Chapter 18

Battle Prep (Part 2)

Disclaimer: Nothing is owned but Akane & OC's, Masashi Kishimoto ©

Since I finished the chapter a week early, I'll post it a chapter a week early! Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll, or commented. Please enjoy~

Bored. Izuna was bored. It had been about an hour since they started training again. He sat at the base of a tree, watching the pair spar. He wanted to see where Akane stood against someone who was a little closer to her level. He wasn't too familiar with Kazo's fighting style, and he could only recall ever fighting alongside the medic-in-training one time at most. From what Izuna knew, and from what he gathered from watching them today; Kazo was maybe a little bit above average in everything. He knew how to fight well enough to not get himself killed in the midst of battle. In his personal opinion, Kazo held a lot of room for improvement. Izuna was brought out of his thoughts when a pained groan left Kazo's lips.

"Ow, that actually really hurt, Akane-chan." Kazo teased, jumping away from the brunette, putting a safe distance between them. He held his side that was currently bleeding, a nice sized slice that spanned a few inches.

"Did you expect it to feel good?" Akane asked, tilting her head to the side, wiping his blood that stained her dagger on the grass.

"When your fighting skills are subpar in comparison to your medical-skills I didn't think you'd get a hit on me at all." He patronized, laughing into the palm of his hand. Akane's face grew a few shades darker, a determined rage flashing behind her hazel eyes. Kazo had no time to heal his own wounds when she was started running towards him again. Kazo had clearly struck a nerve, because Izuna didn't think he'd ever seen her this angry in all of the time he's known her. The second in command now watched in interest as Akane aggressively attacked the medic-in-training. Kazo dodged most of her attacks, but in her rage, Akane almost seemed to be getting… better.

"H-Hey, Akane I was kidding!" Kazo tried to calm her down. He accidently backed into a tree; and just barely rolled out of the way in order to avoid one of Akane's kicks. Kazo almost choked on his own spit when staring at the deep hole in the tree where his head had been. Akane pulled her foot out of the tree trunk, whipping her head in the Uchiha's direction once again. She was pissed, his comment had really rubbed her the wrong way. She had been training so hard, and to hear that she was 'sub-par' made her want to show him that she was better than that.

Sprinting towards Kazo again, one of her daggers sliced through the air towards him. He was quick to pull out a kunai to block her attack; their blades clanking against each other. Kazo did his best to defend himself against her erratic swipes, while at the same time ignoring the piercing pain that struck through his injured side. Glaring at the constant clanking of metal; Akane was beginning to grow annoyed. Even injured he was still defending himself to some degree. The most he looked was a little panicked, but that wasn't nearly enough; she wanted to be taken seriously.

She needed to create an opening like Izuna had told her. Think, Akane, think! Flashbacks of every spar she's ever had with Izuna flashed before her eyes. A grin spread across her lips as an idea popped into her head, an idea that dated way back to day one of their training. Forcing her chakra to cover her blade, she slashed at Kazo again. Her grin widened, her blade sliced through his kunai like butter. Kazo's eyes widened, he lifted his arm in an attempt to dodge her incoming kick, but he was just a bit too slow and her foot connected with his chest; forcing him back and sending him several meters away from her.

Akane breathed heavily, wiping sweat from her brow and lowered her blades to her side. Her rage quickly washed away when Kazo just laid on the grass motionless. She would have went to check on him, had her attention not been grabbed by the faint sound of clapping. Turning to the side, she noticed the second in command taking large strides to close the gap between them. A grin on his face wider than she's ever seen before. His hands slapping together several times that emphasized his happiness.

"Who are you? Why haven't you ever come at me like that!?" Izuna inquired, grasping her by her forearms and holding her at arm's length. With a toothy smile, Akane met Izuna's grin with her own, cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

"I don't know, he just made me so mad; I kind of just snapped." She laughed, scratching the back of her head.

"Anger? That's all it takes for you to fight aggressively?" Izuna released her, now pressing a finger to his chin as if in deep thought. Akane stared at him nervously, she had a sense that he wasn't finished with his statement.

"I guess I have no choice…" he sighed, lowering his shoulders in defeat, while turning his back to her to hide his smirk. Akane blinked in confusion, taking a step forward; her fingers gently pinching at the sleeve of his shirt.

"What? What don't you have a choice in?" asked Akane, the nerves in her voice evident. Her reaction only made him smirk more.

"I'd rather not make you angry, but if it means it'll benefit your progress; I might have to." Izuna mumbled as seriously as he could muster. He didn't know what reaction she'd give, but it definitely wasn't a hearty laugh. Her hand soon pressed into his mid back, giving him a soft rub.

"I don't think that'd work, Izu." Akane said coyly through her soft giggles. Izuna turned to look at her, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"Why is that?" Akane shrugged, offering him a sweet smile.

"Because, I like you. There's not much of anything that you can do to make me angry. Plus, I know you don't mean it." She replied simply with another shrug of her shoulders. Izuna opened his mouth to say something, but he was rendered speechless. Even if he could force himself to say something, it wouldn't have mattered, her hazel gaze was soon looking passed him, or rather behind him at the fallen man who finally sat up.

