Time to prepare for battle – it's only a month away.
Please review. You know you want to. You… do want to, right? Of course you do.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, he is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.
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Chapter 10 – Prepare for Battle
Itachi and Shisui were not allowed outside of the house without a bodyguard. Neither was happy about this. Living in the Uchiha compound they had been allowed to roam around since they were four. There was always an adult around to watch out for them and they never felt any danger. But that was before their encounter with Orochimaru and the subsequent discovery of the corpses. There were three survivors, but they were in bad shape. By the end of September, only one of them was still alive. The rumor was that the lone survivor had been a student of his, a young orphan girl he had picked up somewhere named Anko. The rumors also said that all of them had a strange circular seal on their shoulders that fed off their chakra.
The snake man hadn't been seen again since that day a month earlier when he had appeared before Kentaro and Madara. Perhaps they had scared him off, or perhaps he was already on his way out of the village and decided to pay his respects to the two Uchiha boys. But no one was taking any chances. Anko had talked about a secret chamber, and from her description it was close by and unknown. It was therefore determined that Orochimaru was operating one (or more) laboratories within the Konoha area. Which would explain why he kept coming back. Armed with that knowledge Anbu started an in depth investigation of the area. Anko tried to help, but she was too traumatized and had no clear memories of anything that happened before she woke up in the hospital. Despite all their efforts, they were unable to find anything.
Fugaku was keeping close tabs on his clan. Both the ninja's and the civilians. He met with everyone, even if it was on the street to gossip. He had even traveled to the Fire country capital to meet the few clan members living there. As he spoke to his people he made mental notes on each of them, then, when he got home, he shut himself in his meeting room and wrote out his thoughts, comparing and cross-checking and making lists. He had to know. He had to be sure.
Word finally came back to him that all of the scrolls had been mastered, and the teams were now practicing to reinforce their new-found knowledge. He was pleased at the news. But upon reviewing the teams themselves he ended up moving some people around. Kentaro noticed a pattern and passed the alarming news on to Madara. Madara laughed and said not to worry about it. It seemed that all of Madara's supporters were being segregated into their own teams. Fugaku was certainly turning out to be very resourceful. Kentaro started to wonder if it wasn't so much that Fugaku was "resourceful" as it was that Madara was being arrogant. He began to look forward to October, knowing that he would not live to see November.
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Kentaro was walking through the woods with Itachi and Shisui. It was a warm September day. The early morning sun filtered through the canopy of early autumn colored leaved. The boys had improved their Taijutsu remarkably since they had started their training a year ago. They were also starting to learn Genjutsu, and while Shisui was turning out to be better, Itachi was still exceptionally good at it as well. Madara had expressed his surprise at Shisui's abilities a year ago, and Kentaro had to agree. The boy was at least as good if not a little better than Itachi. He wondered if Madara was reconsidering which boy he would use in a few years. It would be a wise move, let the boys grow up at their own pace, then pick the one best suited for the task.
"Why are you boys so quiet today?" Kentaro suddenly realized that neither of the kids had said anything since they left the village.
"Huh?" Shisui hadn't really been thinking of anything, just walking.
Itachi was looking straight ahead. "Genjutsu. I need more practice."
"Well, practice is all it takes. You certainly have the aptitude." They stopped and looked around. "It looks like we beat him here today. Time to sit down and rest." Kentaro found a spot in the sun and sat with his back against a tree.
Shisui and Itachi stared at him, then pointed a foot to his right where a three foot tall sapling grew. "Genjutsu!" They both yelled, smiling.
Madara appeared, laughing at them and Kentaro snickered. "Well done! You're observational abilities are growing." He spoke as he walked over to the boys and knelt down to their level. "What do you say we try a transportation jutsu today? Just to see how far you've come."
"Yeah!" Shisui was ecstatic. It was the one jutsu he wanted to learn more than anything.
"Cool!" Itachi was excited too, but he also figured he would have trouble with it. He was more than willing to give it a try, though. He felt his strengths leaned more towards Taijutsu.
"Ok then. The first thing you have to know is this works better with the Sharingan, but as you've probably seen, non-Uchiha ninja also do it so it isn't impossible. It can be quite dangerous if done improperly, so if I sense you aren't ready I'm going to stop you, and I will ask you at that point not to try it again until you are older." He stood up and adjusted his orange and black mask and took off his cloak, putting it down on a large pack leaning against a tree at the edge of the clearing. He showed them the hand signs for the jutsu and made them practice until they could do them at a blinding speed.
