Hello, and welcome to the next chapter!
HUNTER with bad grammar; Thanks! The emotion was more about the bond between Izumi and Ryouta, his Father's got a role later on in the story. Thanks for the votes!
Eavise; Thanks for the suggestions and votes!
tumraz07; Thanks for the votes!
Miraculous Psychic Hero 100; Thanks very much! Yeah, he's quite the tactical type of fighter. Izumi and Itachi are yeah~ Thanks for the votes, and suggestions!
coldblue2015; Konan's got a role in the story to play, when we get there it will begin making sense why she's gonna be in the harem. Yup, Tobi wasn't going to allow Yashiro to live no matter the outcome, he wouldn't give up any information about himself, Yashiro was a liability, he was taken care of~ He did hate Shisui, and as Ryouta said, he only targeted someone he thought he'd beat without any trouble, which was disproved by Ryouta and Izumi winning. Yeah, he's quite the technical and tactical fighter, using tricks and skills to overcome his opponents, and as he grows, we'll see him develop even more skills. Thanks for the votes! They could be used like that huh. You too!
Zero-Alpha00; Thanks for the votes!
Abhorrent Hunter; Thank you for voting!
The Headless chicken; Thank you for the votes!
Crenin; Thanks for the votes!
asterotus; Thank you for voting!
InnocentxPsycho; Yeah, they're all pretty cool huh. He'd be able to use it more than once a decade. Thanks for the votes! He'd get Susanoo for just awakening his Mangekyou abilities. He could get that power. Her being apart of the Kaguya clan, it would diverse his skillset. It would be cool to see what those paired together would make.
Mrjl; Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! I did think of a few unique ones, not sure if they'd be too powerful.
5-digit; I did have a few ideas, but I wasn't sure if they'd be too powerful. That would be pretty cool ability. Thanks for the suggestion!
ShadowUzumaki55; Thanks! Yeah, Izumi and Ryouta teamed up, and managed to win! Yeah, his love for Izumi allowed him to access the Sharingan since he wanted to keep her safe. Yup, he was right about that~ Izumi and Itachi are becoming quite close now, even having a somewhat relationship between them. Tobi's wishes shall become apparent as the story goes on. Thanks for the votes, and suggestions!
Unzueta; Thanks for the votes!
synode; Thanks for the votes! I'm glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for the suggestions!
War Sage; Thanks for the votes! It seems to be the case huh. They do all have the power to use Susanoo as long as the user has both of their Mangekyou. Yeah, seems like a universal thing~ He would have to get them either from his Father, or from his brother. In the novels its kind of implied Fugaku does have it, in the anime he's shown to have it, it's not implied in the manga, so take your pick I suppose~ Obito's got some stuff up his sleeve. He doesn't know how to water walk or tree walk, but he will learn them in time. You never know, they could be~ That will be Karin's thing, but Naruko might learn some more stuff than canon Naruto did. Thanks for the suggestions!
Lcyper; Thanks very much! His fights are going to be quite fun to play around with~ He would yeah, once he awakens Mangekyou, he'd be able to access Susanoo.
Silver crow; Thanks very much! Yup, he did awaken his Sharingan, and like Obito in a sense. Yup, Yashiro's dead. Thanks for the votes! Sugaru's got some importance coming up, that's all I can reveal about him right now. Heh, it really wont be for Satsuki. Ryouta did yeah, he wasn't going to back down from Yashiro. Yeah, Ryouta wasn't really afraid, he didn't have time to be afraid. Tobi was rather happy about that huh~? Yeah, Fugaku wasn't happy about that. Well, you'll have to wait and see what happens with that. Izumi and Ryouta will always have a special connection. Tobi is smart, he wouldn't allow anything to tie back to him. They did. Yeah, got the Sensei for their team. Well, they have some stories to be told, that's all I can say about those two. I can't spoil what's gonna happen with the Uchiha's and the massacre. Yeah, still need to think of a challenge though. They could do yeah. He will be a grounding force for her. He could have a water affinity, I might have him learn Rasengan and put his own spin on it to make them different to Naruko's, since Rasengan's a Jutsu that can change depending on who's using it. Yup, it would explain why he never went blind despite spamming it for many years. Karin will have some skills so she can at least defend herself. She could learn a bit of Senjutsu. Madara could do yeah. He could have those summons yeah. Maybe he could do yeah. He'll have his own role in the future. Eh, not sure with the Ninja science yet. I'm sure they would do. Izumi's got stuff to do. Ryouta will try and keep the peace but know limits to it. Ino, I thought more about poisons and such. Thanks for the suggestions! I can't reveal about Mikoto.
Tremex; Thanks for the votes! Ryouta wont need Amaterasu, I've got some fun Jutsu's Ryouta's gonna use in the future. That would be pretty cool yeah. I was thinking a silvery white colour for his Susanoo. Those colours would be cool as well~
DentingZero4; Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it so far! And thanks, I'll try my best!
Raidentensho; Thanks very much! That would be pretty cool to see actually, thanks for the suggestion!
MDM11; Thanks for the votes! He probably couldn't prevent it due to his current age, but he might be able to help save people. Some of them could be promoted, it did surprise me that Shino at least wasn't in the original manga. I could see him learning them, if he used his Sharingan it wouldn't be hard for him to use them. Some of them were victims of circumstances huh. Those would be cool ones~
Landon1299; Thanks! Thanks for the votes!
darkjason78; Thank you for the votes!
maxbrevan; Thank you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far~ Thanks for the suggestions!
king carlos; Fu could join Konoha at some point. She could join as another member, Karin and Haku are his current teammates. Thanks for the suggestion!
Skull Flame; Yup, it surely is! Yashiro got what he deserved~
Andrew123456; Thanks for the votes! That's a cool idea! Thanks for the suggestions!
Guest 1; Thanks! Thanks for the votes! I will do yeah.
Guest 2; I can see that. Thanks very much for the votes and for the suggestions!
Cloud4012; Thanks for the votes!
Lightwave; He did yeah, his desires to save Izumi allowed his Sharingan to awaken. In the end, they did manage to take down Yashiro, and Ryouta's delivery of some truths caused Yashiro to be enraged. Yup, they're gonna be getting together. Thanks for the votes, and thanks for the suggestions!
L; Thanks for the votes!
Guest 3; Yeah, Karin and Tsunade will have some kind of rapport with one another.
AlphaOmega; Yeah, they really are a cool combination. He did yeah, his eyes awakened with his desires to save Izumi. Itachi does deserve some happiness~ They will be coming to the village quite soon~ Thanks for the votes! Thanks for the suggestions!
Guest 4; Yeah, he could replace one of them. Cool harem suggestions! Thanks for the votes, and suggestions!
Guest 5; I will be doing my best for that. Thanks for the votes! Thanks for the suggestions!
Guest 6; Thanks for the suggestions, and votes!
helios darkus; Thanks! Obito was more interested in Ryouta's development, but acknowledged Izumi's power also. He could have some kind of Kekkei Genkai from his Mother, I can't reveal much about that right now. Thanks for the votes! Izanagi yeah since there's much that can be done with that, Izanami not much really can be done with that.
Guest 7; He could gain something like that in the future~
Well, with those lovely reviews out of the way, it's time to start the chapter!
Shisui's worries!
"Don't let her escape!"
The voices echoed from behind her, but she didn't care.
She couldn't take it anymore, and kept running as long and as fast as she could.
