Author's Note: For old readers, I'm sorry about Yutaka for those that know. This is a whole new FanFic in many ways when it comes to details, but overall story is the same. I like highlighting characters that got little screen time. Enjoy!
Citations: Itachi's Story: [Daylight] pg. 63-74
Chapter's Song: "Breakthrough" by Hope 7 (Does this date me?)
Chapter 13
Meeting Our Teams
The Genin of Team One sat on a bench together, a little ways away was a tree over the railing, and stairs then went up higher on this sidewalk in the cliff's edge.
Mimura Hamaki stood in front of them; he had a stern, but happy-go-lucky demeanor. He stroked his beard as he thought of what to say. Akina overlooked his appearance with cynicism, he was somewhere in his forties, short dark hair covered by his bandana forehead protector. He wore the standard attire of a Konoha shinobi, flak jacket and all, along with fingerless gloves, and a tanto strapped to his lower back.
"So… We're Team One, I'm Mimura Hamaki, I will be your teacher and captain of this team. We must work together in unity and cooperation. My strengths is my Medical Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, my weakness is my speed. I like naps! As I often work long shifts at the hospital. I dislike fighting. My dream is to… Well, I've already become a Captain in the Medical Corp and now a genin team leader, so… I'd hope for one of you to be a medical ninja, but tell me about yourselves now."
"Ladies first…" Hisoka smiled to his right in Yugao and Akina's direction.
Yugao looked blankly to her right at Akina, and then to Hamaki-sensei. "My name is Uzuki Yugao… My strength is my speed and Kenjutsu. I guess my weakness is, I don't really know. I like moon gazing. I dislike… Hot weather?"
"I'm Mochizuki Akina… My strengths are Ninjutsu and Shurikenjutsu. My weakness is Genjutsu. I like reading. I dislike fighting, as well. My dream is to become the head of my clan."
Hamaki smiled and nodded with please, then looking to Hisoka. "Next… Sonny?"
"I'm Hyuga Hisoka, sensei. Taijutsu is my strength. My weakness is hand seals. I like spending time with my younger brother and I dislike, fighting, as well."
Akina felt a tinge of heat come to her cheeks as she stared at Hisoka's profile. He was tan, with dark brown hair. His aura had a kindness about it that Akina really felt at ease with. Relief washed over her heart. "I really like my team…"
"It seems I have two impressive clans on my team…" Yugao spoke up, snapping Akina out from her thoughts. Yugao looked at neither of them. "I reassure you… I'll keep up!"
"We don't slack off just because of our Kekkei Genkai… We work that much harder to bring honor to our clans." Akina explained. Hisoka nodding.
Hamaki smirked. "Well, we're off to a good start."
"Starting today, you three will be working under me as Genin. Some of our missions will be tough. So you need to rely on each other, and make it out alive together!" The man introduced as Minazuki Yuki shouted loudly, he was roughly in his forties, forehead protector tied so tightly it looked painful.
He had been assigned to be the jonin supervisor for Itachi and the two other new graduates of the academy. In contrast with his lyrical name, he had a burnished face, and beneath the forehead protector digging into the short dark hair on his head were eyebrows like old, used brooms.
The eyes that sat below the unkempt brows were round like a fish's, the nostrils were large, and although the man's lips were quite thick, his mouth was absurdly small.
"Rely on one another… As if!" Izumo Tenma next to Itachi muttered, too quiet for Yuki to hear clearly.
He was the leading bully of the group that had tried to force Itachi to get down on his knees and apologize, back at the academy. While Yuki continued his superficial lecture, Tenma sat holding his knees, and stared at Itachi. "We got the village albatross hanging around the neck of this team. To hell with teamwork."
"Look, you, could you just shut yer yap already?" The girl sitting on the other side of
Tenma shouted angrily, interrupting Yuki's lecture. Her name was Inari Shinko, she was the same age as Tenma. "Ever since school, you been yammerin' about Itachi on and on and on, but you're a Genin now, yeah? So just quit with all yer whinging already!"
"Shut up!" Tenma said. "You're just a girl. And you know this has been bugging me since we were at school— Your accent's so messed up, you stop making sense halfway through a sentence!"
"I only moved house to Konoha three years afore. I kint help it!" Shinko shouted, pursing her lips.
"Would you both stop it, please?" Yuki timidly tried to calm the bickering pair.
But they simply glared at each other, and gave no sign of stopping. Tenma pouted, "Girls are always nice to good-looking guys, anyway."
"Wh-why would I be all up in here for Itachi like that? Looky you, he's only
seven. I'm thirteen, hear? I def don't fancy him!"
"Age doesn't matter when it comes to love, right?!" Tenma argued.
