《STORY 3 - REJOYCE ( DROPPED )》 Chapter 1 Ch 1. The Beginning of the End Edited by Diede I''m sick. And have been for a while. It started off with an offhand remark to my doctor. He asked about it, my well being, and how the pains and signs have been affecting me recently. He asks more questions. From his changes in tone he seemed anxious, and he ran tests soon after. He told me with as much sympathy as he could whats wrong with me. Cancer. And one year estimate to live. I was in shock. I told the doctor he must be mistaken. He spoke softly and sullenly. I broke down completely and the following days turned into a blur. I called my family and told them the news. They took it well and comforted me with words of how I¡¯ll recover at some point. I called my job and told them I''m quitting. Broke up with Charlie and told her to never contact me again. You see, being sick was always my specialty. Being bedridden, missing events, coughing in my dogs face, frustration, tears and various forms of taking medicine were nothing new to me. But I always knew I could get better and that I¡¯d be fine, not this time. The fight seeped out of me and a mix of fury and depression took over. I cried and begged to God why he''s doing this to me. Why would anyone do this? Was it because I didn''t donate often? Maybe my looks? Was it fucking Jerry¡¯s smoking? Why? The questions and silence plagued me for what seemed to be months. And I hated it. Resented what everyone else around me was taking for granted and loathed the sick bastards of doctors who didn''t notice earlier. My thoughts spiraled down. And down. And down. Until I looked up to a stupid poster I bought when I first started to date Charlie. It was a corney ¡®hang in there¡¯ poster. And I couldn''t help but to always grin looking at it. And it reminded me that even though I lost hope in surviving I still had the will to live. And I have had little time to do so, but with the life I''ve been granted I had more than enough money to fulfill my dream of living to the fullest. After pulling myself from drowning in my own emotions, I did truly live. That following week turned into a bender. Drinks turned to liquid freedom and music turned to poetry by Apollo himself. I went to a hairdresser a block away and told them, ¡° Make my hair pink with cheetah stripes! ¡± Of course, I got the retort, ¡° Cheetahs don''t have stripes. ¡° In the end, I got what I wanted. I threw away ALL of my clothes and replaced them with solid sun yellow, everything. Shoes, socks, glasses, contacts, underwear, shorts you name it. I gave my dog to my family to care for and threw a party or two. I may have slept with someone but I can''t remember. I splurged on a ridiculously good laptop ( who I named Betty), fireworks, guns, headphones and visited a chiropractor. I went to concerts around me with friends and did much much more. Some of it was even illegal. One month later I was stuck in the hospital. Part because of me being an idiot and part Cancer. I got my one and only brother to bring me Betty, then reminisced with him for a while. He looked like he wanted to say something. And it kind of clicked. I looked into his dark eyes and said, ¡°Say it.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°It looks like you got something to say, say it or I make you.¡± He guffaws, ¡° What in th-¡± ¡°Conner, I will and am dying and neither of us wants regrets when I pass so please¡­¡± We both proceed to spill our hearts out. Over memory, feelings, and things that just haven''t been said over the years. This happens again and again for the people I know and what should have been a bittersweet goodbye is release and love for me. I¡¯ve been holding in a lot and never quite said, ¡°I love you.¡± quite as much as I should. While in the hospital you have A LOT of time on your hands and with my laptop I used it to the fullest. I first looked up meditation. Many youtube videos and friends focused on health loved to boast about its results so I wanted to give it a try. But not just that but an actual attempt. I did some research to find out what it was actually about. Though, mentally I garbaged all types of medications that were in the pursuit of transcendence. I already knew what''s coming for me and I refuse to try to run from what I knew is inevitable. From what I found there are two types of meditation. Focused and open monitoring. In focused you concentrate on one object, breathing image or word and in open monitoring your more in a state of awareness. I wanted to be able to do a bit of both. AND IT WAS HARD! Here''s a tip, don¡¯t try to meditate when you''re tired. The first week was me sitting there bored out of my mind, trying to clear my head. Shortly after I was able to just sit there and exist. Then, I added small things to my meditation like slowed breathing, proper positioning and focus on the conditions of my body. As embarrassed as I should be the goal was to be able to do stuff like control my blood flow, dreams, emotions and anything else I wanted in regards to my body. And it IS possible, I looked it up. It just takes a lot of effort to do so and meditation seemed like a huge boost to getting there.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The process of getting there was long. Too long BUT in the meantime obsessed I over Naruto and Harry Potter. Both series have a lot of flaws but those same ones are what makes it shine. The art is superb, the characters all are unique, the fight scenes orgasmic and the world has so much depth. I got sucked into its intricacies and interactions. At some point, I ended up filling my computer with all of the manga and anime of Naruto and each and every Harry Potter book out there. Honestly, it was a nice distraction from hospital ambiance noise and the pain. And months passed like that. Reading. Eat what I could. Watching my show/movies. Meditation. Eat what I could. Pills Meditation. Sleep And the results were amazing. And here I am on my deathbed with about 7 days left to live, and I can proudly say I accomplished my goals. If it wasn''t for me dying I¡¯d say I''m a mini-superman. Though