Chapter Six: Academy

Note: To me, it feels like Itachi chose Sasuke over the village and the clan; he doesn't care what happens to the village, how it would suffer from the loss of the Uchiha, as long as Sasuke is safe. He's sort of similar to Kaname from VK, who only cared about Yuuki and nothing else. I don't think Itachi is that much of a genius as he's made out to be. There could have been plenty of ways to avoid the Uchiha massacre, Itachi just didn't think of them – like for example, killing himself. I doubt the Uchiha would still continue with the coup if the two most important members – Shisui and Itachi were dead. Itachi is too distant, he never made any efforts to interact with people other than his clan, and he didn't really try to stop the coup at all. Itachi simply followed the orders he was given, nothing more and nothing less.

So for now, Zero and Kaname will not be friends with Itachi during the academy. Plus I feel becoming friends with Itachi from the very start is too common; lots of other fanfics go like that. I'm planning to make them become friends in the future though XD.

Warning: AU Universe. Some OOC. Slight-Itachi bashing. Parts from Itachi-shinden.

On the morning of September 26th, Zero and Kaname find themselves standing along with other children all six years old, attending the academy entrance ceremony. They were a part of the fall rotation classes, so Zero and Kaname would enter in September and graduate in early August. The Sandaime Hokage is in front, on a small podium, giving his traditional speech to the future shinobis. Some of the children listen, others look around to see who their soon-to-be-classmates are, and the rest simply ignore the Saindaime's speech, more eager to do other things. The academy having been closed for almost a year, this class of students were the first to be admitted to the Academy since the kyuubi attack.

Kaname could see that Zero looked excited yet nervous, even though his facial expression didn't really display much of what he was feeling. On the other hand, Kaname, himself, did not really feel eager to start the academy. He already had a hunch on how it would go; Kaname was sure that both he and Zero would find the academy boring, and as the rest of his family says, troublesome. Since Kaname had the backing of the Nara Clan, the other children would most likely leave him alone, but Zero would be an easy target, since hardly anyone knew Zero was actually a Senju. Not to mention, Zero's appearance was small and very girly; an easy combination for children to tease about.

To be honest, the first time Kaname met Zero, he had thought that Zero really was a girl. The way the silver hair and bangs framed his face, and Zero's soft lavender eyes – basically the perfect picture of a doll; it had awakened a protective feeling in Kaname. Kaname had sworn then, that he would protect Zero, would make him happy.

Seeing that the Sandaime had finished his speech, Kaname starts to pay more attention, listening to which class and which teacher both he and Zero would get assigned to. Luckily, it seems that he and Zero would be placed together under Hisagi-sensei. The Itachi that Uchiha Shisui had mentioned yesterday – Uchiha Itachi, would also be in their same class. The rumours about Uchiha Itachi being a genius once in a generation had spread from the Uchiha clan to the rest of the village already, so Kaname is interested to see whether it is actually true or not. But frankly, Kaname doubts Itachi really is that much of a genius as the Uchiha makes him out to be, especially since the Uchiha have a tendency to overestimate themselves.

"Kaname? It's time to go to our class." Zero's voice causes Kaname to break out of his musings, and he follows Zero to classroom 1A.

Hisagi-sensei explains to them the schedule of their first year; how they will be spending the first few days on pure academics – rules, expectations, and things they would need to memorize. In a few weeks, they would be given preliminary tests, to see how they would fare in basic kunai and shuriken throwing, their stamina, their taijutsu, and their knowledge in literary and academic subjects.

"All right, please introduce yourself and tell everyone your dream for the future. We'll start by student number." The older male teacher says, looking at his students.

Listening to the other students declare their dreams, from wanting to be a great ninja like their parents, to being Hokage, Kaname can't help but sigh. How troublesome. This was a waste of time; he could be training and improving his own skills now. Glancing over at Zero, Kaname sees that Zero is in the same position as him – appearing to be listening, but the way his eyes glazed over now and then, gave away Zero's true thoughts.

Kaname is thinking what he could do, in order to idle away the time, when Hisagi-sensei calls the name of the next student, "okay, next is Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi stands up and walks to the front of the class. "I'm Uchiha Itachi. My dream is ..." He falters.

The teacher and students cocked their heads, almost as if to ask what was wrong. Kaname glances over at Zero, who shrugs his shoulders with a small shake of his head.

With Hisagi-sensei's urging, Itachi finally announces his dream, "I want to be the greatest ninja ever, great enough so that I can erase all the fighting from this world." The class erupts in laughter, but Zero straightens up from his position, wondering whether Itachi is the same as him, while Kaname simply narrows his eyes at Itachi in consideration.

