Chapter 17

Road to Ninja

Some time has passed, the village was mostly rebuilt. It was like a brand new village, everything freshly restored. It seemed like everyone was happy. But not for some.

Kotomi was one of them. How she wished her teammates and sensei were here. Her family as well. She wished that all of them were in the village.

A recent power awoken in her recently, remembering what her eldest brother said to her that time. She would know when the time comes.

Kotomi knew exactly what he meant. Recently, a crow had landed nearby and had his sharingan. It made eye contact with her, and now that jutsu was passed down to her. Knowing that, she was well aware that he was dead.

Letting out a sigh, Kotomi continued to walk where her feet were taking her. It was already night. The sounds of crickets filled the air. She didn't want to be alone right now. She wanted her family and friends. But she knew that was selfish.

Hearing familiar voices nearby, Kotomi managed to hear this part of what Sakura said. "If Sasuke were here, he would understand."

Kotomi swallowed. Peeking around the corner, she saw both Naruto and Sakura at the playground. Confused on why they were there, she grunted at an unfamiliar voice.

"If it isn't the nine tails."

Both Naruto and Sakura kept their guard up. "Madara!"

Kotomi grunted at the name. "Madara..? As in... Madara Uchiha..? How can he be alive when..?"

Kotomi was witnessing them fight him. But no matter what they did, their attacks just fazed through him. "I will get the nine tails from you no matter what it takes." He started summoning something.

A red ball started floating up towards the moon. It slowly was taking form of a sharingan. Trying to figure out why this was so familiar, she then realized. "Wait a minute... That's the..!" She started running towards Naruto and Sakura. "Get out of there!"

Both Naruto and Sakura turned to see Kotomi running towards them. A flash of white light bathe the area. Kotomi passed the masked man that went by the name Madara. She only saw a glimpse of his eye, seeing the sharingan. Her eyes widen at the sight before everything went dark.

***

Opening her eyes, Kotomi saw that the masked man was gone. Naruto and Sakura were looking around as well. "That's strange... Where did he go?"

"I don't know..." Naruto turned towards Kotomi. "I'm glad to see that you're alright."

Kotomi was shaking her head. "I was trying to warn you guys. But... I'm not even sure what the heck just happened." She wasn't sure if that jutsu even activated since they were in the same place. She didn't want to make assumptions.

"We need to warn everyone about Madara." Sakura said.

"Right!" Naruto responded. The two started to follow Sakura, only to bump into Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. They looked a bit different than their usual selves.

"Guys!" Naruto exclaimed. "Madara is here in the village!"

Those three looked at each other awkwardly. "What are you talking about?" Kiba asked. Not expecting it, his dog Akamaru bit him. Naruto, Sakura, and Kotomi were surprised about that. Those two always got along, and never did anything like that.

Kotomi looked over at Shino who was spraying a bunch of bug repellent around him. "I hate bugs." She found that really strange since she was aware that Shino was a bug fanatic.

Hinata glared at Sakura and Kotomi. "What were you two doing with Menma?"

Sakura and Kotomi looked at one another, finding it weird that she was calling Naruto Menma as Sakura spoke up. "We were just-"

"You better pray that it wasn't a date." She turned to Kotomi. "Or an attempted hookup."

Kotomi's jaw dropped. "What?! Why would I do that?!"

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Kotomi saw Naruto gesturing her to start running. "We gotta get out of here!"

Kotomi nodded. "Right!" The three slipped through Hinata, Kiba, and Shino, heading more into the village. They were trying to get them off of their tails since they were chasing after them.

Managing to lose them while gong through a messy alleyway, the three ended up in a busy part of the village, catching their breath.

"What is going on here? Why did she call me Menma?" Naruto asked.

Sakura shrugged. "I have no idea."

Kotomi was thinking to herself. There was no way that she was in a genjutsu. That kind of thing doesn't affect her and yet. It couldn't have been what she's thinking. Or maybe she was in denial.

Up ahead, they started to see Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji walk their way. They looked different too. Ino usually wore fashionable clothing, but her sense of style was more prude. Shikamaru was acting like a complete idiot while Choji was levelheaded.

Ino walked over towards them with a smile on her face. "Why don't you join us for BBQ?"

Naruto, Sakura, and Kotomi has an awkward expression. Kotomi whispered this to Sakura. "Is she ok?"

