The Winter Festival

AUTHOR'S NOTES; I'm writing about a lot of festivals these days, lol.

Here's your update, you miscreants. I hope you enjoy it lol. As always, thx for the support and feel free to check out the other parts of this series that can be read independently as the MC makes her way through the cycle of reincarnation.

💙 let me know how you like it.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Alright this is harder than I thought it would be," Kakashi mumbles from his position splayed out on the ground next to me, and all I can do is grunt, exhausted myself. "Did I mention I hate politics?"

"Me too, dude," I mutter. He shoots me bombastic side eye for that, but I just huff. "Look, just cuz I'm good at it doesn't mean I like it, at least not all the time."

Kakashi and I were on a cram course to memorize our respective clan sword styles so that we could smoothly perform, and I, on top of that, was also learning the traditional Uchiha dances. Luckily, the dances were kind of familiar. They were actually similar to something like a Belly Dance/ Hula/ Tahitian/ Bacardi mashup. Apparently, Uchiha dances, usually involving copious amounts of fire, were very hip centric, swaying, flowing movements or various speeds and sharpness to replicate fire, homage to our clan's patron goddess, Amaterasu. It's fucking luck I danced as a hobby in many a previous reincarnations.

Our little performance, as frivolous as it seemed, was actually a very important move for us. I wasn't doing this because I'd spent too much time watching Bollywood in my formative lives, (Although, let's be honest, I totally did). But, rather music, dance, and art had a way of bringing people together, and we Uchiha desperately needed that. I'm frankly flabbergasted that the rift between the Leaf and my clan had started so early. Hell, maybe the rift was there from the founding of the village, because even now, I can hear the whispers about cold blooded monsters and arrogant red eyed freaks. It's idiotic that no one anticipated this being an issue earlier. Poor Itatchi didn't stand a chance, especially not if a certain dojutsu stealing, wrinkly, old ball sack was exasperating everything from the shadows.

"Is anyone actually going to be impressed by this?" Kakashi asks as we get back to our feet, slowly sliding back through the motions of the chereography.

"They will when we speed up and add the …finishing touch," I smirk, uncurling a chakra string and lighting it on fire.

Kakashi's eyes glint.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Again!" Orochimaru hisses, punching me in the gut and sending me into a tree and I only just manage to land in a crouch on the bark instead of breaking my back on it, wheezing as I try to get air back into my lungs. With a flare of chakra I blast back at him just as Kakashi goes for his legs, white Hatake chakra coating his blade, but Orochimaru merely bats him aside before snatching me up, ignoring the fire I try to burn his hand with, and tossing me into Kakashi. We tumble into the ground in a heap of tangled limbs, and it's only Kakashi's superior reflexes that keep his kunai out of my flesh.

I groan, rolling away. Orochimaru was just as fucking brutal as you'd think, but he was very, very good. He'd kick our asses with full meticulousness, but he'd also take the time to tell us why we were trash, albeit in snide, vicious comments.

I still think we were growing on him, though.

"Time?" I wheeze, and when Kakashi answers, I drag myself to my feet. "Sorry, sensei. We have to end here tonight. The festival is soon and we have more practice."

"Oh? Is your training so unimportant?" The snake man spits, snatching me by shirt to glare at me in the face despite the fact that I couldn't actually see him. Today, he'd been less sneering disdain and more barely contained rage. A frenzied frustration fraying his chakra that wasn't normal there.

"No, to be honest, it's just a different form of training," I mutter with a tired sigh. "Trust me, we aren't slacking."

Kakashi throws a kunai at the sanin and Orochimaru drops me. "We'd like to see you there, sensei, if you have the time."

Orochimaru goes blank, even his chakra being clamped down on with an iron fist. "…You want me there."

"Of course. You're our precious sensei, after all," I scoff. "We're proud to be your students, you know."

When we leave, he's still standing there, the manic energy replaced by something a little more fragile in his demeanor.

