Hello, and welcome to the first chapter of the new story!
So this story won the poll, and for more information about that, please see the bottom in the Authors Notes.
But apart from that, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Prologue
Rushing through a hospital, a young woman laid down as her son rushed beside her.
The young woman in question had long beautiful silver hair that shimmered in the light, and her eyes were a light shade of black with a usually slim figure, albeit right now due to the fact that she was in labour, she had a round stomach.
She was regarded as quite beautiful by many that saw her, and she had a gentle demeanour that most would be drawn to.
The young looking boy who could still be called a child. He has short, unkempt, black hair with matching black eyes that displayed a mixture of strength, childhood innocence, and worry for his Mother.
"Mom..."
"Don't worry Shisui, I'll be alright."
She soothed to her son in a kind manner that caused him to lighten up.
"I'm sure...but, still, with Dad gone and all..."
The young woman placed her hand on Shisui's face, and smiled gently, kindly.
"Don't worry about me. Soon, it will be me, you and little Ryouta in here." Despite the labour pains coming over her, she still smiled for her son. "Are you, going to be the best big brother Shisui? Or should I ask someone else to do it?"
She joked with her son, wanting to relieve his worries.
"Mom...honestly, I'll be the best big brother ever!"
Shisui's Mother gently smiled at him, but then felt a sharp pain to her stomach.
"Hehe, I thought you'd say that, you're quite like your Dad after all...I love you Shisui."
"I love you too Mom."
Shisui waved towards his Mother, who was taken away to deliver his little brother.
However, he didn't know why, but he got a sinking feeling all of a sudden, though unaware that someone mysterious was entering the delivery room.
But all he could do was sit down in the waiting room, and wait for this to play out.
While he waited, hours passed by until two individuals came into the room.
One was a beautiful young woman with straight long black hair, called Mikoto Uchiha, and the other was her husband, a dignified looking man, called Fugaku Uchiha. The former gave a light smile, while the latter seemed to be looking worried.
"Shisui-kun, sorry we're late. Just making sure Itachi is okay, before we could come, along with some other clan duties of course."
"Ah, no problem Mikoto-san, Mom's still in there anyway."
Mikoto looked down at her own bump, and gently smiled.
"I see, so hers came first huh."
"Yeah, seems so~"
Shisui gave a happy demeanour, while Fugaku folded his arms.
"It's taking longer than it should be."
Mikoto turned to her husband kindly.
"Dear, don't worry, she's tough. She'll be fine."
Mikoto comforted, but Fugaku seemed a little worried for unknown reasons to Shisui.
More time passed, and day turned to night. Each time Shisui went to go and get some answers, all he got back was that she was still in labour, which didn't sit well with him, and some of the time, Fugaku would disappear for a while, before eventually coming back with a dissatisfied look on his face, but he didn't know why that was.
However, eventually a doctor did come in, and he gave a solemn look towards Shisui.
"Hey...eh, is my Mom..."
Mikoto could read the room pretty well, seeing the doctors expressions, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Shisui..."
"W-What?"
Shisui was disbelieving.
He didn't want to accept what was going on.
The doctor lowered his eyes, and then exhaled sadly.
"I'm sorry...we did all we could, but there were...complications."
"C-Complications...m-my Mom! Is she...is my brother..."
Mikoto stepped forward.
"Is it...the baby?"
"No...it's the Mother. A complication arouse...and as a result of the complication...I'm sorry, but she didn't make it. But we managed to save the baby..."
Shisui felt his world coming down.
Though he was a training ninja…
The matter of fact was that his Mom...was gone.
His Dad, was gone.
All he had was...his brother.
"W...Why did it happen?" Fugaku spoke up, Mikoto seeing his eyes on the verge of tears, which was very surprising for her to see. "What complications exactly happened?"
"We're still investigating that, and will have a detailed report as soon as we possibly can. All we can say for certain at this point is that she was having difficulty...and in the end..."
"But Mom was strong...she was really strong...and even if there were complications..."
Shisui tried to speak up, Mikoto bent down towards him.
"Even the strongest can't do everything Shisui-kun. Sometimes, complications happen, and its no ones fault...it just happens. I'm so sorry dear that your Mom is..." She gently placed her arms around the devastated Shisui, looking towards her husband. "Fugaku..."
"...I'm fine, she wasn't a true Uchiha anyway."
He spoke in a dismissive tone, something Mikoto could see was mostly a front.
"Dear...don't say that. I know you really cared about her….she was...very strong and compassionate..."
"She's gone now, it doesn't matter what I felt...if she's gone...then that's that. We move on."
Mikoto could see that Fugaku was trying to convince everyone else around him that he was acting cold, because technically, Shisui's Mother wasn't an Uchiha since she wasn't born into the Uchiha, but she married into it.
She then turned to Shisui...who was walking forward.
His eyes were hazy.
He felt sick, dizzy.
He had only spoken to his Mother hours before, and she was even joking…
Now she was gone.
He couldn't even progress it.
All he could think about was his Mother, her smile, and how she was kind and strong.
He couldn't even cry.
He was trying to keep everything together, like a good ninja should do.
But realistically, he still was very young, so he had a hard time dealing with the passing of his Mother.
"Can I see her?"
"Not yet, we're still... but you can see your brother if you'd wish?"
Shisui could only nod, but Fugaku shook his head.
"That wont be necessary."
"Fugaku."
Mikoto berated at his harsh tone, but Fugaku turned his body towards the exit.
"I've got some clan duties to attend to."
"Fugaku, wait. Don't you want to see the baby?"
"No."
Fugaku walked out, with Mikoto exhaling slowly.
She then turned to Shisui.
"Well, I'll go with you then Shisui-kun. I'm sorry about Fugaku, I'm sure he didn't mean it. He's...He's taking it really hard. I'd like to see the baby with you."
