I don't own Naruto. Well, unless you mean in a separate dimension in which I rule all. Then I own everything. But sadly you don't so neither do I.

A/N: Hello one and all! I know self/inserts are a bit looked down on but I figured it'd be fun. I'll update this pretty rarely depending on how much people like it, but don't expect me to favor this over the Redemption works which are still in progress. It's kinda hard since I work early every day of the week and when I get home I'm bone dead tired. I'm not used to it yet! Anyways, enjoy!

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Prologue Pt. 1

XXXXX

Hey, my name's Kai. Well, Kaeru. Kai is more of a nickname. Now, I used to be called something else entirely, but... that was a long time ago, and I've kinda forgotten it. Don't get me wrong, my memory's fantastic. Recently. It's a bit hard to explain so let me start from the beginning. Hi, my name's Kaeru, and I'm a reincarnation. Yeah, yeah, bitch all ya want. It happened. It just happened in a really weird way. See, I loved Naruto in my past life. The story, the action, the (sorta) deep characters... Well, as it turns out being a self-proclaimed nerd doesn't look good in front of the ladies. Especially when you have very little social experience. Long story short I ended up dying alone in a cave cornered by the mountain lions I'd once called family. Fun, right? And after all the turtle soup I'd made them. And BINGO nights! Ugh. Last time I trust those big cats. Next thing I know bam! I'm being birthed. Definitely scarring. Lots of screaming. Both from my mother, me, and I think my father. His hand was being crushed, but when he told me all he'd said was, "It was troublesome". Brain-fucking aside I was born to Uchiha Emiko and Nara Shatone. Yeah... they weren't exactly married at the time. Kind of a hush hush affair at 18 and 19 respectively and poof! Nine months later here I am! It had been the 24th of October, about eleven years before the Kyuubi attacked.

Now of course mama kept me a secret at first. She pretty much became a pariah to the Uchiha Clan because folks figured out my dad wasn't an Uchiha. She couldn't shop within the clan compound most of the time either. Dad took care of us though. He'd scrounge up some savings from whatever missions he ran and give us the extra in secret. Of course being completely aware as a baby I knew all this before mom told me when I was four. Another thing that mom was shunned for was never having unlocked her Sharingan. Stupid right? But either way, not many people liked her. Surprisingly, the Uchiha were like the village trendsetters. Whatever they liked, others liked. Whatever they didn't like... Well, you get the picture. Anyway, mom's only real friend was a surprisingly young Sarutobi Hiruzen during the Second Shinobi World War. I guess a lot of important stuff happened after my birth, like Minato meeting Kushina and crap but I didn't really care at the time. I was a baby and still trying to figure out what the fuck just happened. Five years later I was in the academy and sorta accepting who I had become. Of course, my familial lines supported my personality almost completely. From the Nara side anyway.

XXXXX

"Kaeru-kun, it's time to get up!" was the first thing I heard that morning. Today was the day I'd enter the academy to be a ninja for my second year. Ugh. I had the maturity and intellect of an old (albeit hermit) man and here I was going to the equivalent of second grade. But even if I didn't it was still so much work...! Agh, I'd always hated boring crap like this. Instead of getting up, I decided to turn over under my bedsheets and block out the morning noise. Like an idiot. My door slammed open, threatening to break the somewhat flimsy wood. I jumped and looked at the being of my doom- I mean mother. Her left eye was twitching and she had a very angry expression on her face. "Dammit Kaeru, get your lazy butt out of bed before I make you train more!" I ran into the other room faster than Minato would ever move in his life. Emiko's training was just sadism pure and simple!

As I ran I passed Shatone who had probably just came in. "Hey dad," I said as I bolted past him, "bye dad." I paused, and he slowly raised his hand in the air in greeting.

"Hey," he replied. "You're missing your clothes, gaki." I facepalmed and slowly marched back to my room, my mom staring smugly down at me. I would never live this down. It was almost as bad as the time I got up early to go to school in my past life. On a weekend.

"See what happens when you have to rush, Kaeru-kun?" she asked snidely. She may have been being a smart-ass, but it was how she showed her love. Something I learned from her quickly. I rolled my eyes in response.

"Troublesome woman," I grumbled as she left, clothes set out on my bed. "Dammit..." I glared at the casual wear of the Uchiha Clan. Light gray shorts, navy blue shirt with the clan emblem on the back, sandals. Ugh. And whitey-tighteys with the Uchiha Clan emblem printed all over them. I'd loved Itachi before, and knowing he'd worn these as a kid made me laugh every time, but wearing them myself? Kill me now. Unfortunately it was trial by fire and I put everything on, just as mom finished making omelets for my lunch and packing it. She gushed over me. Moms are so weird.

