A/N: Hey guys. Thanks for the Reviews, favs and follows. Really appreciate it. I'm glad you liked it. So here is the 2nd chapter. This chapter is mostly intercepts from Naruto's
life at different stages in the span of 8 months. Have fun reading.
'Why did I join the Academy? Why do I want to be shinobi? Do I really want to be a shinobi? Tou-san is a shinobi. Kaa-san said she used to be one. Itachi nii-san is a shinobi too. Now I and Sasuke too will be shinobi. Everyone in my family is a shinobi. Is that why I too chose to be one? Because everyone around me is a shinobi? Did I even choose? Did I have a choice in this?' Naruto thought, throwing a pebble into the lake while sitting on the edge of lake's pier. The pebble bounced on the surface of the water four times before diving into the lake.
'Choice. If I did, was this the right choice? Even if I chose to be a shinobi, do I know why I want to be one? For what reasons did I choose this?' The young black haired boy continued to contemplate while he launched another pebble across the lake.
He heard someone shout his name from a distance and turned around to see none other than this sibling, Uchiha Sasuke waving a hand at him. He waved back to let Sasuke know he noticed and heard him. Taking one last pebble, he launched again getting the same result he got for two previous stones. It bounced off of the surfaced exactly four times before diving into the lake. The stone's speed reduced once it was below the surface and slowly kept sinking until it carefully landed on a tower of similar pebbles.
Naruto, unaware of the events underwater, got up on his feet and grabbed his sling bag before running up to Sasuke who was waiting for him. "Let's go."
"How come you're taller than me when I'm the older one?" Sasuke asked with a pout. At the age of six, Sasuke was 1" short of being 4 feet tall. He had spiky black hair with the blue tint and small bangs starting to grow on the sides. Onyx eyes shined brightly with enthusiasm and eagerness. He wore a dull blue high collar t-shirt with full sleeves and white shorts with his brown bag slung over his shoulder.
Naruto is 4 feet tall even though he's 3 months younger than Sasuke. He had shiny black hair with thick locks falling down and covering his forehead. He too wore a grey standard Uchiha high collar t-shirt with black shorts and a beige sling bag. But what set him apart was his eyes. Bright cerulean eyes twinkled with curiosity and optimism. "Maybe I'm better than you at growing up?" He said before chuckling out loudly making Sasuke pout harder.
"I'll show you who's better. Let's race to the class. Winner gets to sit next to the window." Sasuke started to run before he even finished the sentence. Naruto barely registered anything before he watched Sasuke take off.
"Hey...Not fair." Even he started running behind Sasuke taking up the challenge. After all, this favourite window seat is on the line now.
' I don't know if it was my choice or not. But I don't mind this shinobi lifestyle. As long as I have my family, I don't mind it at all.' he thought he started to run over the rooftops to reach his destination quicker.
Time flies by him when he's around his family. His world, as of now, is very small. His house, his family and his books. He just loved reading. Especially the History books. He was fascinated by reading the stories of the older generations. How the world was back then, how people lived and behaved. He didn't know why but it brought an odd sense of familiarity to him.
He even read a book called 'Shinobi arts' before joining the academy. That was when his fascination shifted from reading to training. Shuriken jutsu, in particular, was his favourite. Right now, he's in one of such practice sessions along with Sasuke and Itachi.
Itachi drew six kunais and took a deep breath as Naruto and Sasuke watched. He leapt into the air and turned upside down and activated his Sharingan before throwing the kunais in such a way that they hit each other and directed themselves towards their respective targets including the ones in his blind spot. He landed softly on the ground and looked at the targets to appreciate his work. Naruto and Sasuke ran towards Itachi amazed by the show he put.
"Wow, Nii-san! You were awesome."
"Yeah. That was so cool!"
"The way you jumped in the air..."
"And the way you closed your eyes and turned upside down..."
"And how you threw the kunai..."
"The way they hit the target..."
Naruto and Sasuke took turns exuberantly explaining every move Itachi made to himself with stars in their eyes. Itachi couldn't help but laugh at the Irony of the situation and the Innocence in their hearts.
"Alright alright. Calm down you two." Itachi said still trying to stifle his laugh.
"Nii-san teach us how to throw like that." Naruto pleaded.
"Yeah. Even we want to become a great ninja like you." Sasuke added.
Itachi just shook his head in response. "I can't. It's been just 2 weeks since you both joined the Academy. I doubt they've even taught you how to throw a shuriken, let alone a Kunai."
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged looks before looking back at him with expectant eyes.
"They didn't even teach you the theory behind that, did they?" Itachi asked. Both his little brothers just shook their heads in denials. "Then I most definitely can't let you both even touch them." 'The standards these days at the academy are dropping.' he added as an afterthought.
"But I read the theory behind the shuriken jutsu in a book." Naruto said. Itachi just raised his brow skeptically. "True Nii-san. From the book called 'Shinobi arts'." Naruto continued, trying to prove he was saying the truth.
'That book isn't given to Academy freshers.' "Naruto, where did you get that book?" Itachi voiced his concern. He didn't mind the curiosity the child had but he couldn't let that become an obsession. He has seen enough people be blinded by power lust.
"I..uh...found it a shelf?"
