The fate we have chosen

"Run, Tsukiko!" a deep, loud voice shouted.

Her heart beat faster and faster in her chest. It was hard for her to catch her breath. Her hands clutched the duvet cover. She closed her eyes and stood up with a deep sigh. She looked around the room. Everything was in its place. The wardrobe, the mirror, the table, the chairs and of course the bed. She touched her forehead, "Another dream". Restless nights were becoming the norm and it was always the same dream that haunted her. A memory she wanted to forget. With tired steps she walked to the mirror.

Tsukiko’s white-silver hair was dishevelled. Not to mention the sight of her fringe. But her hair wasn’t the most unusual thing about her. Eyes that looked like two diamonds stared back at her. A gift, a very special gift that only existed in her clan. Her eyes were rightly called Kagami.

She carefully dipped the brush on the table beside her into the blue paint and drew fine lines on her cheeks and chin. She tied her hair into a high ponytail and, with another deep sigh, turned her attention to her clothes. Tsukiko put on a dark blue hakama, her top was a midnight blue. She closed her eyes again.

Finally finished...

There was a knock at the door. The twelve-year-old girl cautiously opened the door and looked up. In front of her stood a man with long brown hair tied back in a braid. The first thing she noticed was the scar that ran across his face. He smiled kindly at her, "Hello, you must be Tsukiko-sama. Nice to finally meet you! I am Iruka Umino, but you are welcome to call me Iruka Sensei. I'm here to pick you up on behalf of the third".

She hesitated with her answer and looked at him for a moment before nodding. They left her apartment and walked together through the streets of Konoha. Silence, neither of them said a word. For Iruka, who was used to children her age constantly talking to him or asking him questions, the silence became more and more uncomfortable. After a while, he said, "Did you know that you are the first person from your clan to be assigned to a ninja team by the academy?" "Probably because I'm the only one left from my clan," Tsukiko replied without changing her expression. "I guess you're right..." Iruka sighed, quickly realising that his answer was anything but elegant. So they walked the rest of the way side by side in silence.

Both of them were now standing in front of the Ninja Academy founded by the second Hokage. "You can go first," Iruka said, "I'll be right behind you to tell everyone which team they're in and who their teammates are". Tsukiko nodded again and thanked him politely. Before she went through the door, she stared at the stone wall where the faces of all the Hokage were carved.

A tight feeling spread through her chest and Tsukiko couldn't describe the emotions inside her. She had never expected, never thought that she would even come close to ordinary shinobi or people her own age. Her eyes fell on the face of the second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Is this irony? Who knows. After a last sigh, she entered the academy.

As she walked through the classroom door, all eyes were on her. Tsukiko hated so much attention. But maybe she couldn't blame them. After all, everyone in this room had attended the Ninja Academy together and saw each other every day. In this room full of familiar faces, she was the stranger.

And I hate them all already...

“Who’s that?

“Do you know her?”

“I’ve never seen her here before”

Voices could be heard from every corner. Her eyes swept the room. There's hardly anywhere left to sit... she thought to herself. But then she noticed a boy with raven black hair. Unlike everyone else here, he didn't seem as excited. Tsukiko couldn't blame him, because she felt the same way. "Excuse me? Is this seat free?". When the boy heard her voice, he looked at her in surprise. He hesitated to answer, but after a while, he looked at her coldly and murmured, "Yes".

Tsukiko nodded her thanks and sat down beside him. While everyone in the room was talking and guessing who they would be teaming up with, the two sat next to each other in silence. Tsukiko welcomed the silence. She wasn't good at talking to people. However, she felt a girl with pink hair staring at her angrily. She sighed again and closed her eyes. Never in her life had she expected to find herself sitting here.

“Neee neeee who are you?” When she opened her eyes again, a boy with spiky blond hair, blue eyes and three whiskers on his cheeks was staring at her. “Yamiyo Senju Tsukiko. And who are you?“. The room, which had just been loud, fell silent at the mention of her name. Everyone fell silent, except the curious boy in front of her. “Tsukiko? That’s a really funny name! I’m going to be the next and greatest Hokage! My name is... AAHhhhH!“. The girl with the pink hair had punched the boy in the face and yelled, “You idiot!”

"Oy Naruto! Just so you know, the girl in front of you is the descendant of the second Hokage, Senju Tobirama". Her eyes turned to the boy who had just said that. He had narrow brown eyes. As well as dark brown hair that was almost black, tied into a spiky braid. There were some in Konoha who recognised her by her appearance. But many others only knew her by her name. The boy, whose name seemed to be Naruto, looked at her in confusion. As if he had no idea what they were talking about. It was only a matter of time before someone noticed or found out. Tsukiko had to admit that she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. Iruka Sensei entered the classroom before Naruto had a chance to answer or ask any more questions.