Chapter 11 - Chunin Exams
Arriving back to the village was eventful. Immediately they were surrounded by additional ANBU. The two ANBU carrying Shinko and him were relieved.
Speaking to a random member of the ANBU squad, "I need three squads ready to leave the village on the Hokage's orders." Hound commanded. "Take those two to medical and get them checked out. Wait with them until you get a verbal report."
A simultaneous "Hai" came from the three operatives.
It only took moments for them to arrive at the hospital, but once they arrived, they were immediately taken to a back entrance. The two ANBU waited outside the door while the doctors examined. The two ANBU returned with the doctors' permission to receive their reports.
The reports took a while, but after they were completed, the two genin were taken to separate rooms for further observation. It felt as if hours had passed until the hospital door opened. In walked the Hokage, flanked by two ANBU, Fox and Hound. If he hadn't seen them walk in, Itachi wouldn't have known the two ANBU were in the room. They disappeared as soon as they walked in.
"Itachi, I heard you had quite the day. I have a few more questions for you." The village commander requested.
"Of course, Hokage-sama." Itachi replied, "May I ask a question first?" Receiving a nod of approval, "Did anyone else survive?"
"Your teammate Shinko survived, but I'm assuming you already knew about that." These were the times that made Hiruzen truly feel his age. "Besides you and her, there were no survivors."
"How is she?" Even if they weren't great friends, Itachi was still concerned for his teammate.
"She's doing better now. Besides the symptoms of a panic attack, she seemed to have fared well."
"Thank you." Itachi may not be great in social situations, but he was always polite.
"From your report, the man was wearing a mask. I'm assuming you didn't see any distinctive marks or characteristics?"
"He wore a mask and cloak. I'm sorry I couldn't see anything underneath."
"Is there anything you could tell us that may help us identify him?" Hiruzen asked but wasn't hopeful that the boy could.
"His target was the Daimyo; he didn't engage anyone until Tenma charged at him," Itachi stated, recalling the situation. "He was a skilled genjutsu user. I couldn't break sensei out of the genjutsu cast on him."
"There are many skilled genjutsu users throughout the elemental nations."
"How many of them are rouge shinobi? No nation would've risked war for a subtle stab at the nation of fire." At the very least, a nation would hire a rouge shinobi to perform a deed like this. "He was also very confident in his genjutsu and fighting skills. He was willing to put his back to three genin and a jonin, even if the latter was under a genjutsu."
"Interesting observation. However, it would be unwise not to consider active shinobi from other hidden villages." His nickname wasn't The Professor for no reason. He was already analyzing the information he was receiving from the boy. "A rouge shinobi would have no reason to commit this act alone. The question is, who's payroll was he on?"
The mysterious man didn't even seem to be trying when he fought them. "His genjutsu wasn't even his specialty. He was easily high-jonin level. I've never seen anyone match his speed, not even sensei."
"I also figured that after hearing that he killed two ANBU." The leader whispered under his breath, not worried that the information would leave the room. "Thank you. Please let me know if you think of anything further."
Before leaving the room, "Sir, do you know when I'll be released?"
"You should be released tomorrow. The medics wish to observe you tonight." The village leader stated before leaving the room.
That night was long, he wasn't tired, and anytime he tried to sleep, he was reminded of the event that put him in the hospital. He spent most of the night staring up at the ceiling, replaying that memory in his head, wondering what he could have done differently. Would he have ended up like Tenma, a body without a head, or could he have put up enough resistance until the ANBU team arrived? He knew the thoughts were unhealthy, but that didn't stop his mind from drifting. Sitting in the window, Itachi watched the empty streets of the village. There was no movement except for the occasional stirring of the drunk man sleeping in an alley.
Hours later, morning came, and the hospital started waking up again. Itachi could hear it in the halls and on the street. They were not going to release him until noon, so Itachi did the only thing he could, lay there and wait. Eventually, a knock came on his door. After waiting a moment, the door opened, and Izumi peeked inside.
"Come in," Itachi smiled, relieved to have something else to think about. The first thing Itachi noticed about her was the glint of metal beneath her bangs. "Congratulations."
