Hello, and welcome to the next chapter!
Dark King Marcel; Thanks! Thanks for the votes! He could be Indra's reincarnation. Thanks for the suggestions!
Eavise; Thanks for the suggestions!
Cloud4012; Thank you! Thanks for the suggestions!
Drury94; Thanks for the suggestions!
AlphaFlash; Thank you for the suggestions!
Crenin; Thanks for the vote! I'll try and make it good!
Skull Flame; He is yeah. That's Tobi for you~ She is~ Ryouta and Lee will have a cool dynamic between them. Thanks for the suggestions!
Unzueta; I did think about that before starting the story, but wouldn't know how to make them much different from one another.
Landon1299; Thanks, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the suggestions! Fem Gaara could be cool.
HolyKnightX; Thanks! Thank you for the vote of confidence, I'll try my best to make it interesting~ Lee and Ryouta are going to have fun interactions. Thanks for the vote! I am yeah.
ShadowUzumaki55; I'm glad! He did yeah, he was a pretty good Father, we could see him in some flashbacks later on. Yeah, what did happen, we will find out eventually. He is yeah, he's got a few people that care for him. Hehe, Lee and Ryouta are going to be fun rivals. Thanks for the vote.
Anime PJ; Thanks very much! Yeah, Ryouta and Lee are going to have fun dynamics. He will be a good influence in Satsuki's life, and be someone who can understand her pain in many ways. Thank you for the suggestions! Thanks for the vote! It could give a good rivalry between them yeah.
weslyschraepen; Thanks for the vote!
coldblue2015; No problem! Ryouta will be getting Eternal Mangekyou, can't reveal when or how, but he will be. Ryouta and Lee are indeed rivals, they'll push one another, and could have some cool combination attacks. There is a reason why Tobi's after him, what that is shall be revealed later down the line. He will awaken his Sharingan in some way, maybe before then~ Ryouta's Father will be explained later down the line. Thanks! You too!
Clarent excalibur; Thanks very much! It will be yeah, thanks for the vote! Hinata and Naruko will be friends. I could see Ryouta beginning to wonder more about that if he finds the seal on her stomach. Haha, she could be just like her Mom. Satsuki, I've got plans for, if she tries to join Orochimaru, if Ryouta being their prevents her doing that, we'll see~ Itachi could do yeah, while still posing as a member of Akatsuki. I could see Kakashi becoming that yeah, and as for Danzo, it's going to be interesting what happens with him.
War Sage; Thanks! Thank you for the vote, and suggestions!
Derek 23; Thanks for the votes!
heroflow1000; Yeah, I'm thinking about doing something for that in the future, I don't know when though yet.
MDM11; Thanks for the suggestions!
Jack Gold Sword; Thank you for the vote!
Silver crow; Thanks! Yeah, inspiration hit. She did yeah, Fugaku took it rather hard. Their relationship shall be expanded upon as the story goes on. Yup, he's got some distinguishing features. Shisui stepped up quite well~ Could be, Ryouta seems to have a knack for sealing. Izumi is yeah, she really cares about him. That, and other reasons why they don't like him. Yeah, maybe he will awaken the Sharingan under more positive actions. Hehe, Satsuki and Ryouta are quite good friends. He surely is, we'll see what happens to Yashiro rather soon. He did yeah, Tobi's got reasons why he's interested in him. Lee's awesome, he and Ryouta will be good friends~ Hehe, he does collect things, those collections might become important later on down the line. Hehe, they celebrated his birthday alright~ Yeah, Satsuki likes being with Ryouta, she doesn't always get the chance to be around him, so anytime she'll take. They had the Sharingan when they handled them, Ryouta doesn't yet have that, but he might awaken it soon. We'll see different sides to Fugaku, that's all I can say right now. Thanks for the vote! That would be funny. Maybe Kaguya will appear before she did in the manga. I do like her Jutsu's, they're pretty cool. I think Kaguya's a strong member of her clan. He'll be learning that here. Fu, maybe. Thanks for the votes! I've got some ideas on what Ryouta's Mangekyou is going to look like, with Shisui's eventually. Shisui's fate here, we'll have to wait and see. When an event around Shisui happens, Ryouta's and Itachi's relationship is going to take some interesting turns, it wont be like how canon Sasuke was with Itachi, that's all I can say right now. Orochimaru would still be interested in their Sharingan, but with them together, maybe they'd be able to do something to stop him, we'll have to wait and see. Guren could show up for that part of the story, I've got some plans for that part of the story.
Guest 1; Thanks very much! Thank you for the vote, and suggestions! He'll be pretty good yeah~
Guest 2; Thanks for the vote! Yeah, their rivalry will be pretty cool.
Guest 3; Thanks for the vote.
Guest 4; Thanks for the vote.
Guest 5; He would be with Uchiha genes, I like water being with Ryouta. Thank you for the votes!
Good boy; Thanks. It wont be. No, I understood perfectly, don't worry.
Guest 6; Thank you for the votes!
Guest 7; Thank you for voting.
Guest 8; They would be yeah~
Guest 9; Thanks for the suggestions and vote!
Guest 10; Thank you for the vote!
Rikes; Thanks very much for voting!
dolo-solo; Thanks! Yeah, I do plan to come back to that someday, I don't know when though. Thanks for the votes!
Valtryek-sama; Thank you for the vote!
ishan19sati; It's going to be a harem, sorry if that isn't your thing.
Guest 11; Thanks! Hehe it surely would be. Check the bottom of this chapter for teams. It will be weekly~
NL; Thanks for the vote!
Chrono trigger; One day I will. Thanks for the vote! Yeah, she'd be like that.
Kamijou Killer; Thanks for the votes! It would be the same reason why Obito didn't take the Nine Tails in the series. There's a reason why he's after Ryouta. Interactions between them is going to be pretty cool~
Dark Thundercat; Thanks for the vote! It could be possible yeah. I could see Ryouta wanting that once learning of her circumstances.
Freemaker; Thanks for the vote! Sasuke's role in the story seemed to change as did the story, first it was the rivals, then the driving force for the main cast to get Sasuke back. Satsuki in this will have some interesting roles to play.
Guest 12; Thanks for the vote!
Guest 13; No problem, been wanting to for a while now, and finally got the chance to do so! Thanks for the votes! And yeah, good day or night to you haha~
Lcyper; Thanks for the vote! It would be rather interesting~ Yeah there wont be quite as much obsession here~ It would be fun to see her reaction to that.
Guest 14; Thanks for the votes! I could see that happening, it would be in line with her character.
Guest 15; He would do eventually, he wouldn't want his little brother to go blind. Tsunade could do it pretty easily.
Wtfstarftw10; Thank you for the votes!
Andrew123456; Thanks for the votes! She'd be one of Ryouta's future children, either with Sakura or Satsuki.
InnocentxPsycho; Right now, he looks like Shisui as a kid, without the two lines on his face and his hair goes down his face. I'd have to think who he'd look like from other series.
Phantom of the Sith; Thanks very much, and thanks for the vote!
Miraculous Psychic Hero 100; Yeah, it's back! Thanks for the vote! Neji huh, yeah could be interesting. Haku would be cool as well. Thanks for the suggestions!
Sloth Origin; Yeah, Naruko could get some love from Ryouta, they'd have plenty to bond over. Yeah, it was quite like that huh.
wtfstarftw; Thanks for the vote!
AlphaOmega; Yup! It's back! He is yeah. Fugaku's got a lot of emotion going on deep inside, stuff we'll be exploring. Yeah, quite the mystery isn't it? How his Mother died, when Shisui was sure she'd be fine. He does have a few good people in his life yeah. Haha, Lee and Ryouta are going to have quite the rivalry between them. What Tobi wants, we'll see quite soon. Thanks for the votes. He will have male friends, he's got Lee and more to come.
Guest 16; Thanks for the vote! Yeah, you're right, it's going to be fun to explore that. Yeah, that would be quite cool, no pun intended, thanks for the suggestions! Mirajane's a personal favourite of mine so that would be alright with me. Ultear could do something like that, it would be a nice way to pass on her skills.
Dominis Gansaike; Yeah, it seems that they can be quite like that. Thanks for the vote! Haha, that would be pretty fun to see huh~?
Momentei; It would've been cool if we did see scenes of him relaxing a bit more. Thanks for the vote! Yeah, she might do~ She'll be friends with Hinata. And yeah, that's how I can see their relationship going.
Lucky7; Not currently, but I will eventually. I don't know what story it would be yet. I do learn as much as I can before starting a story yeah.
Lightwave; Yup, it seems that some Uchiha do have that problem. Maybe that's why Tobi seems rather interested in Ryouta, that and some other things maybe~ They are yeah! Thanks for the votes!
Guest 17; Thanks for the votes!
