I have completely finished the fanfiction and i am uploading it for your enjoyment :)
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WARNING! The following chapters may contain spoilers for those who havent read the manga or watched the anime!

Chapter 10

That Monday had started like any other. Deidara woke up, got dressed, had breakfast with Nasake and little D and went to work at the Yamanaka shop. He stayed there until lunch time and would have stayed longer except he got a surprise visit from Inoichi Yamanaka himself!

Deidara was so shocked at the surprise visit that he could hardly find his words. Ino, who had been working that day, was also shocked. Neither of the teens had seen Inoichi for weeks.

When Inoichi had seen Deidara working in the shop he pulled him out the back of the shop to talk to him privately. He pulled him into one of the rooms and Deidara saw Mrs Yamanaka dressed in flowery robes, her long blonde hair tied in a tight bun, ands he was sitting in the centre of the room on a cushion. Next to her cushion was another cushion and both cushions were facing one lone cushion prepared for Deidara.

Inoichi moved to sit next to his wife and Deidara sat opposite them on his cushion.

Inoichi spoke first. 'Deidara, I received a message from the Hokage today in regards to your mission. I understand the secrecy behind the mission and as your employer I will give you three weeks leave for the mission. My daughter doesn't need to know.'

Deidara bowed his head respectfully and replied, 'Thank you sir. But I was hoping to still work here while I had my mission. My job as Martial Arts Instructor doesn't start until after lunch every afternoon, so I was thinking I could work here in the mornings and leave part way through the day to go to the dojo.'

He waited for a reply and after several seconds Inoichi grunted in approval. 'Fine, you may continue working here but as part time. Make sure you get rest; dismissed.' Deidara rose from his cushion and bowed to the Yamanaka's before walking back to the front of the shop to pack up and leave for the Dojo.

Deidara stood outside the Ketseuki Clan's dojo in his black keikoji and hakama; his clothes were fastened by a belt the same shade of black tied firmly around his waist. He wore a dark grey, black trimming, robe that bore the Ketseuki Clan's symbol clearly on the back. He breathed one last sigh to relax himself and opened the door to the dojo to meet his new student.

In the centre of the dojo stood a teenage boy and an older man who both matched the only men in the photo Deidara was given, perfectly. The older man had receding hair and a grumpy expression while the younger person, the boy, looked similar to his father except he looked a millennia younger. He had dark brown, messy hair and also wore a bored expression on his face. The boy wore a dark, dull green hakama and a white keikoji with dark green trimmings (probably the student's uniform for the Ketseuki clan).

Deidara walked further into the dojo, stopped in front of the pair and bowed. 'My name is Deidara, I am here to teach your son.'

The man grunted as he eyed Deidara, 'Bout time, but I was expecting someone a little more...Experienced.'

Deidara smirked, 'Sir, I can assure you that I am fully experienced in martial arts as I graduated first in my class.' He paused. 'Oh and I skipped a couple of years.' He added proudly when the man didn't say anything.

The older man smirked, 'Well then. Welcome to my dojo and here is my son Kaien Ketseuki, heir to the Ketseuki clan. He will be your student. I will check up on you both at 4 pm. That leaves you with 3 hours of training every day.'

The man turned to his son and frowned disapprovingly before turning around and leaving for the main house, leaving Deidara and Kaien by themselves in the dojo.

The two young men just stood awkwardly, staring at one another. 'So-uh, nice dad you got there.' Deidara laughed nervously.

'I wish I could say he isn't as you think…' The boy mumbled back.

'Ouch.' Deidara winced from the teenager's bluntness.

Deidara turned to the boy and smirked a bit. 'So what do you already know about marital arts kid?'

The boy frowned, 'I'm not a kid. And I don't know much about it.'

Deidara turned his head to the side and looked down at the boy from the corner of his eye. 'Oh yeah? So how old are you anyway?'

'16.'

'Well you're my student, so I will call you whatever I like. You won't get any special treatment from me kid.'