it''s not like it was easy. First off, I have an advantage due to all the time I could spend and my approaching death is pushing what would happen in a longer timeframe. I also had to do the proper research in order to get things rolling. Like for blood flow, you need to know where the blood goes, the effects of moving it somewhere else and patience to get things to work how you wish. Lucid dreaming and control over negative emotions took just as much time and worth the effort. Today I go to sleep happy. Listening to the rhythmic sound of gentle rain hitting my window. But I didn¡¯t wake up. I find myself drifting through a void. And from my practice I know this isn¡¯t a lucid dream, it''s too empty, too cold There¡¯s no color. No life. No sound. Nobody. No air. No time. There¡¯s nothing here and the best I can describe my surroundings is abysmal black. I come to conclude I''m dead. But the void is denying me of my grief. I want to feel angry, sad or even terrified of the void. But I can¡¯t. All I can really do is drift. And float. And levitate. And exist. ¡­ .. . Okay, this is long. Not like I feel bored. Because of the lack of time, I have no idea how long this is or going to be. Well, what can I do? Nobody. No feelings. No surroundings. I do have a mind though. I can meditate. And so I do. It¡¯s notably different. First off, reaching your state of just existence is considerably easier. Second is the complete lack of body. There is no breathing, sitting or voice so it''s¡­ unique. With the senses I don¡¯t have I reach out to the void. Of course, it didn''t work but I kept trying. And eventually¡­ I have¡­ Something! After an unknown amount of time I reached out and grasped the void. It felt like a liquid form of rubber, its thick and slides from my grasp despite it being all around me. The void itself has a will and undesirable feel. On another note, grasping. I¡¯ve found a sort of sixth sense I could use. Not quite vision or telepathy. More like a sonar. It¡¯s just like I know something''s there. And using that sonar I search and inspect. I reach out once more and the void backs away. Great. I reach again and it and weaves and escapes me. I try to grasp it again, touching it but finding nowhere to grab. Maybe I¡¯m going about this wrong. I take a gaze at it. That doesn''t help. So I reach with force. That worked a bit. It dispersed as it did before but revealed a bit of light. Not the normal stuff though, more like holy light rays. I know it sounds ridiculous. I keep pushing. With more and more intent, the void gives more resistance but I want out and not going isn¡¯t an answer. I AM leaving. And when I left it felt like an explosion. I could feel I''m alive. I have a pulse. I have lungs! I have feelings! And though all I really see is black it¡¯s better than the abyss. And unlike the abyss, I''m very tired. I''m going to take a power nap¡­ I wake up still thoroughly tired. Something feels off though. I inspect my body by testing out my limbs. I kick out my legs to find a flesh wall, I move my arms to find a fleshy wall the same. Both actions physically tired me out greatly. I find that I don''t really need to breathe and feel a pulse around me and in me. Fuck I¡¯m an unborn baby. Before I can think of the applications of this I succumb to sleep. I wake up to another explosion of feelings. Light sears my eyes and my ears ring from various sounds, a notable calm breeze is burning my skin and it feels like I¡¯m getting pushed through a stone tunnel. It hurts and I try to scream. I can¡¯t. Fear overwhelms me and I try harder and harder to scream. I can¡¯t. I reign in my emotions and access what''s going on. A woman is a grunt, occasionally screaming and breathing heavily. Some lady demanding, ¡° Osu!¡± and some man sounds like he''s trying to soothe both women. What the hell? Someone''s grabbing my head and pulling, not hard but definitely pulling. It¡¯s a slow process. But it¡¯s finally done and I¡¯m a little loopy¡­ I wake up wrapped in cloth starting a giants face. She smells like maple and her long shaggy dark brown hair and hazel eyes bare down on me in a beaming smile. Shocked I give her a sloppy big mouthed smile back. She pokes my face and I grab her finger and give a glare. She laughs way too hard. We go back in forth like this as I access that I was just born. Oh god, a shiver went down my spine. Let''s not think about that. I continue to make faces with my mother, I can''t really make sounds but this is surprisingly fun. I start to hear a pitter patter the sound of gentle rain and look around the room. It''s all stone and makeshift wood walls keep us from the rest. I find myself aching to see it again. It rains harder and I try to crawl toward it. Damn underdevelopment won''t let me. Mother sees my vain struggles and whispers, ¡° Ame.¡± She starts to hum and sing to me in an attempt to calm me. Giving up I accept it and take the opportunity to sleep. Chapter 2 Ch. 2. Abandoned EditedbyDiede It was a still night. The air was damp from the rain and there wasn''t even a breeze. Nonou stands at the front of the orphanage she works at and breathes the late night summer air. She sighs heavily, ¡° These damn kids are a chore.¡± She goes back inside in an attempt to get some sleep. As soon as she goes back inside she hear knocking from the door. ¡® That''s odd, I didn''t see anyone coming.