"I'm going to go check on Kazo." She said, her hand gently patting his forearm. Izuna could only nod in response. It was the second time this woman had left him unable to respond. I like you. He knew it probably meant something totally different than what his heart wanted it to mean; but he still couldn't help but feel a sense of euphoria from it. Cursing under his breath, Izuna raised a hand, hiding his rosy cheeks from view. His heart beat erratically in his chest, and his face heated underneath his touch.

Fuck.

He couldn't pretend like he didn't know what he was feeling anymore. He tried to deny it, he tried to pretend that the butterflies in his stomach weren't real. He tried to pretend that, ever since she came here, he gained a motivation to finish his work as soon as possible; just so he could see her. Uchiha Izuna had formed a crush, and he couldn't oppose it any longer. Regardless of this fact, he was aware that he couldn't let it get in the way of his duties. Like his brother, he had a responsibility as a leader of his clan, and he had to put them first. As much has he'd hate to admit it, he had no time for romance and no time for these feelings.

Sighing in defeat, Izuna ran a hand through his dark locks. He knew this, but yet he couldn't stop himself. Turning to look in his student's direction, he eyed their interaction. Akane crouched before the fallen man, a teasing smile on her face in contrast to Kazo's deep frown; no doubt she was poking fun. He wanted to keep her safe, while at the same time surviving himself. That was the only way he could see any type of future for the two of them; and even that it seemed like a pipe dream. Even with the odds stacked against him, he had to try.

"Alright!" the second in command shouted out, clapping twice to catch their attention. Both of their heads shot up in his direction simultaneously. With large strides, Izuna scaled the distance between him and them; resting his hands on his hips. He noticed how Kazo's wound had been healed, the only recollection that it had even happened being the blood stain on his torn blue shirt.

"Back to business?" Kazo asked, staring up at his teacher, his pout now gone.

"Yep." Izuna confirmed, now crossing his arms over his chest.

"What now then?" Akane asked, standing to her feet. She offered Kazo a hand which he gladly accepted also rising to his feet. Izuna hummed, looking over her form, wondering what their next course of action should be. Sparing could only do so much, and it got boring. Izuna was a man of adventure and complexity; while routines were nice, a bit of 'spice' was never bad. With Kazo there, Izuna couldn't help but want to use him to help Akane, but part of him felt a bit of guilt that he was wasting the poor guy's time.

"Kazo." Izuna addressed the man.

"Yes, Izuna-sama?"

"My current duties are to help Akane train, I'm afraid I must focus all my attention on that, at least for the next two days. I just want to make sure you understand that I can't help you personally until then." Kazo's expression didn't waver at first, but an appreciative smile soon formed.

"That's fine, Izuna-sama. I'm more than happy with helping her; after all, she's helped me plenty." Kazo replied, gently ruffling the brunette's long locks. A shy smile lifted Akane's lips, her cheeks pink in embarrassment.

"Great, then I have a new idea." Izuna nodded, ignoring their interaction, forcing another smile. Hazel eyes looked up at him in expectation.

"Which is?" she asked. Izuna grinned.

"Let's teach you a jutsu." Amber eyes widened, but then a brilliant smile formed on her face. She had always wanted to learn a jutsu, something—anything that wasn't medical-ninjutsu. She remembered as a kid how Kaname would perform a bunch of cool jutsu that she could only dream of one day learning. Back then, she never thought she'd ever be given the opportunity, but now with the Uchiha she finally had that.

"Really? I'm so excited! What kind of jutsu? Like a clone or spitting fire," she began pacing in interest, naming off all the types of jutsu that she could remember her brother showing her, or talking about. "Oh! Can I shoot lightning from my hand or something?" she eager stepped closer to Izuna, blinking rapidly, expressing her passion wholeheartedly. Kazo stared at his teacher in amusement, Akane had almost always acted somewhat reserved and fairly timid; but this was a side of her he had yet to see.

"You're so damn cute sometimes~" Izuna teased, laughing. He thought her excitement to be both adorable and endearing. Instinctively, his hand rose to ruffle her hair, before ever so gently pinching her cheek. Akane puffed her cheeks like a child, his teasing was always so apparent, but she could never find it in herself to stay annoyed at him for more than a few seconds. She found joy in his smile, and often thought that even though he was always smiling only few of them were genuine.

"What kind of jutsu, Izu? Just tell me already." Akane murmured, taking his hand in hers to stop his assault to her face.

"Well, I can't really say yet; what's your nature type?" The confusion that filled the brunette's eyes was evident. She tilted her head to the side deep in thought.

"My nature type… I don't really know. How do you figure that out?" She asked. Kazo who had been all but silent for the last few moments started laughing.

"Really, Akane-chan? You don't know that much?" the medic-in-training mocked, bringing his hands up to his hips. Akane glared at him, her pout turning into a deep frown.