"I don't have a clue myself." Sakura answered.

Shikamaru started laughing for some reason. "See?! If we add these three, it would be like the price of seven!"

Choji let out a sigh. "It's six."

Kotomi whispered this to Naruto. "Isn't he supposed to be smart?"

"You're telling me..." Naruto responded.

"What are you doing in this part of the village?" A familiar voice asked.

The three grunted, turning over to see that it was Sasuke. He was wearing an outfit that they never thought they would ever see him wear. It made him look like a player. But they were too shocked to see him in the village.

"What are you doing in the village, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "Am I not allowed to be in my own village?"

"But... You..." Sakura was at a loss for words, unable to say what was on her mind.

Kotomi's eyes wavered at the sight of Sasuke. "Onii-san..."

Sasuke looked over to her, for some reason looking confused. "Who are you?"

Kotomi grunted. "Kotomi..? What other girl calls you Onii-san?"

Sasuke looked like he didn't believe her. "You can't be my sister. The sister I know is dead to me. She abandoned her family, and gives herself up too easily."

Kotomi was shocked about this. "What?! I would never do that to my family or do... That!"

"You're not going to convince me with this goody two shoes act."

"I'm not a goody two shoes!"

"Just because you removed you facial piercings, dyed your hair back to you natural color, and somehow got all your tattoos removed is not going to make me recognize you as my sister."

Kotomi was shocked to hear about herself from this world. "What?!"

***

Later on, they were all in the bath house. The girls were already in the bath. Hearing the news that Sakura was the daughter of a hero was still processing in their heads.

One of the girls, Ten-Ten looked like she was in pain. "I know I brought this on to myself, but it stings so much!"

Kotomi was sitting next to Sakura, feeling really awkward. "Sakura." She whispered. "Why are we here again?"

"To let off some steam, I guess."

"Hey." Hinata spoke up. Turning towards her, she was staring at Kotomi. "I guess they really weren't implants after all. But this whole acting like a goody two shoes is starting to piss me off."

Kotomi started to feel annoyed. "I don't wear implants! And I'm not a goody two shoes!"

"Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be with your so called friends? Drinking and hooking up with them?"

"What?! Who are you even talking about?!"

"I guess they're not your friends, more like friends with benefits. You abandoned the friends that care about you over fake friends."

Kotomi felt her blood begin to boil. "I would never do that to my friends! And I would never underage drink or give myself up like that!" She never thought that Hinata would make her feel so upset. She was usually so sweet to her.

Sakura looked at her with worry. "Kotomi-chan..." She turned over to Hinata. "What's the big idea? Why are you being mean to her?"

Hinata rolled her eyes. "Have you truly forgotten what she does, flat chest?" Now it was Sakura's turn to look surprised. She looked confused and upset to why Hinata was acting like this for no reason. "You need to fess up. Why were you two with Menma?"

"You mean Na-" Sakura put her hand over Kotomi's mouth. She had a feeling now that she shouldn't say Naruto's name in front of them.

"We were trying to tell you that Madara was in the village, and we were trying to warn you." Sakura explained.

"Yeah right!" Hinata snapped. "Menma is mine and don't you forget it! If you ever-" She paused, turning around and seeming like she was sensing something. "Damn that Neji!"

Sakura and Kotomi looked at one another, feeling even more sure that they were not in the village that they were used to.

***

In the girls' changing room, something crashed through the roof. It was Rock Lee who looked guilty. Hinata grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Were you peeping on us?!"

Rock Lee shook his head vigorously. "N-No! I swear it was an accident! I was training and-"

"Why should I believe you?!"

The guys started to come in, half naked with towels to cover them. For some reason, Neji was getting close to Kotomi. He was looking at her from head to toe. "You seem different, but I would still like to meet up later tonight."

Kotomi's eyes widen. "What?!" She still couldn't believe that this world's version of herself did many despicable things with men... Neji being one of them. It felt like she was going to throw up.

Rock Lee escaped from Hinata as mostly everyone was chasing after him. Naruto, Sakura, and Kotomi just stood there dumbfounded. Sasuke was in the room too, but he was near the doorway, not looking their way.

Kotomi couldn't believe that Neji, someone who she respected, made a perverted pass at her. "What kind of messed up world is this?!"

***

Later that night, Naruto, Sakura, and Kotomi all parted ways to go to their own place tonight. Even if this world was different, she would still have her same home... Right?

