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Chapter 6

It was snowing.

Air snagging in my throat, I threw my door open and looked up at the sky, which had suddenly given way to a grandiose shower of white. Choked up with innumerable feelings, I could only observe the sky. The earthy ground on my flat's front porch was dusted with a thin film of white, and I watched in silence as the landlady trotted her way up the stairs, mumbling profanities underneath her breath.

"Good morning, Mai-san." I greeted her, a part of me detached as I struggled to comprehend what nature was dramatizing for me.

I'd never thought I'd be able to experience snow in my life. Feeling emotional all of a sudden, I turned my attention to the old lady who had covered the stairs leading up to the veranda.

"Ton-san." She frowned. "Don't you have work today?"

"It's an off-day."

"I see."

The whistling of the wind had been going on for a while, but its frequency picked up. The landlady grumbled, making her way to her quarters.

"Hasn't snowed in a long while. I wonder why the stars have decided to curse us."

"A curse?" I enquired, following her steps into her room, waiting as she slid the panel to her room open, not before taking off her soled sandals.

"Yes, a curse." She said, shooting a dark glower at the ceiling, wispy strands of white hair framing her weathered face. To me, she looked unconventionally elegant.

Today was pay-day; the beginning of the month. As she began preparing a pot of scented cinnamon tea, I put an envelope on the table.

"Oh, yes. Is it that time already?" She looked uncomfortable, and I felt awkward. It wasn't like I had an obligation to enter her rooms and have tea with her, but she tolerated me.

"Why is it a curse?" I asked, even as she handed a cup over to me. She pulled back her sleeves, picking up a dish from the sink and allowing the water to gush.

"My husband had passed away on a winter morning." She murmured, over the clink of cutlery that had filled the kitchen.

"You could say that it is a premonition." Her tone was cautious, almost wistful.

"I apologise for intruding."

"It is fine, child." She said, flicking her wrist dismissively. "You are not leaving now."

Her small, leather-like face lost some of its aging folds, and perhaps in that moment, she must've been recollecting memories of her youth, her husband, and times that had been joyous and less stressful for her. A pair of brown, twinkling eyes flashed by me, and I shut my eyes, taking another sip of the bland, lightly flavoured tea. The scalding hotness brought me back to the present, the reality. Was this what one called reality? Or was it the facsimile, the mocking parody of one?

My musings were brought to a sudden closure when she spoke, almost inaudibly at first.

"He never failed to make me laugh. My husband was one of a kind."

"He sounds like a wonderful man." He might or mightn't have, who knew? What else could I say when she stood in a small, suffocating kitchen, recalling happy memories that had given her hope once upon a time? But I could relate, and that made me sober for a moment. I thought of hazel, flowing hair, shredding by sharp metal.

"He was." Her tone was heavy.

"Anything special happened this morning?" I asked, pouring myself a new cup. "You looked annoyed."

"Noticed that, didn't you, young lady?" She sighed, massaging her temple.

"I told you, winters are a bad omen. Konoha hasn't had one in years, and business has been flourishing for the past few years. I've been receiving new tenants."

"Something has happened?"

"Everything I'd feared has happened." She looked pensive, her clear black eyes meeting mine. The warm rim of the tea cup met my lips.

"That Uzumaki is to be shifted here, under ANBU's orders."

I spat the scalding tea all over her table, and she shot me a disgusted look under her lids.

"I'd thought as much." The hag didn't even bat an eyelash, even as I dragged a tea towel, wiping the teak surface.

"I don't care as much about the demon brat," She said, her voice gloomy. "But once my current tenants are aware, I'm sure they'll be happy to leave the rooms undusted. You won't be leaving, will you?"

Her tone was brisk, and I swallowed the last dregs of tea.

"I don't have anywhere else to go." I said, smiling weakly. "Why, are you trying to fend me away?"

She ignored my poor attempt at making things light.

"The villagers don't have any shame in showing their prejudice openly. They'll leave the moment I announce the circumstances, and I don't suppose that haggard Hokage has any time to care about the welfare of those in poor health."

"It must be quite difficult for you, Mai-san."

"I don't need any pity, so I'd watch my mouth if I were you, fool."

Her face was set in brusque lines, and to be honest, she reminded me of my stern-faced grandmother.

"It isn't sympathy. What are you going to do?"

