With school in session, it seemed like time passed more quickly and before I knew it, my 8th birthday was coming up. From what I could tell, nothing seemed to change. Shisui and Itachi were busy on missions more often than not, but they were still alive. I haven't heard anything about a coup or anything. It seemed like everything was the same as it has been for years now.
But, it's not like I had a concrete timeline to work with. I was going off the assumption that the Uchiha massacre happened when Sasuke was between the age of 7 and 8, but I don't even remember if that was canon information or fandom. The only thing I do remember is it happened on the night of a full moon, and Sasuke was practicing the fireball Jutsu. Which I haven't even started learned yet!
As if summoned by my thoughts, Fugaku came into the living room, interrupting Mikoto's party conversation that I was totally paying attention to.
"Chiyome-chan, get your training gear and meet me outside."
Then he left again. Which in itself was very common, but it has been years since he's had time to train me and not just watch for five minutes and point out my faults.
I jumped to my feet and ran to my room even with Mikoto yelling at me to walk. I did make sure to walk once I was dressed and passed her on the way out. Fast walk, but I made sure to always have one foot on the ground so it was not a run.
Once I was out, Fugaku gave me a once over before he started to walk away. Figuring he wanted to go to some other training ground, I followed in silence.
"So, have the clan stuff calmed down a bit?"
Okay, so I lasted two minutes of silence. Not my fault that Fugaku always looked like he's mad at something and I start worrying that something is me.
"Relatively. Crimes have reached a record low this month." Fugaku said, answering my wordless question on why he has time now.
"Really? That's great, do you think it's because of the new patrols?"
That was an idea that I got while trying to brainstorm ways to improve the Uchiha police public image. Fugaku mentioned once during dinner how they were increasing patrols (of no surprise since it was soon after the failed kidnapping of Hinata) and I innocently asked why all the police needed to be invisible to civilians. See, the Uchiha police are the only sector that deals with civilian crimes. Not to mention that people like to know that there is someone they can ask for help, and seeing them walk around on duty would help remind them that.
Of course, it took until this year for anything like that to happen but...
"Perhaps."
I gave Fugaku a huge smile at that affirmation that it was helping. Maybe now things will start getting better instead of just not getting worst.
Finally, we arrived at a training ground that I've been to once maybe twice while watching Itachi and Shisui spar. It was near the edge of the compound and held a nice pond that was big enough to swim in.
"Go through your forms, I want to make sure you haven't been slacking off while on break."
Turns out that summer break was only two weeks at the academy, which makes some sense since it was in the middle of the school year, but I still felt disappointed that there would be no month long break to be had. At least Iruka promised we would get more into chakra theory rather than just the leaf exercise he had us doing before the break.
I slipped into the academy form that we've been learning first, and once I got done with all the kata's I knew, I moved on to the Uchiha style. Honestly, I don't have a preference yet to either style. The Uchiha style had more power and speed to it, but the academy was easy to easy to switch between defensive and offensive. Neither I was natural good at either, but I practiced enough that I was good enough for Fugaku if his silence said anything.
"Has anyone showed you the advance sets yet?"
"Just what I've seen Ita-nii and Shisui do," I answered with a shrug, trying to hide my excitement.
From what I know, Souma and Makoto haven't learned them yet, so the fact that could get a one up on them is good. Especially Souma. I've beaten him a few times in sparring, but those two years does give him an advantage that I can't seem to beat consistently.
"I'll ask Mikoto to show you some tomorrow. Now, you've already accessed your chakra during class, correct?"
"Yes," I said with an almost smirk.
Pretty sure that was the only thing I would talk about that first day. Before Iruka said we wouldn't be doing any Jutsu until our last year.
Suddenly, Fugaku started going through signs fasted then I could keep up with, and with a deep inhale, put the tiger sign up to his mouth and exhaled.
A huge fireball shot out and over the pond, sizzling the water before going out.
"Holy shit!"
"Language. Now pay attention."
Fugaku hardly gave me time to get over the fact he was teaching me the fireball Jutsu before slowly going through the hand signs. Well, slowly compared to what he did before, it was still three times faster than when Iruka would show us the 12 signs.
I watched once, making sure I got all the signs, before going through it myself. Fugaku let me go through it three times before telling me to pick up the speed, which I did after giving him a look.