Soon it is Zero's turn, and then Kaname's, to tell their dreams at the front of the room.

"I am Kiryuu Zero. My dream is to protect Konoha and the King, and to one day attain true peace that encompasses all of the Elemental Nations."

"Nara Kaname. My dream is to protect my precious people, Konoha, and the King, and to someday obtain real peace."

Zero and Kaname's introduction gather a few a laughs from the rest of their classmates, but most of the students just stay quiet, not knowing how to react with two children the same age as them, talking about wanting peace and protecting the 'King'.

Before Kaname knows it, their first day at the academy is over, and they are free to leave. Standing up from their seats, Zero and Kaname make their way out of the academy and to one of their usual training ground – the Nara forest. Sometimes the two of them would train in the Senju forest, but since no one was supposed to know that Zero was a Senju, training in the Nara compound attracted less attention; it was common knowledge that Kaname was close friends with Zero, anyway.

"What do you want to work on today?" Kaname asks Zero. "I think we've done enough of shurikenjutsu training right? Let's practice more on something else."

"Let's spar together, with weapons allowed, but no jutsus. It's something we haven't done much." Zero answers.

Kaname nods, and the two of them slide into their individual stances; Zero into his personal speed-flexibility-based taijutsu style, and Kaname into his improvised Nara taijutsu style. The two of them simultaneously launch towards each other, each swiftly pulling out a kunai from their holsters.

XXXXXX

"Ooh..."

Itachi's classmates sat in a row, dumbstruck. Even the teacher, a little ways off taking notes, almost forgot to call on the next student in slight disbelief.

It was a test to see how many of the twenty human figures set up all over the schoolyard a student could hit with kunai in a short period of time. Each student took a turn individually.

His classmates before him had all run around the schoolyard at top speed, managing to complete the task in just over five minutes, panting all the while.

Before the class started, they had been shown the location of the human figures; all of them were in annoying places like the top of the tallest tree, or behind a half-open window on the third floor. So everyone raced around frantically, and managed to do it in an average of five minutes.

Itachi had done it in thirty seconds. And all his kunai hit the figures precisely in the head or the chest, in almost exactly the same place each time; the slight differences were only due to the differences in how much of the figure was actually exposed. His kunai had all hit with almost flawless accuracy.

As the teacher gave the start signal, Itachi launched the eight kunai he held in both hands at eight human figures simultaneously. That didn't even take two seconds. From there, he started running, tracing out the route he had pictured in his head, and made a swift tour of the yard.

Thirty seconds.

Itachi felt like it almost took too long. Shisui could have done it faster.

"Well done. All right, next up," the teacher said.

Without responding, Itachi returned to his place among the excited students. His performance had been so incredible that no one could say a word directly to him. They circled him from a distance and whispered to each other.

Unaware of this reaction, Itachi reflected on the results of the test he had just completed. I could shove another five seconds off ... He found a place where he could correct the trajectory of his run, and felt ashamed of his immaturity.

Itachi was brought out of his musings when he heard Hisagi-sensei call the next student, "Kiryuu Zero. You are up next."

A silver haired boy stepped forward and got into a ready position, with four kunais in both of his hands. Itachi was a bit interested in how Zero would do, since he remembered how Zero had said that his dream was to attain peace, in the self-introduction one week ago. At first, Itachi had wanted to know more about why Zero wished to have peace, but both him and Nara Kaname had left the academy each day before Itachi could say anything.

Once Hisagi-sensei gave the start signal, Kiryuu Zero jumped up into the air, throwing the eight kunai he held at eight figures simultaneously, while taking out two kunai in each of his hands, and used them to redirect the trajectory of four kunais that he had first thrown. It only took a second and a half for Zero to land on the ground in a crouch, before he broke out in a fast sprint and threw kunais at the remaining targets, while making his way around the yard.

Ten seconds.

Zero finished the test in ten seconds. He didn't even need half of the time Itachi had taken to complete the test, and all of Zero's kunai had hit the figures precisely in the heart, in exactly the same place each time with flawless accuracy.

