12 - Retool
Akemi narrowed his eyes at the dead salmon lying in the middle of a scroll on the table. He was alone in the back of the library, his teacher having gone back to the hospital to retrieve more advanced practice scrolls. She had expected him to work on the beginner healing jutsu scroll for the whole day, but after he had completed the novice training exercise on his first try, the woman had realized he would be able to work on the more advanced exercises soon.
His teacher had told him to keep practicing while she was gone, so the boy took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and pulled chakra into his hands. Then he laid his hands over the fish's dorsal muscles and pushed his chakra into the salmon.
He needed to exert enough chakra to make the fish move, a task that required precision considering if he used too much chakra or sent it to the wrong body part, the fish would blow up, and he really didn't want to have clean fish guts out of his hair.
Akemi's chakra skimmed over the fish's scales and slowly sunk in deeper until the salmon twitched. He carefully spread his chakra to the rest of its muscles and the fish's tail arched before its whole body started flopping.
The boy grinned. Success!
It wasn't surprising that he'd managed to get the fish's muscles to respond since his chakra control was really good, but it was still thrilling to take his first steps towards using healing jutsu.
Akemi took his hands off the fish, feeling giddy as he imagined burning through the other exercise scrolls until Biwako decided to show him more advanced jutsu. Perhaps chakra scalpels? Or maybe let him mess around in the poison lab? And after he mastered those skills she'd teach him how to make that cool chakra sword?
Stars shone in his eyes, but his smile dropped when a faint chakra signature tickled his senses. He looked back, but the hallway was empty and he couldn't see anyone between the gaps in the bookshelves.
Akemi's eyes narrowed. Someone was definitely nearby, but they were hiding their signature so well he couldn't discern what direction their chakra was radiating from. However, the signature was vaguely familiar, which meant it was either a friend or—
"Your sensory abilities are truly amazing, Akemi-kun."
The Uchiha tensed, but quickly forced his shoulders to relax as he regarded Orochimaru who was garbed in his flak jacket and headband while he stood in the hallway leading to the lobby.
The man smiled, revealing sharp teeth. "Apologies if I startled you, but I couldn't resist testing those sensory abilities of yours after hearing so much about them."
Akemi frowned, unsure if the man had just happened to see him in the library or if he'd purposely followed him here. Regardless, his teacher wouldn't be back for another ten minutes, and since he wasn't sure what Orochimaru wanted, the safest course of action would be to keep the man talking.
The Uchiha crossed his arms and glared. "Let's stop with the games, shall we, Orochimaru-san?" He frowned, confusion crossing his face. "Why are you so interested in me? It's not like I'm the only genius kid in Konoha, yet you don't seem nearly as interested in them as you are in me."
Orochimaru raised a brow. "Who says I'm not interested in them also?" He slunk over to the boy and stopped behind the table. "But you are right, I do find you more fascinating than the rest."
Akemi's nose wrinkled. "I would take that as a compliment, but considering you tend to stick needles into the people that interest you..."
Orochimaru's smile grew and he waved towards the Uchiha. "See? That right there is why you stand out above the rest." The Uchiha blinked in surprise while the man leaned over the table to be on his eye level. "You know things you shouldn't, things about me and this village that people thrice your age haven't realized."
Akemi's expression went blank, though inwardly he was panicking. The Sannin was treading a little too close to the truth and Akemi's mind was scrambling to think up an excuse to explain how he knew so much.
Eventually he thought of one and smirked, pointing his thumb proudly at himself. "I'm just more observant than most people." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Nii-san is the same, I guess it runs in the family."
Orochimaru shook his head, chuckling lowly and Akemi's lips pursed at the man's amusement. He was going to defend himself when the Sannin raised his face and his yellow eyes speared through Akemi's confidence. Despite having spent over seven years in this world, he still found some of the anime features of the people around him unsettling, and Orochimaru's snakelike yellow eyes were far more disturbing in person than they'd ever been on a TV screen.
The boy truly felt like he was staring into the eyes of an unusually large snake, so looked aside while Orochimaru said, "There's something about you."
Akemi's brow furrowed as the man continued. "You don't talk like a child, and though you occasionally act childish, that derives more from your silly personality than genuine immaturity."
The Uchiha swallowed, realizing Orochimaru was skirting very close to the truth. Yet Akemi couldn't convincingly refute the man's words because it wasn't like he'd ever tried to hide his many oddities. Way back in the beginning of his life as Akemi, he'd decided hiding in plain sight would be safer than pretending to be something he wasn't and potentially be exposed as a fraud one day. However, his manner of hiding did have some drawbacks.
Like the fact some people would realize his weirdness was a tad too strange and would grow suspicious of him as a result.
"But it's those eyes."
Akemi flinched as Orochimaru grabbed his chin and said, "So kawaii." His gaze burned into the boy's, making the Uchiha's heart pound. "And yet behind all that cute there's someone—"
"Akemi-kun?"
Orochimaru released him and Akemi's head snapped back to Hana who stood in the hallway hugging a large book. Her gaze drifted from him to Orochimaru, then back to him. She frowned. "I heard your voice and came to talk, but if you're busy—"
"No, no." Orochimaru straightened up and Akemi tensed as he went up to the girl. "I was just checking up on Konoha's newest medic-nin, he is quite the conversationalist."
