Forever My Heart

by KHB123

Before the massacre, there had been Izumi Uchiha. A girl who loved him. A girl whom he protected. A girl who was betrothed to another. A girl who was the love of his life...and the girl whom he would lose forever. Will she be there when Itachi's suffering ends? Rated M for future lemons

21. Shisui's Request

Chapter 21

Shisui's Request

(Three months ago)

It wasn't until the day after his ninth birthday that he saw Shisui again.

It had been a surprise when Itachi went to the training ground and found Shisui there waiting for him. The young jounin was seated on the ground when Itachi approached, his back turned while propping his katana on one knee to have the blade sharpened.

"You're early," said Shisui, still not turning.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were back," he said.

"That was the idea. I needed to talk to you." Shisui lifted his sword, tilting the blade in the morning sunlight to study the sharpness. Then he sheathed it in the holster on his back before standing and turning around to face Itachi. His face was an expressionless mask. So was Itachi's. There was clearly an invisible tension between them that reminded Itachi of Shisui's words in the last letter a month ago.

"You're talking as though I was trying to avoid you," said Itachi quietly.

The older prodigy scoffed. "You were avoiding me," Shisui reminded him. "You were pretty much avoiding everyone, 'Tachi. At least now there's a good reason with you back on missions."

"In the note, you said you wanted to talk to me."

"You got that right. But first…." Immediately Shisui struck forward, which Itachi dodged in a nick of time….only to have caught his arm, twisted it in the awkward angle, causing the younger to be flipped over the elder boy's shoulder. Landing on his feet, Itachi twisted and immediately found himself exchanging blows with Shisui.

The spar between them had went from tense to almost chaotic within five minutes. It went from advanced taijutsu to explosive collisions of ninjutsu, mixing fire with fire, or water with water, or a combination of both that sent a hot explosion of mist into the atmosphere around the training grounds.

The more they battled, the more Itachi could feel the genuine upset behind Shisui's attacks, as if the young jounin intended to harm the younger prodigy. This did not drain the fight from his will. It had felt like forever since he had unleashed this much of his emotions, even if not entirely.

Yet, somehow the whole time, neither one had activated their Sharingan. They didn't have to. Itachi was not about to admit his awakening to Shisui just yet, and Shisui in reality did not want to overdue his intended punishment. He didn't even use his body flicker jutsu once. Not yet, anyway.

When the mist was partially cleared, they both flew skyward and clashed fists. As if slow motion, the wind whipping their hair as they began to fall, the two Uchiha met each other's ice-cold, battle-hardened gazes.

"Give up?" Shisui taunted. "You know, just because it was your birthday, doesn't mean you're getting special treatment."

"Since when did I care about birthdays or special treatments?" Itachi returned tensely.

They jumped apart and landed on the ground across from one another, crouching into readied stances. Both were glaring across the field at one another.

"You seem angry," remarked Itachi.

Shisui scoffed. "Really? You catch on pretty quick," he said sarcastically, before launching at him. Itachi burst into a flock of crows before his friend would touch him, revealing a clone. Then Shisui got kicked from behind by the real Itachi…but as a result, he also burst into a flock of crows.

"So he made a clone in the mist, too, huh?" muttered Itachi, before in the sweep of feathers, a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind and turned him around. Itachi caught the swinging fist and planted his foot on Shisui's chest, forcing him away while flipping backwards.

"I want to talk to you about Izumi," Shisui bit out as they continued blocking one another's swings. "What happened between you two in the forest, Itachi?"

With the faintest grimace revealing the hidden anger of his emotions, this seemed to make Itachi attempt harder to attack. It also made his resolve waver, the moment Izumi's name was mentioned. Shisui took advantage of Itachi's momentary loss of focus, somewhere between their attacks making signs with one hand to form a "Body-Flicker Clone" off to the side. When the real Shisui leapt out range, the clone jumped in and distracted Itachi by throwing shuriken.

As Itachi jumped out of the way, letting the shuriken hitting the grass, he formed hand-signs and blew a massive volley of fire across the field toward both the clone and the real Shisui. To his surprise, one Shisui remained standing….but it couldn't have been the real one.

He had forgotten that Shisui had the ability to make clones with his Teleportation Jutsu, meaning that they were more like holograms than actual bodies made of mass and matter. Afterimages. This was one of his most famous strategies that brought down many ninja.

That means Shisui….Itachi swished around to find Shisui charging at him, but he once he threw his kunai, the blade hit his friend in the shoulder….only to reveal another flock of crows. The other clone from across the field also came charging at him. Itachi threw his own set of shuriken at the afterimage, letting it flicker out of existence.

Shisui is probably setting up a field strategy, he thought, his eyes scouting the trees surrounding the field. He had trouble sensing Shisui's chakra. The clones were clearly a distraction. He would have to be watching from the trees, so maybe if I….

He never got a chance to finish his thought when Shisui teleported right in front of him without warning, his Sharingan activated….

BAM! A speckled explosion of bright lights and black dots popped over his vision as he received a fist-full of pain across his face. Itachi found himself flying backwards and tumbling across the ground. Based on instinct alone, he rolled into a low crouch on one knee, one eye shut and the back of his hand rubbing against the bruise across his cheek where Shisui punched him.

He knew he should have seen that one coming.

Instead of continuing the attack, Shisui walked up to him, his eyes still red with the Sharingan as he glared down at the younger Uchiha with seething anger. "I'm sure you already know I have talked to Izumi-chan," he said cooly. "You said some awful things to her. That not only had you dismissed your friendship as nothing, but that you tried to destroy any motivation she had in becoming a kunoichi, tried to destroy her spirit, and mocked the good memories she had of her father in the process."

He didn't accuse Itachi of calling Izumi a "mongrel." Either she left that part out, or Shisui didn't want to acknowledge it.

Either way, Itachi said nothing.

"At first, I couldn't believe it, because it didn't sound like you at all," continued Shisui relentlessly, standing above him, "but the look on her face can't lie. She was devastated, Itachi! And then at the same time, while I'm trying to comfort her, you go off and start a fight, nearly burning down civilian homes in the process. You're supposed to be smarter than this, 'Tachi! What the hell were you thinking?" he was shouting now, causing Itachi to flinch.

Shisui huffed and shook his head in disappointment. His Sharingan deactivated, revealing the anger and hurt in his ebony gaze when he opened his eyes. "I knew you were suffering," he said in a quieter tone, "and I understood that. Your friend died. Your sensei died. Shinko-san quit. Your team is no more. At first, I thought that maybe if we both gave you space, you would come back to us and maybe we could help, because that was what I would have wanted if our roles had reversed…." His eyes sharpened, "...but you kept shutting us out, leaving us and everyone else to put up with your crap! But you know what confuses me the most, even after all that?"

When Itachi made no reaction, Shisui continued bitterly, "Why is it that you haven't given me the big speech yet, huh? You can toss aside Izumi-chan despite you two being so close once, but not me? Tell me something: is it because I'm your equal in our matches? That because I'm able to run ahead of you, you can still call me your friend and not Izu-chan since she's unable to catch up? That because she's a girl? Is that how it is now? Is that the kind of person you want to be?"

Itachi glared up at him with his one open eye. "You should't talk about things you don't understand!" he finally spat out.

Shisui raised an eyebrow, raising his hands in mock surprise. "Oh, really? You say I don't understand?! We're surrounded by clan members who think like that, Itachi! There are plenty of shinobi I know in the village who think like that! Hell, even my own father thought like that when he was still alive! And don't tell me your father doesn't think like that either, because I know he does, and I know he tries to pass on those teachings to you every day! And what about the meetings we have to deal with? It's because of those kind of people, those who worship power over harmony, that we are stuck in the middle of this rising conflict between the Uchiha and the village!" He pointed a finger at Itachi angrily. "The conflict you and I want to stop! Remember?"

"I remember," snapped Itachi, standing up and turning away. "You don't have to tell me."

"Then tell me this: am I still considered your friend?"

Itachi was shocked Shisui would even ask that. "Of course, you are," he said quietly, though he still couldn't turn around to face him.

"Then why not Izu-chan?"

"It's….complicated."

"That's not good enough." Shisui's tone became hard and authoritative. "Try harder. If there's any part of you that still cares about her…."

"I do care." That slipped out, but Itachi needed to say it. His chest was becoming painfully tight.

"Then tell me why…."

"I can't!" Snapping, Itachi whipped around, his fists clenched. Seeing Shisui's confusion, he quickly changed the meaning behind his words, "I-I can't….I can't see her anymore. Her family….or rather, her betrothed's family has restricted us from interacting with one another. I couldn't make amends with her even if I wanted to. It's over."

He had been so close to implying that he couldn't bring himself to be with her because he couldn't tell anyone about the masked rogue ninja. He was still out there, and Itachi, while also burdened with the knowledge of his own clan's developing conspiracy, had to protect his loved ones from that knowledge, if he wanted them safe. There was still no way of knowing if the masked shinobi was actually watching the inside of the village. He knew Sasuke's name. That had been more than enough to put Itachi on alert. Not even Shisui could know that he talked with the masked man.

"When Itsuke said horrible things about her, I…." Itachi hesitated, not ready to let Shisui know about his Sharingan and its overwhelming powers heightening his emotions. "I lost control. I regret that the property was damaged in the fight, but….when I beat Itsuke, I felt…." He shivered, haunted by the memory, "….satisfied. Even after waking up, I felt no remorse for what I did to him."

