Chapter Text
Date Tsukiko woke in panicked pain, wondering why her body ached like hell, why her eyes saw either darkness or weird shapes, wondering why she wasn’t in her dingy apartment after three days stuck in the office rushing proposals that nepo babies had shoved onto her at the last minute as usual.
Then she realized she was remembering things she shouldn’t, and wondered if maybe that thirteenth can of beer had been a bad idea.
It took awhile, and she nearly threw up several times, but eventually she realized this was a terrible situation to cap off an equally terrible life ended by poor health and overwork.
Uchiha Tsukiko had been adopted into the clan as a baby, and though her parentage was meant to be a secret such things were impossible when surrounded by ninjas who were trained to steal secrets from childhood.
It was obvious to everyone anyway that she wasn’t an Uchiha, not with her white hair and brilliant golden eyes. The fact that she was actually the illegitimate daughter of Mizu no Kuni no Daimyō soon became an open secret, as well as the fact that she’d been smuggled to Konoha because of the kekkei genkai she’d inherited from her unknown mother.
Since Konoha and Kiri had a terrible relationship, Tsukiko was an outcast on the best of days. But the young girl was an idiot and a half, not realizing that the “hime” honorific was mocking, not understanding that no one actually wanted her around. She’d imposed herself pompously anyway, and eventually a few pissed off Uchihas had put her in the hospital.
Which was where an adult Tsukiko from a world where this shinobi village was all just a work of fiction woke up.
“My life sucks.”
Her voice sounded hoarse, young, and different, which freaked her out a little even if she was doing her best to come to terms with the transmigration. That kind of thing only existed in fiction, as far as Tsukiko was concerned, but the odd world around her and the random memories in her head couldn’t be disputed. And Tsukiko had learned from a young age never to deny cold, hard facts. They’d just find a way to hit you in the face until you accepted reality.
“Hime-sama. You’re awake.” Startled, she turned towards the odd figure made entirely of flowing streams of green with little characters. She couldn’t be certain, but she thought it was the Chakra Pathway System, and wished she’d actually continued following the story instead of abandoning it when real life had gotten in the way.
The figure was doing something now, the odd streams concentrating on what had originally held the shape of hands, and then Tsukiko felt a gentle probing in her chest. When she peered down, she could see this person’s chakra lightly dancing over hers, green spreading calmly before it was retracted.
“Your injuries should be fully healed in three days, hime-sama.” The medic-nin’s tone of voice was flat, which experience told Tsukiko meant this person didn’t like her but had a duty to remain professional while at work. “Please rest. You don’t want to reopen your wounds.”
Tsukiko knew full well that the person had held back on giving voice to the second part of the last sentence: “And give me more work to do.”
Nodding quietly, she watched as the chakra paths taking on a human shape moved further away, pausing temporarily at what Tsukiko assumed was a door - it was confirmed when she heard the soft ‘click’ of it shutting - and then joining larger groups of chakras that were walking or standing around.
Her throat was parched, but since it appeared she couldn’t see a damned thing other than chakra Tsukiko wasn’t about to risk fumbling around for a glass of water. That medic-nin should have given her something to drink, but clearly their sense of duty extended only to keeping her alive, not comfortable.
Sighing, she closed her eyes and entered a world of complete darkness while she recalled what had led the original Tsukiko of this world to the hospital.
Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Izumi tended to ignore her, and since his beloved older brother behaved that way Uchiha Sasuke too acted like Uchiha Tsukiko didn’t exist.
That hadn’t stopped the stupid little girl from constantly following the second son of the clan leader around, professing her love for him and demanding he marry her.
Tsukiko didn’t know if she could call it ‘second hand embarrassment’ now that she was inhabiting the body of the world’s greatest nincompoop.
Eventually some other kids in the clan had lost their tempers with her, and Sasuke had turned a blind eye and quickly escaped when Uchiha Tsukiko was being pummeled. The problem was that the beating had activated Tsukiko’s dōjutsu - Jōgan, according to what little the transmigrated Tsukiko recalled of hearing about the sequel story.
Which confused her immensely, since it was supposed to be something only those in the Omusubi Clan possessed. And it shouldn’t be in a constant activation state like it was now.
With no idea how to turn it off, Tsukiko wondered if she’d have to be like Hatake Kakashi and wear something over her eyes most of the time.
Thinking back to the beating brought up one glaring diversion from the original plot, which made her head spin. The children, including Sasuke, looked older than they should be. If she wasn’t mistaken the clan was supposed to have been massacred when Sasuke was seven, yet the boy who’d given her a disdainful look before running off had looked closer to ten or eleven.
She couldn’t help wondering if the massacre had been averted, hoped it had been since she didn’t want to end up dead - again - but something whispered in her mind that the increased ages might have to do with her soul being brought here. She hadn’t read much of the story, but she did know that the Omusubi traveled through dimensions looking for worlds to consume or something of the sort. It wouldn’t be a reach to assume her coming here had changed some things, but now Tsukiko had another major issue to deal with.
“When will it happen...?” She at least needed to be out of the compound when it did, unless there was a way to stop it from happening entirely. Tsukiko recalled a friend ranting about how “if only Shisui managed to stop Danzo that time”, the entire crisis could have been averted. But she wasn’t foolish enough to think it would just end there. From what little she remembered from classmates who were huge fans of the Uchihas, they’d been systematically sidelined and set up to fail for generations.
Though she had to admit after everything she’d heard about that Danzo fellow it’d be best to just get rid of him completely. The question was: how? Tsukiko as she was now was just an unwanted kid who currently had a crazy dōjutsu in permanent activation, which somehow also rendered her blind to everything else. She had no idea if this was canon, but considering Sasuke was older than he should be while his clan was still alive she chalked it up to some sort of space-time thing.