Itachi understood that Naruto took it from the shelf of his room. He knew about his youngest brother's passion for reading so he didn't mind when Naruto often went through his book rack. As far as he remembered, Naruto mostly studied those history books.
"It doesn't matter Naruto. Studying in a book is not the same as learning from an experienced instructor in the Academy."
"But I know the basic principles behind them. Isn't that the most important thing? Besides, you are present to correct if I make any mistakes. One chance. Just one. Please, please."
Itachi let out a resigned sigh.'He's too tenacious for his own good.' "Alright. But just one chance. It doesn't matter if the attempt is successful or not. Only one. Got it?"
"Hai." Naruto said enthusiastically with a nod and held his arm out. Itachi took out a shuriken and placed in Naruto's hand.
"There's your target. Try to hit as close to the centre as possible." Itachi said pointing towards an unused target board. Naruto nodded and stepped forward as Sasuke and Itachi watched.
Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'Ok. Just remember what you read. First, hold the shuriken firmly between your thumb and index finger. Then stretch your arm and lock your shoulder.' He simultaneously did the action while thinking in his mind. 'Then lock your elbow and bring the Shuriken to your eye level.' He slowly opened his cerulean turned cobalt blue eyes and locked the target. 'Now THROW!'. The shuriken whizzed past and hit the target right at the centre.
"Yes! I did it. Did you see nii-san? I did it." Naruto started jumping up and down in joy.
"Don't get too confident ok? It's just beginners luck." Sasuke said with his hands folded and a satisfied smile on his face. He was amazed and proud of Naruto for doing what he did but he would never let go of a chance to tease his sibling.
"It's not. I can prove it but nii-san said he'd give me only one chance." Naruto protested.
"Here. Go again." Itachi said giving another shuriken to Naruto. A move with took both Naruto and Sasuke by surprise. None of them was expecting that to happen. So it took a while before Naruto took the shuriken from Itachi's hand. "There. Try and hit that." Itachi pointed to a different target, one which was farther from before.
"Uh-okay," Naruto said before repeating his actions. The shuriken too mimicked the previous ones' action and hit the target dead in the centre.
"Woah! That was so cool." Sasuke said looking at Naruto with wide eyes. He turned towards Itachi before speaking. "Nii-san I want to try too."
"Some other time Sasuke. It's getting dark. We should head home now. Otherwise, Kaa-san will scold us."
"Aw." Sasuke puffed his cheeks and pouted again before he and Naruto took off, running towards their home. Itachi just walked slowly watching them from behind with a frown.
'What should I do? What Naruto did was no fluke. It's nothing short of exceptional. He's got a gift, that much is pretty evident. It is my duty as the eldest son to tell Tou-san about this. But...' he looked at them once again who were breathing hard after running for a while. Even in exhaustion, they both had huge grins plastered on their faces.'Tou-san hardly pays any attention to them now. Because of me. He's too focused on what I can do and achieve. If I tell him about Naruto, sure he'll be proud and train him better but Sasuke...He won't pay the same attention to Sasuke as he will to Naruto. I can't let that happen. Those two are too innocent to experience anything like that. I can't and will not let that situation take place, ever.'
'Strength. What is it? How we do know who is stronger? Is strength even measurable? If so, how is it measured? On what basis can a person be regarded as strong? The strongest.'
Just like every other day, thoughts continued to flood his mind as he continued to stare out of the window. That's why the place beside the window was so important for him. It let him think peacefully without any hindrance. Just looking at the trees and the empty sparring ground from his seat was enough to pull him into a different world. A world where questions popped up. These questions in return created the curiosity to learn the answers.
To him, this way of learning was actually better than listening to the whatever boring lectures the instructors were giving. Not that he thought of them as useless or anything. It's just that whatever they were telling were things which he already learnt from reading the books. History of the village, history of ninja, basics behind moulding chakra, etc etc.
But this particular day, thoughts didn't come to him because he was staring at the static image of trees and the ground. No. It was due to what he heard last night when he woke up from his sleep to get some water. The words his father spoke. The words that kept resonating in his mind from that moment onwards.
'Remember Itachi, you are the pipeline that connects our clan to the village. We must utilize this opportunity to re-establish our clan as the strongest in the village.'
'Why did tou-san say that? Is it really important that our clan be the strongest in the village? What difference would it make? Everyone in the village is our ally. We won't have to fight them. So why is it so important that our clan be the strongest in our own village? Clan... Village... What's the difference? Both are just a group of people with similar ideas and interests. Well, the village is a little bigger but...wait, is someone calling me?'
Naruto quickly came out of his thoughts and turned his head to see his instructor glaring daggers at him. "Uchiha Naruto..." The instructor growled. "Are you paying attention to what I've been saying?"
Naruto stood up with a nod, though he didn't look very confident about it. At the moment, he realised one of his weaknesses. Lying. He needs to work on that.
"So you wouldn't mind telling me how chakra we infuse is converted into fire within our body, would you?" He asked, tapping his feet restlessly.
"Hai. We concentrate the infused chakra in our windpipe and try and mould it until we feel a burning sensation. We then spew it out producing fire. We can also manipulate the shape and the size of the jutsu depending on the amount of chakra we use." The answer was accurate to the letter, just how he remembered it reading a few days back. 'That was easier than I thought.'
