Fate Wheel | Naruto

𝟏𝟔| Limitations

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."
– Ayn Rand

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DAWNS POV

Keiji had told me many stories.

He had told me of his past escapades that involved a team of small misfits that he'd considered his own. Thinking of it now, it somewhat matched the description of my current team. The names were cloudy, but the personalities were so unique. They had a troublemaker pulling pranks and always had something up his sleeve that'd managed to surprise anyone, a brainiac of the group who used his witty comebacks as a stalling mitigation mechanism to diffuse the seriousness of the situation and a brooding loner who thought the world was out to get her. As a kid, her temperament had always confused me. I always asked myself 'how can you hate the world so much when you haven't explored it entirely?'.

As they grew up, so did their shrewdness. It was teamwork that had made them stronger, it had fortified their bonds and emotions, it gave them a firm resolution and the strive to protect one another. Yet in the end, it was that very bond that had ended their lives.

Keiji didn't seem sad, though his tone was a little sombre and nostalgic whenever he reminisced about the times they had together. Instead he'd reply by saying 'they died fighting for what they believed in and what they loved, and that itself was honourable.' He didn't delve into the horrors that he faced the moment he realised he had failed at the one thing he had sworn to do; protect them. For my sake, he kept up the happy facade. It was what I always admired about him, he was so gentle with me, yet he didn't hesitate to be rough around the edges. As if he was engraving a very important lesson into my head in preparation for this miserable life to come.

When he died, all that I had left of him was painstaking memories and the departing smile he had on his face when he had taken his very last breath. Even when he was sinking into the jaw's of death, he smiled.

Jiro had immediately taken up the role of 'protector'. We both knew Keiji and we both loved him dearly. It had taken a toll on him as Keiji was the first human to have ever shown him love and it was hard on me because no wonted six year old had ever faced such trauma and came out unimpaired.

He was my guardian, my parent, my best friend. Even after being disclosed to peril he sheltered my ears and blocked out the noises, he provided me food to make sure I didn't starve through the night, he gave me the type of warmth that sometimes made the wailing, thunderous storm in my mind cease into oblivion. He was my anchor.

So how could I possibly not worry when all I could think about was the hurt on his face? I hurt him. I hurt the only person that cared about me.

"Tree climbing?" Sakura's eyebrows twitched, clearly unimpressed.

I stared at the towering trees, somewhat understanding the goal. I had read in a textbook that climbing trees was a procedure that ensured you implement the correct amount of spiritual and physical energy to a particular area of the body you want to focus your energy towards, baring in mind that the amount of chakra must be exact. I didn't exactly lack neither spiritual or physical energy, but rather my spiritual energy was accustomed to dormancy that it was incredibly hard to awaken.

Especially when my body was invigorated towards the teachings of Shizen. Howbeit, it died out when my Clan did and so the only way to learn it was to search for the scrolls buried beneath the rubble of the archaic temple. But I wasn't exactly stable enough to relive going back there.

"That sounds... boring." Naruto stated, squinting at the trees with displeasure.

Kakashi chuckled, balancing his weight on the makeshift crutches he had beneath his arms. "Let me rephrase that, you'll be doing tree climbing without your hands."