"Wh-what on earth are you talking—" She waved her hands with a grossed out expression.
The three of them were so pathetic that Itachi couldn't stop an unconscious sigh from slipping out.
Naturally finding fault with this, Tenma raged, "What're you all exasperated for?!"
"I can't spend time with these people…" Itachi stood up, eyes closed.
"You jerk! You running away?!" Tenma continually raged, holding his fist tight.
"Itachi, go on and give this arse a piece of it!" Shinko crossed her arms, pouting.
Ignoring both of them, Itachi looked at Yuki. "I was told that today was just a meet-and-greet?"
"R-right." Yuki was clearly the most concerned about Itachi, the youngest member of his team.
"So then, haven't we finished what we came here for?" Itachi was blunt and to the point.
"I-I suppose we have." Yuki shrugged and then nodded.
"Then I'll take my leave." Itachi informed, turning.
"Oh! We have a formal mission tomorrow, so make sure you're on time." Yuki announced at Itachi's back, the other two looking at Yuki-sensei's face.
About to walk away, Itachi stopped and looked at Yuki over his shoulder. "I understand."
"You're just running away, you jerk! I'm not done talking yet!" Tenma shouted, standing up. Shinko grabbed onto the hem of Tenma's trousers. "What are you doing?!"
"Yer such a loudmouth!" She sighed, annoyed.
The sound of their bickering in his ears, Itachi didn't turn around again. He could tell this wouldn't be easy.
The sun was setting as Itachi stared out over the cliff where the river flowed down at the bottom of the cavern. He turned around to see Benjiro and Shisui who had been waiting with him. Beyond them, Akina came running.
"Sorry I'm late!" She informed, catching her breath.
"How'd it go with your team?" Benjiro asked.
"Great! My teammates… Hisoka-senpai's Byakugan is so cool, he was helping me with my Taijutsu and Yugao-senpai was helping me with Kenjutsu."
Itachi pouted. "My social skills suck, I guess…"
"That's awesome!" Benjiro smiled.
"Yeah." Shisui agreed, also smiling as he rested his elbow on Benjiro's shoulder. "It's a blessing to have good teammates. They become family."
"How did it go with your team, Itachi?" Akina peered past the older boys, asking.
"Oh… Fine. I'm just looking forward to finally start going on missions." Itachi shrugged. "Why were you late this morning?"
"I honestly didn't think Iva would allow me to graduate…" She looked down at her headband pinned to her obi sash around her waist.
"I told you." Benjiro rolled his eyes.
"You could have given a speech instead…" Itachi smirked.
"No, you still were the valedictorian." The girl shook her head.
"I want to hear your salutatorian speech." Itachi insisted.
"Yes, let's hear it." Shisui sat.
"Oh… But…" She got nervous.
"Mochizuki Akina, your salutatorian!" Benjiro announced.
Her eyes shifted and she smirked, sighing as she then looked over their heads to the sun setting. "Good morning, family, friends, faculty, and my fellow graduates. My apologies… Some of you might not have family and some of you might not have friends, you've lost them to war or the Nine Tails attack, but remember, we have each other as comrades. This village is our family. I wish I could see my mother and father's proud faces, and I know you do, too.
On the behalf of who you have lost, I'm proud of you, and I congratulate you. This is only the first step, but it is a major step in the journey of our lives, because it is the first. This is where it all starts, a step that should be recognized for its immense significance as ninja. If you do not have someone to be proud of you today, I ask you to be proud of yourself… You did it. We are ninja of the next generation. And with this said, I'm honored to give the floor to my comrade, Uchiha Itachi…" Akina held her stiff flat hand out to Itachi; his blush crept up on him, he forced it away as Akina then looked at him. "And then Itachi gives his speech."
"Well, stand, we didn't get to hear your speech today." Shisui nudged Itachi.
Itachi sighed, but rolled up onto his feet to stand next to Akina, smiling at her. "She's amazing."
It was already dark as Itachi and Shisui entered the Uchiha Compound. Shisui side-glanced at Itachi for awhile as he seen the boy was deep in thought. "What's up with you?" Shisui finally asked as they walked. "You're more impersonal then usual."
"I wish I had my Sharigan…" Itachi grumbled under his breath.
"Hmm… Because of Akina talking about how cool her teammate's Byakugan is?" Shisui smirked, knowing already.
"No!" Itachi denied, and faltered. "Well, after Akina left with her team, I overheard some girls from Hisoka's class being jealous of Yugao and Akina…"
"And so? There's always one guy in class that gets the attention of the girls… Weren't you that guy in your class?"
