I didn't leave my bed for almost a week, Arashi and Rai stayed with me. Hana and Itachi stopped by everyday, but I remained unresponsive. The only times I would eat would be when Aunt Yoshino or Uncle Shikaku brought me food and glared at me until I forced some food down.

This changed when Uncle Shikaku brought Inoichi over. He eyed me, in all of my pale skin, bloodshot eyes, and tangled hair glory, and said "Is this really what your parents would want? You so torn up over their deaths that you can't even take care of yourself?"

"How would you know?" I hissed, "They're dead!"

He sighs, "Listen, Yoruka, your parents loved you very much, and I don't think any parent who loved their kid like yours loved you would want this for them. And besides," he hands me a picture, "as long as you remember them a little piece of them will live on with you." It's the family picture.

Arashi huffs and bats at me with his paw, "He's right, you know. Takeshi wouldn't want this, and from what little I know of Kuroko, she wouldn't want this either."

A broken sob escapes me as I look down down at my family photograph. We all looked so happy. Then there is water dripping onto the photo. Oh, I'm crying again.

Arashi and Rai curl around me, and purr comfortingly. "I- I just don't understand why Mom had to die! The war ended, but she still died!" I manage to choke out between sobs.

"She died protecting her comrades, her friends, her family, and her village," Uncle Shikaku said, "She saved many lives." I start to cry harder. Uncle Shikaku moves to hug me, and things start to make sense again.

Rai and I go to the academy the next day. My usually tan skin still hasn't regained its normal color, and my bloodshot, brown eyes are still framed by dark circles, but I actually ate something on my own.

I'm one of the last ones to make to the classroom, and both Hana and Itachi stare at me as I approach our desk. "Hey," I say with small smile I'm sure looks more like a grimace, "sorry about, you know, ignoring you two for the past week."

Hana doesn't say anything but pulls me into a crushing hug. Itachi, after a moment, is also pulled in by Hana.

After Hana finally releases us, Itachi looks at me and says "I could never be angry with you when you're grieving. I was just concerned about your wellbeing."

Hana snorts, "What he said," she points at Itachi with a thumb. Then the three Haimaru brothers decide they want to greet me too, and Rai jumps out of my hood with a muttered "Nope, not dealing with them."

A year later finds the three of us sprawled across the floor of my room. Itachi clears his throat, "My father and the elders want me to skip a year because apparently I'm a prodigy," he says in a rush.

After a moment's pause, Hana replied with "Well do you want to?"

He sighs, "Not really."

I snort, "Well, just tell them no. It's ultimately your choice. Besides, I'm technically a genius too, and no one has made me skip a year." Hana starts laughing hysterically at that.

"Yeah, but Yoruka, you manage to score so unbelievably average on everything, even if they know you can handle skipping a year, they don't have proof," Hana manages to get out between bursts of laughter.

"So Itachi can do what I do, and look the people who want him to skip a year straight in the eyes and say "I'm so unbelievably average, look at these completely average scores." It's hilarious watching their reactions. The teachers turn so red when they realize I only answered enough questions to pass," I snicker.

Itachi sighs, "I think that might be worse than telling them I don't want to skip, Yoruka."

"So do that then, the worse they can do to you is disown you, and I doubt your absolute goddess of a mother would let that happen," I reply with a smirk.

"Besides, in the unlikely scenario in which you do get disowned, Mom would adopt you on the spot. She likes you surprisingly well for a cat person," Hana adds on.

Itachi sighs again, "Fine, I'll tell my father and the elders to fuck off."

I choke and Hana loses it once more, "where did you learn that word," I wheeze.

Itachi blinks and just says "Shisui."

Hana descends further into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, as I try to gather myself enough to ask the most important question of all. "Who taught your eight year old cousin that word, and also why have you still not introduced us to your fun cousin," I manage to gasp.

"I worry if I introduce the two of you to him, there would no longer be a village because you all burned it down just to see what would happen," Itachi says with a completely straight face. Hana is crying she's laughing so hard, and I'm soon to join her.

A year later is when Hana and I finally meet Shisui, on a day that just so happens to be October tenth. Judging by what I know of the timeline, today is going to be the day when Obito decides to fuck everything up.

Shikamaru has been born, and Hana and Itachi haven't been able to shut up about their own little brothers. Also Namikaze Minato is Hokage now.

Itachi invites us over for dinner and to meet his baby brother, Fugaku glaring at us the entire time. I don't think he likes Hana and I very much, especially after Itachi actually told Fugaku and the elders to fuck off. He used the word and everything. Itachi described their expressions to be "scandalized."

And then Shisui blows into the house like a storm. Chaotic is the only word I can think of to describe him. He glances over at Hana and I, and his entire face lights up. "Itachi, you actually made friends? I thought you were lying to me to get me off your back! This is wonderful," Shisui was suddenly right in front of Hana and me, "I'm Uchiha Shisui, Itachi's fun older cousin!"