¡¯ She grips a kunai and does a couple hand seals in preparation for a fight. She pushes the door open slowly then, suddenly kicks the door open to find no one on the other side. The only thing there is a box with a tag that says ¡° Name¡¯s Ame Iburi. ¡° Not trusting it she whistle with a bit of chakra and a dog runs out of the house. The dog sniffs the box and pokes it with its paw. He gives a reaffirming nod to Nonou and she opens it. There¡¯s a sleeping baby inside. Nonou proceeds to silently fume in her anger. Why and who the fuck put a baby in a box? There¡¯s not even any holes or blankets! She holds the baby close and cant help to notice the baby smells of maple. Mentally shrugging she brings Ame inside preparing to give the other caretakers a doozy in tonight''s events. I wake up to another new environment. I¡¯m already sick of this happening. I¡¯m in a room. Narrow with beige colored wood floor and ceiling. A big wide window accompanies about a half dozen cradles. And I''m in one of these prisons. There''s no one around and my body says crawlings a no go right now. That only leaves meditation and failing madly/, failing to scream. Meditation it is. Using the corner of my crib I sit and clear my mind. It takes a while but it''s done. I start to think of three things: my previous memories, the changes to my body and where I am. Hm, that¡¯s weird. I¡¯m oddly numb to my past memories. Not that they''re cloudy or altered. It''s more like watching a movie. You feel the characters going through hard times, can empathize with hating Mr. Murphy, practically feel every bar fight and know the darkness of the abyss but at the end of the day your not them. I guess I should feel comforted by this. Not having to miss the family I left behind or the technology is great. But I can¡¯t help to think I¡¯m missing out, once again the opportunity to grieve was taken from me. Secondly, my body is different. I know, obvious but there''s something fundamentally different. I still have the same heart and limbs. I still have an able mind. No so much my voice but everything else is perfectly fine and working. Just something inside, it doesn''t pulse, it more like flows within me. gathering a little a certain spots but it all flows to one area in my stomach. The whole process reminds me of the readings of chi that I read about in my pursuit of meditation. Also, I¡¯ve come to find I¡¯m not fully an adult in my mind. Im split somewhat in who I used to be and baby me who gives me certain instincts, thoughts and things it wants to do. Things like ¡®find mother¡¯, ¡®flail¡¯, ¡®drool¡¯ and ¡®cry for breastmilk¡¯ are namely some of them. And it¡¯s comforting to know that I¡¯m alive. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. In fact. I AM ALIVE. FUCK YES. OH MY GOD. I¡¯D SKIP IF I COULD. It¡¯s been a long journey boys! But we¡¯re finally here. I take in a deep breath and release through my nose, relishing the feeling. I haven¡¯t lived in far too long and I can get used to this. As my mood gets bubblier something else clicks in my body. It feels quite literally like I''m dispersing into a cloud and becoming free. It¡¯s nice until I open my eyes and literally realize I''m a cloud hovering over my crib! KfrsdVRFWN DSvreqtgfre! What in the seven hells is this?! After some time of being a spasming cloud, I calm myself down and see what I can do. I have 3-dimensional movement and can manifest different parts ( or all ) of my body on command. Though I can¡¯t really describe, trust me, it¡¯s pretty awesome. It''s like the Iburi clan¡¯s shin-ding in the Naruto filler episode! I drift to the only door and use both of my tiny hands to push open the behemoth of a door and enter the room across from me. In there is a toilet and a sink with a big mirror. I reform on it and look at myself in the mirror. Olive skin, hazel eyes, no hair, notably female and notably naked. Not sure of hair texture but I assume I completely take after my mother. Before I can soak in the horrid future in store for me I hear, Stomp, stomp stomp ¡° Akachan wa dokodesu ka?!?!?!¡± Where is the baby?!?!?! Shocked I didn''t move. And before I can make a quick getaway to my crib the door blows open. There I see a frazzled woman. With light brown hair covered by a coif and emerald green eyes surrounded by rectangle wire-framed glasses. In short, she''s pretty. And looks oddly like what a real-life Nonou Yakushi would look like. ¡° Koko ni ki nasai. Imasugu!¡± Come over here. Now! Even though I don''t understand a lick of what she''s saying, body language is a bitch. Baby instincts say act stupid. I attempt to crawl toward her and grab at her face. Both fail and end up in a face plant and a big splinter in my cheek. God that burns. Baby me says to cry hysterically. I do it soundlessly. It works. ¡° No, no, no, no, no.¡° She rushes over, scoops me up and cradles me and that feels heavenly. Baby me calms down then she calms down and smooches my forehead. Looks me in the eye with a smile only saying, ¡° Ame Iburi ¡° Wait. She process to send a wave of warmth through me. It goes over each part of my body slowly and carefully. ¡°Tch, Seitai o sonsh¨­ shita. ¡° Tch, Damaged vocal cords. She brings her other hand towards my face. And it glows greenish. WAIT. The splinter pops out along with any indication it was once there. I¡¯m left in awe. She¡¯s a witch! Burn her at the stake! Wait no... The ¡°chi¡±. Iburi-like smoke. Her literally calling me Ame Iburi. REAL LIFE medical ninjutsu! I''m in the Naruto-verse. Chapter 3 Ch. 3 Baby days The world of Naruto is one of war and beasts. Before the main character himself came into the picture, there were already 3 world wars between the warriors - shinobi - of the five existing nations. Because of this, violence is constantly present for everyone involved, including children. In this world, there are fighters as old as 9 able to do some crazy shit and the world¡¯s energies don''t help. One of the energies is called chakra is a combination of physical ( being the body¡¯s condition ) and spiritual energy ( being one¡¯s experiences ). Once you use it you can do many things with it like improve your body or perform things that are normally mythical. Chakra is a lot like stamina; you can train yourself to have more and can train to be more proficient in using it. Things like skyscraper-sized frogs, shooting fireballs from their mouth and moving quickly enough to leave an afterimage are nothing new to this world. This same energy gives select families mutations, called kekkai jenkai ( Bloodline limit ). These let people do things a normal human cannot, even with chakra. These abilities can do things like turn to smoke on command, see the future, see chakra pathways in someone¡¯s body, control plants, wield your own skeletal structure, break your body down to a molecular level, absorb Chakra, control