whole class now thinks that I might murder them whenever I felt like it. I personally thought that it was intimidation tactics at the finest, at least no one bothered me about my adoption status now, including Tai and his lackeys. I was angry with what Tai had said, but it's not like I will really murder him in front of my classmates. Doing so will just put me on Konoha's shit list without any benefits to myself. I just want to hurt and scare him enough while not killing him so that he will not insult me or my mother ever again.
The rest of the class, including the clan kids, gave me a wide berth and now no one wants to willingly talk to me after I displayed what I was capable of. I think they are more unnerved at how cold I treated Tai than the act of me beating Tai up into a pulp. Choji, Shikamaru, and Shino still sit on the same bench as me, Hanabi, and Hinata, but they no longer talk to me willingly or as frequently as before. They fear me. I had to switch seats with Hinata to stop making Choji squirm whenever I sit beside him in class and now I sit at the end of the bench.
It may be for the best. These people are from the main cast and I don't want to interfere with their lives more than necessary, even if canon had already deviated into something unrecognisable. I don't want my addition into their lives to make their lives worse than what it is supposed to be.
"Alright everyone! Gather up!"
The entire class gathered in front of Chiba-sensei and his assistant, Shiba-sensei, who is helping with the survival training today in one of the training grounds. The term 'survival training' is pretty vague. It can include anything from throwing you out into the wilderness for days, hunting for objectives or getting hunted by the instructors themselves, or simply navigating to the designated end point while traversing the huge training ground covered with the huge trees that are unique to Konoha. Rumours has it that many of them were grown by Senju Hashirama himself using his Wood Release.
Chiba-sensei began to explain the objectives of today's survival training. This time, each of us are given a token. The objective of today's survival training is to grab another two tokens from someone else and navigate to the designated end point within two hours with a minimum of three tokens on our person. Our class have about thirty people, so only a maximum of ten people will pass today's training.
After Chiba-sensei dropped us off individually at different points in the training ground, all we had to do is to wait for the signal for the start of the training to be given.
The moment the test started, I just made my way to the designated end point leisurely at a walking pace. Everyone, no matter they had a token or not, will be making their way there. I might as well save the time hunting for tokens by waiting near the end point for the tokens to show up by themselves. The end point is not far from where I currently am. I will still have a lot of time to spare even if I walk there at a civilian's pace.
I waited under the shade of a tree to see if anyone is unlucky enough to pass by. I kept myself hidden from view and I waited. Surprisingly, my first victim made his appearance less than thirty minutes after the start of the training.
"Look who we have here." Tai said condescendingly with his group of lackeys the moment I made myself known. They must have banded up together to increase their chance for success. "Our first victim. Hand over your token now."
I shrugged in a nonchalant manner. I don't think they have learnt their lesson yet, or they might just be too stupid to realise that they have no chance of taking me on even if they ganged up against me. These people are the type who gained confidence in numbers. Once you take out their numerical advantage, all that is left of them is a whimpering mess.
"Take it from me then. It's just right here."
I dangled the token in front of them before putting it back in my haori. My usual attire is pretty much similar to what canon Haku wore. I can understand why canon me liked this outfit, it's actually pretty comfortable. I also prefer wearing something with long sleeves as there are scars that littered my arms from my encounter with the Kumo shinobis. The stab wounds have never fully healed and it left scars behind, not even medical ninjutsu can remove the scars. Rin had suspected that the kunai might have been coated with a special substance that prevented the scars from healing properly. I don't want Hanabi to feel guilty over the scars or to remind her of the unpleasant kidnapping experience, so I make it a point to wear clothes with long sleeves to hide them. It also helps that clothes with long, baggy sleeves are useful for hiding weapons or making discreet hand seals without being seen.
"We were caught off-guard the last time, but you will not be so lucky this time. There are no teachers to help you here. We will crush you."
"Then what are you waiting for?" I replied. "Come get me."
One of Tai's lackeys threw a bunch of shurikens in my direction as the others went charging in after that opening salvo. I simply threw my senbons to deflect the shurikens and went to engage them in taijutsu. Taijutsu will never be my strong suit as one good hit is all it takes to get me winded, but that is all the more reason for me to practice. Tai and his lackeys happen to be very good practice.
And I also get to punish them one more time for insulting my mother, this time through legal channels, although I will never admit to it if asked.
The fight was over even before ten seconds was up, even if I took the time to be doubly sure not to break anything this time, much to my disappointment. I didn't even need to use my senbon in my taijutsu style. Hiashi was very helpful in helping me to develop my own taijutsu style, his training methods must have been really good for me if this is all I need to take them down. According to him, the training he put me through had a heavy emphasis on speed since my body is built for it, like how Minato and Kakashi is, and his training had made me into a speed monster among my peers. The main cast would probably catch up to my progress as time passed. The only reason I am ahead of them now is because I am not a true child, I take my trainings seriously even if I don't like the idea of being a shinobi. I know that each and every single one of my trainings are important if I want to survive in this chaotic world. Being strong is a necessity now that I am forced to be a shinobi. Unlike the main cast who are still children, I don't have time for games, and I certainly don't have any plot armour to protect me from harm. If anything, plot armour would probably kill me given how canon me died. I need every bit of training I can get in my free time to improve my chance of survival, I don't want to die because I am too weak to defend myself. The results showed. Taking down Tai and his minions didn't even make me break a sweat.
Or maybe these goons are just that weak.