It was like watching a slow-motion reel. Everything unexpected was occurring, and I couldn't wrap my mind around anything, and felt left out in a continuous, wretched cycle. Uzumaki hadn't known my identity in the first class, probably because he'd been sleep-impaired by the time the bell had rung. It would've made things problematic, and I wasn't so sure that the same thing would happen in the next class, which was on Sunday. Hell, I couldn't make the kid fail my class my allowing him to sleep like the dead.

"Accepting him into the rentals, of course." She said. "I wonder if I could convince the boy to dye his hair. It would make things less troublesome."

"I don't think that will happen."

If there was anything of use I'd learned from the orphanage, it was the management of kids who had a lot of time to spare on their hands. His pranks had a routine. If anyone provoked him, as was the usual case, he made sure to increase the flux of his pranks. It was like he followed a warped principle, one which he lived by.

He might not be like Tenten, whose accuracy with pens was legendary among my colleagues at the orphanage – she used them as darts when she got tired of toy kunai – but he certainly got creative with the wooden walls of the bedrooms, or the dining halls, and gave hell to some people I knew by dunking them in the toilet. I have a fond memory of the time when he'd electrocuted Suzuki when the man was in the washroom. Uzumaki had rigged some sort of defunct toaster to the closet, and after sitting down on it, the man has never looked at toilet seats the same way.

Let us not get to the time where he dumped green sludge on my head, despite the fact that I'd never even talked to the kid. Yeesh, he didn't really discriminate, didn't he?

"You'll have greater things to fear from now on." I assured her.

"His mischievous tendencies, as I understand it." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've some dirty clothes to attend to."

I wanted to go out in the snow, but something pulled my back to my rooms like gravity. Peering in the mirror, I found that my face was slack. Was I going to pull this off? This anonymity over here, living in the sheer terror of being discovered – it felt like a fake coverage. Mind reading was possible in this crazy world. If Ino existed, then her clan existed in all its glory.

I'd spotted members of the Yamanaka in random places – the clan loved to socialize, and their distinctive pale golden hair and warm blue eyes hid how terrifying their shinobi could be. They were great at identifying small nuances that made up the personality of a person, and that added to my paranoia.

I did not want to go into the real world.

Ton the coward. Maybe I was being a masochist.

Come morning, I found myself facing rows of children, arranged in a circular ring around me. It appeared as though they were spectators, looking at me from their imperial seats, and waiting for a beast to come out of nowhere and kill me.

"I can see that you guys are happy to be out of bed."

"It is such an ungodly hour to be in class." Izumi slumped in his seat, even as Touka stabbed the table top with her pen in a way that vaguely disturbed me. Shikamaru seemed sullen to be yanked out of bed – by his mother, no doubt – and Sasuke kept a distance from Naruto, mouth hidden behind locked fingers. Ino was gazing at him dreamily, and one of Shino's bugs buzzed around the classroom.

"That bench isn't your cradle, Uzumaki. Stop slouching."

Naruto rubbed his eyes, freezing at the look on my face. I am sure it wasn't pleasant, whatever it was. Rumours were aplenty when the civilian orphanage recruits had stepped into the academy – the other chuunin teachers got a kick from patronizing us, not that I particularly cared. I'd passed the office one morning, arriving early at the Academy.

"She has this horrible expression." It sounded like a guy, or perhaps a girl. It was a given that were talking about me, but did I care? Maybe I stopped caring somewhere along the ride. Maybe I was living so I could see my sister one last time and apologise for abandoning her. It was out of my hands.

Half of the class was deadened. If that isn't an accurate word to describe its overall ambience, I don't know what was. It was pretty dispiriting, especially for the second day of the academic year, but it was one gloomy winter morning, so what did I expect? Daisies and rosebuds?

Naruto had forgotten all about me, intent on annoying Sasuke. For this, I kind of regretted switching his seating arrangement, but looking at the way the Uchiha seethed at his would-be rival, I forgot about it.

It was a relief that something other than revenge inspired an emotion other than passiveness in the Uchiha.

"And that applies to you as well, Nara."

Nara Shikamaru. I didn't know what to make of the kid.

I slammed my hands on the desk. He had heard me, and he was trying very hard not to twitch on the desk he was laying on, in the very back. The force of the stare of the entire class swallowed him up. The year's History book was on his face, its pages splayed part.

"Is he for real?" Izumi let out a quiet laugh, fiddling with the zipper of her pullovers.

