Ch. 10 Oh Brother...
{Rui's Point of View}
After reuniting, the four of us head back to the village to report everything that happened. When I explained what happened to me, Iicha seemed to avoid it. Instead, he focused solely on Menpai Sensei and his potential role in the assassination attempt.
"Are you sure?" The Hokage asked.
"Yes. We were betrayed by Menpai and he is now dead." Sensei replied.
He scratched his chin a bit before sighing, "That's... disheartening. I just promoted him to Jonin level too... You, Rui, what do you think of this?" The Hokage asked.
"Um... I'm not sure what to think sir. It makes me aware that anyone, no matter how well you know them, could be a traitor. That's a pessimistic view though, I think treating everyone with suspicion will cause them to defect. I'm going to trust my comrades and hope they won't betray me." I answered truthfully.
Iicha scratched his chin and looked at his advisor, another Uchiha, "He's an interesting one." Iicha whispered.
His advisor sighed, "He's not important sir. What is important, is making sure we're safe with the Chunin exams around the corner."
"Ah yes! The Chunin Exams. You three will be attending, correct?" Iicha asked.
All of us, except Sensei, "Yes sir."
"Good. I hope you make it far. I want to see how our Genin will fare against the other lands. If all our Genin fail, then that'll make us look bad." Iicha told us sternly.
Iicha stared at Alexia with an expectant look, "I'll do my best sir." Alexia bowed.
'He's putting a lot of pressure on Alexia...' I noticed.
"So, Rui, what was it like, fighting a Jonin for the first time?" Iicha asked.
"Well... it wasn't what I expected. I thought he was going to be a lot harder to defeat. Until I'm proved otherwise, I'll believe he went easy on me or just wasn't as experienced as I thought." I answered quickly.
"Who do you consider to be your best friend Rui?" Iicha asked.
"Pardon?" I asked for clarification.
Instead, Iicha just repeated the question, "Who do you consider to be your best friend?"
"No one sir." I answered with a curt nod.
"Do you have anyone you're interested in?" Iicha asked.
"No sir." I answered faster than before.
"Heh, well your still young. Sorry to ask such strange questions. I look forward to seeing you in the estate later. Maybe we can have some tea and talk further." Iicha looked down and started reading paperwork.
He seemed very serious about talking to me, 'Why? I'm not special like Layla or Alexia. He blatantly ignored Layla and I don't understand why. Layla doesn't care though... maybe that's why...' I thought to myself.
Iicha's Advisor spoke next, "You four can see yourselves out."
The four of us left the room and went outside before splitting up, "I'm going to train with Sensei. See you guys tomorrow." Layla waved before they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Well..." I looked at Alexia, "Do you want to go do something?" I asked.
"I need to go train as well." Alexia turned to leave but I stopped her.
"Hey, wait. Why is he putting so much pressure on you?" I asked.
"He has high expectations on every Uchiha. He cares but he's also strict. We can't afford to be lazy and we need the Leaf Village to know that they can depend on us." Alexia told me.
"That may be true, but you can't work yourself to death just to please him. In the Chunin Exams, I'll do everything I can to help you pass. I swear. Even if I end up like George." I told her wholeheartedly.
She looked away, "I don't want you to do that. I don't want to see another comrade die." Alexia frowned.
"Then we'll train together," she looked at me, "After we relax for a bit. I'll buy you dumplings." I suggested.
She growled, "That's not fair. You only know that I like dumplings from that one time I snapped at you..."
"So that's a yes?" I asked with a smile.
"Fine. Let's go relax." Alexia sighed.
With a smile, we started walking to the Uchiha Estate to relax. My home wasn't exactly the nicest of places, so I suggested relaxing at her home. I would like to learn more about the Uchiha since they seem to have a long history like the other clans. After buying dumplings, Alexia started eating them mercilessly. This girl needs to relax. When we got to her home, we were greeted by her brother.
He opened the door, "Kuchime!" Alexia yelled in surprise.
"Alexia... what are you doing with a... boy." Kuchime asked darkly.