"I never had a need for jutsu where I came from, all of this is very new to me. It's not like I was a ninja when I first got here." Akane defended herself, turning back towards second in command. Kazo rolled his eyes, waving her off with his hand. If she knew how to do medical nin-jutsu as well as she did; he had every right to believe that she had been knowledgeable in other areas.

Izuna snorted in amusement, but otherwise ignored their banter. Digging his hand into a small pouch that he kept attached to his hip. It was pure coincidence that he actually had what he needed; when it wasn't something that was usually carried around. Pulling out a single piece of white paper, he slipped it into the brunette's hand that still grasped his. In interest, Akane released him bringing the sheet of her paper to her face, inspecting it. She flipped it once or twice but when noticing that nothing happened; she looked up at her teacher expectantly once more.

"Why did you give me a sheet of paper?"

"Wow, you really are a straight noob when it comes to ninja-ing." Kazo commented out again, continuing with his snide, but innocent comments. It was fun to tease her, especially since Akane often left herself so open to be teased.

"You're so mean today, Kazo-kun! What did I ever do to you? I thought we were friends!" Akane cried back, giving the medic-in-training even more access to tease her.

"You kicked me in my chest, and made me look weak in front of Izuna-sama. So, I'm mad at you now." Kazo replied childishly, arms crossed. A soft 'hmph' left his mouth, as he stuck his nose up in the air in mock annoyance. Akane rolled her eyes.

"You did that on your own, it's not my fault." She retaliated nonchalantly, with a quick shrug of her shoulder. Izuna continued to observe, finding their banter amusing.

"I mean, she's right… you got bodied, and you didn't even use your Sharingan. What kind of Uchiha are you?" Izuna added offhandedly, a single eyebrow raised. Kazo's expression soon grew grim, especially when Akane started laughing.

"I-I didn't get bodied! She kicked me once-"

"And stabbed you." Izuna cut in again, failing to hide the smirk on his face. Kazo blushed, he wasn't sure how to respond. He was pretty sure that his leader was teasing him; but he wasn't as comfortable with being as casual with him as Akane clearly was. In fact, it seemed as though the two of them were very casual with each other, and he swore on his clan that they were flirting half the time. That wasn't much of his business, but it just kind of shocked him that Izuna had grown so close to a woman that wasn't even part of their clan originally.

"I- I'm not really sure how to respond." Kazo mumbled truthfully, blushing harder at the brunette's faint giggling.

"Don't think too hard about it, Kazo. I'd like to think I'm fairly down to earth, you don't have to be so formal." Izuna said, waving his hand.

"Oh, right…okay...Izuna…" Kazo mumbled hesitantly.

"That's Izuna-sama to you, don't get carried away." The second in command said sardonically, crossing his arms over his chest. Akane did her best to hide her laughter; Izuna was having way too much fun teasing his clansman and it was almost sadistic how he toyed with poor Kazo's emotions, knowing full well that his every word was taken very seriously by the medic-in-training.

"R-Right, Izuna-sama, sorry!" Kazo wailed, looking distraught and confused, bowing once more to emphasize his apology. Izuna laughed, which only seemed to confuse Kazo even more. As much as Akane was actually enjoying this display, she was beginning to feel bad for her student.

"Kazo-kun, he's just joking around, this is just how Izu is; you get used to it." Akane informed him, patting his shoulder. At first Kazo wasn't so sure, his leader held a straight face that gave away nothing, but the longer he stared the more he noticed the slight upturn of Izuna's lips; which had his shoulders relax just a bit.

"You're no fun, Aka-chan." Izuna whined, slightly nudging the brunette's shoulder. Akane giggled, sticking her tongue out teasingly. Izuna rolled his eyes fondly in response, his smile forming fully. Kazo shook his head, he didn't get their relationship at all. It was one thing to deal with Akane's cheekiness, but he wasn't so sure he was prepared to deal with Izuna's as well, the two of them together seemed like a bad combo.

"Alright, we've wasted enough time. Let's get back to it." Izuna announced, pointing towards the paper. Akane nodded, and Kazo was silent still a bit uncomfortable.

"So how does the paper work?" Akane inquired, holding it up in one of her hands.

"It's fairly simple, you just infuse some of your chakra and depending on the paper's reaction it'll tell you what kind of nature you have." Izuna explained, crossing his arms over his chest again.
"Okay." Akane nodded. Following his instruction, Akane released her chakra into the paper. Her eyes widened in interest as the paper browned and crumbled into a pile of dirt in her hand. It took her a second to realize what happened, completely absorbed in how the paper's matter changed in an instant.

"That was so cool." She whispered, dropping the dirt onto the grass below them. Izuna grinned, never disappointed in her reactions; in many ways she was like a newborn baby just waiting to be amazed by all the knowledge of the world.

"You're predominantly an Earth style user, huh?" Izuna informed her, while at the same time thinking of something that he could possibly teach her. He knew of many Earth style jutsu, but he couldn't demonstrate them for her effectively. Although he knew how to do some Earth-style techniques, he was hardly good enough at it for it to be beneficial to her.

"Since you're a medic, you'll be focused mainly on defense." Izuna hummed, drumming his fingers on his forearms.

