Chapter 48
A few days later, right after the medical-nin gave me the clear on my leg and freed it from the cast, the Hokage summoned me to his office. The last few times I was in this office, things were not pretty.
When I met Kakashi on the stairs to the office, then saw Commander Nara, the Hyuga Clan Head and Yamanaka-san at the door, this was looking awfully like the set up to our anti-Danzō expedition. Needless to say, I didn't feel hopeful about whatever was to come next.
"Sit, why are you so tense?" The Hokage pointed to the chair as I pushed down the unsettling feeling in my chest.
"I plan to retire and relinquish the Hokage seat soon." I froze in the chair, unable to believe what I had just heard. Why now? Just when he had finally restabilized the power dynamic in the village, just when he had finally tipped the sand so it flowed to the Hokage's end.
"The Elders and I represent the old ideology, passed down from the Nidaime Hokage. As you can see, it has its flaws, and it just simply cannot catch up to the time we are in now." As if seeing my confusion, the Hokage explains with patience.
"I removed the Elders, but to fully remove the marking of that age, to reinforce the starting of a new era, I need to remove myself from the power structure itself, just like I did before."
That's right, the period of the Yondaime Hokage was so short that not many people my age remembered. But once upon a time, the Sandaime did try to pass on the mantle to the rising star of the new generation.
Too bad the star flashed like a comet before it disappeared. So the Sandaime had to take back the position to stabilize the village, and with him, the old Konoha Council came naturally. It was during then that old powers stirred, relics of a passing era that decided to clutch onto the power once again.
"If you're retiring, then what about the next Hokage?" I asked, unable to contain my questions. But then, I saw the Hokage glancing to the direction to my left, and then it all clicked into place.
Kakashi was looking rather calm, at least for someone who is slated to become the highest power in a shinobi village.
"It should have come naturally in a few years, I suppose." The Hokage let out a laugh. "You are, after all, the best student of Yondaime."
"I am his only student left, Hokage-sama. Whether or not I'm the best, that's debatable." Suddenly, Kakashi spoke up, adamant on correcting this point, but nothing else.
"Anyway, like I said, it would come naturally in a few years, but it becomes a problem if I retire now." The Hokage's eyes hardened. Instinctively, I straightened my back under the pressure.
"The power structure in Konoha is still unstable, despite my effort so far in reorganizing it. The recent events make the current time even more sensitive for everyone. Moving aside from right or wrong, Kakashi's association with you in the recent ordeals certainly did not make his image a calm or soothing one."
I tightened my fist for a moment because Gosh, this issue is maddening no matter how many times I have to deal with it. But Kakashi seemed to accept it with ease, as if figuring that part out already.
"Furthermore, Kakashi could definitely build more connections in his current generation and the next generation before he becomes the Hokage. Right now, anyone I can use in the government is in Shukaku's generation. It would be better for everyone if Kakashi had people he can trust working by his side instead of ascending to the Hokage alone." The Sandaime let out a sigh of exasperation.
"I know you are acquainted with many, and many more would follow you because of admiration, but that is very different from the bond you establish with those that you trust fully. Your teammates, your students … Many times I had asked you to take students, and many times you rejected me." The Hokage shook his head, but there was no blame in his voice.
After a moment of silence, Kakashi looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, the Hokage spoke up. "I had hope that this would be resolved in a few years, so I wasn't worried. But this retirement of mine was quite a recent development, so we have to improvise."
"As of right now, we might have another option for the Godaime Hokage, someone that has the skill level of a Kage, who can be a soothing presence for the village, and knows Shikaku's generation well."
"Hokage-sama, you don't mean … " The Hyuga Clan Head said in surprise, but the Hokage nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, I mean Senju Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin." The room seems to pause a bit at that declaration. The advisory council probably paused to evaluate the option, but I paused simply because I needed to process all that I knew about this woman who had only appeared in tales.
Certainly, as one of the Sannin, she had the strength to be a Kage. A descendent of the Senju, surely, just the name itself would bring village confidence. Now … that just begs one question.
"Tsunade-sama had not returned to the village for more than a decade." Yamanaka-san reminded the Hokage with a furrowed brow. "Will we even be able to convince her to return?"
"Will the populace accept her long absence?" The Hyuga Clan Head brought up another point.
"The populace still remember her, the shinobi more than the civilian. Moreover, being a Senju should smooth things over. The real problem lies in her intention. If she did not want to become the Hokage, no one could force her." Commander Nara said, gaining a nod from the Hokage.
"Jiraiya-sama probably knows where Tsunade-sama is. Would we be able to convince him to talk to her?" Even Kakashi joined in, pitching in ideas about how to convince a Sannin to return.
I could see that this was going to be a discussion, but to this point, I was still not sure why I was here, in this room, listening on who would become the next Hokage.
Either I just said that outloud, or my confusion had just become too obvious, because all of a sudden, the Hokage turned towards me.
"Maiko, you're probably wondering why you're here?" I was, but you didn't have to call me out on it. "Jiraiya will be coming back to the village in a few days. I want you to come with him to find Tsunade and try to convince her to come back to the village and become the Hokage."
"Not to judge your decision, Hokage-sama, but how would I be able to convince Tsunade-sama to come back compared to everyone else?" I asked in disbelief. I didn't know her more than the next person on the street. Also, Senju and Uchiha, do I need to repeat the history lessons?
"Tsunade hated Danzō and the controls of the Elder Councils. I'm sure she would be more tolerant to the one who is brave and reckless enough to pull it all up from the Root, much more so than anyone else from Konoha, for that matter." The Hokage explained. He smiled at the mention of 'brave and reckless', like an old man finding his grandchild too playful.
Stop that, I still haven't forgiven you.
"Besides, Jiraiya is in charge of receiving information from Uchiha Itachi. You might find some lead traveling with him."
My heart stopped for a moment when he mentioned that. I had to take a moment to calm myself, before speaking up again. "You could have just given me the order." You didn't have to bait me with Itachi, like suddenly I am in a position to ask something in return for service to this village.
"I was merely mentioning a possibility. The issue with Uchiha Itachi should also be resolved soon. I am just making the process more efficient by giving the right person the job. Besides, I want you to judge for yourself if she will be a good Hokage or not." The Hokage responded. I didn't say anything else but nodded. I accepted the mission.
"Now, on the chance that Tsunade refused. I will be handing down the Kage seat to you, Kakashi. Even if Tsunade agrees, I can't imagine that she will want to stay on the seat for more than a few years. Unless someone more qualified appeared in the younger generation, then I can't imagine that Tsunade would not choose you as her successor. You need to be prepared." The Hokage eyed the man sitting beside me. Get your shit together and take some students, that's what I got from the Hokage, maybe in a less reprimanding tone.
Not soon after, Kakashi and I got kicked out from the Hokage's office.
"So, my house?" I asked while we were walking down the stairs.
"Yeah." Kakashi answers, not at all affected by what had been transgressed earlier.
See, how we got here was a funny story. When I saw him earlier before the meeting, I asked him if he had time to come to the compound because I found some things to give him.
He shook his head a while later, stating that not today. He has to go back and cook the food to bring to Zebra's house. The party for his daughter is tonight, and everyone was supposed to bring some food over.
I laughed, saying that he should just come to my kitchen. It's much easier to cook when there's two people. I was mostly joking, but Kakashi just shrugged and said, 'sure'.
And that is how we arrived at the Uchiha Compound, with freshly-bought ingredients in our hand.
"I think you'd be a great Hokage." I said as I poured the vinegar sauce into the rice. Kakashi was going to bring sushi, and I was going to make tempura, but for some reason, I was making the sushi rice and Kakashi was on the side, stirring the mixture of tempura coating.