blood the list goes on. Plants and animals in this world have the same changes but to different degrees. Another aspect of the Naruto-verse is the tailed beast ( Biju ). These are behemoths of living and weaponized chakra. There are nine of them and everyone has a number of tail that pertains to the beast¡¯s power in reference to the other ones. But, don¡¯t let it fool you. The One Tail can level a city of super soldiers if not sealed into someone. The person who holds the tailed beast - Jinch¨±riki - gets a couple boosts like a bloodthirsty beast in their head, possible immortality, extended chakra reserves and if you eventually get close you get aspects of the beast themselves. It¡¯s pretty overpowered. Also pretty horrible because as a Jinchuuriki they treat you as if you''re the beast, resulting in undeserved open hate. THIS PLACE IS DANGEROUS AS HELL. And awesome because I''m in a world I¡¯ve actually dreamed about and know the future events of. That doesn''t mean I can slack, this world is beyond harsh and most things and people can kill you. I don''t know how to feel about this. I DO know I¡¯m pissed and depressed that my mother ditched in an orphanage. WTF really? We played and everything¡­. For a few days, I threw silent tantrums. A month passes and on a better note, learned to clap to substitute for my voice. I clap for chakra ( Substitute for breastmilk), clap for diaper changes, clap to be let out of the crib and clap for pretty much anything. The dog of the orphanage, Poppu, sleeps near my crib and gets a caretaker for me when I clap. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. His autumn orange and white fur and narrow snout have me suspect he''s just a wolf-sized fox but, I can''t help but love the guy. The way he rolls his eyes but still gets up when I clap is just hilarious. I¡¯d laugh if I could. Here at Konohagakure ( Hidden Leaf Village ) Orphanage, there are 3 caretakers: Nonou Yakushi, Raak Va¡¯tal, and Maikeru. Raak is a plump woman with wrapped scarlet hair and is short tempered. Maikeru is a tall old man with a calm and brooding demeanor. Nonou has a bleeding heart, generally sweet/ encouraging and at times, playful. And the latter always checks up on me, I mean it. Seems like she cares for me a lot more than my mother. When they''re not showing me around to the other kids, singing or doing baby stuff with me I explore what I can do. First off, willingly directing my chakra is work and tons of concentration. I suspect it''s because I don''t have the muscle memory quite yet and don''t quite know what I¡¯m doing but it''s coming along slowly. I can now surge chakra into a part of my body, not by much at all but small steps for small children. I''m also practicing on how I can ghost ( it¡¯s what I¡¯m calling smoke form now) correctly. Switching to and from forms is easy but fine control is not. It''s a lot like knowing how to throw a punch or kick, but not knowing how to fight professionally. Feeling impatient, I felt like practical practice is how I should go about getting it right. So I had a thorough and completely mature conversation with baby instincts on how to go about doing this. I¡¯ve concluded that trying to ride Poppu from my cradle is the right way to go.
  1. He can''t really talk either ( though he¡¯s super intelligent so he¡¯ll snitch at some point )
  2. He¡¯s always readily available
  3. If/When I fail he can get the caretakers to lift me back in
  4. I never got to ride a dog before and baby me wants it badly
Poppo quickly grew bewildered by my constant attempts to ride him. The first time he was spooked that a baby randomly appeared on his neck. He jumped up. I fell off. He looked horrified when I looked like I was about to hit the floor. A 2 to 3-foot drop is huge to a child. As I was about to hit the ground I ghosted. He was seconds from fainting. I didn''t want to emotionally scar poor the fox-dog so I reformed and beamed at him. The poor dog was very confused. I started clapping and he crept to a caretaker. Maikeru came in and saw me happily clapping on the floor. Not really caring since no one''s hurt and it¡¯s just a baby on the floor she picks me up, puts me in the cradle and leaves. I wait 5 minutes, rinse and repeat. A good 7 times later Poppu looks like he needs a drink and I¡¯m pretty sure they''re discussing how I keep getting out. From my times ghosting and the quick movements from Poppu, I found out that unlike my family I don''t really blow away in the wind. This is a HUGE plus because my clan¡¯s fatal flaw is ultimately dying from a breeze at the wrong time. How I came about this blessing I''m not sure. I also played with my ghost form abilities. I changed my density from mist to nearly solid and tested movement speed. I can go as fast as an adult can walk for the moment in my mist form and go as fast as a worm in most dense form. Enough about ghosting. This baby brain is amazing! My mind soaks in passing information by the gallon full and I¡¯m quite on my way to learning Japanese. This was mostly gained by watching the kids and caretakers talking and interacting with me but I¡¯m well on my way to learning. My first year of life will not be wasted! Chapter 4 Ch. 4 A Rainy Day I wake up right before sunrise to the sound of light rain. It''s still my birthday month, March, and lately, things have been surprisingly calm. The training regimen has changed a bit due to me learning more and more and I can communicate a bit now because of my morning writing classes. I¡¯ll admit that was a rough start. See, there''s something called muscle memory and baby me doesn¡¯t have that for pretty much everything. I know how to do it and why it''s done, I just can¡¯t do it most of the time. My flowing swirls of English is now chicken scratch Kanji and I loathe every movement. I try not to stress over it because over time it WILL fix and having it like that forever is unacceptable. Also, no fox training has happened because they''re waiting until I¡¯m 5 to start Kitsune Academy. So, for now, it¡¯s partial boredom and kids. Nevermind maybe I should say boredom and boredom because none of the kids pay attention to the ¡°freak baby¡± for too long. I creep out of the bed area and make my way to the window I know is open and ghost to the roof. And I sit there letting the rain hit me.