She was only a child, around seven years old, having bright red hair which was spiky on the right side, and straight on the left side, her crimson eyes mostly hidden behind her glasses. Her clothes were scruffy and she had some cuts on her.
But more than that, she also had some bite marks across her skin, on her arms, and her legs.
She was being chased, and she was rather scared.
She didn't want to go back, and she couldn't stand being used anymore...
But that's when she tripped on the ground, hitting the ground so hard that she felt her glasses fly off her face.
She groaned, and went to stand...
When she felt the people chasing her getting closer and closer.
She placed her hands on top of her head, wishing that it would stop.
When they found her, she knew instantly that she was going to be either killed, or taken back to the lifestyle she didn't want to have anymore...
That's when a new figure appeared, slamming an open palm deeply into the torso of one of her pursuers.
She felt two chakra signatures.
"Stay here, make sure the girls okay."
"Right."
The girl reached for her glasses, feeling the chakra signatures dwindling by the moment.
When fully on her face, she locked eyes onto the person who saved her.
She saw blonde hair, that reached down her back into a ponytail, along with what seemed to be a large chest.
She saw another woman that had black hair bending down towards her.
"Are you okay? What's your name?"
"Eh...my name...it's Karin...please...please will you help me? I-I don't want to go back there, please! I-I can't..."
The woman with black hair stared at Karin, peering into her eyes, overlooked the injuries on her body, then placed a hand over her wounds, and began using Medical Ninjutsu to heal her wounds.
"Shizune, we can't stay here too long."
"I know Tsunade-sama, but she's frightened...we should help her, right?"
Tsunade looked at Karin who looked right back at her.
"Perhaps."
"P-Perhaps?"
Karin echoed, Tsunade nodded.
"Perhaps, depends what's in it for me?"
Tsunade made a small joke, but Karin took it seriously, and pushed her glasses up her face.
"How rude!"
"Rude? I'm rather nice thanks."
"Are you? I can't tell."
Tsunade gave a challenging stare to Karin who gave one back.
Shizune looked troubled, placing a hand to her mouth, and bit her lower lip.
Tsunade then smirked.
"Heh, I like your guts girl. Karin did you say?"
"That's right Lady."
"Feisty, I like that. Alright, I'll hear you out, then we might take you to Konoha or get someone else to do it, I'm sure that old man would look out for you."
Shizune gave a thankful nod, and placed a kind hand on Karin's forehead.
"Don't worry, you're safe now."
Karin didn't really know who these two were.
But she was very grateful either way to finally be safe...
Weeks after that event, and a number of months had passed since Ryouta and Izumi had fought off Yashiro, and he had been killed, Shisui and Ryouta who was now seven years old, walked through the village together.
During the four month period, things between Konoha and the Uchiha had been heating up even more, Shisui and Itachi were quite convinced that something sooner or later was going to happen.
Izumi herself had grown more into using her Medical Ninjutsu, and had begun mastering the usage of the Mystical Palm Jutsu, allowing her to use some healing.
Ryouta himself had also began mastering the Sharingan, and more importantly…Genjutsu.
But at the same time, Ryouta thought of Shisui.
Ever since it happened, he had hardly been on any missions.
He hadn't left the village, and he refused to go.
He was happy to have his brother around of course, but he also knew that he was needed since Shisui was a strong Ninja.
As they walked through Konoha, Shisui gave a large grin.
"Shi-chan, I heard you rejected another mission out of the village...you didn't have to reject it, you know? If it's me you're worried about..."
Shisui chortled lightly.
"Don't worry, I wont be going anywhere. I'll always be beside you. Nothing like what happened, will happen again to you."
Ryouta thought he'd say something like that.
Shisui was concerned for him, it was clear on his face.
Shisui felt as if he had failed to make sure Ryouta was safe.
But Ryouta also knew that it wasn't Shisui's fault, he couldn't have known about what was happening.
Turning a street, Ryouta's face suddenly bounced off something really large and soft.
It almost knocked him back, but felt oddly comfortable.
Shisui's face fell when seeing what Ryouta bumped into.
It was Tsunade herself.
Though Shisui wasn't sure who she was, the fact that Ryouta had just walked into her chest made him believe she might get angry about it.
Her eyes looked down towards the boy, and twitched her eyebrow.
"Comfortable, boy?"
Ryouta looked up, and saw Tsunade raising an eyebrow at him.
"Oh...oops, sorry. I didn't mean to do that."
Tsunade stared at Ryouta for a few moments, before exhaling.
"Whatever, you're just a kid anyway."
Tsunade laughed, as Ryouta noticed a necklace dangling from her neck.
"I like your necklace, it looks really pretty."
Tsunade looked down at the necklace, then clutched it in her hand.
"It is, huh. Though you wouldn't want it."
"Why?"
"Because it's cursed, anyone that wears it apart from me, dies."
Ryouta and Shisui shared a look between them.
Tsunade then showed a little smirk.
"Right, then I'll be leaving. I want to get out of this god forsaken place as quickly as I can."
Tsunade tried to depart, but Ryouta called out to her.
"Why is it a god forsaken place?"
Tsunade paused, looking back at the young boy.
"This place, only gives me bad memories. Even now, I don't want to look at this place. I only came because of that Shizune..."
"Oh...I'm sorry about that."
Tsunade was taken back for a few moments.
It was rare for her to meet someone that would say those words to her.
Then she shrugged.
"It doesn't matter kid, I wont be coming back anyway."
"Then...goodbye, good luck."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"Peculiar kid, you are. Hey, if you see someone called Karin, look out for her for me."
"Karin-san...? Erm, sure, okay!"
"Then see ya."
Tsunade turned, and walked away, with Ryouta and Shisui sharing a look between them.
"Who was she Shi-chan?"
"I'm not sure, but I felt as if she was...intriguing to say the least."
Ryouta cocked his head, watching the beautiful woman walk away.
As Shisui and Ryouta interacted with Tsunade, also walking through the streets of Konoha, Karin was accompanied by Shizune, it seemed that thanks to Tsunade, that Karin would be allowed to stay in Konoha, and even attend class at the Academy, which Karin was thankful for.
"So, you guys are going, are you?"
Karin asked, Shizune nodded.
"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama is...well, she's got many bad memories here. I have to make sure...well, she doesn't do many bad things, and take care of her."
"I understand...well, at least I got away from that place..."
"Yes, you'll be safe here. Tsunade-sama has taken care of everything, those from the Grass wont bother you either, we've worked through that now."
"They were...monsters, Shizune-san."
Shizune developed a sympathetic look.
"Yes...they were. But you're okay now, I'm sure you'll make many friends, and grow to be strong, if that's what you wish. Your expenses will be taken care of as well."
"Thank you...for everything you've done. If I didn't meet you guys...I'd be dead now."
"Well, I'm glad you're safe. Now, I'll take you to your new place, Hokage-sama said it was filled with some nice people, so if you need anything, then feel free to ask. I'll also write often to check up on you, and come by when...when we can."
"Tsunade-sama...she wont come back here, will she?"
"Probably not, it took a lot of convincing for her to come back this time..."
Karin understood, and simply accepted what was happening, thankful to Shizune.
Though they didn't get to spend much time together, she was thankful that she was brought to a safe place.
Days later, and Ryouta was no closer to finding a solution to help Shisui get back in his game. Schools time soon came upon them, and Ryouta was being walked into his school with Shisui by his side.