But the relief he felt didn't last long. The looks of bewilderment and confusion from his fellow students and the almost tangible anger he saw on his sensei's face made it a short stay. "Uh... It is right, isn't it?" he asked, now a little unsure of his memory.
"It is! That is exactly why I know that you haven't been paying attention to the class. I didn't even complete the theory behind infusing chakra and you correctly answered a question on change in chakra nature."
Naruto cursed himself for that. 'That was a trick question?! I should've guessed it. Itachi nii-san did tell the academy standards have dropped these days and that question was not for a fresher. I didn't think this through.'
"You may be clever and know things that many here might not but that doesn't mean you get to slack off in the Academy. Call your parents tomorrow. I need to talk to them. You may sit now." The instructor said before turning towards the board and continuing his lecture.
Naruto slumped down in his seat and Sasuke snickering at him. 'Great. Now Tou-san and Kaa-san will think that I'm not taking my training seriously. This is not what I needed.' he thought as he buried his head on the bench.
'Stupid instructor. Why does he care if I don't listen to his boring lectures? I already know what he's saying. Why do I have to listen to something I already know?' Naruto threw pebble while sitting on the edge of the lake's pier. This was his go-to spot whenever he's disturbed by anything. He lost count of how many times he came here whenever someone denied him something or ...That's pretty much it. That's the only reason he'd feel disturbed or agitated. If someone denied him something. This time, the person was none other than his mother and the thing is reading.
'Because of him, I'm not allowed to read now. Just because I'd listen to his boring lectures to learn. Why does it matter how I learn? Books, lectures, at the end of the day, knowledge is what matters. Not the manner in which we do it.' He continued to throw pebbles as he let his pent-up thoughts. Every time, the pebble skipped four times before diving into the water.
'Thank goodness it was only kaa-san who came today. If tou-san was there, I don't know what would've been the punishment.'
"Naruto."
He jolted back to reality and turned around to see the one person he feared and respected the most.
"T-tou-san." He stammered as he got back onto his feet and stood attentively. 'When did tou-san come here? I didn't hear a thing.' That's when he felt like a complete idiot for the first time in his life. 'Of course. He's one of the strongest shinobi in the village. What am I thinking?' He wanted to slap himself but restrained from doing so in front of his father.
"Your kaa-san told me about the meeting she had with your instructor today." Fugaku spoke with an even tone, not a hint of emotion behind those words.
'That's it. I'm done. I won't be allowed to read permanently from now. I may even have to do house chores as an extra punishment. What did I do to deserve this?'
"Impressive. You're progressing very well."
'Uhm...What?!' Naruto blinked in confusion. 'What did kaa-san tell him?' Naruto wondered. His look of bewilderment was mocking the sanity of himself and the nature around him. An appreciation was the last thing he expected.
Fugaku noticed the confusion in the boy's eyes and he had to admit that it was kind of cute. Though he'd never say it out loud or even show a hint of such amusement in an outward manner. He had a reputation to maintain after all. He decided it's better to elaborate his statement before the child exploded out of confusion.
"I heard that you know how to change the nature of chakra already. Is that true?"
"Well, in theory, yes." Naruto said while nodding his head.
"Why don't you put to the application then? Watch carefully." Fugaku said before taking a few steps forward and standing on the edge. He went through a set of hand seals and inhaled a huge amount of air expanding his lungs.
"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu( Firestyle: Fireball jutsu)"
A massive sphere of fire erupted and blazed over the lake, evaporating some of it and producing a few steams. Naruto watched as the fireball finally dissipated, his eyes wide with amazement. He snapped his head to look at Fugaku and asked for his permission to try it without speaking a word. The excitement in eyes was enough for Fugaku to know what was running in the kid's mind. He just nodded in response without any hesitation. After all, this is exactly why he came here today.
"The hand signs are-"
"Tora-Hitsuji-Saru-Buta-Uma-Tora. I saw them while you made them tou-san." Naruto said before he himself doing them.
"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu( Firestyle: Fireball jutsu)"
The result left Fugaku speechless. A fireball, though not as big as his, engulfed the area in front of him, the scorching heat a definite proof of its destructive capacity. Though the shape of the fireball wasn't perfect yet, it was still a miracle that a barely seven-year-old boy achieved this. It felt like deja vu for him, as he remembered the first time he thought Itachi the same thing.
'This boy...He's just like Itachi. I shouldn't be surprised knowing who his father is. He even looks like him. The same eyes, the same face. The only thing he took after Mikasa is the hair I guess.' he thought as he placed his hand on Naruto's head. "That's my boy." he said, ruffling Naruto's hair.
'Don't worry Mikasa. I'll raise him to be a man you'll be proud of and ninja who surpasses his father.' Fugaku thought as he and Naruto walked back to their home.
The sounds of steel clashing echoed throughout as the two tantos met for the last time that evening. Itachi and Shisui were breathing hard after coming to a skidding halt. Shisui was the first to put his tanto back into its sleeve. "That's enough for me today." he said as he slowly walked towards Itachi who finished sheathing his tanto as well.
"You always do this Shisui. You give up just before-" Itachi said but was cut-off before finishing.
