Shimmering bright streams of fire ran wild along the lines which surrounded the sacred Pond of Naka. The heat from the flames was so intense that even the water inside the pond began boiling uncontrollably, spewing hot clouds of vapor all around the area.
"Naruto, stand up and do it again," Shisui whispered in a demanding tone. He knew the boy would not take the exercise seriously otherwise.
At the mention of his name, a pair of blue eyes blinked up at the Uchiha. "Shisui-nii, I'm not a machine, you know. I need rest." Naruto grumbled, looking thoroughly annoyed by the teen who himself was resting beneath the shadow of a tree without a care in the world.
Shisui smiled. The boy was exactly like Sayuri had told him, convivial and straightforward. "I don't want you to be a machine either, Naruto. My aim is to train you so that you can be better than anyone and anything in this world," he knew the boy heard him when he abruptly began to make faces towards him. "I can see you, Naruto," Shisui said as a small stream of water rose above from the pond and showered the boy.
"Nii-san!" Naruto yelled out at him but Shisui maintained his calm and chose to ignore the disapproval of the boy. That was nothing new for them after all. In the past few months, there had been numerous occasions where he had done something like that and Naruto had shown his displeasure immediately, only to get ignored by the older Uchiha.
The blond boy huffed and turned his face away from the sight of his brother. 'Stupid old-' another wave of water splashed with his face. "How can you still hear me?!" He groaned, caressing his wet tresses gently.
"Did you say something?."
"Of course you'd say that. I'm sure this has nothing to do with you being an Uchiha and a jonin, right?" The sarcasm did not go unnoticed by Shisui.
"Create a bigger fireball this time otherwise I will hand you over to Fugaku-sama."
A cold shudder ran down his whole spine when his brother mentioned that cursed name. Of all the people why he chose to mention him. Fugaku Uchiha was someone he wanted to stay away from at any cost. Just a glimpse of that man's face was enough to scare Naruto for nights. That was one of the main reasons he had still not met him. He had met everyone from Sayuri's family but not him and he liked to keep it that way only. "Please no. I'll try my best, Shisui-nii!" Mustering the best innocent face, he looked at the teen and pouted. If there was anything useful he had learned from his past experiences then it was the fact that his brother could never say no to his innocent face.
"I'm not falling for this trap again, Naruto."
"Please."
Onyx eyes twitched at the sight in front of them. "No. If you fail this time, I will send you to Fugaku-sama" he stood up from his position and was rather pleased to see the immediate results.
In a blink, Naruto stood at the edge of the pond again, hands already working through the seals needed for the jutsu while his lungs prepared the required chakra. "Watch this!" Shisui heard Naruto yell before chaos reigned down the area.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
A smile blossomed on his Shisui's face when an enormous amount of chakra left Naruto's mouth in the form of a huge ball of fire. It was magnificent in every aspect, be size or power. "Ama… You still have a long way to go to improve, but for now, it's sufficient," his smile stretched out further when the boy began to glare at him.
"You're a cruel teacher, Shisui-nii." An utterly exhausted Naruto whispered. "First you force me to learn this fire style jutsu even though you know fire is not my primary nature and when I finally do that, you ignore all my efforts…" he added with a hurtful look on his face.
"I know, Naruto. I'm Shisui Uchiha. Cruelty and power flow through my blood."
Now that made Naruto laugh. "Cruelty and power flow through my blood?" he mimicked the older boy and began to laugh harder. "Is this the same Shisui Uchiha who cried when he saw my apartment for the first time?" He asked, ready to sprint away at any given moment.
Sharingan flared in Shisui's eyes. "What did you just say, brat?" He asked the little boy but got no answer. "I think you are getting out of hand. Come here, let me knock some sense back in your mind." It only took him a moment to flicker in front of a terrified Naruto and another to swing the wooden stick towards his head. "Enjoy the punishment-" His eyes widened for a millisecond when the boy abruptly vanished from his sight, leaving behind small torrents of flames and smoke.
"I know your shunshin too, Shisui-nii" A boisterous laugh forced Shisui to turn his head towards the pond.
