Chapter 3
Tomoe is five and she knows more things by now:
Like how to read a few characters in hiragana; how to tell the names of some of the constellations in the sky; how to mold chakra enough to have a firmer hold on her sensory control; and even how to recognize or focus on specific chakra signatures at short distances—like her father's, and she’s proud to note she isn’t as overwhelmed anymore when he doesn’t try to suppress it.
She also knows a bit more about the presence and has learned with startling clarity that the things she dreams about, the visions she's been seeing, aren't mere flights of fancy her brain had come up with.
They're memories—a peculiar set, to be sure—of a life once lived and in a world vastly different to the one she lives in now. It’s a heady thing, really. The fact that this current world is one born from a story in that old one. It's hard to wrap her head around having all that knowledge living inside her mind still, considering the large gaps that remain in all that she knows, in her understanding of the hows or the whys of it all.
But despite the weight of it all, she’s come to take it in stride and her easy acceptance of them has made her lighter—in a way. More settled in her own skin somehow, regardless of her having a sort of dual consciousness.
That being said, Tomoe can't help but dart her eyes around as they approach the crowded entrance of the building looming overhead. People are standing and mingling about, parents and guardians alike giving well wishes or reminders for their children to behave. Hers being no different.
“You'll be good and stay out of trouble, won't you?”
"I will, mama.”
“I’ll come to pick you up after classes so don’t go following strangers that approach you. Got it?”
“Yes, mama.”
“And remember to—”
“Mama.”
Her mother finally relents, laughing lightly. “Sorry, Tomoe-chan. Since your father wasn't able to make it, I can't help but fuss in his place.”
Tomoe huffs out a breath, tugging at the scarf with her free hand to hide her own smile at the memory of her father’s antics. Her father had taken to hovering and fussing over her in the past couple of days. He'd been so excited too, as if it were his first day at the academy instead, only for him to get called away for a mission all the way to Tea country. She'd been slightly disappointed that he couldn't be here to see her off but she understands the importance of those missions.
There’s a gentle squeeze of the hand holding hers and she looks up to her mother’s searching gaze on her, eyes holding a knowing glint to them.
“You take care, alright?” she murmurs, bending down to kiss her forehead and Tomoe leans in to the touch.
From what she’s seen of the parents she had in that old life, they were barely there—if at all. So she's incredibly grateful for the ones she has in this life, as she is now.
There are times when she'd get too lost in her own thoughts. Some of her visions in those moments, though still fragmented at the best of times, would leave her shaken and too listless to speak on most days. It didn’t escape her parents’ notice, of course. She saw how much it worried them and she felt guilty for it. Tomoe hadn't exactly made it easy for them when she wouldn't tell them anything. Couldn't bring herself to, really.
They did what they could to help her, took her to see a doctor—and when that didn't work, still tried in other ways to cheer her up. Mostly they did it by just being there.
Her father spent time with her every chance he could whenever he wasn’t on missions. They still kept up with her training but he also taught her about the plants in the garden, went with her to the park, and even summoned his ninken to play with. Her mother had stayed with her the most though. On nights when she’d wake up as one of her dream-memories turned into nightmares, she'd hold her close and distracted her from it by singing her lullabies or reading her stories. Even though Tomoe could tell she had questions about them, her mother never pried to Tomoe’s relief.
There were still things that were unknown to her. Uncertainties and fears for the future that left her mind spiraling downwards. But her parents just being there for her kept those dark thoughts at bay, simple as they were. It was nothing that grand of a gesture or even anything too out of the ordinary from what any other doting parent might have done for their child. However, it was enough and it meant everything to her.
The time she spent with them feels precious and Tomoe holds every single moment close to her chest.
She’s slowly brought back to the present when her mother smooths out the hair on her face. Only pausing to smile at something behind Tomoe.
“I think I see Kanae-chan over there.”
Perking up at the mention of her friend, she turns to look around.