"Akina never fawned over me in The Academy. Why Hisoka? Because of his Byakugan? Because he's older?" He vented into the night air.
"You're jealous." Shisui nodded.
"No, I just don't get it." Itachi puffed his cheeks, pouting.
"If it doesn't matter then don't try to get it."
"I just thought Akina was different. Focused." He sadly composed himself.
"She is. Couldn't you tell she was more excited about learning new things? She was kept by them, they probably wanted to spend the evening with her, get dinner after training, but she chose to come be with us." Shisui informed.
"Just because we agreed to meet." Itachi deduced.
"Because she wants to be with us." Shisui defended. "Specifically, you."
"How long will that keep up though?" Itachi looked to Shisui for the first time.
"Oh, you're not jealous. You're worried that she'll stop hanging out with us?"
"It's fine. We just have to focus on training." Itachi brushed off.
"Yup!" Shisui nodded, fluffing Itachi's ponytail up to fluster Itachi.
"Hey, Akina…" Itachi called out in the streets of The Village's center, said girl turning around to look back at him. She was breathtakingly beautiful to Itachi.
Itachi then stopped before her, and noticed Hisoka and Yugao coming up to her. "Oh! Hey, Itachi… Yugao-senpai, Hisoka-senpai, this is my friend, Uchiha Itachi."
"Hey," Hisoka smiled.
"Hi, Itachi-kun." Yugao greeted.
"Hello," Itachi bowed his head.
"Would you like to get dumplings with us?" Akina smiled.
"I'm actually headed out on a mission." He informed.
"Oh, we just got back from a mission. Take care, Itachi-kun." She waved.
"I will." He nodded, and turned away. "Later."
"See you." She walked away with her team. Sadness overwhelmed her heart suddenly as she drowned out her teammates talking. "Why do I feel like I want to stay with him?"
"Why do I feel like I won't see her again?" Itachi thought as he looked back to Akina walking away.
Countless crows assaulted his enemy. The large man cried out, surrounded by a crowd of beaks so dense, there was no opening for him to flee. Itachi's enemy had been neatly caught by his Shadow Clone technique.
"Now!" Itachi shouted from the trees above, far from the flock of crows. Looking down, he could see the enemy shrieking, and Tenma on the ground below him, too stunned to even get to his feet. Yuki and Shinko were also there, surrounding them.
"Here we go, Shinko!" Tenma shouted.
"All right!" She agreed. The pair sprang toward the enemy, and the crows flew up into the air and disappeared into the woods.
"Aaaaah!" The man cried out in agony, and collapsed.
Carefully watching over the particulars of the situation, Itachi quietly leapt down from his branch.
"Nice call there, Itachi," Yuki said, clapping. Tenma stared, annoyed, as he pulled himself up off the ground. Shinko didn't pay the boys any attention, but instead went to check on the dead enemy.
It had been discovered that one of the vegetable peddlers who came and went from Konohagakure was a spy for Iwagakure. Itachi's Team Two had been given the order to dispose of him, and so they had left The Village to find him.
Normally, it was the Anbu's job to eliminate intelligence agents from enemy nations. But the Anbu were all currently busy with a certain urgent mission; not one member remained in The Village.
The attempted kidnapping of Hyuga Hinata resulted in the kidnapper's death, the Head Ninja of Kumogakure, was killed by Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga Clan. Kumogakure insisted on compensation, in the form of the body of the Hyuga family head.
Konoha pretended that Hiashi's twin brother was the actual family head and placated Kumogakure with that, somehow managing to avert a descent into war.
Given the urgency of the situation, the Anbu were all sent out, and the village's key ninja were all on standby in case fighting did break out, so they couldn't make any careless moves. That said, they couldn't exactly let an Iwa spy slip out from under their noses.
And here, Team Two was selected. In truth, rather than Team Two, it was Itachi who had been chosen. His practical abilities were already on par with the average chunin, even though he was only seven. Thus, he had drawn the attention of the leaders of Konoha.
The job itself had gone smoothly enough. The spy was caught so easily by the trap Itachi set outside the village that it was almost comical; the man made his own position blindingly clear.
With Itachi in the lead, Team Two spread out around the man and closed in on him. But Tenma was in too much of a hurry.
The mission would have been nice and easy if they had simply taken the time to track the man—but, eager for recognition, Tenma had charged out ahead of the others. And just as a cornered mouse will lash out at the cat, the desperate spy launched an attack at Tenma's throat. Itachi swept in to save him in the nick of time.
The spy's kunai dug into Itachi. But he had used a substitution technique, transforming into an enormous murder of crows, and then counterattacked. The rest of it went as noted already.
