Come As You Are

Chapter Three

"Hi I'm Hoshi," I say with a small smile taking her hand gently squeezing it as we shake. "It's nice to meet you," I say while dropping her hand. Is she a reincarnator; if she is, what does she want with me? It wouldn't be smart if I were to expose myself here; I could still use the Leaf Village for their resources and hopefully, she needs the village as well.

"That might be your name here but what was your first name?" She asks sitting next to me, giving me a knowing glance as I grip onto my firepower summoning a small flame in the palm of my hand as I prepare to attack. How did she find me damn it?! I haven't done anything to show that I have any knowledge of this world so how does she know?! "Let's settle down now if you go attacking me for no reason it could get both our covers blown and I don't know about you but I'd rather not have to be a child… again." The girl growls slapping my hand crushing the flame between our palms.

"If I wanted you dead I wouldn't have come to kill you in a park littered with people who could all run to the Hokage and get both of us killed or if we're unlucky tortured and our souls sealed so calm down," Natsumi says through clenched teeth and a forced smile.

"Alright well if you're not here to kill me what do you want?" I ask with a sigh leaning my head back on the trunk. She's right even if I have a more powerful soul I couldn't kill the Hokage… yet.

"There you go see you don't have to be all jumpy I'm not the one you have to be afraid of," Natsumi says with a laugh, her former tenseness gone as she playfully slaps my back. "My original name was Jackson, my second name was Ryan, and my third name is Natsumi. I've come here today because I want to make a truce with you." She says with a giggle as I give the girl a curious gaze. I had always expected my first encounter with a reincarnator to be much different than this but I don't mind. I'd rather not go to prison for killing another villager. Not that I'd let them take me I'd transform and try to demolish this village before I let that happen.

"My first name was Brian, my second name is Hoshi," I say while I stare at the young girl feeling mild pity. Dying and waking up as a girl wouldn't be my idea of a happy time but at least I'd be alive.

"So I was right this is your first reincarnation but your soul is much stronger than any other human soul I've felt so maybe you have an ally who gave you help?" Natsumi asks as I quirk an eyebrow making her giggle. "That was a rhetorical question you don't have to answer if you don't want to," Natsumi says with another giggle taking out a lollipop handing me one. "Anyways if we don't make a truce and work together we will both die in the foreseeable future." Taking the wrapper off the lollipop I give it a small lick enjoying the flavor of sweet orange.

"You might, those whisker marks on your cheeks show you're a jinchuriki which means the Akatsuki will be coming after you. I might not have reincarnated a lot but I can assume that once the vessel that we're in loses a heartbeat we'll be sent to a new body so I don't see why I should help you." I say with a narrowed gaze giving another lick to the lollipop. There's no point in helping this girl even if she is a reincarnator. If I have to join a war for her I at least want to make sure there's a reward.

"The Akatsuki are my own problem and aren't why I want us to work together and have a truce. You see my second life was in the Marvel universe and in that universe I learned how to read people's souls. It's a fairly straightforward ability. I can learn their roughage, power, and get a rough read on whether they're friend or foe. It's how I found you and it's how I know that there are at least two other souls on this planet who have over ten lifetimes worth of experience and if we don't work together we'll be slaughtered as a preemptive measure to stop us from learning." Natsumi says before pausing, taking a deep breath.

"So you want me to help you kill two people who have accumulated over a thousand years' worth of memories and abilities?" I ask, summing up her truce agreement.

"Maybe?" Natsumi says with a tilted head turning her whole body to face me, taking another lick from her lollipop. "One of them is a definite threat. I could read the darkness seeping from their soul as soon as I was born and they are in this village. I haven't been able to see them since they haven't left the Uchiha compound but they are the immediate threat." Taking another deep breath Natsumi gives another small lick to her lollipop. "The other soul might be a threat. I can't get a proper read because of how far away so I don't want to make a wrong assessment but if they are a threat we'll have to take them out."

"We can have a truce," I say while nodding my head taking a small lick from the lollipop. This could very well be a trap but if she is right and there is a threat here that has lived ten lives killing them would be extremely difficult. I'll keep my guard up. I don't plan on getting killed this early and it wouldn't make sense if this was. If Natsumi wanted me dead she wouldn't come out to me like this.

