8 - Request
"Fugaku."
"Hiashi."
The Uchiha clan head stared at the Hyūga sitting behind a low table while his two Hyūga guards left the room, purposely bumping shoulders with the Uchiha as they passed.
Fugaku didn't acknowledge their rudeness, something which took Hiashi by surprise, though he didn't let the emotion show as he waved his hand towards the green zabuton on the opposite side of the table.
Wordlessly Fugaku sat on the pillow and in silence the two appraised each other.
Yet soon Hiashi said, "It's not often you seek an audience with me, Fugaku." He trailed off, quietly demanding an explanation.
"Hn." Fugaku grunted his agreement, but his gaze was unfocused and his mind seemed a million miles away.
Hiashi narrowed his eyes at the man's unusual behavior. "Let's skip the pleasantries. Why are you here, Fugaku?"
The question snapped the Uchiha out of his daze, and Fugaku's jaw clenched while he said, "You could say I'm here for an investigation of sorts..." Hiashi raised a thin brow, unused to Fugaku being anything less than blunt. "About Akemi."
Hiashi's brow inched higher. "Your son?" The Uchiha twitched oddly at the description. "In what regard?"
Fugaku crossed his arms and sighed. "I want to know how you two became aquatinted."
Hiashi frowned. "If you think I've done something inappropriate with your son—"
Fugaku's face flashed with surprise and he quickly shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that, I just..." The man gained a far off look before his shoulders fell and he exhaled. "Just, please," Hiashi's eyes widened because Uchiha did not beg, "Tell me what you think of Akemi, tell me why he considers you a friend and why you allow him that privilege."
Neither one mentioned that Hyūga didn't befriend Uchiha, each man knew Akemi and Hiashi's friendship was unusual without taking their clans' rivalry into account.
Hiashi's pale pupilless eyes bored into Fugaku's black ones. "Either I've severely misjudged you over the years, or you aren't acting like yourself." The Uchiha's expression tightened, but he didn't deny his statement. "However," Hiashi turned to the open window where the sunlight streamed in, "Today is a strange day."
Hiashi looked to the Uchiha. "As you know, the Hokage is on the brink of finalizing a peace treaty between Konoha and Kumo." Fugaku raised his head to show he was listening. "And the talks might be concluded as soon as tonight...so I suppose today is a day for putting aside old rivalries, if only temporarily."
Fugaku tried to hide his eagerness as Hiashi closed his eyes, forehead wrinkling in concentration. "To start at the beginning, I first met Akemi near the end of the Third War. I was at an udon stand, Akemi was already there, and while I was waiting to be served Akemi asked me if I knew when his fangs would come in…"
.
It took weeks for Akemi to schedule a training session with Shisui, the seven-year old finding much of his time outside the Academy eaten up by his apprenticeship and the community service hours that came with it.
So when Akemi woke up in his bed, turned to the clock on his dresser and saw he'd overslept, he jumped up like the house was on fire. Then he threw on his clothes, combed his hair with his hands, snatched his weapon pouches from the floor, and shunshined straight out of the window, as Shisui wouldn't be available to train him for another month and with disasters like the massacre looming ahead, Akemi couldn't wait that long to start mastering his sharingan.
The boy arrived on the forest floor and instantly sped down the winding path, his sandals slapping against the earth as he hissed. "Please still be there!"
He skidded to a stop in a clearing, lighting up once he spotted Shisui leaning against a tree with his eyes closed and arms folded across his chest.
Akemi was about to apologize for being nearly an hour late when Shisui cracked open an eye and said, "About time you showed up." He grinned. "I know turtles who move faster than you, and I don't mean the ninja kind."
Akemi relaxed, seeing Shisui wasn't mad, and smiled back. "Well, you know me," he shrugged, "I'm seven going on thirty."
Shisui chuckled, standing up from the tree. "I don't think thirty is that old."
Akemi's expression soured. "Tell that to my chronic back pain."
Shisui burst into laughter. "Okay, okay, Oji-san." Akemi stuck out his tongue at him. "Sooo," he sobered somewhat, "Did the exercise help?"
Akemi's face fell, though his tone was still light as he said, "Well, my chakra control is probably jonin level now thanks to how many times I tried out the exercise, but if you mean did it help me activate my sharingan," he slumped, "Then I've got nada."
Shisui frowned. "You couldn't turn on your sharingan? Not even for a second?" His brow creased since most Uchiha at least get their eyes to flash red when they performed the dōjutsu exercise Shisui had told Akemi about in passing last week.
"No." Frustration saturated Akemi's tone. "And I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong." He brought his hand up to rest under one eye. "I guided chakra to my eyes and let it sit there for a minute, but when I checked in the mirror they hadn't changed."
His face turned downcast. "I tried over and over again, and even put different amounts of chakra into my eyes to see if that was the problem, but nothing made a difference." He sighed.
Shisui hummed. "That is strange." He gazed into Akemi's black orbs. "But your dōjutsu isn't exactly normal, so I guess I shouldn't have expected the standard exercise to work for you." He looked up, tapping his cheek. "Though it's also possible something is preventing the chakra from reaching your optic nerves."
