The Road of Life
Something I want to say before we start. I just want to get this across just in case you guys start lifting pitchforks later on. Some events in the timeline will happen at a different time.Although, I can safely say that most of these events are events that has no specified time or date. So, something major like the Kyubi Attack will still happen on October 10th, but other events that has no set date may happen earlier or even later than they're supposed to in canon.
And some older readers may notice that I added another character into the tagged roster. These four are the main characters, and this is their story, not just Tora's.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and all of its characters.
"So you're Tora, huh?"
I couldn't help but sit up straight in front of Shisui's father. A part of me just yearned to impress the guy, and seeing how he acted to me, I wasn't surprised that I wanted to. His face was all smiles, which made it pretty obvious where Shisui got his bright personality from. He looked a lot like Shisui as well, except more like a grown up version with shorter hair.
"Uh, yeah, Uchiha-san. I'm Tora," I answered.
Shisui's father scoffed. "Uchiha-san is dear old Fugaku, kid. Just call me by my name," he said.
"Okay, Seiji-san," I answered. Shisui had filled me in on things about his father. His name, what he does for a living, as well as some other stuff. To be honest, I had been a bit skeptical about this visit. Itachi's father regarded me with mostly indifference, and I wasn't expecting to be accepted wholeheartedly like this. It felt nice.
Both of us sat on the tatami floor, a glass of hot tea in front of each us. Shisui had left the two of us on our own, saying that he needed to take care of something in his room.
"So, I heard that you've been training with both Shisui and Itachi, right?" he asked. I only nodded as an answer. "Well, color me impressed, kid."
"I'm sorry?"
Shisui's father let out a laugh. "I may not be as hard on Shisui as Itachi's father is, but I'm not very lax either when it comes to training. There's so little chance for me to train with Shisui for the last few months that I taught him a lot of things at once. Things that he seemed to have passed on to you," he said.
"Ah, I hope you don't mind, Seiji-san," I said.
"Don't sweat it," Shisui's father dismissed. "In fact, I'm kinda glad. Shisui doesn't really enjoy the company of kids your age. Well, most kids, anyway. If you don't mind me asking, are your parents shinobi?"
I shook my head. "Mom is a baker. She owns a small bakery just outside the compound. And my dad… Well, he died during the war before I was born. A mission gone wrong, so I've heard," I said.
"Not an uncommon fate, especially in this time of war," Shisui's father nodded. "But the war is basically over now, and a new Hokage has been appointed."
"Will that change anything?" I asked. "It would be pretty much the same as it was before the war."
Shisui's father shrugged. "True, but a cold tension is better than an all-out war," he said. "You seem like a smart kid, seeing as you've pretty much absorbed most of the training I gave Shisui through him. Tell me, do you have a dream? Anything you strive for?"
I stilled. A dream? After months of training, I never actually thought of that. My only reason for going through training was to make money in order to meet ends for my mom.
"Well, I started training because I heard that a ninja's pay is quite good, and my mom could certainly use the money," I said, folding my hands on my lap.
"But money's a mean to an end," Shisui's father cut in. "What is your end?"
I looked at my tea, steam rising from its surface. I could feel the heat as steam passed by my face. I picked up my tea and took a sip. "I… I don't know, to be honest."
Shisui's father chuckled. "Well, I'd be more surprised if you do already have one," he said. "A dream isn't exactly something you decide lightheartedly. You gotta put all your thought into it."
"If you don't mind me asking, what was your dream?" I asked.
"I dreamed of travelling the world," Shisui's father smiled.
"Travelling the world?" I asked, a little confused at what he meant.
"You heard right," he grinned. "Travelling the world. And thankfully, as a ninja, I always get sent to a lot of interesting places. Not all of them pleasant, but they're all certainly different. You can always find something to appreciate in the simplest places."
I blinked. "But wouldn't other professions, like a merchant, would suffice? Or a traveler, or maybe even a travelling bard?" I asked.
"Oh, believe me! I've entertained the notion quite a lot in my younger days!" he laughed. "But with clan obligations, as well as the unfortunate timing, I just have to make due. And hey, it's not all bad. Being a ninja isn't rescuing princesses from castles or whatnot, but it is certainly exciting."
"You're quite positive, Seiji-san," I said.
"Someone's gotta be in this brooding clan," he laughed. "Like I said. Being a ninja is simply a mean for me to achieve my ends. People would always say that you should reach as high as you can, but honestly? As long as you know what you want, and stop at nothing to achieve it, that's more than enough to be a dream."
I was about to say something back when Shisui entered the room, a small smile on his face. The guy was all smiles anyway, which didn't make much of a difference than his usual persona.