Kakashi stopped his stirring motion and looked up until he was staring at my kitchen wall. Considering it was the whole point of our earlier meeting, it's interesting that we hadn't talked about it for a whole two hours until now.
"You're saying that because you have no other choice." Eventually, Kakashi says with a shake of head. Perhaps he was right. For me, he was the only one in the village I can trust right now. For others, like he said, he was the only student left of the Yondaime Hokage.
"Just because there is no other competitor, doesn't mean the one we do have is no good," I replied. "As harsh as it sounds, there's no point dwelling on things that don't exist anymore."
For once, I agree with the Sandaime Hokage - there was no one in the village right now more qualified than Hatake Kakashi to be the next Hokage. The only flaw in this succession was Kakashi's mismatch with the current power structure.
There was another reason why I was summoned at the same time as Kakashi. Technically, there was no need for me to know that the Hokage planned for Kakashi to be the Hokage, whether the Godaime, or the Rokudaime. He could have told me the part about Jiraiya and Tsunade and left it at that.
But no, the Hokage decided to let me know. The words left unsaid were very obvious, to me, to Kakashi, and everyone in that room. He wanted me to support Kakashi if he were to become Hokage. He wanted me to be a part of the newer generation structure that Kakashi would inevitably build.
He didn't make it an order, because he knew that loyalty and trust couldn't be bound by a simple order. He let his intentions be known and gave the decision to the two of us to consider for now, or in the future, if the need did arise.
"You're right. I'm already prepared, so you don't need to worry," Kakashi said. If push came to shove, I had no doubt that he would be able to grasp the control in his hand instead of letting it run wild with all the Clan Heads and the Council.
It may not be easy - there would be quite a struggle if Kakashi were raised to the Hokage now but had no one that could replace the gaps in the government. Someone would surely see it as an opportunity, likely not to the extent of Danzō, but still an annoyance and damaging to the already unstable state of the village.
Tsunade's existence served as a safeguard. In terms of their reputation and the intimidation they could bring to both those in the village and those outside, being a Sannin and a Senju, Tsunade was on a different level.
But that was a problem for another day. It wasn't really my issue as much as it was Kakashi's. If he said he was prepared, then who was I to question that.
"That's good. I'll start with the tempura. You can prepare the seafood if you want. They are in the fridge." Upon hearing that, Kakashi handed me the bowl of mixture and I heated the pan.
The oil sizzled as I dip in the coated tempura. Beside me, I can hear the rhythmic chopping sound that Kakashi was making. The way he handled the knife was efficient and precise, not so much different compared to his skill with the kunai.
The wonderful scent of fried food soon filled the room. I picked up the pieces of fried zucchini and examined the crispy golden coating. I didn't have the best skill, but at least it's nice and even, and that was all I asked for.
Just as I was about to dump the last batch into the pot of oil, the shoji door slid open, revealing my little brother.
He had to blink once to make sense of what he was seeing. I wasn't quite sure how to explain it either, the progression of events that led to this, so I stayed quiet as well.
"Sasuke, how's school?" So I decided to start with something safe. Sasuke peeled his eyes off of Kakashi and turned his attention to me.
"It's fine." Sasuke answers after some thinking. "I placed first in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu." Like always. I couldn't remember a time when Sasuke was not first.
"Congrats." I gave him a smile. But wait a second … "What happened in Theory?" Theory, Ninjutsu and Taijutsu were the three biggest sections in the Shinobi Academy. Not to brag, but Sasuke was always the first in everything. Theory in particular was easy for him, since he had Sharingan to memorize everything.
Sasuke's expression turned sour for a second. "I forgot a question, and Haruno always gets everything right." Ah, the smart girl who can remember everything without the Sharingan.
"Well, don't worry about it. So long as you learn stuff." Funny I should say that, considering the Academy time was a blur to me.
"How's Naruto doing?" As soon as I asked that, I could hear the chopping sound missing a beat. But the rhythm recovered so quickly that it might have just been my imagination.
"He did okay in Taijutsu, but his Ninjutsu and Theory are still so bad that not even his Taijutsu can save him." Sasuke looked pained, as if seeing Naruto, someone who he practiced so much with, being an absolute idiot in class is physically hurting him.
"Right, bento boxes are in the fridge, take the one for Naruto as well. Have fun on the field trip." I pointed at the fridge with my chopstick. While I was going to Zebra's house, Sasuke's class was going on a field trip at the Jonin training ground.
Sasuke let out a 'Hn' and that was his way of answering. Just as I thought he was going to leave after taking the bento, Sasuke dropped a bag on the counter beside me. I raised an eyebrow at him, asking him to explain.
"Tricolor dango. Happy birthday. I forgot it was a few days ago." Sasuke mutters under his breath, but the embarrassment still seeped through in the redness of his ear.
"Thanks, you're the best." I laughed, beaten by the cuteness of my little brother. Against my best judgement, I rubbed his head and of course, I got an angry hiss.
"Bye!" I yelled at my brother as he shut the shoji. With a stupid smile on my face, I picked the tempura out of the oil and put them on the plate. The tempura was done. Now it was time to move on to the sushi.
"The village was fine with me or Sasuke hanging out with Naruto, even though they knew that the Mangekyou can control the tailed beast?" I asked Kakashi while he was rolling up the rice-filled seaweed. Now that I knew the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre, it seemed that a lot of the secret conversation opened up to me.
Kakashi made sure to wrap the seaweed tight before he handed it to me to cut it. It wasn't until he had laid down another sheet of seaweed that he answered me.
"The Hokage never saw you or Sasuke as a threat to the village," Kakashi said "There are definitely Anbu making reports, but you know that it was a part of being a Jinchuuriki. The Hokage hadn't said anything, so he never had a problem with the two of you being around Naruto."
"Well, if he had a problem, he'd be having a hard time convincing Sasuke. Little Naruto is the only one who can deal with Sasuke's bad temper." I said jokingly. Over time, Sasuke learned to control his temper and channel his anger elsewhere, hence why he was able to maintain a somewhat working relationship with Shikamaru.
But Naruto, boy, when these two were together, Sasuke was as childish as it got.
Kakashi had a rare smile upon hearing that. It was always hard to tell with the mask, but his eyes were clearly curving. "If anything, he might have thanked you. I know I would. Otherwise, Naruto would be truly alone."
I didn't pretend to understand what it was like to have to stay away from someone you cherished, seeing them struggle with the hatred and ignorance in the world but not being able to reach out.
Kakashi loved Naruto as much as he loved the Yondaime Hokage.
"One day, I'm sure," I said. One day, Kakashi would be able to stand by Naruto without worrying about people making a connection between Naruto and Yondaime. Naruto would be graduating next year and if my feelings were correct, that day would come very soon.
"One day," Kakashi confirmed as he finished with the last roll of sushi. He passed it to me and I cut it into small pieces.
"Remember why I asked you to come here? I was checking all the residences left in the compound, and I found these." I walked out of the storage room with a large box in hand. I placed the giant box on the table and continued, "I thought you might want to have these."
The orange goggles stuck out of the box with defiance, calling out to the one who knew its history.
Kakashi reached out and took the goggles from the box. He touched his face - more precisely, his left eye. Then, he raised his forehead protector, exposing the red sharingan.
Sharingan could spin genjutsu that made one's world shrouded in mist, but in a sense, Sharingan is also the easiest to read. For us, it was literally the manifestation of our emotions.
I could see the chakra gathering in his eyes, swirling into the lighting up his Sharingan even more so than normally. I could see … that's right, my Sharingan also activated in response to his.
