"And...throw!" Sasuke wasn't hitting all the targets, but he was getting closer and closer to hitting them. He may not be his brother, but he was definitely someone to watch. Living in Itachi's shadow, he's overlooked, but Sasuke will become a very strong ninja.
Of that I'm sure.
"You're getting closer."
"I'm not close enough," he said, panting from his training.
"And what have I told you? Continue training and you'll get it."
"I know." He still didn't look happy though.
"You're very good for your age Sasuke. You know this." I crouched in front of him so I could be eye level with him. "In fact, you're already beyond your age. Don't you dare compare yourself to anyone."
"But Itachi was already so advanced by my age, and you can do almost anything after seeing it only once and you don't even have the Sharingan."
At that I sighed and sat down in front of Sasuke. I motioned for him to sit, which he did. "You already know that both he and I are different than everyone else. It wasn't something we chose."
"But it's not fair." He started to pout at that and actually turned his pouting face away.
"Its not fair for us either Sasuke." I moved his head so he was facing me once more. "Do you know how much pressure is put onto your brother and I?"
He quickly shook his head. "But you two have such an easy time doing things!"
"We're also the center of attention no matter where we go. If we do something, everyone knows about it." I reached over and messed his hair a little bit. "I'm only ever truly able to be myself when I'm around you or Itachi."
"But you smile while we're in the village."
"I'm not stoic Sasuke. I just don't show every emotion to everyone. And to be honest, the only ones who ever receive any emotions from me are you and Itachi. Didn't you know that?"
He shook his head and was about to speak before Itachi landed in the clearing near Sasuke. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have a mission Sayuri."
I nodded and leaned forward to kiss Sasuke's forehead. "Keep training Sasuke. I know you can do it. But please don't get yourself hurt." Itachi extended a hand and helped me up before I helped Sasuke up.
"Don't be too long." Sasuke was going to miss us, as he did every time we went on missions.
We both nodded before Itachi and I took off, Itachi handing me the mission scroll.
"The person we're escorting won't trust us," I pointed out to Itachi.
"I've already spoken to him. It's a merchant who wants to return to his home after visiting a friend here in the Leaf. He also knows that both of us are Chunin."
"He was surprised that two ten year olds were escorting him back home instead of a team of three genin and a jonin, wasn't he?"
"Aren't they all?"
"Normally."
We stopped at the gate to the village to see a middle aged man. There was nothing spectacular about him, no obvious valuables, but he also didn't seem to be the type to let himself go either. Possibly a merchant who dealt more with food or clothes than one who dealt with more valuable things.
"Hello," I greeted the man with a nod. "I'm Sayuri and I'll be one of the two escorting you."
The man stood there and sized me up before nodding as well. "Hikaru. Your Hokage told me that you two are some of the best around to protect me on my way back home. Two prodigies."
Itachi and I stood before the man, waiting for him to be completely ready to leave. As he had been speaking, he had been trying to settle his pack on his back. Itachi assisted him when he stumbled before the man finally nodded at us.
"Please take me home in one piece."
Itachi and I took positions on either side of the man and began our journey. The man, thankfully, lived within the Land of Fire so it wouldn't take too long to complete the mission and we'd be back home within the week.
Another thing I appreciated was that this client wasn't the type to just chatter away when we were trying to avoid any attention to ourselves. That didn't mean we went by undetected though. There were various bandits who tried to attack us.
Tried being the main word.
Our client was well protected by Itachi and I, and he was very impressed by the time he was finally returned to his home.
"Now I see why the Hokage said he trusted the two of you to bring me home unharmed. You two are very talented."
"Thank you." I bowed my head to him. "Would you like to be escorted to your home or will the village gates suffice?"
"My village is safe once inside the gates, thank you."
We took care of last minute pleasantries before Itachi and I were on our way back home. It may've taken a little over a day to reach the client's home, but without a civilian to hold us back, we could return home in half a day.
"Father's been trying to convince me to go into Anbu," Itachi told me during our trip back.
"Are you going to?" I glanced over to him.
He seemed to be thinking. "I was considering it. I do have one condition though."
"Hmm?"
"I won't go unless you come with me."
"Of course." I smiled at Itachi. "You know I'll follow you anywhere. You're my best friend." And the first person who didn't expect anything from me.
"As you are mine. It's nice to have someone to share my burdens with, I must admit. Someone who knows how it feels..."
"To be like us." I sighed and got closer to Itachi so I could put my hand on his shoulder as we jumped through the trees. "I've told you before...That's why I initally approached you. And I'll forever be glad I did."
"As will I."
Our conversation took on a less serious note as we continued through the trees.
"So when are you going to go through to being an Anbu?" I asked after a while.
"Probably by the end of next month."