"Dad!" Shisui called. "You're going to bore him with your dream speech!"
"Hmph! It may bore you," Seiji pointed at his son. "But Tora needs to hear this! Clan loyalty isn't everything. Sometimes, you just gotta live for yourself!"
"Um, I don't belong to a clan," I said, which pretty much went ignored.
"Speaking about you," Shisui turned to me, shuffling closer. "When's your birthday?" he said with a mischievous grin. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit uncomfortable.
"My birthday?" I asked. "Why the sudden interest?"
"I've known you for months," Shisui huffed. "And yet, I don't even know your birthday! We should celebrate it, just you, me, and Itachi!"
"Shisui's been wondering about that for a while, you know," Shisui's father said. "It's not every day that a kid from outside the clan approaches our children. Some people within the clan have even heard about you, Tora."
"Is it really that unusual?" I asked.
Shisui's father sighed. "Seems to be the case for as far as I could remember. Maybe it's our unapproachable nature that makes people revere us from a distance. I could say the same for the Hyugas, to be honest."
"You haven't answered me," Shisui nudged me.
"Geez, fine!" I relented. "It's October 10th."
"That's just two months away," Shisui smiled.
"And what if it is?"
Seiji Uchiha watched with a small smile as his son excitedly cornered Tora. The boy had a good head on his shoulders. Crossing his arms, Seiji knew that despite Shisui's cheerful demeanor, the boy could never really connect with other kids. Socialize, yes. Truly connect? This was the first since Itachi.
Still, Seiji was a bit worried for Tora. With his growing presence within the clan, Fugaku, the clan head might be planning to use the child for some sort of purpose. He hoped that those purposes would be harmless ones, like an ambassador or something similar. But knowing the animosity that plagued his clan, Seiji could imagine other roles.
But that was a matter for another time. When was it that Shisui could just sit back and be a child? He could not think of a lot of moments. Time and again, he would find his son hard at training, exercising whatever he had taught the boy during his free time. He could blame his job, but that was unfair. Many fathers and mothers were experiencing the same dilemma as him, and his lack of time with his son wasn't something exclusive to him. Something Shisui understood well. They had talked about it some time ago, and the single father had been glad at the boy's maturity.
"Hey dad!"
"Hm?" Seiji answered his son.
"We're going outside for a while! See ya!" Shisui said, not waiting a moment before bolting out the room.
Seiji could only smile at his son. Sometimes, between all the training and teachings, he forgot that his son wasn't even past six years old. "Don't get into trouble, hear me?"
"Yeah, sure," came the noncommittal answer. Tora only chuckled before following Shisui out. Sometimes, Seiji missed being so young and carefree.
I vaulted over a fence and picked up my pace, ignoring the annoyed yells that ran past me. Seeing a sign on the wall, I planted my feet on the wall and quickened myself to run across it for a second. I pushed my feet off and grabbed onto the sign, before jumping backwards towards a street lamp. I scanned the area for Shisui, and found him jumping from sign to sign and grabbing a hanging pot as a makeshift swing. I followed him and jumped across, grabbing onto a window sill and jumped sideways, grabbing the same pot to swing myself towards Shisui. I was now right behind him.
"What got you so excited today?" I asked him, jumping from wall to wall and grabbing onto the edge of a roof. Pulling myself up, I saw Shisui standing on top, waiting for me.
"No reason," he answered.
"Oh, come on!" I groaned. "You're being weird today."
Shisui smiled before hopping onto a pole and prompting me to follow. I let out a sigh and did as prompted. Sometimes, I just wondered what running would feel like without chakra. Everything physical seemed so easy now, that the feeling of living without chakra felt so abnormal. I didn't remember much of my previous life, which was next to nothing, but I was pretty sure that five year olds jumping and vaulting over obstacles weren't normal back there. Months of running laps around the village didn't hurt my chances either.
I wordlessly followed Shisui until I noticed that we were going further away from the compound. Landing on a roof, stopped to see where Shisui was going. Not looking back, he kept running forward, seemingly not minding that I stopped for a moment. He jumped off the roof, but not a moment too soon, I saw him climbing the railings of the staircase to the top of the Hokage monument. It seemed in my musings, I hadn't noticed how far we had gotten.
I ran forward to follow him, and when I finally reached him, he was sitting on top of the newly built statue of the Fourth Hokage. "You hang out here often?" I asked.
Shisui looked down at the village, legs crossed and hands prepped on his knees. "Not really. I've only been here recently, actually," he answered.
"It's a nice place."
"It is."
