Waiting Game

Chapter 21

"People fear what they can't understand or control, so it's no mystery why the Hidden Mist feared clan power. The hunt for all those with Kekkei Genkai was ruthless in nature, inhumane. I hadn't even realized I was a part of a clan at first... that my mother had a Kekkei Genkai... that she passed it on to me.

"My father, who firmly believed in the eradication of clans, had witnessed the usage of my ice, and- and killed my mother. He then went on to me, and - I remember it clearly, that look of hatred-... I killed my own father, Tsu-Chan, and I'm the last Yuki in existence," Haku's shoulders slunched forwards in the emotional pain he was burdened with. My eyes, usually as hard as stone as wavered, and I decided that I could- and would- indeed give him something back.

"...I was at the park one day, reading..." my eyes hardened once again as I remembered. "Reading for recreation, but it would also prove to help me in my future studies as an academy student. I wanted to kill two birds with one stone."

My small fingers grasped a page, flipping it with as much gentleness I could. Coincidentally, young me had flipped to a page with the Fourth Hokage and his wife, along with a short biography on them. The thing was, there were pictures in full color. A smiling man with yellow-blonde hair, spiky and untamable in nature, and a grinning woman with wild red hair... she was known for her recklessness as well.

I looked up, not expecting to see the Uzumaki boy that everyone had avoided. Blonde hair, blue eyes, idiotic nature... Uzumaki with blonde hair?

The Uzumaki was a less well-known clan after its near extinction. Sure, there are some left here and there, but it doesn't actually qualify as a clan anymore. However, there were telltale signs of an Uzumaki if you knew one. Insane amounts of chakra and extremely red hair were some of the more noticeable traits. And there was only one Uzumaki in the village directly before this generation; Kushina Uzumaki. She was the wife of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Fourth Hokage.

I didn't like where this was going, but my childish mind didn't realize the danger that I was now in. I looked back down at the pictures, seeing a smiling Fourth Hokage. I looked back up to see a smiling orphan boy.

Well then.

Suddenly, a swirl of leaves was brought in front of me by an unnatural breeze. My book was slammed shut, and my mouth was covered by a gloved hand. The Uzumaki boy was nowhere to be seen, only a blank animal mask was left in my sight.

ANBU, I recognized even at a young age.

I hadn't realized what I did wrong, as I hadn't done anything wrong.

It was that d@mned Hokage that did wrong.

"...Naruto doesn't know?" Haku asked, hushed voice and cold tone. He was pissed, and frankly I shared the sentiment.

I was stuffed in a dark room, with no perception of how long I had been in there. A man finally stepped into my vision, a cruel smirk on his face with cold uncaring eyes. In his hands was a ragged kunai knife, glinting like his dangerous aura.

"Of course not. What kind of man tortured a girl to silence just to give that information that he was so readily hiding?"

Haku's gaze was at the bookshelf of my room, at the very book that I had been reading. His eyes were narrowed, brows pushed together and lips twisted in anger- in all, he looked like the pure definition of silent rage.

"I see."

〰️➿〰️
That was the night before Kakashi had announced the exams that I currently was partaking in. I looked over at Haku, taking my eyes off of Kabuto. My twin finally showed up with her team, where Naruto bust down the doors and took the attention off of Haku and myself. Looking around, I saw that everyone was glaring at him now for boasting about something.