Disclaimer: I own nothing. Blablabla.
Warning: If you find any mistakes, notify me.
In celebration of chapter 550 of 'One Piece'. Forgive me for the shortness but I'm still in state of shock after that chapter.
Chapter Eleven: Freedom
'Who is it? What does he want?' for these question Itachi couldn't find the answers. He did partially know who may be responsible- it was apparent it was an Uchiha. He was lucky enough to leave compound many times in December (thanks to Kushina-san) and noticed that whoever it was that was watching him never left the Uchiha district. Whether it was because of this person's inability to leave or because it was too risky or bothersome to continue his surveillance in the village- Itachi didn't know.
"Itachi-kun? Are you ready?"
Itachi sighed, fixing his kimono. Today was January 1st- the whole village was celebrating New Year. Itachi heard a lot about the up-coming festival and, unsurprisingly, he really wanted to go there. He had never been on one before (at least he had no memory of such event) and he was dying to see it. He half hoped that Minato-san, who he hadn't seen since the day they returned, would magically appear and whisk him away but so far Itachi hadn't heard a word from him. But then again, he thought bitterly, which sane person would willingly get up at 4 am to visit a shrine?
Because, unfortunately, that was where he was going with his parents.
"Yes, haha-ue."
Hatsumõde was an old tradition practiced in Uchiha Clan, where a person on January 1st visited a shrine, praying for good luck on a new year. In itself it didn't sound too bothersome but Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto, being quite conservative people, spent hours at the shrine, the fact that didn't sit well with their son.
Itachi looked balefully at his parents. 'Why, oh why me?'
"Itachi." said Uchiha Fugaku.
The boy in question quickly tried to mask his not-so-kind feelings towards his parents.
'Don't tell me he saw me!'
"Yes, chichi-ue?"
"When we arrive at the temple, we may encounter some members of our clan. I want you to be on your best behavior when around them."
"Yes, chichi-ue." 'Whatever. It's not like they are on their best behavior when around me. Hm… I think I spend too much time with Kushina-san.'
Fugaku hesitated a moment before continuing:
"You are not required to remain at the temple for all the time. As long as you don't leave the main grounds of Nakano Shrine, you may do as you like."
Itachi blinked, before saying: "Thank you, I understand, chichi-ue." 'That was actually… kind."
Nakano Shrine was more like a complex of temples than a single one. Itachi never saw anything like this: built beside Nakano River were at least ten temples, in each of them he could clearly distinguish standing or sitting forms of various Uchiha. When they passed, people bowed respectfully but none said anything. His parents lead him to the tallest building in the complex- he guessed it had to be the Main Temple.
Contrary to what one may believe, the Main Temple wasn't particularly outstanding when compared to other shrines- if not for its size, one would have trouble pointing it out. They passed the main yard and entered the building. There they stopped before high altar. Itachi noticed his parents atomically put their hands together in a praying position and he hastened to mimic them. He spent minutes like this, feeling absolutely silly. He didn't even know what he was supposed to be doing! He looked at the altar- his father said something about good luck so…
'I wish for good lu-' Wait. He did have something to wish for didn't he? 'I…I'd like to see Minato-san again. I know I'm being selfish, I know he's busy and that Kushina-san is sacrificing her free time to spend it with me but I can't help it. I… I miss him so… I just want to see more of him. That's it, I guess… So… Bye?'
Itachi looked at his parents- both of them had their eyes closed, still and quiet.
'Well… Chichi-ue said I could leave whenever I wanted…'
He bowed and quickly went to the main yard. There wasn't much he could do by himself but at least he didn't have to pretend to understand this strange ceremony. He may as well do some sightseeing.