I chucked a piece of chalk at Shikamaru, and there was a moment of stunned silence as the projectile hit its mark.

The book slid right over his face, and he regarded me with an unimpressed look.

Yano burst out in raucous laughter, the class following him. Hinata's cheeks were flushed. Nothing new there.

"Nara," I said, over the din of giggles. "Do try to be realistic. You have a minute to get yourself together and straighten up, or else I'm going to be sticking you with Inuzuka for the rest of the year, damn the consequences."

"That's blackmail." Kiba was horrified. "Hell, I'll even sit the rest of the term near Yano if it means I won't have to sit with that moron."

Nara didn't give any indication that he'd heard Kiba's disparaging comment, resuming his customary slouch on the desk.

Yano seemed to take offence.

"Wait a second, are you comparing me to Nara?" He squeaked, red in his face. Akamaru nipped at his sleeve, snarling.

"You should see the look on your face, Kiba." Ino sing songed. "It's beautiful."

"Better than yours will ever be, bitch."

"What did you say? Me, weird? I'm limited edition, you dogshit!"

"Limited edition? Yeah, I can see that." Ami smirked.

"Keep it light, kids." I raised my hands, attempting to diffuse the situation.

Shino muttered something inaudible underneath his breath, and Sakura looked like she wanted to throw a tantrum. She was a far sight better than Ino, who was trying to rile up Kiba into another fight.

"I brought something interesting today." I said, shrugging out of my coat. The class seemed to have been reinvigorated after the mini-blow out, and they peered cautiously at me.

"I guess if you don't want it, we can always start the day with the delegates of the Founding-"

"No!" The chorusing was followed by looks of disgust.

"That's a dirty trick, sensei."

"Listen up, then." I shrugged, rummaging through the pockets of my coat for the rice paper.

I set down the sorry-looking stack of yellowed, distinctive parchment on the desk.

One of Shino's kikachu bugs was flying about, but other than that, there was complete silence. I could sense their puzzlement.

"This," I nodded to the stack. "Is special stuff. Can anyone tell me what it is?"

"What's so interesting about paper?" Yano enquired, scratching his chin.

"It is ninja paper." I said dryly, tapping my fingers on one. "You place it on the person's head, and it blows up."

"Really?"

"No, it has kamikaze properties to give you a good whipping on your ass."

Kiba choked. Yano shot him a vengeful look.

"I'm just messing with you, Yano. But seriously, this is expensive. Can anyone take a guess?"

"Not just any ordinary paper, then." Amatsuki declared, shuffling back in his seat.

"Duh, sensei just said that, dumbass."

Before anyone could get into another cacophony, I crouched, segmenting the papers into small squares, before laying them out on individual tiles.

"I expect an answer, when I question you guys." I said shortly, standing up. "Don't care if the answer is stupid, but answer."

"Well, you are pretty dumb 'cuz that looks like paper to me, Kiba." Naruto pitched in, eyes crinkled. It seems that he hadn't recognized me. How many years has it been, since he'd been away from the orphanage? I thought about my conversation with the landlady the day before.

Sasuke beat me to it.

"That's chakra paper, dobe."

"Teme!"

And then Uchiha proceeded to revert back to brooding.

"Yes, Uchiha is right." I agreed, holding a piece up from my crouch.

"This small, unassuming piece of paper is to find out what chakra affinities a shinobi may possess. Before discussing about chakra types, I want you guys to tell me what these are."

I stood up, straightening my torso, and picked up a piece of chalk. Nara's half-lidded eyes followed my movements like a hawk. I drew out the kanji for the five natures, before turning to the class.

"Elemental affinities. Hinata, can you tell me what they are?"

"Earth, w-wind, water, f-fire and lightening."

I threw a leg over the table, gesturing towards the board.

"You guys are going to be genin next-to-next year. You must have a pretty good grasp on the relation between these natures, right? It's obvious, just from looking at the diagrams. There is a relationship between these elements."

"For example," I said casually. "The simplest one would be fire beating water. What do you think wind does to lightening?"

No answer.

"Let's rewind. The Five Elemental Nature Transformations are the foundations for all ninjutsu. A person can have more than one chakra type, but the most common chakra types belonging to a shinobi will be complementary, in most cases."

Their blank faces were hilarious.