BloodRaven46; I wont be making it too big. I will be doing them eventually, one of them was in the poll.
helios darkus; Thanks very much! Yeah, it's pretty sad huh. Shisui really stepped up huh. Yeah, it's going to be a skill he develops as the story goes on. He'll be learning it this chapter. Izumi is like his big sister, and yeah, there's a few Uchiha out there that do like him, mostly the civilians. Tobi does seem to be manipulating a few of them at least huh. We will delve more into Fugaku and his relationship when it comes to Ryouta. He's going to awaken it through, interesting means, that's all I can say right now. So, like Izanagi? It would be pretty cool if one of his Mangekyo abilities was the ability to use that without going blind instantly. He could be after their eyes, Shisui's have shown to have amazing Genjutsu with his Mangekyou, so maybe he believes Ryouta's will also be amazing, or at least have him gain the Mangekyou so he could gain Shisui's power and use it easier through Eternal Mangekyou. Thanks for the votes! I like those ideas for his Susanoo's weapons. Thanks for the votes!
Well, with those lovely reviews out of the way, it's time to start the chapter!
Entering the Academy!
Weeks before the entrance to the Academy was going to begin, a young girl with white eyes with no pupils, and dark blue hair. With snow falling down around her, she felt cold, but she continued on through a sea of trees, that held no leaves on them.
While she was walking, she allowed her eyes to look everywhere, and she didn't seem to watch where she was going when she suddenly bumped into someone.
"Ooh..."
She groaned, her eyes going towards the person she bumped into it as she fell down onto the ground, and it happened to be Ryouta.
Her eyes went over the boy, not really knowing who he was…
Until she saw the Uchiha symbol on his clothing.
"Uchiha..."
"That's right." Ryouta said, bending down and offered his hand. "You haven't seen a black haired girl around here, have you? She's an Uchiha as well. We're playing hide and seek."
"Black haired...girl? No...I haven't..."
She meekly said, taking his hand shyly and helped her up.
"Darn...Satsuki-chan! Come out!" Ryouta waved at the girl, noticing her eyes. "Goodbye, Hyuga-san~"
With that, Ryouta took off running, leaving the young Hyuga girl alone to contemplate what she had seen.
She shrugged, and continued on, walking through the snow covered forest.
As she walked for over a minute or so, she bypassed a girl with blonde hair, and whisker like marks on her cheeks, with matching blue eyes, her small hands grasping the rope before her, and didn't even move when the Hyuga girl came by her.
She also noticed that a long red scarf was fluttering in the wind, loosely around her neck.
Since it was cold, and snowing, it made sense for the Hyuga for the girl to have something like that on.
But when she went to turn a corner, three girls, older ones came closer.
Their eyes went towards the Hyuga's eyes, and began laughing.
"Hey look, she's from the Hyuga clan!"
"Those eyes...can't she see everything?"
"It's really creepy! Where's the pupils at?!"
The young Hyuga backed away, but the girls pulled closer.
They laughed and called her names.
She was a naturally shy girl, and therefore she wasn't sure on how to stand up for herself.
Ryouta, who was a bit of a distance away, could hear the laughter, raising a brow at it, and wondered if Satsuki was over there, so he went to investigate.
"She's a freak!"
"Yeah, come on freak, show us your Byakugan!"
They poked her face, and arms, trying to gain some kind of reaction from her, or to simply just tease her.
But then the blonde haired girl came running over, fist clenched, and her eyes set on the bullies of the Hyuga. Even though she didn't know her, she still was dead focused upon making sure that the Hyuga girl wasn't bullied.
"Hey! Stop trying to bully that girl right now!"
"And who's asking that?"
One of them said, the girl proudly stepped forward.
"My name is Naruko Uzumaki, and you're looking at your future Hokage!"
The girls blinked as did the Hyuga girl.
For a few moments, silence surrounded them…
But then the girls began to laugh, and one of them stepped up.
"Eh...if you don't leave, I'll knock you down..."
"Hit me! You can try, but I'll show you the Clone Jutsu!"
"The Clone Jutsu…? As if, you're not even in the academy you little freaky blonde girl! What are those whisker marks anyway? Are you some kind of cat?"
One of the girls insulted her, so she growled, and placed her fingers in a hand sign.
The bullies watched as the girl concentrated chakra, or attempted to anyway while Ryouta managed to find out what was happening.
Seeing the girls hand sign, he became intrigued, and watched on from a distance.
"Clone Jutsu!"
She called, and a poof of smoke erupted out…
But what happened wasn't the best example of a clone.
Rather, what she made were two miniature clones that shouted up at the older girls.
The trio of girls continue to stare at the blonde girl as if she was having some kind of joke.
But when seeing her eyes, it was clear that she was serious.
One of the girl swiftly grabs her long red scarf, ripping it away from her so hard that she was pulled down to the ground, but Naruko shot off the ground and rushed one of the girls, her small fist flying in the air.
"You can't fight me, I've been at the Academy for two years now."
The girl sidestepped Naruko's attempts, and punched Naruko's face, surprising Ryouta that they'd go that far, and forced Naruko to the ground in a daze.
She groaned, while the Hyuga girl bent down to check on her.
"A-Are you okay…?"
The Hyuga girls question fell on deaf ears as the girls eyes were rolling around in the back of her head.
But then within a few seconds, both girls witnessed a flash before them….
It was a figure.
Running rings around the girls, they couldn't even react, and they screamed as they tried to hit the figure, but the figure didn't even touch them, coming in so close that the girls felt the wind change around them.
"W-What is this?!"
"Get it away from me!"
The girls cried out, as one of them tripped on a branch on the ground, face planting into the snow.
Another girl gasped, and tried to move around, but the figure dashed by her right hand side, and though didn't touch her, the girl lost her balance, and hit the snow also.
When the one with the scarf realized what was going on, she tried to run away, only to knock into the figure.
Looking up, she saw that it was Ryouta.
"Scarf please."
The girl stared into the eyes of Ryouta, and while he was smiling, he had a serious face on.
"Y-You were the reason!?"
"It isn't nice to bully others, so I'd like the scarf."
She shuddered, tossing the scarf at Ryouta, who caught it in one hand, and then she ran off, with her friends following.
Ryouta then looked at the scarf, then towards the Hyuga girl and Naruko, but she was still in a daze.
Without making a noise, he bent down, and placed the scarf on top of the girls hand, the Hyuga girl looking towards him.
"...You saved us..."
"Heeeh, those girls were real mean for no reason. It's the least I can do. I hope you're okay. Is she going to be okay?"
Ryouta asked, poking Naruko's cheek, but didn't have a reaction.
"Y-Yes, I think so...thank you."
"It's okay..."
As he said it, he saw Satsuki approaching.
"Hey, there you are." Satsuki said as she pulled up. "Come on, lets go back home, I'm hungry."
"Sure, I don't mind, but I have to make sure this girls okay first..." Ryouta turned to Hinata. "Are you going to be okay? Should I call someone...from the Hyuga clan?"
"N-No, that's okay."
She said with her natural nervousness coming over her.
Ryouta tilted his head in wonder, then bent down to Naruko, poking her face.
The young blonde groaned, and looked around...
But then she suddenly exclaims "COME ON THEN!" while showing her fist, scaring the Hyuga girl, who let out a gasp.
"T-They're gone!"
She called out, while Ryouta smiled down at her.
"Are you okay?"
Naruko's eyes went up towards Ryouta.
"Eh...? Who are you?"
"My name is-"
"Ryou, lets go."
Satsuki called, drawing Naruko's attention.
"Who're you?"
Satsuki overlooks Naruko, before turning back to Ryouta.
"We should be going."
Naruko twitched her eyebrow.
"Are you ignoring me?!"
Satsuki continued to ignore Naruko to her growing ire, Ryouta chortled lightly.
"Sorry, we should be going. I'm glad you're okay~"
Ryouta bows, and then leaves together with Satsuki, Naruko and Satsuki share a stare, and sparks go between their eyes.
The Hyuga girl watched them leave together.
She had heard mixed things about the Uchiha before.
She had seen Uchiha before, and some acted rather mean, or dismissive.
But something about Ryouta was...different, and she wasn't sure what it was.
Plus with how he handled the bullies so easily, and didn't show aggressive attitudes…
Naruko seeing the scarf on her hand, tilted her head in wonder.
"Eh...my scarf..."
"Didn't you see what happened?"
"I heard noises." Naruko replied, getting off the ground. "Haha, did you beat them up?"
The Hyuga girl shook her head.
"No...I didn't. It was that boy..." The girl then gave a timid smile. "M-My name is Hinata Hyuga...thank you, for trying to help me..."
"Aah, Naruko Uzumaki! No worries, I'll become stronger than them one day! When I become Hokage that is! Then those girls wont know what's hit them!"
Hinata was mildly surprised to hear her declaration again.
She wondered if she was being truly serious.
"Hokage...you want to become Hokage…?"