"Ah...thanks...Mikoto-san."
Mikoto gave a motherly smile, and walked off with Shisui.
Entering a room that held the baby, Shisui walked towards it, and his eyes were captivated by him.
He was crying, but Shisui didn't seem to register that.
All he could register was seeing the infant that his Mother delivered.
"My, what a cute baby. Reminds me of you Shisui-kun..."
"He reminds me of Mom...he even has some silver in his hair, like Mom's...what little hair he has..."
Mikoto inspected the baby, and cooed.
"You're right, he does~ Would you like to hold him?"
"Yeah..."
Mikoto helped pick up the baby, placing him in Shisui's arms.
"Now, support the head with your arm...and hold him close like this..."
Mikoto showed Shisui the proper way of holding the baby, which made him appreciate Mikoto's kindness even more.
"Thanks Mikoto-san..." Shisui looked down, and saw that the baby had stopped crying, merely staring at Shisui and began lifting his face into a small smile which caused Shisui to smile also, as tears began to flow from his eyes. "...Little Ryouta, Mom wanted to call you that...so I'll call you that..."
Mikoto overlooked Shishi, then placed a hand on his back.
"Don't worry Shisui-kun, no matter what Fugaku says, I'll make sure you and your little brother are well looked after. He was...the last thing she gave to us, so he's really precious, isn't he? Lets make sure he grows up to be big and strong."
"Yes...thank you...but, I saw Fugaku...he probably wont accept Ryouta...I knew he cared about Mom deeply...and what he said..."
"He's angry, give him sometime to process it. And even if he...even if he doesn't want Ryouta-kun here, I still will. Your Mom was a very good friend to me...for many years, I couldn't refuse, either of her sons. You're not alone."
"I know...but, I'll have to step up now...because Mom's not here...Dad's gone too...so I'll become strong and successful Ryouta…yes, I'll do my best from now on..." His eyes continued to look down with a mixture of joy and sorrow. "...Little Ryouta, I'll protect you for life...like Mom and Dad would have wanted...I promise."
Shisui promised his little brother, and also his parents.
Mikoto silently shed a few tears for her friend, while overlooking Shisui, feeling sorrow for the boy.
Years went by, with Shisui having been raising Ryouta. Of course Mikoto offered support, and he also had a few trusted friends that Ryouta got along with very well.
Though right now, Shisui was currently on another mission, but his little brother, was currently within his house, the young boy that somewhat resembled Shisui with some key differences.
Standing at just six years old, he was average height for a boy his age. He had soft facial features, and unlike most Uchiha, his hair wasn't entirely black. Rather, it looked to be of a lighter shade of black, with streaks of silver in the bangs that ran down the sides of his face, framing his face with the back of his hair being similar to his elder brothers, spiked upwards. His eyes were similar to most Uchiha's and were black coloured.
He wore a typical outfit that most Uchiha usually wore, with a black shirt, with a large crest of the Uchiha symbol on his back, the famed fan that was half white, and half red split right down the middle, and matching black shorts.
This boy was Ryouta Uchiha, usually going by Ryou to those close to him.
He right now was currently in front of a scroll, with ink, and a brush, drawing onto the scroll, while placing a kunai in the centre of it, within his room.
Once finishing, Ryouta placed his hands together, performing the sealing, concentrating really hard...and saw the kunai being sealed within the scroll.
"I-I did it!" He couldn't restrain his voice, catching the attention of someone walking by his door. "It actually worked!"
"Hmmm, what worked?"
A young girl asked, stepping into the room.
The young girl was a few years older than him, having brown hair tied into a ponytail with bangs framing her face, and a mole under her right eye, having the same colour eyes that Ryouta had.
She wore a lavender shirt, and a black skirt, with the shirt having a small Uchiha symbol on the right hand side of her chest.
This was Izumi Uchiha, and while she wasn't actually Ryouta's sister, he did look up to her just as much as if she was one.
"Izumi-chan, I managed to seal a kunai in the scroll!"
Izumi looked mildly surprised.
"Wow, amazing Ryou-kun~ Shisui-kun will be proud!"
"Hehe, thanks Izumi-chan!"
Izumi gave a joyous smile, bending down towards him.
"You don't want to be stuck inside all day, right?" Ryouta shook his head, so Izumi offered her hand. "Come on, lets go out for a bit~"
"Maybe I could find something for Shi-chan's birthday..."
"Shi-chan, it's so cute when you call him that~ Yeah, lets go and see if you can~"
With that, Ryouta grabbed all the money he had, and left with Izumi.
Walking through the Uchiha compound, to Izumi at least, it was very clear that there were a number of Uchiha that were staring at Ryouta, or blatantly going out of their way to avoid eye contact, or contact in general.
But to Ryouta, it wasn't anything new.
He was used to people in the Uchiha ignoring him for the most part.
However, there were few Uchiha, mostly the civilians that weren't so bad with him, two being called Teyaki Uchiha, and his wife Uruchi Uchiha who owned a bakery within the compound. Uruchi waved towards Ryouta with a kind smile.
"Hello Ryouta-kun!"
"Aah! Hello Auntie! Uncle!"
Though they weren't his Aunt or Uncle, he had been encouraged by them to call them that, as they were aware of some harsh treatment given by some Uchiha, these weren't ones that were mean, they were rather kind.
Teyaki gave a kind smile.
"Where's that brother of yours?"
"He's on a mission right now Uncle!"
"Aah, I see. Always working hard that boy." Teyaki went into his shop, and then brought out a loaf of bread. "Here, catch Ryouta-kun!" Ryouta watched it come at him, and caught it with a single hand. "It's on the house!"
"You're so kind! Can I do anything for you?"
