Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
POV: Obito
The sun wasn't out yet, and I can hear someone beating down on my door. The only person I could think that was behind—
"Obito! Come my rival, let us go and enjoy this morning sun!" Guy shouted. "It's a beautiful day for a run!"
I swear he never runs out of energy. We just came back from a three month long mission. I grudgingly left the confines of my bed to open the door. I tried to ignore him before, but he was loud and my land lady shouted at me for my morning visitor disturbing the neighbors and especially her.
"I don't feel like running this morning." I told Guy as soon as I open the door. "I'm tired."
Tears suddenly started to pour out from his eyes then and he tried to cover it with his arm.
"I understand. You gave your all on our mission and returning to Konoha is a breath of fresh air. You need your rest while our other rival is out on a mission."
"Eh?" What is Guy saying now?
"Kakashi left earlier for another mission."
Ever since I heard from Minato-sensei two years ago that Iruna-chan is on a long term mission, Kakashi has been busy with missions. I don't think I've spoken to him more than once in a year.
"Is Kakashi, okay?" I asked Minato-sensei after returning from our mission.
"Why do you ask Obito?"
"I haven't seen the cyclops in a while even when I'm not on a mission, and anbu…receives harsher missions than jonins do."
"Yes, that's true, but he wouldn't still be in anbu if he couldn't handle it."
"Why is he working so hard? He doesn't blame himself about Rin, does he?"
"No, and you shouldn't either. There was a reason Rin did what she had to do."
"What reason is that, sensei?"
"The same reason Kushina's gone." Minato-san said steel and sadness in his eyes. "She wanted to protect something precious to her."
Is Kakashi working hard, so he can protect Iruna? I don't think that's completely it though. He isn't transparent, but he must have a reason to be working so hard in anbu.
"Obito?" Guy said waving his hand in front of me. "Are you awake?"
"Yes. I'm awake."
"Then, you are awake to go run laps around Konoha with me?" Guy said.
"That's not—"
"I shall wait for you here to change for our run." He said not even giving me a chance to finish my words.
I don't mind doing laps, but there has to be at least a day I can rest without doing any training! I wish Iruna-chan was here, she would have joined Guy.
ooo
On the way back to my apartment, I saw a notice posted on the wall.
Notice: For children ages 11 and below, curfew is 6:30pm. Any child seen out past the time without their parents or guardian will be brought to the Uchiha Police Force station.
"Hey, Obito" I heard from behind me and saw Kurenai. "Been a while the last I saw you."
"It's only been eight months." I said. "How's Asuma?"
"Why does everyone keep asking me that, when they see me?" Kurenai said annoyed.
Maybe because we can tell that you guys have feelings for each other? I wanted to say that to her, but getting her mad is not a wise choice. Especially with her, she's the best with Genjutsu. I'm still learning on Genjutsu using my eyes after all.
"So, what's up with this notice?" I asked pointing to the one in front of me.
"Oh, that, the Yondaime had that placed two months ago, there are rumors going around that four kids went missing in those past months. Two of them were Uchihas. They're still looking into the case of those missing children."
I paled when she mentioned Uchiha. It wasn't any of those brats, right?
"Relax" Kurenai said probably noticing the expression on my face. "The three kids that you're sometimes with isn't one of them. Although, it's a bit worrying."
"Why?" I asked.
"Recently, one of the Uchiha elders was found in the morning with his eyes missing."
"That's creepy." I said shuddering when that image came up in my head an Uchiha opening their eyelids, but they didn't have any eyes.
"You should be careful the targets seem to be the Uchihas, or your eyes from my speculations. The Yondaime has some chuunins going on patrol with someone from the Uchiha Police Force in the evening just so no one from them disappears."
"Weren't the elders against that?" I asked, I mean the elders wouldn't want the village to think the Uchiha were weak.
"They were, but after the incident with the elder they changed their mind. The only good thing about the Uchiha is their sharingan."
I blinked at Kurenai when she said that.
"Oh, sorry." She said recalling I'm also an Uchiha. "I—"
"It's fine." I told her. "You're only saying the truth. Once we lose them were just like everyone else."
After giving my other sharingan to Kakashi, and having one normal eye. It was like when I haven't activated my sharingan yet. I even realized how much Kakashi used the resources he had to become a jonin. He got ahead of us and without the sharingan.
I'll never admit it to him, but it was a bit inspiring. He got to where he wanted through his determination. Which reminds me of Genjutsu, and Kurenai is right here.
"Are you free today, Kurenai?" I asked her.
She gave me a wary look before she answered. "I have patrol later, but I'm free for the rest of the day."
"Great! Can you give me some hints on Genjutsu?"
ooo
For a week, I would meet with Kurenai in one of the training grounds in the morning after my run with Guy. She was teaching me about visualization and the layering of the illusions that would block an enemys' senses from sight to one's sense of touch. I was never that good at genjutsu, and I lost to Iruna on that when she already had fuinjutsu as her main focus.