"Now, you are going to start the jutsu with the same mindset as you would when casting a Genjutsu. Only, instead of placing a Genjutsu at a specific spot, you put yourself. You both have mastered location when determining where to place a Genjutsu. Shisui, you try it first." Madara and Itachi moved to the edge of the clearing, while Shisui stood in the middle. He closed his eyes and concentrated on a spot one foot in front of where he was standing. He imagined creating a Genjutsu in that spot. Then he changed the image to his body. When he had a clear vision of himself one foot in front of where he was standing he quickly did the hand signs and pushed himself to the spot. He opened his eyes and looked at his companions. They were staring at him in shock.
"What's wrong?" He looked at where he was. "I did it!" He yelled and jumped up and down a couple times.
"Wow." Kentaro stared wide-eyed at him. In all his years he had never seen anyone do that jutsu the first time.
"That's amazing Shisui." Madara said, also with shock in his voice. He hadn't expected either of the boys to be able to come even close to doing it.
Itachi blinked his eyes a couple time and gulped, a little nervous. "My turn." He said in his normal voice. Shisui and Itachi traded places. Itachi stood in the center of the clearing and closed his eyes. He did his jutsu a little different from Shisui. He imagined himself casting a Genjutsu of his body a foot in front of him, then actually put the Genjutsu there. He then did the hand signs and… "It worked! I did it too!"
Shisui ran over and patted him on the back "Good going, cousin! That was kind of creepy, the way you put a Genjutsu in the spot before your body, it looked like a ghost. I wonder if that would really scare someone if you did it in a fight?"
Kentaro was beyond shock. He put his hand over his heart to see if he was still alive and not dead or dreaming. Madara started laughing. 'I keep underestimating them.' He said to himself. 'I need to quit that.'
"Good work boys, I truly did not expect you be able to do that yet. You are both the geniuses our clan hoped for. Now, the next step is to not get cocky. If you mess up on this jutsu, like I said earlier, it can be disastrous. For the rest of the morning pick opposite ends of the clearing and move around, but don't go further than three feet. There are still a lot of trees around. This afternoon we'll work on performing the jutsu around obstacles." He sat down next to Kentaro and watched the boys transport themselves in circles.
When training was over the boys had successfully mastered the transportation jutsu over small distances. Madara was very, very pleased. The two boys were part of his long term plans and their advanced abilities, intelligence and drive were more than he could have wished for.
"Itachi, Shisui, as you both know our clan will be launching a major offensive against Konoha in a few weeks. Therefore, this will be out last training session for a while. I will contact you directly when I am ready to teach you again." The boys were crestfallen.
"It won't be too long, will it?" Shisui asked quietly.
He knelt down in front of the boys and put a hand on each boy's shoulder. He became serious and spoke in a stern voice. "I hope not, but if it is a long time, even a year or two, don't be upset. I will not forget to come for you two. No matter what. And if you ever hear anyone saying that I am dead, don't believe it. No one in Konoha has the power to kill me." He sighed. "Study in school, master your jutsu's and use what I have taught you to advance. Also, the battle next month is not your concern. Do not get involved. You are still children and we want you safe. In a few years it will be your turn to do battle. But not right now." He stood up and looked down at the boys. They looked up at him with a determined expression, then thanked him for training them and bowed. He bowed back, then disappeared.
When they got home Kentaro called Fugaku out of his house. He knew the clan leader was still mad at him, but he had to tell him about the jutsu. There was no secret between them anymore about Madara training the boys.
"Did you see Orochimaru again?" Fugaku was still leery of the man showing up and expected the worst when Kentaro asked to speak to him in private.
"Itachi and Shisui are truly remarkable boys, Fugaku. I have to tell you of their accomplishments." Kentaro smiled slightly. He was still a little shocked about what he had seen earlier.
"Oh? What happened?" Fugaku relaxed.
"You won't believe me, but it's true."
"Come one, what happened?" He was getting very curious.
"Madara taught them a transportation jutsu to test their Genjutsu, and they both did it. The first time. I have never in all my years seen anyone do that jutsu without hours of practice."
