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yukaikokoro · 6 years

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Where Do I Go From Here

Hey guys, interested in more events from Kumiko’s past? Take a look at ‘To Be Shinobi’ for another glimpse into her past.

Word Count: 2531

Suggested Music: Words as Weapons ~Birdy

With the dawn of a new chapter quickly approaching in her life Kumiko’s father, Tamotsu, calls into question everything his daughter has ever striven for. Rattled by the words her father says Kumiko begins to question her own motives.

The smoldering smell of burning incenses lingered in the air while murmured words of a pray filled the room. Two forms were seated at the table, heads bowed and hands pressed together as they gave thanks for their food and protection. Concluding their ritual father and daughter lifted their heads while opening their eyes and smiling to one another.

Kumiko valued these meals she shared with her father now. The young kunoichi was flourishing in her abilities and thus she had been tasked with higher ranked missions. Which in return yielded higher pay. With the extra money she had accumulated she was able to purchase her own apartment and move out of her father’s home. It was still very strange to her. This place was home to her. Within its walls were the memories of her childhood and the times she had spent with her father. In time though she knew things would work their course. Moving out on her own was a stepping stone she knew she had to cross at some point. Despite her busy schedule she still tried to make time to spend with her father. It was a luxury she knew many others did not have anymore.

They ate in silence for a time before Tamotsu lowered his chopsticks and gazed at his daughter, “Anything exciting to report on?” he asked before lifting a cup to his lips.

Lowering the bowl in her hand to the table Kumiko placed her chopsticks atop it as she turned her head to look at him. “Actually, yes.” She reached for the kettle that sat in the middle of the table pouring herself a cup of tea. Holding the cup in her hands she allowed the warmth from its liquid contents to seep through the ceramic vessel and into her fingers. Smiling she lifted it to her mouth blowing on it slightly before taking a sip.

“In the next few weeks Lord Third wishes to speak with me. He wants to review my record and see if I’m prepared to be promoted to Jounin.” She explained as she set the cup onto the table before gazing down at the steaming beverage. “Everything I’ve worked for might actually finally be paying off.”

The silence that followed caught her off guard. She had expected some kind of response but instead there was nothing. Lifting her eyes she looked at her father whose expression appeared somber and stern.

“Father?” Kumiko asked tentatively.

Tamotsu opened his eyes and looked at his child, eyes cold and serious before he inquired. “Is that truly what you want?”

Her head reeled back slightly in shock at his question before Kumiko straightened her posture. “I’m not sure I understand. This is what I’ve always wanted. To become as strong as I can so I can protect my village and my comrades.” Cocking her head slightly her long blue locks that framed her face swayed gently, “Why would you ask that, father?”

He turned his gaze away from her and stared blankly at the wall across from him, “Why do you feel a need to protect a place that is not your birth land? Do not forget you were not born a child of the Leaf. We were granted asylum here because I possessed information about our true home.”

Kumiko’s mind was buzzing with confusion. What on earth had compelled her father to act like this all of a sudden?

Scowling for an instant Kumiko stared at her father. “The Leaf IS my home, father. I was too young to remember the Mist. If the Land of Water was our true home then why did they chase us away? Konoha welcomed us. They took us in and gave us a place to call our own. A place to value and protect.”

“They welcomed you because you were only an infant. You were young and they could mold you into whatever they needed of you. I, on the other hand was not.” Tamotsu countered as he blinked his eyes, shooting a sidelong glance at her, “I was interrogated and scrutinized for years. They questioned my loyalty to this village despite the fact that when I arrived here with you we were both clinging to life with only a hope and a prayer begging for our lives.”

Kumiko’s lips parted slightly as her brows furrowed. This was the first she had heard of the treatment her father had received when they came to the Hidden Leaf all those years ago. As she was about to open her mouth to speak Tamotsu lifted his voice once more.

