Chapter Text
Reincarnation is a concept that she is not unfamiliar with.
She had a friend who was Buddhist, and he had often spoken about life after death. It was an interesting notion, one that she had studied when she was younger. She found religion as a whole rather intriguing.
She had only briefly entertained the idea of reincarnation being real.
It was only now, as she lay in a warm cot, staring at the dark-haired infant next to her, did she realise that perhaps Hari had had the right idea.
Her attention is drawn away as a similarly dark-haired, dark-eyed woman enters the room. Resting on her hip, gazing at them with curious, mature eyes, is a young boy. She guesses that they are mother and son, as they share nearly identical features.
The woman settles in the rocking chair next to their cot, her small grunt betraying the effort it took for her to do so. The young boy stands on her knees and curls his small hands around the bars of the cot, peering down at them. She stares back, intrigued.
The woman chuckles quietly. “Say hello to your siblings, Itachi-kun,” she says, her eyes flashing red, forever burning this memory into her mind, “Uchiha Sasuke-kun, and Uchiha Shioko-kun.”
The young boy's lips curl up into a small smile. His eyes glimmer with happiness. “Hi, ototo, imoto.”
Oh.
She suddenly knew exactly where she was.
--
Mikoto – her mother in this life – is around often. She spends most of the day sitting in the rocking chair, feeding them or reading to them. When she is not with them, she is sleeping. She heard some of the Uchiha clanswomen – who visit almost daily to meet them and drop off gifts – talking about how it was quite a hard pregnancy. It had obviously taken a large toll on her body.
Shioko could sympathise.
She had never given birth herself, but her mother had had a very complicated pregnancy and had almost died. A few of her friends had experienced the same.
Her older brother Itachi – she has yet to wrap her head around that – also spends what time he doesn't spend training and studying (he has yet to enter the Academy) with them. He is an attentive brother and son. He reads to them, plays with them, and spends what is probably an unhealthy amount of time just—staring at them.
“Uchiha devotion,” a maid had whispered once, amused, when Itachi had fallen asleep on the floor next to their cot.
Truly a doting older brother.
Shioko rarely sees her father. He is often caught up with shinobi and/or clan duties. He still tries to spend time with them, though.
Shioko thinks that he is a good father.
He often fusses over Mikoto's condition, despite the amount of times she assures him that she is fine. His worry and stress manifests in his permanent frown and the crease between his brow. Shioko doesn't blame him—if her spouse had almost died, she would worry too.
He trains Itachi, she knows. Mostly in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and shurikenjutsu. Her brother has tutors for things such as history, politics, and whatever else a clan heir is expected to learn. Sometimes, he takes one of them with him for his lessons.
Mostly her. Sasuke is prone to... outbursts.
She tries to pay attention during these lessons. Sometimes, they can be rather interesting. Shioko expects that she will learn similar things when she is Itachi's age, though maybe not considering she's not the clan heir. But she is the second oldest child.
Shioko also knows that different things are expected of women in this universe. She doesn't know how accurate the anime was, but from what she observed women were considered weaker and many were delegated the role of 'medic-nin.' The only exceptions she can remember were Konan, Temari, and Kushina—though little of her was shown in the first place.
Shioko sighs and shifts, wiggling her little baby feet as much as she can. Itachi looks down at her and smiles.
What a cute older brother.
--
Shioko's universe is large.
She can feel everything within a hundred-meter radius of her. The ants and worms crawling around in the soil, the spiders weaving their webs in the corner of people's roofs, the cats that like to explore the compound, people.
Every creature has a certain feel to them that she can identify them by. Nothing escapes her notice.
Her little brother is the scent of ozone before a storm, and the sparks of a lighter. When he is older, he will crackle and burn. She finds his signature the most calming. Perhaps because they are twins.
At first, it was overwhelming. She couldn't handle the stimulation of feeling every little thing at once. It was easier once she identified what was happening, and was able to tune out everything not within the room.
As time passes, she exposes herself to more of the world. She breaks down her mental walls, giving herself a few days to get used to the stimulation before destroying another. It's a slow-going process but by the end of September, she's reached the limit of her sensing abilities. She is sure that her bubble will grow as she gets older.
In October, the Kyuubi is released.
--
She is with Mikoto when it happens.