Itachi gritted his teeth and gripped his fists tightly; he still wasn't strong enough, Zero had totally beaten him. He needed to train harder

"E-excellent job, Zero." Hisagi-sensei said, with sweat rolling down his forehead. Itachi's thirty seconds was already a record for a first year academy student, but Zero's ten seconds was just flabbergasting; to think that there was a child with that much talent, with such limitless potential. All the other students could definitely feel that Zero was different from them; Zero's otherworldly presence, as garnered him wary looks and a wide berth from the other children. The only one who could match with Zero was –

Silence filled the class again, for the third time in the same day. First it was Itachi's thirty seconds that left the rest of their classmates dumbstruck, then it was Zero's ten seconds that left them speechless, and now, it was Nara Kaname, who had completed the test in fifteen seconds. What in the world was going on with their class? The students all thought in astonishment.

Itachi curled his fists even tighter, looking away from the rest of the class with dissatisfaction. He couldn't believe he was outpaced by yet another student. Itachi needed to be the best, the strongest, so that he could erase fighting from this world.

XXXXXX

A few months had passed since Zero and Kaname had started the academy, and it turned out just to be just like Kaname had predicted. He and Zero had placed second and first, respectively, for their year, in all of their tests, with Uchiha Itachi being third. But even though Itachi was placed as third, their scores were a bit different. Kaname and Zero had both achieved a 100% average in all the academic tests, a 10/10 for both kunai and shuriken throwing, a record of 15 and 10 seconds, respectively, for the obstacle course, and full marks (10/10) in their taijutsu. Meanwhile, Itachi had received an average of 100% in the academic tests, a 10/10 for kunai and shuriken throwing, 30 seconds for the obstacle course, and a 9/10 for taijutsu.

Just as Kaname had thought, Itachi wasn't that much of a genius as the Uchiha Clan made him out to be. While Kaname agreed that Itachi had more skill in the shinobi arts than other children in their year, Itachi was lacking in the intellectual part. Itachi clearly wasn't as mature as Kaname had heard; Kaname saw the obvious signs of muted jealousy and frustration in Itachi's eyes, each time Zero effortlessly beat him.

Over the past few months of being in the same class, Kaname had seen what kind of person Uchiha Itachi truly was – a person Kaname could never be able to bring himself to fully trust.

Itachi was too distant, Kaname realized.

If one of his classmates was replaced with a spy, Itachi would be one of the last ones to notice it, because Itachi didn't care about them. He was too far engrossed in his own world, and never paid any attention to any of his other classmates, except for Zero and Kaname, and that was only because Itachi could never be better than them in anything, despite being revered as a prodigy. If Itachi was ordered to kill a comrade, a fellow shinobi from Konoha, he would do it without question. He wouldn't think about whether that shinobi really was a traitor or not, or whether the shinobi's death would really be best for Konoha. Itachi would simply follow the orders given to him, according to the textbook. He would be useless in situations where something unexpected or unanticipated happens, because Itachi wasn't capable of thinking by himself.

Itachi was a person who cared more about his younger brother – Uchiha Sasuke, than his clan, than the village. Itachi would do anything for his brother – he would betray Konoha, fight against Konoha, and even kill millions of people without a second thought, if it was for Sasuke. To Itachi, there only existed two people in this world – Sasuke, and the rest.

Such a person, Kaname could not bring himself to fully trust; because Kaname knew, that Itachi would kill any children and adults with no hesitation in order to protect Uchiha Sasuke. Itachi was not like Zero, who would sacrifice everything, including himself, to protect Konoha and the King.

Nevertheless, just because Itachi was not someone Kaname could fully trust, didn't mean that Kaname could not trust Itachi; trust and completely trust were different. A lot of the shinobi in Konoha were the same as Itachi; they fought to protect their precious people first, and then to protect Konoha.

It seemed like Zero was oblivious about Kaname's view of Uchiha Itachi, though.

Zero wanted to become friends with Itachi, but was ignored ever since Zero had easily won against Itachi, in their very first spar together.

"Next, Zero and Itachi. Taijutsu only. Begin!." Hisagi-sensei states.

The two of them step forward into the ring, make the seal of confrontation, and slide into their individual stances.

"Ahh!"

Itachi's back hit the ground hard, barely half a second after the start of their match.

Zero holds out a hand to help Itachi up, only for Itachi to stare back at him, and stand up by himself, ignoring the hand Zero holds out.

"Winner, Kiryuu Zero."

Stilted silence follows Hisagi-sensei's declaration. Everyone except Kaname is surprised by the outcome of the match; after all, Uchiha Itachi is a genius of the famous Uchiha clan, how could a no-name civilian child, like Zero, beat him so quickly, so smoothly.

