A sigh escaped Natsuki's lips once Yashin's figure and gaze had vanished into the distance.
The malice and negative emotions exuded by the youngest of the Harunos had always felt suffocating to her; even when he seemed calm or happy, that… stench was always clinging to him.
That's why she tried to stay as far away from the pink-haired as possible, but at the same time, that indiscriminate malice toward everyone made her instinctively keep him in her line of sight.
After all, she was no different. She hated everything, too. And knowing that someone didn't direct their resentment exclusively at her or her brother was, in a way, comforting.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"I thought you'd be waiting for me at the school entrance. Why did you run all the way out here?"
"Well…"
The awkward, embarrassed way Chōji started scratching his head didn't change Shikamaru's expression.
"Whatever. At least get the dirt off your clothes." You look like a mess.
Natsuki watched the Nara's actions with disinterest.
Although it was obvious she had realized what had happened to her friend, the Akimichi, completely oblivious, simply smiled before starting to help dust him off.
Just as the girl with pigtails was about to leave, the Nara's words made her prick up her ears.
— So, did Yashin try to intimidate you?
— Huh? No. He just…
Unable to tell the whole truth or explain the situation, Chōji began squirming in his seat, as if moving around might help his brain come up with a good answer.
— He said that if I paid him, he could help me use my clan's jutsu without changing my weight.
Of all the answers he thought the Akimichi might give, that was the one Shikamaru least expected.
— That… did you actually believe him?
— Not really. But I can't say he's lying without trying it first. Besides, he's always seemed so confident.
— You really…
Although he tried to think of a good rebuttal to waste his time, upon seeing Chōji's narrowed eyes and ingratiating smile, the Nara could only sigh in resignation.
— You're a fool who's way too kind. Don't come complaining to me when you realize you've been swindled.
— You should trust others a little more. Besides, I don't think anyone with a sister like Sakura could be that bad.
— Huh?
— You didn't see it, but I can assure you she had the cutest smile.
— You… did you…? I can't believe it.
Confused by Shikamaru's sudden pallor, Chōji could only tilt his head.
— Tell me something. Between the snacks and Sakura, which do you prefer?
— The snacks, of course.
— Looks like it's not too late yet. Come on, I'll buy you whatever you want.
— Really?
— Yeah, just make sure to eat a lot and clear your head.
With a blank expression, Natsuki watched the pair of idiotic friends walk out of the alley.
Even though he'd witnessed it all, he couldn't even begin to understand how their minds worked.
The only conclusion he could reach was that the boys were simply idiots; plus, it looked like his hapless brother would have a new rival in the pursuit of the pink-haired girl.
After letting out a weary sigh, Natsuki climbed down from the roof and set off to return home.
Going to that place had been a complete waste of time.
Whether it was the trivial harassment Chōji had been subjected to or the unexpected appearance of the Harunos, his presence—along with his intentions to help in case things got out of hand, and to get revenge on those brats while he was at it—had been rendered useless.
Still, she was a little glad that things had ended without any major problems.
However, her good mood didn't have time to take hold and show on her face. The instant malice that overwhelmed her once she stepped out of the alley into plain sight was enough to crush any smile, any trace of happiness.
There were no attacks or words; even they had grown tired of that after so many years of abuse.
Now there were only cold, fearful, and resentful stares.
Every pair of eyes fixed on her small figure felt like slugs crawling across her skin, worms trying to devour her.
Not a single glance, not a single emotion escaped her notice.
She was used to it by now, but her fists clenched instinctively, her pace quickened, and her expression grew even colder.
She wanted to scream, she wanted to ask why the hell they always had to stare at her, why they would believe that a mere girl was the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox; but she just clenched her teeth and kept walking.
However, her aggressive stride was interrupted by an unexpected person.
"You, the sister of the late one, wait there."
The Uchiha's haughty tone and arrogant gaze only added to Natsuki's already terrible mood.
She said nothing; however, her cold eyes already conveyed everything she was holding back.
Before the Second Pillar could continue with whatever he had been about to say, a woman's mature, stern voice made him shut his mouth and turn his head.
— Sasuke, what have I told you about running off without a word?
— M-Mom. I just…
Although the arrogant Uchiha's nervousness was a rare sight to behold, Natsuki's attention was completely focused on the woman's face—on her initial surprise and her subsequent complicated, even sorrowful, expression.
"I just had to talk to her about something."
"I-I see. Don't be long, okay? Sarada, Izumi, and I will be waiting for you."
Seeing the woman about to turn and leave, Natsuki couldn't help but open his mouth to stop her.
"Wait. You…"
However, she didn't know what to say or how to proceed.
Mikoto, though she had stopped, still seemed eager to walk away, as if she wanted to escape from the blonde, but the guilt and heaviness that Natsuki felt emanating from the older woman made it clear that she wasn't like the others, that she wasn't shunning her because she considered her a calamity.
The older Uzumaki's indecision lasted no more than a second.
"You know me from somewhere, don't you?"
If she didn't know what to say, then it was enough to simply express what was on her mind.
"Or why are you looking at me that way?"