"That's good enough. Now you want to gather your chakra into your stomach before letting it travel up when you perform the monkey seal, and replacing it only after your preform the tiger seal. And make sure you keep it close enough to your lips for the chakra to travel, or the fire will be going out your ears."
"Wait, really?!" I said a little too eagerly, but honestly, fire coming out your ears sounds like a good way to intimidate someone.
"Focus Chiyome."
With a quick nod, I went through the signs once more before adding any chakra too it. Since the leaf exercise had us leading our chakra to our forehead, leading it to my throat was relatively easy.
It was getting it out of my mouth that was challenging.
The first time nothing happened, and I tried my best not to notice that Fugaku looked disappointed.
The second time I did it even slower, closing my eyes so I could concentrate on my chakra and what the hell it was doing. It was sluggish, but I could feel it on my lips once I formed the tiger seal.
"Aaah!"
My throat was on fire and smoke even came out as I coughed.
"Here. Take a long slow drink."
I greedily took the canteen that Fugaku pulled from who knows where. The cool water felt like heaven against my throat that I soon realized was literally on fire.
"Hm, I take it you were expecting something like this would happen?" I acquired once I stopped trying to cough up a lunge.
"It took me five tried to get a response like that," Fugaku said with a slight upturn lip.
He almost sounded proud. Almost.
"...But Ita-nii got it right the first time."
Fugaku didn't have to tell me, but he gave a sharp nod nevertheless.
"I taught him right after he moved years for the first time."
Right, because my protege of a brother somehow was able to graduate in only a year. Somehow it was even more ridiculous now then it was when Naruto was just a story. Even with the fact I was learning how to breathe fire.
"I could probably skip a year or two," I said without thinking.
It was a little odd with how much planning I've been doing, the thought of my own graduation has never crossed my mind until that moment.
"You could. If that's what you want to do."
I stopped my mission in trying to drain the canteen of water to stare at Fugaku in shock. For as long as I knew the man, he was always pushing Itachi and me to be the best of the best. There was never any talk about what we wanted from him.
"What?"
Fugaku continued looking out to the lake, not meeting my eyes, even as he spoke once more. "Once you become a genin you become an adult."
"Uh, Yes I know?"
Finally, Fugaku decided to turn enough to look at me, but even then I could not figure out what the hell he was really thinking. Because it was sounding like he was having regrets for pushing Itachi.
"You have good friends Chiyome-chan. They could become good teammates if you graduate with them," Fugaku said with that same look before suddenly grabbing the canteen out of my hand.
"That was a long enough break. Now try it again."
Fugaku waited until Itachi slipped in before starting the meeting. Not that it did much to stop the elders from bickering like a bunch of school children.
Misaki was the only one out of the four who wasn't talking, but the clan's self appointed grandma wasn't one to talk. She was only one of the elders due to her age and that all of her children were killed during the wars. She never even made it to Jounin before 'retiring'.
"That's enough, you have repeated that argument every meeting for eight years now Akio-san," Fugaku finally said, his eyes flashing red in warning.
"But our clan is the reason Konoha is even a village! With the Senji clan all but gone one of us should be leading, but instead we're shoved aside to the edge of town like a bunch of criminals."
"Akio-san. Enough. We are working to turn over the laws keeping us in the compound, but threatening the safety of the village with a coup is not going to help. As you said, this is our village just as much as it is theirs. Besides, I think the fact that Sarutobi-san hasn't chosen a replacement is a telling sign that he is waiting for someone."
"That someone being your son," Misaki said in a deadpan voice.
"Among others," Fugaku agreed, though he thought his son held the best chance.
Itachi didn't speak much of his ANBU missions, but he has commented to Chiyome about meeting with Sarutobi-san. There was a reason why he was called the professor, and if he was taking an interest in Itachi, it could only mean one thing.
"That will take years," Akio said, but it seems that the angry has been deflated.
"And we are in a position where we can wait. There is no war, more of our children have graduated on Jounin lead teams, the Uchiha clan has never been more powerful. Things are no were perfect, or even what I call good, but I know that if we continue like this, our children will have that life that we want for them," Fugaku said before finally moving on with the reason why they were all gathered.
Taxes.
"Are you nervous Chiyo-chan?"
"What? No, why would I be nervous about a birthday party." I told my mom, crossing my arms as she tried to do my hair.