"Okay, so like a wall or barrier or some sort?" Akane asked, throwing out ideas.

"Yeah, but… I can't really help you." Izuna frowned, and Akane's lips mimicked his.

"Why not?" she asked, failing to hide the disappointment in her voice. Izuna chuckled.

"I use fire, not earth. I can tell you a few jutsu, but I can't perform them for you." Izuna told her, smiling apologetically. At this knowledge, Akane pouted lightly, her eyebrows knitting together.

"I can use Earth-nature." Kazo informed, in a strong attempt to be of some use, instead of getting sassed by his leader. Akane's head whipped in his direction, and Izuna blinked in surprise.

"Really?" the brunette called out, hope in her voice. Kazo nodded, a wide grin forming on his lips.

"Yep, I'm better at fire, but I can use Earth as well." Kazo stated, pressing his chest out slightly in confidence. Izuna rolled his eyes at the clear flex the male was trying to demonstrate, but this was good; and he was glad that Kazo had joined them.

"Alright, Kazo, then take it away." Izuna waved his hands, gesturing the male to continue. Kazo nodded.

"Okay! Akane I'm going to teach you a basic defense jutsu, a wall. First; you have to learn the hand signs. You do know what hand signs are right?" the medic-in-training questioned. Akane scoffed nodding her head.

"Yes, I know that much, I've learned some of them, but I've never really had a reason to use them, so...I'm not too fast at it." Akane trailed off, glancing towards the ground. She swayed nervously, kicking the dirt pile on the ground with her foot.

"No sweat, it only takes some practice; just do your best like you always do." Izuna reassured her, who was now crouching into a squat. Akane smiled at the second in commands comment, taking a deep breath. Right, she'd just have to do what she always did. With a quick nod; gestured towards Kazo to begin. Kazo also sighed, it had been a while since he practiced his earth-style

"Okaaaay, then I'll show you how to do it, and you copy me afterwards." He suggested. Akane nodded, watching him intently.

"The signs for this jutsu are, tiger-hare-boar-dog, I that sequence." Kazo mumbled, his hands demonstrating each sign at a speed that her eyes were having a hard time keeping up with. With both his hands, Kazo slammed them down on the grassy field. A small rock wall emerged from the ground in front of him. It was a little longer than a meter in length and just as tall as him in height; fully hiding himself from the two of them. Akane blinked in surprise, tilting her head back to look at the very top of the wall; its solid form would be incredibly useful in both shielding and forming a temporary protection from enemies.

"Wow. This is probably such a basic jutsu, but I'm still amazed." Akane mumbled to herself. Izuna hummed, scaling his eyes over the wall in slight boredom. It was just a wall, but he guessed even this was impressive to the brunette who was just figuring things out.

"Nah, you hit it right on the money, Aka-chan; it's just a wall." Izuna teased, resting his chin on his knees. Akane shook her head, failing to hide the amused smile on her face; but decided not to comment and egg him on more. Kazo walked from behind the wall, revealing himself to the two again an irritated frown forming across his lips.

"At least I can be of some help to her, Izuna-sama." Kazo replied sarcastically, crossing his arms and pouting like a child. Izuna raised his brows, his lips upturning into a devilish smirk.

"Oh? Are you really-" Izuna started, but was quickly cut off when Akane light bopped his head with the palm of her hand, successfully shutting him up.

"Izu, please; if we keep sassing each other I'll never get anywhere." Akane appealed, casting her doe eyes at him; it was always her way of making him do whatever she wanted, ninety percent of the time it worked. An exaggerated, deep sigh escaped the second in commands lips; he lolled his head back to look up at the sky as if she were asking for too much.

"I mean, I guess; you are supposed to be training." He gave in, again waving his hand.

"Thank you." Akane said sweetly, and quickly turned her attention back towards Kazo. She flashed him a smile, while Kazo just stared at her as if she grew four heads. He had come to the conclusion that if she managed to 'tame' one of his audacious leaders; she may have been a bit more dangerous than he had originally thought.

"Alright Kazo-kun, please repeat the hand signs again, and this time slower."

"Right…so it's tiger-" Kazo demonstrated the hand sign again.

"Tiger..." Akane repeated, staring at his hands intensely.

"Hare."

"Hare." She repeated again.

"Boar."

"Boar."

"Dog." Kazo stated, chuckling lowly. Akane repeated him once more, ignoring his laughter in favor of focusing on her chakra. This was odd, forming the seals while tapping into her chakra-nature wasn't something she's ever felt before. When using medical-ninjutsu, she felt a tingling sensation in her hands, but when tapping into her 'nature type' it felt like a warmth in the pit of her stomach. A bubbling energy that she had kept dormant for the entire duration of her life. The first thing she noticed was that she wasn't sure how much chakra to use when doing a jutsu like this. So when her hands fell to the ground, she was more than disappointed when a little mushy barrier that looked more like soil, rather than a hard rock lifted from the Earth. The height of maybe an inch or two at best, and the length of possibly a foot at most, were its most pathetic features.