Walking into the classroom, Shisui gently petted Ryouta's head upon entering the class, and then handed him a lunch.
"Then, I'll be here to pick you up after school Ryou. Have fun~"
"See you later then Shi-chan~"
"See you later~"
Shisui waved Ryouta off, and walked away.
Ryouta went towards his seat, and sat down next to Satsuki, who looked towards his eyes. He looked back at her, and smiled.
"Satsuki-chan, why are you looking at my eyes?"
"Hmmmm...no reason, just thinking about your Sharingan. That's all. I think red suits you rather well."
Ryouta nodded.
"Thanks~ I'm sure you will get it Satsuki-chan eventually. I wouldn't want you to get it under those circumstances, fighting off crazy people and all."
Satsuki shrugged, figuring she would sooner or later.
"So, tell me. How's Shisui-san?"
"He's...honestly, I'm not sure. I know he blames himself, for what happened with Yashiro and all..."
"Yashiro's dead now, he should be forgotten about."
Ryouta knew that was true.
But he also knew Shisui must've been going through a lot of emotions when Ryouta was unconscious and injured.
"Yeah...Yashiro doesn't matter anymore."
As they were talking about a few things, Ryouta saw Naruko and some others come in, so he smiled and waved towards her. Naruko gave a cheery smile, and waved back, something Satsuki noticed, furrowing her eyebrows.
"It seems that you're getting quite close."
"Yup, we're becoming quite good friends. You should also Satsuki-chan, I'm sure you'd enjoy being friends with Naruko-san."
Satsuki gave a half smile.
"Maybe when she gets interesting. So far, not really."
Ryouta cocked his head curiously, but then smiled lightly as Naruko came close herself.
Her eyes met with Satsuki's, sparks going off between them.
"Satsuki..."
"You..."
"I have a name!"
"If you say so."
Naruko's eyebrow twitched.
"A-Anyway Ryou! Want to go out together later?!"
"He's busy."
Satsuki cut off Ryouta's chance to speak.
"E-Eh? Who says?!"
"I say, that's who."
"Grrr...b-but, you're always trying to keep him to yourself!"
"That's because we rarely get to spend time together, and I've known him all my life."
"Even then, we're friends too!"
"Hmph, if that's what you say."
"We are! We go out together all the time!"
Satsuki raised an eyebrow.
"I thought that the future Hokage wouldn't have time to go out with anyone?"
"The Hokage can do! Besides, I'm also learning stuff from Ryou too!"
Satsuki gave a smirk, but it was more playful than anything, while Naruko ground her teeth together.
Ryouta could see that as time went on, some kind of rivalry was forming between them.
He wasn't entirely sure what and how it was going to go.
But he was quite pleased to see it keep going, and as long as it was a friendly rivalry, then they'd both be able to learn from it quite well.
Soon, the Sensei came into the class, but he wasn't alone.
He was with a young girl, the red headed girl that Ryouta remembered seeing on the streets a few days ago. Despite how warm it was, she had long sleeves on, and long pants as well.
Her eyes cast out onto the sea of students, as Iruka introduced her.
"Everyone, this girl will be joining us in our studies. Her name is Karin, please make her feel welcomed."
[Hello Karin-san! Welcome to the class!]
Most of the class cheered.
But she seemed disinterested with them all, and merely bowed her head.
Iruka looked curiously at the young girl, before motioning to a desk.
"Please sit down, we can do introductions to the others later."
Karin merely nodded, and sat down...
But she paused and looked straight at Ryouta as if she felt something.
He blinked, giving her a curious look back.
Her eyes squinted, focusing in on the boy, before turning her neck and sat down.
"Strange...what was that about?"
At Satsuki's question, Ryouta didn't have an answer, he merely looked on curiously to see what was going on with her.
At lunch time, Ryouta spoke with a few people casually, mainly Sakura, and Ino while Satsuki kept her eyes on Hinata. Naruko herself was happily eating with the group, even managing to hold conversations with Ryouta, Sakura and Ino.
Ryouta though looked towards Karin.
Karin every so often, would turn and just stare at Ryouta.
She wouldn't say anything, she didn't do anything negative, but she just stared at him, as if she was trying to work something out.
Seeing that she was sat by herself, Ryouta turned to Ino.
"Hey Ino-san, we should invite the new girl. Since she doesn't know anyone. I'd do it myself...but she keeps looking at me weirdly..."
"Yeah sure, I'll go and see if she wants too."
Ino stood up, and happily went over towards Karin.
Karin looked up, and just stared at Ino.
"Hey there, Karin-san. We're eating lunch over there, and we were wondering..."
"No...I'm fine, thanks."
Ino looked troubled, and quietly excused herself.
Making it back, Ino hung her head.
"She said she was fine...guess she didn't want to be near us."
"Maybe she's shy..."
Sakura added, Ryouta shrugged.
"She could be shy..."
Ryouta didn't think it was shyness...
He felt as if it was something else about the young girl that was stopping her from meeting with them.
As that happened, Satsuki looked at Hinata.
"Hey, Hyuga girl."
Hinata's eyes went towards Satsuki.
"Y-Yes?"
"You can use the Byakugan, right?"
"I...I can yes..."
"How come you don't?"
"Erm...well, I...sometimes I find it hard to keep it active for long periods of time..."
"Still, if you trained, you'd be able to activate it longer. You should train with us sometime."
Ryouta was stunned that Satsuki offered Hinata to train.
She never did that with anyone but him and of course her elder brother, or Shisui. Even Izumi on occasion.
"R-Really…?"
Hinata stuttered out, Satsuki furrowed her brows.
"You intrigue me. Not sure why yet, but maybe I'll find out if we train together."
Hinata poked her fingers together shyly, while Ryouta smiled, encouraging her.
"Yeah Hinata-san, you should come with us and train. If Satsuki-chan is offering you, then she must see something unique about you."
"A-Ah...w-well, if y-you're saying it also...t-then I wouldn't mind..."
"Hey Satsuki-san, can we come too?"
Ino asked.
But Satsuki gave her a flat out "No." drawing ire from Ino, Sakura, and most of all Naruko.
"Hey you jerk! Why only invite Hinata!? Though I'm also happy for Hinata, but you should invite us too!"
"I don't have to invite you for anything."
"Grrrrrrrrr!"
Ryouta gave an awkward laugh.
"Well, I'll invite you then~"
Ino, and Sakura smiled cutely.
"Thanks Ryou-kun~"
"Yes, thank you Ryou-kun."
Satsuki rolled her eyes, she didn't really care if they did come or not if Ryouta was fine with it.
"Hahaha! Then I'll show Satsuki everything I've trained for! And my awesome new skills!"
"Hmph, you can try."
Satsuki and Naruko's eyes locked while Ryouta heard a "RIVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!" coming from down the corridor, a few seconds later the door shot open and revealed Lee who came in with a flying kick towards Ryouta, Karin looked beyond surprised when she saw Lee coming in, and thought it might be some kind of attack, so she hit the deck, shocking Ryouta that she had such a reaction.
But he raised his arm and blocked the kick, drawing a grin from Lee, glancing at Karin who breathed slowly.
"Sorry Karin-san, Lee-sans a little wild sometimes, he means no harm."
Karin tilts her glasses, before turning back to her food.
Lee bows.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you!"
"I wasn't scared."
Karin replied coldly, without looking.
Ryouta glanced at Lee who shrugged.
