The water is cold and my clothes are wet, my hair is sticking to my face, everything is uncomfortable, I've been practically dunking myself in this lake for the past twenty minutes-

"You know......I didn't think this would be such a struggle." Shinji deadpans, raising his sunglasses from the bridge of his nose to the top of his head, pushing back his long dark hair.

I send him an unimpressed gaze, he's been having the time of his life watching me fail over and over again, even going as far as to bring out a chair and sit down with a bottle of beer to do so.

Luckily for me, auntie Sakura has been trying to help, and if it weren't for her pregnant belly I just know she would've been chasing around my uncle with a raised fist and threats on her lips.

"That's because you've done nothing but drink beer and tell her to try again every time she falls!" Auntie Sakura chastised, slapping the back of his head as if she were scolding a child.

"Hey! This is the type of training I received!"

"Honey, the Akatsuki did not train you by pushing you in a lake and telling you to concentrate your chakra to your feet, only to then sit back and watch with a bottle of beer." Sakura gritted out with an irk mark on her forehead, whispering the name of whoever trained Shinji so that I wouldn't hear.

".....Okay maybe the beer is a bit much, but they sure as hell pushed me off of multiple high surfaces and told me to figure it out." He insists before taking a sip out of his bottle.

"Shinji! This feels impossible!" I complain, pushing my dark locks out of my face and glaring at him. He snorts in amusement, flinching when Sakura sends a glare his way.

"Listen Runa, don't feel too discouraged. You're still just a kid and normally it takes people time to get the hang of these techniques."

Auntie Sakura and I both raised our eyebrows, feeling pleasantly surprised by how mature and comforting his words were!

"Except for your mom, she ate shit every time she tried walking up a tree for at least two months, I'd consider that below average. But hey you're above average so next time you wanna fight her just rub it in her face-" Shinji laughed, disappearing in a flock of crystal ravens when Sakura sent a mean punch his way.

"I saw it coming," he claims, waving off my look of shock as he appears standing on the lake where I'm currently submerged.

"C'mere kid." He sighs, grabbing my hands and hauling me upwards and above the water. "Go dry off inside, we'll continue your training later."

"What?! But it's so soon? I wanna keep trying!"

"Yeah but Haru wants you home early, your brother's in town and you know how she gets."

"Yeah, I do," I mumble with a small pout, slapping his hand away before he could pinch my cheek and tease me further.

"Why'd you look so bummed out?" He asks, taking me by surprise with the question. I look bummed out? If I made any faces, I really didn't mean to.

Shinji arches a brow as he awaits my response. He's always known of my on and off again relationship with my mother.

From before I could even coherently think for myself and would unconsciously push her away as a baby to now whenever we'd get in these petty arguments, Shinji's been a bystander to it all.

He's always tried to tell me about just how much my mom loved me or whatever, and I know she does. It's just that the treatment between all of us is so unbalanced!

I don't even know when the last time I've spent free time with her was!

She personally trains Haruki amongst many other things, she babies Katsuro and Hiko like crazy whenever they're home, and Daisuke takes up 95% of her attention regardless. There's no space left for me.

And although I still find it a bit unfair, I don't blame her for the Daisuke situation. It just sucks....

"It's fine, I just haven't seen Katsuro in a while so it might be awkward." I say, easily deflecting off of my issues with my mom to my issues with my brother.

It's not like I'm lying, seeing Katsuro is always a little weird!

"Hmmm, you're a terrible liar just like she is. But I'll take it. Go to her before she screams my left ear off, Sakura's already burst my right eardrum. I'm trying to preserve the senses I have left." He says with a bright smile.

I could never take him seriously

"You know for someone who says my mom is all weak, you sure do seem scared of her sometimes." I wonder as he helps me out of the lake.

"Your mother is a menace to society who disguises herself in those dresses that make her look innocent, I have every right to keep my cautions around that demon."

My eyebrows raise, sure my mom and I fight all the time. But is she a demon? Nah, she's so soft spoken with us I could never imagine her doing anything to hurt anybody.