The boy growled and lunged for Deidara's face with his clenched fist. Wrapping his strong hand around the boy's hand, Deidara turned his head to face downwards so he was looking the boy in the eye. 'First rule, don't be eager to fight. You will 98% of the time leave an opening for the opponent.' Then Deidara finished by shifting his grip from the boy's hand to the boy's wrist and gave a tug down so the boy lost his balance and fell hard on his chest. Kaien fell to the floor in a heap and growled from the ground as Deidara walked around to Kaien's face; Kaien glared from the ground at Deidara's bare feet and refused to move.

'Well, aren't you going to help me up?' The boy growled in frustration. Deidara let out an amused laugh.

'What happened to your own arms and legs? If they're still there, then get up and use them kid.'

'I told you to stop calling me that.' The boy hissed from the ground.

Deidara frowned, 'Tell you what? If you can land a punch on me then I'll stop calling you "kid". Got that?'

Suddenly Kaien sprang to his feet, pushing off the tatami mats on the ground and lunged for Deidara again. Just as he thought he was going to punch Deidara in the stomach, Deidara sidestepped and Kaien lost his balance again and fell to the floor.

'Rule 2, only attack once you have balance, otherwise you'll fall. If this was a real fight I would kill you easily because of the opening you just created; focus.' Deidara placed his hands on his hips patiently at the boy on the ground.

The rest of the session was spent with Deidara dodging lame attacks by Kaien and Kaien growing increasingly frustrated. Deidara was amused at Kaien's frustration and desire to hit his master but he never relented. He even punched and kneed Kaien to motivate the boy more occasionally.

Exactly three hours later their session was interrupted when Fuka Ketseuki entered the dojo to end the training session between his son and the new instructor. 'Has he improved?' The man grumbled, ignoring the panting boy on the ground as he talked to the calm and unfazed Deidara.

Deidara raised an eyebrow, 'Sir, he won't show any sign of improving until a few lessons. No one picks up martial arts after just one lesson.' Deidara moved to Kaien and smirked at him, 'Maybe you'll land a punch next time kid. See'ya tomorrow.' And he headed for the door to go report back to the Hokage, leaving Kaien and Fuka to go about the rest of their day.

xxxxx

'So how was your first training session with your new student?' Tsunade smiled curiously at Deidara who was changed into his black slacks and green shirt and blue sandals.

Deidara just grunted, 'It was alright yeah. The kid's a brat and the father is a cold jerk.'

'I thought as much.' Tsunade smirked and leaned further over her desk, 'And how was it going 3 hours without saying 'yeah'?'

Deidara frowned and remembered back to their conversation earlier that day.

'Oh Deidara, while on your mission you'll get rid of that stupid 'yeah' at the end of all your sentences.' Tsunade sighed from boredom.

Deidara felt his vein in his temple suddenly pulse out and he lost his temper, 'Like hell I will!'

Tsunade raised an eyebrow accusingly at Deidara and spoke slowly, 'I'm sorry but who's the Hokage? Stop arguing with me brat.'

Deidara gritted his teeth angrily.

'…I survived…' Deidara growled.

'Good to hear. Report back to me tomorrow after your next session with the son. Try and develop a friendship with the boy to get the information.' Tsunade replied and tossed a small envelope to Deidara, who caught it expertly.

He opened it and revealed notes of money that made him smile from satisfaction. 'See you tomorrow.' He replied with a lazy wave and walked out the door.

xxxxx

'Itachi Uchiha, you are to come with us quietly. The Hokage wishes to speak with you.' The ANBU spoke monotone to the young raven haired man. Itachi just stood, still holding the full rubbish bin he was emptying outside Ichiraku.

'Does it have to be now? I am in the middle of a job right now.' Itachi asked to the two ANBU who just stared at him through their masks.

'Uchiha, if you don't come willingly then we will have to take you by force.' The snake ANBU spoke.

'That won't be necessary.' Teuchi's voice interrupted Itachi whose mouth was opened to reply. Itachi turned to the side door to Ichiraku where Teuchi and Ayame stood looking at him. 'Boy: if the Hokage wants to speak with you then go.'