She had formed a steady friendship with the other girl ever since that day. Though she’s just as content being with her parents, a good portion of her time is also spent exploring and playing around with Kanae on their frequent visits to the park.
It takes her a few moments to find her, sensing more than actually seeing her among the crowd. It doesn't help that the glare of the morning sunlight is too bright for her eyes to see properly without squinting. She does eventually manage to find her friend, feeling the way her chakra seems to flare the instant she spots Tomoe and waving her over. Exchanging one last goodbye with her mother, she makes her way to the other girl.
“I’m so happy you get to be in the academy with me now.” Kanae says excitedly, although her face turns into a pout a moment after. “Though I wish we started in the same year. We could have been in the same class together.”
“Me too.” Tomoe says softly. Kanae had already started last spring so she's a year her senior.
Her friend hums, turning her head to her as they walk. “We could still see each other for lunch or after classes though. What do you say?”
“I'd like that, if that's really okay with you.”
“Of course!” Kanae quickly pulls Tomoe along by the hand, now with a slight bounce to her step. “Besides, I'm your senpai now so I gotta look out for you.”
Smiling at the thought, Tomoe nods as she follows along behind her friend leading her into the building. “I'll be in your care.”
***
Her first day at the academy goes by without much fanfare.
Her homeroom instructor, Komoro Hiroshi, is a young man with dark hair and sharp eyes. He is patient and seems rather put together in the face of more than a dozen hyperactive kids under his care. His lectures come out clear and concise if a bit bland.
Tomoe does fairly well in her classes, arithmetic comes to her easily—though she doesn’t like it any more than she did in the dream-memory world—and so does science—even with the existence of chakra added in context. Though there are others, like history, that turn her mind over. Mostly to do with her unique circumstance.
She knows more things now, far more than she'll likely ever admit out loud to anyone. Knows of events that could unfold, people that are yet to make a name for themselves or even be born. Knows of those who live, those that don't, and how those legacies will be told.
Tomoe doesn't think too much about what it means that she doesn’t see herself at all in any of her visions.
But there are also things written about the wider world that the dream-memories don’t touch upon and it thrills her somehow—to know that there’s still so many things for her to discover.
It’s a rather tedious endeavor however, to sort her mind through all the mix of overlapping knowledge from the things she’s learning in class to the ones in her mind that spans decades beyond the present day. Tedious but necessary.
She doesn't think it would do well for others to be suspicious of her for somehow knowing things she has no business being aware of, young as she is. Nevermind the knowledge of an entirely different world on top of everything.
Then there comes the actual shinobi classes.
Her dream-memories bring with it all sorts of impressions towards being a shinobi in this world. The presence itself is fascinated by the profession but harbors a muted distaste towards most of the aspects that come with it. That isn't to say that Tomoe doesn’t go through with the lessons and training. This is the kind of world they’re living in now after all and with all that she knows—and those she doesn’t yet—of what the future holds, she can’t let herself stay idle.
Kunoichi classes are equal parts engaging and dubious if she were being honest though.
It’s certainly interesting enough to learn about how customs and cultures differ from each other across the elemental nations, although she isn’t as keen on learning about flower arranging. The overwhelming fragrance is a strain to her nose, but at least being able to identify poisonous plants is a useful thing to learn. Tomoe is pleasantly surprised at how much she enjoys the lessons in etiquette and acting however. Even the presence is pleased with them, finding value (and fun) with this particular skill.
But it does make her wonder why these classes are taught separately from her male classmates and whether they're learning an equivalent to it or if they’re going through something else altogether.
That aside, her classmates are a little rough on her senses.
She’s never spent quite this much time in a room full of so many people before. Their individual and unrestrained chakra signatures brushing up against her is nerve-wracking to say the least but she manages to weather it out and has more or less gotten used to it in a week’s time.