"Anyway! As expected of my rival! Ready at any time!"
Ryouta gave a cheery smile.
"Of course, I take it very seriously."
"Exactly, that's how I also feel! Also, I have a request! Can you show me your Sharingan?!"
"Eeh, I guess. But why?"
"Just so I can see what I'll be up against in the future!"
Ryouta shrugged, sending chakra to his eyes, and allowed the Sharingan to appear.
The girls leaned forward as did Lee, staring into his eyes.
Even Hinata did so, looking at the deep redness of the Sharingan eye.
"So cool~"
Ino sang out, Sakura tilted her head in wonder.
"Those Tomoe things, they look nice..."
"So, you can see our chakra, right?"
Lee asked, Ryouta nodded.
"Yes. I see it as different colours, and such to make each different. Each of you have different coloured chakra."
"We have different coloured chakra huh?"
Ino mused.
"That's right, you all do."
Ryouta said as he looked around at the others.
Ryouta's eyes went towards Naruko, and saw her chakra…
But something else as well.
For a few moments, he saw something...different.
Coming from her stomach area.
Another chakra signature.
At the same time, Karin also felt the disturbance, and her eyes shot for Naruko, widening her eyes and she felt cold inside, almost frightened of the girl.
But it was only there for a second or so before it disappeared, Ryouta blinked in confusion.
"What was that? Was I seeing things? When looking at Naruko-san then...she had two...very briefly, I saw two different colours of chakra...what was that…? Maybe I was just seeing things..."
As Ryouta thought it, Karin also thought about what she saw.
"That chakra...that girl, it felt really cold then...but, she's giving off a warm and bright feel to her...but the other...it felt cold and foul...but it's gone now, as if it didn't exist...maybe I'm just feeling things...weird..."
Karin shook her head, and turned her attention back to the food before her.
Naruko noticed him staring, cocking her head.
"What?"
"Oh...erm, nothing."
He replied, not really sure what to say.
Lee put his hands together, looking more determined than ever.
"This just makes me more excited! The Sharingan eyes, that's my rival...I'm so proud~"
Lee was moved to manly tears at seeing his rivals Sharingan eyes, while Satsuki looked deeper into Ryouta's eyes.
Seeing how his eyes were looking towards her, and she thought about when she'd be able to manifest the Sharingan and what she'd be capable of doing with it.
Ryouta on the other hand thought about what he saw, wondering if he did just see things, or there was more than meets the eye with Naruko.
Sometime later, Izumi had gone to her daily lessons on Medical Ninjutsu, and finished. But when she did finish, as she walked out of the hospital doors, she was surprised when she saw that Itachi was stood outside, seemingly waiting for her.
Her face curls upwards, rushing towards him, and stands before him with a cheery grin.
"My, what a rare surprise. What're you doing here?"
"I had some free time, and...well, Shisui and some others encouraged me...explained to me also, that sometimes, when people are...in situations like we are, spend quality time together. Usually, I'm busy, so I don't get much time...but while I'm not busy, I'd like to spend time with you."
Izumi felt touched by his words, placing a hand over her right hand side of her chest.
"You're so sweet Itachi-kun. It would be wonderful if we could spend time together~"
"Then, shall we?"
Izumi nodded, getting beside him, and began walking off together, going towards the village.
As they walked, Izumi heard a few people say "Aren't they such a cute couple~?" and things like that, when directing their attention towards the pair of them.
She could see that Itachi let it roll off of him, while she herself looked mildly shy about it.
"By the way Itachi-kun, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, anything."
"Then, it's about Shisui-kun...I'm kinda worried about him."
"Yes...I can see why. He's...in quite a bit of turmoil right now. After what happened with Ryou, it seems that he's having a hard time in believing it wasn't his fault."
"Yeah, Yashiro's the only one at fault, I just can't believe someone had that much hatred for us who hadn't done anything to him..." As she spoke, she saw Itachi's face scrunching together. "...something on your mind?"
She asked, Itachi shook his head.
"Not really, I was just thinking about what you said, that's all."
"About Yashiro?"
"About Shisui."
"Ooh...yeah, Shisui-kun, I feel really bad. I wish I could've done more to protect Ryou-kun..."
Itachi placed a hand on top of her own, causing her to lightly smile.
"I was happy to see that you were capable of doing those things against Yashiro."
"So, anything else on your mind Itachi-kun? Even more since the incident with Ryou-kun and I, it seems that things have been...I don't know, bubbling I guess between Uchiha and Konoha...it seems as if things have been happening and I'm not sure what to think about them..."
Itachi gave her a relieved look, not wanting to worry her.
"I'm sure it's nothing, the Uchiha and the village have been like that for a while now."
"I guess you're right..."
Izumi didn't know it, but she felt as if something was clearly off.
Itachi was acting a bit more distant than usual.
Especially when she mentioned the Uchiha.
Since she wasn't privy to the information about the possible coup, she didn't know exactly what was happening.
But she felt like it was something clearly worrying if Itachi was being as dismissive about it as he was.
After splitting up from the others for the evening, Ryouta began walking back home...
When he felt as if he was being followed.
He looked back...but saw nothing.
Curiosity came over him, and he moved faster.
But he felt as if he was being followed even more.
He looked back and activated his Sharingan, and behind a wall, he saw that there was a body of chakra there.
"I know you're there, why are you following me?"
Ever since the incident with Yashiro, Ryouta became more cautious, he didn't want to be taken by surprise like that again.
But to his surprise, Karin came walking out of the shadows, and looked towards him.
"Oh...Karin-san, are you okay? Do you...need anything?"
"No...I don't need anything. Sorry...I shouldn't have bothered you..."
"It's not a bother." Ryouta pulled closer. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know a blonde haired woman...I don't know her name...but, she asked me to look out for you, at least someone named Karin, I guess she meant you since we're in the same class."
"Tsunade-sama asked you that?"
"Tsunade..." Ryouta thought, remembering the name...then it came to him. "W-Wait, that was Tsunade-sama, the renowned Medical Ninja from Konoha?!"
"That's right, she saved...eeh, she helped me...yeah, that's right...hehehe..."
Ryouta knew she was hiding something, but it wasn't his place to ask if she didn't want to say anything.
Even then, Ryouta was shocked that he actually spoke to Tsunade, one of the three Sannin.
"Well, I'm sure Izumi-chan would be sad to know she missed out on seeing her...but, still, how are you settling in?"
"Not...so bad, it's just... your chakra, it's...dazzling...like the sun, and yet also like the moon..."
"Like the sun and moon...?"
"Yeah...when I look at your chakra...it feels so warm like the sun...and gentle like moonlight...two sides, blending beautifully together...I've never seen someone's chakra feel so...lovely before..."
"Well, I don't know about my chakra...but, it's really nice to meet you. My names Ryouta Uchiha, nice to meet you Karin-san!"
Karin nodded slowly, and reached her hand forward.
But as she did, a small breeze pushed her shirt a bit, and Ryouta saw some of her arm...and saw some bite marks.
Karin's face fell, her eyes widening and she began pulling backwards, her demeanour changing immediately to one of friendship, to one of fear.
"Karin-san...are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I have to go!"
Karin took off running away, while Ryouta called out to her, but to no avail.
Karin looked at her arms, and whispered "He saw them...he really saw those disgusting marks..." thinking about what he'd think about them, and what everyone would think about them if they found out.
Ryouta on the other hand blinked, not sure what was going on.
