Revised on 6/21/22

Chapter 7 - Team 2

Itachi always thought the chairs in therapist's offices looked comfortable, but this one was too firm. The firm leather stuck to his cold skin. The chilled air made Itachi wonder if he was even supposed to be comfortable. It would be an excellent strategy to examine how he handled slightly stressful situations. He had been somewhat nervous when he arrived, and the wait didn't help. He was instructed to arrive fifteen minutes early. He then had to wait an additional thirty minutes after his appointed time.

The man who walked in was tall and lean. He had short, spiky blond hair with a ponytail in the back. He had blue, pupil-less eyes that seemed to stare into your soul.

Sitting down across from Itachi, "Itachi, I'm Inoichi Yamanaka. I'll be conducting your psych evaluation."

Itachi sat there waiting for the questions to begin.

"I'll start with a basic question. Why did you want to become a shinobi?"

It seemed like a simple question, but it was more complicated than it appeared. "I want to put an end to the spiral of violence in the shinobi world. The best way to do that is from the inside."

Writing some things into his notebook, "Elaborate more on this spiral of violence."

"Countries wage war. These wars lead to deaths, and in turn, nations hate one another. This hatred leads to more death, and the spiral continues."

Writing more onto the pad of paper, "That's an interesting viewpoint. Your parents told me that you began training at the age of four. That seems a little young for something that serious. What caused you to start training?" Inoichi knew what had started his training. He had read the report of how the boy visited the battlefield. He was more interested in how self-observant the boy was.

Itachi could still see it in his head, the dead bodies scattered around the field. "The week before I began training, my father took me outside the village. It was the first time I had ever left. He took me to a battlefield. There were dead bodies everywhere, enemies, friendly, civilians. No one was spared from the horrors of war. I began training after seeing that."

Inoichi wrote in his notebook throughout the story, "Is it safe to assume that this battle is what led you to your motivation?"

"Motivation?" The boy asked.

"Contrary to popular belief, prodigies must still put in much effort. In my opinion, prodigies are a mixture of hard work and natural talent. The hard work still requires motivation."

"Yes, the trip is largely why I'm motivated."

"And the other part?"

"My brother, Sasuke."

That was understandable. Many people were motivated to protect their families, particularly younger siblings, and children. "Do you have nightmares of that trip?"

Itachi took a moment, thinking back. "When I first came back from the trip, I used to have trouble sleeping, but those dreams went away a few years back."

That seemed an appropriate response. Inoichi would've known Itachi was lying if the boy had denied the nightmares altogether. Nothing that had caused that great of an impact on his life wouldn't have been without leaving scars. "What about friends? Advancing through the academy at such a rate must've made it difficult to make friends."

"I've got a couple of close friends, mostly in my clan. I often train with a slightly older genin named Shisui and an old classmate named Izumi." Itachi omitted Saisu; he didn't know the boy well enough to consider him a friend.

"I think that's enough." He finished writing in his notebook before closing it, "I'll be in touch if I need anything else. You're dismissed."

Itachi stood up and bowed. Walking over, he went to leave.

"One more thing. Itachi, I recommend you try and get a few more friends. It will help as your career becomes more strenuous."

Inoichi walked into the Hokage's office. Handing him a folder containing papers on his most recent evaluation. "My report on Uchiha, Itachi's psyche."

The Hokage grabbed the folder opening it up, "It has been a while since I was last hand-delivered a psych eval for my new genin." He hadn't been the one reviewing the reports since he had retaken the position from his predecessor, Minato.

"It has been a while since I last conducted a psych eval on a new genin. I figured since you requested me to conduct the investigation, you'd wish to see the results, sir." With his work at the T & I division, he hadn't done much as a therapist.

Closing the folder, "And your personal opinion on the boy?"

"I think he's fit for the active roster. The boy's a bit reserved and anti-social. Still, his responses to trauma are healthy, and he seems motivated to protect his comrades." Inoichi answered.

"Will he be a flight risk to the village?" Prodigies tended to make up most missing-nin, and since the attack on the village, Uchiha's weren't the most loyal clan.

"His loyalties lie firstly with his brother. I fear that if he doesn't gain more attachments, friends, he may abandon the village if his brother ever deserts the village."