"Oooo~ooh, isn't he so handsome, Shatone-kun?" she cood. Shatone glanced at me and shrugged, grunting.

"He looks like an Uchiha I guess," he replied in a relaxed drawl, which was usual for him. And he'd be right. My hair was, like in my past life, completely jet black. It was cut short in a bob, which wouldn't last for long if it was the last thing I did. I got healthy tan skin from my dad and got his angled face shape, which would become more angular as I grew older. I also got his lanky form, and toned muscles from my mom's side. I sighed. I'd have to start taking physical training seriously now. "Just let him go Emi-chan. He'll be late if you don't."

"Alright, alright," mom sighed, smiling at me and handing over my lunch and pushing me out the door. "You know where the academy is right?"

"Yes mom..."

"You'll make plenty of friends?"

"Ok mom..."

"And bring back a girlfriend!"

"Moo~om!" I glared at my dad as he guffawed. Traitor. I sighed and headed through the streets to the academy building near the Hokage residence. It was actually pretty calming though. For most of my previous life I never had a chance to just walk around. Cars and other motor vehicles would crowd the roads and we didn't have many walkways. This was something I liked about this world. It was peaceful for the most part. I could see stores and vendors opening for the morning. Children playing on the streets. The Second Shinobi World War had ended just a few short months ago with the pact between Suna and Konoha standing... decently. It was a fragile relationship that would end in the next two decades for a brief period. As a youth I'd written countless stories about Naruto and his friends, most of which never saw the light of day. I knew most of the major events and when they'd happen. My issue now was on whether or not to act on them. It was a hard decision. One I'd later come to love, and regret.

My trip to the Shinobi Academy was short. The Uchiha Clan was still trusted, and the walls hadn't risen yet. In fact, I was already being labeled a prodigy because of my adequate fighting skill for my age. Really it was only brawling combined with what Interceptor Style my mother taught me, but it was enough to beat down many of the other Uchiha my age. I already had a fighting style I wanted to use. One that relied on dodging and striking at critical moments while preserving energy. In my former life I hated getting injured, and it would hinder me here. My best bet was to make it my advantage and train my speed, precision and power together. As an Uchiha I had a bit of an advantage. I also noted that in another year Itachi and Shisui Uchiha would be born. With those two growing at hopefully the same way and rate, I'd be able to train alongside them to further my progression. But as I was now, it was workable. I didn't feel like skipping ahead like Itachi or Kakashi. I was still new to this world and so used to the old one. Trying to change so fast would hinder me more than help me. It could get me killed even.

"Kaeru-kun!" I smiled as a voice called out my name. Umino Iruka. We'd met only a few weeks ago but he still saw me as a big brother figure. It was weird. I was friends with the man who'd later shape Naruto's early days. "You made it!" I turned to face the young first year at the doorway to the academy. Official teachers had been implemented just last year and the curriculum was still in its wartime categories. We'd be learning chakra manipulation and weapon handling while those of Iruka's age would be going over the basic materials. Math, science, history, theory, the like. At the end of the year I'd be expected to know how to mold chakra and the three basic academy jutsu, and be proficient in one Taijutsu style, even if it was the academy basic.

"Of course I did," I replied to the future teacher with a slight smirk. "If I didn't than my mom would kill me." I was so tempted to add "It's such a drag", but held it back. My lack of motivation and tendency to underexaggerate things had carried over. "Besides, I'm glad I got past all that theory crap and can finally learn how to utilize chakra." Iruka pouted as we walked to our classrooms.

"It's not fair Kaeru-nii! I want to learn the same stuff as you!" he proclaimed. I laughed a bit and reached over to ruffle his hair.

"Be patient bud, you'll get to someday," I replied. "Hell, I'll bet you'll do even better than me someday." He nodded enthusiastically and rushed to class as the morning bell rang. I yawned, in no rush to get to class. I ended up a few minutes late, the instructor giving me a disappointed look that I brushed off with ease. I sat in the back row alongside a familiar violet-haired girl tied in a fanned ponytail. She rolled her eyes at me as she took notes from the teacher's instruction. Mitarashi Anko, the future student of Orochimaru. Girl who hated my guts. The period was quick since I pretty much dozed off through it. I didn't bother to study much, just passively listened to the teacher. Even still I mostly got good marks. I was pretty smart in my last life and could pretty much do the exact same thing as I did now.