"One's gotta know his limits Itachi. I know mine so it's better to accept them rather than deny it."
"Uh-ha!" Itachi's response was skeptical but his thoughts weren't. He knew very well that the reason Shisui stopped because it was Itachi who was on the brink of exhaustion. 'That guy...' Itachi thought with a shake of his head though his smile betrayed him.
"Itachi nii-san won. Yay! He's the best." Sasuke and Naruto yelled coming out of hiding. Both of them made it a routine to watch Itachi and Shisui spar after the classes at the academy. Whenever Itachi had the time to spare, that is. He's become quite busy after joining in the ANBU. So they spent whatever time they could spare together.
"Hey, come on now. I was pretty good too." Shisui chimed, smiling goofily.
"Yeah, but you still lost." Sasuke said.
"Sasuke, it's not good to say such things." Itachi began to lecture his little brother. Sasuke's face looked crestfallen before he turned towards Shisui to apologize.
"Sorry, Shisui nii-san."
"It's okay Sasuke-chan. No need to apologise."
"Hey! I told you not to call me that. I'm not a little girl."
"But you pout like one though." Shisui said making everyone except Sasuke burst into laughter.
"It's...true." Naruto spoke still laughing.
"Hey! I may pout like a girl but you fight like one." Sasuke taunted back.
Naruto immediately stopped laughing and got into Sasuke's face. "What was that again?"
Shisui and Itachi just looked amusedly at the bickering kids in front of them. "You know, I can't believe how similar and different Naruto can be at the same time." Shisui said surprising Itachi.
"mm?"
"From you, I mean. I saw him many times and he seems so similar to you in many ways. He's calm, level-headed, a freaking genius and talks more to himself than to others."
"I don't talk to myself." That was more like a statement than a protest.
"Yeah, yeah. You Introspect." Shisui said making air quotes. "Whatever you call it, the kid does the same. I caught him off guard so many times, it's not even funny anymore. I can barely read his face most of the times. But it's different when he's around you or Sasuke or Fugaku-sama and Mikoto-sama. He behaves like a very happy child when he's around his family."
"Is that so?" Itachi said, he himself realising that for the first time. Come to think of it, he never saw Naruto alone or outside the house except while training. He always thought both Sasuke and Naruto are two innocent kids who deserved nothing but joy and happiness. But learning that Naruto had a more thoughtful side was both intriguing and frightening. He didn't want either of them to turn out like him. He was brought out of his musings when the squabble between Naruto and Sasuke finally ended and both of them stood in front of Shisui.
"Shisui nii-san, today we learned that Shunshin is used to increase our speed. So after class, I went to the library in the break to see if I could find something to read about Shunshin. I saw your name being mentioned in that. Is it true that you are called 'Shunshin no Shisui'?"
Shisui glanced at Itachi asking for a way out of this conversation. Itachi just shrugged in response with a smile. Shisui just groaned after he was left out to dry. 'Payback for what I did before huh? You Ungrateful bastard...'
"Uh...yeah. I guess so. It's no big deal actually. Just a simple jutsu. Anyone can do it." Shisui said, hoping that talking down on it would lose Naruto's interest on it. He still remembers how he had to sit and explain how to make the perfect fireball jutsu. He didn't want a repeat of that again.
"Really? Can you teach me then? It's no big deal like you said right?" Naruto asked, seizing the opportunity. 'Got you nii-san. That was a trick question. No matter how you answered, I would've come out as the winner.' he thought but masked his face with excitement and curiosity.
But Shisui managed to look past the facade. 'This damn gaki. He tricked me. He won't take no for an answer. If I reject now, he and Sasuke will gang up on me. On the other hand, if I accept, then Sasuke will definitely want in. He's gotten a little too competitive these days. Especially with Naruto. Dammit.' he thought before an idea struck him.
"I will. But I'm exhausted today."Shisui said with a forced fake smile.
"How about tomorrow then?" Sasuke asked.
"Sorry Sasuke. I have a mission tomorrow. Your brother isn't the only one who's busy you know."
"How about-"
"Later guys." Shisui said before disappearing in blur via Shunshin.
"That's the Shunshin." Itachi said to the wondering kids.
"Wow!" Both of them said in unison.
"The winner is Uchiha Sasuke. Now make the unison gesture." Iruka said as Kiba was on the floor while Sasuke was standing with a proud smirk on his face. Kiba held his rib and winced in pain as he got up with Sasuke's support. Both made the unison sign before parting ways. Sasuke walked back and stood beside Naruto who high fived him as he approached.
"That was a good fight. Well done."
"It was. That Inuzuka is a slacker but he packs quite a punch. Guess he's better at taijutsu than the other areas." Sasuke said dusting off his left sleeve.
"Yeah."
"Kato Nao and Uchiha Naruto, please step forward." Iruka called out.
Everyone student's eyes shined with excitement when they heard the names of the students who were gonna fight next. Murmurs started to erupt among the boys while most of the girls started to squeal in exhilaration. Iruka himself was looking forward to this though he remained passive.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances. Sasuke was smirking while Naruto had his brows raised in mocking disbelief.
"So...the destined meeting is finally gonna happen now."
"Please don't over exaggerate Sasuke."