"Itachi….you…." Shisui seemed lost for words.

Itachi sat down on the grass, defeated. "I'm not proud of how I acted that day, but I meant what I said before," he said quietly, his throat throbbing as he remembered Izumi's heartbroken expression, "the ninja life is not for her. Izumi….She's too kind-hearted. Her Sharingan still drains her chakra too quickly. One day when she faces off a real opponent and she will be forced to activate her Sharingan…if she passes out in the middle of a battle and no one has her back, it's over. I can't be there for her if that ever happens. I don't know what I'd do if she…." His voice got caught, "….if I lost either one of you."

"Itachi…." Shisui sat down next to him, his voice laced with disbelief. "If you're just trying to protect her, it can't be worth it by crushing her dreams and damaging her friendship with you," he said, but did so more gently. "It can't be worth it by breaking her heart, right?"

Itachi was silent for a long time. Then, as the wind brushed through his bangs, he whispered quietly, "It is to me."

There was silence between them as a strong gust of wind brushed over their bodies, ruffling their hair and clothing.

Shisui shook his head. "No! I don't believe it," he said firmly. "I don't believe what you're doing is right, Itachi. Izumi-chan is not going to quit being a ninja just because you tell her to, especially with the way you have. She told me herself, and I respect her for it. You should, too. In fact, by all means, you should go and apologize to her."

"You're not going to change my mind, Shisui," said Itachi stubbornly, glaring at the grass. "I already told you-"

"I know what you already told me, but hear me out!" Shisui sighed heavily. "Look, when I was in the war, I did plenty of things to know what stupidity looks like. Terrible things…" Itachi looked at Shisui in surprise when the latter whispered the last part. For a moment, Shisui seemed to be lost in thought, as though caught up in memories he would rather not recall.

Itachi was familiar with that look. The thousand-yard stare, one he had himself caught in more times than he could count. But the strange thing was, even after he and Shisui had known each long enough and shared almost everything together, his cousin had never talked much about his time in the war and what measures he had to take during the battles. Behind that cheerful facade of his was a sea of painful memories that shaped Shisui's life just as it shaped Itachi's. If Shisui had done half the things Itachi had done, if not just as much and more….

Shisui blinked and swallowed. "Things I'm…still not ready to tell you about," he confessed quietly, his eyes sparkling with sorrow when he looked back at Itachi, "and I already know that you fought in war too young like I did…but when it was all over, I never wanted to see anything like that again for as long as I lived. I wanted to start over, be a real genin, get my life together, make new friends…" He nudged Itachi with his shoulder half-heartedly. "And despite everything that's happening with the clan, I have never felt happier, and I don't want to lose that. Ever. Do you see why this is bothering me, Itachi? It seems that even after knowing you for this long, you're still afraid of finding happiness in life and holding on to it, because you're even more afraid of losing it if it's not by your own terms."

"You're saying that I'm a coward?" whispered Itachi, his tone blunt as his narrowed eyes rolled sideways to glare at his friend.

"I think what you have done to Izumi was cowardly," retorted Shisui, glaring back. Then he sighed and patted Itachi's back. "But that's just my opinion. If given the opportunity, you should apologize to her and pray that your words haven't scarred her too badly…or don't. It all depends on you, but I'm also Izumi's friend, thanks to you. And as her friend, I don't want you to hurt her the way you did again. If you're not going to apologize for what you said to her, then at least respect her decision and keep your distance."

"You're…not going to convince me to go to her?" Itachi said slowly, slightly confused.

Shisui gave him a look and stood up. "What's done is done," he said. "I punched you, you listened, and clearly it's now too late to do anything between the two of you with the way things are now….but you will remember what I have told you. Right now, Izumi-chan can focus on her grades in the Ninja Academy, and you can still use this time to train for the Chunin Exams." He gave Itachi a half-hearted smile and extended his hand. "I'll help you get there….unless you prefer to train alone," he added with a teasing tone.

Itachi stared up at him, but then a resolved smirk hardened his expression when he reached out and accepted his friend's hand.

---

I have to get stronger.

It was early in the morning as Itachi was getting dressed, wrapping the bandages around his arms and legs with hardened resolve. He armed himself with his gear while strapping the gleaming katana across his back. Finally, with a grim sense of purpose, he tied his hitai'ate around his forehead.

It had been two months since Sasuke's third birthday and three months since he had that settled confrontation with Shisui.

Since then, Itachi had made massive changes in his bedroom. It was basically an empty square filled with a hollow walls, a closet, his drawer pushed in the far corner where his old bed used to be, but the surface was clear of all pictures and replaced with the stand that held his sword. It was only weeks ago that Itachi started using a futon for his bed, to roll up and store away in his closet for the evenings. It didn't take him long to get used to, but it did feel a little strange not to have his bed anymore, but almost everyone in his clan had one. Not only was it traditional, but he was already adjusted to using one.

Fugaku was standing in the Koi pond, feeding the fish. Itachi was walking past him across the veranda, all set for his mission when he heard his father speak up, "Are you leaving already?"

His voice stopped Itachi in his tracks. "Hai," he replied, not turning to look at his father.

"I see…" Fugaku threw more bait for the fish. "You awakened your Sharingan at only eight years old. To them, it is a widespread rumor, but I suspect the village wants to observe your abilities for confirmation before the Chunin Exams. Either way, the suspicion alone will put them on edge." The pride in his tone was unmistakable to his son's ears, who didn't turn as he continued to listen. "This just shows how much power and influence the Sharingan holds. I want you to be aware of that."

Itachi felt his fists clench at his side. Oh, he was aware. So much that his father never failed to remind him that gaining the power of his new eye jutsu was more important than mourning over the death of a friend. Fugaku may have attended the funeral with him, but since then, he has never stopped expressing how Itachi should get over his comrade by now, that his death was not important, and that he had to focus on getting back to his duties.

"It brings joy to the clan when one of its own excels," the patriarch continues, seemingly clueless to the internal seething of his son behind him. "Of course, I am also very proud of you."

The clan….always the clan….Itachi wanted nothing more than to scream. Though he hid it well from others, even from himself sometimes, the memory of Tenma's brutal murder was still fresh in his mind. And here his father was, completely insensitive to how his eldest son could be feeling, caring only about his Sharingan's power.

He died…Tousan.

"But, do not rest on your laurels, just because you have the Sharingan now. In order to sharpen the power in your eyes, you must continue to be diligent." Fugaku finally turned to glance over his shoulder at him. "Well, I don't need to lecture you. You are my son, after all." His mouth curved into a proud smirk.

My friend died…Face hidden, he gritted his teeth to hold back the amount of disgust and suppressed grief that threatened to resurface, but Tousan is...

When finally turning around, a forced smile was etched on his face like a tight mask while looking Fugaku in the eye. "Hai, Tousan," Itachi said with fake enthusiasm. "I will continue to be diligent. I'll be on my way now."

"Hn." Seeming to buy his facade, Fugaku turned back to his chore.

When Itachi walked away, his fake smile dropped back into a dark expression.

You really are that blind, are you, Tousan?

Forced to attend the secret Uchiha meetings that were currently conspiring against the Hokage. Forced to disregard Tenma and his sensei's deaths to focus more on strengthening his Sharingan. Forced to stay away from Izumi for the sake of reputation and possession between his and her betrothed's families….It was all because of the expectations of the clan and his father.

He needed to get out of the house. It was not a new thing that he tried to keep himself away from home, away from his father and his greedy ambitions, ever since Tenma died. The patriarch cared more about the coup de'tat and using his own son as a tool for their clan than respecting the dead.

That is the true nature of the Uchiha clan, thought Itachi bitterly when he sat down near the front door to strap on his sandals, and their lust for power.

What made him feel worse was that he too could relate for their desire for power. For as long as he could remember, he had wanted more power in order to become the strongest ninja in the world, and still did….but when his Sharingan awakened, that hunger for more power increased in magnitude. It made him feel like a different person, aware of the evil the Sharingan's power produced out necessity, the core of the Uchiha's curse attaching itself from the heart to the eyes, capable of twisting tenderness into malice.

But at least he had a good reason to want that power. As long as he remembered who and what he was doing this for….

"Nii-san!" Itachi's chest lightened when hearing Sasuke arrive and place his tiny hands on his shoulders excitedly. "You said you would play with me today!" exclaimed the three year-old boy, shaking his brother.

He winced inwardly. He had forgotten about the promise he made yesterday…but that had been before he had been specifically requested for this mission. One that he wouldn't turn down. But even if Itachi could, if he stayed any longer in this house with his parents, even with Sasuke around, he would suffocate. It had been that way for months, and nothing had changed since.

Itachi stood up and turned to Sasuke, bending over to meet the toddler's eye level with a guilty smile. "That's right, I did, didn't I?" Sasuke's smile widened. "But I have a mission." That smile instantly faded, replaced with a scowl. "Forgive me, Sasuke. Next time." He poked the toddler's forehead, making him mew in protest.

"Sorry about that, Sasuke-kun."

The brothers turned towards the doorway, where Shisui was casually leaning against. He was already dressed in his ninja gear, his katana strapped to his back. He gave the little boy a wave, smiling. "I'm going borrow your brother for a little while, alright?"

