I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Welcome Back
Ryuu stepped into the room and smiled as the class unanimously began to cheer. His rehab had taken a total of a week and a half, but it was worth it. He was finally fully healthy again and had gotten new clothes. The outfit his mother had gotten him long since stopped fitting, so instead he went back to the usual black high-collared Uchiha shirts and black pants.
"Welcome back Ryuu!" Sakura greeted.
Ryuu smiled, greeting everyone before taking his usual seat, which was left empty. After a couple of minutes, Iruka arrived, smiling as he saw Ryuu, then beginning his class. As he taught, Ryuu began to stare at the window sill. A couple of birds were sitting there, picking at their feathers. Finally, they were released for lunch and Ryuu walked outside, getting a little ways away from the others and holding his hand out, whistling. Within seconds, there was a Mockingbird on his finger, along with a Barn Swallow on the crook of his elbow, and a crow sitting on top of his head, bending forward to stare into his eyes.
"Hello there," Ryuu smiled. "What're you doing?"
It straightened back up, twisting and messing up his hair before sitting down, the Barn Swallow and Mockingbird beginning to sing to each other. Ryuu held his other hand out to the Barn Swallow and it obediently hopped onto it, allowing Ryuu to sit down and rest his arms on his legs, smiling. He set the two song birds on his knees, beginning to stroke their feathers. After a moment, Sasuke sat across from him and the birds stopped singing, staring at him.
"It's alright, he won't hurt you," Ryuu smiled.
They began to sing again instantly and Ryuu and Sasuke both raised an eyebrow.
"Damn. They're smart. And obedient." Sasuke lay down, staring up at the birds flying overhead. "I never understood why you always wanted to fly so bad."
"If I could fly I'd be free," Ryuu said quietly. "If I could fly, I could get away. I wouldn't have to hurt anyone. I wouldn't have to be a Ninja. There wouldn't be anything expected of me while I flew. Just the freedom of being able to ride the wind. I wouldn't have to worry about not being good enough for Father."
"He was really hard on you, wasn't he?" Sasuke asked.
"Mother was worse," Ryuu said. "Father wanted me to be my brother's clone. Mother thought I was my brother. She thought I never existed. We all broke a little when my brother died. She broke the most."
"I'm sorry," Sasuke said. "That can't have been easy."
"It wasn't," Ryuu said. "But it was helpful. I know most of what we're learning now."
"I suppose," Sasuke nodded.
"How do you do that?"
Ryuu looked to the side, seeing a girl from the class ahead of them staring at him. She wore her hair in a pair of buns and wore a qipao.
"They just like me," Ryuu shrugged. "Want one?"
She nodded, sitting down and he cleared his throat then whistled. There was a loud sporadic flapping sound before a duck that looked to have been splashed with several colors of paint at once landed in her lap, looking up at her.
"Wow!" she breathed, stroking its feathers. "Its beautiful. What is it?"
"A Mandarin Duck," Ryuu said. "He likes you."
The duck was making a low vibrating cooing sound, like it was purring. She smiled widely as she petted it. Ryuu smiled as well. Finally, the bell rang and Ryuu and the girl began to stand slowly, the two song birds and the duck taking off but the crow remaining.
"You have to go too," Ryuu said, poking it.
It squawked at him and shifted itself before tucking its head under its wing. He sighed, picking it up off of his head and carrying it inside, holding it in his lap and stroking it lightly as it slept.
"You have a pet now?" Ino snorted.
"Looks like it," Ryuu shrugged. "Did he poop on my head?"
"No you're clean," Ino said.
Ryuu nodded as Iruka walked in, beginning the class.
The class walked outside and gathered around the sparring circle, Ryuu still holding the crow in his arms. Iruka called them, two at a time, into the sparring circle, starting with Sakura and Ino. Once again, it was a tie. It seemed some things never changed. After them was Choji and Shikamaru, Shikamaru simply stepping out of the circle instantly, as always. Then, Naruto and Kiba got called in. This fight surprised Naruto, and others, apparently. It started off as an even match. Until Naruto surprised Kiba with one of Ryuu's techniques. As Kiba threw a jab at Naruto, Naruto caught his wrist, bending it downward at the same time as crouching and pushing up on the elbow, flipping Kiba and hurling him out of the ring. There was a stunned silence for a moment before everyone began to cheer.
"Awesome job Naruto," Ryuu smiled.
"Thanks," Naruto smiled.
"Ryuu and Sasuke," Iruka said.
Ryuu sighed and turned to Hinata. "Can you hold my crow for a minute?"
Hinata nodded, taking the crow from him gently and Ryuu walked to the ring, meeting Sasuke inside of it and readying himself.
"Begin!" Iruka instructed.
Sasuke acted instantly, slamming a blistering hook into Ryuu's jaw. Ryuu staggered to the side before spinning, planting his feet and catching a jab. If Sasuke wanted to fight him full force, then Ryuu would give him what he wanted. He twisted Sasuke's arm outboard, swinging a knee up and stopping at the elbow.
"Broken elbow," Ryuu said as he spun Sasuke around himself, tripping him and knocking him to the ground, grabbing the other arm in an arm bar and then tapping his foot against it. "Both arms." Then, he knelt, placing two fingers to Sasuke's throat. "Throat's slit. You lose."
"Damn, you are fast now," Sasuke sighed, looking up at him only to freeze. "Ryuu...your eyes are..."
"What?" Ryuu asked.
"Your Sharingan..." Sasuke said.
Ryuu raised a hand to his eyes, eyes widening. "I have...sharingan? How many tomoe? How?"
"Two tomoe," Sasuke said. "I think...When Itachi..."
"Oh," Ryuu breathed. "I wish I had known."
Sasuke nodded and Ryuu closed his eyes, feeling the drain on his chakra from his eyes and forcing it to stop.
"Alright, Shino and Hinata next," Iruka said.
Ryuu accepted his crow back and Hinata stepped into the ring with Shino. The fight was short, though. Hinata didn't have enough confidence to go all out, so she was defeated in a couple of seconds by ring out. Once the fighting was over, they returned to the classroom to be tested on several jutsus, including the clone jutsu. Unfortunately, Ryuu found that Naruto still couldn't perform it. He had, however, excelled at Sealing Jutsus. After that was over, they were released for the day. Ryuu walked to the park and sat down, still carrying the crow.
"You're really going to make me keep you aren't you?" Ryuu sighed. "Alright. I suppose I should name you then. How about Raven?"
The crow picked its head up to stare at him before pecking him lightly.
"Hahaha, alright, Crowe then," Ryuu laughed, receiving another peck. "Corvus?"
Another peck.
"Well what do you want to be named?" Ryuu asked before thinking. "How about Yomo?"
The crow cocked its head at him before squawking and tucking its head under its wing again.
"Alright then," Ryuu smiled. "Yomo it is."
He walked back to his and Sasuke's house, beginning to make dinner, since it was his turn.
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