XXXXXSAKUMOXXXXX

"It's an honor to have you and and your family, Shijimi-sama," I note warmly as I guide the daimyou to the dais set up for his family and the Hokage, current and previous. Sandaime and his wife are already seated, and I watch the exchange of pleasantries as I take my place with the daimyou,noting my ANBU and the Twelve Guardians who protect our nation's royalty taking their places nearby. All around, people gather, waiting for the performance to begin.

"Hatake-dono, will your son not be joining us?" Madam Shijimi asks, her own son, the current heir to the Fire Lands, sitting next to her, a disinterested look in his eyes.

"Oh, he will be performing today with his friend, Akari-hime, princess of the Uchiha Clan," I note with a smirk. The pups had been working hard and refusing to show me, Fugaku, or Mikoto ahead of the time, tired little smirks on their faces and wicked excitement in their eyes.

It was nice to see my boy loosen up, just another thing to be eternally grateful to Akari-Chan for. He is so much happier these days. I am happier these days, too. It feels like I'm truly helping my village instead of just constantly throwing myself into bloody battle after battle. It is… fulfilling to do something other than the endless killing. Now, I could actually make a better world for the pups. Kaori, my love, are you looking down on us with happiness from the Pure Lands? Have you seen how much our treasure has grown.

"Uchiha-hime, hmm?" Shijimi-sama question, a glint in his eyes that strains my smile. The nobles were always looking for fruitful matches, especially with clan shinobi, and I didn't like the contemplation in his tone in the slightest.

"It's begining," Sandaime interrupts, a congenial smile in place and I thank the gods for his smooth divergence. There were many performances scheduled, but the Uchiha were first.

On the stage, the lights turned off, and one by one, small fires flickered to life as drums and koto begin to play, elegant yet fierce, then the lights returned revealing Uchiha maidens of varying ages, the smallest of which was a tiny doll with decorative silk across her eyes. The Uchiha were known for their beauty, and the dancers, dressed in midriff baring tops and long slitted skirts were mesmerizing as they twirled with handfuls of flames, dark hair swaying. Entertained, I watch the shaking of their hips and occasionally stomping feet as the crowd was going wild.

"Akari-hime looks like she's enjoying herself, Hiruzen chuckles around his pipe and I internally curse when the man indirectly turns the nobles attention right back to the girl. I take it back, I think with a sweat drop, Sandaime-sama can't read a room for shit.

"That is the Uchiha princess? The little one? She's absolutely adorable, and near our Hideyoshi's age!" I twitch and shoot a dark look at Lord Third who sheepishly avoids my gaze. Hideyoshi, the heir, was nearly ten years older than the three year old, so no, they were not close in age, although it was considered an acceptable age gap for nobility. I grit my teeth, annoyed by their machinations for a toddler, but then I remember Kakashi's jealousy her, and snicker. Yeah, let's be honest, we all know where that's going.

The Uchiha women dance, bright smiles on their lips as they darted here and there, the likes of which were practically unheard of for the stoic clan. Their hips bounce showing frankly incredible athletic ability and I snort when Biwako-sama smacks Hiruzen, her drooling husband, upside the head with a resigned sigh. 

There is a shift and men appear, slipping into the crowd of swaying women, all powerful movements and dexterity as they swirl flames about like ribbons. As the music increases in speed, so too do the dancers, becoming more fierce and unrestrained, their movements emanating joy and a wild sort of freedom, a shocking sight from the normally strict clan. I raise my brow at the impressive chakra control, earning cheers and admiration from the watching shinobi. I watch with a grin as Mikoto and her friend, Akane-San, toss Akari through the air, the silver in her hair turned gold by the rings of flames around her. Laughter on her lips, the little girl flows around her elders, dazzling the audience with flames so hot they burn white and blue at the edge, like it's nothing.When the Uchiha all fell to their knees and shot massive flames into the sky like fireworks in a finale, the cheers and applause is deafening. Even the rulers of Fire Lands were awestruck. "Marvelous! Simply wonderful!"

