Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A/N: I've been on this site for awhile and always wanted to do an SI, but didn't because...reasons.

"Death is terrible for anyone. Young or old, good or evil, it's all the same. Death is impartial. There is no especially terrible death. That's why death is so fearsome. Your deeds, your age, your personality, your wealth, your beauty: they are all meaningless in the face of death."

-Sunako Kirishiki (Shiki)

Prologue: A Hatchling in the High Grass

When you're young, you think you're invincible, somehow immune to all the bad stuff the world dishes out. You get bruised and bent here and there, but it takes an incredible amount of trauma before you really think about how fragile your life truly is.

People are born fickle like that.

You never think death can reach you until it's too late, and when it does you don't expect to be thrown out of this life into the hot angry confusion of birth.

In other words…reincarnation.

Contrary to popular belief, you're not very hyper-vigilant when you're a blind fragile newborn. I try and fail to make sense of what is around me. A part of me would like to think it was God's way of numbing the craziness that I was hurled into and slowly I begin to understand why crying comes so naturally to babies.

Despite having years of experience under my belt, I am unable to communicate with those around me, I have no power over my own body. They move me and I am moved.

Three years pass.

Drowned out in a fog of bowel control and kiddy behaviors as I lived my new life out as Kiyohime, a girl with her head firmly placed in the clouds and an attention span that fit her age group. I floated through awareness, knowing somewhere I was of another mind and body, but as Kiyohime was unable to resist the impulses and idiosyncrasies of a toddler. I was here but she does not see me, does not feel me.

I lost myself.

Sitting on the floor coloring in my favorite picture book, a green crayon was pincered firmly in my grasp. I concentrated seriously on the snake hanging on the tree branch as I drew carefully in between the lines. The room I was in was one where matrons had set out a variety of toys for us to use, which had been haphazardly strewn about the room by careless tots.

We rarely used it except at night time or during rainy day seasons when we weren't allowed outside. Right now I was by myself; I could hear the other orphans laughing from outside and was glad that they were having a good time, even if it was without me.

I focused harder on getting back to my special project, my forked tongue stuck out in determination. 'Snake-san isn't going to finish himself.'

When I was all set and done I held the book to the ceiling and grinned proudly at my achievement. It was a pretty snake, green eyes, and white scales. I had chosen not to color in the scales because a white snake was said to bring good luck and fortune, at least according to the books I liked to read. Who couldn't use a little more luck here and there?

Snakes are misunderstood creatures. Sure, they seemed icky and scary, but inside I bet they were all warm and cuddly.

I began to stand up and stretch my rough limbs, hoping to grab some leftover mochi in the fridge downstairs before anyone else could beat me to it. Before I could leave, the door to the playroom flew wide open and a disheveled boy ran in breathing heavily. He was caked in a veritable rainbow of color, covering his hair and clothes from top to bottom. There were flakes of orange in his already bright yellow hair, and streaks of green over his eyes as if someone had run their hand down his face. He closed the door firmly behind him and pressed his back against it, all while giggling.

"Ha! I sure showed them!" He laughed giddily. I stood there dumbly and watched the boy, examining him more closely. He was an orphan, but not one I paid all that much attention to because he wasn't really one of us. We never invited him to play with the rest of us kids because he was always causing trouble for the nice matron at the home. They told us he was a very bad boy and a troublemaker and to stay away from him and I listened wholeheartedly.

No use in doing that now. I put my guard up when he turned to my direction, jaw down having just noticed me. "What are you doing here?!" He pointed accusingly.

I scowled. What a meanie! I was here first! "What are you doing?!" I shot back with my eyebrows furrowed. He flinched, but I continued. "You better not be making trouble for Keiri-san and Kanpu-san again." Those two were the nicest of the caretakers, always bringing us candy and sweets and they shouldn't have to deal with all the messes that he made.

He looked nervous and I took it as a sure sign of victory.

"Why do you care?"

