"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored ."

Aldous Huxley

"How was Academy, Ayame-chan?" Sakumo chopped the onions with his left hand while he passed the carrots to Ayame with his right. "Kakashi told me you're having a hard time."

Ayame looked at Kakashi out the corner of her eyes. She saw him glance at her and immediately retracted his gaze. Kakashi was seated at the dining table waiting while Sakumo and Ayame prepared dinner. It became an everyday routine when the White Fang was home. The jōnin would help her cook while Kakashi would sit and read.

"I am adjusting," she replied, after a moment of hesitation.

She could not talk comfortably with her classmates. Most of the children in her class were between the ages of 6 and 8 and a portion of them did not like talking to a younger girl with the word 'genius' written on her forehead.

In addition, Kakashi had mercilessly left her behind to advance another grade. He would often remind Ayame how she failed the taijutsu and ninjutsu portion of the advancement test. Ayame was not angry but she was thoroughly frustrated at creating such an impossible goal.

Earlier that month, she realized that her little body was getting more uncomfortable. Taijutsu was becoming more difficult as days passed by because she had to hide how her small figure did not match her old soul. On the other hand, ninjutsu was difficult because her chakra was malfunctioning. Her mind rejected the foreign energy. As a result, her 'talent' was declining at a rapid state.

It was chaos.

She needed to find a way to fix each problem without dealing with the consequences.

Furthermore, she realized that her habits from the past were becoming a hindrance. Ayame would frequently touch her thigh to find her phone. Her mind would go blank for a moment then she would realize that this was another life. There was no way to own a phone in Konoha; their technology was not that advanced in the first place.

She would also read books to battle her insomnia. The four-year-old girl needed to make sure that no one knew about her problem so would often collect books at an earlier date. Although her room had lights, she would use a candle to prevent Sakumo or Kakashi finding out. Ayame concluded that her body subconsciously absorbed every habit she had in the past. It made her timetable a mess.

Currently, she was recovering at a snail's pace but it was better than nothing.

"Don't worry, tou-san. I am dealing with her ninjutsu." Kakashi flipped another page of his book while the White Fang served the food.

Ayame faintly raised her eyebrows. 'So the added lessons in ninjutsu were for this?'

Recently, Kakashi had doubled his pro-activeness and started to bother her in her free time. He would often drag her to train her ninjutsu and in passing, her genjutsu. Their group would also follow, given that they have no choice – Kurenai's enthusiasm added with the silver-haired boy's forcefulness were hard to stop. It was an arduous ordeal (troublesome even) since most of them had plans.

"Is that so, Kakashi?" the White Fang absentmindedly replied.

Ayame ate silently. Her chopsticks darted back and forth in a slow motion. "Sakumo-san?"

Kakashi and the silver-haired jōnin raised their heads at the same time. "Do you need something, Ayame-chan?"

"Why did you adopt me?"

Kurosawa Ayame was no idiot. Adopting her meant another mouth to feed and a child to take care of – a situation that would give Hatake Sakumo a hard time.

In the manga, some readers concluded that it was the burden of having a child that made the White Fang fail on his mission and caused him to commit suicide later. She shared the same opinion. Being a single father was a huge burden in itself. On top of that, he was part of the ANBU. Problems would arise eventually; even a Hero could not help but miserably fall.

Kakashi stiffened at her question while his father did not show any reaction. Sakumo waved his chopsticks and put the bowl back on the table. "Your mother and father were eccentric people," he began, a curve at the end of his lips showing. "But they had many friends, even if they are a little… odd. If I did not adopt you, someone eventually would have."

It was Kakashi's turn to inquire. "Eccentric?" His interest was obviously piqued.

"Yes, they would say weird things from time to time. But their father – Ayame-chan's grandfather – was also like that. So I thought it was a Kurosawa trait. Thankfully, Ayame-chan is different."

The four-year-old girl listened silently. She wanted to ask what kind of weird things they said but she would rather listen. She never heard them say anything odd but there was definitely something strange about her parents. Ayame was suddenly reminded of her days with the two. They barely talked but when they did, it was about ninjutsu techniques and taijutsu.

Ayame sighed and continued to eat. The food appeared less appetizing but she ate, even so.

The last time someone saw Kakashi's face was when his father forcibly removed his mask. That time, his father felt that his son should start making friends outside. The White Fang tried to discourage his son from wearing the mask but the boy insisted, saying it was a way of idolizing him.