It was the defence mechanism, fanaticism in the Uchiha might not actually be unfound.
Kakashi put down the goggles and picked up another item. It was a picture - showing two teenage boys and one girl. It was because of the silver-haired boy in this picture that I made Kakashi come over.
Suddenly, a pulse of chakra filled Kakashi's Sharingan. The intensity of the emotion forced the Mangekyou to open.
I gasped a little when I felt my eyes reacting in response. They felt threatened, but they also empathized with his emotions. My left eye swirled into the tri-petaled flower, but my right eye remained grey. Instead, I felt the tingling pain. My right eye was rejecting the chakra.
My reaction startled Kakashi, who looked up from the picture. For that moment, our eyes - our Mangekyou Sharingan - met. Redness filled my vision as I tried to calm down my racing heart.
It was dangerous, having such a strong clash of emotions. Explosion was about to happen.
Immediately, Kakashi dragged down his forehead protector to cover his eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the chakra to calm, telling my body to relax and override the protective instinct.
A moment later, I opened my eyes, and the pupil returned to normal.
"Sorry. I was never that good at controlling it," Kakashi said, putting a hand on his eye. He couldn't close it just now, I could still feel the intense gaze from Mangekyou.
"This belonged to ... Uchiha Obito?" I heard him asking, and I nodded. Really, he should be more certain about this than me. I wasn't the one who knew Uchiha Obito.
"I found this in one of the compound storage rooms. It's where we put the belongings of deceased people … with no close relatives," I said, choosing my words carefully. "So he is the one who gave you the Sharingan."
"Yes. Obito, Rin and I used to be teammates, under the Yondaime Hokage." Kakashi points to the boy and the girl in the picture. The boy named Obito had unruly hair, exploding in all directions. The goggles were an interesting choice of fashion, so was the orange colour. The girl on the other hand, had purple markings running down her cheek, but her smile seemed to make everything alright.
"Then you should have these, if you want." I said, pushing the box of Obito's belongings in his direction.
"I will be taking these. Thank you." Kakashi accepted my offer. His eyes moved to the picture again. Unconsciously, his hand went to touch his eyes again.
He must be feeling a stinging pain. They always did; the sharingan always reminded them.
"You were wondering about how I got this eye, weren't you, once upon a time," he said to me. I couldn't deny that. A Sharingan on a non-Uchiha, and somehow my Clan decided to leave him alone. That was an unbelievable tale for a younger me.
"We just got promoted to Chunin - well, they did, I had been a Chunin for some time - and we got sent into the battlefield. You probably guessed, a mission went wrong. Rin was taken hostage. Obito was adamant that we went back for her, but I … decided that the mission was more important." Kakashi clutched the photo tight, until the rim of the frame was cutting into his hand. Still, I said nothing to the guilt, regret, and pain coursing through his voice.
"Of course, he eventually talked sense into me and I went back for them. I lost an eye, but Obito got crushed under a rock. Half of his body was … buried. Before he died, he made Rin transfer his remaining eye to me. He said it was a gift for my Jonin promotion." He let out a short laugh, as if still finding Obito impossible to understand, even to this day.
"The Mangekyou … that was when Rin died." Kakashi ran his thumb over the picture, as if carving the shape of his former teammate into his mind. He didn't want to elaborate on the Mangekyou, and I wasn't in any position to ask.
"Your father … When he heard of the circumstances, he allowed me to keep the Sharingan, even after the Yondaime had passed away. He has my respect." I was surprised that he had said that, but nevertheless I gave him a small smile. I was sure that my father would appreciate that.
"Your eye, it's still in the Mangekyou stage, isn't it?" It was a question, but I said it more like a statement. "You don't have to cover it. Not here, at least."
I could safely say that I knew the Sharingan better than anyone here in the village. I felt Kakashi's urge to suppress it - the surge of chakra, the crash of emotions, and the Mangekyou itself. But the Sharingan was never meant to be controlled like that.
Be proud of your love and hate; suffer because of your love and hate. The Sharingan wanted - no, demanded you to do both.
"But your eyes …" "Trust me on this." I cut him off before he could continue. Reluctantly, he pushed his forehead protector up and the red Mangekyou stared at me unobstructed.
However, this time, my eyes remained black.
I wasn't sure what he was seeing when he stared into my eyes with the raging Mangekyou sharingan. But like waves crashing against the vast beach of sand, eventually, his left eye faded back to the regular Sharingan.
"Thank you," Kakashi said, somewhat surprised that my method actually worked.
"We can't have you going to an infant's party with the Mangekyou opened, can we? You might faint an hour in, maybe not even?" I said, trying to lighten up the mood a little.
Kakashi just shrugged, "Speaking of which, we should get going," I nodded as I stood up.
The platter of sushi and the basket of tempura rested on the counter top. I picked it up and made sure they rested safely in my arms.
Kakashi was already at the door, looking into the distance. His forehead protector was still up, and the redness in his left eye stood out as clear as the day.
"Let's go," Upon hearing my words, Kakashi nodded, finally pushing his forehead protector down to cover the scar, the Sharingan, and everything it remembered.
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
"Welcome! Uchiha-san and ... Hatake-san!" A woman opened the door - must be Zebra's wife - and she greeted us with a small baby in arms.
The little girl yelped at the sudden new faces, and then she gave me the brightest, most healing smile I had seen in a while. Her little puffy arm raised up, as if wanting to touch my face, but her mother held her tighter to stop her from falling off.
"I'm sorry, she gets excited at seeing pretty faces. Come in!" the woman - Yayoi - hurried us into the door. Immediately, I saw the mass of people gathering at the table. Otter - Yugao, Zebra - Hideo, Falcon - Keishi, Bear - Yamato, and Owl - Hyūga Yūichi. Tonight, we were not known by our Anbu names.
"Here comes the busiest ones out of all of us." Yugao laughed as she waved me over. "I heard you're nominated for a Jonin promotion! Congrats!"
"Thank you, Yugao-senpai. The actual evaluation isn't until next month though." To be nominated for a Jonin promotion, you needed the recommendation from two shinobi who had been Jonin for at least two years. These nominees then get evaluated by the Hokage, with input from the advisory council, twice a year.
I was recommended by the Hyūga Clan Head and the Jonin commander for a Jonin nomination. It was a recognition of a sort, commemorating my effort in slaying the Traitor Danzō and dismantling Root.
Just then, I felt something touching my face. It was the little Satsuki, it seemed. She is dangling from her father's arm, eyeing my face with curiosity.
"Oops, Satsuki must have really liked you." Hideo adjusted his grip on Satsuki once more, but the baby wailed in protest.
"It's alright. She is very adorable," I said with a smile and that seemed to make Satsuki giggle. "May I?" I asked, and Hideo handed the baby to me.
"You're pretty good at this." Yayoi seemed surprised. Satsuki was content in my arms, and her short limbs were just long enough to reach my face.
"I had some memories of taking care of Sasuke - my younger brother - when he was a baby. If only my face was that effective with him as well." But alas, Sasuke didn't find my face to be the magical drug to stop crying.
Satsuki played around with my face for a while before I gave her back to her parents. She was still staring at my face longingly, but it seemed that the interest wasn't that strong anymore now that she had her turn.
"How's Ryuu doing?" Yamato asked from across the table and the conversation suddenly went quiet for a moment. Every Anbu here knew about Ryuu - his history, his time in Root, his attempt of assasination, and his attempt at redemption. He was exposed like an open book to everyone the moment the battle with Root was over.
