Chapter 26
Great Expectations (Pt.1)
"My son has been promoted to chunin."
Now wearing a Konoha jacket that represented his new rank, Itachi silently stood beside his father as he gave the obvious announcement to the assembled brethren within the Naka Shrine. He barely heard when received phony acknowledgements and congratulations from them, least of all from Fugaku's most trusted aides: Yashiro, Inabi, and now Tekka. The vest jacket seemed to weigh heavily around his torso, the air becoming increasingly stuffier than it always had been.
Fugaku has urged then to make a small speech, which Itachi automatically complied to, without emotion or fear, bowing his head to all members in the room without really seeing them.
"I am prepared to continue to devote myself body and soul to the path of the ninja...for the sake of Konoha, and for the sake of the clan. I look forward to walking alongside you."
When the chunin exams had finished, after Itachi had walked out of the arena in practically a rush (not to mention his run-in with Danzo Shimura), he learned that he had gotten an extremely high score.
A close second to the record holder, Minato Namekaze. This was added with having completed the second exam with the shortest amount of time ever on record, alone and without assistance within a three-person squad. Before beating Nemui, his opponent in what was supposed to be his first match had been one of the defaulted genin from Konoha. Then of course his performance in the second bout...needless to say he won technically the second time in a row, and the final blow had been traumatizing enough to lead officials to decide then that there was no need for him to take part in the third match.
And that was that...except at the time, Itachi's thoughts were more concerned for the well-being of the young girl who passed out on the stands.
The young girl he knew to be no other than Izumi Uchiha.
"If a ninja of Itachi's caliber joined the Military Police Force, it might perhaps improve the standing of the Uchihas within the village," Inabi promptly spoke up. There were murmurs of agreement.
"I have no intention of Itachi joining the Military Police Force."
A stir rose in the room. Itachi simply stared ahead, giving no outward sign of surprise.
"I would have my son join the ANBU."
"The…ANBU?!" Yashiro spat.
Fugaku simply nodded. "Our Military Police Force and the ANBU have clashed a number of times in pursuit of public order in Konoha––"
"I know that better than anyone!"
Things were rapidly increasing within the clan, to say the least. Even after Itachi had been promoted to chunin, such a feat had only guaranteed absolution on the plans his father had for him.
To maintain peace within Konohagakure, the village had been established with two systematic forces: the Military Police Force with the Uchiha clan as its center, his father the chief of its establishment…and the ANBU, under the direct control of the Hokage.
An elite unit of composed and capable ninja, they were the ones who accepted missions the highest rank, making such appearances from inside, and in the vicinity of, the village. Major crimes committed within the area were entrusted to ANBU rather than the Military Police Force, even more so since the attack of the Nine-tailed fox.
(In truth, there was no clear line between what was jurisdiction of the Military Police Force and what was the subject for investigation by the ANBU. At the discretion of the Hokage, the nature of the investigation would simply shift from one to the other. This led the Military Poloce and the ANBU to clash every so often. It was a continuously growing friction between the two peacekeeping forces).
The Nakano Shrine's main building erupted with raucous discussion. Some criticized the ANBU, others tried to guess at Fugaku's true intentions while others noted Konoha's treatment of the Uchiha clan. Resentment filled the enclosed space of the shrine, exploding from the hearts of its occupants all at once.
Itachi found the face of Shisui, the only silent member in the assembly. It was grave and troubled.
"Listen to me!" Fugaku's voice roared, and the main shrine fell silent. Bloodlust still hung in the air.
"I understand how you feel. I feel the same way." Fugaku sounded like he was carefully choosing his words as he went, just to hold their attention. "This is precisely why Itachi will join the ANBU. I intend to have my son act as a conduit between the village and the clan." Everyone present held their breath. "As you all know, members of the ANBU Foundation are secretly watching over our compound. We will start to returning the favor, and bring watchful eyes to the village."
"You're saying Itachi will spy for us?" Yashiro questioned incredulously, and Fugaku nodded.