"Should I leave?" Ayame deadpanned after opening the shoji door.

Kakashi had removed his mask to take a bath after training. Ayame was getting better at taijutsu and beating him senseless as revenge. That was when the particular girl decided to intrude and open the door to his room, seeing him barefaced.

The silver-haired chibi's eye twitched. "Why are you here?"

"Sakumo-san told me to remind you that the two of you are going to buy weapons at the market." Ayame internally rolled her eyes as she glanced at Kakashi's frozen form. To be frank, she could not care less about her brother's face. She had seen it while reading the Naruto manga and even then, she was not bothered.

On the other hand, Kakashi was not pleased. "Do you even know how to knock?" He was irritated that his secret had somehow leaked out – what was worse was that the other party did not seem to care.

"Why are you so angry? Did I see something I shouldn't have?"

Kurosawa Ayame had been with the Hatake family for several months now. If someone asked about her foster sister, Kakashi would only shrug. The truth was that Ayame had become a part of his family and he could not lie about that. He knew her habits better than anyone: her personality, even her likes and dislikes.

But the Kurosawa girl could be irritating sometimes.

Kakashi closed his eyes to stop himself from saying unnecessary things. "Knock on the door next time," he replied then turned his heel to enter the bath.

Ayame did not reply and closed the shoji door.

Night rapidly descended. The White Fang had gone on another mission; this time outside the borders as an official jōnin. Ayame was in her room, reading excerpts from historical books when she heard a loud crash outside. Instead of rushing, she moved leisurely. She was sure it was not a robbery since she heard that the security fuinjutsu around the Hatake house was fool-proof. If she had to guess, she would list Kakashi as the culprit.

Her feet did not even make a sound as moved. She now understood how children felt when adults forced them to bathe. Surprisingly, a child's body had some immunity over being irked by dirt. She could stroll around the house with the clothes she had been wearing since daybreak.

Ayame peeked at the training ground where Kakashi's lone figure stood under the moonlight. She hesitantly approached the silver-haired chibi with a kunai in her hand. The boy tended to attack if someone approached him from behind so she needed to take necessary precautions.

Kakashi immediately turned, his bare face facing Ayame's covered one. He did not attack, only lifted his gaze to the girl's figure. Both of them did not know what to do. She decided to sit on the ground she was standing on. The boy's eyes slightly widened.

"Why are you here?" Kakashi could not help but ask. He soon realized that talking while the other one was standing was incredibly inefficient so he also sat. Trees rustled around while the two children gazed at each other's eyes.

"Nothing," she answered nonchalantly as she focused her eyes on the trees around them.

Kakashi, without his mask, visibly twitched at her foster sister's answer. However, he was used to hearing that specific word so he had no problem responding. "You're really an idiot."

The answer was a reflex every time the Kurosawa girl replied with 'nothing'. They had this exact conversation a number of times. He could not help but be amused.

Kurosawa Ayame only shook her head – an action she had done numerous times after living with the Hatakes. The cloth on her face swayed with her head, her light grey eyes shone under the moonlight. "Why are you not wearing your mask?"

"Well, my efforts would be wasted if I tried hiding it again," his voice was laced with irritation. "You and tou-san had seen it anyway; why hide it?"

"You're blaming me, aren't you?"

"Huh, am I?"

It was not her intention to see his face. Ayame was not called Ayame before; she was named Arabella. Being Arabella meant that she was a wealthy businesswoman at the top of social strata. Knocking on someone's door and bothering them was the least of her concerns. She was 38 and all she cared about was getting the job done in the fastest way possible. Additionally, people did not dare offend her so no one had told her what she was doing wrong.

"Kakashi, you're a pompous jerk." Ayame's words reached the silver-haired boy's ear and he cringed. She saw his reaction and smiled behind the mask. "What? You don't want to hear the truth?"

Kakashi was about to retort when the purple-haired girl continued, "I'm kidding, you don't have to look so heartbroken—", he glared at her, "— and stop glaring at me. If you could see the look on your face, you would laugh at yourself. "

"That's right, satisfy yourself," Kakashi replied with sarcasm, the edge of his lips was continuously twitching. "Maybe that's why you're making fun of me. I have no problem with my face even though I'm hiding it. Perhaps… you're covering your ugly face?"

