Don't Matter To Me
Chapter Five
Staring at my reflection in the mirror I can't help but admire my appearance. I take most of my looks from my mother. I have the same almond-shaped eyes, black hair, and soft facial features. I'm still only five so I'm sure my appearance will change but I'm content with how it is now.
A year has passed since I accidentally set the forest on fire and since then I've continued to train my fire manipulation, kunai throwing, shuriken throwing, and chakra control and now I am getting ready to go to the academy. Today is the day I learn the mysterious old soul's face that Natsumi has been warning me about for the past year.
"Hurry up Hoshi, you're not the only person in this house I have to get ready to!" I hear Tenten shout banging on the door making me sigh as I put on my blue shirt.
"You don't have to shout!" I shout back swinging open the door glaring up at my elder sister, her hands crossed over her chest as she glares back down at me, her hair still down.
"Come on, come on I have to get ready. It's the first day of the new semester." Tenten says anxiously pushing past me slamming the door behind her. Walking to the living room I lay on my back and begin to do crunches while I wait for Tenten to go to the academy. My soul strengthens my body giving me more strength and making me faster but I cannot be idle. Whenever a child is born another reincarnator can be born meaning more competition and I will not let myself be weak.
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Hearing the door to the bathroom open I pause mid-crunch standing up turning towards the hall watching as Tenten walks out with a smile on her face, her hair up in her signature two buns.
"Alright now we can go," Tenten says with a smile walking to the door as I follow behind her. Walking down the streets we slowly get closer and closer to the academy and with each step, I take the feeling of dread grows within my gut. What is this, fear? No, I've felt fear before this is worse.
Taking a quick glance at Tenten I see no sign that she feels the same dread I am in fact she looks chipper, like nothings wrong.
"Hoshi there's no need to be worried you'll make a lot of friends. Maybe then you won't have to play with that Natsumi girl you know she's a bad influence on you." Tenten says catching my gaze. She's right there's no reason for me to feel this way. It would be foolish to kill me in the academy. It would out any reincarnator and would limit what they could do in the village if anyone found out. Yet even with me being so certain that nothing will happen I still can't shake this growing black hole of death from inside of me.
"Maybe," I respond simply while looking inward towards my soul for any sort of advice. One thing that I learned in this past year is that this soul used to belong to a living Phoenix Dragon. Each and every image that flashes through my mind was of the former life of this soul. As an image flashes in my mind, I stare at the Phoenix Dragon roaring in space being overshadowed by a gigantic shadowy figure. Even in front of such a magnificent foe, the Phoenix Dragon shows no fear going into battle with no regret.
Feeling a warmth in my soul I look ahead at the academy littered with parents and their kids. This could lead to my death but it is essential. I cannot fully trust Natsumi no matter how much information she gives me or however many times we train with each other we are each after a different goal. I have to know my opponent first hand, not through a messenger which means going here is necessary. Steeling myself with confidence I ignore the goosebumps on my arms and the pit in my stomach continuing to walk to the school.
"Alright Hoshi you just have to walk to the nice lady and she'll give you your classroom number. I already have mine so I have to go to class but we'll meet here after school dad said he'll pick us up." Tenten says with a smile pointing to the young woman standing by the entrance.
"Ok have a good day at class." I say with a smile as Tenten gives me a quick hug before walking towards the school." Looking around the crowd I spot Natsumi standing ideally by a swing with Naruto. As our eyes meet I walk over to her and put on a fake smile which she returns with her own just as fake smile.
"Hey Naruto, hey Natsumi!" I call, lightly jogging over.
"Hey Hoshi," The twins call cheerfully in unison, Naruto giving me a small wave. "Naruto why don't you go and get our room tickets from the lady," Natsumi says with a smile shooing Naruto away.
"Ok I'll be right back," he says with a grin running through the crowd, my smile fading with Natsumi's. I met Naruto shortly after meeting Natsumi. She would usually bring him whenever we would practice chakra control so he considers me a "friend" but there's no point in me going out of my way for him. Naruto will always choose Natsumi over me and I'm sure she could spin a story for him to turn against me.
I've always been a paranoid person but there's something about Natsumi that I don't like other than us not sharing the same end goal. She's hiding something from me. I can feel it but each time I ask her she lies spinning the story to make me seem crazy, but I am not a fool and I will not be used. There is no doubt that there is a powerful reincarnator I felt them when I was coming here but since then I've just been going by her word.
