Dragonmage27: I started working on this about a year ago but I kept putting it off. And so, since summer vacation is coming (well it's here except I have a major exam (last one!) tomorrow...then I can finally start working on my other fics! Ever since the true story of Itachi came out in the manga I had to make a lot of changes -sigh- Well...enjoy reading! It's my longest one-shot yet!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Summary: Umino Iruka and Uchiha Itachi. The story of their small friendship that withered away before it even had the chance to blossom.
Reminiscence
"Otou-san, why did you choose to be a ninja?"
"I was young and proud. What is better than to come home after a mission with the thrill of knowing that you have protected your village in one way or another? Even if I know that I will someday die doing my job, isn't it glorious to know that you have fallen as a hero? I chose my path and I never regretted my decision."
"Ohhhh. Cool! When I grow up, I want to be a ninja too!"
"Any reason why?"
"I want to bring glory to my family!"
A deep chuckle was let out. "Make me proud, son."
"Father, am I really going to join the Academy early?"
"Yes, and I expect that you meet up to my expectations. Your cousin has set the standards quite high, and as the Uchiha prodigy, I expect you will aim to surpass him."
"Yes, father."
"Remember, in the Academy, how you present yourself is how you present the clan. Do not shame me, and do not shame our family."
"Our clan..."
"Yes, you must never forget that the clan is first priority. Learn this well and serve our clan proudly."
With a blank face, the young boy nodded. "Yes, father."
He had been five years old when he first met him. The night before, his father had drilled the clan's rules and regulations into him. Feeling unrest in the morning, Uchiha Itachi headed toward one of the training grounds near the Academy to let out his frustrations.
As he looked up at the building he couldn't help but feel anxious. In a few years, he'll be able to join the Academy and become a shinobi. If he could prove his abilities, hopefully, he'll advance through the ranks fast enough to get high level missions away from the village, where he could finally escape from the grasps of his clan.
But as Itachi arrived at the Academy's shuriken training ground, he gave himself a mental slap on the face. He had forgotten that the Academy students had shuriken training in the morning on that particular weekday. Instead of heading out, Itachi decided to study how the students threw their shuriken. Maybe he could see what was wrong with his own throwing.
Itachi was still a bit peeved at the fact that his father had scolded for a whole hour about his 'near-perfect' throwing skills. "Near-perfect is not perfect and I want to see nothing but perfection from my son." Uchiha Fugaku had said sternly. As Itachi thought back to the memory, he winced. Why did he have to think of his father right now? 'Damn him!' Itachi thought grumpily, suddenly feeling ten times more frustrated then when he woke up.
He jerked back to reality as he heard some shrieks of fright from the students. Apparently, these ten year olds could not really throw a shuriken. One particularly tense student got too nervous and had thrown the shuriken backwards, sending the projectile flying right toward his classmates.
Itachi felt disappointed, he wasn't going to learn anything from these people. He was going to leave when he remembered that his cousin, Shisui, was currently in the Academy learning in one of the classrooms and his mother was visiting the doctor (she had been feeling nauseous for the past few days). Which made it totally pointless for Itachi to go back home, so he decided to stay a bit. After all, even if he couldn't learn anything, at least he could amuse himself for a while.
Meanwhile, the teacher had managed to throw another shuriken to knock the one that was aiming towards the students off course. He sighed in relief and exasperation; apparently this happened quite often and gestured for the next student on line to practice his throwing.
That boy looked quite ordinary; he had brown eyes and brown hair which he had tied up. He took out four shuriken and tossed the first one. He threw it with a position that screamed 'miss!' even to Itachi, and he was five years old. The shuriken flew out of his hand, soared through the air, heading towards the target board and then swerved five feet to the right. He missed.
Itachi snorted and looked up at the sky in boredom. The clouds looked so peaceful, white and fluffy (yes, he's five, that word was still in his vocabulary. Even though it was highly disapproved of in the "Uchiha Vocabulary Handbook"). Itachi really wanted to sleep; he had not gotten much rest last night and right now, was in the comfortable shade of a tree on top of a grassy field. However, because he was from such a prestigious clan, if he was caught doing such a commoner activity, such as lazing around on the ground instead of training, he would have been punished heavily. (Apparently, the fact that much jounin sleep on the ground all the time when they are on missions always fleet before Uchiha Fugaku's mind when he was in lecture mode.)
As Itachi looked back at the student's training session, he saw the boy who he had just missed his first try, glaring at him. Apparently, either he had super-ears, or Itachi had super-snorting. Itachi just gave a rebellious bored stare and that boy gave him a look that said "I'll show you..."
He threw all three of his shuriken at one go and each one flew through the air, burrowing itself deep into the bull's-eye of the target board. The boy stuck his chin out at Itachi and had a haughty look on his face, while his classmates 'oohed and ahhed" at his performance. His teacher then put his hand on the boy's shoulder with approval and the boy just scratched his head in a mixture of embarrassment and joy.
Soon after that, the class headed back into the Academy building to learn history and Itachi nodded off into a nap under the tree until the afternoon. He was awoken by the screams of the children as they ran out of the building when classes were over.
Itachi blinked a bit, his eyes slowly adjusting to the sunlight as he woke up. He jerked into fully awakened mode when he heard footsteps approaching him. He looked up and into the brown eyes of the boy who had thrown the shuriken. Itachi gave him a confused look and the boy smiled lightly. "Hey," he said in a friendly manner.
Itachi just continued to stare at him in confusion.
"Are you joining the Academy? I haven't seen you around before. Aren't you a bit young?"
After a short pause, Itachi felt that this over-curious student was not going to leave unless he answered him. "Why are you talking to me?"
The boy frowned, "You were the one staring at me when I was training."
Itachi snorted and just turned his head to the other way. The brown-eyed boy grinned and took out his shuriken, "Ahh, I see. You want to learn how to throw shuriken right? I'll teach you, don't worry."
Itachi just stared at him like he was crazy before grabbing the shuriken out of his hands and throwing all of them towards the target board; each one buried itself deep in the bulls-eye.
The boy looked at him in shock and amazement, his eyes opened wide and his mouth opened to a 'O'. Itachi watched the boy in amusement as he opened and closed his mouth trying to speak before finally shaking his head and extended his hand towards Itachi while a small smile graced his face.