"I'm not. The top 2 of the class are going up against each other. Look around you Naruto. You hear the buzz? That just proves my point." True to his words, the buzz was only increasing with each passing second. "Now do me a favor and kick his no.2 ass. Go."
Naruto exhaled and took a step forward to see his opponent already inside the ring. Kato Nao. The youngest son of the Godaime Hokage Kato Dan and Senju Tsunade. The unspoken rival of Naruto in the Academy. Well, at least to the others. Naruto never gave this rivalry any heed. Standing as tall as Naruto and Sasuke, he wore a teal t-shirt with a dirty grey scarf around his neck along with brown pants. He had shoulder-length pale blue hair and hazel eyes.
Naruto put his right leg back and brought his left arm up taking his stance while Nao did the same.
"Begin."
With that permission, Nao charged towards Naruto and swung his right arm only for the latter to duck below and throw a punch to his gut. Nao hunched a little and took a few steps back while holding the place where he's been hit. Naruto's fangirls cheered while Nao's winced more than he did. The boys just kept on watching without a word. Sasuke lips curved up into a smirk.
Naruto held his ground and didn't charge, waiting for Nao to take the initiative once again. Complying, Nao charged again with a similar right hook but got his left knee up in time to block Naruto's punch. He just kicked Naruto with his left leg while supporting himself on the other. Naruto blocked the kick but was pushed back due to the impact. Before he had any time for a breather, Nao was onto him again, a flying kick aimed right to his face. Naruto grabbed Nao's attacking leg and tried to fling him but failed in doing so. Nao managed to bounce back off a tree which was out of the ring and landed in the circle again.
Some of the boys were staggered to see the acrobatic display of Nao. The smirk on Sasuke's face vanished as he watched Nao gradually gaining onto Naruto. 'Get serious Naruto.' he thought he continued to watch tensely.
No words were spoken but the intensity in Nao's eyes showed that this wasn't an ordinary spar anymore. This match is being fought for the ultimate bragging rights. Naruto understood how serious Nao was when Nao held his ground and taunted him to attack. 'Guess I'll have to respond now.' Naruto thought.
Naruto started off with a left-handed jab which Nao swatted away easily but didn't counter attack. Naruto continued to throw jabs with both his hands and suddenly aimed a kick to Nao's face. Nao blocked the kick and took advantage of the opening and swooped Naruto off his foot making Naruto jump in the air. Nao maneuvered on the ground using his hands while aiming a kick right to Naruto' torso. Caught in mid-air, Naruto was completely defenseless and took the kick before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Everyone including Iruka were shocked to see Naruto disappear right in front of them. Gasps were let out and an equally confused but sharp Nao turned around to see Naruto crouching on the ground behind. 'Now is my chance to finish him.' Nao thought and charged at Naruto. Naruto unaware of the incoming threat dusted and himself and by the time he realized and looked up, Nao's fist was right in front of his face.
Nao's lips curved up when he was about to punch Naruto in the face. The smile of triumph adorned his face gracefully. But the victorious grin didn't last long as he passed through Naruto's face like he was an intangible object. He sported a worried look for a fraction of second before he tripped and landed face first on the ground, outside the ring.
Howls of shock erupted all around as Naruto dissipated after the contact. The students were searching all over when Iruka spotted Naruto standing on top of a tree branch. Naruto jumped down and landed back inside the ring to receive applause and cheers from everyone.
"Iruka sensei. Naruto cheated. He stepped out of the bounds." Ami, one of Nao's fangirl yelled, pointing at Naruto.
"But sensei, I just used the tree as support to jump back inside just like Nao did. The only difference is I took a little longer."
Iruka pondered over the accusation and the defense of Naruto for a while. 'He didn't step on the ground outside so he's technically not out of bounds. But that doesn't explain the rest of his actions.' he thought before making up his mind. "The winner of the match is Kato Nao." Iruka announced surprising everyone. Naruto, who didn't actually mind the result glanced curiously at Iruka to know the reason.
"Naruto, while you were technically not out of bounds, you are disqualified for not following the rules of the spar." Naruto's curiosity only grew after that statement. "You used Kawarimi no jutsu and bunshin no jutsu. This is a traditional hand to hand combat. No ninjutsu is allowed to be used. You would've known that had you paid any attention in the class." Iruka elaborated.
Naruto exhaled in defeat after listening to Iruka's response. 'That has to be the worst way to lose a spar.' Naruto thought as he walked back to where Sasuke was.
Nao too got back onto his feet and dusted himself off while a conversation between his fellow classmates caught his ear.
"He can already do ninjutsu that easily? Wow. Naruto would've been declared the winner had ninjutsu been allowed." Choji said.
"What are you talking? Naruto would've been the winner either way. I mean, look at that guy. He was unfazed even after the result. That just shows us how far ahead he is. Even Nao had to bite the dust. It's a drag but he's clearly in a league of his own." Shikamaru lazily drawled.
Anger seeped through Nao as he silently heard the conversation. Every word of it felt like a piercing blow to his pride. He felt like he didn't deserve to win. No. Rather, he felt he couldn't have if it hadn't been for the disqualification. He clenched his fists and strode away from there.
"Show off. You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Sasuke teased when Naruto approached him.