“And do you actually believe you are strong enough to defend a village let alone your comrades?” his chin lowered slightly as he met his daughter’s questioning and bewildered gaze, “Look at what happened to that Uchiha boy and the medical kunoichi you knew.”

The table jerked upward and the dishes and utensils that rested upon it went flying as Kumiko’s knees slammed into the underside of it as she burst to her feet. It slammed against the floor bouncing a few times before coming to rest at a skewed angle. A few dishes had emerged unscathed but many laid on the floor shattered in pieces.

“Do NOT speak of Obito and Rin in such a way!” Kumiko shouted, her anger bristling from every fiber of her being. Her legs throbbed from where they had struck the table but at the moment the pain was of no importance to her. Up until now, despite her confusion, she had been willing to heed the words her father had spoken. But dragging Obito and Rin into it as well? He had gone too far. “What is the meaning of this, father?! Why are you suddenly questioning everything I’ve ever worked for?!”

Though the table had be knocked away from him Tamotsu remained deathly still looking at his daughter with a calm that should not have been possible given the outburst he had just witnessed.

“Because you were never meant to be a ninja.”

Taken aback by his words she was shook from her rage. “…What?”

Tamotsu inhaled slowly before releasing a sigh, closing his eyes once more. “You do not possess a heart capable of being a shinobi. You are a nurturer. A caretaker. The love and compassion that pours out from your heart is your greatest weakness. Emotions like that only cloud your judgement. On the battlefield you must cast aside the feelings in your heart and rely on solely on instincts. The moment you lower your guard is the moment in which you or one of your comrades die.” His eyelids scrunched together for an instant in a pained expression. “I was once a shinobi as well, Kumiko. I know the road you are about to embark down and once you take that first step there is no turning back. The responsibilities you will carry as a Jounin are like nothing you’ve experienced before. You will be on your own.”

Lifting a hand to her chest Kumiko clenched one of her fists. “Then I will face them head on. This is the path I’ve wanted to follow since I was a child. I have fought and struggled for everything that I have because I knew it would not come easy. The road I’m about to go down is one that I’ve forged for myself and I won’t be going down it alone. I’ll have-“

“Who? Kazama? The Hatake boy?” Tamotsu cut in as his eyes snapped open. “You continue to chase after both of them yet they still remain out of your reach. No matter what you do you will never catch them. They are both members of the ANBU, Kumiko. They have left you behind. Do you understand that the missions they undertake a fair amount of the time are suicidal. The ANBU has a talent for inducting those who are talented and broken so they can then toss them aside if needed.”

A snarl spread across Kumiko’s face as her lip pulled back to reveal her teeth, “Both of them are more than capable of being members of the ANBU. Kazama is strong and his Sealing Technique rivals if not surpasses Minato-sensei’s! And Kakashi-”

“Sakumo’s boy? From the rumors I’ve heard he’s on the fast track to ending up the same way his father did.”

Kumiko’s eyes widened in disbelief of what her father had just said. It took a moment for the full weight of his words to hit her but when it did the shock in her eyes morphed into fury.

“You don’t know Kakashi like I do!” Kumiko spat stomping towards her father, “You don’t know EITHER of like I do! They need me, and no matter what you say I will keep chasing after both of them until the day comes that I can walk beside them!” Her body trembled as she tried to quell the anger that had manifested in her belly. How dare he do this to her. Calling into question everything she had ever worked for and dragging the names of her friends through the mud. If this was how he felt from the very beginning then why was he only bringing it up just now?

Tamotsu rose from his seat on the floor to his feet meeting his daughter’s eyes. “You say they need you. Do you know that to be true, or is that just what you want to believe is true?” he asked evenly as he moved towards his daughter.

Kumiko quickly took a step back in retreat maintaining the distance between them. Eyes glazed over with betrayal she shook her head. “Stay away from me.”

Halting in his tracks Tamotsu’s stern look seemed to dissipate slightly as he held his hands before him with open palms, “I just want you to understand the gravity of the choice you’re about to make. If you were to die in combat it would be the end of our bloodline. The legacy of the Yuki Clan relies on your ability to produce offspring that inherit our talent.”