"Umino Iruka."
Itachi stayed put for a while, his eyes lingering on the hand in front of him before he finally took the hand.
"Uchiha Itachi." And the relationship was born.
"Why were you pretending that you didn't know how to throw shuriken?"
"What do you mean? I wasn't pretending."
"So that was just a terrible display of your shuriken skills?"
"Hey! That wasn't terrible."
"No it wasn't, it was worse than that."
"That's mean! Okay, the truth is that I accidentally threw it as a miss because I was standing in line for so long and my foot fell asleep."
"..."
"What?"
"You've got to be kidding me."
"It's true! Why don't you believe me?"
"It's not that I don't, I just don't find that to be anything you should be proud of."
"...what's up with your vocabulary? Are you sure you're five years old? And not a reincarnation of a priest of something?"
"What should I be saying then?"
"I don't know! Words like goo-goo or ga-ga!"
Itachi bashed Iruka on the head, and walked off with, "I'm not two years old!"
Iruka looked a bit dazed and murmured, "It must be a Uchiha thing," before leaning against a tree to nurse his poor head.
The next time they met, it was a week later. Itachi was helping his mother run errands, because Mikoto was probably oblivious to the fact that when cute little five year olds run around in a ninja village, it would be perfectly safe. Or Mikoto probably just wanted discounts; storeowners tended to say "Aww..." when they saw a cute, young kid helping their mother buy groceries.
Of course, it could be Uchiha Mikoto's revenge for the episode that morning. Itachi had walked into the kitchen ready for breakfast when he paused and blinked.
"What's wrong, Itachi?" Mikoto asked, as she set the food on the table.
"Okaa-san...did you get a little…wider around the middle?" Itachi asked innocently. Mikoto's face flushed and she said indignantly, "I am not! I am just..." Mikoto paused to think of a better word.
"Getting fat?" Itachi asked cheerfully.
Let's just say Mikoto wasn't very pleased even after she threw her spatula out the door as Itachi ran outside to escape his mother's wrath.
Okay, let's get back to the main point of our story; so Itachi goes shopping using full force of his cute chibi-ness as he skips down the street swinging a basket as he hummed a little tune. (Okay, maybe he doesn't skip or hum, but he was holding a basket.)
Itachi was heading home when he heard someone shout out his name. "Oi! Itachi-kun! Stop!"
Itachi stopped.
And crashed into the ground.
It seemed the person who was calling him had been running after him and after Itachi abruptly stopped, the two of them collided and fell onto the ground.
"Oww...Itachi-kun! Why'd you stop?" Iruka complained as he rubbing his sore arm.
Itachi just scowled and glanced at his basket. Thank goodness nothing had spilled out. "You told me to stop," he said accusingly as he picked up the basket. Yolk and egg white oozed out, while Itachi glared at it, hoping that somehow, the eggs would magically become whole again.
"So Itachi-kun-" Iruka was cut short when the glare was directed towards him.
"What do you want Umino-san?" Itachi wasn't really in the mood. First of all, he had spent a whole hour trying to stop Iruka from calling Itachi-kun (they were not that close!) the first day they met, without success. Now, his new 'acquaintance' had ruined his eggs, making Itachi have to go buy more. He had no more money. Damn. And he was hungry. Double damn.
"Aww, I thought I got you to stop calling me that. Come on; quit it with the Umino-san stuff. Making me feel like you're talking to my father." Iruka stopped as he was given a glare. "Uh...I actually saw you walking and wanted to treat you to some takoyaki..." Iruka glanced down at the ground where the food had fallen when Iruka lost grip of it after he collided with Itachi.
"...how much money do you have Umino-san?" There was no way that Itachi was going back home without the eggs when his mother was expecting. Especially when Itachi's mother was angry, and knew how to wield a kitchen knife.
"Well, I just got my allowance, but I only brought a bit of it out with me. Why?" Itachi shoved his grocery basket under the brown haired boy's nose. "Oh. Oooh. Did I do that?"
Glare.
"Uh, sorry about that."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...I'll pay you back for the eggs."
Glare disappeared. Itachi inwardly smirked. Time for part two. "Umino-san..."
"Err...yes?" He didn't like that look in Itachi's eyes.
"About the takoyaki..."
"Oh, don't worry about that. You don't have to pay for it. I crashed onto you, so it's only fair that I pay you back for the eggs."
"No, it's not about that."
"What about it then?"
"I would like to tell you that I enjoy eating dango better."
After the Egg Incident (turned out that the store that sold groceries ran out of eggs, and Iruka ran out of money to buy eggs from the more expensive market after purchasing dango and other miscellaneous foods. So Itachi ended up without eggs anyway. Luckily, he borrowed some eggs from Shisui's house before going home.) it wasn't uncommon to see Itachi and Iruka together after classes at the Academy ended. It was usually Iruka seeking Itachi, who was now spent his days practicing his throwing of shuriken and kunai, or reading some scrolls in a tree, on the campus of the Academy.
Today, our two main characters are currently leaning against the trunk of a tree eating dango. Well, Iruka was eating; Itachi just stared at his hands, his dango forgotten.
"Why aren't you eating?" Iruka mumbled through as he chewed his food.
Itachi glanced at him. Being raised all uptight and proper, he would have told Iruka to chew and swallow before speaking but he knew his words would have just gone in one ear and out the other. Itachi just sighed, "Remember what I told you two weeks ago? When I said my mother was acting all strange? You told me it was just my mother's menstrual cycle, (geez Iruka, what kind of books do you read, your ten! And tainting Itachi like that, he's a genius but he's five!) but I don't think so."
That caught Iruka's attention. "Why not?"
"She's still getting sick in the morning. And also more moody than usual. Just yesterday, she screamed at my father; she would never have done that before. And my father did nothing. Also...she seems to be getting fatter everyday."
Iruka choked on his dango and started coughing. When he finally finished, Iruka said in a horrified tone, "Itachi-kun...I understand what's going on now. Your mother has been replaced by an imposter! And her face is covered by a genjutsu!" Iruka ended his claim with a thoughtful nod, and was then shot was an incredulous stare from Itachi. "Oh, right. Your clan's Sharingan..."