"He's fine. There are still some .. questions left," I answered. Most of the former Root agents were being confined and Ryuu was no different. There was still much information they needed to corroborate for the Hokage. After that, they needed to be put through a reformation program. However, Ryuu was partially exempted from the second part, partly due to the fact that his actions were self-explanatory and partly because I would be in charge of his reformation.
"You're really going to make him an Uchiha?" Yūichi asks, his white Byakugan showing his confusion. Over time, I had come to realize that when Yūichi questioned me, it wasn't because he hated me, but just that he couldn't understand what the hell I was doing half the time.
Once I nodded in confirmation, he asked again, "Are you going to make him a part of the side branch then?"
I laughed at his question. "Does it matter? There are only two Uchiha left in this village, three, if you count him. But no, he'll just be my adopted brother."
"I wonder how your other brother felt about that." I heard Yūichi mutter across the table. Yep, what did I expect, it's Owl alright, always talking without thinking. Thankfully, Falcon - or Keishi - slapped his head for me.
"You really need to stop talking before she decides to punch you into a wall. Trust me, you're about to get there," Keishi said to him and he was speaking from experience.
As for how Sasuke felt … Well, he didn't protest, but I knew that deep down, he hadn't accepted Ryuu, not after knowing he was a part of Root. Sasuke knew that Ryuu had no little choice other than being forced into Root and he also knew that Ryuu almost died to sabotage Danzō's plan. But that was the extent of his leniency and why he was willing to let him in, even if just for appearance.
"Anyway, are you planning to take some time off, Hideo?" I directed the conversation back to Zebra. I had a feeling, perhaps my time on the same team as him would be coming to an end.
I was correct. Zebra announced that he would be resigning from Anbu and go back to being a medical-nin at the Konoha Hospital.
Zebra and Yayoi met at the Konoha Hospital, actually, back when Zebra was just a green Rookie in Anbu. He had to take some time off from Anbu after a particularly brutal mission, and the Hokage decided to let him help out at the Hospital in the meantime. It was there that Hideo met Yayoi, the resident medical-nin on duty, and the story continued until now.
"Thank you for sticking around then. I wish you and your family safe and well in the future," I said, giving him a light hug.
Zebra received farewells from others as well, with promises for future drinking buddies. "You all make it sound like forever, but given how often you get injured, I feel like I'd be seeing the bunch of you quite often." Everyone laughed at Zebra's words, including me. "Anyway, stay safe, all of you."
Next, we celebrated Satsuki's 100th day of birth. All of us brought gifts for her, ranging from toys to articles for daily use.
"Who brought the toy kunai?" I raised an eyebrow at the scene of Satsuki chewing on one of the rubber kunai.
"I did, but look, she's so happy with it," Keishi said while playing with the baby. Satsuki dropped the kunai to bite Yūichi's finger, but decided that the kunai was much better and picked it up again.
"I do see some talent here," Yūichi said in all seriousness. He brought the toy shuriken, by the way. Shinobi education at its finest.
I shouldn't be judging. Four out of five times, I had given weapons to Sasuke as birthday gifts.
The celebration lasted until ten at night. It would have gone on for longer - god knows how much we need this moment to de-stress after all that ordeals with Danzō and Root - but Satsuki had fallen asleep after all the excitement for the day.
Finally, we bid each other goodbye, with promises to meet again, whether in Anbu or outside - preferably under better circumstances than life and death, Zebra noted.
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
Kakashi woke up to see the box of Obito's belongings by the window, as if asking him what he was going to do with them.
He hadn't figured that part out yesterday night when he dragged the box back from the Uchiha Compound. A night had passed and nothing had changed.
His Sharingan had been throbbing all night, from the heartache, from the memories, from the sorrow … he didn't know. While everyone in the village seemed to think that he was an expert, only he knew that he understood nothing about the Sharingan.
Before he could blink away the soreness, there was a knock on his door.
Kakashi immediately registered the smell of the foreign chakra and it was a visitor that surprised him greatly.
Nevertheless, he went for the door.
Uchiha Sasuke stood at his door, hands in his pockets. He straightened his back in an attempt to look taller so he didn't have to raise his head to meet Kakashi's eyes.
"Don't you have the Academy to attend?" Kakashi asked.
"It's the weekend." Sasuke was questioning his intelligence, Kakashi could tell from his eyes. Right, Kakashi had always known that Sasuke thought everyone was stupid, with his sister being the only exception.
Whenever it involved the Uchiha, it was best to talk in private, Kakashi had gathered that much, so he moved aside and let him in. The young boy had a moment of hesitation, before he stepped in.
"Sit wherever. Does your sister know you're here?" Kakashi asked as he closed the door. After some thought, he turned on the privacy seals as well.
Sasuke contemplated between the couch and the chair. Eventually, he decided on the chair. Maiko would have taken the couch with no hesitation.
"No, I told her that I'm going to Shikamaru's place. I was hoping you won't tell her either," Sasuke replied
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "That depends on what you're here for."
"I saw you activating the privacy seal," Sasuke said all of a sudden. His eyes flashed red for a moment, telling him that it was his Sharingan at work.
Look at him, trying to act all mature and stuff. But Kakashi wasn't Maiko, he didn't find joy in teasing the younger Uchiha.
"Maiko-nee told me that we could trust you," Sasuke mutters. He didn't need Kakashi to answer; the fact that he was here said enough. Instead, he looked up and stared straight into his eyes, "I want to know how you looked at the Uchiha Rebellion."
This was the longest conversation Kakashi ever had with the younger Uchiha. This was not the topic he thought they'd be discussing.
Now, Kakashi was fully awake. "Why would you ask me? I don't know anything that Maiko doesn't already know."
"She told me everything she knows, and I believe her," Sasuke said, scrunching his eyebrows. "But she is biased, we all are. You are biased too, but you're biased in a different way. So I want to know what you think."
Kakashi wondered what made him think that he, out of everyone, would be a good choice for this topic. Then he realized, there was no 'everyone'. Who else could the boy turn to other than his sister? The Hokage? The Jonin commander? He didn't think so.
Sasuke wouldn't even be here if not for the immense trust Maiko had in him. Even then, Kakashi could see that every cell in his body wanted to leave.
"What would a non-Uchiha understand?" That was what Kakashi imagined the young boy would spit out for anyone attempting to give their piece on the matter of the Uchiha rebellion and the subsequent massacre.
But it appeared he was wrong, seeing that the boy made it here.
"What do you want to know about? My opinion on the action of the Uchiha Clan? The action of the Hokage? Or the action of your brother?" Kakashi asked as he sat down on the couch. This was going to be a long talk.
"My sister … She always has infinite patience with Itachi. I know she feels guilty because she wasn't there to help them avert the rebellion. She thinks that if only she was there to help, Shisui-san's eyes wouldn't have been taken and things would have turned out different." Sasuke said, trying to sound as calm as possible. However, the way his fist clenched tight betrayed him. "But deep down, if things had to, she would do exactly what Itachi had done."
Kakashi felt the need to disagree with that. "No, if things came down to it, she would have gone to kill Dan zō first."
"–And she would watch Itachi kill the clan in the meanwhile, and take on the missing-nin status along with him," Sasuke scoffed, his voice raised until he was practically yelling at the end.
That, Kakashi wouldn't deny. Killing Danzō and preventing a civil war wasn't mutually exclusive, not when using Itachi's method and not if Maiko decided to strike the deal with the Hokage instead of Danzō.
It was a mystery why Itachi didn't expose Danzō to the Hokage - perhaps the time was too rushed, or maybe Danzō had threatened him with too many things, or that he simply thought that the Hokage and Danzō were on the same page.
