9 - Revealing
Akemi sat in the window seat of the classroom, his finger moving down the page of a hefty biology textbook on the table. He scribbled notes in English on lined paper beside it because although he had learned a lot of Japanese over the almost eight years he'd lived in the Naruto world, that just didn't compare to the twenty-two years he spent speaking English and Spanish.
The school bell rang and Akemi blinked, looking up at the clock over the blackboard. Lunchtime already? He'd been studying so hard he hadn't even noticed the hours passing.
"Akemi-kun."
The Uchiha turned to see Saisu grinning down at him. "You ready for lunch, or do we have to fish you out of that big brain of yours first?" He rapped his fist against Akemi's head jokingly.
"Better than you who doesn't use his head for anything except growing freaky hair." Inuzuka Hana muttered while gathering her schoolbooks from the desk behind them.
Saisu glared at her. "What you say, dog-breath?"
Hana scowled. "You heard me, loser."
"More like smelled." Saisu sneered.
The two stared heatedly at each other, and Akemi sighed. "Niños...tan inmaduros." He stood up, grabbing his supplies and putting them in his satchel as he said, "Actually, Saisu, I gotta get to work."
Hana and Saisu broke out of their staring match to frown at him. "Again?" The girl asked, sounding disappointed.
Akemi winced, aware he hadn't been sticking around for lunch lately since technically his half-day ended at lunchtime and he had a number of more important things to do than eat with his friends. Still, he felt bad for ditching them.
"Yeah," the Uchiha looked away, "But I'll still see you after school for our study session."
Hana nodded in acceptance while Saisu asked, "And the festival, you're coming this weekend, right?"
"Festival?" Akemi questioned as he headed down the steps with his friends following. "What festival?"
Hana raised a brow. "Haven't you heard about it?"
"Nope!" Akemi shrugged before beaming. "But I'm down for any fiesta, so what time do you guys want to go?"
"Fiesta?" Hana asked, puzzled by the foreign word while Akemi dropped off his research essay on the teacher's desk, which was five pages long and assigned to him just earlier this morning.
The teacher didn't question how the boy had gotten it done so fast. Akemi was a brilliant student and reigned top of his class ever since his brother graduated. Therefore, the Academy teacher could only sigh in acceptance as he glanced over Akemi's essay.
This evidence proves the Sharingan's hypnosis ability is the main reason nations outside of the Land of Fire believe in vampires—
The teacher's mouth hit the floor. He had only told his students to pick a Kekkei Genkai and describe its abilities, but it seemed Akemi had "broadened" the topic.
Akemi didn't notice his teacher hitting his head against the desk and groaning in despair as he walked out of the classroom between Hana and Saisu. "So five o'clock Saturday? Sounds good to me!"
The Uchiha stood outside of the Academy and waved his schoolmates goodbye. The two waved back from behind the fenced courtyard until Akemi turned towards the road leading to the Uchiha district.
"Wait, Akemi-kun!"
The Uchiha looked back at the chainlink fence and saw Izumi standing by the open gate, a bento box in her hands. "Could..." Her cheeks flushed and she looked at the ground as she held up the bento. "Could you give this to Itachi-kun for me?"
"Of course!" Akemi accepted the bento. "Mmm," he noticed the box's aroma, "Sugar cookies? Itachi is going to love them!" He grinned, and the girl twirled one of her bangs shyly.
However, Akemi's stomach growled and Izumi started while the boy chuckled from embarrassment. "I guess I should eat before heading to work."
The girl's lips curved down and she seemed to ponder something before saying, "I…I don't really mind if you eat some of the cookies too."
"Really?" Akemi bowed. "Thanks, Izumi-chan!" He straightened up and moved to leave, but paused. "Oh, by the way, me and my friends are going to the festival on Saturday. If you want to join us, stop by my house ten minutes before five."
The boy left without hearing her response, grinning at the idea forming in his head while he ran down the stone path and scarfed down four of the buttery cookies.
Within minutes he arrived at his house and walked in, nearly calling a greeting when he noticed his mother's sandals weren't on the shoe mat. She must have ran to the store, though that didn't explain why Sasuke's shoes were still here. However, it made sense once he entered the living room.
Itachi was sitting at the low table reading a book about tanto wielding while Sasuke sat beside him, his little arms wrapped around Itachi's middle and head resting against his brother's side.
A click and flash made Itachi look up to see Akemi holding an instant camera while a picture rolled out of it. The younger twin grabbed the photo and waved it dry, gushing once he saw the image. "Perfecto! This is so going on my kawaii shrine!"
He turned the photo towards Itachi and the older twin smiled a little, seeing the camera had captured a moment when he was idly running his hand over Sasuke's hair while Sasuke snuggled against him.
"It is a good one." Itachi acknowledged as Akemi returned the camera to his satchel. "Are you home for lunch?"
Akemi shook his head. "Nope, I just came to get some plant samples from my garden." He frowned. "Today's the exam."
Itachi's expression softened. "I'm sure you'll do great."
"Yeah, sure..." Akemi didn't sound convinced as he stepped outside, passing the koi pond and going to the back of the house where a variety of plants sat in plots by the wall.
He went up to a wooden wagon in the middle of the yard and pulled on a pair of brown gardening gloves from there as well as picked up clippers. Then he bent down by his plot and started cutting off leaves, flowers, and berries from his plants. He even unearthed a sapling to snip off a piece of its roots.
Soon finished, Akemi set all the samples in small, labeled plastic bags, tucked them in his satchel, and went back inside his house. "Before I go," Akemi took out Izumi's bento and set it on the table by Itachi. "Izumi wanted me to give this to you."
Itachi opened the box, and Sasuke looked up, curious, but seeing the sugar cookies he stuck out his tongue in disgust. "No, bad food!" He hid his face in Itachi's side.
"Aww, come on, Sasukito." Akemi crouched beside him. "A little sugar is good for you." The toddler raised his face to glare at him, pouting, and Akemi chuckled.
