"Do you think it's fair?" You suddenly disrupted the still silence, stroking curly strands of hair on the boy laying on your lap, as you continued to watch the sky's color bleed from orange to purple. The sunlight was slowly leaving Konoha's grounds, with the night tucking the village with its darkness like a blanket, urging it to retire for the day.

"Hm?" Shisui uttered out, dazed with fatigue from his recently completed mission. With the Naka waterfall's loud rushing water, you would've missed the sound he emitted, if only you weren't anticipating it. It was the only white noise of the Naka cliff tonight.

"Do you think it's fair?" You repeated, not pausing from brushing his head with your fingers.

"Think what's fair?" He asked, adjusting his position to look up to you. You let him, before you resumed stroking his hair.

"That children should fight in wars waged by their forefathers," You clarified. He let out an amused snort, temporarily ridding his exhaustion.

"C'mon, do you really have to ask that? What do you think?" Your best friend already knew what you'd answer.

"I mean, we're fighting for our futures too, aren't we?" You expounded, then sneering, "I just don't get why people just can't make peace already. I'm starting to think the antithesis of peace is pride. They should know what they did wrong and make up for it, instead of prolonging it like this," You ranted, before your nine-year-old self realized it came out painfully naive.

But then... it's that simple in the end, wasn't it? The only obstacles to world peace were communication and understanding-- something most Kages lack with how much they value their pride.

Shisui let out a contemplative hum, drawing it out to let you know that he's thinking of a response.

"Hmm... I don't even know if there is such a thing as justice in the shinobi world," He stated honestly, as you stared down at him with intrigue. "We fight believing in our own justice. But if the enemy is doing the same thing, who's right?"

You pondered over his question, before your face made a solemn look.

"I don't think it matters who's right," You said somberly, your hand stopping its repetitive motion on Shisui's head. Instead, you moved it on the boy's cheek. You felt his breath hitch from your touch, before relaxing as you let your thumb brush on his smooth, warm, alive skin; something you can no longer do with your recently deceased brother. "All that matters to me is who's left."

~*~*~

'There's hostile intent a few miles away, heading towards our direction,' Groaning, you sat up groggily from your disturbed sleep, before instantly recovering your usual vigilance. Such a shame; your recent dream was an exception to your usual nightmares. Nevertheless, you heeded Kurama's warning and stood up to pack your camping gear, making sure not to leave any traces of your presence. If it weren't for the Kyuubi's ability to detect negative emotions, the enemy would've been a lot closer before you could detect them.

'How many?'

'Twenty-six.'

'And they're all heading this way, huh? That means they're heading towards the same village we're going for,' You concluded, well-aware of pillagers running rampant during this time. 'We have to get there before them.' With a bite of your thumb, your blood activated your self-made sealing scroll and stored your camping supplies.

This is one of those times when you're thankful to retain your fuuinjutsu knowledge in your rebirth. That's how you managed to survive a week long (and still on-going) within the wilderness; how you stored most of your belongings without dragging weight; and how you became the Kyuubi's temporary jinchuuriki-- temporary in the sense that you won't have him for the rest of your lifetime. Kurama even surveilled the creation of your seal to make sure you won't use his power against his will (even with the knowledge of the future, he's still wary of humans. The fact that you were... are(?) an Uchiha doesn't help).

The seal you designed on yourself prevents the bijuu from connecting with your chakra coils, hence making it impossible for you to use bijuu chakra, which doesn't make you a functioning jinchuuriki. Fortunately, without that binding connection, it makes bijuu extraction non-lethal. Kurama is nothing more than an additional consciousness in your head.

Still, the whole point of your jinchuuriki status was to serve as a stealthy transportation for the huge bijuu-- a tag-along of sorts. Kurama will be your form of communication with the other bijuu if you would ever encounter any of them, to warn them of potential set-ups Black Zetsu might put them through. Unlike Kurama, you have no close ties with his siblings; they won't trust you like they would a fellow bijuu.

