A/N: Who doesn't love quick updates?
CHAPTER IX
Hikari
"An armed enemy could breach this building, in which case all students are required to enter the closet and remain silent, no matter what they see or hear. All the instructors in the building will handle the situation and we will return to you once it is handled. However, be wary of transformation jutsu, understood?" Hikari's instructor said. The class looked around at each other and the anxiety was palpable. Her instructor must've sensed it as well because he spoke again. "These are simply precautionary instructions. Nothing should happen but if it does, we will be protected. All right?"
There were small murmurs and sighs. Hikari stayed silently, looking around the room with her bright eyes taking in everyone's reaction. They all seemed nervous, even the most haughty among them was shaking. The only person who wasn't was Tetsuya. His expression was as bored and lazy as it had always been, uninterested in any of the things that had been said. Hikari hadn't expected more from him given his personality but this cool, uninterested reaction was peculiar. There was something about him that felt off to her.
The instructor continued on with lessons, mostly to do with stealth and ambush tactics which Hikari presumed was information that would be needed should the worst occur. Her father had given her similar instructions years ago and she knew how to traverse the shadows like a panther, using her Sharingan like night vision lenses.
She wondered what he was doing now in preparation for the invasion her instructor was speaking of. She imagined he was working with the Hokage getting defenses together or, knowing him, he was planning the counteroffensive to reach the enemy before they got to Konoha. She wondered if he was nervous. It'd be a strange thing to see her father worried.
Her mother was probably also busy running around the hospital, making sure that everyone had the supplies they needed and that everyone that could be brought in was in place just in case there were injured civilians. Perhaps she'd be out on the field as well, fighting alongside Sasuke. Probably not, Hikari realized. She hadn't seen her father and mother interact in several months. Fighting together required some kind of connection, she felt. Or at least that's what her instructor said about teamwork.
Hikari sighed softly and began doodling in her notebook, ugly caricatures of her family together and playing. She drew another, this time more complete shapes that she put time into until finally she had drawn a portrait of her family at a dinner table, enjoying each other's company and her mother's cooking. That's what made Hikari sad. She missed hearing Sosei crack a joke that made Takuma blush and Kichiro snicker while their parents exchanged glances. She smiled remembering Takuma's sweet voice.
She felt the tear crawl down her cheek and she wiped it away before it could fall on her picture. After sliding it carefully into her folder, she gave it one more look before she closed it and put it into her bag. A fiery sensation touched the back of her neck and she turned to see Tetsuya staring at her before he averted his eyes and looked back out of the window. Hikari frowned and turned back to the front.
Why were boys so weird, especially this one.
She paid attention a little longer as her instructor went over remedial stealth once again and finally handed out a pop quiz about what he had said. Hikari answered every question and took her quiz to the front of the room to her instructor who looked less than surprised that she had finished so early. He quickly looked it over then stamped that she had received a perfect score. Hikari smirked and went back to her seat, waiting for everyone else to be finished.
After everyone had finished and the papers were graded, Hikari's instructor stood in front of the class and nodded happily. The only score that wasn't on the level of everyone else was Tetsuya.
When asked if he had even bothered to pay attention, Tetsuya said, "I did, just kind of spaced out during the test. I apologize." When the instructor said that there'd be no retests, Tetsuya shrugged and Hikari narrowed her eyes. Not only was this boy a bit of a weirdo, he was completely uninterested in school or intimidated by the prospect of failing. Did his parents care at all about his grades and how he was doing in class? Did he have parents at all?
That thought hit Hikari squarely in her chest and she looked back up at Tetsuya, searching for Amy semblance of loneliness or pain on his face but she saw nothing there. Just a blank slate. That made her even more curious about what his motivation was. Why was he in the Academy if not to become an at least serviceable shinobi?
When class was over, Tetsuya was the first to disappear out of the room, slithering through the crowds like a serpent. To Hikari, it looked like he actually had paid attention in class when it came to lessons about stealth. The young Uchiha girl followed him down the steps and out of the building into the sea of children and instructors that mixed into the hustle and bustle of Konoha's citizens rushing to prepare for whatever imminent attack there was.
Hikari's eyes darted around searching the streets for Tetsuya, before she found his spiky brown hair and yellow and blue hoodie he wore today. She followed him from afar, occasionally shifting behind an adult when she thought Tetsuya was about to turn in her direction. It was like a silent game of hide and seek and Hikari enjoyed it. It reminded her of watching Kichiro and Takuma play when their father would take them for sweets.