The commander thought on this information, "Thank you, Inoichi, you are dismissed."

After the blond man left, another man spoke up from the shadow, "That news is quite disheartening. Konoha can't lose a shinobi of his caliber. I think the boy would be a great fit for the ANBU program. Reserved with anti-social tendencies, we wouldn't need to worry about his spilling village secrets. With his healthy stress response, we wouldn't need to worry about him breaking down due to the nature of the ANBU."

"He's still much too young. He needs to be making friends, you heard Inoichi. Without friends, he may be a flight risk to the village."

"Under me, the boy will no longer be a flight risk to the village." They both knew what he was referring to. Itachi's roots needed to be strong.

"Danzo, I have given my order. The boy will not be a member of ANBU." The commander stated his authority evident in his voice.

"As you wish, Hokage." Danzo hadn't survived this long by being stupid. He aired on the side of caution, and it wouldn't be wise or cautions if a clan heir was to suddenly vanish. He would have to wait and hope Itachi joined his crusade.

The graduation ceremony is traditionally held at the end of summer, on the first day of fall. That was the reason for the chilly air running through Itachi's hair. He was the youngest of the graduates standing behind the stage, preparing to get called out. Slowly, one by one, the other students were called out on stage to be given a forehead protector and blessed by the Hokage.

After the graduation ceremony, each new shinobi will be assigned to a team with two other genin and a jonin to train them further. Itachi's turn was coming up; he could tell because the room was nearly empty. Now that he was a shinobi, he would be allowed to make purchases in military shops and be given discounts at certain shops.

The last student was just called out; standing up, Itachi walked over to the side of the stage, outside the crowd's view. Waiting for his cue, he looked out into the crowd, spotting his mother; he looked for the rest of his family but only saw his brother. Itachi knew that his father wasn't going to be there. As the clan leader, he was too busy to make it to these events, but Itachi would be lying if he said he wasn't upset by this.

Hearing the Third introduce him as "The Leaf's newest prodigy," Itachi walked to the middle of the stage where the Hokage was standing. He accepted the Hitai-ate from the older shinobi. Bowing before his leader, "Thank you, Hokage," He respectfully said before exiting off the stage.

He rubbed his thumb against the numbers engraved on the back of his Hitai-ate. Each shinobi, past and present, had a unique number that identified them. Looking down at the metal, he saw his number, '20736'. It was initially implemented by the second Hokage as a means to identify a shinobi who died in battle, and the body was unrecognizable. Itachi understood why, but it was a little disheartening to know that he was just a number.

Seeing Shisui and Izumi waiting for him a short distance from the stage, he began walking toward them. Tying his forehead protector behind his head, Itachi approached an overly excited Izumi and a smiling Shisui. Even if his father couldn't make it, this event would still be memorable. However, before he could reach them, he was intercepted by his younger brother grabbing his leg from the side.

"Brother!" The young boy screamed, hugging his brother's left leg, "Great job!" the ecstatic Uchiha exclaimed, "Now you can train me."

A smile formed on the serious boy's face, looking down at his younger brother, "Maybe some other time," as he rubbed the top of his brother's head and tapped his forehead with two fingers.

Looking up with his best pleading look, "Pleaseeeeeeee."

Itachi looked away, "Go talk to mother about it; you have to get her approval first."

Perking up, "Really?" receiving a nod in confirmation, the energetic boy ran towards his unexpecting mother.

Turning to his friends, he received a smirk from Shisui and a look of disbelief from Izumi. Before he could talk with them, a chunin interrupted them offering Itachi a scroll. Grabbing the scroll, he opened it slowly, reading its content as he opened it.

Running out of patience, Izumi ran over to him, "What does it say" she questioned

Finishing the scroll, Itachi tucked it away, "It's instructions when, and where

I need to meet my new team. I'm the newest addition to Team 2." he said without a hint of excitement

Shisui had made it over to them by this point, "Congratulations, man," the older boy said, offering a fist bump.

Bumping his fist up against his best friend's, Itachi was caught off guard by Izumi wrapping her arms around his neck. Itachi wrapped a single arm around her. He just stared at a laughing Shisui, shocked by this display of affection.