Although, for now, your greatest priority is to find Asura's and Indra's incarnations; it's them who held Black Zetsu's best interest. If they're nearby, Black Zetsu is bound to be nearby too. However, with the Senju and Uchiha clans moving around the Fire country, it's hard to pinpoint where their current bases are to track their clan heirs.

You'll just have to move around too.

After doing your morning stretches and katas, you took a strand of beef jerky from your food stash, then returned the rest of your supplies to your sealing scroll. It would be wise to waste less time and just eat on the way.

Hopping from tree to tree, it was only then you noticed that you had tear stains on your cheeks. It was no wonder why the breeze was colder on your face.

You're thankful that Kurama made no comments of it.

~*~*~

You arrived at your destination by noon, with the sun at its highest and hottest; not exactly the most preferable time of day within the summer season. Thankfully, the surrounding trees were able to shield you from the worst of the heat's gaze, but unfortunately, you'd soon have to exit the forest to enter the small village. Though, the area would cool later in the afternoon, with the mountain in the right position to cover the place with its shade from the sun's rays.

Your plan was to buy whatever you need with your saved allowance, and then just continue on your merry way. At least, that was originally the plan. However, an opportunity to earn money appeared in a form of bandits that Kurama detected earlier.

You thought of an idea to be a shinobi-for-hire during your travels to do something productive while in your search. Being a solo shinobi, you ought to be a lot cheaper than clan-for-hires, which would entice less financially-capable people to pay for your services. The payment doesn't even have to be money; it can also be an exchange of goods or services.

You wouldn't have to undergo with this route if you'd just choose to scavenge used battlefields for kunai and shuriken. However, your practical side went against that idea, as damaged weapons can do more harm than good for its user. Besides, you'll never know when additional ryo can be useful in a time where a lot can happen; especially, when you plan on changing history (hopefully for the better).

With a made-up mind, you decided to wait for the pillagers to make your public debut.

Of course, you would still roam around the village and buy a few supplies here and there, just so it won't appear that you plotted against the village to fake your glory (because it would be suspicious if their savior just came out of nowhere).

Jumping off your perched tree, you landed soundlessly on the ground, before henging into a non-descript adult (they would probably question why a seven-year-old is all alone). It was only after you transformed when you realized that the henge jutsu was yet to be invented after Konoha and the other villages were established, as that was when infiltration missions became the norm. You remember something about the shadow clone jutsu being a variation of the henge jutsu, like how kawarimi is a variation of the shunshin.

In this current time, disguises went in the form of non-solid genjutsus, and disguises are often used for assassinations.

The approaching bandits were lucky you have no such plans.

Predictably, the moment you stepped foot within the small village, passersby stared at you with assessing looks. It was typical, as your foreign features stood out from local faces, and they are well-aware of the dangers that comes with being a small village (their village was so small, it doesn't even have an official name; they just settled with 'A Village Of The Northeast'). You can be a thief, a pillager scout, a rogue shinobi looking for trouble-- you could be anything to their eyes, but eventually, their scrutinizing gazes quickly turned into one of curiosity, and then neutrality. Still, you took it all in stride.

You thought they would be more guarded than this, but you guessed being a woman made them underestimate your threat level. After all, women as shinobi were rare, as clans value restoring their gradually decreasing population during the Warring Clans Era. You'd sooner see a seven-year-old shinobi than an active kunoichi (which you are ironically both).

As far as you've observed, this village is self-sustaining. They have their own crops, livestock, and water source. However, they lack any other products aside from basic needs-- no blacksmiths, no weavers, no potters or ceramists; they only sell commodities. You guess they have trouble trading with other villages for that to be so. If they have no outside trades, this village would have trouble continuing to exist in the future.

