Genkaku (Naruto fanfic)

Chapter 3: Ultimatum

The man sitting behind a desk in front of her raised a small pipe to the corner of his mouth and inhaled deeply. His eyes were locked on hers, studying her, as if looking for something she didn't know. A tendril of smoke languidly drifted towards the ceiling upon the elderly man's exhale.

The smoke made Shizuka's throat tickle unpleasantly, suppressing the urge to cough. It had now been two weeks since her arrival to Konoha and the hospital personnel had deemed her physically and emotionally fit enough to be brought in front of the Hokage, leader of the village and a formidable shinobi if the stories her grandmother used to tell her were to be believed.

"Please, take a seat." The older man spoke as he gestured to the single chair across his wooden desk. His tone was kind but clearly belonged to a man who was used to being obeyed. Nervously, she moved over to the chair and slowly sank in it, folding her hands tightly in her lap.

She knew why she was here. Today, the Hokage was to decide what was to become of her.

"My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen and I currently hold the Hokage seat. Now, what might your name be?"

Shizuka wasn't naïve enough to believe the man opposite her truly didn't know her name but she answered nonetheless.

"Furukawa Shizuka, Hokage-sama."

"It says here" He tapped at one of the many documents strewn across his desk "that you are a survivor of Hoai."

Her hands clenched tightly.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." 

She was pleased to note her voice didn't break. Though staying at the hospital hadn't always been the most pleasant experience, especially during dinner time, her daily sessions with the resident therapist had been surprisingly helpful in dealing with the loss of her family. Of course that didn't mean she wasn't hurting deeply all the time, but the pain had dulled just enough for her to get through the day without breaking down completely.

"Do you have any family outside of Hoai who would be willing to take you in?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

The Furukawa's had always been a small but tightknit family, all of them living in the same village. She might have some second or third cousins somewhere, but none that she knew how to locate.

A hint of pity flashed across the Hokage's dark eyes. It was the same look a lot of her nurses regarded her with when they didn't think she was looking. It was uncomfortable. But then Shizuka blinked and the look was gone, leaving his face stoic and unreadable once more.

"One of our shinobi who brought you back reported your eyes turning red. Are you aware of what that could have been?"

She vaguely remembered a red haze covering her vision.

Shizuka shook her head.

"Has that happened to you before?"

Once again she shook her head.

"We have reason to believe it could be some kind of kekkei genkai. Were there any shinobi in your lineage?"

A kekkei genkai? Her? That was a preposterous thought, one she would have laughed at a few weeks ago.

"My grandmother was a kunoichi of Konoha. She settled in Hoai after she married my grandfather."

The Hokage tilted his head at that, seemingly intrigued. The movement made the big red and white hat shift slightly to the left.

"And" He started. "What was your grandmother's name?"

Shizuka was silent for a moment. She knew her grandmothers first name, but her maiden name was not something that was ever used around the village.