After life's final light dies . . .

It was winter.

Akane had turned five.

She was sitting in front of a table in the living area as the gentle snowflakes fell outside. Even inside the household of the Namikaze, the cold air was penetrating in. Dim clouds had assembled, veiling the daylight and rendering the whole village in dull grey. It was bleak as if nature was deprived of colors. The trees were seemed to meet its final phase as the soil had appeared to be stripped of rights to give life. Although the sun was at its peak, yet it offered no light for those cowering souls.

Winter. It was the least favorite season of Akane. She couldn't train with all her heart's extent and wouldn't able to see Itachi for a long time. Yet, she still had something to be thankful for.

Her father, Minato, was able to stay at home more often. Akane would spend time with him, asking him to teach her more of the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu.

She wasn't still able to master the justu-shiki.

The only hint her father gave her was a simple sentence: the jutsu-shiki was a special seal that reflected the soul.

"Tō-chan."

Minato was cooking for lunch when he heard his daughter's call. "What it is?" As he wiped his hands with the pink apron he was wearing, he walked towards where her table was.

"What is soul?" Akane understood it by definition, but the thing she couldn't understand was the underlying principle embodied within.

Minato only smiled and patted her hair.  "The soul is the moral and emotional nature of human beings. It is the thing that makes Akane Akane."

He never minded explaining it to her subjectively, for her daughter was smart enough to process thoughts clear-mindedly.

"Akane as Akane?" she muttered with a very serious frown, internally analyzing the riddle behind his words. "It's like . . . Uhm, like . . . I am what I am . . . Right, tō-chan?"

"Right," he noted, chuckling. "Listen, child, knowing 'who you are' is the most essential of all. The soul is the only thing that will give you the right path, because no matter where you are or how far you will go, you will never get lost. And that's the fundamental of the jutsu-shiki."

Immediately, Akane got enlightened. "So, that's it? Thank you, tō-chan!"

"No problem." After kissing the top of her head, he went back to the kitchen.

Minato could never travel through space and time without his marks—the jutsu-shiki. And it was the very reason why he could instantaneously transport to a certain location regardless of its distance.

Jutsu-shiki. The soul. Who I am.

Who was she, by the way? Who on earth was Akane Namikaze?

She was glaring at the books on her table, thinking. Then, she caught the glint of a single strand of her crimson hair amongst the books.

She picked it up and stared as if it was the first time of her looking at it.

Akane didn't imminently like her hair; she didn't hate it, either. Her scarlet hair just became her identity.

Identity?

Her hair was a part of her identity.

A new image flashed on her mind.

My thoughts of you are more like this higanbana.

Those were the words of her dear friend, Itachi.

Red spider lilies.

— a corpse flower that was being adored by the autumnal dusk; a flower that had the same color of blood.

Blood . . .

Her blood, her identity as well.

Her hair and blood, an ever-vivid color of a higanbana, the darkest shade of crimson color that ever existed in the face of this world. One flower alone was enough to bloom beautifully, yet once it created a landscape, it would resemble an environment of unforgiving, fatal flames.

It didn't take long for Akane to accumulate this concept at a focus point.

Abruptly, it was as though a burning sea of red spider lilies waged war in her eyes, creeping into her bloodstreams, throbbing in her soul.

Akane closed her eyes, completely delved by her thoughts.

My name is Akane Namikaze, a nameless stranger on this Earth.

She, a nameless little girl, came from dust, and in the dust would she return. Although her life was meaningless, her identity had a symbol.

Higanbana.

Just like the crimson color of the flower, her hair and blood screamed the same, even her identity carrying the will of the fire manifesting inside.

While in a deep concentration, she touched the paper lying on her desk, letting her chakra flowed out of her palms. Then it weaved into a picture, like a novel condensed onto a single page, mirroring every level of her consciousness.

Once she opened her eyes, she saw the mark she created.

Akane could have sworn that her heart almost burst out of her chest at the first glance.

"TŌ-CHA——N!" As happy as she could, squealed that made Minato shuddered in surprise. Jumping off her chair, she rushed to the kitchen with the paper on her hand. "I did it! Tō-chan, I did it!"

He was watching his daughter with a smile as vivid as the summer blooms—red hair more vibrant that a fire donned her head. He squatted down to meet her merry expression, then picked her up, and sat down to the nearest chair of the dining area.

"Let me see," he smiled, delighted with his daughter, for he already had the idea behind her high spirits.

Akane showed him what was on the paper, a blush grazing her cheeks.

"A higanbana . . ?" He awed, though hiding the awry behind his voice.

"Yes, that makes Akane Akane."

"It's beautiful." He then nuzzled her hair to give her a sense of recognition for her hard work. Minato didn't show it to her, but he was reluctant. The meaning behind it was strange, something he couldn't explain. "Would you give me your mark, Akane?"

The little girl nodded dutifully. Minato laid his hand out, and Akane placed her hand on it. She concentrated again, feeling the same emotion a while ago.

Her chakra tattooed the image on his palm, deeply engraving the crimson spider lily.

For Minato, he believed with her daughter's capabilities, but he could deny that Akane always exceeded his expectations.