Sasuke pouted at the teen jounin, puffing out one of his cheeks. Itachi smirked at his brother's cuteness. No doubt he was feeling even more bitter at Shisui for stealing his 'nii-san.'

"Ready to go, Itachi?"

"Coming." Itachi stood up to leave, but not before briefly ruffling Sasuke hair. "I'll see you later, otouto."

"Hmph!" Sasuke scowled when watching the two older boys leave.

.

"Well, your brother seemed thrilled to see me," remarked Shisui, sarcastically as they started walking down the road.

Itachi rolled his eyes away from his friend sheepishly. "I may have promised him earlier that we would play…." When looking ahead, he stopped walking, his voice drifting mid-sentence, leaving him tongue-tied as he stared.

Standing before them in front of the bakery shop, Izumi stared back. She was holding a broom that looked a foot taller than her in both hands, which seemed to clutch around the handle more tightly. Her long hair was tied back in a braid and she wore a pink apron over her casual blue sweats.

It felt like a long while since he had last seen her, and now that they were here, there was nothing Itachi could say to her. Especially with that same gentle, brown-eyed beauty that radiated her natural appearance which usually left him mesmerized and less-burdened with all the wisdom of his life…until now, when she looked at him with such discomfort and nervousness, still wary of what he said or acted around her. Feeling this new distance between them weighed heavily in his thumping heart, making it difficult to breathe normally around her. They had not really talked ever since he had made that night visit to her house on Sasuke's birthday, when he had last broken down. Ever since he discovered the extent of his feelings for her. Feelings that were now a useless weight in his heart that he now wished that he could be rid of until he was entirely numb from the agony in his whole being.

She wouldn't remember him visiting her….or at least, that was what Itachi had intended to do. It had been his first time using his Sharingan for that purpose, testing its power on her, but even now he wasn't entirely sure that he had done it right.

Whether he succeeded or not, he only prayed that he hadn't caused any damage to her mentality. He wasn't sure if he could live with himself for permanently brain-damaging the girl he loved.

"Good morning, Izu-chan!" greeted Shisui, breaking the silence loudly.

"Morning," Izumi said softly, her eyes lowering from Itachi's sadly. The latter made no reaction, seeming to look right past her with indifference. He really didn't want to be here.

"Working for Teyaki-oji and Uruchi-oba?" asked Shisui.

Izumi nodded. "They needed help in the shop, and they were offering to pay for part-time, so I volunteered," she said. She nodded toward their ninja gear. "Are you two off to train again?"

"Yep! We're taking it to the next level, but with Itachi's help, it's going to be a singe..."

"Shisui," interrupted Itachi, still looking ahead as they glanced at him, "we should get going." He started walking, passing by Izumi. She was looking down at her feet sadly when he swept by.

Shisui stared after him intensely, before forcing a smile toward Izumi. "I guess I'll see you later, Izu-chan. Work hard, kid."

"Good luck," said Izumi quietly.

Shisui hesitated, looking at though he wanted to say something else to her, but changed his mind and followed Itachi, who was still walking away without looking back.

"You know it wouldn't have killed you to say 'hello,'" he muttered quietly.

Itachi pretended he didn't hear that and just kept walking. He could feel Izumi's sad, gentle eyes gazing after him.

---

Hours later, they were in the Forest of Death. The gates were locked around the borders specifically for training exercises meant for jounin. The mission was to obtain one of the three scrolls that held clues about the 'fugitive' they would be instructed to track down…but the assigned jounin were required to appoint one well-trained genin as a partner. If the jounin didn't come with a genin, they were immediately disqualified before stepping one foot into the forest.

This was also a training exercise for the chosen genin to prepare them for the next Chunin Exams. If Itachi helped Shisui accomplish this 'mission,' racing and outsmarting their other opponents who would be after the scrolls, he would increase his chances of passing the Chunin Exam with flying colors. Everyone he knew was more than determined that Itachi would have no problem becoming a chunin: his parents, his brother, his clan, his friends…everyone. Even those without their knowledge of his awakened Sharingan saw Itachi as an exceptional candidate who would go from chunin to jounin before they knew it, but he couldn't afford to overestimate himself now.

All he had to do was think of Tenma, and the drive to push himself more nagged with a vengeance.

He had to be better than exceptional.

"So, why did you lie?" complained Shisui, looking over his shoulder at Itachi. "Sasuke-kun resents me now."

Trying to ignore the guilt that pinched his insides once his younger brother was mentioned, Itachi squinted through the darkness of the gap at the base of the tree trunk as he reached for the scroll perched in between the cracks. "I know that was wrong of me," he confessed, before managing to grab the scroll, "...but Sasuke's a smart kid. I'm sure he'll understand."

Shisui raised an eyebrow when Itachi leapt away from the gap to join him. "'First, have one genin accompany you, and secure the scroll in question,'" he recited the instruction of his training exercise, before accepting the scroll Itachi handed over. "You do realize that even though my training exercise required a genin, it really didn't have to be you, right?" He caught the string of the scroll between his teeth and yanked, unrolling the parchment to read.

"Don't say that now!" protested Itachi, narrowing his eyes stubbornly. "Even if it's not a real mission, none other than Shisui the jounin requested me. I'm not lying when I say it's a mission, right?"

Once maintaining the information, Shisui rolled the scroll back up. "Well, you're half right," he admitted, before pocketing the parchment. "Let's go." Shisui takes off. Itachi tilted his head in slight annoyance, shortly before following.

"What are the details of the training exercise?" he called while they leapt through the trees.

"There are three parts," said Shisui. Leaping off a branch, he catches hold of a stray vine and starts swinging across with graceful ease while Itachi runs across a branch. "The first part is to find traces left by a fugitive, and then to track him."

That doesn't sound hard, thought Itachi as he grabbed a vine and swung along with him.

Then bursting out of the cluster of trees was a giant snake, large body coiling and gaping jaws lined with oozing fangs, hissing loudly while it pounced. Shisui swerves around the gaping mouth by a hair's length, but the snake continued lunging toward the younger Uchiha.

SWISH! SLASH! CRUNCH! Blood and guts flew in separate directions as Itachi sliced cleanly through the snake in two swipes without blinking. The mutilated body fell in three pieces toward the forest floor with heavy thuds. The two boys continued swinging on their vines with ease.

"Pretty good!" complimented Shisui. Itachi smirked in reply.

They eventually landed, Itachi swinging around the branch in a loop before finding his perch. "Let's start from here," said Shisui. He stepped off the branch, while Itachi jumped off with a front flip. After landing, they spotted a footprint and knelt down take a closer look. Shisui's fingers traced the footprint.

A footprint in the moss...As expected from Shisui...He doesn't miss the slightest details. After observing his surroundings, Itachi's eyes widen as he spots something and runs toward it, while Shisui stands up, gazing after him with interest and pride.

Itachi leaned down to tap with his finger, before picking up a snapped twig. "This is…" he muttered.

"Our guy stepped on a piece of a branch…" said Shisui, walking up from behind. He smiled and placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Very perceptive of you!" Itachi started to smile when Shisui's pride was replaced with seriousness, "But, that's just a decoy."

A decoy? Itachi looks at twig in surprise.

"Dry wood like that would snap when stepped on…" Shisui traced his finger along the twig for demonstration, "...but this piece still has a lot of moisture. Also, see this clean cut? Obviously, he was in a hurry to make a decoy…" He straightens up, smirking. "Sloppy work!" he scoffed, before walking away. Itachi tossed away the twig and followed him, feeling put out.

"Don't be disappointed," Shisui told him, as the two continued observing their surroundings. "An animal could have left that indentation in the moss, but only humans make decoys. And if he laid the decoy over in that direction…" Suddenly, he stopped and held up a hand to pause. Leaning over, Shisui gestured for Itachi to come take a look.

"A stone?" asked Itachi, confused.

"Yeah." Shisui flips the stone over with his index finger. "The underside is dry and the top is damp." He picks up the stone to observe it more closely. Itachi watched in curiosity.

"Could this be a decoy too?"

"Well...That's very possible. The moisture on the rock will tell us how long ago he was here." He looks ahead of him.

"I see," murmured Itachi.

"Judging from the dryness, only a short while has passed."

Frowning, Itachi sniffed the air. This scent… The smell was difficult to completely describe, very vague in odor, but it was enough to catch an earthy scent, filled with the floral mixture of wild flowers, yet….was was it? Dirtied clothing? The faint trace of human sweat? The metallic essence of….Itachi's eyes widened when they spotted a tampered area barely concealed by weeds and roots. Of course!

Shisui glanced sideways at him, watching as Itachi walked forward and knelt down to observe a bed of mangled flowers in grass, flattened and torn apart. The younger prodigy could almost replay the scene by observing the wrecked spot of their 'fugitive' passing by in a rush, not using much stealth or grace in the process….nor sense of hygiene, apparently.

Shisui stepped up behind him and places a hand on his shoulder. "Perfect! Let's go!" he announced.

Itachi nodded, feeling proud of himself. It was like their target was begging to be caught, leading them straight to him or her.

This was going to be easy, he thought smugly.

….

This was becoming infuriatingly complicated, Itachi thought with gritted teeth as he observed the crevices of the stepping stones.

This had to be the fourth or fifth attempt at finding a real lead, only to keep finding more decoys. Not even one mistake was acceptable for him, and he had already made far too many in his mind. Itachi was not comfortable with this one bit.