I breathe a sigh of relief. The relationship between a hidden village and a daimyo was a complicated one. As the Hokage, I controlled the military power of thousands of Shinobi, but if the daimyo was unhappy with us, it wouldn't really matter. An unhappy daimyou meant that our village could stop receiving requests for jobs, our economy devolving and the village starving. Even if shinobi could technically kill a daimyo and his entire court, we wouldn't be unable to survive without trade and support from civilians all over the land, and the aristocracy of a nation always controls the flow of money. An isolated hidden village could only sustain itself for so long, and so we retain a status as servants of the daimyo, even if the relationship tended to be more symbiotic than anything else. 

In the end, if Shinjim-sama called us to war, we would have to move. It's part of the reason why the Third Shinobi War was approaching so quickly. The daimyo of the Fire is in a major disagreement with those of Rock and Earth.

The reminder is unsettling, but thankfully I'm distracted by the lights turning off as the next act starts. Lovely music fills the air as two small figures appear on stage, bathed in light. First was Kakashi, dressed in white and blue formal attire and armor, sword in hand. Next to him was Akari once more, now wearing a more ostentatious dress of red and gold, this time with a golden mask over her eyes that extended to some form a crown atop her head. She, too, had a sword, and together the two children began to dance elegantly, each movement controlled and precise as they moved slowly, following the melody of lilting instruments in a traditional sword dance.

"Damn, their forms are pretty good," one shinobi praised from the crowd.

"As expected of clan heirs."

"What control…they haven't even graduated yet,,."

I smirk smugly, "Shinjim-sama, that is my heir Kakashi."

"My! How lovely! This is homage to Ameterasu-sama and Susanoo-sama, I take it?"

"Indeed," I mutter, amused as I take in the suns and clouds decorating their respective clothes. Then, as the music grew stronger, their steps quicken. I sit up straight as what was once a simple dance turns into something more. Both blades ignite in a spectacular show of elemental control, my son's radiating lightning and Akari's burning with fire. 

And then they begin to clash. 

The children race to one another, the sounds of their blades ringing out amidst the music, and sparks flying with each strike, the crowd once more losing it at the display of sheer skill. The drums beat almost frantically, and the children leap to match it, each using their respective clan styles with deadly grace. Akari would leap and flip through the air, glowing like sunlight with fire coated chakra strings trailing behind her, darting in and out of Kakashi's range, all flexibility and precision, while Kakashi would lash out in explosive power and speed, flashes of white light and lightning coating him as though he was booming thunder and raging waves.

Their movements, while still beautiful, now held the bite of a true shinobi battle, the underlying deadliness, and wince at the realization that those swords would most definitely do some damage should they misstep. Still, I feel my heart swell with pride as their speed becomes too quick for ordinary civilians to even follow, if only for a few heartbeats. Then, in a brilliant climax, "Amaterasu " defeats her brother, knocking his sword away and laying her own at his neck. Kakashi as the storm god fell to his knees as the music turned into something softer, and Amaterasu, taking pity on her impetuous brother, set her own sword aside and clasped hands with him, once more forgiving Susanoo as she always seemed to. With the final notes lingering in the air, both children jump, landing near our dais, and I raised my eyebrows at their approach,. What are they up to now?

Restless, some of the Twelve guardians halt them, but the children merely kneel patiently. Moving slowly, both children reached for their sides and unseal three flower crowns. After holding them out for inspection to one of the Twelve Guardians, and even ANBU Captain Bat, the current head of my guard, the children were allowed to come closer to the dais, this time bowing lowly to the daimyo and his family.

"We are honored by your visit and attendance of our performance. We offer you these gifts as a sign of our appreciation," Kakashi states, slowly stepping forward with Akari. The solemnity of the situation is promptly broken by Madam Shinjim, squealing and lunging forward to squish their cheeks tightly. 

Both children merely smiled blandly, eyes pained, and offer their gifts, the royal family graciously bowing their heads to receive the crowns.With adorable seriousness, the children give final boys to the royals, then me and Sandaime, as well, before disappearing into the crowd. Taking in the utterly delighted look on the Shinjimis' faces as the next performance starts, I have to hold back laughter at the realization that the Uchiha princess has just managed to wiggle her way into the good graces of the Lord of Fire of all people, all at the age of three. The girl's political machinations were truly awe inspiring.

