Author's Note: Chapter 11 & 12 wraps up Akina's Academy days. After that, it's onto her Genin days, compared to the original Crimson & Clover, this revision doesn't focus on missions as much, we're focusing more on their personal lives and goals, but there will still be missions.
Citations: Naruto Shippuden Episode #452
Chapter's Song: "Pressure" by Paramore
Chapter 11
Community
Akina sat alone in her classroom, her cheek slumped in her hand, she glanced at the clock. "One hour…"
Itachi walked down the hall, glancing in his classroom as he passed by, he backed up and opened the door for Akina to look at the sound. "Akina-chan…?" He voiced.
"Itachi-kun," Her green eyes raised, watching him come down the stairs to approach her at the front.
"What are you still doing here?" He asked, hands in his pockets.
"Detention. Why else?" She shrugged.
"For what?" Akina never got detention.
"It doesn't matter." She insisted, waving her hand.
He looked up at the clock. "How long will you be here till?"
"Four o'clock." Akina answered, watching with mild surprise as Itachi sat down next to her on the bench.
"You'll be in trouble with your mother." She warned, feeling a heat across her cheeks.
"Did you get in trouble because of me?" His brows furrowed, looking her dead in the eye.
"No!" She lied, faltering as she looked down. "It was my decision."
"So you're the one that beat up Tenma…" His face was unreadable, but admiration glassed over his eyes.
"Yeah," She glanced back up at his onyx eyes, smiling.
"Heh," His expression softened, smiling, "Thanks."
"It's nothing… Like I said, it was my decision."
"I don't want you fighting my battles and getting hurt…" His brows slightly furrowed again.
"Your battles are sometimes my battles, too, though…" Akina looked at him, he was breathless. "We're comrades after all."
"Yeah," He nodded. "What is a comrade? What is a village? What is a shinobi?"
"…A village is family, our community where we look out for everyone, making us comrades, and as for shinobi, we're people that have greater capability to protect."
"Also greater capability to harm…" Depression shadowed Itachi's façade.
"Everyone has that choice, but that just makes them a bad shinobi."
"What have you been reading?" He glanced at her.
"Ninja Creed. Chakra is meant to connect, not divide. The elements are meant to work together for prosperity."
"Can I borrow that book?"
"I'll bring it tomorrow." She bobbed her head. "When do you take the graduating exam?"
"I'm not sure, yet. The teacher's are just talking." Itachi looked up at the ceiling. "They're accelerating who they can because of the strain from the war, but I want out of here anyway…"
"Yeah. I'm going to try, too…" Akina stared seriously at his profile.
"Do your best." He looked at her with a gentle smile. "I've been practicing doing shadow clones with Shisui."
"That's what the graduation exam is?"
"Yeah. So I hear." He shrugged.
"Okay." Akina nodded. "Get home. I don't want you in trouble."
"Will you be in trouble at home?" He slid out of the desk, standing.
"I'll be fine." Akina grinned.
"Why did you get detention?!" Iva shouted at Akina as she hung her head in shame.
"Didn't my teacher already tell you?" Akina pouted, her green eyes glanced up, peeking out from the shadows of her bangs.
"Don't be smart with me!" Iva grabbed her wrist, looking meanly in her eyes. "Yes, your teacher told me you got in a fight, and why did you get in a fight?"
"I defended my friend." Akina shortly answered.
"Is that all?" Iva's eyes dared her.
Silence.
"You not only defended one Uchiha, you defended two!" Iva then pulled Akina's wrist and let her go, for Akina to fall forward on her hands and knees. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from Uchiha?!"
"Ah!" Akina's shriek escaped, kneeling up, holding her wrist.
"Mom!" Benjiro scolded to dot across the dining room and— Iva slapped him across the face with her neko-te iron claws, leaving his cheek bloody. He staggered backwards, shocked.
"L-Learn your place! Both of you!" Iva justified.
"Says the one who doesn't know her rightful place!" Benjiro growled in a glare, holding his bleeding cheek.
"If these neko-te were filled with poison, both of you would be dead, that's where your rightful place will be if you keep up this defiance." Iva hissed and stormed off. "I set the rules for good reason!"
"You two would be smart to listen and stay out of mom's way." Akanah advised as she knelt at the dining table.
"You need to learn to get away, Onee-chan." Benjiro glared.
"Akanah!" Iva's voice called out from outside.
"Coming, Mother!" The older girl replied in a rush to follow her mother.
Benjiro glanced as he held his cheek, and Akina her wrist. "Come on," Benjiro directed to Akina, and she stood to follow him.
"You shouldn't get involved with me…" Akina stared at the Mochizuki crest on Benjiro's back ashamed.
Benjiro stopped, and turned to look at the little girl, smiling, "It's my duty to protect my princess. You're my baby cousin, I'll always protect you."
Silence. Her green eyes just shook, staring up at him blankly.
"Come on," He turned to keep heading down the hall. "Before she comes back and slices my other side for dripping blood all over the place."
Akina sat on the edge of the tub, wrapping her wrist in a bandage as Benjiro stood in front of the sink's mirror, cleaning his wound that had four cat-like scratches. "I'm never marrying a kunoichi."
"Hmph," Akina laughed.
"Is it broken?" Benjiro asked.
"Just a sprain, I think…" Akina moved her wrist, but it was stiff and painful. "I rather be hit with neko-te…"
"You haven't been hit in the face yet! This is my second training accident this month!" Benjiro sighed. "Should you have an x-ray?"
"Shouldn't you get tested for rabies?" She sarcastically drawled.
"Rabies is from bite wounds…" He sincerely contemplated.
"I was just joking." Akina grumbled. "This is the third time this month she's got me, but the other wounds I could hide."
"You going to pass it off as training accident, too?"