He was not used to feeling so….inexperienced. But that was why he was here with Shisui, wasn't it? To look deeper within himself and find all his own personal flaws, so that he could better them and become stronger than ever before. He could not afford any weaknesses. Especially not with his tracking skills. He thought that after watching Shisui demonstrate his tracking skills so many times, during their private training or past missions, Itachi would pick up the skill quickly like he would with jutsu and sparring techniques. He had even been self-training his own Sharingan for weeks before his father stepped in.

He couldn't be more wrong, and the idea of not learning something that should been so simple felt humiliating, especially in front of the best friend whom he always looked up to and wanted to continue to impress.

It was good thing Izumi wasn't here to-

Blinking from the sudden ache blooming in his chest, Itachi pushed those thoughts away immediately and sharpened his focus on the task at hand.

The sky was glowing a bright gold and orange, stained with pink and a streak of night blue from the sunset flooding the horizon. After hours of tracking, Itachi and Shisui were in a deep river trench, searching the area from the tallest rocks to the lowest bend of the rocky stream cutting through the valley, separating them from the forest above.

Itachi spotted a smooth mark against the side of the stepping stone and dipped his hand in the water to feel the surface. This mark didn't seem genuine for their target to leave. Another decoy?

Shisui was glancing over his shoulder at Itachi in amusement, his arms crossed. "I think a fish left that mark behind," he pointed out.

Itachi groaned in frustration, dropping his head while cursing inwardly. "So it's not a decoy?" he almost growled, feeling his face heat up. If this was neither a real lead or a decoy, than he felt stupid for not recognizing the difference first thing.

"No," said the young Uchiha teen. "That's the main purpose of leaving decoys." He spread out his hand to measure the terrain surrounding them. "Everything starts to look like them. Confusing their pursuers gives the fugitive many additional options."

Still leaning over, Itachi's expression darkened further beneath his bangs. "At this rate, there's no way I can find the fugitive by myself," he said quietly. "I need to develop better tracking skills."

Failure is not an option.

Shisui suddenly burst out laughing, causing Itachi to turn his head and glare at him. He did not appreciate his best friend finding his failures so funny. Was he making fun of him?

"You're half right again," said Shisui loudly, humoring the nine year-old while sitting down on the rock he was perched on.

Itachi continued glaring at him, while Shisui unplugged his water canteen and takes a long drink. Then he held it out to him in offering, his eyes twinkling happily. "Here. Drink up."

Itachi leapt across water stones to Shisui and accepted the canteen. Sitting beside his friend, he started chugging the drink. He hadn't realized how thirsty he had been until now. The water was warm, but refreshing.

"It's because you're exceptional, Itachi…" Shisui suddenly slapped him on the back, causing Itachi to gag and cough on his drink, "...That's why...I bet you've never tried to understand the feelings of someone who's not."

What? Itachi looked at him in surprise and confusion.

"Having the skills to track a fugitive is important," explained Shisui with a smile, though his eyes were serious, "but so is understanding how he thinks. If you can understand his mindset, sometimes you can thwart a fugitive even without tracking skills."

Itachi looks away. "I see," he whispered.

"So…" Shisui stood up and gazes toward the appearing stars in the dusk as Itachi stands with him. "Let's move on to the second part of the training exercise."

"The second part?"

"Yeah. Build a camp for the night." Shisui looked down at the river. "You get the firewood, I'll catch us some dinner."

….

An hour later, when the sky was completely dark, the two boys were sitting around a blazing campfire. Two sticks hooking roasted fish were perched on the ground over the flames while Shisui tossed in another piece of wood to keep the fire strong.

"The textbook said campfires are prohibited," said Itachi, watching Shisui roast the fish on a spit from across the fire. "So, does this mean there's another reason behind doing this?"

Shisui no sooner hands him a stick of thoroughly cooked fish. "Just eat," he said. When Itachi takes the stick reluctantly, Shisui continues with a smile, "You are exceptional, Itachi."

There he goes again with that compliment. 'You are exceptional, Itachi' or 'It's because you're exceptional, Itachi.' Always the same type of praise, like from when Shisui first met him years ago. And yet….there was always a lecture coming after that compliment. Always a catch, always a flaw, in whatever perfections he attempted to perform.

He was getting really sick of it. Why call him 'exceptional' when it was simply not the truth? Gripping his stick more tightly, he looked away with a frown. "I'm still inexperienced," Itachi said grumpily. "If I had more skills earlier…"

Shisui chuckled. "That's true."

"Don't laugh!" snapped Itachi, glaring back at the teen across the fire. Why did Shisui keep on humoring him, making him look like a fool who always said the wrong thing? Shisui ought to be taking this more seriously! They were on a mission and his genin of choice kept making mistakes, slowing them down on their training exercise! He should be scolded, not humored like a child!

And why were they just sitting around, breaking rules, lighting a fire where the enemy could easily spot them, and roasting a meal for the scent to lure them in?

Shisui kept smiling, as though Itachi's anger didn't phase him. "Sorry, sorry…" His chuckles died down. "It just makes me happy, that's all."

"'Happy?'" Itachi grumbled.

"Hey, now! Just listen. I though that there was really nothing left that I could teach you. But…"

"You have already taught me a lot today."

"Yeah…" The fire's light danced across Shisui's softened features, flickering in his ebony eyes like two stars on par with one another. "And that's what made me happy." He took a bite of his fish.

Itachi stared at him, feeling strangely touched. "Then…"

"Hm?"

"What about the campfire?"

"Oh, that…" Shisui smiled gently, gazing distantly into the fire. "It's nice to share a meal with someone you feel at ease with," he murmured. Despite his sincere happiness, there was a sense of sadness in his tone, tingled with unspoken memories.

Itachi's blinked, looking at Shisui with interest, the latter continuing more brightly, "Enjoying a warm meal helps cheer you up. Eat it while its still hot."

Lighting up, Itachi gladly started munching on his fish. "Yeah...It's warm and tasty!" he complimented. After taking his first bite, his stomach growled noisily, as if awakening from an overdue slumber and realizing how much it desperately needed food. Itachi hadn't realized until now how hungry he had been.

"Ha! I told you so!" Shisui laughed aloud, causing the younger to blush.

As they continued eating, Itachi biting more forcefully into his fish, he thought, But...if I really am exceptional...he wouldn't have died.

Suddenly not feeling hungry anymore, he paused from eating and leans over. "I'm still so inexperienced," whispered Itachi. "So why would someone like me…" Noticing his dampening mood, Shisui paused and waits for him to continue. "I…"

"Hmm?"

Itachi swallowed hard, feeling his mouth go dry. "…I awakened the Sharingan…" He peeked up at Shisui. But you already knew that, didn't you? his thoughts reflected his next unspoken words.

Shisui was quiet for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "I see," he finally said, before prodding the fire with a stick. "So is that why...you lied?"

This took Itachi by surprise. "'Lied?'" Then remembering, he pointed out, "You said the same thing at the start of practice."

Shisui sighed. "Itachi….you're really good at fooling yourself. That's why you can't grasp at your true feelings."

Itachi blinked in confusion. Then his body tensed up defensively. Where was Shisui going with this?

"You didn't want to stay at home, right?" Shisui glanced up, his face becoming hard and serious, easily rivaling with Itachi's gaze. "I can see it in your eyes."

Itachi could feel his eyes widen in shock as he recalls Tenma's death, the phantom pain of his awakening Sharingan, and his father's pride while not caring for Tenma's death.

"That might be true…" he admitted quietly, while thinking in amazement, Shisui picked up on how I felt from the very beginning…

"But how much more are you going to keep lying to yourself," pressed Shisui, but not harshly, " to convince yourself that you feel nothing about what you do toward those who care about you?"

Itachi wouldn't look at him, glaring into the fire with a tight grip on his stick of fish.

"You would barely look at Izumi-chan today."

His body tensed up, his chest clenching and eyes glazing with a far off look.

"Itachi, how long are you going to keep pretending she doesn't exist? You haven't spoken to each other in months. Only you can break that tension, and it's long past time-"

"You know we can't," Itachi cut him off, glaring more intensely at the fire. "There is too much at stake. And her family still won't allow it."

"That has never stopped you before!"

"Shisui, just drop it!" snapped Itachi. Then he winced at the older's impassive look and ducked his head in shame. "Sorry," he whispered. "I have already decided that it's better this way. We are both training to be ninja of the Leaf and we would only distract one another. She would be distracted. If she is serious with her decision, then she needs to focus. She needs to gain the respect of her own clan. She…She won't be any concern of mine if she can't keep up," he said with a calm, matter-of-fact tone, though the words threatened to choke. "That's the way it is now, and in time she will accept it like I have."

There was a long pause. Suddenly Shisui burst out laughing. Itachi looked up in surprise at his friend, and then outrage. He had fully expected the older Uchiha prodigy to be disappointed and upset with his dismissive words about Izumi and perhaps defend her, but he was laughing. "Why the hell are you laughing?" he seethed quietly. "How dare you! There's nothing even remotely funny about what I just said! What kind of friend are you?"

Shisui's then stopped laughing just as abruptly, his expression so serious it almost caught Itachi off-guard. "The kind that knows you better than you know yourself!" he said. He pointed at Itachi. "You see that, right there? That is what I was telling you!"