"Maybe."

The silver-haired boy evidently did not expect that answer. In contrast, Ayame had not purposely replied with a nonsense answer. It was because she did know the answer.

Ever since she was reincarnated she had avoided the mirror like a plague. The Kurosawa household did not have many reflective surfaces and she could not find it if she wanted to, given that an infant could hardly move. After she was transferred to the orphanage, she saw her bare face for the first time. The experience was uncomfortable – the face felt foreign.

It could be described akin to watching someone on a television screen, only the person on the other side moved when she did. In addition, the image of her previous life's face flickered on her mind. The experience could not be explained in a good light. Later, she decided to never remove the cloth from her face. It was an incessant reminder that she was not what she used to be. It indicated that she needed to cut off the life tied with the name Arabella.

Ayame had moved on, seeing as it had been years. Nevertheless, the memories of another life were still there and she was still working on separating the life of the businesswoman and a shinobi.

"What do you mean?" Hatake Kakashi's gaze landed on her face. He was confused and irritated by how his foster sister answered everything vaguely. The only thing he could think about was how the girl smoothly dodged every freaking question ever since his Tou-san appeared with her that day in the living room.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Never seen it."

There was silence.

Hatake Kakashi rubbed his face in frustration as Ayame observed her with mirth. "Could you just…? Never mind, you idiot. I should've expected this to happen."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the idiot. But admit it, you thought I was better than this," she answered and a mischievous grin appeared on her face.

Kakashi had not realized it and replied with a loud groan.

Ramen Ichiraku was open 24 hours a day. It reminded Ayame of convenience stores. The only difference was there was only one man operating the store and the only merchandise they sold was Ramen. She had asked how Teuchi could handle the 24-hour shift, to which the man replied with a hearty laugh.

"You really need to go back, Kushina. Minato is drunk. Fugaku and the twins can't handle him anymore." Shikaku leaned on the poles inside the ramen shop. It was not of his own will that he came to fetch the Red-Hot Habanero. It was because he lost in rock-paper-scissors against Fugaku.

"It's not my fault you forced him to drink 'ttebane! The lot of you were playing truth or dare and you banned me and Mikoto from joining! Take care of your own damn problems 'ttebane." Kushina glared at the Nara, her hair flying behind her.

Ayame watched the scene unfold. She could not deny that she was entertained by Nara's predicament. Earlier that day, a raging Kushina had stopped her on her way home. Classes were finished and Kakashi had something to do so they did not go home together. On the way, she met Kushina mumbling curses. The passers-by tried their best to maintain their distance from the Uzumaki.

Since their first meeting, the red-haired shinobi was well acquainted with Ayame because of her indifference to everything. She would drag the four-year-old to eat ramen with her. Ayame was surprised at Kushina's eagerness at first – it was odd being dragged by someone you barely knew after all – but got accustomed to it when she realized she had no choice on the matter. Teuchi even nicknamed them 'Ramen friends' which annoyed Ayame to no end, even if she did not show it.

"Troublesome," Shikaku muttered under his breath. His arms were crossed while his eyes landed on the child beside Kushina. "Aaaand, you dragged another gaki to your side."

Everyone was aware of Kushina's tendencies to forcefully befriend anyone who was not scared of her. It was the same for the Nara heir and their little circle of friends. Shikaku guessed it was because most children her age tended to avoid her. Her only chance to make friends was to force the individuals who were not afraid. He couldn't really blame her.

Kushina glanced at the girl beside her and Ayame thought she was about to glower. "I did not drag her –"

"For the record, you did," Ayame intervened while she sipped from her noodles.

"—okay, okay! Maybe I did, 'ttebane. But she didn't refuse."

Shikaku smirked, scratching the back of his head while he waited for the Uzumaki. He had not anticipated Ayame to be here.

"Kushina, I know you will agree anyway. Better do it now rather than later, or else your room will be in a serious mess." He drawled out the last words.

"What?!"

"After you stormed out, Mikoto decided your room was perfect for truth or dare," he replied then stood properly to look around the small stall.

Kushina widened her violet eyes and her hands instantly appeared on Shikaku's shoulder. "Mikoto suggested it?! What the hell, 'ttebane!"

