𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 | 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐨 [HEAVY EDITING]

𝟒 | 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬

"Y-You... what?" I say, suddenly breathless.

Through his thick cloud of smoke, the oxygen inside my lungs has taken immediate leave. This man... knows me? How does he know me? How on earth does he know me?!

"You were sent here by your grandmother, weren't you?" he asks. "Makara." For a moment, what he says doesn't register. I'd already forgotten that my sensei has been my family this whole time. And so, the only movement I can make to give him is a nod. "And did she give you anything to give to me, by chance?" I nod again.

Pulling my bag off my back, I unzip it and reach inside the pocket once more, taking out both the envelope and the small yellow box, and handing it to him.

He takes the box first. He is wary, and clearly doesn't want to expose its contents to me, so he hides it behind his hands before opening the lid. Maybe it was along the same lines of Makara-sensei's eye trick that allowed this Hokage person to be able to open the box and not me. I wonder if some kind of message appeared for him on the lid like it did for me...

Whatever is inside the box, he seems to be understanding and accepting of it, and without a single word to cure my curiousity, he closes it back up, and sets it beside him on his desk, moving on.

Tearing the envelope open at the folds, he pulls out an old-looking piece of paper that threatens to split at his touch. But he is extremely careful while unfolding it, and then lays it down on his desk.

For several moments, his focus is solely on the letter, leaving me standing in the center of the room, feeling mildly uneasy. I watch his facial expressions change when his eyes flicker to the next lines: thin smiles, uneasy twitching of the lips, wide eyes, his fidgeting hands, and subtle sounds of laughter that escape his wrinkled mouth. Just what is in that letter?

"I see," he says finally, forcing his eyes away from the letter and over at me. "I suppose your grandmother has told you?"

"Y-Yes, sir..."

I look to the Hokage, whose eyes are shut, and wait for his deliberation. I twist my fingers in a nauseous anticipation. I see his mouth move, as though he is speaking, and realize he is speaking to himself in a whisper.

"Please, sir," I say, quickly, before he has another chance to think about it. "She... she sacrificed her life so I could escape from the mountains. It was her wish that I come here, and live a life of happiness! ... though, I don't exactly get how she expects me to be happy, after all that's happened, b-but I swear, I'm not a danger to anyone!"

"Kari, Kari, Kari... do you think I would just kick you out?" the Hokage says, chuckling lowly. He smiles at me.

"I-I..."

"A long time ago, this village used to be your home," he tells me. My lips part. "Both you and your mother lived here, and even after she took you away from this place, it has continued to be your home."