The three stared at it, all of them having different reactions, but Akane was too afraid to look up to see them. She tilted her head further towards the ground so her hair hid her face that was a red as a tomato. Maybe she should just pretend it wasn't as bad as she thought it was.

"I-I did it?" she choked out,

"Um…" Kazo started warily, but was almost immediately cut off by Izuna's laughter. The second in command didn't even try and hide his amusement as he fell on his back, holding his stomach with one hand while his other arm sprawled over his face. Akane only blushed darker, it was the same as when she first tried throwing a kunai at the target; she missed horribly and he laughed his ass off. In any other circumstance, she may have laughed as well. It was pretty funny how pathetic her patch of dirt looked in comparison to Kazo's half wall, but she was just about to go to war; and this dirt pile was unacceptable.

"It's… it's not that bad…" Kazo tried to say, but even he couldn't hold back his impending laughter; bringing his hand to his mouth in a sad attempt to hide it from her.

"Don't pity her, it's pathetic, she knows it. Aka-chan just laugh it off and try again." Izuna huffed out, clearing a tear from the corner of his eye, finally calming down enough to speak. The grin on his face clearly stated he still wanted to laugh, but he was refraining himself from doing so; to save the brunette more embarrassment. Izuna refused to look at the dirt pile, however, he knew he'd start up again. Akane pouted, nudging him in the thigh with her foot.

"I think you laughed enough for the both of us." Akane sulked, bringing her foot back to kick her dirt pile that easily crumbled over.

"I'm sorry…" Izuna apologized, lowering his head slightly to show that he was sincere, even though he couldn't keep the grin off his face. Akane rolled her eyes, but nodded her head in acceptance.

"Let me try again." she murmured to herself. The two boys stayed quiet, as they watched her slowly form the signs. Groans could be heard every time she messed up one of the signs, still not used to the awkward positioning of her fingers. It was every beginner's hardest obstacle; both males could recall trying to memorize the hand signs as young children, no older than five years of age. At first even they thought it would be impossible to weave the signs quickly enough to perform a jutsu. Several times, Akane performed the jutsu, and each time she got basically the same result. Each time, she just added more and more dirt to the pile, to the point that she had a tiny wall of soil that came up her mid calve. Kazo and Izuna were amused, more than amused; it took all of their will power not to laugh each time.

"Oh. My. God. Why do I keep getting fucking dirt!?" Akane cried out in frustration, kicking the now large pile of soil and stomping on it as a way of calming the bubbling rage within herself. Izuna was about to stand but Kazo took a step forward first, placing his larger hand on top of the brunette's head, where he began to stroke her long hair. Akane huffed, calming her stomping feet and allowed the man to comfort her. Izuna blinked in silence, taking a moment to study the two.

"What are you doing with your chakra? How does it feel?" Kazo asked, trying to come across the source of her multiple failures with little to no progress being made.

"I don't know, I'm trying to figure out how much chakra I should be putting into it; but I'm not used to the weird bubbly feeling in my stomach. It's really hard to accurately depict how much I'm using. It's not the same as medical-ninjutsu." She mumbled, tilting her head back to look up the Uchiha. Kazo nodded, he understood exactly what she meant. Using your chakra for medical-ninjutsu is concentrated a different way than when trying to use your nature type.

"That's it!" Kazo suddenly shouted, punching his closed fist into the palm of his other hand.

"What's it?" she pondered, confused. It was hard to put into words; but the only way he could think of explaining it to her was something similar to how she explained medical-ninjutsu to him.

"You know when you said that medical-ninjutsu was supposed to be steady and calming, like water?" Kazo asked. Akane nodded in response; pushing strands of her hand behind her ear.

"Well it's different when dealing with your nature types, you have Earth, and you're trying to make a rock wall. So, don't flow like water, be hard like rock!" Kazo explained enthusiastically; offering her a wide grin. Akane was speechless at first, but she soon let out a short fit of giggles.

"How?" Kazo tapped his chin at her question, thinking deeply. He knew better than anyone that sometimes words and demonstration weren't enough to get the point across. Sometimes you had to feel it in order to understand it. Feel it. He snapped his fingers as another idea popped into his head.

"Oh! Maybe it'll help you if you can feel my chakra like I felt yours in the water. Here, put your hands on my stomach," he took her hands in his, pressing them directly onto the front of his shirt and up against his flat stomach. Akane blushed lightly, but otherwise didn't flinch in the slightest, her eyes closed as it helped her concentrate better. Forming the hand signs, Kazo tapped into his chakra as if to recreate the same wall he did before.

Izuna who had been watching the entire time, fisted the grass below him. The act was innocent; he knew that, but annoyingly enough it still made his heart beat painfully in his chest, and his stomach flip uncomfortably. Something about their interaction was irritating to him. Akane's laugh as too happy and her smile was too bright. You're over exaggerating. That's what he'd tell himself, but his body didn't want to listen to his the rationalization of his brain.

"I think I got it!" Akane shouted, breaking the second in command out of his thoughts. She removed her hands from Kazo's body, hopping in place once from her excitement. Using the side of her foot to kick the rest of the dirt away.

