The Will of Fire (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Chapter 1

雨が降ると固まる (Ame futte ji katamaru)

She remembered her mother whispering the phrase in her youth when she grew frustrated with her etiquette training. Literally, the phrase meant 'rained on ground hardens' but the wisdom her mother wanted to impart was that adversity builds character. 

Every time she splashed onto the table while practicing tea ceremonies, every time her mother corrected her posture, every time she forgot the name of one of their ancestors, her mother would smile gently at her childish frustration and coo the phrase 雨が降ると固まる.

She thought about that phrase a lot after the massacre. 

Everyone was dead, her elder brothers, Sasuke and Itachi, were the only other Uchiha left. They were the lone heirs of a once great and powerful clan, cut down and slaughtered in the night. 

She wondered how much more adversity the universe would force down on her until she was built in the desired image. How much character could there possibly be left to build when you lose everything? How much more adversity can one person stomach when the entire village turns against you? 

When two-thirds of the remaining Uchiha flee the village as traitors, the world holds its breath the youngest to do the same. They spat her family name like a slur as if the noble blood flowing in her veins were a curse. 

They feared her eyes. They hated her name. They loathed her. 

Rained on ground hardens. 

But what about went the rain becomes a flood and you are drowning in the waves of adversity? What about when you are choking on the hatred burning within your heart? When does the ground harden and when does it crack?

She didn't think her mother really considered that possibility. Uchiha are strong, we can weather any storm. She could feel her father's eyes staring down at her, beckoning her to live up to her name. 

But the Uchiha name meant nothing in this brave new world.

Kaida slipped out of the window of her small apartment, ignoring the harsh knocks against the front door as she went. She pushed the chakra to her feet, holding herself to the brick outer wall as she made her way down. 

Her shoes remained clutched in her hand. She didn't have enough time to slip them on if she wanted to get out unseen. When she reached the ground of the alleyway she took a moment to slip on the comfortable sneakers she had taken from a clothing drive at school. 

Peaking around the corner she saw the building manager with a police officer and a social services worker. She watched as they entered her now deserted apartment, calling out her name. 

The teacher must have reported her lack of parentage at the last parent-teacher workday. One could only make excuses for so long about why no guardians had ever come to collect a seemingly six-year-old little girl. 

She would occasionally say things like "My mother said-" or "My father bought me-" to her teacher but it seemed they were smarter than she anticipated. Little details like that were important when remaining undercover, she had learned in ANBU. But it seems that even her masterful navigation of her cover was not enough to shake suspicion. 

Huffing a sigh of annoyance Kaida made her way down the road away from her flat. These random wellness checks were beginning to get on her nerves but in the grand scheme of things they were a minor inconvenience. She'd just wait an hour or so at the park before returning, hopefully, they'd be gone by then. 

The processes of this world were so bizarre. 

When Kaida died during the great Shinobi war, she had hoped that all that character-building adversity would finally fade away. As the life faded from her, she prayed that she would join her beloved clan wherever they were.