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I turn solemn and look to the falling rain. Something inside me changed. I start to cry. My breathing gets erratic and I can feel my eyes puffing up. Everything starts to feel constricted and like I¡¯m drowning. I¡¯m crying hysterically All of the pressure building up from my memories The fact I have to become a soldier or very likely die is terrifying. Shit, I was just a morning reporter working toward a job in meteorology. That opens up another can of worms of what the hell I actually plan to do here. What do I want to do? I could always move to the middle of nowhere and avoid all of what''s to come. I¡¯ve never had a green thumb and hated the countryside but hey a farming life isn¡¯t bad. I could create an identity but... Who really am I? Ame Yakushi or Frank Heldman? Or a half-dead remnant haunting the mind of a child? Oh god, Shut up. I look at the rain. Falling and pounding the ground with persistence. Droplets make tiny splashes and by now drench me. Looking at the rain I start to calm. This same kind of rain reminds me of the hospital bed and the constant noise of machinery. And the same kind of rain I died too. But this time I know. I¡¯ll be okay. I am me and that''s okay I¡¯ll live out this one completely and fully. And even though I have to fight it¡¯ll be by my terms. For a seemingly endless amount of time, I stare at the rolling gray. Chapter 5.2

Ch. 5 Hate

Oh, God. Waking up I¡¯m greeted by a head-splitting migraine and protesting eyes. Well at least now I know what it feels like to be one of the Hangover movies. My body feels like it is in molasses and drained. I¡¯m 1 right? I don¡¯t remember drinking. What happened? Hmm¡­.. Hm¡­ Hmmm¡­.. Neigh rabid, I jerk my hands up and feel my face. Not there, I panic and pat around me searching desperately. I found out two things.
  1. I¡¯m on a bed.
  2. MY GIFT ISN¡¯T ON MY BED
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I force my eyes open and of course light abuses my eyes. ¡° ..?¡± This is not my bed. Soft blue walls with white and bamboo accents. Matching tile and curtained off windows. Screw me this is Konoha Hospital. Must¡¯ve had a number done on me to be here. I look around a bit and there''s a desk not too far from me. Calming down I pulled the covers off to get up and search it. Or I would if they didn''t weigh 200 pounds. So I sit and contemplate what I can do. I scan the room once more and really nothing is here, movement is going in the halls but I can''t call for them can I? Doesn''t stop me from trying though ¡°.....!¡± So I whistle and clap. ¡­ Poppu isn¡¯t here clearly. Fuck. I hate hospitals. I hate medication I hate isolation. I hate the silence and loneliness. I hate empty reassurance. I hate the color red. I hate feeling like I can¡¯t live. I hate the boring hum of TVs. I hate these bulky sheets. I hate those bullies. I hate I can''t call for someone. I hate I can¡¯t scream injustice, I hate the smell of this room. I hate going unconscious. I miss moving. I miss my mask. I miss the one thing I had in this life. I miss the feel of Poppu¡¯s fur. I miss Kabuto¡¯s lame jokes and insistence. I miss the feeling of sweet revenge. I hate that I¡¯m dozing off. Chapter 6

Ch. 6 WAKE UP! GRAB A BRUSH AND PUT A LITTLE-

Caw! Chirp Chirp. CAW. Chirp? CAWWWW! Uh, shut the hell up. Groggy and still ¡®hungover¡¯ I glare are the clearly stupid birds in the window. Why they¡¯re different species but still try to get it on befuddles me but, hey, you go guys. ¡° Hello, child.¡± Poppu is right sitting on the floor looking at me, concerned and relieved. And I come to find myself teary-eyed to finally have someone here. ¡° I¡¯m sorry for what happened to you, and those boys are awaiting punishment.¡± Teary reunion over. I¡¯m pissed. ¡° From what we gathered Oni, Cyrus and Clop attacked you claiming to be provoked.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it WHAT. ¡° They surrounded you and Kabuto ran off to tell us. He happened to see your practice and saw as they surrounded you. He ran off to tell us what was going on.¡± Coward. ¡°I and Nonou ran to the location and we saw you on the ground crowded by the three boys. You had a cracked rib, bruised body, and head injuries. They¡¯ve broken the mask under your shirt and shards broke your skin. Once confronted Oni tried to show us what you wrote and claimed that you taunted them to the bitter end. ¡± That is NOT what happ- ¡° Reading the last page she slapped Oni and was furious with the boys. She made them read your last page and too stubborn to admit his wrongdoing he ripped your notebook and snapped your pencil. Nonou was furious, Cyrus and Clop starting crying as if they were victims while I brought you to the hospital. You are expected to make a full recovery but you¡¯ll have to stay bedridden for a while. ¡± No, I¡¯m not. I pull the 100-pound sheets off of me and attempt to get out the bed. As soon as I slip out a wave of nausea hits me while lights dance in my eyes. ¡° Stop. Child, things will be dealt with but 3 days is not enough for you to be moving around again. I¡¯m sorry but you will have to stay here and rest.¡± No, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m getting out of this bed and giving them a Can Of Whoop-Ass?. Hopping out my feet touch the floor and I instantly collapse. With no grace, my already hurt and bandaged body hits the floor as my head is saved my Poppu¡¯s soft fur. ¡° Stop, this will be resolved, I just want you to rest. ¡± Great, he sounds like my previous nurses. He puts me back on the bed and talks to me once more. ¡° Last few things, I¡¯d like to thank you for not using your smoke to escape. Any type of early detected Bloodlines would cause way too much trouble for anyone involved, for this I owe you. ¡± I TOTALLY COULD HAVE DONE THAT UGH!!! ¡° Also, your replacement notebook and pencil will be here by tomorrow morning. If you need anything just clap. ¡± The mutt sauntered to the closest corner to me, curled up and started snoozing. Not so fast buddy. CLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP. ¡° Yes? ¡± I motion eating. Got to start the day with a good breakfast. Chapter 7