Hana's face wrinkled, likely not understanding the big word while Orochimaru passed her to enter the hall. "I'll see you around, Akemi-kun."
He quickly disappeared around the corner and Akemi scowled. "Not for long, Serpiente," he muttered in Spanglish just to be safe.
Hana sent him a curious look before walking up to him. "You okay?" Her eyes raked over him worriedly.
"Yeah, yeah." Akemi waved off her concern. "That guy just creeps me out."
The girl made a face and regarded the hall. Her eyes narrowed. "He smells." She bared her canines.
Akemi knew she wasn't talking about the man's actual scent, but due to her clan's powerful sense of smell she had picked up on Orochimaru's repugnant chakra. He nodded. "That he does."
Suddenly Akemi's expression grew thoughtful. But what had Orochimaru been trying to say before Hana showed up?
Akemi shrugged, now wasn't the time to ponder the Sannin's words, so he shook off the skin-crawling feeling Orochimaru always gave him and smiled at Hana. "Anyway, what are you doing here so early?" He noticed her book was titled Veterinary Vocabulary. "Study session?"
Hana brightened. "Mhm." She glanced at his practice scroll. "And you're working on medical jutsu?"
"Yup, since I'll be graduating soon—" Hana's face fell and Akemi paused. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Hana hastily turned away, "I, um, better get going before I distract you from your work. Bye, Akemi-kun."
She rushed down the aisle and swiftly disappeared into another room.
Akemi frowned, gazing at where she went, and then released a sigh. "Ay, yai, yai," he rubbed the back of his hair, "Niños are so dramatic."
.
The classroom door creaked open and Akemi stepped in the spacious room to find his school teacher seated behind a long table. Beside him was a young teen with dark, spiky hair wearing a chunin flak jacket and a bandage strip over the bridge of his nose. The Uchiha glanced at the teen, something in the back of his head telling him he should recognize the guy.
However, his Academy teacher cleared his throat and Akemi turned to the man who smiled nervously as he said, "When you're ready please make a clone—"
Akemi grinned. "There's no limit on how many I can make, right?"
His teacher's eyes widened. "Wait, don't—"
Akemi formed the clone sign and clouds of smoke burst across the room as two dozen of his shadow clones appeared.
His teacher's jaw dropped and the young chunin grew wide-eyed while all the Akemis wove three signs and shouted. "Henge!"
Again smoke exploded around the room and once it faded, Akemi was surrounded by Sasukes wearing white cat ear headbands.
His teacher fell out of his chair and Akemi pumped his fist, cheering. "Yes! My Ultimate Kawaii Jutsu works!" He patted the shoulders of the two Sasukes beside him and they blushed bashfully.
The teenage chunin's lips twisted like he didn't know whether to laugh or not, but eventually he stuttered. "I'm not officially a teacher yet," his expression grew leery, "And after seeing you, I don't think I want to be." He glanced at Akemi's teacher who was slowly pushing himself up from the ground. "But what you just did was more than enough to pass the test…"
He picked up a blue Konoha headband from the table and Akemi approached him. "Congratulations," the chunin smiled sincerely, "You're officially a ninja of Konohagakure."
He held out the headband and the world seemed to move in slow-motion as Akemi took it into hands. The boy gazed at his reflection in the metal leaf symbol, an odd emotion twisting his gut as something about holding a ninja headband—hisheadband—made him both want to jump for joy and run for the hills.
The chunin cocked his head. "Everything okay?"
Akemi smiled. "Yes, it's just hard to believe I'm really a ninja." He forced down the fear bubbling in his gut and turned to his teacher who was staggering to his feet. "Daikoku-sensei."
The man blinked in surprise while Akemi bowed. "Thanks for all the fun times." He rose and turned to the crowd of Sasukes. "Kawaii clones, show our teacher how much we appreciate him!"
All the Sasukes beamed and sprung into the air with their arms spread open wide as they fell towards Daikoku.
"WE LOVE YOU, SENSEI!"
The teacher's mouth opened in horror as the Sasukes came crashing towards him and Akemi walked out of the classroom staring pensively at the headband in his hand, oblivious to the terrified screaming behind him.
"Huh," Akemi muttered as he walked past a hallway intersection where a life-sized golden statue of Itachi stood holding up a weasel in his hand. The black plaque at the statue's feet reading—
UCHIHA ITACHI
SAVIOR OF SANDALS
SLAYER OF LA CHANCLA
Akemi stopped at the double doors leading out to the front of the Academy. For a moment he just stared at them while recalling his first time walking through those doors, his arm linked with his brother's while he waved at the other kids in the hall who regarded them with everything from adoration to annoyance.
The memory soon faded as Akemi's eyes dropped to the headband in his hand. Suddenly his face hardened. "Remember, this is for Nii-san."
Scowling, Akemi raised the headband and quickly tied it around his brow. The weight of the metal felt strange against his skin as he brushed his side bang over the cloth. Yet despite this, Akemi grinned, pushed open the doors, and marched into the next stage of his life.
.
Itachi lingered outside the door of the dango shop, his raven orbs locked on the dirt road and tear troughs stretching as he frowned. He had completed his mission in Sora-ku days ago, but had yet to tell Akemi about it because he'd needed time to process and research what he was told.