"Yeah…" Akina nodded. "Though only training I'm supposed to be doing is Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Benjiro asked.
"It's for the graduating exam." Akina informed.
"Can you even do hand seals?"
Akina forcibly moved her wrist even though it hurt, and nodded.
"You're lucky you can perform Clone Jutsu by one hand seal."
"I don't have to use the hand signs?"
"C'mon," He gestured, "I'll teach you!"
Next Morning
Itachi sat closest to the window in the middle seat, Hana to his right, Saisu behind him. He daydreamed as he stared out the window, his left cheek in his left palm, his pencil in his right hand. "I want to know more about being a shinobi."
"In cases like this, always make sure you have an escape route. This is important if you're in a four-man team…" The teacher taught.
"Akina's not here today?" Worry filled his thoughts, but then the door opened.
"You're horribly late, Akina."
She bowed, "My apologies, Daikoku-sensei."
"Take your seat." He gestured.
Itachi watched her, seeing her sit down and use her left hand to open her notebook, her left hand beginning to write. "Her right hand must be hurt…"
Itachi quickly copied his notes, and folded it into a plane, waiting for Daikoku to turn towards the blackboard to write, when he did— Itachi threw the paper plane down to Akina in the first row in front of him. With slight alarm, she grabbed the paper and discreetly smoothed it open. Akina turned her head, glancing back at Itachi. "Thank you," She mouthed inaudibly. He nodded.
"Did you get that injury yesterday?" Itachi asked coming down a few steps to approach her desk.
"Yeah," She blankly nodded as she gathered her books. "I'm not lying."
"Your aunt?" Itachi's brows furrowed.
"…Why would you think tha— Oh!" She took a book from the bottom of her pile to hand it to him. He was mildly surprised. "Here's that book you wanted!"
"Thanks." He took it, looking over the cover.
"Hey, Itachi!" Saisu called out from the top of the stairs, the other boys standing with him. "Want to have lunch with us and throw kunai?"
"You want to come?" Itachi looked back to Akina, who was shaking her head.
"I've got some other training to do." She placed her notes in a book. "Thanks again. See you later." And she darted off to the door at the front of the class. Itachi watched, and then climbed the stairs to the other boys.
Itachi threw kunai at the targets he had set up in the forest, hitting them all. "You're very talented for your age."
Itachi was surprised by the sudden voice, but calmed and turned to face the voice. Shisui looked around at the targets before smiling at Itachi. "I'm no match for you, Shisui-san."
"Oh, come on…" Shisui placed his hand on his hip. He was humble. "What's wrong? Does the Academy bore you so much that you're ditching?"
Itachi blankly stared, being caught. He looked away from Shisui to a kunai in his hand. "I'm not ditching." He threw the kunai.
Itachi sat reading a scroll with Saisu and the other boys outside at the Academy.
Saisu became alarmed as the upperclassman known as Dokan, who Itachi had flipped yesterday, stood with seven other buddies of his. Itachi remained sitting even though his other friends stood. He stared, not wanting to fight. Everyone got into fighting position no less.
"You guys! That's unfair!" Saisu shouted in anger.
Shisui showed a kunai in his fingertips to make it disappear, showing an empty flat hand on both sides to Itachi and then four kunai appeared.
Itachi ducked and jumped to dodge many punches from three upperclassmen. He got distracted, as his friends were getting pinned up against the wall and punched, another stomped on. Itachi jumped away from the three trying to land a hit, to rush for his friends, but Dokan blocked his way.
Itachi furrowed his brows. "What's with that look?" Dokan asked as he took a swing for Itachi.
Itachi showed an empty hand to Shisui on both sides. Then having four kunai appear between his fingers, he threw them and they all hit their target. Shisui gave thumbs up to Itachi.
"Hey! Cut it out!" Daikoku cried out as he came running with two other teachers.
Itachi dodged Dokan's punch; another upperclassmen hooked both Itachi's arms and pushed on his head forward in the headlock. Itachi tried to squirm free, another kid latched onto his legs.
"Itachi!" Saisu warned in fear.
Dokan swung back his punch in fury. "Take this!"
Itachi blankly watched in anticipation as the punch ground into his right cheek, it would have sent him flying, but instead— POOF!
Itachi was then made aware of his clone's thoughts and experiences. He was still throwing kunai with Shisui, as he then turned, walking away.
Every boy in the brawl stared in amazement that a freshman did a clone. "What happened? He disappeared?!" Dokan asked fearfully.
"That's a clone…" Daikoku witnessed. "It's a Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Vines then shot up at the feet of all the upperclassmen, to rip them off of Kumano Saisu and the other boys and pin them to the wall. Daikoku looked over at Akina, murmuring, "Rose Style: Vine Restraint."
She slowly approached the scene from where she had stood near the trees; she stopped, standing over Saisu with a death glare, saying in low growl, "Saisu-kun…"
"It was just a clone, Akina-chan! He's okay!" He anxiously grinned lying on the ground.
"Stop getting Itachi in trouble." She warned.
"Y-Yes," Saisu nodded fearfully, and then surprised as Akina's hand extended to help him up.
Shisui went to throw a kunai, but he watched Itachi's back as he left. "What's the matter?"
"I have to get back."
Shisui threw his kunai. "You do?"
Itachi turned sideways to look back at Shisui. "Shisui-san… Why is there fighting in life?"
Shisui closed his eyes, looking down. "Who knows?" He looked back to Itachi, sincerely. "But… If the fighting can be stopped, I'd like to stop it."
Itachi had mild surprise play across his face, never hearing another boy agree with his heart's desire. "Me too!" He confessed earnestly to Shisui.
Itachi and Shisui stared in common understanding, and then Itachi took off running.
"See you later." Shisui said, staring off at Itachi's back.