"Does it look like that?" Naruto shot back with an annoyed look.
"If not then consider me unimpressed. I don't like to hear that you were outplayed in taijutsu by him."
"Let's just go. I need to practice my moves so I don't make a fool of myself next time." Naruto said as he turned on his heel and started to walk before slipping and hitting the floor. His hand immediately clutched his ankle and he groaned in pain.
"Now you're just embarrassing me. What kind of ninja loses his footing while walking?" Sasuke teased as he stood over Naruto.
"I think I twisted my ankle dammit. Get me up and take to the infirmary." Naruto growled in annoyance. Teasing was something both of them enjoyed when the other person is on their ass for whatever reason. But Naruto was really not in the mood for that now.
"Stop whining like a little girl." Sasuke replied while helping Naruto back onto his feet. He placed Naruto's hand over his shoulder and started to carry him while Naruto limped his way to the infirmary.
Fugaku was walking towards the Naka Shrine, the place where they were supposed to meet. He was rather skeptical about this private meeting. The timing and place were just too discrete. It was beginning to get dark and the Naka shrine was located too far away from the village. The only reason he accepted to attend this meeting is due to the presence of the former and Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Otherwise, he never would've accepted to meet Shimura Danzo all alone.
He knew very well what kind of a man Danzo was. A manipulative and devious son of a bitch who could cause some serious damage. But he had no delusions that this meeting would change his mind and produce any viable outcome. It was out of the respect he held for the Sandaime that he's doing this. When he exited the forest and entered the shrine premises, he could make out the silhouettes of two men standing right in front of the temple.
"Sandaime-sama, Danzo-san." He greeted them with an acknowledging nod.
"Fugaku-san, how have you been?" Hiruzen asked with his usual warmth.
"Good as ever sandaime-sama."
"Now that we are done exchanging pleasantries, we'll get to the point. Fugaku-san, we know that you're attempting a coup d'etat." Danzo spoke cutting through the bullshit.
A hint of panic entered Fugaku before it left with the speed it came. Though he was a little worried, he didn't show it on his face. 'How did this get out? He must have a spy in our clan to know about it. But who?' Fugaku thought as he went through the list of people he suspected. 'Could it be...?' he thought as one particular name stood out from the rest.
"We take it that your silence is a sign of agreement." Danzo continued.
"I have nothing to say. I'll be taking my leave now Sandaime-sama." Fugaku said as he was about to turn around.
"Wait Fugaku. You don't have to do this. Think about the bloodshed we could avoid." Hiruzen spoke making Fugaku stop in his tracks.
"Even I don't want any blood spilt over this. But time and again, the village and the elders have failed us. We are being outcasted in our own village Sandaime-sama. That is unacceptable and disgraceful."
"So the solution you seek is overthrowing the Hokage?" Danzo spoke.
"I have nothing against the Godaime Hokage nor any interest in that position. But if that's what is required, then so be it."
"Listen Fugaku. I know you're a reasonable man. We can talk things through before making these radical decisions. Think about the consequences. The imbalance in the village it might cause could be exploited by the other villages." Hiruzen tried to reason.
"The time for talks is long over. We did it many times. Over and over again with the Hokage and the elders. I don't know why but the elders are hell-bent on suppressing us and even Godaime-sama was helpless. All those talks resulted in nothing."
"Isn't that why we are meeting today? I will talk to the Homura and Koharu myself and I'm sure Kato-san can be reasoned too. Please don't make any hasty decisions Fugaku. That's all I-." Hiruzen's sentence was left unfinished.
"Oh Hiruzen... How naïve are you? Can't you see? Fugaku-san here is fixated on taking over the village. The Uchiha madness has finally taken his sanity. He's no longer the Fugaku you once knew. He's no longer a shinobi of Konoha. He's a traitor and a threat to this village now and as such it's my duty to neutralize any threats." Danzo said while he slowly removed his Kunai from the former Hokage's back.
Blood seeped through Hiruzen's lips as he started to gasp by the lack of air. Breathing suddenly became difficult and the world started to turn into a blur as the Sandaime Hokage fell onto his knees, blood spattering on the ground below him. Fugaku immediately jumped back, activating his Sharingan and drawing a Kunai out.
20 shinobi dressed in ANBU clothes emerged out and surrounded Fugaku as Danzo stood over Hiruzen's dying form and watched. "I'm sorry Hiruzen but you are too naïve to realize the threat these Uchiha possess. You are becoming more of a liability than an asset each day. That's why I was left with no other choice than this."
"You bastard. How dare you stab the Sandaime!" Fugaku hissed, wary of his position. He was surrounded by the 20 root members and also Danzo. He knew his chances of making out of this alive were slim. He could take on the ANBU and could've lived but Danzo is a different story altogether.
"No Fugaku-san. You did. You tried to kill the former Hokage while he and I tried to broker peace with you. I tried to capture you alive but circumstances drove me to take you down. That's what the story is going to be."
Fugaku's grip around his Kunai tightened as he heard what Danzo said. The usually stoic Uchiha patriarch looked enraged now. The fury in his eyes was too clear for Danzo. Fugaku threw the Kunai at Danzo who leapt out of the way. The root members themselves attacked Fugaku with paper bomb tagged Kunais. Fugaku too avoided them and managed to leap parallel to Danzo's path.