Akemi had considered that, and fretted over the possibility since one blockage could imply a larger problem with his entire chakra system. It probably wasn't that serious, but Biwako had given him a lecture on chakra-related heath issues just yesterday so Akemi was feeling a bit paranoid.
"Try the exercise again." Shisui's eyes bled into his three tomoe sharingan. "I'll watch your chakra and make sure it's actually reaching your optic nerves."
Akemi nodded, and turning his attention inwards, latched onto the warm electrical sensation in his core. He tugged it up, feeling the chakra run through his chest, neck, and nose before he branched it out to his eyes and filled them. The Uchiha made sure the chakra would stay there, then returned focus outwards.
Shisui's sharingan eyes were already darting over his face, pausing when they reached his ebony irises.
After a minute Shisui frowned. "You're performing the exercise perfectly." Akemi perked up, relieved it wasn't his fault his dōjutsu wasn't working. "The amount of chakra in your eyes should be enough to activate your sharingan."
Shisui's eyes faded back into their normal dark tone, his expression perplexed. "There's nothing obstructing the pathway from your brain to your optical nerves either so why won't—"
"Uchiha Akemi."
A kunai flicked into Akemi's hand and Shisui's eyes flashed into his sharingan while both spun towards the man outside the glade. Only for the younger Uchiha to pale.
"I was hoping to speak to you alone, Akemi-kun." Orochimaru stepped into the clearing with his sickly yellow eyes locked on the seven-year old. "But I don't mind the company of another Uchiha." He glanced at Shisui and Akemi's heartbeat skyrocketed, the chakra inside him swirling faster than a typhoon.
"Get back." Shisui ordered, tone authoritative and expression tight as he darted in front of Akemi with a raised kunai while the younger boy struggled to think of a way out of this because they couldn't take on Orochimaru. He'd kill them, and Shisui wasn't supposed to die this young so if he did it would be Akemi's fault for messing with the time—
Akemi stiffened, sensing something amiss. "Your chakra is..." He gaped. "Uchiha?"
Shisui blinked, surprised, but before the sannin could speak Akemi threw out his chakra to fully analyze Orochimaru's signature. The lack of malevolent intent quickly became apparent, as did the fact his signature didn't resemble a murky swamp. Rather it felt warm and inviting, smelled of fire and sugar, exactly like...
"Nii-san?" Akemi gasped.
Orochimaru froze, then frowned slightly before in a puff of smoke Itachi stood in his place, looking apologetic. "Sorry," Itachi bowed, "But we thought you might need a push to activate your sharingan."
"We?" Akemi turned to Shisui and the older boy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly while Akemi scowled.
"Hey!" Shisui held up his hands. "I just thought there might be a chance the exercise wouldn't work for you, so I told Itachi if you were still struggling to summon your sharingan by the time we met up, you might need a little scare to bring it out."
Akemi was about to protest that he'd been more than a little scared when Shisui pointed at his head. "And I was right!"
Akemi blinked, not comprehending until he realized his eyes felt warm and chakra was whirling rapidly within them.
Akemi gasped. "I...activated my sharingan?" He looked towards his twin, and when Itachi nodded a wide grin split his face. "Yes!" He smiled so hard his cheeks hurt because he'd finally done it! After two years of making zero progress he'd finally summoned his sharingan!
"You can't tell?"
Itachi's question cut through Akemi's enthusiasm and he turned to his twin in confusion, but soon realized it was odd that he couldn't tell his sharingan was on. Shouldn't the world look differently?
Akemi glanced around, yet nothing appeared to have changed. No chakra glowed around his companions, he couldn't see his chakra system through his hands, and nobody's movements were any more perceivable than usual.
Akemi squinted. "Not really, everything looks exactly the same as it did a minute ago." He regarded Shisui. "Shouldn't I be seeing more?"
Shisui didn't respond, too busy examining Akemi's golden irises and wondering why the unusual sharingan looked kind of familiar, but soon he snapped out of it and said, "Yes, though sometimes it takes a second for a new sharingan to fully activate. Try closing your eyes for a moment and see if that helps."
Akemi did, and with bated breath counted down from twenty in his head before tentatively opening his eyes.
Akemi's mouth dropped. "Wooah."
"Is it working?" Itachi asked, and Akemi turned to him only to start at the bright blue mist surrounding his brother's torso.
He whipped back to Shisui, but the same blue mist surrounded the older boy too, highlighting his chakra pathways and dyeing his eyes an even darker shade of blue probably because his sharingan was activated.
"It…" Akemi lost his voice, completely awed by what he was seeing.
Everywhere he looked something was glowing, the whole world a spectrum of radiant, pulsating colors. The trees, flowers, leaves and shrubs were on fire, burning in sunset orange flames probably due to the natural energy within them while the grass rolling in the wind and sparrows flying above moved in slow-motion. Akemi could even see the birds' muscles bunching and loosening while their wings extended and flapped.
"Akemi?"
The Uchiha jumped, having forgotten other people were with him. "Sorry," Akemi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "It's working. Just everything looks weird." His golden eyes slid back to the scenery.
Shisui chuckled. "Well it takes some getting used..." His voice abruptly stopped, sharingan eyes widening as he stared at Akemi's forehead.
"Shisui?" Itachi asked while Shisui gawked.