"What?"

"You are really good at lying to yourself, and therefore have become an expert at lying to others…but there is a flaw you just revealed to me. If Izumi didn't concern you so much now, you wouldn't have been so quick to anger. Deep down, I can tell you don't even believe in your own words. And that is why I laugh: because I don't believe you. If I didn't know you so well already, I probably would have, but I do know you."

Itachi wavered and looked down at his feet.

He was right. Despite becoming so good at lying that he could shape those lies into his truth, he couldn't forget the last time he had interacted with Izumi. The night when he had cried for the last time, when he rushed to her house when everyone was asleep, when such deeper truths were revealed that even he hadn't acknowledged until then….He had made sure to knock her out with his Sharingan, wiping most of her memories of that night from when he appeared at her window to when she sang to him, making her forget that he ever apologized to her and that they shared their deepest concerns with one another like best friends again. Her soothing voice made his soul tremble, gently pulling down the strongest barriers of his heart, veiling him with a tender warmth. By the time she would have woken up, he would have already been gone, and Izumi would think his nightly visit had all been a dream.

That would have been the final blow. Raising her hopes, only to send them crashing back under the crushing weight of heartbreak.

Itachi honestly never meant for that to happened, to make things worse, and he had been angry at himself ever since. He had an episode that night that resulted in a desperate need for Izumi, for her comfort and loving familiarity….It had been a major moment of weakness, all his restraint and internal fortress coming undone by a single night terror….but he vowed that would would be the last time. For both their sakes.

Because that night had revealed the deepest truth in his heart. Something he wished he never realized, yet must keep to himself and never let go. One of the greatest burdens he ever had to carry...

And he knew it would cause more pain for both of them if Izumi knew, knowing that it would be easier for her to stay away from him if she thought Itachi didn't care about her.

"But I get it," continued Shisui, throwing another wood in the fire. "You can keep denying it all you want and I won't argue with you. For now, anyway, because I get it…despite knowing that it won't end well for anyone. Deception is a worthy tactic to use as a ninja, for survival on a mission, but as a human being…." Shisui fell silent, heavy exhaustion sagging his features for a brief moment before it was switched back into a smile, which he now directed at Itachi. "There is much going on now, and I will respect your choice for only those reasons, but it's not going to stop me from seeing Izu-chan if you won't."

"I understand," Itachi said softly. "I'm…glad." And he was, though it twisted the core of his heart with some envy and longing.

"I'll be happy to listen any time you want to talk," Shisui told him kindly. About anything.

Itachi nodded gratefully. Shisui really was a true friend.

Then they heard the clash of a blade and tensed up. Intruders. Leaping to their feet, Shisui instantly puts out the fire with one toss of dirt and they take off running. Taking refuge behind a group of river boulders, the clashing blades continue.

"The final part of the training exercise is about to start," murmured Shisui grimly. Itachi nodded in agreement, more than prepared to fight alongside his friend as the rings of the unseen blades grew louder with building speed.

They were close by. Did another team already find the fugitive?

When hearing foot steps of someone running, Shisui and Itachi leapt out of their hiding place. There was a slash, a grunt of pain, and then thin lash of steel snapping in the air. There was the splash of a body skidding in the water.

Following the nearby sounds, Shisui unsheathed his katana. "Stay close," he warned Itachi, who followed closely behind, "and keep your sword sheathed for now."

"But-"

"Let me handle this. Don't attack unless I say so."

"…Alright."

It only took them seconds before stumbling upon the fallen victim, which turned out to be an ANBU operative with a red and white bird mask, clutching a bleeding arm. Wrapped tightly around one of his feet, trapping him in place, was a long steel wire so thin it would have blended into the darkness if not for the sheen of silver reflecting the moon's light. The wire cut deeply into the ANBU's ankle until blood trailed down the stream of water, pooling around the river stones.

Landing beside him, Shisui's blade ran along the wire to keep it within eye range, the rest leading toward the shadows ahead. "I'll assist you to the best of my abilities!" he told the ANBU.

In that moment, beyond the floating string of wire, three more ANBU masks appeared in the darkness. One of them had the wire within their grasp like one would wield a lasso.

"The pursuers are ANBU?!" exclaimed Shisui in genuine surprise.

Itachi tensed. "Is this part of the exercise?" he asked with uncertainty, not knowing what he should assume was happening and what they should do about it.

"No…" Shisui narrowed his eyes, not taking them off the pale masks. They were wearing dark cloaks that blended easily into the night, making the rest of their bodies appear invisible if not observed more thoroughly. "Put that out of your mind for now," he told him, and then spoke louder toward the three ANBU twenty feet away, perched on the rocks, "Why are you attacking a fellow Leaf shinobi?"

"Would you consider forgetting that you saw this and leave?" said one of the ANBU, a female, in a sickly sweet tone that subtly hid a threatening one.

That only made Shisui angrier, more defensive. "If you're going to kill a comrade," he growled, protectively lifting his katana in front of the bleeding operative and Itachi, as if to shield them both, "then I can't look the other way without hearing a good reason!"

"The truth is…" The largest ANBU spoke up in a deep voice, clearly male, "We're going after those who betrayed the village."

"Where's the proof that he betrayed you?" Shisui shot back.

"What a waste of time!" The shorter male ANBU raised a scythe that was attached to his wrist. "Let's just kill them all right now!" he spat, clearly too eager to go through with his suggestion.

"Just wait…." the larger male warned the former.

"It's not that he's a traitor," interrupted the woman, ignoring her bloodthirsty comrade while referring to the fallen ANBU. Her voice was both luring and hard edged, indifferent and almost bored. "But he has evidence that proves who the traitor is in that scroll. If he hands it over now, then we will disappear."

Shisui clearly didn't believe her. "So she says…" he muttered.

"You want the intel," grunted the injured ANBU from behind the Uchiha, barely concealing his pain, "but for what purpose?"

The shorter male ANBU let his scythe gleam in the moonlight, revealing the deadly sharp curve of the blade. "Isn't it obvious?" he sneered, though there was some twisted glee behind his aggressiveness that made Itachi's skin crawl. "Anyone who threatens the village will be punished...We maintain the order of Leaf Village with our code of darkness!"

Code of darkness? thought Itachi, feeling both disturbed and strangely intrigued. Was this how all the ANBU operated?

"You don't have the right to judge!" snapped the injured ANBU angrily. "I will hand the secret missive to Lord Hokage…He will be the one to make a fair and just judgement!" he added with absolute surety, despite the exhaustion of his wounds making him sound faint.

The ANBU woman laughed coldly. "'A fair and just judgement!'" she mimicked. "How naive! You betray the village, you die. End of story!"

"Even a traitor has a reason behind their actions!" The injured ANBU grunted weakly. "The Hokage wishes to investigate this carefully."

That's one way of thinking…Itachi listened to the exchange with growing doubt. However, this involves the entire village. On one hand, it didn't seem right or fair to let three shady ANBU members take down another of their own merely for serving their Hokage with loyalty and respect, for doing his job, for making a moral decision...

But on the other hand, Itachi had to agree that it was unacceptable to let a traitor go free if they are being disloyal to the village in any way. It was like the female ANBU said: You betray the village, you die. It was that simple. Kill or be killed, as Itachi was forced to learn in the war. It would make sense to have the traitor eliminated before they would attempt to make any excuses to get away with their actions.

The gravity of one traitor versus one village is far too great.

One person's life, even if they were a good person, would be nothing compared to thousands of more lives. Perhaps it would be more logical to turn the injured ANBU over to the other three, or just force the scroll from him and hand it over. Sacrificing one person would probably save many more.

Or it could be their downfall.

Torn with indecision, Itachi glanced back at the bleeding shinobi with serious consideration. He was no stranger to getting his hands dirty for both his village and his clan, and neither was Shisui, but without full knowledge of what was going on, they were standing between two difficult decisions that would determine the fates of both the unnamed traitor and a shinobi who was only doing his sworn duty.

But would Shisui agree with his reasoning?

What would Shisui…? His conflicted thoughts were interrupted with shock when a kunai was suddenly embedded between the eyes of the injured ANBU. The body melted into water, revealing to be a water clone.

"So, he took the opportunity to substitute himself out while we were 'advising' him…" mused the large ANBU.

"Don't worry." The kunoichi had a kunai swinging swiftly in a blur around her index finger, evidence that she threw the previous one with a speed that even the Uchiha boys had missed. "My wire was coated with poison," she said. Behind the loose strand of hair crossing her mask, flinty black eyes peered out from the eye holes of her cat mask, glittering with murderous satisfaction. "His body will go numb and he won't go far."

Hearing this new information made Itachi glad that Shisui only used his sword to touch the wire. It was a type of caution that he should have also thought of.

Shisui glared toward them with loathing in his eyes. "Without words, they carry out their purpose with blades," he spat. "Leave it to the ANBU…or rather, Danzo's Foundation, right?"

Danzo's Foundation. Itachi had heard of the secret organization arranged singlehandedly by one of the Lord Third's Council members, Danzo Shimura, an elderly individual heavily bandaged across one arm and one side of his head to cover one eye, whom he remembered meeting in the Hokage's office but never directly interacted with. He had been the only one who relentlessly suggested that Itachi be mentally interrogated in the ANBU units to extract information about the events, but Lord Third dismissed him, much to Itachi's relief. The man was also mentioned in plenty of the clan meetings. He was claimed to have had a large hand in condemning the Uchiha to the outskirts of the village, and for this reason, nearly all of the Uchiha held a particularly strong loathing and distrust towards the man, even more so than the Hokage.