I pocketed all seven tokens from them. Including my own, I now have eight tokens when I only needed three. I have five extra tokens to give out if I wish to. I wonder if Hanabi and Hinata needs them?
"Haku! There you are!"
Hanabi ran up to me with Hinata beside her and her byakugan activated. That must be how she found me.
"Haku-kun, you defeated them all by yourself?"
I gave a nod of affirmation at Hinata's words and passed them my remaining five tokens for them to split among themselves. Hanabi already had an extra one, which she said she got by defeating another of our classmate by the name of 'Ami'. That name rings a bell, but I don't remember who that person is. With that, the three of us had the minimum required number of tokens to pass this training. We even had two extras.
The three of us reached the end point even before the first hour is up, much to the shock of Chiba and Shiba-sensei. I think they might be brothers due to some physical similarities they shared and also the similarity of their names, but I never bothered to ask.
Oh well, at least now I have an hour to do whatever I want while we waited for the training to end.
"Haku, you need more friends."
"I have you, Hinata, and Neji."
"Hakuuuuuuu."
Hanabi continued to whine as I ate lunch from our lunchboxes with her and her sister under the shade of a tree outside of our classroom. I appreciate her gesture and I can understand her concerns, but I really am not motivated to mingle with anyone else. Why should I? I don't want to be here nor do I want to be a shinobi in the first place.
"Hanabi-sama is right." Neji walked over to sit down with us and opened his lunchbox. "You need more friends other than us. Personally, I feel that what you did to teach those bullies a lesson is well-justified, but it had caused everyone else in the academy to fear you. There are even some from my class who are afraid of you. It will not be good for your future as a shinobi if no one is willing to trust you. You did threaten to kill off a classmate, even if we know it's just an empty threat. However, no one outside of our group knows this. They really think that you will not hesitate to kill them if they anger you."
"I don't really care about making friends." I admitted and Hanabi facepalmed in frustration.
If even my own father is willing to turn against me when he had loved me as his son, I don't see why I should trust other people and be friends with them. Granted, I know that his actions are a possibility due to my knowledge of canon, but I had trusted him during the short five years of my life that I spent with him. I know that he had truly loved me, but in the end, the love he had for me and Mum lost to his fear of our kekkei genkai.
Even my own father feared me. He sees me as nothing more than a monster the moment he knew that I might have inherited Mum's kekkei genkai.
If even my own father in this world is willing to turn against me, who else can I truly trust? Probably Hanabi, since we survived the life-and-death journey from the Land of Water to Konoha and I know that she will never betray me despite how annoying she can get sometimes. But other than that?
No one. Hinata and Neji are probably okay, same goes for Hiashi and Hizashi even if I don't see them often enough outside of our training sessions, but I don't know them as well as I knew Hanabi. I don't know if I can trust them yet.
It's sad that after spending years in this world, the only person who I can truly trust is a little girl.
"Desperate times calls for desperate measures." Hanabi muttered as she suddenly stood up and dragged me by the arm to somewhere else, ignoring my protests as I tried to prevent the contents of my lunch from spilling out of my lunchbox at the sudden pull. Hinata and Neji followed us at the back.
"Hey guys, mind if we join you for lunch?" Hanabi called out to a group and I take a look to see who she had dragged me to.
The group she dragged me to consist of Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, Sai, Choji, Shikamaru, and even the reclusive Shino. Whatever they were talking about fell into immediate silence the moment they spotted me.
Way to kill the mood.
"Uh… sure." Shikamaru replied, but he never took his wary eyes off me.
"Hanabi-chan! Hinata-chan! Finally! I'm not the only girl here!" Naruto exclaimed loudly and pointed a finger at Sasuke. "This teme here kept bullying me, I need help! Time to show our girl power!"
Hinata giggled at Naruto's display and after introducing Neji to them, the group carried on with their conversation once more. I kept to myself as I continue to eat my lunch, I don't want to spoil the mood. Other than Naruto, who is a little dense, the rest of them are obviously still afraid, or at the very least, wary of me.
I thought that this arrangement is a one-off thing after the day ended, but Hanabi proceeded to drag me into that same group during lunchtime together with Hinata and Neji every single day we had lessons in the academy. The entire arrangement lasted for a month until the next big thing happened.
"A study group?"
"Uh-huh." Naruto nodded as she proceeded to elaborate on what she had been talking about. "Kaa-chan is kind of worried about my grades, and she suggested that I can form a study group with my friends, meaning you guys, and we can study together at my house! Maybe we can meet up once a week or something? My living room is big enough to fit all of us, and Kaa-chan and Tou-chan won't mind us being there to study, 'ttebayo!"
"Hmph. Dobe. Only you need a study group to even pass your subjects."
"Shut it, Teme. You can always not come."
"I don't mind." Kiba said as he rested his hands on the back of his head. "My Mum has been bugging me about my grades as well. Maybe she will get off my back once she knows about the study group."
"Cool! The rest?"
To be perfectly honest, I see nothing that I can gain from being part of the study group. I am absolutely fine with studying by myself.
"We will all be there! We will need to ask Otou-sama for permission, but I don't think he will mind."
Damn it, Hanabi. At least ask for my permission before agreeing on my behalf.
I wanted to refuse, but Hanabi sent me a glare and I decided to just go along with what she said. She will make my life difficult otherwise.
There goes whatever free time I have for myself.
"No, you dobe. You need to multiply first before subtracting. This is the third time I'm going through this with you, just get it in your head already!"