I am no one's sword to be used to kill their enemies and if I am going to risk my life I want to know what I'm risking my life for. If there is no chance of me winning this fight I will simply not fight. I only ever said that Natsumi and I have a truce, I never said I would fight. Did I lead her on? Yes, yes I did but can you blame me?! Natsumi had a teacher who she says is as powerful as the reincarnator we're trying to kill so she is filled with knowledge and I have sucked it up like a sponge in water, but I am no snake. She is using me to help her kill this reincarnator and I am using her as an encyclopedia. Perhaps I'd feel a stronger connection to her if she was honest with me but in the end, I don't think that will change. My allegiance is to survival and I plan to survive as long as there is knowledge for me to learn on this planet.
"Hey, you there?" Natsumi asks impatiently, snapping her fingers in front of my face shaking me from my thoughts.
"Yeah I am, sorry," I say with fake enthusiasm.
"Good well I'm sure you felt the same thing I did so we know they're here it's just a matter of finding them," Natsumi says her pupil's darting left and right analyzing every face in the crowd.
"Can't you just track their soul?" I ask in confusion, quirking my eyebrow.
"It doesn't work like that unless he goes into an open field alone all the souls are jumbled together overlapping one another," Natsumi says speaking a mile a minute looking around in paranoia while Naruto returns with three tickets with our room numbers. Well, that makes her power a lot less useless.
"Here you go," Naruto says with a giddy grin handing Natsumi and me our tickets. "We're all in different rooms I already checked."
"That's great Naruto, thank you now why don't you go find your class," Natsumi says as all her former worries seemingly disappear in an instant giving a smile to the young boy. One thing that Natsumi and I agree on is that family is one of the most powerful things you can get when you enter a new world. A familial bond is a hard thing to break if you play your cards right and I have a stronger bond with Tenten than I ever will with Natsumi.
"But I want to talk to you two," Naruto complains standing firm in his spot.
"Yeah but you still have to find your class if you had come early as I did you would've been able to stay and talk but now you have to go looking through the school," Natsumi says with a narrowed gaze.
"Fine," Naruto huffs storming off into the academy.
"Act like you don't know me today. If the reincarnator knows the show they'll be able to find you with just a glance and it'll be easier when we attack if they only think that there's one other reincarnator here." Turning around I take a single step before pausing. "And wipe that paranoia off your face you look insane and it'll get you killed," I growl before weaving through the crowd making my way into the school aimlessly wandering through the crowd looking at the room numbers. Natsumi always told me stories of the battles she's fought, fighting the likes of Thanos, and Magneto yet under the pressure of this reincarnator she falls apart. What is happening, how much power does this reincarnator have?
Stopping in front of my class I read the room number once more before walking through the open doors. My ears get bombarded with the chatter of kids and my eyes scan over the young children all in their small groups before darting to the chalkboard reading the large SENSEI KOSEKI on the board.
"Hi, I'm Sensei Koseki are you in room E-Four?" Turning to the kind voice I look at the young man in his older twenties with spiky brown hair crouching in front of me with a kind smile.
"Yeah, I am," I say with a smile handing him my ticket with the room number and my name on it.
"Hoshi huh, why don't you go take a seat? I'll get class started in a minute."
"Ok," I say simply walking up the steps past the rest of the students picking one of the seats in the back of the class. Looking at the backs of all the students' heads I dim the flame of my soul feeling the tingling pricks of needles against my skin as the reincarnators' power begins to affect my body. Gasping softly I grip the desk to still my shaky hands the wood splintering pricking my skin trying to quell the feeling of fear that begins to fill me.
Loosening my grip on the desk I look down at my bloodied hands littered with splinters my mind having cleared from the pain. Taking a deep breath I watch the wounds slowly heal my skin pushing out the foreign object, the bits of wood falling to the floor.
They aren't here, the feeling isn't strong enough. Letting the fire burn once more in my soul the effects of the reincarnator disappear.
"Alright everyone take your seat and quiet down!" My sensei shouts, making me sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. The people in the fanfiction make it look easy, just learn the shadow clone Jutsu and send it to school, my ass. Not all of us can sneak into the Hokage tower and steal the forbidden scroll so I have to sit through this class meant for children and worry about whether or not I'm going to kill someone with over ten lifetimes worth of power.