"You do?" Kazo asked back. Akane nodded frantically, awkwardly forming the signs. On the last sign of the dog, she took a moment to build and mold her chakra.

"Remember, hard like rock. Visualize it, sometimes it helps." Kazo suggested, clenching his hand into a fist to demonstrate. Akane nodded, again throwing her hands down on the ground. This time a slightly bigger wall erupted from the ground, it reaching just below her knees. The height still wasn't anything impressive, but what she was more focused on was its hard and sturdy structure of a rock.

"You kind of did it!" Kazo shouted out slapping his hand on top of the short rock wall, before holding his open palm up towards her. Akane grinned ecstatically, slapping her open palm against his in a high five.

"Izuna, I kind of did it!" the brunette shouted out. She dropped to her knees in front of him; so they were at eye level. For a second, Akane could have sworn she saw a glint of annoyance behind Izuna's usually warm eyes. If it were there, it was gone just as fast as it appeared, his eyes mimicking his lips that upturned into a smile. A soft gasp left the brunette's lips when his hand grasped her wrist pulling her face first into his chest, while his other arm wrapped around her waist. Akane blinked in confusion, wondering where the random act of affection was coming from; but the thought was easily ignored upon his next comment.

"Good job, I knew you could do it." Izuna stated cheerily, resting his chin on top of her head. He was pleased when her arms lifted and wrapped around his waist, hugging him back, along with the bashful laugh that left her lips. He was being pathetic and stupid, but he couldn't help it, much to his annoyance with himself. He was only now starting to realize just how this medic from another village had him wrapped around her finger, whether she knew it or not.

"Now you just gotta make it bigger and not so stumpy." Izuna added, failing to hide back his laugh when she slapped his thigh.

"Shush, I'll definitely do it, I just need to practice some more." She replied, sitting back up, once Izuna's grip had slacked.

"Hop to it then." Izuna teasingly ordered, pointing a finger in the direction of her stumpy wall. Akane rolled her eyes at him, but followed his orders, bringing herself to her feet. When hazel eyes met Kazo's again, he was giving her a look that she hadn't seen him express before. She didn't know what it meant.

"What?" Akane questioned, tilting her head to the side. Kazo raised an eyebrow, taking quick glances from her to his leader. He was convinced that something was going on between them, but the way that Akane looked at him so puzzled; made it hard for him to gain any definite confirmation. He tried to make eye contact with Izuna, but the man had his head turned staring off at something in the distance. Whether or not it was on purpose, Kazo wasn't sure but he had a feeling something was just off.

"Nothing." He responded, waving his hand in her face. "Try again! Make as many walls as you can until you either make a one as tall as yourself or you drop dead!" Kazo shouted out, slapping his hands rapidly in front of him.

"Okay, okay!" Akane shrieked, hurriedly getting back to work.

Thirty minutes had gone by, and Akane was slowly but surely making progress on her wall. Each time it was a little bigger, but at times she couldn't quite get the right amount of chakra; or she couldn't quite visualize the 'sturdy wall' that she wanted, which ended with her wall either crumbling like soil, or sludgy like mud. After a while, Kazo had stopped talking to her in favor of just allowing the brunette to figure it out on her own. With a jutsu like this, the only way to perfect it was to continuously cast the jutsu until you were consistent. Unfortunately for the two males watching her, that left them with nothing to do and bored. Kazo glanced nervously at his leader, who was watching the brunette. His chin resting in the palm of his hand, elbows digging into his thigh that propped up his heavy head. Izuna's eyes dropped every now and then, and if undisturbed he'd fall asleep easily.

"Izuna-sama," Izuna turned his head lazily in the direction his name had been called. Half lidded ebony eyes found his clansman's, he didn't respond but Kazo had his attention.

"Since Akane-chan is going to be doing this, and we can't really help her any more than we already have…." He trailed off, tapping his foot nervously on the grassy surface.

"What is it, Kazo?" Izuna pushed, sitting up straight from his once slouched position. Kazo's cheeked reddened just a hair, his tongue wetting his dried lips.

"Could we possibly spar or something? Ya know it's kinda boring watching her make the same stumpy wall over and over again-"

"Hey! You could have left that part out!" Akane who had been secretly listening in on their conversation, shouted blushing in embarrassment.

"-and I think we may be putting an extra bit of pressure on her if we just stare the entire time." Kazo continued, ignoring her, but didn't hide the teasing smirk that came with his comment. A low chuckle left the second in command's lips, turning his head to look at the brunette he caught her hazel gaze that had once been a glare directed at Kazo.

"Is that okay with you?" The medic blinked, her features softening, lips that were previously pouting, upturned into a grin. She didn't necessarily think that Izuna needed to ask her, but she was glad he did.

"Sure, I don't mind. I wouldn't want you to be bored Izu, go kick his ass." There was a playful glint in Izuna's eyes once he had obtained her approval, pale lips twisted into a mischievous grin.