He saw the bite marks, and he was really curious as to why she had them, but since she seemed scared, all he could do was make sure that she was as comfortable as possible, not wanting to worry her.
As that happened, Danzo was in a meeting with Hiruzen, speaking about various things that were happening around the village, and brought up the topic of the Uchiha came up, something that Danzo was very interested in.
"That incident months ago...it proved that Uchiha are unruly. Hiruzen, we cannot continue to let them plan. If they're capable of doing that to their own clansmen, God knows what they'll do to our civilians. They wont be able to hold back like they didn't hold back on those kids that night."
Hiruzen closed his eyes.
He did think it was becoming more strained, and with the information that he received from Itachi and Shisui, it was clear that the coup that they had heard about, might go on and it was going to be disastrous for all of us.
"What do you propose Danzo? Killing all of them?"
"If you do not wish to continue being the same soft Hiruzen, then I'd suggest finally taking them down. To protect the future of our village, and our lives, we need to take action, we need to make striking decisions. We cannot afford weakness."
Hiruzen knew that keeping Danzo back forever was going to be difficult.
He just didn't know how to approach this situation.
If they wiped out Uchiha, then the village might turn on the Ninja and lose trust.
If they left Uchiha alone, then they could cause strife, and end up killing everyone.
"We need to delay the Uchiha's actions. I'll be speaking to Shisui-san and Itachi-san about this situation and see what they can propose."
"Why are you showing weakness now? Is this the Hokage the village deserves-"
"Danzo!" Hiruzen erupted, shocking the man. "I am Hokage, I am preventing the worst case scenario, on all sides. The Uchiha are our allies. I know that ever since the Nine Tails showed its face, that it hasn't been the same. But they are also people that have done a lot for the village. We might not always get along, but there has to be peaceful situations out of this."
Danzo needed a few moments to take in what was being said.
Hearing Hiruzen's thoughts, it was clear to him that he'd have to take matters into his own hands.
"Your peace, is going to be the end of this village Hiruzen."
Danzo stood up, and began walking away.
Hiruzen had to question why Danzo was so okay with killing all of the Uchiha.
Comrades in arms.
He also recalled Kagami Uchiha, Shisui and Ryouta's ancestor, and how he had saved Danzo's life, now Danzo was going so far as to coldly kill the clan that produced someone that had saved Danzo a good number of times.
He knew he'd have to act soon, and he knew he'd have to gain the advice of Shisui and Itachi, no matter what was going to happen.
Days had gone by, and still, Shisui hadn't gone on a mission outside of the village. While Ryouta was happy to spend time with his brother, he also knew that Shisui's amazing talents could be used for the village, so he wondered if he'd be able to do anything to help him with that.
Ryouta went to go and do some personal training with the Sharingan, with Shisui also giving him assistance. Shisui's eyes met with Ryouta's own, and the pair then activated their Sharingan.
"As a Sharingan wielder Ryou, you'll be able to use it to do a variety of things. But using it also drains your chakra, don't forget that. As seen with Izumi-chan, it can be something that drains pretty quickly. So, I want to see how long you can keep it active now, since it has been a few months since you've awakened it."
"R-Right!"
Ryouta was eager.
Getting training from his brother was a very huge deal for him.
To see his elder brother in action, he couldn't deny that it was fantastic.
"Also, while I've not confirmed it yet, seeing and hearing of your chakra control, I'd say that you could perhaps have a good talent for Genjutsu. Usually, Ninja's tend to not use Genjutsu, preferring the physical destructive powers of both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. But, it would be pretty good if you could use Genjutsu. Even subtle Genjutsu can be pretty useful when used in the right hands."
"It can be used to turn the tides of a battle, right Shi-chan?"
"Right! Any advantage you can gain, would lead to better benefits in the long run. And then with the Sharingan, Genjutsu can be used to a good degree with the generic Sharingan Genjutsu. But even calling it generic, doesn't mean it is weak. In fact, it's one of the reasons why the Uchiha are considered feared in battle."
"I know you, and Itachi-san are amazing with Genjutsu. I'd love to be able to become as good as you Shi-chan. Will you teach me how to use it?"
Shisui nodded slowly, and his face grew into a smile.
He always wanted to teach Ryouta things, now he could teach him how to use the Sharingan better.
"Of course I will. Using the Sharingan, you can even paralyze people, make them give up information. But these can't be done so easily. Especially controlling others actions or coercing them to give up information. In the future though, I'm sure you'll be able to use the Sharingan in unique and interesting ways. Now, shall we have a little fight?"
"Eeh, sure Shi-chan!"
Shisui smiled, and pulled out a kunai, as Ryouta did the same thing.
"Then come!"
"Right!"
Ryouta nodded, and shot forward. Using his incredible speed, Ryouta crossed the distance within moments, and brought a blade towards Shisui's right hand side, but Shisui blocked the kunai with his own, and pushed him back.
"Do you see it Ryou? The subtle movements that I made? When you gain a fully matured Sharingan, these will be able to let you predict fully when an enemy is going to attack from just reading the subtle movements. Right now, you'll be able to see it a little bit."
"Yes, I can see it Shi-chan."
"Right, and here's another thing about the Sharingan you should know about." Shisui waved through some hand signs, and then finished within a moment. "It also allows you to copy the Jutsu of others as long as it isn't a Kekkei Genkai. I copied this from a Lightning Ninja." Shisui smirked as Ryouta grimaced. "Lightning Release, Electric Shock Needles!"
Ryouta watched as electricity formed around Shisui, and was given form.
He saw that senbon like electricity formed within the air, yellow lightning that made the crackling noise that lightning usually made.
Ryouta's eyes managed to see what Shisui was doing, and what hand signs he used, among other things.
It was his Sharingan at work, memorizing and copying the technique within his mind.
But then Shisui shot the Jutsu forward, with the needles shooting towards him like a hailstorm of senbon's. Ryouta grimaced, and tried to dodge out of the way, his Sharingan seeing the movements of the needles, and how much there were, and their predicted trajectory, so he was able to use his kunai to swipe at them, and force them away from the young boy.
Shisui nodded slowly, seeing Ryouta adapting to what he was seeing.
"Though that Jutsu isn't usually lethal by any means on their own, it can be used for other types of Jutsu Ryou. It doesn't take that much chakra either, so using this, as a distraction, to either follow up with another Jutsu, or to use this Jutsu to hide other things within the sea of electric needles, isn't such a bad idea. And they, if you're skilled enough, could be used in lethal means. Even a weak Jutsu can be brought to become a powerful one. Like the Great Fireball Jutsu you have, that might seem like a simple Jutsu, but depending on who's wielding it, it could be used to do quite a bit of damage."
Ryouta nodded strongly, dodging the last one which pierced the ground.
He then exhaled slowly, looking at his elder brother who smiled.
"Shi-chan, do you have any other Lightning Releases?"
"Haha, I do know some more yeah. I also know some Wind Releases, and of course, Fire Releases."
"Wow...three types of chakra natures, that's amazing Shi-chan. I heard it's difficult mastering just two of them, even with one being your affinity, yet you've got three down...amazing."
"Perhaps, but I just tried really hard, that's all. If you try hard, you can master all sorts of natures, and be able to use some cool Jutsu in conjunction. Being able to use your Jutsu's together, can create very destructive powers. Maybe even we could use the Jutsu's together one day, and devastate the battlefield."