"Your brain...the chakra is..." Shisui strode straight up to Akemi, peering down with his sharingan spinning. "Golden."
"Golden?" Itachi whispered, stunned. "But chakra is always blue unless it's a medical technique, which can be green."
Akemi went to respond, but instead inhaled sharply as pain pierced his eyes.
"Akemi!" Itachi grabbed his shoulder, helping his twin right himself when he nearly fell over.
"My eyes," Akemi gasped, hands slapping over them.
"Cut off your chakra now," Shisui urged, and the younger boy quickly obeyed. Though the chakra moved reluctantly, clinging to his optic nerves like gum before peeling away.
"Are you okay?" Itachi asked, forehead wrinkled in concern while Akemi lowered his hands and peeked open his eyes.
"Yeah," Akemi nodded, face pale, "I don't know what happened, but my eyes started burning." He resisted the urge to cover them again as they throbbed.
"It sounds like you overtaxed your sharingan." Shisui frowned. "But that doesn't make any sense, you didn't use any dōjutsu abilities."
Akemi smiled weakly. "Well, it seems my sharingan doesn't like playing by the rules."
Shisui laughed. "If there's one thing we've learned today, it's that." His expression grew serious. "I don't think you should try using your sharingan again unless I or Itachi are around to watch you."
Akemi nodded, not wanting to use such an unpredictable dōjutsu without supervision.
"Take your brother home, Itachi," Shisui turned to his friend. "And make sure he eats something." He frowned at Akemi, examining his chakra system one last time before disengaging his sharingan. "He's suffering from mild chakra exhaustion." Though Shisui couldn't explain how that happened when Akemi's sharingan had simply been on for a couple of minutes.
Itachi inclined his head while his twin asked, "But what about the chakra around my brain? You said it was golden." Akemi sounded worried. "Do you think I should get it checked out by a specialist?"
Shisui crossed his arms, lips pursing. "You could, but we don't really know why your sharingan is so different, and if it turns out it isn't mutated, but actually a new form of the Sharingan—"
"Then your eyes would be considered a clan secret." Itachi's frown deepened, recognizing the seriousness of the matter.
"Oh," Akemi looked down. "I guess you're right." He ran a hand through his messy hair. "Maybe I'll hold off on getting an examination until we know more."
He raised his head and his lips hitched up. "Still, thanks for helping me out, Shisui."
The older boy grinned. "Anytime."
Then Itachi muttered his goodbye before he and Akemi headed back up the trail.
Neither spoke for a few minutes until Akemi quietly asked, "Nii-san?" Itachi turned to him. "You know how Shisui said the chakra around my brain looks weird...didn't the ninja cats at Nekobaa's place say something similar?"
Itachi blinked, mind going back to the incident from months ago.
"Your chakra... No human could maintain so much..."
Itachi's brow furrowed, realizing Denka had said Akemi's chakra was different. "Yes, Denka did." The two stepped out of the woods and entered the stone path leading to their house. "You think he was talking about what Shisui saw?"
Akemi didn't respond for a moment, but eventually looked up and beamed. "Nah! Just thinking maybe I should have been born a Nara. No crazy dōjutsu in that clan," he muttered.
Itachi didn't laugh, recognizing his brother's deflection for what it was, and Akemi noticing, didn't speak again until they arrived home.
.
Hiashi sat on a stool, posture perfect and hands folded neatly upon his lap while the stand owner moved back to stir a boiling pot on the stove.
"Excuse me, Hyūga-san." A childish voice chirped and Hiashi turned left to see a dark-haired boy with matching raven eyes looking up at him from two seats away. The child appeared no older than four, which begged the question of where his parents were, assuming he wasn't an orphan or clan child.
"Do you know when I'll grow my fangs?" The boy asked over the clamor of people passing by in the bright-lit street behind them.
"Fangs?" Hiashi quirked a brow, wondering if the boy was an Inuzuka. However, members of that clan grew their sharp canines along with their other baby teeth, so the boy would have his "fangs" by now if he were one.
The toddler bared his pearly whites and poked at them. "Or do you think the fangs are already there, but they can go in and out like a cat's claws?"
The Hyūga frowned, not wanting to cruelly ignore a mere toddler, but having no idea what the boy was rambling about.
"I think they must go back in," the youth decided when he didn't answer. "Otherwise people would have realized by now my clan is full of vampires."
Hiashi's head was starting to spin, and tiring of his confusion, he glanced at the child's t-shirt.
A red and white fan gazed back, surprising the Hyūga. Then again, this Uchiha child was probably too young to know about the rivalry between their clans, and Hiashi didn't want to be the one to introduce him to it, so in a polite tone he asked, "You think Uchiha are vampires?"
"Yes." The boy cocked his head. "Don't you?"
"No." Hiashi watched the stand owner place a plastic take-out bag in front of the boy, and believing the child was about to depart, he faced frontwards.
Thus he was staring at the stand owner's back, calculating how much longer his udon would take to boil when the Uchiha asked, "Why not?"
"I don't believe such creatures exist," Hiashi said without looking at him, still thinking the child was about to leave.