"Okay." I hummed. "Let's see, can a person be more suited to water and fire rather than wind and fire?"

"Wind and fire." Ami said instantly.

"And why's that?"

"Because whenever my ma blows into the fire, it burns brighter."

"That's right, Amatsuki." I said. "Fire is stronger than wind. That was the correct observation, Ami. Good job."

"And why is that?" Ino asked, grudging interest lacing her voice.

"Think about it this way." I said. "Fire can be beaten by water the same way wind can be beaten by fire. We can douse a flame by putting water on it. We can speed up a flame by blowing on it. Do you see a diagonal relationship here? It will not be practical for a shinobi to commonly have two opposing natures like the ones I'd mentioned – water and fire – because there will be an imbalance."

"So, in conclusion, what do you think about the chakra pairs that are well-suited for each other?" I asked.

"Wind strengthens fire, which can be used to beat water." Shikamaru drawled.

"I can see that you didn't directly say that fire beats water. Why is that?"

He stayed silent, and I resisted the urge to laugh. His participation-in-class quota must have expired.

"Why is that?" I repeated it to the class.

"B-because…"

Hinata's voice was low, but not enough to escape my attention.

"Because, Hyuuga?"

"B-beacause water release, if it's s-strong…" She trailed away, and I could see Naruto's attention on her.

"Go on, it's correct." I prompted.

"It can o-overpower water, and w-water doesn't need air."

"That's right, Hyuuga." I said. "While it is true that each element has a definite advantage over the others, what depends on the strength is the potency of the attack."

"Quantity?" Haruno's voice was uncertain.

"Intensity of the attack."

"Oh."

"Okay, now that that's cleared up, let me know what you think about earth." I looked at the wall clock hanging miserably in one corner of the room.

"Let's speed things up. I drew the cross-relation between the elements, so you might want to take that down in your head. Not compulsory to write, but I expect you to remember these tomorrow when I quiz you on it."

"Earth absorbs water, so it is stronger than water. However, it is weaker than it." I said. "Think about it for tomorrow. Right now, let us discover your chakra types. Nara, since you are interested in getting this thing over with, why don't you come and be the first to demonstrate?"

Snickering filled the class. Shikamaru threw an arm over his eyes, groaning.

While he took his time, I continued.

"You'll most likely know that Hatake Kakashi was the one to develop Chidori."

"It is a badass jutsu." Yano pumped his fists in the air.

"Yes Yano, now that we all know you obsess over him, can you tell me what his chakra releases are?"

"Lightening." Shino pushed his glasses up. "Technically, it is stronger than earth, although I've heard that Hatake-san has all the four."

I didn't usually make assumptions, but it was amazing that someone as mysterious a kid as Shino was responding. His seatmates were giving him a wide berth, understandably fearful of the bugs that popped up occasionally.

"That's impossible." Sakura blurted out.

"He's a genius." Ino sighed. "The good-looking ones always are. What did you expect, forehead girl?"

"Yes, Hatake-san is a rare case." I said. "He is a capable shinobi. His legendary sharingan gives him the ability to mimic any ninjutsu that an enemy does in front of him. Back to the point, Nara, did you drop down dead somewhere there?"

"I didn't want to interrupt you." His voice was even.

He bent down, picking a paper up. I caught his arm.

"It's best if you do it on the ground." I raised my voice. "Another reason why these aren't in standard issue. It is expensive, but made from a rare species that grows deep in the Forest of Death. It is pretty reactive, so the wrong reaction might trigger it."

"Really, sensei?" Naruto's tone was cautious, hopeful; as though he had never interacted with a teacher on good terms before.

"Wha' does it do?"

"Do you want to find out after it has blown up on your face?" I asked wryly, walking up to his desk and facing the front of the class, where Nara was regarding the thing.

"Do your worst, Nara. Burn it."

"But we haven't studied any fire techniques." Kiba pointed out. "How the hell is he gonna manage that?"

Shikamaru looked at me in the eye.

"We can use chakra?"

"Yes." I agreed. "It all depends on the output, really. Let us see how you manage it."

All academy students were aware of chakra modulation – it was a primary part of their curriculum. It was a technique that called forth their chakra, making them adjust to it and manipulate it. Clan kids had an extra advantage; their families prepped them even before the civilian kids could start reciting rhymes.

