-=July 23rd=-
Inside Yuzuki's Mindscape – Moments Before Birth
Yuzuki sat with her arms crossed, her foot tapping against the damp sewer floor
"Alright, Indra
How much longer?"
Indra, seated across from her, barely looked up
"If you're asking me, it means you already know the answer"
Yuzuki groaned
"Ugh
It's been months
I've been stuck like this for months"
"That is how time works"
Indra said dryly
"Not the point"
Yuzuki grumbled
"I swear, if I have to sit here for one more-"
A sudden tug pulled at her soul
She froze
Indra blinked
"Ah
There it is"
Yuzuki narrowed her eyes
"What do you mean, 'there it is'?"
Another pull
Then pressure, a strange, suffocating sensation that wrapped around her entire being
Yuzuki's expression shifted from annoyance to realization to pure horror
"Oh no"
Indra tilted his head
"Oh no?"
Another pull
The pressure intensified
Yuzuki stiffened
"OH NO"
Indra raised an eyebrow
"Something wrong?"
Yuzuki turned to him, her face pale
"I think- I THINK I'M BEING BORN"
Indra blinked once
Then twice
"...Well, yes
That would make sense"
Yuzuki stared at him
"DO SOMETHING"
Indra gave her a completely unhelpful look
"What exactly do you want me to do?"
The pressure increased
Yuzuki winced
"I DON'T KNOW
CANCEL IT
STOP IT
TELL THEM I'M BUSY"
Indra's lips twitched
"Ah yes, let me just politely inform reality that you're unavailable for your own birth"
"I WILL DRAG YOU INTO THIS, INDRA"
And then-
The mindscape collapsed around her
Reality - The Birth
Yuzuki couldn't breathe
For a split second, everything was dark, suffocating, overwhelming
Then-
Light
Sound
Cold
Everything rushed in at once-
a sensory overload so intense that her very soul recoiled from the experience
'THIS IS AWFUL'
Her lungs burned as something forced air into them
Her skin prickled as she was suddenly exposed to open air
And the noise-
Too loud
Too sharp
Too much
Yuzuki hated everything about this
'This is worse than death
This is worse than SOUL DESTRUCTION'
A pair of blurry figures loomed over her
She squinted, but everything was muffled, indistinct
Her body felt weak
Fragile
Useless
Her limbs wouldn't move properly, her chakra felt distant, and-
'Wait
What if I just...'
She focused on her eyes
Just a small amount of chakra, just enough to-
Her vision sharpened
For the first time, she saw clearly
A woman
Raven hair
Soft features
Eyes filled with warmth and exhaustion
A man
Dark eyes
Strong presence
A silent, unreadable expression
Her parents
Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha
'Hnn
So I was right'
The moment lasted less than two seconds
Then-
Her body forcibly shut down
Her eyes closed without her consent
Sleep slammed into her like a collapsing mountain
Her last conscious thought?
'I hate being a baby'
Inside the Mindscape - A Moment Later
Indra sat in the now empty sewer, arms folded, waiting
Then, in a flicker of embers, Yuzuki reappeared, looking dazed
A long silence stretched between them
Indra finally spoke
"So... how was it?"
Yuzuki stood frozen
Then, with slow, quiet horror, she muttered:
"That... was absolutely disgusting"
Indra's lips twitched
"Oh? So you've been born already? Isn't that a good thing?"
Yuzuki shuddered
"I refuse to acknowledge what just happened"
Indra hummed
"Well, I could check what's happening outside, but I'd rather not see things I'm not supposed to"
Yuzuki gave him a deadpan look
"Aren't you a coy one"
"No comment"
Before she could tease him further, a strange force grabbed her
The mindscape lurched
And suddenly-
She was ripped back into her physical body
-=Meanwhile=-
Mikoto sat beside the small crib, her hands resting gently on the edge as she stared down at her newborn daughter
Her heart pounded
"I'm not going crazy, right?"
Her voice was soft, but laced with undercurrent disbelief
Because what she had just seen, what she knew she had seen, should not have been possible
Fugaku stood beside her, arms crossed, his gaze locked onto the tiny sleeping infant wrapped snugly in a blanket
He didn't speak at first
Then, without looking at her, he slowly shook his head
No
She wasn't imagining it
A newborn with an activated Sharingan...
Mikoto's hands tightened around the crib's frame
"That was a Sharingan
A fully formed Sharingan"
Her breath hitched slightly
"And she's only been born
That's-"
"Mikoto"
Fugaku's voice was calm
Firm
She turned toward him, eyes searching his face
He was unreadable
His expression barely shifted, but she knew him
He was thinking
Hard
Then-
"Do not let anyone else know about this"
The finality in his voice left no room for argument
Mikoto hesitated
She knew why he was saying it
The Sharingan was the pride of the Uchiha, but awakening it so early was not normal
It was not natural
If the clan found out, if anyone found out, Yuzuki would never be seen as a normal child
She would be a symbol
A weapon
A tool for their pride and expectations
Mikoto hated that thought
And yet...
