Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

Warnings: Death, Gore, and possible lemons in the future.

ENJOY!

Chapter 2

I grimaced as my old bones hunched over my desk. The desk had piles of paperwork that required my signature, but my mind could not focus. Guilt burdened my heart like a stone tied to a drowning man's feet. It would be so easy to shift the blame onto someone else. I could always blame Uchiha Fugaku or Senju Danzou for their ruthless ambition. I could blame Itachi for having such a desire for peace. I could even blame Namikaze Minato for not being alive to handle this situation. Yet, in my heart of hearts, I knew that the fault lay solely on my shoulders for being so weak. I was too weak to maintain control over my beloved Konoha. Too weak to prevent Itachi from performing the massacre. Too weak to save Minato's life. Too weak to even order the death of the one surviving Uchiha who could pose a threat to Konoha if he ever learned the truth.

"Something must be done to bind Uchiha Sasuke so firmly to Konoha that he would never consider harming it," I spoke softly to myself. Earlier, when Sasuke had asked if we could train together, my heart had soared at the thought of gaining some way to do penance. Now, my mind focused on the practical aspects of training Sasuke. Danzou and the other Elders could never know. They would forbid me from giving strength to a potential "enemy." If I trained Sasuke, I could teach him to care for the people of Konoha. Teach him the Will of Fire as opposed to the cold hatred found in the majority of the Uchiha Clan.

"I will mold him…I will mold him in the image of Konoha," I finally decided. No sooner had I said these words than I heard a knocking at the door to my office.

"Enter," I spoke.

Hatake Kakashi entered the room. I smiled. The man was one of the few shinobi I would consider replacing me in the seat of Hokage. He had truly inherited Minato's Will of Fire. The Copy Ninja spoke,

"You summoned me, Hokage-sama?"

Kakashi carried himself with an air of lightness, yet I knew how deadly he could be. The last surviving student of the Yandaime Hokage, Hatake Kakashi was known to have mastered over a thousand jutsu. In his youth, he had received an invaluable gift. His best friend had died, but in death had given Kakashi his Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan. In Hatake Kakashi's left eye lay one of the most feared Doujutsu. It was for this reason I had summoned him.

"Yes, Kakashi. I need you to perform a task for me. I need you to write a report detailing all of the strengths and weaknesses of the sharingan. I also need you to write out the best way you believe the sharingan can be taught."

Kakashi's one visible eye widened a fraction at my request. The man was highly intelligent. He would draw conclusions regarding my request. Conclusions that could be dangerous to Sasuke and I but for the fact that Hatake Kakashi's greatest trait was loyalty. The man bowed and said,

"As you wish, Hokage-sama."

"Thank you."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Uchiha Sasuke ignored the whispers of his fellow students. He had…anticipated this. The immature children and their idle fancies. None of them knew what true pain was. It grated on Sasuke's nerves that just a week ago he had been like them, so full of hope and life. He had thought being a shinobi meant epic battles and glory. Now he knew the truth; a true shinobi struck from behind darkness and lies. Betrayal was the lifeblood of shinobi.

The young Uchiha idly tapped his pencil on his notebook as he waited for Iruka-sensei to enter the room. He was determined to master every aspect of shinobi life and that included basic history and math. Sasuke shook his head. He should not be so idle. The young Uchiha slowly calmed himself and began to meditate. Meditation was the key to connecting with one's chakra. As an Academy Student, Sasuke had only a few months ago felt his chakra for the first time, but already it was second nature to connect with his chakra. Sasuke remembered that Iruka-sensei had said that it was not uncommon for Academy Students to take a year or two to subconsciously connect with their chakra. The Uchiha smirked. He had accomplished that with ease. What he was doing now was attempting to sense another's chakra.

Sasuke cautiously expanded his chakra out of his body, tasting the meager chakra reserves of his fellow students. He smirked as he recognized how much larger his reserves were than the rest of the students and then grimaced as he remembered the vastness of Itachi's chakra. Itachi's chakra had been so vast when unleashed that Sasuke had not even had to try to feel his brother's chakra; it was just…there, an oppressive weight that had born down on Sasuke's spirit.

"Good morning, students!" Iruka interrupted Sasuke's meditation just as he was about to turn expand his chakra to the other side of the room. Sasuke frowned in irritation. He had not sensed Iruka-sensei's chakra approaching. That was unacceptable. He needed to be able to sense his enemies even when they remained hidden.

"Today we are going to be discussing multiplication as well as the Warring Clans Period of The Land of Fire…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I smiled in the tree I had hidden in as I watched young Sasuke sit down in meditation. We had agreed that we would meet at the Uchiha training ground at five in the morning. It was fifteen minutes until our arranged time, and the young boy had already been stretching for thirty minutes. I recognized that he was practicing sensing chakra and quickly hid my own chakra even further than what I normally held it in. It would be most embarrassing for an Academy Student to detect me.

A few more minutes passed as I observed Sasuke. The boy had large chakra reserves for his age. In his generation, I believed that only Uzumaki Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba had larger reserves. Even then, neither of them possessed the same control over their chakra. Sasuke was just like his brother, talent personified. I briefly wondered what Sasuke's second chakra nature would be. Unlike the other clans of Konoha, the Uchiha had always been naturally skilled with two elemental natures as opposed to one. Generally, Uchiha possessed the fire element and one other. It was very rare for an Uchiha to possess less than two. As I observed Sasuke's chakra fluctuate during his meditation, I was reminded of a wave of fire with its burning passion. Fire was definitely in the young Uchiha's blood, and it was this element that I would eventually be teaching him. For now, however, it was time to focus on the basics…

I jumped from the tree I had been hiding in and appeared behind the young Uchiha as I allowed a portion of my chakra to be sensed. The prodigy quickly sensed me and somersaulted into a fighting stance. I smiled. The boy, unfamiliar with my chakra, had taken no chances and prepared himself for battle. He had a true fighter's instinct.

Sasuke immediately recognized me and relaxed his guard, an error of inexperience. I quickly pointed that out,

"Never drop your guard, Sasuke. I could be an enemy using the transformation jutsu."

The young Uchiha frowned and nodded. I could see he took my words to heart. Now, it was time to begin…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sorry the chapter is so short. I would have written more but it just did not flow well after this part. I should have the next chapter up soon. Enjoy!