The Hokage's Mansion was taller than I expected.
From the outside, it wasn't grand or gilded like the Daimyo's palace. It didn't flaunt its power — it radiated it. Quietly. Steadily. Like a mountain that didn't need to remind anyone it had been here long before they were born. The circular structure, painted in warm shades of red and orange, made it stand out among the other buildings. It was power dressed in simplicity.
I trailed a few steps behind Hamaki as we entered. The faint smell of ink and burning incense lingered in the air, mingling with the softer notes of paper and old wood. A woman sat behind the reception desk, her posture straight, her pen moving in a steady rhythm. When she glanced up at us, her gaze was sharp and efficient.
"Special Jōnin Hamaki Mimura," Hamaki said, tone professional. "Returning from an escort mission under Lord Orochimaru's command. I need to deliver a report to the Hokage directly. Also—" He gestured toward me. "I'll need immigration paperwork for one Haruhi Kushinada."
Her brows rose slightly at that, but she didn't question it. "Understood." She handed me a stack of forms that looked almost taller than I was. "You can fill those out over there, dear."
I gave a small bow. "Thank you, ma'am."
As I moved to a side table and started sorting through the papers, Hamaki disappeared up the nearby staircase. The receptionist returned to her work, and the room fell into a comfortable quiet—broken only by the scratching of quills and the muffled footsteps of passing shinobi.
The questions were… thorough.
Name. Age. Clan Affiliation. Place of Birth.
Current Guardian.
I paused at that one. My hand hovered over the page for a long moment before I wrote: None.
Further down were sections on citizenship, medical history, and known chakra conditions. It reminded me faintly of medical charts back on Earth—standardized forms meant to make people fit into neat little boxes. Only here, those boxes could decide your entire life.
I shook the thought off and continued filling in each line carefully, even adding a small note in the margin: Previous residence destroyed during border conflict. It wasn't a complete lie—just a simplification.
---
Upstairs, the Hokage's office was as serene as it was intimidating.
Hamaki knelt before the wide desk of the Third Hokage. Papers and scrolls covered its surface in organized chaos. The room smelled faintly of tobacco from the pipe resting near his elbow.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up as Hamaki handed him a sealed scroll. "From Orochimaru?" His voice was mild, but curiosity flickered beneath the calm.
"Yes, Lord Third. His report on the Western Front — and an additional note concerning a child by the name of Haruhi Kushinada."
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened slightly. "Kushinada… as in the Daimyo's personal medic?"
Hamaki nodded. "Her mother. She died in a skirmish with an Iwa scouting party near the northern border with the Land of Rivers. Lord Orochimaru believes her mother's research may have merit to the village's studies. I was tasked with escorting her here safely."
The Hokage leaned back in his chair, pipe smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling as he puffed away in thought. "Orochimaru doesn't make recommendations lightly. What's your assessment?"
"She's… unusual," Hamaki said carefully. "Not like other children. Speaks like an adult, carries herself like one too. But she isn't arrogant. Observant, patient—though I sense she's always studying everything around her. She asks questions most genin wouldn't even think to ask."
Hiruzen hummed quietly, eyes half-lidded as he considered the report. "And her chakra?"
"Stable," Hamaki replied. "Controlled. Too controlled, perhaps. She claims her mother trained her in medicine and chakra theory, but even so… I've never felt a civilian-born child manipulate chakra so naturally."
The Hokage's gaze drifted out the wide window behind him, toward the soft green canopy of Konoha. "Send her in."
---
When Hamaki returned downstairs, I was just setting down the last paper.
"The Hokage's ready for you," he said with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry—he's not as scary as the stories say."
I smiled faintly. "Stories rarely get the details right."
He chuckled, leading me toward the stairs. The climb felt longer than it should have, my heart beating a little too quickly for my liking. I focused on keeping my breathing even. I had met Orochimaru—and he hadn't scared me. This shouldn't either. Still, there was something about the idea of standing before the man who led the entire Hidden Leaf that filled me with quiet awe.
At the top, a masked ANBU slid the door open with a nod. I stepped inside.
---
Hiruzen Sarutobi was younger than I remembered him from the show—but then again, this wasn't Naruto's time. His face bore the faint lines of a man who had carried the weight of a thousand decisions. Still, his eyes were gentle, warm in a way that disarmed me instantly.
He smiled as I entered. "So, you must be Haruhi Kushinada. Welcome to Konoha."
I bowed deeply. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."
"Please," he said, gesturing toward the chair in front of his desk. "Sit. You've had a long journey."
I obeyed, smoothing my yukata as I did. My feet didn't even touch the floor.
He studied me with quiet curiosity. "Orochimaru speaks highly of you," he began. "That's not something I hear often. He mentioned you have a unique understanding of biology?"
I hesitated. "My mother was the Head Medic for the Daimyo and a researcher. She believed chakra was the bridge between the physical and the spiritual—and that by studying how it interacts with our bodies, we could discover what truly defines life."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "And you understood her work?"
"Yes," I admitted. "I remember everything she taught me. While she didn't share all of her findings, I have a strong grasp of the concepts she theorized."
He smiled softly, like a grandfather watching a child take her first brave step. "You speak with great care. Most children your age are more interested in sweets than science."
I met his eyes evenly. "I've found myself no longer interested in sweets lately, Lord Hokage."
The air shifted slightly. Hiruzen's expression sobered, though his tone remained kind. "Yes… war does that."
A quiet moment passed between us—not empty, but thoughtful. I could feel the warmth of his chakra—like sunlight through leaves, vast yet steady. It filled the room without suffocating it.
He leaned forward. "Tell me, Haruhi. What do you wish to do now that you're here in Konoha?"
I took a breath. "I'd like to enter the Ninja Academy."
His brows lifted slightly. "The Academy? Why?"
"Because I want to heal people," I said simply. "Not just as a healer, but as a shinobi. Medicine can only reach so far when the body itself is at war. If I can understand shinobi—if I can be one—I'll be able to better treat not only them, but everyone else as well."
There was silence. Then, unexpectedly, Hiruzen chuckled. "A healer's heart and a scholar's mind. Dangerous combination."
"I hope so," I said quietly, allowing myself a small smile.
He laughed—a low, warm sound that filled the room. "You remind me of Tsunade when she was young. Bold. Honest. And entirely too clever for her own good."
He reached into a drawer and withdrew a thin packet of papers. "Very well. I'll approve your application for citizenship and your enrollment at the Academy. You'll be placed in temporary housing in the west district. This—" he slid a sealed envelope across the desk "—details your monthly stipend: food, clothing, and a small allowance, same as other orphans and newcomers."
I accepted it with both hands, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. I'll make the most of it."
"I don't doubt you will," he said kindly. Then, after a pause, "Tell me, Haruhi—what do you think of our village so far?"
I thought of the chakra lights I had sensed earlier—the gentle hum of a thousand souls living, laughing, struggling together. "It feels alive," I said softly. "Like it's… breathing. Every person adds something to it. Even the quiet ones."
He smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. "Then you've understood Konoha's heart better than most."
As I rose to leave, he called after me, his tone a mix of amusement and wonder. "Haruhi."
I turned. "Yes, Lord Hokage?"
"Keep that perspective. It's what will keep you human… even when power tempts you otherwise."
I nodded. "I'll remember."
And as I stepped out into the sunlight beyond his office, I felt it again—that quiet pulse, that radiant web of chakra connecting every soul in the village.
I wasn't just walking into a new life.
I was stepping into the current of something vast, ancient, and alive. And for the first time in either of my lives…
I felt like I belonged.