Zero quickly proved that his first win against Uchiha Itachi in the taijutsu spar was in fact, not a fluke, but simply evidence of his prodigal skills. Zero, along with Kaname, continued to dominate their weapons classes, taijutsu fights, and academic tests. Both of them were so far ahead in skill, compared to the rest of their classmates; even Uchiha Itachi, was no competition for them. Therefore it was no surprise to Kaname, that his and Zero's victories in spars and accomplishments in jutsus, were met with silence from the majority.

Zero and Kaname's fame, along with a bit of Itachi's, spread throughout the school. They excelled to such an extent that some of the teachers and students said their level of talent had never before been seen at the school. Given the fact that the first-year classes had nothing to teach the three of them, Hisagi-sensei gave them special homework and tests. But Zero, Kaname, and Itachi easily mastered them all, leaving Hisagi-sensei in defeat.

The three were more than skilled enough for the higher classes in the academy, and so, just over six months after they started school, their teachers unanimously agreed on their advancement.

XXXXXX

Roughly six months after Zero and Kaname start the academy, Hisagi-sensei approaches the Hokage about early graduation for the two of them.

"Kiryuu Zero and Nara Kaname are far beyond the skill of academy students. They have both received perfect scores in all academic tests since the start of the academy, and the two continue to prevail against all other opponents, except for each other." Hisagi-sensei declares calmly, in front of the Hokage and his three Elders. "There is nothing left for them to learn in the academy anymore."

"Aren't they just first years?" Hiruzen asks.

"Isn't it fine? Hatake Kakashi also graduated early." Danzo speaks up.

"It's a different era from then." Hiruzen returns. "It is not wartime now; there is no need for children to graduate early."

Danzo refuses to back down, "The two of them are geniuses, aren't they?"

"Yes, I have never seen students like Kiryuu Zero and Nara Kaname before." Hisagi-sensei answers. "I taught Hatake Kakashi back when he was in the academy, and even he wasn't as skilled as them."

"So it will be better for Zero and Kaname, themselves, if they graduate early huh?" Hiruzen murmurs with a sigh. He wants to allow the two to stay as children for longer, but Konoha is still recovering from the kyuubi attack; as Hokage, he cannot say no to two genius shinobis joining the ranks.

"How about Uchiha Itachi – is he not also a genius?" Homura brings up, causing Hiruzen, Danzo, and Koharu to look towards Hisagi-sensei for his opinion; as Itachi's academy teacher, he is the one who knows Itachi the best.

"It's true that Uchiha Itachi is a genius, but he's nothing compared to Kiryuu Zero or Nara Kaname. Itachi is the same as Hatake Kakashi, both are undoubtedly geniuses seen once in every ten years. But Kiryuu Zero and Nara Kaname are geniuses seen once in a thousand years." Hisagi-sensei responds. "Furthermore, I do not think Itachi is ready to graduate early; he is still not mature enough."

"What do you mean?" questions Koharu.

"There are two main reasons – Itachi is still lacking knowledge, and he cannot yet think for himself. Every shinobi knows that there will always be someone better than them. It's the principle truth of this world; no matter who you are, one day, you will meet someone who you cannot beat, no matter what. Itachi does not understand this yet; he is unable to get over the fact that Kiryuu Zero and Nara Kaname are better than him, which is seen with how Itachi stares and tries to dissect them all day long. Also, Itachi seems to not have any desire to get to know his classmates at all. He ignores and dismisses all his classmates – it's obvious that if one of his classmates were to be impersonated by someone else, Itachi would be one of the last ones, if not the last one to notice." Hisagi-sensei explains confidently. "Moreover, Uchiha Itachi only knows how to react according to the textbook. He hasn't learned that it is necessary to approach the situation from different viewpoints; he does not yet know the meaning of the phrase 'a shinobi must look underneath the underneath'."

"It seems that the rumours about Uchiha Itachi being a genius are simply baseless and an exaggeration by the Uchiha, then." Danzo murmurs.

Koharu and Homura don't say anything, but their facial expression shows that they agree with Danzo.

"I see, thank you, Hisagi." Hiruzen states. "Kiryuu Zero and Nara Kaname will be moved up to the graduating class, while Uchiha Itachi stays as a first-year, then."

"Please wait a moment, Hokage-sama." Hisagi-sensei speaks up. "While Itachi is not yet really to graduate, I think it would be better for him to move up to the fifth-year class. Itachi is much more skilled, compared to the other first-years, and he will have around a year and a half before graduation."

"Very well, if that is what you think." Hiruzen complies with Hisagi's wish.

"Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama and Honourable Elders." Hisagi-sensei says, before bowing and leaving the room.

So, what do you guys think? Review, review, reviews, please. Thanks!