**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the quote below. I just own Sintary ^^ Also I do not own the other OC Kokuro. He's my friend's.
Side note: This chapter contains a very long flashback. I do apologize for it being like the entire story, but it's really necessary to showcase the relationship of the three characters. Bare with me! I know you'll love it!
"Hospitals are places that you have to stay in for a long time, even if you are a visitor. Time doesn't seem to pass in the same way in hospitals as it does in other places. Time seems to almost not exist in the same way as it does in other places."
-Pedro Almodovar
Time basically stopped when Itachi entered the hospital. The hospital was supposed to be a safe place for the injured and sick. He had never been admitted into the hospital, but he had routine checks because of his mother's pushing (she had to push him into a room to get checked). The staff had always been polite and efficient. But here and now, it was utter chaos.
Eyes bled red as the men searched the area looking for malevolent chakra. It led straight to a room with medics surrounding a patient, trying to protect him or her.
Itachi immediately sensed the chakra of the person they were trying to save: Sintary.
His eyes narrowed while the rest of his face remained placid. He would send this man into oblivion for attempting to kill his beloved.
Kokuro beat him to it though.
The dark haired male immediately launched himself at the enemy, sending them into the wall. The enemy swung Kokuro into the wall next to them, shoving him through it this time. Itachi and Shisui wasted no time in attacking the ninja. They, too, eventually caused another hole in the wall.
Finally, out of the hospital walls, the men were able to unleash more of their attacks and get the enemy further from civilians. It was then, Itachi noticed something was dangerously wrong with his companion.
"Shit, Kokuro," Shisui muttered noticing it as well.
"Kokuro, keep it together." Itachi said watching his friend in the forest.
Kokuro growled and his Sharingan began to swirl. The ninja himself started twisting, and Itachi felt his stomach drop. He had seen this once before and knew how deadly his comrade would get. This was his Secret Wind Style Art: Fujin's Breath jutsu.
"Shisui! Get out of the vicinity and make sure no one is within a ten-mile radius of this area." Itachi barked. Shisui paused looking at his cousin confused. "Go. NOW!" Itachi commanded.
Itachi felt his cousin take off swiftly, leaving the ANBU captain alone with the enemy and his unhinged partner. His eyes watched as Kokuro became his cyclones. He felt the air become dense with chakra. Then the winds started picking up and trees started getting cut into logs. Itachi knew Kokuro wouldn't be able to stop until he was exhausted. He remembered the last time all too clearly.
They were only ten.
Itachi had no idea how the village leaders had decided on letting three children into the Chunin Exams at only ten.
Okay, maybe he did.
He was the Uchiha prodigy. He had mastered several techniques before even entering the Academy at 6. It was an easy task to ace every single exam he had been given. He had been valedictorian of his class when he graduated at 7. He had an extremely easy time learning new techniques and jutsu. The quickness of his schooling hadn't surprised him, but he had wished they could have taught him more.
Kokuro was another prodigy. He had been salutatorian of that same class. Considering his roots dug into the Uchiha family, it shouldn't have shocked many people. But so many were still in awe of producing two prodigies for the same class. They had been more rivals than remotely friends at that young age.
Sintary had been a different story. Her painfully pacifistic ways had caused her to start to fall behind whereas Itachi's ways are what made him succeed. He had seen the like-minded kunoichi and had done something he hadn't his whole childhood – he befriended her. They had talked about the war and of the attack on the village. She had shared a secret with him: she had a striking affinity for blood jutsu. She had only used it once, but its power had scared her to the point of a breakdown. When the village enrolled her into the Academy, she had fought tooth and nail not to go. She professed she liked to learn, but she didn't know if she wanted to be a shinobi after seeing her parents' death.
Itachi had convinced her of his thinking eventually, and the two trained. Itachi worked her day and night to get her to graduate on time. Sintary had trusted everything Itachi said and did. It only fueled their bond to grow. In no time, they both could see the potential she had as a strong kunoichi.
It was during that time Itachi had seen Sintary had her highest and at her lowest. He had seen her attacks and knew the dangers of having such a condition in the shinobi line of work. He tried to work it out of her, but knew that this was the mark the war and the death of her parents left on her soul. There was no way to remove it. Instead he taught her ways to lie about it, and he worked with her to control it. Itachi would push her to an attack, only to command her out of it.