Going to her familiar apartment, Kotomi saw that the light was on. Peeking through the window, she saw a couple in there, sitting on the couch while watching a movie.

Realizing that her usual home wasn't in this world, Kotomi wanted to try to see if one place in particular was there. At the same time, she didn't want to get her hopes up.

Arriving at an area that she hadn't been to for years, Kotomi felt herself getting emotional. Her old home was there right in front of her. Getting too excited for her own good, Kotomi rushed over to the house, opening the door.

Inside, Kotomi saw her entire family there. Kotomi felt a huge wave of emotions wash over her. She started to tear up at the sight. "Mother... Father... Nii-san..."

Her family wasn't giving her welcoming looks, more like glares. "Kotomi. Why did you come back here?" Her father asked.

Kotomi grunted. "What do you mean?"

"Don't act dumb." Sasuke said. "Like I said, I'm not going to fall for your goody two shoes act. And they're not either."

Her mother looked cross at her. "You made it very clear that you don't want to be apart of this family. It's too late for apologies."

Kotomi felt her heart breaking in two. Tears were in her eyes. "I... I'm not..."

Itachi walked up to her, giving her a look that she never seen before. It made her feel like she was the scum of the earth kind of look. "You're an eyesore. Get out."

Kotomi swallowed. She was glad that in this world, her family was alive and together. But it broke her that they hated her so much. Lowering her head, she nodded. "I'll go now. I'm sorry for intruding." Going out the door, she shut it behind her.

Kotomi was staring at the ground, not knowing where to go at this point. She was so hurt by her family's words. What did this world's version of herself do to make everyone hate her so much?

***

The next day, Kotomi ended up sleeping on a bench. Her thoughts were not clear last night, thinking she could've went to Sakura's house to stay the night.

She felt pain in her heart, knowing that she can't interact with her family without them lashing out at her.

Letting out a sigh, Kotomi got up from the bench. She had to find Naruto and Sakura, wherever they might be.

While trying to find Naruto and Sakura, Kotomi spotted two familiar faces. Her eyes wavered at the sight. Her feet moved on their own as she rushed towards them. "Tsubaki! Ryusai!"

At the same time, the two turned towards her. Ryusai dropped his eyelids. "Well, look who decided to come back to us."

Kotomi swallowed, knowing that her friends would hate her just like her family did. "You guys..."

Tsubaki glared at her. "Decided that wasn't the life for you, and changed back to who you were once before? Sorry, but it's too late for sorry." He turned to Ryusai. "Let's go."

Ryusai nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to be around her. Who knows what she caught while doing all that every night." They started to walk away, leaving her in distraught.

Kotomi clenched her hands into fists. She hated this world. She hated everything about it. Everyone she loves hates her. She knew that she couldn't blame them. The only one she should blame is herself from this world who caused all of this.

***

Meeting up with Naruto and Sakura, the three were all in an excluded area with no one around. Kotomi looked down about everything that has happened. And at the same time, she knew that she should explain to them where they were.

Sakura was thinking to herself. "In this world... Everyone is the polar opposite. And instead of Naruto's dad being the hokage, my dad was the hokage."

Naruto nodded. "I know, I found that very strange." He looked like he realized something. "Wait... Does this mean my parents are alive?"

Kotomi swallowed, listening to their claims. "Guys... I can explain what's going on." Both turning towards her, they were ready to listen. "I remember overhearing my eldest brother and father talking about this when I little. If my guess is correct, we're under a strong genjutsu called the Tsukuyomi. It's one of the Uchiha clan's most powerful sharingan, but it only works if you have the mangekyo sharingan or so I've heard."

Both Naruto and Sakura grunted. "Then... We need to find a way to break it." Naruto said.

Sakura nodded. "Agreed. Do you have an idea, Kotomi?"

Kotomi shook her head. "Not a clue. We just have to search around. That masked man can't be too far since it requires him to be at a certain distance."

"Right. I say we search together and find some kind of clue."

"Actually... I want to search on my own. But I'll inform you if I find anything."

Sakura blinked at Kotomi. "Well... Alright. That just leaves you with me, Naruto."

Naruto nodded. "Right."

They parted ways. Naruto and Sakura were together while Kotomi went on her own. She was only half lying to them. She would try to search for clues, but she had another thing she had to take care of.