Unfortunately, none of the books or scrolls he found on natural energy mentioned anything close to what was happening to Akemi. It seemed having a body composed of natural energy and being able to unconsciously wield senjutsu were simply unheard of. Also, the only information he could find on Ryūchi Cave were basic facts and a few spotty accounts from people who claimed to have entered it.
However, interesting enough, there were a couple legends about snake summons taking on the guise of pretty women and luring shinobi into their dimension so they could consume their chakra, and though Itachi didn't put much faith in such myths, the legends explained why Denka and the other animals summons fully believed Akemi might be a disguised snake. Yet his brother was flesh and blood and as human as the rest of them, Itachi would prove it!
The Uchiha's hands clenched before he forced them to relax. He just wished he could find some answers, so he could wipe that troubled look from Akemi's eyes.
His twin hid it well, but Itachi knew it bothered him not knowing why he was so different, and he'd do anything to be able to soothe away his dear brother's fears. However, the answers were proving very elusive.
Itachi sighed and pushed open the shop door. Maybe a little dango would help him think—
"Nii-san!"
The Uchiha's head whipped up to see Akemi sitting among twenty kids clustered around picnic tables overflowing with food. Sparkly red streamers hung from the ceiling while golden bows lined the walls and Itachi realized this was a party—he must have missed the reserved sign on the shop door.
"You made it!" Akemi beamed, jumping up from the table and rushing to embrace his wide-eyed brother. "I was worried you forgot about my graduation party, but you were just trying to surprise me all along, weren't you?" He released Itachi and started dragging him over to the tables, waving at the deserts. "Don't worry, I saved a box of dango just in case—"
"I need to tell you something," Itachi blurted and Akemi's mouth snapped shut in surprise while he glanced around to make sure no one would overhear him. When he saw most of the kids had already returned to stuffing their faces and chatting with friends, he explained. "My team had a mission in Sora-ku and I talked to Denka."
Itachi paused, steeling himself, but when he was about to speak two Hyuga and a Nara girl approached Akemi. The Hyuga boy wore a pair of square-framed glasses and glanced at Itachi before regarding Akemi. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's almost time for our curfew and we must get going." He reached into the satchel on his side and pulled out a blue box. "Here is your graduation gift."
Akemi accepted the box with an eager smile and quickly took off the lid. His mouth dropped at finding a pair of night-vision goggles inside while the Hyuga girl stepped forward.
"We tweaked the lens so it can display traces of chakra on objects." The pigtailed girl pointed at a red button on the goggles. "This turns it on." Her expression turned smug. "Undoubtedly, it will help us locate La Chancla's lair."
Itachi blinked in shock as Akemi gave a sharp nod. "Of course, and even if I can't go on as many hunts as I used to with you guys, never forget." He raised his fist dramatically. "The La Chancla Busters ain't afraid of no shoes!"
The Hyuga boy nodded. "Keep in touch, Akemi-senpai."
The trio turned and left while Akemi closed the box and set it on the food table. Itachi again went to speak when a dark-haired boy with ripped pants and a guitar strapped to his chest and a girl holding drumsticks came over.
"You ready for the concert?" The boy asked while idly strumming his guitar, making some kids stare at him in awe.
"You know it!" Akemi grinned and pointed towards the shop's back door. "Start setting up the stage."
The girl smiled, revealing a couple of her teeth were missing as she turned to the other kids hanging around the tables. "Ok, everybody! The Pop Fans are ready to rock!"
Immediately cheers broke out and all the children started rushing out to the backyard while Itachi wondered just how many school clubs his brother was in.
"So," Akemi regarded him with a serious look once everyone was gone, "What did Denka say?"
Itachi frowned. "He told me why all the animal summons react negatively to you. It's…" His voice died off suddenly, eyes dropping to the ground as he lost the strength to say more because—
"Why...why is this happening to me?"
Sorrow and wrath had twisted Akemi's face the night after his brother visited Sora-ku, his teary eyes glaring at the pond.
"What am I doing here? Why does Uchiha Akemi even exist!?"
Itachi still remembered how his brother fell apart that night, and could never forget his brother's anger, frustration, and tears.
"Am I still human?"
"I'm not even sure what I am anymore!"
"Nii-san?" Akemi asked, confused and concerned, while Itachi raised his head. For a second, his ebony orbs burned into Akemi's identical ones while he recalled the ninja cats' claims.
"Fraud!"
"That imposter..."
"Akemi is a snake, a liar, a deceiver."
Itachi face went blank, and smoothly, he said, "It's the pocket of natural energy inside you. They know about it and don't believe someone our age is capable of using senjutsu, so they think you're really an adult henged as a child and potentially a threat."
Akemi's lips parted and Itachi forced his expression to remain neutral while his twin slowly nodded. "Oh, that makes sense." His eyes narrowed. "Jeez, they could have just told me about the natural energy instead of making Shisui have to shove me—"
Akemi glanced at him and his voice grew unnaturally loud. "Shove me towards all those academic books!" He chuckled, rubbing the back of his hair. "Which after reading, me and Shisui realized I was using senjutsu."
Itachi blinked, wondering why his brother was so nervous, but then Akemi asked, "Did Denka say anything else?"
He shook his head and Akemi grinned. "Alright, well, thanks for telling me, Nii-san." He sighed in contentment. "It's nice getting some answers."
Itachi's gut wrenched at the pure trust his brother put in his words while Akemi glanced at the backyard. "Are you going to stay—"
"No," Itachi said a little too fast, so added. "I need to train."
