Uchiha Itachi sighed deeply as he sat by his regular desk at the Academy. He had graduated the day before, with quite impressing grades according to his teacher. There was no reason why he would have to continue at the Academy for as much as another day. He was only seven. He tapped his kunai into the desk, breaking a flint of the wood free. He had been waiting for over an hour. He did not like to be kept waiting like this.
The door slammed open, revealing a girl that looked to be even younger than him. He took one quick look at her, and decided she couldn't be much of a ninja. Her oddly green hair was long, falling to the middle of her back and hung in a thick braid with a big, pink bow at the end of it. Her eyes seemed to be the exact same color as her hair, but were in reality slightly darker. Her skin was tan and she was wearing a huge grin on her face along with a simple, pink kimono with a green obi with her Konoha hetai-ate on the front and a big bow on the back. It looked ridiculous. And her ninja shoes were replaced by a pair of pink boots with green bows on them, but still with an open room for her toes. "Are you Itachi-kun?" She asked in an annoyingly cute voice.
"Hai." Itachi replied smoothly, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his gaze to the window. A girl like that wasn't worthy of his gaze. He adjusted the hetai-ate on his forehead, feeling oddly proud of himself for having it. Even though a girl like her wore one as well. She had probably borrowed it from her father or brother. He glanced back. She had not moved.
She tilted her head to the side cutely as he looked back at her. "I'm Kitchi Tsumori, but you can just call me Mori-chan! I'm in Genin squad ten, and you're our new member! I'm here to collect you on the orders of Rune-sensei!" She exclaimed cutely, clasping her hands in front of her body before bowing to him, showing her respects.
Itachi felt his eye twitch. That girl was on his team? But she was even younger than him, by the looks of it, and she was so adorable that it was disgusting. He let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. He was going to have to hurry up and become Chuunin so he could get rid of this annoying person. He stood from his seat, nonetheless, to follow the girl as she began to leave, expecting him to do the same.
She led him through the village, skipping on her feet as she walked, and humming some happy tune that Itachi didn't care to know what was. He was walking casually a few steps behind her, making it seem like he wasn't with her, but just happened to be going in the same direction. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and his eyes were surveying the shops and stalls around them. He refused to look at his new teammate. They didn't stop, talk or as much as look at each other until they reached their destination; training ground four.
Itachi took a moment to look the two other people there over. The first one to catch his eye was their sensei. He was perfectly normal build, with an average height and not too much muscle, but he certainly had some. He had short, black hair with purple bangs that were brushed to the left so it covered his eye. His visible eye had the same purple shade as his bangs and seemed to have a certain amused tint to it. He was wearing a dark blue mesh shirt that barely even covered his chest and a black vest over it that stood open and covered even less. He was wearing arm-warmers, which matched the blue color of his mesh shirt, and a pair of tight, black pants with a few studs and unnecessary zippers as well as a pair of brown boots that looked way too clumsy to belong on a ninja. The only thing about him that looked remotely ninja, was the big brown belt her wore around his waist, which had a wide, brown part that went over his left shoulder and held several kunai. And to add to his unprofessional look, he had a skull tattoo on his right shoulder and a ring in both ears.
Itachi's eyes drifted to the other person there. He looked to be the same age as himself, only he was a little taller. He had the same black hair as Itachi, only this person kept his short and ruffled. Several of the black strands were falling into his face and half-covering his ruby eyes, even though he was wearing his hetai-ate around his forehead on a crimson piece of cloth. He was wearing a blue top, which had a tall, tight neck and fit perfectly around his slightly muscular but still childish frame and a gray jacket-like thing that covered to the middle of his torso as well as half of his upper arms. He was wearing a pair of dark gray shorts, which were supposed to be held up by braces over his shoulders, but the braces just hung loosely down the sides of his legs. He was wearing regular dark gray ninja shoes and simple black gloves.
"Hello, Itachi-kun. I am Nekoma Runeji, but you can call me Rune-sensei. These are your teammates, Kitchi Tsumori and Bakuoni Garuken, or just Mori-chan and Garu-kun." The adult male spoke as he stepped forward. "I understand that you're seven years old. Am I correct?" He asked in a friendly manner, smiling politely. He had a very open and inviting body language, but the look in his eyes told Itachi that he was pretty much a creep on the inside.
"Hai." Itachi replied monotonously. "I am Uchiha Itachi, aged seven. I am honored and pleased to make your acquaintance." He added with no emotion to his voice as he bowed his head to his superior. He had been taught to act like that by his father. He was the Uchiha prodigy, after all. Anything he did reflected on the Uchiha clan. He wasn't about to give them a reputation of being impolite.