I watched in fascination as tendrils of shadows from the cupboard clambered upon the skin of Shikamaru's hands, coating the paper in darkness. I heard the slide of wood over stone as the others leaned over their desks to get a better look.

When the chakra bled into the paper, it caught into flames. Shikamaru let go of it, watching as it fell down.

"Nara has fire?!"

And that wasn't all. It didn't turn into ash instanty, as I'd read. It hit the ground, crumbling into solid pieces.

"He has a bit of Earth affinity as well." I announced, and the class broke into a racket.

"Shika, why didn't you tell me?" Ino demanded.

"Naruto, do us the honour of being next."

"Yeah, the idiot."

"Hey!" Naruto's voice made my ears hurt.

When he approached in front of the class, my heart was thundering.

The paper split into half.

"Hey," He looked disappointed that it hadn't been flashy. "What's going on here?"

"You have a wind nature." Shino replied.

"Some of the bingo-book stars have wind nature." I said. "The kazekage has a wind nature. Gaa-"

I cleared my throat, but the kids didn't notice, indignant as they looked at Uzumaki, and at each other.

"Kazekage? That's awesome!"

His grin made me think of bright futures, and naïvely enough, I believed him.

The bell rang.

"Tomorrow." I promised as the whining broke out. I picked up the rest of the pile of chakra papers on the ground, before pacing towards the door.

It could have been my imagination, but it hit me, all the same.

"She's cool." I heard one of the kids saying, and that was more than what I'd ever asked for in this crazy world.

Days flashed by me, and it was like I was the only one frozen it time, without an aim. I found myself warming up to the Academy, and things seemed to be going well. The chūnin instructors had established a rapport with the rookies, and by the time the New Year arrived, I unwillingly got together with my colleagues for the annual staff meet up at the local saké shop, Ninhonshu. True, it wasn't exactly the textbook behavior for teachers, who were supposed to be role models, but when you considered that we were an entirely different branch of teachers trained to bring up child soldiers, it isn't jarring.

The sound of the clink of porcelain bottles on the counters washed over me, and I buried my head in my elbows. I didn't feel like drinking.

"Enjoying the event?" Iruka's voice sounded near me, and I lifted my head up.

"Umino? I thought you'd be busy elsewhere."

His laugh was nice. Light on the ears.

"They can be a bit handful sometimes."

I noticed that he was cradling a glass of water to his chest.

"You could have stayed at home if you hated the scene." I pointed out. "Why bother coming if you weren't meaning to sample alcohol?"

"I don't care much for alcohol." He said. "I've been busy the entire month. Thought I should spend it with the others, but they are a rowdy bunch. What about you, Ton-san? You don't seem to be in it."

"No, I don't." I agreed, filling a glass and tipping it back against my mouth. The burning sensation traversed down my throat, and I closed my eyes. Liquor made me feel nauseous. Umino was silent, and his silvery scar oddly stood out in the amber lighting of the counter.

"I don't like evenings."

"Why is that?" He seemed amused.

"Don't know. I am superstitious sometimes. Aren't we all?"

"I firmly believe in reality, Ton-san."

"As we all are aware. Are you nineteen?"

"Going on to twenty, actually." He smiled. "But that's pretty accurate. You?"

I took a while to answer. Did I even remember?

"Twenty four, give or take. I honestly haven't celebrated any birthdays in a long while."

"Really?"

"Why would I want to lie on that?" I asked him.

"I thought you'd be older." He joked, leaning back on the counter and letting out a heartfelt sigh. I observed the dark circles smudging the underside of his eyes.

"Do things remind you of bad incidents that have happened in your life?"

This wasn't the first time I had blurted out a socially awkward question. Stupid probably didn't even cover it.

"Many times." His smile was absent, and he was regarding me openly. He seemed fragile, all of a sudden. It was an uncanny thought to have, one without any meaning. I knew what he'd come here for.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I cut right down to the chase. Might as well bear the brunt of it.

"Ton-san," He straightened, looking characteristically serious. "You know what I am talking about."

He was sober, and in all likelihood, he wasn't about to budge until I had broached the topic.

"I thought I had made my opinion on this clear, Umnio."

"But won't you give it a chance?"

"I'll talk to you later." I said. "Something came up."

I didn't know if it was the alcohol or my inability to face things head on, but I got up. Before he could call after me, I threw myself in the throng of people at the door, forcing my way out and tasting the scent of the night. My hands were clammy, all of a sudden.