Main yard proved to be as uninteresting as one may imagine, however Itachi found himself rather anxious, while walking around it. The place seemed to emit dense, mysterious, almost claustrophobic feeling. He wasn't sure if this temple was just that special or was it true to all temples in general. Soon he wandered off a bit far from the Main Temple but mindful of his father request, he didn't leave Nakano Shrine. Surprisingly, it was unnaturally quiet, as if there was not a soul on the grounds, which was ridiculous, of course. Just minutes ago, the shrine was full of people; they couldn't just disappear without a trace, could they? Itachi sighed tiredly before sitting on the ground. He looked in the direction of the village- he wanted to go there…
"Caw!"
Itachi glanced around; before him stood a black bird, staring at him with dark eyes. He had no idea which species it was, but it figured that it was as much interested in him as he was in it. Itachi reached out towards it, but the bird moved away, now looking warily at him.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." said Itachi, moving his hand away. To his surprise, the bird seemed to understand- it carefully inched closer to him. This time, when the boy pulled out his hand, it didn't move away, letting the child run his fingers through its feathers.
"Now, that's something you don't see everyday." came a cool voice.
Itachi gasped and turned quickly around, instantly locating the source of the voice. Behind him stood a tall man with short black hair and fathomless black eyes. He resembled his father a bit, with similar cheekbones and chin. Wrinkles under his eyes indicated that he smiled more than frowned. He was dressed in plain, dark kimono with a katana strapped to his waist. The stranger smiled at him but Itachi shifted awkwardly. The man was obviously an Uchiha, however Itachi didn't know him at all- he didn't know how to behave. He got up and bowed but was waved off.
"No need for such formalities. I apologize for startling you." He nodded his head curtly before continuing: "My name's Uchiha Izuna- pleased to meet you, young Itachi."
Itachi shook the proffered hand and replied: "Um, pleased to meet you too, Izuna-san. If I may ask, how did you know my name?" He blushed slightly, a little embarrassed.
When Izuna smiled once again, Itachi noticed that something was off about the way he smiled. He instantly focused on what the man was saying rather than how.
"Well, it's not exactly a secret who the son of the Uchiha Clan Head's is." He winked. "And as I said, it's not everyday you see a human child playing with crows."
Itachi blinked and looked down at his "playmate". "Crows?" Strangely, the bird wasn't calm like it was before the stranger's appearance. It grasped Itachi's kimono with its beak and tugged at it more and more insistently.
Uchiha Izuna kneeled down, glancing at the frantic bird. "Class: Aves, Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae, Genus: Corvus. They are most commonly mistaken for ravens, even though there are nearly nothing alike- whether it comes to behavior or looks. The easiest thing to note is their size. A raven is larger than a crow. Ravens average 25" tall (64 cm) with a 4 foot (122 cm) wing span, about the size of a hawk, while crows are around 18" (46 cm) tall and their wings span 3 feet (91 cm), similar to a dove. The beak of a crow might look slightly thicker than that of a raven.
Secondly, you can note their particular color. Both are black, but a crow's feathers are a plain, flinty black, and can even have lighter markings, see here?" he pointed to at the crow's wings. "A raven's feathers shine with a blue or purple tint when the sun hits them." He turned to Itachi. "Of course, it's not all; I've just given you a general overview."
Itachi still didn't take his eyes away from the bird. "What are you getting at?" He finally looked the man in the eye. "What do you want to say?"
The man stared at the boy's face, before chuckling. "Nothing much. But you know, crows are rather shy- they don't approach just anyone. They are very intelligent- they even have the ability to recognize specific human individuals, they usually hunt in groups of other crows, called murders. Crows take advantage of this by maneuvering themselves through the dappled shades of the trees, where their black color renders them effectively invisible to their enemies above in order to set up complex ambush attacks- it's probably why they become a symbol of skill, cunning, trickery and thievery. And yet…" Izuna smirked. "Some view it as an example of filial love and devotion. I simply find it interesting that out of creatures that live here, you were approached by a crow."
For a moment, none of them moved, save from the bird which pulled more urgently at the boy's kimono. Itachi felt strangely disconnected from the world. He didn't want to (couldn't) look away from the man's eyes, as if in-so-doing would make him unworthy, something less than a human. Eventually, Uchiha Izuna broke the silence and said softly: "Your friend wants to tell you something."
