A Subject's Horror - Book Five

Chapter Two

Turns out that my fear and anxiety was for nothing as the leader of the deer herd easily accepted Shikamaru and myself. Though I did note that the stag seemed to stick closer to my side.

Something I knew Otosan had noticed as well.

What that could mean I wasn't too sure, but I didn't plan to let it bother me too much. Not when I also had to focus on strengthening my body and increasing my stamina and chakra reserves.

Part of me hated that my reserves were on the small side.

"Be aware that anyone not a part of our clan," began Otosan as he herded us back towards the house, "will be ended by the herd."

Killer deer, that truth didn't even surprise me.

From there we returned home to celebrate before calling it an early night since we had our first day at the Academy tomorrow. A fact that left me with mixed feelings.

Mainly on how this would be the moment I couldn't go back on.

Not unless I wanted to die.

'Konoha truly has fallen,' grumbled a deep menacing voice from behind me making my whole-body tense as I froze right outside of my room. 'Hashirama went on about how this place had met our dreams for the future, what a lie.'

There, right in front of me, stood Uchiha Madara.

I was being haunted by a dead man who had betrayed Konoha and his closest friend.

Could I get a refund?

'You can see me,' mused Madara as our eyes met, making me flinch and avert my eyes towards the floor even as I finally shuffled into the room. 'Fascinating, for as long as I've been here, no one had been able to see, hear, or feel me.'

And now I wanted to cry a bucket of anime tears.

"Can you just not haunt me?" I asked softly since I knew how well my parents, and especially Otosan, could hear. "Like, go be somewhere else?"

Because in no way shape or form did, I agree to be followed around by a ghost, specifically this one as everyone knew he wasn't like Casper the Friendly Ghost.

There is also the fact I wouldn't be able to stop myself from reacting when he did something.

Meaning because of him I'll likely look like a nutcase.

'I think not,' refuted Madara with a scoff as he stepped closer towards me making me take two steps to the side and away from him. 'You're the first to be able to see me in a very long time since my death. You also knew who I was before I even introduced myself.'

Sage above, this was only going to get worse.

I just knew it...

~ Age Nine ~

My fear of things only getting worse was spot on.

Uchiha Madara never once stopped bothering me after realizing I could see him to the point, he followed me everywhere but to the bathroom. That being the only moment I got peace.

Even then he bothered me from outside the bathroom.

Because of this I didn't try to reach out to anyone at the Academy, instead buckling down on my studies and training, to the point I only knew the main characters on a shallow level.

Well, besides for Shika and Ino-chan.

'Seems that child can keep with the plan,' chuckled Madara as we were informed of the sad passing of the Uchiha Clan the night prior. 'Though I am curious as to why one was left alive.'

Right, because he was the one who brainwashed Obito.

'Can you just stop?' I shot back silently knowing he could hear me, we had tested this out a few weeks after he had stuck around. 'Uchiha Itachi was also the one who made a deal with Danzo and Obito to allow Sasuke to live if I remember right.'

Which I could be wrong.

Mainly as I never followed the series that well and didn't care for the Uchiha's at all.

Ironic that I was now stuck with one.

'You need to go to the Uchiha compound,' ordered Madara while giving a light hum towards my words as he glanced around the classroom. 'There are things you'll need if you have any hope of being a successful kunoichi.'

Meaning he wanted me to break into the district and into likely the main house.

Even if that could be easily done now, what with it being deserted, that didn't mean I'd want to actually do it. There was also the possibility that Hiruzen had stationed an ANBU team around.

For the main purpose of keeping Sasuke safe.

'I'd be caught,' I shot back with a grimace while filling in the last question on the test Iruka-sensei had passed out. 'You also know I can't sense chakra.'

I didn't know if it was because before this, I came from a world chakra didn't exist in, but for me it was hard to identify or sense it. 

This had made it a bitch to unlock my pathways and use chakra.

A fact that had made Okaasan keep me for two extra hours for training, it had been hell.

Even then it's still a work in progress.

Nothing here had been easy, not in any sense of the word, as I had to learn to up my stamina along with my flexibility. That didn't even go into keeping a routine to wake up early.

Part of me missed the days where I could be lazy in bed all day on weekends.

'There are many hidden underground entrances into the compound,' explained Madara eyes narrowed onto me making me bite back a sigh. 'You've also already agreed to accept training from me, this is to further expedite that. Unless you want to remain weak?'

He had been helping me improve in taijutsu stances along with the best ways to improve stamina. Though even then it had been kept light due to not being able to offer physical demonstration along with not being able to physically correct my mess ups.

As such I was currently sitting as top kunoichi in our year over the others in the class.

A fact that had annoyed Ino-chan and Haruno.

But really, while they chased after Sasuke and giggled between one another, I had focused on training as much as possible. And if I wasn't working on my physical strength then I was buried in books on chakra control and how chakra worked.

I'd just barely gotten the three E-rank jutsu one need to pass the genin exam down.

So, yes, I didn't really care to feel bad towards them.

I had put blood, sweat, and tears into my future as a kunoichi which was something they couldn't say the same for. There was also the fact that I had only focused on my career.

Shika had been worried that I was doing too much.