"You are right. I don't believe you." Fugaku looked at the man standing in front of him. He was grinning like an idiot. "Damn, it's true! They did it, the first time? That's unheard of!"
"Well, I'm going home now." Kentaro walked away slowly down the road. Today was a good day. If only… "No. I will have no regrets." He said out loud. A couple walking past him turned their heads, but kept walking.
Fugaku was standing in the courtyard thinking about what Kentaro had told him. He really wanted to see Itachi perform the jutsu, but he didn't want to risk… What exactly?
"Itachi!" The boy walked outside a minute later. "Come here." He led him to an isolated part of the yard. "I'm not going to ask who taught you the transportation jutsu, and you are not going to volunteer any information, but I want to see you do it."
Itachi smiled at his father. "Yes!" He moved a few feet away, then concentrated. He performed the seals then appeared three feet away from where he started. He looked at his father with a big smile.
"Huh." He had to smile because Itachi rarely gave anyone such an open expression. "That was truly amazing. I don't think a five year old boy has ever done that before." He was very proud of his son. "You are truly a genius."
"Yes father. I will practice hard to master it so I can use it in battle."
"Very good."
"Dinners ready!" Mikoto yelled outside to her husband and son. Sasuke let out a yell. "Oh, does baby want his dinner too?" She cooed to him as she walked back inside.
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Yota was already in the training area when Itachi, Shisui, and their guard Okimi joined him. Okimi was a woman in her early twenties who had worked at the police station for five years. She wore knee length black pants with a short blue skirt and a blue tank top. A jounin type vest was worn over the tank top. She was a friendly person who liked to talk, but she was also a very intense person who was, more often than not, away from the village on missions for the clan. Babysitting two children wasn't something she really wanted to do, but considering who they were she considered it an honor. Besides, Itachi's teacher turned out to be an old friend of hers and they were able to catch up on all the old gossip.
"You've gotten a lot better with kunai throwing." Shisui observed as he and Itachi took the two empty targets next to Yota.
"Yes. I beet my two cousins yesterday. But I still have a long way to go." Yota threw his last kunai as he spoke. Out of ten kunai, he bullseyed eight.
"You mean the two kids who keep calling you a looser?" Itachi spoke quietly.
"Yeah."
"Hmmph. We never see them here after school, do we?" Itachi's words were accusing.
Yota smiled condescendingly. 'And you won't ever see them here. They would never be seen training in front of anyone not in the clan.' Yota said the words to himself, then out loud he answered Itachi "I'll be here, come rain or shine. I'd rather die of pneumonia than be called weak again. When I can beat my cousins at Taijutsu, I'll know I am one step closer to beating you, Itachi."
"Good." It was a short answer, but to Yota it spoke volumes. The boys were not friends and probably never would be. But they had an unspoken understanding that each would help the other get more powerful. In truth, Yota was a lot like Itachi, but without parents to push him he had strayed from his training. Now with a clear goal, and the means to attain it he had become very studious and single-minded in his training and school subjects. Nothing short of 100% was acceptable.
Shisui was mixing kunai and throwing stars. He wanted to throw the kunai off target, then use the stars to hit the kunai back on target. It was an idea he had thought of during algebra class instead of quadratic equations. His kunai were going all over the place. He tried again, throwing his kunai with his right hand and a star with his left hand. However, a second later the kunai was hit with a different star and landed in the bullseye.
"What?" Shisui muttered when he realized it wasn't his star that did it.
"Thought you needed some help." Itachi smiled at him.
Shisui laughed. "You startled me for a second. I was concentrating so hard. Though I think you did give me an idea. The angle you used was different from what I was using." He tried it again, and the Kunai hit the target two rings away from the center.
"I think it's probably harder to do both at the same time than to throw a star and hit someone else's kunai." Itachi observed. "But that is a really neat trick." Itachi switched his training to the kunai and star throwing for the rest of the afternoon.
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"Kagura's sure been around here a lot lately, wouldn't you say, Mikoto?" Fugaku and Mikoto were currently in their bedroom getting ready for bed. Mikoto was brushing her shoulder length black hair and Fugaku was looking outside.
"Yes. I did notice." She turned to look at her husband.
