Romeo and Juliet

Chapter 9

Standing tall during the conjoined Uchiha-clan funeral ceremony was harder than it sounds. So many people shot Sasuke and me pitiful looks. I didn't want their pity. It wasn't raining; there wasn't a rain cloud in sight. I clenched my hands so tightly that little half moons appeared on my palms. Instead, I grabbed the fabric of my pants in my hands.

I looked to my brother beside me. Power and knowledge—we were opposites and yet so alike. Dark hair and eyes, sharingan, full of pride…we were the epitome of the Uchiha clan. Did I want to represent my clan? The very clan that I disagreed with? The best friend who went against his beliefs, the father who was never proud of me, the mother who was never compassionate, the brother whose love was a lie?

The whole clan wasn't bad, I realized. Akako was the most loving, gentle person I had ever had the privilege of meeting. How could Itachi have killed someone so pure and kind? How did it not tear at his very heart and soul?

Many villagers shook Sasuke's and my hands as they passed. They gave their condolences, patting our heads or putting a hand on our shoulders. They are so young and will be troubled with this horrific event for the rest of their lives, I managed to hear one woman whisper. It was true. I don't think I will ever forget the sound of my parent's screams, or my brother's harsh words.

I looked over at Sasuke again. He must have been coping worse than I. He had actually seen them slaughtered, joining the screams of my parents. I had hid under the bed like a coward. Was I—a member of the once prestigious Uchiha clan—nothing more than a sniveling idiot?

"He will pay for what he has done—I swear it," Sasuke said when it was just the two of us left. I looked at him with sad eyes.

"Oh, Sasuke," I spoke, putting my arms around his shaking form.

"A life for a life. I will make him feel the same pain they felt as they took their final breaths, killed by their own kin." Screw my pride, I thought. I cried into his shirt, shedding the tears for both of us. Seven years was far too young to be so locked away inside.

"He'll suffer, I promise it. But killing him is not the answer. By killing him you'll do exactly what he wants… you'll become just like him." He pushed me away, taking a step back from me for good measure.

"We will never be alike!" Even though my vision was blurry, I could see the anger on his face. He was pushing me away, physically and emotionally.

"Don't do it, Sasuke…I can't bear to lose you too." He was all I had left. The only things I ever had were inside the compound. He was the last of my family and I wanted to hold him as close as I possibly could.

"The old Sasuke you knew is gone," he told me with one last look before turning away and leaving me there. I wanted to hold him close, but I couldn't. I couldn't force him to do anything against his wishes, so I watched his form as it slowly disappeared from my vision. I had lost so much in only twenty-four hours. I had lost my family, my home, and now my brother. I lost my will to live, really live. I lost my hope. I lost myself.


Because Sasuke and I were all that was left, we gained the entire Uchiha inheritance. Sarutobi—I mean, the Hokage—met with us and discussed our living conditions. Though Konoha did have an ample orphanage with plenty of room for two homeless kids, he warned us that the likelihood of us getting adopted was one in a thousand. Who wanted kids that were cursed with such an unbearable burden? Who wanted kids that were easily identified each time they ventured out in public?

He talked about us getting our own place to live, having plenty of money to sustain us. He told me the address of the apartment he had set up for me. He gave me the keys. I left the Hokage's office and hadn't seen Sasuke since. I was sure he was living in a similar apartment somewhere in Konoha but I did not know, or care to know, the location of it.

My apartment was many floors up and was small, but adequate. I had learned the basics of cooking and cleaning from my mother. I blew on the soup before taking a mouthful. It made me wonder how Sasuke was doing on his own. He had spent all of his time on training, rather than becoming acquainted with housekeeping and maintenance. Did he have someone to help him with that?

I stirred the soup in front of me aimlessly, and realized that I was no longer hungry. Going to the sink, I watched as it poured down the drain. Small bits of noodle got stuck in the strainer and I lifted it out to clean it. Where was I? What was I to do? I threw the noodles into the trash and replaced the strainer where it belonged. Was I nothing more than the rice noodles, stuck and waiting for someone to get rid of me?