She lost view of Tetsuya when she moved from one adult to another. Sucking her teeth, Hikari tried to catch a glimpse of his yellow hoodie or his hair but saw nothing.
In a blink, her Sharingan was activated and she saw a mass of colors. Chakra, she realized. She could see it everywhere, in shapes and colors. Everyone had their own distinct signature and Hikari saw that the trail she had been directly following was linked to an old man, walking faster than. Someone his age should be.
He knows I'm following him… Hikari thought. When being tailed, her father had taught that basic shinobi techniques could be beneficial as a diversion, from transformations to substitutions. Tetsuya was skilled in that regard at least but he couldn't lose Hikari. However, she could pretend that he had. She intentionally walked off of his trail, deactivating her Sharingan as she passed by him. When she was lost in the crowd, she waited a few moments before catching up, her scarlet eyes scanning the trail before it became cold. She picked it up easy enough, following it through an alleyway before the trail suddenly led upward to the roof.
Tetsuya was working hard to lose her and Hikari's interest was further piqued. She avoided the obvious ploy to follow the rooftops and stuck to the shadows of the alley. She saw flecks of the chakra traveling through the air and took the alleyway paths until she reached another main street. She peeked around the corner and saw the trail leading to another transformed appearance for Tetsuya, this time a woman with brown hair. He walked down the street before unlocking the door to a house and entering. Hikari smirked. She had him.
Slowly, the girl stalked towards the house, darting around corners and avoiding people until she got to the side of the house and ducked beneath the windows. She inched up slowly to peek, only to see nothing but dark blinds. Annoyed, Hikari looked to the top of the house and sighed softly. With a jump, she cleared two stories and landed deftly onto the roof and crept along slowly and quietly. The building had a skylight that looked newly remodeled and Hikari stared through it.
She saw Tetsuya shift from his woman transformation back to his regular form and she saw two adults walk up to him. Hikari wanted desperately to know what was being said. She peered over the edge of the roof and saw a balcony with open. Her curiosity took over and in a brief moment of impulse, she dropped from the roof to the balcony and slunk through the open glass doors. She did the best she could not to move or make a sound once she entered the house, and although the voices were muffled, Hikari could make out something being said downstairs.
"So what did you learn?" a deep male voice asked.
"They think that an invasion is coming so in class, my instructor went over a few ways we'd avoid getting killed if the school was attacked. Hiding in the closet, letting the instructors handle it and so on," Tetsuya replied. He sounded different, Hikari noted. More mature. It made Hikari weird. Something about the exchange felt off.
"Do you think they suspect anything?" The male voice asked. This time, a female voice answered.
"Not from what I've gathered, but we should still be on alert. Things could change drastically in the coming days."
"I'll make my report so that everything goes into motion properly," the male voice said. Hikari blinked. She assumed that this was Tetsuya's father speaking. Who was he intending to report to?
Before Hikari could register the thought, she felt a hand grab her.
Hikari felt a brief moment of panic then paused and activated her Sharingan. She elbowed her assailant in the ribs and kicked back at their knee. She felt them buckle under the sudden ferocity of her attack and she rolled away, throwing her jacket over her head to hide her hair if it hadn't already been seen. When she turned and locked her eyes on the person that had attacked her, she saw Tetsuya.
He sucked his teeth. "I thought I lost you," he said.
Hikari shook her head and slowly started backing away. They know I'm here, Hikari realized. They're going to kill me. It was a thought she didn't think she'd have so soon in her life but when it came, she reacted quickly. Before Tetsuya could approach again, she dove from the balcony, flipping backwards and grabbing a clothesline on the way down. It burned her hands and Hikari thought she was bleeding. Nevertheless, she ran. As fast and as far as she could.
She didn't turn back to see if Tetsuya or his parents were following her or if anyone was watching her. Her Sharingan gave her a path through the crowd and she took it, tears streaming from her face in fear. There was only one place that she knew she'd be safe.
Konoha Medical loomed overhead and Hikari raced inside its doors. Her feet led her upstairs to Sosei's room and she paused on her heels to knock on his door before she entered. Sosei leaned up in his bed and Hikari paused.