The Root Foundation was supposed to be a separate organization of ANBU from the Hokage's personal unit, built with much stricter and shadier commitments. Not much was revealed about them, since almost all information about them was heavily classified, but those who knew of the Foundation and their reputation personally (at least the ones who still lived to tell the tale) found them very dark, sinister, and emotionally detached, more than capable of going to extreme measures to get their assigned missions done.

"Nameless individuals who maintain peace from the shadows," continued Shisui with determination and truth. "I believe that is a true shinobi."

"Then you share our beliefs," claimed the Root kunoichi with a smirk in her tone.

Shisui shook his head violently. "No, you're wrong!" he growled, shutting his eyes as though pained from his rage trembling his voice. "Order maintained through the power of the blade…"

He opened his eyes, revealing his blazing red Sharingan activated, all three tomoes spinning in anger, "...is NOT peace!" he shouted.

His Sharingan! Itachi was startled by Shisui's activation. In that moment, he knew what his friend what his friend was thinking and what he was planning to do.

It was like that conversation they had in the forest years ago, when they were training with kunai for target practice together. They both confessed to wanting the same thing: peace. But it was the way Shisui said it that gave Itachi now recalled that gave him pause.

"…If the fighting can be stopped, I'd take that chance and stop it if I could."

It was what Itachi had wanted, too. It was the reason why he wanted to be the greatest ninja of all time. To stop all the fighting.

Even now, Itachi was not entirely sure how he felt about the Root Foundation, between professional or personal opinion, but he did know that shinobi like these were not to be trifled with, not if you wanted to walk away from them alive. It wouldn't be smart to attack them, especially if this interfered with any necessities, however dark, to maintain the village's security.

However….Shisui was not someone to be trifled with either, and seeing his reaction now, it had become obvious that his friend did not hold any high opinions or respect for this organization and their methods. In fact, this seemed to be one of the few times Itachi had seen such hatred cross his normally-positive cousin's expression.

If Izumi were here….Itachi gritted his teeth when she entered his mind again. Knowing her, there was not a doubt in his mind she would side with Shisui on this one, especially when it regarded protecting the well-being of another person who needed help. Like the injured ANBU. She always hated bullies, and fighting.

"I…" he began, briefly torn with indecision with his next action.

Shisui seemed to sense what the younger was thinking. "Itachi...stay out of this!" he ordered, keeping his Sharingan fixed on the Foundation.

No! In that moment, Itachi made his decision. He turned toward the Foundation squad. "I am Itachi Uchiha!" he announced boldly. "I will fight alongside Shisui!"

"Itachi!" Shisui glanced at him in surprise.

I will always fight alongside him. No matter what. Because he trusted Shisui more than he trusted himself, and there was no way he was leaving his best friend, whom he viewed as a big brother, alone to fight three deadly shinobi alone, however capable he may be. If he thought that opposing the Foundation to defend another fellow ninja was the right thing to do, then Itachi will have his back, like Shisui always had his.

Either way, it didn't look like they had any other choice, as the Root members started stepping toward them with deadly intent. Shisui provoked them far enough.

Then all at once, with incredible speed, they lunged at the two Uchiha boys.

One of the male Roots clashed his scythes with Shisui, while Itachi quickly drew his katana to clash with the kunoichi's.

Her swings were strong and swift, forcing him to leap backward. As their blades locked, Itachi had to use both hands as she pushed them backward, rotating them until he could feel his feet stepping across the a large boulder. He flipped over her and swung his katana, but she leapt high above him, dodging his attack. While soaring in midair, the kunoichi whipped another strange of steel wire toward Itachi, a shurkiken spinning at the end.

Arching his back, he dodged it just in time, barely feeling the sting of the weapon's lethal penetration near his nose, severing a single hair from one of his bangs.

So this is how the ANBU fight, Itachi thought, his heart pounding with adrenaline.

The kunoichi landed. "The Uchiha would dare to push their luck and defy us?" she yelled. Then, all at once, she and her male comrades threw off their cloaks to real their ANBU attire, their signature tattoos easily carved out from their muscular shoulders in the moonlight. Her hair turned out to be a cedar brown, almost red, long and thick while loosely tied back at the tip. "We will not show mercy, not even to children," she added coldly.

The shorter male ANBU, who appeared to have shoulder-length sandy hair, weeded two scythes attacked to wrists, clinking them together until their ringing steel pierced through the air. "At least make it fun for us!" he rasped, before charging head-on toward Shisui. He was immediately swinging his scythe with eye-blinking speed, still charging toward Shisui.

Backing away across the water, Shisui met each clashing blows of the two scythes with the moving tilts of his katana at equal speed, the metal of their weapons ringing loudly across the valley. Though his eyes were sharp with focus and his body tensed with awareness, Shisui counterattacked each slash almost with ease.

In the midst of this attack, Shisui heard a bellowing yell in the air and he spotted the giant Root launching himself from the sky while raising his massive sword straight toward him, the smaller one still within attacking range. Realizing that the larger ANBU would likely cut through his teammate to get to him, Shisui put some force into his katana as he clashed with another scythe, pushing the smaller ANBU out of the way before backflipping in the opposite direction. His feet barely missed the crash of the massive blade as the large ANBU brought it down where he had once been standing, cutting down across the water so strong the waves spit apart to reveal the wet mud of the river trench.

Back-rolling to his feet to the other side of the river, Shisui quickly empowered chakra to his feet, causing the surface of the stream to vibrate…and then immediately pounced back, launching high across the water like a flying bullet until executing a powerful round-kick at the back of the large shinobi's neck with a loud WHAM!

For all shinobi, the back of the neck was their most vulnerable spot. Such a powerful hit like the one Shisui performed should have at least knocked him out, if not snapped his neck, were he smaller. But once his shin and the top curve of his foot made contact, he felt a brief shock wave shoot through his body. Shisui leapt away in safer range, ignoring the brief flare of pain in his leg.

The giant Root shinobi straightened up and rubbed the back of his neck, merely giving it a few cricks as though he were straightening a few tightened muscles.

Okay, so this guy is as tough as he looks, then, thought Shisui. But his cry of rage gave him away, and though his attacks are powerful with his heavier build, his offensive reactions are clearly much slower compared to his teammate here. He eyed the smaller male Root crouching on the other side of the ravine, looking angry like a growling tiger to be interrupted from his attempted slaughter.

The giant Root turned to Shisui. "The one your friend is fighting is a kunoichi who's unrivaled within the Foundation," he told the Uchiha teen. "If you don't stop him quickly, he will die. Retreat!"

He seems to be the kinder of the three, as well. Though noting this through quick observation, Shisui refused to let down his guard, nor was he backing out of this fight. "Do not underestimate the Uchiha!" snapped Shisui. "Besides…" He sensed Itachi's buzzing chakra yards across the ravine, hearing the shifting clinking swords of two opponents clashing.

"...he is exceptional," he finished, his faith in Itachi unwavering. With that said, Shisui launched another attack and met blades with his two opponents. He can take both of them on.

.

Meanwhile, Itachi continued counterattacking the Root kunoichi's wild sword swings with swift precision, backing away from her heavy blows in the process. With each cross of the blades dragging across the other, with each steel block ringing loud enough to make one cringe, Itachi tried and failed to stab her, even drawing a kunai to do so, only for the small weapon to be knocked away as they once again crossed swords, forcing them spin back to back for a brief second.

Like him, she seemed to be sizing up his strength and stamina.

Suddenly, she skidded sideway, bent forward, and spun counter-clockwise until the nine year-old prodigy felt himself get kicked from behind by her hardened heel. Tripping backward, he barely avoided a stab to the face as her sword penetrated the ground beside his head, and without wasting time, Itachi stabbed his sword forward, swinging a high hook-kick toward her as he leapt back to his feet. He ended up crossing blades with her again, the force of their blade's impact causing sparks to leap out between them in the darkness.

Out of frustration, he kept swinging his katana at her, but she dodged all of them.

Reluctantly, Itachi had to admit she was good. She was really good. She wasn't even an Uchiha, and she was already close to besting him. Either that….or Itachi was holding too much back. He couldn't understand why he was feeling so off his game today…and now, of all times. It had been like this all day while tracking with Shisui, but when his own life was at stake? She didn't even give him enough room to perform a ninjutsu or even a genjutsu. What was wrong with him?

He couldn't help but think how much this Root kunoichi reminded him of Aiya Uchiha, with her hardcore personality and the way she fought, but fighting and defeating Aiya had been easy compared to this older and more experienced non-Uchiha kunoichi he was facing off. If she had been another person and not a bloodthirsty Root-nin who was doing everything she could to end his life for merely being a witness, Itachi would have developed a great deal of respect for her skills and determination. He would have even found a lot in common with her.

But unfortunately, like Aiya had been (perhaps even more so), she had a worldview that had no tolerance for what she considered was a weakness or any matters that did not follow along with her own immoral beliefs. She was the type who would just take the short-cut in solving a conflict by eliminating the victim in cold-blood, whether they been ally or enemy, and be done with it without any remorse.