The other male, Itachi presumed he would be the one called Garuken, began laughing. "Oh man, you really are straight out of the Academy, huh? You act like Rune-sensei is all high and mighty. You know, most Jounin are creeps." He said, jutting his elbow into Tsumori's side. When she had moved to stand next to him had failed to grasp Itachi's attention. She giggled cutely and Itachi repressed the urge to vomit.
"Eh?" Runeji said, turning to glare at his two other students. They obviously knew him quite good, since they had the confidence to tease him like that. "You're saying that you'll become a creep when you become a Jounin as well?" He asked, getting a both bored and amused look on his face. How that was even possible seemed like a mystery to Itachi.
Garuken stepped forward, facing the much bigger and older male with equal confidence. "Are you kidding me? I'll be one of the few who would actually be a challenge to your creepiness!" He said, grinning all over his face in a mischievous way. He looked like he was speaking the truth. He seemed to be quite the creep already.
Itachi yelped slightly as his new sensei was suddenly right before his face. He stumbled back, wide-eyed and very surprised. "I think I got the wrong Academy student. Mine was supposed to be an elite kid with the skill of a Jounin. You're just kinda jumpy and gloomy." Runeji said, poking Itachi on the forehead.
Itachi got an angry look on his face. He could handle being made fun of, usually, but no one had the right to doubt his skill like that. He just had a lot of new information to process and he ha let his guard down for a moment. "For your information, I am very much the elite ninja I have been said to be. I am the prodigy of the Uchiha clan and the heir to, one day, take over the police department." He said, straightening his back and lifting his chin up.
Tsumori giggled. "Oh, can I test him, Rune-sensei? Can I? Can I, please?" She begged, jumping around and around in circles around Itachi and Runeji. She seemed to be too full of energy for her own good. Itachi realized that she hadn't been standing still for more than two minutes at the time. Maybe she had some kind of disease?
Runeji laughed and reached out to place his hand on Tsumori's head, ruffling her hair slightly. "Why, of course! You always do, right?" He said, lifting his hand and patting her on the head twice before he stepped back and went to stand beside Garuken. Itachi was slightly befuddled. He had no idea what was going on.
Tsumori answered his question pretty quickly as she went to stand only three steps away from him, directly in front of him. "We're not going to let you join our team until we witness with our own eyes and bodies that you're worthy." She said, bowing her head with her hands clasped in front of her. "So I challenge you. Do you accept?" She asked, moving her body so she stood in a rather odd defensive pose. She had one hand on her back and the other stretched out in front of her, her palm facing him. Her feet were slightly spread and one foot only touched the ground by it's toes.
"Hai." Itachi agreed, bowing his head quickly before he went to attack. He started simple, by running at her and attempting a kick to her side. She merely moved her hand and blocked the kick before she twirled around in an elegant way that made Itachi think of a dancer. She brought her leg up above her head and attempted to kick him on the top of his head while he was off balance.
Itachi didn't let her, of course. He jumped backwards, neatly avoiding a rather powerful kick, he had to admit, that made a small dent in the ground it had hit. Tsumori didn't waste as much as a second before she went at him again, pushing forward at incredible speed. Itachi matched her speed, and soon they were just a blur of black and pink, clashing against each other. The sounds of metal against metal as they drew out their ninja weapons echoed through the training ground. Their steps made no sound, even though they were using their full strength and speed.
Itachi yelped and rolled on the ground after flying several feet back. Tsumori landed gracefully and soundlessly on the ground. She had managed to kick him in the chest. Hard. He laid on the ground, panting for breath and clutching at his shirt as if that would stop the pain. Tsumori just stood there with a grin on her face, not even the slightest out of breath. He felt humiliated. He had lost to a little girl. And a really weird one at that.
"Exceptional!" Runeji exclaimed excitedly, clasping his hands together and raising them above his head. His eye was filled with that certain tint of amusement again. He went to stand so he was looming above Itachi. "You're excellent!" He seriously. "Just what we need!" He added happily, reaching a hand out for Itachi to take and get up.
Itachi pushed the hand away, standing up on his own. "How can you say that when I was just beaten by a little girl wearing pink?" He growled lowly, taking a step back and away from the others. The humiliation cut deep in him. How could he lose? He was the Uchiha prodigy and an elite ninja. He couldn't lose to a little girl wearing pink.
Runeji laughed wholeheartedly. It was a low, deep laugh that matched his masculine appearance. "You fell for her distractions, I see." He said, the amusement in his eyes were increased by tenfold. "Mori-chan is a kunoichi, what did you expect? She just used her adorable looks to confuse and mislead her opponent. You took her lightly because of her appearance, right? Imagine of she had actually wanted to kill you." He said, getting a rather dangerous look on his face, but the amusement never leaving his eyes.