Izumi sat in the chair beside the bed, "For what?" The newness of her forehead protector having worn off.
"You're a sworn-in shinobi now. How does it feel?" Itachi sat up in bed so that he was even with his friend.
"Oh, yeah." She blushed, embarrassed that she had forgotten so soon. "You didn't warn me that D-rank missions would be this boring." The girl whined.
"How do you feel about your new team?" Itachi just ignored the comment. It wasn't his fault she didn't remember the misery he had faced a couple of years prior.
"Eh, they're okay. They are not as fun to hang out with as you and Shisui," She beamed. "And I think Shisui could take sensei in a fight."
The number of Leaf shinobi Shisui couldn't beat was steadily shrinking, "Is your sensei training you properly?" He asked, remembering back to when he first joined Team 2.
"Yeah," Izumi was excited about this next part, "Sensei is a kenjutsu specialist and has begun teaching us the basics of handling a sword."
Itachi knew she had wanted to learn kenjutsu since learning about the Second Hokage's prowess with a blade. Unfortunately, neither he nor Shisui had been taught kenjutsu and, therefore, couldn't teach her.
"When are they going to let you out of here?" The girl asked, looking up at the ceiling. She already didn't like it and had only been here for a few minutes.
"Noon. Want to grab lunch after?"
"Sounds great!" Izumi knew better than to think it was a date. "What happened on your mission anyways? Everyone is extremely tight-lipped about it."
"I was too weak." Itachi turned his head; he didn't want to talk about this. Izumi was his friend, and he knew that meant sharing experiences, but he wasn't ready for that right now. Itachi had many qualities, but not all of them were good. One of those qualities was being a perfectionist, and up until yesterday, that was what his mission record was, perfect.
The conversation ended with that. The two sat silent until Izumi stood up, "I'm going to see if I can get something to drink." They both knew it was an excuse to leave the room.
With Izumi gone, his thoughts went back to the mission yesterday. Once he left the hospital, he would pick up training with a revived passion. Obviously, he wasn't training hard enough.
When Izumi returned, it was with two cups of tea. The two friends began talking again, careful not to steer the conversation back to the failed mission.
Izumi waited with Itachi in the hospital until they released him. As they were searing for something for lunch, they were approached by a chunin.
"Itachi Uchiha?" Receiving a nod from Itachi, "The Hokage requests your presence."
"Thank you." He turned to Izumi, "I must go. Want to grab lunch later?"
"I have to meet up with my team in a little bit." Izumi explained, "But how about a raincheck on lunch?"
Itachi smiled and nodded in reply. It took a moment to reach the Hokage Tower, but once he arrived, the secretary sent him in immediately. Alongside the Hokage were the village elder, Danzo, and the jonin captain, Shikaku Nara.
"Itachi, sit." His commander requested, "After your latest mission's causalities and the retirement of your final teammate, it was debated what would be the best course of action regarding you. It would be detrimental to wait and place you on a new genin team."
"Yuki should've had your team enrolled in the chunin exams at the latest a year ago." The jonin captain began, "Unfortunately, there are no genin teams in the active roster who are both missing a member and ready for the chunin exams."
"Thank you, Shikaku. This presents us with both a challenge and an opportunity. If you feel ready, we can send you to the chunin exams as a single-man team. We have a jonin ready to act as your sensei for the event."
"This presents a risk to yourself but an opportunity for the Leaf. You would need to be able to fight teams of high-genin, low-chunin shinobi." Danzo began, "However, if you succeed, it will show clients that a single Leaf genin can accomplish what it takes a team of others to complete. After the Nine-Tails Attack, it could be just what it takes to boost our mission counts."
"The final decision is up to you, and I strongly suggest you think it over. You don't have to decide today, but it is urgent."
"I'll do it." Itachi was slightly nervous about fighting against teams of enemy genin, especially if any of them still possessed grudges from the last war. However, the only way he'd progress his skill is by gaining more experience by going on more harrowing missions.
"If you are sure, you can meet your sensei in an hour at training field nine." The village leader stated. "You are dismissed."