"The elders and I have had our discussion." He tilted his head across the room where Noriro, an elderly man from the third lower branch, and an even more elderly woman (the eldest in the entire Uchiha clan, and perhaps one of the oldest in the entire village) sat in between. Though she was blind, seemingly deaf, and aloof or unaware to anything going on around her, her expression was ominously bridged between grim and tranquil. She who represented the higher branch of the Uchiha...and was rarely ever seen outside of her solitary home. And she rarely ever truly spoke in full sentences anymore, for as long as Itachi had known of her (which was scarce enough).
But even as a woman who lived a little longer the century, she still carried a noble and graceful air about her that preserved some of the beauty she clearly had in her youth.
Noriro Uchiha, the elder of the second branch on her right, looked stone-faced as ever. "It has been agreed that with Itachi be suitable for this task while he keeps the favor of the higher echelons. We cannot waste this opportunity."
There was more stirring. Few exchanged looks, while others nodded thoughtfully. Itachi hung his head.
"But we are all comrades of the same village," he murmured.
He might as well have shouted the words, because when hitting that moment of silence, his voice seemed to reach the ears of everyone in the building. He avoided all the eyes fixed on him, heavy with hostility.
"What did you say?" Yashiro said softly.
Eyes still focused on the ground, Itachi found himself speaking more clearly, "The Senju clan and the people of Konoha are still our village comrades…We should stop creating this distance and doing things to fan the flames of rivalry."
The bloodlust blanketing the room grew thicker. Itachi tried to ignore it as he continued, "One side does one thing, the other side does the same. You kill your opponent, someone comes for revenge, and then a fight breaks out."
"Are you siding with Konoha?"
"You're looking at things from only the perspective of your ally, so you can't see the big picture."
Narrow-minded.
"You––" Enraged, Yashiro leapt to feet, reaching as if to grab Itachi's collar, but Fugaku stepped forward and blocked him from continuing.
"Calm yourself."
"But chief! He––"
"It's fine. Calm yourself." Fugaku's eyes narrowed warningly. "Now."
With an ostentatious sigh, Yashiro sat back down. Itachi stayed silent, and kept his head hanging. He didn't so much as twitch.
"Apologize, Itachi."
Everyone turned angry eyes on the silent prodigy. The elderly woman just looked ahead with sadness in her blind pale-onyx eyes.
When Itachi didn't speak, he watched the tension in his father's shoulders droop as he let out a sigh through his nose. "I understand what you are trying to say," he said, his voice still directed to his son and heir, "but ideals and reality are two different things. What you are saying is, at best, an ideal. Fighting and war are indeed linked in hatred…but you are too young to understand the true predicament of those who are persecuted." Fugaku glanced over his shoulder at Itachi then, his eyes hard and cold. "If you could see what a difficult position the Uchiha clan have been driven to since the founding of the village, you wouldn't speak so lightly, or impulsively."
Itachi had to struggle not to glare at his father, or reveal how much the patriarch's last words made him bristle. Instead, after a moment's pause, he stared up at his father with blank and equally cold onyx eyes. No reaction at all, other than the iron-tight strain behind that momentary pause.
Some held their breath, watching. After all, they had not forgotten Itachi's potential of snapping, in the midst of such icy calm. Even Shisui, at the back of the room, shook his head at him in warning, silently reminding him to stay calm.
But Shisui didn't need to worry.
"I'm a member of the Uchiha clan, too," Itachi told his father with as much sincerity as he can express. "I know about the predicament of our clan."
"Then apologize!" shouted Yashiro, and a few others nodded.
Slowly, Itachi's eyes lifted and saw Yashiro. He took one step forward…and bowed his head.
"I'm very sorry," he said quietly.
The words were sour in his mouth. But Yashiro sat back down with crossed arms, looking smug. Itachi's fists clenched at his side.
"We'll talk about this at home," he heard his father mutter to him.
Would that improve anything? Itachi jaw tightened, but said nothing more.
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"Danzo Shimura."
"So you remembered me," said the elder with a smirk that seemed crooked and unnatural with his downturned mouth. "A truly impressive display for one of the Uchiha, one our enemies will indeed remember."
The genin-soon-to-be-chunin was perhaps two or three heads shorter than Shimura, but the quiet level of steel in their resolve formed well in the shadows around them.
"I can see your intentions clearly, young Itachi," he continued. "Your intention was to spread fear, to let them see your capabilities firsthand. To warn them of what happens to those who dare arrange an attack on the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Am I wrong?"