"Okay, I will." To say that he was excited was a understatement, it had been a little while since he spared with anyone other than Akane; and although he enjoyed doing so, the most challenging part about doing that was not hurting her too bad. However with Kazo, who was a bit more seasoned, he didn't have to hold back as much, and he didn't plan to. Jumping to his feet, Izuna turned towards Kazo; stretching his arms over his head, his shoulders cracking in the process. Twisting and turning his body and shaking out the stiffness in his leg muscles; Izuna lifted his head to meet Kazo's gaze once more; his eyes now crimson with the Sharingan.

"Just remember Kazo, you asked for this, don't go running away." Izuna declared cockily, nodding towards a clearing that was a bit closer to the lake. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Kazo grinned animatedly at his leader, excitement bubbling in the pit of his stomach. This is what the medic-in-training wanted after all, he wouldn't back down, especially not to Izuna, someone that he had been looking up to since he was a kid, even more than Madara.

For most of his kid years, Kazo had actually loathed both Madara and Izuna. To be born a prodigy was something that Kazo didn't have the privilege of experiencing; and for a while he resented his leaders because of it. It was Izuna who had changed his views on them. It was the winter after, former Uchiha leader, Tajima had died. Regardless of the great loss towards the Uchiha, the clan's state hadn't changed much, thanks to Madara, who almost immediately took over his father's shoes at the age of sixteen. That much wasn't a surprise to Kazo, but what did surprise him was when he found, Izuna training, alone.

Snow fell, covering the public training grounds in a thin sheet of white. Only a small patch of snow was melted under the post of a dummy that was set ablaze. Kazo, had been watching the younger brother of their new crowned leader, for a while now. Why the newly appointed second in command was training, was a mystery to the fourteen year old. With Madara's promotion, the sixteen year old ran around all day; taking on the responsibilities that his father once held. Kazo could only assume that Izuna as well would take on some of those responsibilities; but no, he was here training. Kazo shoved his hands deep within the pockets of his pants, with a single step he began to stalk closer to the boy. Even as Kazo approached, Izuna had not stopped his assault on the dummy, but he did a turn his head in the newcomer's direction.

"Nice of you to join me, I'm was beginning to wonder when my stalker would approach." Izuna cheekily stated, throwing punches and kicks to another dummy. Kazo furrowed his brows, he had never spoken to the second in command before, this being his first time, and he wasn't expecting him to be so… different from his brother who had that very much 'no-nonsense' kind of attitude.

"I wasn't stalking you." Kazo replied, looking away a bit flustered.

"Really? Could have fooled me, I've been here for hours and you almost as long." Izuna remarked, an amused smirk appearing on his lips. Clicking his tongue, Kazo glared off to the side.

"What are you doing here, Izuna-sama?" He asked, resisting the urge to spit the foul taste out of his mouth. He never, not once, liked referring to a boy who was the same age as him as 'sama'. Izuna's strikes to the dummy suddenly stopped, sensing the slight hostility in the words of his fellow peer. Ebony eyes that were tainted by the gruesome acts of war, having seen more than any normal fourteen year old should have, stared hard into the cold gaze of the newcomer.

"What does it look like, I'm training?" Kazo held his new leader's gaze. His nails biting into the palms of his skin.

"Why, are you training? Does a prodigy like you need to train?" Kazo asked, failing at keeping the sneer out of his tone. The second in command tilted his head to the side, confusion clear as day in his young eyes.

"Prodigy?"

"Yes, Izuna-sama; I was expecting that you'd to be helping Madara-sama, with all the new responsibilities that come with being the leader of our clan." There was silence after his statement, which had Kazo's gaze flicker back towards the second in command, catching his eye. Izuna stared at him with a forlorn look, but it was gone just as fast as it came. The second in command didn't respond right away, instead he just went right back to punching the dummy. However, now his punches were harder, more powerful, and filled with determination.

"I'm of no use to Madara the way I am now…" Izuna responded through gritted teeth. Kazo stared at the second in command with a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean?" Izuna stopped briefly, turning to the boy.

"You asked why I'm training, but the answer is pretty simple; I'm training, because unfortunately the only prodigy is Madara…"

That had been the first real conversation Kazo had with the second in command, and the conversation that made him realize that they weren't too different from each other. Grinning from ear to ear, Kazo jumped in place; warming up his body as he stared across at his self-proclaimed role model.

"There's no way I'd run away, Izuna-sama." Kazo declared, his eyes also reddening with the Sharingan. Izuna smirked in response, slipping his sword from the sheath, extending it with the full length of his arm.

"Good." Kazo braced himself when the second in command suddenly disappeared from view, temporarily losing track of him. Kazo's eyes flittered rapidly in all attempts to find his opponent as fast as possible. The sound of crunching grass had the medic-in-training whip his head to the right. Kazo barely drew his kunai in time to defend himself against Izuna's silent swipe of his sword. Jumping back, the two clashed again, glaring at each other in heated battle.