But not with Maiko around. She would not just be another pair of eyes and another pair of hands, she would bring the pathos to Itachi's logos. Screw Danzō, as soon as she knew Danzō took Shisui's eyes, Maiko would go for the kill or die trying. Then. they'd have no choice but to negotiate with the Hokage directly. After that, whether or not the clan massacre had to happen to ensure no civil war broke out, that was something no one could predict.
"But … are there other ways? A way that didn't involve my clan being massacred or a war that Itachi hated so much about?" The young boy tried to contain in his voice the mockery he had of Itachi's ideal. What was peace when everyone he cared about was dead? But at least he knew that his opinions were dangerous in this judgmental society, so he put in the effort to hide it.
Kakashi was silent, long enough for the boy to get jittery. He had to think this through. If he wanted, he could have told him that there was no better way, his clan or Peace, one had to be sacrificed. That would serve as a confirmation and perhaps the boy would stop wondering - stop suffering.
But no, Sasuke came to him for the opinion of an outsider, who wasn't affected by the grievance of a slaughtered Clan and a tragic hero as a brother. Kakashi felt the need to respect that.
Maiko's memory of Sasuke always seemed to stop at the boy who woke up to the massacre of his clan. But Sasuke was not eight anymore, he saw things about Maiko, about himself, and about others.
"I would convince the Hokage to execute those Uchiha flaming the rebellion, then allow him to choose another Clan Head that supported pacifism over war. Itachi, Shisui, take your pick." Kakashi said after much contemplation. There would be twenty, maybe thirty shinobi, who wanted to start the rebellion, but the majority of the clan wouldn't have cared. They were just following the direction of their leader.
Sasuke's eyes went wide at his suggestion. First, it was because of the surprise, but then, realization started to dawn on him.
"I see you've realized the issues as well." Kakashi was somewhat surprised, the boy was smarter than he had thought. "What I just suggested was a simplified, idealistic plan. It would be condescending to overlook the barriers that Itachi had been facing back then."
"One, it didn't matter who were in the pro-rebellion faction - your father, your mother, your friend … they all had to die, likely being charged with an offence they had never committed. It needed to look natural on the outside." Kakashi paused to let the words sink in. So far, this deal didn't seem too bad. Thirty compared to three hundred, the answer should have been obvious.
"Two, I would have to have some way of knowing that the Hokage would forgive and forget. The Hokage and his government mustn't doubt the Uchiha allegiance again after this, otherwise, this would only be a temporary fix." Now that was the real problem, Kakashi took a deep breath.
"What Itachi was facing was a government filled with Elders who distrust the Uchiha, With Danzō being the prime example. Back then, Root and Anbu had been two sides of the same coin, so even if he knew that Danzō was being the main problem, Itachi had no way of distinguishing the Hokage and Danzō. He couldn't be sure that the Hokage would trust the Uchiha again even if he eliminated Danzō, and he found it too risky to try."
He had to be careful with his words. Otherwise, he might send back a Sasuke that's full of rage for the current Hokage and Konoha in general. He was sure that Maiko didn't want that.
As expected, the boy bursted in anger, "Then what are you saying? That there was no way this would have worked in the first place?" Sasuke must have felt being mocked at. He came here looking for another perspective, not another person trying to convince him that Itachi had no other choice.
"I said 'temporary fix', didn't I?" Kakashi didn't fault him. He didn't expect anyone to remain calm after hearing that, let alone a child who tried his hardest to be an adult. "The Uchiha could have survived for another few years, perhaps, until they had to do something again to placate the distrust. But if you were Itachi, would you risk for a chance that in a few years, history would repeat itself, but this time, with your own little brother being at the front of a rebellion?"
Sasuke froze, letting the full implication of his words sink in. Suddenly, his eyes turned into the red Sharingan. He stared at Kakashi in disbelief, but yes, Kakashi did suggest that with the way he was - temperamental, sheltered, and naive - no wonder Itachi would worry.
But that was then. The current Sasuke could push down his rage and force the Sharingan back into submission.
"So you're saying that this … cycle of sacrifice and distrust was inevitable." Sasuke asked with a scent of desperation leaking from his voice. "Then what about a few years ago? Maiko-nee mentioned that the tension grew over years, especially after the Nine-tailed Fox."
"Were we doomed from the beginning?" That was the inevitable question. Maiko asked herself before and now it was Sasuke's turn to wonder.
Kakashi wondered if he should say it, the answer he had come up with.
"Become the Hokage," Kakashi said to Sasuke. It sounded like a joke, like a mockery, but he was completely serious. "If the Uchiha had produced a Hokage, no one would ever distrust them again. The Sharingan will become a force of protection, instead of suspicion."
"You're kidding. Produce a Hokage? Like it's easy for us–"
"Why not? Uchiha is a founding Clan along with the Senju. They also have the most powerful dojutsu. Children are well educated from a young age, and prodigies like Shisui, Itachi, and Maiko are not lacking. So why can't an Uchiha become a Hokage?" Kakashi asked Sasuke in all seriousness.
This was before the distrust between the village and the Uchiha became unsalvageable. Yes, the Hokage and the higher-ups had known that the Nine-tailed fox was controlled by the Mangekyou Sharingan, but at least the Hokage knew that it wasn't any of the Uchiha from the village. Otherwise, the Uchiha would have never survived this long.
But who cared if the Mangekyou could control the Nine-tailed fox, if Uchiha had sworn to protect the village using their Mangekyou. If the Mangekyou could be used to rile up the Nine-tailed beast, it could be used to calm them down. After all, it's not like only Konoha had a tailed beast.
The Hokage mantle meant responsibility. It's better than any act or promise that the Uchiha could make to ensure their loyalty to the village. Having an Uchiha be the Hokage meant that the village's wellbeing was being equated to their Clan's wellbeing, sometimes even greater. Up until the Rebellion, only Danzō was paranoid enough to think that the Uchiha would become the Hokage just to destroy the village. But who cared about Danzō when you were the Hokage?
"There were plenty of decorated Uchiha who had made great contributions to the Third Shinobi War. Also, would Itachi not be a good candidate? Or Shisui?" Both of them were prodigies known for their strength and intelligence, rivaling Kakashi's reputation. If the Sandaime thought he was a worthy candidate, then he saw no reason why the same wouldn't be applied to them.
Perhaps they were a little too young, but the Sandaime Hokage would be willing to wait for them to grow, so long as the Uchiha Clan showed genuine signs of raising them to be a candidate. The proper way, not the kind that involved sending them into Anbu as spies or making them climb the ladder to gain more benefit for the Clan behind the Hokage's back.
Scheme with the Hokage, not against him.
If what Maiko had told him was correct, the Uchiha Clan wanted her and Shisui to do the former, while making Itachi do the latter. Since Maiko bailed, Itachi and Shisui both got slotted into the former category.
Somehow, Sasuke looked a little sad. He lowered his eyes, as if pulling up a memory. "Maiko-nee used to say that Itachi would be a great Clan Head, even a great Hokage."
The boy finally understood what he was trying to say - you didn't have to rely on the Hokage's trust if you were the Hokage. You need power to make changes, that's the reality.
"It's late. You should go soon if you want to make your alibi a reality. I don't want Maiko to come to my door looking for you, asking what we were talking about. I'm sure you don't want that either." Kakashi was ready to kick the boy out, since he had nothing else to say.
Sasuke agreed with him, seeing that the boy stood up and left for the door without any hesitation.
"Thank you." Kakashi heard a small voice saying as the door was closing. The boy came here looking for something new, and he got something unexpected alright.
An Uchiha Hokage, Kakashi shook his head at the thought of that, not because he thought it was unrealistic, but because of the irony.