His confidence became hers.
Her passion became his.
His strength became hers.
Her love became his.
His life became hers.
Her life became his.
At the end, it was hard to imagine their lives without each other, even if they were so young. Itachi had used his father's influence to convince the Academy to let Sintary take the graduation exam again. This time she passed with flying colors and graduated with Itachi and Kokuro.
They had been put on a team together right away with their sensei. The team moved up the ranks in missions fairly easily. Their key was using their difference in jutsu to their advantages. Sintary even started taking up medical ninjutsu considering how intense their missions were getting. One mission had been guarding the Fire Daimyo a year after graduation. They had made a name for themselves. Their powers and talent beginning to emulate those of the legendary Sannin.
That was the reason they were currently in the Forest of Death.
The first test, the exam, had been a breeze for the three of them. Absolute child play. The second shouldn't have been much different. Except there were… some complications.
The team of three had targeted a Kirigakure team. Itachi saw them as an easy target and was quickly proven wrong. The team had set up allies with other outside teams. They had planned to overpower the prodigy team from the Leaf.
They had almost succeeded.
Itachi was running low on chakra after fending off two teams of his own. Sintary was handling her own, but was running out of energy and tricks. One of the opposing members waited for an opening and a surprise burst of chakra came from Kokuro gave him that. The enemy nin tossed Sintary into trees, trapping her under one. Sintary didn't have the brute strength to push the tree off even with her chakra. The taunted Sintary, calling her a pretty face, but too frail to be a shinobi. They tormented her into promising if they let her live, she would quit.
That had been too much for comrade to here.
Kokuro unleashed his Kekkei Genkai in order to get those creeps away from his friend. He felt himself start to spin, and after that… he wasn't really sure what happened.
Itachi remembered the event vividly.
Kokuro transformed into a cyclone, his body becoming unrecognizable within the tornado. Itachi would never forget the chilling atmosphere that had followed Kokuro's jutsu. His enemies feared for their life and immediately fled the vicinity. Some had gotten away. Anyone who had taken to the trees had been caught in the wind storm that gathered with Kokuro's cyclone. When they came out… they had been torn to ribbons. Nothing left but blood staining the ground.
Trapped with horror, Itachi barely noticed the pile of tree limbs coming down upon him. Too sluggish from his fight, Itachi managed to cover himself before the pile buried him.
Itachi wasn't sure how long the storm lasted. He had shut his eyes and covered his ears – whether to block out the screams of the storm or the screams of the dying ninja he would never admit to. He only remembered after terrifying jutsu ceased he heard a body collapse which he assumed was Kokuro's. He heard Sintary's struggle to get out from other the tree.
Then he felt chakra signatures cautiously come back to scene. Itachi activated his Sharingan to see the Kirigakure team approach Sintary again. One pulled her out from under the tree by her foot, hanging her upside down.
"Your friend sure gave us quite a show. Too bad there's no one to protect you now." He heard a gruff voice say.
"You can stay with us though. You know, since both your friends are probably dead or trapped for good." Another said sounding pleased.
Itachi's skin prickled at the feeling of a dark aura heading towards their area. He knew they had to get out of there and quick. But he'd never be able to take down three more ninja on such low chakra reservoirs. There was no choice.
"Sintary!" He called from behind his pile of rubble. "Use the jutsu!"
Sintary instantly protest. "No, Itachi! I can't use it! It's too dangerous!"
"Sintary! Just use the jutsu!" His voice left no room for argument.
As Itachi started working his thankfully lean body out of the tree limbs, his neck hairs prickled again at the darkness. This came from Sintary's jutsu.
Itachi climbed out of the rubble at least and looked at the sight around him. The trees around them were up rooted, tossed, cut, broken. The area was completely ruined. The ground was stained with blood all centered around one area.
Kokuro laid in that area, chest down. Itachi was relieved to see Sintary crawl over to her fallen friend. He saw she had something in her right hand: the other scroll. More relief flood Itachi's tense body. They had both scrolls.
Sintary looked up at her squad leader in this death rooted forest. Her breathing was supposed to be deep and calming, but instead was short and swallow. She had cracked ribs from the tree. But there was no time to lick wounds. Itachi still felt that sinister chakra growing closer to them. They needed to move, exhausted or not.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Sintary asked panting.