Therefore he didn't notice the boy's cheeks puffing up with indignation until the Uchiha hopped over the seats and plopped down right next to him. "Why does everyone say that?" The child glared, hands balling up. "I mean there are talking animals, zombie jutsu, and moon aliens in this crazy world, so how are vampires any weirder than those?"
"Moon aliens?" Hiashi couldn't help but ask since he had a good idea what the other two were.
The boy faltered, seeming surprised Hiashi was actually listening, but soon recovered. Then, ebony orbs sliding back and forth suspiciously, he leaned forward and whispered. "I know you Hyūga are actually moon aliens." Hiashi's brow rose, having not expected his clan to be the one deemed aliens. "That's why your eyes look like that." The child shifted back, smirking and crossing his arms confidently. "Everyone knows aliens don't have pupils."
Well, put like that Hiashi could follow the boy's logic. Aliens were often depicted in books and television shows as having pupilless or generally strange eyes.
"I can imagine why you think Hyūga are aliens..." The man surreptitiously checked to see if his udon was almost ready, and seeing it wasn't, decided to ask, "But why do you think they're from the moon?"
The child shrugged. "The moon is pretty and you guys have pretty hair."
Hiashi nearly fell over, having expected a more logical reason.
"Also you call yourselves 'Hyūga', which means something like 'basking in the sun', so I figure you're using the name to coverup the fact you're from the sun's opposite, which is the moon."
Hiashi, shocked by the boy's reasoning, which while odd was highly advanced for a four-year old, didn't respond right away, and by the time the Hyūga found his voice the Uchiha was again ranting. "My dad says we're not, but come on! We've got red eyes that can hypnotize people, wear dark clothes with high collars," he tugged at his own shirt for emphasize, "And most of us have black hair and pale skin. We are so vampires!"
Hiashi's udon bowl was set before him, yet inexplicably fascinated by the boy's mind, he didn't eat, but said, "And I suppose the Inuzuka are werewolves."
The child's eyes lit up. "Exactly!" His face fell. "Though they really need to work on hiding it better."
Hiashi almost asked another question when a preteen boy suddenly parted from the crowd behind them and walked up to the toddler. "Akemi-kun?"
The toddler looked back with a broad grin. "Obito-sama!" He glanced at Hiashi. "Nice talking to you, Hyūga-san, but I gotta get going." He leapt over to his original seat and grabbed his take-out bag before hopping to the floor.
"Hyūga?" Obito peered at Hiashi from behind orange goggles, which did little to hide his dark Uchiha eyes.
Suddenly the preteen tensed, clearly recognizing the rival clan head, but before he could speak Akemi said, "Hey, what are you standing around for?"
Obito blinked. "Huh?"
Akemi frowned. "Didn't you challenge Bakakashi to a race yesterday? You said you were going to beat him to Minato's place today."
Obito remained blank faced for a moment, but soon his eyes widened. "Oh, no!" He grasped his hair. "I forgot!"
He danced in place as he panicked until abruptly he froze. "Wait! I got it!" Obito swiftly reached down to pick up the toddler and swing him onto his shoulders, forcing Akemi to grab onto his head with a startled cry.
"O-Obito!? What are you—"
"You steer, I'll run, and together we'll show that Kakashi who's faster!"
Akemi's protest was lost to the wind as the preteen shot off like a rocket into the crowds, Hiashi staring after them until he heard Akemi shout. "Look out for that—"
A cat howled.
"Ahh! Get it off of me!"
"Obito-sama!?"
Their voices faded into the crowd, and Hiashi turned back to his steaming tempura udon, shaking his head. "To be young..." He sighed, reaching for a pair of chopsticks before losing himself in his meal.
...
Hiashi was merely a block away from the Hyūga compound when a man sneered. "Hey, Blind Eyes!"
The clan head stopped, recognizing the derogatory slur often aimed at his fellow clansmen, though few would dare say it in his presence.
Unless of course the speaker wasn't in their right mind, which was exactly what the Uchiha standing outside of a bar across the street seemed to be. Some concerned or perhaps bored civilians were already gathered around the inebriated Uchiha while the man pointed wildly at two annoyed-looking Hyūga.
A trickle of trepidation ran down Hiashi's spine at the sight, and realizing he might need to intervene, he strode across the street while the drunk shouted. "Your Byakugan can't do half the things our Sharingan can! That's why you Blind Eyes were so useless during the war!"
The two Hyūga were starting to turn red in the face and their postures screamed they were gearing for a fight, so Hiashi picked up the pace as he dove into the throng of people.
Yet he was still making his way to the front row when the Uchiha said, "I bet you can't even dodge this!" He charged the younger Hyūga, throwing a sloppy punch at him, only for the teenager to catch his fist and toss the drunk over his shoulder.
The teen was merely defending himself, everyone watching could attest to that, but clearly the Uchiha didn't see it that way because the second after he crashed onto the ground, the drunk lurched up with sharingan eyes blazing.
The teen gasped while the older Hyūga immediately summoned his Byakugan and raised his hands in a fighting stance as the Uchiha stood.
Yet neither could do a thing before a small body flew in between them. "Stop!" A young voice cried out, though Hiashi couldn't see the speaker from his position.