Ryouta could understand that quite well, being able to combine natures like that could turn the tide of battle.
"Y-Yes, I'll try my best Shi-chan!"
"Great, then lets continue!"
Ryouta nodded, and did just that.
For about half an hour, he fought Shisui and continued to use his Sharingan.
Using Fire Release Jutsu, and shooting out multiple fireballs among other things, Shisui was rather impressed to see how he able to control the flames to a certain extent, it just told him he truly was an Uchiha if he could use fire like this.
At the end of the fight, Shisui saw Ryouta sweating and his Sharingan deactivating.
"Haha, it seems that this is your limit. But, that isn't a bad thing either. Using the Sharingan, and strong Jutsu's can be draining over time. But with training, the Sharingan will become easier and easier to use, and keep active to the point you'll barely feel the pull on your chakra. Like how Itachi and I can keep it active often, one day you'll be able to do the same thing Ryou."
"Yes! But, speaking of, I heard Itachi-san this morning say that there was a mission for you..."
Shisui waved his hand.
"I couldn't take it, been quite busy."
Ryouta thought he'd say something like that.
But he didn't want Shisui to worry about him anymore.
That's why he had something he needed to do.
"Shi-chan, I've got to go and see someone."
Shisui was surprised when he said that.
"O-Oh...alright then, want me to take you?"
Ryouta shook his head.
"Hehe, no that's fine~ Go, and do whatever you want Shi-chan. I've got a surprise for you anyway~"
"A surprise...just for me huh?" Shisui raised a curious brow. "So what is it then?"
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you what it was."
Shisui gave a slightly goofy looking smile.
"Well, you have me there~ Alright then, just be careful."
"I will!"
Ryouta nodded, and took off running.
As Ryouta ran through the Compound, he saw that there were a few Ninja class Uchiha's that were looking at him coldly. Because of what happened with Yashiro, some believed that Ryouta and Izumi had led him to his death, despite the fact that Fugaku had explained that wasn't the case, even seeing the clone Yashiro left behind.
Yashiro was well liked within circles of the Uchiha clan, and they didn't like Ryouta. Especially now that their friend was dead, they even said things like "It should've been you instead of him that died." and things of that nature.
It was hurtful.
Ryouta though wouldn't give them the satisfaction of a reply.
If he argued with them, he'd be no better than them, and he wanted to be better than them.
Though their opinions might be hurtful, he'd prove to himself what kind of Uchiha he'd be, and acceptance didn't matter to him, he was still proud to be Uchiha, thanks to his elder brothers example of what Uchiha should be.
Nearing the exit of the Compound, he saw that Fugaku was looking towards him. He didn't stop, but Fugaku had other plans.
He stepped out before Ryouta, who reacted by pulling back, recalling how Yashiro had acted towards him, a natural reaction.
Fugaku could see that his hands were tightened, as if he was prepared to defend himself, for obvious reasons.
"You're in a rush."
"I'm going to help Shi-chan with something, that's all."
Ryouta replied, trying to walk past Fugaku.
But Fugaku stopped him.
He didn't say anything.
He didn't have to.
The way Fugaku looked told Ryouta that he had conflicting feelings.
Ryouta himself also had conflicting feelings, since Yashiro claimed he did it for Fugaku.
While Fugaku wasn't the one who actually did it, Fugaku's ways seemed to have at least inspired Yashiro to try something. So when looking at Fugaku now, he felt awkward and wasn't exactly sure how he should feel about Fugaku who while didn't attack him physically, it was partly due to how he had treated Ryouta that Yashiro tried something.
Fugaku then spoke up.
"I'm sure, you'll grow to a fine Ninja. Yashiro might have acted wild, he wasn't a weak Ninja, and you survived him, and even managed to force him to stop. It shows, the potential you have. I, am glad that you didn't die that night."
That...was probably the nicest thing that Fugaku had ever said to him before.
He thought for sure that Fugaku wouldn't care if he had died.
But...he said he was glad he didn't.
Fugaku then turned, and walked away from him.
Moving a few feet forward, Fugaku paused, and turned back.
"You're...quite capable, don't let that talent go to waste."
"...Yes Sir."
If Fugaku had said it with malice, Ryouta wouldn't have replied.
But Fugaku's voice didn't sound malicious to Ryouta at all.
In fact, it sounded as if Fugaku wasn't sure what to say, while also having something of an encouraging tone to his voice, though Ryouta wasn't truly sure how Fugaku felt.
Ryouta truly couldn't work out Fugaku, and his feelings.
He was a complex person, someone Ryouta wondered if he'd ever be able to understand.
Ryouta then bowed, and ran off, leaving Fugaku behind to contemplate what he said, and also, what wasn't said.
How it was clear why Yashiro did what he did, and how he was partly to blame.
Acknowledging what was deep within his heart, Fugaku didn't know how to make it right.
All he could do was try at least to think of something he could say to apologize.
But for Fugaku, that was a hard road.
Not wanting Shisui to waste his time and talents within the village, Ryouta gained a meeting with the Hokage himself.
Hiruzen was rather surprised at the appearance of Ryouta, even when he had informed him of his arrival.
"Young Ryouta-kun, though I'm quite pleased to see you, how come you've decided a formal request like this?"
Ryouta nodded, building his courage.
"Sir...I want to request a mission."
"A mission? You're still in the Academy. What kind of mission would you like to undertake exactly?"
Ryouta could see why the Hokage thought like that, so he set him straight.
"This isn't for me...I'd like to request Shisui Uchiha for a mission...I'll pay for it...any rank would be fine...as long as it is outside of the village...any mission that needs to be taken on..."
Hiruzen looked mildly surprised.
However, he couldn't deny that he could see the concern that Ryouta had for his brother.
"Hmmmm? Could you explain this to me on what your decision is for?"
"Yes Sir...you see, Shi-chan...eeh, Shisui is a very...important Ninja in Konoha, is he not?"
"You're correct, he's a very valuable Ninja."
"That's why…I know Shi-chan has rejected all missions out of the village lately. Ever since...what happened with Yashiro..."
Ryouta began, Hiruzen wore a deep sympathetic look to his face.
"Aah...yes. I can understand very well what has happened with that. Again, what happened with Yashiro, I can only offer my apologies, what happened that night to you and Izumi Uchiha, shouldn't have happened. I can't express the sorrow I feel that no one could help to prevent that."
Ryouta could see on Hiruzen's elderly face that he had regrets about what happened.
Though Ryouta didn't know the full extent of it since he wasn't aware of what the Uchiha were planning and how the village elders also had their own thoughts about the Uchiha clan, something Hiruzen wished they didn't have.
"Thank you Hokage-sama, it was a terrible night. But, I am...concerned for my brothers well being. I love my brother, and I know he loves the village, and protecting it. Shi-chan blames himself for what happened that night. If he had been here, it probably wouldn't have happened. That's how he thinks. But, I also think that if it wasn't that night, then it could have happened at another time. He would've have tried sooner or later, it just happened to be sooner."
Hiruzen didn't deny what Ryouta said was the truth.
Yashiro wouldn't have stopped, he eventually would have found a time when Ryouta was alone, that much Hiruzen was convinced of.
"Yes...Shisui-sans got a big heart, and he does place the blame onto himself. It's very understandable. He doesn't want to lose the only family he has left. With your Mother and Father deceased...and a member of your own clan trying to kill you..."
