Disclaimer: Naruto will never be mine, so suing is not for any of you!
The next day, when Sasuke went to the academy, he wasn't surprised to see that Ryo had been enrolled. Their teacher, Iruka, placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and announced, "We have a new student joining us. His name is Uchiha Ryo."
There were murmurs throughout the class about how much he looked like Sasuke. All the students looked to Sasuke, then to Ryo, shocked by the similarities. Was he a cousin? A brother? A twin?
"Settle down class, settle down. We'll be studying transforming into people for this next week, so expect a test on it."
There were groans throughout the class, and for the rest of the day, it was distracting to everyone that Ryo and Sasuke did things exactly the same, down to the last detail, at least physically. Their reactions to things were complete opposites. When praised, Sasuke merely nodded, while Ryo smiled shyly and fidgeted. When faced with fan girls, Sasuke ignored the attention while Ryo got flustered.
This pattern continued through the years they trained together, if not getting more extreme in contrast. Sasuke was the most stoic and cocky boy in the class, while Ryo was shy, gentle and quietly confident. They were both quiet, but for different reasons. Ryo tried to be friends with even those who hated him, while Sasuke treated everyone the same, with cold indifference. On the day of the time they would find out which teacher they would get, Ryo entered the room just after Ino and Sakura, the two girls searching for Sasuke. He shifted his weight a little as he gathered the courage to greet them, the prettiest pair in the entire class.
"Hey there, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan."
They turned and Ino actually had the audacity to point and laugh. "Nice look for you, 'Teme'!"
On each cheek, the word "teme" had been written. He'd been mistaken for his twin yet again and while being held down by some bullies had had the prank done. He lowered his head and murmured, "It won't come off…"
Sakura, who took pity on the boy, asked, "Have you tried washing it off?"
"Yeah…that's why my cheeks are so red…"
"Ryo-teme! Ryo-teme!" Ino teased. "You dork! You might fool other people, you aren't nearly as cool as Sasuke-kun!"
Naruto, who heard this teasing, stomped over and shouted, "Hey Ino! Quit picking on my friend! We're best buddies and if you mess with him, you mess with me!"
Sakura went to Iruka, who'd seen the teasing going on just as Naruto stepped in to defend the shier Uchiha. "Iruka-sensei, someone drew on Ryo-kun's face with permanent marker. Do you have something to wash it off with?"
"Sure, Sakura. Here's some cleaning solution. Have Naruto go to the bathroom with him to remove it."
"Thanks, sensei!"
Naruto took the often-bullied boy to the restroom and growled, "Why don't you teach those losers a lesson, Ryo? You know they're just kids that never passed the final exam and they're mad you did. You tied with Sasuke for top marks! Be tough, like me!"
"I don't like hurting people unless it's worth it…"
"So you're saving it for training and missions?"
"Yeah."
Ryo yelped as he got some of the cleaner in his eyes. He dunked his head in the sink and ran the water, tears running down his face along with the water to try and flush out the harmful substance. He shook his head as he turned the water off.
Naruto held out a towel. "Here, Ryo."
"Thanks, Naruto."
He turned away from the mirror and dried his face, tears still gathering in his eyes as he lowered the towel and opened his eyes. Naruto gasped and stepped back, pointing. Ryo blinked and asked, "What?"
"Y-your eyes are red!"
"Of course they are, I got that stuff in and it's irritating them."
"No! Look!" Naruto insisted, turning him around to face the mirror again.
Ryo stared into the mirror and his eyes widened. "It…it can't be…"
"What are they, Ryo?"
"Sharingan…the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha Clan…"
"That's cool! What do they do?!"
"Many things, but mostly copy other techniques…"
"Come on, we have to show Iruka-sensei!"
"But—"
Naruto pulled him into the classroom, announcing, "Iruka-sensei, Ryo got red eyes from the bathroom!"
The Chunin teacher smiled in concern and waved the boy over. "Now look up and I'll put some drops in your eyes to soothe them."
Ryo did as asked, his eyes still watering from the irritation. Iruka paused for a moment and then instructed, "Don't blink, or else I'll have to try again."
"Okay, sensei."
As the older ninja leaned close to aim, he murmured, "Can you turn off your Sharingan?"
"I tried cutting off my chakra, but it doesn't seem to want to," Ryo whispered back.
"This is impossible for a normal twelve-year-old of your clan, right?"
"Yes, but even I don't know why it won't turn off."
"Then you might have to wear contact lenses to not arouse suspicion or something similar, but not until this meeting is over."
"Okay, sensei."
Ryo blinked a little after the eye drops were put in before he turned and walked to his seat, Sasuke's eyes locked on his. The second twin tried to ignore his brother's glare, since there was nothing he could do about it. He knew the technique forced on him would appear, but not this suddenly after being sealed for four years. He must have enough to keep it active, but when he would have the ability to use what Madara had called "Eternal Mangekyo" would have to be discovered through training and time. He wouldn't risk it when he was sure that he had just enough chakra for the Sharingan to be active continually, but that took a lot of chakra, especially with three tomoes in each eye.
What he was more concerned about right now was Sasuke's jealousy, since not only had he awakened the Sharingan first, but it was already at its highest point, without killing your best friend and gaining the Mangekyo. He rested his chin on his hand, watching as all of the Genin save him were called to a team. Naruto was ticked off, of course, because Sasuke was placed on his team instead of Ryo.
"Why can't Ryo be placed on our team instead of Sasuke-teme?! I don't like him!"
"This is what Hokage-sama has chosen for our teams, Naruto. There's no switching."
"Then why hasn't Ryo been assigned to a team?!"
"That is for the Sandaime to decide. Uchiha Ryo, Hokage-sama wishes to see you personally for your team placement, since you were placed into the class later than usual."
Ryo nodded. "Of course, Iruka-sensei."
He walked to the Hokage Tower, people staring at his Sharingan since he was a Genin and no one had seen an active Sharingan in both eyes since the Uchiha Genocide. He hurried up to the Hokage's office, knocking.
"Enter."
He pushed the door open, before bowing. "You called for me, Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, Ryo-kun. I'm assigning you to a special teacher that can hone your skills better than anyone."
Out of nowhere, an ANBU in a black cloak appeared, a fox mask all that was visible under the hood.
"This is Fox, your instructor. By the time the Chunin Exams come up, you'll be plenty prepared, considering you have full-fledged normal Sharingan already. Now, you will do plenty of missions on your own or with other Genin teams, but you cannot breathe a word about who your instructor is. I leave him to you, Fox."
Fox placed a hand on the Genin's shoulder and the pair traveled to a clearing that Ryo had never seen before. He looked around before focusing back on his teacher, who he knew nothing about. "Fox-sensei, what kind of training are you going to give me?"
"I'm going to train you in fire techniques and that of the Sharingan. Uchiha techniques."
"But how could you—unless…"
A black-gloved hand took off the fox mask.
Ryo gasped.
Three guesses on who it could be! The first two don't count.
What's happened to Ryo will be explained in later chapters, along with how he came into existence.
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