"Interesting." The Uchiha mumbled when he finally discerned what must have happened. For starters, the Naruto who was taunting him was not even the real Naruto in the first place, he was just a clone made up of fire chakra while the original was hiding inside the pond from the moment he used his fireball jutsu. "How did you get there?" He asked, no doubt surprised by the skills of the boy. That level of proficiency in the fire element was unheard of at his age, especially when it was not even his primary element. Not even his ancestor, the infamous Uchiha Kagami was this skilled with fire nature in his childhood.
Naruto grinned, his teeth shining brightly in the radiance of the sun. "I saw that Kakashi guy doing this same thing with his lightning chakra and I really loved it. So after days of practice, I was able to do it with fire chakra!" He answered, completely missing the look of surprise on his brother's face.
"When?"
Naruto blinked, a little confused due to the question. "Huh? What do you mean by when?!"
Shisui shook his head. "I meant when did you visit the village last time?" He asked.
Finally understating what his mentor meant, Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ohh, hehe. Four days ago" his honest answer silenced the Uchiha prodigy for a moment.
"I see," Shisui hummed with a thoughtful expression on his face. "You need to stop going so close to that part of the village, Naruto. The people there are dangerous and unpredictable, you know," his suggestion fell on deaf ears as the boy plainly ignored his words.
"You're worrying about nothing, Nii-san. I've lived there most of my life and except for the insults and glares, no one has tried to do anything to me." Naruto argued back, trying to beat some sense in his brother's head. "Ayame nee-chan and Teuchi jii-chan live there too. So you can't stop me from going there!"
Shisui could have objected again but chose not to due to the emotions the boy seemed to emanate at the mention of Ayame. 'That girl,' he knew her very well. After all, she was the only one who managed to gain his interest in this accursed village. 'She is weak though,' he added as his mind recalled the words of the people who were close to her.
If rumors were anything to go by then the girl once tried to join the Shinobi Academy but was forced to drop out as the teachers there deemed her as a total failure. "She is weak," he mumbled out loud and had to evade a kunai that was tossed by none other than his pupil.
"She is not weak. She is kind!" Naruto harshly whispered. How many times did he have to tell people?! Ayame was not weak. Violence and power were something she refused to give into. They were useless to her and that's why he had promised to keep her safe. If she was not going to spill blood, then he would do it for her, and for her sake. There were very few people he wanted to protect. She was one of them.
"I know, Naruto. I was just recalling people's words about her." Shisui smiled at his cute little student. "But they were not wrong though. If she had joined the Academy then she would have died on her first mission because of her mentality. Kind people are bound to die on the battlefield, Naruto."
"Not under my watch, Shisui-nii."
Shisui blinked in confusion, head tilting a little as he tried to understand the meaning behind that statement. "Huh?"
"I said no one close to me will die under my watch." The blond answered, his voice filled with nothing but determination and power. "I'll even conquer death if it tries to touch any of you."
The shunshin prodigy of the Uchiha clan smirked. He could distinguish it, the rambunctious hunger for power resting deep within those deep blue eyes of the child. It was as enormous as his own. "Bold claims, Naruto," he whispered but amusement replaced surprise on his face when Naruto smirked at him.
"Say whatever you want, Nii-san, but even you know I will be more powerful than you in the future."
"If you say so kid."
Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. "You're just jealous because you can't move as fast as me-" all the words which were meant to taunt the teen perished in his mouth when his brother abruptly faded away from his sight. 'No!' he gulped when he sensed Shisui's chakra behind him.
One.
Two.
Three.
"You should always be aware of your surroundings, Naruto. I taught you better than that."
A shiver ran down his spine when his ear caught the sound of a stick chiseling through the wind. The suffering was inevitable but that did not mean Naruto would not try to escape, who knows, he might end up avoiding the punishment. "Oh my! Ayame nee-chan is coming here with my favorite ramen!" He exclaimed, convening as much shock as he could in his voice.
Sharingan flashed to the mentioned direction for a second before returning back to their main prey. "Did you really think I would fall for that again? All of your tricks are useless, Naruto," he scoffed at the boy who was glued to his place.
"Well, you did last time-" he could not complete his statement as the sheer force behind the strike was enough to send him flying towards the dense forest of Konoha.
Shisui huffed, his eyes crinkling in irritation. "He deserved that," he mumbled while a small part of him could not help but worry about the boy. 'Did I hit him too hard?' The smugness left his face as thoughts of a bleeding or injured Naruto began to invade his mind.