"Wake up, baka!" Anko growled, pushing me off my seat. I grunted, slowly picking myself up of the floor. Damn that hurt. "We're going outside for Taijutsu sparring." She got up after hassling me and left the room, me trailing behind slightly.

"Oi," I called out to her. I was promptly ignored. "Yo, Anko-chan." That caught her attention.

"Don't call me that baka!" she yelled, throwing a dango stick at me suddenly and trimming a few hairs from my head. I paused but kept walking, my fight-or-flight instincts kicking in. As we walked out into the field, I could see a few future teachers and important figures. The instructor drew a large chalk circle on the ground and picked up a clipboard.

"Today we'll be starting your Taijutsu training," the obvious Aburame stated with a dry tone. "Before we begin, I wish to assess your Taijutsu capabilities. As such, I will pair you with your sparring partner for this year. You may not switch partners, and it will be up to you both to train outside of school hours. Now the partners will be as follows..." I tuned him out, leaning against the fence and closing my eyes. I didn't really care for this, being able to trounce pretty much all of my classmates at this point. Sure, maybe later down the line I'd have some trouble, but for now it would be as easy as dodge and smack some kiddie asses around. "...finally, Uchiha Kaeru will be partnered up with Hyuuga Kenkin." I looked over at the final figure lacking a partner. She was a young girl about a year older than me with short raven tresses and a lithe figure hidden beneath cream robes. She had a soft, rounded face and small upturned nose that was actually pretty cute. Her eyes, of course, were a clear white. On her forehead was a mark I'd never forget. The Caged Bird Seal. She was of the Branch Family. Great. Slowly the girl approached me and looked me over.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Uchiha-san," she greeted with a small smile. My eye twitched at the formality. Fuck that.

"Nice to meet ya too, Kenkin-chan," I smirked and offered her my fist to bump. It'd been a habit I'd gotten from my previous life. The girl blinked a few times before hesitantly bumping my fist with hers. Nothing really special happened, but I felt a bit of a connection to her. She stood by me as the first matches took place. Really it was just kids trying to look cool while fighting and getting humiliated spectacularly by their own half-assed moves. Until Anko that was. While the others were nothing special, Anko took out her partner, Gekko Hayate, extremely quickly. She was efficient. She was brutal. And she made that kid black and blue. It was glorious. As the poor boy was carted to the infirmary, it was my turn.

To be honest, I was doubting myself. The Hyuuga, from what I knew, trained from a young age. This six year old probably had at least two years of training experience fighting others. I only had one. I tensed as I stood at my corner of the circle as Kenkin took up a traditional Jyuuken stance. Well fuck. I readied myself, copying her stance, albeit in a bastardized way. It was a style that I'd been making for the last month, and I intended it to rely on deception as well as pure improvisation of already known forms. Kenkin seemed to gasp as I stood ready.

"Ready?" the instructor asked. We both nodded as I noticed Kenkin's veins start to bulge around her eyes. Well double fuck me right up the ass. "Hajime!" Kenkin instantly twirled into the air and lunged at me, hands already positioned to strike. My right eye twitched as I spun and narrowly dodged around her attack. I could feel the chakra spike from her palm beside my head. I reacted quickly and did the only thing I could think of. I knocked her hands away and bitch slapped her.

"Itai!" she shouted as she fell to the ground. I could hear barely contained laughter from the sidelines, echoing my own held back laughter of disbelief. My first academy spar and I bitch slap a Hyuuga. Oh man, my ass was grass if her family got word of this. She looked up and glared a me as I realized that the round hadn't been settled yet. I rushed over to her as she tried to get up and kicked her in the stomach, sending her tumbling on the ground. She repositioned herself to stand just before she crossed the boundary line, glaring at me as if it would kill me.

Quickly she moved forward, catching me off guard and landing a single palm strike to my chest, shutting down a vein. I grunted as pain shot through my body. She moved her other arm towards me, intent on shutting me down before I could react. Unfortunately, I didn't move in time. Four more palm strikes and I was on the ground, gasping for air.