Kuchime looked at me and I noticed his Sharingan was activated with three dots instead of two. The eyes were intimidating along with him standing over me. He looked about 18 years old standing at 6 foot 1. His black hair is long and spiky along the edges, extending down to his back a bit. His bangs were cut to show off his forehead and keep his eyes clearly visible. He has white skin just like Alexia with a slim but muscular build. He wore a tight grey shirt with a collar that extends up half his neck. The Uchiha Crest is visible along the color and over the chest. His shorts were navy blue with the traditional blue ninja sandals.
Kuchime glared at me, "This boy can't be a ninja. Look at the way he's dressed. Where's his flak Jacket and sandals?"
I decided to speak, "I hate being generic. That's why I wear this. The sweater, sweatpants and sneakers allow me to be distinct. Different. I hate being a part of a group or trend. If people don't like that then they can shove a brick up their ass."
"Now he's disrespectful. I should warp his mind with a Genjutsu." Kuchime growled.
"Brother, please. I think you were the one being disrespectful to a guest." Alexia pleaded.
"How long will he be staying?" Kuchime asked.
"Twenty Minutes. That's it." Alexia told him.
Kuchime sighed and moved aside, "Fine. If father kicks him out though, don't get mad."
"I won't. Come on Rui." Alexia led me inside.
I looked at Kuchime, "Sorry for the intrusion." I apologized.
Kuchime rolled his eyes and closed the door, "I guess I'm sorry as well."
Alexia's home was a lot larger than I expected. It featured the traditional japanese home in anime with the open outside walkways and sliding doors. The Uchiha crest is proudly placed along almost anything of importance. It was most promptly displayed along the walls. The house itself has about eight rooms with a small yard around the land. A small pond with fish is visible from the front since the door Kuchime opened only allowed us onto the land. Not inside the building itself. Along the outside, I could see ashes from Fire Style jutsu being used. It must be from her parents' teachings. I wish I could have had parents to teach me unique jutsu. Her home is painted white with a blue tiled rooftop. The outside walkway reminded me of a balcony since it was a bit above the dirt with wooden fencing connecting to the support pillars. Alexia led me up two steps and walked around the balcony. Along the outer wall, the Uchiha crest went across horizontally. I never knew how much pride her family had in the Uchiha name. That must be why they're all pushing her so hard.
"You want to train over here?" I asked, pointing near the pond.
"Sure. That'll do." Alexia nodded.
We walked over to the spot and I looked around at the dirt and grass. There were pink and white flowers here and there but most of it was a sandy dirt. I could tell that it gave ninja good footing and allows one to have better balance. I looked at Alexia as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, her Sharingan was activated.
Alexia raised her hand with two fingers extended, "Sharingan." She recited.
"Hm?" I wondered until I noticed something wasn't right.
"Release!" I yelled.
Alexia looked surprised since I quickly responded to her genjutsu. I threw a couple shuriken at her but she disappeared and reappeared overhead. I looked up as she threw some of her own shuriken at me. I pulled out Menpai's Sword and started blocking them with it. One got by and cut my right shoulder a bit but other than that, I was fine. Before falling to the ground, I threw three kunai at Alexia. She got hit by them and I got worried that I killed her. Until he exploded into several crows and my kunai fell to the ground. Then I felt a kunai to my neck.
"I win." Alexia whispered.
"What? How?" I asked.
"The moment you looked into my eyes, you were in the genjutsu. When you tried to release it, I made the illusion pretend to act like you broke it. This entire time, you've actually just been standing here." Alexia explained.
"But... my shoulder..."
"Is fine." Alexia finished.
I looked to see she was right and that there weren't any shuriken or kunai lying around, "I lost in a matter of seconds..." I mumbled in disbelief.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. I wanted to work on my genjutsu and you helped me with that. Thank you." Alexia smiled with a nod.
"Helped you? That was a mockery, a joke and a waste of my time and yours." I heard Kuchime grumble.
"Brother, leave us alone." Alexia told him with a hint of aggravation.
"No. He's not worth your time. How can he be a great ninja if he's unable to break a simple genjutsu?" Kuchime asked.
"With practice. Plus, you know it's unfair to face a Sharingan user one on one." Alexia reminded.
"That's no excuse. Plenty of Uchiha died in one on one combat. Is he able to even use any spectacular jutsu?"