I still find it hard to believe that she was a kunoichi back in her day!

"Demon?! But she's so......."

"Sweet? Nice? Don't demons deceive and shit? Sleep with one eye open Runa, you're sleeping under the roof of a violent little woman-"

"Oh my god give me a break if anyone here is a demon it's you, who goes to the store at 2 AM to buy his pregnant wife some snacks that she's craving, only to forget what he went there for and buys candy instead?! That's a true monster." Auntie Sakura claimed, placing her hand on her swollen stomach and glaring at Shinji.

"It was one time!"

.....Yeah, I think it's time for me to start heading home.

The walk back home is uneventful, after I dried off at uncle Shinji's house I didn't take any detours and instead thought to myself.

I should really talk to Haruki, the way she acted today at school was really out of character! She spent the whole day sending Sumire quite the side-eye, and I'm honestly surprised no one else seemed to notice.

Not even Inojin, who was by her side all day!

I have to know, the thought is eating me up inside! Sweet and sensitive Haruki finally finding a flaw in somebody?! I have no clue as to what it could be, if anything, Sumire reminded me of Haruki!

Their personalities are similar from what I could tell, the only difference being that Sumire had no qualms talking to Boruto.

Wait....maybe that's it!

What if Haruki is jealous?!

I walk up to my door with this new gossip brewing in my mind, suddenly excited to come home and get her to spill whatever's on her mind.

Inojin is probably with her, I think to myself, knowing that I saw them walk off together after school with their hands intertwined with one another's.

Hmm I can't be too distracted though, Katsuro and my mom are probably in there and she's probably gonna force an interaction out of us that neither one of us wants to participate in.

Sigh.

I walked into the house quietly as the door was unlocked, and before I could even call out and let my mom know that I'm home, I heard her voice resounding from the kitchen.

"And your father let you get this scar how? What was he doing? Taking a piss while you were being attacked?!"

My brow arches as I slowly close the door behind me. It's not often that I hear my mom get like this, but whenever I do, I know it's because of one thing.

Katsuro's home and he has a new wound.

"Mom I'm fine I swear!! Don't worry, if I'm ever actually feeling bad I won't tell you so you won't freak out."

My eyebrows shoot up at the foreign sound of my older brother's deepened voice. Whoah!

"Was that supposed to make me feel any better?! You need to tell me everything that happens to you!"

"Oh my god mom, please! Now I know why dad told me to hide the scars from you."

"He told you to do what?!"

"Fuck, let's pretend I never told you that!"

I deadpan as I hear the two voices go back and forth, finally closing the door behind me, the conversation between my brother and mom suddenly stops.

"Runa is that you? come here! Look who's home!" My mom's eager voice called out from the kitchen.

It's amazing how she switches from frantic to cheery within seconds.

I internally sigh, even if I hadn't heard his deep voice just then I would've known just who it is from the gossip I overheard at school.

And yet Even if it weren't for the numerous people talking about his arrival before he got here, just my mom's tone would have given it all away.

Whenever Katsuro comes home, it makes big news for reasons beyond me; This time was no excuse.

I walk further into the home, finding myself in the kitchen where my eyes finally land on him. He's shirtless as he was just showing my mom a wound he acquired while on the mission.

The wound was already healed, but it definitely left its mark across his side and left quite a scar.

It looked like my little brother didn't share the same horrified sentiment my mother had, instead looking up at Katsuro with a big smile on his face.

"Mom but it's cool!" He exclaimed from his place standing right next to Katsuro.

My older brother sweat drops, smiling sheepishly at my mom who's eye twitches at Daisuke's words. "You are not about to influence my baby into becoming a suicidal maniac like you young man."

"What so I'm not a baby anymore? You were just screaming earlier about how dad was trying to kill 'your precious baby!'

"Your baby privileges have been revoked until further notice."

"Mom, I'm a ninja, what was I supposed to do?! Run?!" Katsuro whines, begging our mom to see his side of things.