Itachi rolled his eyes, "do you think before speaking?"
Iruka pouted, "or…your mother was already an imposter all along…and..." he was interrupted by Itachi abruptly.
"Umino-san, you spend too much time in the library reading things that are irrelevant. Anyways, I think my mother is pregnant."
Iruka suddenly looked horrified again. "No way! You mean there are going to be even more little Uchiha babies running around terrorizing the world?"
Iruka ducked as Itachi threw his dango at him with a sour face.
"I was right."
Iruka glanced at Itachi with a curious glance. "About what, Itachi?"
"My mother just told the clan this morning, she really is pregnant."
"Really? Congratulations!"
"I don't really think so, Iruka-san. This pregnancy has made mother really temperamental. It's like there is a time bomb in the same house which her, which will ignite any second."
Iruka sighed. "Least your mother is always home. My parents are always on missions. Father's a jounin and Mother's in the ANBU so they sometimes don't come home for weeks at a time." Iruka looked up at the sky and continued speaking. It didn't seem like he was talking to Itachi anymore. "But they are really nice, whenever they are off missions; they always spend the entire day with me. They are still on a mission right now, but I heard that they are coming home soon."
Iruka smiled happily and Itachi felt a bit on irony; how come Iruka's parents had such a great relationship with their son even though they were always away, while Itachi's parents were always around, yet their relationship with their own son was so different?
"Mother gave birth this morning."
"Really? Boy or girl?"
"Why is that the first question everyone asks?"
"Just answer."
"Boy."
"Hm, that's nice."
"You're lying."
"How did you know?"
"Because there is nothing nice about having a baby brother."
"You're too proper Itachi. It's common courtesy to say something like that even if it is never what you are truly feeling. Besides, I like kids. Can I come over?"
"Sure, Father's not home. While you're at it, you can help feed him and change his diapers."
"Itachi."
"Yes father?"
"I heard you have been hanging around the Umino's son lately."
"I have."
"His parents are strong ninja, you should learn from their son."
"I will."
"But, you must remember that you are making these acquaintances because it is beneficial to you. Remember that if it becomes necessary, you will have to destroy your relationship with him."
"I don't un-"
"Itachi! Listen to me; I will only say this once. For shinobi, we are not supposed to have feeling. Bonds are created for benefits and profit, any other reasons of why you are seeing this person will be frowned upon. You must understand that it is the clan that you are working for and it is the clan that you need to be involved with. Any other person who gets too close to block you from your path needs to be moved. Understand that the Umino boy is an obstacle in your journey and he will need to be disposed of sooner or later, Itachi."
"I understand, father."
As Itachi's father left the room, the boy smiled gently. But just because he said he understands doesn't mean he will do exactly what his father says.
"Here." Itachi said as he gently shoved a poorly wrapped brown package under Iruka's nose as they met each other at the swings near the Academy.
Iruka blinked, "What is it?"
"A present," said Itachi.
Iruka took the package but looked at him with bewildered eyes, "Why…?"
"Open it."
Iruka opened the package gently and stared. Lying on his lap was an intricately designed kunai that didn't look right mixed in all the dull, plain, brown packaging. Elegant dragons ran down the slanted blade of the weapon and handle was wrapped with red thread. The ends of the thread were tied to two small animal figures made of cloth and the size of a thumb. A weasel and a dolphin. How fitting.
"Do you like it?" Itachi asked hesitantly. He sounded a bit nervous to Iruka's amusement.
"Yes. A lot. Thank you!" Iruka said happily while smiling. He clutched the kunai in his hand, it wasn't meant for actually throwing, but more of a gift between friends.
And perhaps Iruka's smile was contagious because it was really so bright that a small smile also erupted on Itachi's face.
"Ah! I love this weather!" Iruka cheered as he thrust his arms high above him. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud in sight. "Don't you think so?"
Itachi nodded, "but don't you think it's a bit odd? The weather has been this perfect for about a whole week already."
"Odd? Yes, but I hope it'll last, I don't like it when it rains."
"Don't you think it kind of like a premonition of something? Like something bad will happen or the huge storm is coming."
Iruka groaned. "Stop being so pessimistic! You always have to ruin my mood."
Itachi grinned. "It's not fun otherwise, Iruka." But as he turned his head towards the sky, he couldn't help but let his grin drop. The weather was just too perfect. And that was a sign that something was about to happen, and that something wasn't good.
Itachi jinxed it. The next day, clouds floated in fast from every direction. Dark and full of rain, they gathered over the village. Many homes started boarding up; storms weren't that common in Konoha, but when a storm as large as this occurred, the chance of flooding and home destruction can't be ignored.
He was heading home when he saw Iruka running after him and waited for him. Iruka ran and stopped next to Itachi, panting slightly. "Itachi! Why must you foresee everything?"
Itachi ignored him, "Where are you going?"
"Home. Mother and father came home early, something about the Hokage-sama requesting them home."
"Strange, a lot of my clan has been returning home under the same order."
"You think Hokage-sama wants them to return to aid with the storm?"
"Probably." Itachi knew that inside, he suspected otherwise. A simple storm wouldn't require the aid of high level shinobi. Something was definitely happening.
Something was. As quick as the clouds had came, they had left. No rain had fallen, but the entire village was left with a humid, unsettling feeling. By then, nearly everyone knew that something was up, but no one knew what it was.
By day, the village was gray with fog. The humidity got to everything and everyone; the village was damp, villagers felt unrest while shinobi felt anxious and uneasy.
Everyone was waiting for something to happen; they just didn't know how long they had to wait.
It didn't take long.
By night time, the fog had disappeared, leaving behind a sky of black and red.
"-It's the apocalypse I tell you!-"
"-Oh quiet you, it's just a little climate change and-"
"-I heard the Hidden Stone is attacking-"
"-It's a genjutsu I say! Genjutsu!-"
"-Who would put a genjutsu over the village?-"
"-It's the Hidden Mist! They must be after our bloodline limits too!-"
"-where is my son-"
"-we're leaving-"
"-board up the house!-"
Iruka and Itachi ran through the streets, listening on bits on conversations while trying to figure out what was going on. They just passed the Konoha Library when they were stopped by Iruka's mother and father swooped down on them.