"Well..." Alexia went quiet.
"My point exactly. I'm able to use Earth, Water, and Fire Style. Is he even able to learn a basic elemental jutsu?" Kuchime asked.
"Of course, I can! I just need to be taught." I told him confidently.
"Oh really? Alexia, teach him the Fireball jutsu." Kuchime ordered.
"But... that's a technique only for-"
I heard a new voice, "Do it Alexia."
I looked to see a much older man looking at us sternly. He had short black hair with a tint of grey and black eyes. The skin on his face and hands showed scars and wrinkles to reflect his age. He looked about 6 feet tall and wore a grey long sleeved shirt with a black pajama overcoat that covered his body. His headband is tied around his right arm and the Uchiha crest was on the back of the shirt. He must have been Alexia's father.
"As you wish. Rui, here are the signs." Alexia started showing me the signs to the jutsu.
"Like this?" I asked.
"Yes, now build up chakra in your lungs. Feel the hot air mix in and burn your inside to make the flames. Now, force it out." Alexia instructed.
I did as she asked and forced everything out of my lungs. A small stream of fire came out at first but quickly grew into a moderately sized fireball. When it was over, I fell to my knees exhausted since that one jutsu used up about 45 percent of my chakra.
"Not bad for your first time. Tell me, what is your name?" Alexia's father asked.
"Rui. Rui Santos. Yours?" I asked politely.
"Hidan Uchiha. It's a pleasure to meet you." Hidan bowed.
"The same to you sir." I bowed as well.
"Don't get too comfortable Rui. That jutsu is easy. When you do a fire style jutsu on a larger scale, then I'll be impressed." Kuchime warned.
"I'm not trying to impress you. Also, thanks for teaching me that jutsu Alexia." I smiled.
She remained neutral, "You still haven't learned it. We'll practice it another time though. You need to leave. I have more training to go through..."
"Alright... I did want to see your entire house, but I don't want to be a bother. Thank you for having me and excuse me." I gave her father a respectful bow before walking to the walkway.
As I walked by Kuchime, I noticed him glare at me with his Sharingan. I looked at his eyes for a second and could have sworn they were different. It's hard to explain but they weren't the three dots like earlier. They had a strange pattern to them, but he deactivated his Sharingan instantly. I didn't get to see what it was, but I do know it wasn't normal. Instead of saying something about it, I decided to stay quiet and left their home. Once outside, I began to wonder what I should do and decided to get some tea. I needed to relax, and my shortage of money left me with little options. An Uchiha owned Cafe is nearby so I decided to go there. Upon entering, I instantly felt at home because everyone was so kind to me. One man openly moved to let me sit down and I thank him with a bow. When I sat down, I ordered a nice relaxing mint tea. As I sat there, a Girl sat next to me and greeted me warmly.
"Hi! I haven't seen you before, my name is Naori. What's yours?" Naori asked with a kind smile.
I smiled back, "My name is Rui. I'm a Genin. I'm guessing you're a Chunin?"
I guessed that because Naori looks about 16 years old and stands at 5 foot 6. She has long wavy purple hair that extends down half her back. Some strands tend to cover her black eyes and her white skin has a beautiful complexion. She sports about C cup breasts under her light pink blouse. I couldn't see what she was wearing to cover her legs, so I just assumed shorts. Her headband is tied across her forehead and her feet had the traditional blue sandals as well. I guess the others will be stuck in tradition as well...
"Yeah. I became one last year. What about you?" Naori asked.
"Genin. I only became a Genin a month or two ago." I answered.
"How old are you?" Naori continued to ask questions.
"13 years old but I'll be 14 soon."
"What's your height?"
"No clue. Last I check 4' 11'' but that was a few months ago."
"Single?"
"Why ask that?" I laughed.
"Maybe I like shorter guys." Naori giggled.
"Well, I'm not really interested in dating, so I'll just save you the trouble. Hit on another guy." I told her sternly.
"I'll pay you." She chimed.
"Okay, conversation officially got weird. Please leave me alone." I sighed.
"I just need you to make my Ex jealous. That's it. Please help me." Naori whined.
