Warm sunlight streamed through the windows of the Uchiha household.
Shizuku sat quietly on the deck, swinging her legs as she watched several clan members pass by the front gate.
Another peaceful morning.
“…Shizuku!” She looked over to see her father standing in the backyard, a grin on his face as he waved her over.
“Come here!” She climbed down from the porch and walked across the yard.
Her father crouched down until they were eye level.
“I’ve got something for you.” From behind his back, he revealed a tiny wooden kunai, sanded down so there was no sharp point on it.
Shizuku raised an eyebrow.
…
Without warning, he gently tossed it toward her.
“Catch.” …Seriously?
The kunai floated through the air.
Shizuku instinctively reached out with both hands and barely caught it before stumbling backward onto her ass.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then her father burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!
Nice catch!” Shizuku looked down at the wooden kunai before looking back up at him.
…You threw a kunai at me.
Her deadpan stare only made him laugh harder.
“I told you she’d catch it,” he called toward the house.
Her mother stepped into the doorway carrying Obito in her arms.
“Be careful, you might hurt her,” she said with a smile.
The two began lightly bickering while smiling the entire time.
Shizuku quietly watched them.
…They’re happy.
It always felt a bit strange seeing her parents bickering like this.
Her parents genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.
They joked.
They laughed.
They teased one another.
There wasn’t any tension.
No shouting.
Nothing like the home she’d grown up in during her previous life.
She’d spent so many years believing that she would never have a family that loved her.
Apparently…
she’d been wrong.
Her father noticed her staring and smiled.
“What?
You think your mom’s picking on me too much?” Her mother rolled her eyes.
“Don’t drag our daughter into this.” Shizuku looked between the two of them before slowly nodding.
Her father gasped dramatically.
“Traitor!” Her mother laughed.
“I win.” Shizuku couldn’t stop the tiny smile that formed on her face.
The morning passed quietly.
Her father spent the next hour sitting in the yard with her, occasionally tossing the wooden kunai short distances while teaching her how to throw it properly.
“Wow, my daughter is so talented,” her father said dramatically.
Later that afternoon, a familiar voice echoed through the house.
“Where’s my granddaughter?” Shizuku froze.
…She’s here.
A second later, her grandmother entered the room looking delighted.
“There you are!” Before Shizuku could react, she was lifted into the air.
Again.
“Oh, Grandma missed you so much!” …You saw me yesterday.
She happily carried Shizuku around the house while humming to no one in particular.
“My adorable little Shizuku!” Her father chuckled.
“Mom, I think she’s getting embarrassed.” “Nonsense.” “I think she wants down.” “Impossible.” Shizuku sighed internally.
This woman was unstoppable.
Eventually, her grandmother set her down, only for Obito to begin crying from the next room.
“Aww, someone’s awake.” Shizuku watched as her grandmother disappeared to help her mother.
She found herself smiling slightly.
If only she were my grandma in my first life.
Over the next few days, she had a comfortable routine.
Wake up.
Eat breakfast.
Watch her parents.
Train with her father.
Listen to her grandmother fuss over everyone.
Watch her mother rock Obito to sleep.
One afternoon, her grandmother insisted on taking her for a walk through the Uchiha-concentrated district.
Shizuku was paying extra attention to her surroundings, trying to find out if she recognized any places she saw from the anime, but everything looked unfamiliar.
The Uchiha didn’t have to live together on the outskirts yet, but many of them still ended up living near each other in the so-called Uchiha district.
The district was enormous.
Far larger than anything shown in the anime.
Training grounds occupied entire blocks.
Children practiced throwing wooden shuriken while older shinobi sparred and were corrected by some elders.
Small family-owned shops lined the streets.
The headquarters of the Uchiha Military Police stood near the center of the district, far larger than she’d imagined.
Everywhere she looked, she saw the Uchiha crest.
Families chatted outside their homes.
Children laughed as they chased each other through the streets.
Merchants greeted familiar customers by name.
As they walked, several clan members smiled warmly at her grandmother.
“Oh, is this little Shizuku?” “She’s gotten so big already.” “I heard they had another child.” Her grandmother beamed with pride.
“Of course she is!
Isn’t she adorable?” Shizuku looked toward the sky.
“I want to go home.” That evening, after dinner, Shizuku wandered into the backyard.
The air was cool.
She was staring up at the stars, but they still looked a little bit odd.
The constellations weren’t the same as Earth.
Even the moon looked different; it was a lot closer.
She often wondered whether she’d truly been reborn in the world of Naruto…
or simply a world that closely resembled it.
“…There you are.” She turned.
Her father walked over before sitting beside her.
“You’ve been quiet today.” She couldn’t exactly explain what she’d been thinking about.
Instead, she simply pointed toward the stars.
He smiled.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?” They really were.
For several quiet minutes, neither of them spoke.
A normal kid would probably lean on their parent in this situation, Shizuku thought.
She leaned into her father.
Her father simply smiled and gently rested a hand on top of her head.
She didn’t pull away.
Although slightly unexpected, she realized she liked the feeling of her dad caring for her.
She focused on the thing deep within her soul…
And it stirred.
That strange presence she’d sensed ever since her rebirth pulsed softly, as though it was calling for her.
It felt closer than yesterday, if only slightly.
Still beyond her reach.
But closer than before.
Shizuku instinctively reached toward it with her mind.
Nothing.
Not yet.
She slowly opened her eyes.
“…One day.” Whether it took three years, five, or even longer, she would eventually uncover what was in her soul.
Until then…
she would wait.
Patiently.
Well, maybe not so patiently, but she would wait.