I do not own Naruto nor it's characters, and neither do I make profit of writing this.
A/N: Well this was an idea that came to me yesterday night while I was tyring to sleep - and I couldn't until 4 am. Thanks brain.
It's difficult to pinpoint exactly where my previous life ended and my new one began. It's a bit of a mess of memories that make little to no sense, but what I'm sure, is that before this… unique circumstance I find myself in, I was a normal person, doing your everyday chores to keep myself alive, with my own hobbies and whatnot.
Now? Well, it's a little complicated.
Let's start with my earliest memory in this new life.
The rhythmic clangs were soothing, keeping me in that line between barely conscious and not quite asleep, and I could feel where I was resting on was much, much colder than my own body.
I felt the infernal hotness I was in, though even with my foggy mind, I found surprising that I didn't feel the pain associated with it.
When I fully found myself awake, the clangs stopped altogether. I distantly heard a voice saying, 'It is done' and then found myself being drowned in cool water – yet, despite my instinctual OHMAHGAWD I CANT BREATHE, HELP ME WHOEVER YOU ARE IM DROWNING, after a little while, I found that I wasn't breathing in the first place. I was aware that I was fully submerged, though the dizziness and that sensation of lungs being filled with liquid never came.
I was still a little confused, and my analytical processes hadn't fully started up, so I was left a good while only shouting half-coherent questions and profanities. Mostly profanities. You had to excuse me, my mind was shaky, I couldn't see, it seemed that I couldn't breathe, and there was the sensation of wrongness about all of it.
Whoever was close by, and there was someone because I could feel them, most likely decided to ignore my yelling.
After an indefinite amount of time, I found myself being lifted from the water I was trapped in, being dried and then being oiled. I found myself desperately yelling 'WHAT THE HELL YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, PERVERT?' But, same as before, whoever it was chose to ignore it.
It took a good while, and after that I was clothed with something that was tight fitting but at the same time quite loose, and left there.
I couldn't move, I couldn't see, I couldn't hear (that took a while to notice). But at least I could feel and speak, right?
Wrong.
I don't know how much time passed, but I also came to the conclusion that I couldn't speak either. That, or that person actually wanted me to turn mad. Too bad that somehow I didn't.
It may have been because I was busy poking (figuratively) at something inside of me that I was sure wasn't there before.
By the temperature variation, I estimate that it took me somewhere between three to four days to regain vision and hearing, but either way it was a pleasant surprise.
Or not so pleasant, because when I first opened my eyes, I found myself surrounded by weapons. Confused and a little flabbergasted, I looked around, towards where I knew was a person, but I could only see a wall. They may be on the other side of the wall?
I found myself basking on the ridiculousness of the situation, for a moment. Originally, I was sure I was on a hospital or something, that I had some sort of terrible accident that rendered me quadriplegic and blind, deaf and mute. But then I find myself on an armoury?
And then there was that sixth sense thing that seemed straight off fantasy – I wondered if I was hallucinating.
But it seemed not, because a moment later, a person came from a door and I felt them moving before I saw them.
There were two people in there, an old man with a ragged look and a pretty lady clothed in a rather flashy kimono. So then I could at least deduce why I couldn't understand a thing they were talking about, it was most likely Japanese. While I had some knowledge of the language, it was nothing impressive and I could understand some words here and there, but the general context of their conversation eluded me completely.
When the old man came closer to me, just then I noticed there was a little problem with proportions. In the lines of Oh, would you look at that, he is a freaking GIANT.
He then proceeded to lift me with a single hand (that was the size of half my body) and turned towards the lady.
I really wanted to protest, and at least in my head I was, but they seemed to ignore the awkwardness of me being half squished by a giant hand.
Then I was unceremoniously undressed and laid bare. I can say confidently just how many seconds passed until someone started talking again. Fifty two seconds. And that is because I screamed a profanity per second, damning them, their ancestors, their current families and their cats.
But then, something grabbed my attention. It was the clothing I was previously wearing… that was not clothing at all. It was a scabbard.
