That Nara... | Naruto Fanficiton

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"The war is over!"

I stopped and called back my shadows, breathing heavily with an exhausted sigh.

Everyone cheered and I looked up.

Amazing.

The clouds parted to show a clear blue sky, the sun ripping through and hitting the land scarred with death.

It's been months since I've seen the sun. The blue sky.

"Peace is amongst us!"

The head ninja, Yashira Uchiha, of my division approached me and placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go home," she said. I smiled up at her and nodded. Over the past month she and I have fought side by side and I've looked up at her a little like a sister.

As we walked with the other leaf shinobi they all congratulated each other for surviving to the end. They also praised me. A five-year-old on a battlefield is a pretty rare sight, but seeing them survive is basically impossible but apparently I am the first. They were praising me for surviving, they were also praising me for my fighting. I could tell they were proud to have fought alongside of me - but I don't see why. I'm a mere sacrificial pawn on the shogi board.

So, I just didn't acknowledge it.

I didn't want to acknowledge it.

It was just a drag anyway.

°🥢°

"They're home!"

"Division 1 have finally arrived!"

"The final division are here!"

We walked through the gates. We're all dirty and bloody. But we weren't too hurt. The medical nin on our squad made sure that any life-threatening wounds were tended to whenever we took our breaks over the past few weeks of walking.

Everyone cheered as we walked through the main streets. We didn't get far before family members came running out the crowds, crying and hugging their loved ones. I smiled, especially when Yashira's husband and child came over to us. Her husband wasn't a ninja, but her son was in the academy apparently.

I looked around.

No one I knew was there.

"Shikarei?"

That voice.

"Pa!" I turned to my right to see him with Ma, Choza, Inoichi, Choro, Inoiché and Ren. I sprinted over to them and basically jumped on him, knocking him off his feet as I hugged him.

My parents crumbled and hugged me tightly, crying into my shirt as they did. I didn't mind this. I usually would. But I missed them.

"I missed you so much," I mumbled into Pa's shirt as their grip tightened on me.

"I was so worried," Ma repeated over and over as Pa just silently cried.

After a while we finally separated. Choza and Inoichi took their own turns in hugging me tightly.

When that was over with, I just dropped my gear and jumped up and down.

"Man, I feel so much lighter," I said before turning to my friends. As soon as I did Inoiché slapped me. Like a proper hard slap that stung right after his hand and my cheek connected.

"You're real?" he looked at me surprised before grinning with tears streaming down his face as he hugged me.

"Man, that hurt," I grumbled, rubbing my cheek as he let me go.

"Sorry," he apologised sheepishly. I smiled and shook my head before hugging Choro as well. I was about to hug Ren when he just started healing me.

"No moving until I've healed you completely," he glared at me. I sighed and nodded.

Five minutes passed and he was done, he made that obvious when he started punching me over and over and over. It wasn't too hard, well not compared to what I've been punched with before.

I caught his fist and stared at him blankly.

People started approaching from behind. I turned to see it was Yashira and her husband and boy.

"Yashira," I greeted her.

"Shikarei," she nodded back before looking at my family and friends. She then bowed.

"Thank you so much for allowing Shikarei to join our division!" she blurted out, I looked at her with wide eyes, "without her... I'm certain our division would've died."

"Yashira! Stop bowing!" I exclaimed frantically, "You're too respected to bow!"

"But I respect you more, Shikarei. You're like the little sister I never had and your shadows. Shikarei Nara the master of the shadows. Your reputation is quite amazing," she replied, straightening up with a smile.

"Did that even make sense?" I asked. She ruffled my hair.

"Go home, have some real food and sleep in a bed. Enjoy it because you, out of everyone here, deserve it the most," she told me as I swatted her hand away and tried to flatten my hair down.

"What a drag, look at what you've done to my hair," I sighed lazily, "but that sounds pretty good. The situation is the same for you. You should take a break from being a ninja for a while for your son."

"Will do," she gave me a thumbs up before walking away, placing her hand on Pa's shoulder, and sharing a look before letting him go and walking again.

I felt myself get swept off the ground and found myself on someone's shoulder. I smiled as I placed my arms on the black hair and my head on my hands as Pa started walking again.

"You stink, Rei," Pa joked as they all started walking back to our small house that was definitely going to be extremely cramped with the three families and Ren.

"Sorry, there weren't any showers on the front," I apologised before closing my eyes and just relaxing as they walked and talked. They were happy. I was happy. The world was happy... Well, somewhere there would be unhappiness but for this moment just now, I'll allow myself to believe that this world was a peaceful, happy place for now.

So much that I didn't even notice that my relaxing self actually drifted off to sleep with the sounds of my village passing around me again.

I'm home...