My Name Is Uchiha Sakuya

Summary: What if a girl somehow ended up being reborn in another world as Uchiha Sasuke's twin sister? Will she find a way to survive the impending massacre and change her future or will she die leaving history to unfold by itself?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but my OC is mine. This is not a self-insert.

A/N: It's finally the long-awaited graduation arc.

Chapter 26 – Carve The Name

Crap. Crap. This cannot be happening again.

Last time, I had a valid excuse. I was in hospital arrest and in a coma for a considerable time at that. My hive falling into ruin was more or less an accepted reality. What excuse did I have now though? Heck, I don't even know what's wrong. I've been keeping to the schedule properly but it's like I've been miscalculating their growth rate as of late.

"What's wrong?" asked Shinra Nii-san.

"Look at this."

It was odd. But, I noticed lately that some of the silkworms live longer than others. Some even grow slightly bigger. Only slightly. But, the most telling discrepancies lie in how some of them grow up glowing…And blue, can't forget about this weird part.

"…That's mildly disconcerting."

Shinra came over to talk to Sasuke and Shisui-nii about the expansion of the nursery. He turned it into an actual daycare and has been thriving. After all, he already had the equipment, laborers who actually needs their jobs, and experience.

With the quickly developing commercial district adjacent to us, it was getting more and more enticing for working parents to leave their kids to babysitters. Not only did it keep the financial end stable and helped a lot of people, it also assured that the kids in the clan could play with other kids their age from outside the clan.

…Also, he gets to keep his girlfriend.

I was actually the one who slated it for approval. Shisui-nii doesn't really double-check much of the proposals we pass through him anymore. He just stamps. He trusts that Sasuke and I don't slack in our jobs. Honestly, we don't. We don't want something coming back to bite us in the ass like that open-doors policy we had to rehash.

"Is it?" I asked him meekly.

"I'm not an expert or anything but insects mutated on chakra aren't normally a good thing going by common sense."

He's right. Kikaichuu, Bikochuu, flesh-eating ants, genjutsu butterflies, and jet hornets are only a handful of examples. Heck, there are some insects developed into drug carriers by some really screwed up people out there. Shino once told me that for kicks. Granted, most of those examples were deliberately developed by ninja for combat purposes but, it's not like accidental breeds born from such things were ever a good thing for the regular people in general.

"Not that I'm insinuating anything but shouldn't you check in with experts to find out if they're going to be a problem?" asked Shinra.

"Eh?"

"For registration. " he supplemented. "I mean, we have kids here and some of your old pets did end up getting released into the wild."

He had a point. Of course, I don't think the moths from my very first hive was mutated yet but it could be used against us in the long run if something happened. Maybe, I should ask Shino about this.

I pulled a sample into a new separate hive and submitted it through the Aburame for immediate inspection. I was on nerves while waiting for the next week even when Shino assured me that the kind of breeding I did wasn't guaranteed for potentially disastrous things. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't actually that easy to accidentally create killer insects.

"Preliminary examinations are finished. But, we're going to have to keep these samples for further testing. External factors in the environment may cause secondary mutation."

The Aburame in the gas mask explained to me in clinical tones. Since he was doing this as a favor for Shino, I'm not too sure if he's actually a close relative or it's another case of loyal servitude like with the Hyuuga. Either way, he looks every bit an eccentric doctor in her attire with the exception of his speech pattern.

I get that being insect handlers generally turn off most people, resulting in isolated childhoods even to those why try their hardest. Still, Aburames are really all like this, huh. I could hardly feel his presence in the room despite his wacky appearance.

"It's okay." I shrugged.

I was actually expecting that I'd never get that batch back again. Actually, submitting these little critters to the Aburame clan directly was the same as donation. If I wanted them back, I would've gone around through the Domestic Animals and Wildlife Management division of Konoha proper. Animal Care, for short.

Yes. That is a thing. Who do you think maintains the Forest of Death?

"The test results are quite impressive. They're chakra carriers. They generate their own at above normal capacity up to an average of 65 units each. Generation rate is at 10 units per hour average but they prove capable of replenishing from outside sources to instantly fill in reserves. I suspect that it has to do with the high dosages fed to them over the years.

It's mostly attuned to your chakra which actually caused an acceleration on breeding due to uniform mutation but individual breeding from this point forward should standardize them.

As for release, since they're silk worms, they usually discharge excesses through the raw silk they produce which create an exceptional quality of wire once processed that is imbued with chakra residue. I suspect that it's why you have such ease in controlling and maintaining your ninja wire. Constant exposure maintains its chakra density.