I was only looking forward to my birthday since all my friends and family would be there. Itachi got in late last night, and was honestly a welcomed surprise. Until I remembered that since I'm now learning the fireball it means the massacre could happen any day after Shisui dies. However, there was no way I was going to let that happen. Even if I have to stop him from jumping into the river myself.
"It's okay to be nervous. 8 is a big number. Just, promise me you won't try showing off your new Jutsu in the backyard."
"Yes Kaa-chan," I said, pretending to be annoyed, but the up-turn corner of my lips betrayed me.
"And no sneaking off to the training fields to show them!"
"Alright, alright, I promise."
Mikoto sighed before finishing up my hairdo. This time it was in two buns like what Tenten and sailor moon would wear.
"I don't think this is my style."
"The Odango is very popular for young teens. It makes you look all grown up," Mikoto said like it didn't make me look like a child.
Though I guess a pre-teen is older than an 8-year-old, so she might be right that I would look older.
Maybe.
"It still takes too long."
"Then it's good you only have to wear it for today," Mikoto said with a smile that only made me frown harder.
Then there was a knock at the door and I spend out my chakra sense to see who it was. It was hard to get a grasp of the adult's chakra, but I have gotten to the point I can tell the different between the kids. Might be just because I spent so much time with them at school now, but I'll take what I can.
Hinata and Shikamaru remind me of an ocean on a calm day. Very peaceful, but with the knowledge of how deadly it would be if there was a ripe tide. Ino's forest were it's nice for a hike, but you never know if a bear will show up. Chōji was like a warm day on a beach where the sand is a little too hot for barefoot but still not worth wearing shoes. Neji was like when it rains and the winds are so strong it's more or less raining vertically. Kiba's chakra felt a dog, but a small one that will bark at anything.
It seemed a little weird how their chakra gave me impressions more than color or smell or some other sense. Might be each person who can sense chakra interpret it differently. Not like I've bothered to ask anyone.
"Good morning Hina-chan and Neji-Kun!" I said before I even opened the door all the way.
It was really the afternoon, but the greeting still worked.
"G-good morning Chiyo-chan," Hinata said as Neji gave his customary nod of hello.
It didn't take long for everyone else to arrive. Shikamaru and his family were second to last, no doubt thanks to Yoshiro they weren't last. Makoto was last, and it looks she was in charge of babysitting her two little sisters Rina and Hanae. Yuina might have been too busy watching her four-year-old son Ichiro to come.
Hanae completely ignored me in order to play with Hanabi since the five-year-old have decided about a year ago to just play by themselves.
"Happy birthday Chiyome-nee!" Rina said with her cute smile missing a few teeth.
"Yeah, happy birthday," Makoto echoed with her usual nonchalant attitude before spotting Neji talking to Chōji next to a sleeping Shikamaru, "Agh, do you really have to invite him to everything?"
"Neji-Kun's one of my friends Makoto," I reminded her.
I lost track of how many times I've tried to get her to stop being rude to Neji. Though it's not like Neji is much better.
"That doesn't mean he has to be my friend."
"I guess not," I agreed, more then a little tired of this argument, "If you're going to be rivals for life or whatever, can you at least pretend to be nice to him at my birthday?"
Makoto made a face like I just asked her to sell one of her siblings to Orochimaru.
"Do you think I'll get a rival for life once I start school next spring?" Rina said either ignorant to her older sister's antics or ignoring it.
"Maybe," I said since I guess rivals isn't the worst thing.
That's what Gai and Kakashi were in after all. Maybe it will develop in friendship once they are genin.
"Maybe Seishinko would agree to be my rival. In that cause, I want your blond friend to show me that trick with the flowers again," Rina said before grabbing my hand and dragging me to where Ino and Hinata were.
Seishinko was one of Ino's younger cousins (more like second cousin) who had light brown instead of blond hair. I wasn't even aware that Rina's met him but thinking back they will be going to the academy at the same time.
Makoto might not be that helpful in my plan to get other Uchiha child to befriend non-Uchiha clan kids, but seems like Rina will.
A/N: I feel so bad it took this long to get this chapter out. I had like 70% of this chapter written over a year and half ago but I've been too focus on my marvel oc story. I'm still not dropping this story since I really like what plot I have planned, but I'm going to stop making promises when the next chapter should come out.
Thank you to everyone who had followed/favorited/reviewed this story. You're all the best.