Iruka's mother quickly grabbed her son into a hug and while his father turned toward Itachi, "It might be best that you head home now. Your clan will be worried of where you are."
"What's going on?" Itachi had to know.
"Hokage-sama just ordered a full-scale village evacuation."
"Why?"
The jounin didn't answer because by then, members of Itachi's clan had already come to pick up their young kinsman. The leader of the Uchiha group bowed slightly toward Iruka's father. "Umino-san, I thank you for taking care of Itachi. We will bring him home now." He wrapped his arm around Itachi's waist and carried the young boy off toward the Uchiha compound.
Iruka turned away from his mother's embrace and asked his father, "Where are we going?"
His father smiled bitterly, "You will go home. Your mother and I will be with the Hokage."
"But-"
Whatever Iruka was about to say was interrupted by a huge explosion near the edge of the village.
Whoever was carrying Itachi dropped from his run and safely hid into the bushes of a clearing as the after effects of explosion. Instead of cowardly hiding, Itachi stepped out from behind the bush and stared at the sight that overwhelmed him.
Roofs were burning, and smoke was whipped through the air. Screams of the people were heard throughout the village.
"What is that thing?" Itachi heard his clan members mutter in horror behind him. Yet he knew. Everyone did.
In front of him, standing over the village was a majestic beast. With his ferocious teeth bared toward the world, his eyes a violent blood red, his nine tails whipping aggressively through the night, he was the beast of the legends.
And at that moment, everyone in the village looked up at the legendary creature, knowing that their worst fear had become true.
Kyuubi no Kitsune has arrived.
As Iruka stared at the famous fox from the legends, he felt his entire mind turn hazy.
He barely noticed that his mother had quickly moved him to his own room in his house, he barely understood that his parents were leaving him. But as his parents headed out to the front lines, he climbed out of his window to follow his parents.
He didn't notice that after he left, his house was destroyed. He didn't notice that he was heading toward the direction where everyone else was running away from. He didn't notice that he had already reached the place where his parents were fighting.
With his eyes focused on Kyuubi, he just stared, the picture was so strong. He felt his legs crumple underneath him; grabbing onto a tree for support, he finally understood the impression that Kyuubi was projecting. Sheer power.
Iruka's eyes widened as he saw his parents jump toward the legendary fox. He let out a cry as his parents were easily flicked away by one of Kyuubi's tails. His parents hit a tree with such force that the tree was uprooted. His parents had no chance.
Crying and running toward his mother and father, he reached the place where his parents had fallen. There lie his parents' dead. Covered with blood, bones broken, bodies crumpled together. Iruka clenched his fists and didn't allow his tears to fall. Shinobi? Tools? Death? There was nothing glorious about this. What was the point of protecting his village? His parents served the village, and what was the result? Their deaths, and not one shinobi had spared a glance toward his parents. Hadn't they realized that their comrades had fallen? Exactly what was glorious about being a shinobi?
Absolutely nothing.
Realizing that there was no point in jumping toward their deaths, the shinobi switched their tactics to using projectiles. Which…really didn't have an effect.
Countless shuriken, senbon, and kunai were thrown toward the beast with deadly precision but that was all in vain.
Kyuubi sent out a surge of chakra, which blasted away each weapon in every direction, including a kunai right toward Iruka.
Frozen from horror and fright, Iruka was not able to move in time. Stumbling to move backwards, he attempted to avoid death, but he was too slow. Just as the w reached him, someone pulled Iruka away from getting impaled by the kunai, but Iruka had not gotten off unwounded.
A long, narrow cut right on the bridge of his nose; it was a wonder that his entire nose wasn't cut off. Too tired to remain awake, Iruka quickly glanced at his savior, he had gray hair and a mask adorned his face. "Hatake Kakashi," he whispered, as he drifted to unconsciousness, the last thing he saw was the image of Kyuubi no Kitsune over the bodies of his dead parents.
"Fugaku, I have heard how your son has gotten extremely close with a young boy."
"Yes, Umino's son. I thought it would be best for him to learn from someone already in the academy."
"Do you not think that he has gotten too close? I think he is more involved with playing with the Umino boy than doing what he is supposed to do. Especially now, after the Kyuubi Attack, our village is in disorder. Our clan must be in unity."
"Yes, I too feel that Itachi is getting too close and forgetting that his priority is to serve our clan. I will go and remind him of his duties as soon as this is over."
Itachi woke up from his slumber three days after the Kyuubi Attack. His memory was a bit hazy. All he remembered was that after seeing Kyuubi, something had happened. A chakra surge. And then his cowardly clan members had decided to hide behind him. Itachi had gotten knocked out, but he found out later that those kinsmen had gotten killed during the attack.
Itachi glanced up as his door was slid open. His mother walked in with a tray, his breakfast most likely. He looked at his mother and saw that while she was not wounded, her face was pale and looked like she had few hours of sleep. "Okaa-san," he addressed as she walked in.
"Oh Itachi," Mikoto sighed wearily. "You're finally awake. So much has been going on in such a short time."
"What exactly happened?"
Mikoto sighed again and sat down. "Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked Konoha three days ago. There were a lot of casualties and deaths. About ten of our clan members got killed and about two are injured. And..."
"And?"
"Hokage-sama is dead. He died sealing Kyuubi into a newborn child." Mikoto shivered, as if imagining that any of her children be sealed with a demon at birth. "Sandaime-sama has been reinstated as the Hokage."
Itachi was stunned, he knew that his clan wasn't all that powerful, but for the Hokage to be sacrificed...Kyuubi truly was strong. And he wanted to be just as strong.
Itachi was suddenly pulled into an embrace by his mother, as he squeezed him tightly, murmuring stuff, saying how scared she had been when she heard that he was not in the safety of the compound during the attack. Having his face burrowed into Mikoto's shoulder, he mentally frowned.
Itachi had seem the embraces Iruka's parents gave their son, he actually longed for them, to be held by his parents, some final proof that they were really a family, but now that the hug was actually given, it was totally different. It did not seem heartwarming at all. It was awkward, being the first hug he ever gotten, it seemed like it was given from a total stranger. He wanted to break free from his mother's hold, to push her away and ask her why she was acting like that. Acting suddenly like she wanted to enter a part of his life when she had only lingered near the edges, the borders for the past five years.
