A mission.
A destiny.
Ever since that night — the night the sky turned red and the ground shook like it was screaming — the memories hadn't left her. Not the screams. Not the smell. Not the sight of blood pooling beneath rubble, of people torn apart by claws and flame. It was etched into her brain like a curse.
She remembered the boulder that nearly crushed them. The moment Itachi soared into the air like a myth and shattered it with his bare hand.
That had been the first time she saw what chakra could do.
And she wanted it — not for glory, but because she never wanted to be that helpless again.
Because next time something came crashing down, she wasn't going to wait for someone else to save her.
She was three now. Three years and two months, thank you very much. And today was the day she was going to figure out how chakra worked if it killed her.
Today's battleground? The backyard of the Uchiha estate — a quiet patch of grass beneath the sakura trees. Birds chirped, the breeze rustled the petals, and the air smelled of distant cooking rice.
Too peaceful.
Sasuke sat nearby, stacking pebbles like they were treasures, humming to himself.
Tamamo stood a few feet away, sleeves tied back, hair in a very serious training bun. Her stance was wide. Her brow furrowed.
She extended one hand. "Chakra… ON."
Nothing.
Sasuke looked up. "What are you doing?"
"Training," she replied. "Do not interrupt the process."
"It looks dumb."
"You're dumb."
She focused harder.
"HAAAAA!" she screamed, punching the air.
Nothing.
"Chicken Nugget Fist Technique, ACTIVATE!"
Sasuke tilted his head. "That's not real."
"You don't know that."
She crouched. Pointed her fingers like web shooters.
"Go web, go! Up, up and chakra! Kage Bunshin, fire noodle style!"
Sasuke blinked. "Are you okay?"
"This is how big brothers do it. I saw Itachi go boom and the rock went KABOOM."
"Because he's strong."
"So am I!"
She inhaled, deeply, focusing. And for a split second — just one tiny, glorious second — something shimmered in her palm. A faint warmth spread through her.
Then it sputtered out, and she toppled forward face-first into the grass.
"Ow," she mumbled into the dirt.
Sasuke stood over her. "Did you die?"
"Spiritually."
Footsteps crunched the path.
Itachi appeared, arms folded, expression unreadable. "Chicken Nugget Fist Technique?"
Tamamo groaned. "It's a working title."
The second Sasuke spotted him, he leapt up like he'd been caught slacking. "Onii-san! I want to train too!"
Tamamo sat up, scowling. "Oh now you want to train? You were just judging me like a pebble goblin five seconds ago."
"I wasn't ready then. I'm ready now."
"Traitor."
Itachi sighed and crouched down. "Neither of you are going to learn anything by shouting at your fingers."
Tamamo tilted her head. "What if we shout... really well?"
"Still no."
He looked at them both, then pointed to their stomachs. "Chakra comes from here. It flows through your body like water. You have to learn how to feel it first. Then you can guide it. Not force it. Not yell at it. Focus."
Tamamo and Sasuke stared at him like he'd just explained nuclear physics.
"So… it's like peeing?" Tamamo asked.
Itachi paused. "No. And don't say that in front of Father."
Sasuke nodded solemnly.
"Try sitting down," Itachi instructed.
Both children plopped onto the grass, legs crossed. Itachi sat in front of them.
"Close your eyes. Breathe. Think about the center of your body — where you feel warm. Then try to push that warmth to your hands."
They obeyed.
Silence fell.
For a moment, the world felt very far away.
Tamamo concentrated. She felt… something. Faint, like the tingle before a sneeze. She pushed.
Sasuke's face scrunched like he was lifting a cow.
Tamamo's hand twitched. A flicker of energy sparked in her fingers.
Then a pop! and she startled so hard she fell sideways into Sasuke.
"Ow!" he yelped.
"That was you!" she shouted.
"No, you fell into me!"
"You were in my chakra space!"
Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose.
"We're going to need a lot more time."
Tamamo huffed and plopped back into her spot.
But I saw it, she thought with quiet fire. I saw it. Just a spark. But it's there.
I'll get stronger. I have to.
---
That evening, after baths and dinner, the Uchiha household was calm again. Tamamo sat nestled between Mikoto and Sasuke on a cushion while Itachi quietly sipped tea across the table. The warm scent of miso and grilled fish still lingered in the air.
Mikoto smiled as she brushed Tamamo's damp hair back with her fingers.
"You two were very serious about your training today," she said gently.
"We're going to be strong!" Sasuke piped up, mouth full of pickled radish.
Tamamo nodded, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. "Like Itachi. And maybe… punch a boulder."
That made both Mikoto and Itachi pause.
Mikoto blinked down at her daughter. "Boulder?"
Itachi's brows furrowed slightly. "You mean… like the one from a few years ago?"
Tamamo yawned, already sinking deeper into Mikoto's side. "Big rock. It was falling. You jumped. Boom."
Mikoto exchanged a look with Itachi — quiet concern flickering between them.
"She was barely a year old then," Mikoto whispered.
Itachi nodded slowly, eyes narrowed in thought. "Most children wouldn't remember something like that. Not in detail."
But Tamamo was already snoring softly, unaware of the tension she'd just stirred — or the way her family now looked at her, ever so slightly differently.
Itachi looked up from his tea, the faintest curve of a smile on his lips. But the warmth faded quickly into quiet thoughtfulness as Tamamo's words lingered.
Mikoto gently adjusted the blanket around her daughter. Her voice was soft but laced with curiosity. "You're already stronger than you know, Tamamo. Maybe stronger than we understand."
Tamamo didn't respond. Her breathing slowed, sleep overtaking her completely.
But both Mikoto and Itachi remained quiet long after, their eyes not on each other, but on the child asleep between them — and the questions she had unknowingly raised.