“You don’t think I’m aware of that?!” Kumiko retorted, “So instead of being a shinobi you’re telling me that I should lie down and spread my legs so I can produce as many children as possible?!” The disgust that had spread through her gut was unbearable. If she didn’t leave now she feared she might not be able to contain her anger for much longer. Shaking her head again as she backed away she looked at her father once more, “Of all people, I never expected you to wound me like this, father…” Turning on her heel she moved swiftly towards the door pausing for only for an instant as she slipped on her sandals.

“Where are you going” Tamotsu called remaining where he stood.

“I’m leaving.” Kumiko opened the door and answered without looking back at him, “Before the dishes aren’t the only thing that’s broken.”

Sliding through the door she closed it quickly before her father had a chance to respond. And with that, she ran.

The sun had already dropped below the horizon but its light still lingered in the sky. Kumiko’s mind was a storm as she mulled over what had just transpired. Why now of all times? Violently shaking the thought away she lifted her head as she continued to run through the village. It wasn’t till she neared the training grounds that she slowed to a brisk walk. The field was empty as she expected and she bound over the fence with ease landing in the grass on the other side. Huffing as she caught her breath she walked towards the training posts that stood as the lone sentries in the vast field.

“…you were never meant to be a ninja…”

Kumiko roared in frustration as she swung her fist into the closest post. The wood crackled and caved under her fist and pain simultaneously coursed up through her arm. Her anger spilled over as she swung again with her other arm creating a matching indent mirroring the one opposite of it. Teeth grinding together Kumiko continued her assault on the post as splinters and chunks of wood broke off and fell away bit by bit.

“…do you actually believe you are strong enough…”

Squinting her eyes she snarled as she continued to pound her fists into the post. Within minutes her knuckles were busted and bloodied but Kumiko didn’t feel the pain in her hands at the moment. All she felt now was anger, betrayal, disgust, resentment… Nothing made sense.

“…You say they need you… is that just what you want to believe is true?...”

With a mixed cry of anguish and fury she funneled her chakra into her broken fist before striking the post one final time. Releasing the chakra in her hand all at once the post was decimated leaving only a tattered base at her feet. Shoulders shaking as she panted Kumiko remained motionless for a moment slowly turning over her bloodied hands to see the damage she had inflict upon herself. The anger that stained her face faded into despair as her head fell back slightly before sinking to her knees. Hunching forward slightly she cradled her hands to her chest while staring at the earth beneath her. It was then that she notices the markings on her legs just above her knees. Those were going to become bruises in a few hours give or take.

Confusion and doubt crippled her mind as she worked over the words that continued to resonate in her ears. She couldn’t recall a time that she hadn’t wished to become a ninja. Ever since she was a child that was all she had ever dreamed of. When she was enrolled into the academy it had been the beginning of a long and winding road that would shape the rest of her life and she was prepared for that to occur. It hadn’t been easy. There were numerous times she had stumbled and fallen short of her goals. Times that she questioned herself and her capabilities, but during those times her teacher and her friends were there to lift her up and spurred her on. She would have been nothing without all of them.

Them…

Kakashi and Kazama... Looking upward at the sky her heart tightened in her chest. Was her father right? She had always been chasing after both of them. While they continued to grow stronger and surpass her she lagged behind trying to keep up with them. It was her desire to stand next to both of them as equals that had driven her forward over all these years. They were her goal. Her beacon. And no matter what hardship it might have lead her through she continued to follow. Kumiko claimed that they needed her, but in reality, she knew that it was her who actually needed them. A shuddering sigh escaped her as she lowered her head leaning into what bit of the post remained.

Where do I go from here…? She questioned as the pain not only coursed through her body and mind, but also through her heart.

#[The story of my life]#oneshots #fics #Kumiko #Tamotsu #kakashi #kazama #obito #rin #v; main

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