Another Chance

Prologue:

_________

Sore wa owatta.

It is over

This feeling of complete, crushing defeat made me open my eyes to a new world; or perhaps, their world. A new start it was, a new beginning, and if anything, it had nothing to do with my dream for this land at all. Nothing. With weak eyes, and struggling to hold on to my last breath, I stared at the man who had once been my enemy, a man who I had once considered as my friend.

Everything that I had fought for is gone, but atleast I had gone down whilst trying.

''Is...that you, Hashirama?'' I choked out a laugh, it was all to surreal, everything wasn't within my expectation. ''I guess..neither you nor I could achieve what we wanted.''

''It's never that easy!'' He told me; that familiar voice once again ringing in my ears. ''Our job is to do all that we can, while we're alive, and then bequeath the rest for future generations to accomplish.''

''So...naïve as usual.'' I chuckled. ''You...were always, the optimist, but perhaps, that is the correct path.'' It was. Really was. The faces flashing in my mind, they, who had stood by his side until the very end. I, who had no one in this world anymore. ''My dream, was squashed, But your dream....still lives on.''

''We were both too hasty.'' He told me, the pat on my dying shoulder made me feel more pain than comfort. ''We didn't have to fulfill our dreams ourselves, It was more important to cultivate those who would come after us, to whom we could entrust our dreams.''

I chuckled at the irony of it all. ''That means I would've failed...anyways, since I always hated someone, standing...behind me.''

''When we were kids, You once said we're shinobi, and we don't know when we'll die, and that for neither side to die, we'd both have to reveal what's inside us, and pour each other's drinks to toast like brother's.''

He looked at me and smiled.
''But..we're both about to die, right now, we could drink together as war buddies.''

I looked at him.
''War buddies, huh? well...I guess..that's okay....by--''

Sore wa owatta.

My life had escaped itself before I could even finish my final dying words, the darkness of the vicinity, the abyss staring into me. Was this how I was going to live for the rest of the eternity? 

What would it take to get another chance at life? As long as I had another chance, anything would be fine by me.

Anything?

I was taken aback when I heard a voice. ''Who are you?'' Alarm was flashing in my eyes, my hands going back to grab a kunai - only to once again realize I had nothing on me, no material objects whatsoever. But I should've expected it. I was dead and I obviously couldn't bring anything with me to the afterlife.

My identity shouldn't matter, but I could grant your wish.

My eyes widened, I had no idea who this being was, and it was stupid enough for me to talk to him, but it was better than nothing. ''You..will?''

Yes, although...there is a condition, if it's fine with you.

''It is.'' I stated firmly, not even caring what the condition was. Anything was better than here, in this, whatever this place was.

Then I shall send you back. This time, please learn to be happy.

I was hit with a wave-like of colors, too bright and colorful for my taste, and a sore to my eyes. ''Is this really necessary!?'' Annoyed, I yelled out, but silence was my only answer.

Was this....the condition?

------

''Come on! Miss, almost there!''

''The baby is almost out!''

''Don't give up! you're almost there!''

Those were some of the words I could make up when I regained my consciousness, I slowly started to open my eyes and realized I was in the hands of a complete stranger ''Congratulations, this baby truly is a Uchiha, you have a very healthy baby.''

Baby!?

''You're eyes, they're beautiful.'' The woman told me. ''They have this nice sparkle to them.'' She told me while wrapping me up in a bundle of towels.

This woman was awfully chatty, her incessant chattering, and voice made me want to tear her vocal chords apart. Females. I wanted to sneer, a facial expression that for some reason, I was unable to do.

''Let me see him, let me see my son!'' My father exclaimed when he entered the room, his eyes landed on me a little smile on his face.

The woman hesitantly walked up to him. ''Um, sir, about that...''

''What is it?'' He headed towards me right away, his facial expression changing the moment he set his eyes on mt barely covered childlike body. "Female?" He was in shock. The smile immediately erased from his face ''What?''

Kore wa yokunaidarou

A glare was sent my way, a look of disbelief before he stormed out of the room. Disappointed, that much, I could see.

''Tajima!'' My mother embraced me, a protective hold that made me want to cling to her for her warmth. But my gender that was being repeated, as if echoing in my ears, made my whole world stop.

Kai shite. I'm born a woman.