"Thank you, Hokage." Itachi slightly bowed to his leader before exiting his office. Itachi had lots to think about. Finally, he was given the opportunity to become a chunin. Somehow this wasn't how he had ever thought it would happen. It took the death of his team to provide him with this opportunity. It was hardly a worthwhile trade. Still, he wouldn't let the memory of his team down. He would give this exam everything he had.
Itachi knocked on the large wooden door. It belonged to a tea shop, but not any random tea shop. Itachi was visiting this shop for a specific purpose. He was visiting this shop because of the person who worked here. A girl slightly older than Itachi opened the door. It was his previous teammate, Shinko.
"I-Itachi?" The girl questioned, surprised to see him here.
"Hey, Shinko, may I come in?" The boy requested. The tea shop hadn't opened yet, but it was close enough to open that they were probably getting ready to open.
"Of course," The girl said, stepping out of the doorway.
After entering the building, Itachi turned to the girl, "Do you have a moment to sit with me and talk?"
"Let me grab some tea first; then we can talk." It was a tea shop, after all. It wouldn't be fitting to talk over anything else.
A couple of minutes later, Shinko returned with two mugs of tea. Sitting across from her previous teammate, "What did you wish to talk about?
Taking a sip of the hot tea, Itachi focused on the warm liquid going down his throat. "I just finished a meeting with the Hokage. He informed me that you had retired."
Shinko waited a moment to speak. She knew she should have told Itachi personally. They had been teammates for over two years, and she owed him that. However, she couldn't find the words when it came time to tell him. "Yes."
"Why?" Itachi wasn't trying to be rude; he was trying to figure out why someone would retire at such a young age with no injuries. "You seem to be in perfect health. Surely you knew that death would be part of the shinobi life."
"I did, but I never realized how vulnerable we are." Sensei was the strongest shinobi she knew, and even he was killed. "I guess that last mission made me realize that no matter how strong we get, we're still human. I'll never be able to keep up with you, and at the end of the day, prodigy, jonin, even the Hokage could die with just one misstep in battle."
Itachi understood what she meant. How hard you trained didn't matter; a stray kunai could end your life. The shinobi life left no room for error. Even the strongest shinobi alive could fall in battle if they underestimate their opponent. "Death isn't limited to shinobi. People in the village die all the time from many reasons. Something as simple as spoiled food can kill someone."
"That's true, but I feel more content working at a tea shop than I would as a shinobi. How can you make friends when you know they're just going to risk their life daily?" Tenma's death had affected her more than anyone was willing to admit. "I was never going to be a very successful shinobi, but now maybe I'll be able to contribute more to the village. Eventually, I can get married and open my shop. Bring tourists to the Leaf."
It was her decision, but Itachi didn't understand it. How could he? He was like most people. He devoted all he was and is to this life. The thought of leaving it behind wasn't possible. Of course, many people devoted much time and energy to this life, but very few devoted their entire beings as he did. Maybe that's what made him a prodigy. Maybe his devotion, along with his natural talent, is what made him a prodigy.
The two kids sat together until their tea was gone. After that, Itachi thanked her for the tea and left. They may not be teammates anymore, but Itachi would continue to come around and check on her. He felt a responsibility for her safety. They were once teammates, after all.
Shisui had become familiar with ANBU dropping in to give him scrolls. Therefore, he wasn't surprised when he saw the familiar porcelain mask.
"Morning, Mr. ANBU," The chipper voice of Shisui sounded. "Got a gift for me?"
He pushed the scroll forward, "A message, directly from the Hokage." The ANBU stated before disappearing back into the shadows.
Unrolling the scroll, Shisui read the message, "Great, and I was looking forward to a day off."
It didn't take him long to reach the Hokage tower, and he was immediately allowed access once he did. Kneeling before his commander, "You summoned me, Hokage?"
"Rise, Shisui. As I'm sure you have already read, I have a mission I'd like you to lead." Hiruzen was getting too old to lead the village, but there were no good contenders, so he continued to lead. "The mission will keep you out of the village for a while. Kiri forces have been harassing our border guards while on patrol. So far, it isn't enough to warrant retaliation, but we can't wait for an actual attack to occur. I was hoping you could lead a team of trackers to find and chase out the Kiri forces. Since it is impossible to predict the timeline of such a mission, I would like you to send weekly reports by way of the border guards. I doubt I need to inform you of the sensitivity of this mission. No serious harm can come to the Kiri forces. That could be exactly what they're looking for: to start a war."