"Fine, I just can't win against someone so cute!" He ruffled Sasuke's hair and stood, turning to Itachi. "Well, I gotta run." He winked. "I'll be sure to tell Izumi you loved her cookies."
Itachi blinked. "But I haven't tried them yet—"
Akemi was out of the house before he could finish, grinning to himself as he sped out onto the road and ignoring the slight pang in his stomach. He would eat once the exam was over.
The Uchiha quickly went to Konoha Hospital, slowing to a stop at a lab doorway where his grim-faced teacher stood with her arms crossed.
"Hi, Biwako-sama!" Akemi smiled.
"Akemi-kun," the medic-nin nodded, voice stern. "Have you brought the herbs?"
"Yep!" Akemi patted his satchel.
Biwako smirked viciously. "Then let the test begin." She turned and entered the room, Akemi following her.
All the lights inside were off except for the one above a blackboard in the back, which the medic-nin went to stand in front of.
"First," Biwako gestured at the long oak table in front of the board. "I want you to place the fourteen ingredients in the right category." She pointed at two white note cards on the table reading: POISON and MEDICINE.
Akemi brightened. "Oh, this is going to be easy—"
"You have twenty-six seconds starting now."
Akemi's eyes widened before he yanked open his satchel and dumped the bagged ingredients out on the table, some of his notebooks and pens falling out in his haste.
"Twenty-three, twenty-two, twenty-one..."
Akemi ignored the countdown, knowing the woman was just saying it to scare him, and focused on reading the kanji scrawled on each bag.
Areca nut palm caused cardiac arrest, aconite caused paralysis, and nightshade berries and ginkgo seeds could kill someone, but—
"Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen..."
Marshmallow cured a bad cough, agrimony and burdock were used in healing paste, and galangal turned into tea. Or was he getting it mixed up with ginger?
"Five, four, three—"
"I'm done!" Akemi looked up with a grin.
Biwako cocked a brow. "Are you sure?" She pointed at the ginkgo seeds, which was sitting away from the other samples.
Akemi bit his lip. "Well, I know those are poisonous, but I was wondering if it's really okay to split all of these herbs into categories. I mean, nightshade berries will definitely kill you, but when it comes to plants like the gingko tree, its seeds might cause seizures, but its leaves are used in several medicines."
His eyes narrowed. "And technically most medicinal herbs can become a poison if they're used improperly...right?"
Biwako stared hard at him, and Akemi cowered at the mild killing intent leaking off of her, hastily waving his hands. "O-or I could just put these ginkgo seeds under the poison-"
"You pass."
"Huh, what?"
A small smile curved Biwako's lips. "I was hoping you'd argue about some part of the test, and you did in a very logical manner." Akemi looked confused, so she elaborated. "Sometimes a medic-nin will have to argue for one treatment over another and convince their peers it's the best method."
Akemi made a noise of understanding and the woman gestured toward the blackboard. "Now take a seat and pull out a piece of paper."
Akemi gathered his fallen pens from the floor and picked up his notebooks, putting what he didn't need back into his satchel.
"The test questions are on the blackboard, you will have half an hour to complete them while I check your samples."
She picked up the bags, examining each with a critical eye since Akemi had only gotten six of the herbs from his garden. The other plants he had to locate in the Konoha wilderness, as finding the correct plant and bringing back the required pieces was also part of this examination.
"Okay." Akemi sat in the chair at the table and carefully read the board.
The first section was about medical procedure and how it changed depending on if one was in a hospital versus out on a battlefield. The second part was matching medical terms with their definitions, and the final was explaining the effects of common medicines, and which poisons they counteracted.
The Uchiha felt confident he answered most of the questions correctly, though he completely blanked on a few terms. Still, the exam really wasn't so bad. Why had he ever been nervous? Hmm…maybe it was some residual college exam anxiety messing with his head.
"I'll give you your test results on Monday," Biwako told Akemi as he handed her his test.
"Great." He turned and moved to the door. "I'll see ya tomorrow."
"Actually," Akemi looked back, "You have the weekend off."
The Uchiha gaped, and the woman explained. "All hospital staff except for necessary personal have the weekend off."
Akemi's face scrunched with confusion. "Why?"
Biwako looked surprised. "Haven't you heard? The Hokage is finalizing the peace treaty with Kumo this weekend."
Akemi's eyes widened. A treaty with Kumo? That was this weekend!?
Akemi remembered this happening in the anime, having dreamt of and sketched scenes from when the Kumo representative came to Konoha pretending to seek peace with the Village while in reality the Kumo-nin planned to kidnap Hinata for her Byakugan. But wasn't that supposed to happen on Hinata's third birthday? Yet the Hyuga heiress had turned two just a month ago, so what—
"Akemi-kun?" Biwako was frowning, and Akemi quickly shook his head.
"Sorry, sorry, I just remembered I'm running late for something." He turned and sprinted out the door. "Bye, Biwako-sama!"
The woman watched him leave, sensing something amiss, yet she quickly let it go. As the hospital head, Biwako wouldn't be getting the weekend off, and thus, had a full schedule ahead of her. Especially since she wanted to get her paperwork done early so she'd have time to stop by the Hokage's office and have a much needed talk with her husband.
.
Akemi rushed down the path to the Uchiha compound, pausing only to create a shadow clone and sending him off to meet with Hana in the Inuzuka district.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, muy estupido! Akemi was a fool for assuming the Hyuga Incident wouldn't happen until the end of the year, never considering it might come earlier due to the changes he was making to the Naruto timeline.
Though to be fair, all events so far like the Nine-Tails Attack had occurred on the same date they had in the anime. However, he should have known an event was bound to come at an unexpected time eventually.
Akemi opened himself up to the chakra signatures in the surrounding area while dodging around civilian Uchiha and children playing ninja in the streets. However, right as he located the signature he was looking for, the person stepped out of his house.
"Shisui-san?"
The older boy whipped towards him, surprise flashing across his face. "Wow, I was just—"
"—looking for you."
Akemi and Shisui blinked, both having said the same thing at the same time.