"Yeah! That's right, I want to become the greatest Hokage! Then everyone's going to have to acknowledge me!"
Hinata tilted her head in wonder.
Even though Naruko was clearly outclassed by the bullies, she wasn't deterred.
She didn't give up either.
Even wanting to become Hokage, it intrigued Hinata quite a bit.
Along with that, she still wondered about Ryouta, seeing how he had protected her, and Naruko, not expecting any kind of praise, or anything…
It definitely was intriguing to her...
Weeks later, it was the day that Ryouta would finally be going to the Academy.
He could hardly wait to go, he had even gotten up really early for him to finally begin his journey into being a Ninja, and following in his elder brothers footsteps.
He shot down the stairs, and saw that Izumi was there, looking towards him with a smile.
"Shi-chan's not back yet?"
"I'm sure he'll be here soon sweetie. He just had a last minute mission to do before coming back here. But, it shouldn't take that long, as far as I am aware." Izumi replied, and placed some breakfast on the table. "Come, eat something. It is going to be a huge day for you. Also, it seems that the snows cleared up now, thank God, since it was cold outside~"
"But, I heard from Shi-chan that you liked it cold, so Itachi-san would hug you tightly and warm you up."
Izumi blushed lightly.
"W-Well...that part was good...b-but, anyway! Sit down, we'll go soon~"
"Okay~"
Ryouta replied, and sat down, beginning to eat some breakfast, while Izumi sat down nearby, reading what seemed to be some kind of medical journal. Ryouta became intrigued, and poked her side, gaining her attention.
"Something wrong?"
"No...but, what's with the book?"
Izumi looked down at the book, before giggling slightly.
"It's a book by Tsunade-sama, I'm just reading up on some of the stuff she's done within her time as a Shinobi. All of the medical stuff that she's been doing and how skilled she is. It's really fascinating to read about her."
"Tsunade-sama…? I've never heard of her before...is she famous?"
"It's not surprising you haven't heard of her, since she's been away for a long time. She's one of the legendary Sannin. She's pretty cool, the only female, and totally kick ass. I heard she's got like monster strength. She's really scary but I can't help but admire her for what she tried to achieve in the village, it makes sense to me that medical Ninja's should be sent on missions with other Ninja. Having a healer is essential in a large scale fight so they can keep the mission going."
"Izumi-chan...have you decided to become one?"
Izumi hummed, then inclined her neck.
"Yup, that's right. I've decided to become a medical Ninja. I thought it over and over, but in the end, I can't help but see that it would be beneficial to become a medical Ninja. Hey, maybe I could teach you some medical Ninjutsu when I learn it~"
"Hehe, that would be nice~"
Izumi smiled down at Ryouta.
He then looked at the book, and pointed at it.
"Is she...still alive?"
"She's not in the village anymore, but as far as I'm aware, she's still alive. I'm not sure what happened to her, but it seems that she's not going to be returning to the village anytime soon, if ever."
"Oh...it must've been sad if she doesn't want to come back...or, is she a missing Ninja?"
"I don't think she's a missing Ninja. But I don't know why she left...either way! It's time to be going soon." Ryouta smiled, while looking around. "Shisui-kun will be here soon, I'm sure of it. He wouldn't miss this for the world."
Ryouta hoped that was the case, though he wasn't entirely sure.
Even if he didn't make it back, Ryouta knew he was a very busy person, how he would have to deal with different kind of situations, Ryouta was happy enough to know that Shisui would be proud of him.
Stepping outside, Ryouta together with Izumi took off towards the Academy together. Izumi looked around at the different Uchiha as they made their way through the Compound, she was glad that Ryouta chose to ignore the looks he got, and focused on the days events.
"Ryou!" Satsuki's voice called from behind. Ryouta turned to see her walking with her Father and Mother, Itachi being absent. "Hey! Why don't you walk with-"
"Come, Satsuki." Fugaku said in a harsh tone, pulling her along with Mikoto looking on sorrowfully. "We have things to do."
"But, Father..."
"No, come."
Fugaku demanded, and dragged Satsuki away with him.
Mikoto walked over to Ryouta and Izumi, giving a kind cheery smile.
"Aah, Ryouta-kun. It seems that you're all ready for the Academy."
"Y-Yes, Mikoto-san."
"It seems Shisui-kun isn't here. But, he's with Itachi, so I'm sure he'll be back really soon."
"Yes...even if he isn't, I will still do my best for Shi-chan. And make Uchiha proud."
Mikoto continued to smile, lightly petting his head.
"I'm sure you will dear. I can already tell you, Uchiha is very proud of you. At least, I am."
"Mikoto." Fugaku called, Mikoto giving a troubled look. "We're going to be late, come quickly."
Mikoto clearly understood why her husband was hurrying them along, and it wasn't something she agreed with. But she knew that she'd have to appease him for the moment, to try and speak some kind of sense to him, though after all these years she knew it was becoming less and less likely for her to do that.
"Sorry Ryouta-kun, Izumi-chan. See you later."
Mikoto bowed her head to Ryouta and Izumi, then walked off to meet her husband.
Ryouta and Izumi weren't deterred, and simply continued on together, and when they came across Yashiro, they both dismissed him despite the sneer that he would send their way, opting not to be like him, and not bring themselves down to his level.
While walking towards the Academy and exiting the Uchiha Compound, Ryouta saw Lee was running quickly towards them. Izumi didn't know who he was, so gave questioning eyes, only for Ryouta to relieve her worries.
"That's Lee-san, Izumi-chan."
"Lee-san...ooh, your friendly rival person. That's right. So that's him huh? I like his outfit, it's pretty sweet~"
Lee came in close, and practically jumped Ryouta, but he dodged out of the way, Lee falling down to the ground. But that didn't deter him, his eyes shooting up, and said "As expected of my rival!" something Izumi smiled at.
"Lee-san, what are you doing here?"
"Of course I'd come here, it's time for our rivalry to truly begin!"
Ryouta shrugged.
"Ooh, right. Sure. What do we do? Shall we have a battle right now?"
"Well, while that would be amazing, we have to work up to the large scale battle we're going to have one day. I want to race you to see..." As he spoke, his eyes went towards Izumi, and his cheeks began turning red, while Izumi raised an eyebrow at him. "...w-who's this?"
"This is Izumi-chan, she's like my sister."
Lee kept his eyes on her form, Izumi herself didn't know what kind of look Lee was giving her.
In Lee's mind, hearts fluttered around Izumi, while she just stared at him curiously.
"I see..." Lee shot towards Izumi and bent down, acting all gentlemanly, taking her hand and looked up at her with a keen interest. "...You're really cute! H-Have you got a boyfriend?!"
"Eh...that's complicated. I don't know yet. Maybe...people say we are...he's kinda aloof on the subject...so I couldn't tell you one way or the other..."
She replied truthfully, Lee however was determined, and stood up.
"My name is Rock Lee, and if you become my girlfriend, I'll protect you until I die!"
Izumi's face curled upwards, and thought "He's so adorable...acting like a little gentleman~" while she gently petted his head.
"Lee-kun, you're so precious. But you're a bit young for a girlfriend, you know?"
"Aah, I understand! I'll wait until I'm older, then ask you again!"
"I'm not sure how Itachi-kun would take that..."
"Itachi...t-the famous Itachi Uchiha-san? H-He's your current boyfriend?!"
"S-Sort of...maybe...it's a little complicated…."
While that was going on, Ryouta just looked between the two of them, seeing Lee blushing at Izumi and Izumi looking rather flattered.
"So, it's love rivals…? Itachi-san and Lee-san are going to be competing for Izumi-chan's affections…? Ultimate Genjutsu vs Ultimate Taijutsu...what an interesting battle...I'd like to see that. If Itachi-san could lock Lee-san in a Genjutsu and how Lee-san could try and get out of that..."
Izumi waved her hand.
"No, no, that's not it-"
"That's exactly it!" Izumi blinked at Lee who looked determined. "This makes me even more determined! Rival-kun, you'll have to become even more of my rival than before, to prepare me for my love rival Itachi-san!"
"Love rival...huh..."
Izumi murmured as Lee showed her a peace sign, making her giggle lightly.
Ryouta didn't really understand much about what Lee and Izumi were talking about since he was rather young and didn't think about romance, he was happy that Izumi was getting along with Lee at least.
"Lee-san, I'll race you if you'd like? To help prepare you for your battle against Itachi-san."
"Really?!"
"Of course~ I'll offer my support for my friendly rival~ Itachi-san though is very strong, so you'll have to become even stronger than the strongest person in your class!"
"So that's how it is...then I'll have to work harder!"
Izumi found it rather entertaining that they were speaking like this.
Lee then took a stance on the ground, in a running position.
"Lets get going!"
"Yes!"
Ryouta, and Lee then shot off down the street, leaving Izumi in the dust.