The higanbana must have a devious symbolism, and he only hoped that she could reverse its meaning. Because of no matter what . . .

"I'm always proud of you, Akane."

There was a hearty smile on the child's face, pleased with her achievement, then hugged him. "Thank you, tō-chan!"

"Yes, and since you unlocked the jutsu-shiki, I'll train you the Hiraishin Ninjutsu."

"Yay!" Akane squealed in joy.

"Only when Spring arrived."

Disappointment etched on her face. Since it was snowing, it couldn't be helped.

Shortly, the two heard the door creaked open.

It was Kushina, coming inside from the outside.

"Kā-chan!" Akane got off from her father's lap and jogged where the foyer was. "Where have you been? It's snowing and freezing cold outside! You should stay at home!" The little girl could be like her mom sometimes, then pulled Kushina's hand and closed the door. "But, you see, kā-chan, I—"

"You're going to be a big sister, dattebane!" Kushina exclaimed, an expression of indescribable happiness painted face.

"Big sister?" Minato mused, who happened to be behind them. "Akane will?"

"Isn't that great, 'ttebane?" Her excitement was high, almost making her eyes twinkle.

"Then, that means . . ." Although Minato was still overwhelmed, he walked closer to his wife and embraced her tight.

Akane knew what did her mom mean.

Big sister . . . Me?

༺═──────────────═༻

It was early spring.

The sun was already resolutely below the horizon. The surrounding trees were just silhouettes against the crimson sky. Even the spring grass, they shone like it had its own gentle glow from within.

It was sure peaceful, but never the frustration of the little girl. She had been training all day, but she couldn't make any progress.

She had her justu-shiki already, but she started to doubt herself if she could really use the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Her father was extremely busy lately, and didn't have time to pay much attention to her training.

Panting and mentally exhausted, she decided to stop for now.

Akane sat down, sighing heavily.

The spring evening would eventually dominate the sky, yet the young lady didn't want to go home.

In the silence, a small aura flickered in the middle of the deserted woods. On that cue, she felt that she was being observed by some person.

"Why don't you come out and show yourself?" Akane spoke in a faded tone.

For a moment, a man revealed himself. 

"Well, well, whatta keen sense, little missy!" he said in a gregarious manner, rubbing the back of his head.

Akane observed the man. He had waist-length, spiky white hair with two shoulder-length bangs framing his face. There were red lines under his eyes which extended further down his face.

A weird old man.

She didn't waste a second to have a chat with him, thus, she stood up and picked up her kunai with her markings.

"Oh-ho, red hair?" The man incredulously said. "Perhaps, you are . . ?"

That caught Akane's attention. The last time she checked, she was almost got in trouble because of her red hair, and now, Akane had no reason to feel uneasy.

The crimson-haired young lass glared at the man, there was no softness seen. He was indeed a stranger. She searched her memory for possible people she could have wronged . . . Yet no memory of him stirred. 

With the tip of her kunai, she pointed it at him. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

The man laughed at his own expense, giving off a mirthful laugh despite her hostile attitude. "'Tis rude of me, no?" Then he missed no opportunity to be flashy by striking kabuki poses and dramatically introduced himself. "From the North to the South, and the East, to the West! Not even celestial beings can defeat this Legendary Sannin! I'm the White-Maned Toad Charmer, a red-hot ninja who strikes fear in the hearts of people! Yes, I'm speaking none other than myself, Master Jiraiya!"

Akane almost fell asleep with his blabber, staring at him with a dumb look. But her mind suddenly formulated a thought when she heard his name. Jiraiya. She was certain that it wasn't the first time she heard it.

Jiraiya, Jiraiya . . .

"Ah!" Akane's face gleamed. "You're tō-chan's sensei!"

Jiraiya laughed, approaching her closer. "You do know me?"

"Only by the name, though," she laughed sheepishly and bowed her head. "Pardon my rude greeting." 

"Oho, don't mind it." He put a hand on her head. "You've grown a lot, huh, Akane?"

"Not that much, Jiraiya-san."

"So? The sun had set, what are you still doing here?"

Akane only sighed, her lips curled down. "I don't wanna go home."

Jiraiya observed her. She might have entered the toddlers' tantrum phase. But the Legendary Sannin thought that it was an important part of her development. Then he settled down on the ground. "Want to talk about it?"

"Is it okay for you?"

He smugly chuckled, "Well, I could spare you some time."

Akane had sat down as well, legs crossed. After a small silence, she said, "It's because I don't feel I belong there."

That confused the adult. "Why would you say that?"

She was feeling downcasted. "I've been training the Hiraishin Jutsu for at least a couple of months now, Jiraiya-san, but tō-chan is too busy with his Hokage works, and only taught me once."

Jiraiya loss his words, his jaw dropped open. "Y-You can do the Hiraishin?"

Ability such as hers and Minato only came across a hundred years.

"Hmm, not at least for now. Or, I would never ever."

"But you already have your jutsu-shiki, haven't you?" Akane nodded. "Then, that's the start of it. Even Minato didn't master it right away, especially there are risks."

