"No Ren! I will not hear anything of shinobi, of academy anymore. It's decided you will go to the civilian school, and then enter under uncle Sora for an apprentice in the works of numbers," his mother green eyes were burning high as plates flew through the room.
He can't allow his mother to decide that, under the new regulations, that he heard of them speaking. Civilian parents have no choice but to respect his decision to join the academy, and if they are unwilling anymore to provide monetary, the hokage apparatus will do.
A shard was at his foot, Sakura crying and screaming in another room. His father was gone for a mission. Nothing dangerous, some repair duties around the village. Though, that was another thing increasing his mother worry.
"Mom, look, I can't again feel that sentiment, that feeling while holding Sakura in my arms and not being able to raise a single finger to protect her. I can't look again at rubble falling on people and…" tears welled up in his blue eyes.
Her breath hitched. Nails no longer digging into her palms and the spine sagged, "I, I didn't know… You should have told about seeing that," Wiping droplets of water from her cheek, "You know what a shinobi life entails? Ren, my child, you will be always on missions, hard training. Even, even what you saw."
He knew, he was a coward. That's true, he saw that night again and again, the smell, the fear, everything. The colours being snuffed and vibrancy of world overtaken by a simply evil nature.
As an adult he knew what his words meant, how they could affect his mother, a small evil for a better future. Sakura would have a brother, a steady pole in the wave of canon, someone to give her tips and train her from time to time.
His parents a provider with another income.
Dreams that he had, would stop visiting during the night.
"I can't. Ren, my dear, I can't allow in good heart for you to join the academy," Turning towards Sakura's room, her hand on the doorframe, nails bitten and the polish chipped, "I will speak with your father about it. Tomorrow I will give you an answer."
"Now, come, help with little Sakura, I need to take a nap, hadn't one in weeks," letting a tired yawn and going to her room.
Ren went out from the kitchen and into Sakura's room, well his father's room since his parents slept separately after Kyuubi attacked. He didn't know why, nor was his place to ask his mother why they have this invisible boundary now.
His thoughts a storm. He wasn't sure if his mother would agree in the end. How he went to make her accept his decision. Though what else he could do? Run from home and enroll anyway?
That was just a thought, a last resort method that would have immense consequences. On him, on his parents, on Sakura's future.
Same Sakura that was crying and thrashing the little bed. He gently took her, arms humbling under her weight.
"Shhh, I am here now Sakura, your brother," scooping with a spoon some warm milk, goat milk, for her to drink and rocking her to calm her nerves.
She spat the milk, gurgling angrily and those eyes red and puffy from the effort of crying. Wasn't crying the hardest thing to do?
Then why this hellion was blasting her lungs out. Maybe that's how she developed that strong voice for shouting.
A chuckle as he pinched her chubby cheeks and rocked her further. Raising her in the air and touching her nose with his, "You will be a strong woman, with voice for the entire family."
"Took from mother, I am sure," chuckling to himself.
She twisted in his hands and was going down on the ground. His heartbeat increased, the sounds lessened and the colours of the world became saturated.
Her screams were slowing, his breaths steady and eyes locked on her. Thoughts forming on how to catch her.
In a second his hands reached her, a hand over her head, another one under her body. She was back in his hands and an immense vertigo hit him.
The world was moving. Ren put Sakura back in her bed and sat on a chair next to it.
A question ringing in his head. What happened?
The speed, the clarity and the amount of thoughts he had in the moment were unnatural, for he knew how he thought in the past, even now in this young body.
This was not the usual wavelength, it was like a veil was cleared and the clouds blocking his perception no more.
Just to be sure, he got up from the chair and closed in to a window to look in his reflection.
Same pinkish hair, same blue eyes. Nothing abnormal. Nothing. Then what was it?
His chakra was at half of what he had, and today he did no exercises of control or trying to glue himself to a wall.
What could it be then? Some chakra mutation that happened because of his transmigration? That could be an answer, not that he possessed any information on the topic.
At worst just a pulse of adrenaline, at best some kind of change made because of his soul, the one that contains his memories of past life, merged with this one? If that was the case.
Sakura was again crying, Ren shook his head and let those ideas for later, cradling her to make her peaceful again and to stop the huge noise she was making.
His mother was sleeping and hopefully be in a good mood with his father, and then give him the accept for academy.
Otherwise, drastic measures would be needed. Time can't wait nor he had time to dilly-dally for who knows what would await him till Sakura would be of age.
Team 7, Naruto, Pein and the others. Uchiha Massacre and the political machinations would not stop.
Also, to take in account his parents position. The gold, the silver and other stands they had before Kyuubi attacked are now missing. Lost in action, the jewelry his mother had were sold.
Stands and contracts of supplies also evaporated since Konoha was not secure, who knows what could happen? So the merchants, beings that were very sensible to stability and protection left.
Now, they were on a stipend from Hokage to keep them afloat. The village itself was buying their stuff at a mark-up price to keep in the game, and also to rebuild the destroyed buildings.
Because half of the village was simply razed to the ground. Not even during the wars such events happened. Yet, a simple unleashed biju could destroy it.
Not a surprise why Obito was focused and keen on getting the ten tails, with such power, one can truly change the world.
Though force was not a permanent solution. Force can only keep a lid on the problems growing underneath.
Root for example. His thoughts returning to the root, ironic to its name, he supposed. Since all the woes of later in time would start from them.
A hidden branch of military with founds and no oversight that was allowed to recruit from orphans and develop. Develop a tame word for the breaking they had done, brainwashing and control with seals.
Into security and the branch that meddled and spied on other countries. The excuse used was that ANBU did internal stuff, while they did external matters. Understandable for there to be a distinction, yet they took recruits from the larger basket.
Did deals with Orochimaru for example and also did internal matters. So, in Ren's opinion they were trying to overtake the control from the military that was overseeing the other shinobi.
Sinister, a hidden coup d'etat. Was the hokage aware? Should be. Danzo was his friend in the end.
Yet, he allowed such snake, or for a matter of fact, multiple snakes growing fat under the shade of leaves.
There should be reasons. Reasons he wasn't aware at the moment. That gnawed at him, he hated not knowing information.
Books, even with censorship or biases would be useful. Academia and what teachers taught. World views and personal political beliefs.
From there he could map what direction and why Danzo appeared as a tool, why and how the experiment of hidden villages existed.
And how a simple vassal of Daymio became just one influential voter in terms of leadership election.
Ren startled. Because the main door was unlocked and the heavy footsteps of his father were coming to this room. The colour of faint green coming faster than his presence and the smell of cheap tobacco.
The time of his talk with his father had came.