"Yes...But, I want Shi-chan to also shine. And do missions for the village he loves again. Be reassured that I wont die while he's away. That...he can be the Ninja that I respect, that I love. Right now...Shi-chan's worried about me. But, I was, and am still inspired by the strength he had. How he protected me all my life, how he raised me when he didn't have to, I want to repay that and help Shi-chan on his path back to being a strong and capable Ninja. I know he can do anything given the chance. I just want him to know...that I'll be okay, and that while I love him and would always want him around, that the village also needs him as well."
Hiruzen could see the deep desires within Ryouta, and he smiled at the young man in a grandfatherly kind of way. He also recalled what other Uchiha had been doing, and how it could affect Ryouta as well, something he didn't want.
"It seems that you've thought through this quite well...alright then. But, for us to get him to go on it Ryouta-kun, let us come together to show Shisui-san what kind of survivor you really are, and remind him, how strong you really were that day."
"Yes Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen showed his smile, and lightly patted Ryouta's head.
He definitely could see the sides of both his Mother, and his Father within him.
And most of all, Shisui's raising of him.
How proud he was of Shisui.
How strong of a mind he had.
He believed that Ryouta already had a good mindset, quite like a person who thought of everyone should have.
He recalled he had seen that in both Itachi and Shisui when they were also that young.
It made him happy, knowing that Ryouta was growing up to become quite a thoughtful and kind individual.
Meeting back at the house, Ryouta enacted his idea for Shisui to go on a mission, and he found Shisui in the living room. Ryouta walked over towards him, and sat down on the couch beside him, while presenting him with a piece of paper.
"What's this?"
Shisui asked, going over the paper, seeing that it was some kind of mission.
He saw that it was to gain some kind of medical herbs not found near Konoha.
"Shi-chan, I've hired you to go on a mission."
Shisui raised a bemused eyebrow.
"Huh? You've...hired me?"
"That's right, I've paid for it and everything. So, you've got a mission to do."
Shisui gave a curious stare, trying to figure out what was going on.
"I don't understand. What are you trying to do?"
Ryouta went to explain, when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in Hokage-sama!"
"Hokage-sama..."
As he spoke, Hiruzen himself came into the house.
Shisui was perplexed.
He thought that Ryouta was only kidding with a mission.
But the Hokage was in his house.
He almost thought that it was a Genjutsu that Ryouta had cast.
But, it wasn't.
"H-Hokage-sama...w-why are you here Sir?"
"I've come to see if you've taken the mission yet?"
"But Sir...I...I can't..."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
"What do you think about this Ryouta-kun? He's refusing your mission."
"I know..." Ryouta turned to Shisui. "Shi-chan, it's a gift for Izumi-chan, she's come so far so fast, and she said she'd need some new herbs for her experiments. So, I hired the best Ninja I could think of, and that was you."
"It's really sweet, I know what you're trying to do Ryou...but, I can't leave you. If something was to happen to you while I was gone..."
Hiruzen at this time stepped in.
"No one can predict the future, Shisui-san. Not even I, as wise as I am, can tell you what's going to happen tomorrow, or even ten minutes from now. All we can do is prepare, and put things in place. The incident that happened to Ryouta-kun was a circumstance that shouldn't have happened. But no one could have foreseen that Yashiro Uchiha would have gone that far. Even I couldn't have predicted his hatred ran so deep that he felt the need to try and end the life of a child that he didn't agree with the existence of."
"I should've seen it Hokage-sama..." Shisui confessed, his eyes beginning to show a few tears. "...I should've known...that he would try something...his eyes always felt too disgusting when he looked at Ryou...and because I didn't catch it...he nearly died...If I had been more alert...Ryou wouldn't have had to go through all that...getting attacked...his life threatened...injuries...I didn't see it...and it caused Ryou to have so much pain..."
"Shi-chan..."
Ryouta could see the immense pain on Shisui's face.
More than simple sadness, he looked depressed.
It must've been hard for Shisui to admit these things.
To be this deep into sadness.
"It's my fault Ryou...I wasn't here to protect you...and you could've died..."
"Yes...but I didn't die."
Shisui blinked at what he said.
Shisui's head met with Ryouta's who gave a comforting smile.
"Shi-chan, you taught me everything I needed to know that day, to keep myself safe. If it wasn't for you, I'd have died. My determination, I got from you. Seeing every mission you do, tackling it with such passion, and the love you have for everyone...it made me passionate too Shi-chan. I want to become a Ninja exactly like you. Kind, caring, but not afraid to fight if it means protecting others."
"Ryou..."
Shisui could feel his emotions coming out.
Only Ryouta could make him feel like this.
He knew what and where to push it deeper.
"That night, I thought of you, and how you'd do it Shi-chan. I want you to know that...I'll never die so easily. Even if everyone came after me...I'd survive, so I'd be able to be with you Shi-chan. And now it has happened...we'll be more cautious. Even Itachi-san said that while you're away, he'd be here and vice versa. Nothing like what happened is going to happen again...even if it did...I'd fight, just like I did with Yashiro. I wont give up, Shi-chan. Like you have taught me."
Ryouta's words struck a chord within him.
Shisui himself still wasn't sure what to do.
On one hand, he knew Ryouta was right.
That he'd have to go on missions sooner or later.
He also didn't want to leave Ryouta behind, and that he could end up getting hurt.
He trusted Itachi to protect him.
But, he didn't want to have to leave it to others, and wanted to make sure his brother was safe and sound.
Peering into the boys eyes, seeing how kind he looked back at him, Shisui let out a small breath.
"Mom asked me, before...she died, and after Dad did...to make sure that if something also happened to her...that I'd take care of you, Ryou. That you'd be happy, safe, and healthy. But that night, you weren't any of those things. You weren't happy...you weren't safe...and you definitely weren't healthy with those injuries."
Ryouta wasn't really aware of that.
But he could see Shisui taking that hard.
So, he needed to keep pushing, for the good of Shisui, the village, and the clan.
"Shi-chan, I'm so happy you're my brother." Ryouta began, cutting Shisui off as he embraced his brother. "Thanks to you, I get to have a good life. It could have been worse if you weren't here, and thanks to your teachings, I managed to survive. Now, the village needs you to...more people might need you out there, I can't keep you all to myself, no matter how much I want to."
Shisui began laughing while Ryouta did also.
Hiruzen watched the scene unfold, and could see the will of fire burning bright within them.
How they were different to a good number of Uchiha he had seen.
Why he was so convinced to make sure that the Uchiha didn't end up dead, seeing how Ryouta and Shisui acted, and hoped that others in the future would also act like them and embrace the love and compassion they had with one another.
"If you...say things like that to me...I know you're right. I can't keep thinking about what ifs...the what ifs didn't happen, and reality was...you managed to survive. You fought, and stayed alive, and will no doubt one day grow into a very powerful, but also kind and loyal Ninja. So...I'll take that mission Ryou, on a condition."
"Condition?"
Shisui nods, turning to Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama...I'd like to request a mission with Ryou, out of the village also. I promised him when he mastered the Great Fireball Jutsu, but we didn't get the chance to do it before all this happened. So, would it be alright if I request that now?"
Hiruzen didn't even have to think about it.
He was quite alright with it.
"Of course, I'll search for a mission for the pair of you."
"Thank you...and I'm sorry for denying missions as of late."
Hiruzen waved his hand.