Shisui recovered first and frowned. "There's something important I need to tell you—"
"Wait," Akemi held up his hand, expression serious. "I also have something important to tell you...about one of those events I need help setting up."
Shisui was taken aback. "You mean one of them is starting?"
Akemi's face turned grim. "No, I mean one of them has already started." Shisui's eyes widened and Akemi lowered his head. "I was wrong, I assumed we had more time, and now we might be too late."
Shisui was startled for a moment, yet quickly composed himself. "Okay, let's talk somewhere more private."
Akemi looked up, grateful to have a friend like Shisui who was willing to drop everything to help him as the they sped to the private training grounds and stopped at the cliff overlooking the Naka River.
Akemi was about to explain the situation, but suddenly recalled what Shisui said.
"Oh," Shisui turned to him, "But what did you want tell me?"
Shisui frowned at the grass. "It's about your sharingan," Akemi was shocked, "I think I know why it acts strange."
Before Akemi could ask what he meant, Shisui shook his head. "We can talk about it later, what's happening is more important."
The younger Uchiha frowned, but nodded. "Yeah, okay." He tamped down on his curiosity and leveled a serious look on the older boy. "There's two things I want to make clear before I tell you anything."
Shisui straightened up at Akemi's severe tone, caught off guard by it.
"First, for your own safety I can't explain everything about this event, so if it feels like I'm lying or withholding information from you, that's probably exactly what I'm doing."
Shisui blinked at the bold claim.
"Second, I already have a plan for this event, one I've gone over and fixed up for years, and though it requires some adjusting due to the time crunch, I'm going to follow the plan whether you like it or not."
Shisui faltered at the look Akemi was giving him. It was as if the younger boy had suddenly aged, his stance radiating the confidence of someone far older than Shisui and tone resembling a teacher explaining a complex problem to a child.
The older Uchiha might have been offended, but knew Akemi wasn't the disrespectful type. Also, the seven-year old didn't sound like he was belittling him as he said, "That doesn't mean I'm not open to suggestions, it just means I'm going to do what I have to even if you disagree, understand?"
Shisui stared at the boy, still unnerved by the sheer maturity the seven-year old was displaying. Then again, it wasn't as if he hadn't heard the whispers among his clan.
Akemi knew too much, learned things a little too fast. His eyes were bright, perhaps too bright, the adults said.
Shisui had dismissed such gossip because he knew people thought Itachi was strange too, saying he was too cold and reserved for a boy his age. Yet Shisui knew they were wrong, that Itachi wasn't cold so much as thoughtful, to the point he seemed to ignore others when really Itachi was just too busy thinking to notice the people around him.
Shisui thought Akemi was the same, but now he wondered if maybe there was a bit of truth to those whispers…
Akemi's face fell at the lack of a response, and he looked away. "I understand if you don't want to help me—"
"Of course I'll help you." Shisui grabbed Akemi's shoulders, startling him into looking up and seeing Shisui's determined expression. "I already said I would, and I don't go back on my word or abandon my friends."
Akemi's mouth parted in shock, but soon he smiled. "Thanks, Shisui-san. You're a real amigo."
Shisui grinned. "I have no idea what that means, but I'll take it as a compliment." He sobered. "Now, let's hear this plan of yours..."
.
Akemi entered the hospital, shunshined up the staircase before the receptionist could spot him, and stifled his chakra signature as he stopped on the second floor. He checked both sides of the hallway, and seeing it was empty, strode down the corridor. The Uchiha skirted past the receptionist desk, ducking into the restroom when a couple of doctors emerged from a patient's room.
Once their voices faded, Akemi reentered the hall and speed-walked until he stood in front of Orochimaru's lab.
Akemi knocked on the door and waited, every second passing unbearably slow while he constantly checked to make sure no one was coming his way.
Yet after a minute of silence, Akemi figured no one was in the lab, so tried turning the doorknob. He wasn't surprised when it didn't budge, remembering the door had a lock seal to keep out unwanted visitors. However, Akemi wasn't an unwanted visitor, was he?
"Keep the books, Akemi-kun, and if you ever seek more of them, my lab will always be open to you."
Akemi's eyes narrowed. Orochimaru had said his lab would always be open to him, and maybe it was just a hunch, but it sounded like the Sannin wasn't being figurative. Therefore, even if Orochimaru's lab was sealed, the man must have left a way for Akemi to get in.
The Uchiha glanced up at the ceiling, but saw no cameras. Hm, no way to watch a recording of the hand signs Orochimaru had used to unlock the door, and trying to guess the signs would take too long... So if it was impossible to learn the code, how else could he unlock the seal?
For a while nothing came to Akemi, yet he was certain Orochimaru truly wanted him to come back, so if the seal was impossible to break... Maybe...maybe Orochimaru didn't want him to break it?
It was a crazy idea, but the Sannin probably knew a kid still attending the Academy couldn't follow his rapid hand signs, and thus didn't expect him to unlock the seal...but to unlock the door.
The Uchiha figured it was worth a shot as he slipped out a kunai from his weapons pouch and pushed the pointed tip under the doorknob plate.
His eyes widened when the blade easily slid under the metal—was it already loose?—and he wedged the plate up until it popped off.
Akemi caught the knob before it could hit the ground and tucked it in his satchel. Then he used his fingers to pull on the hole where the knob had been until the door creaked open.
The boy didn't sense anything amiss as he stepped into the dark room, closing the door behind him, which meant his hunch was correct. Orochimaru had altered the lock seal so it would recognize Akemi and allow him entrance into his lab, perhaps by using his DNA...but that would require a blood sample and how would the Sannin get a hold of that?
The boy shuddered at the possibilities, yet brushed his concern aside while he flicked on the lights. He squinted at the now lit area, searching for traps. He didn't see any, and considered activating his sharingan to be sure, but didn't want to risk hurting himself with the unstable dōjutsu, so left it alone as he strode past the bare tabletops. All the flasks, jarred specimens and other lab equipment had been tucked away on cabinets lining the room. No documents or anything resembling a map were visible either.