"Aah, no that's fine my boy. Just enjoy your day."
"Thanks! I will!"
Izumi giggled at the conversation they had.
It was really sweet in her eyes.
"Izumi-chan, I want to get Shi-chan a gift...I saved up my pocket money...but, I don't know what to get..."
Izumi places a finger under her chin.
"If I know Shisui-kun, which I kinda do, then I'd say he'd probably want whatever it is you get~"
"That doesn't help though..."
The young girl lets out a small subtle giggle.
"Well...hmmm, what Shisui-kun would want huh….hmmm, his weapons looking a little damaged lately, maybe it could be a new weapon. I also need to get a few new kunai anyway so I'll come with you."
"A new tanto for Shi-chan...yes, that's perfect!"
As he called it out, he accidentally bumped into another person.
Ryouta looked up, and saw a man that...didn't like him at all.
In fact, Ryouta knew he was the reason that most Uchiha didn't want to speak to him.
Fugaku Uchiha, the leader of the clan.
With him, was a few Uchiha, one of them just gave a disgusted look towards Ryouta, more so than the others who had grey hair sticking up, his name was Yashiro Uchiha and the other man with them, Inabi Uchiha, while lest hostile to Ryouta, he still did have his moments when he'd say hurtful things.
"Where are you going?"
Fugaku said in a cold, rough sounding voice.
Izumi pursed her lips, and went to answer when Ryouta simply said "To buy a weapon for Shi-chani sir." Fugaku didn't look satisfied, not with the answer, but being in his presence in general.
In a cold voice, he practically spat out "Carry on." and began walking away.
Yashiro's eyes went towards Ryouta, and proudly stated "You're not an Uchiha." something Izumi scowled at.
"Ryou-kun is an Uchiha, a kinder one that you'll ever be." Yashiro's eyes shot for Izumi who turned Ryouta away and began walking out of the compound. "Come on sweetie, lets go~"
Ryouta looked back at Fugaku, and saw him speaking casually with some other members of the Uchiha. His eyes met with Yashiro's who gave a disgusted look for him.
He then looked back to Izumi who smiled down at him.
"Izumi-chan..."
"Hmmmm?"
"Fugaku-san, he wasn't that mean today."
Izumi lowered her eyebrows.
"Yeah...seems that he wasn't so bad huh. Well anyway! Lets go shopping!"
"Yes...but, doesn't Itachi-san also come back today? You could stay here, and see him."
"I'll see Itachi-kun some other time. It isn't a big deal~"
Ryouta gave her a curious look.
"Shi-chan told me that you crush Itachi-san."
Izumi's face began to turn red at the mention of that.
"O-Oh, did he now?"
"Yes...but, why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
Izumi questioned with slight confusion.
"Shi-chan said you crush him sometimes...do you use rocks to crush him? Or do you do something else? Why would you hurt Itachi-san? He's not bad."
Izumi's face turned slightly annoyed.
"Don't listen to Shisui-kun, he's having a bad joke. I don't crush Itachi-kun, nor hurt him in anyway~ I physically can't since he's stronger than me."
"So you like him?"
"I do...well, I mean Itachi-kun and I are...well, he's really cool, and he's nice once getting past the obvious of him wanting to stay all aloof, and quiet...yeah...Itachi-kun is a guy, that's really good...I like him, and he's quite nice to me...hehe, but enough about that. That's grown up stuff~"
"You're not a grown up."
Ryouta pointed out.
"Well, you're not wrong...but, it's more...well, it's older than you stuff." Izumi said with a clear confident voice. "Then, lets go quicker!"
Izumi could see that some of the Uchiha members were giving Ryouta...not cold looks, but not warm either.
It was as if they were indifferent to him for the most part. She didn't like that, she knew Ryouta quite well, and thought he was a sweet child.
But she knew why they were being indifferent.
Only Fugaku, and a few others in the clan were truly cold to Ryouta, and it saddened her that had to be the case.
Getting to the weapons shop, Ryouta began looking around the shop for different tanto's, while Izumi picked up some of the kunai that she wished to have.
Ryouta though looked rather clueless when checking out different swords for Shisui.
"Izumi-chan, you have the Sharingan, right?"
"That I do. Though I'm not that good with it."
"Even then...you have it. Shi-chan has it."
"How I got it...I wouldn't want you to suffer like that. I'm sure you'll awaken it one day Ryou-kun~ But do it in a good way, okay?"
"How do you do it in a good way?"
Izumi pursed her lips.
"Good question...I've heard there have been instances when a Sharingan awakens when something positive happens. It's all about the emotions, any that's pushed high for a person precious to them, it can awaken. The desire to keep someone alive, to reunite with them if they're lost, things like that."
"I see..."
Ryouta thought about it, while continuing to look around for the best type of tanto.
Izumi wondered what he was thinking about at that moment, so she bent down towards him.
"Something wrong sweetie?"
Ryouta looked over the blades before him, furrowing his brows.
"Ah...erm...which one is the best…?"
"Hmmm, good question. I'm not sure since I don't usually wield a tanto...hmmmm, maybe we should ask the store owner..."
"It depends what you want in a tanto."
A mature voice rang out, surprising both of them.
Ryouta turned to see the store owner stood there with a smile on his face.
"Oh, it's for my brother."
"Your brother huh. Hmmmm, your face looks familiar..."
"My brother is Shisui Uchiha."
"Aah right, I've seen you a few times with him. Then, if it's for Shisui-kun, I can pick out a good tanto for him."
"Yes...but, I'd like it to be special...erm...can we do anything to make it special…?"
"I'll certainly try my best, craft it from very fine metals."
"Aah, thank you! Also, could you put our initials in the handle, Shi-chan would know it's special then."