"Huh?" The drunk blinked, intoxicated mind struggling to comprehend the child's sudden appearance. "Who are—"
"If you don't leave these Hyūga alone," the child cut in seriously. "I'll tell the head of the Police Force you abandoned your post to get drunk at a bar."
Hiashi finally slid into the first row, and his eyes widened when he saw Akemi standing in front of two very confused Hyūga and glaring at his fellow Uchiha.
The drunk eventually registered what the boy had said, and his expression switched from confusion to arrogance. He laughed. "As if the head of the Police Force would believe a brat like you over one of his best captains!" He patted the Police Force insignia on his arm confidently.
Akemi's lips curved into a smirk. "Maybe he wouldn't believe some brat," he crossed his arms, "But considering the head of the Police Force is my dad," the drunk's eyes popped open, "And everyone here saw you walk out of that bar, I think he'll be willing to hear me out."
Akemi smirked viciously, and it was like all the alcohol drained out of the drunk's body as he took in the mass surrounding him, having not noticed the people until now.
The Uchiha swallowed thickly at the disapproval on many of the civilians' faces before turning back to Akemi. He glowered at him and the Hyūga, but after a tense moment, his sharingan blinked off.
"No glory in fighting some Blind Eyes anyway." The Uchiha humphed, holding his head high while he turned and staggered away.
Akemi scowled after him, but eventually faced the Hyūga. "I'm sorry for what my clansman said." He bowed low. "That man is a fool, so please don't hold his stupid words against my clan!" His voice shook with his earnestness.
The two Hyūga appeared as dumbfounded as Hiashi felt while most of the crowd openly gaped at the Uchiha child bowing to members of his rival clan.
Yet soon the older Hyūga said, "No harm was done," his Bykaguan receded, "So we will consider the matter forgotten."
The teen didn't speak, but kept gawking at the bowing child until the older Hyūga dragged him away.
The crowd dispersed then, seeing the show was over, and Hiashi was about to leave too when a young woman beside him whispered. "Can't believe Fugaku's son bowed to a Hyūga."
Hiashi froze, suddenly realizing what Akemi had said while threatening the drunk. That boy who thought his clan was supernatural wasn't merely a child of the Uchiha clan, but their clan heir. Fugaku's son.
Hiashi was too stunned to move until Akemi walked up to him, his concerned expression stretching the long lines on his face—and how did Hiashi not notice his tear troughs were in the same place as Fugaku's?
"Are you okay, Hyūga-san?" Akemi's lips twisted with worry—just like Mikoto's did when she was concentrating.
"Yes." Hiashi nodded stiffly, shaking off the images of Akemi's parents. "I must get going now." He hurried ahead, sensing the boy's eyes following him worriedly, and no wonder Hiashi hadn't realized the boy was Fugaku's son.
His dark hair, lightly tanned skin, and deep tear troughs may have came from his father, but when it came to his heart, the two couldn't be more different, and for that Hiashi was grateful.
...
Fugaku's eye twitched and he stared irritatedly at the Hyūga across the table. "You find Akemi's company acceptable because he's nothing like me?" He sounded offended.
"Didn't you ask me to be honest?" Hiashi's voice was cool, but Fugaku didn't need his sharingan to perceive the Hyūga's smugness.
Fugaku scowled while Hiashi's expression turned contemplative. "Though it is not merely his dissimilarity to you which makes his company preferable." The Uchiha narrowed his eyes wearily, but the other man was facing the window again, the orange sunlight dyeing his white irises a golden yellow. "But there's something about him..."
...
Hiashi stared at the baby in Akemi's arms.
The baby glared back, his little hand reaching out of his sling to clutch Akemi's shirt, and now this child was undoubtedly Fugaku's.
Akemi beamed and his smile was all Mikoto's as he gushed. "Isn't he the cutest, most precious bundle of joy you've ever seen?"
Hiashi wasn't sure he could apply any of those adjectives to the infant scowling at him like he wanted to throw his milk bottle at his head. However, if Hiashi looked past the glaring, the baby's rosy cheeks and wide, obsidian eyes were rather charming.
"He is," Hiashi conceded before taking a sip of his green tea while Akemi wiggled his fingers in front of his little brother's face, and like a light being flipped, the baby went from glaring to giggling.
Behind Hiashi at another table a young couple cooed at the baby and Hiashi could more easily see the child's cuteness now that he wasn't glaring daggers at him, but he didn't reveal this as he asked, "Is there any particular reason you decided to interrupt me during my lunch break?"
"Does wanting to show off the cutest baby in Konoha count as a reason?" Akemi batted his long eyelashes while his baby brother caught his index finger and tugged at it.
Hiashi ignored the tiny part of him that wanted to gush over the baby as he flatly said, "No."
"Okay," Akemi accepted, unbothered. "But to be honest, the real reason I'm here is to take a break from the war."
Hiashi blinked. "War?" Konoha hadn't been engaged in conflict for nearly a year now, so what was the boy talking about?
"Yes, the war." Akemi's face scrunched up with loathing as he hissed. "The war against inbreeding."
If Hiashi were a lesser man, he would have fallen out of his seat, but somehow he kept it together while Akemi pulled out a stack of documents and started explaining the detrimental effects of inbreeding. He lectured Hiashi for over an hour, so by the time the Hyūga finally escaped and walked home, he was too dazed to notice his wife taking the documents out of his hands.