Tomoe recognizes that a lot of her classmates belong to clans. From the Nara boy with droopy eyes and a bored expression staring out the window to the Hyuuga boy sitting front and center, his pale, pupil-less eyes fixed on the book he’s reading. There are even a few Uchiha kids scattered about, their dark hair and eyes as well as the uchiwa fan emblazoned on their backs being a clear distinction. But beyond that, she isn’t really familiar with anyone in the room.
(She tries not to let her eyes linger too much on the head of a certain blond sitting in the front row.)
Making friends in her own class is a somewhat difficult task, Tomoe finds. She’s polite and amicable enough with her seatmates and during group work. But with how quiet she tends to get around new people, it doesn’t go further than making their acquaintance as she can sometimes come off as standoffish. She doesn’t mind all that much though, not when she has Kanae anyhow.
True to her word, her friend has Tomoe joining her for lunch or going home together whenever they can. Most of the time it's just the two of them, other times she's accompanied by one of her friends from her class.
Mebuki is nice, if slightly bossy. She’s cousins with Kanae and Tomoe has already met her a few times before whenever they hang out at the park. She can be a bit much at times like when she gets too fixated with dieting or mooning over the boys in her class (the latter of which drawing out a sense of exasperation from the presence, to her bemusement). But she’s also pretty smart and sweet and Tomoe likes her well enough.
***
There's an excited buzz in the air as they’re gathered out on the school yard. Hiroshi-sensei has decided to hold their first taijutsu spars for the class, having deemed their performance on the basic taijutsu katas decent enough by their third month in the academy.
Tomoe’s eyes are set on every match that comes up, noting how well some fights are carried out compared to others. A few of her classmates have a distinct personal style to their forms—possibly ones from their clans. She tunes out the cheers and jeers around her, only really keeping an ear out for her name to be called as their sensei goes through the list after each round.
“Match!” he declares after Inuzuka Kouga lands a hard kick to Mori Yoshino’s right side, enough to almost knock her out. “Next, Hatake Tomoe and—!”
Namikaze Minato. Yellow Flash of Konoha. Future Yondaime—
She startles at that, eyes blinking rapidly.
That—that’s new.
For all that she’s constantly aware of the presence in her head, it’s usually passive. It nudges Tomoe here and there or conveys itself through ideas and sensations. But to actually hear it string out words is a completely different experience.
Mentally shaking the thought off for the moment, Tomoe enters the ring. Hopefully she’ll be able to revisit it later. Right now, she needs to get her mind back on what's at present. She forms the Seal of Confrontation that's mirrored by her opponent before they ready their stances.
This may well be the first time she gets to properly meet him.
It isn’t really her first time seeing him, that had been during that time at the park on the same day she first met Kanae even if it had only been a brief glimpse. Technically speaking, she sees him all the time in class even if she tries not to and has been doing her best to keep her distance from him. There’s also the times she’s seen him in her dream-memories.
She’s still not at all prepared for it.
“Begin.”
They both launch forward and the two exchange blows, dodging and blocking each attack the other hands out.
Minato is good, though clearly not as much as the dream-memory version of him in his prime, but it’s still impressive for their age. He’s fast too but Tomoe has the advantage of being trained by her father early on before the academy. After her chakra control training had concluded, he’d set her on the physical aspects of being a shinobi. Building her stamina as well as focusing on her reflexes and speed.
So when he rushes in with a sweeping hit, Tomoe finds an opportunity to strike back.
As she advances, she angles her body towards his opening and snaps her arms out to drive up between his own and pushes it away. Shooting out her left leg around his right knee, she kicks it in and forces him to fall forward. With a twist of her body, she pulls him right over her from where she’s secured an arm underneath his and he lands on his back with a thud.
Tomoe looks down at Minato who only stares up at her, blue eyes wide.
“Match end!” Hiroshi-sensei calls after a few beats. “Up next—”
She holds her hand out for the Seal of Reconciliation and nods to him once he reaches up to complete the seal.