Itachi nodded and turned back to the ANBU and nodded to them as well, placing the bin down on the ground, all three of them left for the Hokage mansion.

When he arrived at the Mansion, Itachi was lead through many corridors by the ANBU until he reached a large red door. The two ANBU opened it and ushered for the young man to enter.

When Itachi entered he was taken aback by the sight of the Hokage and many clan representatives around a round table in the centre of the room.
Oh great, I'm here for a meeting with the clan heads, not just the Hokage. He thought to himself unhappily. Walking further into the room, Tsunade pointed for a chair two seats away from her that was available for Itachi to be seated at. It was the same chair his father most likely sat at when he was alive as Uchiha clan leader.

Quietly, Itachi sat down in the chair and bowed his head to each clan leader.

'Itachi I have called you here for the weekly Hokage-Clan meeting.' Tsunade smirked at the boy's uncomfortable reaction.

'I'm sorry Lady Hokage, but I don't believe I should be here.' Itachi spoke quietly.

Tsunade frowned, 'Are you questioning me? If I am not mistaken, you are the head of the Uchiha clan are you not?'

Itachi frowned sadly and listened to one of the other clan heads speak up. A plump man with a sour look on his round face, 'Ha, what clan? He wiped them all out!'

A few of the other heads nodded in agreement. Tsunade's eyes flickered in between leaders and Itachi irritated, but amused while wondering what Itachi's reaction would be.

'Irrelevant.' She said dismissively. 'Whether there is a clan to govern or not, he is still head of it.'

Two of the other leaders nodded in agreement with the Hokage.

'Anyway, we have called you here to discuss something very important.' Tsunade continued. 'The Clan Heads brought up an interesting point the other day.' Tsunade began, 'You were in ANBU once yes?' Itachi nodded, 'It has come to my realisation that if you were to be, say, abducted, in the vulnerable state that you are in, the enemy could extract information regarding Konoha from you easily and use it against us. The Clan Heads would feel much safer if you were to have your memories of your time in ANBU completely erased.'

Tsunade's words rung loudly in Itachi's mind as he listened to her. All other talk in the room was dim compared to what she just said, and he continued to play it over in his head. Erase his memories of ANBU?

Tsunade noticed Itachi's discomfort and turned her gaze to Inoichi Yamanaka—who was standing in the corner of the room closest to the Hokage, to continue, 'Uchiha, it won't hurt. You will however, feel weak for the maximum of a day. It would be very beneficial for the village if you didn't remember your time in ANBU.'

Itachi looked up to Inoichi, 'Can you read my memories while you are extracting them?'

Inoichi frowned suspiciously, 'Yes. And I will be looking for information on Akatsuki if that is what you are implying.' That's not what I'm concerned about. Itachi though with a sigh.

Tsunade turned to Itachi, 'Itachi. Everyone here is sworn to secrecy. If they were to leak anything it would be at the cost of their own life.'

'If it is only Yamanaka looking through my mind I'll survive, but, I do not regard myself as head of the Uchiha clan. Therefore, I don't wish to be involved in Konoha politics. I have left the Uchiha name for my younger brother should he wish to accept it.'

'Your brother!' One of the women shrieked. Everyone turned to her and Itachi frowned. 'Your brother is a more wanted criminal that you were. What makes you think you can just give the Uchiha clan's title to him?'

There was silence. Itachi was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he said "because I own the Uchiha name" then they would make him join the council. If he said: "It is my wish to give my brother the Uchiha name, but I hold no authority over it" then he would lose the Uchiha name for both himself and Sasuke to the village.
Gritting his teeth he replied, 'As the current head of the Uchiha clan, I will chose who inherits it should I fall.'

Tsunade and a few other council members smirked. Tsunade spoke next, trying to hold back a small cackle. 'Well, it's decided then. Itachi as you are not yet "fallen,"' Tsunade emphasised the word for dramatic effect, "and you are alive, you are the head of the Uchiha clan, and with such a position, you are required by Konoha law to attend these council meetings and represent your clan... No matter the size.'

Itachi growled inwardly and sat quietly for the rest of the meeting.