Akemi scowled while he approached the bookshelf in the corner. Orochimaru leaving him access to the lab had proved the Snake Sannin hadn't forgotten about their second meeting, so it was reasonable to assume the man also remembered the books he'd given to Akemi too.
The boy pulled out the three books from his satchel, having brought them with him just in case they might provide a clue. Akemi had checked each book thoroughly when he first received them, but found nothing dangerous like seals or listening devices among their pages. However, now he examined the books again, noting their topic and titles.
He looked from them to the shelf and soon noticed a large space on the top and middle ledges where he'd taken the books from, causing the remaining tomes to tilt. The Uchiha patted the empty space, but didn't feel any hidden switches or seals. Though he also found no dust on the space either, which meant the bookshelf was cleaned recently. This furthered his belief that Orochimaru had left a clue on it.
Akemi glanced at the titles on the book spines and saw they were organized alphabetically. Still, that information didn't seem helpful, so he started pulling out every book and skimming through their pages.
He was pulling a textbook off the second ledge when a small book fell off the shelf and flopped on the floor, having been caught between the larger texts. Akemi picked the booklet up, but froze when he saw English letters on the cover—a translation book?
The Uchiha quickly tore open the booklet, flipping through the pages and gasping when a rectangular card fell out of it. He picked the white card up, but couldn't tell what it was before a voice spoke.
"What are you doing here?"
Akemi tensed, slipping the card into his sleeve as he stood and turned with an awkward smile.
"Oh, Kakashi-san, what's up?"
The masked sixteen-year old stared at him from across the room, arms folded and eye narrowed.
Akemi's smile twitched. "Uhh, you must have really improved your fūinjutsu to get past that lock seal—"
"What are you doing here?" Kakashi repeated, voice cold as he stalked towards him.
Akemi's mouth opened, closed, and opened again as he sighed in defeat. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He shrugged with a false casual tone. "I broke into Orochimaru's lab."
Kakashi's eye fluttered at his honesty. "But why?" He stared the boy down. "Don't you know what happens to people who hang around that guy?"
"That's exactly why I'm here," Akemi said emphatically, surprising the teen. "I'm looking for clues about my missing clansmen."
Kakashi's brow furrowed. "You should leave that up to the authorities, the Hokage is already looking into it."
Akemi scowled at the floor. "Yeah, but..."
Kakashi's tone softened slightly. "I know you're just trying to help, but if you go missing too, that will only make things worse." He grew stern again. "Now pack up, your investigation is over."
Akemi gathered his books like a sullen child, stuffing them back in his satchel while Kakashi grabbed his elbow and marched him out into the hall.
The teen flicked off the lights and shut the door before facing Akemi. "Give me the knob, I'll wipe your fingerprints off of it and put it back together so no one realizes you broke in."
Akemi retrieved the doorknob pieces and handed them over while a cheeky grin spread across his lips. "Aww, is someone worried about me?"
Kakashi glared. "I wonder what the head of the Police Force might think if he hears his son was breaking and entering."
Akemi laughed nervously. "Ah, look at the time, I should be getting home!" He quickly formed the tiger seal and shunshined through the hall, down the stairs and out of the building.
Only once the Hospital was out of sight did Akemi stop on the dirt road, smirking as he pulled out the card he'd taken. "This must be a clue—"
Akemi froze, gawking at the bookmark in his hand. Not a map or a coded message, but a bookmark...
The seven-year old's eye twitched while Shisui hopped down from a nearby tree. "Did you find it?"
Akemi slumped. "No, I just found a bookmark, but I thought for sure it would be a clue!" He groaned, slapping a hand over his face.
Shisui plucked the bookmark from his hand, turning it over. "Actually, I think you did."
"What?" Akemi peeked through his fingers.
"Look," Shisui showed him the back of the bookmark, which had a drawing of a dense forest surrounding a swamp. "I recognize this place, it's where my old jonin instructor used to take my team to practice tree climbing and water walking. It's on the outskirts of the Village."
Akemi brightened. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Shisui smirked. "Hold on." He gripped Akemi's shoulder and the boy knew what was coming, so braced himself as the older Uchiha shunshined and the world swirled into a mass of colors.
They arrived in a dense woodland within seconds, Akemi grasping his stomach and gulping down his nausea while Shisui watched in concern. "That's so weird," he cocked his head, "You can use shunshin without a problem, but when someone uses it on you, it makes you sick."
"I'm...sensitive to other people's jutsu." Akemi explained, straightening up. Yet he stiffened suddenly and spun towards Shisui. "Hide!"
Shisui immediately flipped up into a tree, crouching behind its trunk, while Akemi stared straight ahead to where he sensed a chakra signature nearby a tall, mossy rock. Or, what looked like a rock until it flickered and the henge over it faded to reveal a thick iron door imbedded in the stone, a slithering snake image carved into the metal.
The door was opening and Akemi flicked out two kunai, holding them in front of himself as the door stilled. He peered past it to see a cavern, lowering his kunai once he saw no one at the entrance.
Akemi cautiously approached the cave and gazed at the staircase inside, which was lit by dim torches along the wall. The cavern smelled like damp soil after a rainstorm, which while not a pleasant scent, wasn't a poisonous one either.
The Uchiha put away his weapons, but hesitated, looking at Shisui's hiding spot and making sure the boy was well-hidden before facing the cavern. He took a deep breath, telling himself this was necessary to protect his precious people and the clan as he carefully stepped in and walked down the steep incline, nearly tripping when a loud clank echoed behind him. He turned to see the door closing, shutting out the sunlight and leaving him in near total darkness.
The Uchiha frowned, but turned and kept moving. Soon reaching the bottom, he shivered at the drafty atmosphere while peering ahead. The hallway led to two other corridors, one going left and one going right. Yet Akemi knew where to go. He sensed that ghastly chakra.