In truth, they only wanted to avoid Kushina joining since her alcohol tolerance was scarily low. One small cup of sake would knock her out cold. On the other hand, Minato would often refuse their offers to drinking alcohol. They managed to force him, which led to their current predicament. Shikaku regretted not stopping the blond the moment he agreed to drink.

Now, Minato was crazily asking everyone for a fight. When the Nara heir left, he was battling with Inoichi.

"Damn it!" The Uzumaki flipped her red hair in anger. "We're going. Ayame-chan, you're coming too."

"Eh?"

"Shikaku, carry Ayame-chan since obviously, you could handle Minato but you didn't."

"Troublesome."

"Shikaku, who is this girl?"

Ayame did not know whether it was Hyuuga Hiashi or Hyuuga Hizashi who spoke. When she saw the bandage on his forehead, it led her to the conclusion that it was Hizashi. It was the cursed seal branded on every Hyuuga branch member's forehead. The main members knew the jutsu that used the cursed seal to make the wearer feel pain by destroying their cells.

The first time she heard this, it greatly reminded her of slave treatment in the past. It was inhumane in the sense that no one should have the power to control another's life. But she also understood the need for it – the need to control. If not, everything will go out of hand. Not having the direct power to handle everything was out of the question.

The harsh environment that the clan shinobis experienced began when the Warring States Period came into the picture (but if you asked Ayame, she was inclined to think that everything started when the Sage of the Six Paths distributed his teachings/chakra to everyone). Clans popped out everywhere and the best were identified by some sort of battle royale, where the ones who have a bloodline limit prevailed.

Bloodline limits, or most commonly known as Kekkei Genkai, were abilities that were solely available to one clan. Ayame guessed that after the first ninjas created the clans, a mutation occurred and the ability was passed down genetically to the current generation. Ayame could go on and on about the possible variables that affected genes but she was not a scientist. Her job in her previous life was far from it since she studied a business-related course.

But she had read many books and it was enough to create a hypothesis. Furthermore, no one would challenge the intuition of a CEO – she survived the hostile business industry for nothing.

'My thoughts are straying at an unbelievable rate,' Ayame mused, after she realized she had been staring at nothing for some time.

The Kurosawa girl looked back at the teens talking to each other. Shikaku was lazily explaining why Ayame was outside of the Uzumaki's apartment since non-shinobis were not allowed in a Jōnin apartment building. The group, consisting of Hyuuga Hiashi, Hyuuga Hizashi, Uchiha Mikoto and Akimichi Chōza, was listening intently to him while behind them was an unconscious Namikaze Minato, tended by Yamanaka Inoichi, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uzumaki Kushina. They reminded Ayame of her own group, who were probably at home right now.

The four-year-old girl narrowed her eyes. She had forgotten something important but decided to leave it at the back of her mind.

"So in short, she is another person that Kushina dragged?" Mikoto summarized the Nara's story in one sentence.

Akimichi Chōza popped some chips into his mouth with grace. "You got it wrong, Mikoto-chan. It was like this: Minato was the one dragging people while Kushina is the one who forces them to stay."

"Seems right," Shikaku said. He slouched further and yawned.

"Anyway, we should go back since the matter is settled." Hyuuga Hiashi's white eyes travelled around then finally landed on Ayame's small figure. "Hiashi and I will leave. See you next time." His twin brother nodded as a goodbye and followed behind Hiashi.

They both passed Ayame and nodded, as a greeting and as a goodbye. She was astonished. The Hyuuga twins were proud people and would not acknowledge anyone. Then she realized they greeted her because it was simple manners, like how royalty was raised – with grace and etiquette. From what she heard, clan kids were trained from a young age. Aside from developing their skills as a shinobi, they were also required to show dignity, composure, and poise.

"Then we will also excuse ourselves." The Uchiha clan heir stood up from behind Mikoto. He lightly brushed his sleeves and stood straight. The scene would look elegant, if not for Namikaze Minato's dozing figure beside his feet.

Mikoto quickly bid her goodbye to Kushina while nodding to the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi. She patted Minato's head lightly and gave Ayame a small smile. Fugaku, on the other hand, only nodded at Ayame's presence and the two proceeded to depart. The next one to go was Chōza who told them his mother was cooking curry and that they were welcome to eat with him. The people who remained were the lazy Nara, loud Uzumaki, unconscious Namikaze, Kurosawa Ayame and Yamanaka Inoichi.