"Consider it done," Shisui stated with a bow of his head.
"You should find all the information you need in the scroll. I have already sent ANBU to direct your team to a meeting spot; you can brief them there."
"If that will be it, I should prepare to leave."
"One last thing. This mission is critical to the safety and security of the Leaf. I don't have to tell you how important it is that those Kiri shinobi make it out of the Land of Fire safely." The village commander explained. Shisui was the optimal choice to lead the mission. He had low-risk attacks that could establish fear in his opponent and his dōjutsu that could easily ensnare his opponents in a genjutsu. There was only one other shinobi whom Hiruzen thought could fulfill this role, and he had other plans for him.
With that, Shisui left to meet up with his temporary team. Shisui had been on many high-rank missions and even led a handful, but that didn't mean he didn't get nervous when given an assignment of this magnitude. He knew what the repercussions could be if he failed this mission. This could lead to a war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water which could quickly spiral into the next great shinobi world war. It was a relief that this worried him. The counter would be him underestimating the situation, which equaled death in the shinobi world.
Itachi approached training field nine a bit earlier than he was instructed but near the agreed-upon time. The boy couldn't deny it. He was excited to meet the jonin selected to train him and act as his sensei during the exam. Hopefully, whoever it is will be more competent at teaching than his previous sensei. There wasn't anyone else at the training field, so he sat down on a nearby stump and opened a book to read.
Losing track of time, Itachi was brought back to reality when he heard a kunai flying towards him. Based on the weapon's trajectory, it wouldn't hit him. That meant that either his assailant had terrible aim or it was a test. Deciding that it was likely, the latter, Itachi chose not to move. As expected, the weapon hit the ground, embedding itself deep into the soil. Itachi remained sitting there until he heard another kunai soaring through the air. This time, however, the blade was aimed to embed itself into his book. Picking up the pebble he was rolling on the ground, Itachi tossed it in the air hitting the weapon and diverting it off its path. The weapon crashed into a tree this time and fell to the ground. Closing his book, Itachi placed it into his satchel.
"We can keep this up, or you can come out from the bush," Itachi stated, knowing based on where the two kunai came from.
Out from the bush walked a jonin, who couldn't be much older than Shisui. His most discerning trait was the spiky silver hair, along with the black mask he used to cover the bottom half of his face. Of course, Itachi knew who this was. The person before him was famous worldwide, especially in their village. The jonin before him was the Fourth Hokage's star student, Kakashi Hatake.
"What I've heard about you is correct." Kakashi stated, looking up and down at the younger boy, "You're as talented as the Hokage told me."
Itachi never knew how to respond to such a comment. The older shinobi was merely stating facts, nothing more. "Kakashi Hatake, it's an honor to train beneath you," Itachi said respectfully. When in doubt about how to proceed in a social circumstance, Itachi always fell back to the training he had received from his parents on formal events.
"Bah, enough of that. No need to be so formal. We're here to train, nothing more." Getting into what Itachi assumed to be a taijutsu stance, "How good is your hand-to-hand combat?" The white-haired jonin asked.
After a short taijutsu bout, the two shinobi ran through Itachi's other skills at Kakashi's request. In the end, Itachi was exhausted. There were more than a few moments where Kakashi could've ended the fight if they had been fighting for real, but since it was only a spar to test his skills, Kakashi allowed the spar to continue.
Taking a break to grab a drink from his pack Itachi nearly spit out the water when Kakashi asked him, "Have you trained with your sharingan since you came back from the mission?"
Itachi hadn't told a soul about it. Of course, he had figured it out while he was in the hospital, but he had yet to tell anyone. He wanted Shisui to be the first to know. "How?" That was all the boy said.
"The Hokage informed me. One of the reasons he chose me to be your instructor." The masked man stated. Itachi assumed that he would be impossible to read even without the mask.