When the worms reach adulthood, the moths generate an exceptionally potent acid chakra that can liquify the threads, like usual. But, it seems to be harmless to living creatures. In fact, I theorize that diluting it with a solution can make it an injectable chakra booster. I have yet to test this however so I suggest against any unsupervised experimentation."

I blinked with my mouth dropping ever so slowly. Is he saying what I think he's saying? Is he implying that I made not just living chakra conductors but rather…chakra donors? Sure, 65 units full chakra capacity isn't really that much in comparison to a person but a swarm could replenish chakra deprived people in desperate need of transfusion.

"The only special breed of insect I recall that has similar qualities to that are the extinct honey farmers of the Kamizuru clan. Why? The texts say that these bees created honey that can hold chakra and make it ingestible for recuperating ninja. During the second ninja war, it was used by Iwagakure in a similar manner with soldier pills."

I turned to Shino in surprise as he said those words. I'm not sure if he's just recounting an interesting trivia or complementing me. Of course, chakra honey that works like a soldier pill sounds way more useful than my worms but, then again, this was an accident on my part.

"We'll be submitting it for registration. Since they're yours, any thoughts on a name?"

Eh? They're letting me name it?

"Uh, I don't know."

What's an appropriate name? Then, it suddenly hit me. Wasn't this actually a good chance? I mean, he did it before with that book of his. Of course, I'm not actually leaving clues for the future unfortunate victims of reincarnation hiccup. This is more like a shout-out. A desperate howl to find any pack in this world that's the same breed as me.

I doubt that it's going to do anything. I'm not really hoping it would do anything. But, it'll be a legacy. It's like writing I WAS HERE on a wall and, thousands of years later, an archeologist translates it off an ancient ruin.

A smile crept on my face.

"Chernobyl." I decided.

"Ch-Chirnil…"

The man trailed in slight difficulty over the name. I admit, it's not the easiest to pronounce. But, I thought it appropriate to name my accidental mutant worms after the greatest nuclear disaster in my old world's history.

"Cher-no-byl. It's written like this."

I wrote down the katakana for it.

"That's an unusual name. Any reasons?" questioned Shino.

I just shrugged. "I read it from somewhere."

"No. Wrong. This genjutsu is an illusion type that can't be dispelled through pain, only seen through." corrected Sasuke.

"Eh~ That's too difficult -ttebayo. I don't get it~" whined Naruto.

"That's because you didn't review the notes I lent you at all." Sasuke looked about ready to pull his hairs out.

Naruto already went through two graduation tests. We figured he'd be more familiar with the content by now but we grossly overestimated his disdain for tests in general. He's like a blank slate. The only thing he remembers with clarity is the practical part and we all more or less know what's going to be in it so it's useless. The problem here is, it's finally our batch's turn. Naruto can't afford to fail again. Sasuke's determined to make sure of that. But, it's turning out to be more than a headache.

"G-Good luck, Naruto-kun. I-I know you can do it." cheered Hinata. Naruto was smiling back at her sheepishly.

"Don't baby him. He's didn't even bring his books like I told him. Again." chided Sasuke with gritted teeth.

For once, we weren't studying at Naruto's place. It wasn't like Hinata was allowed to go there. Also, we had a much better library on hand at our place. Personally, I'd like to just let Naruto live at the complex instead of the terrible dump he calls a home. But, that was just asking for a controversy to explode on our face.

"But this is stupid and boring~ Why do I have to go through all these books?"

"We're just trying to help you, you know. This is for your own sake." I drawled. Really, this kid. And he's so down about failing the graduation exam too. But really, with this kind of mindset, there was no way he was going to pass.

Naruto entered the Academy two years earlier than most of us. So, he has enough Academy years on his belt to request for the exam without much red tape compared to the controversies Misaki had to deal with.

The age restriction law that was passed had been...disappointing. To say that it kept kids from graduating too early was a hoax. Sure, going by the canon Naru-verse, something like it would've kept Sasuke from advancing as much as he'd like, it wouldn't have been the same in Misaki's case who technically graduated with barely half the required number under her belt.

There is a minimum requirement of seven years in the Academy for taking the graduation exam personally in advance if not members of the graduating class. Basically, only rare cases like Naruto who entered early could possibly cash it in.

However, the advanced placement exam can be allowed to students with high grades, excellent performances, blessed by both the Academy and parents, with an official letter stamped by the Hokage, marking his approval of the request. Any clan kid with a genius enough disposition can get these tests. The only thing hard to procure there is the Hokage's stamp.

Actually, if you have that, you can get away with anything. Everything else is just an ad against early graduation.