Izumi smiled at the young boys words, she found him rather entertaining.
The owner of the shop nodded strongly, and then went into the back.
Izumi looked at the different tanto around, then her eyes went to Ryouta.
"What about you Ryou-kun? Are you going to use a tanto one day?"
"I don't know...I think so...maybe I could learn from Shi-chan..."
"Aah, I'm sure he'll teach you a few good things. He's already becoming famous for his Body Flicker skills, maybe you'd be just as good, or even better~"
Ryouta felt relaxed with Izumi around.
How she was kind and gentle.
It was great to be with someone like her, it made him miss Shisui less when she was around.
Unknown to them, the figure that was watching them held a sinister look within his barely visible eye, and his lone eye landed upon Ryouta Uchiha, watching him walking around with his sister like figure Izumi, more and more intrigue coming over him as time went on...
The next day, the day Shisui was said to return, Izumi and Ryouta had gone over to Fugaku's house, while he was out, so Ryouta could play with the youngest child, while Izumi could go and speak with Itachi.
Itachi was a boy around the same age as Izumi, with two prominent lines running down his face, one at each side of his nose, and eyes that seemed to be always questioning and reading everything that was around him, gathering information almost.
Itachi looked over Izumi's shoulder, seeing she was writing some kind of application.
"What are you applying for?"
"I don't know if I'm going to do it yet, but my Sensei suggested that due to my chakra control being better than average, that Medical Ninjutsu would fit me rather well."
"Medical Ninjutsu...I believe that would fit you quite well. You always have a gentle demeanour about you."
Izumi blushed lightly, scratching her cheek.
"You think?"
"Yes, I am certain it would be a great profession for you."
"Thanks! I want to be useful, you know? Like my Dad...while he wasn't a Medical Ninja or anything...I want to be able to do something useful for others...maybe I could become a Medical Ninja, and help people that way...maybe I could learn different poisons..." Itachi gave her a curious look as she giggled. "...for battle purposes. I think that would work rather well with the Sharingan."
"I can understand. I'm sure you'd be able to do it, and you have the Sharingan on your side. It could benefit your studies. Learn the medical Jutsu rather quickly."
Izumi gave a soft smile for Itachi.
Glad that he was speaking so kindly.
He usually was reserved and barely spoke to anyone.
Especially if it was just a casual conversation.
So to see him being so casual, at least for Itachi, it was rather wonderful for her to see.
Then Ryouta came shooting out together with a young girl that looked to be his age. Looking almost the spitting image of her Mother, at a younger age, with black hair and matching eyes, that was somewhat long, that went past her shoulders, and reached to just above her mid back, was Itachi's little sister, Satsuki.
"Darn...you won Ryou..."
Satsuki gave a slightly annoyed look, while Ryouta raised his small fist into the air.
"Shi-chan often races with me~ Maybe that's why?"
Satsuki's eyes went towards Itachi, seeing that he was giving her a curious look.
She couldn't read his facial expressions, and right now, it was the same.
But at least he was friendly with her.
"Hmph...at least I know I'll become stronger."
"I'm also going to become strong."
Satsuki gave Ryouta a slightly challenging stare, but mostly bemused.
Izumi smiled when seeing Satsuki taking a hold of Ryouta's arm, and gave Izumi a curious look.
"Awww, I think they're so adorable together, don't you think so Itachi-kun?"
"I suppose."
Izumi continued to laugh, while Satsuki pulled Ryouta away with her.
Mikoto soon came into the room, watching Ryouta and Satsuki playing happily together.
She really did like seeing the pair of them together, and mused to herself "They're just so precious, it seems Satsuki is open with Ryou-kun like she isn't with anyone else really." and just watched humbly as the two continued their games together.
As they played, the door opened.
Izumi's eyes went towards the door, and saw that it was Fugaku.
She saw how his eyes went towards Ryouta, seeing how Fugaku was looking towards him. Dismissively, coldly, and openly showing a small amount of hostility but mostly it seemed to be indifferent.
Even Mikoto could tell that her husband was being unjustifiably cold towards Ryouta, and she wished she could say something, anything. But ultimately, she knew her words would have fallen on deaf ears.
Ryouta also felt it, and began standing up, while Izumi did the same thing.
"Aah, well we should go Itachi-kun."
"Izumi...no, you don't have to..."
"No...I think we should." Izumi said sadly, her eyes landing upon Fugaku. "Come on Ryou-kun, lets go, okay?"
"Yes...okay."
Ryouta bowed to Satsuki, and went over to Izumi, holding onto her hand as they walked towards the door.
Fugaku's cold eyes went towards Ryouta, who looked back at him.
Fugaku stared at Ryouta, and for a brief moment, he saw Ryouta's Mother's image overlapping with Ryouta's form and her smile beamed towards him, a small guilt passed through his eyes before turning his head away, Fugaku didn't look back towards him again, and simply disappeared into the house.
"Ryou! You can..."
When Satsuki went to protest, Ryouta gave a kind smile.
"Lets play some other time, Satsuki-chan."
Satsuki didn't look satisfied, and simply didn't want to accept it, but nodded slowly regardless.
Izumi and Ryouta walked out of the house with Itachi watching on, eventually getting up to follow.
Together, they walked a little distance away, with Ryouta turning to Izumi.
"I'm sorry Izumi-chan..."
"Aah, don't worry about it. It's not you..." As she spoke, she saw that Yashiro was walking closer. "Great, just what we need." She muttered to herself, and watched as he got closer. "Yashiro-san, is there something I can..."
"Did you come out of Fugaku-sama's house then, boy?"
Ignoring Izumi, his eyes directed towards Ryouta instead.
"Yes, I did."
"Maybe it would be better if you didn't go to that home anymore. He doesn't want you around."