***

Going to a suspicious part of the village, Kotomi saw a girl with blonde hair with tattoos pretty much everywhere on her body since she was wearing revealing clothing. She had some piercings all over her face. She was holding a beer bottle in her hands. Despite that, Kotomi knew that was her. Her other self.

Walking over to her, it caught the other Kotomi's attention. Her other self looked at her with disgust. "Um... Who are you?"

Kotomi looked disgusted, looking at this version of herself. "I should be asking you that! Who are you supposed to be?!"

"I'm known as Ko. I don't use my full name since I got disowned."

Not being able to take this anymore, Kotomi knocked the beer bottle out of her hands, grabbing her other self's arm, basically dragging her. "Come with me."

"H-Hey! What's the big idea! Let me go!"

Kotomi ended up taking her other self at a bench with no one around. Kotomi shook her head in disappointment. "Why are you like this?"

The other Kotomi had her arms crossed. "It's none of your business. Just who are you and why did you drag me out here?"

Kotomi let out a sigh. "My name is Kotomi."

The other Kotomi grunted, but quickly covered up her surprise. "Well, what do you know? You have the same name as me. What are you going to say next? That your last name is Uchiha?"

"It is."

Grunting once more, the other Kotomi looked irritated. "Hey... If you're trying to play a joke on me, it isn't funny. I know everyone hates me for choosing this life or whatever, but this is going too far."

"I'm not joking." Kotomi said. "I'm you from another world."

The other Kotomi was looking at her from head to toe. "Well... You do look an awful lot like me. But you look too much of a goody two shoes."

That comment made Kotomi irritated. "Why is everyone in this world calling me that?!" Letting out a sigh, she calmed herself. "I want to know... Why did you abandoned your family and friends? Why did you choose to go down this path?"

"Because." The other Kotomi paused. "When I was trying to discover my true self, none of them were accepting about it. It made me mad, you know? They weren't supporting me."

"But is this your true self?"

The other Kotomi was silent. "I mean... I've been living like this for years now. I haven't even seen my parents or my so called friends since I left them. Why are you so concerned about this anyway? I bet in your world, you get to enjoy the luxury of being with them all the time."

Kotomi started shaking. "No. I don't."

The other Kotomi arched an eyebrow. "Why? Do they hate you for being a goody two shoes?"

Silence filled the air. Lowering her head, her voice started cracking. "They're dead."

The other Kotomi grunted, not believing those words. "Yeah right... How can they be dead?"

"I saw them die right before my eyes. Sasuke left the village. It makes me sick that in this world, all of them are alive and well, and yet... You're just abandoned them over such a petty reason!"

"It's not petty!"

"Yes it is! You need to make amends with them! Even though they won't accept you right away, you need to apologize to them and admit what you did was wrong and mean it! Don't you feel that way deep down?!" Her other self was at a loss for words. It looked like she had no response for that as she lowered her eyes.

Kotomi stood up from the bench. "I believe I said enough. Think about it. Goodbye." With that, she began to walk away from her other self who looked lost in thought.

Now at this point, Kotomi had to find a way out of this world once and for all.

***

Eventually, the three were able to make it out of the Tsukuyomi by battling the masked man called Madara. It was broken when Naruto threw a special kunai towards his eye.

The last sight the three saw were Naruto's parents. Kushina, the red hot habanero. And Minato, the yellow flash and also known as the fourth hokage.

Before they knew it, they were back in their world. Naruto and Sakura cheered. "We're back!" They said in unison.

Noticing that Kotomi was too quiet, Naruto spoke up. "Kotomi-chan, are you alright?"

Kotomi nodded in response. "Yeah. I just want to go home."

Both looking at each other, Sakura spoke up. "If you need anything, you know where to find us."

Kotomi gave them a small smile. "Thank you." Not before too long, they three went their separate ways.

On the way home, Kotomi had a lot on her mind. That Tsukuyomi was only a fake, so she shouldn't let what happened in there affect her like this. But at the same time, it hurts. She didn't know what was better. Living in reality where most of her loved one were dead or living in a fake world where all of them were alive but hate her.

A/N: I wanted to write a Road to Ninja chapter, but I didn't intend for it to be a long chapter. My idea was that Kotomi's alternative self went down a path of drinking and other despicable things, getting disowned by her family. You can say that isn't the path of an Uchiha.