"You aren't."
Danzo's smile dropped, replaced with a deep frown. "Then you ought to know that your plan has a blunted edge. Fear is indeed an effective motive, and your performance was indeed unforgettable, but don't be so naive as to believe that it will stop every shinobi in that arena from the desire for that power. Fear must be maintained, nurtured, strengthened with more use than for petty showing. You must be prepared to fight at all times, use every weapon as your disposal to win. Tell me, Itachi Uchiha, outside the will of your clan, what is your truest desire?"
Itachi knew he had to be careful with his answer around this man. The elder's words spoke true, closer to what his inner-conscience always whispered to him, that showing off his abilities alone won't be enough to stop all the fighting in the world without making proper use of them.
But this man was not Shizui or Izumi, the only other two people he would share his deepest concerns when it came down to it. He was not even his father, who spoke for the clan, or Lord Third, who would seek out opportunities to encourage Itachi's use for his skills as a ninja, but with careful assessment.
But unlike Shiruzen, Lord Danzo Shimura was cold to the core. He was not known for sugar-coating things, even when he was playing around with words.
"I want to be the best shinobi I can be," Itachi finally said. "I want to protect the Hidden Leaf village and stop all the fighting."
"Hn...Peace comes at a high cost. I do have a way to grant that to you. The organization I run is secret, but elite. They are the part of the ANBU that separates that from the Hokage's. I want you to join that force, Itachi. It would benefit the village and your future greatly if you accepted this offer."
"...Join ANBU?" Itachi thought about that night training with Shizui in the grounds for the Chunin Exams. He remembered that ANBU being hunted down by those three others, which Shisui had recognized by their intentions alone as the Foundation.
At the time, before the fight began, before Shisui made his thoughts clear on what he thought about them and made the decision, Itachi's view of them had been...a little different. Even now, after seeing them as they are and being fully wary of what this certain group was capable of––even before realizing it was Danzo's personal organization, separate from the Hokage's––he had been...fascinated. Intrigued. Empathetic.
They were willing to go to high extremes for the security of the village, Itachi thought, even if there was no honor in them.
To them, it was all a matter of cold calculation. A necessary evil. The small, dark part of himself that had always been resting deep within found itself considering those tactics with a similar mind, only to be shoved aside when hearing his best friend's declaration to fight them and defend the fallen ANBU agent.
And yet, for all of his best friend's warnings and suspicions of the Root ANBU (and Itachi did take it to heart, truly), he couldn't disregard to the rising intrigue to its...darkness.
"I..." Itachi's mind reeled, though he wouldn't let it show while the leader of Root stared hard down at him. "I will need more time to think about it..."
"Hm." After a minute of consideration, Lord Danzo stepped aside, revealing the dark tunnel path leading to the exiting stairs. "Very well,' he said. "I will give some time to consider it, but I guarantee that this will be the right choice, for the sake of the village, as well as your own."
"I understand. Thank you." With a polite bob of his head, Itachi continued down the tunnel, feeling Danzo's eye hard as steel against his back. It send crawls throughout his stiff frame, keeping his senses on alert with his surroundings as he forced himself to glare forward.
Once he was halfway up the stairs, even with his mind and heart in conflict with one another––one that whispered 'yes' and the other that said 'no'––he started skipping steps as he picked up the pace in the hopes of reaching his childhood friend sooner, his worry for her returning at full impact.
If there was anyone who would distract him from these kind of thoughts for the time being, it would be her.
He did not want to think about making this choice. Not now. Especially when he feared of already knowing what answer he will take...
...and then never knowing whether or not it would be the right one, in the end.
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.
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Eventually, he learned that he did not have to. His father had made it for him.
Izumi felt so relieved when she finally managed to finish up her "date" with Itsuki.
Having long been healed from the hospital since two years ago, their seniors seemed to think that now was around the right time to start their courting. Even though Izumi was only ten and Itsuki was fourteen! What a joke! It felt like being trapped in that Christmas party at Itachi's house all over again.
While she did keep thinking it with bitter resentment, Itsuki had no qualms in pompously voicing it.
He really hadn't changed much.