Itachi took another step back. He felt even more humiliated now. He had fallen for a simple trick like that. He glared at Tsumori, but she only kept that cute grin on her face. "It's not her fault, Itachi-kun. You were the one who let your defense down because she didn't look like e challenge. What did you think? That she was just made Genin before she even entered the Academy because she was cute looking? C'mon. Deep down, you knew she was awesome. You just refused to acknowledge it." Garuken said, stepping in between Tsumori and Itachi with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.
Tsumori stepped forward, pushing Garuken slightly to the side. "I apologize for tricking you, even though we're teammates, but it was necessary for me to see all of your skill, both in combat and at mind." she said softly, her voice still sickly sweet. So she hadn't been making a complete fool of him. She really was a sweet person. Or maybe she just always acted.
"You shouldn't apologize, Mori-chan. It's all part of being a ninja. But, I think we should take a moment to get to know one another better. I'll start. I already told you that my name is Nekoma Runeji, and that I want you to just call me Rune-sensei. My hobbies are women and drinking. I like women, a lot. I dislike the times when I have to be serious." He said before pointing one of his slender fingers at Garuken.
Garuken bowed his head slightly. "I go by the name Bakuoni Garuken, but you can call me Garu-kun. My hobbies include drawing, swimming and playing my Juushichi-gen. I like art of almost any kind and I dislike people who can't appreciate life." He said, smiling lazily at Itachi before pointing a finger to Tsumori.
Tsumori jumped up and down several times while waving enthusiastically with both hands. "I'm Kitchi Tsumori, but I really like being called Mori-chan! My hobbies are cooking and dancing! I like plants and flowers a lot and I dislike dark places!" She said happily, striking her fist into the air so her long, wide sleeve fell down to her shoulder. She brought her arm back down, stretched out in front of her, as she pointed to Itachi.
Itachi sighed and rubbed his hand over his hair. "My name is Uchiha Itachi, and I prefer that you call me my my actual name – Itachi. My hobbies are training, learning new Jutsu and taking care of my little brother. I like my little brother and I dislike when people think little of me because of my age." He said quite simply with a rather blank look on his face.
Tsumori jumped forward, yes she actually jumped, and glared at him, though it looked adorable even though she was attempting to be angry. "You're doing it wrong! You're supposed to tell something about you, not just about your ninja life! We want to know you as the person Uchiha Itachi, not the ninja Uchiha Itachi!" She exclaimed, poking her little finger to his chest.
Itachi sighed and pushed her hand away. "That is who I am. I've been trained to be a ninja my entire life." He said, frowning at the girl's stupidity. Of course he had. How else would he be so good at such a young age? She was even younger than him, so she had to be too. He looked at the shocked expression on her face. Maybe not.
"Y-You've never been anything but a ninja? How insane! When I was little, I wanted to be a dancer! I trained my dances every day! But... some old fart came by and saw me dance in the back yard one day and talked to my parents and I began my ninja training. He said my movement was my natural way of fighting." Tsumori said, smiling all the time, even though it was a rather sad thing to say.
Garuken waved his hand dismissively. "I wanted to be a musician, but my dad got me in at the Academy so I had to go. They said I was a natural at being a ninja and I was assigned to this team. Well, with another guy instead of you. I barely have time to play my music anymore." He said casually, looking the other way.
Runeji placed a hand on each of their heads. "Now now, don't scare Itachi-kun away from being a ninja, you two. Tell him about how happy you are now. See, even though they didn't get to become what they initially wanted to, being a ninja has become their calling. They live only to be ninja now, but that doesn't mean it is all they are. Right guys?" He said, ruffling their hair.
Tsumori giggled cutely and Garuken chuckled lowly. "Hai, Rune-sensei!" They said in unison. Both had this tone of amusement and happiness to their voice as they said that. Why did they sound so happy about devoting their life to something they didn't really want. Itachi didn't get it.
Suddenly, Itachi's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "Shit..." He muttered, turning on his heel to run back towards the village. "I promised my mother I would take care my little brother! I have to go!" He yelled back at them as he ran.
"Meet here at seven sharp in the morning!" He heard Runeji's voice from somewhere far behind him. He was sprinting down the street at full speed. He turned the corner that led to the Uchiha compound and twirled on his feet, making an elegant half-circle around an old lady. She smiled and waved at him, but he didn't have time for something like that. He barged into his home, kicking his shoes off immediately and bent down to fall on his knees just in time to catch Sasuke as he came running at him, hugging his brother tightly.
"'elcom' 'ome, 'Tachi!" The younger Uchiha brother exclaimed happily, looking at his brother with huge, adorable and utterly happy eyes. Itachi smiled down at his little brother before he hugged him close. He loved his little brother so much it hurt. "'Tachi, why cry?" Sasuke asked in a small voice. It hurt so much.