In other words, she was an individual who thrived in fighting and bloodshed, not peace and harmony, and didn't care what it was for or how many lives she would ruin, whether they were innocent or not, until she got what she wanted.

And that was the type of person that Itachi could not lose to.

Shisui wasn't half-wrong; most of the time, Itachi didn't know how a person thinks compared to how they react…but he had met enemies on the battlefield. He had faced off bullies in the Academy. He had witnessed the evil display of the masked shinobi in the woods the day Tenma and his sensei were murdered. He had dealt with the complications of his parents and the strict expectations of his clan members. He fought alongside and interacted with his former team. He trained with and looked up to Shisui. He protected and listened to Izumi throughout their childhood. He took care of and played with Sasuke back at home.

He may not be good at emphasizing with people and how they think…but he knew what type of people they were by the choices they made, and he knew whom he cared for, whom he respected, and whom he did not.

With another loud clash of their blades, Itachi and the Root kunoichi leapt away at a far distance from one another. Backflipping to a crouch, the kunoichi was soon underhandedly flipping out multiple shuriken at once.

I can't afford to doubt myself. I have to end this now. Itachi had just landed on the perch of a high rock when number of shuriken came spinning at him at once.

He had wanted to avoid this. He knew he should have continued to keep hiding this ability until the Chunin Exams, like his father had ordered him to, but the odds were against him now and he needed to be at his very best (along the small part of him that relished in defying his father).

There was also something that he really wanted to try.

Itachi whipped his head, activating his eye jutsu, which gleamed into a vengeful red in the darkness. "Sharingan!" he growled.

As the shuriken kept coming, Itachi waited in a tensed crouch, raising his katana at midlevel in preparation. He could feel the power of his Sharingan absorbing the speed and accuracy of all the spinning shuriken, surrounding him in all directions, the rings of their blades unfurling more strings of steel wire that his eyes managed to catch.

Itachi jerked his head left and right when two shurkiken missing his face, the wires interconnecting in tangles. Seeing an opening, Itachi dove forward, spinning his body to avoid two more wired-shurkiken. Landing in front of the kunoichi, he swung a hook round-kick at her, which she blocked and leapt over him, throwing more wired shurkiken down at him.

His Sharingan easily caught the thin translucence of steel wire crossing over one another, beginning to form a web around him. She keeps mixing up with double and triple layers, he thought as he danced away the spinning weapons, each of them barely brushing his skin. However….He started throwing a few of his own shuriken, deflecting their trajectory in different directions before the hit the ground.

She then leapt away from him, throwing two more shuriken at him more out of distraction than calculated aim. While Itachi easily dodged them, the Root kunoichi ran across the high cliff wall.

I thought he was just a child, the kunoichi thought warily as she distanced herself from him, but he has the Sharingan already?

From down below in the water, unknown to Itachi who was running up the wall after her, the real form of the injured ANBU was spotted. She hastily drew three poisonous needles and threw them downward.

Spotting the needles with his Sharingan, Itachi tilted slightly to the right as he let the needles pass over his shoulder, whipping through one of his bangs in his process.

He clashed swords with her again, colliding legs and punches until the both of them leapt off the cliff, her going downward and him more upward. During her fall, the kunoichi threw three more wired shuriken upward in his direction with blinding speed.

Time seemed to slow as Itachi spun across the air, his body a shadowy silhouette under the heavy moonlight, the three shuriken spinning right toward him with lethal aim. Arching his head over his shoulder, the two tomoes of his Sharingan locked onto the teeth of the star-shaped weapons wheeling within his line of sight.

Their metal surface gleaming white against the shadowed background, he watched with heightened prowess as the center holes of the three shuriken began to perfectly align themselves in perfect coordination within the breaking moment of passing seconds.

I can see it, he thought in amazement as the three shuriken spun like multiple wheels of fangs in a row. This was the first time he tested his eye jutsu like this, truly predicting the balance and speed of the weapons with such perfect clarity. It was simply incredible.

This is the power of the Sharingan! Itachi then threw his sword. The long blade of his katana stabbed at the dirt hill below him, impaling all three shuriken through the ring-holes in a row, their blades still spinning with intense speed around the tip of the blade.

The kunoichi watching from below, Itachi then managed to land on the hilt of his katana sword with one foot. From his left foot, he felt a stab of pain shoot up to his ankle, causing him to shift it against his right foot as he continued maintaining perfect balance.

The area from where the two opponent perched was interconnected with a web of steel wires. One wrong move, they could ensnare their victim like a spider would ensure a fly. Itachi, however, appeared unconcerned.

"There's no right way or wrong way to fight in a battle," he announced boldly to the kunoichi below him, his shadow forming in her direction under the light of the full moon. "But...I've already seen through your attacks."

The female root scoffed. "I don't think so," she sneered. "You have already fallen into my trap." She sniggered, drawing her blade against the web of wires she set up. "You're pretty good….even though you're a child." Her blade snapped one of the wires.

One by one, the wires started snapping out of place, their coordination stiffly straightening out like the knots of a rubber band wound between two poles. Itachi waited, silent and unmoving in both body and fierce expression as the web came undone around him.

Suddenly, a wire caught onto one of the kunoichi's wrists. Then she cried out in shock when another set of wire coiled around her neck, along with her other wrist and then her waist, completely locking her in place.

"What?!" she screamed out in outrage and confusion. "How?!"

Itachi continued cooly looking down on her with his deadly Sharingan gaze. "I told you…" he said calmly. "I've seen through your attacks. That threaded ninja tool you threw...I changed its trajectory just a little bit."

It had been earlier when he threw his own shuriken against hers while chasing the kunoichi up the cliff wall. He had quickly put together what she was doing before she finished her trap and changed their coordination. Stabbing his katana through her last three shuriken had been a bonus.

Now their positions were reversed: she was a spider caught in her own web, outsmarted by another spider, mistaken for a fly.

The female root struggled against her own wires, only for them to tighten around her neck into a chokehold, slowly strangling her. "You…" she growled breathlessly, "damn Uchiha!" Then out loss of oxygen, she fell limp like a puppet on strings. Her sword dropped with a clang on the ground.

Itachi turned toward Shisui's direction.

.

Shisui and the two male Root members were charging at each other across the water. Flipping midair, Shisui met the blinding attacks of the giant ANBU's sword. When he landed, he matched the blinding speed of the smaller one's two scythes.

Shisui began effortlessly dodging the scythes' swipes as he spoke, "Itachi seems to be doing fine." The he dodged another set without blinking. "So I'll end things on my end!" Shisui backflipped out of the Root shinobi's range and did quick hand signs. "Teleportation Jutsu!" he yelled.

His body then buzzed like a hologram and spit into two, immediately running in opposite directions. Still running, they then split into four. Then six. Then eight….

"Shadow clones…" said the large Root shinobi as the multiple clones of Shisui ran faster and faster around him and his partner. "No...they're just Afterimage Clones."

"Huh! If they're just afterimages," said the smaller Root Shinobi, "then I'll just sense out the real one…" Moments passed, Shisui's clones charged faster and faster with dizzying speed, before the Root's determination wavered into confusion. "What...? This is weird," he exclaimed. Shisui's clones kept running. All of them had narrow-eyed determination, their Sharingan blazing in multiple pairs with increased power. "I can't sense the real one!"

Suddenly, one of the clone pounced on him. The smaller Root swept a scythe, but the clone of Shisui spun out of the way and whacked him hard at the back of the neck. With a choked grunt, the ANBU collapsed heavily in the water, knocked out.

Now standing alone, the large Root shinobi snapped and let out a yell of frustration.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" He threw a fist downward and punched the water, letting it all fly from the ravine from the power of his chakra control. When the entire ravine sprung high into the air, droplets flying all at once in crystal droplets, the multiple clones of Shisui were revealed, now standing in unmoving formation. They had their katana balanced from one grip to the base of their palm, Sharingan eyes blazing with deadly focus and warning toward the the trapped ANBU.

The large Root was frozen, looking toward the Uchiha prodigy with breathtaking awe. "He didn't fly off!" he muttered. "It's like...he has no mass. But his attack was powerful...what the hell is going on?"

As the water had come falling down like rain, he felt the tip of a blade jab into the base of his spine. From behind, the real Shisui glared fiercely at the back of his head, holding him immobile at a death hold.

"My teleportation jutsu has no mass," Shisui told him, keeping his katana steady at his back. "Although, you can say everything has mass." Though he voice was calm, with one thrust he could end the Root ninja if he wanted to. He could also kill the unconscious Root with the tiger mask if he wanted to, and Itachi could kill the trapped kunoichi if he wanted to.

But they won't.

A distant whistle pierced the air. Shisui noticed how the Root tensed with alert under his blade. "It seems the jounin observing our training exercise have noticed," he remarked. He lowered his sword. "You should collect your team. They don't look so good."

The large Root didn't move at first. "Why didn't you just kill me?" he asked, sounding surprised, though he didn't turn around.

The Uchiha teen couldn't help but feel disgust at the suggestion, as though it were the most basic action course to take, even against a fellow villager.

"You really do not pay attention to words, do you?" Shisui replied coldly, while sheathing his sword with a clack. "Forget it. You and your friends can figure it out for yourselves. But if I run into either of you again…" His tone became full of malice, "...you better hope if won't be as enemies."

"Is that a threat?" taunted the large Root, almost sounding amused while tilting his head slightly to peer over his shoulder.