Ch. 7 Megamind

I can¡¯t help but think of why I didn¡¯t just smoke out of there. It was totally viable and I did do some training for it. Then again, fights are different than falling a bunch of times. It was just too overwhelming, can¡¯t really think right when your on the ground getting beat on. Ugh. I take a look out the window and see the two odd birds for this morning cuddled up in a nest just outside my window. An afternoon breeze highlights the Blue Jay is enjoying the post-coital warmth from the Crow. I can¡¯t help but think of how nice that must be. Lofty life and sex, their living the dream. And it makes me sick. Clap Clap Clap. ¡­ Forgot Poppu went out to get me a notebook and pencil. Shortly after breakfast, I told him to get it for me because I need to talk somehow, I¡¯d suck if boredom killed me. Instead, I use the call bell I missed yesterday and wait for a nurse to come. ¡° Why hello there little man~! What''s the problem? ¡± I motion talking and point to her than me. ¡° You want to talk? What''s your name baby? ¡± I write out ¡®Ame¡¯ on the bed sheets. ¡° What was that sweetheart? ¡± ¡®A - M - E¡¯ ¡° Ame? ¡± I nod. ¡° Oh my, that¡¯s nice! Why don''t you talk to me about it? ¡± I point to my throat and shake my head. ¡° You can¡¯t? ¡± her voice cracks. I nod. With tears bordering her eyes she yells, ¡° By Jashin¡¯s great scythe that''s horrible! ¡± Not really but- ¡° MOLLY!!! MOLLYYYY! ¡± Loud clacks from sandals are rushing down the hall and a man bursts through the door, ¡° What happened to Ame?!?! ¡± ¡° This poor baby can¡¯t speak! ¡± He lets out a long sigh and says, ¡° He was born this way Lin, the caretakers at the orphanage informed us. Don- ¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡° No! This cute baby¡­ ¡± Lin at this point drops to the floor and is 3 seconds from bawling her eyes out. ¡° Don¡¯t do this, he¡¯s okay and is feeling fine, right Ame? ¡± Molly asks as he snaps his eyes at me, begging to not say otherwise. Lifting her blonde head Lin looks at me heartbroken. I enthusiastically nod and give a double thumbs up. ¡° See? Now take a walk, clear your head and check up on your patients. ¡± he patiently says. ¡° Okay <3. ¡± She¡¯s immediately back to bubbly and skips through the door. He walks to the door, closes it, and talks to me once more, ¡° I¡¯m sorry you had to see that young man, that¡¯s Lin and as you can see she''s very... lively, you¡¯ll grow to love her - everyone does - but she can be a handful. On another note, nice to meet you I¡¯m your Doctor, Molly Poketto.¡± He sticks his hand out to shake, and I attempt to but his hand completely covers mine. He shakes gently and asks, ¡°So how are you feeling?¡± Here we go. He goes through a full body examination and gives me a rundown of Kohona Hospital and generally what going to happening during my recovery. After giving the last thumbs up he says, ¡° We¡¯ll have you stay for a couple weeks to note lasting cranial rupture or malformations due to expedited healing. Remember to get rest and ring that call bell in case of sudden pain or needs.¡± He steps to leave but turns around and says, ¡° You know for someone your age you¡¯ve been very mature about this Ame.¡± Well, this isn¡¯t my first rodeo. I shrug. He furrows his brows for a millisecond but walks off with, ¡° Ring if you need anything.¡± Not wanting another Lin-esque conversation I wait for Poppu by meditating and cycling my chakra. Sometime later, ¡° I¡¯ve come child.¡± What the...? Poppu saunters in the hospital room with a large box neatly tied around his neck and lifts his head so I could grab it. Every nerve in my body screams to snatch it but I gently take it and open the box to find it jam-packed with letters and miscellaneous goods. Seeing my confusion he says, ¡° These are from the children at the orphanage, read them at your leisure. They¡¯ve also left you a couple of things to pass time and more, clap if you need me.¡± PRESENTS Good ol¡¯ Poppu the curls up next to my bed and feigns rest. Rolling my eyes I sort out the seemingly hastily written letters and find literature gold and more at the bottom consisting of : BY JASHIN¡¯S GREAT SYTHE! I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ve made friends but apparently, I have. Someone¡¯s been studying me to know the type of stuff I love. Something wet runs down my face and I wipe it off and look around and nothing. I wipe my face again and realize it¡¯s coming from my own face. Some more runs from my nose and baby me is already sniffling and crying like an idiot. Next thing I know we¡¯re crying from happiness and somewhere deep down I know I¡¯ve felt alone and these sweet ass kids done me in. Life feels a bit more vibrant. It takes me a second to calm down and realize, Children''s emotions and body + adult comprehension and experiences = an emotional adult baby Lesson learned. On another note KNOWLEDGE AND CANDY. Nothing beats an educational pastime and the occasional sugar rush in a hospital. Thank you, my brat peers. I stack the books and candy on my desk and take my time to read through the letters in the late afternoon light. AN: Be prepared for Dino¡¯s bad attempts at children''s writing [ I now we dont talk much but I hope youl fell much much better like sumer sun! ] [ Me and Gai liked yur masc and the tieme yu helped us with cleening. Git beter soon] [ We want too get uoy cndey beecuse we lik it] [ The ugly broke your pensil so got u a better one] [ Sorry I couldn''t help you but I¡¯ll grow big enough to] [ THE FUCKING BITCH HURT YOU IM SO SORRY, BLOOD REPAID IN BLOOD] [ I dont like school but you do I think! Here¡¯s my books dont tell Sensei.] [ Dont get board Some ToYs !] Those were some of my favorites. By the time I¡¯m done the setting sun says goodbye as do I with my day of major ups and downs. Chapter 8

Ch. 8 The Battle of Dr. Seuss.