Akemi, always so understanding, shrugged. "I thought you'd say that, but here—" He turned to the food table and picked up a small box. "Take this for the road."
He handed the box to Itachi who looked down to find colorful dango gleaming back at him. Yet for once, Itachi took no joy in the sight of his favorite treat as Akemi waved him goodbye and he started for the shop door.
Liar, his brain hissed, but Itachi's expression firmed. He couldn't tell Akemi the truth, it would only make his twin despair and doubt his own humanity like he had that night.
Itachi knew his brother was human, but if Akemi asked him to explain why he was so different then, he wouldn't be able to answer him. So Itachi would refrain from telling Akemi the truth until he had all the answers, and if no answers ever came, Itachi would take this secret to the grave.
…
Akemi sat on the doorstep of the dango shop, fiddling with the headband in his hands while Saisu frowned down at him.
The spiky-haired boy glanced around the street before turning back to Akemi and saying, "I don't think she's coming."
Akemi winced, but nodded and pushed himself up. "Yeah," his hand tightened around his headband, "You're probably right."
Saisu scowled and kicked a nearby pebble. "What's up with dog-girl? She told me she'd be at the party." He crossed his arms and huffed. "Girls never say what they mean."
The Uchiha shook his head. "I don't think that's the problem here." Saisu sent him a questioning look, but Akemi said, "You should go home, I'm going to stop by the Inuzuka district and make sure she's alright."
Saisu blinked. "Oh, yeah, maybe she got sick." He sneered. "I'd get sick too if I only ate dog treats."
Akemi chuckled slightly, amused by the boy's rivalry with Hana, which had been spurred by the girl beating him in a sparring match. Yet his smile dropped as Saisu waved goodbye and walked away.
The Uchiha's head bowed, and reluctantly he tied on his headband and started towards the Inuzuka district. He'd suspected Hana was upset with him, and the girl missing his graduation party confirmed he was right, but if it was for the reason he thought, she had every right to be angry.
Ever since he became Biwako's apprentice last year, the Uchiha barely saw his friends at the Academy, and even after school, he often cancelled their planned meetups because he either got too busy at work or needed to study. Now he'd sprung his graduation on his friends, which meant he would see them even less and no wonder Hana was upset!
The boy rounded a street corner, but gasped as someone came barreling towards him. He jumped back before they could collide and said, "Sorry, I wasn't—" He stopped, gaping at finding Hana staring wide-eyed at him.
"Akemi?" The girl's eyes fluttered, though she quickly shook off her shock and frowned. "That's funny," she cocked her head, "I was just heading to your house."
The Uchiha's face lit with surprise. "You were? But I thought..." His eyes dropped to the floor and his tone became ashamed. "You were mad at me."
Hana looked surprised. "Mad?" She shook her head. "No, why would you think that?"
Guilt filled Akemi's heart as he met her gaze. "I've been a bad friend. I always cancel on you and Saisu and even at school I'm normally too focused on studying to talk to you."
Hana's lips drew to a line, and Akemi braced himself when she sighed. "Baka."
Akemi blinked as the girl scowled. "I'm not mad that you're graduating," her face fell, "I'm sad." She reached down and the boy suddenly noticed a scroll clipped to her side. "But I'm also happy for you, which is why I got you this."
A tender smile came upon Hana's face as she handed Akemi the scroll. "Sorry for missing your party," she scratched her head bashfully while Akemi stared at the gift in shock, "But I was so busy copying down the instructions, I lost track of time."
"Instructions?" Akemi questioned, unraveling the scroll and starting to read it. "For wha—" He choked, eyes popping and jaw hitting the floor.
"What do you think?" Hana chuckled while Akemi yanked the scroll closer to his face and his eyes sped across the paper. "No way," he gasped. "No way." He looked up at the girl. "This cannot be real!"
Hana smirked. "Well, it's not the original, but it is a perfect copy."
Akemi shook his head in disbelief. "But how did you even see the original?" He checked both sides of the street, then leaned towards the girl to whisper. "This is the Legendary Sannin Tsunade's personal jutsu that she invented." He pulled back and again looked over the scroll. "No one except her has ever mastered it..."
"But you're going to be better than her, right?" Akemi looked up as Hana knocked her fist against his headband. "This is proof that you're doing your best to reach your dream." She grinned wide. "And even though I'm no longer going to see you in school anymore, that doesn't mean we can't still be friends."
Akemi sent her a watery smile. "I could kiss you."
Hana's grin sharpened and she raised a fist. "Try it and die."
Akemi laughed. "Okay, okay, but seriously," he pulled her into a tight hug, making her stiffen, "Thank you."
The girl sighed and patted his back. "Just don't be a stranger, okay?"
"Hai," Akemi promised, releasing the girl with a grin before looking down at the scroll in his hand. "Though really, how did you get this?"
Hana shrugged. "I snuck into the jonin section at the library. Normally an ANBU guards that area, but they weren't there for some reason, so I took my chance and borrowed the scroll for a few days before putting it back."
The boy hummed thoughtfully. "It's going to take years to master this, but once I do," he smirked, "I'm going to be unstoppable."
.
