Book One:
Deep in the Land of Fire, in the Hidden Leaf Village, the hero Naruto Uzumaki lives. But, what if he had a sister?
Enter Natsumi Uzumaki.
She's your typical twin sister- empathetic, responsible, and willing to do whatever it takes to prot...
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Kiri stepped inside the hospital room, moved the curtain aside, and spotted Natsumi sitting on the chair beside the bed where Sena lay unconscious, the blankets drawn up high and resting under her chin.
She smiled briefly and it faded as she stepped closer and stood beside Natsumi.
The monitors beeped quietly and Kiri watched as Sena's mask released puffs of oxygen.
"You know, the first time I met Sena was in the hospital like this." Kiri spoke softly. Natsumi didn't move or respond.
"It wasn't long after my brother died— only about a year. I was in a pretty dark place then." Kiri squatted in a sit and kept her eyes on Sena. "My parents were arguing with Yuuri again, and I was sick of it. So, I wandered around the village until I found myself outside of the hospital, just in time to see a team of ANBU bringing an eleven-year-old girl into the Emergency room."
Kiri let out a small breath and reached out to touch Sena's motionless hand.
"The sheet they had covering her was completely stained red with blood. I knew it was serious. I followed them inside, and there was such a panic that no one noticed me there." Kiri paused. "I watched through a little window as they immediately began to operate on her. She had lost half of her blood, had twenty broken bones, and had a crushed lung. She needed four organ transplants and several liters of blood, and she flat-lined twice before they were done. After almost a whole day of operating, she was finally stable."
The corners of Kiri's mouth twitched upward in a smile. "I remember being so... amazed that one little girl could survive all that. It put things into perspective for me, and I realized that constantly moping about losing Yuuta was pretty pathetic in comparison." Kiri's thumb gently stroked Sena's hand. "After that, I came to visit her every day, and I sat with her for a few hours at a time. Sometimes I sat in silence, and other times, I would just vent to her about my family and all the shit that was going on. Every single day, I saw her improve slowly and she became an inspiration for me."
Kiri shook her head slowly. "Sena might seem passive, but she's always been one hell of a fighter. That's what's always drawn me to her. She's come back from the brink of death. She's basically my idol."
After a long pause, Kiri continued to talk out loud as Natsumi stayed silent.
"After about a month, I couldn't be patient anymore." Kiri smiled. "So, I leaned in close to her and I said 'now listen here, you little shit, I've been telling you all about my life as if we were long-time friends, so you need to get your lazy ass up and be my friend for real instead of sleeping your whole life away.'"
Kiri laughed softly under her breath. "And then, she just opened her eyes as if she'd only been napping. We've been best friends ever since."
Kiri reached up to pat Natsumi's shoulder, but she flinched at the touch and Kiri immediately drew her hand back.