Among the candidates he had listed: Shisui, Itachi, and Maiko. Shisui was dead. Itachi killed his own clan and became an S-rank missing-nin. Even if his name was cleared in the future and everyone knew that he did everything for Konoha, the village wouldn't accept someone who had such a black history as the Hokage.
As for Maiko … it wouldn't be impossible, but given how big this whole Danzō incident blew up, even involving the civilians, it would be a hard journey. It would also be a long journey: Because of Danzō, many currently in the decision-making rank of Konoha had seen her at her worst.
In comparison, Uchiha Sasuke was a blank slate, full of potential.
On the other hand, Kakashi found his speech to the young boy quite hypocritical. It was time to talk to the Hokage and face reality, it seemed.
When he went back to the bedroom to change into his work clothes, Obito's goggles were still protruding out of the box, staring at him.
Now that was an Uchiha who wanted to become the Hokage.
(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ fuwa~fuwa~desu~~~
Bright red flames rose from the ground, dancing in a circle. The heat was distorting the space around them and the air shook from the spontaneous sparks.
It looked impressive, but it wasn't the Uchiha Kaenjin.
Before I could quench the flame however, a fire dragon sailed past my head and crashed into the flaming barrier like it was drunk in wine.
Whatever was holding the integrity of the flaming wall broke at that instance, and the fire chakra started to run wild like an injured serpent.
Silently, I made a series of hand seals and a tornado of water rose from the river behind me. The water column crashed into the fire, dousing the fire serpent until only some clusters of flame were left. They would eventually fade into the scorched sand when the chakra ran out.
What foresight my Clan had, when they decided to build the training ground next to the Naka River.
I turned around, eyeing the boy practicing on the other side of the bank. Sasuke shrunk a little under my gaze.
"That's not the Katon: Enryu Tensa I know," I said. 'Tensa' meant 'heavenly chains'. The jutsu was supposed to create chains of fire resembling dragons, so they would corner the enemy and seal their path of escape.
Control was the key. Too bad Sasuke always went for the power first before exerting control.
"When you do it, it looks easier than it actually is." Sasuke complained. That's how it always was with him. He would go into everything with a 'I can totally do that' attitude until something went wrong. The courage was admirable, but the headache it caused me was also immense.
"If you just want destruction, you could just blow a Great FireBall and leave it at that." Katon: Great Fire Ball might be a C-rank jutsu, but only those who had mastered it knew the power it could have. "Different Katon techniques are supposed to serve different purposes so that you could use them in different situations. Enryu Tensa is meant for binding the enemy and preventing their escape. The damage was certainly a part of it, but not why the jutsu was developed."
"Just so you know, I'm not against innovation, but it needs to have … positive upgrades." I explained to my brother, who for once, didn't show impatience at my boring theory class. "Katon techniques are the most straightforward and self-explanatory element there was, but we the Uchiha became a master of Katon not because we can blow the biggest fireballs - that might be a part of it - but more importantly, because we explored the different ways of Katon so that it becomes self-sustaining in battle."
Sasuke's training in the techniques of the Uchiha Clan was never-ending, and so was mine. However, with the retrieval of scrolls from the Naka Shrine, it did add more context and study materials to learn.
Sasuke let out a small 'Oh' as a sign of understanding. Then he went back to his side of the river to continue practice.
I was being a little hypocritical just now, acting like I knew all about the Uchiha Katon, when I couldn't even figure out what some of the Uchiha Katon jutsu were supposed to look like.
Uchiha Kaenjin. B-rank jutsu on the paper. Supposed to erect a barrier of flames that would separate the inside from the outside, burning whatever that tried to cross its flaming barrier.
It was one of the rarer jutsu left in the Clan in that not many people knew how to use it. As for why? Maybe it had fallen behind on utility, like the puppeteer jutsu Danzō imitated with his stolen Sharingan. Or maybe it was because the proper way of releasing the technique was lost.
In my memories, I remembered seeing it once as a baby. Under what circumstances, I didn't remember. In my hazy memories, the crimson red barrier was a shade darker than any Katon jutsu I had seen, but with just one look, no one would underestimate the heat it contained - powerful enough to burn through everything from a person to their steel weapon.
The key lay in the concentration of the fire chakra - the more concentrated it was, the higher the temperature the Katon would have, until it was enough to melt through the metal in an instant. However, given my knowledge of Katon, if the fire chakra was that concentrated, the moment you release it, it would hit its target and explode.
How would you maintain something so unstable into a barrier? That was the part I couldn't figure out. With Chidori, you could concentrate the lighting chakra with your kunai, your sword, even your own body cells, but the jutsu was meant to explode and spread eventually when you hit the enemy.
So what was the medium? What was the glue that was supposed to hold the concentrated fire chakra together?
My fading vision after that battle with Danzō was a constant reminder that I couldn't just rely on my Mangekyou every time I faced an enemy a little stronger than usual. I'd like to see past my 20th birthday, thank you very much.
Therefore, I needed to find something that would replace my reliance on Mangekyou techniques. It wouldn't be the same, but it was another option, a safer option.
Uchiha Kaenjin was meant for defense and sealing, but if I could answer that question, I had a feeling that it might bring unexpected effects to my Katon techniques.
Refused to be beaten by frustration, I tried again. Making the hand seals to help with the swirl of the fire chakra, then concentrating it until it's thick and viscous. I released the chakra when I slapped my hand into the ground.
Two meters in front of me, a circle of scarlet flame rose from the ground, forming a barrier that envelope the wooden stool I used as a target. However, the thin barrier only existed for a second before the flame collapsed and exploded outward.
I jumped back to avoid getting licked by the flames. The tornado of fire swirled violently for a few seconds, before it dissipated. The space in front of me still felt like an oven, and the wooden stool had been reduced to ashes.
Well, glad I didn't decide to try it on myself.
From across the river, Sasuke gave me a look that's bordering on being judgemental. "Look, I'm working on it too." I felt the need to say. Sasuke looked away, pretending that he didn't see any of that.
A crimson butterfly flew out from the compound behind us before dissipating into sparks. Someone was here to visit.
"We have visitors," I called out to Sasuke. "I don't expect you to accept him, but at least don't be mean."
The younger boy nodded, not intending to argue with me. He never argued with me on this matter. As for his real thought, well, he wasn't that practiced at hiding his attitudes.
We walked back to the main compound and I headed for the gate.
"I hope everything went smoothly," I said to Tenzo and Ryuu, who came straight from the Anbu facility.
Ryuu was released from questioning today. Of course, he was not free from observation, but at least he was free to walk in the village.
"It did. He is currently suspended from Anbu indefinitely, but regular missions as a Chunin are fine," Tenzō explained for the younger boy, who just nodded. There was a new glint in his eyes, as if Chunin level missions were something exciting. Then again, he was put into the Anbu as a spy right after he had passed his Chunin exam. Regular shinobi missions would have felt like something new.
As for his Anbu status, it was nothing personal. Anbu needed to be reordered and reorganized after the massive infiltration from Root. Any complicating factors were eliminated for efficiency.
"Welcome to the Uchiha compound." I give Ryuu a smile. I turned to Tenzō, "Congratulations on getting promoted to a Captain. It's been long overdue."
Tenzō smiled, looking a little embarrassed. "A lot of former Root agents didn't know what to do. They … wouldn't fit in anywhere else but Anbu. The Hokage thought that I could be a positive influence to them. It's time for me to take on some responsibilities." Don't we all?
"Speaking of which, have you heard about Senpai leaving Anbu?" Tenzō asked.
"Of course, who didn't hear?" At least everyone in my work circle heard the news.