Oh what the fuck.
From what I could gather afterwards, I was a blade made by the order of the lady as a wedding gift of sorts to her to-be-husband, in a strange traditional fashion. Neither she nor her family were particularly wealthy, though they certainly wanted to appear as they were, because it also seemed that I was made of some super-rare, durable and understandably pricy metal. So they could only afford to order a tanto made of it.
And that's me. A ceremonial knife. I certainly had mixed feelings about it.
The lady's name was Sukuizu, and the husband was Beikoku. It also seemed that Mr. Beikoku here was the heir to some minor vassal samurai clan of the Daimyo of a place called Tanokuni (It really took me a while to piece all this together, like the whole month before the wedding). The name of said clan was Hatake, name that was eerily familiar, though I chalked it up to the fact that I only knew like five Japanese samurai clan names and all were from the Sengoku Period. I certainly doubted… ah what was his name? That author, to be really original. Yes, that must be it. Even if the silver hair was strange, it had to be based off something, right? For what I know, it could be in the middle of the 900s and I wouldn't be any the wiser.
Well, back to topic, the ceremony was so formal and stiff it was boring, and it took an eternity for the bride to theatrically present me as the gift to the groom. He didn't seem awfully impressed with me, though he didn't seem impressed with anything to be honest, but continued with what appeared to be some traditional rite. By then I was so bored that I chose to ignore everything and started to poke at that thing inside me again.
What was unexpected was that my blade started to shine a blindingly white light while I was still in the hands of Beikoku – and it was, apparently, saw as a sign of good luck.
Hey, look. I'm also a flashlight. Certainly, I must be the advancement of the century in a place like Japan before the Europeans started the whole 'Mah moneiz' thing.
I still couldn't talk, though I wasn't sure if it was because I really couldn't or because I wasn't doing it like I should – you know, I was trying to modulate with a mouth I really didn't have.
I made it my life's goal to be able to talk after that night, because the newlywed couple thought (or better yet, didn't even think of it) that it was fine me being in their chambers. They may not be embarrassed or bothered by a sentient sword being a spectator but I certainly was.
Being able to talk and communicate with humans took me a few generations more than what I expected, as not only I had to learn how to express myself outwardly, but also learn a bit more Japanese as to be understood. Luckily, I was many times in the same room as a toddler being taught how to speak – the times I was not in the hip of the Hatake clan's head or heir in the middle of battle. So, experimenting a little with that thing inside me (that other humans seemed to also have, I could tell by my sixth sense) I tried to communicate with my wielders.
What happened most of the times is that there was a strange connection that was blurry at best and that lasted for about a minute before it was cut and left the wielder confused. I was at least able to send them a vague idea or image through that connection and they seemed to get, somewhat.
After that, I was handled with reverence, and some in the clan started spouting some nonsense about how the family heirloom (me) stores the spirits of previous clan heads and whatever. I wasn't going to correct them (not that I could, either) because I had to draw fun from somewhere.
Also, from that point onwards, I became less of a decoration in battle and replaced the katana normally used in the battle.
The samurai tended to infuse to their weapons some kind of energy – the same one I was poking since my… creation? – call it what you want, the power of the soul, biotics, chi, ki, chakra, whatever; and it made my blade glow incandescent white. Also, there was this whoosh sound when swing, and if not for the poor length of the blade I could have called myself a lightsaber. So, what am I, a lightkitchenknife?
Well, since I was in an Eastern context, may as well call it something Eastern. So chakra it is, because the other two sound so lame.
Right, so, when infused with chakra, it was noted that I could cut basically anything. Yay! I'm an overpowered kitchen knife!
It came as no small amount of pride that I became the reason why the clan was started to be feared. Each wielder was named after my magnificence, like White Thunder, White Death or the like. Most had 'White' on it, and while it wasn't something like White Toothpick, I was not going to complain.
I also could feel the minor differences between one user and the other. There was something that made each individual different, in a way. Most of the clan had this electric feel – some more ash-y and very few felt like a calm autumn wind. My own, in comparison, felt like an overcharged lightning ready to blow in someone's face.