"Point, Kenkin-chan," the Aburame announced. It took me a few minutes to get back up, the instructor pretty much forcing the girl to unseal my tenketsu and veins. "Are both combatants ready?" He asked. I nodded with my opponent. "Round two, hajime!" I growled, taking the initiative this time. I lunged at her, speeding across the circle as fast as I could and reaching her in seconds. Her eyes widened as I leaped into the air, spun, and used the momentum to kick her across the face, launching her outside the boundary circle. I panted, watching her skid across the ground and slowly stand up. Dammit. Her strikes still hurt and I was sore. At least this time I could pull through. We reset our positions wordlessly and waited for the instructor to speak. "Hajime!" We both burst towards each other this time. I grunted and panted as I dodged each strike thrown at me, at times tumbling back on the ground to avoid being hit. She was on the offensive, using her Jyuuken. Jyuuken. That's chakra usage in Taijutsu. Could I do the same? I mentally grinned. My mother had taught me the basics of chakra manipulation during her training, and I decided to use it. I focused chakra into my fingertips and struck out, colliding her fingers with my own. Chakra blasted visibly from her hand as orangish-red sparks flew from my own. I winced, feeling a burning sensation from my hand. Kenkin's eyes widened in surprise and I took advantage of her surprise and ignored the stinging, rushing forward with my other hand and shoving my palm against her stomach, releasing chakra from my palm at full blast into her. She flew with a small crackle of the same sparks out of the circle.

Despite the pain my hands were in and the exhaustion, I laughed. It was a tired laugh born from mental exhaustion. Hearing that I'd won, I fell to my knees and passed out.

XXXXX

My body ached. And not in the good way. My eyes were heavy and my joints were stiff. Fabulous. I groaned a bit and could hear shuffling beside what I assumed was the infirmary bed I was laying in.

"Oh Kami, are you alright?" I heard a voice fret over me. Kenkin? "I was so worried you were dead!"

"The baka wouldn't die so easily," I heard Anko's supposedly uncaring voice speak next to the first one. "The idiot just got chakra exhaustion, nothing fatal."

"I was told chakra exhaustion was fatal Anko-san..." Kenkin chidded. Two soft hands rested on my chest. "Are you alright K-Kaeru-k-k-kun?" That made me smile. The girl was trying to be familiar to me. My eyes slowly allowed me to open them, and I saw Kenkin leaning over me.

"Just great," I replied, my voice sounding raspy and dry. "Never better."

"See? What did I tell ya?" I watched as Anko punched my shoulder. I grunted in pain. "Man up, baby." She gave me a teasing smirk. Was it me or was she giving me some respect? "The nurse says not to move for the rest of school. Don't worry Kaeru-kun, I'll bring you our homework for the day." She laughed and left me, with Kenkin leaving soon after. I groaned and closed my eyes again, letting myself succumb to sleep. At least one good thing came out of this.

XXXXX

A few months later would see me in Training Ground 3 sparring with Kenkin. Despite her shock of me being able to pull off a few Jyuuken stances and moves, she helped me develop my own style from it. We had a bit of a rivalry going on between Anko and Hayate, but it was all in good fun. Anko was obviously the stronger fighter, and Hayate usually provided backup support. They helped us in endurance while we helped them fight more experienced fighters in Kenkin's case, and more unpredictable fighters in my case. It was awesome. Already my mother had been helping me in chakra manipulation, letting me use chakra in my hands with minimal burns. Not only that, but we'd gotten started on water walking! Of course we were learning that in school, but a little extra practice never hurt anyone.

The sparks from my fight with Kenkin never reappeared in all this time though. Try as hard as I might, nothing showed up. When I brought it up with her, Kenkin provided the answer. Because her Byakugan was active during the match she saw that I was using two different chakra types and compressing them together when I struck, though she admitted my mixing was pretty bad resulting in wasted chakra. When mom heard about that she told me about elemental affinities and how, sometimes, they could be used together, and suggested that maybe I had something going here. Even with Kenkin's help though, we couldn't recreate the event.

For now though, I had a decent Taijutsu style. I called it the Gimanken (Deceptive Fist). It was based solely on deceptive movements relying on body control and fucking with someone's head. Movements like leaning right while moving left. Of course, most of it was just bits and pieces. The rest was sporadic and improvised. Something even a Sharingan had trouble predicting. Speaking of the Sharingan I was working to unlock mine early. I'd been training a bit with my dad and had asked him to come at me until I was passed out. He reluctantly relented, fearing mom's wrath, but provided the brutal regimen anyway. He understood my reasons and let me know that if he thought I was taking it too far, he'd stop immediately. It was a term I could live with.

I panted as I fell to my knees, Kenkin doing the same in front of me. Under a nearby tree Anko watched with general disinterest, popping a dango into her mouth. Over the last few months she'd begun to respect me as a fighter if nothing else. She stood and walked over to us.