As if reading his mind, Mikoto said softly, "I know, I know I haven't been much of a mother, but please Itachi. Don't ever leave me. Please." Itachi was stunned, what had happened? "Please Itachi, don't leave our clan." Oh. So that was it. Everything, after all, was for the clan. The clan probably told his mother to do this, to keep their precious prodigy in their grasps.
Itachi clenched his fists. Visions of the destruction from three day nights ago kept coming back up and he remembered the screams, the darkness splashed with red from Kyuubi and the blood of the dead. It was exactly like the year before. He was only four, but he still remembered, the horrible fighting and death that came from the Third Ninja War.
Itachi pulled out her embrace, "Okaa-san, I'm going to go out for a bit." Without waiting for her reply, he left the room.
If he had turned back around, he would have seen the displeased look that graced his mother's face.
"Fugaku, I feel that Itachi really has drifted too far from our grasp. I did as you told me and he just pulled away from my embrace. I think we're losing him."
Fugaku frowned, "I see. Leave Itachi to me. Instead, I want you to dote on Sasuke; we cannot have a repeat of what happened to Itachi."
Mikoto just nodded emotionlessly. She may not be the perfect mother, but she was a perfect Uchiha. She had married Fugaku because it was an arranged marriage by the clan and now she was going to do as Fugaku said because she was Uchiha.
Iruka woke up only two days after the Kyuubi Attack. He had fainted from anxiety and fatigue, so recovering his energy took little time. However, mental scars could take years.
He had woken up a hospital bed, his head ached a bit, yet it was his nose that hurt the most. It had a sore feeling and as he put his finger on his nose, he felt a little ridge on the bridge of his nose. Wondering what had happened. He rang the silver button for a nurse and waited while trying to recall the events of how he had gotten injured.
A nurse walked into his room with a faint smile which brightened when she saw him sitting up in bed, not looking that bad. "Umino-kun right? I'm glad you're awake."
Iruka look confused. "What happened?"
"Well you see, when you were brought here, you had a pretty deep cut on your nose. I used a jutsu to heal it, but I'm afraid you'll be having that scar your entire life."
"I-I don't remember. Why do I have this scar?"
The nurse sighed, "I was hoping that I didn't have to explain, but I guess I have to. Two days ago, Kyuubi attacked Konoha. Many of our brave shinobi were killed or injured. You were brought here by Hatake-san, I think you got too close to Kyuubi and got injured by the stray weapon."
Iruka stared in horror. Kyuubi? Hatake? Hatake Kakashi? The genius student of the Yondaime Hokage? He finally remembered looking up the gray hair and mask and then Kyuubi...and his parents! "My parents, are they okay? Where are they right now?"
The nurse lowered her head, "I'm sorry."
Iruka looked horrified as images from two nights ago finally came streaming back to him. His parents bringing him home, he leaving the house before it got destroyed, Kyuubi attacking his parents. He running towards them, getting hit by the kunai...
The nurse, feeling that Iruka finally remembered, moved close to put her hand on him arm, but he just shook his head. "Thank you for helping me," he said in an estranged voice. She could tell that he was trying not to cry and quickly left the room to give him privacy.
Iruka pulled up his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around his knees and burrowed his head down into his arms. He felt the tears start to well up, the same tears that he had not let fall during the night that his parents died. He finally let go, and the tears fell down.
Feeling anger towards his clan, Itachi decided to find Iruka. He headed toward the Umino household, but stopped when he stared shocked at the site in front of him. Iruka's home was destroyed, the entire house almost flattened, the walls have collapsed and the roof had fallen down.
Panic rose in Itachi's chest. What happened to Iruka? He quickly walked over to a large man nearby who was trying to fix his door which had been knocked down. "Excuse me, do you know what happened to the people who lived in this building?"
The man looked at him with sad eyes. "The Umino's?" He stopped working and looking very upset. "They were great neighbors, and his son was always fun to be around."
"Are they-"
"The two older Umino's died fighting Kyuubi, at least they died fighting honorably. Their son got injured, thank goodness he wasn't in the home when it collapsed. He's at the hospital right now." He barely finished his sentence and Itachi had already bowed a thank you and ran off toward the direction of the hospital.
Finding Iruka's room at the hospital, Itachi knocked, heard a soft "come in" and opened the door. He walked in and saw that Iruka looked terrible. His hair was untied and his eyes were red, probably from crying. His face was pale and most of all, he now had a long scar on the bridge of his nose.
Itachi froze for a minute. He didn't know what to do or what to say. His parents had never taught him what to do in a position like this so he just stood still, while Iruka sat in bed, both waiting for the other to break the silence first.
"Itachi," Iruka finally said.
"Did you hear?"
"About what?"
"Hokage-sama's death." Itachi mentally smacked himself, what a stupid topic for him to bring up.
Iruka nodded. "I heard some jounin talking about it quite loudly outside my room. I feel sorry for the vessel, to put with such a huge burden just after being born."
Itachi nodded but did not reply. The Sandaime had set a law that they were not supposed to speak of it, so it was quite treasonous just for his mother to tell him.
Awkward silence settled in once again until Itachi muttered, "I'm sorry."
"About?"
"I heard about your parents..."
Iruka lowered his head but did not say anything. Itachi knew he had said something he shouldn't have.
"You shouldn't be upset, your parents died honorably." Itachi never comforted anyone before, but he would never have known that this statement would have made such a difference.
Iruka snapped and grabbed Itachi by his shirt and pulled him up to his face. "Honorable? What was honorable? Their deaths? I watched Itachi! They died getting whipped by Kyuubi's tail! What was honorable about that?" Iruka paused to take a breather, while Itachi stayed still, his shirt still clenched in Iruka's fists, stunned by Iruka's sudden burst. "I hate how people always try to make me feel better. But is that what you really think? How would you have known how my parents died honorably? Because you're LYING!"
"Iruka...please calm down. People from my clan have also died-"
"Your clan! How many? At least you still have someone! My family is DEAD! I saw my parents die! Did you? I was out in the battlefield with my parents. I watched them DIE! You? You were probably under the safe protection of your clan as everyone was dying. I thought you were different, but you are probably just as cowardly as your clan members!"