"You just want to relax for a little longer with the missions we have now."
The smile on his face was answer enough and I laughed at that.
"I can't say I disagree with you there. Just be sure to let me know exactly when you decide to go through with it."
"You need to practice all of those techniques."
"I see your dry humor is showing once more." I shook my head. "In all seriousness though, I'll have to train my body even more now. I could continue with just our spar a day and normal training as a Chunin, but as Anbu I'll need my body to be able to withstand more." We're going to completely skip over the Jonin ranking after all.
"I'll help to the best of my abilities. We can spar more than once a day as I also want to improve my physical strength as well."
"Are we going to allow Sasuke to watch?"
Itachi nodded and glanced over at me. "For one or two possibly."
Sasuke was sure to be very happy with that, since he's been wanting to watch us spar for some time now.
"He'll be happy." I smiled at my best friend. Sasuke would be able to watch us train for only a little longer because once we were Anbu, we'd possibly be too busy to train at a time when Sasuke could watch.
Our spars and training would happen any time we could fit them in, meaning that we may be out in the middle of the night when Sasuke was asleep.
"I know."
"He really is a wonderful little brother Itachi. And advanced for his age."
"I know."
Itachi was still upset. "He understands that we don't have as much free time as he'd like with our rank."
He finally allowed a small sigh. "I know this. It doesn't stop me from the guilt."
"Never feel guilty." I nudged Itachi before moving away so I didn't run head first into a tree trunk. "Guilt means regret. Regret can foster into other emotions that my best friend doesn't need in his life. It also happens that I know you don't regret where you've gotten into your ranks, and where you're going. You've turned into someone people can look up to. Someone Sasuke can look up to. Honestly, Sasuke is the only one who matters in the end, isn't he?"
"How do you know me so well?"
I answered the rhetorical question as though he wanted it answered. "You're my best friend. It's in the description that I must know almost as much about you as you know of yourself. And occasionally I also have to know more about you than you know. It's a bit tricky, but not impossible."
A smile crossed his lips. "Where would I be without you Sayuri?"
"In a dark room, brooding about how you don't have a wonderful friend who will tackle you while doing said brooding."
He just gave me a blank look, causing me to giggle.
"If I recall, you wouldn't be much better if we hadn't become friends."
That was true. I took a gamble in extending my hand in friendship toward the prodigy in my class. If we hadn't become friends, I might have become someone who hated those around me. No one wants to be used after all, and without a single person to make things better for me, I'd be left to just mull over my negative feelings. Even though I don't show my true feelings to anyone besides Itachi and Sasuke, I don't hate everything as much as I would've.
They bring out the good in me that was slowly being snuffed out as I aged.
Sasuke was just so innocent that the concept of using someone hadn't even reached him yet. And if I had anything to say about it, he'd grow into someone who wouldn't use another just because of their power.
Itachi knew the same thing I did, the pressure and emotions that came with being a prodigy. Unlike others that I was introduced to, he didn't try to show off or brag that he was better.
Yes he did go through everything earlier, as I did, but he never tried to show off his skills to everyone around him. He did what was asked of him by his teachers and those higher in rank than him and that was that.
"I fear for what I would've become honestly," I finally said. "I feel as though I would've come to hate the village as a whole...Strange at how after I've befriended you, that concept is so foreign to me. I don't want things to happen to the village. I want to protect it and everyone inside it, even those who want to use me."
"You've found people to care for."
"One of which is by my side and the other is his little brother."
"There are more."
I huffed. "I guess...All of Sasuke's friends are sweet. They're innocent and don't have any hate...Not like I did when I was their age...Hmm, perhaps I'm jealous."
"It does seem that way."
"I want them to remain that way though. I don't want them to harbor any hate. Once they become ninja I know it'll be hard for them to continue on without hating someone out there...But I'd like for them to remain oblivious to the hatred and what you can become from it for as long as possible." It didn't need to be said that I didn't want them to become what I would've become if I hadn't found a friend. Itachi already knew my basic thought process well enough and knew how much I regret my growing hatred from before we had become friends.
"With you around, I'm sure they'll be thoroughly protected from such things."
"Now you're just making fun of me."
He chuckled and I saw the way his features softened as they often did around Sasuke and I. "It was a chance I couldn't pass up."
"You never pass it up."
Which was definitely true. Since we didn't really show emotions and such around others besides Sasuke, we both took advantage of the times we had with just the two of us. Most of the time, when not spent in deep thoughts, was actually spent with our odd sense of humor. Even if we were in the middle of a mission or sparring, we'd joke around.
Only if we were alone though. If it was an escort mission, we'd wait until we bring the client to their desired location, as we did for our current mission, and then begin joking. We remained quiet if we were with anyone else who had to complete the mission with us, only speaking when needed.