I frowned, unsure if I was showing too much interest in him. "Because all you ever do is make things difficult for them!" I put one hand on my side, using the other to scold him viciously. "You're a delinquent and a bad boy!" I said childishly.

The boy glared and puffed his chest. "Well, you look weird." He said, but I brushed it off.

I knew I wasn't the most normal looking of my peers. With pale skin, slitted golden eyes and fang-like teeth, I was far from cute and perfect. However, this wasn't the first time someone's commented on my outlandish appearance and I've learned to ignore it and move on. At least, I tried to. Subconsciously I twisted the straight black locks that framed my face and growled.

Even so, I wasn't going to take his insults sitting down.

"Coming from a baby who drew stupid cat whiskers on his face." I bit back.

"They're birthmarks!" He defended fiercely.

I held back some mirth, smothering it with my hand. "So you're telling me you were born that way!"

He blushed and was starting to turn red. He was adorably cute when he was upset even if he was still annoying. His bright yellow hair and baby blue eyes were something that stood out in the dullness of our home. That didn't change that he was a troublemaker at heart.

Said blond haired boy was now shooting me a hate-filled gaze and I kindly returned it, no longer wanting to give him any polite consideration.

"Shut it, Teme!"

"Right back at you, Dobe!"

Imaginary sparks flew between us and I momentarily had enough sense in me to turn my head away from the annoying boy. His behavior was a disease, one I didn't want to catch.

"You're bothering me." I shooed. "Go away."

Poor choice of words. He looked so crestfallen that for a second I regretted making him act like a kicked puppy. I didn't have to care about him at all but part of me wanted to. I shook away the thought. He was nothing but a bother and he chose to be that way. Right? Before I managed the nerve to air my grievances he had already entered my personal space and pushed me to the floor.

I sat there wide-eyed, not from being sprawled to the ground, but from the sheer shock that he was the one responsible. He cautiously took a step back, probably thinking I would start bawling. When I didn't, he had enough nerve to start spurting nonsense at me that I mostly tuned out.

"You think you're such hot stuff! You'll see! Someday I'm going to be really important and you're going to regret ever being mean to me!" He shouted dramatically. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! Remember it, ttebayo!"

I frowned in confusion. "Fish Cake?" I said lamely. What a tasty, but stupid name. He was most definitely a weirdo.

Fish Cake shrieked in what had to be the best impression of a feral cat I'd ever seen. Without another word he ran out the room leaving me completely baffled. The boy was crazy. It was obvious he was some attention seeking hog who said and did foolish things for recognition. I was probably better off keeping away and ignoring him.

Still, something about him was off. "Uzumaki Naruto." I murmured, letting the name linger on my tongue for a few seconds longer. For some reason, that name pulled at something in my head and it was starting to get disorienting.

I sucked in a breath as suddenly years of repressed memories came flooding back to me, spilling through my head like a dam breaking under the weight.

I had died.

I had been reborn.

I had been reborn as a character in an anime.

I was in an anime, in Naruto's world.

In the Village of Konohagakure.

All pretense of being a normal child slid away and I said the only thing my mind could process.

"Fuck."

Kiyohime (清姫)- Is derived from a Japanese Folklore. As the story goes Kiyohime was the daughter of a village headman or landlord named Shōji, on the Hidaka riverbank. The family was wealthy enough to entertain and provide lodging for traveling priests. While swimming in the torrent of the Hidaka River, she is said to have transformed into a large serpent. [source: Wikipedia]

*Mochi - A short-grained, sweet, glutinous rice with a high starch content, used in Japanese cooking. [source: Wikipedia]

Aesthetic changes/Additional edits by CherryBerry12: March 12th, 2018

Second edit by cordo12: October/15/2018

A/N: Ever notice how SI's try to make the Narutoverse bright as a rainbow, save lives, and be oh, so wonderful? Yeah, this isn't going to be one of those stories...

So, reviews, criticisms, suggestions?~