They are visiting Shioko's third cousin something removed at her house. Mikoto is holding her as she chats with Rika, she believes her mother called her. Itachi had opted to stay behind with Sasuke, and Fugaku was busy running the Konoha Police Force.
She feels it before they do. Thick, malevolent chakra rises in the air, so full of hatred that it chokes her. She wheezes for air, coughing and hacking. Mikoto looks down at her, concerned, before her eyes widen and she quickly gets to her feet.
“The Kyuubi,” Rika whispers. Her chakra screams fear.
Mikoto is grim and determined as she rushes to the door, quickly tugging on her shoes and coat. Her eyes turn red. Rika follows, her hands trembling as she fumbles with her things.
“Come on,” Mikoto urges, her voice rising above the din of screams and wreckage. She grabs Rika by the hand and pulls her along.
“Mikoto-sama,” Rika says, “What—what about your sons? Should we not go back for them?”
Rika was a good person.
Shioko looks up at Mikoto's face, her tiny baby fist curling into her dress. Her mother's face is stoic, but her eyes are grim and mournful. “No,” she states neutrally, “We must evacuate with the rest of the clan.”
Rika looks horrified. “But Mikoto-sama—”
“No,” her mother states again, this time more forcefully. At this moment, she is the Uchiha clan's matriarch and a Konoha jounin.
Rika is silent.
Though she hates to admit it, Shioko understands why. Itachi and Sasuke were on the other side of the compound, and as the heir, Itachi was expected to take care of himself, despite being so young. Perhaps if the Kyuubi attack had happened a few years ago Mikoto would have gone back, but she had only recently given birth. Her body wasn't in the condition it was before she had her and Sasuke. Rika was also only a small business owner; she would tire quickly and likely wouldn't be able to keep pace with Mikoto, even in the state she was now.
In the event that Itachi and Sasuke died tonight, they would still have Shioko as an heir. It wasn't worth the risk to go back for Itachi and Sasuke when doing so could end up killing the Uchiha matriarch and second heir.
Mikoto would have to place her faith in her son's abilities.
“Amaterasu-sama,” she whispers, clutching Shioko tighter, “Please protect my children.”
Or the Gods.
Shioko had never been a religious woman despite her study of it, but she prays tonight.
--
Shioko would later say that she had witnessed her first death that night.
But to say that would be a lie.
--
They get to the shelter shortly thereafter.
Mikoto finds a spot along the wall and slumps against it, breathing lightly. Rika, by contrast, has fallen to her knees and is having a panic attack.
“Shit,” Mikoto curses quietly. Shioko looks up at her in surprise. That had to be the first time that she had heard her mother swear.
Mikoto grabs a passing Uchiha boy by the collar. He stops and looks up, his face and hair powdered with dust and ash. Red tear tracks are staining his cheeks.
When he sees Mikoto, his eyes widen and he folds into a bow. “Mikoto-sama,” he stammers, his voice hoarse and unsteady.
“Shisui-kun,” she says. He straightens. “Are you busy right now?”
He opens his mouth, but closes it at the last second and looks down. His fists clench by his side. “No,” he says, barely loud enough to be heard over the hustle of the shelter.
Mikoto nods, softening minutely. “Could you look after Shioko-kun? I need to go find my sons.”
Shisui's eyes widen. He hurriedly extends his arms. “Of-of course!”
“Thank you.” With a pulse of chakra, Mikoto disappears.
Shioko looks down. During Mikoto and Shisui's exchange, a man that she guessed was Rika's brother has found her and calmed her down. They were now several meters away.
She returns her attention to Shisui. He smiles at her despite the ways his eyes glimmer with tears. “Hi Shioko-kun,” he rasps, “I'm Shisui. You're going to be staying with me for a bit, yeah?”
She would nod if she could but unfortunately, she can't.
Shisui finds them a small spot under some stairs to sit. He slides down against the wall and holds her to his chest. His head knocks against the wall behind him. “A bit quieter here, yeah?”
It is a bit quieter. Still loud as the Kyuubi rumbles overhead, but it's away from the concentration of people. Shioko had shut off her sensory abilities once they had reached the shelter. The abundance of people had been too much for her.
Shioko can't verbalise her gratitude so she curls her fist around one of Shisui's fingers and hopes that it conveys her thanks. His head shoots down to look at her and after a moment, his face transforms. His eyebrows scrunch, his lips tremble, and his eyes glisten like the surface of water in the sun.
