Naori had no idea what Maki was thinking.
In truth, Maki was still trying to make sense of how she had fallen into that illusion.
There had been no warning. No signs.
She hadn't even seen a Sharingan.
It made no sense.
Typically, genjutsu required some kind of trigger—chakra interference, a specific action, sound, eye contact, or a catalyst.
But Maki hadn't noticed anything. No strange sensations. No shifts in the environment.
In fact, things had been too quiet. But that was normal for remote areas.
So how did it happen?
The more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.
This wasn't a standard illusion technique.
Then again, this was the same girl rumored to have created Izanami—the ultimate genjutsu.
No wonder Maki couldn't understand it.
Worse, the illusion had ended before she even had time to analyze it.
She'd been completely outplayed.
Before she could think any further, Naori broke the silence.
"Why haven't you gone home yet?"
"Just finished practicing," Maki replied coolly.
"So dedicated. Even geniuses push themselves this hard?"
Maki gave her a sidelong glance. "And you? Why are you still out here?"
Naori paused, then smiled faintly. "Who's this little one?"
She was looking at Kiko.
"My sister," Maki said.
"She's adorable. Why didn't you introduce me sooner?"
"She's a fool," Maki replied flatly. "Watch."
"Woof!" Kiko barked cheerfully on cue.
Naori gasped and covered her mouth, eyes wide. "Don't bully her like that!"
"I've never seen you so righteous at school," Maki said, smirking.
"Maki and Princess Tsunade never get involved, so why should I butt in?" Naori huffed, puffing her cheeks out.
"Oh, but my business is worth meddling in?"
"Well, aren't we friends? Your sister's my sister too," Naori said with a grin.
"…You serious?"
"Of course!" Naori nodded enthusiastically.
Maki fell silent.
Truthfully, she felt a little uneasy.
Someone like Naori… she wouldn't be surprised if one day the girl sacrificed herself just to awaken the Mangekyō.
It wasn't impossible.
She would awaken it. That was certain.
In short, being friends with someone from the Uchiha was risky.
"Why the silence?" Naori asked gently.
"I'm wondering what draws you to me… like a moth to the flame."
Maki knew exactly how frightening she must seem to other kids.
Especially girls.
Naori blinked, then said something unexpected.
"It's your strength. The strength to face loneliness."
"You always seem so alone. Doesn't it scare you?"
"…I guess I'm a little envious."
Still a kid, Maki thought. Thinking about things that don't matter.
She gave Naori a long look, then said, "You must have a lot of free time."
With that, she turned to leave.
Mother Yumi was probably getting tired of waiting.
Naori watched her go, disappointment in her eyes.
Flat-out rejected.
She had only wanted to make a friend—but it felt like she'd failed.
Maybe she had overestimated how open Maki might be.
Under the moonlight, Naori lowered her head.
But then—
"…But," came Maki's voice, calm and distant.
Naori's head shot up.
"If I'm free… we can play ninja games or something."
In the distance, Maki walked away, gently tugging Kiko along.
A bright smile spread across Naori's face.
"…So kind," she whispered to herself.
---
The next day was just another school day.
On the way there, Maki felt a bit foggy.
A typical result of staying up too late.
No big deal—she could nap through most of class.
As long as she sat up straight, Ogawa wouldn't notice anything under the mask.
And thankfully, she didn't talk in her sleep.
But just as she was about to doze off, something made her jolt awake.
At the intersection ahead, bathed in morning light—
Naori.
Standing there with a bright smile, waiting by the roadside.
Maki sighed and rubbed her forehead.
There it was—the buzzing in her ears louder than when Kiko randomly crawled into bed at night.
She could already tell how this would go.
The clingy kind of friendship that insisted on holding hands and going to the bathroom together.
"I don't want it!"
How love-starved was this girl?
Maki scowled. I'm not some old mother stuck babysitting a lost puppy.
Clearly, Naori had nothing better to do.
She passed by Naori without a glance, but Naori naturally gravitated toward Miki.
"Wanna grab dinner? My treat. I've got money," Naori offered with a grin.
"Don't try to buy friends with money," Maki replied flatly. "Are you rich or something?"
"Very," Naori said proudly. "I get three allowances a month."
She smiled again. "If it's for you, Maki, I'd give you all of it."
This girl…
Of course—regular orphan benefits and the village's support stipend.
Still, Maki found the offer oddly difficult to reject.
"…I'm not eating it," she said at last.
"Aww…" Naori sounded genuinely disappointed. "Then… is there anything Maki does like?"
"No thanks. I'm not some small animal," Maki said coolly.
Naori blinked, then tilted his head. "Huh? You like small animals? I thought you were more into bugs."
"You don't really look like the type though," she added.
"…Doesn't look like it," Maki echoed.
Really.
She liked to eat small animals.
Chicken, rabbit, duck, pork, fish…
She kept that thought to herself. No need to ruin Naori's innocent fantasy.
They chatted as they walked to class. With Maki involved, the usual punctual loner duo became a trio.
Tsunade, on the other hand, eyed Miki from across the room, timid at first—then for some reason gave her a provocative glare.
"Just you wait, Maki," she muttered.
Then she turned away, sulking but not straying too far.
Confident, huh… Maki mused. But where is that confidence coming from?
Probably training in some new technique.
Makes sense. She was from a big-name clan, after all.
Still, what could she actually learn?
Sealing techniques? No real offensive potential.
Medical ninjutsu? Also mostly defensive.
Sure, the chakra scalpel sounded cool, but Tsunade already had that terrifying brute strength. Why slice nerves when you could just shatter bones?
So… necromancy?
Maybe. Sannin things.
Either way, she wasn't a threat yet.
Midway through class, Maki noticed something odd—Hyuga Hitomi was missing.
That girl never skipped.
Even Odawa-sensei didn't mention it. No one seemed to care. The class moved on.
But Maki couldn't help thinking about her.
That little girl… always burning with desperate fire.
Will she burn into ash? Or into light?
She found herself wondering what kind of person she would become.
People with ambition always stood out.
Naori, though…
So unambitious. So low-key.
Strangely not like an Uchiha. And yet, somehow, exactly like one.
Contradictory. But true.
At recess, Naori naturally found her way back to Miki's side.
She didn't know where she got so much to talk about.
Most of it was pointless chatter—stories like "my brother once dared to eat poop"—the kind of stuff little kids giggle over.
Maki responded lazily, uninterested.
Tsunade, her desk partner, had clearly been avoiding her since the last fallout. It was petty, deliberate… and made space for Naori to wedge in even more.
She wasn't scared of Tsunade.
Meanwhile, Tsunade kept stealing glances their way, trying to act like she wasn't looking.
"That Naori! That sneaky Uchiha!"
She was fuming—and not even sure why.
Was it because Naori was talking to Maki?
Or because Maki was talking to Naori?
It sounded like a small difference.
But it wasn't.
It was complicated.
Then suddenly—the buzz of the classroom broke apart.
A desperate, defiant yell pierced the air:
"I'm not a fake girl, you jerk!"
A scuffle broke out. Bodies tumbling. Shouting.
Maki looked over.
It had finally exploded.
She'd thought he would just keep suppressing it, twisting deeper and deeper into something dark and ugly.
But maybe not.
So… should I interfere?
Can I really change someone else's fate?
Maybe.
For now, she decided to just watch.
___________
Support me on patreon and read
1)Insect princess from Konoha
2)Second girls journey in Naruto
3)Orochimaru's Magic lamp
patreon.com/Silver757