"Huh? But I still don't understand!"
"Just memorise it!"
In the end, everyone in the group turned up for the study session. Even Hiashi didn't make a fuss about it, saying that it is a nice arrangement for Hanabi and Hinata to improve clan relations with the clan heirs of our generation and Neji and I should tag along too. I should have seen that coming.
"I still don't get this question." Kiba said out loud to no one in particular as he scratched his head from where he sat beside me. "How do you find x again?"
I took a glance at the question. It's a question on algebra. It's pretty simple for me, but I can see why it is hard for kids who haven't even reached ten years of age.
"Just shift all the non-x stuffs to one side of the equation and all the stuffs with x to the other side. Then solve for x." I said as I pointed to the different parts of the equation with my pencil to illustrate my point. I had long since finished my work and now I am just waiting until our time here is up. We still have about two hours left until we need to head back to the Hyuga compound for dinner. Hiashi had managed to clear his schedule and he made it very clear that he wanted to spend some quality time with us after dinner today. I know that he is trying to make me feel like a part of his family and that he truly sees me as his son, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I have or will reciprocate his actions. Even after living in Konoha for more than a year, I still find adjusting to life here a little difficult, and I don't really have a connection to anyone else other than Hanabi, and by extension, Hinata and Neji as well due to how close the three of them are. I can't just accept Hiashi as my new father figure, not after everything I had been through. I had two fathers, one from my previous life and the one I killed in this life. I didn't even talk about my second father to anyone else even if I talked a little about my mother to them. I made it very clear that the topic about my father is not for discussion.
I'm not sure if I want another father. I don't think I need one, even if I am grateful to Hiashi for taking care of me thus far. I may not want to stay in Konoha, but I am not heartless nor am I blind. I can feel the sincerity behind his actions and words. Neji and Hinata also just wants to spend more time with me, nothing more, nothing less. They actually treated me like their own brother and it is starting to make me waver. If I am given the chance to leave Konoha without the fear of any type of repercussions, will I continue to stay here?
I still don't know how I should treat my current circumstances. I don't know if I want to treat them as my new family. They are a shinobi family, a group of people that I had wanted to avoid until I got myself stuck here. I don't regret bringing Hanabi back here, but now I am forced to live a life of a shinobi until my last breath.
Kiba looked a little shocked by my sudden speech, but he recovered quickly.
"I see, thanks man."
"You are welcomed."
I can see Hanabi giving me a thumbs up discreetly and I rolled my eyes. I know she wants me to be in this study group to get me to socialise more, and I can't bring myself to get angry at her for it. She's doing this for my own good and I know it, even if I don't like the entire process.
I took a good look at the living room of Naruto's house. It is well-furnished and it has a homely feel to it. Nothing looks out of the ordinary here. You can't even tell that this is the home of two well-known shinobis at first glance.
Something hanging on the wall of the living room caught my eye, and I squinted my eyes to get a better look at it. What is drawn and hung on the wall is a scroll with a seal painted on it. I don't know what it does since I have no knowledge of seals, I need to look up on it during my free time. Even if I never branch into seals, having a rudimentary understanding of it is necessary if I want to continue to live as a shinobi. It doesn't matter how strong you are in this world, sometimes ignorance or carelessness is enough to bring even the strongest shinobi down. Asuma died in canon because he had no idea of Hidan's abilities until it was too late, the same goes for Jiraiya when he was facing Nagato and his Six Paths. Onoki carelessly left half of Mu's clone unsealed and it brought a resurrected Madara onto the battlefield. Kabuto could have still summoned Madara nonetheless, but at least he wouldn't appear on the battlefield straightaway. The presence of Mu's clone allowed Kabuto to bring the undead Madara directly onto the battlefield. Onoki was careless, he knew full well what his predecessor is capable of, but he didn't bother to check his surroundings.
"That's a seal that regulates the temperature of the surrounding area. Interesting, isn't it?"
I turned back to look at Minato, who was sitting on the sofa behind me and reading the newspapers, although he is puting it away now to talk to me. He was keeping an eye on us the entire time even if I don't know how he did it behind a newspaper.
"How does it even work? Seals are basically just ink and paper, right? How can something like that do things from regulating temperature to sealing objects in a scroll?"
Minato visibly brightened up, like he had found a treasure after years of searching for it. I think he has been dying to introduce more people to the wonders of sealing. I know for certain that Naruto isn't interested in the sealing arts since she always complained about how boring they are whenever seals are mentioned around her, so Minato might have been a little disappointed by it.
And so, upon my question, Minato proceeded to give me a long explanation on seals and how they worked.
Minato's explanations were interesting enough for me to totally ignore the study group as I tried to digest what he told me about the basics of sealing. According to him, everything and every step in creating a single seal is important. From the type of ink used, what is used to draw the seal, how you hold the brush, the strokes, the design of the seal, the intent of the seal, the amount of chakra infused into the seal, and many other variables that I will not have thought about. There's a lot of preparation needed to go into a single seal, and it is why there are so few seal masters in the Elemental Nations. Very often, the effort put into learning the art does not justify the rewards. Many people simply stopped at learning how to make storage scrolls or explosive tags when learning how to make seals, and even then, not many people even reached that level of expertise in the first place. Excluding the Summoning Jutsu, people who can create a seal with a single touch, like Minato himself, are even rarer.