I sat down beside him and leaned back on my arms. "So, are you gonna tell me why you asked me about my birthday?"
"I saw something in the market the other day that I think you'd like. In fact, it would be perfect for a present," Shisui said. "I figured that giving it on your birthday would be the perfect event."
"You didn't have to get that excited you know," I chuckled.
"I want it to go right," he looked at me. No jokes, no chuckles. He was serious about this.
I had never gotten other kids involved in my birthday. It would usually be mom and I, for the last few years. And even then, there weren't even any cake involved. Mom would cook a variety of dishes, all of them to my liking. I knew this because there weren't any chickens in any of mom's cooking during my birthdays. I had never gotten a real present either. I always felt that mom's cooking had always been enough. But if Shisui went through with this, it would be my first birthday present in this life.
"So what is it?" I asked.
"Ssshhhh!" Shisui answered, holding a finger in front of his lips. "It wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it?"
"Not even a sneak peek?"
"Nah," Shisui shook his head. "I want it to be a surprise."
I huffed. "Fine, have it your way," I stood up, noticing that the sun was nearly on top of us. "Hey," I called Shisui.
"Hm?"
"Wanna do some sparring? It would be different without Itachi, but we can eat some lunch and then go see Itachi's new brother," I suggested.
"Yeah. I would prefer our usual three-way sparring, but I guess we'll have to make do," Shisui said.
"Speaking of sparring," I said. "It seemed our audience from yesterday decided to pay me a visit last night?"
Shisui blinked. "What did you do?" he asked.
"Gave him a new scar."
"I'm guessing we won't be disturbed anymore?" Shisui asked. "Oh, wait. There are bound to still be Anbus patrolling the village."
"I say let them watch. They report only to the Hokage, after all," I said. "I see no harm in that. Still, Itachi may have the status of clan heir, but we don't have that luxury. We ought to watch our backs, even at home."
The nonchalance at which we discussed the maiming of a certain individual would have disturbed me a long time ago, but this kind of discussion was kind of expected nowadays. There weren't much that we talked about that goes outside the topic of combat. It was kind of a given.
Shisui scratched his bushy hair and stood up, looking down the statue. "Well, whatever happens, I want to spar for a little. Race you to the bottom?" he hadn't even finished asking when he whisked out a kunai and jumped off the statue and planted a kunai into the Fourth Hokage's face to slow his descent. I sighed and followed Shisui, not particularly caring that we were currently defacing a national monument.
Itachi sat down at the porch of his house as he stared at his newly born brother, Sasuke. The baby was playing with Itachi's fingers, and Itachi could only smile at the gesture. Seeing his brother's curiosity, Itachi just knew that Sasuke would grow up to be a very knowledgeable man.
The baby boy lost interest in Itachi's fingers and proceeded to just lie down on his lap. It seemed that Sasuke had gotten tired. Itachi picked Sasuke up, putting his hands under Sasuke's armpits.
"Are you tired?" Itachi asked quietly. Sasuke answered with a cute yawn. Putting the baby against him and giving small pats on the back, Itachi stood up and brought Sasuke to his crib, which was in Itachi's room. Sasuke was fond of Itachi, which was clear from the day of his birth. Sasuke only seemed fully comfortable in Itachi's arms, or their mother's.
Putting Sasuke down, Itachi watched as Sasuke descended into a state of slumber. He was only ten days old, after all. Watching Sasuke, Itachi was reminded of the dilemma that plagued him just a little more than a week before.
Birth, death, birth, death
Even after his brother's birth, the questions still plagued him, but taking care of Sasuke was his top priority. He hadn't had much time to mull over his question. Itachi touched a finger onto Sasuke's soft cheeks. It was so warm. A contrast to that time when Itachi first touched a dead body, his first kill. The time he unlocked his Sharingan.
Sasuke was bound to die sometime in the future, as was the fate of all living beings in this world. So why was he so passionate about Sasuke's wellbeing? It baffled Itachi. It was natural for a living being to prioritize survival, and yet, Itachi felt that he would give up anything for Sasuke. What brought this seemingly unnatural train of thought? He called it unnatural, and yet, Itachi felt that it was meant to be.
Itachi left the crib's side and went out of his room. He left the sliding door open, just in case Sasuke needed him. He walked over to the kitchen, finding the empty pantry. Usually, his mother would be there, cooking one of her delicious delicacies. But today, she had some business to do, and father was working as usual. Itachi pulled up a chair over the pantry and prepared lunch for both him and Sasuke. For him, some simple eggs over rice and some milk for Sasuke.