Akemi stood at the edge of a pond in the Nara Forest, his arm stretched towards the water and an intense look of concentration on his face. Slowly wind spun around his hand, its rotation sluggish yet strong enough to make the water beneath it ripple. The boy pushed more chakra into the wind and the vortex extended out into a thin, yard long tornado. However, the water hardly moved beneath it—the tornado was too slow—so Akemi ended the jutsu and lowered his hand with a frustrated sigh.
He scowled. The wind needed to spin at the speed of a literal tornado for the jutsu he was attempting to create, but apparently he didn't have enough chakra to make it go that fast.
Akemi stared at his hand and his eyes narrowed. Or maybe it wasn't his chakra that was the problem, but perhaps he was turning the wind against his chakra's natural rotation.
The Uchiha hummed, recalling his dream last night of Naruto learning Rasengan. He still wasn't sure why he dreamed about the Naruto anime so much, though the dreams were becoming more and more rare, but maybe it was his brain's subconscious attempt to help him survive this crazy world.
Regardless, Akemi decided to try swirling the wind in the opposite direction so raised his hand and drew wind towards it. Immediately he noticed it took more chakra to the get the air spinning and he quickly stopped.
Akemi frowned. Alright, so his original clockwise rotation was the right one, meaning that wasn't the issue. In that case, he could try using both of his hands to increase the power.
The Uchiha raised his hands over the lake and took a deep breath. If this didn't work, he might have to take a leaf out of Naruto's ninja handbook and have a shadow clone help him form the tornado.
Tendrils of wind curled around his hands and spun into a thin vortex. The water trembled underneath it as Akemi pushed his chakra out and the tornado stretched to a length of two yards, though he limited its width to the size of a pole. Slowly he sped up its rotation and smiled as the vortex swirled faster and faster until the water was splashing violently under it. Yes, it was working!
The vortex darkened in color, shape becoming more defined until the wind was whirling so fast Akemi's bang flew up over his headband and the dirt by his feet started rolling back.
Akemi broke out in a sweat as his chakra poured into the jutsu, but he maintained the tornado while carefully moving his hands left to right, watching the tornado move along with them. Now satisfied the wind was under his control, he raised it up and then brought it crashing down on the pond.
The water rose up like a tidal wave, sprinkling icy water onto himself and a few nearby trees while the tornado dwindled to nothing.
Yet Akemi laughed gleefully and shaking the water off his head, cried. "Success!" He pumped his fist, for though the tornado jutsu hadn't quite worked like he wanted it to, what he'd accomplished proved his jutsu was possible. He just needed to keep practicing and grow his chakra reserves a bit.
"That was quite the show."
Akemi turned over his shoulder and grinned at Shikaku who raised a brow at the water dripping from Akemi's hair. "But I can't tell if that was intentional or you're jutsu blowing up in your face."
The Uchiha shrugged. "Ehh, it was a little bit of both." He grinned. "Thanks for letting me train out here." He walked over to the man. "The Uchiha training grounds always has someone practicing their fireball jutsu and if their flames touched my wind—"
"The training grounds would burn down," Shikaku nodded. "I figured that's why you asked."
Akemi frowned slightly. "Well, that and I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Hm?" Shikaku started heading towards the Nara district, but glanced back to Akemi he was listening.
The Uchiha jogged beside him, saying, "I noticed there's less ANBU guarding places in Konoha and more of them hanging around our wall." His expression grew grim. "I'm also aware there's been an incident between Konoha and Kumo, so I wanted to know… Is there going to be another war?"
Shikaku closed his eyes. "I wish I could say that wasn't a possibility," Akemi's expression hardened while the Nara gazed at him seriously, "But the Hokage told all the clan heads to prepare for the possibility."
Akemi's jaw clenched and he glared at the ground. "This is my fault," he whispered harshly.
The Nara stopped, confused. "What?"
Akemi continued walking, but waved the man after him. "Let's get inside, I'll explain everything."
Shikaku's expression grew perturbed, but he didn't question the boy as he followed Akemi to his house. They took off their sandals in the genkan and padded over to the living room, taking a seat next to each other on the couch.
Akemi stared at his feet that dangled above the floor and quietly began. "It started the night of the Nine-Tails Attack…"
The Uchiha recounted the same story he fed the Hokage about that night, though he admitted he hadn't been playing Chase so much as he'd been worried about Kushina and followed her to make sure the birth went well—it was technically true.
Once he was finished, Shikaku stared at him for a long moment and then shook his head with a tight smirk. "For a guy who spent twenty-two years as a civilian, you're pretty bold." His smirk fell, expression growing serious. "Now I get why the Hokage was being so tight-lipped about the Hyuga Incident, it wasn't just some Kumo-nin trying to steal a Byakugan. It was the man who caused the Nine-Tails Attack, who got the Fourth Hokage killed."
Akemi nodded. "Yes, though I doubt Kumo has admitted to their wrongdoing."
Shikaku sighed. "I know, and we can't prove they did it. Yes, we have have evidence, but they could claim all the evidence was forged by us to make their Head Ninja look bad."
"And that's not the worst part." The Nara turned to Akemi who looked pale. "They sent their ninja here to obtain the Byakugan, and I doubt they'll give up their objective so easily, especially since Konoha only has circumstantial evidence to justify killing their Head Ninja. If they're smart, they'll try using his death to bargain for the Byakugan."