Akemi trudged ahead and turned into the left hall. He tensed at hearing what sounded like a low hiss, but told himself it was just a broken pipe in the ceiling while he walked past a number of rooms, his eyes locked on the door at the end of the corridor.
The Uchiha slowed when said door opened before he reached it, but wasn't shocked to see the man inside the room, standing under a lone overhead light with his back to Akemi as he looked down at something on a stone table.
Akemi paused in the entrance. "Orochimaru-san."
The Snake Sannin turned over his shoulder, his sharp teeth showing through his smirk as he said, "Akemi-kun." He waved him in, pale hand flecked with a dark substance Akemi pretended not to see. "I was starting to worry you would never come."
Akemi forced his features to remain neutral as he stepped into the laboratory. "Well, you didn't exactly make it easy to find this place." He examined the tall shelves lining the sides of the room, which held scrolls and jars of colorful substances.
"And yet here you are," Orochimaru's smile grew, yellow orbs bright with excitement, "You passed every test, like I knew you could."
Akemi frowned, eyeing the man. "How do you know I did?" He crossed his arms. "Maybe I found this place by accident."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Perhaps, but the seal on my laboratory door alerted me of a break-in thirty minutes ago, and I know it was you," he cut in before Akemi could make up an excuse, "Because it's only set to alert me if someone with the books I gifted you entered."
Akemi's eyes widened. Oh, so it had been the books, not his DNA that allowed him to get past lock seal.
Orochimaru was watching him intently, making Akemi's skin crawl, so the boy huffed to cover his fear. "Okay, you got me." His face hardened. "Now let's get to the point, I came here for something."
"You want something from me?" Orochimaru asked, his tongue peeking out in excitement. "Now, that is interesting."
"I need your help." Akemi's eyes fell to the floor, hating how this was his only option. "And I need it soon."
For a moment the Sannin was quiet, but then he said, "It must be something bad according to the guilt on your face."
Akemi winced, peeking up. "Well, it's not bad, so much as illegal—"
"And you think I would help you commit a crime?"
The Uchiha sent him a deadpan look. "You have a secret lab in the middle of the forest."
Orochimaru hummed. "A fair point," his gaze turned calculative, "So if you've come to this lab of mines, is it safe to assume you want something from here?"
"That depends," Akemi's voice dropped to a hiss, "Is this where you're keeping the sharingan you've stole?"
"Some of them." Orochimaru shrugged as if he didn't just admit to Kekkei Genkai theft. "And since you're clearly not here to arrest me," his grin turned wicked, "Why are you asking about them?"
Akemi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Because I need one of them." He opened his eyes, pulling a notecard from his satchel. "And the sharingan has to fit these parameters."
Orochimaru took the notecard, reading it aloud. "A right eye from a male in his late-teens to early twenties." He lowered the card, looking up in contemplation. "I do believe I have a few matching those requirements." He smirked at the child. "But what do you need such an eye for?"
Akemi shook his head. "I don't need it." His head lowered so his bang shadowed his face. "I need you to transfer that eye into the Kumo ninja coming for the peace treaty."
"Oh?" The Sannin seemed genuinely surprised. "And why would you want me to give a foreign ninja one of your clan's dōjutsu?"
"Because I'm pretty sure that Kumo-nin already has a sharingan." The Sannin raised a brow, not expecting that answer. "But he wouldn't dare come to Konoha with a stolen dōjutsu, not when he knows an Uchiha might sense it."
"And how do you know he—"
"Because he's the man who caused the Nine-Tails Attack," Akemi stated fiercely, and before Orochimaru could ask, continued. "I'm not one hundred percent sure it was him, and I won't be until I can read his chakra signature when he gets here, but...while I was looking at his picture in the newspaper..."
Akemi's hands curled around the strap of his satchel and his teeth clenched. "I noticed he was wearing his headband over his right eye, just like my friend Kakashi wears his headband over his eye...to cover up his sharingan." His eyes implored Orochimaru. "And I remember Biwako-sama mentioning that the man who attacked her and the Fourth Hokage had one sharingan."
Orochimaru stared at him, expression blank. Akemi tried not to sweat, praying his half-truth worked—because if all went according to plan he'd tell the Hokage the same story so it needed to be believable.
"Well," the Sannin's gaze bored into the boy's, "I must say, you're even astuter than I thought, Akemi-kun."
The Uchiha waited with bated breath as the man smirked. "I'll do it."
Akemi was speechless for a second, but then he asked, "R-really?"
Orochimaru nodded and Akemi wanted to slump in relief, but couldn't let his guard down just yet. "And that's it?" His eyes narrowed. "You're just going to do it...without asking for something in return?"
The man cocked his head as if confused. "Ask for something?" He shrugged. "I believe the job itself is payment enough. After all, I'm going to have to break into the Kumo shinobi's hotel room, undetected by him or his ANBU guards, knock him out long enough to perform the surgery, and use the right anesthesia to make him forget I was ever there." He grinned. "Sounds more thrilling than most missions I'm assigned these days."
Akemi was skeptical, but not wanting to push the issue, nodded. "Yes, and you have to complete the surgery by Saturday night since he leaves on Monday."
"Like I said, I don't mind a challenge," Orochimaru said nonchalantly.
"Then we have a deal." Akemi turned to leave when something cold slithered around his wrist.
"Actually, there is one thing."
Akemi bit down a scream, not moving a muscle as Orochimaru came up behind him. "Yes?" He asked, refusing to look anywhere but ahead.
The Sannin bent down until his mouth hovered over Akemi's shoulder and the Uchiha's neck itched with imagined pain of a curse seal as the man said, "All I want is for you to promise me this."
The Sannin's hand fell on the boy's hair and Akemi could hear the smirk in his voice as he whispered. "Grow strong for me, Akemi-kun."
The Uchiha's eyes widened as the man pulled back, the snake summon around Akemi's wrist retracting back to Orochimaru's sleeve while the boy slowly turned around.