Izumi scowled.
"He can go where he likes."
"For now."
Izumi's eyes sharpened.
"And what does that mean?"
"It means, I'm sure Fugaku-sama will get rid of him sometime soon. When he can of course. He wouldn't want the boy around, it's pretty clear to every Uchiha."
"Well, I do and I'm an Uchiha."
"Besides one that isn't his brother, that doesn't add up to much does it little girl?" Yashro's eyes went towards Ryouta, and adopted a sickly looking smile. "Hey, have you ever thought about running away? I'm sure we'd all be happier if you disappeared. Even your brother would be happier without you-"
"How dare you say that?" Izumi spat out, as Itachi walked closer. "Maybe everyone would be happier if you disappeared for picking on a child. Clearly, you don't know anything because Shisui-kun loves Ryou-kun unconditionally. Get over yourself."
Yashiro's eyes changed, and he raised his hand…
But Itachi appeared, grabbing his wrist faster than anyone could have predicted.
"Yashiro-san, don't you have some duties to attend to?"
"...Insolent brat..."
Itachi tossed Yashiro's wrist towards the right, sending Yashiro along with him.
"It would be best if you went, Yashiro-san, and I wont have to explain to Konoha why you tried to attack one of its civilians. We might be Uchiha, but we also are members of Konoha. Would you like me to find Hokage-sama?"
Yashiro panted slightly while Itachi flared his Sharingan, Izumi did the same thing while Ryouta just stared him at.
Tensions seemed to rise.
It was thick in the air.
Even Ryouta felt like the way the Hokage was mentioned, that things seemed to turn sour.
"...Whatever, that thing isn't worth my time."
Sighing, Yashiro simply walked off while Izumi released a breath.
"Thanks Itachi-kun."
"I'm sure you'd be able to handle it..." His eyes went towards Ryouta, noticing he had a hand on a kunai. "...and if not, it seems that he was getting ready to protect you, Izumi."
Izumi looked down to Ryouta, then grinned.
"Awww, were you going to protect me~?"
"I would...because Izumi-chan is very important to me...I wont let anyone hurt you Izumi-chan."
Izumi looked taken aback by his words.
She even blushed slightly due to the kindness of his words.
But it spread a warmth inside of her chest.
"You're so sweet Ryou-kun, thank you."
Izumi bent down and lightly kissed the top of his head, making the pair smile.
Itachi then looked towards Ryouta.
"Ryou...I'm sorry that some Uchiha act like that. They don't understand the real feelings behind my Father's actions. Even I have difficulty understanding my Father's actions as well."
"Itachi-san, don't worry. I understand."
Itachi showed a very rare, and very small, smile towards the younger boy.
Izumi then leaned closer, and began having a quiet conversation with Itachi.
"When you mentioned Konoha, things seemed to turn tense Itachi-kun."
"Yes...it seemed to have turned a little tense."
"Tensions also have been growing between Uchiha and Konoha as of late."
Itachi closed his eyes.
"Yes...you're right. But don't worry, I'm sure things will calm down eventually."
"I hope you're right. I don't agree with our clans aggressive ways."
"Neither do I."
Ryouta looked between them, seeing that they were having a conversation though they whispered it so he could barely hear it, he knew it was serious, so he pulled on Izumi's hand.
"Izumi-chan, can I go and get some chocolate from the shops? You can crush Itachi-san if you like."
Izumi's face began turning red, while Itachi raised a questioning brow.
"S-Sure, want me to come?"
"It's okay, I'll come right back."
"Okay then, see you soon~"
Ryouta walked off by himself, with Izumi smiling while Itachi leaned closer.
"By the way, what did he mean by you crushing me?"
Izumi's bottom lip trembled, and shook her head so hard her hair almost hit Itachi's face.
"N-Nothing! Kids, imagination, you know how it is~"
"I see..." Itachi noticed the expression in Izumi's eyes as they talked, and while he wasn't the best with emotions, he could tell that Izumi looked sad. "Don't feel sad, Izumi. He's a tough boy."
"Yes...you're right. But I still can dislike the treatment he gets, can't I?"
"Yes, you can."
Izumi gave a cheery smile to the stoic boy, who simply kept silent after that.
Once getting what he needed from the shops Ryouta headed on home with a bag of chocolate in his hands, to wait for his brother to return from his mission. Since it was his brothers birthday, Ryouta wanted to get home as fast as possible, so he took a shortcut, heading down a darkened alleyway, which was a direct pathway towards the Uchiha Compound.
However, while he was walking…
He felt a sudden cold chill run down his spine.
He couldn't explain the feeling at first.
He looked around, but couldn't see anything.
Taking out a kunai, he continued to look around.
"Izumi-chan...is that you?"
He called.
But didn't get an answer.
He looked behind him, but couldn't see anything other than a darkened hallway of wood from fences, and the buildings behind them.
"Shi-chan, are you here? Don't prank me."
Ryouta said sternly and yet with a playful hint to his tone of voice…
But nothing came of it.
Ryouta felt convinced that someone was there, so he clutched his kunai tightly...
Then he bumped into someone.
He gasped, turning to see...something curious.
It was a man in a mask, with a single eye hole, and a swirl pattern on said mask.
"S-Sorry."
Ryouta apologized, bowing his body.
The man waved his hand.
"That's fine. I wasn't watching where I was going." The man bent down towards Ryouta who pulled back. "Could you tell me something?"
"Aah, yes...If I can..."
"I was taking a shortcut to get to the ramen shop, but it seems I've lost my way."
"Ooh...If you keep going down this alleyway, then at the end take the left, follow it down until you reach the dango stand, then take a right,you'll see it if you follow the road leading to Hokage-sama's place."