I touch the brim of my white hat, a smile curling up my lips. Something tells me I won't have nearly as much trouble finding a successor as Lord Third. By the time I'm ready to retire, at the very least, I'll have one option.

XXXXXAKARIXXXXX 

"We fucking nailed that," I hiss gleefuly, leading our way through the crowd, adrenaline still rich in my veins.

'Hn," Kakashi agrees and I chuckle at the clear influence on him.

It's at that moment that a familiar hand snatches Kakashi and I off the ground by our clothes."Not bad, brats. Not good either, I could've killed you a hundred times over, but not bad."

"Sensei! You came!" I ignoring the sounds of alarm and choking around us as I reach my hands out to the Snake Sage, but he only holds me further at arms length, eyes narrowed. Kakashi snickers, face tucked down to hide it in his scarf.

"Do you just go around giving flower crowns to everyone, gremlin?" I blink, surprised by the hint of jealousy I can feel beneath his skin and I have to bite my cheek to keep from smiling.

"Only when I'm trying to make friends," I shrug.

Orochimaru huffs, dropping us to the ground carelessly, and with a sneer he turns on his heel, the crowd eagerly getting the fuck out of his way as he calls back. " 6 AM tomorrow. Bring your swords."

XXXXXXXXXX

We'd been on our way to check out the Uchiha craftsmen, my clan's kekkei genkai and tendency towards shurikenjutsu resulting in specialized metal workers and artisans, when we heard it. "MY ETERNAL RIVAL!"

I choke on a takoyaki at the sudden bellow. Asuma, having escaped the political machinations as well, smacks me roughly on the back and I nod in thanks, wide eyed as I rip my blindfold off and turn my magic peepers beneath my hair. Like a rocket, a blur of green charges forward and Kakashi only barely manages to backflip out of the way. I gape in awe at the boy before me. The bowl cut and bushy brows were fucking real and it was incredible. Noticing a blinding glint of white teeth, I quickly disrupted my chakra in a signless Kai, but low and behold, they still shined brightly. Considering I'm a sensor with a fucking high level Sharingan, there shouldn't be a genjutsu I can't detect, but the sight before me is currently breaking the laws of nature and I have no other explanation other than it being an illusion. Before me stands the future Green Beats of Konoha and I'm fucking elated.

"Gai," Kakashi said, sounding longsuffering, and I can't help but giggle, Asuma much the same.

"And who is this lovely flower?" Gai asks, turning to me for the first time. Gai is someone who worked extremely hard, is a genuinely good person, and gave zero fucks about others opinions to the point where it was impressive, even to me, a reincarnator of several life times.

On top of that, he is a goddamn troll of utterly majestic proportions.

Our friendship would be glorious.

I beam. "Hi. I'm Akari Uchiha!"

"Oh, kami," Kakashi mutters in rising terror.

"Lovely flower, I am Maito Gai! A pleasure to meet your acquaintance!" I shoot him finger guns with a grin. "And Asuma-kun as well!"

"Hey Gai," Asuma replies, bemused as he watches Kakashi begin to inch away, eyes wide. 

"I invite you both to watch my newest challenge to my esteemed eternal rival!" Gai roses.

"Hn, I'd love to, but first, we should enjoy the festival. Won't you join us, Gai? I've been meaning to check out the Uchiha glass makers. Apparently, they've done something special for the festival." I redirect sweetly.

On instinct, I dodge a stream of tears, 

(Oh, it's been a few lifetimes since I've been in danger of being splashed by the eye juice of a small green person!). I perform another hand signless Kai, but still nothing changes, and I have to fight the urge to laugh because the only explanation I can think of is that this must be some kind of weird blessing from a random god for shits and giggles. 

"Yosh! I would be most honored to join you, lovely Akari-hime!" And on we went.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Shikaku-nii, Minato-nii, Kushina-nee!" I call happily, hugging the boys' legs and waving excitedly to the red head, still unable to actually get too close to the Kyuubi's volatile chakra.

"Akari-hime!" Minato grabs me, setting me on his hip, smile wide. "We saw your performance!"