The two shuffle their way outside the ring as the next pair take their positions. They both join in on the others watching the ongoing spectacle. Although she can see from the corner of her eye how Minato keeps giving her glances all the way from the other side of the crowd. It’s still there even after the last of the spars come to an end and they're dismissed for the day.
Tomoe doesn’t know what to make of it so she lets it be, but then it seems to go on for a few days after that. She’s vaguely aware of eyes being intensely focused on her whenever she’s called to answer during oral quizzes as well as when they’re doing taijutsu practice or with throwing kunai and shuriken. It also follows her whenever she enters or leaves the classroom. She isn’t exactly sure as to what prompted this but she tries not to let it bother her.
But—well. It does. A bit.
It isn't until three days later, once they’re let out of their last class, that she approaches him.
“Um, hey. Namikaze-san, right?”
“Ah, yes.” He turns, wide-eyed and the pounding of Tomoe’s heart speeds up abruptly. Whether in apprehension or something else, she doesn't know.
Tomoe lowers her gaze so she doesn’t have to see the full weight of his attention on her. Some of their other classmates glance towards their direction but not for long as they slowly go out of the room to head home. Eventually it’s just the two of them left there.
She blames the presence for her sudden bout of nerves. She knows full well how it feels towards the boy in front of them, awe radiating from it in waves in the way it buzzes loudly inside her mind even as it tries to reign itself in.
“You uh—I noticed you staring for a while now…” she trails off, hands twitching minutely at her side. “Did I do something wrong or—”
“No—I didn’t—!” a voice sputters out and she looks up to see him flailing his arms around. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just…”
She tilts her head to the side as his face gradually turns into an interesting shade of red.
“Then…?”
“Your eyes!” He suddenly blurts out and ducks his head down afterwards in an attempt to hide the very visible blush.
She flinches slightly at the outburst but doesn't otherwise move. When he sees that she’s still there, he lifts his head up and clears his throat. “I was just curious if it was anything like with the Uchiha or the Hyuuga. Since sometimes they change and stuff.”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing like that.” Tomoe had also wondered the same when she saw how it appears differently at times—red or even purple—while looking in the mirror. “My eyes just don’t have any color.”
His brows shoot up at that and she can understand the confusion. She felt the same when her parents had tried explaining it to her the first time around, telling her it was because of a condition she has. One which makes her not have any pigment in her hair, skin, and eyes.
“It’s light, not color.” she says, a little awkwardly as she tries to find the right words to make sense of it all. “What you’re seeing, I mean. It’s the light reflecting off the uh—blood vessels.”
The less pleasant thing about her condition is how much it affects her eyesight. With the lack of pigmentation there, light simply passes through to the light sensitive tissues at the back of her eyes. Akin to a window without a curtain. It’s why she tries to avoid direct sunlight and has to squint for the most part over how bright everything gets. Not to mention that her eyes have the tendency to shake uncontrollably at the best of times, which seems to appear off-putting to some of the people who manage to get a good look at it.
Evidently, the boy in front of her doesn't share the same sentiment.
“I think they look cool.” he says, voice sincere.
“Oh. Um, thank you.” Her own cheeks go warm at the compliment. “I think your eyes are pretty, too.”
And it’s true enough. They really are a pretty shade of blue. Bright and clear and full of wonder, especially when he smiles.
“You did great in our last match, by the way.” he says rather shyly. “And—I wanted to ask how you did that last move. Or if you could give me tips on how to be that fast too.”
She blinks at that. She doesn't think she did anything noteworthy during their fight. Though she supposes, since he most likely comes from a civilian background, he might not have had any training beforehand like she did.
“Sure, I don't mind.”
“Really?" Minato exclaims, surprise and a little bit of hope coloring his tone.
She nods easily enough, and then adds after a moment, “But call me Tomoe.”
The smile he returns is blinding. “Then call me Minato.”