"-and that is why usually people use a four point or eight point seal to-"
"Argh! Tou-chan! Stop! STOP! STOP infecting Haku with seals! I have enough of you and Kaa-chan discussing seals at home all the time! I don't need Haku to start doing it in school!"
"But it's interesting." I said as I blinked my eyes in an innocent manner at Naruto. "Can you imagine winning a battle simply by slapping sealing tags on your enemies? That is actually pretty cool."
"I know you will see my point!" Minato said happily as he rubbed his palms together. "Finally! Someone who can appreciate the beauty of seals!"
Minato is actually a nerd, isn't he?
Kushina had joined us in the middle of Minato's explanation on seals and she nodded approvingly at her husband's words from where she stood behind the sofa he is sitting on. There were rumours that while Minato was initially introduced to the sealing arts by his sensei, Jiraiya, it was Kushina that brought him into the higher levels of sealing. Her clan was known for their expertise in this particular shinobi art, and Kushina had personal training from Uzumaki Mito before the Uzumaki elder passed away. Uzumaki Mito was the one who designed the barrier surrounding the whole of Konoha and her design is still being used today. That's how advanced her skills in sealing was.
"No." Naruto whispered comically as she gripped her head with her hands in a shocked manner. "Another one had fallen to the dark side. Come back, Haku! It's not too late!"
Did Naruto just make a Star Wars reference?
"You don't know the power of the dark side, and I do not fear the dark side as you do." I said dryly. "Sorry Naruto, but this is where we part ways."
"Nooooooooooooo! Haku!"
Naruto is really trusting of people. Even when she knew what I did to Tai, she didn't treat me any different since she thinks that my actions were justified and that no harm was done as nothing irreversible had happened. She is willing to give others a second chance. Maybe this trait of her was why her canon counterpart became Hokage, even if the gender is different now.
Come to think of it, what will happen to Hinata now that Naruto is a girl? At the very least, Boruto will never come into existence now.
"If you are interested in learning the sealing arts, we can arrange a lesson for you whenever you come over for the study session." Kushina said as she placed a hand on my head to ruffle my hair in what she thinks is an expression of fondness. "It does not seem like you need the help from the study group anyway, so it might be better for you to use the time to learn something new instead."
I totally agree.
"No, Haku! Quick! Reject Tou-chan's and Kaa-chan's offer! It's a trap! You will never get out of it the moment you enter it!"
"Shut up, dobe. At least Haku is smart enough to learn sealing, unlike you who still have trouble with the multiplication table."
"What did you say, teme?"
"How troublesome. Someone shut them up."
"I agree. Why? The din that they are racking up is making it impossible for us to concentrate on our homework."
I tuned the conversation out and turned to face Minato and Kushina.
"I'd like that very much, Minato-san, Kushina-san."
Hiashi is not against the idea of me learning sealing from Minato and Kushina. In fact, he encourages it. I think he might have his own agenda in doing so, but so far, I don't see a downside for me in learning the sealing arts from the two seal masters of Konoha.
My lessons on sealing were mainly conducted by Kushina, since Minato is a busy man as he is an advisor to the Hokage. Minato took over the role of the teacher sometimes, but both Kushina and him are equally knowledgeable about seals. Our study group will come together to Naruto's house to study once every week, and I will have my sealing lessons in a corner of the living room with either Kushina or Minato while the rest of my classmates will have their own study session in the middle of the living room.
It was during one of my lessons with Minato that I learnt another shocking deviation of this world compared to the one from canon. I was asking Minato who are the other seal masters in Konoha, or if there are any other seal masters in the Elemental Nations. I was surprised that Jiraiya's name wasn't mentioned, so I asked Minato about it.
"What about your sensei, Jiraiya of the Sannin? I was of the impression that he is good with seals."
Minato's expression turned into a forlorn one.
"He was a seal master as well. However, sensei had died together with Naori-san in the previous war trying to buy time for our forces to retreat when our forces were ambushed by Iwa. They succeeded in stopping Iwa from invading our country, but the two of them never made it back."
Another deviation. This time someone who was supposed to live had died. Just how many changes are there in this world from canon?
As usual, I accepted this fact and moved on from it, although I cannot help but think about the impact of Jiraiya's death on the plot, even if the plot was screwed even before I came into this world. Jiraiya was a big influence on Naruto, and there is no telling how this will affect Naruto's development as a shinobi now that he is not around in this world. Konoha will probably not know about the Akatsuki until it is too late since Jiraiya was the one who first found out about Akatsuki's existence in his chase after Orochimaru, who is also a traitor to Konoha in this world. Right now, Tsunade is the only remaining Sannin in Konoha.
"Haku, you need to stop cooping yourself up in your room. All you do are training, reading, and sealing. Do something else!"
I sighed as I put down my brush. Kushina had wanted me to improve on my calligraphy before we move onto something more complex. I cannot get anymore practice done with Hanabi hovering beside me in my room. I swear she spends more time in my room than in hers.
"Well, what else do you want me to do?"
"Anything other than training, reading, and sealing! Anything! Get a hobby, get a life! Nee-san presses flowers, I like exercising, Neji nii-san meditates, but at least we take a break from training! Everything you do in your free time always goes back to training, even the books you read are always somehow related to chakra theory!"
