If Only Things Were Different

Chapter 8

Karin was setting the table for her and Shisui's dinner when her brother arrived from gathering pieces of information about the Leaf Ninjas and Akatsuki.

"Nii-san," she said when she noticed he's back home.

"Karin," Shisui looked serious.

Karin looked at her brother, worried if he's caught or got into a fight alone. So she waited for his next words.

"Gaara was captured."

By his information, Karin's eyes grew wide, she wasn't friends with him but she witnessed how cruel the villagers and the others are to him and how hard it is for him to prove his worth and his faithfulness towards the people in Sand. And now he's captured by the Akatsuki, she knew once the Ichibi is extracted, Gaara will die.

"Who got him?"

"Diedara and Sasori,"

"Sasori?"

Karin could not believe what she heard, the Sasori she knew was loving and caring. She would sometimes play with him back in the Sand when she was younger and she would be reminded of Itachi cause of his silent nature that Itachi also had.

"Karin, what do you want to do?"

Although he doesn't want Karin meddling between the Jinjurikis and the Akatsuki, and their mission was to have Itachi confess everything, they couldn't afford to endanger him and to do that, they have to interfere and keep an eye out. For both of the known living Uchiha.

"I'll go to the hideout," Karin went inside her room and changed into her clothes with the Uchiha and Kikuchi crest combined on her chest.

"You are not going there, sister," Shisui said when she exited her room.

She faced Shisui, "Gaara is in danger!"

"The Sand and the Leaf are heading out, they shall be able to defeat Sasori and Diedara."

"Those guys ard tricky, onii-chan if things get worse, Itachi could be killed before Sasuke could!" tears started dripping down her cheeks.

"Itachi dead?" Shisui's brows furrowed, "How could you say that?"

"I went inside his brain when he fetched me, he was sick."

"Kakashi caused him that," Shisui said and sat down at the dining.

"Kakashi? How?"

"I also don't know how he managed it, he isn't an Uchiha yet he unlocked so many great powers on that Sharingan." He turned to face his sister. "I know you have a special bond formed with that Silver-haired Jounin, Karin."

Her eyes grew wide, "what?" she said softly.

"I've been watching you and you almost forget the mission when you were with him."

"I am not," she denied.

"You might not know it for now but I can see right through you," he stood again and tap Karin's shoulder.

"Let's eat, we'll train tomorrow for your eyes."

"Why did you give Itachi your eye?"

"To save them from him."

Remembering the reason she left the Sand Village and got back to the Leaf was for one purpose only, to kill the person who made his brother's life miserable. Danzo.

Long before the Kikuchi clan got separated and went to live in different towns and villages, they are one of a few feared clans. Their unique capability in fights, manipulating chakras as early as 2 years old, fast reflexes, strong endurance, their accuracy, and most of all, their unique ability to dive into the person's mind along with their strong genjutsus that could match an Uchiha.

The Kikuchi are sensory ninjas and has an ability to quickly detect the person's intention at one glance which Karin did not have but instead, got Shisui's flicker.

When their village was attacked by a group of ninjas trying to steal newborn Kikuchi's to train and use as a tool for their personal satisfaction and for having a few strong young adult shinobi's and being attacked in the middle of the night, it lead them to leave their burning village and got separated trying to look for a place to stay.

Karin Kikuchi's mother, Yuki, was one of the newborns the enemy wanted to have as she was the granddaughter of one of the best shinobis and was their leader's right hand.

There were only five of them who managed to run towards the Leaf and the others scattered around. Koji, Karin's grandfather, Shouka, Karin's grandmother, Yuki, Karin's mother, Tsuki, Karin's great-grandfather, and Yuriko, an infant they saved along the way.

Yuriko and Yuki lived happily as one of the Leaf citizens but there was one elder who is against Hiruzen's decision for accepting a powerful clan without much thought.

They were accepted at the academy and had the privilege to practice their power and control them but because of how they're the village's new clan, even they possess great powers and are quick to learn, Danzo forbids them to graduate until they're fifteen. Depriving them of the great opportunities that might've come before them if they've graduated earlier than 12 as what the academy expected of them.

As soon as the pair became Chunin, Hiruzen, despite Danzo's disapproval, offered them to become Anbu to improve their power.

Yuriko and Yuki were assigned by a different team and during their free time, the two of them would meet and practice more to prove their clan towards the Village's elders, especially Danzo.

3 years before the Great Ninja War, Yuki had an affair with Shisui's father leading to her giving birth to Karin shortly after. Although at a young age, having Karin at 20 and without a father, Yuki never had an ill-feeling towards the Uchiha as he gave her Karin whom she referred to as a miracle to her life and an additional to Kikuchi clan.

Karin was raised by both Yuki and Yuriko believing him as her father until the latter died from the war protecting a comrade.

Karin learned about the truth when Shisui appeared inside the forest where she would play alone and introduced himself as her brother. Confused, Karin ran back home and told her grandfather Koji about what happened. And that same night, Karin heard from her mother's own lips that she indeed is Shisui's half-sister.

Because of anger, thinking she was deceived by her own family and thinking Yuriko was betrayed by her mother, she accidentally formed fireballs leading her family to believe she did not only inherit the Kikuchi clan's abilities but so as the Uchiha's. At the age of 5, Karin was able to control two chakra nature, wind, and fire. The youngest to control two natures. And it is believed that she's the strongest Kikuchi.