Hatake Kakashi, otherwise known as Hound, one of the most decorated and respected Anbu agents, had resigned from Anbu. He returned to his post as an Elite Jonin. Even if the Hokage didn't outright name him as the Jonin commander, everyone knew that Kakashi started to take on some of Commander Nara's jobs. No doubt, after the Danzō fiasco died down a little and the government was more stable, the Hokage would promote Kakashi to the position officially.
He wasn't joking when he said he was prepared. First step of looking more like a Hokage candidate - start stepping out of the shadow and get familiar with the light.
"So I supposed that he would be taking on genin students now?" I asked, vaguely remembering the bet we made way back about if he would be Sasuke's teacher. The timing was a little against me on that part, since the year before Sasuke's age group just graduated two days ago. Kakashi would be matched to them first ... which should be around now.
"That you'd have to ask him," Tenzō said, shaking his head. "Nobody really knows what he's thinking." That was very accurate. Only Kakashi knew what Kakashi was doing.
"Anyway, see you later. You too, Ryuu!" Tenzō gave Ryuu a big wave before leaving the compound.
"I see you two got along well," I glanced between Ryuu and Tenzō. Ryuu scratched his head and said, "Yamato-senpai is very reliable."
"That's great. You'll be living with us in the main house." Well, only the main house was in a livable condition right now, but he didn't need to know that. "This is your room. Feel free to arrange it in any way you like." I opened the door to show him the bedroom. It was quite plain, since I figured it was best to let him decorate it, but all the essentials were there.
"Sasuke … is training." I looked around and Sasuke's Chakra was nowhere to be found. He must have gone back to the training field. "Sasuke is not the kindest on the outside, but he isn't unreasonable."
Ryuu shook his head, "I would never complain." he looked at me with determination. "I promise I will protect Sasuke-kun with my life."
I let out a sigh. "I didn't take you in with the expectation that you will do so. I know that during our ... confrontation, I told you that I gave you a life and I can take it away. But I don't own your life and your life doesn't involve just me."
As much as I tried to explain, Ryuu just shook his head again. "That's not why. Consider it my thanks to you. That's all I can do for now." The boy was stubborn in his decision, but I could understand why he was so determined.
It was hard to go from living for someone else to living for yourself. It took a meeting with death and many more years for me to make that transition. Ryuu was not going to get enlightened after a week in Anbu containment.
Before we knew it, the sky had changed to a warm hue at sunset. In the distance, I saw the street of light winding through the village. It's the summer festival today.
"I'll leave you alone to settle in then. It's the summer festival today, your genin teammates, and those kids at the orphanage, they're likely to be there as well. Now that you are free to walk around the village, you should meet with the people that still care about you." I pointed to the scene outside the window.
"Then again, it's your decision." I left it at that and Ryuu nodded. I wasn't going to make his decision for him. He had been through enough to start making them on his own.
Next, I went to find Sasuke. I know for sure that he had plans with Naruto for the summer festival. I caught the boy on his way back to the main house. "Take a shower, before you go to the festival," I told him.
"Are you coming?" Sasuke asked instead. I shook my head.
"You should. There was supposed to be a stall selling tea imported from the Country of Tea. It's limited." I raised an eyebrow at my brother's attempt. That would be a pretty tempting argument, if Shun hadn't given me the same gifts for my birthday.
But my brother didn't have to know that. On second thought, I would like to buy more of a particular type from Shun's gift basket.
"Well, I guess I'm coming then." That would mean I also needed to take a bath. Thankfully the house had a guest bathroom.
Ryuu was long gone when we returned to the main house. Whether he left to stay out of Sasuke's way or to see people at the summer festival, only he would know.
Usually, people wore yukata at the summer festival. However, neither Sasuke nor I found it practical. I thought about it and pulled out two haori from the shelf. I handed Sasuke a wave-patterned one while keeping a cloud-patterned one for myself. They are festive enough, but we could still wear our shinobi outfit underneath.
Lanterns were raised outside every store front, candles wavering in the night wind. Children passed us by as we strolled along the main street, laughing in free and uncaring tones. A week ago, the civilian quarter was stirred upside down by a genjutsu. You would never guess that by how peaceful this summer festival was.
That was the whole point, I supposed. The Hokage was very adamant that this festival be held, and be held very successfully. A part of the Anbu force was even allocated to maintain safety. One could never be too careful. I wasn't part of that group on duty tonight, but in some other event, I would be in their position, hiding in the shadows, being the most diligent observer.
We picked up Naruto by the entrance of the night market and so far, he had yet to stop babbling about everything he saw along the way.
"Well, I'll let you two explore on your own. Take care of your wallet, don't lose it all in one place." I said to the boys before we parted. There were always gaming stalls in the festival, but the tricks they used could even scam shinobi. Naruto, in particular, could be particularly stubborn and before he knew it, he used up all his allowances.
"Got it, see ya around, Maiko-nee-chan! Good luck with your tea hunt!" Naruto yelled as he dragged Sasuke away, can't wait to try everything he can see, hear and smell. Sasuke gave me a wave as well, before rolling his eyes at Naruto's childish antics. Yes. I was very clear from the beginning that I was only here for the tea stall.
I shook my head at the boys. They sure were an interesting duo. Naruto kept Sasuke grounded, kept him childish when everything was hurting him to make him grow up. Sasuke kept Naruto company, kept him from questioning why everyone else in the village seemed so mean to him.
I found the tea stall a few stores past the left turn. It was a surprise to see him at this particular stall, but surely, the silver-coloured hair and the standard Jonin attire confirmed his identity.
"I never knew you liked tea," I said to him as I walked up to stand beside him. Of course, he noticed me much earlier, even letting out a sigh at my arrival. Ouch, didn't know my presence was this unwelcomed.
"I have my reasons," Kakashi answered without really answering. But before we could say anything else, one of the girls working at the stall approached him, with a selection of tea boxes in hand.
"Here are all your selections, Mister. You mentioned it's for a gift. Would you like us to wrap it up for you then?" The girl asked thoughtfully.
"Thank you. I'm very sorry about this, but would you mind waiting for a few minutes before you wrap up? I still need to confirm something," Kakashi apologized with a smile, although it was quite hard to see with the mask. Still, a little blush appeared on the girl's cheeks.
This is getting interesting, I thought. But just then, Kakashi turned towards me and asked, "would you like anything else for your birthday?" Okay, I did not see that coming.
"So you are shopping for tea because ... "
"Yes, these are for your belated birthday gift. Since you're here, I imagine you want to buy some tea. So, might as well pick the types you like," Kakashi looked like he'd rather body flicker away than standing here, getting caught by me. That was better than the actual birthday gift.
The girl glanced between us, catching on to the situation instantly. She turned her attention to me, waiting for me to add to the order.
I gave her an apologetic smile before looking around the shop. Kakashi's selection had been quite standard, a little bit of everything, probably on the worker's recommendation. But considering I had tried a lot of these types before …
"May I have two more red boxes on the third shelf, and one ivory box over there? Also, two bags of sesame tea biscuit, unsweetened, please." I placed my order and the girl went to the back to grab it. The tea biscuit was more for Sasuke, but since Kakashi was paying, I might as well.
She added them to Kakashi's pile and wrapped them up in a basket. Kakashi paid for the gift and as soon as the transaction was done, he handed it to me. "Happy birthday. Good to see that you survived to sixteen." A very Kakashi-flavoured congratulation, that's for sure.
"You came to the summer festival just for this?" I asked him as we left the tea stall.
"Wasn't it the same for you?" Kakashi replied back. Couldn't deny that.