"No, it's a warning." With that said, Shisui backed away and deactivated his Sharingan. All at once, his clones dissipated from existence. "Itachi, come to me!" he called to his friend, who was still perched on his katana.

Itachi perked up and jumped from his katana, pulling the weapon from the ground and careful to avoid the wires and the unconscious kunoichi while feeling the pain from his ankle again. He must have sprained it sometime during the fight with the kunoichi, though he couldn't recall how or when. Maybe landing on the hilt of his sword hadn't been the best idea.

He had his Sharingan deactivated.

Once he returned to Shisui's side, the giant Root member had gathered both of his team members easily into his arms. He glanced back at the two Uchiha boys.

"We will be watching you from the shadows," he warned them grimly, "Shisui Uchiha...Itachi Uchiha."

Then with a leap, they disappeared into the night.

"Well done, Itachi," Shisui glanced at Itachi, giving him a proud smile. The younger nodded in acknowledgement.

There was a grunt behind them, jerking the two back to reality. They almost forgot about the injured ANBU! Rushing back to the bleeding shinobi, who was thankfully still alive but very weak, they knelt down to observe his injuries.

"Can you move?" Shisui asked the man, who was trying to catch his breath.

Itachi then noticed the three needles stuck deeply into his chest, causing his eyes to widen in horror. "This is…!" he choked. He recalled how he had been running up the cliff after the kunoichi. She had thrown three needles at him and he dodged them…or at least he thought they were meant for him. He had been so focused on the fight that he hadn't even noticed the injured shinobi behind him.

How could I have been so careless?!

"It's not a fatal wound," the ANBU assured him weakly. "Don't worry about it."

"Back then…" whispered Itachi, overwhelmed with shame, "if I had observed the enemy more carefully…" How was he expected to protect anyone, let alone the people he loved, if he couldn't even care enough to protect one person whose life was in danger? It suddenly felt like the incident with Team 2 all over again…and that day years ago in the Academy against the bullies with Kamano and the others.

He always got out physically unscathed, but the others who were around him and needed his help did not.

Nothing has changed, he thought miserably.

"Don't worry about it…"

Shisui frowned. "He wants us to forget this incident ever happened," he said carefully, as though reading the ANBU's mind.

Itachi looked up in shock. "His life was threatened!" he exclaimed, feeling angry. "So why?"

The injured ANBU struggled to sit up, his breaths sounding shallow from the needles pierced him. "If this incident becomes known," he rasped, "it will sow the seeds for a new conflict. This is not what Lord Hokage wants."

When the ANBU keeled over tiredly, Shisui scooted closer and searched through his pouch. "At the very least, let us help you to your feet," he said. "You need a medic. Those needles were likely coated with poison, and if we don't energize your chakra now, you won't make it. I might have a spare food pill somewhere…."

Watching the exchange, Itachi remembered what Shisui said before. The ones who aid peace from the shadows are also...nameless.

Glancing at his friend, Itachi felt enlightened with understanding and felt a new regeneration of purpose flow through his body. When he had watched the ANBU of both sides, he had felt both admiration and outrage for witnessing their gray and imperfect methods of obtaining peace, though one side remained open-minded while the other single-minded. Itachi had almost thought of taking the single-minded choice, out of the habitual urge to have the traitor hunted down and be done with it, although deep down he knew it conflicted with his heart's true desire in stopping all the fighting.

That was what he always wanted. That was what Shisui always wanted.

That was what Izumi always wanted.

But tonight, he was inspired by two things: from the injured ANBU and Shisui's words.

A true shinobi…fights for peace in the shadows.

That was what Itachi now wanted to be.

….

"So there was fighting," said the jounin examiner, two others observing the scene, "but you assumed it was part of the training exercise?"

"I'm sorry," Shisui apologized. "They were extremely strong, and I was doing my best to protect the genin," He gestured toward Itachi sitting down on a rock nearby, "so I didn't see their faces…"

The jounin shook his head. "No, we're at fault for not catching their infiltration too. I'm glad neither are you are hurt. Although I'd like to talk to you more about this tomorrow." Shisui nodded. "This training exercise is over."

Shisui agreed and turned to his young cousin. "Itachi, let's go."

Itachi nodded, started to stand up, but flinched when another flare of pain shot from his ankle, causing him to fall back. He inwardly cursed. Now that the fight was over and the ANBU was sent on his way with the scroll, the adrenaline in his system settled down and the pain increased from his foot at full-force.

"What's the matter?" Concerned, Shisui ran over to him and took hold of his foot, feeling it with his fingers. Itachi hissed through his teeth when his friend's fingers pressed the muscles, causing Shisui to smile. "Ah, you sprained your ankle!"

"You're making a big deal out of nothing!" protested Itachi, attempting to brush it aside. He didn't like the fuss. It was a minor injury.

Patiently, Shisui fished through his sack and found a roll of bandages. "When you first awaken the Sharingan," he said, unrolling the bandages, "sometimes there's a 'slight gap' between the image your brain forsees and your body's reaction time." He starts wrapping bandages around Itachi's ankle with a gently firm security that stabilized some of the pain. "And when you try too hard to compensate for that slight gap...this happens."

Itachi scoffed. "Like I said," he retorted, "you're making a big deal of nothing!" He started to get up, but the pain in his strained ankle takes him by surprise, causing him to trip.

Shisui caught him around the waist, chuckling. "No matter how exceptional you are, Itachi…" He takes the younger's ponytail and flips it playfully and with affection, "don't overdo it."

Itachi blushed.

….

Later that night, they had finally made it back to the compound. It was past midnight. All the lights in the houses and shops were out.

Shisui carried Itachi on piggyback down the road, as he been since they had left the forest. Thankfully, he didn't carry them in the direction of Izumi's house. The older Uchiha prodigy glanced back at the younger on his back, noticed that one side of his cheek puffed out out of grumpiness the same way little Sasuke did, and laughed.

"This isn't funny!" complained Itachi, pouting in embarrassment. It was bad enough that his strained ankle prevented him from walking, let along leaping across the forests with his cousin, and then he had to suck up his pride and allow Shisui piggyback him back at home. He himself had piggybacked Sasuke many times, and a few other times, he carried Izumi the same way. Sometimes on missions, when rescuing smaller children, he also had to carry them across his back to get them away from danger.

But he couldn't remember the last time he had ever been piggybacked himself, even by Shisui, and he was not sure how he felt about it. Right now, it made him feel ridiculous, vulnerable like a child.

But at the same time, it made him feel...

"I'm sorry," Shisui said, still smiling brightly. "I'm just happy. You really are like a kid brother to me."

Warm. Safe. Happy. Itachi's pout dropped while feeling that sense of affection for his best friend and cousin, but the confession also took him by surprise.

"So being able to take you under my wing like this makes me happy," continued Shisui. His grip tightened around Itachi's legs briefly. Then he added more softly, "I want you to think of me as your older brother and depend on me for anything."

I know. Itachi laid his chin on Shisui's shoulder, hugging him around the neck in response. There was really no better friend to love as his older brother than Shisui Uchiha. He was Itachi's inspiration in everything he did, as a friend, as a ninja, and as an older brother. He was someone the young prodigy can truly talk to about anything, even at his worst.

Although, right now he couldn't bring himself to tell Shisui what he had been thinking about doing before while protecting the injured ANBU. He was ashamed just thinking about it, but while he was glad Shisui's decision prevented that brief idea from ever surfacing, a part of him could not shake off that dark sense of reasoning.

While he knew he was be on Shisui's side always, it was if he were alone with his own decisions that had him learn something this evening that scared the hell out of him.

He and Shisui both wanted to stop the fighting and obtain peace….but they had different ideas of how to achieve it. Sure, they saved the ANBU so that he could deliver the scroll to the Hokage….but what if it had been the wrong decision? What if they let their personal feelings interfere with the necessary actions that had to be taken for the safety of many others? Itachi was starting to get headache.

"Shisui…" he whispered.

"Hmm?"

"About the ANBU…"

Shisui was quiet, but he was thinking the same thing. "Oh…you're thinking about whether I made the right decision, right?" he guessed. Itachi nodded. "Honestly...I don't know. I won't say yes. To tell you the truth, I don't even know if there is such a thing as justice in the Shinobi World."

What? Itachi frowned. "But that's…!"

"We believe in fighting for our own justice," said Shisui patiently. "But if the enemy is doing the same thing, who's right? You realized that during today's exercise, didn't you? There's more than one side to an issue. You must consider things from various viewpoints.

Itachi was growing sleepy. "Various...viewpoints?" he mumbled. His head comfortably across Shisui's shoulder. Exhaustion started to drag into the brink of unconsciousness.

Shisui smiled gently and met his eyes. "You must be tired from using your Sharingan," he said softly. "Go ahead and sleep."

Itachi's eyes started to droop. He felt warm and safe with Shisui. The young clan heir didn't know what he would do without him.

Shisui continued watching him with a sense of peace softening his expression. "But no matter what happens," he whispered, "I want you to always know…"

Itachi can feel the love and seriousness coming from his black eyes when his friend tells him something that would haunt his memories for the rest of his life.

"I will never, ever betray you."

As Itachi drifts off into the comforting blackness, he could hear Shisui's whisper in his ear like a lullaby.

"That's one thing for certain."

.

Thank you…Onii-san.