Danzo watched as Fugaku, who was straight in front of him a few feet away, launched a massive fireball at him. He weaved signs for his wind attack but he knew too well that his attack will be easily overpowered by the fireball. So he aimed at his side and used the reverse thrust from the jutsu to moved his body away from the path of Fugaku's jutsu and dodge it.
'Dammit.'Fugaku thought but before he could think anything else, he hit a brick wall in mid-air after his jutsu failed to connect to his target. He fell down but managed to stand on one knee where he found himself corned again, only this time, his back was against the wall, literally. 'Damn. This situation is getting worse every second.' he thought as he held his bruised shoulder.
Danzo appeared in front of him again though keeping a safe distance. " Resisting now is pointless Fugaku-san."
"Don't get so full of yourself Danzo. How could you of all people think that a mere stab wound would keep the Sandaime down? He may be old but he a lot tougher than he looks." Fugaku said with a cocky grin. 'I need to buy some time here. Sandaime-sama will be back and won't stand with Danzo. Also, someone must've seen that fireball. This would be a lot easier if I hadn't been too careless as to come here without any backup.'
"I know that pretty well Fugaku-san. I know it better than anyone. That's why I know he'll die for sure if not already dead. That wasn't any ordinary stab there. The Kunai I used was laced with a special poison which induces paralysis. I stabbed him right in the spinal cord. The poison will not only enter his bloodstream, but also his brain through the cerebrospinal system. Then, each organ in the body starts to fail until the whole body ceases to function. So rest assured, my old friend will not come back to your aid."
'Damn this bastard. He wants to blame the death of Sandaime on me so that he can curb the coup.' he thought as he scanned the surroundings. 'I can't depend on someone to rescue me now. I've got no other choice but to use it.'
Fugaku calmed his breathing and closed his eyes. He concentrated chakra into his eyes before opening them and revealing his Mangekyou Sharingan. It took the form of three dots followed by three curves spiralling counter-clockwise around the pupil. Blood started to drip from his left eye as he focused on his target, Danzo.
"Hachiman."
Danzo who noticed the change in Fugaku's eye pattern immediately leapt out of Fugaku's field of vision knowing whatever was coming his way was going to be fatal. True to his suspicions, when Fugaku missed Danzo, he targeted the rest of his men surrounded him. The moment Fugaku laid his eyes on them, an invisible slash hit them killing them instantly or even slicing them apart. But after 8 or 9 root men succumbed to Fugaku's mysterious jutsu, the rest became wary of him and started retreating back.
Fugaku relentlessly kept concentrating chakra into his eyes and managed to kill another 2 people and inflict fatal wounds another 3 before his eye stung from the pain. He shut close his left eye which was bleeding heavily and opened his right breathing heavily and assessing the damage he inflicted. Though he was happy to see 10 dead root members and another 3 on the verge of dying, he still didn't find himself in a good position.
'Fuck! Danzo is still alive and there are 7 more root members. My element of surprise is gone and I'm almost out of chakra. Guess the lack of practicing Hachiman has caught up to me. I think I have only 1 shot before I'm completely drained of chakra.'
The ANBU took advantage of his breathing period and launched a combination attack.
"Raiton: Jūrokuchū Shibari(Lightning Style: Sixteen Pillar Trap)"
"Katon: Suyaki no Jutsu(Fire style: Biscuit firing jutsu)"
Sixteen giant pillars trapped Fugaku from all sides and formed an oven like structure. Powerful flames then erupted inside the oven incinerating everything. Danzo and the rest of the root watched as Fugaku turned into ash inside the giant structure. At least that's what they thought until the oven was destroyed by multiple slashes and covering the whole area in dust.
Danzo and his men watched the cloud of dust towering over them before 3 yellow arrows shot from it killing more root men. The others were forced to retrieve back again. The cloud of dust settled down revealing a yellow gigantic, humanoid avatar made of the chakra which surrounded Fugaku. Fugaku was crouching on one leg as the armoured Susanoo looked ready to fire another shot of magatama arrows from its bow.
The root men unconsciously took a few steps back looking at the Susanoo in all its glory in the dark evening. Danzo remained in his position looking unfazed as ever. 'Susano'o huh? I underestimated him. Then I have no choice but to use my trump card.' Danzo thought while removing the bandages over his eye.
Fugaku got onto his feet and looked at Danzo uncovering his eye and looked aghast when he finally saw what was underneath. 'A Sharingan?! Impossible.'
Danzo looked straight into Fugaku's eye and concentrated his chakra into his eye. "Kotoamatsukami."
Fugaku's facial expression changed back to his usual stoic before the Susanoo around him disappeared. His Sharingan got deactivated and he slowly started walking towards Danzo. Danzo drew his Kunai and exhaled wind chakra on it making it a vacuum blade. 'It's time for you to die Fugaku.'
Itachi was on the floor, kneeling on one knee with his head low as Danzo stood in front of him and looked the over bodies of Fugaku and Hiruzen. Fugaku had a gash across his torso and neck while Hiruzen's body was burnt to a crisp. It was barely recognisable.