Itachi flushed with anger. He grabbed Iruka's hands and pulled them away from himself. He quickly walked toward the door, opened it and paused, saying softly, "I thought you were different as well, I thought you were able to see me as a person separate from my clan, but I guess you are just the same as everyone else." Itachi quickly walked out and slammed the door behind him.
Iruka lay on his hospital bed, wondering what had gone wrong. Why had he lost his control? He stared at his hands, wondering why he had yelled at Itachi, why Itachi had not understood Iruka's pain and loss, and most of all, why did it hurt so much when Itachi walked out the door?
Itachi walked briskly out of the hospital. Why did Iruka say those things? Did he really think that Itachi was like his clan? Did he truly not understand that Itachi was trying to comfort him? Didn't he understand that Itachi only said that because he didn't know what to do? Was he really that ignorant? Shouldn't Iruka have understood that Itachi comforted because he cared for Iruka? As he walked away thinking about those questions, he felt a sort of clenching in his chest. It hurt, but Itachi ignored it. Instead, he stopped thinking about Iruka because it hurt less that way.
That day, both Iruka and Itachi didn't know then, but when doubt begins to replace trust, the bond is already breaking.
Itachi and Iruka met up with each other a few days after the confrontation at the hospital. Both boys stared at each other for a while before blurting out "sorry" at the same time. That brought a quick smile to their faces before they sat down next to each other in the small stand of Ichiraku Ramen. It was odd to say that young Iruka wasn't actually a fan of ramen; instead, Itachi had like it best. Growing up in a prestigious clan, ramen felt like a delicacy because it was something he did not eat it often.
As Chef Teuchi laid down their ramen bowls, Iruka decided to finally break the silence.
"So…um…how's your family?" It still hurt Iruka when he mention the word family, but feeling that he had driven Itachi away last time, it was only fair that he had to give in first.
"Fine, a few clan members were killed and a lot suffered casualties, but other than that, nothing extreme happened." Itachi spoke calmly, which sent a chill down Iruka's back. He didn't use to notice, but Itachi seemed almost ignorant of the fact that he had just spoken about his family being killed with the same tone he used when he asked Iruka to pass the condiments. Iruka snapped out of his thoughts when Itachi continued speaking. "Where are you going to stay?"
"Hokage-sama told me that I should move to one of the empty apartments, instead of going to the orphanage."
"Ah, I see."
And the conversation ended, leaving the two boys to quietly eat their ramen in silence.
These two boys were young, but they could still understand that a wedge was driven between them. Any topic felt awkward to talk about and only silence felt comfortable as it settled in between the two children.
"Oi! Iruka, it's your turn!" called out the teacher as he stood near the edge of the river bank.
Itachi watched with emotionless eyes as Iruka walked onto the wire, wobbled before falling into the river with a splash. It has been two years since the Kyuubi Attack and despite the age difference, both Iruka and Itachi were in the same graduating class of the Academy. The Uchiha prodigy clenched his fists as he saw his friend smile at the attention the other classmates gave as they laughed at him. Ever since Iruka's parents had died, Iruka feigned stupidity to gain attention.
And even if it wasn't his fault, Itachi had felt guilty. He hadn't been there for his friend after his parents died. Instead, his father had been pushing him into advanced training regimes leaving Itachi barely anytime to neither eat nor sleep. All the hard work had come through; Itachi was top of the class at the age of seven, but at a price. Training with his clan after classes and during vacations, Itachi barely had time to see his friend who was still recovering from the sudden loss of his parents.
But, perhaps, that was the goal of Uchiha Fugaku in the first place.
Iruka sat on the swings clutching his brand new forehead band. Fingering the symbol of Konoha carved onto the cold metal plate he stared at the crowd of happy graduates and proud parents. He watched as Itachi stood awkwardly away from the crowd and stiffened as his family walked up. Iruka continued watching as happiness radiated off from the playground until a shadow walked up to him and he glanced up. "Hokage-sama."
Standing in front of him was the leader of the village himself. Dressed in the traditional white robes, the Sandaime smiled at the teenage boy. Even though the brim of the Hokage's hat was shading the old man's eyes, Iruka caught the crinkled grandfatherly look and gently smiled back.
"Iruka, I don't believe I have said it to you yet. Congratulations on your graduation. These past two years has been hard on you."
Ducking his head down to hide the tears that were threatening to well up, Iruka covered up the act by tying his forehead protector securely to his head. But even with that, his voice cracked, "n-no. It wasn't too hard. Thank you."
Iruka looked back up as the Sandaime laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. The Hokage stared at the boy's watery brown eyes and said with a heavy heart, "No. I know it has been hard on you. I must ask you to forgive me. I was not able to help you during the times that you needed a parental figure the most and yet you managed to climb up past all this and look where you are now. Iruka, I really am proud of you, and I'm sure your parents are too. You will make a fine shinobi."
At those words, Iruka couldn't hold it in anymore. He muttered a quick goodbye before running off towards the Memorial Stone.
The Sandaime stared at the back of the young boy and smiled sadly. He tilted his hat upwards at looked at the Hokage statues to find his own face staring back at him. As Hokage, he stood over everyone in the entire village, and he saw what nobody else could see. And that day, he saw the harsh reality of Konoha's youth being forced to grow up way too fast and there was nothing he could do about it.
Itachi stared blankly at his father as his parents walked up and tried to pay attention to his father but found himself unable to concentration. All around him was noise and the happy cheering of the new graduates. Already tied around his neck loosely was the forehead protector that was too big for his head but instead of feeling happiness, it hung heavy near his collarbone.
"Itachi. I am proud of you. For you to graduate the Academy at the age of seven at the top of your class, this is a great honor for our clan. But this is as expected from my child. You have set a great example for Sasuke," and with that speech, Fugaku turned from his stoic son to talk with the Academy instructor who started praising the Uchiha prodigy.