Izumi was glad that Itachi couldn't see her face now because she knew it was extremely red. She was proud of her teacher, friend, and partner; he had accomplished what many considered impossible. "You did it!" she exclaimed before releasing him, "You're one of the youngest students to graduate, and you're the youngest student to graduate outside of war."

Although no one knew, Itachi was equally embarrassed. However, he wouldn't admit it; he caught himself occasionally thinking about more with Izumi. Stopping those unproductive thoughts, he realized that he had forgotten to eat in all the commotion. "Do you want to get dinner?" he asked his training partners.

Both happily agreed to go out for a celebratory dinner. As the three friends left, they were unaware of the masked man watching them.

After dinner, Itachi had a few hours to kill before he had to get back home. Deciding to get in a few hours of training, he asked Shisui to spar. Unfortunately, being promoted to chunin meant that Shisui was a lot busier than he once was. Overhearing their conversation, Izumi offered to join him. Together they left for one of the many training fields inside the Uchiha compound.

Itachi generally won their fights, but it was different this time. They had been sparing for a bit, but Izumi's head wasn't in the right place. Today she had more slipups than usual, and the blows she did land were sloppy. Itachi had sparred with her too many times to know she wasn't giving it her all.

Standing up from where he once again pinned her on the ground, "What's wrong?" He asked, offering her a hand.

Shaking her head, "It's nothing," looking down at the ground, she decided that her feet were more interesting than this conversation.

Itachi could tell that something was wrong. Izumi was generally cheery, but she looked nervous and upset right now. "I can tell something is bothering you." He told her bluntly.

Looking at her socially awkward friend, "It's just that we're from the same clan, and we've both had the same teachers. Yet here you are, graduating years early, excelling at every task you're given, and I'm just remaining stagnant."

Debating in his head what to say, Itachi didn't want to come across as arrogant, but he wished to offer relief to his friend. "It's easy to compare yourself to others, and when you do, you'll always notice where you're lacking. However, comparing yourself to others is rarely beneficial." He placed a hand on his distressed friend's shoulder, "Each day, you should be aiming to be better than the previous day. Everyone progresses at their own rate. Being a prodigy means I'm an exception, not the bar."

Izumi smiled at her friend, who was too wise for his young age, "Thank you Itachi." He made it difficult not to fall for him.

"Besides, I'd put you against other students, and you would be victorious. I guarantee it." Smiling at his friend.

Izumi chuckled at this.

Itachi was serious; he didn't know what was funny about it. "What?"

"It's funny; I don't think I've ever heard you talk that much at once. Usually, it's Shisui whose doing all the talking or me. I could get used to it."

Izumi's cheek became pink, but Itachi didn't notice. He was too focused on trying not to blush himself. Why did people feel the need to tease and compliment him? Returning to the center of the field, "Let's go again."

Itachi arrived at the location a bit early. It was a habit that he taught himself from day one at the academy. He sat against a tree, opening a book to read while waiting for his new teammates. Today was the day he was meant to meet his new team and hopefully begin accepting missions. Learning who his sensei was from the scroll, he decided to ask around the Uchiha compound to see if he could get a read on his teacher before meeting him. Everyone had the same story; Yuki was a reasonably competent jonin with a decent track record, nothing magnificent, but he had earned his place as a jonin. The only problem that most people had with him was his unusually high failure rate. This either meant that Yuki was a rigorous teacher, which ensured his students progressed quickly, or he was an incompetent teacher who failed at teaching his past students. Neither option was optimal.

The trees nearby rustled before a middle-aged man stepped out. He was of average height and had short brown hair. He also had a green flak jacket on. Walking over to Itachi, he looked down at the boy sitting against the tree. "You must be Itachi; I've heard much about you." He said with a fake smile.

Skipping formalities, "And you must be my sensei, Yuki Minazuki." The 'arrogant' boy said, standing up.

This frustrated Yuki a bit, but he tried not to show it. "We'll have to wait for the others before we can begin. While we wait, do you have any questions for me?"

The young boy thought, "No, not at this moment."