"I never expected things would go this awry when I arranged this meeting on Hiruzen's request. When confronted about the coup d'etat, he accepted without a moment's hesitation. But the most shocking thing was his retaliation. So I had no choice but to kill your father when he murdered the Sandaime." Danzo said. He himself sported quite a few bruises along his arms and torso along with a deep bleeding gash on left leg.
"I know you care about this village Itachi. I know you are dedicated more to the village than your clan, unlike the rest. So that is the reason why I called you here now without even informing Hokage-sama or the elders about the events that unfolded. If I go to Hokage-sama and tell him exactly what transpired here, he will mostly use force to neutralise the coup d'etat which most probably will take place even without your father."
"Your whole clan will be called as traitors and be shunned by the rest of the villagers. The elders might even see this as an opportunity to destroy your clan completely. I , on the other hand, am willing to offer you a better solution here."
"Itachi, annihilate your clan yourself, take the blame for Hiruzen's death and flee the village. I'll let you spare your brothers in return. Innocent kids don't have to pay for the sins of the grown-ups. I won't reveal the truth of these incidents to anyone and neither will you. This is the best course of action for the village as well as your clan. The name of the Uchiha won't be smeared by dirt this way. But I can't promise the safety of your brothers if the truth gets out."
"The uproar it might cause in the village could be devastating not only for your clan but also for the village. Do it Itachi. Kill everyone in your clan except for your brothers. Do it for the sake of your clan and the village."
Itachi kept his head down all the while Danzo spoke. 'This...can't be happening.' he thought, his eyes wide in shock after hearing Danzo's words. 'Tou-san...couldn't have killed Sandaime-sama. He respects him too much for that. Danzo is lying but I have no way to prove it. If he reveals the truth, everyone including Hokage-sama will definitely believe him. But if tou-san didn't kill Sandaime-sama then who...' Itachi thought, trying to make sense of everything he saw and was being told.
'This fucking bastard! He killed Sandaime-sama and wants to pin it on tou-san.' Itachi concluded connecting the missing dots from the story with the facts he knew. 'But no one will believe that. Dammit! If his version of the story passes, then my clan will be dead or shunned out of this village. They'll be called as traitors just like he said. To prevent that I must-'
His thoughts came to a halt when his mother's smiling face flashed through his mind. He felt his heart clench at that. To think he must kill the very person who gave him his life was too overwhelming. But if he doesn't then the whole clan along Sasuke and Naruto will be in danger.
'Sasuke and Naruto...They are innocent. They don't deserve this.' he thought as the Naruto's and Sasuke's images flashed through his mind. 'This is all because of this fucking bastard who has the nerve to stand in front of me after doing what he did. I could rip him to fucking pieces on the very ground he stands but...That would again make me look like I and tou-san killed Danzo and Sandaime-sama and I made out of it alive. He planned this through quite thoroughly.'
Tears threatened to spill as he stared at his father's body but he controlled his emotions.' If only I hadn't distanced myself from tou-san, I would've known he would be here. I could've helped him and he still would be alive. It's because of me and my self righteous believes that tou-san is dead.'
A range of emotions flooded the teen's heart as he knelt before the very man who killed his father. Despair, grief, rage and guilt gushed through every fiber of his being.
"I'll do it."
The nurse finished bandaging Naruto's twisted ankle as he and Sasuke watched on.
"Well, that should do it. Sorry for the delay. As you can see, the hospital is quite busy today." The nurse said.
"No worries. We can still make it on time before kaa-san is done preparing food." Sasuke said as he moved to help Naruto down from his bed.
"What do think you are doing? He can't leave the hospital today."
"What?!" Both of the Uchiha prodigies exclaimed at the nurse's statement.
"You twisted your ankle pretty bad. If you move around even a bit now, it will start swelling and the injury will only worsen. You can't move an inch until tomorrow morning. Now just lay down and rest."
"You go Sasuke. Tell tou-san and Kaa-san what happened and tell them not to worry. I'm sure they'll understand. It's already dark. You should get going now." Naruto said.
"Understand? Yeah, right." Sasuke replied sarcastically. "They'll just rush right back here after knowing what happened. So just wait until they show up." Sasuke said as he left the room.
Naruto just smiled in response. He knew that would especially be true for Mikoto. She cared for her sons too much. But his smile disappeared when he peered out of the window. 'I don't like the feel of this. I feel like something's not right. What could it be?'
A/N: That's the second chapter. Hope you guys liked it. I also slightly tweaked the reason why Itachi chooses to massacre his clan because I felt that the reason in canon wasn't compelling enough. I hope it's a little better now. Just to clear up a thing, Shisui is dead by the end of the chapter but he was alive before. Like I said in the beginning, the chapter is a compilation of events and incidents spanning across 8 months of young Naruto's life. So it's an off screen death. Just like it was with Minato in chapter 1. Also many of you might be wondering what "Hachiman" is exactly. I'll explain it. Hachiman is Fugaku's Mangekyou Sharingan's Ninjutsu. It is named after God of war from the the Shinto religion just like the other mangekyou abilities are done by kishimoto. Hachiman is an ability which produces invisible slashes said to be made by Hachiman himself. A proper hit can kill almost anyone. I think I've explained anything that might confuse you guys. If still not satisfied, leave a review and I'll address it while posting the next chapter.