"Hehe, it seems that they're quite determined Academy students...though, it's really endearing to see their friendship, I'm sure they'll become quite good friends in the future. And Lee-kun...not being able to perform Jutsu yet still is trying to be a Ninja, I have to admire that in him..."
Izumi pushed chakra into her feet and legs for speed, and shot off after them.
Ryouta arrived at the Academy first, and exhaled with a small pant while waiting for Lee to come by. The Academy itself was a set of several buildings, with a large one being the centre, with a rounded top, surrounded by a number of trees, one of which Ryouta saw had a swing on it.
As he did wait, Ryouta saw that there were a number of people already gathering. He saw Satsuki, and when he waved, Satsuki attempted to do so back, but Fugaku simply stopped her with his hand extending outwards.
Ryouta's eyes went back towards the gates, seeing that Lee was coming in, panting.
"A-Ah...it makes sense...my rival...would be fast..."
"Heeeh, Shi-chan's pretty fast, and has taught me how to build my speed."
He replied looking at the different people that had come. He could see a pink haired girl, a blonde haired girl, both with their parents, he also saw a boy with his coat pulled all the way up his face, his eyes being covered in some sunglasses, a boy with some face paint who looked towards him with a territorial like look, he even saw a boy with a disinterested look on his face with a slightly heavier than most boy.
There was even someone he noticed from the Hyuga clan, the girl he had seen a few weeks ago, though he couldn't see her Father, he believed she was called Hinata Hyuga, and her Father was the leader of the Hyuga clan, but he was nowhere to be found, though he could see that there were some guards around the girl so she wasn't alone.
He also saw a bunch of others that Ryouta wondered if they'd be his classmates or not.
However, there was one person that Ryouta noticed almost immediately.
It was the young girl, with striking almost like the sun blonde hair, and she had three whisker like marks on her face, on each cheek. She also had eyes that looked like a deep blue ocean. But more than those physical features, he noticed that she was all alone. No parents, no guardians, no one around at all.
He remembered her, the girl with the scarf.
He became more curious about her, but Lee waved a hand in front of his face, gaining his attention.
"Aah, Lee-san. Is something wrong?"
"No! But I have to go now!"
"Okay, see you later Lee-san...my rival~"
Lee was glad that Ryouta took it seriously, it only made him more determined.
Lee then shot off, leaving Ryouta alone, with Izumi slowly coming up, deciding to take it easy once seeing that Ryouta was fine.
His eyes drifted to Naruko again, seeing that she was all alone, and kept thinking about her. What she was doing all alone.
Was she like him, who didn't have any parents either?
Though he was glad that he had Shisui.
Izumi soon came and stood beside him.
"Hey there sweetie~ Look at everyone...whoa, she's got cool pink hair." Izumi pointed out, but saw Ryouta looking somewhere else. "What're you..." Izumi paused when seeing who Ryouta was looking at. "...Ryou-kun, how come you're looking at her?"
"Do you know her Izumi-chan?"
"Not really." Izumi murmured, bending down to Ryouta. "It seems that she looks rather sad, doesn't she?"
"Yes...maybe we should go over..."
While he thought about it, Ryouta noticed an older man coming closer, his robes showed that he was the Hokage, the Third Hokage at that.
Ryouta raised a curious brow at the man, as he stepped forward.
Ryouta looked for Shisui, seeing that he wasn't there, so he began to listen to the Hokage.
"Now..."
"RYOU! I'M HERE!"
Ryouta placed a hand on his chest, along with the others turning their necks towards him.
Shisui came shooting through the gates, and stood beside Ryouta, panting heavily. The new students, and their parents or guardians depending on who it was, all stared at Shisui, Ryouta gave an awkward smile towards them.
"S-Shi-chan...I'm glad you're here."
"I-I made it. Ran from halfway across the Land of Fire...but, I made it... Did I make it? Has it started? Am I late?" His eyes went towards the Third, seeing his eyes giving off a curious look, as well as others who tilted their heads towards him, Shisui scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oops...eeh...yeah, I'm...sorry Hokage-sama, please continue."
Shisui bowed his head.
"Of course, it's nice to see you Shisui-san."
Shisui gave a slight chortle, as some of the girls looked towards him, tilting their necks in wonder.
The Third then began speaking once more.
"My congratulations to all of you. You have a lot of hard work ahead of you as you walk the path of the Shinobi." As he spoke, Ryouta looked to Shisui who gave a proud smile. "I expect great things and I know you'll do Konohagakure proud. It is going to be a tough road ahead of you and…"
The Hokage continued speaking, with Ryouta taking in everything that was going on.
Then the speech ended, with the Hokage approaching Shisui.
"Shisui-san, how did the mission go?"
Shisui gave a charming smile to the Hokage, and replied with a kind voice.
"All well and good sir, everything's fine."
"I'm glad. Also, if you have time, I'd like to speak to you in my office. About your latest mission."
"Of course, it would be my honour."
The Hokage, his name being Hiruzen, bowed his neck, then looked down towards Ryouta.
"Hello there, Ryouta-kun. Are you nervous about entering the Academy?"
"Ah...no, sir. I'm very happy and wish to try my hardest."
"Aah, that's a good boy. I'm sure you'll do Konoha proud, like your elder brother."
"Yes, I'll try my best!"
Though Ryouta was used to hearing Shisui's accomplishments from others. Unlike Satsuki who felt unsure on how to feel about being compared to Itachi, Ryouta thought it was an honour for him to be compared to Shisui, and only made him want to try harder.
Hiruzen gave a grandfatherly like smile.
"Then I'll leave you to it. Goodbye."
Hiruzen bowed his head, and walked off with his hands behind his back.
Shisui then bent down towards Ryouta.
"This is it Ryou, it's time to do your best. Whatever you do, I'll be proud."
Ryouta smiled up at his elder brothers support.
It always felt good to hear Shisui's support.
"Yes, Shi-chan. I'll do my best."
Shisui rubbed his head, then took off.
Izumi came close, and kissed his cheek, gaining a look from Satsuki who kept her eyes in a childlike way on Izumi.
"Good luck Ryou-kun! We'll be back when school finishes! I'm off for my medical studies~"
"Okay Izumi-chan! Have fun!"
He waved Izumi off, and went towards Satsuki, seeing that her parents had gone…
But he stopped when he felt a chill down his spine.
It was the same one that he felt when he was alone down the alleyway.
His eyes looked around him…
But he couldn't see anything that would indicate that someone was watching him.
Shaking his head, he went over to Satsuki, not realizing his instincts were spot on, that Tobi did have his single eye upon Ryouta, staying completely hidden so not even seasoned Ninja would be able to keep eyes on him.
Sometime later, the lessons began, or rather, the tests.
With the Sensei taking scores of each student, they began doing different tasks, including kunai throwing and showing what kind of skills they already had as potential Ninja's. Hinata allowed her eyes to drift around her class, until she saw Naruko, who she went over to.
"N-Naruko-san…."
"Aah, Hinata! You're in my class?"
"Y-Yes...I'm glad, a friendly face is here..."
"Haha! Of course! To become Hokage, you have to train hard, right?"
Hinata could only nod, as she looked towards the kunai throwing going on.
"Satsuki Uchiha, you're up."
The Sensei called, so Satsuki stepped forward, then looked back to Ryouta.
"Watch this."
"Do your best Satsuki-chan!"
Satsuki showed a confident look as she took a few kunai's launching them at the target practice, and landed several right in the bullseye, gaining the attention of some males in the class. But when they looked at her, she kept close to Ryouta, and held onto his arm.
Naruko looked at Satsuki with a mixture of envy and curiosity about the way she used her kunai, while Hinata blinked at the abilities that Satsuki had, how skilled she was with a kunai.
"Next, Ryouta Uchiha, it's your turn."
Ryouta lifted his head,
"Lets see if you can match me Ryou."
Satsuki said with a challenging look in her eyes, but mostly she seemed rather pleasant about what was going on.
"Okay then Satsuki-chan, watch this~"
Ryouta smiled, and took out some kunai, and tossed them towards the practice boards, nailing the centre of each of the bullseye, the girls began blushing at his manipulation of kunai, and also said things like "Wow, he's so cool..." and "He's so cute!" among other things, gaining the ire of some of the guys, though Ryouta remained oblivious to it, he was more focused on doing his best.
Hinata, who was watching on with Naruko, looked surprised to see Ryouta.
"It's him..."
"Him?"
"T-The boy, that helped us out..."
"Ooh yeah, it is huh! So, he's an Uchiha huh..."
Naruko seemed surprised, and watched what Ryouta had done, getting the bullseye on each target, mimicking Satsuki's scores.
Then the running portion of the tests began, and Ryouta was matched up with a boy that had brown hair, who gave a cocky look towards him.
"You're an Uchiha, right?"
"Aah yes, that's right."
The boy then pointed to himself.
"I'll leave you in my dust! My names Kiba Inuzuka! Don't forget it!"