During the time after Sasuke was born, Tora and Shisui had only visited once. Both covered in sweat, leaving Itachi to guess that they had been sparring before going to his house. Father hadn't appreciated the smell, but mother only chuckled and gave them a pair of towels to dry themselves with.
When they first laid eyes on Sasuke, Itachi felt an odd sensation went through him. It felt like anticipation. It felt silly, for him to care what they thought of Sasuke. His baby brother needed no approval from anyone, but the thought of Tora and Shisui thinking otherwise brought a sinking feeling within him. Like he said, it was silly. Sasuke was just a baby, not old enough for anyone to form an opinion on.
Thankfully, they warmed up to his brother quite fast, Shisui even more so than Tora. Sasuke seemed to have taken a liking to Shisui. It took a while before Sasuke would stop squirming from Tora's hold. Instead, Sasuke only stayed silent and (cutely) glared at Tora, much to the older boy's chagrin. Sasuke didn't seem to like being held by Tora, but it was a start. They didn't talk about a lot of things, as the norm. The three of them had always talked over training, while the down times were used for enjoying the quiet and taking a rest.
So it wasn't long before Tora talked about his encounter the other night. Itachi was sure that had Tora fought against a more experienced ninja, he would be killed. Thankfully, his opponent was one very early in training, if Tora's descriptions were anything to go by. Still, Tora himself had probably painted a huge red target on his own head. Itachi wondered just what would become of his friend, for better or worse.
Itachi knew that he was protected because of his status as the clan heir, and if Shisui proved himself to be even more capable in the future, he would get the recognition of the elders, thus securing him as a precious asset of the clan.
But Tora had no one to protect him. Itachi had never seen or heard Anbus as described by Tora, but he was sure that they weren't normal Anbus. Especially since the one Tora fought wasn't even much older than they were. Anbus generally accepts ninjas of Chunin or Jonin rank. Age and rank don't matter that much, since in theory, even a Genin could pass for an Anbu, but that was unheard of and very improbable, since anyone with skills fit for an Anbu would usually already be a Chunin.
Tora insisted that Itachi didn't worry, that he would face it when the time comes. Itachi wasn't sure just where he got the confidence to say that, but Tora had never led Itachi astray before. The older child always seemed to feel knowledgeable, like a teenager, or maybe someone older. One could probably say the same about Itachi, but Itachi felt differently than his older friend. Itachi knew that he had been called older than his years, like he was mentally advanced. But Tora didn't feel like he exudes the same kind of mental advancement. He felt grounded. Itachi could've sworn that talking to Tora was like talking to an older brother, not that he really knew how it feels.
Breaking out of his thoughts, Itachi prepared Sasuke's milk, the alternative if his mother were to be absent. It wasn't that hard to prepare, even more so for Itachi. It was like a jutsu. Memorize, practice, balance the ingredients, and repeat. By the first week, the act of preparing Sasuke's milk was near automatic for Itachi. He didn't even need to put much thought into preparing one. Satisfied, Itachi shook the bottle and put it on the counter to cool off. Moving on to his meal, he pulled out a bowl, some rice, and simply cracked an egg over it, before stirring the rice with a pair of chopsticks, mixing the eggs together with it.
It wasn't long into his meal before he heard a noise from his room. Sasuke was getting hungry. The cries of the infant rang down the hallway, but Itachi was prepared with the lukewarm bottle of milk like the dutiful brother he was. He entered the room and delivered Sasuke his bottle. Sasuke greedily sucked on the bottle, his mouth latching on like a leech on a skin.
"Slow down, Sasuke," Itachi said. He held Sasuke up and carried him to the front porch, feeling that a bit of sun would do Sasuke some good. As he sat, Itachi watched Sasuke gulped down his meal. The infant let out a small burp as he let go of the bottle, signifying that he was full. Itachi smiled and took the bottle away from Sasuke. It wasn't long before he fell back into slumber.
Staring at Sasuke, Itachi activated his Sharingan. Itachi couldn't see it, but he could feel his pupils changing from its usual onyx. He could also feel the one tomoe on his eyes swirling as he stared at Sasuke. Itachi took in every vivid detail, every curve, even the pores of Sasuke's features. The Sharingan, even in its lowest stage, granted Itachi the ability to do so.
"You'll grow up to be a fine man, Sasuke. I just know it," Itachi rubbed Sasuke's head. The infant leaned into his touch as he slept. Itachi smiled at the gesture and deactivated his Sharingan. It wasn't long after Sasuke went to sleep in his arms that Itachi saw his mother coming down the road to their house alongside someone familiar. As they got closer, Itachi stood up with Sasuke in arms, to greet said person.