"Aah, I see. Thank you, young Uchiha." Ryouta raised an eyebrow, so the man pointed to his shirt. "That fan, it's rather obvious you're an Uchiha."
"Ooh yes, I am one."
The masked man suddenly did a flip, his voice turned from semi serious, to a completely different tone all together that sounded playful.
"My names Tobi~ Thanks for helping me~ Maybe we'll see one another again sometime~ Goodbye little Uchiha~"
Ryouta watched as Tobi simply carried himself off, walking on his hands.
Ryouta gave a bemused smile...
But he did feel something off about him, though he couldn't put his finger on it.
Shaking his head, Ryouta continued off, not realizing that Tobi's lone eye was looking back towards him...before he phased through a building, completely out of sight, and out of mind.
Continuing on his journey home, he rushed through the alleyway, and when he almost made it out of it...
He heard a sudden pained cry.
He paused, looking towards the left and right, realizing the cry came from the right, so he exited the alleyway, and headed for a nearby park that was there.
When he got there, only half a minute later, Ryouta saw that there was a boy with black hair, tied into a braid and wore a white shirt.
He was seemingly being bullied by a two boys.
Ryouta walked over to them, and called "Hey, stop that right now!" the boys paused, and turned towards Ryouta.
Overlooking his appearance, the boys raised an eyebrow.
"Uchiha..."
The black haired boy raised his head also, having some cuts on his face, and murmured "He's an Uchiha..." while looking on curiously.
"Get lost Uchiha! This has nothing to do with you!"
"But you're hurting this boy...why?"
"Because he doesn't deserve to be in the Academy! The guy can't even do basic Ninjutsu or Genjutsu! He sucks!"
Ryouta looked at the boy, seeing his face falling.
"Why does it matter to you if he can or can't perform them?"
The black haired boy looked to Ryouta with bewilderment, while the two bullies scowled.
"Because we're elite, he's a loser!"
"You don't know what he can be yet. He's decided...to join the academy, that's not your business."
One of the boys tightened his hand, and rushed towards Ryouta as Ryouta himself placed his bag on the ground.
"I heard Uchiha are overrated! I bet they're right!"
He threw a fist at Ryouta, who simply side stepped him, kicking his leg and grabbed his right arm at the same time, allowing him to lose balance, and flip him over, until he landed on the ground on his back with a thud, immensely surprising the black haired boy, and the other bully.
"We don't have to fight, I'd prefer if you apologized to this boy, and left him alone."
The downed boy tried to stand up, but Ryouta quickly glanced at him, and used his foot, dragging his arm to the other arm, and pinned him down with said foot.
"G-Get off me!"
He cried, but Ryouta shook his head.
"Apologize first. You ganged up on that boy, the least you can do is say you're sorry."
The downed bully breathed hard through his nose, but couldn't get out of Ryouta's grasp.
The other bully grimaced, taking out a kunai.
"Little Uchiha brat isn't even in the Academy yet! Lets mess him up!"
The boy rushed Ryouta, as the black haired boy called "Watch out!" Ryouta turned, grabbing a kunai, and clashed it against the metal of the second boy, all the while keeping the first boy pinned down, twisting the blade so it forced his hand right, then flipped over him, kicking him in the back, tripping over the first boy, and fell right on top of him in a thudding sound.
The black haired boy was astonished by what had happened, seeing Ryouta managing to take them both out so quickly was amazing to him.
"Are you going to apologize now?"
""Never!""
They yelled, getting up, and rushed Ryouta again.
But it was clear they didn't have any real Taijutsu stances, Ryouta could see through them easily, allowing them to get close, before sliding between them, grabbing their feet, and pulled them down to the ground, falling flat on their faces.
Then Ryouta got behind them, grabbing an arm each, pulling it behind their backs, and forced them to their feet.
"Please apologize."
Seeing the situation they were in, they couldn't escape.
They couldn't move, and ended up yelling ""SORRY LEE!"" in unison, Lee looked mildly surprised as Ryouta let them go.
"Thank you. Now please don't attack this boy again, especially over him not being able to perform certain Jutsu."
The boys looked at Ryouta, developing a mixture of respect and fear of him, ending up running away as fast as they could.
Once they had gone, Ryouta turned towards who he presumed to be Lee, and offered a hand.
"There, they're gone now."
Lee looked at Ryouta with continued bewilderment, before accepting Ryouta's hand, helping him up.
"Aah, thank you. My name is Rock Lee."
Ryouta placed his small hands together in awe.
"Your name is Rock Lee? That sounds really cool~"
Lee began laughing with mild embarrassment on his face.
"Ehehe, I've never been called cool before~ So, what's yours?"
"My names Ryouta Uchiha."
"So you are an Uchiha! That explains those skills!"
Ryouta tilts his head.
"Shi-chan, my brother taught me how to fight a little bit."
"I see, so your brothers your Sensei!"
"Hehe, I suppose~" He replied cheerfully, but remembered back to what happened with the bullies, and what they said. "Lee-san, were they really just bullying you because you can't perform Ninjutsu or Genjutsu?"
Lee nods slowly.
"Yes, they sometimes pick on me for not being able to do it. But...a Ninja doesn't have to perform them to become strong, right? You only used Taijutsu to take them down...unless you used your eyes..."
"Hehe, no. If you mean Sharingan, I don't have that. I just used Taijutsu. Is that...what you want to do? Become a Taijutsu master?"
Lee nods strongly, pushing his hands together.
"I'll...train hard, and become a Ninja. I'll become strong...I know that I can do it!"
Ryouta nodded encouragingly.
"Yes, please don't give up. I am sure you can do it with hard work. Shi-chan...my brother says working hard is what achieves results."
"Aah, your brother is really wise..." Lee overlooked Ryouta's form, an idea sprung to his head. "Since you're an Uchiha...and skilled...yes, that's it!"