"Naruto!" He immediately shouted, the concern increasing inside him by each passing second.
"Naruto!" His warm voice took a sharp turn while his devilish eyes jumped in action to analyze his surroundings for the presence of the boy.
A strange feeling rippled inside his abdomen when he could not sense the boy. "Naruto!" His feet began to trek towards the dense forest, crushing everything that dared to appear in his path.
"Aww, is Shisui-nii worried about me?"
Shisui stopped when he heard a voice from the trees above him. "Naruto", he mumbled with a surprised expression on his face. What was the kid thinking while pulling this meaningless prank on him? Had he forgotten what an Uchiha could do to people when they get worried about someone they love?
"Here," Shisui almost fell over in surprise when the boy abruptly landed on his shoulders, dropping both of his feet slowly on his chest. "Now let's go back home , shall we?" Naruto exclaimed, blinking owlishly at the teen who refused to move an inch ahead. "Oi!" he yelled in hopes that the man would hear him out but unfortunately, Shisui totally ignored him.
"Naruto."
The boy giggled, entirely dismissing the threat hidden in his brother's tone. "Come on, let's get back to our house, Nii-san!. I will make you Inarizushi!"
Shisui remained silent for a while, appearing as if he was contemplating the offer.
"Fine."
He gently grasped Naruto's calves and took a step forward.
-oOo-
Bright blue eyes stared at the view in front of them with amazement. Moderately crowded streets, brightly decorated shops, and a gentle cold wind that seemed to engulf everything gave rise to a view even more amazing than any other place he had seen in his short life.
"I still don't understand, Shisui-nii. Why do people hate your clan so much? Look at it, how can you hate something so beautiful?" An appalled Naruto turned his eyes over to his side where his mentor was walking silently as they traversed through one of the most famous streets of the Uchiha Clan compound. Seriously, what was wrong with people? Abhorring a clan just because the members of that clan had strange eyes. Naruto could not find a sense in their reasoning. "Those people sound like kids when they give me that excuse, ya know?"
Shisui's legs tensed at the question as he found himself cornered due to his duties and feelings. On one hand, he wanted to tell Naruto the real reason behind the hate but on the other hand, his duty as a clan member stopped him from doing that.
Forget duty, his own heart sometimes refused to do that because he knew that one day he would have to tell Naruto the truth. The boy would start hating the clan too and in between that hate, their bond would be severed. "The people of our village hate many things for no good reason, Naruto. You of all the people should know it very well," he finally answered, staring at a tree located a few meters away from them.
"The plants of this village were sowed in the ground that was filled with hate and love. Each day, that plant sprouts numerous seeds, some of hate while others of love amidst this garden of peace. It's upon us to decide which seed we pick up from the garden." Shisui finished and his Mangekyō flared within his eyes, staring at the unknown figure that was hiding behind the shadows of the trees beside them.
"Hmm… I see." Oblivious to everything that was going on around him, Naruto hummed, a thoughtful look plastered on his small face. "Sometimes, you talk in a very complicated way, Shisui-nii. Even more than Itachi nii-sama."
A very bright smile appeared on Shisui's lips. "But you always understand everything, Naruto. Even as complicated as we are." The smile turned into a small chuckle when Naruto began to argue over his recent statement.
Naruto's beet red face and the pout on his lips were a sight to behold, a sight that Shisui wanted to protect from everyone, even from his own clan and the roots of his village.
"Anyways, you haven't told me about your decision yet, Naruto."
The small boy blinked at him. "What decision?" He inquired.
Shisui nearly faltered in his steps. Leave it to Naruto to be the most intelligent and idiotic child of his generation at the same time. "You already forgot?" He asked and when the boy nodded his head in positive, a laugh escaped his lips. "Oh Naruto. Why are you the way that you are? Don't ever change." His laughs became louder when the child pouted at him. "You really forgot about my offer huh?" He smirked.
"What offer-" Naruto paused when he finally recalled the meeting that he had with Shisui a few weeks ago.
It was a normal meeting, just like hundreds of others they had in the past year until his brother decided to surprise him with an unexpected question. A question that froze his mind and heart when he first heard it.
