𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 ; 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ ࿐ྂ

There were certain advantages to knowing exactly when and how you were going to die. I'd spent my entire previous life preparing for the inevitable tomorrow, often sacrificing today in the process. But all of my hard work, my preparations, everything I'd ever done or wanted or hoped to one day be had been erased in a single moment. I'd already daydreamed about building my new life in this world, plotting out everything and not making the same mistakes I had last time.

But apparently that was unnecessary, as I wouldn't live long enough to make the same mistakes anyway. It was a kick to the teeth, sure, but it was also a workable deadline, a reminder that I still had today, and that I could still make the most of it despite, well, everything.

I admit that I had a few brief (very brief) fantasies of swooping in and righting the wrongs of this world, of preventing the massacre, befriending Naruto, and saving everyone. But when I tried to work out exactly how to do that, things started to fall apart rather rapidly. The massacre hadn't been Itachi's fault. It was the result of a complicated web of slights, suspicions, and fear that had ultimately culminated in the death of the entire clan. Events had been set it in motion before Konoha's founding with the feud between the Uchiha and the Senju.

I couldn't change the past. I couldn't prevent the suspicion or the surveillance. And with those things in place, I couldn't change the clan's collective minds. I could see it all laid out before me in its horrible inevitability. And I thought that maybe the rest of the clan could see it too. Maybe they'd never wanted to fight, but they were afraid that suspicion would bloom into fear, and that fear would lead to their annihilation.

They weren't wrong.

So that was it. Stopping Itachi wouldn't stop Danzo or Fugaku. And stopping Danzo from killing Shisui would only be a temporary measure before things boiled over again as suspicion and fear continued to grow unchecked.

As I lay beside Sasuke in his crib, I came to the reluctant conclusion that I was truly powerless to change his fate. And, for several of the same reasons, I highly doubted that I would be able to help Naruto either. Even assuming that I had seven or eight years to work with, I doubted anyone would allow an Uchiha child near the village Jinchuuriki, not after what had just happened.

If I sought him out, if I tried to befriend him while supposedly knowing nothing about him, what would that look like to the villagers?

It would look like I was trying to get access to the Kyuubi. If the village elders didn't stop me, my clan certainly would. They couldn't afford more suspicion, certainly not when they were actually up to something.

As for everything else, what use would I be against the Akatsuki, let alone against Obito, Madara, and Kaguya? Despite the manga's emphasis on the power of hard work, the two main heroes were reincarnated near-gods with the power of a bijuu and an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan/Rinnegan combo. Even the Kage fell well short of Naruto and Sasuke's strength and had done little to change the outcome of the final battles. The only thing I had to offer was information, but who would believe a child? What did it matter when I would be long dead by the time these enemies appeared?

It didn't.

I didn't matter at all. I was just another background character sacrificed during the hero's origin story. But that, in a way, was freeing. I didn't matter. Nothing I did mattered. So I could do anything I wanted with the time I was given. And I was a child too, so playing around, having fun, and decidedly not thinking about the future wouldn't even be that unusual. I wanted to get out and learn as much as I could in this magical, fantastical world…that currently consisted of a single room and a reincarnated demigod in diapers.

As far as roommates went, Sasuke wasn't bad. He was a happy baby who got used to my presence soon enough and often cuddled up by my side to nap. He slept for most of the day and night, but he was always wide awake when Itachi came to visit.