Looking down at the book Itachi had in his hand, Yuki was surprised; a child-like him would be reading something so advanced, but he probably didn't understand it. The two stood together in awkward silence until the last two genin arrived. They appeared to know each other by the way they walked together talking. They were probably part of the same class. The girl, who appeared to be five years older than Itachi, wore her light brown hair in dual pigtails. Instead of the traditional headbands, she wore her forehead protector as a bandanna. She wore a red, long-sleeved shirt with a white strip down the middle. The other member of the duo was a boy around the same age as the girl. He had short, dark gray hair that was spiked. He had a blue forehead protector that fell beneath his hair. He wore a lightweight gray shirt and black pants. Itachi immediately identified the boy as one of the students in Dokan's group.

Walking up to their sensei, the boy stepped forward, "Tenma and Shinko reporting for duty." Stepping back, he took a glance towards Itachi beside him, "Who's the kid?" he questioned with an arrogant smirk

Motion to Itachi, Yuki explained to the other two students, "This is your third teammate, Itachi Uchiha. He may look young, but he was handpicked by the Hokage to graduate prematurely." Even if Yuki disagreed, it was ordered directly from the Hokage himself; he had to obey it.

Itachi could already tell that the next few days would be extremely long, having to work with these two.

After introductions, Yuki instructed them to return the next day. They would begin working on their teamwork, and he'd assess their current skills.

Sasuke had been pestering Itachi to train with him. He would be joining the academy in a couple of years. He would be six, a year older than Itachi was when he joined. However, he was old enough to begin some light training. Itachi was planning on teaching him some basic stretches and how to meditate. Shinobi needed to be flexible, and meditation would lead him to become familiar with his chakra.

Sitting in the middle of the field, he patted the ground beside him for Itachi to sit. The giddy boy sat down next to his brother, crossing his legs to mimic his brother's position.

"Close your eyes." He instructed his brother, "Feel the wind blow through your hair, the grass against your skin."

Sasuke seemed a bit twitchy, but he complied with the orders.

"Breathe in; feel the oxygen fill your lungs." Following his instructions, he said, "Breathe out, let your thoughts leave as your breath does. Repeat."

A few minutes passed with the two of them breathing, "Feel inside your gut. There should be a pool of warmth. That is your chakra. Become familiar with it because you'll use it plenty in the academy."

They stayed sitting together for fifteen minutes before Sasuke became too restless. Opening his eyes, Itachi placed his hand on Sasuke, standing up. "Now, let's practice some stretches. Stretching is important as it reduces the risk of injury and allows us to fight properly."

Itachi taught him a few stretches, correcting his posture and ensuring he maintained his stretch long enough. Itachi could hear someone approaching him from behind when they were finishing up.

Turning around, he saw his mother approaching them with two benzo boxes. "I figured with all this difficult training, you two might be getting hungry."

"Thank you, mother," Itachi said.

"Mom?" Sasuke questioned, turning around. Seeing her standing there, he ran over and hugged her leg. "Itachi taught me all these cool stretches and how to feel my chakra." He beamed up at her.

"I saw that," She smiled back at him. "Why don't me and you head back home. I think your brother might be late for a meeting with his team."

Checking the time, he realized she was right.

Arriving at the training field, he entered it without hesitation. His team was already there. It made sense; he was ten minutes late. Tenma was leaning against a tree while Shinko lay in the grass staring at the sky. His sensei was the only one doing anything productive by reading a book.

Placing the book in his pouch, "Thank you for finally joining us, Itachi. I don't know how they treated you at the academy, but you will not be permitted to show up to scheduled training late on this team." Yuki had heard how prodigies were given special treatment, but he wasn't going to give this kid any kind of special treatment because of his skill.

"My apologies, sensei, it won't happen again."

"It's what we get for allowing a baby onto the team," Tenma said, walking over to join the other three.

Yuki ignored his comment, "To begin, I'd like to gather knowledge of your current skills. We'll do this by you three sparring in a free for all. I'll be keeping an eye on all of you and will step in before anyone gets in any real danger. So, don't be afraid to go all out."

Tenma gazed at Itachi like a predator does their prey, "This should be fun." He grinned.

"Since Shinko arrived here first, I'll let her leave first as well. She'll get five minutes to prepare before Tenma gets sent off. Finally, I'll let Itachi leave after another five minutes." Their sensei explained.