Reading over the data and statistics Akemi had given him, his wife hummed. Then she raised her head and said, "This is all verified and accepted facts in the science community." Her eyes crinkled in uncertainty. "You say a five-year old gave you these?" She released a soft sound of disbelief when he nodded. "What a remarkable child."
Hiashi thought about what she said for the rest of the day, pondering that word "remarkable".
He thought about it the day Akemi got a program approved by nearly every clan in Konoha when a year ago that same program would have never made it off the Hokage's desk. He thought about it when he saw the Uchiha child walking up the side of a building while talking avidly to a silver-haired ANBU without stumbling once. He thought about it when he found Akemi reading a thick biology textbook in the library and the Uchiha pronounced he was going to become a medic-nin, and a year later Hiashi's wife told him Biwako-sama had taken on a new apprentice, an Uchiha to everyone's shock.
However, Hiashi wasn't thinking of Akemi at all the day he took a stroll through a park one early autumn morning. He didn't even recognize the child sitting by his lonesome on a park bench until after he passed him.
Hiashi looked back and frowned when he noticed the seven-year old was staring dully at the ground, misery etched into his face.
The fallen leaves twirled in the wind between them, yet the child acknowledged neither them nor the Hyūga standing a few yards away. Hiashi had never seen the boy so still, Akemi always busy doing something or the other that he practically ran circles around the Village day in and day out, so maybe that was why it was so disturbing to see the child like this.
Hiashi considered approaching the Uchiha when another boy identical to Akemi in every way, save for his longer hair, ran up to the child.
The boy Itachi—if Hiashi wasn't mistaken—slowed to a stop in front of Akemi. The older twin bent his head and spoke in a low, quiet tone, and though Akemi grinned at whatever his brother said, the sadness remained in his eyes.
Itachi stopped talking, perhaps realizing the futility of his words, and perched beside his twin with a reserved expression that didn't belong on such a young face.
After a couple of minutes, Akemi slumped, his body listing until his head fell upon his brother's shoulder.
Itachi didn't hesitate to twine his arms around his sibling and pull him in closer, but Hiashi stopped watching after that. Instead he carried on down the path, trying not to think about why he and Hizashi could never love each other like that.
.
Biwako entered her husband's office and gracefully stepped aside while Danzo walked past her on his way out the door. She felt his lone eye on her and ignored his unconcealed contempt, for she was too old to deal with petty grievances.
"Biwa?" Hiruzen looked up from a document on his desk, an ink brush in hand and surprise on his face.
Biwako approached his desk, expression stern as she inclined her head. "I know you're busy and probably have little time to spare, but there is an issue we must address, which I can no longer keep to myself."
The Sarutobi set down his brush and sat up in his chair, recognizing this wasn't a conversation from wife to husband, but from the Head of Konoha Hospital to the Hokage. "Go on."
Given permission, Biwako raised her head and looked the man in the eyes. "Do you have ANBU agents spying on the Uchiha?"
The Hokage's expression didn't change, but his tone was carefully curious as he said, "Why do you ask?"
"Because my apprentice is an Uchiha and if there is a threat to his safety I need to know." The medic-nin's short tone left no room for an argument.
The male Sarutobi frowned. "Biwa," he sighed, "As Hokage there are some things I simply cannot tell you."
"I know that." The woman's expression grew pinched and her eyes shut while she exhaled through her nose. Yet when she opened them, her eyes were hard as steel. "But whether you tell me or not, I am aware of the situation now, so you might as well elaborate."
The Hokage held her gaze, but soon he looked away. "I suppose you're right, though tell me first, who told you about the ANBU?"
"Akemi-kun." Biwako smirked at her husband's blatant shock. "His sensory abilities are one of the strongest I've ever seen," her pride faded as she glowered, "Which is why he can't understand how the Hokage didn't believe him when he said that masked man was not an Uchiha."
Hiruzen shook his head. "The boy was only five-years old, he could have been mistake—"
"Is that my husband speaking or Danzo's suspicions coming through him?" Biwako crossed her arms while Hiruzen's shoulders fell, clearly taking the admonishment to heart.
"It seems I may have underestimated young Akemi's sensory ability." The Hokage's expression tightened. "But it wasn't just that which made me doubt the boy." He stared critically at his desk. "Akemi is Fugaku's son, he might have been told to lie and—"
"Impossible."
Hiruzen blinked. "What?"
Biwako shook her head, and her expression softened as she implored. "Uchiha Akemi is one of the most honest people I know." When her husband moved to speak, she raised her hand and he stopped. "I know he's only been my apprentice for six months, but I've been a shinobi for over sixty years, and I would know if he's been lying to me."
She waited for Hiruzen to nod his acquiesce before continuing. "Akemi-kun is an honest boy and though he can keep a secret as well as any shinobi child, he does not enjoy lying to others." She smiled. "He's much happier when he can be himself, unabashedly and without restraint."
The smile left her. "Furthermore, even if Akemi were to lie, I doubt it would be for his father's sake." Hiruzen's brow furrowed while she said, "I get the sense they do not see eye-to-eye on most things." She looked back at her husband. "That's why I can confidently say if Akemi thinks the masked man is not an Uchiha, you would do well to believe him."