And since this was the first time since that horrible night that they had somewhat interacted (actually, they probably didn't even interact then, now that she thought about it), it really did feel like nothing between them had changed at all. In fact, it felt more like being subjugated to reluctant wet-nursing in a kimono.
She was not a fool; she knew why they were choosing now of all times for this to happen.
Two reasons, and while both of them were really good, they also invited more complications in her seemingly normal, unorthodox life.
One: because skipping a grade in the Ninja Academy had started quickening her approach of graduating early and becoming a genin. And two: she and Itachi were (somewhat) back in communication.
Formally. Limitedly. Platonically. Within a certain distance…
…which was fine. Totally fine.
Just peachy.
It was better than nothing…though at the same time, very awkward. Like a half-filled cup threatening to spill over the edge.
It has already been three months since the final exams. Three months since Itachi Uchiha had been promoted to a chunin. Everyone had talked about the fight for days. Weeks. About the Sharingan, about the young Kiri-nin's downward spiral to madness...
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"––zumi-chan! Izumi-chan!"
When coming to, she was lying on her back with Hana––and Kato––hovering over her, expressions filled with worry.
"Izumi-chan? Are you okay?"
Izumi turns her attention back to the friend who had spoken. "Kato…what––how––"
"You were out for only ten minutes, but you didn't miss much," explained Hana, answering her unspoken question. "But you passed out right before the match had ended. We had to carry you out of the seating area so that we could lay you down, get the blood going back to your head..."
"Itach-kun!" gasped Izumi, attempting to sit up. The lingering dizziness made her lie back down with a moan. "Did he—"
"He won, yeah," confirmed Kato before Hana could answer. "It was unbelievable what he did—" Izumi was shaking her head urgently as he spoke before interrupting, "Did he stop?"
She watched Kato's face pale. "Huh?"
"Did he release the genjutsu?" asked Izumi, feeling the prelude of bile rising to her throat from its dryness. "What happened?" She looked at both of them, pleading. "Tell me!"
"Well, he..." Kato trailed, looking sideways.
Hana looked equally, if not more, haunted from the stark white of her face contrasting with her clan's red stripes on her cheeks. She swallowed. "We're not entirely sure what happened," she muttered, before shuddering. "I've never seen anything so...daunting. That guy Sleepy-whatever...With just one look of your clan's sharingan...I heard the rumors, but to actually see it happen, even from that distance..."
Hana trailed off when Izumi slowly began to successfully sit up, noticing her eyes were looking past her. Alert, she looked over her shoulder, Kato following suite, and they both tensed up.
The main topic of their conversation, Itachi, was standing across the room. His eyes, however, were no longer red.
He looked like he had been walking at a fast pace and halted the moment Izumi had spotted him. His eyes locked on hers, slightly more alert as the one clue to his reaction and what he could be thinking now. Her mouth went dry, lips slightly parted as though his name failed to reach her lips.
There was some awkward silence, with only the background noises of the crowding people from the arena walking and talking around them. Just when it seemed as though he would walk away, they was surprised to find him coming closer. Kato's eyes were wide with awe. Hana's were narrowed with a wary glare.
Tension grew more brittle the closer he came, but Izumi couldn't help the slight hopeful flutter that batted away any fear she might've harbored earlier. The night of when she saw him last lingered in her mind with its bittersweet conclusion... and the nightmare...due to the Sharingan's genjutsu...
"I-Itachi-kun," she ended up stuttering out, when he stopped only a few feet away. The creases in his eyes seemed to deepen with weariness despite his unreadable look, hard and hewn from nearly the past three years alone.
"Izumi," said Itachi. Then he gave a slight bow to Hana. "Inuzuka-san."
"Uchiha-san," Hana returned, more stiffly.
Then Itachi's eyes drifted to Kato, who was still staring.
Was it just her imagination, or did his posture seem to tense up even more?
Izumi almost smiled, before it suddenly occurred to her that Itachi likely didn't know Kato that well. Or at all.
"I'm Kato Uchiha," Kato introduced himself. "I live in the lower-branch district of our clan. My father is a metal smith."
"I thought you looked familiar," said Itachi with some acknowledgement, though his face remained unchanging. "I collected the weapons from your father to take out of the village for trade. His skills are admirable." Then he turned down to Izumi. "I saw you pass out in the scaffolding."