He knows, he knows… He knows everything! The thought drummed in Akemi's brain as he nodded, unable to find the breath to verbally agree. However, that seemed to be enough for the man because Orochimaru turned back to the scroll on the stone table and Akemi fled.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears as he ran down the hall, feet slapping against the staircase until he reached the iron door and shoved it with all his might, bursting out the cave the second he saw sunlight.
He knows, he knows, he knows, a voice screamed in his head while Akemi sucked in a deep breath, having refused to breathe until he made it outside. He kept inhaling and exhaling until he didn't feel like he was on the verge of an anxiety attack and the screaming in his head dimmed. Akemi was sure it was just paranoia making him think Orochimaru knew anything about him being from another world, but a part of him wondered if maybe Orochimaru at least realized he wasn't a normal seven-year old.
"Hey—"
Akemi flicked out a kunai and tossed it at Shisui without thinking.
The older boy quickly threw himself aside while Akemi blinked, and realizing what he'd done, gasped. "I-I'm sorry, Shisui!" His hands slapped over his mouth. "Are you okay!?"
"I should be asking you that," Shisui rose from his crouch, unharmed. "Are you alright? Did Orochimaru do something?" His expression darkened. "I swear if he—"
Akemi shook his head. "No, no, I just…it was cold down there." He rubbed his wrist where the snake had curled around him. "Anyway, the event is a go."
Shisui looked stunned. "Wait, your crazy plan actually worked!?"
Akemi's expression soured. "Why do you sound so surprised?"
Shisui rubbed the back of his head, grinning. "Uhh, no reason."
Akemi's cheeks puffed and the older boy laughed. "You're even easier to rile up than Itachi." He slung his arm around Akemi's shoulders. "But seriously, I knew you could do it."
Akemi's expression softened. "Thanks, Shisui." He frowned. "I just wish I had asked for your help sooner, maybe then…"
Shisui gave him a sympathetic look. "Don't worry, I got a good feeling about this event." Akemi looked up in interest. "'Cause you got me in your corner," he grinned wide, "And you can't get luckier than that."
Akemi sputtered a laugh. "You're silly, Shisui-san."
The older boy looked affronted. "But I'm serious, I am good luck!"
Akemi rolled his eyes, mirth lightening the anxiety in his chest, probably just like the older boy intended. Yet he wondered if this time could really be different? Could he change the future without a single loss of life?
Maybe...
.
Itachi slid open the door to his house, panting slightly and clothes damp with sweat. He'd just finished sparring with Shisui, and as usual the older boy had pushed him to his limits. Now he was home to clean-up and grab something to eat before heading back out for more personal training.
The seven-year old entered the downstairs restroom, washed his face, and came out right as Akemi was passing through the living room.
"Hey!" Akemi stopped and beamed. "You're home just in time!" He held out his arms. "How do I look?"
Itachi examined his twin's high-collar black jacket and silky, light green scarf. He smiled a little. "You look cozy. Are you going somewhere?"
"Yup, I'm heading to the Peace Festival," Akemi glanced at the genkan, "Just waiting for my friend to stop by first."
Itachi nodded and turned towards the kitchen when his brother asked, "Do you want to come with us?"
The older twin shook his head. "I'm doing more training with Shisui tonight." It was a lie, he'd be training alone, but Akemi always looked upset whenever he admitted to training by himself, so sometimes Itachi would claim to have a training partner if only to assure his twin.
Akemi frowned despite Itachi's efforts. "I see."
The eldest, figuring the conversation was over, took one step away before Akemi asked, "Do you remember when Minato-sama was nominated as the Hokage?"
The older twin turned back, recalling a vague memory of being four-years old and hiding behind a door while a couple of Uchiha elders visited his father's office. They were complaining about Fugaku not being nominated for the Hokage position while that "clanless Namikaze boy" was.
"Yes," Itachi answered, confused by the subject.
Akemi, brow furrowing, asked, "And do you remember how Orochimaru was nominated too?"
Itachi nodded and Akemi took a step towards him. "Minato-sama was a genius ninja and very powerful. He earned quite the reputation for his efforts during the war." Akemi looked sad as he remembered the man, but soon moved on. "Orochimaru is also a genius and very powerful. He even holds the title as one of the Legendary Sannin for his feats during the Second War."
Akemi's eyes narrowed. "So tell me, Nii-san, why was Minato picked over Orochimaru?"
Itachi blinked, having never pondered such a thing. However, it was a good question considering Itachi wanted to be the Hokage one day. Therefore, the Uchiha thought hard about it before saying, "Well, Orochimaru must have had an undesirable trait that Minato didn't have, making Minato-sama the better choice."
Akemi grinned. "Yes, that is one way of putting it." His smile dropped. "Or, you could say Minato had something that Orochimaru didn't. But what was that something?"
Itachi's forehead scrunched up. It couldn't have been a ninja skill since their abilities were so similar, meaning it was something that didn't deal with ninjutsu... Yet what else beside strength and ability could determine whether one would be named Hokage?
Itachi was stumped and Akemi saw this so smiled sadly. "Think of Minato-sama, of the way he acted and how he always listened to us even though we were just kids. He was nice, remember?"
"Hai." Itachi remembered the man's kindness, and how even as Hokage, Minato always greeted people with a smile.
"Now," the nostalgia faded from Akemi's expression, "How do you remember Orochimaru acting?"
Itachi frowned, recalling the man's impassive expression during the funeral for all who died during the Third Shinobi War and how he left without acknowledging anyone until Itachi asked him about death.
"He's not very friendly," Itachi answered slowly, the pieces coming together in his head. "Minato-sama was always kind, but Orochimaru—"
"Doesn't have friends." Itachi looked up as Akemi sighed. "He's a great ninja, but when it was time to pick the Fourth Hokage, he didn't have anyone who wanted to support him. On the other hand, Minato had Kushina, his teammates, comrades, and friends backing him."
Akemi's eyes welled up with sadness as the realization slammed into Itachi. "Nii-san...you don't have a lot of friends."
Itachi's eyes widened, but he didn't say a word, couldn't. He was speechless with shock.
