Where Fate Began: Shinji and Naruto

The first snow.

At dusk, Konohagakure was peaceful and calm.

The cries of street vendors faded, and cooking smoke rose from rooftops across the village.

Crunch, crunch.

Far from the warmth and bustle of the village, a vast district lay shrouded in silence, a stark contrast to the rest of Konoha.

It seemed out of place.

A travel-worn young man rested one hand on the hilt at his waist. Beneath a streetlamp, he breathed out toward the sparse, drifting snowflakes.

He watched the ice crystals melt and vanish in the mist of his breath.

His eyes narrowed to thin slits.

He looked utterly harmless.

He walked on and finally stopped before an ornate gate.

He raised a hand and knocked.

A moment later.

A young woman in an apron opened the gate a crack.

She looked up. The instant she recognized his handsome face, she covered her mouth in delight.

"Shinji?!"

She threw herself at him and wrapped him in her arms. "I'm so glad you came back safely!"

"It's been a long time, Aunt Mikoto."

The young man smiled, his eyes narrowing. He eased away from her and raised a hand. "I brought a gift."

Uchiha Mikoto frowned slightly at the half-step he had taken back. "You're always so formal, Shinji. You bring a gift every time... Oh, but what is it? Now I'm curious!"

Uchiha Mikoto pointed at the storage Scroll in Shinji Uchiha's hand...

Shinji smiled gently. "You'll see in a moment, Aunt Mikoto. Is Lord Fugaku home?"

"You always love keeping people guessing. Fugaku? Hmm... No! He's probably still busy at the Konoha Military Police Force. Come inside. It's cold."

Mikoto closed the gate and warmly ushered him in.

Shinji smiled as he let Mikoto pull him toward the house.

"How's Nobihi? Has he been any trouble for your family? I'm sorry, Aunt Mikoto."

Mikoto waved a hand with a smile. "Not at all! Nobihi's a good boy. He trains hard and graduated the same year as Itachi. Oh... I heard he went on a mission with Itachi!"

"Really? Itachi's an exceptional young man. It's good that Nobihi can learn from him. It seems everything in Konoha has been getting better while I've been away."

"Hmm..."

Mikoto raised a slender finger and tapped her rosy lips.

She thought of her husband, who wore a worried look day after day.

She sighed.

"I wouldn't go that far. But Nobihi's growing up now. You can't keep talking to him like a little child, all right? Remember that!"

Shinji nodded without committing himself. "True. He's a year older than Itachi... He's thirteen already. Time flies. But I am his older brother."

"Huh?"

Uchiha Mikoto stopped walking.

She looked at him seriously. "No, Shinji. Children his age can be rebellious. Itachi's like that too. He used to be so sweet, but now he barely talks to me. He's always brooding and hardly says a word!"

"Ah..."

Mikoto sighed. "I don't know how to talk to him anymore... But Sasuke's still adorable!"

As she spoke.

Shinji's brow rose.

He yanked Uchiha Mikoto toward him and planted his feet. With one hand, he drew his blade and slashed in the same motion!

Clang!

A black Kunai struck the long, narrow blade.

It fell into the snow.

"Oh no!"

A young voice came from a corner of the courtyard. A small figure swiftly vanished, remarkably nimble.

"Ah!"

Only then did Mikoto recover from her shock.

She planted one hand on her hip and pointed the other at the figure that had just appeared in a second-floor window.

"Sasuke! That was terribly rude!" she scolded.

Sasuke...?

Shinji sheathed his Tachi and looked up at the small silhouette in the window.

"He's grown so much."

Uchiha Mikoto pressed a hand to her forehead. "He has. He'll be eight before I know it, and he's getting naughtier by the day..."

Shinji smiled. "Aunt Mikoto, since Lord Fugaku and Nobihi are both out, I'll be going. I only just arrived in the village and haven't gone home yet."

"Oh, when Nobihi gets back, please tell him to come straight home. I probably won't be going away again for a while..."

Uchiha Mikoto stared at him in surprise. "Shinji? Won't you come in and sit for a while? It's been so long since we've seen each other! Wait, what did you just say...?"

Mikoto paused, then brightened. "You're really staying in the village, Shinji? Our family can finally be together again?"

"Hmm... Probably." Shinji Uchiha smiled, unmoved by Mikoto's talk of "our family."

"Oh, that's wonderful!"

Mikoto gazed at Shinji's handsome face, looking half-genuinely hurt. "All right, all right. You've just returned from the battlefield, so you must be tired. If you insist, go home and rest. It's a shame, though. I've missed you and wanted to spend more time with you."

Shinji smiled and handed her the Scroll.

"Aunt Mikoto, there you go again... Here's your gift. It's sea fish from the Land of Water. Fresh fish is hard to come by in Konoha."

"Oh! You're such a sweetheart, Shinji! How thoughtful!"

Shinji kept smiling as he said goodbye and left, despite Mikoto's reluctance to let him go.

Where to now?

Standing on a quiet street in the Uchiha Clan Compound, Shinji Uchiha rubbed his stomach and looked toward the village.

Ramen sounds good.

His mind made up, Shinji set off.

On the second floor of the Clan Head's house.

Sasuke Uchiha leaned against the window and watched Shinji leave.

His face was troubled.

"Mom, is he the Shinji Uchiha you and Father told me about? The Uchiha Clan's greatest genius? He really is strong. Even the best Throwing Technique my brother taught me couldn't hit him. Damn it!"

Mikoto stroked Sasuke's head and said gently, "Yes. Shinji isn't just a genius of the clan. He's also a very, very kind person."

Sasuke looked unconvinced. "He's strong, sure! But I don't believe he's stronger than my brother!"

"My brother's the strongest ninja!"

"Sasuke! That's not right..."

"I don't care! My brother's the strongest ninja!"

"Sasuke!"

Mikoto turned Sasuke to face her.

Her expression was serious.

"Remember this. Shinji's mother and father saved our family's lives! You must never, ever be rude to Shinji or Nobihi. Treat them like older brothers. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, yeah... I get it!" Sasuke said reluctantly.

Ichiraku Ramen.

Shinji looked up, his face full of longing. "After two years of Soldier Pills, I can finally have a bowl of hot Ramen again."

"Bye, Uncle Teuchi!"

Shinji had just lifted his foot when a young but exuberant voice rang out.

A little boy shot out and slammed into Shinji's leg.

With a yelp, he fell into the snow.

Shinji studied the blond boy sitting there, rubbing his backside with one hand and his forehead with the other.

He broke into a bright smile.

"Don't look behind you when you're running!"

"I... I was... Anyway, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

The boy scrambled to his feet. Unable to get his words out, he bowed again and again in apology.

Shinji looked at the skinny, underfed little "beggar." The boy barely reached his waist and had two whisker-like marks on his cheeks.

He said nothing.

The boy lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

He was scared!

He was afraid this ninja, whose face he had not even seen clearly, would call him a Fox Demon like the villagers did and throw rotten vegetable leaves and stinking eggs at him...

But.

Nothing came.

"It's all right. You ran into me, but a little guy like you couldn't hurt a grown-up like me."

A warm hand rested on his head as Shinji spoke gently.

Naruto Uzumaki jerked his head up, his eyes bright with surprise and confusion.

"You... you're not afraid of me?"