Lee suddenly grabbed Ryouta's hands to his surprise.
"W-What's it?"
"What I've needed for a new drive! A rival!"
"A rival...? You want me?"
"Yes, please become my rival!"
"Eh..."
Ryouta didn't know how to respond.
He hadn't ever been asked that before.
"We'd be great rivals! I promise to work extra hard if you become my rival!"
"Erm...well..." Seeing Lee's expressions, his determination, Ryouta shrugged. "...Okay, we can be rivals. But, can we be friends too?"
"Friends...yes, we'll be friendly rivals!"
"Great!"
"So rival! When you enter the academy...I'll be able to do fifty straight pull ups!"
"Okay...erm, I'll be able to do...sixty!"
Ryouta replied, believing this was how rivals acted.
"Good, then I'll surpass even that!" Lee ran a small distance away, then turned back to Ryouta. "See you later, my rival!"
"Ok-Okay!"
With that, Lee took off rapidly, leaving Ryouta to contemplate what was going on.
Upon walking back to the compound, Ryouta moved quickly to avoid most Uchiha, and to get home to Shisui.
But halfway there, he saw his elder brother running closer, with a grand smile on his face.
"Shi-chan!"
Ryouta rushed closer, and practically leapt into his arms.
"Aah, Ryou~ There you are~"
Ryouta smiled, and poked Shisui's face, upon noticing his eyes.
"You've got your Sharingan on."
Shisui blinked a few times, then began to laugh.
"Aah, the Sharingan, yeah. Haha, I forgot to deactivate it~"
He said while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Ryouta sweat drops, and thinks to himself "How can you forget it's on?" while Shisui smirks, poking his cheek.
"I was on a mission for three days, I had to fight a lot of strong guys so I had to keep my Sharingan on~" Shisui admits with a grin, then pulls out what seems to be some kind of gift box. "While away, I managed to find a new collectors item for you~ It looked pretty nice anyway~"
"But it's your birthday Shi-chan, you shouldn't have~"
"Aah, nothing but the best for my brother~" Shisui lifts Ryouta up, and peers into his eyes. "So, while I was away, did you have fun with Izumi-chan?"
"Yes...but, I missed Shi-chan."
"I missed you too~"
"Also, I made a new friend...and rival named Rock Lee-san! Isn't that a cool name?"
"Rock Lee huh...yeah, that's a pretty cool name. And he's your rival huh~?"
"He said it would help him grow stronger...I didn't mind, it might be fun to have a friendly rival."
"It is, I have one too~"
Ryouta cocks his head.
"Who's yours?"
Shisui showed a light hearted smile with a hint of determination mixed in.
"He knows who he is." Shisui then bent down towards Ryouta. "But, I have to tell you. I'm going on a mission in a few days."
Ryouta's face took a notable dip.
But he understood that Shisui had a profession that demanded his time well, so he tried his best to show a smile.
"I've got something to keep you safe, back at the house."
Shisui suddenly tossed Ryouta up into the air.
He came flying down, landing on Shisui's back.
"Hang on then! We'll get there quickly!"
With that, Shisui shot out of the area at top speeds, the wind flying through their hair, and bringing a smile to Ryouta's face.
"Shi-chan, was the mission hard?"
"It was a little bit, I took out over thirty people trying to harm some citizens of Konoha! Honestly, those Rogue Ninja, you always have to be careful of them or they're going to come back and get you. So tell me, what have you been doing while I've been gone? Besides making rivals."
"Nothing really, spending time with Izumi-chan...speaking of, Izumi-chan said she wants to become a Medical Ninja maybe..."
"A Medic Ninja huh...that would be good for her, she's always had great chakra control."
"Yes...but she said she doesn't know yet...ooh, we also went shopping together...and I played with Satsuki-chan...as much as Fugaku-san allowed it..."
"Aah, well. Don't worry about Fugaku-san, he's just a big meanie sometimes~"
Ryouta was glad that Shisui could always make light of things like that.
It brought him great comfort.
When they returned back home, Shisui opened the door, only to dodge a bar of soap that was thrown at his head, along with moving fast enough to avoid having a bucket of water dropped onto his head.
His eyes went to Izumi sat on the couch, who murmured "Darn..." while Shisui laughed.
"You'll have to hide your tactics better than that Izumi-chan~"
Izumi lightly giggled.
But then she scowled at him.
"Next time don't tell Ryou-kun that I try to crush Itachi-kun!"
Shisui whistles innocently, drawing an ire look from Izumi.
"Oh, did I say that? I guess I left 'on' part off huh. Next time, I'll tell him you crush ON Itachi." Izumi scowled. "But, you do crush on him though, right?" Izumi huffs, and turns her neck sideways. "Aah, this is the mystery of girls Ryou, it's hard to tell what they're thinking~"
"The same goes for boys Ryou-kun, always be an open book around girls, okay? They'll respond better."
Izumi said playfully, matching Shisui's playful tone.
"But seriously, thanks again Izumi-chan, for looking after Ryou. I'm sorry I have to rely on you."
"Ooh no, it's not a problem. It's great, I really don't mind. We have plenty of fun, and it's nice to speak to an Uchiha that...ehehe, never mind that last part~"
She said kindly, as Ryouta jumped out of Shisui's arms, rushing towards the back of the house.
He came back a minute later, and offered a sword to Shisui.
A tanto in fact.
"Here...your gift Shi-chan. A new tanto...the shop owner said it was a good one..."
"Aah, you didn't have to get me one..." Shisui picked up the sword, and unsheathed it, swinging it around safely. "Good weight...the blade looks rather sharp, sturdy metal from what I can tell, and handles rather easily, and the size seems pretty good to me as well. It is a good tanto, thanks Ryou!"