The question and its confrontational yet hopeful tone caused a twinge in Mikoto's chest.
Long ago, there had also been someone who used to speak in the same way.
However, before she could get lost in her memories and answer the girl's question, the shadows hidden among the crowd and the buildings began to move and approach the group.
Although she was now retired and devoted to her family and home, Mikoto had once been a jonin. It would be difficult for her not to notice movements as obvious as those, even if she tried.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go. Sasuke, don't be late."
Before Natsuki could say anything else, Mikoto turned decisively and, leaving behind only the scent of her perfume and the shadow of her long black hair, walked away from the pair of children.
Natsuki couldn't even take a step forward before the woman's figure disappeared into the crowd.
After that, she barely heard a word the Uchiha said in his wounded pride, because he had lost to someone who later lost to her.
His excuses that she had taken advantage of the fact that he had already worn down the Hyuga, and his subsequent smug challenge to prove he was the best, went in one ear and out the other.
On her way home, unease and annoyance accompanied the blonde at every step.
She felt as if she had missed something important, as if she had been close to getting an answer to a question that had accompanied her her whole life; however, she got nothing, and that only intensified those negative emotions, always rooted deep within her.
The youthful laughter and the elderly voice she heard just as she was about to enter her apartment did nothing to ease that.
— You should have seen it. Even though they chased me through several streets, the drawing I made on that store's wall was super cool.
— You… Naruto, you know I'm the Hokage and that I have to scold you for your mischief, right?
"Okay, okay. It was just one side of the wall, not the whole exterior. Besides, when they caught me, they took the little money I had to pay for the cleanup."
"Even so…"
As soon as Natsuki turned the doorknob and stepped inside, Naruto's laughing voice caught in her throat.
— N-Natsuki.
Before she could focus on the Hokage, Uzumaki's eyes were drawn to Naruto's dirty face, his tattered, paint-stained clothes, and the large bruise on the exposed skin of his arm.
— Sandaime-sama.
— Why are you always so serious? Just call him Jiji.
Naruto's sullen mutterings and the Hokage's spasmodic expression upon hearing how his dear grandson, Naruto, wanted to be addressed did not distract the older sister in the least.
With the same apathetic expression, she walked over to Naruto's side before reaching out and rolling up the sleeve of his T-shirt so she could get a better look at the bruise.
— Ah, what are you doing?
— Stay still.
— This is none of your business.
Naruto's reluctant expression made it quite clear that his words contained no trace of a lie.
Even so, Natsuki didn't care and continued examining the wound.
Seeing the interaction between the siblings, the Third Hokage couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
He might have thought the older sister was a difficult person to deal with, but even she still felt a modicum of affection and concern for her brother.
— Natsuki. Do you know why I came here today?
The blonde's blue eyes shifted their focus from the blackened skin in front of them to fix on the Hokage, across the table.
The coldness behind that gaze immediately dampened Hiruzen's budding good mood. However, he didn't let his apprehension and slight annoyance show on his face. Although, to Natsuki, his expression might very well have changed.
At least that would have made him seem less fake.
"Since you were the only first-year to win your match, I was thinking of giving you a reward. What do you think? Is there anything in particular you want?"
"Hehe, that's not fair! Why can only she get a prize? If they'd given me a chance to fight, I would've… Ouch! Don't grab me so hard. That hurts."
Once her brother's excessive screams died down, Natsuki opened her mouth to answer the Hokage.
— The person who hit Naruto—I want them arrested and punished for hurting him.
— Hey, what the hell…? Ouch! Not again. Let go, let me go.
— Even if Naruto might be at fault for his pranks, hitting a child to this extent is excessive.
To drive home her point, Natsuki pulled her brother's sleeve up even higher, so the Hokage could clearly see what she was talking about.
— If they'd attacked him with something sharp, he wouldn't have an arm right now. That's the only recompense I want.
The silence that settled between the Third Hokage and the Uzumaki was broken only by Naruto's hyperactive babbling.
Natsuki could have asked for more.
She could have pressed for the answers she'd always wanted to know.
She could have asked for better treatment, at least on the street or at school. After all, those were the reasons that made her want to stand out.
But the stares on the way home, the look on Sasuke's mother's face, and the bruise on her brother's arm were too much for her to remain rational.
She just wanted justice.
Even if it was just a little bit of it.
And as a result, the coldness behind Hiruzen's smile only grew.
"Of course. Though you didn't need to ask me. I had already planned to go talk to the person responsible after this. Even so, both of you are training to become formidable ninjas who will protect the village." Even if the villagers make mistakes sometimes, like the branches that support Konoha, we must be tolerant of them; after all, they are our family too.
— Yeah, I don't mind either. Besides, once I've earned everyone's recognition and become Hokage, these things won't happen again, dattebayo.
— Haha… that's Naruto for you. Once everyone recognizes you…
Natsuki's eyes returned to the blow on Naruto's arm before dropping to the ground.
As always, her anger was powerless.
Tolerance, protection, family, dreams, hypocrisy.
She felt alone and sick.
And she could do nothing but swallow it all.