The Hokage was in his room too. "Oh, Hikari?" His tone was a mixture of genuine happiness to see her as well as confusion.
"Are you okay?" Sosei asked, a distinct edge in his voice.
Hikari's eyes darted from him to Sosei and back. The Hokage and her big brother both looked concerned. Then she realized why. Her Sharingan was still active and her hands were bloodied from the clothesline. The Hokage walked over to her and held her hand.
"This may be a bit hot but I need you to be strong, ok?" Hikari nodded and looked down as the Hokage's hand began to glow with golden-orange chakra. True to his word, the Hokage's chakra was hot and Hikari did wince but when the Hokage lifted his hand, her wound was gone. Blinking, she deactivated her eyes and looked up at them. Sosei still looked surprised.
"Since when could you do that?"
Hikari gulped then shrugged. "I don't know, since I was seven," she said.
"Seven?" Sosei smirked. "Maybe I'm not the genius of the bunch then." That made Hikari smile and blush. The Hokage chuckled softly then nodded.
"While we're on the topic of complimenting you, I've been keeping track of the scores in the Academy and I've got to say that I'm impressed. Your scores are on par with your uncle, Itachi. Second highest in the village's history. I wasn't much of a student and I became Hokage so I'd say that you're well on your way," he said, with a wide grin and a thumbs up. Hikari giggled. The Hokage knelt down in front of Hikari. "Sosei and I were talking about some sensitive information so I did need this room clear. However, you ran all this way and had your Sharingan activated for a reason. What happened?"
Hikari took in a deep breath, suddenly realizing that explaining the full story could get her in trouble. Still…
"I...followed one of my classmates home because, well because I wanted to know if his parents cared about him not paying attention in class and getting bad grades. But when I got in his house, I—"
"Wait," Sosei said. "In his house?"
Hikari dipped her head and nodded. "Yes." She looked up and saw Sosei scowling at her but the Hokage gave him a knowing glance that gave him pause.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I heard his parents ask him about what he learned in school, like, our procedures in case of an invasion. Then I heard his father say that he was going to report to someone so that things could move forward," she said. Sosei narrowed his eyes and the Hokage nodded.
"I see," he said. "What's your classmate's name?"
Hikari gulped. "Tetsuya Senpuku."
"Okay, well don't worry about that. I'll handle it," the Hokage responded, never losing an amiable smile that made Hikari feel warm and welcome as if she were family. Hikari smiled at him and the Hokage turned to Sosei. "I'll give you extra details tomorrow," he said. In an yellow-orange flash, he disappeared.
Alone with her big brother, Hikari broke her little shell and let Dakko-chan show. She ran to Sosei's bedside and grabbed him in a hug. When she let go, she looked up at him and smiled.
"You look better," she said. Sosei dipped his head, his lips curled in a slight smirk.
"Yeah, Sakura was here earlier and finished healing me. Gave me a few pills and vitamins to take. I just need to get up and stretch my legs," Sosei said. He leaned forward and grabbed a pair of pants on the table before bringing them under the sheets and putting them on. Hikari diverted her eyes until Sosei stood up. "You wanna walk with me?"
The two left Sosei's hospital room and traversed the halls. Sosei was strong though he said that his legs felt weak and Sakura told him that the full power of the vitamins and pills would set in in about twenty-four hours. Hikari saw the medical staff rushing around, from room to room, getting things together. A similar rush had occurred when Yashin's forces had invaded and they had been flooding out of the hospital onto the streets to get civilians to the hospital and heal the injured.
"They're getting prepared for an invasion," Sosei said, looking down at Hikari.
"I know," she said. "We talked about it in school today and went over preparations."
"Are you scared?"
Hikari paused and nodded slowly. "A little bit, I guess." She then looked up at her brother. "Do you really think there's going to be an invasion?"
"I'm going on a mission to keep that from happening. That's what Naruto was talking to me about," Sosei said. Hikari's eyes widened and Sosei winked at her. "The mission itself isn't a secret, just the reason behind it. But, keep it to yourself, ok? I don't want anyone to panic."
"Okay…" Hikari said. "Are you coming back?" They rounded the hallway and case back to Sosei's room. Hikari's brother sat on his bed then nodded and smiled.
"I will. You have my word, Dakko-chan," he said. Hikari grabbed Sosei and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shirt as she felt tears start to flow down her cheeks.
"Please, So-So...don't die."