Itachi nodded. "Can you move?" He asked
"Not as swift as you require of me, but I think I can manage to the tower." Sintary told him, fear clear in her eyes.
"Sintary, now's not the time for a break down." Itachi told her plainly.
"I've already had like 5, Itachi. I don't think I have the energy to have another one without passing out," Sintary joked slightly as she stood slowly.
Together they pulled Kokuro up. Itachi mostly supported the weight of their comrade, but Sintary stayed on the other side for stability. The battered squad moved onward towards the tower. Their mildly slow pace allowed them to gather their chakra. The chakra Itachi sensed had stopped once they started walking, putting him at mild ease. Sintary eventually pulled out soldier pills for them to take. The squad was the first to reach the tower and only before noon that day.
They had set another record.
They collapsed in the safety the tower brought, both of them panting from being utterly exhausted. They were far from done though. Itachi dragged Kokuro over to the side as Sintary started to heal herself. She then made her own way over to where Itachi was.
"Do you have enough chakra to do the scrolls?" Sintary asked her partner.
"No," Itachi told her truthfully. "I think we have enough to do it together."
Sintary looked at him softly and nodded. They sat down cross-legged across from each other and joined their hands together. Their hands then meshed together as they performed the necessary hand signs to activate the scroll. Sintary jumped as the scrolls started crackling and smoking.
"Well, aren't you two cozy while Kokuro's out cold."
Both nin relaxed upon hearing their sensei's voice. Sintary realized what he meant because had launched herself at Itachi and had her head under his neck, her arms wrapped around his waist. The kunoichi blushed and sat back on her knees.
Their sensei scratched his temple looking at the three of them. One completely out and chakra drained, another drained and on the verge of passing out, and the remaining drained but somehow would stay awake during all of this until his teammates were safe.
"So, who's up for some food and some rest?" Their sensei asked almost laughing as he saw tense shoulders relax even more.
They had four and a half days of resting and repair. Kokuro woke up in the middle of that night. He had been out of it and still weak, but ready to take on anything. Sintary had dragged herself out of her bed and over to Kokuro's. The mere weight of her body knocked him back down. Itachi was shocked when he felt a tang of jealous seeing Sintary get in bed with Kokuro. He knew the two had a sibling bond. No one would ever share the bond he and Sintary had so he shouldn't have felt a threat. Especially from a teammate he had started considering his cousin and possibly a friend.
The fifth day came at last.
The whole time they were… wherever they were, they hadn't seen the teams come in. The Leaf team had been pulled from their room to a round concrete room. They assembled in single file lines by team. There had been only been three teams to pass.
Three out of fourteen.
The next test would take place in a month, giving each team time to prepare. It would be held tournament style.
Sintary remembered feeling the anxiety of the fight. Her team had trained diligently together, trying to enhance the individual. Itachi warned both of them to keep their deadly jutsu hidden from spectators. Sintary had a horrible feeling in her gut as she looked down into the arena that she would have to use hers. She would be in two fights. It was set up where the Konoha squad members were individually paired against a Suna squad member and whoever won those individual rounds went up against a Iwagakure squad member. There was absolutely no way she was going to win – or even survive – if she didn't use her bloodline. Kokuro, on the other hand, would certainly benefit from not using it to its fullest.
Sintary was paired against a male who was very bulky. She had never felt so small, not even with her teammates. Her boys were physically stronger than her, but she never felt… tiny compared to them. They were slender, not bulky. She remembered how the Kirigakure men had been big as well, and they had thrown her through trees. Her heart pounded as she stood in front of this man. She felt she couldn't breathe again.
'No, I can do this.' Sintary thought to herself.
'You seriously think you're going to beat this guy?' She heard that voice talk back.
'Yes. I'm going to win.' Sintary chanted in her head.
'You're gonna die.'
'I am not! No one's going to die.'
'He might. You could so easily kill him if you want to win quickly.'
'No one has to die!' Sintary thought before feeling a large fist collide with her head.