Though personally, I think the teachers just let Naruto take the exam so that he'd get either an eye opener or simply just to get back at him through the ensuing depression of failing. We have nice teachers but really, sometimes people can be just as bad as full-time jerks. There's always two sides to the coin. Only Iruka-sensei actually protested about the blonde idiot's plan among them. It was just plain obvious Naruto wasn't ready.

"Che. Books are stupid." Naruto grumbled. I shot him a playful look then bonked him on the head with a book.

"Ow!" He cried out.

"You know the hokage has to do the most paperwork out of anyone in the whole village. It's a package deal. Now, with paperwork come books. If you can't even do your homework or go through your workbooks without falling asleep, you'll never be allowed to become hokage." I said with a sinister smirk.

"EH! NO WAY! THAT'S HORRIBLE DATTEBAYO!" He looked positively horrified. "Oh, why do stupid books have to be everywhere~ Hokages shouldn't have to do boring stuff like that -ttebayo~"

I snorted. Boring stuff like that are the only things a Kage can do. They can't really leave the village freely whenever they wish it. What else can they do other than that? While they're military leaders and considered the strongest ninja in the village, they're also the veritable rulers of the village. They're the person that runs it. There's so much more to the position than just muscle as how there's a lot more to a ninja village than it's ninja.

I should know. I've been part of running a clan for years now.

"N-Naruto-kun. Being h-hokage isn't that s-simple." sighed Hinata. I gather she's tried to explain this many times before. I've tried to explain it many times before. This fool never listens. He has the attention span of a goldfish.

How did he save the world again? Oh right. It's because he's an idiot. Anime rule number 1. It's always hard-headed idiots that get to save the world because they're foolish enough to actually risk it. He's like a permanently blonde and slightly smarter version of Goku.

"Hokages aren't kings, Naruto. That's the daimyo's job. Hokages exist to serve the village, not the other way around. They have to work their butt off on boring stuff because it's their job. That's part of why he's the most important person in the village." I stressed.

And people actually want to become Hokage. Ugh. It would be more understandable if the whole I-want-to-be-president dream came with the more natural tag on of I'll-be -rich-if-I-rule-the-country misconception the breeds corruption but that isn't the case here.

I understand that Naruto has it hard. He had no one to teach him how to read and write when he was little, leading to him gripping at straws in the Academy when he first entered. He was closer to a sit-in student those first two years than anything.

He told me once about how he was actually in the Academy since he was three and how he kept going from class to class until he finally got Iruka-sensei who was like a knight in shining armor for him, apparently. That speaks volumes about how hard he had it then. Really, my fear of approaching him back then seems really stupid now. The kid needed me and I was being a cowardly idiot for edging away despite knowing that.

The prejudice against him of his Academy instructors and classmates really didn't help his case. It's why he dismisses books and writing so much. He can't be jeered for not knowing things if he declared them stupid right from the start.

Hmph. And I dare fancy myself as an adult.

From what I gather, Iruka-sensei was also the reason why Naruto wants to be Hokage too. He's the one that coined that in and unwittingly set the kid's undying goal that set the stage for his iconic declaration of his dreams. Kinda like One Piece with the pirate king's famous last words.

"Geh. I'll end up boring like Jiji. When I become Hokage, the first thing I'll do is get someone smart to do all those smart stuff for me -ttebayo. Someone like...Sakuya-chan! You're really smart! You can help me!"

I backed away instantly with my arms in a cross, my head shaking no. I already have enough paperwork from the clan and my night job thank you very much.

"Why should my sister waste her time as your secretary?" snorted Sasuke.

"Eh~ Cheapskates." he whined.

Eh, when he grows up, he'll figure it out. That, or he'll really hire someone. Possibly Iruka-sensei, assuming he leaves the Academy for it. He'll become his personal assistant like that woman that's always with Tsunade.

"But, you'll still be my ANBU right?" he asked. I sighed deeply. It's not that the idea of being an ANBU directly under him was unwanted. Actually, that sounded really cool and was a nice goal to set for myself. But, that's not the real issue here.

"For the last time, Naruto. I was never in ANBU." I groaned.

The whole thing with me and Shikamaru always being tired and the whole issue altogether seems to have been slightly misinterpreted. While I did technically go on an ANBU mission once, I was never one. That was all Shikamaru. That was the whole root of our issue to begin with. The fact that I declined the offer and Shikamaru caught it for me.

He probably thought it was the best for me. He likely still does if my reassignment of a shrink is anything to go by. But, having him withering away in Root was the last thing I wanted on my conscience. Shikamaru is destined for many great things. He should never have been in Root in the first place.

"You sure seem like it." he pouted.

I was getting doubtful looks like this regularly from friends that don't believe the claim. Only Shikamaru and Choji know for certain because they were technically more involved than me.