No need to let anyone else in on our thought process.
"Are you coming over after the mission to eat with us?" Itachi asked.
He didn't really even need to ask. For the past few years, nearly every day we were in the village, I'd eat with Itachi's family for at least one meal during the day. My parents were just all too happy that I was with another prodigy that they honestly didn't care that I preferred to eat with Itachi over them. "Of course. I'll be stopping by my house to at least let my parents know I'm back from my mission though." If they weren't off on their own missions, without telling me again.
Alas, I still can't come to hate them. The main reason being my best friend, who influenced my view of the world dramatically. Sometimes I wish I could hold hate toward them though, because of the lack of care on their end. Even a prodigy wants attention from their own parents sometimes.
Hell, even Itachi has admitted that he still likes having his mother or father show affection toward him. He never outwardly shows it, and he'll never admit it to anyone else, but he still likes that his parents care for him.
Though at the same time he's also conflicted because everyone shows him affection and Sasuke doesn't get as much. Sasuke still gets some attention from his mother, and definitely from me and Itachi, but his father pays more attention to Itachi, his eldest son and the one who would take over for him. And though I'm not a boy, I'm pretty sure that he wants his father's approval.
"I'll come with you to let them know I took care of their daughter on this mission."
"Now you're just trying to get me into trouble. A prodigy needing protection? How absurd."
Itachi chuckled but he did do what he said he would and came with me back to my empty house. Another mission and possibly another night alone.
"Would you like to stay over at our place?" Itachi asked, possibly seeing the sadness in my eyes. "I'm sure my parents won't mind."
"Thanks." I sighed writing a note for my parents in case they came back while I was away. "Let's go report to the mission desk."
We took our time getting back to the mission desk, walking instead of running over the buildings and through the trees. Once we were in the building, I was actually caught by a Chunin who had been looking for me specifically.
"Sayuri, the Hokage has important news and wanted you to report to him immediately once you arrived in the tower."
"Itachi and I haven't brought in the reports of the mission yet."
"You can discuss that with the Hokage."
I nodded and Itachi followed me up to the Hokage's office, where I only had to knock once before being let in.
Inside the room were various people I recognized, some family friends and others ninja that either my parents or I have worked with.
"You wanted to speak with me sir?" I asked.
Sarutobi, the third Hokage, nodded his head and moved a folder forward on his desk. Knowing he wanted me to read whatever it said, I grabbed the folder and opened it, only to close my eyes immediately after to try to stop the emotions from showing.
"When did this happen?"
I opened my eyes to watch the hokage. "The report was received this morning. Their mission took an unexpected turn and the entire squad was eliminated."
Shit.
I may not have been happy with how they treated me, but they were my parents.
"When will the funeral take place?"
"You arrived in time. It'll take place in a few hours."
I nodded and took the paperwork from Itachi to hand to the Hokage. "I'll hand our mission report in now then. If you'll excuse me sir. I'll return in time for the funeral. Have their names been added to the stone?"
The hokage nodded his head.
"Excuse me sir."
"Sir." I turned in time to see Itachi nod to the Hokage before following me out. He remained silent and followed me, even as I jumped through the trees and over rooftops to get back to my home. No one would be there anymore.
I could show my emotions as I pleased behind the closed doors.
"I hate them!" I threw a kunai at the wall, lodging the weapon up to the hilt. "They treated me like hell! They never cared about how I felt! They abandoned me!" I turned to glare at Itachi, tears finally falling from my eyes. "I hate them!" My fists clenched by my side. "Why can't I stop crying?"
Itachi closed the distance between us and hugged me to him. "Because even after everything they did, they were your parents. You still loved them."
"Why did they have to leave me alone Itachi? Why do I have to deal with all of this?" I wrapped my arms around my best friend, my hands grabbing at his shirt.
"We're ninja. We put our lives on the line every day. Every mission might be our last and we never know if we'll return home."
"Unless you're the strongest out there...If there's no one stronger than you, then you can't die. They can't stop you." My grip tightened.
"Sayuri..."
"I refuse to let you or Sasuke die. You're both going to become the strongest ninja in the world. I will not allow anyone to kill either of you."
"To prevent that, you'd have to be stronger than anyone you'd meet, if you wanted to protect us."
"I'll become strong Itachi. Stronger than even the legendary Sanin. No one will take away anyone else who is precious to me."
"Don't let the power get to your head. I love this village and Sasuke...I won't allow anyone to destroy that in their quest for power."
I didn't look up, but nodded. "I will protect it, Sasuke, and you. I promise you now. If anything were to happen to any of them...I can't guarentee what will happen."
"I can settle with that. Just don't harm yourself in the process."