"I… I don't want her left alone with Sasuke. I have a bad feeling, and while a lot of different things are going through my head, nothing specific is standing out. I don't want Kagura to feel cut off. Just don't leave her alone." Fugaku didn't want to alarm his wife, but he did want to warn her. He knew that Kagura and her husband were the same as Kentaro. Spies for Madara. 'I will have to kill them.' The thought saddened him.
"I know. She is up to something, and it does have to do with Sasuke. Tell me, Fugaku. Tell me the truth. I know Sasuke's father is not you." Fugaku felt his heart fall into his stomach. "That much was obvious. Among other things, Kagura was crying a lot and trying to be extra cheerful to cover it up. Is Sasuke's father her husband?" Fugaku realized that it was a very logical deduction.
"No he is not." He paused. He didn't want to ask the next question, if she wanted to know who his father was, but she beat him to it.
"Then I don't need to know who it is. As long as you love him, then that's enough for me."
"Thank-you Mikoto." He bowed his head to her. To himself, he thought 'Kentaro, the rumors are true. Mikoto is too good for me.'
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Fugaku made his way to the temple the next morning. It was a gray, overcast day and chilly. A true autumn day. He heard Itachi, Shisui and Okimi run past him on their way to school and he smiled. He remembered doing the same thing with his cousins, a long, long time ago. And for a moment he longed again for those days. But then reality kicked in. Life was just as hard back then as it was now. For him at least. As a boy he had become the clan's leader when he was three, although Kentaro made most of the decisions for several years he was still put on a pedestal.
His cousins, as carefree and they seemed as children, were scared of him. He was his father's son, after all, and they all knew what he was. But still, back then, when he was a child, he could pretend he had no worries. Sometimes he could pretend he had parents waiting for him when he got home from school instead of returning to his empty house. However, he had a family now. His house was no longer empty, and one day it would be Itachi's house, where he would marry and raise his children.
Itachi. No matter what he was doing or where he was his thoughts always turned to his oldest son. 'My one wish' he thought to himself 'is that Itachi grows up with his parents, the way I wanted to grow up with mine.' The ninja war going on with the other shinobi nations and the offensive against Madara were both threatening to prevent that from happening. He knew Itachi was not having an easy time of it, and he was the one causing the problems. He didn't know how to raise a son. He had no practice. His instincts told him to protect him and keep him safe. To hold him in his arms when he cried and cheer for him when he laughed. But his duty as the clan leader was to train his heir to handle to harsh realities of becoming lord of the Uchiha clan. And those realities were indeed very harsh.
When he entered the temple the people gathered there bowed to him.
"I am glad you came. You will be here for about two months." The clan members assembled in front of him were from the Fire Country capital. He had re-called some of them back to the village to help with the offensive in October. "For security reasons I will not be filling you in on the details until right before the battle, so please be patient." The men and women in front of him nodded in acceptance. They had been ordered to Konoha on short notice and had traveled non-stop for two days, arriving only two hours ago. "That's all I have to say for now. I'll get going so you can get some sleep." He saw some of them smile at that. Yeah, it sucks to be tired when you know you have to keep awake.
He got lost in his thoughts again while walking to the police station. He didn't want to do it this way. He had to keep everything a secret. Fighting Madara was taboo to most of the clan. They would refuse. But he had a feeling he knew what Madara was planning. It was all in the tablet in the temple's secret chamber. If Madara won… Could his father have been involved with Madara somehow? He had never thought of that before. Maybe that is what he had meant when he said the "experiment" had failed? Fugaku's plan was to let Madara attack the village. There would be casualties. There would be destruction. He believed, after a lifetime of living and fighting alongside his clan that once they saw Konoha, their home, falling to someone they thought was their idol they would awaken from their stupor and fight alongside the village to stop him. The term was an old one. As old as war itself. And the person who spoke the words the same time Fugaku thought them was the last person he wanted to see right now.
"Acceptable Casualties." The blonde Hokage was standing six feet in front of him, the wind blowing his long white jacket around his ankles.
"It is my job. I have had it since I was three years old. I have had to kill my own people, and I have had to stand by and watch as others killed them as well. It is a lesson all leaders learn. You also, Minato." Fugaku looked the man in the eye with his sharingan.