Akemi reached over to grab his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You don't mean to, but you make it very hard to be your friend." Itachi's face twitched, but Akemi quickly assured. "I know you're actually very nice and sweet and the best big brother in the world."
He looked down. "But the way you act, always so lost in your thoughts, it can be off-putting to people who don't really know you."
Itachi felt something splinter in his mind, saw his dream of becoming Hokage fracture. It didn't matter how much he worked and trained for his goal, it was impossib—
"I'm telling you this now," Akemi's voice drew Itachi from his thoughts, "Because you still have time." His features softened. "You're only seven, and the Third isn't even looking for an heir yet."
Itachi shook his head. "Even so, I'm not sure I can change—"
"I'm not asking you to change," Akemi smiled gently, "Or telling you there's anything wrong with being introverted." He snickered briefly. "I mean, everyone in this house is some type of introvert."
Itachi was puzzled by the term, and Akemi noticed, so said, "I'm saying everyone here spends more time in their head rather than outwardly expressing their self."
Itachi made a soft sound of understanding and Akemi continued. "Anyway, all I'm saying is that you could try reaching out a little more. If you want to be Hokage, you have to become more aware of other people."
Itachi frowned at the floor. "But how?"
"You could start small, like hanging out more with people you already know." Akemi squinted, thinking hard before he broke out in a grin. "I got it!"
Itachi felt trepidation as Akemi asked, "Why don't you invite your teammates to the Festival tomorrow?"
A protest immediately formed on Itachi's tongue—Shinko might be busy and Tenma didn't like him—but Akemi added. "You can take Sasuke too! That way if your teammates start bothering you or you get tired of talking to them, Sasuke can be your excuse to leave."
Itachi frowned. "I..."
Akemi's face fell. "If it helps, consider it Hokage training."
Itachi looked aside. "I'll think about it."
"Estupendo!" Akemi beamed and patted his back. "I knew you could do it."
Itachi was going to point out he hadn't agreed yet when a knock resounded from outside the house. Akemi quickly ran to the door and Itachi heard it open as his brother said, "Izumi-chan, come in, I don't want you to wait in the cold."
Akemi returned to the living room, dragging a red-faced Izumi behind him.
"I-Itachi-kun!?" Izumi's blush deepened as Akemi left her in front of his brother.
"I just got to grab my wallet, wait right here!" Akemi called as he ran up the steps, leaving the girl by his surprised brother.
For a second the two just stared at each other, but soon Izumi's eyes fell to the floor. "It's n-nice to see you again, Itachi-kun." She twirled her hair nervously. "I mean, I still see you walk past my house sometimes..." She froze, and then waved her hands frantically. "Not that I watch you or anything!"
Itachi blinked at her odd behavior, but nodded. "It's nice to see you too." He suddenly recalled the gift she'd sent over. "And thank you for the cookies, they were good."
Izumi looked up with shimmering eyes. "You liked them?" Her blush faded as a warm smile came over her face.
"Of course, I told you he did." Akemi appeared in the doorway, Itachi having noticed him slipping in a minute ago while Izumi nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight.
"Well, we can go now." Akemi walked past Izumi, waving towards the door. "Don't want to be late."
"Oh, uh, yes." Izumi stammered, following his lead. Though she stopped in the genkan and turned to her former schoolmate. "Bye, Itachi-kun!"
Itachi waved back, feeling strangely lighter, but the feeling soon passed as he pondered his twin's advice.
He was still thinking about it the next morning, weighed down by indecisiveness as he stood with his teammates on the side of Konoha's main road. Every shinobi from genin to jonin were crowding both sides of the road, many clapping and some cheering while the Head Ninja of Kumo walked through the middle alongside the Hokage, a welcoming smile on his face.
Itachi respectfully clapped, barely hearing the Hokage's speech about the peace treaty while his indecision plagued him.
However, once the crowds started to disperse, the genin being the first permitted to leave, Itachi came to a decision.
As soon as his jonin instructor concluded their training in the field, Itachi asked, "Do you want to attend the festival with me?"
Tenma dropped his kunai, jaw dropping, and Shinko's eyes doubled in size.
Itachi frowned when neither responded, and he was about to retract his invitation when a high-pitched squeal erupted from Shinko.
The girl clapped her hands over her chest. "Finally! I knew you'd open up to us eventually, didn't I tell you Tenma? Didn't I?"
Tenma blinked owlishly at her before turning back to Itachi like the seven-year old had grown a second head.
Itachi glanced between the two. "Does this mean you'll join me?"
Tenma finally regained his voice and scoffed. "Yeah, right, I've got better things to—"
Shinko elbowed Tenma in the gut without looking away from Itachi. "Of course we will!" She grinned while Tenma wheezed and clutched his abdomen.
Itachi looked uncertainly at Tenma, but figured the boy could always just not show up if he really didn't want to come. "We can go at six, after my otouto's afternoon nap since I'm bringing him too."
"You have a little brother!?" Shinko looked thrilled and Itachi was starting to see Akemi's point about him being too reserved.
Because when he held up two fingers and said, "I have two younger brothers," Shinko and Tenma looked ready to faint. However, it also ensured both would join him tonight, Shinko eager to meet another "cutie" while even Tenma seemed reluctantly interested in Itachi's family.
The Uchiha sighed as he left the training field, silently hoping he wouldn't regret his choice tonight.
.
In the shadows under a dense foliage the crescent moon's light couldn't pierce, Akemi laid on a high tree branch, staring down at the two Hyuga guards standing in front of their clan's district gates. The Uchiha's chakra was tightly wound inside him, making his signature near undetectable to all except perhaps a fellow sensor-nin.
However, these were Hyuga he was dealing with. One wrong move or too loud a sound and the guards would activate their Byakugan, and even under the shadows of night Akemi couldn't hide from such eyes.
That was why he was shocked when the radio clipped to his side crackled and Shisui's voice spoke into his earpiece. "The Kumo-nin just slipped past the guards on the west side."