"Nara Yoruka," I say exchanging a grin with Hana, "Itachi said he didn't want to introduce us because he was afraid we would burn the village down." Shisui shot a betrayed look at Itachi.

"I'm Inuzuka Hana and these are the Haimaru brothers," she grinned at Shisui, "apparently Yoruka and I are enablers."

"Oh my Gods," Shisui breathed, "this is fucking karma. Itachi complains about me being an agent of chaos, and then he gets you two as friends! This is wonderful! Hey, how about a game of Ninja hide and seek around the compound in the dark? Itachi would never agree to it but if we out vote him..."

Hana and I exchange glances, twin smirks crawling across our faces, "We're in," Hana replies.

Itachi groans is defeat, to which Shisui answers with throwing an arm over his shoulder, "Come on Itachi, it'll be fun!" Shisui exclaimed.

"You said that last time, and I broke my arm," Itachi said with a glare.

"Yeah, but funly!" Shisui justifies with a smile.

"Is that even a word?" I ask.

He sighs, "Probably not."

Playing ninja hide and seek gives me the perfect opportunity to look for Obito, to distract him, maybe. He is a teenager, and no matter how psychotic they are, teenagers can always be distracted by small children. Luckily for me, I'm a small child. I think I remember something about him setting the nine tails loose on the far side of the Uchiha district, so.

I find Obito. "Hey, you're not a Konoha nin, so what are you doing here?" I shout, perhaps stupidly.

He looks at me and just says "ANBU."

"Uh no, Konoha ANBU uses animal masks, not whatever that swirl on your face is supposed to be, furthermore they don't wear cloaks like what you're wearing. Anyone who's ever seen an ANBU can tell you that," I say channeling the most annoying parts of my seven year old urges. I'm also subtly extending my shadow, thanking all the gods in this world, except Kaguya, because fuck Kaguya, that there's a street lamp nearby to actually cast a shadow.

"Hey brat," he growls, turning around to face me fully, "If you know what's good for you, you'll forget you ever saw me." Huh, so he's reluctant to kill children. That's good.

"Wow, that's a bit hypocritical, don't you think? You can't be much older than me. I'd place you at 15 and no older." I discreetly dig one of my sharp nails, a side effect of the lynx summon contract, into my hand to draw blood and make the appropriate hand signs.

"What do you mean, brat, I'm twenty!"

I smile smugly, "your voice is still cracking, so you're still going through puberty." I summon both Arashi and Rai and activate my Shadow Imitation Jutsu, "Go! Tell a shinobi that there's an intruder!" I yell to my summons. They nod and take off like a shot.

I can only hold this jutsu for a minute and a half, so I have to take advantage of that time wisely. Obito's singular eye shifted into the sharingan. I feign surprise. "You're an Uchiha," I breathe, not making eye contact, "or a bloodline thief, but you're definitely not a Konoha shinobi." My jutsu breaks, and he's suddenly in front of me. Kamui, I hysterically think, I forgot about Kamui.

And then there's an actual Konoha ANBU in front of me, a dog mask, different from the one all those years ago, and silver hair. He blocks the attack. "He has the sharingan," I call out, "also, he has some sort of space-time manipulation technique, not hiraishin. He didn't throw anything!"

Obito growls, tries to kamui away but doesn't. He looks confused. Then I see Uncle Shikaku with his hands in a familiar handsign. "Good thinking sending your summons to find shinobi, Yoruka. Arashi told me you were able to hold him with your jutsu, so I thought I'd give it a try."

Mikoto and Fugaku appeared then, with Rai in tow. "Go find your friends, child, we will handle this," Mikoto tells me.

"Rai, you're familiar enough with Hana's and Itachi's scent, so can you go find them?" At her nod of affirmation I turn to Arashi. "Arashi, can you stay with me while I look for Shisui?" He nods back. "Rai, when you find them meet back up with me."

Arashi and I run closer to the house, retracing our steps to find Shisui. Arashi stiffens, sniffs the air, and gestures with his short tail, and says "there." I hurriedly activate my shadow imitation jutsu.

"Arashi, can you go explain the situation before my jutsu breaks?" Arashi nods, and jumps onto the roof where Shisui was.

My jutsu breaks, and Shisui jumps off the roof with a sheepish expression. "Where are Hana and Itachi," he questions.

"I sent my other summon, Rai who's familiar with their scents, to find them," I said walking towards Itachi's house.

We meet up with the others just outside of the house, and wait anxiously until Mikoto comes and gets us. It's morning, the nine tails never got summoned to the village.

"Oh Yoruka, before you go, the Hokage wants to see you," Mikoto says with a smile. Well, shit. There goes my happy anonymity.