Come to think of it, Hanabi is right. Everything I do in my free time is to improve myself as a shinobi. I can't help it. I may not want to be a shinobi, but if I have to be one, I might as well strive to be the best out there. It also helps that chakra is a very interesting subject to study about. I get hooked on books that document or discuss theories about chakra without even realising it. The people of this world do not know how lucky they are to be born in a world where such a beautiful thing like chakra is real. And what do they do with it? Murder the fuck out of each other instead of trying to make the world a better place to live in with chakra. Chakra can perform miracles. You can split the waters, move the earth, burn things by spitting fire, and many more. If shinobis use chakra for peaceful means, I have no doubt that this world will be home to a magnificent civilisation, a civilisation like no other I had ever seen.
Chakra is a truly wondrous thing.
It wasn't long before Hanabi forced me to think about something to do as a hobby that is not training, reading, or sealing. I agreed to Hanabi's request mainly because she won't stop harping about it until I conceded. That's how she won most of her arguments with me. She just. won't. stop. harping until she gets her way. If all else fails, there is the puppy eyes jutsu, and I always fall for it.
Just what should I do for a hobby?
"You don't need to think so hard, you know? Just find something you enjoy doing."
"Training, reading, and sealing."
"NO!" Hanabi exclaimed loudly as she crossed her arms in an 'X'. "Haku, I just told you these three are out of bounds!"
"Um… Hanabi, if Haku-kun really enjoy doing them-"
"Nee-san, Haku needs to get a life!"
"I agree."
"I don't want to hear that from you, Neji."
"Well, then find something to do as a hobby. Even I have a hobby."
"All you do is to sit there and be a stone. That counts as a hobby?"
"It's called meditation. It helps people to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state."
"It's still sounds like stoning to me."
"Maybe Haku-kun can try gardening?" Hinata suggested and it cut off my argument with Neji.
"Bad idea. The last time I asked him to help me take care of a small cactus, a cactus, nee-san, and it died in less than three days. They don't even need much taking care of and Haku screwed it up."
"Meditation then. You can't screw that up."
"No way in hell, Neji. I am not going to sit there and be a stone."
"Then exercise with me!"
"You know I hate exercising unless it's for training, Hanabi."
"Urgh! You are so difficult to deal with!"
What did I even do in my past life as a hobby? I loved playing the piano, but there's no piano in this world so that is out of the question. I also enjoyed gaming, but there is no computer for me to use, at least not for another twenty to thirty years and even then, I'm not sure if there will be games available for me to play. I enjoyed inline skating, but the roads in the village are too rough to skate properly and I am too lazy to make a pair of skates myself since no one had invented them yet. I will need to create a skating rink to deal with the lack of proper roads to skate on, and that is another problematic issue by itself as a skating rink needs to be huge for skaters to even have any proper fun. When was the last time I skated anyway? Oh right, when Mum was still alive and the river near our village was constantly frozen thanks to the cold climate. I had to find proper metal blades from somewhere to attach at the bottom of my shoes and-
Wait a minute. I don't need wheels to skate. I just need ice.
"Haku? Your smile is creeping me out."
"I think I finally have an idea." I said while grinning. "But first, we need to find a suitable place."
"Why did you bring us to the Naka River?" Neji asked as we looked around. Ko had tagged along as well for our protection and his duty as our caregiver. This is the lower end of the river where the waters have collected into a mini lake. The waters here are very calm. We had also met Naruto and Sasuke on our journey here and they followed as well, curious as to what I was planning.
This spot will do.
I placed my hand on the water surface and with a quick release of chakra, the entire surface of the river that I was planning to use to create a skating rink came into existence as they froze into a smooth layer of ice.
"WOW! So cool! How did you do that? 'ttebayo!" Naruto shouted excitedly as she bounced on her feet. Sasuke was also taken by surprise.
"Is that a kekkei genkai?"
"A kek… what?"
"A kekkei genkai, dobe. A bloodline."
"Yes, it is." I answered Sasuke's question as I took off my sandals and changed into my boots. I had asked the Hyuga siblings to bring along their boots as well. Sandals will not do for this, they are not suitable.
"We followed you here to see what your new hobby is, Haku. Not to watch you practicing your kekkei genkai. No training, remember?"
I gave a smirk in Hanabi's direction when I finally finished putting on my boots.
"Just watch."
With another application of my Ice Release, I created thin blades of ice that I froze to the bottom of my boots and they stuck themselves there. I took a step on the frozen surface of the river to test the modified boots and to see if the river surface was frozen solid enough to withstand my weight. I took a step, and another, and another, and before long I was laughing as I skated about the frozen surface, revelling in the joy of being able to skate once again.
This is genius. I combined training and fun into a hobby. I never knew how much I missed the sensation of skating until now. It reminds me of how I used to pass the time when both my parents are out working, it reminds me of more carefree times. Such times are gone now.
Also, I miss Mum.
I eventually stopped and I saw the rest looking at me with wide eyes and dropping jaws at what I have just shown them. Have they never skated before? Konoha does experience the winter season. Surely they must have skated on a frozen surface before.
"What is it that you are doing?"
"Ice skating. You guys never done it before?"
"Never! I didn't even know something like this is possible 'ttebayo! Teach me!"
I quickly helped the Hyuga siblings and Ko fit the ice blades on the bottom of their boots and soon they were having fun skating around the man-made skating rink, although they were having troubles initially. However, Ko is a full-fledged shinobi and the Hyuga siblings are shinobi-in-training, so they picked up on it quickly the moment I told them the trick on how to skate properly. Sasuke and Naruto don't have the right footwear, so they ran back home to get their boots.