'How long before the hostiles reach us?' You asked, instantly taking notice of the local bathhouse you passed by. It's been weeks since you've had a proper bath (skinny dipping within rivers with the use of sand to scrub off dirt doesn't count). You made a mental note to visit the place after beating the upcoming invaders.

'With their current pace, two hours at most,' Kurama dutifully replied. You still have time to eat a decent lunch, you supposed. Your strip of jerky for breakfast hardly filled your stomach.

You bought a few spices and some rice papers and ink, before heading towards the village tavern.

...

Being served your much craved ramen was both a delight and a sucker punch to your gut. On one hand, you missed the warm, salty broth of the dish (eating dried food gets tiring), but on the other hand, seeing the swirly fishcake decorating the top of it gave your thoughts a melancholic walk on the memory lane.

Sighing, you took a bite of your food, bitterly acknowledging that it's not as satisfying as you hoped it to be. Other than missing a certain blond, the ramen just isn't the same in quality with the nostalgic Ichiraku Ramen. You guessed that you have higher standards for ramen now, and no ramen can sate your taste buds until decades later.

...How troublesome.

"-- demands are higher than ever, but delivery--"

"-- you think the daimyo would've done some--"

"-- low metal supply, but maybe we can--"

"-- neighboring village was caught in a crossfire--"

"The Senju and Uchiha are at it again," Your attention was caught at the mention of the two legendary clans. Other than to sate your hunger, taverns were the gossip mill of any village because of its drunkards with loose lips (even Konoha was no exception to this). It's a good alternative to newspapers, you thought wryly.

Seemingly focused on your own food, you used chakra to enhance your hearing to eavesdrop on the three men conversing on the next table.

"Heard it was the Senju's win this time,"

"A caravan saw the Uchiha retreat to the west,"

"Near the Land of Rivers?"

"Hah! Not that far to the west. Knowing them, they'll clash with the Senju again after licking their wounds, so I'd imagine they'd still be around the area,"

"You mean like how you were beat up by Hanako's husband for sleeping with her, and yet you're still around the village?"

"Oi!" The three men laughed.

"It's the best opportunity to travel trade right about now,"

"True, we'll just have to worry about bandits and minor clans scavenging,"

"My sister and I thought about carrying few goods at a time; so, that we don't lose everything if we ever were jumped,"

"Yeah, but business would be slow like that, not to mention tiring,"

"Well, we--"

'They have arrived.'

The whole tavern went quiet at the sound of a frantically ringing bell outside.

And then they panicked.

~*~*~

All villagers retreated within the large barn at the edge of the village, barricading themselves in, probably hoping that the pillagers would just ransack their homes and leave them alone. You pity them knowing that this is the only plan they could think of for the moment of when (not if) their village would be pillaged. You guessed that they can't afford to leave the village if they'd risk their lives to stay here and possibly die. At the very least, they have a scout and a warning system in place-- that's what the small bell tower at the middle of the village was for.

You kind of feel bad that you'd let things things escalate to this, when you could've apprehended the bandits before they arrived. To your comfort, you know none of the villagers would be killed now that they're all huddled and accounted for within the small space.

"-- everyone here? Where's--"

"-- hope they won't take the livestock--"

"-- bound to happen--"

"Everyone, quiet!" The man, you suppose is the village head, exclaimed. Instantly, everyone did as told.

The silence helped amplify the ruckus outside-- the bashing of doors to nearby homes, the harsh shouts, and the barbaric laughter.

To the villagers' dread, the noise was nearing the barn.

Alright, time to make an entrance that would probably make Naruto (and maybe Kakashi) proud. Your debut has to live up to how most civilians perceive shinobi-- untouchable magic-wielding fighters. The more flashy techniques you show, the more reliable you'd seem no matter whether you use your adult henge or not (civilians don't appreciate the art of subtlety as much as shinobi do).

But what could you say to attract their attention? Whatever personality you show now would be how you'd be remembered. It needs to be something casual-- approachable to civilians, but intimidating to enemies. Lackadaisical confidence, perhaps?