"Not costumin' himself none," Shinko muttered, crouching down in front of the spy's corpse. Having mainly studied healing ninja arts at school, she was assigned to the team for just such times as this.
Assessing whether an enemy was in disguise, possessing knowledge about poisons, and treating the injuries of their comrades—a squad needed to have someone versed in the healing arts.
"He isn't? Well, that's good," Yuki remarked calmly.
"You." Shinko stood up, put both hands on her hips, and looked at Tenma.
"Don't s'pose you got a word or two to say to Itachi?"
"Huh?" Raising a single eyebrow with force, Tenma looked off in a different direction.
"Weren't for Itachi's quick thinking, you'd be dead right about now. You can at least thank 'im?"
"I'm telling you, I got no idea what you're talking about."
"Seriously, you. What kinda—" Shinko took an angry step toward him.
Itachi stepped in between them. "Enough." He stretched out his right hand in front of Shinko.
"I-it's basically cos of you takin' that attitude that this boy runs off all wild, yeah?" Shinko asked. "You might be a little one, but you're a right Genin, too. Got to give him the what-for sometimes."
"It's fine, Shinko." A smile played on Itachi's face, and she let out a sigh.
"Don't let 'im do what all he wants, yeah?" Shinko said, and turned away.
Yuki watched over them nervously.
"Even if you hadn't helped me out, I wouldn't of got taken down."
"Uh-huh." Itachi nodded.
"Bloodlust…" Itachi coolly thought, and followed it to its source. Tenma. His fist—
Coming toward him. With the minimal amount of movement, Itachi grabbed it.
"I really can't stand that attitude of yours, like you just see through everything and anything," Tenma muttered, his clenched teeth squeaking.
"Will you get over it if I apologize?" Itachi asked blankly.
"I'm telling you, that kind of answer drives me nuts!" Releasing his fist, this time, Tenma sent a kick flying. Itachi avoided this simply by throwing back his upper body. With the force of his leg cutting vainly through the air, the older boy spun around twice. And then, with his back to Itachi, he dropped down to sit on the ground. "Not like my physical techniques'd reach you or anything," Tenma muttered, back still turned. "You can do anything. You got no idea how I feel."
Itachi didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry about what happened at school. And for earlier…" Tenma hung his head, motionless. "Thanks."
Itachi stared silently at the other boy's rounded back.
"Well, go in." At his father's urging, Itachi placed a hand on the closed sliding doors. On the other side of the spotless paper, the room was silent. And yet the intense aura there, in that room separated from him by a single sliding door, came though with such intensity that it practically prickled his skin. An aura of unrest
Itachi's heart sank.
"Itachi," His father pressed him. With no other choice, he opened the sliding door. The hall, fifteen or so tatami mats large, was filled to capacity. But because there was no light in the room, the figures were all silhouetted.
"Sorry to make you wait." Gesturing Itachi into the room, his father crossed the threshold, and then reached back to close the door. The darkness grew even more concentrated. With not one shadow leading, several of the human forms stood up, and together lit the candles in the four corners of the room. A faint light illuminated the interior.
"Sit down there, and listen." His father pointed to a seat at the very back of the room, the only open space on the floor jammed with people. Itachi pushed through them to make his way to the designated position, and sat down quietly. His father watched his son get settled in, before stepping through the assembled group to sit at the front of the room, facing everyone.
"We'll now begin our regular meeting," Yashiro announced from beside his father. "Lord Fugaku's son Itachi will also be attending the meetings from now on."
"My son is seven," Fugaku said. "Although he has the Genin status required to take part in these meetings, he is still very much a novice. Due to my admittedly selfish desire to have him learn about the clan status from a young age, he has been allowed to take part. I appreciate your understanding." He bowed his head. In response, the clan members sitting before him bowed their heads simultaneously.
"Now then, to pick up where we left off last time, I'd like to discuss the issue of the submission of a written opinion to the Hokage, with regard to the segregation of the clan's compound." Yashiro had barely finished speaking before the people at the meeting all started talking at once.
Some insisted on a show of force for Konoha, others said they should keep a calm eye on things and proceed amicably, and still others looked at the faces of those around them, unsure which opinion to agree with. Even though their purposes were all different, it seemed that everyone there wanted to actively participate in the conversation.
Abruptly, Itachi felt someone's eyes on him and immediately turned his own eyes in that direction. Shisui. He met Shisui's eyes. The older boy was silent, and seemed unaccustomed to the boisterous atmosphere of the place. Then, his good friend smiled at him, and Itachi felt an indescribable sadness.
The clan's evil feelings hung heavy here. Itachi was also not accustomed to it. "I feel the same as you…" Itachi put his heart into the smile he flashed back at Shisui.