Somehow, the whole of the rookie twelve came together with Naruto and Sasuke when they got back, minus Lee and Tenten since we haven't met them yet, and adding Sai to the mix since he is our classmate in this world. Sasuke even brought Itachi along, and Minato came with his wife soon after, obviously curious at what we were doing. Naruto must have informed her parents of this while Itachi probably tagged along to see what his brother is up to. Isn't Minato an advisor to the Hokage? Don't he have work to do?
Before long, even the Yellow Flash is skating in the ice rink together with us, and I had to increase the size of the ice rink to accommodate so many people. Luckily, I have enough chakra to do so, or we would be swimming in the Naka River by now.
"That was fun! We should do it again some other time!" Kushina said in satisfaction as the entire group rested by the bank of the Naka River at the end of the skating session. Due to Konoha's hot climate, I have to constantly channel my chakra through my feet onto the frozen river surface to make sure the ice doesn't thin out or we will all be taking a swim, and I find this to be good training on how to create ice that can sustain longer under warm temperatures. I have to tell everyone to get out of the ice rink after an hour there as I was running out of chakra to sustain our fun, and some of the ice blades I created for them were starting to melt too even if they hadn't break yet.
I actually found a way to combine fun and training, I'm a genius.
"How did you even think of something like this?" Shikamaru asked. Even the lazy ass was having fun zipping about on the ice rink and actually moving for once. "No one in Konoha thought of skating on ice even when our rivers were frozen during the winter."
"Back from where I came from, it snows all year round." I can feel everyone's attention on me as I am saying this. I don't know why I suddenly felt that it was okay to reveal a little about my past, but maybe it's because the adrenaline from the fun hadn't completely died down yet. "The rivers are almost always frozen, and I always go there to play when my parents were working. I used to skate on the river surface all the time."
"You weren't from Konoha, right? Are you from the Land of Frost? I know it snows frequently over there." Ino asked as she wiped away her sweat with a towel she brought along with her.
I remained silent for a short while as I contemplated on whether I should answer her question. I don't see a real need to actively avoid it, they will find out sooner or later the moment we became genin. I cannot hide my origin from them forever. It's just not possible.
"The Land of Water. I was from the Land of Water."
There were mixed reactions from the group, although most of them were surprised gasps. Kiri doesn't have the best of reputation, even among shinobis. Come to think of it, why did the bloodline purges still happen? Obito is still here in Konoha and so he shouldn't be Tobi, if this character still exists. Maybe Yagura was the one who instigated the purges even before Tobi controlled him? That would be the most logical explanation.
"But isn't Kiri…"
"Really messed up?"
"Sai! That's not how you ask a question!"
"Sai is right." I said as I watched the frozen surface of the Naka River slowly melt under the heat of the blazing sun. "Kiri is one messed up place. You guys are lucky to be born here. You have no idea what it means to have a kekkei genkai in that place."
"Huh? Why?" Naruto tilted her head and she had a genuine confused expression on her face. "Kekkei genkai are rare and valuable, right? At least that is what the teme told me. Why would having- ouch! Teme! What was that for?!"
"Shut it, dobe. You need to listen more in class about the lessons on other villages before you open your mouth."
Huh, I didn't know Sasuke can be so considerate toward others.
"The bloodline purges." I answered Naruto's unasked question. "Go read up about it, Naruto, and you will understand why."
That's the extent of what I am willing to share with them. I am not going into detail of how I came here and what I experienced in the Land of Water before meeting Hanabi. Even she is not privy to my past prior to meeting her and she is the one who I trusted the most in this village. The Hyugas know enough, they knew that I lost my parents to the bloodline purges, but that's all I told them. The rest of the group here should be able to come to the most probable conclusion from what I just told them anyway.
"Alright kids." Minato clapped his hands once to direct everyone's attention on him after sensing the change in atmosphere. "How about some shaved ice to cool off? My treat."
Thank you, Minato. You are a godsend.
Everyone soon put what I told them behind and we made our way to the nearest dessert stall to get some shaved ice.
The skating session with everyone today is surprisingly fun. Hanabi may be right, having some friends here might not be such a bad thing after all.
Kushina and Minato watched as the group of kids walked off back to their homes after spending some time at the dessert stall. Minato wasn't sure what he was expecting when Naruto practically dragged them out of their house on the one day he finally had a day off from all the work that comes with being an advisor to the Hokage, but he was glad that he came along with his wife and daughter. Ice skating is fun, and he wonders why no one thought of doing such a thing before in Konoha.
Minato and his wife waved at Naruto as she left with Sasuke and Itachi. Naruto wants to go over to Sasuke's house to play and they both have no problems with it. Mikoto is Naruto's godmother and she loves Naruto as if she is her own daughter. Itachi had also promised to bring Naruto back home before 10 pm and to see to it that Naruto eats her vegetables when she has her dinner over at their place later, so there's nothing to be worried about.
Minato turned to look at his wife and saw that Kushina looked a little troubled. Minato followed her worried gaze to see what is troubling his wife.
"Is there something about Haku that is troubling you?"
The couple watched as Haku disappeared with the Hyuga siblings and their caretaker as they took a turn to walk back towards the Hyuga compound. Kushina gave a sigh as she took a seat on a nearby bench, and Minato sat beside her and placed a hand on hers. The couple watched the sun setting down in the orange evening sky as Kushina began to explain her worries to him.