Akemi swallowed down his fear, realizing there was no turning back now as he clicked the radio button and said, "I'm on my way."
Akemi shunshined from the tree branch to the district's left wall, standing on top of it and looking down to see Shisui already in the district with two Hyuga guards sprawled at his feet.
The younger boy hopped down next to Shisui, mouth drawn to a line. "Did you get them with a genjutsu?"
"Yup," Shisui smirked. "And I was henged as the Kumo-nin when I did, so they'll think he used his sharingan on them."
"Good," Akemi whispered as he made the ram seal and quickly spread out his senses across the district until he latched onto the only non-Konoha chakra signature in the area. "I found him."
Shisui nodded, growing serious as Akemi took off his radio, leapt onto the nearest rooftop and ran. His mind was blank as he sprang over alleys and yards, the Uchiha solely focused on that ominous foreign aura until he saw the Kumo-nin rounding a corner, a small bundle under his arm.
Akemi didn't hesitate to jump down in front of the man. The foreign ninja stopped, seeming surprised even with the black mask over his face. However, he quickly pulled out a kunai and was posed to throw it at Akemi when Shisui came raining down from above, his foot slamming into the back of the man's head.
The Kumo-nin fell forward with a grunt while Akemi created three shadow clones who swiftly tackled him to the floor.
"Let's move!" Akemi told Shisui, both of them leaping back onto the rooftops while the Kumo-nin threw off the clone holding down his arm and stabbed the second clone on his legs with a kunai, popping the two out of existence.
The last clone, however, was nowhere to be seen and the Kumo shinobi was puzzled as he stood and looked down—
And the Akemi clone tucked under his arm flashed his teeth at him. "Huh, for the Head Ninja of Kumo, I was expecting more, you know?"
The man immediately dropped the clone and stomped on the back of the Akemi's neck, destroying him before he launched up onto the rooftops. Quickly his eye fell on the two Uchiha running in the distance and the man growled as he hastened after them.
.
Shisui glanced worriedly down at Hinata, who was crying in his arms while he ran. "Hey, hey, it's okay," he tried to soothe the toddler as he and Akemi dropped down into an alleyway, the younger boy flaring his chakra up and down to attract attention.
However, Akemi flinched when a Hyuga suddenly appeared right in front of him, having moved faster than his eyes could follow.
"What are you doing with Hinata-sama?"
Hizashi, veins bulging around his activated Byakugan, loomed over the younger Uchiha. Though soon he faltered, recognizing the boy. "Fugaku's…son?"
Akemi nodded rapidly. "Yes, I can't explain, but there was a man trying to kidnap Hinata."
Hizashi was shocked, looking from the boy's earnest expression to Shisui who was gently rocking the girl in his arms and whispering soothing nothings in her ear. He quickly understood. "You saved her." He frowned. "But how did you know she was in troubl—"
The Kumo-nin appeared behind Hizashi in a whirl of wind, kunai speeding towards the Hyuga's jugular.
"No!" Akemi threw a kunai with all his might, his blade soaring past Hizashi's neck to clash with the foreign man's kunai.
The force knocked the Kumo-nin's fist off course, granting Hizashi time to spin back, raise his hand in a classic Gentle Fist position and strike the man's chest.
Blood splattered through the air and the Kumo shinobi immediately fell back, lifeless.
Akemi flinched, having hoped to capture the man alive, but recognizing there was no other option, he forced his eyes away from the Kumo-nin's body. "Hizashi-san, that's the guy who…" He stopped, noticing Hizashi's arms falling limply to his sides and his back hunching.
Concerned, Akemi stepped forward. "Hizash—"
The Hyuga teetered and Akemi rushed to catch the man as he fell, only to crumple under Hizashi's weight, his body simply too small to withstand it. "Hizashi!?" Akemi landed on his knees, pulling the man's head onto his lap while his pale eyes blinked sluggishly.
"Oh, no…" Shisui gasped and Akemi followed his gaze to Hizashi's side where a dark spot was rapidly spreading across his yukata. It hit him then that his kunai hadn't stopped the Kumo-nin's blade, it had simply lowered its trajectory.
"Hold on." Akemi pressed his hands against the wound, hissing an apology when Hizashi groaned while he applied pressure.
However, the blood continued to run over Akemi's too small hands, the cut perhaps wider than he could cover and the boy's heartbeat quickened.
"Come on, come on, come on." Akemi flared his chakra as high as he could, not even hearing Shisui's concerned question or seeing the older boy walk over to remove the Kumo-nin's mask.
Akemi saw nothing except for the dark liquid coating his fingers and the body getting colder and colder beneath his touch until Hiashi lowered himself beside him. Only then did Akemi realize he was trembling as his voice shook when he begged. "Help him, please."
A green glow erupted before his eyes, and someone gently pulled Akemi's blood-soaked hands away from the body—corpse—while Fugaku came to stand over him, stern features lightened by his confusion as he asked, "What happened?"
Akemi opened his mouth to speak, yet what came out wasn't an explanation, but a sob. Fugaku jerked back, stunned as tears streamed down Akemi's face. The seven-year old hadn't meant to cry, but he couldn't help it. Everything was going wrong and he'd been so stupid—
Two arms wound around Akemi's back and pulled him into an embrace. "It's not your fault," Shisui murmured over him, yet Akemi shook his head because Shisui was wrong, so terribly wrong.
Akemi had messed up again, and now Hizashi was dead, the Kumo-nin was dead, and Minato and Rin and so many others were dead, dead, dead because Akemi couldn't change anything!
Akemi cried into Shisui's shoulder, not even fighting the tears anymore because it wouldn't be long before the older boy was nothing more than a ghost, his dear brother, a murderer, and the Uchiha district, a grave.
Sorry for the long wait, but this chapter is extra long so maybe that makes it a little better?
Anyway, thanks very much for all the reviews and support! This fic has officially reached over 300 favs and it's wonderful knowing so many people are enjoying the story :)
Next time: Hiashi demands answers and the Hokage deals with the fallout...
Stay safe!