'Do you want to live in my house? I mean, if you want, we can live together you know.'
Naruto's heart again went into a frenzy as he recalled that question. No matter how many times he recalls it, the amount of shock it disseminates never lessens.
"You remember it now?"
The boy was jolted out of his thoughts and glanced at his brother, who was smiling gently when he saw nervousness.
Pretentious and tough as he might act in front of others, Shisui was one of the most gentle and cheerful people Naruto had ever met in his life, even more than Sayuri. The amount of love and kindness Shisui had shown him in the past year knew no bounds. From doing small things like helping him clean his apartment to going as far as sharing the precious mementos that his parents had left him with Naruto, Shisui left no stone unturned.
It was due to Shisui's love and kindness that Naruto found yet another reason to keep visiting him. Every day and evening of his were spent in the Uchiha compound, even when the Hokage had warned him about the clan and their disastrous eyes. "I-" he finally opened his mouth to speak but closed it again when the words of Hokage rang inside his mind.
'They are strange people, Naruto-kun. They don't like outsiders like us in their compound. I suggest you stop visiting there entirely, including other clans entirely. I don't wish to see you get hurt.'
Was the Hokage right about the Uchiha?
Naruto did not know. He had not seen many to corroborate his theory but the ones who he had seen and met with were completely different from what the Hokage had told him. Shisui, Itachi, Mikoto, and Sayuri were some of the kindest people in his world and he did not know why someone would be afraid of them or their eyes.
"Naruto…"
His heart quivered with warmth when Shisui's soft voice entered his ears. For someone who was supposed to be a ruthless shinobi and a monster because of his eyes, his brother, Shisui was very gentle whenever he spoke to him, except when training of course. "I don't think I can live with you Nii-san."
A gut-wrenching silence fell upon the two as they continued to walk towards their respective homes.
After a few more painful moments, Shisui finally wandered his eyes over to Naruto's face. "W-why?" He spoke, his voice even weaker than a whisper.
For the first time after a whole year, he was feeling sad and empty. Why? Because his brother, a boy whom he had raised with utmost care and love, had just rejected his heartfelt request. 'No problem, he can always continue to visit-".
"Because I don't want to dye my hair black." Naruto's words froze him to his place. "Also, I know you're very lazy. You'll make me clean all the dishes and do all the laundry while you sit around and do nothing in your so-called 'cool clothes'. So no!"
The idling feeling of sadness in his heart was replaced with annoyance as soon as he heard Naruto's words. "Oi!" He yelled as tears began to flow down his cheeks. "I'm not lazy and my-" he paused for a second to swallow back a sob. "My clothes are very cool!"
Naruto shook his head in disappointment. "No they're not. All the Uchiha have bad fashion sense," he bit his tongue when he remembered something striking. "Except for Mikoto oba-san and Sayuri. They wear nice clothes." He noted with a nod to his head.
Shisui wiped off the tears from his face before Naruto could see them and then scoffed at him. "Surely. You of all people should never talk about fashion, Naruto." He smirked when the boy paused in his walk and looked at him with an adorable pout on his face.
"Why?"
"Umm… look at your own clothes, Naruto. You look like you are training yourself so hard just to die on your first C-class mission. Who wears orange?"
The younger boy flicked off the harsh jab with a sway of his small hands. "I do! I like it!" He answered. "Also say whatever you want, I won't die on a mission, Shisui-nii!. I will become so powerful that the only way I could die is if I want to!"
Shisui was taken aback by the answer but decided to not to comment on that. Death was something he wanted to keep constrained within jokes only. "Well, good luck with that Naruto but promise me that you will change your clothing to something more suitable for a shinobi when you become powerful. I don't want to see a Madara or Hashirama level Naruto in an orange jumpsuit." The smile again returned to his lips as he imagined a Naruto standing on the top of a mountain, overlooking a battlefield while wearing an even more horrendous set of orange clothing. He did not why but the whole scenario just seemed funny to his mind.
"Fine. I'll change my clothes but I need orange in it!"
"Well, did I tell you that a set of badass clothing is complementary with my offer?"
Naruto finally looked at Shisui and stared at him for a while before responding. "Hmm… I won't do the dishes. You're on your own with that!" His rebuttal earned him a smile from the older boy.
