Chapter 3
Chapter 3: I Am Adjusting
After asking around—somehow, I still don’t quite know how—I managed to get myself signed up for the medic ninja program. Despite not being a ninja in training, apparently, medic ninjas were rare, and they were willing to make exceptions. The pay was decent, and it didn’t require me to be a full-fledged shinobi, which suited me just fine.
I also started primary school, though I still couldn’t shake the feeling of being out of place. Unlike the ninja academy, the civilian schools in Konoha ran until you were 14, and after that, many of the kids went into some sort of practical training or apprenticeship. Thankfully, the village supported orphans, so I was able to get by without much trouble.
I always thought I’d want to be something like a nurse or a librarian, maybe even work in the library as a side gig. Who knew? But I had no plans to get involved with the major events of the series. That wasn’t my life anymore. I had enough of that back in my old world.
I waved goodbye to my colleagues with my small, chubby six-year-old hands. I was still adjusting to this new body, but at least I was getting the hang of it. School didn’t start until age 8 for civilians, so I had some time before that would be a reality.
I needed to study more Japanese, though. After taking on Sakura's body, I seemed to have absorbed some of her skills and memories, but it wasn’t perfect. There were gaps. I had to fill in those gaps before things got any weirder.
I strolled around the village, taking in the scenery. Konoha was surprisingly pretty, and I had to admit, there was a certain charm to it. I eventually arrived at my favorite spot: a peaceful waterfall. The sound of the rushing water was soothing, and I closed my eyes for a moment.
“Pretty…” I whispered in broken Japanese, trying to calm my mind and ease the aching in my body.
But then, my gaze caught something strange. A body had been thrown down the waterfall.
Confused, I ran down the rocky stream, following it as fast as I could, looking for whatever person had been tossed there. My heart raced. I didn’t want to leave anyone to die, not if I could help.
I knelt beside the body, placing my hands on whoever it was. They were barely breathing.
The moment my green hands touched them, my chakra flared to life, and I started healing instinctively. I worked quickly, my medical ninjutsu skills guiding me. I could feel the damage, the brokenness of the person beneath my hands, and I focused every ounce of my chakra on mending them.
When the person’s wounds began to close, I realized, too late, who I was healing.
Oh no.
Shisui Uchiha.
He wasn’t supposed to survive this. He was supposed to die. And now I had saved him.
My stomach churned. What had I done? I hadn’t even meant to get involved. What if Danzo found out? What if he saw me as a threat and decided to kidnap me, make me into a heartless child soldier?
My thoughts spun out of control, and panic hit me like a truck. I ran away, my breath ragged as I scrambled to get as far away as I could, my mind racing with every possible consequence of my actions.
But the next day... nothing happened. I didn’t get kidnapped by Root. Danzo didn’t come after me. It was like nothing had changed.
A whole month passed, and I breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like I had gotten away with it, staying low and blending in. Maybe I could just live my life, keep my head down, and avoid the drama.
That was when the weirdness escalated.
One day, as I was sorting through some files at the hospital, specifically in the archives, I felt a presence. I didn’t see anyone at first, but I knew someone was there. An ANBU agent, their distinctive mask obscuring their face, was standing in the shadows.
I froze, wondering if I had done something wrong. Was this a member of Root? Had they come to investigate me?
But the ANBU didn’t attack. They didn’t even seem to care about me, just quietly watching from the shadows.
I shrugged it off for a moment, but then I realized: I could feel things more clearly now that I’d unlocked my chakra for medical ninjutsu. It wasn’t just healing skills—I could sense chakra, energy, presence. And this person, whoever they were, was following me.
I tried not to let it show, going about my rounds and pretending like everything was normal.
When I went to buy groceries afterward, I could still feel the ANBU agent’s presence. I weaved through the store, glancing behind me occasionally, but the agent stayed silent, following me as I went.
That’s when something completely surreal happened.
The ANBU agent—wearing a weasel mask—suddenly sunk into the ground. Like they melted. No, it wasn’t even that; they melted into my shadow. I could barely comprehend it.
WTF?
I knew I was in the Naruto universe, but this just shattered my common sense. It was like something straight out of a nightmare.
The agent—was it a Nara? How the hell did they do that?—was literally in my shadow now, following my every move. I could feel their chakra intertwining with mine.
I had no idea what to do. I grabbed my toast, my heart racing, but I didn’t want to scream. I didn’t want to make a scene in front of other shoppers.
I paid for my groceries, feeling this strange sense of dread.
As I finally made it home, the ANBU agent—still in my shadow—blinked and vanished. Just like that. Gone.
I was left standing there, utterly baffled. So, I had some secret bodyguard now? What kind of nightmare was this?
Can’t I be left alone?