The said son stared at his two year old brother who was gurgling in his mother's arms, nuzzling close to Mikoto's breasts. His mother, after flashing Itachi a proud smile, turned to Sasuke and showered him with attention. Itachi glanced around and noticed that the swings which previously situated Iruka were empty. With one last look at his dysfunctional family, he ran away from the Academy grounds, leaving behind a father who was still talking to his previous instructor and a mother who was too busy with his younger brother to notice that he was gone.
As Itachi ran up to the Memorial Stone, he saw Iruka standing still in front of the stone, staring at his parent's names. His head hung low and his arms were dangling loosely at his side. Instead of calling out, Itachi sat down under the peaceful shade of a nearby tree and dozed off to the gentle breeze of that pleasant spring day. It was quiet there, away from the loud cheering of the new graduates and most of all, away from the pressuring eyes of his clan.
Iruka saw Itachi sit down by the tree from the corner of his eye and gently smiled. He, imitating Itachi, sat down in front of the memorial monument and peacefully cleared his mind of all his worries. For now, he didn't have to think of the future. He didn't have to care about paying the month's rent for his apartment or even the week's groceries. All he needed to care about to the present, what he wanted to do now.
Iruka got up and walked over to his friend. Nudging the boy gently, he watching as Itachi's eyes fluttered before closing at the bright sunlight. "Hey, let's get something to eat. We should celebrate our graduation."
Itachi sat up and stretched his arms. "Ichiraku Ramen."
Iruka laughed. "Of course."
"One miso ramen please."
"One pork ramen."
As they waited for their orders, Iruka pulled out a small box from his pocket. He pushed it towards Itachi who stared at it with a bit of confusion. Iruka pushed it again slightly and said, "for you. It's a present."
Itachi stared at Iruka in amazement before opening the box and pulled out a small gray necklace. It had a simple design to it with three separated circles connected to the chain.
Iruka nervously watched as Itachi held the necklace with his small hands and said embarrassingly, "Sorry if its not that beautiful, I tried saving up, but I didn't have that much money…it looks quite simple so you can probably wear it during missions…" Iruka's voice faltered as he started fearing that his young friend would dislike his gift.
Itachi reassured him with a small smile, "I like it."
Iruka answered back with a huge smile and he took the chain from Itachi's hand. "It's probably too big for your neck right now, and your tying your forehead protector there, so," Iruka took Itachi's wrist and looped the necklace around it a couple of times, "you can carry it around your wrist until the necklace fits you better."
Itachi stared at the light silver necklace wrapped around his wrist before glancing up at Iruka frowning. "I don't like this. Stay here." And Itachi took off running out onto the street, leaving behind two steaming hot bowls of ramen and Iruka with a faltering smile on his face.
Itachi came back a few minutes later and climbed back into his seat. This time, he pushed a box towards Iruka with a smile, "it wasn't right for you to give me a present without getting on in return."
Iruka, who mistook Itachi's words, started laughing despite the confused look Itachi gave him. Shaking his head, he muttered a "never mind," before opening the box. Inside was a small tea cup with a blue dolphin painted on it. Staring at Itachi incredibly, the younger boy ignored him and took the cup into his hands. Pulling out a kunai, he skillfully etched something on the bottom of the clay cup and handed it back to Iruka.
Iruka turned the cup over and saw a cute little weasel staring back at him. Iruka laughed and put the cup down onto the table. "I'll treasure it forever."
And with those final words, both friends snapped open their chopsticks, pulled their bowls of ramen closer and dug in, Iruka still fingering his new cup, and Itachi staring at the necklace on his wrist.
The next time the two friends met was at the Chuunin Exam. Itachi breezed through the exam with whispers of the "Uchiha prodigy" following his every movement while Iruka struggled his way to the final exam with his team. Itachi became Chuunin, Iruka did not.
When Iruka finally became Chuunin, Itachi had joined the ranks of the ANBU.
When Iruka made the decision to apply for a position as a teacher at the Academy, Itachi was not there. When Itachi accepted the position as ANBU captain, Iruka was not there.
Itachi was thirteen when they had their final meeting. Iruka, after working at the mission's desk left the Hokage Tower just as Itachi finished a briefing with the Hokage. Iruka walked up to Itachi and smiled, "you just came back from a mission?"
Itachi nodded. "I have another mission tonight."
"Already? They're too hard you! What's the mission about?"
"I can't tell you," Itachi shook his head, "SS classified."
"Of course. Did you know I became a teacher at the Academy? Remember how I told you that after my parent's death, I couldn't stand killing? I figured that teaching was probably the best course for me."
"I know."
"You do?"
"You're Sasuke's teacher. He told me about you."
"Oh…right. Well, I never got to congratulate you Itachi! ANBU captain and everything!" Iruka's smile was forced and awkward. Too many years had passed. Just as even the strongest of rocks will erode with time, bonds of friendship forged even at the highest point of childhood were not safe.
Iruka scratched the back of his head, a habit he had caught from his coworkers. "Well…it's been a long time. Do you want to catch up over ramen or something?"
Itachi shook his head, "sorry, I have to prepare for my next mission."
"No problem," Iruka hid a disappointed look with a forced laugh. "I shouldn't be bothering you when you're busy with missions. Another time then?" Iruka gave one last smile before turning to walk away. He had taken one step before Itachi called out to him.
"Iruka…" As the teacher turned back, Itachi stared at the gentle blue sky and said softly, "I love Konoha Iruka, I really do. I don't want anything bad to happen to it."
"I know Itachi, I know." Iruka stared at this friend. Even though the forehead protector was fitting snuggly on Itachi's head, it didn't hide the tired eyes and signs of exhaustion. Itachi was simply another child of Konoha who was forced to grow up way too fast.
"Iruka…for my next mission…" Itachi looked as if he was about to say something, but then he changed his mind. "Iruka, do you remember what is number fourteen in the Scroll of Ninjas?"
The Academy teacher looked at Itachi with a bit of bewilderment. What was Itachi trying to say? "Look underneath the underneath."
"Uchiha Shisui died a few nights ago. He left a suicide note, but my clan suspects that he was murdered."
"Itachi, I-"
"Iruka, if anything happens, if for whatever reason happens that I am no longer in Konoha, Iruka, can you promise me that you'll take care of Sasuke? Watch over him?"
"O-of course I will! What are you trying to say Itachi?" Iruka was beyond confused. What was going on?