How did the Hokage know? The only reasonable explanation Itachi could think of would be if his eyes were activated when the ANBU team arrived. Itachi activated his eyes before turning back around. There was no use in hiding them now. "I haven't. I plan to use it to my advantage during the event. The fewer people who know about it, the better."
Kakashi understood. In the shinobi world, information ruled everything. In a fight between equally skilled opponents, the winner could be decided by who had the most information. The element of surpassed any other tool in a shinobi's arsenal. Being both a prodigy and clan heir, there was lots of information passed around about Itachi, and many would still believe him to have not awoken his dōjutsu. Keeping it hidden could give him the upper hand in a fight.
"You awoke only two of the three tomoe. With practice, you'll be able to unlock the third." The older sharingan user explained. "I recommend keeping it active anytime you train. It'll teach your body to match your eyesight and refine your chakra control to your eyes, allowing your chakra reserve to withstand its strain for longer periods."
Itachi knew the stories. Kakashi was the only non-Uchiha to have their dōjutsu. It was a gift from his dying friend. Every Uchiha knew the story. Some believe he deserved it; others wish to take it from him. Some thought he should be killed because of his insolence.
"I think that is enough for today." The temporary sensei explained. "Tomorrow, we will focus on training your body to keep up with your eyes."
"Thank you." The boy said with a bow of the head. The two departed from the trained field, each with two different destinations.
Itachi was hungry, sore, and exhausted. There was nothing more he wanted to do besides go home, eat, shower, and sleep in that order. He didn't want to turn around when he heard the familiar voice of Izumi calling for him. Even though he didn't want to, Itachi knew how friendships worked; he didn't have much of a choice.
Turning around, he was greeted by the smiling girl, "Are you busy?" She asked. Receiving a shake of the head, she continued. "Perfect, then you can join my team for dinner!"
Itachi looked for a way out, but he couldn't find one. Plus, he was hungry; if he didn't meet them today, she'd pester him about it again. "Sounds great."
"Follow me," she said, grabbing his wrist. That simple act would've caused her to madly blush a few years ago, but now it wasn't uncommon to see her drag him around the village.
She led Itachi, a BBQ restaurant located inside the Akimichi compound. The restaurant was huge, and it was packed with people. Izumi skillfully navigated the crowd until she reached a booth with three other people already at it.
Approaching the table, "Hi guys, this is my friend Itachi; I invited him to join us if you don't mind."
The genin at the end of the table, a boy who had already begun filling his face with food, "The more, the merrier."
"Great," Izumi sat beside her teammate, instructing her introverted friend to sit beside her. "Itachi, this is Hana Inuzuka, Maruten Akimichi, and my sensei Raidō Namiashi." Pointing to her teammates as she introduced them, "Everyone, this is Itachi."
"Itachi Uchiha?" her sensei spoke up.
"Yes," Itachi replied, trying to keep to himself as much as possible.
"You're Yuki's student. Shame what happened to him."
"It is," Itachi continued looking down at the table.
This wasn't how Izumi imagined her friend meeting her team. Trying to change the mood, "I've got some exciting news." She spoke to her friend. "Sensei said if we train hard between now and the enrollment date, he will enroll us in this year's Chunin Exams!"
"Congratulations." He spoke to the team in general, "I'll be attending the exam as well."
The table went silent. By this point, everyone in the village knew of Team Yuki's fate, but no one wanted to bring it up to Itachi. Izumi decided she should be the one, being Itachi's close friend. "What about your team?" She didn't want to be rude, but it was the question lingering above everyone's heads.
"The Hokage decided that it would be best for me to attend this year's event, but as there are no open teams, he enrolled me as a one-man squad," Itachi explained to the group.
"What about your sensei?" Raidō knew that the team's sensei was responsible for the paperwork, among other factors of the genin attending the event.
"The Hokage found a jonin who will act as a temporary sensei for me."
Raidō only knew of a handful of jonin who were not accepting missions at this time, and most of them already had teams to look after.
"That's ridiculous," the silent member of the team, Hana, spoke up. "The Hokage can't seriously believe he can compete with a full squad like us."