We all know she really gets where he's coming from but she just can't help it, she's constantly worried over him and whenever he comes home with the smallest of scratches she tends to overreact a little bit.

"I would've been more comfortable if you went that route instead of getting that nasty scar!"

Katsuro smiled in amusement, leaning over and enveloping my mom in a hug "I promise won't ever do it again!"

With both of them preoccupied, my eyes run over him in curiosity since the last time I saw him was a little over six months ago. And a lot has changed.

My eyes widened, noting that he's grown just a tiny bit taller than mom! Then I quirk a brow, seeing all of the tattoo's littered across his chest, well, those are new...

When he lets her go, he turns to me almost like it was a chore to do so.

"Hey kid." Katsuro waved dismissively before walking over to me and ruffling my hair.

"Hi.." I reply softly, already knowing he's left the room before he could even properly hear my response.

Katsuro has always acted this way with my sister and me. He's never been mean nor did he ever actually dislike us, but there's always been this odd distance between us.

I would say that he's even closer to Daisuke than he is to us since my baby brother looks up to him so much and Katsuro accepts his affections.

I honestly blame my relationship with Katsuro on the fact that he's been gone all of my life, only ever coming once every couple of months to hog everyone's attention who begs for it, leaving Haruki and me in the dust.

Yeah....it's a little strained.

"He's just tired." My mom sighed, defending him as always.

She always does that, Katsuro could murder an innocent person right in front of her and she'd say it was because he was just 'feeling a little agitated' or something!

I send her a dead sort of gaze, just tired huh? Well, that might be apart of it, but Katsuro is the most dismissive, pretentious-

"Hey look I got you this, if you don't like it give it to Haruki or something." His deep voice suddenly reappeared. I turn around in shock, catching the gift bag he dropped in my hands with a slight stumble.

As quickly as he gave me the gift, he was out of the room again. My mom and I blink dumbly at the space where he just was.

"Aw, I think he's being a little shy!" My mom laughed

Shy? That's.....unlike him.

I look down at the gift bag in my hands before placing it on the countertop and peeking in. Grabbing a black box, I take it out of the bag and eye it curiously.

"Oh, I know what it is!" She smiled, recognizing the logo on the top of the box.

I open it carefully, revealing an array of specially crafted shuriken. My eyes widen at the sight of the Uchiha clan crest carved carefully into each shuriken.

He actually......he actually got me something I'd like!!! I've been practicing with shuriken ever since I was little, meanwhile Haruki got special ninjutsu training with my mom, I right by her side learning every technique possible having to do with the weapon.

I picked up one of the shuriken carefully, holding it to the light and smiling excitedly at the way it shined brightly. Eep this is so exciting! I have to go thank him!

I head upstairs in a flash and knock on his door, walking in when he calls out that it's okay to enter.

He's standing by the large mirror in his room, eyeing the scar on his side with different angles before turning to me. Daisuke's in here too, sitting on Katsuro's bed and swinging his legs back and forth.

"Nii-san, I can do the fireball jutsu now! I wanna show you!" Daisuke claimed with a pout, to which I arched a brow.

It's true, he could do it very easily, but mom would literally have a panic attack and Daisuke might hurt himself after straining his body even the tiniest bit.

"I know you can buddy, Maybe show me later?" Katsuro asked, clearly trying to prolong having Daisuke go out there and train with him because he knows how badly Daisuke's body could react to training.

Daisuke blinked once before nodding along and returning to the toys he had sprawled over our big brother's bed, playing by himself as Katsuro turned to me expectantly.

"I really liked the gift, thanks." I say, admittedly a bit shyly since we don't ever really speak much on our own. I caught the way his eyes widened for a second before he looked away, shaking his head and turning back to the mirror.

"Don't mention it, mom told me in one of her letters that you've been doing really good with shuriken practice so I picked some up on the way." He explained nonchalantly.

"You got both Haruki and I shuriken?" I ask, leaning against the doorway.

