"What kind of place is Konoha?" Kokoro had always longed for her true home. All around her, the other shinobi spoke of it with admiration and yearning.
Hayakawa Yuki was leading her two children toward Konoha."You'll see it soon," she said softly.Yes… very soon.
But before they arrived, they encountered a man with gentle eyes, golden hair that gleamed like sunlight, and bright blue eyes. At his side was a young ninja with white hair, his face half-hidden behind a mask, and beside him stood a beautiful girl.
"Minato, Kakashi, Rin." Hayakawa Yuki greeted them with a smile."Where's Gai?"
"He and Genma teamed up with a boy from the Akimichi clan," Minato replied. His voice carried a faint trace of melancholy, and in his eyes, when he looked at Yuki, there was a light as deep and endless as the stars.
"Teacher Yuki," the two younger shinobi greeted politely.
Yuki turned back to her own charges. "This is Itachi, and this is Kokoro." She gestured toward the children, then pointed to the boy opposite them. "This is Kakashi—Hatake Kakashi—and this is Nohara Rin."
Kokoro blinked, a little confused, but still bowed her head obediently in greeting.
Itachi was quiet and aloof, though not in the same way as Kakashi. When Kokoro spoke to him, Itachi would respond with calm politeness, though often without much expression—sometimes even with a hint of puzzlement. Kakashi, on the other hand, never spoke at all unless the others initiated conversation, and even then, his words were sparse.
That night, Kokoro slept beside Yuki, who explained to her why Kakashi seemed so cold.
Hatake Kakashi came from the renowned Hatake clan of Konoha. His father, Hatake Sakumo, had been a brilliant and respected shinobi. But during a mission, Sakumo had chosen to save his comrades instead of completing the objective, and this decision had resulted in great losses for Konoha.
The villagers placed all the blame on him. They said Sakumo should have prioritized the mission above all else. Overwhelmed by the scorn and condemnation of the village, Sakumo took his own life.
Kakashi had witnessed his father's death. From that day forward, he became a shinobi who cared only about the mission. He distanced himself from others, cold to his comrades, even willing to harm them if they jeopardized the mission's success.
But Kakashi was also a genius. He had graduated from the Academy at the age of five, became a Chūnin at six, and was promoted to Jōnin just last year. Namikaze Minato—the Golden Flash of Konoha—was his sensei.
It was during that same year that Kakashi's teammate, Uchiha Obito, told him: "A shinobi who abandons the mission is trash, but one who abandons his comrades is worse than trash."In an act of self-sacrifice, Obito saved Kakashi, only to be crushed beneath falling rocks. Before dying, he entrusted his Sharingan to Kakashi, asking him to use that eye to see the future clearly.
Kokoro listened with wide eyes."So that's why Kakashi is like this? He doesn't act like a boy at all…"
Yuki's voice grew distant, her eyes clouded. "What I worry about is Rin. What happened to Obito could not be avoided… but Rin's fate—I don't know if it can be changed." She stared out into the endless darkness beyond the window, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Kokoro didn't fully understand, but she sensed how tragic Kakashi's life had been. He had lost both father and mother and was left utterly alone. In some ways, he was even more pitiful than she was.
Perhaps that was why Kokoro suddenly felt a bond of sympathy with Kakashi. By comparison, Itachi—with his living parents—seemed distant, unrelatable, and hard for her to like.
A four-year-old child was simple, direct, and transparent. If she liked someone, she showed it. If she disliked someone, she didn't hide it.
So Kokoro stopped initiating conversations with Itachi. Since he wasn't the type to reach out either, their interactions dwindled into near silence. Yuki noticed and grew concerned.
One evening, she decided to tell Kokoro another story.
"There was once a genius from the Uchiha clan," Yuki began softly. "He was brilliant, but he hated war. He was sent to the battlefield when he was only four years old. Surrounded by killing, he came to believe life had no meaning—only loss, only despair. But then his younger brother was born, and in that moment, he found hope again. For the sake of his brother, he began to protect life and peace."
Kokoro's eyes widened. A prodigy who killed at four years old? She thought of her own life—sent to the battlefield young, though she had never taken a life herself.
"The boy entered the Academy at six, graduated at seven, and joined a Genin squad. The following year, he watched a teammate die before his eyes, and in his grief, awakened the Sharingan. By ten, he passed the Chūnin Exams alone. By eleven, he had joined the ANBU. But half a year later, his best friend was killed—not by enemies, but by a hidden Konoha elder, all because the Uchiha clan was suspected of rebellion."
Yuki's voice trembled slightly as she continued. "That boy loved his younger brother more than anything, but the Uchiha clan's unrest gave him no time to laugh or play with him. He became both an ANBU shinobi and a spy—caught between his clan and the village. And then, at thirteen, to protect his brother, he obeyed the orders of that very elder who had slain his best friend. He massacred his own clan, defected from Konoha, and vanished into exile. His brother grew to hate him, exactly as he had intended… and years later, he allowed himself to die at his brother's hands, giving him the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
Kokoro sat in rapt silence. To her, this man sounded like a tragic hero, one who had sacrificed everything for his brother.
"So, Kokoro," Yuki whispered, "you must be kinder to Itachi. Even if you cannot change his fate, at least do not make your own heart heavy with regret."
Kokoro frowned in puzzlement. "Why? What does Itachi's fate have to do with me? What destiny does he have?"
She had thought it was just a story, but now Yuki was linking it to that cold, distant boy beside her.
Yuki fell silent. Kokoro was still a child. She could not yet understand that the tale she had just heard was not a story at all, but the life of Uchiha Itachi himself.
"Just… treat him well," Yuki said at last, her voice firm but gentle.
...
After days of travel, they finally reached Konoha.
The village was breathtaking. Green mountains, flowing rivers, and a vibrant, peaceful life greeted them. To Kokoro, who had only known the desolate, war-torn borderlands, the sight was dazzling.
High upon the cliffside stood three massive stone faces—the Hokage who had led Konoha across generations.
Despite the ongoing war, the village bustled with life. Merchants traded, children laughed, people moved freely through the streets. For the first time, Kokoro felt the warmth and serenity of a true home.
...
Yuki brought Kokoro and Itachi to the Uchiha compound. Everywhere she looked, Kokoro saw people wearing clothes embroidered with the fan-shaped Uchiha crest. They greeted one another warmly, without suspicion—so different from the borders, where every smile could mask a spy.
It was here that Kokoro met Uchiha Mikoto, Itachi's mother and the wife of the clan head. Gentle and kind, Mikoto reminded Kokoro of her own mother.
Yuki entrusted Kokoro to Mikoto's care, and until her own mother returned, Kokoro would live in the Uchiha household, alongside Itachi.