"Itachi already has two years of experience with you guys. That alone would make him a difficult opponent for you three." Of course, he had heard the stories about Fugaku's prodigious son. Now that he was hearing this, maybe there was more truth to them than he initially thought. "You should come join us for a spar one of these days. It'll allow you to gain experience fighting three opponents at a time. Who's training you?"
Itachi liked that idea. After all, he wouldn't be fighting a single highly skilled opponent during the exam, but three lower-skilled opponents. "That would be great. Right now, my training is broken into two separate groups. In the morning, I'll be either training alone or with a friend. In the afternoon, I train with Kakashi Hatake."
Of course, Raidō knew who that was. Kakashi was one of, if not the strongest, jonin in the village. "Any morning you feel up to it, you can join us. Izumi can show you where we train."
"That sounds great, thank you." The large group spent the remainder of the dinner joking back and forth. Towards the end, even Itachi joined in. Overall, the dinner went much better than he had anticipated.
A few days after returning from the village, Itachi noticed the figure following him in the shadows. They had yet tried to make contact, and Itachi didn't want to be the first. It wasn't until he was alone training that the figure approached him. They appeared to be a typical ANBU member based on their apparel. However, something seemed off. They were much more rigid than your ordinary ANBU member.
Before either person could speak, another ANBU dropped from a tree alongside someone Itachi recognized as the village elder Danzo.
"I've been watching you from afar, boy." The elder began, "You're pretty skilled for your age, and yet you let a pesky thing like morals get in the way of your true potential." Danzo knew that there was no point in beating around the bush. This kid was logical. The best way to approach him would be with logic. "The Hokage charged me with running a special black ops unit, not unlike the ANBU division. You would be a great fit. It wouldn't be easy work, but you would contribute more to the village's safety than you could ever dream of before."
Itachi remained silent, thinking over the offer. If there was another black ops division inside the leaf, how come he hadn't heard anything about it? He should've at least heard rumors about it at this point, and yet he had heard nothing.
"Of course, you do not expect me to make this decision immediately. Give me some time to think it over, and I'll let you know my decision." The boy replied diplomatically.
"Of course, you have until tomorrow at this time. I don't need to tell you. The information you learned here must not leave this clearing." The elder stated before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
Not in the mood to train anymore, Itachi left the training field, fully aware of the shadow following him. He had a lot to think about and not much time.
Since walking didn't seem to clear his mind, Itachi decided to head home. Maybe the familiar area would help him come to a decision. Upon entering, he was greeted by the relaxing smell of his mother cooking breakfast, a treat he hadn't had in years. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't tasted his mother's breakfast since he began training in the mornings nearly eight years ago.
Sasuke was the first to see him running up to him with his arms wide open. "Bother!" He screamed as he wrapped his arms around his older brother. "Guess what. Sensei said he would teach us our first jutsu today. Soon I'll be just like you, a fully fledge shinobi."
Ruffling his brother's hair, "I think you've got a bit longer to go until that point."
Little Sasuke released Itachi from the death grip he called a hug and puffed out his cheeks, pouting.
Mikoto chose this moment to pause her cooking, "Itachi? What are you doing at home?" She asked as she peeked out from the kitchen. She didn't mind her son being home, but it was very unusual.
Itachi smiled at his mother. He didn't have the opportunity to see her that often. "I was hoping father hadn't left yet. I meant to discuss something with him."
Mikoto couldn't deny that this disappointed her a bit. She had hoped that her wayward son had decided to join them for breakfast. However, she would need to keep dreaming. "You're in luck. He hasn't left his study all morning. You should find him in there." Like father like son, two of the important men in her life were workaholics, and if Sasuke was anything like his brother, he would be going down the same path.
"Thanks, mother." The boy said as he went to leave.
"Itachi, when you talk to him, tell him breakfast is ready," Mikoto instructed her son.
With a nod, Itachi left for his father's study. The boy knocked softly on his father's door and, after a moment, received an invitation to come in.
As the door opened, Itachi was greeted by his confused father, "Itachi?" Fugaku was quick to resolve his confusion, "Close the door, sit." After his boy had followed his instructions, "What can I help you with?" It wasn't often that Itachi came to him with a problem, and more times than not, the issue wasn't quickly resolved.