"She wasn't. I'd know if she was." huffed Sasuke. He knew by virtue of being my brother. Our walls are literally paper thin. He would've known if I was routinely slinking through the night for secret missions like Shikamaru was doing. Our rooms only have sliding doors as dividers. He can tell. He was even able to tell that I left that house that...night. The little traitor was the one who freed Shikamaru. Damn it.

Everyone was really against me back then... They probably still harbor ill feelings about it, deep inside.

"It was complicated. It's kinda hard not to be all sneaky and panicky...being me." I rolled my eyes with an irritated lilt to my tone.

Of course, the real reason was due to my constant worrying about what to do with Shikamaru. At the very least, we've all established that the jerk was really in there. The fact that it was Root he was in was carefully avoided but I get the feeling that Shino, at least, knew that grim little detail. He never spoke about it but he was once slated for recruitment until his cousin stepped in.

I'm not going to lie. I don't like revisiting this topic.

"Sakuya-chan is really nice."

I almost chocked on that. Had I been drinking anything, I would've done the ever-famous trope of spit take. He's calling me nice?

Clearly, his eyes have a sort of beautifying filter because I would never call myself nice. Prying and obsessively loyal, maybe. But, not nice. I mean, just seconds ago, I was deliberating whether or not I should kick him out for bringing up that stupid thing!

"You could be Hokage." he comments out of the blue. At that, I really did feel like my eyes were going to pop out as I stared at him.

"Hell no. I am not going to relegate myself to the ultimate desk job of all time. Nuh uh." I reeled back on that instantly.

"Um, I d-don't think it'd b-be that b-bad." Hinata meekly said. But, she was hesitant, looking between me and Naruto. It was obvious who she'd vote for if given the chance. Naruto's always number one for her.

"Please. If she's going to be hokage, I'm going to pack my bag and become a monk." added Sasuke. Oi, that's a little extreme there. But, point made. I wouldn't want to live in a ninja village ruled by me either.

"Hehe. I don't really get it but the Hokage has to be strong and smart dattebayo. I'm not very smart -tteba so I know I have to be really strong to make up for it." he fidgeted as he admitted his obvious faults. He looked, felt, really frustrated over it.

Hinata, supportive as usual, reached out to him with words of comfort on her tongue. She hesitated on the action but she at least managed to spit out the words.

"I t-think N-Naruto-kun will be a great Hokage." She said sincerely.

"I agree." I said.

The blonde looked at both of us with a hopeful expression.

"The hokage isn't just the person that people take orders from or is the strongest ninja. He's the heart of the village."

He sagged when I said that, clearly not getting what I meant. Or maybe, he did, but completely missed my main point as usual. I didn't have to go into detail because we already went over this many times before. You don't become hokage to be acknowledged by the people. The people acknowledging you makes you the hokage. That's the most daunting block in his road but I know he won't stop trying, and he shouldn't.

"Someday, e-everyone will see you as that Naruto-k-kun. They'll even b-beg you to become our h-Hokage. You just have to work hard and be p-patient." smiled Hinata.

He smiled again. Brighter this time.

"Yeah, you better believe it dattebayo!"

"Great, now do the work. I'm not wasting my time tutoring you if you're just going to end up failing the next exam again, dead last." grumbled Sasuke.

"Hey! That's uncalled for -ttebayo!"

Suddenly, there was a ruckus outside. I didn't even need to double-check to know the cause.

"Nii-chan! It hurts~ It hurts~ Hanabi is too strong, train me~"

Sachiko came in whining at Sasuke. Because of the incoming exams, we've been toning it down on training the kids among other things. As a result, we've being getting a lot of this from most of them.

"Sachiko, this is not the time."

"I'm an idiot." I hugged my knees close and hid my face in them. I'm not too confident I can control the pathetic look on my face.

"That still doesn't explain why you're hanging around here. Specifically, while Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama are away at your compound to meet with friends on one of my rest days so close to your graduation exam date."

Would you believe it? The person I ended up talking this matter out with happens to be one of the most emotionally constipated people I know.

"Like you haven't heard already." I said sourly.

I blew my fuse. It was...embarrassing. The only upside was that it wasn't verbal, and thus, not so obvious. On top of that, everyone was too busy with their own thing to see. On the downside, it was far too obvious with him.

I screwed up again with Shikamaru. I acted like a child for all his ignoring of me and actually went for the kill. It was such a nostalgic thing, being pitted together in a spar. It used to be that we were always pitted against each other. Iruka-sensei was being too optimistic to think that it's been long enough that putting us in the same sparring ring again wasn't going to be a disaster. All it did was push me over the edge at the wrong time.