"You didn't say anything about resigning from Anbu, but I supposed it was to be expected." I muttered beside him. We saw each other at Zebra's place four days ago, not a very long time, but somehow, a lot of things have changed.
"It's about time. It's been … twelve, thirteen years? Since I joined Anbu." He had been in Anbu for so long that the initial memories were blurring. Would I become like that one day, if I stayed in Anbu long enough?
"Are you going to take students this year? The Academy graduated another batch of genin just the other day, didn't it?" I thought I had asked a harmless question, but Kakashi's eyes turned a little cold at the mention of that.
"I failed all three of my genin candidates," Kakashi said in a mocking tone. "People who are willing to backstab other people to become a mere genin, no idea what else they would expect."
I didn't know how Kakashi tested them to get them to turn on each other, but I was sure he had his ways. It was a matter of principle. If they could betray each other as easily as this, then that didn't bode well for the dire situations on missions.
"Hokage-sama would be disappointed, but he's been feeling disappointed for years now, he can wait for another year." Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and I had to contain a snicker.
"Well, next year is a special year," I hinted, but it should have been obvious. Next year would be Naruto's graduation. The same applied to Sasuke.
"You win the bet. Might be a bit hard to come do your locker room duty, considering that I'm no longer in Anbu anymore, but we'll see." At this point, it seemed written by fate that Kakashi would be assigned to teach both Naruto and Sasuke, so long as they could pass his test - which I had every faith in the world.
Naruto was a jinchuuriki, and Kakashi had the Mangekyou Sharingan to calm the tailed beast if anything were to happen. Also, the Sandaime would not deny Kakashi the chance to watch over Naruto with a legitimate reason. At this point, Naruto and Sasuke were like a package deal, let alone the fact that Sasuke also had the Sharingan.
Kakashi saw what was written in the future, and this time, he didn't want to reject it.
"It was supposed to be a joke in the tavern. I never expect the bet to be cashed in," I said out of kindness in my heart.
"Well, I fully expected you to deal with my locker room duty for a week if you lost." Kakashi just had to say that.
"You don't even have a goddamn locker room to take care of anymore," I shot back. This bet was dead the moment he left Anbu.
Somewhere during our chit-chat, we left the main street where the festival was held and stepped onto the stone bridge spanning across the Naka River. The sound of the flowing water under our feet presented a clear contrast to the heated sound of festivities.
There was not a lot of light here by the bridge, but one could oversee the light of the festival in its full view.
"I want to revive an Uchiha Katon technique that's been lost, but I can't figure it out," I said all of a sudden. I had no idea why I went back to the habit of asking for his advice and dumping my problem on him.
A few days ago, he was my senpai in Anbu. Before that, he was my Captain. Even further back than that, he was my part-time teacher without any pay and my jutsu library.
However, as of now, we were situated within two parts of the Konoha's sphere - Anbu and Jonin. He wasn't my anything.
I had graduated from him, but I couldn't seem to abstain from his help.
"If you can't figure it out, then no one can," Kakashi replied, giving me an inkling of confidence that I didn't have myself.
"That's … debatable. Itachi is smarter than me and Sasuke is more Uchiha than I will ever be," I dumped out the shadows in my mind, knowing that Kakashi despised them enough to want to shatter them with sharp words and sarcasm.
"But you are the one that's here." However, that was all Kakashi had said this time. "If the Mangekyou ability had told us anything, then it was that strong wishes can have … unexpected results."
Itachi was determined to live his life in lies and facade, so his right Mangekyou manifested Tsukuyomi - the jutsu he had used on Sasuke once - to weave the strongest genjutsu that masked reality.
I wanted to stop Itachi from leaving, to preserve the time I had lost and wasted, so my Mangekyou evolved into Kannon Bosatsu.
Kakashi never told me enough about the circumstances of his Mangekyou, so I couldn't make the connection. But considering he used 'us' in the sentence, he realized that he was in line with the pattern.
So, what was the Uchiha that developed the Uchiha Kaenjin wishing for?
Flickering lantern light decorated my view, lining the street so densely that it seemed to blend into a silk curtain of light and warmth, warding the residents from the evil in the dark.
Uchiha Kaenjin was a jutsu developed for sealing and protection. Of course, Uchiha being Uchiha, couldn't find a way to protect without attack.
Fire was meant to spread, to burn, and to rage, burning the enemy and oneself alike, and so were us Uchiha. Fire was not meant to be controlled, so to control it enough to be used for protection, something else had to be sacrificed. Things that only Uchiha could do.
The answer was there all along.
"I see," I muttered as I raised my hands, feeling the fire chakra gathering in my body. Layers and layers of fire chakra were knitted tightly, concentrated and dangerous. Then, I threaded the yin-chakra, letting it flow between the fire chakra like a silk ribbon, gluing them together.
Then I released the chakra from my body and it expanded into a tiny lotus flower, no bigger than the size of my thumb, blooming in my palms.
Uchiha were born with an abnormally high ratio of yin-chakra, a property that worked well with the genjutsu ability of our Sharingan. Even then, being able to manipulate your yin-chakra was a dangerous and difficult task, let alone having enough supply to maintain a barrier like the Uchiha Kaenjin.
Those are difficult criteria to meet, and even a clan as big as ours rarely produce one or two that would fit both.
However, I had an unnatural advantage in that department. In the roughest description, Yin-chakra was related to that of the soul - the mind, the memories, and the emotions. Fortunately, or unfortunately for me, I had a soul that was complicated. My yin-chakra was more abundant than most of my Clanmates, and I already had experience manipulating the Yin-Chakra, developed under strange circumstances.
"That is …" Kakashi eyed the lotus flower in surprise. It would be different from any fire jutsu he had seen. This blend of concentrated fire chakra and threads of yin-chakra produced a ruby-like complexion on the blooming lotus. Mesmerizing, but even more dangerous.
"This is the key behind the Uchiha Kaenjin," I whispered, feeling the unstable entity being contained and even shaped in my hands.
Suddenly, a loud explosion rang above the sky. It startled me and my control over the chakra lotus wavered. The equilibrium was disrupted and the tiny flower exploded with rage.
It wasn't that dangerous, I didn't put much chakra into it, hence its small size. It was merely a proof-of-concept.
Nevertheless, I took a step back, and immediately, a kunai appeared between my body and the small cluster of flame, blocking the wild sparks from splashing onto my haori.
Most of the sparks landed on the kunai, and the metal sizzled in complaint. The rest of the sparks landed on the stone bridge, leaving black dots behind.
"... If you don't tell, then the Hokage doesn't know," I said to Kakashi, who rolled his eyes at me but otherwise didn't say anything. I'll take that as a yes.
Another loud explosion sounded from the above and it drew our attention back to the sky.
It was the fireworks.
Flashes of colours illuminated the sky; gold and silver adorned the night. It invited everyone in Konoha to see the same view, the same picture.
At this moment, the summer was eternal.
A/N: Yes, at this point, the original story line be damned : ) As for Sasuke and Kakashi's conversation, I decided to write it this way after a random thought popping into my mind, it'll be fun to have an Uchiha Hokage. Jokes aside, Sasuke is having an existential crisis, if you can't already tell. Kakashi is trying to get him a direction to direct his energy on - if you want to make changes, then you have to have the power to do so. This is different from when Sasuke decided that he will become the Hokage at the late part of Naruto Shippuden, where he was very extreme in his thinking. At this point, to Kakashi, Sasuke is just a kid who had went through a lot, lost in the way of life but is still exceptional compared to his age. Then again, this didn't mean that he would actually become the Hokage, I didn't even plan that far yet and I don't knwo if I'll ever plan that far.