"Are you two done flirting?" she asked, smirking. Kenkin immediately flushed, stammering. On her seventh birthday a few days ago we'd accidentally kissed when I tripped onto her, moving to give her her present. Anko hadn't shut up since. It was probably only the fifth kiss I'd ever received in my two lives.

"Shut it gaki," I responded, scowling as my face unwillingly flushed a bit. "I'm starved. Food is on me if you're coming." I quickly moved away, my right eye twitching as I tried to ignore Anko's comment. Dammit, this was getting annoying. I'd never married in my last life and I was a loner at heart. Well, a social loner if that makes sense. But now with Anko's teasing I was noticing how cute they both were in their own ways. I dashed the thoughts from my head as I headed into the village, hoping to find someplace new to eat. I wandered aimlessly, noticing both of my... friends had followed me. Finally I stopped in front of a someday iconic stand. Ichiraku's Ramen. I could smell it from outside. I'd always loved ramen, even as a kid in my past life. Even more when I first tasted the real thing, not the home packets. I hadn't had ramen in so long... Fuck it. I'm going in. I grinned and entered the stand, a smile spreading across my face as I saw the delicious bowls of hot, heavenly goodness. Damn did I miss this stuff. I sat on the barstool, Anko and Kenkin sitting on my left and right respectively, as I waited for service. A remarkably young Teuchi appeared from the back curtain and smiled at us.

"Welcome you three!" he greeted us. He must have been in his twenties. He just had to be. "What can I get you youngsters?" He rested his hands on the countertop as he waited for our orders. He looked us over. "Oh, first time customers, hm? Well, here I have a free first bowl policy, provided you come back for more of course. I'm Teuchi, the owner of this joint. Good to have you here." He winked at us.

"I'll have a beef, please," I requested.

"Miso for me, please," Kenkin asked after me. Anko took a moment.

"Eh, gimme pork."

"Coming right up!" Teuchi exclaimed, readying the three bowls. Only a few moment later I heard crying from behind the curtain. That of a baby.

"Dammit," someone cursed from back there, "Teuchi-kun! Get your ass back here and help me clean up Ayame-chan!" My eyes widened as Teuchi winced, placing our bowls in front of us.

"Excuse me you three," he whispered to us, rushing to the back. "Coming honey!" I watched amused for a moment as my two friends burst into laughter. I took the time to eat though. Hot ramen was good ramen and good ramen should not be wasted. Ever. The two calmed down after a minute and ate alongside me. We ate in silence. Well, I did. The two girls were having fun talking around me about... some sale down at the market district. I really didn't care much about it. I had just finished my bowl when two figures entered the stand. My eyes widened for a brief moment. Their hair was unmistakable. Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato. Around their mid to upper teens to be sure, but it looked like they were already close. And Kushina was glowing. I stifled a smile and a laugh and paid for my and the girls' meals, simply glancing at the happy couple every so often. Here I had a choice. Get involved in their lives or let things play out normally? I thought for a moment. Get involved. I eventually planned on meeting Naruto. It would be good if I had experience with his parents. I stood and walked over to them.

"Oi," I raised my hand in greeting, getting their attention. "My name is Uchiha Kaeru, it's nice to meet you."

XXXXX

The following six years only had a few notable moments, but they were big ones. First off, my mother was hiding something. Something big. At first I'd played it off as simply bizarre, but now... Now it was borderline freaky. It happened during my third year at the academy when I was six. I'd just gotten home and I arrived just in time to see Uchiha Fugaku leave my house. The clan head at my house... He was muttering something about 'going on vacation' over and over again. When I went in and asked my mom about it she completely shot down my questions, something she'd never done before. It happened a few other times with Hyuuga Hiashi and the Sandaime, both of them doing things that my mother would approve of like allowing Kenkin to teach me in more advanced Jyuuken stances or allowing us to graduate early at age ten, much to my chagrin.

Secondly, my father and I unlocked the first tomoe of my Sharingan during the end of my third year. It took a hell of a beatdown but it was worth it. I could see more clearly and react much more efficiently. My once impractical Taijutsu style became usable to a considerable amount. We also discovered my two main affinities, Katon and Raiton respectively. It was a shock a year later when I'd trained them that I was able to force them together, creating what I called the Kiraton (Spark Release). Of course I still burned myself, but it was progress. On my sixth year at the academy I graduated alongside Anko and Kenkin as Team 4, and were assigned under Orochimaru as our sensei. A year before the Kyuubi attack with a perverse man as a teacher, liable to kill Kenkin and I if we weren't careful. I tried to remember the date of his betrayal but it wasn't coming to me. All I could do was wait.