With a final look towards the slow moving clouds, Itachi turned away from Iruka. "I'm sorry Iruka."
Itachi started to walk away, but Iruka wouldn't let him. Not with so many questions unanswered. "Itachi! What are you hiding? Why won't you tell me!"
Itachi ignored him and started walking towards the direction of the Uchiha compound, but stopped when Iruka yelled out, "Why won't you trust me Itachi? Wasn't I at one point your closest friend?"
Itachi turned back to Iruka, the gift that Iruka gave to him a long time ago hanging loosely around his neck, and replied in a soft finalizing voice, "No."
That following evening, the entire Uchiha clan was massacred. The sole survivor? Uchiha Sasuke. The murderer? Uchiha Itachi.
When Iruka heard of the news the following morning from his coworkers, he dropped his cup of coffee is shock. Quickly muttering an excuse, he ran to the bathroom, he slammed his fist onto the sink counter and whispered with an anguished tone "why Itachi…why?" before falling to his knees.
Turning so he leaned against the sink, Iruka covered his face with his hands and could not help but blame this on himself. Konoha was not easy on its youth, yet Iruka was able to climb back to the top after his parents died. Yet Itachi, who was a born genius, had allowed himself to succumb to the pressure, burying him forever. Maybe, if Iruka had tried a bit harder, just maybe, Itachi would have been able to pull through and away from the suffocating demands of his clan.
Iruka stayed there in guilt until his coworker found him sitting on the bathroom floor half an hour later, informing him that classes were about to start. Iruka had not been able to help Itachi, but he sure was not going to give up on Konoha's future. No matter what the village threw at them, Iruka swore at that moment to help them through their troubles. And he was going to start with Sasuke, because even if Itachi claims that they were not friends, Sasuke was still the brother of the young boy Iruka befriended when he was still a student of the Academy.
Iruka was looking over some test papers when he felt a migraine and leaned back against his couch to take a small break. Pulling out some take-out ramen he uncovered it and inhaled its wonderful aromas. He had never been a large fan of ramen, but took a great liken to it after Itachi left the village. Iruka was never sure was it the taste of the soup, the noodles or the ingredients, but it was Itachi's favorite food, and it held many memories. It had been over five years, but he never stopped regulating Ichiraku. Instead he took Naruto with him and created a ramen-crazed monster.
Speaking of Naruto…Iruka stared at the framed picture of Naruto on his shelf and smiled. The boy that he had taken almost like as a younger brother was still forever loyal to his friends. Ever since Sasuke left - Iruka never forgave himself for letting Sasuke leave the village - Naruto had been determinedly sticking to his promise to Sakura to bring back his best friend. Iruka fondly thought of Naruto and almost wished he had that bravery and determination to bring back his best friend. But the last conversation he had with Naruto had frozen him:
"What are you going to do now Naruto?"
"I'm going with my team to find Uchiha Itachi. Because Sasuke is hunting him down, and if we find Itachi, eventually, we'll meet up with Sasuke."
"Well…I wish you good luck Naruto. I'm sure you'll find him."
Nobody in the village knew of the relationship that Itachi and Iruka had once shared and Iruka made sure it stayed that way. However, his migraine worsened and he couldn't help but feel an omen. He reached out for a cup of tea and gasped when the cup cracked and burst. Ignoring the fact that his hand was cut, Iruka quickly lifted the test papers out of the liquid's way before realizing that the cup that had broken, was the very same cup Itachi gave him thirteen years ago.
The picture of the dolphin that was cheaply painted on had long smeared off from frequent use, but the etching of the weasel stayed intact until now. The cup had been broken and the carved weasel on the bottom of the cup had cracked into two.
Biting his lip, Iruka grabbed a first aid kit and wrapped up his bleeding hand before heading out for the door. It was not uncommon for a cup to break after so many years of usage, but this had been too big of a coincidence. There was no doubt, Itachi was dead.
Iruka, too caught up in his thoughts, was startled when he realized where his legs had brought him. He was standing in front of the Uchiha compound that had long been deserted ever since the last Uchiha survivor had abandoned Konoha. Iruka walked around until he reached the small cemetery that housed only Uchiha's. Iruka never liked graves but here, he couldn't help but feel a bit at rest. It was quiet and peaceful without any signs of inhabitation other then the small chirping of birds and the sounds of the cicadas. Near the entrance of the cemetery, Konoha had placed a huge monument stone with the names of all who had died in the Uchiha Massacre.
Iruka stared at the monument for a long time before turning from it and walked towards the small mounds of earth. Using his bare hands, one still bandaged and wounded, he gathered a small pile of dirt and placed a large flat rock on top. Pulling out a kunai, he carved out the words "Uchiha Itachi" before enforcing the kunai with chakra and stabbing it deep into the rock. The kunai was ornately decorated and was the same one Itachi gave to him many years ago, even before his parents died from the Kyuubi Attack.
Staring at the self-made grave, Iruka started speaking softly. "Hey, how does it feel to be dead?" Sitting down and leaning his head against a tree, Iruka truly felt tired. "How's life been treating you all these years? You know how you asked me to take care of Sasuke? I'm sorry I failed you. I guess I was just never strong enough. But you know, I encountered the Kyuubi vessel and his names Naruto. Isn't that funny? I made him into a fan of Ichiraku. And I never did get to tell you about the Sandaime's grandson did I? His name's Konohamaru…" Iruka continued telling Itachi about everything that he had missed after he left Konoha and before long, the sun was starting to set.
Iruka stood up and was ready to head back home when he stopped. "You know….I almost forgot to mention this, but I never blamed you. I did research on the Sharingan after you left. Let's just say Sasuke wasn't the first to enter the shrine and find out about the Mangekyou Sharingan. I understand now Itachi, and in a way, it makes me happy. You claimed that I was not your closet friend and you said that because you did not want to kill me."
Glancing towards the orange sky with the sun barely peeking out over the horizon Iruka let a single tear fall down his face. "Neh, Itachi. I don' think I'm ever going to come back here. It's good-bye I guess. I've missed you."
With those final words, Iruka walked out of the gates, leaving behind the gift of a friend fifteen years ago with the small symbols of a weasel and a dolphin gently flying in the wind.