She looked back down at Yuzuki
Her daughter's tiny face was relaxed, peaceful, utterly unaware of the weight she had just placed upon herself
Mikoto exhaled
"...I see"
The reluctance was there, but so was understanding
She gently reached into the crib, brushing her fingertips over Yuzuki's ridiculously small hand
The baby barely stirred, her grip instinctively closing around Mikoto's finger
Something in her chest tightened
"I'll do my best"
Fugaku gave a slow nod
"Hnn"
Neither of them spoke for a moment
Mikoto traced slow, soothing circles with her thumb against Yuzuki's tiny palm
"She's going to stand out, no matter what we do"
Fugaku exhaled quietly, finally allowing himself to reach out
He placed a hand on his daughter's head, his thumb brushing against the fine strands of dark hair
"Then we will make sure she is strong enough to handle it"
Mikoto said nothing
But she hoped, more than anything, that strength wouldn't be the only thing Yuzuki found in her future
-=-
'Ugh... I hate being a newborn'
{It's only been a few days
Can't you have a little patience?}
'Easy for you to say! You're not the one being passed around like a damn festival prize!'
{It seems to me that your family cares a lot about you
Could that be why?}
'Bah! If they really cared, they'd let me sleep all day like they do for Sasuke!'
{...You do realize they probably let him sleep because he isn't glaring at them with an activated Sharingan, right?}
Yuzuki scoffed
'Details'
Indra sighed, but before he could reply, her grumbling was cut short
Someone was watching her
Again
Yuzuki's gaze flicked upward
Across the room, sitting with his usual silent intensity, was her older brother
Itachi Uchiha
For the past two days, he had stared at her like this every chance he got
She had tried to ignore it
She really had
But at this point, it was getting on her nerves
'What? You wanna fight?'
{...}
Silence
She wasn't expecting a response, of course
She was a newborn, not a mind reader
Still-
'Seriously, what is his problem? I know I'm interesting, but come on'
Indra hummed in amusement
{I believe he's just watching over you}
Yuzuki rolled her eyes
'What, does he think I'm fragile? I have an awakened Sharingan, I can-'
She stopped
Because, despite everything, despite how strong she was supposed to be...
She was a helpless infant
And that, more than anything, was why she actually needed protecting
It was infuriating
She scowled but said nothing, shifting her attention elsewhere
-=-
Mikoto adjusted the blanket wrapped around her daughter as she walked, Sasuke cradled comfortably in her other arm
The streets of Konoha were bustling, filled with the warmth of a village at peace
Yuzuki did not care about any of that
Her focus was elsewhere
She had already adapted to her eyesight, the blur from her newborn vision had been neatly bypassed by her Sharingan, allowing her to make out faces, movements, expressions
But her hearing?
'Tch... Annoying'
Everything was muffled, vague, just out of reach
She could see her mother speaking, her lips moving, her expression soft yet firm, likely giving instructions to Itachi before he left
But the words?
They slipped past her ears, incomprehensible
{You know, you could at least try to learn their names, like you did with your twin}
Yuzuki's gaze flicked toward Sasuke
His tiny face was relaxed, peaceful, utterly trusting of the world around him
Something about that...
Felt strange
Not in a bad way
Just foreign
'Hnn
He's the only one that matters right now, anyway'
Indra didn't reply
But Yuzuki could tell he noticed
As Mikoto walked, the gentle sway of movement made Yuzuki more aware of something else-
Her vision was too clear
Her Sharingan was still active, but... no one had said anything about it
She furrowed her brow slightly, instinctively gathering chakra to her eyes to adjust her focus-
And nothing happened
Yuzuki internally scowled
{I assume you're wondering why your Sharingan isn't being noticed?}
"Gee, you think?"
{Your mother placed a light cloth over your eyes
Likely to prevent people from noticing}
Yuzuki processed this
Then, after a long pause-
'Smart woman'
Indra hummed in amusement
Mikoto rounded a corner-
And suddenly, two familiar figures came into view
-=-
As Mikoto rounded a corner, she spotted two familiar figures standing by a food stall
"Kushina, Lady Biwako"
Mikoto's voice was warm as she approached, nodding at her friend and the wife of the Third Hokage
Kushina turned, eyes widening at the sight of the babies in her arms
"Mikoto! Gasp Are those-?"