Shikaku's eyes widened before his expression turned thoughtful. "Well, Kumo-nin are known for their tenacity, especially their Raikage." He stroked his goatee. "You're probably right, they must be trying to get the Hokage to give them the Bykaguan as compensation for the Head Ninja's death, but the Hokage is clearly aware of their ploy and stalling them."
Shikaku's forehead knitted together. "Though even Kumo must realize they're on thin ice." He crossed his arms. "Attacking the Hyuga heir is one thing, but attacking the Village with the Nine-Tails…"
Akemi shifted nervously. "So…you don't think the Hokage or the Hyuga clan will give into their demands?"
Shikaku frowned. "No, but that's nothing to be happy about." His face darkened. "If we can't agree to a compromise, Kumo will probably use their Head Ninja's death as an excuse to start another war. Maybe in the hopes of obtaining the Byakugan or the Sharingan from corpses."
Akemi glowered. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Unless we can prove Kumo's deceit, we're going to be caught up in another war before the end of the month…"
Shikaku sighed and ran his hand over the back of his ponytail. "How troublesome, and I was just starting to get used to the peace."
The Uchiha's expression went blank, an idea blooming in his head. "What if…I knew a way to get proof?"
Shikaku raised a brow and Akemi gazed at him seriously. "I'm not sure if the Hokage told Kumo who killed their Head Ninja, but even if they have…what if they tell them I killed him?"
The Nara reared back. "What!?"
Akemi waved him down. "¡Cálmate! Just hear me out." His eyes narrowed at the ground. "If the Hokage tells Kumo a seven-year old Uchiha killed their top ninja, Kumo might not be able to justify seeking vengeance against us."
Shikaku shook his head. "I doubt they'll fall for it. No offense, but you only became a genin two days ago, there's no way they'll believe you're strong enough to kill their Head Ninja." His voice grew stern. "Also, if they hear you're an Uchiha, they might turn their attention from the Hyuga to your clan and demand a Sharingan."
"Not if the Hokage insists I killed him,"Akemi said with steely eyes, making the man's mouth shut. "And to prove it to the skeptics, he can propose some Kumo ninja test my fighting ability so I can show them I'm capable of taking such a high-ranking ninja down."
Shikaku's mouth angled down, but he nodded. "That might appease them, but…are you actually that strong?"
Akemi shrugged. "Probably not, but the Hokage can tell them I caught the Head Ninja off guard because he was focused on attacking Hizashi. I might not be strong enough to take down a jonin, but I'm no weakling."
Shikaku shook his head. "Even if they agree to test you, they'll probably demand you do it in Kumo…" He trailed off at seeing the calculative look on Akemi's face. "Wait, you want them to take you to Kumo!?"
Akemi smirked viciously. "That's what I'm hoping for." The Nara fell back against his couch in shock. "Kumo will demand I go to Kumo to be tested. In reality they'll probably be planning to awaken my Sharingan and steal my eyes. However, I'll also have the hidden agenda of finding proof that they either planned the Nine-Tails Attack or planned to kidnap the Hyuga heir."
Shikaku's breath hitched. "You…you can't be serious."
Akemi gazed evenly at him. "I'm not going to allow another war, not when it's partially my fault this Incident happened."
Shikaku grabbed his hair, staring wide-eyed at him. "You're out of your mind."
"But my plan could work, right?" Akemi looked imploringly at him. "That's why I'm here, Shikaku. I need you to tell me my plan could work, even if you don't like it, even if it's a little crazy." He smiled slightly. "I mean, all my plans are un poco loco."
Shikaku stared at him, then stared at the ground and sighed. "Alright, let me get this straight." He gestured towards the boy. "You want the Hokage to tell Kumo you killed the Head Ninja on the chance they won't demand you be executed for killing their ninja, but instead will want to test your skills to see for themselves that you could have killed their Head Ninja."
He rubbed his forehead like he was warding off a headache. "Then once you're in Kumo you are going to somehow find proof that they were planning to kidnap the Hyuga heir to obtain the Bykaguan in order to justify Konoha killing their ninja. Assuming you're successful, war would likely be averted and the Hokage would settle things peacefully."
"Exactly!" Akemi grinned and Shikaku slumped in his seat.
"Oh, you are bold," the Nara groaned.
"But my plan might work, right?"
Shikaku's eyes narrowed, but soon his shoulders slumped and he gave a sharp nod. "Yes, but there's no guarantee." His tone went neutral. "In fact, it's more likely they'll just kill you." He tone hardened. "Even if you are some type of reincarnation, there's no guarantee you'll get a third chance at life."
Akemi's gaze fell to the floor, his hands curling into fists. "I know, but…" He raised his face to send Shikaku an imploring look. "I can't just stand back and let a war happen."
Shikaku's face softened. "Akemi…" He smiled, but it was sad.
Akemi smiled back, but his smile soon fell. "So will you tell the Hokage my plan?"
"Because they won't take a seven-year old seriously?" Shikaku guessed Akemi's reasoning correctly and groaned. "Why do I always have to do your dirty work?"
Akemi batted his eyes and in a overly childish tone he said, "Because my cuteness makes people doubt me!"
Shikaku grimaced. "You actually sound like a kid when you do that."
Akemi, using the same voice, said, "That's the point, dummy."
Shikaku rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he leaned back in his couch, throwing his arm over the back of the couch. "Fine…I'll do it."