"Okay, lets try our best~"
Kiba...wasn't expecting a reaction like that.
He assumed that Ryouta would at least backtalk him.
But it didn't seem like Ryouta cared about being confrontational.
The Sensei then raised his hand into the air.
"If you're ready...then go!"
Kiba smirked, and began shooting forward at a good pace.
He cockily looked back to see if Ryouta was looking at him as he felt a strong gust of wind blow past his face, but chose to ignore that for a few moments to see what Ryouta was doing at that moment in time…
But couldn't see him.
Confusion came over him, looking around until his eyes faced the front, a few seconds later, seeing the Sensei, Iruka, stood there with bafflement on his face, pressing a stopwatch, Kiba saw that Ryouta was stood beside him with a soft smile.
Kiba almost fell over.
He couldn't believe that Ryouta could have gotten there so fast.
He then concluded that the gust of wind he felt was Ryouta shooting past him, almost flooring him with the revelation.
"Heh, that's my Ryou for you."
Satsuki said confidently, as Iruka looked at the score.
"T-That's really fast for an Academy student..."
Ryouta gave a cheerful smile, walking over to Satsuki, and tilted his neck.
The pink haired, and blonde haired girls both blushed as they watched Ryouta.
He didn't boast, nor did he look cocky as he stood there.
It just seemed to get on with it, as if it was a normal activity.
Hinata, who had been watching on, thought "So, that's the Uchiha clan...both Ryouta Uchiha-kun and Satsuki Uchiha-san are skilled...while I'm..." she didn't know what to make of him, seeing his skills, his abilities, and then compared them to her own, believing that she was lacking despite also coming from a clan that was supposed to be strong and ended up hanging her head.
Naruko looked bewildered, her eyes going towards Ryouta.
She couldn't get over how fast he was, and it only made her more determined.
It was then her turn to run against Satsuki, something she began laughing about.
"Hahaha! Then it's my turn to show greatness!" Her finger went towards Satsuki. "Hey you!"
Satsuki gave her a mildly irritated look.
"What?"
"My names Naruko Uzumaki, watch as I blow you out of the water!"
"You can try."
Ryouta watched as Satsuki mostly looked dismissive as they entered a stance once walking over to the starting point.
However, Ryouta saw something else on Satsuki's face...it was a slight smile. Ryouta wondered if Naruko's drive to beat her had caused some of Satsuki's more competitive side to come out.
Some of the other class though looked at the girl in disdain, or downright ignoring her for reasons he wasn't aware of.
"Then begin!"
The girls rushed forward, with Satsuki having superior speed, but Naruko didn't give up, and pushed harder and harder. Ryouta could see her determination on her face, and though she didn't win, she did come pretty close to Satsuki through determination it seemed.
When she got to the end, and saw that she didn't win, she sighed.
"Well, it doesn't matter, because I'm going to become Hokage one day!"
"Yeah, right."
A student Ryouta didn't know spoke up.
"Yeah, you can't even beat Uchiha-chan, how can you become Hokage?"
Another spoke, only adding to the frustrations of the girl.
Ryouta kept looking towards her, not quite sure what to make of her.
It seemed she was serious, yet it seemed as if something else was going on underneath as well.
He also remembered how she stood up to those bullies for Hinata.
He watched Naruko slunk off and met with Hinata, who placed her hands together.
"I-I think you did really well Naruko-san."
"Aah, thanks Hinata!"
Ryouta smiled, glad that they seemingly were becoming friends.
Satsuki walked back towards Ryouta, and stood beside him.
"She's a bit weird, huh."
"I...I don't know. Maybe...but there's something about her...I can't put my finger on it..."
Ryouta replied honestly, trying to work out what this girl actually was.
She then looked between the different people in disbelief, and huffed, walking away from them.
Ryouta kept his eyes on her form, not sure what to make of her.
She wasn't like anyone he had seen before.
Naruko Uzumaki…
Meanwhile, Shisui had gone to the Hokage's office, and was speaking about various subjects, including the recent mission that he had just been on, when the door was suddenly flung open, revealing a man that looked to be of similar age to Hiruzen, one of his eyes was wrapped in a bandage, covering it completely, while his uncovered eye went towards Shisui.
Shisui felt a cold shiver down his spine, he didn't like the way that Danzo was looking at him.
It wasn't aggressive, but it wasn't pleasant either.
"Hiruzen..."
"What is it Danzo? I'm currently in the middle of a meeting with Shisui-san here."
"I'm aware. However, I'd like to speak to you on several matters." His lone eye went towards Shisui. "If you wouldn't mind leaving."
Shisui could hear the passive aggressive tone in his voice.
Though he tried his best to mask it, it was clear to Shisui that was the case.
"Of course."
Shisui bowed and began walking out.
As he did, Danzo's lone eye shot for Shisui's face, lingering there for a few moments, before turning his single eye forward.
Shisui didn't like Danzo, nor did he trust him.
There was something about Danzo that caused him to believe that he was up to no good, that he had some kind of agenda...
Upon exiting, and making sure that Shisui was a good enough distance away, Danzo stepped forward to Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen, there was a small skirmish today, between some Uchiha and another clan."
"Was anyone hurt?"
"No, but it was coming close to some of the Uchiha Police Force using aggressive moves against other clans. They're getting out of control."
"I understand that things have been getting more restless as time goes on. However, I'd like to avoid a confrontation and seek a peaceful path."
Danzo scoffed at what Hiruzen wanted.
"The time for peace is coming to an end. Fugaku Uchiha isn't going to stay silent forever, and we don't know what they say within their clan meetings. We need an inside man to uncover all of the details, what they're really planning."
"And if they're planning nothing?"
Hiruzen countered.
He wanted to believe in the good will of the Uchiha.
He was good at reading people, but for this situation, it took more than being able to read someone to fully cope with the situation that was arising within his village, and how to make sure that nothing was going to happen to either Uchiha, or to the rest of the village.
"Then we can have peace of mind. Perhaps you're becoming softer in your older years Hiruzen, but I wont allow our village to fall under the Uchiha's rule. It could also cause another potential war between Shinobi if this was to get out. That there's unsettled arguments happening between different clans. Plus with the Nine Tails attacking during the Fourth's time, we can't be sure an Uchiha didn't control the fox."
Hiruzen closed his eyes.
Seeing Danzo's confrontational side, Hiruzen wasn't sure how to placate him.
To make him understand his side of the argument.
Danzo was set in his ways, and to Hiruzen, he had been good council over the years, he still was someone that it was hard for Hiruzen to fully understand and what kind of intentions Danzo truly had within him.
"I understand your worries, and concerns. I simply can't make aggressive actions until knowing all of the situation. Perhaps you're right, that we do need to understand more about what is happening inside of the clans meetings. Who do you propose be this spy?"
At Hiruzen's question, Danzo held back a smirk that was threatening to erupt onto his face.
"Itachi Uchiha, or Shisui Uchiha. Or perhaps even both. They both clearly are different to most Uchiha. Though, I have doubt about their hearts, since they are also loyal to the Uchiha clan. Whatever we decide to do, we need to take action soon."
"Danzo, I am Hokage. I shall decide what would be the best way to move forward. While I do find your words helpful, I ultimately have to make the decisions for the citizens of Konoha, all of its citizens, including that of the Uchiha clan."
Danzo didn't like what Hiruzen was saying.
He simply turned, while murmuring "Your ways are foolish Hiruzen, they will be your downfall one day." Hiruzen didn't reply, and merely watched Danzo walk out of his room, unsure of what he was going to do next with the Uchiha.
At the end of the day, Satsuki stretched, her eyes going to Ryouta, seeing that he was staring out of the window. She thought that this might be chance for them to spend sometime together before they had to go home.
Ryouta while looking out of the window saw that Shisui was there at the gates, waiting for him.
His smile grew larger, glad that his brother wasn't on another mission, so he went towards the exit…
Only to see two girls approaching him. One with pink hair, and the other with blonde. The pink haired one looked rather shy, while the blonde haired one looked on confidently, raising her hand to the sky.
"Uchiha-kun! You were amazing today! You blew everyone away!"
"Oh erm...I just intended to do my best, that's all."
"Aaah, and you're so humble too~ Not like that one there." The girl pointed to a boy with relaxed and lazy eyes who gave her a look back. "Yeah you! You could learn Shikamaru! Instead of being so darn lazy, get your butt up and start training!"
"What a drag..."
"Did you just call me a drag?"
"It's all a drag, let me relax Ino..."
The girls eyebrow twitched while the pink haired girl pulled closer.
"How did you...get so strong?"
"I trained, that's all."
Ryouta replied, seeing the curious expression of the girls.
"Training?"
"I train really hard yes. Ooh, my name is Ryouta Uchiha, please call me Ryouta, or Ryou, I don't mind."