Shinko was running through the forest surrounding the training field. She knew she needed to get as far away from the two boys as she could during her five minutes. She knew she didn't stand much of a chance against Tenma, and if the rumors she heard were true, she didn't stand against Itachi either. Hearing a twig snap behind her, she turned around, throwing a kunai at where the sound originated.

Tenma walked out from the brush. He was unharmed. Obviously, the kunai didn't hit its point. "I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk before the freak catches up to us."

"You shouldn't call him that. Why do you need me? Why not fight him yourself?" She asked.

"I think we must ensure his head doesn't become too big. I don't know if I can do it myself." That was hard for him to admit, but he hated the idea of losing to a kid years younger than him.

"What can I do?"

The two of them formed a quick plan. They only had minutes to plan and prepare before their target arrived in the small clearing.

All his students fighting in the same place made Yuki's job easier. He could watch all three of them in the same place. Itachi was still a couple of minutes away, taking it slowly. One of Uchihas' many talents was tracking, so Yuki doubted that was the problem. The boy was playing it cautiously, which is not bad when fighting two targets of unknown strength. It seemed that he hadn't been affected by all the praise from his sensei.

He heard the boy before he saw him walk into the clearing. Something was off. Itachi wasn't even being quiet by civilian standards. He wanted the other two to hear. He was setting a trap.

He could hear it rather than see it, but his reflexes were still on point. Catching the blade inches from his face, he tossed it at a second incoming projectile knocking it off course. A feminine gasp came from the trees revealing Shinko's position. Itachi threw a kunai into the trees where he heard the noise, but he wasn't looking to hit her. Moments later, two figures jumped out of the trees landing in the clearing. The trees exploded moments later.

"An explosive tag, really?" A piece of Tenma's hair was singed, "I thought the objective was to fight us, not maim us."

Itachi might've gone a little overboard. "I thought it was a free for all."

Tenma pulled out two kunai, holding one in a reverse grip. Deciding to let their weapons talk instead. Itachi didn't pull out any weapons. Instead, he chose to duck and block attacks by grabbing his forearms. He was doing a great job of avoiding the attacks. Grabbing his wrist, Itachi flipped around Tenma, hitting the back of his hand and causing him to drop the throwing knife. Tenma began swinging much more erratically now that he was down to a single weapon. Ducking beneath a swing, Itachi hit the boy's throat, causing him to cough violently, dropping his weapon so that he could grab his throat.

Itachi grabbed the kunai from the ground, holding it against his teammate's throat. "Yield!"

Tenma's throat hurt, "Shinko, a little help." After receiving no response, "Shinko?!"

The girl in question had her hands tied and a kunai to her back. The two of them yielded

Their sensei jumped down from where he was observing, "That's enough. Release them, Itachi."

Cutting the wire, his clone dismissed itself before Itachi backed away from Tenma and handed the kunai back to his teammate.

"All of your performances were admirable." Their sensei stated.

"Since when is getting your ass kicked admirably?" Tenma scoffed.

"Knowing and admitting that you couldn't beat your teammate alone and forming a team with a potential enemy to complete the mission was admirable." Their sensei continued. "Shinko, although it may be confusing, running was the best option you could have taken. You didn't stand a chance against two superior opponents, and throwing away your life in a situation like this would've been pointless."

Shinko looked down, ashamed at first, but ultimately smiled from her teacher's praise.

Turning to face Itachi, "Although your fighting was admirable, your overall performance was lacking. You charged into battle without knowing how strong your opponents were and with numbers not on your side. You endangered yourself; if this was a real mission, you could've jeopardized it, along with your team. You need to start thinking about the bigger picture."

"Of course, sensei." The boy who was being reprimanded replied.

Yuki didn't understand why Itachi didn't argue back. He wanted the boy to argue back. At least then, the man would have a reason to send him back to the academy. In truth, he was harder on Itachi. His student could've retreated and placed a trap for the other two, but that was obviously uncalled for. He had handled the fight well, even if Yuki didn't want to admit it. "Let's try this again, but this time no jutsu."

Itachi walked into the clearing, surprised to see Izumi standing in the field, looking as confused as he felt. Shisui had come to him after returning from a mission and insisted he join him in training field 15. However, he didn't mention anything about Izumi being there as well.