I woke up many times during the night. So many times did I wake up, that I didn't even bother to try to sleep anymore. Instead, I would pour my time into reading. The books helped me lose myself, they helped fight off the memories. They only worked for so long, though. Eventually, my eyes would start to droop. Eventually, I would start to nod off. Eventually, I would fall into slumber.

I then turned from reading for pleasure, to reading to learn. I would spend much of my time at the library or in my room. While at the library, I would make sure to sit in the back, with my back to the wall so I could watch everything around me. I would find little nooks and corners to get comfortable in and read until a librarian would ask me to leave.

I read all sorts of books about anything and everything. I read about medical jutsu, arithmetic, physics…anything I could get my hands on. A few months later, I found a nice little bookstore along the busy streets of the village. It was pure chance that I found it. I didn't get out much because I didn't like being around people.

The store was perfect for me because it was big enough to suit my means, yet small enough not to attract attention. I spent half a fortune on books, happy to finally be able to read in the confines of my own home. I would return with handfuls of books and stash them away in my room.

The only downside to books is that they reminded me about what Itachi had said about his book that I had read. He had said that I would have all of his knowledge and memories, but that it was only a prototype. What did that mean for me? I certainly didn't have Itachi's memories or knowledge inside me. If I did, I would surely know why he did what he did. Why kill an entire clan?


Bookstores only sell so many books and libraries only have so many books available to the public. As many of books about things like plumbing and water maintenance as there were, I was interested in books with a little more substance to them. That is why I found myself sneaking into the restricted section of the Konoha Library on one of the colder summer nights.

Sneaking in without a key was easy. I scaled one of the less visible library walls and lock-picked the window. I dropped the seemingly innocent hair pin as soon as I heard the click. The window slowly creaked open. I was inside with the window shut seconds later. I dropped down onto the table beneath me, glad that I had scoped out the place before trying to pull this off.

The keys were under the register by the head librarian's computer. I pulled another hair pin from my hair and lock-picked the till drawer. It popped open, making a crashing sound as it reached the end of its tracks. The inside was empty—they didn't keep the money there overnight. Smart—but I wasn't after the money. Especially not the meager money that a library could get me.

I pulled the till out and set it on the desk, examining the drawer for its hidden compartment. I grazed my fingers across the contents of the drawer and the top of the compartment sprung up. I lifted it carefully, balancing the weight from each side on my index and middle fingers. That went on top of the till. The key sat there innocently, like it wasn't the thing holding me back from the knowledge that I longed for so.

I left the till and compartment the way it was—I was planning on coming back anyways. I pushed it through the lock and the door opened, creaking on its old hinges. I should have known it couldn't be that easy. As soon as the door opened all of the way, I felt a breeze rush past me.

I was caught.

It had to do something with embedding chakra in the door handle, or maybe the entire door. Maybe I had set it off by stepping inside the room. It was too late to really matter anyways. I grabbed the first books I could find and thrust them in my bag. By then I could feel someone was coming. No, not just one—several. I searched across the room, finding it full to the brim with books that I would die to read. I finally saw what I was looking for: a corner of the room that held a couple of chairs and a desk to set them on.

"What was that thing that Hebi-sensei taught me?" I sense someone entering the library before I hear it. Pairs of footsteps are closing in on me. What is the penalty for breaking into a library? For breaking into the clearly-state restricted section? For stealing scrolls and books hiding valuable information that could put my country at risk?

My pulse began to race.

I began to see clearly.

In just seconds the three ninja would be in the room. They would check for a criminal. I zone in on the corner with the chairs. They won't be looking for a comfy little chair to sit on. I race over and sit in position, casting what I now knew was called a genjutsu over me.

They enter the room, ANBU masks covering their faces—a cat, a bird, and a fox. How do I know what they are called? They disperse in the room, following regular protocol. One goes to the right, one to the left, and the third disappears—but not really. He transported himself in to the deepest part of the room. It is dark and he thinks he is invisible. He thinks he cannot be hurt. But I can. Because I can see him.