"That's great!" She shouts giving me a hug before pushing away an awkward smile on her face. "Sorry force of habit." She says with a giggle.

"I know what you mean I think if I didn't have Tenten to mimic I would've been burned at the stake with people claiming I'm a demon who possessed a baby," I say with a small chuckle as Natsumi giggles with me.

"Same here, as annoying as Naruto can be he's helped me maintain cover and stay sane with everyone shunning us," Natsumi says while giggling softly to herself.

"What happens now?" I ask, turning my head giving another lick to the lollipop.

"Well the older the souls usually mean they have more powers so they'll have to spend more time getting adapted to their new body and building up their physical strength." She says while taking another lick of her lollipop. "If they had a way of sensing souls like I do and they had their strength we'd both be dead so we have that going for us. Let's just hope that they're weak and clueless so we can get the jump on them but if they've watched the show before they'll find me when I enter the academy. Until then I'm going to train. If you want to join me you're more than welcome to." She says taking another lick from her lollipop.

"Gladly," I say simply with a grin. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I might not know whether Natsumi is a friend or a foe but if I know how strong she is I'll feel much more comfortable. "When do we start?"

"We can start tomorrow I'm sure you have to learn whatever it is that was done to your soul and I have to practice my chakra control." Standing from her spot Natsumi stretches before turning around smiling down at me. "Good talk Hoshi we'll meet in this spot at the same time tomorrow bye-bye!" Natsumi calls cheerfully skipping away from me, cutting through the now much more empty park as the parents slowly gather their kids pulling them away from the girl. Ignoring the nasty looks sent my way I lick my lollipop picking up the pebbles with my free hand putting them back on my skin as my chakra makes them stay.

I need her for now. Natsumi has valuable information on the reincarnation process and I could use that information. If she is right and this old soul is a threat I won't be able to kill it alone. We need each other. I have to train harder if we hope to even have a chance against this reincarnator.

Digging my fingers in the dry dirt I pick up a small rock and crush it in my hand. Naruto is also alive but that doesn't matter. I never did like his character and I don't feel the need to get involved with the storyline unless Natsumi and I make a deal for me to help protect her from the Akatsuki. Natsumi's interest in chakra also confirms the fact that the chakra system will be transferred into the next life so perhaps I should take a nice set of eyes to go with them. I'd say that I'll join the Akatsuki and help revive Kaguya to steal her eyes but that sounds like an extremely stupid idea that would get me killed faster than I could blink.

I can't think that far ahead, it makes my brain scramble. For now, I'll focus on the closest possible battle and prepare myself to kill someone who's lived for over a thousand years and has possibly lived countless lives.

Sighing once more I look down at my freehand and watch as red scales begin to protrude out from my skin before quickly hiding back beneath my skin. Even if Natsumi turns out to be a permanent ally there are some things I want to keep a secret and my full transformation is one of them because if she knows what my soul is she will know my powers. I die when my heart stops so having my scales is like a hidden ace since most weapons won't be able to pierce them.

"Hoshi!" I hear my father call, drawing my attention to the broad-shouldered man, his long brown hair up in a ponytail as he walks away from the group of parents. Oh no, will he not want me to be "friends" with Natsumi? I'd still find a way to train with her but him not wanting me to be friends with her would make things difficult.

Sitting next to me I ignore the glum gaze he casts towards me in favor of licking the lollipop. I look just like my mother and although my father doesn't blame me for her death he still sends the occasional sad glance my way from the memories I bring back of her.

"Hoshi were you talking to a girl with whisker marks on her cheeks?" My father asks as I take a bite, crushing the last of the lollipop beneath my teeth.

"Yeah she's really nice she gave me this lollipop," I say cheerfully with my mouth full.

"That's good son, you should ask her to be your friend if you like her." My father says with a small smile patting my back. I don't have many friends, as much as I tried I couldn't find it in myself to play with a ton of four-year-olds. As much as my sister and dad tried I refused to mingle with anyone outside of our family more than was necessary so I'm sure talking to someone my age comes as a surprise to him.

"Yeah, we're meeting tomorrow under this tree at the same time as today," I say with a grin handing my father the lollipop stick and wrapper which he puts in her pocket.

"That's great!" My father shouts excitedly with a smile. "I have to run the shop tomorrow but your sister will take you after she comes back from the academy." He says with a nod as I smirk softly.