"Hnn"
Mikoto nodded, adjusting them slightly
"Sasuke and Yuzuki"
Kushina leaned in eagerly, her red hair swaying slightly as she peered at the tiny infants
Biwako observed them with a more measured expression, but there was a quiet warmth to her gaze
"Oh?"
Biwako remarked, focusing on Sasuke
"You named your son after Lord Hiruzen's father?"
"Yes"
Mikoto replied with quiet pride
"So he grows up to be as strong a shinobi as his namesake"
Yuzuki, meanwhile, had only caught a few words
"Strong"
"Shinobi"
The words stirred something deep inside her, though she didn't fully understand why
Kushina, having admired Sasuke's peaceful face for a moment, turned her attention to Yuzuki
"Alright, and what about you, little princess?"
She wiggled her fingers slightly near Yuzuki's face, her expression softening
Yuzuki sensed the movement
She turned her head slightly, just enough to face the disturbance
And stared
Deadpan
Silent
Unamused
Kushina froze
Biwako blinked
"...That's definitely Fugaku's child"
Mikoto chuckled
"She does have his glare"
Kushina pouted
"Aww, I just wanted to say hi! She's got a mean look for someone so tiny"
Biwako sighed
"It's the Uchiha in her"
Mikoto adjusted Yuzuki again, who, despite looking incredibly judgmental for a newborn, remained otherwise calm in her arms
"She's just perceptive"
Mikoto said smoothly, smiling down at her daughter
Yuzuki internally scoffed
'I just don't like being treated like a toy'
{You are a baby
This is unavoidable}
'I refuse to accept this fate'
Indra couldn't even argue with that one
Kushina, still recovering from Yuzuki's tiny yet terrifying glare, suddenly turned to Mikoto with a more serious expression
"So... was childbirth painful?"
Mikoto blinked
Then laughed softly
"You're not the first to ask me that"
Kushina's cheeks flushed slightly
"I just-
well, I wasn't sure how I'd handle it..."
Mikoto's expression softened
"It's different for everyone
But in the end, it's worth it
You'll be fine when the time comes"
Kushina exhaled, nodding, though there was still a faint nervousness in her eyes
Yuzuki, meanwhile, had already stopped paying attention
The world was still a blur, both in sight and sound
But even through all the noise and uncertainty, she knew one thing
She would understand, in time
Her family
Her village
The words being spoken around her
And when she did-
She would carve her place into this world
-=-
Yuzuki's tiny body tensed
Something was off
She felt it before she understood it, a ripple in her chakra, an unnatural pull
It wasn't physical
It wasn't even something she could name
But it was there, something reaching out, something pressing against her very existence
'What the...?'
She focused inward, trying to pinpoint the source
The feeling wasn't hostile
But it was... wrong
Like a river trying to change its course, as if something was attempting to alter her
{Something wrong?}
Indra's voice cut through her thoughts, but Yuzuki barely registered it
Because in that moment, she understood
The source wasn't inside her
It was nearby
It was them
Her gaze instinctively shifted toward the red-haired woman speaking to her mother
And more importantly-
Toward the unborn child inside her
The pull intensified, like a thread trying to weave itself into her very being
Yuzuki scowled
'Tch
What do you think you're doing?'
Her chakra reacted instantly, flaring against the foreign energy
She wasn't sure how she did it, whether it was instinct, experience, or simply the unshakable refusal to let something dictate her fate
But she rejected it
And just as quickly as it had tried to settle inside her-
It bounced back
The ripple of energy didn't vanish
It simply redirected
Yuzuki didn't notice
She didn't see how the energy reached out not to her, but to the unborn child inside Kushina
She didn't see how, in that moment, fate shifted
But it had
And Naruto Uzumaki would be born differently
As the resonance died down, something else caught Yuzuki's attention
A presence
Not the soft, fleeting pull from before
No, this was different, a vast, powerful force, tightly restrained yet undeniably there
It wasn't reaching for her
It wasn't trying to change her
It simply existed
Contained
Waiting
Sealed
Yuzuki's gaze lingered on Kushina
'Hnn
Now that's interesting'
Whatever it was, it wasn't human
But it was bound to one
She didn't know what to make of that
Not yet
But she would
{...Are you seriously going to keep staring at that woman?}
Indra's voice broke through the silence, laced with amusement
Yuzuki blinked
{You're looking at her like she owes you money}
She rolled her eyes
'I was just thinking'
{Thinking? Or plotting?}
'Why not both?'
Indra sighed, but she could feel his curiosity
She smirked
'Don't worry about it
Just something to keep an eye on'
And with that, she let the moment pass
But deep inside, something had changed
And soon, the world would see it
-=Chapter End=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Loving the story?
Want to unlock up to 10 advanced chapters and support the journey?
Search for Joao132135 on Patreon and join the crew!
Every pledge makes the next chapter even more epic!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-