"And your political machinations. Elevating both your clans' prestige and charming the Fire daimyo. Not bad, brats," Shikaku smirks, and Minato's head whips around, dawning realization in his chakra. "Who thought that plan up?"

"Forget all that! Did you see their chakra control and sword technique!?" Kushina screams, scooping Kakashi into a twirling hug, my friend is like a limp doll at her mercy, and I wince in sympathy. I'm sure as soon as Kushina knows I can handle it, I'll be in the same position. "And SEALS! We taught you that!"

"Hn," I agree, snickering. I tug my blindfold down, and winking at the boys, flash my Sharingan, taking in the beauty of the festival from this vantage point on the top of a hill and ignoring their sputtering. While it is funny to see them react, I also just wanted to see the festival. Ice sculptures were lit up all around us, lantern light glancing of everything in a kaleidoscope of colors. The trees had also been sprayed with water and we're now decorated in gorgeous frost. We've been sticking to the edges of the festivities since our performance so that I can manage with so many chakra signatures around, but now I can actually see how many people are everywhere, even as I deliberately kept my sensory net close to avoid giving myself an aneurysm.

After a moment, I'm taken from Minato and set on Shikaku's hip instead, his normally calm and lazily chakra worried. "Little girl, you shouldn't be showing those off to just anyone," he murmurs, concerned, tapping a finger under my eyes.

I grin, amused. "I don't. But you guys already know and no one can see over here. Also, you don't have to worry so much. We have a really strong teacher."

I wiggle, and Shikaku, somewhat reluctantly, lets me down. "I suppose Mikoto-sama, Fugaku-sama, and Hokage-sama are all strong teachers, but still."

"Oh, them too, I guess, but I meant Orochimaru-sensei." Minato makes a strangled noise of horror and Kushina outright shrieks while Shikaku feels Ike he's contemplating if the sweet embrace of the abyss wouldn't just be less troublesome. "Oh, Kashi! Gai and Asuma are back! And they brought Rin and Obito with them! We gotta go!"

Before we leave, Kakashi confirms our next sealing lessons from a dead eyed Kushina and Minato, and I inform Shikaku that we would be breaking into his house soon to play Shogi. Again.

XXXXXXXXXX

It's a dreary day when the war officially starts. There isn't any explosion or announcement, just my parent's grim faces, and new rules about not going out without summons accompanying us. As clan heads and heirs, none of the people I really care about would be sent out yet. And while clanless kids like Gai would be in danger, he and Rin and Obito, for that matter, were far from graduating.

The only person I was really concerned about right now was Minato.

Even Kushina was too weak and young to go out as a jinchuuriki, so she was being kept in Konoha, but Minato had nothing protecting him from being sent off like cannon fodder. It made my skin itch and my teeth grind.

"What's with that face?" Minato asks gently, his palm on my head.

"I can't keep you from being sent to war," I mutter darkly, grinding my ink stone with far more force than necessary.

"Wha- what? Why would you?" He stutters. I shoot him a nasty look that tells him he's being a dumbass from beneath my blindfold, but he seems to understand regardless. "We all have to go to war, Akari-Chan."

I scoff, ripping off my blindfold so I can glare properly, and I watch him wilt under the force of it, blue eyes wide. "Minato, you're an orphan and 14, clanless, and there isn't anyone to protect you," I growl, upset. Even though Sakumo was doing his best to keep the children from joining the war, spending his days arguing with the council until they were all blue in the face, Minato was above the minimum age requirement, albeit just barely. It was especially disappointing because I know it will be a very long time before I can join the war myself, and that means I'll simply have to watch literally everyone I love fighting for their lives as I try to figure out a way to shorten this useless, superfluous, disregard for life.

I've never been particularly good at just watching from the sidelines and now I'd have to do so for years, being younger than literally everyone I care about.

Minato stares before his face seems to crumple and I yelp, never having seen such an expression on the boy's face. Carefully, with watery eyes and a trembling smile, he lifts me from under my arms and cradles me against his chest. Confused, I rub his back, not quite sure what brought on this tangle of emotions I can feel from him, nor the unexpected hug that I was pretty sure wasn't for me. "No one's worried about it in a long while. Perhaps no one ever, except Kushina and my sensei."