Books and knowledge are what get you far. No matter what you do or where you go you¡¯ll need to learn. Make no mistake, that doesn''t mean high school is necessary. Papers of essays and sciences are all it really is. But I like it. Grades were my thing and no matter how fucking useless researching stuff like Ancient Turkey and the scientific method was, it was exhilarating. And now that I have in my hands this world¡¯s equivalent I¡¯ll make full use of it. This morning I woke up happy and ready to crack into the dense 200 pageish ¡® History 101¡¯ and for an elementary level book it snuck in some pretty advanced topics. The ninja world, Earth, consists of nine discovered regions and quite a few minor countries. Though the ones to really focus on are The Land of Fire, Earth, Iron, Lightning, Snow, Rice Fields, Water, Wind, and Sky. Each land has a ¡® Hidden Village¡¯ capital and for the Land of Fire its Konoha or ¡®Konohagakure¡¯. Spoiler : The ninja world started with small villages and notable chakra infused families and peoples that formed into clans. And knowing how human nature is this started the LONG Warring States Period. During the Warring States, Period Konoha was started by two of the strongest once warring clans, the Senju and Uchiha. Keep in mind throughout all of history these two were at the other¡¯s neck and ripping violently when the opportunity arose. The two¡¯s most powerful clan leaders in their history, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha ( who were secretly friends as kids ) wanted to stop the unnecessary bloodshed and strong-armed the two into peace and started a village in a dense forest. Thus Madara named it ¡®The Village Hidden in the Leaves¡¯ or ¡®Konohagakure.¡¯ Keep in mind this was possible after Hashirama whooped his ass and spared him not wanting anymore bloodshed, Madara agreed. Making use of his [Wood Release] Hashirama build the infrastructure while Madara kept the peace. Meanwhile, the two honestly overpowered clans absolutely stomped any opposing mercenary-esque clans who had bad blood with either Uchiha or Senju. But with enemies come allies, seeing their might and peace clans came over seeking refuge and alliance. The most influential are Aburame, Akimichi, Hyuga, Uzumaki, Shimura, Inuzuka, Nara, Hitake, Sarutobi, and Yamanaka. ( Also note the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi has always worked together well but were tiny clans, but under Konoha they formed a special generational team known as ¡®Ino-Shika-Cho¡¯ or ¡®Boar-Deer-Butterfly¡¯ and that the Uzumaki¡¯s alliance was so vital that Konoha integrated their whirlpool clan logo in its symbol even though a tiny branch came and lived in Konoha. ) Soon Hashirama came with the idea, the ¡®Hokage¡¯ or ¡®Fire¡¯s Shadow.¡¯ Their sole job was to be the leader and protector of the village and eventually lead most of the Land of Fire for the better. Though he/she would have to be the strongest and wisest in the Village. Over time Hashirama tried to convince Madara into the position and even promised to have his face carved into the mountain leering over the village. Though due to his values and his abilities Hashirama was elected Hokage. Still, in his mind, the thought Madara should¡¯ve been Hokage. This continued for years but Madara grew paranoid. Fearing the Senju would oppress his clan he secretly tried to gather support to overthrow them but no Uchiha supported this because they were content with the growing peace. Essentially they told him ¡®fuck off.¡¯ Realizing who his clan now follows one day Madara talks to Hashirama in a special place within the Uchiha part of town, ¡° Very fine. It¡¯s a fine outfit¡­ ¡± ¡° Well. It¡¯s supposed to be yours. ¡± ¡° I still think you''d make a better Hokage than I will. ¡± ¡° Well, it was a democratic decision. The villagers chose you. You ARE the Hokage. ¡± ¡° Madara¡­ ¡± He then talks about an important ancient stone tablet passed down in the Uchiha. It looks like a wide gravestone, bare except the undecipherable words on it. ¡° This stone has been passed down through generations of the Uchiha Clan. It can only be deciphered only by those with our special eye abilities. This is as much as I can read so far¡­ ¡®Seeking stability, there was a god who split into two halves, light and dark. Bringing the two halves together again grants the user the power of all creation.¡¯ In other words, two opposing forces together as one will lead to true happiness. But you can take it as another way too. Nevermind there''s no point in talking about it now. ¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡° What do you mean? ¡± ¡° Hashirama¡­ I am leaving the village. We are History. ¡± ¡° W-Why ?!?!¡± ¡° I do not have any allies here. No one looks up to me.¡± ¡° But I can¡¯t do this without you! I need you as my right-hand man. As a brother! The people will come to see you for what you are. And when they do, you can be the 2nd Hokage-¡± ¡° I think Tobirama will be your successor. If that happens my clan will be doomed.