4 years after that winter night
Sunlight spilled through the cracks of the patched curtains, filling the packed room with a golden hue that warmed everything it touched. Dust floated around the light, never staying at a single place.
The kids bedroom was still quiet in the early morning.
"Wake up kids" The voice of the matron, Aoyama Mari, came from behind the door, probably from the kitchen downstairs.
Soon enough, the sound of kids waking up started to get louder.
""Morning matron"" a few kids said as they came down for breakfast and sat in their usual seats.
"Morning kids, did everyone have a good night's sleep?"
"KOTA SNORED ALL NIGHT," one kid shouted.
"I DID NOT, He's lying, Matron." Kota yelled, embarrassed, fidgeting with his shirt as he looked down.
"DID TOO"
"YEAH MATRON HE WAS SUPER LOUD"
"SNORRRR!!!"
The other kids joined, laughing as Kota's face grew even more red.
"Matronnnn… everyone is bullying me again" Kota whined.
"Hahaha, you kids sure are energetic everyday" The matron said fondly as she placed everyone's breakfast on the table.
"Why can't you guys be more like Eiji, always so calm and helpful." She said in mock exasperation.
The kids groaned immediately.
"Awwww Matron, Eiji's too perfect!"
"He never gets in trouble."
"He even folds laundry for FUN."
"That's weird, Matron. Weird!"
Eiji had just stepped into the dining room carrying a stack of wooden bowls when all the complaints hit him at once. He blinked, caught off guard,
"Hey" Eiji said
"It's not for fun…" as he placed the bowls neatly on the table. "Laundry should be done properly, that's all…" he muttered the last part.
"SEE? Weird!" one of the kids yelled triumphantly.
The matron only laughed, patting Eiji on the shoulder as she passed by.
"You're the only child who likes chores, Eiji."
Eiji coughed, lightly embarrassed, avoiding her eyes.
Breakfast began the way it always did, messy, loud, full of clattering bowls and excited chatter. Eiji sat near the end of the table, the usual spot where he could keep an eye on everything. It wasn't intentional at first, but it had become a habit. Watching the little ones so they didn't spill hot porridge on themselves, making sure Kota didn't choke from trying to talk and eat at the same time, and helping the matron refill servings.
It came naturally. Almost too naturally, weird for a four-year-old, and yet the matron never questioned it.
She saw him as dependable.
The kids saw him as kind of strange, but in a way they'd grown a bit dependent on him.
He scooped up a spoonful of porridge and blew on it before taking a bite. The warm taste spread slowly across his tongue, simple but comforting in a way that was never found in the store-bought convenience meals in his previous life.
It was one of the things he appreciated most here.
Simple things.
Like sunlight through curtains, warm food in the morning, or the soft rumble of children laughing over nothing or everything.
Moments that didn't feel drowned in exhaustion.
Moments he used to miss more often than he'd like to admit.
"Eiji-Nii." A soft tug pulled at his sleeve. A small girl's round face staring at him. "Can you help me? It's too hot."
"Of course," Eiji said without hesitation, cooling the porridge before pushing the bowl back.
Mizu, the youngest girl, grinned. "Thanks Eiji-Nii! You're the best."
She dug in happily..
Eiji watched her for a moment, quiet amusement tugging at his chest. Then he noticed the matron across the room. She had paused mid-step, leaning momentarily on the countertop before straightening herself and carrying on.
Her expression didn't falter, but the slight tremble in her hand did not escape Eiji's attention.
Something tightened inside him.
She's still sick…
He'd noticed it for months now. Her cough, her fatigue, the way she hid bills behind letters. The orphanage was too small, too underfunded, too forgotten by the village to have spare money for proper medical care.
And she was too stubborn to admit it.
Eiji lowered his gaze to his bowl, but the taste felt slightly different now. Tinged with worry.
He made himself eat anyway. Stressing over it without a plan did nothing. The matron needed help, and he needed to find a way to give it.
After breakfast, the kids scattered, some to sweep the hallways, some to wash dishes, some to run outside and play. Eiji cleaned up his section quickly.
He turned to head toward the backyard.
And froze.
The matron was by the window, hand pressed to her mouth as she stifled another cough. It wasn't the shallow kind. It was deeper, wet, the kind that scraped raw against the chest.
She gripped the window frame until her knuckles turned white.