"O-Oh! Ha!" Izumi laughed uneasily, and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, all while thinking rapidly of a proper answer. "Y-You know me...always fainting, getting a little too excited..."
"Your Sharingan wasn't activated."
"...N-No, it wasn't. This time."
"...Are you okay?"
Itachi sounded concerned, which took Izumi off guard. Yet, before she could reply, Hana startled everyone by snapping angrily, "What's it to you, huh?!"
"Hana!" Izumi protested, shocked by her friend's outburst, but Hana gave her a sharp glance very briefly, saying, "What? Am I wrong? Have I been misreading the whole situation for the entire year he's been ignoring you?" She growled at Itachi, who impressively kept his legendarily unflinching composure. "We came and watched your fight because apparently Izumi-chan promised she would! She's grounded, did you know that? And yet she still snuck out and came because she wanted to. I almost didn't want to come, but I happened to have an extra ticket!"
Mortified, Izumi took her friend by the shoulder and shook it gently. "Hana-chan, please don't yell at him here!" While she appreciated Hana sticking up for her like this, it made her uncomfortable that she had to mention their old promise from childhood like this in order to make Itachi feel guilty right after his victory. They came today to support him, not criticize him. Despite what happened to that guy Nemui...A shiver ran down her spine. The horror of that scene still haunted her.
She already knew Itachi had a cruel streak, but this was different. Because rather than displaying too much emotion like a little more than a year ago, this type of act seemed to show no emotion at all. Like scaring a person to insanity wasn't personal, but logical and necessary, and that seemed even more terrifying.
Itachi looked down at his feet. "I understand," he said. If one looked closer, he looked exhausted. Full of remorse. Then to her, "I didn't think you would come."
I hadn't meant for you see that, was what he really meant by his words.
"Itachi-kun..." Izumi almost didn't come even before she was grounded, because a little more than a week ago she had been too concerned about staying on Noriro's good side in regards of her mother. However, one week has passed, and she was still on bad terms with Hazuki over the situation with the jinchuriki. They were barely speaking, Hazuki was still working two jobs, and Izumi still hadn't told her about her own promotion. She'll let the school do that for her when summer is over.
Feeling guilty, Izumi forced a smile. "Of course! I said I would, remember? That I would support you when you became chunin?"
"I remember," murmured Itachi.
Izumi's spirits lifted. "And now that it has happened, congratulations on your results!" she told him. "I haven't seen the score yet, but I'm sure without a doubt that they're pretty high."
"I haven't seen them yet, either," Itachi admitted, looking a tad awkward.
"Huh? Really?"
"I was...pre-occupied," said Itachi, but didn't continue from there. She didn't miss the way his eyes narrowed ever-so slightly as he turned ever so slightly towards the halls where he came from. It looked whatever he had been "pre-occupied" with hadn't been a particularly happy subject. Izumi wondered if he would tell her if she asked...
"We saw them," said Kato, and then told them.
"Wow, that is high!" gasped Izumi a the high numbers mentioned, and then beamed at her childhood friend. "First place! You're a chunin for sure, Itachi-kun!"
Itachi's eyes widened a notch, as if he was surprised at her genuine praise. Then he gave her a little smile, cheeks a tad pink. "Thank you," he whispered, and Izumi blushed in return. It almost felt old times again.
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Izumi had been walking to the park she was familiar with as a child when she found him. At the sight, her footsteps paused. Eyes widened slightly.
The other children, however few there were, kept their distance, eyes wary with fear and disgust. A minor reflection from their parents, no doubt.
The little boy was sitting on one of the swings. Alone and sad, the spark in his bright, azure eyes dimmed. His blond hair remained an unruly mess, his shirt the same ruffled bleach with an orange swirling maelstrom emblem on the front. His chubby cheeks still had their strange whiskered marks, making him strangely resemble a kitten. Or a fox cub.
Izumi winced inwardly at that comparison and sighed. Guilt lodged in her throat once more as she still remembered that awful day when this little boy had been brutally beaten out of the fabric shop by her mother.
The little whiskered boy hopped off the swing and started walking away. Making a self-conscious decision, Izumi followed him.