When he is inches away from my hiding place is when I strike. I reach out with chakra-fused hands, pulling him down to the ground. I spring up and push my index finger behind the earlobe, effectively hitting a pressure point. He faints. I catch him before he can fall and make the others aware of my presence. How can they not sense me? That's when I realize it. My chakra is locked deep inside of me. Sometime within the last few minutes I had sucked my chakra inside of me like a vacuum. They couldn't sense it when I hid it like that.

I push the man to where I just was and put a genjutsu over him, making him appear as nothing more than a chair. I push off of the ground fast—faster than what feels normal or even possible. This rush of power in me feels foreign, like it's not mine. Like it shouldn't be inside of me. My vision begins to have black splotches across it. My senses dull. I feel all of my power slowly leave me.

What is left is a confused girl with her chakra spewing out for anyone to detect—and detect they do. A hand grasps me around the neck and I am lifted off of my feet. It's the fox masked one. He pushes me against the wall behind me and I have to squint my eyes to see straight.

"State your purpose." It's said as a command, but it is also a question. I am here to steal books full of valuable information for my own personal gain. Really, when said like that I sound like Sasuke. I'm not too naive that I would not lie.

"Heard. Noise. Came. Quick." The man's hold lessens only so that I can breathe, only so that he can extract his information. "I wanted to help." The man's eyes are sharp, they will know that I am lying. The cat-masked one appears beside him, sizing me up. His eyes are blank, unreadable. Something brims at the surface but I cannot detect what it is. Cat-san looks over at Fox-san and Fox-san nods his head. I'm released. I drop to the ground. When I look up again, I see that Cat-san has removed his mask.

"What's your name, kid?"

Something common. I open my mouth to speak.

"I can tell when you're lying," Fox-san grits out.

It pointedly closes. What more harm could it do, really?

"Uchiha, Tsukiko. Third in line for heir of the Uchiha clan." That's what I had been before the massacre. That's what I still am now, I realize.

Neither man shows his surprise, thought I assume they feel it.

"What are you doing here, Tsukiko? Awfully far from home, isn't it?" Cat-san.

"What home?" It comes out more bitter than I intended. Cat-san and Fox-san look at each other again. Both nod, but I can't tell who nodded first.

"You broke into here for nothing but the two books in your bag?" Cat-san. Fox-san isn't that talkative.

"Knowledge," I tell them, pulling myself off of the floor. "I came here pursuing knowledge."

Cat-san grins. His grin is so feral it is hard to believe that he is truly not some cat in disguise. "I have an opportunity for you. A once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Will it get me out of trouble?"

"You don't even want to hear the terms of agreement?"

"Stealing from the restricted section is against the law. High treason. Can't get much worse than that, right?"

Neither masked man speaks.

"Either way, I'm only eight. You can't really try me anyways." The cat-man blinks. Fox-san is still staring intently at me.

"I am not really ANBU. On the side, yes. But my real job is as a foreign peace ambassador. I will train you as my apprentice."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Why?" I was smart enough to know that this wasn't offered to just anyone. Most shinobi only pick one apprentice…ever.

"Attitude," Fox-san states. Cat-san grins.

"I like your attitude and you seem smart. Also, who doesn't want to train one of the last survivors of the Uchiha clan?" The last remark gets him a glare from Fox-san.

"Will I get to keep the books I borrowed?"—stole.

"They will be your first task as my student." Cat-san keeps stealing looks at Fox-san. Weird. They are very weird. "You will read and memorize the information in them. When you think you have completed this task, you will report back to me at the third training ground. Let's say, a week?"

"Two." It comes out of my mouth before I can stop it.

"Two weeks then."

"No, I mean two days." Fox-san's eyes dart to mine and I feel an intensity in them that I do not feel in Cat-san's. It is a sort of deep understanding or knowledge that is hidden there.

I blink back to Cat-san at the sound of his voice. A large grin was spread across his face. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Two days.

I had two days to memorize two books.

My damn Uchiha pride had gotten in my way.

I was too afraid to open my bag and see what they were on.

What if they were on plumbing?

Two days to do the impossible.

But I had Itachi's gift.

Itachi's genius.

Nothing was impossible.