"Kushina-san," Itachi greeted.
"Itachi!" Kushina replied. "You look healthy! I trust that your little brother hasn't been much of a trouble, has he?"
Itachi shook his head. "No. I kind of like taking care of him, to be honest."
"What a very Itachi thing to say," Kushina chuckled.
"Itachi," his mother called.
"Yes?"
"Can you prepare some tea? I have something to talk to with Kushina-san," she said. Itachi nodded and went to his room to put Sasuke back in his crib. After that, he immediately went to the kitchen to prepare some tea.
"How many months is it now?" Mikoto asked. Both of them sat down on the tatami floor, a table between the two of them.
"Around eight," Kushina rubbed her swelling belly affectionally. "He's an energetic one, always kicking."
Mikoto laughed. "Sasuke was like that as well," she said. "Childbirth is a hard labor, but everything's worth it in the end. Trust me. I've had two."
"Birthing, huh?"Kushina mused. The two women knew of the thing sealed within the Uzumaki. It was a secret shared only among a handful of people from the village, as well as select clan heads. The Uchiha was one of them. Mikoto knew that the seal would weaken during childbirth, and she couldn't help but worry. But she trusted the Fourth Hokage, Minato. He had always put up with Kushina since their academy days, and Mikoto couldn't imagine a better man to be Kushina's partner.
"Giving birth hurts like a bitch, you know. You sure you're prepared for it?" Mikoto chuckled, steering the subject away from the demon within Kushina.
"Oh, god," Kushina hissed. "Don't say that! And just when I had prepared myself for it. He could come out any day now!"
"Oh? Have I found the one thing the Red Hot Habanero fears?" Mikoto joked.
"Do people still call me that?" Kushina groaned.
"I believe that the nickname has even spread out to other villages, concerning your track record and performance," Mikoto laughed.
"My record, huh? I kinda miss active duty," Kushina leaned on the table, remembering some of her missions.
"Trust me," Mikoto said. "Taking care of a baby is hard work itself. Thankfully, I have Itachi to help me most of the day."
"Until he enters the academy."
"Yes…" Mikoto sighed.
As if signaled, Itachi entered the room holding a tray with two glass of tea on it. He put one in front of Kushina and Mikoto. "Here is your tea," he said.
"Thank you, Itachi," Mikoto said, before Itachi wordlessly went out of the room.
"He's such a quiet kid," Kushina broke the silence.
"He is isn't he?" Mikoto said. "Still, I'm glad he has been making some friends."
"Oh? Do tell," Kushina leaned forward, interested in the subject.
"He has been getting closer to one of his distant cousins, as well as a child from outside the clan. He lives just outside the compound,"
"Knowing Itachi, I bet he's not a fan of kids' games."
"And it seemed his friends are of the same mind," Mikoto chuckled. "All they do is train together. Though I'm just glad he's socializing."
"Speaking of socializing, how about scheduling some playtime together between Sasuke and Naruto, hm?" Kushina asked.
"You're naming your child Naruto? Figures," Mikoto shrugged helplessly.
"Oi!" Kushina spoke out. "Ramen isn't the only thing in my mind y'know!"
"Really? What's the other name you prepared before settling for Naruto?" Mikoto challenged.
Kushina sat back, a blush creeping up her face, painting an old yet familiar sight from their childhood. The Uzumaki did indeed look like a flaming tomato when flushed, especially with her round face. "M-Menma," Kushina admitted.
Mikoto smiled. "Told ya," she said, to which Kushina only grumbled as a response.
A masked figure hunched on a tree branch, looking at the village he had once called home. The masked teenager narrowed his lone eye, his Sharingan taking in the familiar training ground he and his team had occupied many times. A young silver-haired teenager was standing in front of a memorial stone, but the masked teen was too far away to hear anything of substance.
He would make his plan work, for the sake of a world without suffering and lies. He would. He must. If his network of Zetsus were correct, then Uzumaki Kushina was indeed a Jinchuuriki and pregnant. Months of waiting for the baby to mature, and the day the seal weaken would arrive.
It was now eight months into pregnancy. His day would come soon.
So, y'all have been introduced to the fourth main character! That's right! Kushina Uzumaki, people! I have some big plans for her. We're about three-fourth into the prologue, and after that, the real story may finally commence.
Also, a shoutout to KassieJean and shis23 for getting the correct answer. The young ROOT ninja is indeed Kabuto, and we'll be seeing more of him after the prologue arc is over.
As always, leave a review if you want to ask something or just voice your opinion about the story. And don't forget to follow and favorite on your way out. See ya on the next update!