"It also has...our initials in it...look, the handle."
Shisui looked there, and saw that in fact was there.
It made him smile at the sight of the tanto, then his eyes went towards Ryouta, bending down, and gently pets his head.
"It's a great gift. I'll wield it in battle, and think of you."
Ryouta's face turned slightly red while Izumi giggled.
"Aaah, you guys make me wish I had a little brother or sister too..."
"Well, you can have this one." Shisui tosses Ryouta to Izumi. "We'll share~"
"Hehe, I don't mind that~"
"Yeah, now it's time to have fun before I'm off again Ryou! But don't worry, I'll make sure to have sometime off when you enter the academy. My little brothers going to become an academy student soon, and then he's going to become the greatest Ninja ever! Then we'll become the best duo of Konoha, outshining even Itachi, and Satsuki-chan!"
Izumi lightly chortled.
Ryouta smiled.
Though they didn't have parents, Ryouta never felt as if he was missing much.
Of course, he'd love to know more about his Mother and Father.
But, with Shisui there, it always just felt calm and relaxed, and he didn't have to worry about much other than when Shisui went on missions.
Though Ryouta knew he'd try his hardest to become a great Ninja so he could go and stand beside Shisui on a battlefield one day.
It was a dream of his.
To be able to become a great and kind Ninja like Shisui was.
When night had fallen, Ryouta sat within his room, practicing some of his sealing techniques when the door opened, revealing Satsuki.
Rather than speak, she merely sat down on his bed, and didn't make eye contact.
"Hello Satsuki-chan~"
Satsuki's eyes went towards Ryouta, and gave a slight smile.
"I finally got to come here, Dad's being so unfair. Always making it so we can't spend time together...he already favours Itachi, now he wont allow me around someone I like..."
"But he's your Dad, even if he's being mean...I'm sure he really cares about you."
As he said it, Shisui walked by the door, pausing when hearing about Fugaku.
"Sometimes, I wonder...anyway, he can't stop us from being together at the Academy."
"Yes, we'll be together there."
"Still, lets do better than our brothers, okay? Better than Itachi, and Shisui-san!"
Hearing her strong voice, Ryouta cocks his head.
"They're pretty strong though."
"Even then, lets work to surpass them. We're also Uchiha."
She said seriously, but Ryouta gave a cheery smile.
"Yes, one day lets become stronger than them~"
Shisui smiled fondly, and left the two kids alone, so they could spend time together that they rarely got thanks to Fugaku not wanting Ryouta around.
Meanwhile, in a secluded area, Yashiro walked through a densely populated area of trees. The moons light barely made it through the rows of trees, his eyes displayed a mixture of apprehensiveness, and worry along with sprinklings of excitement…
Suddenly that changed to surprise when he felt a hand on his back.
"It seems your desires have been growing lately."
The mysterious voice spoke up, in a deep low tone.
"Of course...as long as that boy is slain, then Fugaku-sama wouldn't have to worry about him being around his daughter, or any other Uchiha anymore. But, I can't do anything...Shisui's around...and when he's not, Itachi or someone else is..."
"Do not worry about that, when the times right, you'll be able to strike."
Yashiro's lips grew into a dirty smirk.
"Good, I'll rid Fugaku-sama of that child. I know that he can't do it...so I'll do it for him. Thank you, for helping me so far."
"Of course. I'll tell you when you can strike, and get away with it."
"Understood."
With that, Yashiro walked off, leaving the mysterious figure alone.
Stepping out of the shadows, it was the mysterious man who called himself Tobi, and he had a hidden smirk under his mask.
"Cowards are easy to manipulate, isn't that right Yashiro? The only people you can scare are children. Lets see what you can do...Ryouta Uchiha. Will you be just as strong as your brother...or even your Mother? Either way, show me more boy."
With that, Tobi's eyes created some kind of swirling effect which teleported him away within a few seconds.
End chapter!
So, for those who voted or curious, this is the story that won and here it is! If you don't want to be spoiled about some future stuff that's gonna happen in this fic, then I'd advise not reading the original of this, as it will show some future spoilers, though there will be certain things that will be changed as well.
But getting into this story, starting off with Shisui and his seemingly dearly departed Mother, and Father, and decided to take care of his little brother. Ryouta and Shisu have a strong bond with one another, and Ryouta has a strong bond with Izumi Uchiha as well, seeing her as a big sister like figure, and even became friends/rivals with Lee.
Ryouta also seems quite the subject between the Uchiha, with some liking him such as Uruchi and Teyaki Uchiha, and some, like Fugaku Uchiha seem to not want anything to do with him for some deeper reasons that will be explained more although been implied a bit in this chapter, or in Yashiro's case, simply openly displays hostility and even some threats, though it seems at the end Tobi might've had a hand in that.
Speaking of, Tobi seems to be following and watching Ryouta. What he wants with Ryouta, we'll eventually find out.
Satsuki (replacing Sasuke and after receiving a number of requests via PM's so I thought it would be cool like the original had) is also in the story.
This is a harem fic. So far, it's only Satsuki and Sakura who will be given more time to shine and reach potentials I believe she could have in the main series. The rest, please suggest away!
Finally, I did receive some questions about Naruto becoming Naruko and being paired with Ryouta, which I'm alright with that idea and can see a few good scenarios with that. But I'd like to know what you guys thought. If Naruko does exist in this story, then Hinata will be with Ryouta as well, if Naruto stays as Naruto, then Hinata will be paired with him.
So, I guess it's either Naruko becomes his lover, or Naruto becomes his best friend. Either one could bring some interesting dynamics.
Phew, that was long~ But thanks to everyone who read it, and the chapter, and please vote if you'd like, and until next time, thanks for reading!