"Twenty-three... twenty-four... twenty-five! Kaa-san, Kaa-san-" the small girl's face lit up as she turned to her mother ecstatically, "-twenty-five coins!"
"Good job, Kimi-chan!" her mother commended her, sweeping the money off the counter into her hands and giving it to the customer. The elderly lady smiled and bobbed her head.
"Such a brilliant one you have there, Yuuki-chan!" she praised. Yuuki blushed and nodded.
"I have been blessed," she agreed. Kimi giggled brightly and clapped her hands. Yuuki studied her daughter, bright-eyed and energetic, brown hair tied up in two short braided pigtails. "To think she's hardly three and already counting so well! Did my husband tell you yet, Minako-san? She can read, as well."
"Oh-ho!" the old woman exclaimed, "She will be something when she grows up! I can tell- they don't come that smart and not turn into something amazing. I warrant you she'll be famous one day. I do hope I'm still alive then..."
"I don't know, obaa-san," Yuuki admitted forlornly, "What could the daughter of a modest shop-keeper such as myself ever amount to?"
"Anything she wants to be- isn't that right my little Kimi-chan!" Yuuki's husband interjected, emerging from the house-portion of the building. He hoisted little Kimi high in the air and spun her. Yuuki and the crone smiled.
"Please take care, Obouru-san, she has been growing like a weed recently," Yuuki warned, not wanting a flying leg or hand to catch and upturn a shelf. Obouru ignored her, making whooshing sounds as he spun his elated daughter. Yuuki sighed as the elderly lady chuckled. Minako nodded goodbye and hobbled out of the store. "Obouru-san, please..."
"Alright, alright," Obouru conceded, setting Kimi on her feet. Yuuki watched suspiciously out of the corner of her eye as he leaned in and whispered into their daughter's ear, slipping something into her hands. Kimi beamed, positively brimming with joy. She kissed her dad on the cheek and flashed a grin at her mom before skipping out of the store to play. Obouru stood, smiling. Yuuki sighed.
"Obouru-san, you shouldn't spoil her like that," she chided. Obouru gave her an apologetic smile and she sighed again, determinedly ignoring him, focusing instead on the chore of cleaning the counter. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her ear before whispering into it.
"Let her enjoy herself while she's still a child!"
Kimi gleefully skipped down the main street of Konoha, the ten coins given to her by Tou-san jingling happily in her pocket. It was enough to buy two pounds of candy- oh, wouldn't Kaa-san be upset with then when she found out? She was just deciding on a candy store when she happened across a crying boy, sullenly pawing at his tears in front of her chosen candy shop.
"'Scuse me?" she asked timidly, peering up at him. He sniffed and looked at her before burying his face in the crook of his arm again, fist clenching the fabric of his shorts at his side. She frowned and tugged on his sleeve. He choked back a sob bitterly and stared at their feet. "Why are you crying?" Kimi asked innocently. The boy ground his teeth.
"S'not your business," he muttered, shrugging. Kimi nodded, understanding.
"Do you like candy?" she inquired. He nodded reluctantly.
"Who doesn't?" he mumbled. Kimi grinned brilliantly, dragging him over to the counter.
"Which kind?" she asked, "I like these."
He seemed to consider her choice of candy, assuming a glazed, far-away look for a moment. "These," he croaked, pointing to the toffees. Kimi immediately ordered a pound of his favorite and a pound of her favorite. The boy's eyes went wide.
"You didn't have to-"
"Here!" she said, offering the bag of toffees to him, smiling lightly, "For you." He nodded dumbly and accepted. They left the store together.
"I'm Kamigawa Kimi," she introduced, cheerfully gnawing on a stick of licorice. The older boy studied her.
"Umino Iruka..." he answered, glaring at the toffees in his bag. Kimi looked at him for a minute as they walked.
"Go ahead," she urged, grinning and popping off another piece of licorice, "Candy is good for the soul- that's what my daddy always tells me!"
Iruka considered this for a moment as they make their way through the park. Slowly, he drew a brown and white toffee from the bag. Kimi giggled to herself as he tossed it in his mouth, savoring the flavor. Suddenly, he stopped. Kimi stopped when she heard a strangled sob; she turned to find Iruka trembling, fat tears streaming down his cheeks. She carelessly abandoned her bag of licorice and hugged his knees.
"Iruka-san, why do you cry?" Kimi asked tentatively, sneaking a glance at Iruka. They were perched on the tallest hill in Konoha, relaxing in the grass, listening to the crickets as the sun set. Iruka drew a shaky breath, waiting until toffee in his mouth dissolved before speaking.
"I became a gennin today," he explained in an unsteady voice, hooking a thumb beneath the fabric part of his hitai-ate, "And it made me think of my parents. They died... a few years back." Kimi couldn't stop herself from gasping.
"Oh, Iruka-sa-"
"No! It was an honorable, shinobi's death!" he cried, wiping furiously at his eyes. "They died protecting- saving! Our village from the threat of the Kyuubi. It was honorable, it was right. I... I'm proud for them. Kimi, I'm becoming a shinobi too, just like Tou-san and Kaa-san so I can protect the village!"
"Will you die for the village, too?" Kimi asked softly, fearfully. Iruka blanched.
"Probably," he admitted, wringing his hands. Kimi frowned.
"Iruka-san, is shinobi meant to die?"
"I... no, they aren't meant to die," he explained, brow creasing in thought. "They're meant to protect and save, though dieing isn't uncommon."
"Is all shinobi killed by a Kyuubi?"
"No, Kimi-chan," Iruka said, hesitating, "Most shinobi are killed by other shinobi."
Kimi looked shocked for a moment before regaining her senses. "Does all shinobi kill?"
Iruka thought for a while, mulling over his answer. "Yes."
"Why does all shinobi kill?" Kimi asked tearfully, "Isn't killing bad? Wouldn't the world be best-er if nobody killed and nobody died?"
Iruka bit on his lip, not having a ready-response for these questions. "Shinobi kill because they have to. In the shinobi world it's kill or be killed, always. Sometimes a shinobi must kill to save lives of innocent people. Sometimes a shinobi is corrupt and kills for joy or power. That is not the way of a true shinobi, however."
"Iruka-san... what is the way of a true shinobi?"
"The way of a true shinobi is to protect and save people- so protect and save lives. The way of a true shinobi is to serve the Hokage and their village. The true way of a shinobi is to always stick to their word and never break a promise."
"What is a shinobi?" Kimi finally asked.
"A shinobi is a person who uses their chakra to perform jutsus. They are very powerful and they fight for their village and the Hokage to protect the people from harm," he explained. Kimi didn't really understand, but nodded anyways.
"They sound like good people," she observed. Iruka nodded. "I think you will be a great shinobi, Iruka-san." Iruka looked at her, surprise explicit on his face. Kimi smiled and offered him a stick of licorice. He made a slight face, thinking, then accepted it. He ran his fingers over the ridges of it melancholically.
"Kaa-san's favorite was always licorice," he muttered, putting the whole thing in his mouth at once and chewing furiously. He swallowed hard and made a mewling sound in the back of his throat, stiffening. Kimi couldn't stop herself from giggling and Iruka turned his choked sob into hoarse laughter, joining hers.