"Mah, what a drag," You internally winced that you just pulled a Nara, but you soldiered through what you just (regrettably) started. Naturally, everyone in the room turned to you, as if you were insane, but you only walked calmly towards the front-- the barricaded door. "I have things to do, and I can't waste time being stuck here for who knows how long,"

"What do you suggest we do?!" A woman hysterically asked, her patience already slipping.

"Not 'we'," You shrugged nonchalantly. "Only me." Looking up, you saw an open window that you could escape from. With it too high from the ground, you chakra-walked your way to the opening. And now, everyone in the room knew you were a shinobi.

"E-even if you're a shinobi, there's no way you can beat them! There's too many of them and only one of you!"

"Mm, don't worry, I'm a coward," You gave them your best eye-smile, reminiscent to your old jounin partner. "I don't start fights I can't win."

With that, you shunshin-ed away.

~*~*~

"I... I can't believe it. That's it?" A villager asked, visibly flummoxed.

"Hmm, it took me eleven minutes; I think it was too slow of me," You remarked, feigning annoyance, after tying the last of the unconscious bandits with the villagers' provided rope (actually, you resent your child reserves-- the fight could've been shorter).

"We don't think we can repay you for this," The village head stated honestly, hoping you won't turn against them for 'wasting' your energy. Much to their surprise, you only smiled at them.

"That's fine," You said, waving your hand. "If any of you could provide proper fighting clothes or food, that's enough payment for me," It would seem they didn't expect for your payment to be that cheap.

"O-oh! That can be arranged,"

"Also, just so we're clear on the clothes thing, this is my actual size," You released your henge, and there your seven-year-old self stood at the center of the crowd.

"You're a child?!" Someone exclaimed, uncaring of the technique you used to disguise your actual form.

"A shinobi child," You quipped light-heartedly, and everyone was then reminded of the existence of clan wars where even children fight for their lives. "Anyway, what you do with them is up to you," You gestured at the tied-up criminals.

"We don't exactly want to, well, kill them," A woman said, unsure. You know, deep down, that now that they know you're child, they can't ask you to kill the pillagers for them.

"But they'll just come back if we let them go," A man argued, and before a debate can ensue, you cut in.

"I understand your dilemma, but I can make a barrier for that," You placated, your childish voice seemingly out of place at a discussion for adults. "I'm a seal master, y'know?"

You're not risking anything by revealing that fact, as most of your fighting styles do rely on fuuinjutsu. The only thing you have to be wary of revealing is your sharingan.

Besides, this is the least you could do for letting the pillagers damage some of the villagers' properties.

"Wait, seals?" A young man queried. "Are-are you an Uzumaki?"

"Don't the Uzumaki have red hair?"

"Well, yes, but who else uses seals?"

"She could be bluffing," Even with the last comment being whispered, you still heard it with your sharp senses.

"I resent that accusation," You jokingly remarked, before the last speaker flushed at your attention. "No, I'm not an Uzumaki, but I was an apprentice of one," You informed honestly.

"We never asked, but... what's your name?" The village head inquired, which everyone hushed to and anticipated your answer. You know that this is their indirect way of asking of which clan you belong to. Surnames are a big deal in this time, and by revealing it would be revealing who you're allied with. It's a shinobi way to know of whether you're a friend or foe.

However, it would seem that civilians don't know that memo if they're openly asking it of you.

You realize that how you introduce yourself to them now is how they will spread your reputation to others.

"My name is (Y/n)," You started with a disarming smile. "And I am of no clan."

~*~*~

Wavelength: Of course Miss Chief's dream sequence had to feature Shisui. I didn't expect any less. Anyway! Next chapter would finally introduce you to one of your love interests!

miss chief: shut the fuckeding up o h myga wd shut up i love shisui and you know this, im not taking this disrespect from someone who thinks having a face protruding from your left tiddy is hot