"My names Ino Yamanaka, from the Yamanaka Clan, please call me Ino. This is Sakura Haruno. She's kinda shy, but she's also really nice and kinda cute~"
"I-Ino..."
Sakura murmured with shyness, Ino gave a slight smile.
"Aah, Ryouta-kun doesn't mind~" Ino bent forward, and gave a cheery smile. "Ryouta-kun, what's it like being an Uchiha?"
"Eh...it's fine, I suppose...?"
Ino's smile grew, and she went to speak when she saw a few girls walking closer.
Satsuki went to join Ryouta, when a good number of girls rushed past her, and went to Ryouta, surrounding him in a circle.
His eyes broadened, seeing how close they were getting, and looked to the window...but saw that girls were surrounding the window so he couldn't see out of them either.
"He's so handsome up close!"
"His skills are amazing!"
"Totally awesome!"
"He's so cute~"
"And strong!"
Ryouta watched with slight worry as the girls came closer and closer.
Surrounding him to the point that he could barely move.
He wasn't used to things like this.
Back within Uchiha, he was mostly ostracized, only a few people from Uchiha really spoke to him, so seeing that there were a number of people that wished to speak to him, he was rather intrigued, and surprised at the same time.
"Aah, thank you everyone. I hope that we can all work towards becoming Ninja together~"
Ryouta spoke with a cheery voice, with most of the girls just giggling and acting rather cutely towards him.
Naruko looked towards Ryouta, and while she did see his strength during the tests, she wasn't sure what to make of Ryouta. When she looked at his eyes, she caught herself thinking what it was about his gaze that made her...intrigued. As if she had something in common with him, but couldn't quite place it.
Hinata herself also wasn't sure what to think. She kept thinking back to what happened a few weeks ago, how he was able to blind side those girls without touching them, and how he was able to also be rather kind while doing it. She also saw his talent and skills, she was impressed, but more than that, she was impressed that he didn't have any sort of ego, like she had seen with a number of others that had talent. It was something that in her mind separated Ryouta from a good number of people.
Naruko's eyes then turned towards the door, seeing the Sensei walking through it, and a chalk above the door. Ryouta also caught it, seeing Naruko's mischievous eyes, as the chalk fell down and bumped into the Sensei's head, causing him to scowl.
"Naruko..."
"Hahaha! Didn't see that one coming, did you Sensei?!"
Naruko laughed hard, and loud.
Some of the class were put off by it, or generally ignored it.
But Ryouta placed a hand to his mouth, and let out a small laugh, catching Naruko's attention.
She stared at him with blue ocean like eyes, filled to the brim with curiosity.
Satsuki ignored Naruko's antics, and scowled at the situation at hand going on with Ryouta, with all of the girls trying to get close to Ryouta, so she moved closer, and gave them all sharp looks.
"Oi! Back off!"
The girls ignored Satsuki, inducing anger within her, but she kept composure, as much as she could do, and merely pushed her way through the crowd. Getting towards Ryouta, she saw that there were a few girls all trying to hug him, so she put a stop to that immediately.
Getting between them, she took Ryouta's hand, and looked towards them all with a small scowl, frightening some of the girls.
"Come Ryou, lets go."
"Right..." Ryouta turned to the girls, and waved, causing a good chunk of them to blush. "Goodbye, see you tomorrow."
[Goodbye Ryouta-kun~]
They giggled out, while Ryouta gave him curious looks.
Satsuki dragged him away from the girls, and down the hallway. Ryouta looked back and saw a number of the girls had followed them out of the classroom, and simply were staring at him, either with admiration or blushes on their faces.
He didn't know what to make of them, and simply smiled.
Satsuki on the other hand didn't look particularly pleased.
Usually she wouldn't care...but, she felt a certain unsure feelings when it came to other girls noticing or trying to be close to, Ryouta. She wasn't even sure why she felt like it. If it had been boys, she probably wouldn't have been bothered, but because she was young, she didn't truly know how to understand her feelings.
"Geez, this is what Shisui-san warned me about..."
"Shi-chan warned you about girls?"
Ryouta was surprised, so Satsuki confirmed it.
"He said it might happen, that girls might also like you...h-honestly, trying to take time away from our time together. We don't get much of it anyway. Ugh...another thing I'll have to deal with. Don't worry Ryou, I'll make sure they don't bother you."
"I didn't think they were bothering me. I thought they were rather friendly, don't you?"
"No, I think they're weird."
Ryouta gave curious eyes, and simply walked off together with Satsuki.
Going outside, he went towards Shisui who was stood together with Izumi and Itachi, and smiled cheerfully.
"Shi-chan!"
"Hey Ryou! Did you have a good first day?"
Ryouta nodded strongly, and jumped into his arms.
However, as he did, Ryouta's eyes caught the sight of the girl again.
Naruko seemed to be sitting on the swings, her smallish hands clutched on the rope of said swings, and merely pushed herself back and forward. He caught what she was looking at, the others walking around and looked at the parents in particular.
When Hinata was walking past, being picked up by some Hyuga guards, she waved to Naruko who waved back cheerfully.
But then one of the guards pulled Hinata along.
"No Hinata-sama, you can't interact with that girl."
He said it quietly to Hinata who was confused.
"But..."
"No Hinata-sama, lets go back to the Hyuga Compound. It's time for you to train."
Hinata wore a troubled expression as she walked away, albeit being dragged away.
But Ryouta didn't get why she couldn't interact with Naruko.
He had heard just about what the Hyuga said, and seeing Naruko, he didn't see anything wrong with her.
She wasn't a mean spirited person.
She wasn't a bully.
So why Hinata couldn't speak to her remained a mystery to him.
"Shi-chan..."
Shisui looked towards him.
"Hmmm? What's wrong?"
"That girl...why didn't that Hyuga-san want erm...Hinata-san being around that other girl? Naruko-san."
Shisui glanced towards them, seeing what was going on. The animosity that the Hyuga was sending the departing Naruko. He knew why that was going on, and he himself was one of the people that didn't have a problem with Naruko, he just saw her as a little girl, and nothing else.
So he tried his best to convey that to Ryouta.
"Eeh, it's because...well probably because she's a Hyuga, if I recall she's the Princess of the Hyuga Clan, so she's rather important. Maybe that's why."
"I guess..."
Ryouta knew something was off.
He could also see that some adults deliberately avoided being around Naruko, and strayed away from her when she would walk on by, but that didn't make sense to Ryouta, she hadn't done anything wrong in his eyes.
Satsuki then coughed into her hand.
"Shisui-san, it happened. The girls."
Shisui gave a cheerful smile.
"Is that so?"
Itachi this time raised an eyebrow.
"Shisui, what have you been speaking to Satsuki about?"
"I've just been talking about the girls and boys, depending who it is, gaining certain attachments to certain people. You had them as well, Itachi. With different girls." His eyes shifted to an unamused Izumi. "Izumi-chan, you also know about it, don't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Shisui chortled lightly, turning to Satsuki.
"So Satsuki-chan, how did you deal with it?"
"I made sure that they knew I'd not allow them close. It was difficult, but I wont allow them to ruin my time with Ryou."
Izumi clapped her hands together, as they walked away from the academy.
"It's just so sweet~ Don't you think so Itachi-kun? If Satsuki-chan and Ryou-kun get married, then you'd be actual brothers with Shisui-kun~"
Itachi allowed his lips to slowly go up, barely noticeably while Satsuki kept her eyes forward, not wanting to show any kind of expression to anyone, not even Ryouta who lifted his eyebrows up in perplexity.
"Perhaps you're right."
"Speaking of, when are you two going to become official huh?"
Shisui joked, prodding Itachi's side.
Itachi looked baffled while Izumi blushed lightly.
"S-Shisui-kun, don't joke around like that."
"What's the joke? I think it's very serious. The relationship between you two..."
"Because Izumi-chan has a crush on Itachi-san, right Shi-chan?"
Ryouta asked, Izumi's face continued going deeper red while Itachi just glanced at her curiously.
"Yeah, that's right Ryou! Don't you want Izumi-chan to be happy with Itachi?"
"Either him, or Rock Lee-san."
Izumi lightly smiled, Itachi raised an eyebrow.
"Rock...Lee? Who's that?"
Hearing Itachi's voice, she pondered if there was any curiosity in it. She knew he wouldn't be jealous, he just wasn't the type to become jealous like that, which was something she did admire about him quite a bit.
"It's an admirer of Izumi-chan's. And my friendly rival."
"Either big brother, or this Lee can have Izumi-san, then she wont have to go over to Ryou..."
Satsuki murmured, gaining Izumi's attention.
"Hehe, you don't have to worry, Ryou-kun's like a brother to me. I wouldn't do that."
"He could be your brother if you marry Itachi, Izumi-chan~ If Ryou and Satsuki-chan get married that is."