"Sure…" Shisui placed his head above Naruto's head and ruffled his bright blonde hair.
"Then I can live with you, Shisui-nii."
"I'm honored."
"As you should be and also…"
Shisui was surprised when everything went silent all of a sudden. Confused, he looked at Naruto for an explanation but words perished in his mouth when his eyes saw something they have rarely seen on his face before.
'Tears.'
His heart sank into the sea of sorrow as he stared at the tears that were flowing down Naruto's cheeks freely with no one there to stop them.
"Nar-"
"Thank you!"
Shisui could have asked a million questions at that moment but abstained when Naruto lunged at him and engulfed him in a bone crushing hug.
It was a common gesture of gratitude, especially coming from a child but for Shisui it was the most precious moment of her life.
"Thank you for everything that you have done for me, Shisui-nii!"
-Naruto's Apartment-
The moment he entered his old apartment, a wave of nostalgia washed over him, filling his mind with countless memories of the past, some sweet while others bitter and sad.
"This is my last day here…"
He couldn't help but frown as he stared at the dull and rugged walls of the apartment, the same walls which had protected him from the onslaught of many cold winds of the nights and had concealed his voice from others whenever he cried himself to sleep.
Some might call it a hellhole because of its appearance and gloomy atmosphere but deep inside he couldn't deny the fact that over the course of time, he had grown to like the place.
Why?
When no one was there to protect him, this place gave him a safe shelter to live in and grow up. Although he could argue that his experience here was not that great, Naruto could never deny that in the past, when he had nowhere to go to, his apartment was the only place where he truly felt home.
"But I'll be living with Shisui-nii now!" Just like that, the lingering feeling of sadness departed from his heart, leaving only warmth behind.
From tomorrow on, he would be starting a new journey of his life on a path where he would undoubtedly face countless difficulties due his status as a pariah but Naruto was ready for anything if it meant he could live near Sayuri and Shisui all the time.
That was all he wanted.
"I don't have much to pack up." He could only scowl slightly as he noted the lack of clothing and any possessions that he could take to his new home.
There was nothing to pack, a reality that made his heart twinge a little in pain. Except for the gifts that the Uchiha family had given him in the past, he really did not have anything at all, nothing to call his own.
"Wait! I have something." He stood up on his feet and began to walk towards the closet as he remembered a gift that he had received from that ninja who wore a dog mask. "What was his name?" He tried to remember that but for some reason, his mind was unable to do that. "Maybe because I haven't seen him for a while now." He mused and began to scan the ramen filled closet for the gift.
He continued to search for it for a while until he finally found what he was looking for. "A necklace…" His eyes analyzed the beautiful ornament for a while before they saw something interesting hanging within.
Surrounded by countless translucent red and yellow beads that were stationed around it carefully, in the middle of the necklace rested a small but beautiful orange colored diamond. At first glance, Naruto did not give it much thought but on closer inspection, he saw that there were some unique markings scattered all over the jewel.
"Hmm… what are these-"
'Thud!'
Hearing the sound, Naruto immediately stashed the necklace into his pocket and turned around to face the intruder.
"Huh?" He blinked when he saw no one there. "But I'm sure I heard-"
His eyes grew wide and his breaths became hasty when his eyes finally saw the intruder. It was frightening and beautiful at the same time.
"Greetings, Naruto-sama!"
The fear inside his heart ascended to an inconceivable level when the intruder opened its mouth and spoke. "W-who are you?!" He shrieked in horror, no doubt scared of the being that was lounging on the ground without any care of the world around it.
"I'm Aoda, Naruto-sama!"
Naruto gulped and stepped back a little. "A-Aoda?" He whispered as he stared at the tiny white snake who for some reason, refused to move an inch from his position.
"Yes, Naruto-sama." The small snake answered, his head still leaned low in order to show the much deserved respect to his true master.
"W-what are you and why h-have you come here?"
Aoda, or the minion snake rather, through which Aoda was contacting Naruto, playfully hissed at the boy and smiled a little when Naruto immediately retreated back in shock after hearing the hiss.
"I'm Aoda, Naruto-sama." He whispered again, this time with warmth and affection.
"The primary summoning of your father and a beloved friend of your mother."
-EnD-
I hope you liked the chapter.
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Stay safe.