"I… I see myself in that boy, Minato. I can understand what he is going through, and I know that it isn't easy trying to adjust to living in Konoha when you lost your home and forced to stay here without your consent, but I don't know how to help him 'ttebane."
Ah, so that is what is troubling her. Like Haku, Kushina was brought into Konoha at a young age from outside the village. Their circumstances are similar enough to draw parallels. Both of them had lost their homes, both of them are outsiders, and both of them faced the same problem of trying to adjust to life here, a life that they never asked for.
"The only difference between the two of us is that I wanted to feel included into the village. I still remember boldly declaring to be the first female Hokage when I first came to class in order to try to get people to accept me. Haku is different. It's like…"
Kushina struggled to find words to complete her sentence and Minato can understand why, it's a little hard to describe the anti-social boy. Even after having a few lessons on sealing with Haku, that boy hasn't even opened up to them. Not even a little. He is a bundle of problems tied up in numerous twists and knots, and trying to disentangle one of them might very well produce more knots than you can solve.
Haku is a flight risk. Everyone who was in the hospital room when Haku first woke up in Konoha knew that the moment they saw his reaction when Kizashi brought up the topic of shinobi, and Haku had made it very clear in his reaction that he doesn't like shinobis. But Haku is just too valuable to Konoha. The Yuki clan had dispersed and disappeared shortly after the third war due to the bloodline purges and their clan isn't very big to begin with, Haku may very well be the last of his clan. His Ice Release is unlike the poor imitators that some of the shinobis from the Land of Frost can use. The ice techniques that Frost Shinobis use are not a result of a kekkei genkai, the Uchiha clan verified that when some of their clan members who had met such shinobis managed to copy their ice jutsus perfectly. The Yuki clan's Ice Release is a lot stronger, Haku himself is proof of it. He managed to freeze an entire section of a river for an hour simply for them to have fun skating on the frozen surface without looking visibly drained. He is only six this year. Minato won't be surprised if Haku is able to freeze at least half of the village when he reaches his prime.
In the Elemental Nations, the Yuki clan are the true wielders of the power over ice. There is no one who is better than them in using the Ice Release. There are Ice Release users outside the clan, but these people are far and few in between and mostly found in the Land of Frost. Their ice powers can't even compare to those of the Yuki clan; the fight between the Land of Frost and some members of the Yuki clan during the first world war had shown that. During the second war, the Yuki clan had single-handedly defended Kiri from an attack from Kumo, the clan alone were enough to repel an entire army of Kumo shinobis when they are fighting on their own turf. Their numbers had dwindled significantly after three world wars and it forced the entire clan to go into hiding during the bloodline purges, but that does not make their reputation any less fearsome. They may not be as bloodthirsty as the other bloodline clans that made their home in Kiri, but their powers are way stronger than most of the other clans there. The people over there called their clan an accursed clan for bringing the winter with them. There are a few areas in Kiri that snows almost all year round and these are usually areas where a fight with an extremely powerful Yuki clan member used to take place many years ago, be it in one of the previous wars or even the warring states period. Minato suspects that Haku's hometown may be one such place. Haku had revealed enough for them to know that he inherited his Ice Release from his mother, it may be why his mother chose to settle down there in the first place. A place which holds some reminder of her lost clan may have brought her some comfort.
The reputation of the Yuki clan and Haku's potential was why Kizashi was so adamant on letting Haku stay here in Konoha. Kizashi never gave Haku a choice when he 'asked' him, and Haku knew straightaway that he wasn't given a choice. He knew that nothing short of death will get him out of Konoha at that point in time. He's a sharp kid.
If Konoha let Haku leave, there is a very high chance he might be snatched up by some other village and turned against Konoha as an enemy. No one likes to fight against a shinobi from the Yuki clan and no one wants to make an enemy out of them if possible. Instead of empowering your own enemy, why not claim that power for yourself? If Konoha managed to get Haku to stay, the Yuki clan might be revived in Konoha, and it will further bolster their military strength as time passed. The entire arrangement leaves a bad taste in Minato's mouth, but they are shinobi. There are times when they have to do unsavoury things like these even if it is to a child that is only a year older than his own daughter. Minato knows Kizashi feels a little guilty about this issue as well, and the least they can do for Haku is to make his life in Konoha as enjoyable as possible. Minato also knows that Kushina would have filed for Haku's adoption to their clan (even if it is only a clan of three and Minato himself isn't an Uzumaki by blood) as she sympathises with Haku's plight, and Kushina will no doubt give him all the love she has to make Haku feel welcomed here. It's just how she is. Hiashi beat her to the punch, however, and he have a better reason for adopting him as compared to Kushina. The Hyugas don't like to leave their debt unpaid. The fact that Haku shows some attachment to Hanabi in their short interaction with him in the hospital room also suggested that it might be a better idea for Haku to be adopted by the Hyuga clan instead, and hopefully, he will slowly integrate himself to the village and not remain as a flight risk.
Very often, shinobis who left their village do not experience a kind death.