Sintary's body rolled on the ground, and she remained unmoving. The proctor was about to call it when Sintary slowly got back up. She shook her head, which was dripping with blood from her crack skull. To the crowd's amazement, Sintary stood to her feet and they watched the blood stop dripping without her moving a healing hand. The brute frowned at that. He dashed towards her, and Sintary didn't even block the attack as he sent himself into the air and slammed his leg down on her back. The two attacked would have sent any shinobi unconscious. Again, the proctor went to call it, but Sintary got onto her feet.
"Dammit! Just make it easy and quite now, girlie!" Her opponent yelled. "You've gotta be feeling the pain. It's too much for you handle."
Sintary's head rolled against her shoulders, and she looked at him.
"I don't feel any pain." She said. "You will though."
Suddenly the ninja felt electricity through his nerve endings. More surprisingly, his own fist collided with his head. Another went to his stomach. He felt himself jump into the air and go hurdling towards the ground. He landed on his head. He groaned slowly pushing himself, but he only made it to his knees. His head suddenly exploded with pain – and not from the blow he took recently. This was that same electricity that had invaded his body. He gritted his teeth and looked at the wench just standing there watching him.
"You…. Fu-…." He grumbled before he passed out.
Sintary remembered feeling the silence surrounding the arena has they looked into her fight. She hadn't even touched the guy – other than him punching the delights out of her twice. Yet, he was the one on the ground, not her.
The proctor waited a good amount of time before calling the fight. He glanced at Sintary, and she sensed he was now weary of her.
'Good.' Sintary thought. 'Maybe they'll remember I'm on one of the best teams in Konoha for a reason.'
She numbly made her way back up to where the other tourneys were waiting their turns. The others quickly got out of her way as she shifted from one foot to the other. Sintary soon found herself resting her head on Itachi's shoulder. Kokuro's name was called as was the female member of the team.
"Good luck Ko," Sintary said tiredly.
In the end, Itachi's first opponent backed out as did Sintary's second. Kokuro fought both of his battles – and nearly killed both of the opponents. Itachi's second fight went without much chaos. They were all ushered down to the center of the stadium once Itachi's fight ended. Sintary stood between her boys feeling the pressure of everyone baring down at them. Suddenly, the crowd bursts into cheers and woes. There had been bets won and lost; hearts struck with fear and admiration. The three of them had been promoted to Chunin status. Kokuro jumped for joy. Sintary smiled feeling relaxed and overjoyed. She, a little girl by most standards, had taken and passed the Chunin exams with records in her name – well the team name.
All the pain she faced in that damn arena she had been able to block out using another one of her bloodline traits. She could control the nervous and circulatory system of living creatures. The evolution of lightning and water essentially.
This was a completely different experience.
Sintary felt like she had used her own techniques on herself. Her body felt like it was on fire. Her chest burned with raw pain.
What the fuck had happened?
The feeling of her heart pounding and her neck hairs standing on edge reminded the injured kunoichi. From the way her chest felt, she had a feeling she had under gone a cardiac arrest induced by an allergic reaction to medication... or whatever had been given intravenously to her.
Sintary rapidly blinked her eyes, trying to clear her vision and gather her surroundings. She could sense a battle going on.
It hit her then, too. Someone had tried to kill her. Someone here in the hospital.
Instantly she was sent into a frenzy. She couldn't move much due to her current state, but she threatened those who came near her out of pure fright.
"I swear to fucking god, if any of you come near me, I will send you all to hell!" Sintary spat ferociously.
She could feel her heart pounding again, though probably from an attack not from any cardiac problem. The medics tried approaching her, hands up and ever calm. Sintary wouldn't have it though. Sintary made them move back with her bloodline, warning them over and over again.
"Sintary!" She heard a man call out for her.
She watched as he set down someone else, and started towards her. Sintary had a feeling she knew the man, but her memory was fuzzy. She couldn't remember who he was.
"Stay away from me!" She screamed at him.
"Sintary." His firm, warm voice commanded. "Calm. Down. The threat has been taken care of." His voice getting softer and filled with concern as he got closer.
Sintary slowly looked up at the man in front of her, her narrowed eyes softening.
"Itachi?"
Thank you to KnightsRoses, Sweet Petit, arigarciar, Ijustdon'tcare132, KyuubiNoPuma, and pika-78 for following/favorite-ing the story! I do appreciate all the feedback I can get. Please, please, please leave reviews. It does help me write more when I know my audience is enjoying my story.
Thanks again for reading!