Izumi placed a quivering hand by her mouth as Itachi understood what was going on, averting his eyes from Izumi. Though it was clear to Shisui that Itachi did have some affection for Izumi, he just found it difficult to express it.
Ryouta looked towards Satsuki with bafflement.
"Marriage? I don't think about it, do you?"
"No, I've got other things to think about than that. I don't get what they're talking about."
Shisui smiled at the pair, and thought "Aah, so young. One day, you will be thinking about it." while Izumi poked the right hand side of Shisui's face, gaining his attention.
"W-What about you Shisui-kun? Don't you have a girlfriend?" Izumi moved closer. "I heard that Hana-san had a crush on you."
"Hana...Inuzuka?"
Itachi wondered, Izumi nodding.
"Right, she said that he was the coolest. Though I'm surprised Itachi-kun, it isn't like you to get into gossip like this."
"I'm...just curious, is all."
"I see~ I've also thought about that other girl...with red eyes...Kurenai-san, yeah! Her! She's pretty good at Genjutsu from what I've heard, so she'd be pretty good with you Shisui-kun, you'd be the Genjutsu dynamic~ Or maybe the girl from the ramen shop, I have seen you go there from time to time."
"He always speaks with the girl at the ramen shop when we go Izumi-chan."
Ryouta added innocently, Izumi gaining a teasing smile.
"Aah, so there is a special someone in your life Shisui-kun. Keeping it hidden from us. Is it...hmmm, is her name Akome-san?"
"Ayame-san." Izumi's face turned upwards into a sly smile at Shisui's sudden correction. "It's nothing like that, we just get along, that's all. We talk, and eat ramen..."
"She sometimes gives him free ramen. I even heard her call Shi-chan cute once to her friends, and Shi-chan blushes sometimes when near her."
"Ryou!" Shisui chided bashfully. "D-Don't tell them anymore or allowance goes for a week!"
Izumi bends down and hugs Ryouta tightly and protectively.
"Don't worry Ryou-kun, I'll pay you for that week. Now tell big sis Izumi what's been going on between Shisui-kun and Ayame-san~"
Shisui looked slightly embarrassed as Ryouta 'dish the dirt' on Shisui's and Ayame's 'relationship' Izumi nodding slowly. Itachi looked rather amused (as much as Itachi could show anyway) while Satsuki laughed at the misfortune of Shisui.
Once he finished, Izumi giddily jumped forward.
"I don't know why you'd keep it hidden, it's really sweet Shisui-kun~"
"I don't really have time for a girlfriend...e-even if I did like her anyway, which I'm not confirming if I do or don't...I might like Hana-san...or someone else not in this village..."
"I believe you could like her. Ryou-kun, you'd be fine with it, right?"
"Yes...if she made Shi-chan happy, then I'd be happy too."
Izumi smiled sweetly.
"There you go, permission from little bro."
Shisui gave a complicated expression as they continued walking.
Eventually, they finally entered into the Uchiha Compound, most of the group were laughing, even Itachi had a slight smile on his face. Shisui and Ryouta were the most upbeat, with Izumi not far behind, and Satsuki also had a smile on her face.
Fugaku, who was walking together with a few of his closest comrades, saw that Satsuki was hanging onto Ryouta's arm, Yashiro also was with him, seeing what was going on, and mistook the pain he saw in Fugaku's eyes for something else.
"Little brat. Give me the word Fugaku-sama, and I'll make sure your daughter is away from him."
Fugaku watched silently Satsuki being genuinely happy with the others.
Though for him personally, he just couldn't.
Each time he saw Ryouta…
All he saw was his Mother, her kind smiles, the way she would bring joy to many people around her.
Now that was gone…
He found it difficult in even thinking about it.
"Leave them alone, I've got more important things to think about."
Fugaku turned his head, surprising Yashiro.
But, seeing the gaze in Fugaku's eyes for Ryouta...
Yashiro took it a different way, and while it did seem Fugaku hated Ryouta to Yashiro, it was a bit more complex than that, though Yashiro didn't even care if it was, if he could get in good with Fugaku, and do little work along with dealing with Uchiha who he didn't believe was pure enough like Izumi and Ryouta due to one of their parents marrying into the Uchiha clan, then he was alright with it...
Over a week into the Academy, Shisui received some results from Ryouta's tests in class so far, and overlooked them while Ryouta sat down before him, with his legs crossed, and his hands together. Shisui nodded slowly, then glanced up at Ryouta.
"...I didn't have a doubt you'd become last in the class~"
"O-Oh..."
Shisui chuckled.
"I'm joking~ Top of the class along with another student, I'm really impressed Ryou! Even your Sensei seems impressed! I knew you'd do it!" Shisui rushed Ryouta, and hugged him tightly, while Ryouta smiled. "I have no doubt that Satsuki-chan is the other top of the class either! I'm really pleased Ryou. You remind me of myself~"
"Thanks Shi-chan...I tried my hardest, like you said. Always try your best, and be happy with what result you get."
"That's exactly right Ryou, always be proud if you've done your best. But now that you're in the Academy, I think it's time for me to teach you one of the clans most prized Jutsu. Or rather, a Jutsu that's been in the clan for many years, a signature of ours. A Jutsu that marks you as an adult in the Uchiha clan. Fire Release, Great Fireball Jutsu."
"T-The Great Fireball Jutsu?! Y-You think I'm ready?!"
Ryouta couldn't hide his excitement.
Shisui could see his face displaying a pleased smile.
"Of course! I learned it around your age, so why can't you?"
"Shi-chan! I'll try my best!"
"Great! Then follow me!"
Ryouta did just that, shooting out of the house, with Shisui following.
As they did, Yashiro happened to notice Ryouta and Shisui going off on their own, and became curious as to what was going on. He made no attempt to hide his disdain for the boy, even to those who were around could see it seeping out of him.
They ran towards a good sized body of water with a small dock on it within the Uchiha Compound, and Shisui began explaining the concept behind the Jutsu to Ryouta so he'd be able to perform it.
Shisui then waved through some hand signs as he walked to the end of the dock, and placed his hands by his mouth, forming a cone as he said "Fire Release, Great Fireball Jutsu!" and from his mouth, a huge flame erupted forward, hovering above the lake. Ryouta could see the size, it was huge. Bigger than a house at least. Then it flew up into the sky harmlessly so it didn't hurt people.
"See this Ryou? The size, and strength of the Jutsu depends on the power you put into it. Since it's a coming of age rite of passage within our clan, it's a must to learn this Jutsu."
"Shi-chan...yes, I understand, I'll try my best."
"Hehe, if you do Master it, I'll see if Hokage-sama would allow me to take you on a little mission outside of Konoha~ Wouldn't that be a great incentive~?"
Ryouta became excited, putting his hands together.
"You mean it Shi-chan?!"
"Of course I do~ Now, why don't you try it?"
Ryouta nodded, and began doing the hand signs, slower than Shisui, to make sure he got them right.
Then he placed his hands in a cone shape by his mouth as he announced "Fire Release, Great Fireball Jutsu!" and from his cupped hands, a small stream of fire began coming out and soon formed a sphere shape, to the surprise of Shisui, seeing even a good decent flame was surprising him. The flames were a bit unruly and didn't form a perfect sphere, though Shisui expected them to be far more unruly than they were before him.
"He has good control over his chakra for his age, I can hardly see any being wasted. Though, there's some flaws in his usage, they can be wrinkled out pretty well if he keep practicing. From what I can see, it probably wont take more than a week for him to get this Jutsu down, if that. Though he is Uchiha, so he'd have a natural affinity for Fire Release….still, seeing this makes me pretty happy, in what else I could teach him. Maybe I could teach him some more Fire Release as well...aah, I've waited for the day I can finally pass on my stuff to Ryou..."
As he thought it, Ryouta released a breath as his fireball hit the water, causing a bit of steam to erupt upwards.
"Hmmmm...it seems to be a little bit tricky..."
"But, it was still amazing Ryou! Keep practicing!" As he said it, he noticed Itachi walking closer. "One second Ryou." Ryouta nodded, as Shisui went to Itachi's side. "Something wrong Itachi?"
"No. I've just received word from Hokage-sama, he'd like to speak to you. I've also got a mission, so I have to leave."
"Ah, I understand." Shisui turned to Ryouta. "Ryou! I've got to go and see Hokage-sama, will you be fine here?"
"Yes, I'll go back home in an hour."
"Right, I'll send word to Izumi-chan if I'm to go on a mission."
"Okay Shi-chan, I love you!"
"Haha, I love you too~"
Shisui gave one last glance to Ryouta, watching him go back to practicing before leaving together with Itachi.
Half an hour passed as Ryouta continued trying to use the Great Fireball Jutsu.
Gathering chakra, and trying to perform the Jutsu a little better each time that he managed to perform it, and slowly but surely the flames were becoming a bit less uncontrollable.
As he was, Fugaku happened to hear the sound of roaring flames, so he went to investigate it.