"Shisui-san, for everything you've done for the village, I can't hold anything against you. It was a stressful time in your life, seeing your little brother in such a state must have brought out flashbacks for your parents. It's perfectly understandable."
"...Yes, thank you Sir. I'll get on this right away." Shisui turned to Ryouta, seeing his smile going towards him. "I'll be back in a few days, okay? Honestly, conspiring with Hokage-sama to get me out of the village. Looking to throw wild parties?"
Hearing his joking tone, Ryouta matched it.
"Hehe, yes. That's exactly it Shi-chan, I can't wait for you to go so Hokage-sama and I can have the biggest party without you."
"Haha, I suspected~" Ryouta smiled as Shisui gently embraced him. "Truly, you are the best little brother ever. It's my job to worry about you, but it seems that you also worry about me huh?"
"We worry about each other Shi-chan. That's what we do."
"Yeah...I guess I'll have to go and get ready for my mission."
"Yup, that's right Shi-chan. Get ready~ Don't worry, I've already sent word to Izumi-chan and Itachi-san."
Shisui chortled, getting off the couch, and then walked to Hiruzen.
He then bowed his neck, and walked up the stairs.
Ryouta smiled at his brother, then towards Hiruzen.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. It means a lot to me."
"No, I only went along with what you had decided. It seems to have worked."
Ryouta and Hiruzen shared a smile between them as Izumi came walking into the door, not seeing Hiruzen and spoke as she saw Ryouta's form, her eyes turning downwards due to her almost dropping something on the ground.
"Ryou-kun, I've just finished perfecting a new kind of poison that will numb bodies of anything that it gets into the bloodstream! With this, it might be able to make fights a little easier~ Hahaha, they wont know what's hit them..." As she said it, she saw Hiruzen giving her a strange look, her face dropping. "Ooh my God, when I said that...I'm not thinking about using it on anyone! Ma-Maybe the enemies and all! But not anyone in this village! Ooh God, am I just digging my own grave here?"
"Grave? Was that joke directed at me?"
Izumi's face paled, Ryouta saw a twinkle in the Hokage's eye, seeing that he was only joking with Izumi.
"N-No! It isn't anything like that! When I said grave, I meant my own! N-Not yours! You could last another ten, twenty, thirty years yet..." Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, Izumi's bottom lip trembled. "...ooh God, I'm so sorry, I never meant to imply anything...I'm sure you'll live for a long time...longer than me~ Ooh my God, I'm just setting them up aren't I…?"
Seeing her expression, Hiruzen couldn't hide his smile.
"Do not worry, I understand. I am very pleased to see your progress, Izumi-san. I've heard good things about you from your Sensei's. You've progressed far in these months since you began, and becoming a Genin early as well, I'm sure you must be happy. Even being able to use the Mystical Palm Jutsu with such precision usually requires more training from what I've been told. You'll be a fine Medical Ninja."
Izumi gave a light smile.
"Y-Yes, I'll keep training harder, Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen gave an affirming nod, turning back to Ryouta who just smiled at his sister like figure.
He was glad that there were Uchiha like these.
Ones that acted kind, caring, tenderly.
He just hoped that it was able to continue on like this for them.
Ryouta himself also thought about Shisui, and how he was going to feel.
But, Ryouta was determined to help out his older brother, no matter what.
On a cold day just outside the Land of Water, a young girl walked alongside someone that she called, Master.
She was someone that followed him, due to how he had been the only one to actually notice her existence, to take her in when everyone else cast her away from the world they lived in, and now she followed this man dutifully.
The girl was called Haku, and her Master, Zabuza.
Compared to Haku, Zabuza was a cold man, he hid away any emotions he could have had, behind his cold demeanor.
Haku learned much from Zabuza, and had grown to see his capabilities.
As they walked, entering what seemed to be a slightly dense area of trees, Zabuza noticed that there was someone attempting to follow them.
"Haku, we're being followed, do it like we always do."
"Understood, Zabuza-sama."
Zabuza gripped his sword, and wordlessly jumped backwards.
Haku followed suit, creating a single ice mirror behind her, and one to the right of the enemy.
Taking out senbon's, Haku launched them from the mirror, catching the man off guard, who blocked them with a kunai.
Zabuza used his speed to get before him, and got to the right hand side of him, his sword attempting to cleave through his neck, but the man dodged it, and rushed Haku, bringing out some kunai to throw, surprising Haku.
But Zabuza before the man reached her, cut him down, killing him instantly.
"Haku, be more aware of what's happening next time, I wont always be around to save you."
Haku bowed her head in regret.
"I'm sorry, Zabuza-sama. It wont happen again."
Zabuza just huffed, and turned his neck.
Haku thought that she had failed.
But Zabuza simply said "You didn't perform terribly, that guy wasn't half bad." and continued to walk off.
Though it came off as cold, Haku took it as high praise, following after her Master, content with what was going on with Zabuza.
With Zabuza, she had purpose, and that purpose, allowed her to continue on.
End chapter!
So, this chapter introduced Karin! Who was saved thanks to Tsunade and Shizune, more about their time together shall be revealed over the course of the story. Ryouta briefly met Tsunade although only realizing later since he didn't know what she looked like. Ryouta also noticed something about Naruko, and another chakra within her, though he wasn't sure what to make of it.
Shisui trying to move forward, after believing what happened with Yashiro being his fault, but thanks to Ryouta asking Hiruzen for some help, have managed to help ease the fears, and guilt he had. Izumi's also moved forward, and has learned how to perform Medical Ninjutsu properly.
Haku and Zabuza also showed up right at the end! What that means...we'll soon see!
Finally, the results of the poll, it seems that in the end, Kotoamatsukami and short range Kamui won! Kotoamatsukami was quite popular choice with most votes for that, with Tsukuyomi and short ranged Kamui being very close together and split, but with short range Kamui won in the end by a few.
However, a number of people did suggest me thinking of some abilities to make Ryouta unique, and after thinking about it and what kind of ability would be strong and useful, I did think of two, thanks to some reviews, and some looking through different anime's, and the two I thought would bring rather unique dynamics.
One would be to reflect Jutsu's to any location he's looking at, so even if a Jutsu comes for someone else, he can protect them by reflecting it away from either the person that fired it, or towards someone else, and even being able to use other Jutsu's to combine with the reflected attack to increase its power, though that will be through skill rather than the Mangekyou power, but it would cost a bit of chakra like all Mangekyou's until gaining Eternal Mangekyou.
And the other, basically what Aizawa does with Quirks in My Hero, erase chakra of anything he's looking at, even Jutsu's fired at him or others, anything that involves chakra, he'd be able to erase it with a look, but it would cost a bit of chakra like all Mangekyou's until gaining Eternal Mangekyou.
Neither of these have names yet, so if anyone would like to suggest names, going off the naming scheme that other Mangekyou powers use, then feel free, I'll also be looking for some cool names but suggestions always welcome.
So the choices are...
Kotoamatsukami in one eye, Short Range Kamui in the other.
Reflecting Mangekyou in both eyes.
Erasing Mangekyou in both eyes.
Erasing Mangekyou in one eye, Kotoamatsukami in the other.
Reflecting Mangekyou in one eye, Kotoamatsukami in the other.
Erasing Mangekyou in one eye, Reflecting Mangekyou in the other.
Well, until next time, thanks for reading!
Ryouta; Satsuki, Sakura, Naruko, Hinata, Ino, Haku (fem), Kurotsuchi, Karin, Konan,