Hiruzen stared at her, noting the shine to her eyes. Eventually he grinned. "You really adore that boy, don't you?"
Biwako's mouth curved up, eyes crinkled with fondness. "I would not have accepted him as my apprentice if I didn't believe in his potential."
"Hokage-sama!"
Biwako spun back and Hiruzen lurched to his feet when the door burst open and a masked guard gasped in the doorway, his chest heaving.
"What is it?" The Hokage demanded, having never seen this ANBU so agitated.
"There was an intruder in the Hyūga district." Biwako and Hiruzen's eyes widened. "He attempted to kidnap the clan heir."
"Did he escape?" The Hokage asked, voice steady though his body was tense.
"No, he was killed, but Hokage-sama." The ANBU hesitated, then said, "The intruder used a sharingan to knock out the Hyūga guards."
"Uchiha?" Hiruzen's pupils shrank with horror.
"I knew that cursed clan would betray us eventually." Danzo seemed to materialize in the room, having slipped inside unnoticed. "The Uchiha were clearly trying to hold the Hyūga clan hostage by—"
"No," the ANBU cut in, making Danzo glare. "This man only has one sharingan eye and he was...wearing a mask."
Biwako inhaled sharply and for a second Hiruzen didn't understand until it struck him. "The masked man who attacked Konoha..." His entire body rocked with the news because there was no way the man they'd been searching had returned to the very Village he tried to destroy with the Nine-Tails over two years ago.
"Call Fugaku and Hiashi immediately." The Hokage refocused, as this wasn't the time to ruminate.
The ANBU shook his head. "They already know what happened and are currently occupied at Konoha Hospital."
Biwako moved towards him. "Were they injured?" She entered full medic-nin mode, voice terse and unyielding. "I can—"
"It wasn't them—"
"Perhaps we should get answers from a direct source," Danzo said, already turning to leave. "Clearly this is a matter that involves all of Konoha." He didn't wait for them to respond before using shunshin to rush to the hospital, and it wasn't long before everyone else ran after him.
.
"Do you understand yet, Fugaku?" Hiashi asked placidly. "Do you see why I find Akemi's company so appealing?"
Fugaku's eyes were steely. "No, I don't."
The Hyūga was unperturbed by his stubbornness. "Then allow me to simplify it." The Uchiha bristled while Hiashi rested his chin atop his hands and said, "I don't enjoy Akemi's company because he is different from you."
The Hyūga closed his eyes, and when he opened them, their harsh edges had softened. "I enjoy being around Akemi because he is different from everyone."
Fugaku's expression chilled to ice and his tone was equally frigid. "Doesn't that concern you?"
Hiashi raised a brow. "Why would it?"
Anger seeped into Fugaku's cool expression. "You see it...you know that boy is strange, and yet you don't perceive him as a threat? Why!?" He demanded.
Hiashi waited for the Uchiha to calm down, and once he did, the Hyūga asked, "Does Akemi truly scare you so much?"
"What!?" Fugaku flew into a stand, fists clenched. "I am not—"
"Fugaku."
The Uchiha stiffened, rage leaving him as Hiashi finally let his mask break enough for him to sigh. "We have known each other since our Academy days, so excuse me if it's presumptuous, but I think I know how to read my own rival's emotions." His face hardened. "Especially when he's been doing such a poor job of hiding them all day."
Fugaku blinked, suddenly realizing the sole light in the room was moonlight. Had...had he really spent the entire evening here?
"Then again." Fugaku turned back to Hiashi. "It's not really me you're lying to, is it?"
Fugaku glared. "What are you talking about?" He snapped, irritated that he was being interrogated when he was supposed to be the one asking questions.
"Is it really Akemi you're afraid of?" Hiashi mused aloud. "Or what he represents?"
Fugaku frowned, oddly unsettled by the pale pupilless eyes boring into him. However, the man's answer never made it past his lips as someone's chakra flared like a siren going off.
Fugaku whipped back and Hiashi swiftly rose, both shocked by the chakra signature flaring and dropping in a shinobi's standard call for help.
"Bykaguan," Hiashi called upon his dōjutsu and stared through the wall, only for his breath to hitch.
"Hiashi?"
The Hyūga took off through the doorway and Fugaku activated his sharingan as he chased after him into the brisk nighttime air, rounding the corner of Hiashi's house to enter an alleyway. Just to halt at the scene.
Fugaku's sharingan eyes widened as they landed on the two bodies sprawled across the dirt road. One man lied flat on his back between two plotted plants, his right eye staring unseeingly at the moon while his left eye glowed a dull red, and Fugaku choked when he realized that was a Sharingan in the man's head.
Therefore the Uchiha hardly noticed Hiashi crouching over the second body, or the way the Hyūga's face broke as he took in Hizashi's gray yukata drenched with blood while two-year old Hinata cried in Shisui's arms and Akemi held his hands against Hizashi's side with trembling arms before looking up to whisper. "Help him, please."
Hiashi dropped to his knees, palms glowing with medical ninjutsu too weak to stitch up even a scraped knee, but if it kept his brother alive, Hiashi would try.
.
"He said we should never trust him." Itachi walked beside Shisui on the hilltop above the docks. "And that you especially should keep up your guard around him."