Itachi looked at the struggling bird. The man added: "I think it wants to take you away from here. Maybe you should listen to it. Animals instincts are better than human's, after all."
Itachi hesitated. "My parents…"
"Are not here. Can you see them?" he asked mildly. Itachi looked in the direction of the Main Temple and to his astonishment, couldn't see his parents there. 'Where…?'
"Don't worry about them. Something just came up that required their attention. Go, you won't get in trouble." He said that with so much confidence that Itachi felt foolish for even thinking of questioning him. Finally he gave in to the crow's persistent tugging and followed it out of the main yard. Before he left it completely, he turned around and asked the man:
"Who are you?"
He could see Izuna smile before his reply reached him: "Just an old man, who knows a little about birds."
It was only after the young Uchiha heir left the grounds of the Nakano Shrine, the person known as Uchiha Izuna admitted quietly:
"Just an old man who found an interesting little crow."
"Wow…"
Itachi couldn't take his eyes from the view before him. After a careful navigation through the village's streets, thanks to the crow, he finally arrived at the Main Street where the festival was being held. He didn't know what business the bird had in there but he didn't care- he was too awed by the spectacle before him.
Konoha's Main Street was unrecognizable below the decorations. Layers of ribbons and golden dust, various stands with food and drinks, game corners, children running around with kites, adults dressed in colorful kimono- everything around him seemed to vibrate with life and happiness.
Suddenly he felt wings brush his cheek and something soft settled on top of his head.
Something cawing.
"Caw!"
'That little…!'
"What the-?! Get off, you stupid crow!" Itachi started shaking his head back and fort in effort to shake off the annoying bird. "MY HAIR IS NOT A NEST, IDIOT!" A replying caw indicated that the bird disagreed.
'Well, that calls for desperate measures…'
Itachi's idea was to simply grab the bird and take off across the street so that it wouldn't find him. Of course, the crow had different plans. When the boy's hands came too close to the bird, it clipped at his fingers.
"Hey! Stop it! Agh… Forget it. Just… Just don't make trouble, alright."
"Caw!"
Itachi sighed, but inwardly he was smiling. He entered the street. He soon became lost within the crowd. He couldn't decide on what settle his eyes on- everything was so fascinating! He was so focused on turning his head around that he didn't notice a person standing before him until he literally walked on him. A very familiar him.
"Itachi?"
His heart may have stopped beating for a moment.
"Minato-san?"
Minato blinked but then smiled happily. Suddenly, Itachi knew what was missing from Uchiha Izuna's smiles: his smiles never reached his eyes; when Minato-san smiled, his whole face seemed to lit up.
Namikaze swung his arm around Itachi's shoulders and brought him closer. The boy, blinking away tears, snuggled just a bit into the warmth.
"Eh… Itachi, what's that on your head?"
The boy snapped to attention: he completely forgot about the crow. "It's… I don't know honestly. It's just a bird that I think likes me, that's all." Strangely enough, the bird was calm and quiet, quite unlike to how it reacted to Uchiha Izuna.
Minato blinked but decided not to comment. He didn't think he wanted to know… He looked around and his eyes narrowed. "Where are your parents?"
Itachi bit his lower lip. He had no idea how to answer. He did disobey his father's orders but… "I… I don't know… Something important came up and they had to leave… But I'm not sure where exactly they are…"
Namikaze gritted his teeth. "So, they just left you alone?" He instantly started to calm down 'Save it for later.' "No matter. How long since you've last eaten? Wait, don't answer." He said, seeing a stricken expression on the boy's face. "We'll find something to eat, there's plenty of that around. For now…" He pulled out a candy from his pocket and gave it to Itachi. "Have this, alright? I promise when we find Kushina, we will get you a decent meal."
Itachi seemed to be lost of words. "Um… Thank you." He looked at the candy: it was a strange one: there were three balls on a stick, each one a different color. "Mm… What's this Minato-san?"