Our training time was only from eight to twelve, since Kurenai had to get some rest before her patrol I would head to the Mikoto-san and ask her about the Genjutsus' we can use with our eyes.
I was playing with Sasuke in the dining room while Mikoto-san did the dishes. Itachis' food was still on the table and he should have already returned by now. I glanced at the clock and saw it was already five minutes past 6:30. Itachi should have been here by now.
"Niisan is late." Sasuke said raising his eyes to the clock.
"Do you think he's at the station?" Mikoto-san asked when it was 6:45.
"Maybe, but they would have brought him straight to the house." I answered like most of the time.
"I'll go and—"
"Let me, Mikoto-san." I said getting to my feet. "Itachi might show up later on when I go out and…" I glanced at Sasuke.
She nodded. After Iruna was kicked out of the clan, Mikoto-san was stricter with Itachi and Sasuke in the house. She would have Itachi go with Shisui to the academy together and she doesn't leave Sasuke alone at the house.
I left the compound heading in the direction of the hospital, thinking that the medics had another case that took longer than the usual. On the way there, I saw a girl with a fanning ponytail by herself in the streets.
"Hey" I called the girls' attention, making her jump. "How old are you?"
"I'm not 11." She replied right away like. "I'm on my way to my senseis'."
"And where's that?"
"Just around the corner." She answered.
I looked down the street she was headed to, but that didn't lead to anywhere, only a manhole which lead to the sewage.
"Your sensei lives in a sewer?" I gawked, what kind of sensei lives there?!
"Not really—he has this—" She paused. "Nevermind. I'll just visit sensei another time."
"Obito?" I turned around to find Kurenai there and with someone from the Police force.
"Good timing, this kid is by herself." I said gesturing to the girl with me.
"I'm not 11!" She growled. "They can't keep me at the station."
"You still have to go home." I told her.
She glared at me before stomping away and leaving us. Weird kid.
"Let's go. Your mom's worried." I told Itachi when I saw him just come out of the Hospital.
After dropping Itachi at their house, I went on my way to return to my apartment. Mikoto-san asked me to stay for the night since it was already late and with the rumors going around. I politely declined her offer and told her I'll use the rooftops to get back.
Every now and then, when I would come from the Uchiha compound I would see the same girl in that same street. She would stop in the middle of the intersection her eyebrows knit and a conflicted look on her, before she would turn around and go back where she came from.
It was weeks later, I was walking Itachi back to his home when I saw 'her' again this time there was a determined look on her and she looked like she was marching towards a battlefield. I glanced at Itachi next to me and he did the same. We peered into the street she went to and saw two anbus together with Minato-sensei there looking at her.
With a nod from the girl, she went towards the right where the manhole is, seconds later the two anbus followed. Minato-sensei made to follow, stopping in his steps for a moment.
"Obito, you should take Itachi back to his home." He told me before disappearing from view.
I did bring Itachi back home, but after that I followed after sensei into the stinking sewers.
POV: Iruna
After I mastered my chakra control, and increased my chakra reserves through usage until near exhaustion. We moved to nature chakra training, I had to meditate, that was the first and sensing the chakra around me.
It was almost the same as Narutos' sage training, only I didn't have to balance myself on a piece of wooden board on a spike meters high from the ground. My nature chakra training was way up in the trees sitting on a board where the ropes were tied onto a slim branch. The goal was to keep the rope from twisting or me falling towards the ground and that was the second level of nature chakra training.
My training for nature chakra for the day was over, and Nabi told me to go to the center by tomorrow.
"Iruna" Nabi said nodding to me when I entered his office in the center. "Please sit down."
I sat down on the chair in front of his desk.
"Mirus has mentioned that you wanted to learn nature chakra so you can turn Uzumaki Eishis' work to life."
"Yes, I do."
"For what purpose? Do you plan to sell them?"
"I wouldn't sell those seals they're more dangerous than a normal explosive seal is."
"Then, why make them in the first place?"
"Because I plan to use them."
"For what?"
"To fight"
"How? You cannot pull out a scroll and make a seal on spot while fighting not like with hand signs. You know that seals are complex the greater their power and it could blow up if you make a mistake with the combination of elements in it. The seals must be premade for you to be able to use them."
He had a point. I had to make them before I could even use them, now that's a problem.
"I don't know."I replied truthfully.
"That is your first assignment." He said. "Return when you've thought of a way to fight with seals and that is without using hand signs. I would advise that you consider how to fight before making those seals."
I didn't think Nabi calling me to his office would have anything to do with fuinjutsu, but he made a point with the seals. I may be able to make them, but using them in an actual fight is a different story.
I found myself wandering their shopping district thinking of a way to fight with seals. During my wandering I stopped in my steps in front of a weapon shop. I thought I might as well enter and see if I can get an idea from anything inside. Entering the shop there were swords, axes, knives, shuriken and other weapons on the shelves and tables. I stopped when I saw a tri-pronged kunai.