Sighing, she tried to turn on her side and nearly screamed from the pain the action caused. Those Uchiha kids had been vicious, taking out all the frustration they felt about the injustice towards their clan on the outsider in their midst. Tsukiko wasn’t surprised, not when she’d been beaten for far less in her own life, and in a way she didn’t really blame them since this body’s memories told her the young Tsukiko was nothing but a selfish, arrogant, useless brat who didn’t know how to be grateful she had a roof over her head, clean clothes to wear, and warm meals to eat.
It was uncomfortable lying on her back unable to move for so long, but she forced herself to hide deep in her mind as she always did when the world around her was too much to bear. It was something she’d perfected long ago, and was often the only thing that kept her sane and enabled her to appear ‘normal’ when she was at school and work.
Eventually, she woke up to a group of multicolored chakras next to her bed, and it was only this Tsukiko’s memories that allowed her to recognize the voice of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
“I see you haven’t been able to deactivate your Jōgan, child.” His voice was grandfatherly, but Tsukiko wasn’t fooled. The orphanage director and the priest who came to perform mass every week had been the same in public, but behind closed doors their true voices had been completely different.
She also recalled some classmates ranting about the Sandaime, saying the “old coot” shouldn’t have done what he had in letting Danzo run wild, allowing the blatant discrimination of the Uchihas to continue, and more.
Now that he was here in her hospital room, Tsukiko wondered if she should put her plan in motion. It was dangerous, since she had no idea how far along the coup plans were, but she also didn’t know when she’d get the chance to meet the Hokage again.
“May I speak with you alone?” It wouldn’t do much, not when the shinobi accompanying the Sandaime were probably skilled at eavesdropping, but Tsukiko couldn’t think of anything else a powerless and blind child could do in this situation.
As soon as she heard the door shut behind the figures made of chakra, Tsukiko focused on the man sitting calmly next to her.
“Why do you let Danzo run free and do as he pleases?” The way his chakra seemed to swirl and contract was an interesting fact she filed away for future reference. “Why aren’t you stopping the discrimination against the Uchiha clan, when you know Danzo ordered them to stay out of it during the Kyūbi attack?” She hoped she recalled what she’d been told correctly, since she’d listened with only half an ear to her classmates’ passionate discussions about their favorite manga. “You know about Root, so I’m sure you know about Danzo’s crimes - including kidnapping, murder, and stealing Sharingan. Why won’t you act? Or do you hate the Uchiha too?”
“What is this brat saying, Sandaime?” It was a voice this body didn’t recognize, and Tsukiko jerked back slightly when the chakra that had been lingering outside appeared around her in a heartbeat.
“I wasn’t aware the Jōgan granted its user the ability to see the truth.” His calm voice was at odds with the way his chakra stuttered in agitation, and Tsukiko was pleased to realize she could still read emotions despite being unable to see facial expressions and body language. “As to the reason why: it’s complicated, and not something a young child would understand.”
She’d heard those words plenty as a kid, and just as it hadn’t sat well with her then it didn’t sit well with her now.
“So you’re just going to order Itachi to kill his entire clan and run away, in order to appease Danzo?” The other shinobi in the room were clearly upset - whether at her insolence or her words, she had no idea - but staying silent. “You’re not just incompetent, you’re a damned coward who doesn’t deserve to be Hokage.”
“Sandaime-sama, is this true?” Another voice Tsukiko didn’t recognize, but its owner sounded quite young and shocked. “Were you going to order Itachi to...”
Distantly Tsukiko recalled someone telling her that when Itachi had been in ANBU, he’d served under Hatake Kakashi. Looking at his chakra - not a lot compared to the others in the room, but shining like lightning streaking across dark skies - she dared to assume the person speaking was one of her favorite characters.
“The Uchihas are planning a coup.” At the startled gasps, Tsukiko scowled and hurriedly interjected before the wretched fox could pin the blame on the clan.
“Because they’re sick and tired of being forced out of the village they helped found, and being blamed for everything that goes wrong.” She recalled some sort of psychology study about children turning out to be exactly what they were raised to be, and debated bringing it up. “Danzo ordered them to stand down when Kyūbi attacked, then started the gossip about how the Uchihas were involved in unleashing Kyūbi. The Uchihas have always asked to be allowed to live wherever they please - like every other citizen of Konoha - instead of being confined to a small district on the outskirts and treated like pariahs. Tell me: would you be happy if the village you built with the sacrifices of your kin turned its back on you, pushed you into a corner, ignored your basic rights, and faulted you for simply breathing?”
“She has a point.” It was murmured softly by someone with reddish chakra, but Tsukiko had no idea who it was.
“You’re oddly mature for a ten year old.” The Hokage’s voice was getting on her nerves. “How odd that none of the reports about you mentioned this.”
“Stop trying to change the subject, old fart.” She was sick of people like him, sick of being unable to change a damn thing about her circumstances. “Answer me: are you going to let Danzo have his way again? Even when he’s plotting treason and committing crimes against humanity?”
“Hokage-sama, we’d like to know too.” This voice was from someone with greenish chakra, and it sounded a little gruff. “If what Tsukiko-hime is saying is true, then you’re as responsible as Danzo for the crimes he’s committed and plans to commit.”
“Asuma...” Tsukiko was starting to realize the colors of chakra corresponded to elements, since she recalled Sarutobi Asuma had a strong affinity for wind while Hatake Kakashi preferred lightning.
“Hokage-sama, please answer us.”
All in all, Tsukiko thought her first few days of being transmigrated were going rather well. Blindness and injury notwithstanding.
A/N: This story is posted exclusively on AO3. If you’re reading it elsewhere, it was stolen.