3 Family Gained & Family Lost
The feeling of falling wasn't new, but it wasn't as fun anymore. It makes sense though. Why would you still enjoy the sensation that preceded your death?
I was falling through what could have been the abyss; there was nothing but endless darkness. After a long time, I began to wonder if I would ever see light again. My mind was filled with doubts. Was this the end? Would I even get to my second world? But in the end, even these worries ceased.
I could only occupy myself with memories from my past. I was just trying to keep sane in this lonely darkness without end.
Suddenly, my endless darkness was broken by a small dot of light. The dot then became dotts, and the darkness that accompanied me for so long began to disperse. Before I knew it, I was whizzing past countless bright and colorful spots. I passed them all at blistering speeds without hitting a single one.
I was sure I would hit more than a few, but at the last second, I would pass them with the smallest possible margins.
This wild obstacle course continued until I met a dot which couldn't be avoided. The closer I got to it, the larger it became. Within a few instances, the small dot had expanded over 100,000 times and showed no signs of stopping.
I finally realized what was happening as I recognized a particular part of the landmass. It was the Land of Fire in the Elemental Nations. My eyes widened with the realization that each of those dots I passed was an entirely separate world.
My revelation shook me, but the imminent impact on the planet was a pressing matter. At the last second, I closed my eyes and braced for impact but felt nothing.
I tentatively opened my eyes again and found I could barely see. Everything was so blurry I couldn't even tell up from down. Confused and disoriented, I tried to move but couldn't. Something was trapping me. I tried to call out for help, but what left my mouth was an odd high-pitched wail.
My voice cut abruptly; that was not what I expected. As a last ditch, I strained my ears to see what was happening around me. There were voices of varying pitches, but I couldn't make out anything. I was incredibly confused about what was happening.
I couldn't get any information from my surroundings, so I focused on my body. I was getting such messed up feedback that I instantly got a headache. It was like someone scrambled my body like a Rubik's Cube. Who knows where my arm was? I just couldn't figure it out.
Who knew where my legs were? It didn't feel like I had any. While I was busy trying to figure out where my limbs were, I was picked up. I squawked loudly in surprise - not my proudest moment.
I recognized an outline of a face surrounded by something red. 'Definitely Uzumaki,' I thought to myself. 'No one else has hair like that in the Elemental Nations.'
I had no way to tell who was holding me. It could have been my mother, sister or any other adult. They started to rock me back and forth. This seemed to be some kind of baby cheat code because it instantly calmed my racing thoughts. Without even knowing it, I fell fast asleep. My last thought was; 'this feels nice'.
-
Ashita Uzumaki had just walked away from the table intending to get some water when her baby started crying again. With a sigh, she turned around and headed back to him. The ugly potato-looking child with wisps of red hair was squirming around in the basket she left on the low table. She scooped the babe into her arms and lay him on his front before checking his diaper.
Finding it clean, she spoke to him in a baby voice. "You're still clean. Does that mean you're hungry?" She exposed her bosom, which stopped him from wailing, but he didn't move to suckle. Despite her attempts to assist him, he didn't seem hungry.
The child just looked up at her with wide eyes. She covered herself and spoke to the little Kane (A/N: Pronounced Ka-Ne). "What? Did you just want to come with me? Alright then, let's go."
She returned to the kitchen with a little Kane Uzumaki in her arms. Their flat wasn't large but had all the necessary amenities, with a few extras meant to make ninja life easier. At least, it would if there were any active-duty shinobi living there.
When she entered the kitchen, she saw another young Uzumaki on her toes, reaching for the freshly baked sweets.
"What are you doing over there, little Miss Kushina? Stealing cookies?"
The 6-year-old girl froze at her words. The extended hand holding the miso butter cookie shot back to her side.
She moved fast. It was evident that she had been slacking and had been training independently. She made an entertaining-looking face as she tried to think of a lie. Her tongue stuck out slightly, and she had her brown all furrowed.
Two seconds later, she schooled her face back to normal and shook her head, denying the accusation.
"I came here to see Kane."
Despite the super-obvious lie, Ashita smiled and passed her another still-warm cookie. "Good try, but your lying still needs work." She bent down and pulled the strands of hair out of her face.
Kushina pouted at being groomed like this, but a fresh cookie in both hands was enough payment to keep quiet.
-
I finally woke from the strange state I had been in after arriving in the world. During this time, I witnessed the week's events and the circumstances around my birth. Luckily, I didn't have to rely on my underdeveloped senses for this. I saw it all from a ghostly 3rd person perspective. I also didn't have to deal with a language barrier. I didn't know if the knowledge of language was permanent or something I temporarily gained by being in this strange state. To my ears, everything they said was in English.
I'd have to wait and see when I return to my baby body.
During this time, I learned that my mother died of complications while giving birth. The Uzumaki vitality wasn't a joke, though. She could have pulled through but refused treatment as she desired to be with her husband, my father. Obviously, Kushina was upset by this, but she wasn't alone in her grieving. Our family friend Ashita also found this day to be plagued by loss.
Ashita and my mother had both gotten pregnant around the same time. Their husbands were on the same squad, so both families spent a lot of time together. Unfortunately, their squad was marked as KIA after the three failed to return from a mission near the land of Lightning. Subsequent teams found evidence of a harsh battle but no bodies.
Ashita's delivery happened the same day as her friend, just hours apart. Unlike my mother, her delivery went smoothly, but there was a problem with her child. It didn't cry. Her son was stillborn. This was as great an emotional blow to her as the loss of her husband, made worse by the subsequent death of her best friend.
Ultimately, after a day of grief, she received guardianship of me and my older sister Kushina. Both had open wounds in their hearts but had each other to lean on while I became the son she never had. My birthday would be a sad day for them both, but there are no strangers to death in the shinobi world. Everyone dies eventually.
As I returned to the present, my blurry, unfocused eyes made out a smaller face with something bright red. I could also feel myself being held. With my new knowledge, I assumed that Ashita was holding me and that this was Kushina in front of me.
I tried to smile but had no clue if I had succeeded. Once again, I was slapped with my shitty reality; being a baby SUCKED! While I was mentally complaining, I felt something odd. I couldn't help grunting. A few seconds later, I felt warmth. It took my adult ego a second to figure out what happened, but I was mortified when I did.
I popped my pants. What made me even more disgusted was that a part of me appreciated how warm it felt.