Minato sighed. "It's dango. The one you're holding is Hanami dango. But let's not speak of it out in the open." He gave a conspirational wink and whispered, looking pointedly at a woman and a girl- both of them appeared to be chewing a similar type of sweets that Itachi was now holding. "If you speak about it, those two Mitarashi will appear and take your dango away. So you better eat up."
Itachi looked at the crowded street. "How are we going to find Kushina-san here?"
Minato grinned. "I have a fair idea where she might be. Come on."
They moved through the street, comfortable silence between them. The young Uchiha put dango in his mouth. The taste was indeed very good and could see why people would like it, though it wasn't really exceptional. And there was just something on Itachi's mind… "Minato-san? Is New Year Festival always like this?" Minato smiled somewhat tiredly making Itachi frown in confusion.
"Hm. You see, it's been a long time since we were able to celebrate a New Year like that. With war, it never seemed like a celebration, and each future year was doomed to be like the one before: filled with conflicts and battle. Today, it's the first time in years we are truly free of that fate…" He looked down on Itachi, his tired smile turning into a happy grin. "Everybody decided to go all out, I guess!"
Itachi's eyes widened as he understood. "D-does it mean that the war is over?" he asked, voice full of hope.
"Yes. Truly over. And it won't happen again if I have anything to say about it."
Itachi grinned happily; he was grinning so much that his face started to hurt. Suddenly, dango in his mouth, tasted wonderfully extraordinary, he was even happy for the bird still sitting on his head. But then he was struck with a cruel realization: when making a wish today he didn't pray for this. His prayer was selfish, he knew, but it never occurred to him how much. Didn't he suffer through war too, like all these people around him? Why didn't he think? Didn't he care?
He clenched his fists. 'No. It's over. The time when I pretend it didn't happen is over. When did I become like this? Yes, it was just a simple wish, but it didn't even cross my mind. I can no longer pretend. Because next time war comes, I'll be useless like before. Powerless, hiding like a coward!' he glanced at Minato-san who was looking at him with a worried look in his eyes. 'I-I want to be able to walk with Minato-san, side-by-side. I-I can't be just a burden! All this time I was only talking about it, but I wasn't doing anything! I can't possibly live like this- still hiding from my own self! I'm going to face it, I'm going to face Grass! No more running away.' He grinned, feeling light, lighter than he felt in weeks. He looked straight at the sun and laughed. He felt the crow open its wings as it took off. He could see it fly away and in that moment he felt as free as that annoying bird.
Namikaze Minato smiled with a trace of pride and regret as he watched new era finally begin.
"… Two heirs to the clan? It happened only once and with disastrous effects- are we willing to take that risk?"
"Aren't we over exaggerating?"
"History taught us that such things have to be carefully assessed. So, no."
"Fugaku-sama, what's the Clan Heads' stance on this?"
"We already reached a consensus."
"What's that-?"
"We'll keep the baby."
"Mikoto-sama."
"The heir must be powerful, not only in mind but also in body and skill, in order to carry out the mission. This unborn child- his blood brother or sister- may become his spare."
A/N: Before you start your speculations with "OMGIZUNA- THAT MUST MEAN SOMETHING!" let me tell you this: hehe, no. I figured that a clan like Uchiha would name its children after historical figures for example Izuna who was probably a hero in his times. And I suck at making up names so we have Uchiha Izuna.
It wasn't as soon as I wanted it to be but you have Eiichiro Oda to thank for that; his last chapter was so mind-blowing that I couldn't think of anything else. Not to mention, I rewrote the whole chapter- again.
All the strange names can be found in wikipedia, and the stuff about crows and ravens are not pulled out of my... They're all true.
The next update will be... soon. I hope. Unfortunately, I may not have internet in August so I still don't how about the next update. God I need sleep- it 1am here.
Thankyou very much for reviews- hope you're satisfied with this chapter- I for sure am not.
R&R