"I have been on the front lines for years in this absurd secret ninja war we are fighting. I left my team alone and then had to return to a casualty. I send men and women out every week on suicide missions knowing full well that their chances of returning are slim at best. Don't you dare accuse me of not understanding what that means." Minato was loosing patience. He could be easy-going, but he was also hard-headed.
"Then you understand what I must do. Know that if you get in my way… A three way battle is not effective. It is better if you stay out of it. If you join in you will be dead afterward."
"I have heard rumors about what those eyes see. That they can see into the future."
"They have seen your death." Fugaku walked past him and continued on to the police station.
Minato watched him walk away. Were the precognitive abilities of the sharingan rumor or reality? The answer was immaterial. The Fourth Hokage knew that sooner or later he would die in service, in defense, of his village. He hoped, that when the time came (and he hoped it was years in the future) his wife and soon-to-be-born son would understand and be able to accept that in all things they came second. Konoha came first. "Please forgive me Kushina and Naruto." He said the words quietly to himself before returning to his office.
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Sasuke was laying in his crib staring up at his older brother. He would often come by late at night and visit. Although Sasuke was still too young to really understand much, he had gotten accustomed to the older boy's visits. Although running into the room as he occasionally did was a little scary. But he always spoke kindly and stoked his hands and face, and he would fall asleep. If his mobile was off, Itachi would turn it on, and the little toys would circle around his head and the soft relaxing music would play.
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Itachi knew he shouldn't be here at this time of the night, but he wanted to see his little brother. His mother said he had saved his life and was responsible for him now. He wanted to take that seriously. But he should be outside training. Or in bed asleep. But the nightmare kept returning. The one with the bloody sword. Before Sasuke was born he was afraid of being alone in the dream. Now, he was afraid of Sasuke crying. What was going on? He was really tired. The dream had been coming at least twice a week for the last month, and even when he didn't have it he still woke up with the need to check on his little brother.
"Itachi." He heard his father's voice and jumped up from where he was leaning on the crib rail, half asleep. "Are you having nightmares? This is the fourth time this week I've seen you in here."
He thought about lying. But… "Yes. It is the same one over and over, and Sasuke is crying and wakes me up." He looked at the floor. "Do dreams come true?" He looked his father in the eye.
"Some believe the Sharingan has precognitive abilities, son, but it doesn't. Our dreams mirror our souls and show us our repressed emotions or strongest fears or desires. It is our own conscious acts that make them come true." Fugaku knew what nightmares were. "I also had a nightmare tonight. That is why I am awake. But I won't let it happen, so it won't come true. Do you understand that?" Perhaps it was a little abstract for a kid.
"Yes, I do understand. I want Sasuke to be strong. No matter what, he must be able to defend himself. That way, he won't ever cry." Itachi walked past Fugaku, who stood aside to let him pass.
A couple minutes later, after Itachi's bedroom door had closed Fugaku looked back at Sasuke. "You hear that Sasuke. You must not be weak. Be strong for your brother."
Sasuke looked over at his father and smiled as he waved his arms at him, drool leaking out the side of his mouth.
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The lake was churning like a boiling cauldron when Fugaku led his son onto the dock. The battle would take place in a few short weeks and he wanted to teach Itachi the Uchiha fire jutsu. If something happened to him in the battle, he would loose his chance. It was a jutsu unique to the clan and a sign of membership and belonging, a right of passage. More importantly it was a bond between father and son, mother and daughter. Itachi was a few years younger than usual but Fugaku had a feeling that if he could master Taijutsu, transportation jutsus, and get top marks in school at only five years old, then the fire jutsu ought to be simple.
Showing him the hand signs needed to begin the jutsu, he moved to the end of the dock. "You need to gather the chakra between your chest and your mouth, then let it out as fire." He did just that. A huge fireball burst over the lake, completely unaffected by the wind blowing against it. Itachi was amazed. He had seen much smaller versions of the jutsu. When they were traveling to the hideout last January it had been used to light their campfires, and his mother had used it to light candles around the house. But what his father just did was beyond anything Itachi had considered. "You're turn." He moved a few feet back and watched his son walk to the end of the dock.