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"Alright class time for recess!" Sensei Koseki shouts as all the students begin to follow behind our teacher who leads us outside where all the other students are already playing all sorts of games. Spotting Natsumi and Naruto eating cup ramen under a tree I purposely go to the tree furthest away from them. Walking in the shade I sit down in the soft grass, the green blades tickling my skin as I rest my head on the trunk of the tree taking out my bento box. Opening the lid I take out the chopsticks and begin to mindlessly eat the white rice while taking the occasional bite of the vegetables saving the four pieces of sushi for last.
Looking out at all the students as I eat I look for anyone wearing the Uchiha crest spotting a young Sasuke and other kids from the Uchiha clan but none of them looking like a reincarnator. Then again if Natsumi can't find them and they're a good actor it'll be nearly impossible to find them here and we'll have to wait for the massacre. That's assuming he's a threat. As I stand now there's simply a powerful soul who could be a threat. Then there's Natsumi who I've trained with on and off throughout the year, yet she's put on an act the whole time. I don't mind if I needed someone for something I'd put on a performance as well; I didn't have to for Natsumi simply because she needed me more. The face she has been showing me is simply what she thinks I would like to try and become my friend and invest me in her "righteous goal" of risking my life to kill a tainted soul who's done horrendous things and is an immediate threat to us.
There is one flaw in her goal if this soul is so tainted and she can "feel the evil seeping from it" as she said why would she become friends with me? My soul should be tainted with the things I have done but she chose to come to me to ask for help which leads me to believe her feeling whether a soul is evil or not is bullshit and I'm just being used as a pawn in some vendetta. I could be wrong but if I'm not and I'm simply being used as a pawn to march into a battle that will lead to my death I will not be happy.
Seeing a head of blonde and red hair enter my vision I feel my lip twitch and my fist clench in rage snapping my chopsticks. Why is Natsumi coming here?! Watching her come closer and closer her face becomes clear etched in paranoia, her eyes darting to the kids that pass practically jumping at the simple blow of the breeze until she makes it to me casually sitting next to me.
"What are you doing?" I growl in a whisper looking at her out of the side of my eye.
"Have you found him," Natsumi asks in a frantic whisper, her eyes darting left and right, a sick twisted grin creeping onto her lips, her hands twitching while the tips of her bone claws piercing her skin. "He's here, we have to find him? He wasn't in my class, was he in yours?" She asks excitedly, turning to face me, her eyes slightly bloodshot with a look filled with bloodlust.
"Have you gone insane? Reign in your bloodlust we're surrounded by ninja," I say only to get a small giggle from her in response. Standing I grab Natsumi's shoulder forcing her to her feet as I drag her to the side of the school away from the students and teachers. "What is wrong with you?! You'll expose us both!" I growl through grit teeth balling my fists using all my effort to not summon my flames and erase this foolish girl from this planet and make her someone else's problem.
"Yes, I have because now he's found us both." Natsumi whispers all her former signs of paranoia gone, her darting eyes staring firmly at me, her former twitchy hands steady. Letting my balled fists go loose and my face morphed into one of rage loose all emotion I let out a hollow empty chuckle.
"You know him don't you, you've done this to expose me to him? Is he hunting you or have you done something in a past life and now he'll kill you when he finds out you're here?" My emotionless voice surprises even me as I gaze into Natsumi's ocean blue remorseless eyes.
"That's where you're wrong," Natsumi says giggling softly. "He won't just kill me he'll kill every reincarnator close to me that isn't of use to him. Now that he's seen you you'll either be killed or tortured and killed, but if you help me we could still kill him." Natsumi says with a small bit of hope in her eyes, making me sneer in disgust.
"You drag me into a mess you made and expect me to help you clean it up? You're a fool." I spit out; turning my back on her I begin to walk out of the shadow of the school only for my hand to be grabbed stopping me in place.
"You must be careful Hoshi, the darkness is when he'll come." Natsumi says as I slap her hand, continuing to walk back to my tree I try to quell my inner rage and boiling blood. "Come to me when you've made your decision!" Natsumi calls as I gaze at the students looking for any watching eyes. Sitting back down at my tree I audibly sigh pinching the bridge of my nose, there are ways to see that don't involve vision and Natsumi has now just damned me trying to force me into her cause. She has met this reincarnator before and she's so sure that he's seen us. I just hope that he heard us as well and knows that I am no threat to him now.
I will not be used as a sword for revenge when it's almost certain that I will be killed. As strong as this reincarnator is if he is of no threat to me I will not get involved but if he attacks me I will not hesitate to join her and kill him.
Ugh she has made this much more complicated than it should have.