"I tend not to believe baseless rumors." said Neji.

"Even if they're not baseless?" I directed a puffy red-eyed gaze at him, raising my head a bit just for the effort.

"I suppose the black eye he was sporting was incriminating evidence for some of them."

Neji stood up and, with a polite explanation, left to get us some food. This was going to take a while, he knew. He came back with tea, Jasmine from what I can smell, and some finger foods. I can sense that there had to be at least over a dozen eyes looking this way. Neji can probably sense it too. It's not exactly subtle and, living in a house full of people who can see through walls, he must've developed enough of a sense for it.

But it wasn't like we were doing anything illicit. This was just a textbook case of troubled girl running off to her best friend.

Of course, Neji wasn't really my closest confidante. Shikamaru held that title, once upon a time, and now Yakumo did, but she was AWOL due to ANBU training. As for Ino or Sakura, they're great friends but I don't really feel comfortable talking about this kind of topic with them. They're not going to get it. I need them to be on neutral ground anyways.

Family was a good fallback but Sasuke was studying with Hinata and Naruto at home and Shisui was helping cover for us with the kids. I didn't want to trouble them with something that, given past events, was a sore topic either way. On the other hand, Neji was a close enough friend who doesn't know about the Geas incident in full detail and was mature enough not to make a joke out of the issue. Basically, I was using him. I should feel guilty about it, really, but now that I'm here, I'm just relieved he's willing to deal with my bullshit.

"How do they do it? Hinata and Hanabi. I mean, they're sisters, sure. But, unlike me and Sasuke, their personalities don't exactly meet halfway. Not to mention, they're both heirs apparent."

Hinata and Hanabi are supposed to compete for heir-dom until the decision day but somehow manage not to hate each other. It was reassuring but baffling. After all, logic persists that they should be caught in a bloody sibling rivalry given that compromise. It's wonder that there are no assassination plots...as far as I'm aware.

"They were young but they understood enough back then. Therefore, they are mindful of the clan's welfare, meaning, it's stability. The lines between their supporters were much clearer back then but it was just that that made it obvious how strong their influence was. During such a time, even a minor argument about who got to use the bathroom first could escalate into something unsightly for everyone else. They learned to tolerate each other out of necessity."

The explanation was rather dry. Actually, it was kinda sad. In the world of politics, that might seem like a completely logical course of action. After all, two presidents could hate each other's guts but still maintain their countries as strong allies for the benefit of the people. But Hinata and Hanabi are sisters. Politics shouldn't rule how their relationships go. Yet, while I don't feel like what Neji said was everything to it, it was still true. Hence, the sad part.

"How about you? Who are you voting for?"

"I try to remain as neutral as possible. In the end, the one I will have to serve will be the victor. The choice was never up to me in the first place. I'm just a boy from the lower branch."

That was the truth too, even if it was obviously not everything on his part either. It makes me jealous how they can all just navigate through their issues using the excuses given to them by circumstance and tradition. I don't have any of those. The things that happened to me and Shikamaru weren't forced upon us. They were things we took upon ourselves. Things that blew up in our faces out of our own doing.

I can't really explain it in words but I really wish I could have a do-over for some parts of my life.

"I won't pretend to understand the true extent of your altercation. But, from what I can tell, there is already a path available for you."

At that comment, I gave him a confused look. What does he mean by that? A path available...A solution? Is there really?

"You and Nara are very smart, but with that comes great pride and stubbornness. Neither of you wants to admit that you were wrong to each other even if you're fine with others pointing it out. You try hard to catch his attention while he maintains on ignoring you and it only gets worse. What I'm saying is, you should just try to be more honest."

I blinked at that. Again, it was nothing but pure logic. It was pure truth. And yet, unlike before, they are things that I can't accept. He's right about the pride thing. That's precisely why it's impossible. How exactly am I supposed to act more honest with the jerk when he won't even give me a chance?

On top of that, Neji of all people isn't in any position to tell me something like that.

"You know, that's ironic coming from you." I said dryly.

"Don't patronize me, Uchiha. I'm trying to be civil here."

He has a point. I should actually be glad he's talking this talk seriously. From my point of view, it's absolute hypocrisy. I haven't confirmed it yet but I'm starting to understand why Ino is so focused on him. Even so, his advice was the right thing to say.

An unmovable statue. But on the inside, it's always stormy seas.

A/N: I don't know about other people but, personally, I feel that nothing says graduation better than confronting the need for closure. There's a strong chance that Sakuya and Shikamaru might not end up in the same team so it's bearing down on her conscience. This is not a spoiler by the way. It's my way of clearing up what the last scene was all about.