Looking over at him, "Hey Itachi, I didn't know you would be here."

"Shisui asked me to come here. Did he tell you anything else?" Itachi thought he had been asked to spar with Shisui. It wasn't unusual after a challenging mission.

"Sorry, he just told me to hurry."

"Great, both of you are here." The boy in question said, "I've got a gift for both of you. As you both know, my last mission took me to Amegakure."

Izumi could hardly stand the wait, "And?"

"And, as you both know, Ame's greatest export is…."

"Chakra induction paper?" Itachi answered.

"Correct." Shisui said, pulling out two pieces of paper, "I got one for each of you."

Taking her paper, "So uhhh, what is this for?"

"It allows the user to determine their affinity or affinities by channeling their chakra into it."

Izumi remembered the instructors teaching about this in her class. Each shinobi had a nature affinity that was passed down through their blood. In some instances, people with strong chakra could possess multiple affinities, but usually, they possessed a primary and secondary affinity. Although it is possible to learn all five natures, it is difficult for shinobi to learn jutsus that they do not have an affinity. It was even harder to learn jutsu for affinity of the opposite element. "So, I should just channel chakra into my hands?" As she asked that, her paper became soaked in water."

"An affinity for water, interesting. What about you, Itachi?"

Channeling chakra into his paper, it wrinkled before catching fire. "Fire, it's very common for an Uchiha."

"That's not all." Grabbing another paper from his bag, "Try it again."

Itachi channeled chakra into it, causing the same result. The paper wrinkled before catching on fire. "Same results."

"I figured they would be, but did you notice that the paper wrinkled before catching flame. It means you have an affinity to lightning as well." Shisui explained. "I've got an affinity for fire and wind." Both the boy's possessed strong chakra through genetics, so it wasn't surprising that they'd possess multiple affinities.

"Wait, you both have an affinity for fire?" Izumi wondered. What were the chances that both boys had the same primary affinity?

"It's very common for Uchiha to have an affinity for fire."

"What about me then? Shouldn't I have a fire affinity as well?" She asked.

"Not quite, like eye color, some affinities are recessive. When it comes to fire, it is recessive to water. It's unheard of for a shinobi to have an affinity toward fire and water. I would bet that your father had an affinity towards water." Shisui explained, sounding smarted than he generally let on.

"That makes sense, I guess." Scratching her head, "Well, I guess I'll be able to bath my enemies to death."

Shisui raised an eyebrow, "It's true that water jutsus might not be as destructive as fire or wind, but it has much more versatility."

Itachi continued, knowing Izumi wouldn't wholly think of all the uses. "Water can be used for both defense and offense effectively. Lightning is great offensively, but it can't be used defensively effectively. Earth, on the other hand, is great at defensive. If used correctly, it can be nearly impenetrable. However, its offensive capabilities are limited."

"Neither of those are even water's best advantages. A strong water user can control any battle by controlling the battlefield. Earth is the only other element that can do this." The eldest boy explained.

"But what about fire? It seems to be an effective way to control the battlefield." Izumi asked, enjoying the lesson.

"Fire, like wind and lightning, can be used to change that battlefield. However, once you start a fire, you can no longer control it. It becomes just as big of a disadvantage as an advantage." Itachi explained.

"That makes sense." She was beginning to enjoy the idea of being a water user.

"Water users are also infrequent in Konoha. Enemies won't expect it to come from a Konoha shinobi."

Izumi looked disappointed, "So that means there's no heroic role model."

Shisui chuckled at this, "What do you know about the Second Hokage?"

Chapter Words: 5,255

Story Words: 26,505

ORIGINAL A/N: Hey everyone! As we approach 20K words, I'd like to know what you guys think. Is it worth continuing? I also am thinking about adding a heading to each section. Would that improve the overall readability, or would it just be a waste of time?

A/N: If anyone is interested, I posted the ending of this story on today. It doesn't contain anything between the present and the end, but I got inspired and wrote it all in one sitting. Don't read it if you don't want spoilers because there are several. If you're interested, enjoy.

"There's no talent here; this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist; we are all equals as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top, and that's that. I am not talented. I am obsessed." -Conor McGregor