I very pointedly ignored any and all signals, and just thought 'oh well, just coincidence' and never thought about it again.
In an interesting turn of events, the Hatake clan was ordered to change modus operandi by their overlord clan, the Satake, and to become a ninja clan.
More or less at that time I became able to communicate with a wielder – though I had to be very familiar with their chakra to do so. Also, with the whole we became ninjas thing, I found out that yes, the whole magical energy bullshit was called chakra, and it was used by ninjas more than by samurai.
So, with my few generations of controlling chakra experience (not that I was aware of it at the time), and the advanced chakra training many of the clan had to experience, it became easier for me to talk with them. Though it brought the issue of what the heck am I, what I'm supposed to say? But after so long, I just decided to have fun, seeing as my existence is out of the bounds of normal mortal flesh. Probably I'll die if the blade is broken or if I'm melted, but at this point I lived longer than an Archdragon. I'm not that concerned with death.
So, I started bullshitting, citing every and any fantasy I could think of to make my existence more grand, just because I could. So, by grabbing some concepts here and there, I answered the question of the Clan Head that was the first to hear my voice. (Note: I use 'Warawa' to say I, and end of sentences use 'nanoda')
"I am a part of you, young one. Also, I was a part of your father, and your father before him, and his mother before him." I said dramatically. I tried to project a multi-layered voice, and give the impression of the Avatar "I am, in consequence, the very materialization of your lineage's power, which none has been able to completely harness, from the very beginning."
"So, what's your name, then, o honoured blade?" He asked me.
"I fear, young one, 'tis not time for you to hear my name. Thou should be able to feel it when the time is right." Which of course it was bullshit, it wasn't as I forgot my own name at that point, or that I couldn't even remember if I was male or female in the past. Either way, a non-japanese name would be really strange I figured, so it wasn't as I could have used my original name.
After a few years of training, and a truly grand and flashy show of powers to "be able to hear my name and wield my whole potential" Did I decide to use one of the first Japanese sword-names I could think of.
"But remember, young one, that the name I'm about to disclose is not definite, but a reference to the amalgamation of mine power, your ancestor's and yours. So while in your power I may be named Engetsu, in your successor mine name shall change."
Again, total bullshit, but being caged to a single name for who knows how many generations until the clan is eventually either wiped out or disbanded after the European's cometh, was going to be tedious. So, each time I pass to the next successor, I change names.
So far, I've already used Zangetsu, for one with strange water-affinity Suigetsu, for a heiress I used Shirayuki, for the one who had this strange mutation and had black hair instead of the standard silver I used Mugetsu, then I started spicing it up with names referencing other series because I was starting to get bored. Also, there were interesting developments where I refused to talk with some heirs who were particular assholes. What was interesting was that it somehow resulted in them not being heirs anymore, and then their next sibling would take the position.
Eh, it's the same for me, and as long as I don't have to deal with an idiot for a lifetime, all the better.
There was this other incident on which the overlord clan, the Satake, betrayed the Hatake, killing half of the clan before the Satake were betrayed themselves by their allies, then wiped out.
Which led to the Hatake Clan remnants to leave as fast as a lightning, and ended up in an interesting place that I didn't think I was going to visit – which in hindsight, I was kind of dumb for ignoring that the fact that the current heir to the Clan was named Sakumo. Not that you could blame me, a really long time has passed! Really! It's not as if I thought again 'oh it's just a coincidence'!
The place, the famed Village Hidden in the Leaves, the first ninja village. Well, it was certainly becoming more and more interesting – now I was to experience two consecutive World Wars and the possible end of the world in the hands of a psychopathic power hungry 'God'. More like, several psychopathic power hungry 'Gods'.
Well, it's not as if I'm going to be bored anytime soon.
Edit, the same day, a few hours of sleep later. Again, thanks brain. Re-added separating lines that mysteriously disappeared, corrected a few things here and there.
Notice: I am not a native speaker, nor do I have a beta. If you find errors, do point them out - politely if you will.