XXXXX

"Kukukukuku... I'm afraid I have some bad news children," Orochimaru announced at the gates of Training Ground 44. "You're not yet a genin team. That was all fabrications of the academy." I sat in silence as Kenkin gasped. Anko was clearly upset.

"What!?" she screamed in outrage, jumping to her feet. Orochimaru gave her a condescending smile.

"Hush now, Anko-chan," the pale skinned man told her, giving her a look that threatened pain if she didn't sit. Though she grumbled, Anko obliged. Orochimaru than looked over each of us. "As I said, none of you are genin quite yet. The tests you took at the academy were merely to rate your potential. To weed out the weak." He paused to let the information sink in. His face seemed to hint at amusement at Kenin's and Anko's expressions of turmoil. He frowned at my emotionless gaze though. "Kaeru-kun." He singled me out. "You don't seem very surprised. Why is that?" I shrugged in response.

"Any ninja worth their weight in kunai can perform as well as we did," I pulled out of my ass on the spot. "It would take more than that to actually be a decent shinobi. I figured there'd be some sort of post-test to analyze just how well we can perform on the field." I glanced at Anko, who's eyes seemed to shine a bit.

"He's right," she admitted. "Any civilian can do what we did at the academy. There's a difference between a schoolyard brawl and fighting on a mission." Orochimaru seemed to be looking at us differently.

"Interesting observations..." he complimented. "Kukukukuku... But now you have to pass my test, and if you fail... I'll send all three of you back to the academy from year one." Anko's face seemed to twitch with irritation, but otherwise we all silently accepted the consequences. "Good to see you brats understand. Now here's what we'll be doing..." He reached into the pocket of his jonin vest and pulled out a single bell. Oh hell no. "Your objective is to take this bell from me before the sun sets." He motioned towards the midday sun. "I'd say you have around eight hours... If you fail to do so, you all will sent back to the academy. There is only pass or fail as a team." He paused so we could absorb the information, then motioned behind himself. "As soon as we enter this forest we will begin. Ah yes one more little tidbit... Try to stay alive. Kukuku..." He leapt back into the forest faster than I could see with my naked eye, his creepy laughter echoing in the trees.

XXXXX

Omake:

Kenkin's Diary, Pt. 1

Dear diary,

I'm so happy I bought you! I think I'll write in you lots! Um... Let's see... I guess I should start about me, right? Well, my name is Hyuuga Kenkin. It's a pleasure to write in you. My best friends are Mitarashi Anko-chan and Uchiha Kaeru-kun. I'm nine years old, and am part of the Branch Family of the Hyuuga. My family home includes my older brother, my younger sister, my father, my mother, and myself. I love them all very dearly. I hear many of the other people refer to my family as strict and uptight, but that simply isn't true! My family is just very traditional and our bloodline must be protected at almost all costs. Though I dislike this seal upon my head, it is for the greater good. I can't help it if it makes me... vulnerable.

Anko-chan has tried to help me, but she can only do so much. I don't believe Kaeru-kun is aware, and I'd like to keep it that way. I can't imagine he'd ever fall for me if he knew my burden. I'm glad Anko-chan has agreed to keep my secret. You'll keep my secrets too, right Diary-kun? Ah, I should probably buy a chakra-specific lock seal first. I wouldn't want my brother or any of his friends to use you, would I? It wouldn't be a pleasant feeling. I have to go, it's time for my... midnight lessons. But I want this here so I can always remind myself why I smile.

I love Kaeru-kun. For being my first friend. I will rise every morning of my life to see him smile. Please... Let me see him smile. A real smile, not those fake smirks he hides behind. Not those pained eyes full of decades of anger and sadness and bitterness. I will endure so I can help him do the same.

With much love and affection,

Kenkin

A/N:

Complain all you want, this is my final version of this chapter. The timeskip will be filled when I want it too be. I'm guessing the most flak I'll receive will be for the omake. Nothing silly or funny there, it's one of the few serious ones on . I know it's a touchy issue but that's one of the reasons why I wrote it aside from building on Kenkin's character. I won't explain too much but I'll say this: This omake is a critical part of the story that I couldn't otherwise write. The omake will all be from the perspective of different characters and show a bit of behind the scenes. Things that explain later events that I can't do with a pure first person view from Kaeru. Humor isn't my best area in writing so please don't bash on me for it. Better yet, help me out some. :3 Anyway, hope you enjoyed.

Ja ne.