"Risk? Like what?"

"For instance, you managed to enter the dimensional void, and if you committed a wrong move, there's a big chance that you'll be trapped there."

Akane shuddered, suddenly felt anxious to continue mastering the Hiraishin. "I-I . . . I don't wanna train Hiraishin anymore!"

Jiraiya roared out, laughing. This child, he thought, though she had the splitting presence of Minato, she still somehow had her mother's attitude.

"Don't be scared, Akane. Just train a lot, and your hard works won't fail you."

"But how would I train?" whined her. "Tō-chan already has his hands full with his work, then once he's home, all of his attention will be poured out to kā-chan . . . And kā-chan is extra-naggy these days, she's having mood swings a lot, that's why I'm out of the house often. I think, that's because of her pregnancy, and the only person who can calm her is tō-chan. Both of them aren't paying much attention to me."

With her statement, Jiraiya discerned that Akane wasn't aware of Kushina's situation—being a Jinchūriki while carrying a child in her womb.

"Now, now, Akane, calm down." He tried to console her, for he understood her sentiment. "I'll be staying in the village for . . . Let's see . . . At least a month, I'd say. D'ya want me to supervise you?"

"You will?" Her face brightened up, eyes twinkling.

"Of course! I'll inform Minato about it." At the back of his mind, he was thinking that he'd be a decent man for a while. And aside from that, Akane might be the child said in the prophecy.

"Then–" she bowed her head again– "I'm honored to be your student, Jiraiya-sensei."

"Sure thing," he replied. "Also, please understand your mother, and love the sibling she's carrying."

Akane's expression went blank, looking at him with the extent of her catatonic eyes. "But . . . I don't want a sibling."

Jiraiya only sweatdropped.

Now that's a  problem, huh?

༺═──────────────═༻

It was late spring, early summer.

Akane caught a fever.

Only one reason: negligence of her health.

Her face was beet red and her skin glistened in cold sweats. She was breathing deeply as if the oxygen couldn't circulate in her bloodstreams.

It worried Kushina. Akane was her beloved daughter, her own flesh and blood. Her pain was also hers.

Akane had lain sick these past three days, and Kushina hadn't dared to keep her eyes off her. She placed cloths of cold water over her forehead and prayed for the fever to break.

Her daughter might be sleeping, but her exhaustion was visible. All she could do was to open the window to let the spring wind enter her room, perhaps to make her breathe freely and be lulled by its lullaby.

"Akane . . ."

With one call, Akane woke up to the sound of her father in a gentle whisper.

"Tō-chan," she croaked.

Minato put his hand on her forehead. Her fever lowered. He was monitoring her now, because his wife had to take her rest.

"How's my little girl?" he asked, now dearly caressing her lovely hair.

Akane was only staring at him. She was still feeling lightheaded, wasn't even sure if her father in front of her was real.

Weakly, Akane raised her hand, trying to reach her father's face.

She felt him real, for he didn't vanish like the pictures in her dreams.

With a small and pure-hearted smile, she offered it to her father. "T-Thank you . . ."

Minato only blinked in surprise. Now, guilt shot up to his chest. What did he do to deserve his daughter's kindness?

A simple word of thanks, he realized what he had been missing for a while.

His time with her became really limited, failing to notice the changes in her. She grew taller, but her hair became a little shorter. Even her voice, it became a bit lower, but lovingly sweet.

She'd grow more and more.

And he had already missed a lot, and he wouldn't like to miss more.

At that time, he made a promise, right here, on forth.

He'd watch her grow up every day; send her to school every once in a while; see all of her improvements by means of Ninjutsu, intellect, and emotions; comfort her when she was hurt; laugh with her during light moments; be on a mission together.

He also wanted to be there if there were guys following her, or be a someone to talk to when she fell in love, or even her shoulder to cry on during her heartbreak.

There was so much more to see, so much more to feel, so much more to share moments.

Minato only grinned.

Akane, I should be the one who's thanking you.

Then he stood up, bending down his upper body to give his dear daughter a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be down for a while, tō-chan will cook a good meal for you. That's why you have to get well already, okay?"

Akane had no other way of responding but smiling.

Akane wasn't simply a girl or a daughter; she was someone he and Kushina loved, would they die for, all give up their places in the hereafter if it would make her safe.

Summer had always been a lively season. That day on a late afternoon, the sky was so bright. The Earth right before the sunset was filled with impeccable energy that Akane wanted to be surrounded by constantly.

Her fever had died down, but she had to rest for a while.

At this beautiful golden hour, Akane and her mother were outside of their home, seated under the shade of a tree.

Kushina had her back rested on the trunk while reading a book. Her daughter was resting her head on her lap while she tousled Akane's hair with so much gentleness and affection.

Akane, who first hated the idea of having a sibling, was slowly becoming to like the idea. Especially the warmth she was sensing as she caressed her mom's protruding stomach. She pressed her ear on it, trying to listen to what was her unborn baby brother doing.

Yet she heard nothing, but the tiny grumbles.

"Kā-chan," she called.

"Hmm?"

"Uhm, why do I feel like there's something inside