"Never thought Minato would be the kind to ask for a fight when drunk," Yamanaka deadpanned, staring at the blond on the floor.

Kushina snorted, "Never thought you'd use my apartment without my permission."

"Sorry," he immediately apologized. Kushina glared at his response and Inoichi cringed.

The apartment was a complete mess: bottled drinks were everywhere, chips littered the floor and the signs of the fight were in every part of the room. Ayame barely had the chance to see it since the Inoichi was blocking the door. Nevertheless, she knew Kushina would have a hard time cleaning. It could only be described by the Nara's words – troublesome. It amazed her how could people wreck everything big time. She never had the chance to party when she was Arabella; she was holed up in her room during university and too caught up with managing her business that she never socialized with others for enjoyment.

"So…" Inoichi dragged the words while diverting his eyes between Ayame and Kushina. "Is there a need to drag the poor girl in this mess?"

Kushina smirked with fervour and Ayame knew something wasn't right. "Of course. She'll help clean this shit up."

The Red-Hot Habanero dropped a bomb. Ayame was used to doing chores but she was never the one to do it for fun. It could be described as a 'need' more than a 'want'. Thus she had the urge to escape. In the end, Kushina overpowered her. She was forced to clean the place with Inoichi despite their bitterness. It took them some time before the apartment was sparkling because 'the owner' was comfortably lying on the tattered sofa. Meanwhile, Shikaku had escaped to who-knows-where, successfully avoiding the so-called "punishment".

The girl cursed under her breath and blamed the heavens. Kushina didn't seem to realize that Ayame was only four years old and it was goddamn midnight.

Kakashi was angry with her for god-knows-what reason.

His animosity started the night she came back from cleaning Kushina's apartment. It was midnight and the streets were silent. The civilians were nowhere to be seen but a few shinobi could be seen once in a while. Hatake Sakumo was cleaning his weapons as usual when she arrived home. She guessed Kakashi was already asleep. The jōnin asked her where she had gone and she had answered truthfully without leaving anything out.

The White Fang was also a little mad at her. Ayame had no idea why. It was obvious that Sakumo was angry – the signs were too apparent. She had seen that pissed off look many times on her professors' face when she was in college. The jōnin narrowed his eyes and was trying his hardest not to place his hands on his hips.

'Mad? No— he's irritated?' Ayame's mind was whirring, trying to think of what happened that day to make him go into this state.

After some time, he only heaved a sigh, murmuring about how "dense she is." It made her furrow her brows but she obediently returned to her room when she was excused.

The next morning, Hatake Kakashi didn't acknowledge her presence even with all the taunts and jeers she could muster. Ayame complained about how he acted like a child when she realized that he was a child. A string of curses popped up into her mind. She considered giving him space, since she may have done something wrong unconsciously.

Hours turned into days and days turned into a week. Kakashi still didn't speak to her. But Sakumo treated Ayame the same.

"Ayame-chan, could you pass me the coffee?" Sakumo yawned and tried to find a more comfortable position on the couch. "And please turn off the lights. Thank you."

"Sakumo-san, you're getting lazier by the day. Stand up and do those things by yourself." Ayame gave the silver-haired jōnin a condescending look he deserved and continued flipping the pages of the book she was reading.

"But, Ayame-chan, with you here, I could lie on the couch all day and do nothing. I've been on a ton of missions this month and I'm very tired."

"Heard that reason too many times this week. Not gonna fall for it again."

At first, she had considered the request but after a few days, she got tired of the same reason and understood that catering to his need would only make him lazier. There would come a time where the White Fang would reject missions because it was too "exhausting". Ayame could see them blame her because of what she'd done.

Her foster father diverted the topic. "Have you seen Kakashi?"

"No."

It was a lie. She knew Kakashi had gone out early in the morning and would come back later in the afternoon like he always did. Ayame crossed it out as early rebellion.

Hatake Sakumo only clicked his tongue and sat on the couch. "Ayame," he called the girl without any suffix. "Go outside. Don't come back until you can drag Kakashi back here."

"What—"

But she was kicked out the house because she could reply. Her mind blanked out.

The dango shop still had a queue of customers. Civilians and shinobis alike littered the streets and she could hear children screaming. Ayame glanced at the book at her feet and picked it up. She wiped the dust off and decided to stroll around.

The Kurosawa dived into the crowd of people.