"I don't know how to say this, Minato." Kushina sighed once again and leaned her head against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her to comfort her. "I know he has trust issues, but the way he does things makes me think that he has some self-destructive tendencies. It shows in his seal work and how he approaches the subject of sealing. He wants to do things on his own. He doesn't want help unless he really needs it. He tries to cut off contact with others. I'm not even sure if he is aware of it, but he unconsciously holds himself back from trying to make friends. It's like he is trying to not befriend anyone here so that he will not have any attachments to Konoha should he finally have the chance to leave, so that he can leave with a peace of mind, so that it will be easier for him to just pack up and go without a word to anyone else. This cannot be healthy, Minato, and I am worried for him. When I see Haku, I see what I could have been. Our circumstances are so similar, and when I see him, I can't help but wonder if I would have turned out like Haku if I did not have Mito obaa-san, you, and Mikoto. I am lucky in this regard, Mito obaa-san was an Uzumaki like me and it helps to have a relative taking care of you. Haku has no one. I know that look in his eyes, I had it once. He is lonely, but unlike me, he accepts it. He wants to be alone. Just what did he go through to make him turn out the way he did? He's still a child. The way he looks at others is scaring me too. Even the fox doesn't scare me, but the way Haku views others does. It's like he doesn't register the presence of anyone else, it's like he treats anyone else as mere afterthought and that we are just… there. It's like how we look at the insects and birds around us, we don't pay much thought to them. They are just there. To Haku, we are the insects and the birds. Only that Hanabi girl managed to really befriend him, and that is probably because of how they met."
Minato gave a quick kiss to Kushina's forehead to show his support.
"That's why you offered him the chance to learn sealing. You want to try and make him feel included in Konoha and having him meet up with you regularly for lessons is so that you can have regular interactions with him, to help him in adjusting to life here. I thought that you just wanted someone to pass your knowledge onto when you made the offer since Naruto isn't interested in sealing, but even I can tell that Haku is not the prime candidate to learn sealing, so it threw me for a loop. It takes a special kind of mind to truly master sealing. Haku is bright, so are Sasuke and Shikamaru, but none of them have the correct mind that will take them to the level of seal masters if they learn sealing."
Kushina nodded in agreement. "You always do catch on fast. You need a special affinity to learn and then master sealing, it's almost like a kekkei genkai given how rare such people exists. My clan is the only known clan where we are so predominantly suited in sealing. We just have the affinity and like you said, the 'correct mindset' for it. Being smart doesn't automatically guarantee that you will be a seal master in the future. The Sandaime, for example. He is good, but nowhere near the level of a seal master."
"You always wanted to have a student to teach, don't you? Your request to be a jonin sensei was revoked previously because of your furry problem, and after Naruto was born the both of us don't really have the time for anything else outside of work and being at home for her. Your furry problem is gone now, and Naruto doesn't need as much attention as before, why don't you try and take on a student officially?"
Kushina looked up to face Minato.
"You mean…"
"Yes, I mean exactly that. Take Haku as your apprentice. An apprentice to the sealing arts. Not only can you pass on your knowledge and try to help him in your own way, but you also get to finally teach a student, your student, and I know you have been wanting to take on a student for a long time now. I will help too if you need it."
Kushina's frowned a little.
"Do you think Kizashi will approve of it? Haku is still a flight risk, and if he really leaves Konoha in the future with all the knowledge we taught him about sealing, even if he never became a seal master…"
"That's what we are there for, isn't it? We don't need a Yamanaka to know that Haku has severe trust issues, this is the whole reason why we are discussing this topic in the first place. I don't think Kizashi realised this yet, but if he wants Haku to trust Konoha and to be loyal to the village, we need to first show him some trust. Trust is a two-way street, I think that is why Hanabi managed to befriend him. She earned his trust by putting all her trust in him. She never doubted him once."
"Do you really think that I can help him?"
"If anyone have a chance of getting him out of his shell, it is you. I am also thinking of letting Haku meet my team during your lessons. Rin and Obito might be good for him, I'm not too sure about Kakashi, but who knows?"
"As long as that brat don't bring his porn book and read it in the kids' presence, I'm fine with it." Kushina glared at Minato and he could only give a sheepish smile in return. At some point in time after the third war, Minato was at his wits' end in trying to get Kakashi to open up and socialise with people other than his own team. He was discussing about his worries to some of his closer friends and the Sandaime happened to overhear it when he walked past, and he gave Minato a suggestion. Despite knowing that it may backfire horribly at that point in time, he really has no other ideas on how to help Kakashi. He was a little desperate. So, he took the suggestion and introduced Kakashi to the series of books that the Sandaime wrote himself.
Introducing Kakashi to Icha Icha is one of the worst decisions he had ever made in his life. Kushina gave him hell for it, and when Kakashi actually got addicted to those adult novels and read it openly in the public, she was pissed.
On the bright side, it did help Kakashi open up a little, even if Minato doesn't know how reading an adult novel helps one to open up. He mentally sighed, the things a sensei do for his students. An enraged Kushina is an unstoppable and scary Kushina. Even when her anger had subsided, he was still ordered to sleep on the couch for an entire month before she was appeased.
"I swear to the Shinigami, Minato, if Kakashi introduce Haku, or any other kid, to that thrice damned perverted book, you will be sleeping outside the house, and I will burn all of Kakashi's private collection. If I have to be the next Hokage to ban these books from being sold in the village, then I will do it."
Minato winced. He knows when Kushina is kidding and when she is not. She is definitely not kidding right now.
He really needs to warn Kakashi about this, his place on the bed is at risk and where he will be sleeping in the near future depends heavily on his student's behaviour. More importantly…
He also needs to find a better hiding place for his own collection too, just in case Kushina finds them. He doesn't want to know what will happen to him if she happens to chance upon them. Maybe he will just claim it's Kakashi's? Minato had already taken on Kushina's rage once for his sake, it's Kakashi's turn. Kakashi will understand his reasoning, right?