It happened on a freezing winter evening. A group of people, whom even myself of that time found suspicious, claimed they were interested in adopting some children.
They were examining each child in the orphanage before taking some away, with me not among them. Thank Sage for that. But what should be highlighted was the comment one of them uttered when examining me.
“Red eyes, huh? Like the eyes of the devil”, said the man calm- I mean, not so quietly.
I still remember the discomfort on the staff members’ faces when that comment came out of left field. Pretty sure I was also making a weird face back then. I also remember the weird faces the other kids were making after hearing that comment.
Normally, an adult giving that kind of comment to a child would be unimaginable, right? But if it’s Root, lots of things start to make sense. Especially of how its leader viewed a certain clan in Konoha. In fact, it was quite a strategic genius, which is hollow praise coming from a strategic noob like me.
But anyway, if what I thought was correct, then the Root’s goal in this farce should be to make children associate red eyes with devil eyes, to make them loathe the color of Uchiha’s famed dojutsu.
Does that sound stupid? It sure is. But in context, I think that would make more sense.
If I remember it correctly, the time of that visit should occur around the time of Hyuga Affair according to canon timeline. With the Uchiha still active as Police Force, it’s somewhat reasonable for some less-informed populace to think that the Uchiha shared some fault in the breach of security.
The Uchiha’s perceived arrogance or aloofness made them already disliked amongst most civilians and low to mid-level ninja. Then there was Kurama’s rampage with Sharingan on his eyes, which made the Uchiha alienated amongst Konoha higher-ups.
Now even kids will be made to loathe the color of their signature dojutsu.
Gee, no wonder some of ‘em snap and plans to coup.
Though I have to say that the plan might have worked. The parameter? The fact that I ended up getting bullied not long after that. Oh, and it was also with the usual bullying pattern.
It all started with gossip that slowly isolated me from the other kids. Then some bolder kids started forming group to confront me head-on once I was all alone.
And it apparently didn’t take much courage to confront me when they could frame it as ‘defeating the devil.’. So unfortunately, it escalated very quickly without the staff noticing.
Honestly, it was quite precarious situation I was in. Though in the end there was no lasting injury because of that spat, as thankfully the staff intervened before there was any mistake that cannot be undone.
But already stressed from overworked because of the orphanage’s overcapacity, the intervening staffs ended up having an outburst so great that had every children getting caught in the crossfire.
That ceased the bullying, physically at least. And me of that time was quite relieved by that. Though one might say it became worse afterward because some kid thought it was my fault that they’re catching stray.
Ridiculous, isn’t it? Totally soap-opera worthy material right there.
When the staffs got wind of it, they decided to have me always tagging along a staff almost every time except maybe bathroom time. I basically slept in the staff’s room from that day onward. I guess they were afraid of me getting mobbed if left alone.
So, guess what the reactions of three-and-a-half-year-old Nobu Takeshi to all these farces?
First of all, he ended up wearing sunglasses to cover his eyes. Quite an effective move as there were already other children who also wore glasses… and sunglasses, for some reason.
But here’s the kicker: he was ultimately aiming for emancipation.
So while tagging along the staffs, HE volunteered to help around doing chores and whatnot. Then for the “reward”, HE asked to be taught all sorts in return. That was in preparation to move out of the orphanage even before enrolling in the academy. How to cook, do laundry, wash the dishes, bargaining at the market, where the orphanage bought things for cheap, etc, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that they didn’t teach all of that to the other kids, I’ve seen the staffs also teaching the older kids such things, maybe minus the part which they showed where they bought things for cheap.
It’s just that my turn simply came earlier. And with better treatment, too. Because to the staffs, Nobu Takeshi has always been a good kid.
And that is one notable experience which supported my conviction of delayed memory awakening instead of transmigration. I think I was way too composed in that situation as a mere 3.5 years old kid.
I know children in this ninja world mature fast, but surely not everyone is Itachi with his solve-coup-with-genocide kind of maturity at twelve, right?
But let’s move on.
Starting that day, for once a week I also began cleaning the Nobu family’s house that was spared from Kurama’s rampage. Fortunately, the house was salvageable and surprisingly was also spared from looting.
Around fifteen months later, after the staffs deemed me knowledgeable enough to survive on my own, I was successfully moved out of the orphanage into my own house just a day before I turned five.
It was quite a bittersweet farewell, like I was going somewhere far away and would never go back. Which is funny now that I think about it. But most of the staffs did tear up because of me leaving.
It was at that moment I realized how much they genuinely care for me. It was also that moment that made me relieved right now, because that level of care most probably indicated that they are not Root’s agents planted in the orphanage.
And then I lived happily ever after~ … as if.
Anyway. I’ve said before that the timing of moving out could not be any better. Well, even better actually was the timing of the memory awakening itself Seriously, can you imagine if my memories had awakened when I was only a day old instead?
To live as a baby with almost zero control over my pee and poo would be miserable. But that’s not even the worst part.
More importantly, to play pretend in front of my ninja parents, then in the ninja village’s orphanage, for almost five years would be nigh impossible. At least for me.
At best I would be treated like a prodigy, while at worst I could ended up meeting a Yamanaka. Either way, it would most likely end up with me being “invited” into Root for real.
… Likely for TrAiNinG or something.
Yeah, right. More like unhumanization to be honest. What with killing your own roommate that you have built a bond with for several years, living and training together.
Speaking of which, I really gotta plan my training properly, huh? Considering the shitshow of global magnitude that (canonically) could happen in around ten to eleven years.
Even before that, there was Konoha Crush to worry about in around 8 years. Then there was also the Uchiha Massacre being the closest major event at only two to three years away, although I was very unlikely would be getting involved.
… Not to mention the shitshow of universal magnitude that could happen in around thirty, courtesy of a certain alien clan. But let’s not get ahead of myself.
Sigh… That’s why I’m not really sure whether surviving Kurama’s rampage is considered lucky. It is lucky to be alive, sure. But truthfully, failing to reincarnate in Naruto-verse doesn’t sound all that bad.
That is, as long as I don’t get sent to other worse, more hardcore universes. Which were many, as far as fictional universes go. Nasu-verse immediately comes to mind.
I guess I just want some rest after spending my previous life battling that damn illness. Can’t really get that in this world, especially at this point in time, if you know what would happen.
Not like I can ignore it, right? It’s not because I want to play hero / savior / protagonist or something. But I have this inkling that it is more likely those problems that would come to me uninvited.
…Welp, now that I’m already here anyway, it would be ungrateful of me if I don’t give it my best shot in this second life, right?
Me and my parents from the past life always wished for a miracle so I could live happy and healthy, so I guess that is one wish granted. And to achieve such a happy life, strength was paramount to avoid being at others’ whims and calls.
I guess that rule probably applies to every world inhabited by beings of intelligence. That was already a fact in the previous world, but even more pronounced here. Especially the strength in the form of combat prowess.
Thankfully, neither I nor the orphanage staffs ever noticed any sign of illness or anomaly within this body. Just a normal, healthy body. Especially now that I inspect my body, I actually felt great. Like, better than I’ve ever been, taking into account both past life and past five years.
The world seemed more vibrant, the air I inhaled felt fresher than even the hospital’s oxygen. My body feels like it just got a massage or something with how comfortable it feels.
I wonder why? Could it be because of this floating screen that I've been staring at for the past minute?
… Heh.