"No I got you shuriken, Haruki got a plushie." For a second I think he's trying to joke with me, maybe create some laughter between the two of us, but he shakes his head and points to Haruki's room.

I turn to the room, eyeing the closed door curiously. Haruki decorated her door with sparkly stickers making it easily distinguishable from the rest of ours, and I walked over to open it and see just what he's talking about.

I peek in the room, feeling my eyes glide all over the pastel walls before landing on her bed. I can't help but deadpan at the sight of a big pink stuffed bunny sat right in the center of her bed just waiting to be snuggled up to.

Wow, well at least he got something she'd like alright!

"Yeah, she really liked it." He sweat drops, remembering the ways her eyes lit up in excitement when she first came home and he handed her the plushie. I chuckle at the look on his face before closing her bedroom door.

We fall into silence as we re-enter the room, the only sounds coming from him rummaging through his closet to find a shirt and Daisuke playing with some toys on the older Uchiha's bed.

I take the silence as a moment to let my gaze roam around the room. Katsuro's always had the largest room amongst all of us despite being the one who's never home, in fact, his room is so big that the bed doesn't even touch any of the walls!

"So when you'd get the tattoo's?" I ask, turning my gaze to him and watching as he tugged on a casual black shirt. Some of his tattoo's peaked through the sleeves, leading to the questioning.

"Huh? Oh dad let me get them when we passed by Kirigakure. The place is all high tech now and stuff and their tattoo artists are cool, so he let me do my own thing as he handled business."

"What's he like?" The question is automatic and comes out of my mouth before I could stop myself. However, I don't regret asking one bit as I find myself desperate for answers.

This is the longest I've ever been in a room with Katsuro on my own, much less spoken to him! He's the one who knows my dad best besides mom, so maybe I could get answers I want from him!

Katsuro paused and shrugged his shoulders, walking over to his bed and sitting across from Daisuke, ruffling up the younger Uchiha's hair.

"Dad? He's this tall dude with dark hair, people say we look alike but I don't see it-"

"No, I mean what's he like as a person? I don't know anything about him." I admit, to which Katsuro's ruby red eyes widen.

"Oh....He's a quiet dude." Katsuro mumbled, tapping his chin in thought. I sweatdrop, is that seriously all he could give me?

"He's really cool though, I don't know. What do you wanna know?"

"When's he coming back home? Does he ever talk about us or mom?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Oh dad's missions are insane, it's hard for him to come back so I don't know what to tell you. The only reason I come back is because of mom and I'm not really needed, but dad can't just get up and stop all of the sudden. As for he and mom-"

"Katsuro honey come here! Look at all of the new clothes I bought you!" My mom's voice called out from downstairs, interrupting our conversation. Katsuro perks up at the sound of her voice and turns to me almost pitifully.

"We can talk later?" He asked, adjusting his shirt and walking past me, to which Daisuke got up from the bed and followed him like a puppy. Huh, it's like a habit of his, telling people that he'd address them another time.

I stared at where he once stood before sighing to myself.

Will I ever know anything more than my father's name? Does he think of us? Does he love mom? I don't know...

••••••••

If we were all cartoon characters, I'm positive there would've been big hearts floating all around Haruki and Inojin. Seriously, could they get any more confusing?!

The second I got out to my backyard in search for Haruki (Partly because the amount of times my mom coddled at Katsuro was becoming suffocating and partly because I still haven't forgotten about Haruki's attitude today) I saw her and Inojin together.

They're both sitting on one of our many garden swings, the white iron furniture contrasting prettily with all of the greenery and flowers around them.

Haruki is laid down across the seat, her legs perched over Inojin's lap as she doodled in her journal with her pink gel pens, meanwhile he was focused on his video game.

It isn't an odd sight, the two are usually all over each other one way or another.

Sometimes I find Inojin sitting between Haruki's legs with his back to her chest as they sit under trees, sometimes I find her leaning on his shoulder in school, once I even found her sitting on his lap! And they were so casual about it too!

Barely anything fazes me when it comes to these two anymore.