All the while, Akane stared in awe completely forgetting about her stumpy wall. They moved fast, and with such fluidity that she could only hope to one day have while fighting. Their spar carried them all over the field, to the trees, to the body of water across from her. Shaking her head, Akane forced herself to look away before she became too fascinated and completely forgot about how pathetic her stumpy walls looked.

It was nightfall on the second day of Akane's training with the second in command, and she was exhausted. The training area that was normally filled with lush green grass, now had multiple walls of rock sticking out of all sizes. She had been practicing making her rock wall all day, and was finally dwindling down on her last embers of chakra. Kazo, who had joined them at some point around lunch time, easily persuaded Izuna into sparing with him once again. It was no surprise to Akane for the second in command had just been staring at her for most of the time anyway.

Slumping to the ground, the brunette stared up at her best attempt at the rock wall yet. Its width was about a meter give or take, but Akane was more focused on its height that came to just above her chest. It didn't meet the standard that Kazo had given her of it being at her height or taller, but at least this wall was big enough for her to crouch behind and still be unseen; in her book this wall was a success.

"Looking good." The familiar sound of her teacher's voice said from behind her. Turning around, hazel meeting dark eyes that would have been hard to see if it weren't for the moon that glimmered off his face, making his already pale features even more so.

"You really think so?" Akane inquired, turning back to look at the fruit of her efforts. Amusement painted Izuna's facial features, along with a chuckle that came with it.

"In two days, of course it is. I'm surprised actually, just yesterday you were playing with dirt." He teased, laughing louder when dodging a rock that the brunette chucked at him. Akane pouted for a second, but it was gone when noticing that Kazo wasn't there.

"Where's Kazo-kun, you didn't kill him did you?" Izuna rolled his eyes, not amused by her comment. Turning his head off to the side, hazel eyes followed until she noticed the medic-in-training laying in the grass off to the side, his chest rising and falling in slumber.

"He fell asleep like, half an hour ago; you didn't notice?" Izuna inquired. The brunette shrugged, forcing herself to her feet.

"Nope, not at all." Izuna took a step forward when noticing that she was about go at another attempt at her wall, reaching forward he pressed is hand against her shoulder, successfully stopping her. Akane turned to look at him, eyes heavy and tired.

"Why don't we call it a night, you're already exhausted; and it's never smart to overdo it before you go off to fight in a war, especially not on your first time."

"But-" Izuna shook his head, his grip on her shoulder tightened just a bit, and his eyes narrowed. "-fine." She said in defeat.

"Good, now come here I have something to give you." Izuna grinned in his victory, grabbing her hand leading her towards one of the nearby trees. Akane followed, raising a brow in curiosity.

"What?" she asked. Izuna sat down at the tree's base, patting the empty spot beside him. Akane sat without question, watching at he shoved his hand inside the long sleeve of his blue shirt.

"Well, I don't want it to seem like I was just copying my brother, after he gave you the twin blades and all, but I think this would really help get rid of any lingering nerves that you may be feeling about tomorrow." Izuna pulled out a woven black and red necklace, made out of some sort of cotton. The pattern was simple, but what caught Akane's eye was a dangling piece of metal that had been carved into the Uchiha crest. Handing it over to her, Akane brought it close to her face to examine the crest that she's seen so many times since she's been there. The woven fabric was worn and tattered, while the paint of the Uchiha crest was scuffed and chipped. Flipping the pendant over, her lips parted as she read over the single kanji reading "protection"戍.

"This is so thoughtful… thank you" she said quietly, blushing a soft pink. A grin spread across the Uchiha's face, he got up on his knees, facing her and holding out his hand expectantly. The brunette soon noticed that he wanted to help her put it on. Placing the necklace back in his hand, Akane turned away from him, lifting her hair up and out of the way. A soft, barely audible gasp left her parted lips when the tips of his fingers brushed against the back of her neck; pulling and tying the necklace in place. When she face him again, the warm smile he sported for her made her cheeks grow hotter. Flustered, Akane said the first thing that came to her mind in any attempt to distract herself.

"Where did you get it?" The soft chuckle that left his lips only embarrassed her more. She was thankful when he sat back down against the tree and turned his head to look up at the full moon above them.

"My mother made this for me back when I was about to go on my first scrimmage. She was terribly worried, so she gave this to me in a means to keep me safe and to find my way back home." Izuna paused, chuckling lowly to himself. "I'm still alive, so that means it worked. I just hope that it'll keep you safe like it did me, and that you find your way back home as well."

Home. She never had a home until now. Tears welled up in the brunette's eyes, she tried to hold them in; but she felt suddenly overwhelmed with emotion and just ended up letting them fall. The quiet sobs had Izuna turn around, worry etched into his features for a few seconds, until he felt her slender fingers wrap around one of his hands and her head fell gently on his shoulder.

"I will come back." She mumbled, having never felt more sure about that statement than in that very moment. Thump. Izuna sighed deeply, striving to steady his erratically beating heart. Blood rushed to his cheeks, flaring red-hot. Laying his head against the top of hers, his pale hand tightened around hers. There were so many things he wanted to say to her; but couldn't find the words, instead he settled for something simple.

"You better."