"This conversation is getting worse by the second. Just talk things out with him. If you two don't get past your differences, it'll cause a wedge in the clan. Not only that but you might abandon each other in a crucial battle. That won't help anyone. Please." I pleaded with a frown.
"Listen to him Naori." I heard Iicha Uchiha say.
We both looked at him in shock, "Mr. Hokage sir. I didn't know you were here. You're right... I'll be on my way." Naori got up and quickly left the cafe.
I looked at the Hokage and nodded, "Hello sir."
Iicha took the seat next to me and ordered some tea as well, "Do you like the Uchiha Estate?" Iicha asked.
"It's nice like most of the people here. I've only had problems with one person so far. I think he was being protective since I was with his sister." I guessed with a sheepish smile.
"With that look, you probably did do something wrong." Iicha responded calmly.
"Well... I wanted to spend time with Alexia since it feels like she never gets to relax. I didn't want to bring her to my apartment but going to her house was just as bad. Alexia's older brother must have thought I was trying to date her." I chuckled.
"When I was your age, men used to hate other men with female teammates. I guess they were jealous of that man's good fortune. I, personally, didn't care much for it. I believe that everyone's destined to be with that one person but doesn't know who it is. It's up to us. We must find out what we're supposed to do and who we need to love. I've only been Hokage for a few years, but the Mist Situation is something I've never dealt with. A full scaled war is something my predecessors would try to avoid." Iicha told me blankly.
"Why tell me this?" I asked.
"Mostly venting to a non-Uchiha. My clan tends to be aggressive when it comes to these kinds of situations." Iicha sighed.
"Can I ask you something... personal, about the Uchiha?" I asked.
"Go ahead." Iicha shrugged and pulled down his hat.
"The Sharingan. Are there different types?" I asked.
"I can't answer that question. Sorry." Iicha sighed.
"It's alright. Every clan has its secrets. I'm only asking since something about Alexia's brother interested me. As I left, his eyes didn't look normal." I told him.
"He must have had the Sharingan activated. You've seen it before, haven't you?" Iicha asked.
"It wasn't a normal Sharingan. Something was off because I couldn't see the three dots. Instead they were like... a wheel or something." I replied quickly.
"Hm... Honestly, don't worry about it. Can I ask you something personal?" Iicha asked suddenly.
I smirked, "Sorry, I can't answer that."
We both got our tea and I took my first sip, "I'll ask anyway. Which of your two teammates do you like more?" Iicha asked.
I choked on my tea, "Cough, Cough! What?" I asked with a blush.
"Which one do you like better? It's not uncommon for one to fall in love with a kunoichi on your team. Especially if one saves your life. Also, as Hokage, I enjoy watching the next generation grow. To see them come up with new jutsu or revamp old ones. I'm also fond of the village's unity with all the clans. Did you know, that the Uchiha used to be feared in the leaf and ended up trying to rebel?" Iicha asked.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah. It was difficult to trust the Uchiha because of our power and ability to control a demon known as the Nine Tailed Fox. That changed after the Uchiha massacre and Tailed Beasts leaving the land. The village elders realized their previous mistakes and changed that. When I became Hokage, I decided to make the Uchiha estate in this area. Since then, the Uchiha people have been happier. The curse of hatred has no hold over us after the Seventh Hokage broke it. How? I don't know. All I know, is that the Uchiha were different ever since and I'm happy he stopped the curse." Iicha explained.
I was sucked into the story, "So, how did the Uchiha survive?" I asked.
"One Uchiha survived and others were apparently cloned. After several children were born, the Uchiha clan was reborn. Sigh. Well, I must get back to my duties. Enjoy your tea." He smiled before finishing his tea in one gulp and leaving the cafe.
When he left, I sat there wondering what he really wanted to talk about. I guess he was hinting towards my kunoichi friends. Since the conversation went off course, I never got to answer his question of who I liked better. Honestly, I don't like them as anything more than comrades. Dating Layla would be a chore because of her attitude and Alexia isn't interested in me. Now that I think about it, neither is Layla. If Naori wasn't trying to use me, I think I should have tried to date her. She was rather pretty but I have a feeling that'd cause issues with my two female friends. Ugh... what am I going to do with my future?