A harsh sob escapes him. He sucks in a deep breath and chokes on it. Shioko tightens her grip as much as she can. Shisui just cries harder and buries his head in her stomach.
Shioko takes her other hand and lays it on Shisui's arm, just—letting it rest there. A comfort, no matter how small it may be. He has obviously lost someone in the attack, and Shioko knows that it feels better when you're not alone, even if the reason you're not alone is because of a baby.
They sit there for a while. Shisui's shoulders gradually stop shaking. He quiets, but she knows that he hasn't fallen asleep.
It must be for over half an hour that they sit there, waiting. The rumblings of the Kyuubi slow, and soon enough, they stop entirely. The screams, the roaring of the tailed beast, the sounds of destruction, even the oppressing chakra of the Kyuubi lifts.
There is one long moment when everyone is silent as they wait to see if it is over. They must be completely quiet for at least five minutes. Then, a woman breaks down sobbing, and everything explodes into noise.
Shioko winces at the noise and shifts. That catches Shisui's attention. He looks down at her with empty eyes, fresh blood trickling down his face, intermingling with a cut on his cheek. A drop lands on her shirt.
Shoko pats his arm. He blinks and wipes his eyes, smearing blood over his face and hand.
“Ah,” he says, looking down at the blood now covering his hand. He chuckles, but it's empty and humourless. He gives her a smile that is a bit more genuine. “Thank you for taking care of me, Shioko-kun,” he whispers.
Her breath gets caught in her throat. She smiles back as best as she can. She uncurls her hand from around his finger and gives it a little pat before retracting her arm. He laughs, bright and brilliant, and gives her hand a small pat in return. They smile at each other, and Shioko falls in love.
Uchiha devotion, that maid had whispered.
Shisui's face turns serious. He gazes into her eyes, determined. “I'll protect you, Shioko-kun,” he vows.
Shioko silently vows the same.
Shisui opens his mouth once more and—
“Shioko!”
She turns away and cranes her neck as much as she can to see who called her. Shisui lifts his head and stands, taking care not to drop or jostle her.
Itachi is running towards her, little legs moving as fast as they can. Fugaku and Mikoto, who has Sasuke in her arms, follow at a more sedate but still hurried pace. Itachi's eyes are wide and frantic with worry and instead of slowing down when he sees her, he picks up the pace.
He skids to a stop in front of her and takes her from Shisui's arms. He hands her over without a fuss but when she glances over, she sees sadness and longing painted across his young face. Her heart aches.
Shioko turns back to Itachi. He is scanning her for injuries and when he finds none, he releases a sigh of relief and a small sob. Shioko reaches up as far as she can but can't quite reach his face. He sees this and leans down slightly. She smiles and pats his chin, trying her best to be reassuring.
His mouth drops open. He looks at her as his face crumples and his eyes go glossy. He sniffs and valiantly tries to wipe away his tears.
Mikoto and Fugaku come up behind them. They both smile when they see her unharmed, and she can see their shoulders droop a little in relief. She was never worried – she could sense their chakra – but it's still reassuring to see them alive and well. Sasuke babbles nonsense, but quiets when he sees her.
Shioko smiles. I missed you too, little brother.
She twists and waves a hand at Shisui, who up to that point had been awkwardly dithering while they reunited. There was something pained in his eyes.
“Ah, Shisui,” Mikoto says, surprised. She must have forgotten about him. She smiles gently at him. “You can stay at ours tonight, if you would like. Fugaku has already checked; the compound remains largely untouched.”
Shisui twists his fingers together. “I could not possibly impose,” he says even as there is obvious relief on his face. Shioko waves her arm harder.
Mikoto looks at her and chuckles. “You're not imposing, dear. It seems that Shioko-kun is quite endeared by you.”
Shisui laughs uncomfortably, even as his eyes light up with happiness.
Itachi glares fiercely at him.
Mikoto smiles and smooths her hand over Itachi's hair. “Let's go home.”
--
On the tenth of October, the Kyuubi was released within Konoha's walls.
It destroyed a quarter of Konoha and killed hundreds, both civilians and shinobi, including the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina.
On the tenth of October, Uzumaki Naruto is born, and subsequently inherits a century-old burden.
Within the relatively unharmed walls of the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Shioko grimaced.
It was only the beginning.