"Fire Release, Great Fireball Jutsu!"
When he got there, he saw Ryouta performing the Great Fireball Jutsu, shock coming over him.
Seeing Ryouta, a child of 6, performing a variation of the Great Fireball Jutsu.
While it wasn't Mastered by any means, just seeing it before his eyes, he was astonished.
His mind drifted back to a time when he was with Ryouta's Mother.
Thinking about Ryouta's Mother, and how she'd feel about what was currently going on.
How she'd handle this.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Fugaku remembered her, and what she had said, a small tear coming to his left eye.
"If you were here...I wouldn't even think about a coup, you'd probably be angry at me for even thinking about it...I suppose in the end, I couldn't stop the fighting like you had wanted..."
His eyes cast to Ryouta, seeing him training.
He could barely stand to look at Ryouta for a variety of reasons.
One being something he didn't want to admit to himself.
As he looked at Ryouta, he saw Yashiro approaching him for unknown reasons.
Yashiro also hadn't seem to realize that Fugaku was around either, so Fugaku could quietly approach.
"Hey brat, where's your brother?"
"He's currently away, and I have to go now..."
Ryouta didn't want any kind of confrontation, so he tried to make an excuse to leave.
Though Yashiro stopped him.
"Why in a hurry?"
"...I'd like to leave now."
Ryouta tried to leave once more, but Yashiro wouldn't allow him.
"Hey kid, let me ask you something." Ryouta looked at him without showing emotion. "Do you know why Fugaku-sama can't stand you?"
"...I have an idea..."
"It's because you killed your Mother." Ryouta felt a pang in his heart, something Yashiro smirked at. "Even as a child, you were cursed. And now, you curse your brother, having to look after you. Haven't you thought about just giving everyone a better life, and you leaving this village?"
"...Shi-chan and I love one another...Shi-chan is a good man."
Yashiro's eyes blazed.
Despite their power gap, Ryouta showed no signs of being intimated or scared.
That's what angered him more than the words, that Ryouta held no fear when looking at Yashiro.
"W-What did you say?"
"Shi-chan...is a great man, he's kind, brave, and he's strong. Fugaku-san...he might not like me, but I know Shi-chan loves me and I love him. Now...I'm going home, please step aside."
Yashiro was stunned by his words.
Ryouta was...standing up to him.
It baffled his mind, and he couldn't think straight.
His hand went towards Ryouta, showing a menacing stare.
Fugaku also noticed, and moved closer.
"Listen kid, I'm an elite around here, you are nothing. Fugaku-sama needs me around...he doesn't want you around. No Uchiha besides the deluded would want you. You're not even a true Uchiha, like that Izumi."
"Izumi-chan is an Uchiha, a great and kind one. She even has the Sharingan. Even...if you don't like me, I'll always work hard...to make Uchiha proud. Uchiha is my clan...and I'll never disgrace the Uchiha name...even if they don't want me."
Fugaku was taken aback by his declaration.
Even after all he had said, how he had dismissed Ryouta...
The love he had for Uchiha, the pride he had in being one...
It was shocking.
But also made Fugaku lightly smile, even if it was mostly hidden in his stoic expression.
Also, it told Fugaku about the surprising maturity he had despite his young age.
Yashiro was blind sided by Ryouta's words for a few moments, but then began to laugh, and bent down towards the boy.
"Fugaku-sama would be happy if you disappeared."
At this, Fugaku moved closer to within visual range of Yashiro.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you understood my happiness better than I?"
Yashiro's eyes shot open, looking towards Fugaku.
"F-Fugaku-sama...w-what are you doing here?"
"This is Uchiha land, I can go as I please."
"O-Of course you can Fugaku-sama, I was just surprised that's all. I was just telling this boy here that..."
"I am aware of what you're saying." His eyes went towards Ryouta. "Head home."
Ryouta didn't have to be told twice, bowing his head, and walked off.
Fugaku then turned towards Yashiro.
"Harassing a member of Uchiha in public?"
"B-But, I thought you didn't..."
"What I do feel for that boy is not your business. We cannot appear weak in front of other clans that happen to notice, even within our own territory. Remember, eyes of Konoha are everywhere. We cannot be allowed to give into emotions while others watch. You didn't notice me, what if there had been others watching you? Weakness, will be our downfall, is that something you desire?"
"...I understand Fugaku-sama, and no, I don't want to be a weak link in Uchiha. My humblest apologies."
Yashiro bowed his head as he apologized.
Fugaku simply stared at him for a few moments, before turning his neck.
"In future, it would do you well if you kept your prejudice in check. Even Uchiha such as Izumi, and Ryouta Uchiha are still apart of this clan."
"Yes...Fugaku-sama. But, if I may be so bold to ask...that boy...your true feelings..."
"Are my business." He finished off. "I believe it is simple to deduce what I feel about that young man from my interactions with him. But, as it is, he still is Uchiha, whether that's favourable or not to us. Now, I must be going, don't follow that child."
"I wont, I'm sorry."
Fugaku gave him one last look, and took off.
Yashiro's face contorted, and he stormed off as quickly, and quietly as he could.
He went towards the forest, to a secret area, and his frustrations nearly burst out.
However, Tobi came at just the right time, giving him a cold look.
"Calm yourself, Yashiro."
Yashiro tightened his hand, showcasing his anger through a single action.
"T-That kid...little bastard. Trying to learn a rite of passage Jutsu of Uchiha...he's not a true Uchiha, neither is that Izumi. Having them learn anything of ours makes me angry..."
Tobi could see the anger in his eyes.
He also noticed he didn't mention Shisui, knowing of Yashiro's cowardly ways, he wouldn't ever be able to take Shisui in a fight due to their power gap so Yashiro didn't try and mess with Shisui or talk about him to Tobi.
That made it only more perfect for Tobi to continue on, feeding him exactly what he wanted to hear.
"Soon, it wont matter. Remember, Fugaku might not say it aloud, but it is clear how he feels about Ryouta Uchiha. Once he's gone, then you'll be free to continue moving forward. You'd even have Shisui crushed, so no opposition there."
Yashiro nodded slowly, coldly, and with a hint of sadistic tendencies mixed into one.
"Yes...you're right. I wont allow some kid to get one up on me. When are we going to do it?"
"When the right pieces are put into place. It wont be long now, before he's gone."
"Hah...good. I can't wait...then Fugaku-sama will be able to continue on without being reminded about her..."
Yashiro showed a disturbing expression on his face, while Tobi just stared at him, not caring about whatever he was feeling.
As long as he got what he wanted, Yashiro's fate didn't matter.
He just needed a good follower of orders, and someone as selfish and easily manipulated as Yashiro was perfect for Tobi's plans.
Yashiro, was the perfect Pawn for Tobi's plans.
End chapter!
So, a few things happened this chapter! But, before that, thanks to everyone that voted! It was a pretty much landslide that Naruko was going to appear, sorry for those who wanted Naruto. Naruko's gonna be fun to explore and how her dynamic plays with Ryouta's as the story goes on, as is Hinata's relationship with Ryouta considering what clans their from among other things.
Anyway, onto this chapter, Ryouta met both Hinata and Naruko, the girls becoming friends, even with some interventions from some Hyuga. Ryouta and Satsuki also went to the Academy for the first time, with the pair showing their skills. Sakura and Ino also became interested in Ryouta for his skills, and a few other things, but they'll be getting more development quite soon.
Fugaku also showed a bit more emotion, hinting a bit more in his relationship with Ryouta's Mom, and stopped Yashiro from trying to do anything with Ryouta, who showed a bit more why he doesn't like Uchiha like Izumi, and Ryouta, believing them to not be 'true' Uchiha.
Shisui's also teaching Ryouta the Great Fireball Jutsu, the rite of passage Jutsu for the clan.
Now finally, I've been getting a few questions/suggestions about what team Ryouta's going to be on, or who's going to be on his team, and that, is for you all to decide! I waited until this chapter, to see the results from the previous vote with Naruko for the reason of Hinata.
I thought about having Ryouta on a team with Sakura, or Hinata, with perhaps female Haku joining after the land of waves, or Sai being the third member.
I did think about Hanabi, and like the original, have thought being on a team with her, or trying something different, Ryouta being a Sensei to her in later parts of the story, mainly when Shippuden hits, showing signs of it before then in Part One of the story.
Also, I did think about Ryouta being on a team with Satsuki, and Naruko, but I wouldn't know where Sakura would go, I do know who I'd replace if Sakura, or Hinata wasn't on team seven and eight.
But I'd like your suggestions, and I'll put the suggestions I think would work best into a vote next time. It can even be people I've not mentioned, like Fu the seven tails host, or Karin, or a number of possibilities.
So yeah, please suggest away, I'm also still taking harem suggestions, and until next time, thanks for reading!
Ryouta; Satsuki, Sakura, Naruko, Hinata, Ino,