Akemi's expression mellowed into grim determination. "Thank you, Shikaku-san."
The Nara smirked. "Of course you'll have to babysit for weeks as payment—"
Akemi gaped, but soon glared. "Remind me why we're friends again?"
Shikaku's only response was to throw back his head and laugh.
.
Akemi sat on a stool in the empty laboratory, a test tube filled with a fluorescent blue liquid in his gloved hand and a small paintbrush in the other. He dipped the brush into the liquid and then carefully ran it over a kunai laying on the steel table.
He set that kunai aside once he was done and slipped another one out of his weapon pouch. The boy was setting this kunai on the table when a chakra signature flared brilliantly behind him.
"Ah!" Akemi jumped onto the stool, nearly falling off it while the liquid swished violently in the test tube he held.
He whirled back with his kunai raised to find a smirking Biwako who said, "Very good, Akemi-kun. Despite being startled, you didn't drop the poison."
Akemi scowled. "Of course not!" He waved at the test tube and then pointed at his black long-sleeve. "This stuff stains colored clothes and I bought this two days ago!"
Biwako raised a brow, having expected a less superficial response. "Well, whatever your reasons, put everything away and follow me." She walked back to the lab's glass door. "I'm going to show you a new jutsu."
Akemi's eyes widened, excitement brightening his ebony orbs. "A new jutsu?" Immediately the Uchiha ran to the sink, dumped the poison down the drain, ripped off his gloves and threw them in the trash before grabbing his kunai off the table to stick in his holster. "Let's go!"
Biwako looked stunned, but soon grinned. "Ah, such enthusiasm." Her smile turned devilish. "I wonder if it will last…"
Akemi ignored her ominous tone, too excited as the woman led him out of the lab and they exited the hospital. They went out to the field behind the building and traveled for a few minutes until they reached a tall stone tower that reminded Akemi of the story of Rapunzel.
The tower looked odd in the middle of the field, especially since Akemi couldn't remember ever seeing it through the hospital window, but he didn't question it as the woman walked up to a large boulder a few yards away. "Have you enhanced your strength with chakra before?"
Akemi bobbed his head and his teacher gestured towards the boulder. "Show me how much force you can put into a punch." Her eyes narrowed. "Do not hold back."
The Uchiha's lips drew to a line. "Alright." He clenched his hand while the woman stepped away from the boulder and pulled every ounce of his chakra into his fist.
Soon blue chakra blazed around his hand and once he was sure he couldn't give it anymore power, Akemi raised his fist and with a rising battle cry charged the boulder.
His knuckle slammed into the rock and the boulder exploded, pieces of it flying high into the air alongside streams of wind created by the force of his punch.
Akemi smirked, though his chest was heaving and a bead of sweat ran down his face while chunks of the rock fell around him. He turned to his teacher. "How was that?" he gasped between breaths.
"Astounding for someone your age," Biwako said sternly. "But I expect no less from an apprentice of mine." Her gaze sharpened. "In fact, I expect better."
Akemi blinked in surprise as the woman pointed at the tower. "I want you to destroy this with a single strike."
Akemi's eyes widened and he angled his head back to gape at the tower. "You can't be for real…" He gestured wildly to where the boulder had been. "It took everything I had to destroy that boulder."
Biwako raised her brow. "Obviously I don't expect you to do it right now."
Akemi laid his hand over his heart and gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness."
"I expect you to do it within two weeks."
"TWO WEEKS!?" Akemi screeched, grasping his hair.
Biwako nodded. "Yes, you may use whatever means you wish to train, but in two weeks I want you to come back here at 8am sharp and destroy this tower using a single, chakra-enhanced strike."
"But it took me months to get where I am now!"
Biwako's face turned to granite. "Then I suggest you get to training." She turned and began heading back to the hospital. "You have the next two weeks off to prepare, but once that time is over, I want to see you destroy that tower." She gazed sternly over her shoulder. "Or there will be consequences."
Akemi, jaw on the floor, watched her leave. However, he soon turned back to the tower and expression became serious. "Two weeks to destroy that?"
The boy ignored the voice in his head screaming it was impossible and considered what he should do. Well, the easiest way to increase the power behind his chakra-enhanced strength would be to increase his reserves and to refine his chakra control so he didn't waste any chakra.
Akemi frowned up at the tower. Even doing that probably won't be enough. The boy felt despair creeping into his head when he recalled the pocket of natural energy inside him. That was it! If he could learn how to release that natural energy with his chakra, it could give his chakra the boost he needed to smash the tower.
The Uchiha clenched his fist as a cool breeze ran threw his hair and he faced the tower like a man bravely facing a storm.
.
Akemi spent the next three days punching a mountain. And what type of crazy world must he live that telling his mother he would be home late because he had to punch a mountain resulted in his parent simply handing him a packed bento and wishing him luck.
Regardless, the Uchiha stood beside his shadow clone as they both sent their bandaged fists into the cliffside. Fractures appeared in the rock beneath their knuckles, pebbles sliding past their hands and dust clouding the air. However, neither of them stopped even as the sun dipped into the horizon and the sky turned into a hazy crimson that darkened into blue.
Akemi was taking a break that night, sitting crossed-legged while his clone continued smashing his fists into the cliffside when he sensed a chakra signature.