"I received a generous offer from the village elders, and I'm unsure if I should accept it." Itachi was to the point. There was no use beating around the bush.
"I was under the impression from the Hokage that you had already accepted to attend the Chunin Exams by yourself."
Itachi had forgotten about that entirely. Since returning from that mission, his life has been full of drama. "This offer is something else." Itachi waited a moment before continuing. "The offer I was instructed to keep confidential. It is vital to the village's security."
This confused the clan head, the only division with this much secrecy is ANBU, but the Hokage would allow the boy to discuss it with his father, let alone the clan head. Why was there a need for this much secrecy? "Who gave you this offer?"
Itachi debated it over before continuing, "Elder Danzo."
All calmness left Fugaku's body at that moment. How dare Danzo approach his son? Esteemed elder or not, Fugaku was determined to make the old shinobi regret approaching Itachi. "Root?" Although it seemed like a question, it wasn't "Danzo offered you a position in root."
So, his father had heard of the black ops division. "He didn't refer to it as such, merely a black ops division like ANBU."
"You need to turn down his offer." There weren't many times when Fugaku advised his son against career advancements, but this was one of those times. "Root is a 'hypothetical' division. Its operatives don't answer to the Hokage, but instead, Danzo. The reason is that the Hokage can act ignorant of its existence on the off chance that an operative is captured. The missions they complete are dark and immoral. I have no clue why the Hokage allows the continuation of it."
This shocked Itachi. How could something so vile grow beneath the village he cherished so deeply? "Thank you, father." Itachi was considering the offer before, but now he was considering it for a different reason entirely.
Before Itachi left the study, Fugaku warned him one final time, "As a genin in the eyes of both the village and clan, you are viewed as an adult. For that reason, you are allowed to make your own decisions. However, I implore you. No, I beg you, do not accept Danzo's offer." Fugaku did not want to watch as his son became a mindless drone.
Itachi was waiting outside the Hokage's office. There were matters he wished to discuss with his leader. Initially, he was unable to approach the Hokage tower with his lingering shadow, it took a bit of time, but eventually, he came up with a plan. Kakashi was known for numerous things, including his genius intellect. Today, during training, Itachi tested how far that intelligence went. During their taijutsu spar, Itachi threw down multiple smoke bombs to prevent anybody outside the clearing from gazing at them. Before the smoke dissipated, Itachi threw several kunai and shuriken at his opponent. The pattern of the weapons would be unlikely noticeable by anyone who didn't possess a sharingan. Itachi created a clone before leaving the training field. When the smoke dissipated, it appeared identical to when he threw down the smoke; he and Kakashi locked in a taijutsu bout.
Kakashi's intelligence was not overhyped evident by the fact that his clone had yet to be destroyed. Itachi needed Kakashi to pull this off because the root operator kept a greater distance whenever he sparred with Kakashi, likely to prevent themselves from being tracked by the jonin.
It didn't take long before Itachi was allowed to speak with the village leader.
Once he entered the office, he stood before his commander's desk. "Sir, I wish to discuss something of great importance to the leaf. What I wish to discuss has an impact on the very roots of the village."
That's all Itachi had to say before Hiruzen dismissed the two ANBU in the room and activated the silence seal beneath his desk. "Continue." He ordered the young genin.
Taking a bow at the knee to prove his loyalty, Itachi continued. "This morning, I was approached by the village elder Danzo to join a subservient military group. I am here to request permission to join it."
Chapter Words: 6,098
Story Words: 54,126
A/N: Just so everyone is aware, the other shinobi who could've replaced Shisui as the team leader isn't Itachi, but rather Kakashi. Itachi is too under-experienced in high-risk missions to lead one at this point.
On a separate note, I searched for a Minato fanfic that just told the story of his life, from academy enrollment to death, and was shocked by the sheer lack of stories. Therefore, I'm thinking of starting a Minato story that occurs in the same universe as this one, only at an earlier time. I probably won't start this until I finish Part one of this fic. Let me know if you guys are interested.