Eiji stepped closer. "Matron…?"
She straightened instantly, a smile quickly plastered across her face. "Eiji! I didn't see you there."
"You don't look well," he said carefully.
"I'm fine."
"You always say that."
"I say it because it's true."
She turned away, busying herself with cleaning the counter. He could see the faint tremor running through her arms.
Eiji stayed quiet for a long moment before he finally spoke.
"Is the medicine helping?"
She froze, but only for a heartbeat.
"…It works well enough."
"That doesn't sound convincing."
"I said I'm fine, dear. Really." Her tone grew firmer, but not unkind. "You shouldn't worry about things like this."
"I have to," he whispered.
She blinked. "What was that?"
Eiji shook his head. "Nothing. I'll go help outside."
He stepped away before she could say anything else.
The backyard was alive with noise. Kids chased each other between laundry lines, some climbing the old tree with the confidence only children possessed. The air smelled of pine and soil; the sun felt soft on the skin.
Eiji breathed in slowly.
This world was peaceful. If you didn't know better, you'd never think the shinobi village was full of ninjas. Or that war could erupt again in a few years.
He didn't know much about Naruto's timeline. Only fragments. Characters. Fights. Jokes. Scenes taken out of context. He hadn't watched the whole story.
But he knew just enough to understand one thing:
This world was dangerous.
And no one here, especially the kids, had any idea how small their safety bubble truly was.
Eiji sat under the shade of the tree, watching them play. He rested his chin on his knees, lost in thought.
I need to get stronger.
Strong enough to protect myself.
Strong enough to help the matron.
Strong enough to survive whichever era this is.
But he didn't even know where to start.
A leaf fluttered down, brushing his cheek. He reached up, catching it lightly between his fingers.
Somewhere inside him, beneath flesh, beneath memories, beneath whatever tied his two lives together, there was something else. Something quiet, pulsing, almost like…
Warmth?
It happens sometimes. When he was very calm. Or when he focused without meaning to. A faint tingling at the center of his body, spreading slowly through his limbs.
Was that chakra?
He had no one to ask. No teacher. No master. No YouTube tutorial. All he had were half-remembered scenes from a show he barely watched.
Still… he wasn't helpless.
He had his patience, he had discipline, he had his adult mind.
And he wasn't planning to waste it like he wasted his old life drowning in meaningless work until it killed him.
He laid both hands flat on his knees as he sat down, closing his eyes.
Okay. Breathe.
In slowly.
Out slowly.
This was similar to meditation. He'd tried that before in his old life when the stress got too heavy.
'Honestly didn't help much then.'
His breath steadied. His heartbeat slowed. His senses sharpened. He could hear the faint laughter of the kids, the flutter of clothes on the laundry line, the rustle of leaves shifting overhead.
He could almost feel the air brushing against his skin.
Eiji's eyes opened slightly.
'I should probably clear my mi-'
Something responded.
A faint stirring beneath his ribs. Gentle, warm, like taking a warm bath after a stressful day.
There it is again…
The warmth spread slowly, crawling up his spine, down his arms. His fingers tingled.
Instinctively, he focused on it. Just lightly. Not forcing. Letting it move.
The warmth pulsed once.
Then again.
Eiji held his breath, excitement creeping into his chest—
"Eiiiiji!"
He flinched.
The warmth snapped.
The sensation vanished like smoke.
He turned to see Kota waving a wooden stick in the air, face full of joy and absolutely no awareness of the near breakthrough he'd just ruined.
"Come play ninja with us!"
Eiji blinked, then tried to hide the disappointment in his expression.
"…Maybe later."
"Awwwww come on!"
"Kota," Eiji said gently, "I'm busy."
"With what? Sitting?"
Eiji had no comeback for that.
"I'm… enjoying the sun"
Kota snickered and ran off to rejoin the other kids.
Eiji sighed, rubbing his temples.
"That must've been chakra, I'm sure of it"
And if he could feel it.
He could learn to control it.
He just needed time, and maybe somewhere he could practice without interruptions.
His eyes drifted to the small grove near the forest. The place where laundry dried, where kids sometimes played and squirrels tended to steal their snacks.
Perfect.
He stood and stretched. "Just a little training," he murmured. "Something small."
He stepped toward the grove-
*COUGH!!*
(To Be Continued)
A/N
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