His eyes snapped open and he turned left, but he started at seeing Fugaku standing by the tree line of the nearby forest. The man glanced curiously at his shadow clone who was now kicking the wall before becoming expressionless as he said, "The Hokage wants to see you."
Surprise colored Akemi's face, but he pushed himself up and patted the dust off his clothes as he went up to his father. "Did he say what about?"
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure you already know."
Akemi nodded, wondering if the man was upset by the plan he made with Shikaku. However, the older Uchiha's face was a perfect mask and Akemi couldn't read him at all. Eh, it wasn't like Akemi expected him to get emotional about him going on a dangerous mission. Though he had to admit the man had been acting different around him lately. Not nicer really, but Fugaku was no longer outright accusing Akemi of being pure evil, which made it a little easier for him to breath whenever he was in the house with him.
Fugaku's hand landed on his shoulder and Akemi flinched, but didn't move away as he said, "I'll use shunshin."
Akemi braced himself and in a whirl of colors, the boy found himself in the Hokage tower directly outside the Hokage's office. An ANBU standing in front of the room swiftly opened the door and gestured them in.
His father went in first, Akemi following and taking in the room's occupants. Hiashi unsurprisingly stood beside Shikaku to the left of the Hokage who was in front of his desk. The Hyuga's expression was cold, but the Nara was slouched with a bored look to his eyes.
Akemi and Fugaku stopped on the Hokage's right and gave short bows to the man. Once they straightened, the Sarutobi regarded Fugaku. "Thank you for retrieving Akemi so quickly." He turned to the boy and smiled.
"Akemi-kun," the man greeted warmly, though his gaze was flinty. "I'm sure you've figured out why you were summoned here."
The boy nodded, swallowing down his nervousness. "Yes. I'm guessing you liked Shikaku's plan."
"Liked?" the Hokage shook his head. "Certainly, nothing about this plan is to my liking at all." His eyes closed and he sighed. "However, it is the only option we have that won't bring us to the doorstep of another war."
The Hokage's wrinkles grew longer as he frowned. "Tell me, do you accept a mission to enter Kumogakure under false pretenses at risk to yourself in order to obtain evidence of Kumo's deceit?"
Akemi straightened up. "Yes, sir."
The Hokage's eyes raked over him for a moment, but Akemi knew there would be war and death—one that did not exist in the original Naruto timeline—if he didn't accept the plan, so his expression remained firm.
The Hokage, seeing his resolve, inclined his head. "Good…because Kumo has already accepted our offer and expects you in their Village within four days."
Akemi jolted, stunned the Hokage had already taken such decisive action. Could his words the night of the Hyuga Incident actually have impacted the Hokage?
The Sarutobi frowned. "There were, however, some details of Shikaku's plan that had to be adjusted."
Akemi focused as the Hokage said, "I will be sending a jonin to escort and watch over you during the mission. He will be the one to locate evidence of Kumo's deceit while your job is simply to distract the Kumo-nin from figuring out his intentions."
The boy nodded, seeing the logic behind the change. "Understood."
This actually took a load off of Akemi, leaving him to only have to worry about hiding his Sharingan and keeping Kumo from stealing his eyeballs.
The office door creaked open behind the boy and Akemi started to turn as the Hokage said, "And here is your partner now."
Akemi smiled, mouth opening to greet the jonin when he took in the shinobi in the doorway and his heart stopped.
Orochimaru smiled. "Akemi-kun," he bowed, "I can't wait to work with you." His poison yellow eyes brightened with glee. "It's been too long since I've been assigned such an exciting mission. Let's do our best, hm?"
Shikaku stared wide-eyed at the Sannin while Fugaku shot him an almost worried look, but Akemi smiled tersely and said, "Yes, I can't wait."
Akemi heard his heartbeat drumming in his ears, but he ignored his own fear because this changed nothing. Orochimaru or not, Akemi wasn't going to allow Konoha to fall into war when there was a chance of preventing it.
After all, Akemi had made a gamble, and he intended to see it through to the end.
Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments. I can tell how much effort you all put into them and that made my day :D
Review response (posted here for all who want to know about Akemi's potential future pairing)
RedHood001: Funny enough, I have recently started thinking about pairing Akemi with a couple of characters. Though as you mentioned, since he's got the mind of an adult in a kid's body, he can't see anyone his physical age or really anyone under 20 in a romantic sense. Another complication is the fact he might be uncomfortable dating someone unless he feels safe telling them the complete truth about himself, including how he's from another world.
Also, he's currently very focused on not dying in the Uchiha massacre, so I doubt romance will even be hinted between him and another character until after Part 3. However, that doesn't mean other characters won't show interest in him, and that doesn't mean other characters will have any issue starting up their own romances much earlier than him (Itachi for example).
XD A no nonsense Hyuga girl getting with Akemi would be hilarious, and I definitely agree Akemi would prefer to date someone from outside his clan or a clanless shinobi. However, the girl can't be a character who canonically ends up with someone else (Hinata for example) since Akemi wouldn't feel right potentially erasing future kids from existence.
Finally, I currently have two potential candidates for Akemi to end up with, though I'm leaning heavily towards one character in particular… ;)
Next time: Akemi tries to prevent Konoha from going to war, but hiding his Sharingan from Kumo-nin and Orochimaru alike while concealing his true agenda might be too much for him…
Have a great end of summer, everyone! And for anyone going back to school or college, I hope you have a happy, safe school year!