¡± Tobirama was Hashirama¡¯s younger brother and didn''t at all trust the Uchiha for a long time due to him being one of the forefronts in the wars with them. He was alert and headstrong and Madara knew this. But in the future when he did become the 2nd Hokage he didn''t neglect them and protected all of those within Konoha. ¡° I¡¯ve tried to warm my clan of the danger and get them to leave but¡­I¡¯m leaving because I have found another way.¡± ¡° Wait they¡¯re just misunderstanding you! ¡± ¡°Let''s just say it comes down to how you perceive reality. Anyway enough with the groveling.¡± He said as he walked away but he turns around, ¡° It¡¯s far healthier to see this world as a playground. ¡± ¡° Hey! Are you listening to me?! ¡± ¡° You are the only one who can stand up to me. ¡± ¡° Mada- ¡± ¡° Until I reach the path to my true dream... ¡± He smiles ear to ear, ¡° I shall enjoy fighting with you. ¡± Madara walks away. For months Hashirama managed to village confused on what happened with the man who was practically his brother. The one who he trusted his clan to, and this ¡®dream¡¯ nonsense. Hashirama contemplates familiarly on the cliff on a full moon when a shinobi rushes over. ¡° LORD HOKAGE ¡± ¡°It-It¡¯s Madara Uchiha! He¡¯s coming! ¡± Hashirama beams, ¡° REALLY! He came back?¡± ¡° He¡¯s attacking the village. ¡± The shinobi reports heavy casualties and emergency evacuation and lastly reports no stopping his advance. Not understanding, Hashirama¡¯s mind stops in his tracks and he pauses. His mind starts over and he gets over to where Madara''s destroying the village. With one look at Hasirama Madara smiles and starts to give chase. Hashirama leads him to a nearby valley and ends up battling to the death. Which is now why it''s called The Valley of the End. In their final battle, Madara called the Nine-Tailed Fox and controlled it using one of the most advanced forms of the Uchiha¡¯s eye abilities. Of course, Hashirama kicked both their asses. Slew Madara and contained the Nine-Tails with his [Wood Release]. Later, with the Uzumaki''s huge chakra reserve, lifeforce ( meaning they live loong lives) and knowledge on they developed a method to seal the beast and place it inside someone, that person would be the ¡®jinchuriki.¡¯ The Jinchuriki had the ability to use some of the beast''s power and if skilled enough could completely bring out its wrath. Long long after and even before other land followed Konoha¡¯s example and created Hidden Villages of their own. This ended the Warring States Period. Though not long after, when each land had their own city/hidden village the Shinobi World War happened. Not wanting this Hashirama and Mito Uzumaki ( leader of the Uzumaki ) sealed of beasts and carefully sold them off other villages in the promise of peace and balanced off power. Mito mostly went with it because of the trust in Hashirama ( great guy and their clans were close in the Warring States Period ) This was a backfire and success. A few months after Hashirama dies ( it wasn''t explained how or why) but in his will left Tobirama as the next Hokage and a message to not treat the Uchiha wrong. By the end of the Shinobi World War Tobirama died while fighting against Kumogakure¡¯s Kinkaku Force, sacrificing himself as a decoy in order for his subordinates to escape. Before doing so, he selected Hiruzen Sarutobi for the position of the Third Hokage. And there was peace and prosperity in Konoha for a good decade. Around this time the Uzumaki made use of their Fuinjutsu ( Sealing techniques ) and figures out a way to modernize the world ( mostly Konohagakure ) and make a shit ton of money in the process. Stoves, microwaves, mass production, soap, and radios all of it made by Uzumaki! They even published most of it! Randomly some of the world¡¯s power realized their potential and growing power and attacked where they resided, Uzushiogakure ( Hidden Eddy Village or Village Hidden by Whirling Tides). It was a sad day for those not involved and later even by those involved. Even today the main power responsible, Kumogakure, are our enemies. Not quite kill on sight but definitely not friendly. A year before I was born though, there was a fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who¡¯s had died in the process of sealing the Nine-Tailed Fox. You see, when a jinchuuriki is giving birth the seal weakens and there¡¯s a chance shit can go wrong and it did. Madara¡¯s disciple, Obito ( I¡¯ll explain it another time ) tried to extract the beast and it rampaged. Normally Jinchuriki die after a beast is extracted but like the G.O.A.T she is Kushina Uzumaki didn¡¯t. In the end, they died sealing the beast inside their baby, Naruto Uzumaki. But, of course, the fucking disrespectful and misinformed villagers treat Naruto like shit. On top of that, It¡¯s also forbidden to tell him he¡¯s the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki and son of the fourth Hokage. In the canon, he doesn''t know his potential and badass ancestry until he¡¯s like 16! A lot of this knowledge is a mix between my past life¡¯s obsession and the book but confirmation is best. And now I¡¯m living in that time of peace. About 20 years after the 2nd Hokage died. And because of the humongous history, Konoha retains to have the biggest land and population.