Minato-sans' tri-pronged kunai helps him pinpoint to an area or place. His seal assist him, but I plan to use seals as an offensive weapon. Do I place those seals on a kunai like Minato-san? Most of the seals in Uzumaki Eishis' notes were destructive and would destroy the item it's attached to, that would be counterproductive not to mention expensive. I'm not rich. I will have to think on something for that.
I kept looking at the wares in the shop, and stopped when I found a dagger that looked to be made of glass like the tanto Kushina-sensei had gifted me.
"Excuse me?" I called to the female clerk by the counter. "This tanto, what is it made of?"
"Glass"
"Glass?" I asked surprised. "That's possible? Won't it break?"
"No. This glass is forged with nature chakra. If glass is forged with nature chakra, it strengthens the glass making it as sharp as a metalworked sword. Depending on the nature chakra and elemental chakra used for forging the weapon there can be effects added to the weapon."
Wow.
"You must be the summoner they said."
"How are you sure?"
"You don't have any feathers on your hair and you don't have wings. You must have seen another dagger like that if you asked about it, but you're not here to buy anything."
I flushed, thinking of leaving.
"You can stay and look around if you want." She said as if reading my mind. "It's not a crime to look."
"Thanks." I said.
"No problem." She grinned at me. "I'm Suzume, a sparrow. You are?"
"Iruna"
"No family name?"
"Afraid so, I was ousted from my clan."
"Oh, their loss then." Suzume said shrugging, she had short brown hair and wings, but there was a bit of white in her feathers. She reminds me a bit of Rin-san.
I chuckled feeling better than earlier. "Is it alright if I come back tomorrow?"
"I'm not stopping you." She replied smiling.
I sometimes dropped by the weapon shop which turned out to be a blacksmith with the orders the customers asked, when I was close by.
"So, what are you trying to look for while looking at the weapons?" Suzume asked me while I was looking at the weapons.
"An idea" I replied. "I was told that I couldn't continue with training not unless I figured how to make the seals while fighting."
Suzume looked thoughtful then before she nodded to herself, like she was debating in her mind and she came to a decision. "Want to come with me some time at the end of the week?" She asked.
"Where specifically?" I asked.
She grinned at me wickedly, not in the sense that it was scary, but it was wide. A smile you had on you when you knew something the other didn't.
"It's a secret. You'll find out if you come."
"I'm not going to have to fight with anyone, do I?" I asked, because the last time I followed someone's advise…
"I'll take that as a yes, and you won't regret coming with me!" She said excitement in her voice.
I looked at the shop Suzume lead me to, she already entered and I was left there outside. It was desolate, that I'm sure. There was nothing special about it outside, aside from it having a worn look.
I can't judge simply by the outside, whatever was inside I hope it does give me some ideas for fuinjutsu. I entered the shop, and froze just by the doorway when I saw how Suzume was speaking to. The woman Suzume was speaking to noticed me as a malicious smile came up on her face.
"Oh, the little summoner, what brings you here?"
I gaped at her before glaring. Why was she in a shop at the outskirts of their shopping district? She broke Shou-chans' wing and is a vagrant! Mirus said they lived outside the village!
"You know Iruna?" Suzume asked the hawk behind the counter.
"You could say that, we met before. So, little summoner, did you come here to retrieve your tanto?"
"No." I snapped at her. I didn't even know I would find her here!
She raised an eyebrow at me, crossed her arms before she turned her attention to Suzume.
"Care to explain to me why you brought the little summoner to my atelier?"
Atelier? I glanced around the room to find it was filled with frames containing paintings of portraits, and landscapes on top of table tops or they were on the floor to the sides. Looking at the portraits they were good, not like I would ever admit it to her. She did hurt Shou-chan.
"Fine, she can look around since it's you. Just don't disturb me. I'm finishing something at the back. And you little summoner destroy or add anything to any of my work and that tanto might be on your back before you realize it." The female hawk said before retreating to the back of the room.
Not like I'll do that, I'm not 'that' vengeful and it was my fault why Shou-chan got hurt. I can also imagine her doing that stabbing me with that tanto.
"She's your friend?" I asked Suzume when her 'friend' was gone from sight. "She's…the opposite of you and she hates me."
"She wasn't like that before." Suzume answered smiling sadly. "Something happened, that's why she's like that."
I nodded. Pain after all changes you and you don't know how much.
"Well, you can look at some of her works. Ah! I'll show you my favourite!" Suzume said. "I'll just look for it."
While Suzume was searching for that painting, I looked at those that were in sight. Some of the paintings were places that I've seen in their village. There were three paintings of the palace at the tree tops each showing a different time of the day—dawn, day and dusk.
"Iruna-chan!" I heard from the doorway.
I snapped my head to find Kaori there.
"Your brother Sasuke—"
My insides twisted as she mentioned Sasuke that I didn't hear the rest of Kaoris' words. I didn't stay there for long and ran out of the Atelier pass Kaori rushing to Mirus' house hoping that she was there.
Oh, kami, please, let him be fine.
AN: Thank you my dear readers! I love you, guys! Tell me your thoughts! As for the next update, there will be one. Don't worry. ^^ Until the next chapter!