Oh.

I close my eyes for a moment, hearing the way the kid, (because he really was just a kid), swallows roughly next to my ear. I hadn't thought too much about the life of Minato Namikaze. I know he is deeply kind and incredibly smart, and that his closest friends are Kushina and Shikaku. I know how his chakra bubbles with happiness when he talks about seals and that he loves hugs but rarely initiates them. I know that he has a secret sweet tooth and likes green tea, and that he eats ramen at every opportunity because he's a total simp for a certain redhead. But, I guess I never really thought Minato could still be lonely.

The thought never occurred to me, and the realization is shameful.

As Minato sets me down next to him, no longer squeezing me like a plushy, Kushina and Kakashi appear in an explosion of noise, the two having gone to the Hatake's kitchen for snacks.

"Kashi-Kun, your cute little face is so serious!" Kushina coos, reaching for the boy who smoothly dodges with a venomous glare.

"Don't call me that."

Kushina pouts, setting her tray down. "You let Minato and Akari-Chan call you that!"

"Akari-chan is my best friend and partner and Minato-ni is smart and strong," Kakashi says blandly, nose turned up. The "you are not," was unspoken but heavily implied.

"You little-" noting the way Kushina's chakra starts to rise, grating against my senses, and the way her hair begins to float, I decide it's time to intercede.

"We have a mission," I call out seriously, cutting through the chaos of the room.

"A mission?" Kakashi sits up straight, already used to me abruptly dragging him into convoluted situations and schemes.

"Yes, only something we can do," I agree.

"What do ya mean, Kari-chan?" Kushina asks curiously, plopping down next to Minato, who is also intrigued.

"I got a few ideas for seals to help with the war, and I need your help making them," I tell them, grabbing some fruit to munch on. Kakashi and I had been absorbing sealing knowledge at frankly ridiculous paces, my Sharingan particularly useful, but we were still nowhere near Minato and his Uzumaki princess. Additionally, we have very little practical knowledge since the theory is more important right now, and therefore we only know how to make a few handfuls worth of seals, like exploding tags, storage seals, and privacy seals. It's why we need Minato and Kushina.

"What did you have in mind?" Minato asks, blue eyes suddenly blazing with excitement at a new challenge. Nerd.

"A seal that stores food, but keeps it fresh for longer to help with supplying camps. A seal that holds medical chakra for emergencies. A seal that slows bleeding or puts someone into a medical coma-" 

"Whoa, okay!" Kushina sputters. "Yeah, you're definitely showing your genius side today."

"Those could change the course of the war…" Minato murmurs, eyes dazed as he begins to write frantically on a scrap of paper.

"But, wait!" Kushina interrupts, waving her hand a bit wildly, her purple eyes wide. "While we have some foundations for seals like that, the problem is that they'd be super complicated!"

I nod. "Yeah. We'd have to make the activation simple enough for anyone to be able to use the tag or scroll, but creating the seal for every use would be time consuming. Plus, we wouldn't want an enemy nation to steal it-"

"There aren't many who'd be able to understand it in the first place," Minato denies. "Production would probably fall to the Seal and Barrier Division-"

"We should try to make the seal before we think about all that," Kakashi says dryly. "I'll talk to my dad."

"I'll look in my clan archives!" Kushina cheers. Low and behold, the Uzumaki did have a small clan compound in Konoha, one connected to the Senju compound, in fact, built after the fall of Uzushio in the last war. I found myself grimly hoping it was destroyed before Naruto was orphaned, because if not, the village had kept him from yet another part of his heritage.

"I'll contact my sensei," Minato says, scribbling ferociously. I twitch, remembering that Jiraiya is part of the reason Orochimaru is currently so unstable, and having slowly been growing fond of the snake man, I realize I'll have to give the Toad Sage a proper kick in the ass just to knock his head free from where it's lodged.

"Excellent. Let's get started," I grin. And with a start, I realize I might just have a way to keep Minato from being war fodder after all. If he's too useful… hmm. This could work.

XXXXXXXXXX