The strong wind pulled at his clothes and tried to push him over. He knew he was small and skinny, he was repeatedly reminded of that by well-meaning adults. He had a passing thought of himself picked up and carried across the lake when a particularly strong gust made him stumble. But he didn't complain. Instead he spread his legs about a foot apart and pushed chakra to his feet to keep himself steady. He felt his father come up behind him and gather his hair up.
"The wind pulled the tie out. You don't want to burn your hair." He replaced the tie and tied the bow twice so it wouldn't slip out. "Okay, you're ready."
"Thanks." Itachi replied. He put his hands up and made the hand signs. Gathering up the chakra in his chest he let it out. The fireball that came out was as large as his fathers. "I did it!" He gave his father another big smile. The expression of happiness on his face was open and real.
Fugaku could only stare. 'Is there nothing this boy can't do?' He wondered to himself. "Oh, Itachi." He sighed. "You are my son. You are a genius. But you learn things so quickly, what am I going to do with you when I have nothing more to teach and you get bored?" What would a boy like Itachi do if he was bored?
"I'll be a ninja then and go on missions. That will be exciting. I won't get bored, father." Itachi was so sure that missions would be the pinnacle of his ninja career. To be able to leave the village and steal secret documents, or assassinate evil crime lords, or escort beautiful princesses to...wherever it was beautiful princesses needed escorted to. Of course it was exciting.
Fugaku thought about that for a minute. Missions outside of the village were a good way to occupy young ninja, but as they became more skilled the missions would be boring. The secret ninja war going on right now was keeping the more troublesome ninja's busy, effectively keeping them out of trouble, but what would happen when the war ended? He already was a little afraid of his son's power, and worried about his emotional stability after he attacked and almost killed Yota. What would happen to Itachi if there was no war or high level missions to keep him occupied?
"Hmm. That remind me, you don't seem to be watching TV much anymore."
"No. I guess I hadn't noticed. I stay late at school to train, then train on the weekends. Shisui and I are always busy."
"Good. Training is a better activity for you. You have a mission to be the clan lord someday, and you must be strong. My goal is to have you graduate from the academy when you are eight years old. You will be a genin then and able to go on missions. It will expand your view of the world and teach you teamwork. It will also place you under the authority of the Hokage. You would be our link to the village." Fugaku was speaking in a pleasant tone. Itachi wasn't really used to it. He only ever heard Fugaku being stern and serious.
"I thought the Hokage was our enemy?" Itachi remembered his father's speech at the hideout when he said they were going to kill the Hokage.
"You met him at the opening ceremony. What did you think of him?"
"He was nice. But I didn't like his speech. It sounded like he was saying it was okay to be weak." Fugaku nodded his head. Itachi was perceptive, but he was also too literal. He thought about explaining the difference between being weak and needing to ask for help, but well, he had to admit that he didn't quite know the difference either. Perhaps the answer would come with maturity and experience. For both of them.
'Might as well ask.' He thought to himself. "What did you think of him when he arrested me?"
"I thought he was strong and not afraid of anything. He wasn't afraid of us at all. All those other ninja he brought with him were afraid." Itachi found he was enjoying the conversation.
"Yes he is all that. One of the best Hokage's Konoha has ever had. Perhaps the equal of the First Hokage who fought Madara at the Valley of the End almost a hundred years ago. His one fault is sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. I do not see him surviving the coming battle. He is a true leader, one who would give his life to protect those weaker than him. He is a true shinobi, one who endures. But Itachi, sometimes that isn't enough to keep you alive." He sighed and looked out across the gray lake.
"Then what is?" Itachi was serious.
"Sometimes, nothing. When it is your time to go, that's pretty much it. Some people go for the easy way out and use trickery or cowardice to escape. They end up living in the shadows fearing that they may be discovered and never stick their neck out to save friends or family. But those kinds of people, are already dead in a sense. In running from death, they forget to live."
"Like zombies?" Itachi paraphrased.
"Something like that, yeah." Fugaku smiled. "What do you say we try that fireball jutsu a few more times?"
They stayed out for another hour before it started to rain.
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Kind of a transitional chapter, and it's shorter than usual. But there were some things that needed tied up before the battle starts. I also wanted to show that Fugaku was not always such a bad guy around his family.
Please review, let me know what you think, or don't think, or if you are completely confused.
Next time: The battle begins! (Anyone up for a game of fetch with a 100 foot fox?)
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