Shisui's brow furrowed. "Did he say why?"
Itachi shook his head. "No, he just said Councilman Danzo is a ninja Nazi," he stumbled a little on the foreign word, "And that he's a treacherous liar."
Shisui bowed his head, thinking hard. "And this Danzo approached you?"
"Hai," Itachi said, and seeing the older boy's expression dip into concern, added. "But Akemi told me I don't have to worry about him for many years."
"Good." Shisui exhaled, relieved, and Itachi didn't dare ruin it by bringing up the dark look in Akemi's eyes as he talked about Councilman Danzo.
His brother's black orbs had been burning, voice disgusted while he explained. "Danzo only sees two types of people in this world. Those who are threats and those he can use to eliminate the supposed threats." Itachi's features crinkled with apprehension while Akemi sat in the windowsill of his bedroom.
"You're safe for now because Danzo thinks you're like most kids, naive and easy to trick..." His twin's face darkened. "But you're not always going to be a kid, Nii-san, and the older you get, the stronger you become..." He didn't finish, but Itachi knew what he was saying, and while it certainly worried him, Itachi didn't let the news overwhelm him.
Even if this Councilman was currently a threat, one day Itachi would be the strongest shinobi in Konoha, and he would deal with the man then. Though for now he would heed his brother's advice and stay under the man's radar for as long as he could.
"Shisui-san!"
The duo paused on the hillside, Shisui turning back with a grin while Itachi's eyes lightened, though he didn't smile, as Akemi ran towards them.
"What's up, Akemi-kun?"
Akemi caught his breath and grinned. "Biwako-sama has me working on a fundraiser for the Family Exchange Program. It's a part of my community service hours, but the time only counts if I get people to buy something." He pulled out a large envelope and pen from his satchel, tucking them under his arm. "You want to help me out by buying a weasel?"
Itachi raised a brow. "You're selling live animals?"
On the other hand Shisui's face lit up like a little child during the Rinne Festival. "Oh, oooh! You're selling those La Chancla guardians, aren't you?"
Itachi blinked twice, utterly lost while Akemi nodded. "Yup!" He reached into his satchel and withdrew three small objects. "We've got mini-weasel chains to put on your kunai," he held up the tiny metal weasel, "Stuffed animals," he squeezed the toy and it squeaked, "And this statue."
Shisui's mouth formed an 'O' and Itachi's eyes widened at the golden statue depicting Itachi standing tall and holding up a weasel in his hand.
"The statues are really popular with Academy students." Akemi winked and his brother's face reddened.
"I definitely want the statu—"
Itachi glared death at Shisui, and the older boy rubbed the back of his head, chuckling. "I'm kidding, kidding." He looked back at Akemi. "Give me a kunai chain."
Akemi handed the tiny weasel figurine to him and Shisui pulled out some bills while Itachi, still blushing, said, "I'll wait for you on the water." The boy hastily shuffled down the hill.
Akemi and Shisui shared a look before bursting out laughing. "O-okay," Akemi tried to stifle his giggles, "Let me write you down." He scribbled something on his envelope before stuffing the money into it as the older boy took out a kunai and started tying the little weasel onto the handle.
"Hey, Shisui."
The boy looked up to see Akemi frowning slightly, eyes serious. "There's something else I need your help with." He looked off to the side. "See, there's this event that's supposed to happen next year that I need help setting up."
Shisui's hand had stilled on his kunai, recognizing the true meaning behind Akemi's words.
"Normally I'd ask Itachi for help," Akemi said idly. "But I'm not sure he would allow me to go to this event."
Shisui stared gravely at him. "If it's something your brother wouldn't let you go to, am I to assume it's dangerous?"
Akemi smiled sharply. "Yes, but if I don't go people are going to get hurt, and I don't think my one life is worth sacrificing for the hundreds in our clan."
Shisui gasped, seeing the severity of Akemi's mission while the boy went on. "I've failed more than once over the years with planning events, and I know why now." His head lowered in shame. "I relied on myself too much, and never asked for help because I didn't want anyone else to get hurt...but that was foolish." He looked up, scowling determinedly. "I can't do everything on my own and this next event is too much for me by myself, so Shisui-san." Akemi's mouth thinned into a line. "Will you help me?"
Shisui turned to gaze down the hill where Itachi was already standing on the lake's surface, practicing his taijutsu. His eyes narrowed. "I don't know if I'll like this event of yours, but if it's for the good of the clan—"
"The Village is my clan."
Shisui's head jerked up in shock to see Akemi smiling. "And a clan is a family." His eyes creased with resolve. "And I'll always protect my family...para siempre," he vowed.
Shisui looked back down the hill. "To protect our precious people, huh?" His eyes were on Itachi as he flashed his teeth. "For them, I'll do anything."
Akemi's face twitched. "I know, Shisui," he smiled sadly, staring down at the lake water and trying not to hear the cry of a waterfall while a young boy threw himself into its depths. "I know."
Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I really appreciate every one of them :)
Also if any of you are reading my other story lie in reverse, know that it should be updated sometime within the next two weeks.
Until then, stay safe!
Next time: Akemi made a gamble, and now everyone has to deal with the consequences...